The Simplicity of Spirituality

“Are you religious?” This is a question that is oft thrown at me, and for a long time, I would wonder what to say. I had been brought up to believe in a Supreme Power above, who would listen to me whenever I prayed with all my heart. Of course, this was always tempered with the adage “God helps those who help themselves.”

Two sets of wonderful grandparents helped me find my way along the religious path. My paternal grandparents would pray before a dazzling array of idols for almost three hours in the early morning. I spent two fulfilling years with them, and I would awake to the smell of burning wicks and the murmur of their voices as they chanted slokas, immune to what was happening around them.

My maternal grandparents, on the other hand, put me on the path of spirituality, and that was carried on by my parents too. My grandfather would spend time with me, reading from the Bible, the Bhagwad Gita and the Koran. My childish mind would take all the lessons in, in the form of enthralling stories. Suddenly, he would switch over to the classic poets and listen to me recite ‘Lady Ullin’s Daughter’, and Mark Antony’s speech. Thus, the world of Literature and the concept of Spirituality seemed entwined, one leading seamlessly into the other.

I do not remember visiting too many temples as a child. The concept was clear in my growing mind. God is everywhere; going to a place of worship was a bonus, but you could as well pray from the confines of your home as well. It was when I was in my twenties that I suddenly got the answer to the question, “Are you religious?” Concepts fell into place with striking clarity, and I had my answer.

“I believe in being spiritual. I believe in God and His miracles. However, I am convinced that if one does one’s chosen work with conviction and dedication, without malice or without ill-will towards others, that would, according to me, be the ideal definition of spirituality.”

From where did this answer appear in my young mind?

It came from the good done by my paternal grandparents as they founded a Boys’ school and brought up a generation of young men, and later women as well, who lived good and moral lives.

It came from my maternal grandparents who lived a life of simplicity, putting their hearts and souls into doing good to others, a concept that my sisters and I absorbed like little sponges.

It came from my father, who was the ideal son of his parents, an Army man who devoted his life to defending his country and took care of his family as well. He was a man of sterling qualities, and from him, I learnt how to open my eyes wide and take in the beauty of the world and live in harmony with others. Even after he passed away, his letters with their exquisite calligraphy, still speak to me whenever I need a solution to a problem I face.

It came from my ebullient mother, who has always been the ‘life and soul’ of the party, the avid go-getter who can get even the proverbial sloth to get up and dance a jig! She taught us, her daughters, to look upon the bright side of life and to use humour as a useful weapon. She slogged to bring up a school that is now well known for creating citizens of the world, and the biggest lesson of spirituality we learnt from her came when she once confessed, “I have been so engaged in bringing up my school and taking care of thousands of children that I have left the rest of the aspects in my life to the Almighty. He, I am sure, will take care of my daughters in His own inimitable way.”

Not surprisingly, that did happen, and today, all three of us are basking in that wave of confidence in the Almighty. We married the right people, took up the jobs that suited us and have our own children, (and in my case, grandchildren) whom we are all rightly proud of.

Thus, spirituality has seeped into all our lives, and made them richer. As the Gita mentions so profoundly, “Perform deeds with full dedication without expecting anything in return.”

Paulo Coelho also had a similar idea in his book ‘The Alchemist’. “And when you want to achieve something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

A little anecdote that I heard from my grandmother ages ago might throw some more light on the concept of spirituality.

There were two women, both achievers in their own fields. One was highly religious, and gave discourses and across the world, where myriad devotees listened to her   enrapt. The other was a schoolteacher who had spent her entire life teaching children. One day, a woman from the Pulluva community came to the door. She had a little instrument that vibrated as she blessed people through her song.

She stood outside and called out to the two women.

“Amma, whom do you want me to bless?”

The first lady, steeped in religion, promptly answered, “Bless my children and my grandchildren!”

The second lady, the teacher, smiled as she said, “Bless all the children in the world for they are all precious! “The songs were sung, the blessings handed out liberally. When my grandmother ended her story, she and I were left with the same thought.  Who, in this case, had proved to be more spiritual?

So, there you have it, in a nutshell. Do good, be good, spread kindness, make others around you and, in the process, yourself happy, put your heart and soul into your work, invest in healthy relationships. Believe in that Supreme Power and pray for harmony in the world. And finally, as Abou Ben Adhem said, “Write me as one who loves his fellow men.”