Book Review - What Shall I Do by Swami Harshanand

My fascination with Ramkrishn Mission started about ten months ago, when I chanced into a Mathh near Dandekar Pul in Swargate Pune. It was a place of sublime beauty, with a lovely environ and calming holy presence in it. It was – and is – pleasing to the heart, the mind and the body. Over time, I got to know of the Ramkrishn Mission Publication, and started purchasing books to read. While this book is the first that has reached by blog for a review, there are others – several – which will also be reviewed in the due fullness of time.

WHAT SHALL I DO?

The current book is titled “What Shall I Do?”, and is penned by Swami Harshanand. This is a book that is aimed at the youth, though its contents are applicable to everyone, at least for the first half of the book. The book is told in the backdrop of a young man, Ravi, who is desirous of taking Sanyas early in life, and become a monk, and the resistance he faces. That is the subject of the first chapter, and the last 40-odd pages of the book, where the objections to an early Sanyaas are stated, and answers provided, in a format that can be said to be akin to instructional, in my opinion

The real powerful part of the book is the Second Chapter onwards, till around page 60-odd, where the book takes on a life of its own, and delves deep into the Atman, the Soul, and the human experience with life with physical & metaphysical pleasures, with peace – and with happiness. This portion of the book makes this a must read, with its deep searching analysis of the search for infinite happiness, its anecdotal stories and facts / short summaries on personalities & Holy Men all of which come together to make a deep connect and a lovely learning experience.

THE ANALYSIS

Overall, initially I found the book slightly disturbing in its support of Monkhood early in life if you get the call, or a deep internal desire to do so. But then, not having any desire for sanyaas, or monkhood, perhaps I cannot understand – that is also true. Furthermore, given that this book or this path of monkhood is not actively proselytized by the Mathh, as also the fact that I have no existent or experiential basis for a comparison or understanding - there is no logical reason for my discomfiture.

With that in mind, I make no comment on the parts of the book relating to the path of Monkhood. The other portion, the one that deals with deeper meanings of life, or the odd scriptural references, or the stories of the saints, provide sufficient material that makes this book a really good one, worth a contemplation. Add to this the length of the book – a short 118 pages, or the economic price – 10/-; or indeed the simple language and the fast yet deep narrative – and you have a winner.

The pursuit of infinite happiness is the one highlight for me; what is it that drives us, what is our goal? We work, build relationships, a life – all for what purpose? At the end, all of the physical attributes will go to dust; nothing remains. Nearly 100% of whatever we do in life has precisely no meaning whatsoever, given that all will die once we die. During the time we are here, we spend most of it in one effort after another, in a vicious never-ending cycle of ego, vanity, pride, desire, ambition, need, wants, satisfaction, love, passion, objective, relations, possessions and other material aspects of life.

None of this gives us the happiness that we seek all our lives; all happiness we have seen is ephemeral, and temporary in nature; it is a cycle of happiness and sadness, a manifest and observable proof of the futility of the hunt after materialism that our westernized society crazes after. Admittedly, there is some truth to it; as this body needs material things to survive. The happiness we seek vanishes if our body suffers from hunger, or weather. Education & Relationships also places some responsibility on our shoulders towards society and towards family; that is also true.

What can give the stressed out modern mind the path towards happiness, lasting peace – the ultimate goal? The sad part of this book is that this theme could have been more deeply examined; for it is my belief that one can live among the material people, with detachment, and yet be ascetic – focused on doing one’s duty towards society and family. This is a theme that needs deeper introspection, and a theme that has been missed here.

The other great part is the titbits of knowledge, of information scattered throughout this book – the four paths, the stories of saints, the Nivrutti and Pravrutti Marg, Raj-yog, short snippets from various scriptures – all of this make for a nice read that warms your heart as well as gives you information. A word of caution here – the book does touch upon many concepts, but a deeper study of these is essential for a fuller understanding. Take this as a primer of sorts. All in all, a good book that could have been much, much better…