Christian without a Church is like a bee without a hive, goes a famous saying insisting the importance of Mandali in a bhakta’s life. But the question here is what this mandali actually is? Generally, we assume that while we are members of a universal church as the body of the Lord, still we are members in a local physical mandali. The crucial question here is what kind of members we are in the church. In an organized Christian religion, each Christian needs to be a member of her denominational church to cater to her social needs of ‘hatch, match and despatch’. We need not dwell here to discuss it as lots of words were spent on this topic.
In our case a Hindu bhaktas of the Lord, though we cannot have a private bhakti and private God, still our mandali has neither have organizational unity nor organic unity. The mandali provides (or ought to provide) only fellowship in various ways to cater to practice our bhakti in day to day life where we still remain an organic member of our own family, community, and society where we born, live, die and continue to remain part of its legacy even after our death. (see the article ‘Unity in Spirit’)
But this ‘fellowship’ often becomes mere ‘watery togetherness’ (borrowing from Christopher J. H. Wright) without providing proper support in the need of individual bhaktas who are related to a particular local mandali (either geographically or virtually). Because real fellowship is possible only when we gather together with flesh and blood to see each other. The miracle of physical touch (of the skin) cannot be replaced by any other means. When we gather together all the sadhanas (spiritual disciplines) that we do won’t give that ‘physical fellowship’ but outside it when we sit together and eat food or chat over a cup of hot tea or coffee with onion vada or pakoda or when we go for a walking or night sit and talk long hours before fire. Unless we have that real physical fellowship, mere gathering together to have some ‘sadhanas’ will end up another kind of ‘spiritual tourism’.
Because like a home where a bruised individual finds his or solace, a mandali is the one where a bhaktas should find solace to her atman when it was bruised by various struggles in life. Often I say that I can enjoy my happiness alone but I need not carry the burden, struggling alone when I am a member of any fellowship. If any fellowship fails to serve that purpose, then it would remain as mere get together to have some fun temporarily.
All the studies that we have done won’t help us much as we often will forget them or only few will participate while rest who sit physically scratching their head thinking what is going on as most of the discussions will fly over the head exchanged between two or three. When it happens during tea time, then someone will excuse in the name of serving others to bring tea and biscuit will escape from the discussion as she/he cannot walk otherwise.
Now this so-called virtual fellowship through various social media networks under various titles, though serving some, most of the members won’t participate due to various reasons. Considering the present scenario of catering to the needs of various bhaktas scattered all over the world, though this is not the best solution, it will serve only if all the members actively participate. Otherwise, it will also remain an ‘intellectual entertainment for few’, others need not even scratch their head or need to find some excuse not to participate.
What is the solution for this? I don’t know. Something is better than nothing become the guru mantra for each one of us to survive in this Internet age where each one virtually becomes an island, even living under the same roof. This became the reality as the gadgets invaded our home, what to say about the mandali. At the same time, we should not give up with disparity throwing our hands like Vyasa# by saying, ‘it won’t help anyone.’@
Personally, I still try my best. If it is not helping others, at least this helps me personally to think and implement what I try to communicate through my messages. Let me close this with one case study.
After visiting North India in 2023 (Feb 20 to April 5), meeting so many bhaktas there physically, I decided to ‘revive’ the Hindi Mandali WhatsApp group that I started several years before. Like other groups after some time, it became stand still as it became one man show only me sharing and others remain as mute spectators not even knowing how many of them are reading.
With much hope I started the same Hindi Mandali requesting everyone to use this group only to discuss on those subjects related to our bhakti in the Lord. I repeatedly requested them not to send other videos or any other personal message or promote someone else. But after some initial enthusiasm it lost its purpose and became another kind of ‘Social Media’ to share anything and everything under the sun. So, I am also using this group for the same purpose now.
After waiting for some time, as most members went into hibernation, informing everyone, again I started a sub-Hindi WhatsApp group called ‘Study Group’, to do some study on Mukti Veda. Only very few joined in it as most of them did not even notice the message about starting another group exclusively for study of MV. Because later one bhakta sent me one message saying ‘what about the study on Romans that you proposed in Hindi WhatsApp group’. Because she didn’t even read the message about starting a separate group for that purpose. After the initial exchange of messages finally we settled with Romans. But we hardly managed to do two verses. It was again stranded , unable to move further as it remained again a one man show—only me sharing and others reading or not reading due to lack of time or interest.
This is one thing for which I am misunderstood and criticized. instead of keeping the status co, irrespective of the results I often change my goal post by creating another group. But I don’t believe in maintaining status co in order to preserve some ‘structure’ whether physical or virtual in the name of any legacy attached to it. When any program starts (physically or virtually) with a particular purpose, if it is not serving it, I would prefer to move away from it as it won’t serve anyone’s purpose. (see another article ‘structural problem’)
Of course, I often say that I write only to address my questions and not for others. At the same time when I start WhatsApp with a particular aim, then I expect that it should serve that purpose. Whereas when it comes to my Blog, I post my poems and articles to preserve them for me to refer to in future in case I need them. I never expect anyone to read and respond or even participate in any discussion. That is my private space.
But I never give up as that is not my nature. My motto in life is this: if I get an opportunity to serve at least one person, then this life that I am living is not wasted. Now I am actually exchanging messages with individual bhaktas who ask a few questions related to our bhakti and on Hinduism.
So never give up. Though we don’t have a private God or private bhakti, still each bhakta has to walk alone when it comes to her spiritual need along with the Lord. Someone well said that ‘being boss is a lonely thing’, though I am not a boss to anyone—not even to me. Better remain a servant seeking every opportunity to serve others, not necessarily only to fellow bhaktas, but everything in God’s creation. If we have done this individually then our life as human and our bhakti in the Lord will find its fulfilment.
Db, Gurukulam, 17-06-2023
NB. Even this article was written as one bhakta requested me to share in their fellowship going to happen in July. But as I always prefer to give in writing than to participate in video conference which never helps me much and others due to net work problem or lack of communication due to language barrier. That’s why even I insisted doing the study in MV only in text and not through video conference.
#…He (Vyasa) concludes the epic saying, ‘With uplifted arms I cry out, but nobody listens—out of Dharma flow artha and kama, possession and the gratification of desire. Then how is it that men revile Dharma and violate it instead of adoring and following it?’— P. Nagaraja Rao, Essentials of Hinduism, Mumbai, Sudakshina Trust, 1978, p. 73
@49… no one should despair saying:–“I am working still I do not succeed,” for besides exertion there are two others causes for success. 50.Success or failure, no one should despair, for success in action depends upon the union of many circumstances. (Draupadi to Yudhisthira).— M.N.[Manmatha Nath] Dutt, Mahabharata, Delhi, Parimala Publications, 7 vols. 1988. VANA PARVA, Ch. XXXII, vol. 2., p. 48. Dear all
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