Have you ever wondered why even the oddest online communities have thousands of members? There is a group on Facebook called Frogspotting where people post pictures of frogs and frog-related content. The group boasts nearly 300,000 active members, with an average of 3,000 people joining every week. It would be happy if everyone simply joined groups for spotting frogs. The internet has shady corners where people bond over outrageous conspiracy theories, alien invasions, and other extreme ideas.
Why do people feel tempted to join such groups? Why do people seek to join any groups at all? Why do we want to congregate and celebrate shared passions? The simple answer you get from anthropologists is that human beings have evolved to be social creatures. That trait has helped us survive and thrive as a species.
My personal observation has yielded a similar answer. This answer was best crystallized by a story narrated by Swami Sarvapriyananda of the Vedanta Society New York. He talks about an encounter with a youngster from a small town in India. The boy's parents were from a small lower-middle-class family who worked hard to get him into the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He then studied in the US and worked on Wall Street. The boy confessed to Swamiji that now he felt empty. He said he earned more money in a month than his father had in his lifetime. He made millions of dollars for his company, but none of that was fulfilling. When he asked his parents what he should do next, they shrugged and said they had done everything they could and didn't know the answer to his question. He said he only got a sense of a higher purpose in life after coming to the Vedanta society and reading books by Swami Vivekananda. Lastly, he asked Swami Sarvapriyananda why we did not teach this in our schools or colleges.
It helped me realize that almost all human beings have this vacuum within them. A kind of emptiness that is relentlessly exploited by marketers who promise that the latest phone, the virtual headset, the denim jeans, and even bottled water will set you apart and help you find your tribe. This emptiness makes us vulnerable, and we constantly seek someplace that gives us a sense of belonging.
When you examine the nature of this desire to belong and to seek acknowledgment and validation of one's existence, you will realize that it's infinite. This is best summed up by a statement made by Sam Altman about Elon Musk.
Elon desperately wants the world to be saved. But only if he can be the one to save it.
Sam Altman
You can listen to Walter Issacson's interview about writing Elon Musk's book here.
You see the portrait of an individual who has an extremely difficult childhood and is craving the world's approval. The vacuum within him is so big that nothing less than the collective approval of the entire world can fulfill it.
I often used to naively wonder why the wealthiest people in the world could not create a mega fund that employs the best inventors in the world. The inventions can be patent-free and can be distributed to governments around the globe. Initially, I thought the issue was simply about money. Now, I realize it's much deeper than that. Everyone wants to be the hero that saves the world. They want to be that person who gets the love, credit, and adoration.
Imagine what could happen if some of the best people in the world could work collectively for human welfare?
Let me give you an answer from the glorious culture of Sanatana Dharma.
During Diwali 2022, my Guru Om Swami led us through the magnificent Sri Sukhtam Sadhana. It's one of the most ancient Sadhana described in the Rig Veda.
I am sharing a small snippet from his article when he introduced this Sadhana to all of us.
If you came up to me and asked what is the one Sadhana of the Divine Mother that you could do in your daily life as well as for your intense practice, without a moment's hesitation I would say the Sri Suktam Sadhana. Taken from the oldest of the four Vedas, the Rigveda, this is the most powerful Vedic sadhana of Mother Goddess. In fact, its usage, adoption and application is so widespread that Sri Suktam is the only Vedic hymn that is used to invoke the divine feminine energy across the five branches of Sanatana Dharma: Shaivites (those who worship Shiva), Vaishnavas (those who predominantly worship Vishnu), Ganapatya (those who worship Ganesha), Saura (those who worship the Sun) and of course, Shakta (those who worship Mother Goddess). And this is the only hymn that is used unaltered in both Vedic and tantric worship.
Sri means Mother Divine, opulence, prosperity, refuge and progress. Suktam means eloquence, an ode of praise (written in a meter), or a hymn worthy of recitation. Sri Suktam is the most ancient Vedic hymn devoted to invoking, propitiating and even summoning Mother Goddess to make your journey on this planet joyous and meaningful. The Sri Suktam is mastered so you are aligned with the universal energy as you pursue the four purusharthas: dharma (spiritual wealth), artha (material wealth), kama (pleasures from fulfilment of desires), moksha (liberation).
This mantra has sixteen verses, and each verse has been invoked by a different sage. What do I mean by invoked here? It means each verse was taken up by a saint who meditated on it and chanted it for years. That verse became a potent mantra that could be chanted by any sincere seeker to invoke the grace of the divine mother. Maharishi Chiklit, Maharishi Kardam, Bramharishi Narada, Maharishi Ved Vyasa, Indira, and Lord Vishnu were some divine beings who invoked these verses under highly challenging circumstances. I will not reveal too much about it here because he is writing a book about this magnificent Sadhana and our sages' sacrifices to bring it to life. Maharishi Narada is cursed to wander the universe, and Sri Hari puts him through a series of fiery tests before he becomes worthy of invoking a verse. Sri Hari himself took birth in human form as a rishi to invoke a verse. Maharishi Ved Vyasa's father, Sage Parashara, was eaten by wolves because he had extended his lifespan several times to give Maharishi Vyasa enough time to fulfill his mission of uniting the Vedas and doing Devi Sadhana. I could go on, but I will leave the rest for my guru's fantastic book, which is expected next year.
What I would urge you, however, is to download the Vedic Sadhana app. You can do the immensely powerful Sri Sukhtam Sadhana, Nav Durga Sadhana, and other powerful Sadhanas on the app and enter the same world that was inhabited by our sages.
We often hear the glorious stories of the various sages that have graced the Bharatvarsha and feel intimidated. Their tapasya and their discipline seem untouchable. Yet, it helps to remind yourself that a journey of a million miles begins with the first step. Take your first step with the free and incredible Vedic Sadhana app. The app helps you identify your ishta and then perform daily rituals that deepen your relationship with them. It also makes the ancient rituals and practices followed by the sages of India available to you.
