Swadhyaya Movement

For other uses, see Swadhyay (disambiguation).

The Swadhyay Pariwar is an association of people who study Srimad Bhagwad Geeta and carry out various activities of social good (swadhyaya literally means self-study of spiritual quest). Pandurang Shashtri started giving discourses upon the Hindu religious scriptures Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta and Upnishads. He motivated his followers to go house to house with the message of Hindu scriptures and help society in living God fearing life.

In his early twenties, Athawale began to deliver discourses on the Bhagawad Gita in Mumbai, India. The movement's aim is better the human condition by fostering an understanding of Hindu scripture.

The Swadhyay (self-study) movement started in the 1950s in Mumbai. Athavale was influenced when he was invited in 1954 to the Second World Religious Conference in Japan. Here he expounded on the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita and linked them to modern life. He discussed the idea of an in-dwelling God and contended that the ego is a gift from God and thus, rather than being removed, should be sublimed with God. However, the claim of Pandurang Shashtri's visit to World Religions Conference is un-authentic.

When Athavale was speaking on the Gita and its application to modern life, he was asked whether there was a single village in India practising the ideals of the Gita. Athavale could not answer this question. This is what made him ever more determined to return to India to rejuvenate the ancient concept of Swadhyay. At the conference, Athavale met Arthur Holly Compton, the 1927 winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics. Impressed by Athavale, Compton invited the young man to the United States and suggested that the concepts of the Gita could solve their problems. Athavale politely declined and suggested that he would rather put the ideas to use in India before the West. There is a contrary claim that the conference was not a World Religion Conference. It was attended by Pandurang Shashtri along with five other Indians practising Hinduism. The record of the conference speaks that Pandurang Shashtri Athavale left the same within 48 hrs. and Mr.Compton was not present in the conference.

Swadhyay literally means the study, knowledge, and discovery of the self. According to proponents, it is a "journey to work out a unity in a multiverse of cultures and worldviews, of harmonizing the self with a network of relationships, of creating and maintaining vital connections between self, society, and God, of knowing and enriching human action with sacredness." The understanding of an in-dwelling God imbibed into Swadhyayees (practitioners of Swadhyay) by Athavale is claimed to motivate them towards true expression of devotion (Bhakti). The concept of devotion has two important aspects in Swadhyay: one of self-exploration, with a view to becoming closer to God (Bhav Bhakti), and an active and creative principle of devotion to promote communal good (kruti bhakti). Athavale taught that a series of practical steps and programmes facilitates the awareness that God is in-dwelling.

Per Athavale, "In human society, there are many kinds of barriers such as caste, color, status, religion etc. that separate man from man. What is the way to unite the human race in spite of these barriers? The differences do exist from person to person. But there is a common factor which binds all of us. Our Creator is one and our Operator is one. This is the only factor which can unite the human race in spite of multitude of differences. Today, crude hedonism and materialism are on the ascent. As a result of these isms, modern man is becoming heartless. Human life without noble feelings and higher sentiments is dry, dull and mechanical. The consciousness of God within will promote self-respect and respect for the whole of humanity and creation. The essence of devotion is an understanding of nearness of God. In conclusion, I would like to assert that Devotion to God is a force for the individual, a force for social harmony and a force for international unity."

Athavale has introduced educational institutions, developed wealth redistribution measures and social welfare projects. Athavale has shown that individual transformation eventually can lead to wider social change. Devotion, he says, can be turned into a social force. "Since God is with us and within us, he is a partner in all our transactions. Naturally, he has his share..." God's part of our wealth, Athavale suggests, can be redistributed among the poor and needy. Athavale presented the idea of "Yogeshwar Krishi" (divine farming) to the farming community. In this social experiment, a Swadhyayee gives a piece of land for use for a season as God's farm. Thereafter each person subsequently, one day a month, works/devotes their efficiency for its cultivation. Seen as God's plot, the income thus generated is called "impersonal wealth" and belongs to no one but God. The wealth is consecrated in the local temple (called Amritalayam) and later disbursed to those in need as prasad or divinely blessed food. Swadhyay emphasizes "graceful giving" where "the help to the needy family's house is taken in the middle of the night so that others may not know that the family concerned has received help from the community." These are ideals and practised once or twice to give examples and glorify such act. In reality, the funds are not used but kept in trusts.

Swadhyay says its activities differ from social development projects due to the incorporation of bhakti, or devotion to God, in its work. wSwadhyay teaches that no human being is superior or inferior to any other. According to Swadhyay, When wealthy Swadhyayees participate in movement activities, they should not look upon poorer Swadhyayees as 'the other person' in need of public assistance, but as children of the same Creator.

Athavale has also set up a range of educational institutions on government land and by government assistance or on donated land. In the Bal Sanskar Kendras, children are instilled with a love of Indian culture and values through stories and tales, and in the Tatvajnana Vidyapeeth (philosophical university) at Thane students are taught Indian and western philosophy, comparative religion, logic, Sanskrit, Vedic rites and rituals. Athavale has also taught Sanskrit in the form of verses to illiterate villagers and trained many people of all castes in the Vedic rites of priesthood.

Controversies

The claim of Pandurang Shashtri having visited World Religion Conference at Japan and was only representative of Hindu is unauthentic. It was a small gathering where in total six Indians representing Hindus visited. Mr. Compton was not there in the gathering. Mr. Compton having offered Pandurang Shashtri to stay in U.S. and spread the message of Geeta is not true and projected to attract followers and glorify Pandurang Shashtri's image.

Pankaj Trivedi incident

Pankaj Trivedi, one-time staunch follower of Pandurang Shashtri, was killed on 15/06/2006 at Ahmedabad. Pankaj Trivedi filed bonafide civil suits against Jayshree Talwalkar to open the closed temple at Bhav-Nirjar, Ahmedabad. The present day followers were instigated to file false criminal cases in rural India, particularly State of Gujarat, against Pankaj Trivedi and other dedicated followers and trustees who opposed the wrongs with a view to drag them to rural India and kill these old followers in mob violence. The filing of false criminal cases have been recorded in judgement of High Court at Ahmedabad in an order quashing 22 identical false cases filed in rural Gujarat, India. The Police arrested and filed chargesheet against 10 followers of Pandurang Shashtri who have confessed that Pankaj Trivedi was killed by them for protection of Vedic Culture.

References and external links

• Yahoo! News: NRI murder: Cops grill Swadhyay Parivar members
• Times of India: "Cops claim to have cracked NRI murder"
• Video of Pankaj Trivedi's murder
• http://www.swadhyayee.org
• Non-English blog