Swadhyaya Movement

See also: Svādhyāya

The Swadhyaya Movement or Swadhyaya Parivara started in the mid 20th-century in the western states of India, particularly Maharashtra and Gujarat.^[1] Founded by Pandurang Shastri Athavale (1920-2003), the movement emphasizes self-study (swadhyaya), selfless devotion (bhakti) and application of Indian scriptures such as the Upanishads and Bhagavad gita for spiritual, social and economic liberation.^[1][2]

The movement focuses on the Upanishadic mahāvākyas (great teachings) related with Vedic belief that god is within oneself, every human being, all living beings and all of god's creation. It encourages voluntary self-study, self-knowledge, community discourses and action with a responsibility to the god in oneself and others.^[3] Its temples typically highlight the deities Yogeshwara Krishna, Parvati, Ganesha and Shiva in a Vriksha Mandir ("temple of trees") setting. Deity Surya is recognized in the form of sunlight. Prayers are performed in the Smarta tradition's Panchayatana puja format, attributed to Adi Shankara.^[4] Community members participate in Bhavabhakti (emotional devotion to the divine), Krutibhakti (actional devotion by voluntary service to the divine in all of god's creation), and Bhaktipheri (devotional travel to meet, work and help the well-being of the community partners).^[3] The movement members treat all men and women in the organization as a Parivara (family).^[3]

History

Pandurang Shastri Athavale was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family in colonial India.^[5] In the 1920s, while he was in his early twenties, Athavale began to deliver discourses on the Bhagavad Gita in Mumbai, India. He argued that both the liberal welfare-centric approach and socialism were incapable of bridging the gap between rich and needy. He rejected charity handouts, arguing that this creates a dependent relationship, attacks human dignity, and robs the recipient's sense of self-worth. He sought another way for liberating oneself spiritually, economically, and socially. He believed that the foundation and values for such a search were in the ancient texts of Hinduism. He began preaching these principles from Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita in his community, particularly in the downtrodden segments of society he called Agri, Bagri, and Sagri.^[3][6] This initiative began Athavale's Swadhyaya movement in 1958. His followers call him "Dada" (elder brother).^[7]

The movement refuses any support or assistance from the state or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), relying entirely on volunteer activity of its members. It has between 50,000 and 100,000 centres ("kendra" locations) and between 6 and 20 million followers in India, Portugal, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.^[2][1]

Etymology

In standard Classical Sanskrit, svādhyāyaḥ (Devanāgarī: स्वाध्याय:) means study (adhyāya) by oneself (sva), i.e., private study or studying alone.^[8] For Athavale and the Pariwar (family), Swadhyay is interpreted as fostering a habit of self-introspection, analyzing one's own self in order to improve.^[9] The understanding of an in-dwelling God imbibed into Swadhyayees (practitioners of Swadhyay) by Athavale is said to motivate them towards true expression of devotion (Bhakti).

Beliefs

The teachers in the Swadhyay Parivar assert that it is not a sect, a cult, a creed, a tradition, an institution, an organization, or even an organized religion. It is believed to be an attitude of the mind. It does not require any membership or vows. It is not initiated to be an agitation or a revolution. Swadhyay is independent of caste, religion, nationality, color, education, and one's status in society. Swadhyay is about individual transformation through spiritual awareness.^[10] Swadhyay is the right perspective or the vision, which enables one to understand deeper aspects of spirituality and devotion. The basic fundamental thought that Swadhyay emphasizes is the concept of indwelling God. ‘God dwells within’ i.e. ‘God exists within me and within everyone else’. All are children of the Divine. Hence, Swadhyay establishes the Divine Brotherhood under the Fatherhood of God i.e. ‘the other is not ‘other’, but he is my divine brother.’ The concept of the traditional family is extended to the Divine Family which is understood as a natural extension of the concept of an indwelling God. The very understanding that God resides within me makes me divine and worthy of respect. It also inspires the view that God or divinity is everywhere, present in all living things, and therefore all should be treated with respect and devotion. Thus, the concept of an indwelling God motivates people to care for the welfare of others.

Tree-Temples

The Swadhyay Movement is founded on the concept of an "Indwelling God" within everything. Thus, within the Swadhyay theology, everything is divine. This belief in the indwelling divine is extended to trees, water, earth, and animals. Athavale coined phrases such as "Vrksa main Vasudeva" (God in trees) and "Paudhe main Prabhu" (God in plants). Athavale taught his followers that trees could teach humans ethical qualities. Pankaj Jain writes:

Trees develop a fixed bonding with the land. Trees are forever connected with the land that supports them. They grow at one place and provide shelter to others. They are stable and withstand all natural phe-nomena such as thunderstorms, cold winters, and hot summers with courage and patience. Athavale compared the Hindu god Śiva, who drank poison so that other gods could get nectar, with the trees which intake carbon dioxide so that others can get oxygen. Athavale also preached that the trees provide fruits even to those who throw stones; they provide roots and herbs for medicines, leaves and flowers for sacred rituals, fruits for physical strength, timber for construction, and shelter for travelers.^[11]

Consequently, the practice of cultivating "tree-temples" has grown in the Swadhyay Movement. The first tree-temple (vrksha mandir) of the Swadhyay Movement was planted in July 1979 in Kalavad village in Gujarat. This tree-temple of 6,000 trees was cultivated on barren and rocky land.^[11] In July 1993, a "Madhava Vrnda" was created in multiple locations in which more than 7 million saplings were nurtured over 100 days. Currently, members of Swadhyay have planted at least two dozen tree-temples across Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. Villagers nurture and visit the tree temples as a spiritual practice.^[11]