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Book Review : Edifying Parables - H. H. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswami

 

 

My salutations to the holy feet of the parama Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada, H. H. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswami and to the holy feet of the current Jagadgurus of Sringeri Sharada Peeta. This book is brought by Sri Vidyateertha foundation and contains 97 different parables / anecdotes which are Acharya’s benedictory addresses & private conversations with his sishyas. These parables address one or more specific area of life providing deep vedantic wisdom distilled in the form of stories or incidents from our itihasas and puranas. Stories are a very powerful medium to communicate a message, for it enables the reader to connect to the context and content. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha swami was a scholar par excellence whose depth and wide gamut of knowledge is a rich reservoir of wisdom, which we are blessed to experience through this book.


In the introductory part of the book, there are some live incidents from Acharya’s life quoted that evoke amazement and deep reverence to the enlightened soul. Whether it is the case of a Christian father meeting the Acharyal or the lady blessed by Acharya comprehending Samskruta teachings, it only shows the simplicity and deep compassion of Acharya towards his sishyas and followers. One of the profound statements of Acharya that stuck with me : “ One should perform all one’s actions in meticulous manner. Even a minor task out not to be performed carelessly. The time allowed to the task may be small & other tasks may have higher priority, but when one is engaged in it, one must treat it as important.” In modern life, mindfulness is taking a centre stage. However, we need to acknowledge the fact that this wisdom is part of our culture and literature from time immemorial.


Acharya’s relationship with his guru is another inspirational tale. His guru is the widely worshipped and much revered H. H. Jagadguru Chandrashekhara Bharathi mahaswami.

The parables capture various facets of infinite wisdom that is part of our vedas, upanishads, puranas, itihasas and some live experiences. Some of the concepts captured in these stories include:

  • Indriya Nigraha - control of senses
  • Control over anger
  • What exactly is Dharma & Adharma?
  • Why silence is better than truth
  • Famous story of Arjuna and Yudhishtira in the battlefield where the former speaks disrespectfully to the latter
  • Why Ashraddha (absence of faith) and Durmedha (Perverted thinking) are messengers of Yama
  • Why sticking to Shastri rules is of paramount importance
  • Wonderful explanation of Hrudayavasi through the famous Draupadi vastraharana episode and Krishna’s help to his sister - Read this to know why finding Bhagwan inside ourselves is important
  • Devotion is of utmost importance and not depends on profession (Dharmavyadha - Butcher) or Age (Dhruva) or Scholarliness (Gajendra) or being high born (Vidura) or Manliness (Ugrasena) or Physical appearance (Kubja) or lack of wealth (Sudama)
  • Egoism stands between Bhagwan and Bhakta
  • Manu compares destiny and personal effort to 2 wheels of chariot
  • A very constant recurring theme : आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन:
  • How food influences mind and why one should be careful about the types of food - Sattvic / Rajasic / Tamasic - This story is really enriching
  • How human desire trumps everything from mountain to ocean to akasha to God himself - Desire is SO HUGE
  • How a guru graces all his sishyas immaculately, being specific to each sishya - one of the best chapters
  • Why one should be humble when approaching a mahatma for guidance
  • For a spiritual aspirant, Dispassion, Equanimity and Mind-control are of paramount importance


These are some of the outstanding aspects of the book. However, every single chapter is laden with many more such gems. When one contemplates on some of the learnings of the book, we can observe a large overlap with the concepts taught by Sri Krishna in Srimad Bhagwad Gita as well. This book is VERY HIGHLY recommended for young impressionable minds as well as all general asaktas.

 
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK


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