Christmas Celebrations in Ramakrishna Mission Math(s)

By Smita Mukerji

---

Correspondence With Ramakrishna Mission

 

In December 2015, I had written a letter  to the Ramakrishna Mission New Delhi, posted on the Facebook official page of Ramakrishna Mission New Delhi, which was critical of the practice of celebration of Christmas on Christmas-eve at the Ramakrishna Missions. I found however that the post was abruptly taken off by them and along with it the comments thread under the post in which people had articulated similar concerns.

I re-posted the letter thereafter on my own Facebook wall inviting an open debate and wrote directly via e-mail to the Ramakrishna Mission in New Delhi. The contents of the correspondence is reproduced in this article.

 

I. My first letter to Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi

 

[Dear Sirs,

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN RAMAKRISHNA MISSION MATH(S)

I begin with a humble salute to the monks and ascetics of Ramakrishna Mission, who live the eminent principle of renunciation in sanatan dharma. Several members of my direct & extended family have been blessed through initiation received from the RK Mission acharyas and I personally (though not initiated) deeply love and revere Sri Ramakrishna not just as a spiritual master but as a gentle instructing parent who guides through the labyrinth of life.

It is with great consternation therefore that I have noted that RK Missions, a leading light in Vedantic studies and a renewed, resurgent Hindu consciousness, continue the practice of celebrating Christmas, perpetuating a practice of an exclusive Abrahamic religion, which in very character and spirit is antithetic to sanatana principles. In my view, it is a futile pursuance of the lately popularised superficial idea which equates all ‘religions’ irrespective of the fact that there is no concurrence between Abrahamic and dharmic faiths, even equating the giant Vedantic philosophy with primitive, doctrinal Abrahamic religions, thereby undermining the very spiritual ethos which RK Missions are committed to spread.

Needless to say, and as far as my knowledge goes, the Archbishop to whom you extend an invitation each time with a generous heart has till date not felt inclined to honour these gestures even once, and expectedly so, since such an idea of unity of mankind, oneness of Divine and his creation is inconsistent with the precepts of Christianity and other Abrahamic faiths which declare emphatically that all other gods but their own are false and no redemption possible except through Christ/the creed of Muhammad, in effect discrediting any other spiritual stream as Hinduism or a movement like the Ramakrishna Mission as a falsehood. A mutuality of this celebration is completely out of question and the church would never consider celebrating Ram Navami or Shri Krishna Janmashtami. In the face of such stark divergence in spiritual philosophy and the very approach towards the Divine, it makes little sense to continue meaningless observances like celebrating Christmas for the sake of forcing a faux ideal of unrealistic equality of religions, much less, one-sided overtures towards religions who’s validity rests on denial of all others. Even so, one would wonder why the partiality towards Christianity? If the idea is to honour all spiritual paths as leading to the same God, why are important events of other religions not celebrated, indeed even those of exalted spiritual leaders of other schools within Hinduism and other dharmic streams not marked by RK Missions?

The purpose of persistence with this (in my understanding) meaningless observance by RK Missions is wholly unclear, and I would request to be enlightened in this regard. I moreover request to be informed about the origin of the practice: who was it started by? I shall be grateful if the express instruction/incident from Sri Ramakrishna’s or Swami Vivekananda’s life is cited to help clear my doubt.

With my limited understanding and scholarship, I understand that Sri Ramakrishna’s ‘joto mot, toto poth’ experiences were but a demonstration of the sanatana principle of ‘ekam satya, vipra bahudha vadanti’, which is in line with Hindu spiritual ethos. It was not meant as a cue to dilute Hinduism by equation with Abrahamic faiths and their practices. He was in fact severely critical of infantile Abrahamic binaries of heaven-hell, sin-piety, and on an occasion severely scolded a person for having converted to another faith from Hinduism.

I would also like to draw your attention to a problem of much larger dimension which imperils the very existence of sanatan dharma today, that of aggressive, predatory proselytisation and the insidious manner and deceptive means through which this force is rapidly eroding Hindu cultural and spiritual values. Among the cunning subterfuges employed by proselytisers to gain favour among Indians is, appropriation of Hindu cultural symbols like yoga, meditation and other memes, and portraying Jesus in these themes to gain acceptance. By adopting Jesus into institutions and practices of primarily Hindu character and origin (inculturation), RK Mission is giving strength to exactly these sly agents of evangelism which directly undercut Hinduism and its bedrock, Vedantism, instead of strengthening it, which is the mission’s stated goal. I not only see this practice of celebrating Christmas as a corruption of this goal and the Missions’s Hindu character, but in not recognising the ways in which these pernicious forces work, intent upon disrupting the spiritual, cultural and moral fabric of India, the RK Missions unwittingly contribute to their cause by reinforcing the cult of Christ (wholly inconsistent with the Hindu concept of ‘ishwara’), and demonstrate an extremely grave lapse in discernment and lack of greater spiritual perspective, unbecoming of the stature of the institution and undermining the thought of its founding spiritual fathers. Is the RK Mission truly not in knowledge of the history of atrocities perpetrated by Jesuits, just as their Mohemmedan brethren, upon native Hindus?

To impress upon you the peril of corruption of Indian society and nationhood, I may quote Swami Vivekananda here, who perceived it much earlier than now when we see it manifested before us, and gave the strongest statement yet cautioning against such (he used the word “perverted away”, rather than converted away):

“…and then every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less, but an enemy the more.”

In fact, I see it so much as a duty of the Ramakrishna Mission, as the foremost organisations of resurgent Hinduism to fight the malaise of evangelism, rather than acting contrary to the interests of Sanatan Dharma, compromising it through adharmic practices.

I pray that my earnest request is conveyed to the senior leaders of the order for consideration and I sincerely beg forgiveness if I may have overstretched propriety in addressing my fears and concerns to the RK Mission.

Yours in the lord,

Smita Mukerji]

 

---

 

II. Reply from Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi to my first letter

 

[Dear Ms. Smita,

We acknowledge receipt of your elaborate email on Christmas Eve celebrations in the Ramakrishna Order. You have a very facile pen and you write flawless English. I shall try to clarify your doubts to the extent possible. But, due to extreme preoccupations it is not possible to engage in a plethora of correspondence. If you are a resident of Delhi, you may come and meet me one of these days and get completely clarified.

We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ who is also considered as an Avatara or God’s advent on earth. Please note that we are not celebrating Christianity. The Hindu scriptures speak about countless Avataras. Swami Vivekananda himself said, “Had I lived in Palestine, in the days of Jesus of Nazareth, I would have washed his feet, not with my tears, but with my heart’s blood!” Sri Ramakrishna had an extraordinary vision of Christ. Some of the most momentous decisions of Swami Vivekananda were taken during his meditation at Kanyakumari and the time and occasion was Christmas Eve. Even prior to that, the first vow of sacrifice and service undertaken by Swamiji and his brother disciples was at Antpur on the eve of Christmas. So, the Ramakrishna Order has deep spiritual links with Christmas Eve and Christ himself. This has nothing to do with Christianity, much more as it is practised today. If the followers of a prophet and Avatara misinterpret him, it is not proper to find fault with the prophet.

If you happen to be present in Delhi, please do come and attend our Christmas Eve celebration and you will be overwhelmed by the stunning spiritual atmosphere in the shrine.

With best wishes,

 

Yours in service,

Swami Shantatmananda

Secretary
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Ashrama Marg
Paharganj
(Near Ramakrishna Ashrama Marg Metro Station Gate No. 2)
New Delhi – 110055]

 

---

 

III. My second letter to Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi

 

[Dear Sir,

I thank you for your acknowledgement and response to my letter in spite of stated paucity of time.

The explanations you provide to justify the celebration of Christmas however comes across as an extremely facile response to a grave concern of the civilisational threat faced by us today voiced in my mail, which I note despondently, you completely fail to appreciate. With due respect, I see this as a severe lack of perspective and shocking apathy towards protecting the civilization and culture which is both the mother and the foundation of Vedanta, in the absence of which it will cease to exist. This is most unbecoming of a renunciate who has committed to dharma (unless the ideal you cherish is some other from dharma).

None of the events you mention from Sri Ramakrishna’s and Swami Vivekananda’s life are unknown to me or the public in general, but the interpretation applied to these events and cited ‘coincidences’ to forge some kind of connect with Christ or Christianity are misplaced, astoundingly misguided, and unenlightened to say the least. It is an instance of projecting exceptional, occasional references to Christ to portray them as the dominant character of the Ramakrishna Mission, which is a misrepresentation! It is not a matter of “finding fault with the prophet”, as much as unnatural foisting of a character in a culturally out of context fashion. Indeed if there have been several avatars, what is the need for another one? The setting, timeframe, cultural context of avatars are also different. Why do we need ‘imported avatars’ to internalise universal ideals?

I request you to also heed the discussions and thoughts expressed on the thread below on your page on facebook.

I have adequately elaborated therein where exactly you err in your interpretation of Swamiji’s views on ‘avatars’. Much of what you cite about Swami Vivekananda’s views on Christ as an ‘avatar’ is quoted out of context to justify a practice (which I reckon was not started by Swami Vivekananda, since you do not say this expressly) contrary to the interests of our civilization. He himself says, “Had I lived in Palestine, in the days of Jesus of Nazareth…”, means it is predicated upon a condition of existential reality.

I also urge you to read the historicity of Jesus the Christ and of the festival of Christmas – this incidentally Swami Vivekananda states as well. He clearly says that ‘avatars’ and the legends built around them were ‘constructs’, therefore impossible to conceive that celebration of Christmas by RK Missions would have his approval) to show how grossly you err and stray from Vedantism (the stated purpose of the RK Mission), in perpetuating the superstition of Christ. In spite of the fact that you would be a legitimate torchbearer of the Ramakrishna Mission and the direct monastic lineage started by Swami Vivekananda, I (ask your pardon to) assert that you have not perfectly incorporated their teachings. By promoting a Christian ritual of mythical origin, you are striking directly at the root of Hinduism (as precarious as the situation is today).

I thank you for your most kind invitation but, needless to say, I shall not take part in this event, which I see as an incongruously adharmic exhibitionism of a false ideal, moreover which runs counter to the interests of Hindu religion, and which could never have had the sanction of Sri Ramakrishna or Swami Vivekananda. Let me also remind you, that one of Swami Vivekananda’s greatest concern had been to bring people back to Hindu dharma, those Hindus who under the influence of Western education had lost faith in Hindu religion. By promoting and popularising Western memes you are exactly acting counter to his purpose.

I shall not continue this correspondence since I too crave leave on account of my worldly commitments and constraints, but I will take this discussion to the public domain to be debated openly. To address these with honesty or to withdraw in a spiritual ivory tower will be the choice of the offices of the Ramakrishna Mission (I see that my thread posted on your wall has been taken off—by no means the attitude of fearlessly addressing an intellectual challenge).

May you be blessed!

Smita Mukerji]

 

---

 

IV. Reply from Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi to my second letter

 

[Dear Ms. Smita,

This has reference to your email. This will be my last mail in this regard. I totally disagree with the contents of your email. I have nothing to learn afresh from your facebook. The traditions followed by us were not started recently. Great luminaries of the Order who were not only spiritually evolved, but were also brilliant intellectuals had started them. Unfortunately, you know very little about the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition and yet you are trying to articulate opinions which are blatantly wrong. Vedanta does not depend upon any individual or institution. It is too vast, too deep and too ancient to be shaken by any sect or religion. Please note that the threat faced by Hinduism from other religions is nothing compared to the threat from its own followers. If only we show respect to all the members of the Hindu society and treat them with dignity they will not embrace other religions. Anyway, I find there is no point in continuing this correspondence with you.

With best wishes,

 

Yours in service,

Swami Shantatmananda

Secretary
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Ashrama Marg
Paharganj
(Near Ramakrishna Ashrama Marg Metro Station Gate No. 2)
New Delhi – 110055]

 

---

 

V. My third letter to Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi

 

[Dear Sir,

I am indeed grateful that in spite of your schedule you have given valuable time and attention to address my queries.

Since a concluding note has been set, I will summarise my view n purpose before signing off.

Sir, with due regards to your scholarship, “learning” is a continuous process, but it is also a matter of choice whether one continues/ceases to learn.

My contention is precisely that such a “tradition” was not formally established and has been merely started on whim and perpetuated without ponderant thought or purpose.

Your statement about my knowledge about the order, its founder and the Master is based on assumption. Au contraire, I have since childhood grown up with their tales and words, and the lessons are so deeply imprinted upon my soul that I can state with absolute conviction, even before a person who would be a scholar of their entire gospel and life works, if he/she were to err in deviating from their teachings in spirit. This I can state positively in the case of the insistence of continuing with the practice of celebrating Christmas by RK Mission math(s), not recognising how it is tremendously compromising its very foundational belief system.

Vedanta will not die even when the last person on earth ceases to be, but this is mere homily when stated in a context where assertive action is required to protect dharma.

Your very last statement is a telling sign of the extent to which members of RK Mission have strayed from the teachings and vision of their founder and the Master. It is truly incredible that to forge a fraternity with the Church and to forcibly embed Christ in Hindu practices and worship (irrespective of his reverence, this was NEVER Swamiji’s intention!) you accord credulity to precisely the insinuations and pieties with which the Chruch attacks the core of Hinduism, and in that you act directly against Swamiji’s central mission.

Instead of unflinching pursuit of dharma, knowledge, truth, RK Missions seem to be increasingly caught up in populisms, banal observances and weak idealisms, completely disconnected and oblivious to the forces that imperil our land, the holy ground of our religion. This is but a tremendous come down from Swamiji’s fiery vision and patriotism.

I will leave off at this point with a link to a lecture by Swamiji for you to mull over the direction in which the mission is headed. The speech shows how astute he had been in seeing through the machinations of the church, recognising the deceptive manner in which our cultural and religious ethos has been (is still!) under attack, and how much at variance and ill-considered your own view is.

“It is not true that I am against any religion. It is equally untrue that I am hostile to the Christian missionaries in India. But I protest against certain of their methods of raising money in America. What is meant by those pictures in the school-books for children where the Hindu mother is painted as throwing her children to the crocodiles in the Ganga? The mother is black, but the baby is painted white, to arouse more sympathy, and get more money. What is meant by those pictures which paint a man burning his wife at a stake with his own hands, so that she may become a ghost and torment the husband’s enemy? What is meant by the pictures of huge cars crushing over human beings? The other day a book was published for children in this country, where one of these gentlemen tells a narrative of his visit to Calcutta. He says he saw a car running over fanatics in the streets of Calcutta. I have heard one of these gentlemen preach in Memphis that in every village of India there is a pond full of the bones of little babies.

What have the Hindus done to these disciples of Christ that every Christian child is taught to call the Hindus “vile”, and “wretches”, and the most horrible devils on earth? Part of the Sunday School education for children here consists in teaching them to hate everybody who is not a Christian, and the Hindus especially, so that, from their very childhood they may subscribe their pennies to the missions. If not for truth’s sake, for the sake of the morality of their own children, the Christian missionaries ought not to allow such things going on. Is it any wonder that such children grow up to be ruthless and cruel men and women? The greater a preacher can paint the tortures of eternal hell — the fire that is burning there, the brimstone – the higher is his position among the orthodox. A servant-girl in the employ of a friend of mine had to be sent to a lunatic asylum as a result of her attending what they call here the revivalist-preaching. The dose of hell-fire and brimstone was too much for her. Look again at the books published in Madras against the Hindu religion. If a Hindu writes one such line against the Christian religion, the missionaries will cry fire and vengeance.

My countrymen, I have been more than a year in this country. I have seen almost every corner of the society, and, after comparing notes, let me tell you that neither are we devils, as the missionaries tell the world we are, nor are they angels, as they claim to be. The less the missionaries talk of immorality, infanticide, and the evils of the Hindu marriage system, the better for them. There may be actual pictures of some countries before which all the imaginary missionary pictures of the Hindu society will fade away into light. But my mission in life is not to be a paid reviler. I will be the last man to claim perfection for the Hindu society. No man is more conscious of the defects that are therein, or the evils that have grown up under centuries of misfortunes. If, foreign friends, you come with genuine sympathy to help and not to destroy, Godspeed to you. But if by abuses, incessantly hurled against the head of a prostrate race in season and out of season, you mean only the triumphant assertion of the moral superiority of your own nation, let me tell you plainly, if such a comparison be instituted with any amount of justice, the Hindu will be found head and shoulders above all other nations in the world as a moral race.”

I close with due respects and regards to all sanyasis of the order.

Yours in the lord,

Smita Mukerji]

 

---

 

VI. Reply from Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi to my third letter

 

[Dear Ms. Smita Mukherji,

Although I thought of not continuing with the correspondence, still I feel that I should make certain things clear. I hope you have read the most authentic life of Sri Ramakrishna called “Lila Prasanga”. Here Sri Ramakrishna’s realization with regard to Christ are recorded in detail. Again when Swami Premanandaji went to Dhaka, he saw that a Padri was speaking ill of Hindus. Then he gathered a few of his followers and started singing Kirtans so loudly that the Padri had no way but to beat a retreat. But, that night he had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna in which the Master reprimanded him for his behaviour. He said that the Padri was also preaching only Him. There are several instances in the lives of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj and others who had the direct vision of Christ.

The Ramakrishna Mission is not a missionary institution as far as religion is concerned. We do undertake a lot of human welfare activities, but there is a philosophy behind this viz. worship of God in Man. A large number of centres cater to the spiritual needs of devotees who are concerned with Sadhana or spiritual practices. So whichever practice helps in this regard we take help from such practices. The celebration of Christmas Eve in the Order is more than a century old. We would not like to give it up because a few over enthusiastic followers of Hinduism desire it. By doing so we will be hurting the feelings of thousands of followers in India and the West who are Christians and yet who have accepted Sri Ramakrishna. Similarly, there are even monks with Christian background. Of course, to understand and appreciate all these one should be a Sadhaka and not a mere intellectual. As I wrote earlier, I again reiterate that the threat to Hinduism is from within and not from outside. We should learn how to treat the so called low castes and others with dignity so that it would give a healthy look to the Hindu society.

Of course, 500 devotees gather for our Christmas Eve celebration and all of them look upon Christ as a manifestation of Sri Ramakrishna. Not one of them has given up Hinduism and gone to Christianity. So, your fears are absolutely baseless and unfounded. In our over enthusiasm let us not destroy a healthy and wonderful spiritual tradition.

With best wishes,

Yours in service,

Swami Shantatmananda]

 

---

 

VII. My final letter to Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi

 

[Dear Sir,

My respectful salutations!

I beg your pardon for not responding earlier, since I only saw your e-mail today when I logged-in to my account. It is truly very kind of you to honour my questions put to the Mission and take care to answer them.

Sri Ramakrishna’s vision of Jesus described in the ‘Lila Prasanga’ is quite widely known, but Sir, could you cite a single reference from the entire corpus of literature on Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother or Swami Vivekananda, and their words, where they ask that followers of Hinduism or the Ramakrishna Mission specifically, should start worshipping Jesus formally, adopt Christian customs in their spiritual practices, worst, hobnob with members of the church who are actively engaged in defaming Hinduism and its practices and denigrating our gods? Are Hinduism and its precepts, its myriad modes of spiritual practice inadequate for a spiritual aspirant to achieve their ideal? For all the visions described of the exalted past Gurus of the order, to take these on implication as grounds to start worshipping Christ and celebrating Christmas, is imperfect, and if I may be pardoned saying so, delusional.

It is almost a foregone conclusion for not only the Master and Swami Vivekananda but ALL Hindus, that they would revere all lights of god as facets of the same Truth, in line with the principle: ‘ekam satya vipra bahudha vadanti’. But while revering other spiritual lights who have blessed this earth, it is equally true that Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda remained steadfast to Hindu icons, practices and philosophy. Did Swamiji not uphold Vedanta as the giant among all, equating it to the lion’s roar among calls of jackals? Why dilute this vision with an ill-conceived corruption of our customs with an entirely worldly and superficial practice among Christians? Indeed, if one were to come from a factual position, Jesus the Christ as conceived by the Church, never existed and the 25th of December merely arbitrarily adopted by them as the date of his supposed ‘birth’. Swami Vivekananda himself says that ‘avatars’ are mere constructs for articulating the highest ideal before society—the contemporaneous one—and in the context of the culture it originates from. While you criticise Hindus for the caste system, do you take into account Sri Ramachandra’s punishing the Shudra ‘Shambuka’, or consider Krishna an imperfect ideal for having several wives, or the Buddha for abandoning his wife? They all demonstrated contemporary ideals and society: in case of Sri Rama, that of varna dharma; in case of Sri Krishna, that of the feminine spiritual aspiration of being divine consorts of whomsoever the heart reverberates with pure spiritual longing; and for the Buddha, that of renunciation of ‘moha’. Sri Ramakrishna also observed caste discretion consistent with his times! Would you say he was a casteist? Not only are these ‘ideals’ in case of Christianity and the ideas illustrated in the life of Christ, completely different from those of Hinduism, it is irrelevant to the Hindu context (‘desh-kaal’). It is meant only for Christian societies. Swamiji takes great pains to explain to his Western Christian audience about the concept of ‘avatars’ and personal god, by using their ideal of Jesus. He does not preach using the ideal of Rama or Krishna and likewise he never preached Christ’s example to Hindus. It is simply because he negates none, holds their relevance in the respective cultural context where they originated. He, in speech as well as practice, upheld the Hindu philosophy of honouring each spiritual light and not transposing an alien ideal to unfamiliar recipients, as evangelists do. However, you are not emulating Swami Vivekananda in this respect, but toeing the line of the evangelists, and this the reason why it is so wrong what you do!

Also, since ‘avatars’ merely convey an ideal, adoption of an ‘avatar’ as ‘ishta’ varies according to individual ‘bhaava’. While adopting one, one neither negates nor disregards other ‘avatars’, but merely expresses his concept of ‘ishwara’ in his own chosen ideal. Christ, in this sense, is neither consistent with this idea of divine (since he is the messenger of an exclusive God, in denial of others, ‘savior’ of selected people who accept this absolute god-concept, and this ‘ideal’ that Christ represents cannot simply be consistent with those of Hinduism, the one which however, the Ramakrishna Mission chooses to promote in preference to all other countless masters in the dharmic belief system which this land has been blessed with, who have adequately elaborated on this philosophy and edified this principle of sanatan dharma!), nor Indian culture. WE Hindus revere Christ, from our philosophical standpoint (that is our Hindu belief!) But Christ (the character) did not edify this principle of universalism, nor ‘avatarwaad’, nor the concept of personal god, neither from his life, nor words, nor practice, nor any of his teachings. So, what principal exactly are you conveying when worshipping him as an ideal? What is the goal (‘sankalpa’) of this ‘puja’, since every ceremony or Hindu worship conveys a definite intent and goal?

Let me also draw your attention to another teaching of Sri Ramakrishna: He categorically advised against indiscriminate ‘chasing all seers and saints’ and told Swamiji, that whatever light he sought he would find in his chosen ideal, his guru alone, Sri Ramakrishna, the avatar. Did you, being staunch followers of the Master, lose this lesson? Why adopt an additional avatar of a foreign belief system into your practices without the sanction of the Master? Apart from the period of three days when the Master faithfully performed sadhana by Christian and Islamic norms respectively, and at the end of is said to have attained to the same Truth through these paths (and he thereby demonstrated the principle of ‘joto-mot, toto poth’ in practice, since as a ‘siddha’ he was bound to directly realize a truth that he held forth, not merely speak of it as an idea), he did NOT alter his practice and observances in his life. He throughout performed the rituals (Narayan, Kali, Jagadhatri pujas, etc) in consonance with his incarnation as a Hindu Brahmin. He advocated NO such marked break from custom as you do, by adopting Christ into your worship. In fact he expressly warned against deviating from set course according to the dharma of one’s incarnation, albeit without criticizing other’s paths. The monks of the Ramakrishna Mission though renunciates, are merely ‘sadhakas’ (not ‘siddhas’, who have attained to the level of realization where they see no difference between water from a river and that from a drain, ‘brahmagya’ like Sri Ramakrishna who actually realised through direct experience the same light manifest everywhere). The monks of RK Mission are merely caricaturing an idea on hearsay, not having realized through direct experience and are aping a foreign custom inconsistent with their reality, certainly not a “healthy and wonderful spiritual tradition”. It is a dreadful delusion!!!

You pejorative reference as “over-enthusiastic Hindus” to warnings sounded by people of the world is also inconsistent with the ideal conduct of a renunciate who should strive to be free from ego. Renunciation of the world is merely a choice of spiritual path, a commitment to a specific kind of dharma. It does not mean they are more realised than those who have chosen the ‘sansara-dharma’ path of spirituality (indeed many of Thakur’s worldly devotees were exalted souls of great realisation). Even a mere dancer-girl taught Swami Vivekananda, a ‘Siddha’, a significant spiritual truth. The monks of RK Mission are but ‘sadhakas’ who have a lot to learn from worldy people, their perspectives and experience gained from the world and insights on desh-kaal-dharma. You disregard these to the detriment of your motherland and to the impoverishment of your own souls! You mention that some Christian followers of Sri Ramakrishna would be hurt if you were to discontinue the practice of worshipping Christ. This means, I am afraid, that they have not adequately absorbed the ideals embodied by the avatar of Shri Ramakrishna. There is imperfection in the manner the ideal, the spiritual concepts held forth by Sri Ramakrishna, is internalized by them, if you need to appease them and assuage their feelings by incorporating another ideal from another belief system into the practices of your order. Why should this be necessary? Accepting Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings does not result into their ‘conversion’ from previously held faith. It is merely adoption of different approach to reach the same ideal (which is by no means negated by dharmic belief system). Why corrupt Hindu practices with that ideal? Is it then true acceptance of sanatana principles and Vedantic philosophy, or a matter of fact quid pro quo deal? If tomorrow a Parsi or a Muslim would accept Sri Ramakrishna as spiritual Guru, would you start ‘Mohammad puja’ and ‘Zarathustra puja’, imagining some vague coincidence of dates? In that case, do please celebrate Bakr-Eid, Navroze, Shabbath, and the observances of all other religions, and reckon thereafter how much time you can devote to spiritual sadhana by your own prescribed path. And then, why the partiality to the said ‘avatar’ of Christianity? It appears in spite of pursuing spirituality you have still not recovered from the slave complex from foreign rule and at a subconscious level still seek to please the white race. Is there any sense in propagating this kind of wishy-washy spiritual beliefs lacking profundity of realization that marks a shift towards a higher philosophy? Was this the goal put forth by your founder, Swami Vivekananda, when he spoke of spreading the message of Vedanta? I request you to view the comments of some of those on my thread on Facebook, who voice similar concerns as mine. Among them is Ms. Sofiya Rangwala (a Muslim lady who is a sanatani in spirit), Ms. Anjali Gorg (a Christian, but committed to sanatan ethos). Please do consider the view of Ms. Anke Maas (a German Christian lady) who has questioned the practice of celebrating Christmas on your wall with the words: “Why do you celebrate the birth of a Jewish preacher who was born over 2000 years ago in the Roman Empire? Do you also celebrate birthday of even a single Rishi who gifted to us the gift of Vedanta???” If these people do not feel “hurt” by this practice being stopped (the reasons for which, the harm from it, have elaborately been articulated all through the comments on your wall by various people—many of which you have regrettably chosen to disregard and delete, since they were critical of your position), in fact they actively urge its discontinuance, then why should Christian monks in your order be? It can only mean that these disciples of the RK Mission have not been drawn through a shift in their consciousness, but by some other superficial idea which is not conducive to spiritual progression according to Vedantic philosophy. Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda are the ideals revered by millions of Indians who might not be directly connected to the order of Sri Ramakrishna, but are devout Hindus and patriots. Why are their feelings (of misgivings about this contrived custom of celebrating Christmas in an institution of Hindu character) of less importance for you? Is this not an attitude born of mental servility to a certain group of people rather than fidelity to knowledge and truth? You disregarded the reasoned objections of such concerned Hindus by unceremoniously deleting their comments from the posts you put out to justify this questioned practice and retain only the ones of sycophants and yes-men disciples. What is to be made out of this churlishness to not entertain any opinion counter to your position? Is this an enlightened attitude? Is this the fearless pursuance of truth that Swami Vivekananda wanted to imbibe through his mission?

Your persistence with view that “caste system”—since we never had “castes”, we merely had ‘varnashrama’, a flexible occupational system—as the reason for Hindus converting from Hinduism to Christianity, betrays not only a lack of understanding but also ignorance of socio-cultural history of India. Are you aware that caste-system and ‘dalit’ classification among the Christian and Islamic communities persists post-conversion? Why is it that the maximum conversions have happened only in about the last century and a half in spite of the fact that the system has existed since the uninterrupted 10 millennia epoch of Indian civilization, and alternative spiritual streams like Buddhism and Jainism (incl. presence of Christianity since ancient times) have also existed in India? This is because the rhetoric against Hindu culture, specifically targeting them on the point of “caste-system”, too has built up over this recent period by motivated interest groups like imperialists, evangelisers and marxists. Also, you do a disservice to the dignity and fortitude of ‘lower castes’ who are extremely steadfast to their faith in spite of social status, while many upper castes have convert to Abrahamic faiths (there are Rajput and Brahmin Christians & Muslims too). “Caste” has always been a means of identity in Indian society and the system of ‘exploitation’ and discrimination was not brought by traditional caste dynamics (which has produced many ‘dalit’ heros, Shudra kings, and nobles, outcaste tribes who gained Kshatriya status, with adequate opportunity of upward caste mobility through positive action), but by the British land revenue system which placed certain castes in an exploiting position while relegating others to a position where they were exploited, by destroying their occupational trade and means of livelihood and rendering them landless and destitute. It was not the traditional ‘upper castes’ who were exploiters in this post 19th century social system but the middle-level classes, who are NOT high castes and in fact many among them classified as OBCs today (Thakurs, Mahajans, Sahukars). Your flawed perceptions reveal a leftist-socialist conditioning, not an insight into Indian society and culture or awareness of history.

I again appeal to the leaders of Ramakrishna Mission to review their position with respect to the flaw pointed out by so many, in continuing the practice of celebrating Christmas and disproportionate glorification of a purported ‘connect’ with Christ. It is most unbecoming of the spiritual lineage of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

My deepest regards,

 

Yours in the Lord,

Smita Mukerji]

 

---