Hari Aum.
I was reading about the major controversy that is rocking India at present-- the issue of religion (as usual). I was reflecting on the yogic principles of speech and how they apply here and would like to share my views.
Speech is regarded as a powerful tool according to yogis. They say it is a power in itself. The form of the Divine presiding over the power of speech is the Goddess Sarasvati. She is described as the embodiment of wisdom and benevolence, one who grants intelligence and intuition to spiritual seekers. She is the Divine Mother in the form of the Guru, the spiritual teacher, the One who removes all worldly suffering and grants us spiritual peace, bliss and wisdom.
One of Her many names is Vani, which in Sanskrit means Speech. She can be worshipped in all the usual ways (mantra recitation, charitable deeds, homams, pujas etc) but one special way of honouring Her is by using our power of speech well.
The yogis say we are all parts of the Divine, we are part of the cosmic manifestation of God. We are like small sparks of a blazing fire that is God. The sparks, although small, have the same nature as the blazing fire. Similarly the yogis tell us, the individual soul or Jiva, is similar to the Supreme Being or God/Paramatma.
Therefore, we each have the power of Sarasvati residing within us in the form of our power of speech (She represents our entire existence, not just speech, but speech is a special manifestation associated with Her).
The yogis say that, to honour this divine power that we have each been given, we are to base our speech upon two key principles. These are:
1. Peace (based on non-violence or ahimsa)
2. Truth (Satya)
In other words, they tell us to reflect before we speak. To pause and consider whether what we say meets these two criteria, i.e. both truthful and peaceful/beneficial.
They also say that one should generally not speak what is true but not beneficial. Equally one should not speak what is untrue but pleasant. And we should obviously not speak what is untrue and unpleasant/harmful. It is obviously difficult to follow this perfectly. And this is the tricky part.
If we are honest with ourselves, we would all have broken these rules multiple times during our lives. For example, many of us tell polite untruths to avoid offending others. From a yogic viewpoint, this is not ok and we need to find another solution that does not involve untruths.
Equally, many of us say things that are true but not beneficial to the listener. This may be due to various reasons such as being angry, thoughtless etc. And, many of us say things under the influence of anger that are neither true nor pleasant. Anger unfortunately can have a major negative influence on our power of speech and we need to be aware of this and take extra care to manage our anger.
(Note- beneficial and pleasant are not always the same. Ideally, speech would be truthful as well as beneficial and pleasing/pleasant to the listener. However, on occasion, it is necessary to say that which is true and beneficial but unpleasant. Unpleasant truths do need to be shared sometimes, but one should be careful about this and only do this very sparingly, when absolutely essential, and when one feels it would be beneficial in the long-run.)
This brings me to the subject of the current religious and political tension in India. I do not want to discuss this complicated messy topic in detail but would only like to say the following. It seems to me that none of the parties involved are following the yogic principles mentioned above. People seem to be acting out of anger and egoism only. They only seem to consider their own viewpoint and disregard the feelings of the other side.
All of us of course have a right to have our own opinions about everything in the world, including the various world religions and philosophies. Some religions/philosophies may appeal to us, and some may not. However, we absolutely do not have the right to publicly insult, mock and denounce the religious devotional feelings of others. This is completely against the principle of non-violence or ahimsa. This creates negative karma that we will have to face one day.
Also there are no double standards permitted according to the yogis. People cannot expect others to respect their religion, but show disrespect towards other religions. If we want our religious feelings to be respected, we have a duty to respect those of others (regardless of whatever our private opinions may be). This applies equally to the members of all religions.
Furthermore, threatening physical violence and calling for killing in the name of religion is one of the most appalling and abhorrent things that any religious person can do. It is the very opposite of the spirit of religion. It is the most diabolical, monstrous and vile of actions. One cannot mince one's words on this matter. There is absolutely no room whatsoever for violence in the name of religion. The yogis are emphatic on this. Those who commit violence in the name of religion, whether physical or verbal, will have to face serious negative consequences in accordance with the divine law of karma.
From a yogic viewpoint, there is only one God who manifests in many forms and who has many names. The yogis advise respecting all the names and forms of God and all saints associated with Him. They tell us that all the world religions ultimately worship the same one God of the universe. They say no one name or form or saint is superior or inferior to others-- all are equally great and worthy of our reverence. This understanding is essential for spiritual progress. Disrepecting any names and forms of God and looking down upon the devotional feelings of others is a serious obstacle in spiritual life.
This issue seems to be escalating quite seriously every day and leading to more and more conflict. I would like to suggest that we all do a little extra prayer every day to maintain our own balance of mind, and to pray for the mental balance of others.
May God give good sense and intelligence to us all, that should be our prayer. May the diabolical tendency to fight over religion reduce, may people have the sense to practice the good that their religions teach. May there be peace. May Goddess Sarasvati bless us all with noble speech.
Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah.
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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