Author: NT Bureau
Publication: News Today
Date: June 20, 2006
URL: http://www.newstodaynet.com/20jun/rf13.htm
To understand the essence of Vedanta, certain
percepts have to be repeated quite often just like the way a teacher keeps
repeating to din into the ears of the students, said R Seshasayee, managing
director, Ashok Leyland.
Speaking at a function yesterday to release
the two-volume collection of public lectures delivered by Swami Dayananda
Saraswati, he said for spiritually advanced people, a guru like Lord Dakshinamoorthy
would be most appropriate as extolled by Adi Sankara in his works on that
deity. 'But for spiritually immature people, books of Dayananda Saraswati
were of great help,' he said. The two-volumes on Mundakopanishad, the discourses
by Dayananda, were also released on the occasion.
The books were released by Sri Nachiyappa
Gnana Desika Swamigal, the 12th pontiff of Koviloor Adheenam. 'According to
Vaishnava Siddhantha, a person finds a guru through untiring search and the
deeds of the past lives. But here without much searching, our guru is here
to guide us,' he said, pointing to Dayananda Saraswati.
M S Ananth, director, IIT Madras, through
an in-absentia message said the works of a Nobel Prize winning scientist and
Dayananda were strikingly similar. For, if one read the books authored by
both, a feeling of having understood everything crept in. But on closing the
books, the feeling of not having understood the contents prevailed. 'In such
cases, repetitive reading would help in grasping the essence of the books,'
said Ananth. In a world of conflict, satsangs (associations with noble people)
was a valuable asset for those inclined to spiritualism.
Kapila Vatsayan, chairperson, Indira Gandhi
Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, said, 'transcribing words heard has been a
part of our country's tradition.' Messages from Dayananda's books and his
discourses were most valuable as they came out of enlightened consciousness
of a spiritual personality, she observed.
Sri Nachiyappa Gnana Desika Swamigal said
books have an important role to play in communicating philosophy, Vedic thoughts
and truisms in simple words for generations to assimilate, understand and
benefit from such literature.
Dayananda Saraswati said a dedicated team
was behind the release of the books. 'I used only simple words as the ideas
should be communicable for everyone to understand my works,' he said. He had
taken care in the usage of words in the volumes for conveying the intended
meaning without repetition of words and phrases
Sheela Balaji, managing trustee, Swami Dayananda
Educational Trust, said they were planning to bring out four titles every
three months.
