Sri Swami Purnamritananda Puri

Dear Swamiji, you as an engineering graduate, joined as a research scientist with the prestigious Raman Research Institute, why did you join the Spiritual Organization Mata Amritanandamayi Math?
The world in which we live is the effect of a cause. As a research scientist, I got the opportunity to study the effect, but not the cause. I wished to know the cause – the secret behind this Creation. This longing pushed me forward to inquire further – beyond the realms of the empirical sciences.
About joining Amma’s organisation – I was overwhelmed by Amma’s infinite compassion and unconditional love. Love is the language of the heart. My heart wholeheartedly responded to Amma’s divine maternal love. I was convinced that Amma is the answer to all my questions. I felt sure that Amma is the anchorage that I was looking for.

Today technology has dominated the field of study and research, how important is technology for human beings?
Technology gives convenience and comfort. It aids and enhances external activity. Yet, it is still a mere extension of the human senses. It extends our senses into the outer world, but doesn’t expand our inner self; it even limits our natural possibilities. It doesn’t open up a new dimension in our knowledge of our world, and our understanding of life and existence. It is important, no doubt, but can never complete human life. Moreover, technology is only an application of science. Knowledge doesn’t end with science. There is much more to knowledge than the senses, science and technology.

How do you look at technology from the point of view of life? Do you think that today science and technology has overtaken arts and literature; has the balance tilted for the better or worse?
Technology aids the surface levels of life. Actually, technology is art – applied art – the art of applying scientific knowledge in innovative ways – the art of fashioning knowledge into new inventions. So, it need not be understood as conflicting art. Its inspirational source is the divinity within. But there is a difference between science and art. Science analyses; art synthesises. Amma says, science is like a pair of scissors…it cuts; art is like a sewing machine…it stitches the cut pieces into a garment. Yes, we need both analysis and synthesis. So, the arts need to be given equal importance with the sciences. Art must be taught and learnt as the harmonising principle of life.

You are the General Secretary of world renowned Spiritual Organization Mata Amritanandamayi Math. How different is the message of love Mata Amritanandamayi to the world? What does love mean to you?
Amma’s love is unconditional and infinite, whereas human love is self-centred love – conditional and finite – an offshoot of the sense of ‘mine-ness’. Amma’s love is also transformative. It makes human hearts respond to it for no particular reason, and taste its sweetness and fragrance. In the process, it transforms human beings into divine beings. Amma’s love is the bridge between humanity and divinity. Amma’s love-filled life is Her message to the world. Actually, Amma’s message is not a ‘different’ message. It is the ancient and universal message that all spiritual seers have given the world. In different times, and different settings, different languages have to be used, that’s all. The content is the same, the languages are different. Amma’s spiritual language is in tune with today’s different world.

You have become a sannyasin. How do you envisage the ascetical life of Sannyasin?
Amma says, there is only a slight difference between worldly life and spiritual life. Attitude makes the difference. Attitude decides whether a life is worldly or spiritual. Actions born out of selfishness are worldly actions. The same actions born out of selflessness become spiritual actions. Pure and unconditional love makes life spiritual. Ascetic life is thus a life of sacrifice. Ordinary human life is a life of attachment, bondage and incompleteness. A sanyasin’s life is one of detachment, liberation and completeness. A sanyasin lives and loves intensely. An ascetic is in love with life – not fallen in love, but risen in love. Renunciation is not renouncing the world, but renouncing the illusory attachment to the world…renouncing the delusion. A sanyasin is in the world, but not of the world, that’s all.

What does the call of a sannyasin mean to the human family, what is your message to the world?
Sanyasa is a call to the source. The call to return to our inner source. It is everyone’s ultimate destination and destiny. Every individual soul will ultimately arrive there…not necessarily by wearing saffron robes, but qualitatively… zeven as a householder. There is no common destiny to humanity. Humanity is a collection of individuals. Sanyasa or God-realisation or Self-realisation is individual, not collective. Yet, sanyasa indicates a possibility – a possibility that humans can actualise their inherent divinity. I can summarise the lessons I learnt from Amma in four ideas – there is music even in silence, there is dance even in stillness, there is beauty even in ugliness, there is the balm of coolness even in the heat of suffering.

India as well as the world in general is becoming more communal and fundamentalist, how do you explain?
Conflicts were always there in the world. Love – divine love – is the only solution to it. The spiritual content of all religions is divine love. God is the fruit; religion is its peel. Humans should be inspired to peel the fruit and eat the fruit. Instead of focussing on differences, they should be taught to perceive the underlying unity of diverse religions and give equal respect to all.

You also see religious fundamentalism in the different religions, how concerned are you?
Fundamentalism is there not only in religions. It is there in any human activity. It is a result of the possessive feeling of “I” and “Mine”. When you identify yourself with something to the exclusion of everything else, it is fundamentalism. ‘My family alone’, ‘my village alone’, ‘my country alone’, ‘my religion alone’…all these are fundamentalist thoughts. It is the “mine alone” that is fundamentalist. The world has a divine design. It is important that we tune ourselves to the cosmic music that is playing endlessly. That is the way to transcend petty identifications with the immediate and finite things. We need not be disturbed by the fundamentalism around us. It is only a very small group of people who are spreading hate. The majority of the people are good and peace-loving people. But they are not actively good; so, they are not able to offer stiff resistance to fundamentalism. Children should be educated in spiritual principles right from early childhood. They must be taught about the unity behind appearances. They have to be exposed to universal spiritual principles rather than mere religious dogma. That is how religious fundamentalism can be overcome.

“Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions” (Rig veda 1.89. 1). What do you think of interpenetrations of thoughts from all cultures and religions in the world and are we marching towards a human family? What is the real obstruction to the family of humans in the world and what is dividing us?
Our nation, our culture, our civilisation, has always embraced anything good anywhere in the world. Actually, Bharat is the only nation which is home to all religions, all ideologies, all philosophies, and all worldviews. Acceptance is in our very social and cultural fabric. Even though we had no religion, we accepted and promoted all religions that came to us from abroad. Our ideal itself is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the whole world a family. We must not forget the fact that our nation is the only ancient civilisation still alive – it is because of this open-mindedness. Material knowledge without spiritual understanding will give only a partial view of reality – such education is incomplete education. Lack of spiritual education during childhood is the cause of divisiveness in the name of religion. The solution is spiritual education from an early stage in childhood.