Bhagwan Gopinath and the Contribution of
Kashmiri Mystics to the World Order of the
21st Century
by S. Bhatt
Bhagwan
Gopi Nath is among the all time great seers of Kashmir. He passed
away in 1968 in Srinagar, Kashmir, where he lived in Habba Kadal area. Some
scholars such as the late Justice Shiv Nath Katju compare him to Maharishi
Raman, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Aurobindo. Katju has written that
Bhagwan Gopi Nath had by his intense sadhana become a Kaul and an Aghoreshwar
(meaning those who see the vision of God) of the highest order. He lived the
life of a recluse and an ascetic, says Katju. Bhagwan Ram of Varanasi has made a
sacred shrine of Bhagwan Gopi Nath in Varanasi along with other great saints.
There is a Sat Sang Mandal for Bhagwan Gopi Nath in Kreem Kund in Varanasi. More
such Sat Sang Mandals exist in Allahabad, Pamposh Enclave, New Delhi, and Jammu
etc. His spiritual influence is on the increase. He has become a part of the
great mystic vision from Kashmir which aims at bringing harmony and peace to the
modern world.
Mysticism And Global
Environment Movement
Writing about Bhagwan Gopi
Nath, another devotee, an Australian, Philips Simpfendorfer, says : "The
salvation of earth is the great contemporary issue." He writes that
"the threat is from physical and psychic pollution and the intense
exploitation of earth's resources."
Thus mankind is faced with
two tests : One, to promote harmony of man with man; and two, to establish
harmony of man with nature.
The importance of Kashmiri
mysticism and Kashmiri seers can be highlighted in the context of the global
environment movement of our times. The United Nations as a representative body
of mankind has made an important contribution to protect the global
envirornments and the resources of nature. In 1972, it passed a historic
Declaration in Stockholm. Some of its salient features are briefly recalled here
not only for their intrinsic importance, but also to bring home the messages of
seers and saints of the world in general and of Kashmir in particular. These
sages have sought world peace and harmony through times immemorial. The UN
Declaration calls for "a common outlook and for common principles to
inspire and guide the people of the world in the preservation and enhancement of
the human environment." It says that environment is needed for
intellectual, moral, social and spiritual growth of man. In a major policy
statement the Declaration says : "A point has been reached in history when
we must shape our actions throughout the world with a more prudent care for
their environmental consequences". It calls upon man to live in the freedom
of the world of nature ! and use knowledge in collaboration with nature for a
better life on earth. To defend and improve environment has become a predominant
goal of mankind. Harmony with nature is the unnost need of mankind, says the
Declaration.
Thus, we see why mystics
and seers have been inspired to practice harmony with nature. Mysticising is a
science as well. Albert Einstein said of mysticism: "The fairest thing is
the mysterious, it is the cradle of true art and true science." In a world
of global science today mysticism gives us new hope, new joy to comprehend
nature and the global environments, it is increasingly being realised now that
the entire management of the biosphere is based on realising the laws of nature
operating in it and maintaining its ecological balance.
Man is also a part of
nature. Mysticism helps us understand nature better, Bbagwan Gopi Nath attempted
to discover the mysterious. Elevation of self to superconscious level enables
seers look into the mysteries of nature. In a dialogue between Einstein and
Tagore, both agreed that "the infinite personality of man comprehends the
universe." "Truth", said Tagore, "which is one with the
universal being, must essentially be human, otherwise whatever we individuals
realise as truth can never be called truth, at least the truth which is
described as scientific and can only be reached through the process of
logic..."
Thus, as Einstein says,
the art of mysticism is simply to discover the truth and beauty of nature.
Mysticism and meditation, it has been increasingly stressed the world over now,
lead to world peace and harmony. So the role of Bhagwan Gopi Nath in the process
of global peace-making is profound.
The Art of Meditation
Let us see what the
philosopher-historian Arnold Toynbee says on the art of meditation. In his
important discourse in 1960 on "Azad Memorial Lecture" in New Delhi he
spoke on the theme of "One World And India".' He referred to the habit
of contemplation which promotes a harmonious world order. He said :
"Western Christian does did recognise and practise the virtue of
contemplation to some extent in the western Middle Ages. Since then, we have
almost entirely lost this spiritual art, and our loss is serious, because the
art of contemplation is normally another name for the art of living. So now we
turn to India. This spiritual gift, that makes Man human, is still alive in
Indian soul."
So, does Rabindranath
Tagore speak of the contemplative habit of India as is exhibited by noble souls
like Bhagwan Gopi Nath. He says : "The East did once meet the West
profoundly in the growth of her life. Such union became possible, because the
East came to the West with the ideal that is creative, and not with the passion
that destroys moral bonds. The mystic consciousness of the Infinite, which she
brought with her, was greatly needed by the man of the West to give him his
balance.
Therefore, we see recently
United States, showing keen interest to integrate foreign policy with the
concern for nature and global environments. In a new context of our world order,
Mrs Madeleine Albert, the US Secretary of State, has said that "the global
environment affected American people. " She said our families will be
healthier if the rate of emission of green house gases was slowed. Our families
would be safer if we cut back toxic chemicals used in food production. Our
coastal economies will be stronger if our bays and beaches are free of pollution
and our oceans full of fish. She asks "that our future will be brighter if
we are part of a world that is increasingly able to support life, rather than
one that is losing that capacity day by day." She summed up her
observations maintaining that modem man needed to adapt to a crowded global
environment.
Synthesis for a Common
Future
Thus Secretary Madeleine
Albert sets the agenda for a world wide integrated vision of modem world society
to take care of the global environments. There is need for a synthesis of our
beliefs and cultures for a better tomorrow. The world is one large
interdependent ecological unit. A recent editorial in Times of India New Delhi,
says that "Modern science has begun to understand the interdependent nature
of our universe, even if social and political institutions still function as if
they are autonomous of each other, it is the increasing social and physical
interdependence of our world that is forcing our diverse pasts, our different
presents to merge into a common future. Tomorrow's world will be a world of
greater interdependence." The editorial analysis conveys that the
successful future societies will be those that can adapt to changing lifestyles,
changing technologies, changing environments and changing methods of governance.
It says "the key is the ability to think in the future tense."
Therefore the message from
the historical and recent seers of Kashmir is : Understand nature and mankind
with an open and broad synthetic view. Nature cannot be seen and understood with
a myopic view; but only with a broad magnificent canvas as Bhagwan Gopi Nath
did. These seers from Kashmir have synthesised spiritual and cultural beliefs.
Arnold Toynbee once again says with much historical insight on this subject of
synthesis that he has a praise for the Indian experiment. "India has also
succeeded in establishing some kind of synthesis out of her immense variety of
religions, cultures, languages and people. Her success in this field is an
earnest of the successs which mankind may achieve in achieving a synthesis of
the still wider variety of religions, cultures, languages and peoples of the
world."
The seers of Kashmir like
Lalleswari, Nundrishi, Bhagwan Gopi Nath and others have a very urgent message
for our civilisation. They are the path-finders for a common outlook for a
common global cultural synthesis and even for a spiritual synthesis. New
integrated global culture and religion is in the making for the 21st century.
There is no confrontation between various cultures and religions of the East and
West, North and South. A prominent Arab scholar wrote recently: "Let us
have dialogue, not clash between civilisations". He calls for discussion of
modernity in the full historical and cultural context, and asks to play down our
cultural differences. In other words, a synthesis of global life is already
there. The synthesis, manifests in the unity and diversity of global life.
Diversity helps, man grow with the diversity of nature. Yet, it is important to
grasp the overall unity of mankind on this planet which is based on the
interdependence of global life and ecology of earth.
Concluding Remarks
I have briefly referred to
Bhagwan Gopi Nath and his message as of other seers of Kashmir for our
civilisations. These sages and saints have created, like the great scientists
Newton and Einstein, visions for mankind's journey for the future in harmony.
Indeed, the next century will see an intense effort to combine the creativity of
modern science and spiritual philosophy. Therefore, Bhagwan Gopi Nath belongs to
all times.
[The author is an
eminent scholar, academician and writer. Working as an Honorary Professor at the
J. N. U., he is based in New Delhi]
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