Spiruality And Sports

Spirituality and Sports.

Courtesy

By Sri Rajaputhran in Sulekha Blog

Strange bedfellows! I mean Sports and Spirituality. One is as different from chalk as cheese. But both need all the concentration that a human mind can give to achieve the set goal, one in the temporal world and the other in the spiritual. Today was one such day for me. Slightly indisposed because of the inclement weather, I overslept, and did not open my computer early in the morning, as was my wont. Around sevenish, the paperboy threw the Hindu, in our front verandah, and that was just in time. I had already prepared my morning coffee, and the Hindu tasted better when read with morning coffee.

I scanned the pages listlessly, nothing much happening. Everything was predictable. The politicians were playing their small little games to satisfy their super egos, and Thol Thirumavalavan's followers were literally cleaning the excreta infested railway lines of Chennai by lying over them and using their dress material as rags, so that Lallu's trains could speed on the railway tracks without slipping on the slippery human excreta. The Hindu was cheeky enough to publish a photograph of the followers of VCK, both men and women wallowing in the filth.

I had almost given up. My coffee was getting cold, and nothing newsworthy had happened in the last twenty four hours. I think, the Powers that Be had heard my anguish, and on the penultimate page was this gem: "Tendulkar, a bad sport: Gilchrist". Adam Gilchrist, the Australian cricketer, was frothing at his mouth, unable to digest Tendulkar's latest record, the Little Master had created for himself, for his family and for the country. The long and short of Adam Gilchrist tirade is, he is questioning the honesty of Sachin Tendulkar, for what happened in the spiteful Sydney Test, the despicable and highly unwarranted "Monkeygate" affair involving Harbhajan Singh.


courtesy Winston Bynorth.

But to all Indians, here we have a dimunitive little Master, the like of which the world has never seen, scaling the summit, becoming master of the cricketing universe. He had bettered Brian Lara's Test aggregate of 11,953 runs, by clocking 12,027 runs at Mohali on October 17th, this year. I am not surprised. Sir Donald Bradman, had said Tendulkar’s batting style was the closest to that of Bradman himself, and Shane Warne, has placed Tendulkar top on the list of his contemporary cricketers. And Sachin Tendulkar's reaction? "I thank the Almighty for everything that he's given me,"

I am unable to fathom what is gnawing Adam Gilchrist's stomach. Hate, jealousy, unable to bear the success of another in the same sport where he also plays a part.

All these thoughts were ruminating in my mind, when I chanced upon another gem of Purest Ray Serene, and it needs a retelling.


"Swami Chinmayananda was conducting a Sadhana Camp for some of his devotees including Swami Dayananda, and myself, (the writer of this article). We had congregated in the small Kutir of Swami Tapovan, Swami Chinmayananda's Guru, on the banks of Ganges at Uttarakashi. No sooner we had gathered, Swami Chinmayananda instructed us to choose a convenient place for ourselves and meditate alone for one hour and come back for Sadhana meeting.

At that point of time, I was a very young bachelor, not even twenty three years of age. But I had a lot of interest in spirituality and along with my friends I use to go out for Satsangs.

I sat on a rock. It was quite comfortable. I started meditating. After some time a question arose in my mind. "Who am I"? What is the material difference between me and the rock that is surrounding me? I am as good or as bad as a rock. So saying, I placed a piece of rock on my head. I perceived that there was no difference between the rock on which I was sitting and the one that I was holding on my head, and the body of mine that was in between them. For the moment I had become one with the rock. I felt that I had no life separate from that of the rock. If at all the rock had a life?

Since we had to return within sixty minutes to the Kutir, I gathered my wits, and went post haste to the Kutir, to describe to Swamiji our one hour experience. When my turn came, I explained my experience and asked Swamiji: " How come for a moment I felt that both me and the rock are one and the same?" In what ways do I differ from the rock?"

Swamiji replied : " The rock cannot feel the sense of being; like you and I. You always have a feeling of being."

"But Swamiji, at that point of time I never had a feeling of being. I had become a rock, and there was no 'feeling of being' in me. Even now I feel that I am a rock?"

"No, it is not like that. there is always a feeling of being in a human. Without that a human cannot exist."

"Swamiji there is confusion in my mind. Could you please be kind enough and explain this concept further?"

Without answering me, Swamiji asked the Kutir Brahmacharins to switch off the lights and the entire Kutir was engulfed in darkness.

Suddenly the powerful baritone of Swami Chinmayananda pierced the darkness. He called me by my name and asked " Are you there?"

"Yes, Swamiji, I am here."

"Are you able to see yourself in this darkness?"

"No."

"But how come you assert that you are there?"

"I perceive that I am here. I feel the presence of my being."

"That is all".

In the subsequent Satsang classes Swamiji was elaborating on the qualities of a Sadhaka. However much the Sadhaka tries to acquire Jnana, it happens only at a particular "time factor". Many of us were absolutely unable to grasp the full import of this sentence. So, he was kind enough to explain this concept with a small story.

In a family the elder sister had got married and after the nuptials she was extremely happy which was visible in her actions and words. In fact, her body language had changed and was beaming a warm glow. Her eight year old sibling, who noticed this change in her sister, asked her Akka, to tell her the secret ot this new manifestation in her.

"My dear Kutti, if I explain to you those experiences you will not be able to understand at this tender age. When you grow big and get married you will be able to understand this happiness, that I am experiencing now. You will have to wait till then."

Likewise, one can realise the nature of Atman, only when one has attained Jnana, and that attainment of Jnana is on a time factor which varies from human being to human being.

Unfortunately, a young Brahmachari, who had walked in from another Satsang, could not contain his animosity towards Swami Chinmayananda, and shouted in public "Mr. Swami, your quoting of this story is vulgar."

" I have not made up this story on my own. It was quoted by another Mahan." And I have retold it only to the best of my ability."

"Who is that great Mahan?" was the next question.

Without losing his cool, Swami Chinmayananda answered : "Adi Sankara".

I don't care which Sankara had told this story. It is vulgar."

Smilingly Swami Chinmayananda said : "When you are not able to accept Adi Sankara, and his precepts, it is futile for me to argue with you, You may exit my satsang."

[as narrated by Pakkiyam Ramaswamy in Tamil, and translated into English by VP]

So, whether it is sports or spirituality, one should have equanimity to accept greatness in others, and not feel jealous of their achievements.