Sei sulla pagina 1di 4

THE DISCERNING WIZARD - OUR AMERICAN SON-IN-LAW

(A Review Article by Dr.ABK Prasad on the book Initiation by Michael Miovic)


Did you ever come across an advice that is pregnant with enlightened wisdom? This following is
one such advice:


That is, a learned and knowledgeable person will be able to see all without any aids to his eyes.
But a fool cannot see anything even with all the aids.
God helps those who have the six positive attributes - effort, decisiveness, courage, sense,
strength and heroism, say our elders. Our elderly philosophers have also said that no divine help
is needed if you have those characteristics. You need not crave for it, they said. Rishi
Aurobindo, is one of the Indian philosophers who has all these six attributes in his character. He
is more an idealist than a materialist; as much an activist as a thinker; a pacifist as much as a
revolutionary. He was an internationalist and a nationalist and anti-imperialist, at the same time.
He was a democrat who resisted fascism and fascist tendencies like Hitlerism. He yearned for a
situation where man has attained a mental stage unaffected by the sorrows and miseries of
worldly life and evolved into a perfect human being. Dr. Michael Miovic is among the few
western youths who are attracted to the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo. In this respect he is the
successor to philosophers like Thoreau and Emerson. He is the son-in-law of Andhra, and
resident of America (His wife Madhavi is from a Telugu socialist family). This young
philosopher is also the favorite follower of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. He studied medicine
in the University of California and worked as Psychiatrist and Professor of Psychology with the
Boston Cancer Center. But his views are different and his thoughts are elsewhere. While being
an expert in psycho-pharmacology to support his treatment of mental patients, he also tries to
spread spiritual happiness among his patients through floral remedies.
All these days we were hearing of psychology only. But Miovic is spreading spiritual
psychology. He is anxious to spread a comprehensive (exhaustive) system of medicine in India
based on enlightened consciousness. The book Aurobindo or The Adventure of
Consciousness by Satprem helped him mold himself to fall in line with the teachings of
Aurobindo.The study of the book provoked Miovic to start his journey towards Auroville
crossing the borders of America and arrive at the abode of Aurobindo. The passion to find a
meaning to the origin and development and birth and death of human beings lead Miovic to
various philosophers who differ from each other widely. But all of them seek only the welfare of
human beings and a happy life for each of them. They are mutually influenced but failed to
arrive at a consensus. Perhaps the deviation of their personal preferences from social goals might
be the reason for it.
Since times immemorial, there has been the conflict between materialism and idealism and
between realism and spiritualism that is manifest in all philosophical theories including Indian
philosophical thought. The conflict remains still unresolved. There are as many branches and
shades of opinion in Indian philosophy as there are in western philosophy. From Bacon to
Berkeley, from Spinoza to Schopenhauer, Leibniz to Locke, Hegel to Helvitas, Candilla to Kant,
from Metrey to Marx this divergence is widening and spreading. Similarly, even in Indian
philosophy, the Shad-darsanaas (the six basic philosophies) that laid foundation to Indian
philosophy,(Poorvaa Mimamsa, Uttara Mimamsa,Saankhya, Yoga, Nyaaya and Vaiseshika
systems) are not coordinated among themselves. Philosophies of Saamkhya and Poorva
Mimaamsa rely on nature and human experience (Prakriti and Purusha) and do not believe in
God. Buddhism, Jainism and Lokaayata believe that real investigation is possible only when a
belief is questioned. They did not believe in God and questioned the authority of Vedaas. So they
were branded atheists. Thus, whoever refused to respect Vedaas was condemned. This kind of
branding the opponents is not so much prevalent in the west. La Metrie and Diderot believed that
religion is the basic cause of all these conflicts and vehemently propagated atheism. While the
philosophers of the 18
th
century said that a world devoid of religion only can bring peace and
happiness, some others pointed out that there are some benefits even from religion.
All these days, philosophers were only analyzing the society. The real responsibility for them is
to change it said Karl Marx. It was in that effort, as a patriot, that Aurobindo suffered
imprisonment (Alipore bomb conspiracy case). He tasted life in all its colours and developed into
a revolutionary reconciling to both comfort and misery in life. While accepting evolution, he
tried to guide human genius to develop into a perfect moral force. For that purpose, he
considered education and knowledge as two wheels. Self-analysis (self-criticism) is in itself a
spiritual experience, he said. He demanded that outlook, statements and action be unified and
integrated. He was a representative of the first generation of national movement leaders. He
condemned poverty in the midst of plenty as a shame of creation itself. Men with enlightened
consciousness are equal to god, he said. The one who could take both birth and death with
equanimity is the real human being. Vivekaananda proved it and Aurobindo followed it. Miovic,
the American son-in-law of Andhra, also has imbibed it.
In view of Aurobindo, even lifeless things show response (chalanam). They take different shapes
in the skilled hands of experts. It is the aspiration of Aurobindo to carve out a divine man out of
every human being. Divine knowledge is within ourselves, not outside us, he said. Knowledge
and happiness have no existence except with man. Aurobindo and the Mother taught that, in
order to bring change in man, it is necessary that he must be made free from pride.
Aurobindo made an enlightened comment on dawn: Some people equate the time of twilight as
a divine incident. It is not only a surprise, but a full-fledged miracle, because the time of twilight
is a character of the universe itself. In its comprehensible state, the universe presents itself as the
Creation. Then it attains the unrecognisable miniature state and becomes incomprehensible. That
is the state of the black cloud (neela megha). It is represented in the blue sky that appears before
sunrise. It is after that the morning comes. That is, the sun is manifesting himself in the form of
driving red light arising out of the dark east. This is what the great poet Sreenaatha also
described in his poetry. It is the intention of Aurobindo and the Mother that the enlightened
consciousness shall be the guide for human conduct.
In order to reach this stage of thinking process, our American son-in-law had to undergo many
moults. He is not merely a psychiatrist and spiritualist. He is a poet and a musician too! He
studied history and cultural history as well. During the process of self-analysis he passed through
many stages of philosophical development. He spent some time with Paramahamsa Yogananda,
and devoted himself to Ayyappa and Saibaba for some time. He stayed in the Ashram of
Ramanamaharshi and finally settled in the presence of Aurobindo in Pondicherry. He is greatly
impressed by the teachings of Aurobindo. But he is disappointed that, of late, some of the so-
called Ashramas, the abodes of devotees, have become dens of entertainment. He finally
concluded that No aashram is better than self-control. In spite of all the problems confronting
India, it is the only repository of spiritual knowledge in the world, he believed. Perhaps that is
why he declared that India, as the birth place of Sri Aurobindo, the Mother, Ramanamaharshi,
Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and Raamalimgaswaamy has stirred my conscience. There is no
other culture on this earth beyond India that has created so many rishis and mystics per square
mile. Along with gold, there is sand also mixed with it here. But I would like to search every
inch of it and bring out the spiritual value hidden here. That is how Miovic expressed his final
conviction. It is from this spiritual angle that he is probing into the history, politics, science and
literature. He described the presence of Aurobindo as Love at first sight.
In his opinion, conscience is not local. Evolution of creation is not limited to local situations. It is
universal. Even the great physicist Einstein fell into that spell. Why are we here? How did we
come here? If the universe is merely a sudden accident, all of us also have fallen here. Otherwise
if there is a meaning to this universe, then our existence also must be having a meaning. As I
continue the study of physics, I am getting attached to mysticism he said. That is why Auobindo
also suggested Try to make the earthly life the divine life.
Miovic, who got initiated into spiritual thought in the abode of Aurobindo, has explained the
ideological similarities and conflicts between John Adams and Jefferson, in his writings on
history. He showed how in the 18
th
and 19
th
centuries Adams warned Americans of the
possibility of accumulating wealth by the aristocrat and wealthy classes will lead finally to a neo-
aristocratic class. He showed how the capitalist and commercial trends will develop into the
driving forces of American society. Adams was a democrat and against royalty. Miovic asserts
that Jefferson, while appearing so innocent, was a cunning and pretentious idealist.
When it comes to the question of globalization, Miovic fails to be assertive. He did not point out
the forces working behind the curtain of globalization. He states that When the winds of
globalization are blowing strong, the countries with diversity like India will come into trouble
unless they have strong religious and cultural foundations. It appears he has not noticed the
onslaught of ugly foreign culture damaging the roots of arts and culture through the media.
Miovic appreciates the arrival of Beatles as angry young men in the western culture and he is
happy for the interest of Beatles in the Indian classical music. He reminds us of their close
association with Ravi Shankar. Miovic agrees that the aim of all the religions is the welfare and
happiness of all the people. He questions how an individual can bring happiness to all the people
when even governments failed in that effort. This is sheer escapism and individualism. One
should not forget that every political theory has its own plan for welfare of people. If a man
cannot live with the crowd, if he cannot loose himself in his association with other people, his
life is a waste. The poet C.Narayana Reddy also said:
Universal pulse has no rest
The progressive movement of people does not seek rest
That is the real enlightened conscience.
Miovic is also a poet. He is acquainted with the poetry of Japan (Haiku) and of Java as well. The
influence of Haiku on young Miovic is found in his poem:
Lavender flowers
By the road
Exhaust and perfume.
(Haiku stands for the style of brief poem in three short lines in Japanese literature)
In his poetry, Miovic protests the bombing on Hiroshima by America. He laments the loss of
beautiful nature with its trees, vines and flowers that were annihilated along with the tragic loss
of human lives. As the natural heritage was destroyed, its place is occupied by the ugly plants
and flowers devoid of beauty and perfume. He calls it the new flowers from the ashes of
Hiroshima.
The next stage for Miovic is, perhaps, the study of Buddhism. By acquainting himself with
Buddhist philosophy, this young intellectual wizard may come out of spell of Sri Aurobindos
influence and start a new journey. We have to wait and see!

8 February, 2004
(Original in Telugu)
Translated by: Jasti Jawaharlal

Potrebbero piacerti anche