विवेकानन्द कन्या भगिनी निवेदिता - 2

यतो धर्म: ततो जय:

29 मार्च, १८९८ का दिन मार्गरेट के जीवन में क्रान्ति लाने वाला सिद्ध हुअा। उस दिन उसे ब्रह्मचारिणी की प्रथम दीक्षा मिलने वाली थी। अाज तक के जीवन में पूर्णतया परिवर्तन लाने वाला था तथा नया ही जीवन उसके सामने था। जिसका चिन्तन बहुत दिनों तक चला, वह अज्ञात था परन्तु अाज वह वास्तव में परिणत होने वाला था।

दीक्षा विधि अन्यन्त सादगी वाली तथा छोटीसी थी। अाश्रम अभी बेलुड मठ में स्थापित नहीं हुअा था। नीलाम्बर उद्यान में ही अाश्रम था। वहां प्रातःकाल के प्रवित्र समय में सभी गुरु बन्धु सभामण्डप ध्यान मग्न बैठे हुए थे तथा मन्दिर के गर्भगृह में श्रीमती अोलीबुल व कुमारी मुल्लर के साथ मार्गरेट नोबल खडी थी। जैसे ही स्वामीजी वहाँ पधारे मार्गरेट ने उन्हें साष्टांग प्रणिपात किया। स्वामीजी ने अपनी नूतन शिष्या को अाशीर्वाद दिये तथा माथे पर विभूति लगाई। सभी के हृदय में ईश्वर भक्ति की उपासना मन्त्र स्पन्दित हो रहे थे।

इतने में सभा मण्डप से गम्भीर स्वर सुनाई देने लगे।

असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतंगमय। अाविराविर्म एधि।

रुद्र - यत्ते दक्षिणं मुखं तेन मां पाहि नित्यम् ।।

हे परमात्मन् , मुझे असत्य से सत्य की अोर ले चलो। अंधकार से प्रकाश की अोर तथा मृत्य से अमृतत्व की अोर ले चलो। हे जगत् जननी शक्ति दो, हमारा सर्वस्व अापकी प्रेम सुधा से भर जाने दो। तुम्हारा अाश्रय हमें सदा प्राप्त होता रहे। अापकी कृपा सदा बरसती रहे।

एक ही प्रणिपात में मार्गरेट ने अपना जीवन गुरुचरणों में समर्पित कर दिया। जो सिर्फ चार शब्दों में व्यक्त होता है परन्तु उसको प्रत्यक्ष करने के लिये धैर्य, श्रद्धा, भक्ति भाव तथा ध्येयनिष्ठा अादि से मन को तैयार करने में बहुत दिन लग जाते हैं - वह अात्म समर्पण मार्गरेट ने अाज किया। अब उसका जीवन उसके लिये, उसके परिवार के लिये या उसके देश अायर्लैण्ड के लिये नहीं रहा। सुख लालसा, भोगतृष्णा अादि का अाज उसने गुरुचरणों में अर्पित किया था। अब उसका जीवन स्वामीजी के हाथ में था। जिस कुम्हार की माटी का कोई मूल्य नहीं रहता उसी तरह मार्गरेट का मूल्य मृतिका जैसा हो गया था।

सद्गुरु के अादेशानुसार हिन्दुत्व की सेवा करना ही उसका जीवन ध्येय हो गया था। एेसा करना ही उसकी उपासना थी अौर उसके माध्यम से परमेश्वर प्राप्ति के लिये साधना कारना ही उसका जीवन मार्ग था।

ब्रह्मचारिणी के अाश्रम में मार्गरेट ने प्रवेश किया था। अब पुराना सब समाप्त हो गया था। नाम भी समाप्त हो गया था। नया नाम धारण करना था। मार्गरेट के जन्म से पूर्व ही जब वह मां के गर्भ में थी तब ही उसकी मां ने उसे भगवत् चरणों में अर्पित कर दिया था। इससे स्वामीजी अनभिज्ञ थे। परन्तु परमेश्वर के चरणों में जिसने अपना सम्पूर्ण जीवन समर्पित किया था वह कन्या अाज स्वामीजी के समक्ष खडी थी। तब सहजता से ही स्वामीजी ने उसका नामकरण किया।  -  "निवेदिता"

स्वामीजी गर्भगृह से बाहर अा गये। साथ साथ निवेदिता तथा अन्य दो शिष्याएं भी बाहर अा गईंं। सभा मण्डप में उपस्थित संन्यासियों ने उन पर मंगलद्रव्य डाले। सभी में प्रसाद वितरित किया गया।

To be Continue

http://www.sisternivedita.org

Sister Nivedita: The Dedicated - Who gave her all to India - 11

यतो धर्म: ततो जय:

Training of Nivedita - 3

The real significance of the name Swamji had given her – "Nivedita, one who is  dedicated" – had not yet penetrated to the depths of her being. She knew to express herself in work and in emotions. But now deprived of her work, and prevented from expressing her love to what she knew she did not know how to express herself. Swamji wanted her to discover herself, to go deep within and dedicate herself to the One that has no second. It was only such rootedness in It; acquiring the vision of oneness beyond all diversities that would help her to understand India and her people. It appeared Swamiji was ruthlessly eradicating every sacrifice made in his name and every desire to follow him in his work. His attitude remained impersonal. Not once did he show more attention to her than to the other women, not once did he address her outside of the morning classes. It was a period of great clash and inner struggle for Nivedita.

During these days, the only ray of light she received was from Swami Swarupananda. He was appointed as her teacher in Bengali and Hindu Scriptures. Whenever Nivedita was bewildered by the utterly new ideas and feelings of the Swamiji, she referred to him. His elucidation helped her to understand the atmosphere in which they lived. He formed a sort of link between her Master's mind and her own, and Nivedita was grateful to him for all he did for her. He taught her the Gita, asked her to offer her past at the feet of Ishwara. From him she learnt to meditate. She benefited by the practice of meditation. Of course, it is not so easy to forget the past and thus the struggle and anguish within her that, 'How I could understand what my master is trying to tell me', continued. She never thought of giving up but the pain was intense.

Even in such anguish, only her steadfastness, her dedication ultimately brought her divine blessings. Mrs. Bull the oldest woman in the group spoke to Swamiji about Nivedita's internal strife when they were at Almora. He listened without replying. But he came again in the evening to their quarters when these three women were sitting on the veranda. He told to Mrs. Sarah Bull, 'You were right. There must be a change. I am going away into the forest to be alone, and when I come back I shall bring peace.' Then pointing to the new moon in the sky he said, 'The Mohammedans think much of the new moon. Let us with it begin new life!' Nivedita knelt before him; Swamiji blessed Nivedita. She writes about this, "Alone, in meditation, I found myself gazing deep into an Infinite Good, to the recognition of which no egoistic reasoning had led me. I learnt, too, on the physical plane, the simple everyday reality of the experience related in the Hindu books on religious psychology. And I understood, for the first time, that the greatest teachers may destroy in us a personal relation only in order to bestow the Impersonal Vision in its place."

To be Continue....

http://www.sisternivedita.org

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हमें कर्म की प्रतिष्ठा बढ़ानी होंगी। कर्म देवो भव: यह आज हमारा जीवन-सूत्र बनना चाहिए। - भगिनी निवेदिता {पथ और पाथेय : पृ. क्र.१९ }
Sister Nivedita 150th Birth Anniversary : http://www.sisternivedita.org
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Sister Nivedita: The Dedicated - Who gave her all to India - 10

यतो धर्म: ततो जय:

Training of Nivedita - 2

...To uproot the die-hard western tendencies latent in her mind, Swamiji started mercilessly attacking her pre-conceived notions. It was during this period that Nivedita one day told Swamiji in a context: 'It is necessary to beautify the city of London.' Swamiji sharply retorted, 'And you're buffeting the other cities into cremation grounds.'  Nivedita could not realize the significance of Swamiji's words, and felt hurt. But, the words would ring in her ears for many days. Later when she witnessed the British exploitation of India in the name of administration, she came to realize the truth of Swamiji's words.

Yatishwari Atmaprana writes, 'Nivedita was not aware of the wrongs that the English as the dominant power had done to India. So when the Swami openly and vigorously attacked the English in his morning talks she stood for their defence. As in the London classes, she was the one who argued and protested, and always tried to protect her own judgments and assert her views.

The Swami could not tolerate blindness of half-views and prejudices born out of ignorance. So he pointed out errors in her judgments. For instance, one day while the Swami was praising the Chinese, Nivedita alleged that, as a race, they were notoriously untruthful. The Swami would not accept this misrepresentation and said that words like untruthfulness and social rigidity were very relative terms. He revealed a new standpoint, and then left the disciple to form her own view. He never dictated an opinion, nor did he call for any confession of faith. But when his disciple could not give an uncoloured judgment, he got impatient and irritated. "Really, patriotism like yours is sin! All that I want you to see is that most people's actions are the expression of self-interest, and you constantly oppose to this the idea that a certain race is all of angles. Ignorance so determined is wickedness!"

Days passed thus in clashes and conflicts and the inner strife increased. The Swami rebuked and attacked Nivedita's cherished deep-rooted preconceptions – literary, social and historical. It was obviously a conflict of two strong personalities. The Swami was not a person to compromise his views or even adopt a gentler method of teaching; Nivedita had not the submissive nature to accept blindly and humbly all that was said. She made efforts to understand, but his words and thoughts were beyond her comprehension and at times she felt bewildered. …Her depression and suffering were heightened by the fact that she had known the Swami since meeting him in London as a friend and a beloved leader, and had expected him to be ever so. But now his attitude showed indifference, impatience and even silent hostility. The idea of retracting her offer of service never occurred to her; …her trust in him had not diminished to the extent her own self-confidence had wavered. Would she ever be able to pass this test of courage and sincerity? Was her mind really prepared to receive her Master's teachings? Was she really fit to reach the Supreme Goal of life?'

To be Continue....

http://www.sisternivedita.org