Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Swami Omkar (1835 - 1982): An apostle of peace
He donated a piece of bone from his leg to save a girl who was injured in an accident. The prospect of limping for the rest of his life did not deter him from going to the rescue of the hapless girl. His motto in life was always to serve the needy. An apostle of peace, he believed in the unity of all religions and hence chose a symbol incorporating all religions.
That was Swami Omkar, who strove for world peace. He worked for the eradication of untouchability by inviting Harijans to his ashram and mixing freely with them. He, however, made them give up alcohol and eating non-vegetarian food.
Born in Pithapuram in East Godavari district in 1895, Venkateswara, as he was called in his childhood, was drawn towards spiritualism at an early age. He had his elementary education in a village school and high school at the Chellayyamma Rao High School in Pithapuram and later at the CBM High School in Visakhapatnam. He joined Mrs. AVN College but he was more attracted towards the life and teachings of Lord Krishna, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed and the teachings of other religious leaders.
He started an `Academy of Religions', while at the college, to make a comparative study of various faiths and discover the essential unity in them.
His mission was to do lasting service to humanity and relieve the suffering of the sick and poor. He believed that he could achieve his mission by becoming a doctor. He learnt hypnosis and mesmerism from the founder of the Psychic College in Tirunelveli, Ramaswamy, which helped Omkar in treating minor ailments like headache and fever.
He decided to study a course in the art of healing in the Psychic College at Nevada in the US. He went all the way to the US by ship but the American authorities detained him at the port as he had failed to produce one of the travel documents. He was sent back to London and from there to India.
He proceeded to Calcutta and joined a college there to study homoeopathy. He neglected his studies and spent most of his time at Dakshineshwar, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mutt. He suffered an attack of malaria and returned home, discontinuing his course. As he had learnt nature cure, he cured himself.
With the knowledge gained in psychiatry, homoeopathy and naturopathy and by his prayers, he cured those who approached him with complaints of various diseases. He was, however, not satisfied with the way of life he was leading and decided to lead the life of a sanyasi. He changed his diet and lived on raw fruits and milk. After a few unsuccessful attempts at renunciation, he performed penance in Rishikesh and adopted sanyasa. During his stay at Swargasharam in Rishikesh, he used to chant constantly `OM', the sacred syllable meaning God. The Sadhus at the Ashram used to call him `Omkar Swami' and the name had stuck.
After spending six years there, he returned to Thotapalli in East Godavari district and established an ashram - Sri Shanti Ashram - to propagate the message of love and peace. Branches of the ashram were opened in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Pithapuram and Vijayawada and at Kotagiri in Tamil Nadu.
The main objectives of the ashram are to preach the message of peace and universal brotherhood. He firmly believed that it is `individual peace' that paved the way to world peace. He wanted his followers to establish peace in their own mind first, then share it in their homes, radiate it among the community and let it vibrate from heart to heart, until it encompassed the whole universe.
Hearing about his good work and his Peace Mission, the Rosicrucian Society of America invited him to visit that country to give discourses. He was put up at the house of Mariya and Ralph Entriken, the leading Rosicrucians in Philadelphia. His message of peace, love and service appealed and inspired not only the Rosicrucians but also others irrespective of their caste, creed and colour. People travelled hundreds of miles from different parts of the US to hear his discourses. He came to be known as "Peace Swami" among his American devotees.
After staying for two years at Philadelphia, he returned to India to continue his work at the Thotapalli ashram. He visited the US again in 1928 and 1936 on the invitation of his devotees, which speaks volumes of their love for him. In commemoration of the birthday of the Swamiji, the Swami Omkar Peace Foundation was incorporated in New York on January 21, 1938, to spread his message of peace.
The Visakhapatnam branch of Shanti Ashram was established on five acres in 1934. It has a Balwadi, an upper primary school catering for the needs of the neighbouring poor residents, a Gurkula hostel accommodating 80 children of whom 70 are deaf. The Omkar-Lions School for the Deaf which has a strength of 200 deaf children is located in the premises.
Swami Omkar longed to establish a peace centre atop Kailasagiri. The scenic hill, had served as a base during World War II. After the war, the British India Government auctioned the buildings and other infrastructure on the hill. Swami Omkar participated in the auction and wanted to take possession of the hill. "Swamiji wanted to convert the `war base' into a `peace base' for propagation of universal peace," recalls the general secretary of Shanti Ashram, Anjaneyulu.
However, the auctioneers informed him that the hill and the land surrounding it belonged to the Maharaja of Vizianagaram. The maharaja, who was a devotee of the Swamiji, readily agreed to donate the land and sent a letter addressed to him in this regard. He, however, spent six years in silence on the Kailasagiri from 1951 to 1956. The construction of his long cherished dream of building a shrine of all religions was delayed. In the meantime, the Estates Abolition Act came into force and the Government took possession of Inam lands. Recently, Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority has allotted five acres of land to the ashram and the `Viswa Santhi Kshetram' was constructed, he says.
Swami Omkar attained Samadhi at the age of 88 years in June 1982. A bust of this saint who is beacon of religious tolerance and universal brotherhood has been installed in the premises of the Shanti Ashram at Lawson's Bay colony.
B.M.G.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
