Most religions of the World are very explicit in their beliefs and will not accept either debate or liberal thoughts about anything. The Hindu religion on the other hand, is far more accepting and believes in personal experiences over dogma. A believer’s personal experience is held infinitely more precious than mere expressions of faith.
The Hindu religious philosophy accepts your right to test everything. It does not enforce blind belief or blind suffering rather, it encourages you to know yourself, inquire and be free. Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamij went on to add that the Hindu religious philosophy believes in the Universality of God. It believes that God is everywhere and in all things and he went on to narrate the story of bhakt Prahlad to an audience that heard him with rapt attention.
“Gurudev” as His Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamij is popularly called by his followers, espoused that a Hindu religious discourse is not a one-way street. It is not a sermon; it is a two-way discussion and encouraged the faithful sitting in front of him to ask questions and have their doubts solved.
In a reply to a question about rules in religion, Gurudev replies that Hinduism does not pile rigid dogmas and mountains of doctrines and decrees. Such religious edicts only serve to crush human spirit.
His Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar encouraged the gathered devotees to rebel against anything that is oppressive or narrow-minded. “We rejoice in our tolerance and acknowledgement of the many paths to God” he says as devotees nod their heads in agreement.
In one discourse, Gurudev says “When see God everywhere, it becomes impossible to hate or injure others irrespective of their religious beliefs.”
When one of the devotees wanted to know the role of art in Hindu religion, His Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar responded with the story of Lord Shiva and His Cosmic Dance. The dance of Lord Shiva has everything to do from the moment we are born to our so-called death. It is man, God and Nature forever engaged in sacred cosmic movement.
Dance is all about divine movement and with a smile he says “Without movement there is nothing. Also, dance and song are the only creative acts in which there is perfect oneness of the creator and his creation. Just as we love to see our pets happy, so too does God love to see us happy. Just as one cannot separate God from the world or from us, one cannot separate the dancer from dancing.”
In one of his many discourses, Gurudevji spoke on the need to re-invent communication. He said in this age of cell phones and TV, humans seemed to have lost the art of communication. In fact, our communication is reduced to texting one another.
Most of important things we do or accomplish in our lives involve communication with other humans. How well we communicate and not just verbally, will determine our overall health and quality of our relationships. When talk to each other, there are no filters. We see each other, we see the expressions, the body language and then we hear the words. The sum total of it all is communication. This type of communication works best when we are fully present in mind, body and spirit.
Gurudevji went on to add that this type of communication removes and resolves negative thoughts we might have had about each other. If humans don’t communicate, they assume all sorts of mostly negative things about one another.
His Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumarji said “before you begin communication, empty your mind of negative thoughts, in fact, empty your mind of all thoughts – that way you will be more receptive and attentive.”
Experiences of the devotees
Experience of a non-Indian devotee Stefanie Ann; who arrived at Gurudev’s discourse out of curiosity:
“I heard what Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamiji had to say but frankly, I understood very little of it mostly because I don’t speak Hindi. At the end of the discourse, people queued to touch Gurudevji’s feet. Not wanting to miss out on the experience, I too joined the queue. When it was my turn and I knelt down to touch his feet, I could feel a strange transmission of power as Gurudevji placed his hand on the top of my head. Something was definitely happening; I felt certain lightness as the World around me seemed to suddenly change.
The people around me were no longer mere people but beings created by God – they were fellow humans. I looked at the World in new light.
I could see and feel the transformation take place not only in myself but in other people around me. My own life changed and I achieved new life gifts and abilities that have developed as a result. I am truly impressed by the ability of the Hindu Swamijis. “
Experience of a non-Indian devotee Gustav Klimt; who having heard about Gurudev’s powers, arrived eagerly at discourse:
“My friend on whose advice I arrived at the discourse venue of Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamiji, told me that the mantras that Gurudevji passes on to his devotees are composed of very ancient and sacred sounds that call form and celestial power into manifestation. These mantras have been passed down from generation to generation. Normally they are handed down only to family members. But kumar swami ji samagam feels that the power of the mantras should be shared equally by all and for the good of mankind.
I was amongst the fortunate few chosen to receive the mantra at the feet of Holiness Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swamiji. His very touch was electrifying. I did not understand the mantra but I chanted it faithfully and with utmost concentration.
Within a few days I no longer felt agitated or tense. I took each day as it arrived and was happy. My life had changed. Rather than running after materialistic gains, I began to see my life differently in fact, I began to see the whole World differently. My health too improved. I am not sure if the improvement in health was because I stopped eating meat or whether it was because of the mantra but the truth is, I did stop eating meat because of the manta so I guess, my health improvement was because of the manta.
My interaction with people changed as well. They were no longer just people I worked with or travelled with – they were fellow humans in a cosmic journey that began many eons ago. I was more respectful of life, of this planet and I realized that happiness lies not in material wealth but in spiritual wealth. Now, whenever Gurudevji visits my country, I make it a point to attend his discourse.”
Experience of a non-Indian devotee Mark Allen; who was fortunate enough to be able to consult the Gurudev’s:
“I always had problems with my partners in life and was never able to hold on to anyone of them. Initially, life would be nice but soon problems would emerge. I wanted a solution to it and so at the urging of an Indian friend of mine, decided to consult with Holiness kumar swamiji and this is what he told me:
We all want to love and be loved, but most of us are unwilling to do what it takes to make love grow. Close relationships always test our deepest vulnerabilities and hidden issues – these are brought to the surface where they fester.
Your salvation lies in being present and being fully engaged. Remember, Gurudevji said, you can only do your part you cannot do your partner’s part for her. If your partner does not resonate at the same frequency as your mind, there is nothing you can do. There are some things that just cannot be fixed. You cannot change another human being – that change needs to come from within her. This meant that I had to accept that it was better for relationships to come to an end as a result rather than struggle at trying to achieve the impossible. Find a partner whose mind resonates at the same frequency as mine and all would be fine. The mantra he gave me was look at the mind first and body last.”