Resolving to even a small rule and following it throughout life is a kind of penance. If someone decides to chant the name of Ram on a 108-bead rosary every day at a specific time, and follow the rules strictly, then it will be called penance. When it comes to rules, whether it is an exam, your own marriage or a sad occasion, you have to follow them. If you follow them for years, it becomes Tapa or penance. The morale of that person increases. There are always happy and sad occasions in life. Person with a high morale is able to bear them easily.
Going to the Shakha every day is also a rule. Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, who pioneered the Shakha work module, had gone to a village for some work. He got late to leave after finishing his work. He was to go to the Prabhat Shakha (Morning RSS Shakha) in Nagpur but no bus was available. So he left on foot. After walking for a long time, a truck came from behind. On seeing him, the truck stopped. The driver knew Doctor ji. The further walk was saved and Doctor ji was able to reach the Shakha on time.
His paternal aunt (Abaji Hedgewar’s sister) was ill, so doctor ji had to go to Indore for a few days. He started two Shakhas there, Indore and Dewas.
Rajgir in Bihar has hot springs. Doctor ji had gone for a few days for treatment there. He started a student Shakha in Rajgir.
The Convention of Vishva Hindu Parishad Maharashtra was held in Pandharpur. The meeting was chaired by Revered Dhunda Maharaj Deglurkar. One of the many speakers was the second Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Shri Guruji. He requested the chairperson, “I will go to the Sangh Shakha at 07.00 and will return by 07.30. Please schedule my speech barring this time.” Revered Dhunda Maharaj knew Shri Guruji’s rule of never missing the Shakha. As agreed, the Pandharpur Nagar Karyavah came near the stage with a vehicle. Shri Guruji went to the Shakha, returned, and gave his speech at 07.30.
The fifth Sarsanghchalak, Revered Sudarshan Ji, came to live in the ‘Samidha’ karyalaya in Bhopal after renouncing his responsibility. Sudarshan Ji established contacts and started the Shakha of students. He himself used to regularly go to the Children’s Shakha (at the age of 80).
In every State, you will find dedicated karyakartas who will make sure that they do not miss their Shakha, be it exams or auspicious occasions at home.
A district Pracharak recollected an incident – the sister of a Swayamsevak died at age 28. She was travelling in the bus and died enroute. When the body reached home, her parents could not contain their grief. The cremation took place the next day. On the same day, her brother – the Swayamsevak, was present at the evening Shakha.
Every day, thousands of Shakhas and lakhs of Swayamsevaks sing “Patatvesh Kayo Namaste Namaste,” the prarthana (prayer) of Bharat Mata. Prarthana is a collective resolve. There is no desire for personal gains. Sangh Shakha is the Collective Tapa (penance) carried out for the well-being of the nation. Tapa increases morale, not only of the individual, but also of the society and the nation.
Hindu society must emerge from the mentality of defeat and rise with the aspiration of victory.
The second Sarsanghchalak Shri Guruji used to say, “The continuity of ‘Shakha‘ by Swayamsevak will ensure complete victory.”
The pioneer of ‘Ekatma Manav Darshan’, Pt Deendayal Upadhyay, has said that the “Virat” (Collective Consciousness) of the society should always be awake. The entire country has experienced the fact that the Hindu society spread from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari and from Kutch to Cameroon stood together with one ambition in the Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yajna. Villagers from lakhs of villages worshipped and sent the Shri Ram Shila of their village to Ayodhya. This happened because of devotion to Ram. Around that time, Ramayana serial, produced by Shri Ramanand Sagar had started. The whole country experienced the impact of the three lettered word ‘Shri-Ram’ on public mind. The true vision of the vast awakening of society was seen in both the Karsevas. Karsevaks from all regions, all castes, all languages, all sects, men and women, even some Muslims and Christians who believed that Shri Ram was their ancestor, all came together. Perhaps there were also those from all political parties.
The Karsevaks had a strong will to wash away the stigma, the humiliation that had been imposed on them five hundred years ago. The disputed Babri Structure, a symbol of slavery, was demolished in five hours.
Many wars have taken place from King Suhaldev till now (1992). Lakhs of people have been sacrificed. But all Hindus from North-South-East-West stood with one desire. Such a glorious event may be the first in the history of our country. “As the king is, so would be the people,” was taught during the time of kings and palaces. Now it is necessary to teach, “As the people are, so would be the king”.
The Karsevaks who came from far and wide experienced the ‘virat’ awakening of the society. People from North find Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada difficult to understand, and the Karsevaks from South could not speak Hindi. The intimacy felt just by saying ‘Prant‘ and ‘Karsevak‘ made the Karsevaks from the South extremely happy. They were invited to homes, given oil for massage, hot water, a full meal and if they had to stay overnight, they were provided with bedding. No need of earlier acquaintance, it was enough to know the fact that they were going for the cause of Ram.
Thirty years passed in court, generation changed, but the enthusiasm in giving contributions for the temple never changed. The euphoria of the people on the day of Prana Pratishtha was unprecedented.
The same feeling was experienced during the Shri Ram Setu Raksha Agitation. Road blockades were held at an exact time at the locations decided from Arunachal to Ernakulam for a total of two hours.
During the Amarnath Shrine Board land dispute, all the men, women and children in Jammu had become the embodiment of ‘Shankar, Parvati, Ganesh’.
The heroic and brave great men of the recent period like Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Dashmesh, Shri Guru Gobind Singh, Lachit Badphukan, Harihar Bukka, etc. impressed the Hindu community’s “virat” awakening upon us. But it was limited to a specific geographical unit and lasted for some time. The experience that the Hindu community is awake as a whole, all the way to the North, South, East, West, has come across for the first time in independent Bharat after the formation of a democratic society.
A society that awakens in response to certain incidents will not be able to go far in the global competition of various nations. The “virat” of the society must always remain vigilant. Therefore, with the resolve of nation’s well-being, Dr Hedgewar started the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. An awakened “virat” is a sign of self-respect, a guarantee of protecting the country, and faith in the path of progress.
The daily Shakha gives a practical form to the work of the Sangh. It is a place to recall the collective resolve of national well-being every day.
Chanting Ramnama every day is an individual’s own resolve, but the resolution for national well-being can only be collective. Recalling the resolve every day is called ‘Tapa’. As a collective resolution for national well-being, the Sangh Shakha is the national Tapasthali (place of penance). At present, millions of citizens are making this resolution for nation at 80 thousand Tapasthalis all over the country with the prarthana (prayer) “Param Vaibhavam Netum Etat Swarashtram“.
The prarthana Param Vaibhavam Netum Etat Swarashtram is recited daily in the Shakha. That which gives ultimate bliss can be called ultimate glory (param vaibhav). The definition of ultimate bliss is given in the form of a formula in the prarthana. Ultimate bliss is the attainment of both Samutkarsha and Nihshreyasa that every section of the society must attain. Samutkarsha means material wealth and Nihshreyasa means wealth of knowledge or spiritual wealth.
‘Param Vaibhav’ is an idea that provides a holistic, all-inclusive, integrated approach. Class struggle and monstrous competition do not form its basis, but fraternity does. Fraternity is a spiritual principle. It is the practice of the universal truth ‘Tat Tvam Asi’. It is the scientific basis of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. That is probably why Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar said that these principles are taken from the Dhamma of Bhagwan Gautam Buddha (not from the materialist French Revolution in thought).
Once the truth of ‘Tatvamasi’ is understood and assimilated, the feeling of fraternity can expand and develop to any extent. It can extend to our family, our village, our country, the entire universe and even beyond that, to the creation of nature. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is the vast form of this truth.
The knowledge tradition based on the universal truth of ‘Tatvamasi’ is called ‘Dharma’. There is one very important line in the prarthana to help us not wander away from our goal due to the ego of Tapa and organisational strength or get confused in the dazzling environment of the world. The meaning can be expressed as ‘May our victorious organised work force’ be able to protect this Dharma (the knowledge tradition of Bharat) and bring supreme glory to our nation.
विजेत्री च नः संहता कार्यशक्ति:
विधायास्य धर्मस्य संरक्षणम्
परं वैभवं नेतुमेतत् स्वराष्ट्रं
समर्था भवत्वाशिषा ते भृशम् ||
Our combined workforce will lead us to victory
To preserve this dharma by law
To take this country to the supreme glory May you bless them abundantly.
Doctor ji passed away in 1940. In 1939, a meeting of key office bearers was held in Sindhi in the presence of doctor ji. The meeting lasted for ten days. This prarthana was unanimously agreed upon as the prayer of the Sangh in that meeting. From 1940 till today, this prarthana is being recited at all Shakhas, i.e. national Tapasthalis. Due to so many years of Tapa, the Sangh prarthana has now acquired the power of a mantra.
Even during the hectic period of the freedom movement, revered Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, with his far-sighted thinking, gave the country a Sangh Shakha that taught the science of organisation and gave the country a complete vision of national well-being in the form of prarthana. This is his uniqueness.
Come, let us start going to the Sangh Shakha near our home and be part of the penance that is going on for the well-being of the nation.
