In the course of a discussion on his new book, ‘Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi: Yogananda and his Teachings,’ OSWALD PEREIRA, felt enlightened and inspired in the company of the spiritually aware young members of a book club in New Delhi. He saw in them, the spiritual gurus of the future
It is often said that the youth of our country hold the future of democracy in their hands — it is the youth, who by their eternal vigilance and idealism, will make sure that democracy in India stays alive and vibrant. I have always endorsed this view and have full faith that the youth of our country will battle against anyone or any political party trying to undermine our democratic institutions.
So, it is established that if the seniors are somnolent about our democratic rights, the younger generation will step in and save democracy from the clutches of any autocratic regime.
Now that is really good news. Isn’t it? And just a couple of days ago, on Sunday 6 October 2024, I chanced upon another bonanza of good news from our dynamic, young generation.
The good news is that in the event of the seniors faltering on the spiritual front, the youth are at hand to save the souls of the nation and redirect them on the right spiritual path.
This heartwarming news that I am so lovingly and confidently writing about emerged from an interaction to discuss my recently published book, Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi: Yogananda and his Teachings, with 25-odd young women and men, belonging to Bookworms of Delhi, a book club. The interaction was organised by my publisher, Vitasta Publishing Private Limited.
The interaction to say the least was: amazing. Amazing not in the worldly sense, but really spiritually amazing.
The interaction began with Zeeshan Saifi, founder of Bookworms of Delhi, grilling me with 10 tough and well-researched questions. Zeeshan, who had completed reading the one-lakh words, 400-page, Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi, in four days flat, wanted to know more about Paramhansa Yogananda’s life and his teachings, about the great yogi’s place and significance in the realm of spirituality, the essence of Kriya Yoga that Yogananda taught in the West, and what factors contributed to the widespread popularity of Yogananda and his work, particularly among celebrities, politicians, and entrepreneurs in America.
How do you compare Yogananda’s ideology with that of Osho, who also attracted a substantial following in the West, particularly regarding the sharing of knowledge between Eastern and Western philosophies in the 20th century? asked Zeeshan. He also wanted to know in what ways were the roles of Swami Vivekananda and Yogananda similar or different in their efforts to introduce spiritualism to the Western world?
Going deep into spirituality and concepts like harmony of religions, Zeeshan asked whether I could elaborate on the Krishna-Christ connection as described by Yogananda, and how would I compare Eastern and Western approaches to religion?
He was also keen to understand the differences among terms such as Swami, Yogi, Monk, Rishi, Muni, Sant, Sadhu, and Avatar!
The youth, it seems, are not blind followers of religion. So, I was not surprised when Zeeshan asked me the following question: In a modern context, how would you persuade a rational individual to be open to the concept of miracles?
There were the usual questions about my book, such as what readers can anticipate from Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi? How will it be different for those who have read Autobiography of a Yogi?
But the focus of the interaction was not about my book, but spirituality. In the discussion post the question and answer session with me, members of Bookworms of Delhi wanted to know about meditation, how to deal with negativity in the world and how did one learn to forgive others and be compassionate towards people, in general?
There was much interest on how India and the West can work together and learn from each other, spiritually. The members of Bookworms of Delhi were unanimous, some even vociferous in their view that we should respect and recognise our own spiritual gurus, rather than the ‘West promoting them and establishing ownership over them.’
It was, indeed, enlightening and inspiring to be in the company of this spiritually aware group of young people. Could their spirituality be because they were inclined to reading, a hobby that surely opens up one’s mind to philosophical thinking?
It left me with the thought that as a nation, we would do far better to spend more time with the written word than with the idiot box. What do you think?
Featured Image: Oswald Pereira with members of Bookworms of Delhi
Oswald Pereira, a senior journalist, has also written ten books, including Beyond Autobiography of a Yogi, The Newsroom Mafia, Chaddi Buddies, The Krishna-Christ Connexion, How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life and Crime Patrol: The Most Thrilling Stories. Oswald is a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and practises Kriya Yoga.