Getting Into a Gym: 'Exercise!' 'Please exercise daily'. 'Exercise is what you need'.
This is the most frequently and widely 'prescribed' advice given by medical practitioners to deal with life-style diseases caused by sedentary habits, overeating and stress. More and more studies conducted by researchers substantiate the need for this advice. Doing physical exercises is thus getting widely accepted as a necessity for the present day life-style, and not just for the youth who do it for building their muscles and biceps. No wonder in most public places, especially in big cities and towns, such as parks, roadside pavements, beaches and so on, one sees, in mornings and evenings, people dressed in sportswear, in groups or individually, often with an earphone attached to an MP3 player or mobile.
Those who do not find going to open spaces feasible or for other reasons, often become members of local gymnasium. 'Gyming' is what they call their act of exercising their bodies there - using various equipments and special techniques.
While setting up or becoming a member of a gym requires some space, expenditure and planning, there is another kind of gym which is much more easily accessible but is rarely recognised as such. This 'gym' is the world we live in - with all its complexities, challenges and experiences. Swami Vivekananda called this a 'moral gymnasium'. In his nine-volume Complete Works, Swamiji refers to it in various contexts and ways such as:
- We only help ourselves in this gymnasium of the world. (CW, 1.106).
- The world is a grand moral gymnasium wherein we have all to take exercise so as to become stronger and stronger spiritually. (CW, 1.80).
- The world is neither good nor evil. It is the Lord's world. It is beyond both good and evil, perfect in itself. His will is going on, showing all these different pictures; and it will go on without beginning and without end. It is a great gymnasium in which you and I, and millions of souls must come and get exercises, and make ourselves strong and perfect. This is what it is for. (CW, 4.207).
- God has not fallen into a ditch for you and me to help Him out by building a hospital or something of that sort. He allows you to work. He allows you to exercise your muscles in this great gymnasium, not in order to help Him but that you may help yourself. Do you think even an ant will die for want of your help? Most errant blasphemy! (CW, 5.245).
- This world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong. (CW, 5.410).
- Work of your free will, not from duty. We have no duty. This world is just a gymnasium in which we play; our life is an eternal holiday. (CW, 7.49).
- Thank God for giving me this world as a moral gymnasium to help your development, but never imagine you can help the world. Be grateful to him who curses you, for he gives you a mirror to show what cursing is, also a chance to practice self-restraint; so bless him and be glad. Without exercise, power cannot come out; without the mirror, we cannot see ourselves. (CW, 7.69).
- This universe is simply a gymnasium in which the soul is taking exercise; and after these exercises we become gods. (CW, 5.308).
What Happens In a Gym?--Anyone who has been to a gym knows one thing for sure -- it is place to exercise. And generally every gym will have equipments such as dumb-bells, weights, skipping ropes, and so on. Now-a-days, the concept of multi-gym is catching up. A multi-gym is a fairly large-sized machine on which one can do several different fitness exercises, or a room in which several different exercise machines can be used.
Swami Vivekananda himself believed in doing physical exercises. The visitors to Swamiji's room in Belur Math can see the dumb-bells, generally covered with a piece of cloth, which Swamiji would use. A firm believer in developing physical strength, Swamiji urged everyone to be strong:
What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made. (CW, 5.117).
And especially to the youth, he thundered them to be strong! He said,
We speak of many parrot-like, but never do them; speaking and not doing has become a habit with us. What is the cause of that? Physical weakness. This sort of weak brain is not able to do anything; we must strengthen it. First of all, our young men must be strong. Religion will come afterwards. Be strong, my young friends; that is my advice to you. You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita. These are bold words; but I have to say them, for I love you. I know where the shoe pinches. (CW, 3.242).
But the nature of strength is not only physical but something deeper; one needs moral and spiritual strength without which one remains incomplete as a human being. As Swamiji explains:
We also know that the greatest power is lodged in the fine, not the course. We see a man take up a huge weight, we see his muscles swell, and all over his body we see signs of exertion, and we think the muscles are powerful things. But it is the thin thread-like things, the nerves, which bring power to the muscles; the amount one of these threads is cut off from reaching the muscles, they are not able to work at all. These tiny nerves bring the power from something still finer, and that again in its turn brings it from something finer still - thought, and so on. (CW, 2.16).
How does one develop moral and spiritual strength? By doing moral and spiritual exercises. All through our lives, we make certain choices which represent our moral and spiritual inclinations and the result of these choices is what we call our lives.
Now let us look at a gym. In a gym, one uses the equipments and machinery in order to 'bring out' the physical strength and shape up the muscles. When we use the dumb-bells, we become strong, and not the dumb-bells that become strong. They remain what they are--just dumb-bells. So also, the world--or life experiences that we undergo--is a gym 'in which the soul is taking exercise; and after these exercises we become gods'. This is the purpose of life's journey--to 'become gods'.
Godliness is what man essentially seeks in life. By 'godliness' is meant the manifestation of the inner potential which is essentially divine by nature. It is not material but divine. Hence it is not subject to what matter is subjected to--decay, death and destruction. We are not matter but Pure Consciousness presently intertwined with matter.
To rediscover his lost divine entity, that is the purpose of human life. Man is born, suffers and dies. But if he has learnt his lessons he will not return. What are the lessons? That this world is only a gymnasium for the soul to exercise and manifest its real nature. Says Swami Vivekananda,
It (this world) is like chronic rheumatism: you drive it from the head, and it goes to the body; you drive it from there, and it goes to the feet. Reformers arise and preach that learning, wealth and culture should not be in the hands of a select few; and they do their best to make them accessible to all. These may bring more happiness to some, but, perhaps as culture comes, physical happiness lessens. The knowledge of happiness brings the knowledge of unhappiness. Which way then shall we go? The least amount of material prosperity that we enjoy is causing the same amount of misery elsewhere. This is the law. The young, perhaps, do not see it clearly, but those who have lived long enough and those who have struggled enough will understand it. And this is Maya. These things are going on, day and night, and to find a solution of this problem is impossible. Why should it be so? It is impossible to answer this, because the question cannot be logically formulated. There is neither how nor why in fact; we only know that it is and that we cannot help it. (CW, 2.94).
Doing good to the world is very good. But can we do much good to the world? Have we done much good these hundreds of years that we have been struggling--have we increased the sum total of the happiness in the world? Thousands of means have been created every day to conduce to the happiness of the world, and this has been going on for hundreds and thousands of years...Is the sum total of the happiness in the world today more than what it was a century ago? It cannot be. Each wave that rises in the ocean must be at the expense of a hollow somewhere. If one nation becomes rich and powerful, it must be at the expense of another nation somewhere. (CW, 4.205).
Look at the sum total of good and evil in this world. Has it changed? Ages have passed, and practical religion has worked for ages. The world thought that each time the problem would be solved. It is always the same problem. At best it changes its form...It trades consumption and nerve-disease for twenty thousand shops. ...A hundred years ago man walked on foot or bought horses. Now he is happy because he rides the railroad; but he is unhappy because he has to work more and earn more. Every machine that saves labour puts more stress upon labour. (CW, 4.241).
So, what is the purpose of work? 'The work against evil is more educational than actual, however big we may talk'. (CW, 3.214). When we work for others, they may or may not benefit but we are surely benefitted--spiritually speaking. By all the works and experiences that we undergo we get more educated and wiser as to real nature of the Self and of the world. 'Gymnasium' remains what it is. We become strong which is what leads to Self-knowledge. 'This Self cannot be attained by the weak', says the Mundaka Upanishad. We become strong but the gymnasium of life continues to exist and function for others to come, exercise and become free.
Spirituality lies in understanding this and spiritual life is the art of putting this understanding into practice. The nearer we reach the goal of this 'exercising', the more we develop detachment, calmness, purity, generosity and love. And when one is done with one's gyming, one knows 'what needs to be known', the ever fulfilled and blissful Atman within. That state beyond death and sorrow is our state or being, the Eternal Essence of Existence, the Atman.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C.S. Chakravarthy
H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,
Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,
Satya Classic Apartments,
Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017,
Telangana State, India.
E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com
Cell: 09985732397.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swami Vivekananda himself believed in doing physical exercises. The visitors to Swamiji's room in Belur Math can see the dumb-bells, generally covered with a piece of cloth, which Swamiji would use. A firm believer in developing physical strength, Swamiji urged everyone to be strong:
What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made. (CW, 5.117).
And especially to the youth, he thundered them to be strong! He said,
We speak of many parrot-like, but never do them; speaking and not doing has become a habit with us. What is the cause of that? Physical weakness. This sort of weak brain is not able to do anything; we must strengthen it. First of all, our young men must be strong. Religion will come afterwards. Be strong, my young friends; that is my advice to you. You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita. These are bold words; but I have to say them, for I love you. I know where the shoe pinches. (CW, 3.242).
But the nature of strength is not only physical but something deeper; one needs moral and spiritual strength without which one remains incomplete as a human being. As Swamiji explains:
We also know that the greatest power is lodged in the fine, not the course. We see a man take up a huge weight, we see his muscles swell, and all over his body we see signs of exertion, and we think the muscles are powerful things. But it is the thin thread-like things, the nerves, which bring power to the muscles; the amount one of these threads is cut off from reaching the muscles, they are not able to work at all. These tiny nerves bring the power from something still finer, and that again in its turn brings it from something finer still - thought, and so on. (CW, 2.16).
How does one develop moral and spiritual strength? By doing moral and spiritual exercises. All through our lives, we make certain choices which represent our moral and spiritual inclinations and the result of these choices is what we call our lives.
Now let us look at a gym. In a gym, one uses the equipments and machinery in order to 'bring out' the physical strength and shape up the muscles. When we use the dumb-bells, we become strong, and not the dumb-bells that become strong. They remain what they are--just dumb-bells. So also, the world--or life experiences that we undergo--is a gym 'in which the soul is taking exercise; and after these exercises we become gods'. This is the purpose of life's journey--to 'become gods'.
Godliness is what man essentially seeks in life. By 'godliness' is meant the manifestation of the inner potential which is essentially divine by nature. It is not material but divine. Hence it is not subject to what matter is subjected to--decay, death and destruction. We are not matter but Pure Consciousness presently intertwined with matter.
To rediscover his lost divine entity, that is the purpose of human life. Man is born, suffers and dies. But if he has learnt his lessons he will not return. What are the lessons? That this world is only a gymnasium for the soul to exercise and manifest its real nature. Says Swami Vivekananda,
It (this world) is like chronic rheumatism: you drive it from the head, and it goes to the body; you drive it from there, and it goes to the feet. Reformers arise and preach that learning, wealth and culture should not be in the hands of a select few; and they do their best to make them accessible to all. These may bring more happiness to some, but, perhaps as culture comes, physical happiness lessens. The knowledge of happiness brings the knowledge of unhappiness. Which way then shall we go? The least amount of material prosperity that we enjoy is causing the same amount of misery elsewhere. This is the law. The young, perhaps, do not see it clearly, but those who have lived long enough and those who have struggled enough will understand it. And this is Maya. These things are going on, day and night, and to find a solution of this problem is impossible. Why should it be so? It is impossible to answer this, because the question cannot be logically formulated. There is neither how nor why in fact; we only know that it is and that we cannot help it. (CW, 2.94).
Doing good to the world is very good. But can we do much good to the world? Have we done much good these hundreds of years that we have been struggling--have we increased the sum total of the happiness in the world? Thousands of means have been created every day to conduce to the happiness of the world, and this has been going on for hundreds and thousands of years...Is the sum total of the happiness in the world today more than what it was a century ago? It cannot be. Each wave that rises in the ocean must be at the expense of a hollow somewhere. If one nation becomes rich and powerful, it must be at the expense of another nation somewhere. (CW, 4.205).
Look at the sum total of good and evil in this world. Has it changed? Ages have passed, and practical religion has worked for ages. The world thought that each time the problem would be solved. It is always the same problem. At best it changes its form...It trades consumption and nerve-disease for twenty thousand shops. ...A hundred years ago man walked on foot or bought horses. Now he is happy because he rides the railroad; but he is unhappy because he has to work more and earn more. Every machine that saves labour puts more stress upon labour. (CW, 4.241).
So, what is the purpose of work? 'The work against evil is more educational than actual, however big we may talk'. (CW, 3.214). When we work for others, they may or may not benefit but we are surely benefitted--spiritually speaking. By all the works and experiences that we undergo we get more educated and wiser as to real nature of the Self and of the world. 'Gymnasium' remains what it is. We become strong which is what leads to Self-knowledge. 'This Self cannot be attained by the weak', says the Mundaka Upanishad. We become strong but the gymnasium of life continues to exist and function for others to come, exercise and become free.
Spirituality lies in understanding this and spiritual life is the art of putting this understanding into practice. The nearer we reach the goal of this 'exercising', the more we develop detachment, calmness, purity, generosity and love. And when one is done with one's gyming, one knows 'what needs to be known', the ever fulfilled and blissful Atman within. That state beyond death and sorrow is our state or being, the Eternal Essence of Existence, the Atman.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C.S. Chakravarthy
H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,
Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,
Satya Classic Apartments,
Tarnaka, Secunderabad- 500 017,
Telangana State, India.
E-mail: chakkuresearchscholar13@gmail.com
Cell: 09985732397.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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