Holding the above firm view, some expressed that no Vedic ceremony will be followed for the unveiling ceremony. I do not know whether it is the order of Baba that Vedic rites are not necessary at the installation. The Vedas are the creation of the Avatar, Baba, himself. It is in the Vedas that we have to study our religion. The authority of the Vedas, you will agree, is for all time to come, as they are his own creation.
Rituals are the kindergarten of religion. They are absolutely necessary for the world as it is now, only we shall have to give people newer and fresher rituals. I am sure that Baba does not totally advocate the abolition of rituals; out of the existing rituals, new ones will have to be evolved. There is infinite power of development in everything; that is my honest belief. Baba must clarify and open my intuitive eye as well as that of everyone.
All along the history of the Hindu race, there was never any attempt at destruction, only construction. However, the Buddhists, the one sect who wanted to destroy, were thrown out of India. Ramanuja, Madhava and Chaitanya were constructive.1 The progress of the Hindu race has been toward the realization of Vedic ideals. Whenever there was any reforming sect or religion which rejected the Vedic ideal, it was thrown out. This was past history.
There are innumerable opinions and innumerable paths leading to God. Baba as Krishna, in his universal divine song Bhagavad Gita , laid the three paths of dnyan [knowledge], karma [action] and bhakti [devotion, love]. Further it is a well-known fact that the knowledge of a worldly person, knowledge of a devotee and the knowledge of an Incarnation are by no means of the same degree. Also it is an admitted fact that there are different levels among the devotees — superior, mediocre and inferior. All this has been described in the Gita.
To attain God-Love, at first the company of holy men is needed, which awakens shraddha [faith] in God. Then comes nishta [one-pointed devotion]. After nishta comes bhakti [love]. Then dawns bhava [ecstasy]. Next maha-bhav . Lastly prem or divine love. Of course, if the grace of an Avatar descends, love dawns in a flash. That comes to one in a million. When there are so many paths, stages and levels among devotees coming from the past, Baba will agree that one cannot be King Janak all of a sudden. Even Janak practiced much austerity in solitude.2
Footnotes
- 1.Ramanuja (1055–1137) was a renowned Hindu saint and Vedic philosopher of South India; Madhava was a rishi (sage) under another rishi named Manu Bhautya; Chaitanya was a Sadguru (1486–1534) from Bengal, who emphasized the path of divine love to attain the Realization of God. He perfected the mantra "Hare Krishna! Hare Ram!"
- 2.King Janak was the father of Sita, the wife of Lord Ram. Janak was one of the five Perfect Masters of his time. Janak is considered an ideal benevolent king, who combined yoga and love of God with enjoyment of the world.