04 the vedanta kesari april 2013

The Vedanta Kesari THE LION OF VEDANTA

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

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India’s Timeless Wisdom Y¥{V… j_m X_mo@ñVo`§ em¡M{_pÝÐ`{ZJ«h…& Yr{d©Úm gË`_H«$moYmo XeH§$ Y_©bjU_²&& Endurance, forgiveness, self-control, non-stealing, cleanliness, control of senses, intelligence, education, truthfulness, non-anger—there are the ten characteristics of Dharma —Manu Smriti, 6:92

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The Vedanta Kesari VOL. 100, No. 4

ISSN 0042-2983

A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER

Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavâdin, it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesari in 1914.

For free edition on the Web, please visit: www.chennaimath.org

CONTENTS APRIL 2013

Vedic Prayers

125

Editorial  Real and Unreal

126

Articles  ‘I Shall Look Upon Them As the Blissful Mother Herself’ Hironmoy Mukherjee  Aum: Symbol, Sound and Supreme Way Satish K. Kapoor  Sage Vasishtha’s Advice to Prince Rama Swami Sarvadevananda  Doing Svadharma—the Way to Inner Development T. Diwakar Rao  The Role of Philosophy in Personal Counseling Ranjith K K

131 135 141 146 152

Glimpses of Swamiji  ‘Until You Have Tested Me . . .’

139

Special Report  Tamilnadu Chief Minister Inaugurates Celebrations at Vivekananda Illam

144

New Find 

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda

150

The Order on the March

155

Book Review

161

Features  Simhâvalokanam (Notes of the Month)  Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories

129 143

Cover Story: Page 4

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The Vedanta Kesari Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 h (044) 2462 1110 (4 lines) Fax : (044) 2493 4589 Email : mail@chennaimath.org Website : www.chennaimath.org TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS

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N Cover Story N Ramakrishna Math, Ghatshila, Jharkhand Ghatshila is a small township, located around 30 km from Jamshedpur, in the state of Jharkhand. The centre of Ramakrishna Math was started in 1935 by a group of devotees who, in the following year, invited Swami Vijnanananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, to Ghatshila. During his visit, he told the devotees, ‘Hold on to Sri Ramakrishna; He will make His own arrangements.’

The centre has continued to function since then, silently carrying on its spiritual and service activities. In 1981, the foundation for the temple of Sri Ramakrishna was laid and the same year it was consecrated. A marble image of Sri Ramakrishna was installed in 1990. The centre was made a branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, in 2004. Besides regular Puja in the temple and celebrations of birthdays of direct disciples and other festivals, the Math conducts a homeopathic dispensary, an evening coaching class for poor children of the neighbourhood and a mobile medical facility that covers nearby villages. 

T he V edanta K esari P atrons ’ S cheme We invite our readers to join as patrons of the magazine. They can do so by sending Rs.2000/- or more. Names of the patrons will be announced in the journal under the Patrons' Scheme and they will receive the magazine for 20 years. Please send your contribution to The Manager, The Vedanta Kesari by DD/MO drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai with a note that the enclosed amount is for the Patrons' Scheme. (This scheme is valid in India only).

PATRON 656. Mr. V.R. Padmanaban, Nellikuppam, T.N.

DONORS Mr. O.N. Krishna, A.P. Rs. 1000 Mr. M.N. Talwar, Karnataka Rs. 5000 Mr. E.R. Purna Chandra Patnaik, Odisha Rs. 1000

The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme SL.NO. NAMES OF SPONSORS

5688. Sri Parmodh Kumar Saleharwal, H.P 5689.

-do- 5690.

-do- 5691. Sri G. Sreenivasa Rao, Hyderabad 5692. Sri Haresh C.Dholakia, Gujarat 5693.

-do- 5694. M/s. Prime Academy Pvt. Ltd., Mylapore 5695.

-do-

AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

G.S.S.S. Garli, Kangra, H.P - 177108 G.S.S.S. Kasauli, Solan, H.P - 173 204 G.S.S.S. Jaunazi, Solan, H.P - 173 212 Ramakrishna Library & Reading Room, Srikakulam, A.P - 532 312 Sri Vijayrajji Library, Kutch, Gujarat - 370 001 Rotary Library, Kutch, Gujarat - 370 001 Doordarshan Kendra, Mysore, Karnataka - 570 020 Doordarshan Kendra, Bangalore, Karnataka - 560 006 To be continued . . .

VOL. 100, No. 4, APRIL 2013 ISSN 0042-2983

E ACH

SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE.

T HE

GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN. 5

Vedic Prayers

Tr. by Swami Sarvananda

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The Vedanta does not in reality denounce the world. The ideal of renunciation nowhere attains such a height as in the teachings of the Vedanta. But, at the same time, dry suicidal advice is not intended; it really means deification of the world— giving up the world as we think of it, as we know it, as it appears to us—and to know what it really is. Deify it; it is God alone. We read at the commencement of one of the oldest of the Upanishads, 'Whatever exists in this universe is to be covered with the Lord.'

We have to cover everything with the Lord Himself, not by a false sort of optimism, not by blinding our eyes to the evil, but by really seeing God in everything. Thus we have to give up the world, and when the world is given up, what remains? God. What is meant? You can have your wife; it does not mean that you are to abandon her, but that you are to see God in the wife. Give up your children; what does that mean? To turn them out of doors, as some human brutes do in every country? Certainly not. That is diabolism; it is not religion. But see God in your children. So, in everything. In life and in death, in happiness and in misery, the Lord is equally present. The whole world is full of the Lord. Open your eyes and see Him. This is what Vedanta teaches.

—Swami Vivekananda, 2:146 T h e

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Editorial

Real and Unreal Is it Real?

‘I dreamt that I had become a butterfly,’ said the king quietly. But anxiety was writ large on his face. He was speaking to his ministers in the court.

‘I had become a beautiful butterfly,’ he continued, ‘with large, colourful wings.

I gently sat on flowers, on buds, on green, slender branches. I hopped and flew, flew everywhere. And then I glided near a thorny branch and lo! One of my wings got pierced by a thorn and I was badly hurt. I extricated myself but could not fly. I looked around haplessly. And. . .’

‘What next, your highness?’ asked the minister eagerly.

‘The dream ended,’ said the king.

‘It was only a dream,’ consoled the relieved minister.

‘That is not the point,’ said the king. ‘The point is whether it was I the king who was seeing the dream and I had become a butterfly.

Or is it that the butterfly is having the dream that it is a king!’

No one could reply the king.

Indeed, what is truth about real and unreal? According to Vedanta, only real is; unreal is passing. Real is permanent, unreal is impermanent. This is the idea of Jnana Yoga.

A man of Jnana is undisturbed by the unreal.

He stands aside like a witness. Nothing seems to move him and he is ever calm. Narrates Sri Ramakrishna the state of a Jnani: There was a farmer who lived in the countryside.

He was a real jnani. He earned his living by farming. He was married, and after many years a T h e

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son was born to him, whom he named Haru. The parents loved the boy dearly. This was natural, since he was the one precious gem in the family.

On account of his religious nature the farmer was loved by the villagers.

One day he was working in the field when a neighbour came and told him that Haru had had an attack of cholera. The farmer at once returned home and arranged for treatment for the boy.

But Haru died. The other members of the family were grief-stricken, but the farmer acted as if nothing had happened. He consoled his family and told them that grieving was futile. Then he went back to his field. On returning home he found his wife weeping even more bitterly. She said to him: ‘How heartless you are! You haven’t shed one tear for the child.’ The farmer replied quietly: ‘Shall I tell you why I haven’t wept? I had a very vivid dream last night. I dreamt I had become a king; I was the father of eight sons and was very happy with them. Then I woke up.

Now I am greatly perplexed. Should I weep for those eight sons or for this one Haru?’

The farmer was a jnani; therefore he realized that the waking state is as unreal as the dream state.

There is only one eternal Substance, and that is the Atman.1

Facets of Unreality The term unreal has several facets such as impermanence, multiplicity, dream, ‘passing’, relativity, and illusion. Impermanence means that which has a beginning, and therefore, will have an end too. All things in this world have a beginning, and will have an end and therefore all of them are unreal. Knowing this ephemeral

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nature of world, a wise man gives up all attachment to worldly tendencies and desires.

Quoting the famous Vairagya Shatakam (31), Swami Vivekananda says,2

and beautiful, high and low, right and left—all dualities of nature come from this multiplicity.

Behind this multiplicity is Oneness that never changes. Says Swamiji,

In wealth is the fear of poverty, in knowledge the fear of ignorance, in beauty the fear of age, in fame the fear of backbiters, in success the fear of jealousy, even in body is the fear of death.

Everything in this earth is fraught with fear. He alone is fearless who has given up everything.

The earth moves, causing the illusion of the movement of the sun; but the sun does not move. So Prakriti, or Maya, or Nature, is moving, changing, unfolding veil after veil, turning over leaf after leaf of this grand book—while the witnessing soul drinks in knowledge, unmoved, unchanged.4

Multiplicity or many-ness is another name for unreal. ‘To see many is maya, and to see oneness is knowledge,’ said Sri Ramakrishna. Multiplicity in Sanskrit is called nanatva. Other two words used are vichitrata and vishamata—variety and heterogeneity.

Swami Vivekananda explains that all life is full of variety or diversity:

From the viewpoint of Yoga, multiplicity is nothing but Purusha, the Sentient Principle within, feeling identified with various vrittis or thought-waves in the mindstuff (chitta). If one separates oneself from all thoughts -waves, one becomes free from all change. Swamiji illustrates it through a story,

This is the first idea of creation. Variation (vichitrata), that is to say Jati, means creation. ’I am One, I become many’ (various Vedas). Unity is before creation, diversity is creation. Now if this diversity stops, creation will be destroyed.

So long as any species is vigorous and active, it must throw out varieties. When it ceases or is stopped from breeding varieties, it dies.3

All that we see around us—millions of objects, events, species, colours, aromas, tastes, and infinite types of experiences—are all forms of multiplicity. Who can ever enumerate all that exists in this multiplicity? This is the glory of the Lord. A popular verse says, If the ocean was an inkstand, the highest mountain of the Himalaya the pen, the earth the scroll and knowledge itself the writer and the infinite time the duration for writing, even then, O Lord, your infinite glories cannot be brought to a conclusion.

This multiplicity is what leads to ‘relativity’. There is no action or object which is absolute. It is relative. Good means less evil and evil means less good. Heat and cold, ugly T h e

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The Purusha has, as it were, forgotten its mighty, godly nature.

There is a story that the king of the gods, Indra, once became a pig, wallowing in mire; he had a she-pig and a lot of baby pigs, and was very happy. Then some gods saw his plight, and came to him, and told him, ‘You are the king of the gods, you have all the gods under your command. Why are you here?’

But Indra said, ‘Never mind; I am all right here; I do not care for heaven, while I have this sow and these little pigs.’

The poor gods were at their wits’ end. After a time they decided to slay all the pigs one after another. When all were dead, Indra began to weep and mourn. Then the gods ripped his pigbody open and he came out of it, and began to laugh, when he realised what a hideous dream he had had—he, the king of the gods, to have become a pig, and to think that that pig-life was the only life! Not only so, but to have wanted the whole universe to come into the pig-life!

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does not love, it is love itself. It does not exist, it is existence itself. The Soul does not know, It is knowledge itself. It is a mistake to say the Soul loves, exists, or knows. Love, existence, and knowledge are not the qualities of the Purusha, but its essence. When they get reflected upon something, you may call them the qualities of that something. They are not the qualities but the essence of the Purusha, the great Atman, the Infinite Being, without birth or death, established in its own glory. It appears to have become so degenerate that if you approach to tell it, ‘You are not a pig,’ it begins to squeal and bite.5

To be established in one’s real nature means to give up our clinging to the unreal nature. Then the Purusha will be svavastha, established in itself.

We should first begin by changing what we consider real—for the real is what attracts.

Whatever one thinks as real attracts all one’s emotions, thinking and actions. If God is real, then He/She attracts us. If the world is real, then the world attracts us. If one earnestly practices spiritual disciplines like Japa, prayer, meditation, service and so on, one progresses on the path of inner purity which is what leads to finding the real.

The Real surpasses all states of being— waking, dream and deep sleep. It is the substratum of all states and hence is called turiya, the transcendental.

What happens when one discovers the real? One finds the same divinity everywhere and in all. Swamiji describes it thus:

Breaking the Dream How much time does it take to break the dream? How does one wake up? It does not require much time to wake up but do we want to wake up? According to the Bhagavad Gita [2.16], the real is ever-present.

The unreal never is. The Real never is not. Men possessed of the knowledge of the Truth full know both these.

The real refers to the divine present in all.

Various Yogas are means for uncovering the real that seems to be covered with the unreal.

Karma Yogi does this by detached action, which leads to purity of mind. Bhakti Yogi does it by devotion to God, by self-surrender and worship of the Lord. Jnana Yogi does it by self-analysis and Raja Yogi does it by concentration and purification of mind. The aim of all religious practice is to purify the mind and discover the Real behind the unreal.

When man has seen himself as one with the Infinite Being of the universe, when all separateness has ceased, when all men and women, all gods and angels, all animals and plants, and the whole universe have melted into that Oneness, then all fear disappears. Can I hurt myself? Can I kill myself? Can I injure myself?

Whom to fear? Can you fear yourself? Then will all sorrow disappear. What can cause me sorrow? I am the One Existence of the universe.

Then all jealousies will disappear; of whom to be jealous? Of myself? Then all bad feelings disappear. Against whom can I have bad feeling?

Against myself? There is none in the universe but I. And this is the one way, says the Vedantist, to Knowledge. Kill out this differentiation, kill out this superstition that there are many. ‘He who in this world of many sees that One, he who in this mass of insentiency sees that one Sentient Being, he who in this world of shadows catches that Reality, unto him belongs eternal peace, unto none else, unto none else.6o

References 1. Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p.652 4. CW, 5.68 5. CW, 1.348 6. CW, 2.252 T h e

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The Lion of Vedanta Looks Back

Simhâvalokanam From the Archives of The Vedanta Kesari (April, 1922-23, Pp. 437-440)

Notes of the Month The normal healthy school-boy is pure and untainted, the seeds of all greatness and nobility are already in him. The sordid ways of the world around have not enslaved the mind of the growing boy and hence the glorious response which youth makes when called upon to acts of self-denial. The inherent quality of self-respect implanted in all young hearts is in itself proof against all baseness. Boys are hero-worshippers. The vision of the Ideal is to them clear and convincing. Strength, greatness, and fortitude, these excite the admiration of boyhood. The task of the educator is to foster these ideals and help the pupils to manifest the perfection that lies latent in them. What is the nature of this perfection? Firm and steady, truthful and unflinching, ready to bear the burden of the whole world on his own broad shoulders, selfless beyond measure, with a heart full of love for the poor and the miserable stands man the noblest specimen of the whole creation. He cannot be tempted with gold and silver, for what are these but dust in comparison with his own sterling character, the only desirable possession. Neither could he be bent down with honours and titles, for he knows that the possessor is far greater than his possessions. He is a MAN, and that is the grandest title which any other man or body of men can confer on him. He knows that fact and also knows that all honour are to be realised in and through his manhood.

In deep contrast to these ideals of manhood stand the miserable specimens produced by the unconscious, nevertheless, degraded ideals which a degenerate national life has set before the youth of today. No one will deny the fact that the system in vogue in this country overemphasizes the intellectual side of education. The sickly bookworm who absents himself from the playground to spend an extra hour with his books gains more marks in his examinations and thereby earns the approbation of his elders and schoolmasters. The healthy sport-loving boy often goes low down and consequently is dubbed as useless. Youth is very sensitive to praise and blame and it is no wonder that one finds boys and even young men using all sorts of fair and foul means to stand high in examinations. The ’intellectual hall-mark’ is made something of a fetish. The best period of life and the greatest gifts of God such as sound health, cheerfulness, buoyancy and optimism are sacrificed at the altar of the examination deity. When all is lost and the much-coveted degree is gained, the despairing T h e

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youth realises the fact that the world reserves her best prizes for the man of action at whose hands the man of intellect may at best be a useful tool. Unfortunately, the disillusionment comes too late. The school, as it is constituted at present, seems to be a veritable asylum for weaklings. It trains its pupils ‘to know,’ but does it make them fit, to strive for, struggle and achieve, or are these lessons to be learned in the greater school which lies outside the narrow precincts of the school-room? What is a school for? The cynic might answer that the school of today exists for robbing the bloom out of young cheeks, for cramming poor little brains with diverse kinds of useful and useless information, for cooling down the enthusiasm of youth and making young hearts devoid of cheer and hope; and the cynic is not very wrong. For do we not see with our own eyes the pallid cheeks and sunken eyes of a great many of our school children, and does not the paper set by the average examiner disclose to our wondering gaze, the amount of detailed information which a young-head is expected to carry about, and do we not know the amount of havoc which the competitive system works in chilling the enthusiasm of all but the too brilliant youngsters? The canker of competition imported from the West is undermining our social order, and the schools are the demoralizing grounds from where the infection spreads.

The people of the West may say that life is a race and that he who runs fast, runs best.

We do not possess any such turf-idea. We hold that life is a thing of beauty, a work of art which must be coolly taken up and carefully accomplished. Success shall not elate us and failure shall never succeed in depressing us. Tranquil and calm we shall pass through life, ever striving to gain the ideal of inner perfection. We shall not consign our happiness into other people's hands to be roused into action at the applause of others. For what is ‘success,’ but the satisfaction gained by the admiration and often the envy of other men. Let not our children worship the fetish of success, but let them pay homage to the true ideal of perfection. If our schools foster in young minds the love for the ideal of perfection they would justify their existence, for the whole scope of education is the perfection of manhood and the only true method of realising this scope is to foster in the heart of the young a love for the ideal of perfection. Lessons of a formal character are not of much value in inculcating moral virtues. Virtue, like mumps, is of a highly contagious nature. Young people constantly watch the movements of their elders and shape their course of conduct according to the standard set up by the elders.

On the other hand, character is not a negative quality of refraining from doing certain acts, it is of a positive and telling nature and consequently the development of character requires that the individual should put in conscious effort to approach the ideal. Coercion cannot be the driving force, for by its very nature it goes against the end to be achieved, the ideal of free manhood. Love and admiration for the ideal form the sole driving force and we shall examine the way in which these could be fostered. o T h e

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‘I Shall Look Upon Them As the Blissful Mother Herself’ A Narrative on How Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and the Direct Disciples Influenced the Contemporary Bengali Drama HIRONMOY MUKHERJEE

A Silent Transformation In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a ‘real’ drama was being enacted at Rani Rasmoni’s Dakshineshwar temple.

A strange mix of people comprising of traditional Hindu worshippers of images, counter-worshippers such as Brahmos (worshippers of Nirguna and Saguna Brahman), and non-believers were sitting at the feet of an unpretentious and unlettered temple priest known by the name of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. They had been mesmerized by his simple, logical and illustrative teachings given in homely conversations.

One among them was Girish Chandra Ghosh, a non-believer and the leader of the nascent theatre industry. He came in touch with Sri Ramakrishna and became one of his staunch devotees. In the initial stages of their meetings, however, Girish claimed that he was a confirmed atheist. Girish was a well known playwright and actor. He had till then been busy writing plays based on Hindu epics and mythological tradition. One of his plays ‘Chaitanya Lila’ had become quite popular.

Coming to know about this popular play from the devotees, Sri Ramakrishna visited Star Theatre in Kolkata on 24th September, 1884 to see the play. Earlier, when some devotees

Sri Ramakrishna

commented that public women took part in the play in the roles of Nimai, Nitai and others [as was the practice then], Master had told them:

o The author is a retired government official and is an active volunteer of Ramakrishna Math, Nagpur, Maharashtra.

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I shall look upon them as the Blissful Mother Herself. What if one of them acts in the part of Chaitanya? An imitation custard-apple reminds one of the real fruit.1

On that day, the Master was accompanied by ‘M’ (Master Mahashaya), Baburam, Mahendra (the flour mill owner), Kali and a few others. Girish along with some officials of the theatre received them and made their seating arrangements in a box seat (a special enclosure meant for eminent people). M. sat next to Sri Ramakrishna. Baburam and other devotees sat behind. Girish had already left

Girish Chandra Ghosh

for home before the play began as he was not feeling well. The play was about the early life of Sri Chaitanya, who was known in his childhood as Nimai. Scene after scene T h e

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unfolded and the Master got overpowered with divine ecstasy.

At one time he went into deep Samadhi.

Once or twice he wanted to say something to M but could not. His voice became choked with emotion—tears ran down his cheeks.

Again he went into Samadhi and remained in that state for a long time. Gradually his mind came to the relative plane. Shortly, the play was over. A devotee asked him as to how he had enjoyed the play. Master said with a smile, ‘I found the representation the same as the real.’2 Later, after the crowd had left, Master visited the green-room of the theatre and blessed the actress Binodini, who had acted in the role of Chaitanya as young Nimai, saying, ‘Mother, may you have illumination.’

Countering Public Reaction The people of Kolkata were shocked to learn about the visit of Master to Star Theatre to see Chaitanya Lila. But Master did not care.

He was later to make four more visits to Star Theatre to see the plays ‘Prahlad’, ‘Vrishaketu’, ‘Nimai Sannayas’ and ‘Daksha Yagna’ and see the acting of actress Binodini in all these plays.3 The press, especially, those representing Brahmo Samaj and conservative sections of Hindu society, strongly condemned the Master for patronizing Girish and his devotional plays. They felt that Master was not showing sufficient moral abhorrence about public women engaged in acting in the plays.

Earlier, men used to enact women’s roles in plays which were not found satisfactory and convincing and at the same time women from good families were reluctant to act in public theatres for obvious reasons. Hence acting by women had earned a bad name. In the beginning even a staunch devotee like Ram Chandra Dutta did not approve of the Master’s

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Ramakrishna’s birth anniversary festival at Dakshineshwar, Swami Vivekananda wrote a letter (dated 23 August, 1896) from America to Swami Ramakrishnananda: ‘If public women were not allowed to go to such a great place of pilgrimage, where else they will go? It is for the sinful that the Lord manifests himself specially, not so much for the virtuous . . that for one day at least in the year thousands of men and women get rid of the sense of sin and ideas of distinction and sing and hear the name of the Lord, is in itself a supreme good.’5

A recent picture of Star Theatre

patronage of theatre. But he soon realized that every one of Master’s actions had deep meaning and significance and that he had used his redeeming power to save those wayward souls of the stage.

Swami Vivekananda as Naren (before he met Master) was a strong puritan. He once said that as a young man he would not walk on the footpath on the theatre side of the roads in Kolkata. Boshi Sen, the famous scientist, wrote in his memoirs that he would cross the road to go to the other side if he saw Girish on his side of the road. Of course, they had to change their minds on seeing that Girish had received Master’s blessings. Later Ramchandra Dutta was to write that society should not despise these actresses but rather should appreciate their talents and laud their efforts to lead an honest life. He also wrote that many of these actresses were not prostitutes but were poor women who became mistresses of wealthy men—which were their only means to better their financial conditions.4 Learning about the controversy on allowing public women to attend Sri T h e

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Prabasi and other puritanical magazines in Kolkata continued to criticize the practice of allowing courtesans to perform on stage.

But some other magazines like Rangalaya and Rangamancha supported the custom since women from mainstream society were not willing or able to perform on stage.

Further, it was pointed out that these actresses also raised money to support philanthropic activities which benefited society. These included activities in aid of flood victims, Deshbandhu Smriti Bhandar, helping the ailing poet Rajanikanta Sen, and providing financial aid to Kankurgachi Yogodyan, Varanasi Sevashram and many other similar needy institutions and individuals.

It would be interesting here to quote from a letter dated 19.2.1923 of Miss Josephine Macleod (a disciple of Swami Vivekananda), Going in the evening to a benefit performance at the Star Theatre for Ramakrishna Mission of Bhubaneshwar near Puri. The great Indian actress Tara is coming out of retirement for it.6

The well-known actor Amritalal Basu wrote:

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When the humble actress (Binodini) acted in the role of Chaitanya—the incarnation of the God of Nadia—on the stage, Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineshwar, another incarnation of God, watched that play and made the wretched stage feel like Vaikuntha (heaven). We were blessed!

The audience was blessed and so was Mother Earth! The stage of the theatre became a holy place when Sri Ramakrishna watched through his divine eyes the Chaitanya Lila, which was enacted on it.

Amar Dutta, the editor of Natya Mandir used the picture of Sri Ramakrishna on the cover of one of the issues of the magazine.

Inside the magazine he commented,

would. The visit of Sri Ramakrishna gave their morale a tremendous boost and helped them to achieve recognition and respect in society. The tradition of bowing down before the photograph of Sri Ramakrishna on stage still continues in Kolkata. The Master’s picture is decorated with a garland every night before a performance and someone waves lights and incense before it with devotion.7

One day while talking to his friend Kumudbandhu Sen, Girish commented: I want to tell one thing to those people, who say that indulgence is being shown by engaging public women in theatres: these public women and ignorants are already existing in society—is social reformation all about abandoning them or reforming them? Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha or Sri Chaitanya never taught people to abandon or hate them. I am not boasting that I am following these great men—I am only guiding them into a new way of living which will enable them to live a pure life instead of standing on road to tempt people.8

Ramakrishna, the teacher of humankind, the man-God, the compassionate one, came to the theatre. The touch of his holy feet sanctified the stage by wiping out all impurities. When a famous person comes to see a play, specially one full of purity, simplicity and piety for fallen, it is natural for the cast members to become inspired and act more enthusiastically than they normally

(To be continued. . .)

References 1. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna as recorded by Mahendra Nath Gupta (M), Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai, Volume 2, p.546 2. Ibid, pp. 550 and 556 3. Ramakrishna O Banga Rangamancha (Bengali)

by Naliniranjan Chattopadhyaya (henceforth referred as BR), p. 204 4. Girish Chandra Ghosh—A Bohemian Devotee of Sri

5.

6.

7.

8.

Ramakrishna, Swami Chetanananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, (henceforth referred as GC). p.166 Letters of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, pp.302-303 GC, pp.168, 169 Ibid, pp. 169, 171 BR—page 60

Our Master was the embodiment of purity. As soon as there was any talk on a spiritual subject, he would immediately go into ecstasy. People of all communities derived great pleasure from his holy company, and they would look upon him as their own. He practised universality. He was not bound by any limitations.

—Swami Vijnanananda

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Aum: Symbol, Sound and Supreme Way Reflections on Various Dimensions of the Sacred Aum SATISH K. KAPOOR

Facets of Aum The sacred syllable Aum (Om, Omkara) is unique. It is art, science, philosophy, spirituality and religion, all rolled into one. As art, it has visible symbolic forms that fascinate. As cosmic sound, it is the crux of metascience or science of spirituality.

As philosophy, it crystallizes the meaning of existence. As chant, it belongs to the sphere of religion and spirituality, and is the simplest way to unfold the higher consciousness.

Aum has several aspects that a seeker should know in order to pursue his spiritual quest.

Aum—the primeval sound, of which other sounds are just manifestations—gives one a feeling of unitary consciousness.

It is nada, Supreme Vibration, of ParaBrahman, the Absolute. Hence it is anadi —eternal, and self-illuminating. It is Ekakshara-Brahman, the Supreme-Truth in one word, because it encapsulates the Supreme Being in one mystical expression.

To an earnest spiritual aspirant, Aum is the code to open up the cosmic lock of Being; it is the ‘nano-way’ to meditate on the Ultimate, Unseen and Omniscient Reality. ‘Aum is all; all is Aum: that which is in time or beyond it’, says Mandukya Upanishad (verse 1). Om finds

mention in all Hindu scriptures and is sacred to Buddhists, Jainas and others.

Aum, the awakener of higher mind, is also called Pranava, because through it the Almighty can be praised, invoked, and accosted in anahata Chakra—the heart region in the subtle human body. It is Udgitha [mantra], for it can be chanted loudly, the Chhandogya Upanishad (1.1.1;1.4.1) avers (I.5.1): Now, verily, what is the Udgitha is the Aum. What is Aum is the udgitha.

Aum is ‘sarva-devamaya’—it comprises all divine beings, and hence embodies the essence of their wisdom. Aum is ‘a-ksharaswarupa’—of the nature of the Eternal Word—indissoluble and indestructible. The Katha Upanisad (I. 2.16-17) describes Aum in three ways: the everlasting spirit (evaksharam brahma), the highest end (evaksharam-param) of an individual, the best and the highest support of all (alambanam-shreshtham; alambanamparam).

As Para-vak—the transcendental speech, Aum manifests as three types of speech at the mundane level—audible (vaikhari), thoughtful (madhyama) and illumined (pashyanti). All sounds originate in Aum. The Aum Sadhana

o Dr Satish K Kapoor, Ex-British Council Scholar, is registrar of Dayananda Anglo Vedic University, Jalandhar.

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When the sound of Aum penetrates the depths of being, the embodied soul melts into bliss, crossing the layers of matter, life, consciousness, and thought. Individual self (jivatma) dissolves into Universal Self, and individual mind into Universal mind, and individual consciousness into Universal consciousness. It is as if one attains the state of ‘dying’ while living (jivata-marana) as explained by Bhakti and Sufi saints. In other words, it destroys the ego, the root of all worldly entanglements and strife.

Aum, thus, resuscitates the bliss-nature of the Self. All the key mantras in Hinduism begin with this mystic syllable which emerged out of a viable combination of the fifty-two letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, each endowed with a nucleus of cosmic power. The vibration of Aum in Nature can be heard by awakened souls (jagrita-purusha) in deep meditation.

Aum is technically seen both as a single syllable, and in parts (matra-s). It is seen as A (a-kara) U (u-kara) and M (m-akara), alluding to material (Vaisvanara), mental (Taijasa) and intellectual (Prajna) states, beyond which comes transcendental dimension of the Self (the turiya-avastha).

A, u, and m, are sometimes identified respectively with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and together they represent the Supreme reality. Amritabindu Upanishad (verses 7, 16) advices that one should first concentrate on Aum, through the means of letters—a, u, m— and then, without them, to know the imperishable Brahman, and to attain peace.

Mandukya Upanishad (verse 12) says that he who knows Aum and Atman as One, ‘merges his self in the Self.’

one’s whole being. The first method is mechanical, the second, mental and the last supramental. In the first two cases, emphasis can be either on the sound of letters a, u, or m, in successive mode, virtually uninterruptedly; or on u (O or oo) and ‘m’. It means pronouncing syllables in a uniform manner, or by giving an edge to one over the other, preferably m, which comes at the end. The sound of a is, in no sense, ignored, because it is inherent in other sounds, and sometimes takes longer time while chanting.

In either of the above mode of chanting, the beginning and the end must be slow, smooth, elongated, and focused on its deeper meaning, so as to imbibe vibrations from cosmic sphere. Humming the sacred syllable is better than verbal chanting, mental chanting is better than humming, and chanting naturally with one’s whole being is the best.

Aum can be chanted anytime, anywhere, singly, in pair or pairs, or in community gathering, both indoors and in open. However, it is better to choose a calm and quiet place in

Chanting of Aum Aum can be chanted in three ways— through mouth, through mind and through T h e

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early morning or evening hours, at the junction time of day and night, called sandhya-kala.

No specific posture is required but it is better to be seated on ground, in an easy posture, to partake of the earth’s magnetism naturally, keeping one’s spine erect. Many yogis prefer mountains or hills, or take to river side for spiritual attainment.

The Mundaka Upanisad (II. 2.4) regards Aum as the bow; the individual self, as arrow, and Brahman or God as the target (pranavodhanu hsharohyatma brahma tallakshyam-uchyate).

The seer advises meditation on the Self as Aum, to go beyond darkness of ignorance (II. 2.6).

The Kaivalya Upanishad (verse 11) suggests that the wise should repeatedly ‘rub’ the individual soul (jivatman) with the syllable Aum—like two pieces of Arani-wood, used in Vedic times to light fire—both to kindle divine knowledge and to exhume karmic bonds.

At the climax of pranava-dhyana—uninterrupted contemplation on Aum, subject and object become one, and the whole being of a person is permeated with divine. This spiritual experience is attainable but it does not last long, due to the predominance of unhelpful samskaras or tendencies embedded in the mental sheath (manomaya-kosha).

However, in case of an advanced practitioner, Aum-dhun (dhvani)—the spontaneous reverberation of the sacred syllable—keeps resounding in the deeper self, day and night, and helps him to acquire the highest state.

The highest state is that of a sthitaprajna—one who is of firm mind and established wisdom, above pleasure and pain, loss and gain, living in the world like a lotus in water. Death T h e

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does not cause him fear as he understands that human life is just a change of garb—a transitional period of the soul in its movement towards perfection; a forward step in eternity, propelled by causation, on the twin wings of time and space.

Aum and Chakras Being an all-pervasive sound, the chanting of Aum influences all the Chakras in the subtle human body, and activates prana, the life-force, besides giving one a feeling of unitary consciousness. The vibratory seat of Aum is Vishuddha Chakra (throat centre), which it purifies, restraining the negative thought-currents of the mind awaiting expression.

It is believed that focusing at Ajna Chakra, along with the chanting of Aum, activates the pineal gland and brings out the cognitive potential of a person which can be transmuted for higher purpose— the awakening of consciousness. Unlike meaningless syllables which tranquilize the mind by constant repetition, Aum has a soothing effect on all the three states of the self, namely, waking, dream and deepsleep. Consequently, the fluctuations of mind are checked, the faculty of intuition gets empowered, and the prajnachakshu—inner vision—opened.

When Aum-chanting emanates from the heart, it sprouts feelings of kindness and love, tearing apart the knots of anger and hatred within. As the sound touches the navel (manipura) it regulates fire-element in the gross body (sthulasharira), and burns up toxins.

Moving downward in the lower chakras—

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muladhara and svadhishthana—it controls sense-organs from going astray, and helps in the sublimation of vital energy.

known saint Swami Ramatirtha advised, sing the sacred syllable

Conclusion Aum-chanting, even for a few minutes, fills oneself and the surrounding environment with peaceful vibrations affecting even plants, trees and the animal kingdom. So, as the well-

in the language of feeling, sing it with your acts, sing it through every pore of your body. Let it course through your veins, let it pulsate in your bosom, let every hair on your body and every drop of your blood tingle with the truth that you are the Light of lights, the Sun of suns, the Ruler of the universe, the Lord of lords, the true Self. . . o

The Eternal Material of All Ideas or Names In the universe, Brahma or Hiranyagarbha or the cosmic Mahat first manifested himself as name, and then as form, i.e. as this universe. All this expressed sensible universe is the form, behind which stands the eternal inexpressible Sphota, the manifester as Logos or Word. This eternal Sphota, the essential eternal material of all ideas or names, is the power through which the Lord creates the universe; nay, the Lord first becomes conditioned as the Sphota, and then evolves Himself out as the yet more concrete sensible universe. This Sphota has one word as its only possible symbol, and this is the Om. And as by no possible means of analysis can we separate the word from the idea, this Om and the eternal Sphota are inseparable; and, therefore, it is out of this holiest of all holy words, the mother of all names and forms, the eternal Om, that the whole universe may be supposed to have been created. But it may be said that, although thought and word are inseparable, yet as there may be various wordsymbols for the same thought, it is not necessary that this particular word Om should be the word representative of the thought, out of which the universe has become manifested. To this objection we reply that this Om is the only possible symbol which covers the whole ground, and there is none other like it. The Sphota is the material of all the words, yet it is not any definite word in its fully formed state. That is to say, if all the peculiarities which distinguish one word from another be removed, then what remains will be the Sphota; therefore this Sphota is called the Nada-Brahma, the Sound-Brahman. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 3:57

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Glimpses of Swamiji

‘Until You Have Tested Me . . .’

Little by little the disciple was led arose to test Shri Ramakrishna's renunciation from doubt to certitude, from darkness to of gold. So he hid a rupee under the Master's light, from anguish of mind to the peace of bed and then went to meditate under the vision, from the seething vortex of the world Panchavati. Soon Shri Ramakrishna returned, to the grand expanse of universal Oneness. and as usual sat on the bed. But no sooner He was taken, little by little, and by the did he touch it than he started up in great power of Shri Ramakrishna, from bondage pain. Naren, who had returned by then, to spiritual freedom, from the pale of a little stood watching silently. An attendant at once learning into that omniscience which is the examined the bed; as he pulled off the cover consciousness of Brahman. He was lifted out the coin fell to the ground. Naren left the room of objective conceptions of the Godhead to without a word. Shri Ramakrishna realized awareness of the beyond-subject-object nature that he had been tested by Naren and rejoiced. of True Being--above form, above sense, above But the disciples were tested in their turn thought, above all relative good and evil, to

by Shri Ramakrishna. . . the sameness and absoluteness of Brahman.

At one time Shri Ramakrishna tested Now Naren's regard for the Master was inNaren severely for an extended period. We creasing a thousand fold; he was beginning to accept him as the highest ideal of spirituality. The scene of the young hero's highest realization was to be the Cossipore garden; and the time: the immediate future.

Again and again the Master told his disciples to test him and his realizations.

‘Test me as the moneychangers test their coins.

You must not accept me until you have tested me thoroughly.’ One day whilst the Master was absent in Calcutta, Naren came to Sri Ramakrishna’s room at Dakshineswar Dakshineswar and found Shri Ramakrishna's room empty. The desire have already seen how his very presence at T h e

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Dakshineswar filled the Master with intense joy. Even to see Naren at a distance would move him deeply. Sometimes he would go into Samadhi at the mere sight of him. A day came, however, when all this was changed: Ramakrishna began to treat Naren with utter indifference. Narendra came, saluted the Master, and sat down before him. He waited for a while but the Master did not speak.

Thinking that perhaps he was absorbed, Naren left the room, went to Hazra, and began to chat and smoke with him. Then, when he heard the Master talking with others, he went back, only to be met with worse treatment; for not only did the Master not greet him, but he deliberately turned his face away, towards the wall. When Narendranath left for Calcutta there was no change in the Master's attitude.

A week later, Naren came to Dakshineswar again to find the Master's manner towards him as it was on the previous visit; so he spent the day talking with Hazra and other devotees, and returned home at nightfall. The third and the fourth time it was the same; but Narendranath kept going to Dakshineswar, and showed no resentment. Between these visits the Master would sometimes send to Calcutta to enquire about Naren's health, but without changing his demeanour in Naren's presence. At the end of a month, during which time there was no reaction from Naren,

Swami Vivekananda in 1886

the Master said to him, ‘Though I do not exchange a single word with you, you still continue to come! How is that?’ Narendranath replied, ‘Do you think that I come here only to listen to you? I love you and want to see you. This is why I come to Dakshineswar.’

Shri Ramakrishna was highly pleased at the reply and said, ‘I was only testing you to see if you would stay away when I did not show love and attention. Only one of your calibre could have put up with such neglect and indifference. Anyone else would have left me long ago, never to come again.’ o

Reference Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 1. 97-99

His [Swami Vivekananda’s] words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero! —Romain Rolland T h e

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Sage Vasishtha’s Advice to Prince Rama Notes on Yoga-Vasishtha-Sara Translated by Swami Dhireshananda SWAMI SARVADEVANANDA

Continued from the previous issue There are four different types of intellect in aspirants with their appropriate spiritual practice: Stone-like intellect: Just as it is difficult for a nail to penetrate stone, it is impossible to make those with a stone-like intellect understand anything. Such people should engage themselves in intense devotional practices, chanting, japa and such other actions. By these means, their minds will gradually become pure and fit to comprehend the subtle truths.

Rubber-like intellect: Rubber is elastic in nature. A nail inserted into rubber, will penetrate the rubber but when the pressure is released, the nail comes out again and the rubber resumes its original form. Similarly, there are those who understand principles as and when they are explained; but in the very next moment, they revert to their former understanding.

Skin-like intellect: A nail, if inserted into skin, will remain lodged at its point of entry.

A skin-like intellect acts the same. It is able to comprehend and hold as much instruction as it receives.

d) Oil-like intellect: An oil-like intellect is the best. If a drop of oil is poured on water, it spreads out over the surface. An oil-like intellect behaves in the same way. One with such an intellect who listens to a little bit of a teaching, can consider the pros and cons from every angle and comprehend the entire concept.

Such a person does not need more instructions. This type of pure intellect is certainly the best.

The skin-like intellect is also not so bad. And by repeatedly listening to instructions even the rubber-like intellect can also attain awakening.

Proper discernment reveals that the ignorance of the individual soul, or forgetfulness of the true Self due to misunderstanding, leads to bondage. Both [bondage and ignorance] are eradicated by the knowledge that ‘the world is false (mithya)’ and ‘the Self alone is real.’ Due to desires, even if one knows that everything in this world is momentary and impermanent, the world does not seem to be unreal. A person of perfect

Swami Sarvadevananda is the Head of Vedanta Society of Southern California, USA. This article is based on excerpts from his English translation of Yoga Vasishtha (translated into Bengali by Swami Dhireshananda, Udbodhan Office, Kolkata). The translation is likely to be published in a couple of months. o T h e

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intellect does not reflect on sense objects, as they are utterly unreal like objects seen in dream and in wishful-thinking, and knows (1.27):

Neither disease, nor poison, nor adversity, nor any other thing in the world can cause one to suffer more than extroversion, which arises due to body-identity.

‘The desire for enjoyment is the cause of body-identity. Enjoyment is for happiness; but to a person of discernment [worldly existence] is suffering before enjoyment, after enjoyment and even at the time of enjoyment. Suffering is present in acquiring the object of enjoyment and in protecting the object of enjoyment, as well as in depression, separation, and disease. [Conversely,] at the beginning, middle and end, there is bliss and bliss alone in the knowledge and contemplation of the Self, which is of the nature of existenceconsciousness-bliss. This joy is inseparable because it is my real nature’. That is why the first chapter is said to contain ‘the essence (sara) of the essence (sara).’

The specialty of the second chapter is a detailed discussion of the theories related to creation and perception. In order to understand this we will have to comprehend the inner significance of the Vedanta philosophy. The Vedantins use two words: creation (srishti) and perception (drishti).

The Vedanta philosophy is understood as soon as one comprehends the relevance of these two words.

‘By the word creation (srishti), we mean this visible universe around us and the meaning of perception (drishti), is the knowledge of all these. The tree is a created object; the perception we have of the tree is not the tree at all, but idea or knowledge of the tree. [Ordinarily we think that] the knowledge, as it were, is within us and the tree is outside of us. Whether we have the knowledge of the tree or not, the tree is established in its own reality; its existence does not depend on our knowledge. However, according to the Vedantic T h e

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view, this general conception of srishti and drishti, if analyzed, does not hold true.’

‘One asks: where is the logic behind the differentiation which is manifested as “outside” and “inside”? What do we understand about that knowledge which is described as beyond? Is the person who has come to argue the view of the opponent beyond my perception? If so, then his existence, argument, and everything else would be unknown to me. Neither would he be there, nor would he have come for disputation. Moreover, if he is not outside of my knowledge, then he is only made of my own knowledge (jnanamaya), held in my knowledge (jnanavidrita) and constructed by my knowledge (jnananirmita). If he says anything new, it is only my knowledge that he speaks; it rises to the surface from the depth of my mind alone. Again the phrase “my knowledge” should be accepted in the sense of “Rahu’s head,” because even my “I” is nothing more than this knowledge.

Therefore it is observed that this knowledge or perception of all objects and their ideas takes shape around the ‘I’—‘in me’ and ‘surrounding me.’ The names and forms of all existing objects and their functions that appear before us through the framework of time, space and causation are nothing other than the one nondual knowledge.

Relative knowledge is also knowledge itself, held in knowledge and constructed by knowledge. By no means are we able to step out of this [infinite, nondual] knowledge.’

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In the second chapter, ‘Falsity of the Universe’ (Jagat-mithya-prakarana), the deceptiveness of the world is elucidated. Why is the world mithya?

For this reason: with the dissolution of mind, it vanishes. That is to say, the creative ideation of the mind—the single imaginative power centered in mind and known as maya (illusion)— conceptualizes the non-dual Brahman-Self in the forms of various objects [that appear] as perceivers and the perceived. The root cause of this is vibration (spandana). (To be continued. . .)

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Sri Ramakrishna was a master story-teller. While he spoke of profound spiritual truths and mystery of human life, he amply used stories, anecdotes, examples and analogies to drive home his point. At times, while narrating a story, he would even make gestures and change the tone of his voice to bring in a lively element in his narrative. The following stories, mainly culled from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai) are an attempt to present before the readers Sri Ramakrishna’s rich store-house of stories which are both illuminating and simple.

28 Protecting the Spiritual Plant What does a gardener do with a young plant? Does he not surround it with a fence, to protect it from goats and cattle? And when the young plant has grown up into a tree and it can no longer be injured by cattle, does he not remove the fence and let the tree grow freely?. . . Do the same in your spiritual life; become strong, be full-grown; then you may seek them. (p.44) Faith in the guru Do your duties in the world, holding fast to his words, like a person whirling round and holding fast to a pillar. One must not look on one’s guru as a mere human being: it is Satchidananda Himself who appears as the guru. When the disciple has the vision of the Ishta, through the guru's grace, he finds the guru merging in Him. What can one not achieve through simple faith! Once there was an Annaprashana ceremony [the Hindu custom of feeding solid food to a new born baby for the first time] in a guru's house. His disciples volunteered, according to their powers, to supply the different articles of food.

He had one disciple, a very poor widow, who owned a cow. She milked it and brought

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the guru a jar of milk. He had thought she would take charge of all the milk and curd for the festival. Angry at her poor offering, he threw the milk away and said to her, 'Go and drown yourself.' The widow accepted this as his command and went to the river to drown herself. But God was pleased with her guileless faith and, appearing before her, said: 'Take this pot of curd. You will never be able to empty it. The more curd you pour out, the more will come from the pot. This will satisfy your teacher.’

The guru was speechless with amazement when the pot was given to him. After hearing from the widow the story of the pot, he went to the river, saying to her, 'I shall drown myself if you cannot show God to me.' God appeared then and there, but the guru could not see Him. Addressing God, the widow said, 'If my teacher gives up his body because Thou dost not reveal Thyself to him, then I too shall die.' So God appeared to the guru—but only once.

Now you see, because of faith in her guru the disciple herself had the vision of God and also showed Him to her teacher. Therefore I say, ‘Even though my guru frequents a grogshop, still to me he is the embodiment of Eternal Bliss.’ (p.1016)

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Special Report

Tamilnadu Chief Minister Inaugurates Celebrations at Vivekananda Illam The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Selvi J. Jayalalithaa, inaugurated the yearlong celebrations of Swami Vivekananda’s 150th Birth Anniversary, organized by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai. A large number of monks, devotees and admirers of Swamiji attended the hour-long function, held at Vivekananda Illam, on 27 February 2013.

A host of ministers, members of Tamilnadu legislative assembly and officials were also present.

Swami Gautamananda, Adhyaksha of Mylapore Math, and other heads of the Ramakrishna Math centres in Tamilnadu, received the Chief Minister with bouquet at the Illam entrance while the students from Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home, Mylapore, played the brass band to welcome her.

It was scheduled that Swami Gautamananda will perform Arati to the portraits of the Holy Trio and Shashi Maharaj placed on a specially decorated altar next to Swamiji’s statue. However, to everyone’s surprise, the Chief Minister herself came forward and took the lighted lamp and bell and performed the Arati amidst Vedic chanting by monks and others. Then she offered flowers at the altar, and was conducted to the dais and presented with bouquet by Swami Gautamananda.

The programme began with the singing of the Tamil anthem (as is customary in Tamilnadu), followed by lighting of the lamp T h e

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(Kutthu-vilakku) by the Chief Minister to mark the start of the programme.

Swami Asutoshananda, the Manager of Mylapore Math, welcomed the Chief Minister and thanked her for extending the lease

Arati to the portraits of the Holy Trio

period of the Vivekanandar Illam for 99 years.

Swami Vimurtananda, Editor, Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, read out benedictory greetings in Tamil felicitating the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister pressed the remote device, unveiling the stone-plaque marking the laying of foundation for Vivekananda Cultural Centre. The proposed cultural centre will be built on the allotted land to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Amidst Jai Swamiji ki Jai, the Chief Minister lighted the Viveka Jyoti, an electrically operated lamp, which will be kept lighted for a year, in front of the Vivekanandar Illam, during the year-long celebrations.

The Chief Minister released Tamil version of Photographs of Swami Vivekananda, and

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presented the first copy of the book to Swami Gautamananda.

While delivering his benedictory address, Swami Gautamananda recalled the events related to Swami Vivekananda’s visit to Chennai in February 1897 after his arrival from the Parliament of Religion and the electrifying lectures he delivered during his nine days stay at Vivekanandar Illam. He also thanked the Chief Minister for allotting the vacant land (measuring 18031 sq.ft) on 99 years lease.

The Chief Minister’s address, given in Tamil, focused on Swamiji’s message to the modern world and its contemporary relevance. select portions of her speech when translated will read, I feel deeply honoured and thankful to inaugurate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda from this historically important Illam.

Right from my childhood I have had a great regard for the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

I have a good collection of books on Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in my personal library. I read them quite often. As far as I am concerned, it is Swami Vivekananda who inspired me to enter politics.

In 1982, when I entered politics, I had mentioned about Swami Vivekananda in an interview.

With the twin objectives of renunciation and service, Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Mission. ‘Work without any selfish motive,’ said Swami Vivekananda. Only where there is no selfishness, renunciation can be there which enables one to serve others. There are various kinds of services: service to nation, service to poor, service to God. Generally, all

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philanthropic institutions do only one of the types of service. It would not be an exaggeration to mention that Sri Ramakrishna Math carries out all these three services. This Mission not only carries out social works such as hospitals, schools, colleges, hostels, rural development works but also serves the people in times of natural calamities such as earthquake, storm, flood, and carries out rehabilitative measures across the world.

Even after 100 years, the Mission instituted

by Swami Vivekananda is still continuing its service to the people adhering to its principles.

This deserves appreciation. It will not be an exaggeration to say that only such institutions serve as role model for youngsters. I request the Ramakrishna Math to plan projects for involving the youngsters in selfless service and to serve with dedication.

I feel much happy to announce Rs 2 crores as Tamilnadu Government’s contribution for the construction of ‘Vivekananda Cultural Centre’ for which the foundation stone was laid today.

My greetings to everyone.’

After her address, the Chief Minister gave away prizes to 10 winners of the 11 th Youth Day competition held by Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam. Moved by a visually challenged boy and a physically handicapped girl, coming to receive the prize, the Chief Minister’s kissed and blessed them.

Swami Gautamananda presented a memento to the Chief Minister. The function ended with vote of thanks and the national anthem.

The entire programme was telecast live by local television channels and was widely reported in print media in Tamilnadu. o

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Doing Svadharma —the Way to Inner Development T. DIWAKAR RAO

Varna and Ashrama Says the Lord Sri Krishna in the Gita (18.46), From whom is the evolution of all beings, by whom all this is pervaded, worshipping Him with one’s own duty, man attains perfection.

Indeed all beings have emerged from the Ultimate Reality called by different names.

The same Ultimate Reality, in order to keep its creation going on properly and finally lead everyone back to from where all have come, God, has allotted different roles to different people.

Hence, the Vedic tradition lays down four Varna-s (literally ‘colour’, based on three gunas which determine our inner dispositions) and four Ashramas (stations in life) for mankind. This division is aimed at helping man to progress in his spiritual journey which culminates in God-realisation or mukti.

The four Varnas are 1) the Brahmins 2) the Kshatriyas 3) the Vaishyas and 4) the Shudras. The four Ashramas are a) the Brahmacharya b) the Grihastha c) the Vanaprastha and d) the Sannyasa.

To perform the duties of the Varnaashrama is known as the Svadharma. It is expected that each individual should carry out his/her duties strictly in accordance with what is laid down for his/her Varna-ashrama (svadharma). This is the ideal of progressing in one’s spiritual life. The problems one

faces in implementing Varna and Ashrama scheme is more with respect to Varna rather than with respect to Ashrama. Ashramas have certain flexibility. For instance, a Grihastha can choose to adopt the Ashrama of a Sannyasin at any time he feels the call of external renunciation.

While there is flexibility with regard to Ashramas, the Vedic scriptures point out that one has to pass through these Ashramas right from the first one (brahmacharya) to the last one (sannyasin) either in this birth or in future births. The idea is to become matured as every station of life represents a state of psychological growth. We will, however, confine ourselves to Varna dharma here.

Developing Spiritual Competence The scholars have differences of opinion to the question of whether Varna is to be interpreted as

o Professor T. Diwakar Rao is a devotee from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh T h e

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a class with particular characteristics or caste by birth. We have innumerable castes today and the problems are very many to determine what exactly the functions of one are according to his/her Varna-dharma. It is therefore necessary to find out whether the Varna system of the Vedic age did actually refer to the division of the society by class or by caste.

Also, was it flexible or rigid? What is the role of Svadharma in one’s inner development?

Adi Shankara’s classic work Aparokshanubhuti says,

Lord Sri Krishna clearly mentions about the four Varnas and also their respective functions in the Bhagavad Gita (4.13): The Lord says that He has created the Four Varnas of people on the basis of their guna and karma.

The eighteenth chapter of the Gita (verses 42-44) delineates duties and functions pertaining to the four Varnas. Sri Krishna says,2 Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness and also uprightness, knowledge, realization, belief in hereafter—these are the duties of the Brahmins born of their own nature.

The four preliminary qualifications (the means to the attainment of knowledge) such as vairagya (dispassion) and the like are acquired by men by propitiating Hari (the Lord), through austerities and the performance of duties pertaining to their social order and the stage in life.1

Clearly, Shankara holds the view that only those who perform their duties/karma strictly in accordance with to their respective Varna-Ashrama dharma (svadharma) would become competent for experiencing the Self— the ultimate goal of human life. In other words, God is gracious to those who follow the VarnaAshrama dharma.

In Vedanta, the competence for Self or God-realization means developing four qualities commonly known as the Sadhana Chatustaya. These are: a) Dispassion (vairagya), b) Discrimination or discernment (viveka), c) ‘six-treasures’—Shama (control of mind), Dama (control of senses), Uparati (withdrawal from worldly desires and actions), Shraddha (faith and respect), Titiksha (forbearance) and Samadhan (inner calmness attained by deep thinking of the Self), and d) yearning for liberation (Mumuksha). Armed with these treasures alone can one ascend the spiritual heights of illumination The Four Varnas—the Gita Way T h e

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Heroism, vigour, firmness, resourcefulness, not flying from battle, generosity, and lordliness are the duties of Kshatriyas born of their own nature.

Agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade are the duties of the Vaishyas, born of their own nature; and action consisting of service is the duty of the Shudras born of their own nature.

Having mentioned the duties of each of the four Varnas thus, the Lord also stresses the importance of Svadharma and warns (18:47) about the impending dangers of not following it: Better is one’s own dharma, though imperfect, than the dharma of another well performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature (i.e. his Varna-Ashrama) incurs no sin.

Some people, out of ignorance, think that the present day conflicts among the different castes are due to the Varna system as given in the Bhagavad Gita. But the fact is this ‘division’ was aimed at leading a life of peace and harmony, and progress both materially and spiritually.

The Old and New Views The Vedic tradition holds the Brahmin Varna as the first by virtue of its spiritual

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wisdom. It represents the intellectual class that provides guidance in ethical and moral matters. Next comes the Kshatriyas. Their main function is to protect the people from external and internal disorders. And the same is true of other Varnas of their respective roles.

When we take Varna as meaning inner disposition of a man, then a Brahmin cannot take up the functions of a Kshatriya as he is not mentally and physically fit to discharge such duties satisfactorily. Nor a Kshatriya be able to do the works of a Brahmin, and so on.

The function of Vaishya Varna is trade and commerce and agriculture—i.e, generation of wealth and its distribution in the society.

The Shudra Varna finds it natural to engage in providing a variety of services for the entire society. All the four Varanas are to be respected and taken into consideration for the welfare of the whole society.

The true basis of this system is guna and karma i.e the individual’s virtue (guna) and action (karma). Varna system is strictly in harmony with the principle of Svadharma.

But in the later periods, we find disagreement among scholars on this point. According to some scholars the division actually refers to classes of people (varna) with certain qualities as per the scriptures but not to castes by birth.

But some disagree to this and they argue that one gets the required qualities of that Varna only by birth in a particular caste as a sequel to his/her past karma. If this view is taken as correct, then all the people belonging to a particular caste by birth are supposed to possess the requisite qualities of that Varna!

This, of course, is not what one finds in reality.

Varna dharma lays down different duties to different Varnas—and that is the core of Svadharma.

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While commenting on Varna system, Swami Nikhilananda states, There was no question of one caste being exploited by another. It was on the contrary, the duty and privilege of a member of a higher caste to look to the welfare and interest of those belonging to a lower caste. In ancient times, (as) caste was determined by guna and karma, a man could be demoted to a lower caste, if he failed in his duties, or promoted to a higher caste if he qualified for it.3

A similar view has been expressed by Swami Chidbhavananda: The worth of man is in the mind and not in the body. . . The worldly man’s classification of himself into the four castes based on birth and parentage is merely a convention hardly ever tallying with his attainments but the Vedanta philosophical position is that among four brothers all the four Varnas may be evident.

The real classification is based on the degree of ethical and spiritual perfection.4

Mahadev Desai, who translated into English the Gujarati version of Gita by Mahatma Gandhi, states, The system of Varnas we find described is certainly no rigid one. The division is no division into water-tight compartments. If the Gita can be said to admit a division, that division is, as we have seen, into two classes—daiva (divine) and asura (devilish).5

We may also cite the story of Satyakama, son of Jabala, from the Chhandogya Upanishad (IV.iv.I) to substantiate the fact that guna of the individual was the real basis of Varna system. When Satyakama wanted to study, he went to the sage of the Gurukulam who asked about his father. Satyakama went to his mother and asked her who his father was. His mother replied that she had served many people in her youth and hence did not know who his father was. Satyakama came

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back and spoke the truth that he did not know of what family he belonged to. He was treated as Brahmin and admitted to the Gurukulam. This speaks of the real nature of Varna system.

Varna system was never rigid. The quality or the characteristic features pertaining to the Varna were held more important rather than the birth. Also, it was found that there were no significant differences between the class by quality/capacity, as per the scriptures and the caste by birth. It was such a good division of labour that kept the society united and helped for its over-all growth and prosperity. Unfortunately today we have only caste system by birth but not the true Varna system. Also, it has become rigid in the sense that caste by birth is taken as the sole criterion with little regard to the guna or karma aspects.

In this context, one should look into the mental aptitude and physical fitness of a person to carry out the assigned task satisfactorily so as to benefit him and also to benefit the society. By virtue of his past karma (i.e. samskaras) he / she acquires certain mental and physical abilities. So, better it is left to the individual to find out the kind of duties and tasks that he/she would be able to accomplish on the basis of his/her guna and karma.

Suppose a Brahmin by birth is interested to do trade and commerce by virtue of his qualities i.e. guna and karma, then there should not be any objection to such an activity.

In such a case, he belongs virtually to a Vaishya by Varna criterion, according to the scriptures, although he continues as a Brahmin in the society. That becomes his Svadharma.

If we interpret the concept of Svadharma on the basis of the mental and physical attributes (irrespective of his caste by birth), there would not be any problem.

Conclusion Viewed in this manner, we find that the Vedic concept of Varna is an eternal one, based on the guna and karma. As the Varna system is a flexible one, it should be the endeavour of a ‘lower’ Varna individual to make efforts to refine himself/herself to acquire the ‘higher’ Varna quality and capacity. Such a transformation would be possible by self-effort and the grace of God. Vishwamitra, Valamiki and a host of sages are a shining example of this truth.

If the original idea of guna and karma is taken into account, the unique ideal of Svadharma is relevant even in the modern days. o

References 1. Aparokshanubhuti, translated by Swami Vimuktananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 2009 p.3 2. The Bhagavad Gita, translated and commented

by Swami Chidbhavananda, Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tamilnadu, 2009 pp. 908-918 3. Self-Knowledge of Sri Sankaracharya, translated by

Swami Nikhilananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - 2010 p. 24 4. Bhagavad Gita, Op cit chapter 4 pp. 282-283 5. Gita According to Gandhi; Mahadev Desai, Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 2010 Pp.102-103

To the grumbler all duties are distasteful; nothing will ever satisfy him, and his whole life is doomed to prove a failure. Let us work on, doing as we go whatever happens to be our duty, and being ever ready to put our shoulders to the wheel.

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New Find

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1 Jan. 31st 1901 Math. Belur. Howrah.

India.

My dear Mrs.Brown – I have not been able to write to you for a long time, I am sorry. I have already heard from our dear friend, Mrs.Wheeler. It is good to see her coming out of the darkness, fitted for a higher work.

Mrs.S.Campbell Bogue has not written to me as yet. We need not hurry.

Everything will come in time.

I have not received yet your books. I hope they are not lost.

Have you read the book on Kali, The Mother by Miss M.? Noble Sister Nivedita, who visited your country last year? If not kindly do it & let me know your impressions of it sometime. I believe you will get the book at the Vedanta Society, New York.

I am so thankful to know how all your environments are arranging themselves harmoniously as you are realising more & more of the Divine within. Move on, dear friend, there is no stopping in the way until you reach the perfect harmony & much through this Divine Love.

With kindest regards to yourself & blessings to your children, I am Most sincerely yours Saradananda.

On the cover:: Mrs.Barnetta Brown.

Mountain Ave. North.

Montclair N.J. U.S.America.

March 29th 1901.

Math. Belur. Howrah.

India.

My darling Granny2 Your kind letter of March 8th came to me duly. I ought to have answered it yesterday. But as I had to go to Calcutta & did not feel equal to writing, I let the mail day pass. I hope a week’s delay will not cause any inconvenience.

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I went to consult Srimati Sarada Devi day before yesterday according to your wish & read Margot’s letter to her. You will be glad to know your impression was right. She does not like Margot to come here in this heat & when the plague is raging as high. She told that herself without any suggestion from me & said that though she would be greatly pleased when Margot returned she wished Margot to finish the work she had taken in hand before she came here. She wished me to send her love & blessings to yourself & Margot. Love to Margot please from us all.

Mrs.Sevier completed her ‘will’ about Mayabati two days ago & made me one of the three Trustees mentioned it. She left us for Bombay day before yesterday & will sail for England via Truste (Austria) on the 1st of April next. She is a dear woman & so dignified in her grief!

The Swami is still in East Bengal visiting some pilgrimages just at present. I hear he is doing well.

My father is still the same & my mother well. They both wished to be kindly remembered.

My friend sends her heart’s love & said that in all the beautiful places that she traveled during her pilgrimage she remembered you & in all the sacred places she prayed for you & me.

I am still feeling weak & arranging for Darjeeling for a month soon.

With dear love to you dear one I am ever your affectlly Saradananda.

P.S. Remember me kindly to Olea when you write & to Santi. Did you get the ivory watchguard & have you sent it to Agnes? I am sending one for you very soon.

[On the margin:] S. Sarada Devi wished me to write in answer to Nivedita’s letter to her; but as I am writing this I do not think I need write anymore.

Yours S.

References 1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

2. Mrs. Sara Bull

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math We utter the name of the Lord superficially, too superficially. We say, ‘I am Thy servant; Thou art my Master; Thou art my Lord; I have renounced all for Thee; I call Thee, Lord, come unto me.’ But we harbour withal all sorts of evil thoughts in the mind. This won’t do. As you speak, so you must think. This means, while you take the name of the Lord think of Him alone.

—Swami Saradananda T h e T h e

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The Role of Philosophy in Personal Counseling In the Light of Bhagavad Gita RANJITH K K

Need for A Right Worldview The Indian idea of philosophy is that philosophy is the way in which one looks at life. Hence it is called Darshana, the way one ‘sees’ (from the root word, drik, to see).

Darshana is philosophy in practice.

About the philosophy in general, says a noted western philosopher, John Dewey, ‘The value of philosophy lies not in furnishing solutions but in defining difficulties and suggesting methods for dealing with them.’ Indian approach to philosophy, however, discusses the methods for leading a good and meaningful life. In Indian tradition, a life without ethics or dharma is considered not worth its name.

Indian idea of philosophy, hence, deals with how to live the life. It believes that dharma is the basic foundation of all life. One can attain all success through following dharma. This is the ideal of all darshanas.

Philosophy has its meaning only when it is applied in life. Human problems are not invariably psychological but at its roots they are philosophical. They may result from a lack of clarity of vision about what is one’s world-view. According to the preamble to the National Philosophical Counseling Association Standards of Practice, A philosophical practitioner helps client to clarify, articulate, explore and comprehend

philosophical aspects of their belief systems or world views. Clients may consult philosophical practitioners for help in exploring philosophical problems related to such matters as midlife crisis, career changes, stress, emotions, assertiveness, physical illness, death and dying, aging, meaning of life and morality.’

In other words, philosophy has a crucial role to play in solving our inner and outer conflicts. Our world-view shapes our responses and expectations as also ultimate goal in life.

Sri Krishna’s Role as a Counselor Bhagavad Gita is a scripture that provides philosophical counseling for living a life of meaning and worth. Sri Krishna is, to put in the current usage of the term, the best philosophical practitioner. A philosophical practitioner is concerned with his client’s present problems, assumptions and values.

The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna. An earnest study of Gita clarifies many fundamental issues related to everyday situations. Arjuna’s grief originated from his ignorance about Svadharma. That’s why he says to Sri Krishna (Gita, 2.7), ‘I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness.

In this condition I am asking you to tell me clearly what is best for me.’

o The author is a research scholar, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus.

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It is perceived in the Bhagavad Gita that the mind of every individual is the venue of conflict within oneself. One should first resolve them before one solves them outside. The aim of dharma, according to the Gita, is two-fold: social good and inner growth of man. It aims at total and holistic well-being of man.

When the war of Mahabharata was about to begin, Arjuna asked Krishna (Gita, 1.22), Take my chariot and place it between the two armies so that I can behold my enemies who want to raise their arms against me.

Sri Krishna complied with Arjuna’s request. There, in the huge armies stationed for fighting the historic war, Arjuna saw his own people (svajana)—fathers, grand fathers, uncles, brothers, and dear companions. He was overwhelmed with emotion. Arjuna’s lament was rooted in this feeling of svajanatva—‘my people’. Arjuna himself describes the symptoms of his disease (Gita 2.28-29): My limbs are giving way; my mouth is getting parched; my body is trembling; I am getting horripilations, my Gandiva [bow and arrow] is slipping away from my hand; my skin is also burning; I am unable to stand firm; my mind is reeling.

Arjuna approached Sri Krishna for resolving his problems. In terms of the Indian psychology, what happened to Arjuna in the battlefield was vikalpa, a kind of misconception in which the whole functioning of the mind is totally disturbed.

Acharya Shankara says that Arjuna’s predicament arose from the notion, ‘I am theirs and they are mine.’ The remedy prescribed by Krishna is Self-knowledge, the Knowledge of the All-pervasive nature of the Self. Krishna says that we are the ever-blissful Atman, we identify ourselves with matter and that is the cause of suffering. This identification is what T h e

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is called ignorance or avidya. This ignorance manifests in the form of our inner enemies of negative and harmful tendencies. Sri Krishna also says (Gita 16:21), Triple is this gate of hell, destructive of the self—lust, anger and greed. Therefore one should forsake these three.

Thus Sri Krishna takes up Arjuna’s predicament and helps him explore and clarify his philosophical belief system. Arjuna’s attitude towards relationship, duty, life and morality is narrowed down. Sri Krishna carefully studies Arjuna’s problems and examines his standards and belief systems.

Sri Krishna takes the role of a philosophical practitioner whose main function is to understand the beliefs and ideas of his ‘client’. The famous philosophical practitioner Gerd Achenbach says that the aim of philosophical counseling is to empower client’s understanding abilities. Likewise Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, O son of Pritha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, chastiser of the enemy.

He thus empowers Arjuna and helps arouse his inner potential.

Philosophical counseling never assumes that clients are neurotic or sick. Philosophical practitioners consider every human being has the same spirit with immense potential. In Indian tradition, human being is considered not just a body or even mind. He or she is considered as essentially Atman, the Eternal Being. In Gita, Sri Krishna says that the Self or divinity within, is the source of all power.

Chandogya Upanishad (7:26.21) says,

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A man of clear thinking is calm and understanding. He sees things without prejudice.

Resolving Inner Conflict There are certain set methods used by philosophical practitioners. Like an expert practitioner, Sri Krishna handles Arjuna’s thoughts and ideals. He awakens Arjuna’s spiritual intelligence. By spiritual intelligence is meant the intelligence through which we can address and solve problems of meaning and value, and place our actions and lives in a wider, richer and more significant perspective.

It is about how we behave—how we make decisions in the stressful everyday life of interaction with people and situations. People with well-developed spiritual intelligence behave with wisdom and compassion.

Sri Krishna says (Gita, 6.5), ‘A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.’

Indeed, a man of inner development is ‘one who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries (physical, mental and spiritual), who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger. He is the sage of steady mind (Gita, 2.66).’

Sri Krishna sees through Arjuna’s arguments, draped courtesy and considerations,

and points out his weakness and helps him overcome it. He asks Arjuna to recall his divine nature and not yield to weakness born of attachment. That Sri Krishna succeeds in this is evident when Arjuna declares in the last chapter of the Gita (18:73), My illusion is now gone . . . I have regained my memory by your mercy, and I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to your instructions.

Thus Sri Krishna’s counseling takes Arjuna out of conflict and he becomes ready to face life. Sri Krishna’s advice is not only for Arjuna but for the whole world.

His instructions are universal in character.

Human beings everywhere are faced with many existential problems. They pass through conflicts and moral issues, lacking clarity about values and meaning of life.

Conclusion What we need is training of mind more than anything else. The Gita teaches us to remain undisturbed in all situations. If one seeks success in life one should be controlled in one’s thoughts and actions. A calm mind develops concentration and that is the only way to reach the goal of human life.

Philosophical counseling helps us to become clear about our values and worldview and that is the way to peace and joy. o

Ordinarily we know only the surface waves of our mind. But through Yoga practice we learn to go deeper. By watching and studying our own minds we dive below the surface consciousness, and observe what is going on there. Many Samskaras—latent desires and tendencies—are stored up there, waiting for an opportunity to express themselves. These we can discover before they rise to the surfaces. . . The seed is easily getting destroyed, but when it has germinated and grown into a big strong tree, it requires great strength and effort to hew it down. So we must crush our desires in their early, undeveloped stages. Yogis can do this. They keep down undesirable thoughts in the germ state by smothering them beneath thoughts of an opposite nature. Thus they conquer all evil tendencies—hatred with love, anger with kindness and so on.

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The Order on the March Ramakrishna Math and Mission—News and Notes

Celebration of the 150th Birthday of Swami Vivekananda Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York Sunday morning, the 11th November 2012 at 11:00 am, the Chapel of the New York Center was filled to overflowing for this Special Service, the first of two celebration events that were held on that day. Distinguished Swamis and guest speakers addressed the congregation of about 300 devotees on different aspects of Swamiji’s message of Unity. Vedic chanting and devotional songs by the choir of the Center set the mood for the service, after which Swami Yuktatmananda introduced each of the participants and the subjects of their talks.

Swami Tathagatananda, Swami Chetanananda, Dr. Stan Lumish, Swami Tyagananda, besides Swami Yuktatmananda spoke on Practical Vedanta as propounded by Swami Vivekananda. The service concluded with another selection of devotional At the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Centre of New York music by the Center’s choir, and a concluding prayer by Swami Yuktatmananda, the Head of New York Centre.

The program concluded with a special concert organized for the occasion and held at New York’s Florence Gould Hall.

One World Symphony, under the direction of Sung in Hong, presented a program of music in honor of Swami Vivekananda and his universal message of the divinity of humankind and oneness of existence.

The concert included a new symphonic poem entitled The Architect, composed Introduction to One World Symphony by Swami Yuktatmananda especially in honour of Vivekananda. The result was an inspiring musical experience, and a worthy tribute to Swami Vivekananda. In the words of one music reviewer, ‘The concert by One World Symphony confirmed that no matter what skin colour, what faith or what culture you might claim, music can serve to bring people together and to promote harmony amongst us all.’

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In accordance with the Indian calendar, Sunday, February 3, 2013 marked the actual 150th birthday of Swami Vivekananda. On this auspicious date the Centre held a Special Service featuring noted scholars and leaders of the interfaith movement. Once again, the Center’s chapel was filled to capacity to pay tribute to Swamiji on his 150th birthday with Swami Yuktatmananda conducting the service. Stressing the ideal of ‘Be and Make’ distinguished speakers recalled the great contributions of Swami Vivekananda and the impact of his teachings during the last 150 years.

Uplifting musical offerings by the Center’s choir included Vedic chanting and two of its popular devotional songs, a musical rendition of Swami Vivekananda’s famous poem, Song of the Sannyasin and George Harrison’s popular song, My Sweet Lord. o Celebrations in London 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Swami Vivekananda were organized by Vivekananda Centre / Hindu Academy, London, in January and February 2013. These celebrations included talks and interactive sessions in various parts of United Kingdom including London. Swami Dayatmananda, Head

Floral tributes to Swamiji and a view of the audience in one of the meetings in UK

of Vedanta Centre in UK, spoke at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, London. There were talks by Jay Lakhani of Vivekananda Centre / Hindu Academy at Eton College (with the Headmaster and other dignitaries in the audience), at Soar Valley College, Leicester, at London Sindhi temple (consisting of dance, drama, music and talks on Swamiji), in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons (in collaboration with Metropolitan Police Hindu Association), which consisted of many dignitaries, including MPs and members of House of Lords.

There were also lectures at for Demont Ford University, Leicester, King's College Guys Campus, Aston University Birmingham, Imperial College (London), London School of Economics, Oxford University, Birmingham University and Cambridge University. o Resolution Passed in British Parliament An Early Day Motion (number 976) was tabled on 28.01.2013 (with Primary sponsor: Gardiner, Barry, and Sponsors: Blackman, Bob Bottomley, Peter Hancock, Mike Meale, Alan Sharma, Virendra). The Motion adopted by 12 members places on record the following: ‘That this House, on the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, recognises T h e

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the valuable contribution made by him to interfaith dialogue at international level, encouraging and promoting harmony and understanding between religions through his renowned lectures and presentations at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, followed by his lecture tours in the US, England and mainland Europe; notes that these rectified and improved the understanding of the Hindu faith outside India and dwelt upon the universal goodness found within all religions; further notes that he inspired thousands to selflessly serve the distressed and those in need and promoted an egalitarian society free of all kinds of discrimination; and welcomes the celebrations of his 150th birth anniversary in the UK and throughout the world.’ (http://www.parliament.uk/ edm/2012-13/976) o Anna Hazare Pays Tributes to Swami Vivekananda The noted social activist Anna Hazare visited Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Belgaum in Karnataka on 16th February 2013. His visit came on the sidelines of his receiving an award from a local organization (near Belgaum) in recognition of his services to the cause of honesty and probity in public life. At the Belgaum Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama he went to the monument (the house where Swami Vivekananda stayed in 1892 as guest of Haripad Mitra) and spent time in meditation there. After his overnight stay at the Ashrama, he interacted with the media persons during his breakfast at the Ashrama dining hall. In course of his interaction, he said (in Hindi), The only way for change of society is to awaken the youth and guide them on the right path. I have received my inspiration from Swami Vivekananda and will advice others also to follow Swamiji.

When I was 26 years old, I used to think what is this life— we come empty handed and go away empty handed. And yet whole life we keep saying, ‘Mine, mine, mine!’ One day I thought let me finish this life and commit suicide. By chance, Anna Hazare at Belgaum Ashrama while I was returning home [from the Indian borders where I worked in the army as driver], I chanced upon a copy of Swamiji’s book in a bookstall. I started reading it and then things started becoming clear to me. The purpose of life is to serve and help others.

There is a joy in serving others. Let us serve others, serve the nation. That was a turning point in my life. I decide to dedicate myself to this ideal.

I was 26 then. I thought of marrying but then if I marry, I thought, all my time and energy would go in looking after my family and children. So I decided not to marry. Of course, I was tempted a few times.

I would see a newly married couple and will compare myself with them and ask: who is better, they or me. Then I would read Swamiji’s works and will get strength. Whenever I was upset by such ideas, I would read Swamiji’s words and that will solve the problem. Now I am 75 and have no worries.

I always tried to keep my character pure and that is what gave me courage to fight with corrupt and dishonest people. Unselfishness makes one fearless and that is what one needs to change the world.

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There are five things which people should pay attention to: keep your thought pure, your actions pure, be free from all blemishes, have renunciation and develop forbearance to withstand all insults and failures.

Read Vivekananda, and think over his profound teachings. If one only eats, drinks and dies, what is the difference between animals and humans!

Swamiji taught us to think over the purpose of life.

From where have we come, where we have to go finally—thus thinking over the purpose of life we will find its meaning. The more you think over it, the more you will discover how renunciation and service are the true treasures of life. Swamiji taught that the real joy is within, not outside. External pleasures are only short-lived but inner joy is ever present; let us seek it. The more our youth read Swamiji’s works, the more they will discover the Anna Hazare interacting with media at Belgaum Ashrama need for inner joy which only service to others, to the nation and to the society, bring us. Read Vivekananda.’ o Celebrations at Thailand Started in 2004 the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Thailand celebrated Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary on 9 February 2013. The function was held at the Sanskrit Studies Centre, Silpakorn University, Bangkok.

The co-sponsors were the Sanskrit Studies Centre and the Hindu Samaj.

The event attracted a large audience of academics, intellectuals, and notables, including a large contingent of university students. There Meeting at Thailand were nine speakers, including representatives of five different faiths. Sathit Kumar Pawa, president of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, delivered an eloquent and stirring summary of the teachings of Swami Vivekananda in his welcoming address. The keynote speaker, Dr. Parichart Suwanbubbha, secretary of the Interreligious Council of Thailand, paid glowing tribute to Swami Vivekananda as a pioneer of religious pluralism.

The following were speakers: representing Catholicism, Dr. Kirti Bunchua, from Chulalongkorn University, representing Buddhism, Dr. Mano Laohavanich, from Thammasat University, representing Jainism, Samani Aagam Prajnaji, a nun from Jain Vishva Bharati University in Rajasthan, and representing Sufi Islam, Dr. Anas Amatayakul, from Mahidol University, Monastic speakers included Swami Shantatmananda, secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi, and Swami Atmarupananda from Belur Math. Several satsangs, meetings, and discussions were held in the homes of various devotees during the all-too-brief time the two swamis were in Bangkok. o T h e

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Celebrations at Narottam Nagar Ramakrishna Mission, Narottam Nagar, Arunachal Pradesh, commemorated the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, by organizing a programme on Folk Art and Tribal Culture on Sunday, 27th January 2013. The programme began by lighting the lamp amidst Vedic Chanting by the tribal boys, by Sri Chowna Mein, Minister for Finance, Planning and PWD. Eminent Tribal speaker elaborated on the tribal Dance by tribals at Narottam Nagar Ashrama concept of God. He called for tribal individual identity and stressed the need of preservation of tribal culture and creed. Several monks and eminent speakers from different walks of life addressed the assembled gathering. Selected books on and by Swami Vivekananda were distributed among the participants. o Chandigarh Ashrama Launches Mass Awareness Programme In order to bring life-giving and man-making message of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Chandigarh, launched a programme on 3 February 2013, the 151st Jayanti of Swami Vivekananda.

Christened Viveka Chetana (a vehicle with Swamiji’s statue mounted on the roof), the programme consists of organizing public meetings, Viveka Chetana on move processions, lectures for students, Swamiji’s photoexhibition and distribution of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda books in different cities and villages of Punjab, Harayana and Himachal Pradesh. o At Rajkot Ashrama A residential zonal level youth convention was organized on 26-27 January 2013 in the Ashrama premises. Swami Suvirananda, Assistant Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mission inaugurated the convention. Approximately 3000 youth from the five states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan participated in this convention which included talks by senior swamis of the Ramakrishna Order, lectures by eminent speakers and musical presentations by Eminent musicians and monks at Rajkot Ashrama accomplished artistes.

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On 28 January 2013 a special musical tribute to Swami Vivekananda, by way of a day-long classical concerts was held. Well-known classical musicians from different parts of India sang and played classical music to a packed audience of over 2000. o Vivekananda Navaratri Celebrated Swami Vivekananda came to Madras twice. His first visit took place in 1892 when he came to Madras (now Chennai) as a wandering monk.

During this visit he met most of his future admirers and disciples in Madras.

His second visit took place in 1897 when he returned to India after his triumphal address at the Parliament of Religions and spreading India’s timeless message of culture and spirituality through numerous lectures, interviews, letters and personal meetings across United States, England and other western counties.

Swamiji stayed at the Ice House for nine days—from 6th to 14th February 1897. In order to perpetuate Swamiji’s Lecture by Prema Panduranga, well-known speaker on spiritual subjects historic stay at Vivekanandar Illam and its spiritual significance, the Mylapore Math observed 6 to 14 February 2013 as Vivekananda Navaratri, the ‘NineNights of Swami Vivekananda’.

This year's celebrations were held on a large scale compared to the earlier years. A stage was set up in the newly leased out land in front of the Illam building.

The celebrations were inaugurated

by Swami Gautamananda and Dr. Nalli Kuppuswamy well-known businessman and philanthropist.

Classical dance presentation on Lord Shiva The nine-day programme were held in the evenings and included Bhajans by students, reading from Swamiji's works, lectures by eminent speakers and monks and classical music concerts. One of the events was a display of yogasanas by young members of Mallakhamb Federation of Tamil Nadu. Presentations by eminent vocalists such as Unnikrishnan, and a play in Tamil on Swamiji and a classical dance marked the event.

Vivekananda Navaratri drew many visitors from the Marina Beach. Hundreds of devotees and admirers attended the programmes and prasada was distributed on all the nine days. o T h e

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Book Review

For review in The Vedanta Kesari, publishers need to send us two copies of their latest publication.

Sri Ramakrishna: Myriad Facets Published by Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata – 700 029, 2011. Hardback, Pp 426 + xxxxii, Rs.150.

Since its establishment in 1938, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture has endeavoured to make people aware of the richness of the cultures of the World and also of the urgent need for inter-cultural appreciation. The Bulletin of Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, as rightly mentioned in the publisher’s note of the book under review, has been a harbinger of a new epoch in the cultural and intellectual domain in India and abroad. The thoughtful articles on Sri Ramakrishna published during the span of 60 years in the Bulletin have been compiled and published as Sri Ramakrishna: Myriad Facets. It is a tribute to Sri Ramakrishna on the occasion of his 175th birth anniversary.

The book has two sections: in the first section the lectures as well as the writings of nine sannyasins of the Ramakrishna Order are arranged according to their seniority. The second section contains twenty three articles/lectures by renowned lay authors and devotees. They are arranged in order of their years of publication.

The contents of the book justify the title.

The multifaceted, unique personality of Sri Ramakrishna, his view of religion, the significance of his advent on the earth and in the history of religion, and his immense contribution to the growth of universal spirit is clearly manifest through this book. The life of Sri Ramakrishna as the epitome of Vedanta, and his perception of religion comes through splendidly in these elevating pages.

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Sri Ramakrishna’s mysticism and saintliness are writ large in every page. His amazing sadhanas, his unique gospel and Avatarhood, as well as the human aspects of his character, the social significance of his life and his relationship with the Goddess Kali and the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi comes alive through the pages of this book.

The book has many novel and interesting themes such as Sri Ramakrishna and his message in the light of Kashmir Shaivism, and Sri Ramakrishna and Aesthetics. One is amazed to read how Sri Ramakrishna communicated the living reality of spiritual life with a clarity and immediacy rarely matched in world literature. The cumulative effect of his spiritual experiences was the deep realization of Advaita.

Sri Ramakrishna was an ardent advocate of Divine love. God to him was beyond definition and description, yet in a personal sense, God could be thought of in the shape of image.

Religion to him was a freedom of mind to search for spiritual reality without dogmas and doctrines. According to him, realization of God is impossible without character-development and freedom from worldly cravings. As Swami Lokeshwarananda, an eminent monk of the Ramakrishna Order, very beautifully says: ‘He had to show that he had a body with all limitations.

Yet he was above all limitations. That is Sri Ramakrishna.’

This highly noteworthy compilation conveys the personality of a great mystic in an intimate, direct manner that is astounding. Reading this book is an enriching experience not only to the devotees but also to any thinking person. All the articles are meticulously researched; the topics are dealt with clarity, at length and lucidly written.

The details of the contributors are given at the end.

This book is a mine of inspiration made available at a very moderate price. The printing and get-up are excellent. _____________ CHETANA MANDAVIA, JUNAGADH, GUJARAT

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The Joy of Teaching

By Dr. C Balaji Published by Ane Books Pvt. Ltd, 4821 Parvana Bhavan, I Floor, 24 Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi -110 002. 2012, paperback, pp.124, Rs 175.

The title explains it all—that there is a joy in teaching may come as a surprise to some, given that in the present times, both teaching and its obverse—learning—have become areas of great stress. Being a student is, like childhood, a universal experience as everyone has been a student at some time in his or her life. Of course, it is a truism that to be successful we remain in the student mode all our lives since life itself is such a great teacher.

In this book, C Balaji brings out the fact that, despite our collective angst, teaching is a joyous experience. Dr Balaji writes with the authority of personal experience as he is on the faculty of the prestigious IIT Madras. He has gone through all aspects of teaching—imparting knowledge, dealing with questions, controlling stress, establishing rapport with students as well as the importance of research in teaching.

Right from the very first chapter entitled ‘Goals of Teaching’, Balaji’s clarity is evident. He has talked about goal-setting—surely the first step to successfully complete any job. These are simply explained and from this he goes on to list and briefly describe the cardinal attributes of a good teacher. The role of stress in teaching is always underestimated. Balaji has given some pointers to combat the bad stress but, as he explains, some stress—called eustress—is required if we are to remain motivated. One of the most interesting things is the ‘10000 hour rule’ (pg 49, The Joy of Teaching). He says that if mastery is desired, the skill has to be practiced for 10000 hours. This applies to teaching too.

A widely neglected aspect of teaching is humour in class. So some teachers are labeled dull and uninteresting when, in fact, they are very knowledgeable, just because they do not have the light touch. This aspect has been brought out very well in the book.

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This book scores because it is comprehensive, and written in an easy, flowing style. It is also copiously illustrated and the explanations are readily accessible.

Very well produced with a readable font, this is a good book both for assistance and ready reference. ___________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

What to Do When Difficulties Strike— 8 Easy Practical Suggestions

By J P Vaswani Published by Sterling Paperbacks, Available from Gita Publishing House, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune 411 001. 2011, Paperback, Pp.162, Rs.175.

The title of the book not only catches our eyes but also our heart.

What to do when difficulties strike—this question has haunted generations. When life is going smooth, none asks this and thinks he is steering his boat nicely. But when the going becomes tough and adversities stare at him point blank, he asks ‘why me?’ He starts blaming everyone for his predicament and fails to think of the ways to come out of his plight.

The present book is an able help to ponder over this question and equip oneself to face the difficulties much before they appear.

The book is a compilation of discourses given by J P Vaswani. It is divided into six chapters followed by eight practical suggestions.

A recapitulation of the points discussed at the end of each chapter helps the reader in summarizing, remembering and contemplating on the contents.

The first six chapters deal with faith as the key to the ‘treasure of life’, and how as the nourishing power, faith makes our life happy and meaningful. The author also highlights the trinity of faith: faith in the self, faith in the world and faith in a just God. Quoting the famous lines, ‘faith moves mountains’, the author goes on narrating how mountains like despair, defeatism, pessimism, guilt, worry and anxiety can be conquered by faith.

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How to develop this faith and handle one’s life when difficulties strike form the crux of the next portion of the book. It delineates eight practical suggestions. These suggestions—such as ‘Learn to let go’, ‘Think of solutions, not problems’, ‘Learn to take risks’—are indeed practical. Each of these suggestions is like a capsule infusing faith and strength in the reader’s mind.

Every chapter is punctuated with numerous real life stories, motivational anecdotes from the lives of great men and women and inspiring quotes.

These help the reader imbibe the ideas without much effort and makes the reading lively.

J P Vaswani has innumerable books to his credit, all of them enriching and educative in content. His deft and lucid way of explaining the things, apt usage of analogies and stories to enhance the grace of the content and context, engages the reader and makes him feel that the goal is within his reach and goads him to intensify his efforts. This makes all his works well received and appreciated.

The present book is no exception. ______________ SWAMI CHIDAMBARANANDA, MANGALORE

The Radiant Sameness Translation by Som Raj Gupta Published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, 41, UA Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007.

2010, hardback, pp. 581+ xxxix, Rs. 795 There could not have been a greater samadarsin [one who has the vision of sameness] in modern times than Sri Ramakrishna who treated gold and a clod of earth alike—true to the Gita definition of a yogi to whom a clod, a stone and a piece of gold are same. Worldly people are those who seek the impermanent things of the earth. Godly people are those who seek God and nothing else,’ he said.

One among such Godly people was Mangatramji Maharaj [1903-54] who survived on a daily cup of tea or some milk at times and who is said not to have slept after the age of 25. The renunciate who T h e

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was born in Rawalpindi [now in Pakistan] to attain mahasamadhi in Amritsar, spent most of his time in the open, and in dangerous jungles, meditating and giving spiritual truths. The book, Samatavilasa [Rejoicing in Sameness] was partly written and partly dictated. On the other hand, Samata-prakasa [Revelation of Samata] consists of revelations that came to him. In his spiritually exalted state he uttered these words which were noted down by his devoted disciple Banarasidas and were later propagated to the world at large.

Samatavilasa, of which the book under review is a translation, consists of six anubhavas of the Master and his sayings. An anubhava is ‘an experience of a thing and also abiding in that thing’.

There are two supplements added after the passing of the Master consisting mostly of his letters and sayings about the Yogas and general observations on life and conduct.

The swami’s philosophy is that one should renounce all desires and the sense of doer-ship and silently endure the trials and tribulations of life and sacrifice one’s life rather as a self-submitting martyr than as a helpless victim.

The translator [and annotator] clarifies that mere worship of God will not lead a man to salvation but taking the results of his past acts, as if willed by God, and enduring them without elation or despair will enable him to acquire the disposition of samatvam with regard to these results. ‘Looking alike on his fortunes and misfortunes, his weal and woe, he will come to attain the state of samata where all will become one’ [p.271]. To attain this spiritual goal, the sadhaka must be firmly established in the atman and perform nishkama karma or selfless action.

The translator, a direct disciple of Mangatramji, has done a wonderful job in writing an insightful preface and illuminating notes on the philosophical aspects which bear out his sound scholarship and abilities of powerful communication.

The Index and Glossary throw light on the subtle philosophical concepts and difficult Sanskrit terms. The printing is of a superior quality and is easy on the eye. _______________________ K.PANCHAPAGESAN, BANGALORE

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By J.P. Vaswani Published by Gita Publishing House, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, 2012, Paperback, Pp.223, Rs.195.

The term ‘Guru’ is quite common in the Indian culture, but in Sikhism it enjoys a very distinct meaning. Guru epitomizes a spiritual teacher who enlightens his disciples for their all rounddevelopment, inculcates in them devotion, a spirit of service to community, heals them with the medicine of ‘Naam’ [Divine Name], and teaches them the art of attaining liberation while leading the life of a householder. Sikhism was established by ten prophet-teachers called Gurus from 1469 to 1708, that is, over the period of 239 years. Each Sikh Guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous. Guru Nanak was the first Guru, and in that sense, the founder of Sikhism.

The present book under review is about the life and teachings of all the ten Sikh Gurus from the facile pen of Dada J.P. Vaswani bearing his stamp of clarity, simplicity and lucidity in presentation.

The book has twelve chapters. The first chapter is the author’s preface where he mentions the influence of the Sikh Gurus on the Sindh region in general and the inspiration he draws from them in particular. The twelfth chapter is about Sri Guru Granth Saheb, the spiritual guide of the Sikhs, the hymns of which provide broad guidelines for harmonious living and spiritual illumination.

Chapters second through eleventh are devoted to the ten Sikh Gurus viz., Guru Nanak

Dev, Guru Angad, Guru Amardas, Guru Ramdas, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Har Krishan, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh. Each chapter gives the pensketch of the Guru—the childhood and early life, ordination as Guru, contribution to Sikhism, and teachings in succession. Right from Guru Nanak, the lives of each of them are inspiring, unique, and their contribution to the consolidation of their faith unsurpassed. One is wonderstruck at the immensity of their work, their tremendous courage, fighting spirit, spiritual sadhana as well as their austere lives. They were true soldiers, striving for righteousness and fought for the establishment of the values they stood for. Each one of them were truly insightful and had their unique contribution in the consolidation of Sikhism, be it preaching the equality of humans, introduction of Gurumukhi script, Kirtan and community kitchen (called Langar), foundation of the city of Amritsar, building of the Golden Temple, compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib, writing of scriptures like Sukhmani Sahib, introducing martial arts and weapons for the defense of the masses, fighting the battles with the Mughal rulers, ordaining the Sikhs to keep five ‘k’s or strengthening the community by formation of the Khalsa.

There are seven appendices which add to the value of the book making it all-inclusive. They are: brief introduction of Sikhism, its historical background and fundamental truths, practices enjoined upon Sikhs, sacred Sikh scriptures, unique features of Sikhism and gleanings from the Gurbani.

A very stimulating publication and a must read for younger generation, for, as Dada says in his preface, these Sikh gurus gave to the world not another dogmatic faith, but a way of life which one needs to emulate. An inspiring book. _____________ CHETANA MANDAVIA, JUNAGADH, GUJARAT

He who has not desisted from evil, who has not stopped his mind straying over sense objects, who is not self-controlled, and who is restless in mind, will not attain this Atman by any amount of intellectual polemics.

—Kathopanishad

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DONATE FOR UNDER PRIVILEGED CHILDREN 100% INCOME TAX EXEMPTION

Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home (started in 1905) gives wholesome education to many orphan and destitute students by providing free of charge education, food, accommodation etc. They study in our Residential High School and Residential Polytechnic College.

During the Centenary of our Home in 2004-05, we added two new courses—Diploma in Automobile Engineering and Diploma in Computer Engineering —to help more orphan and destitute students. With the increase of 272 Students, the Home now serves around 670 students totally free of charge every year.

To meet the expenditure we have to raise additional Rs.1.33 crore annually. This is to meet the establishment costs on boarding, lodging, clothing and educational expenditure, besides a larger share Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home of salary to the faculties as per norms. Hence, it is proposed to raise a 'Sponsorship Corpus Fund' of Rs.17 crores.

Government of India has notified 100% Income Tax exemption u/s 35AC of Income Tax, 1961 to the donors of this Sponsorship Fund. Individual Donors who donate to this project can avail this 100% IT exemption u/s 80GGA of IT Act 1961.

We appeal to all generous public and institutions to join us in the noble cause of educating orphan and destitute students.

Yours in the service of the Lord, Secretary Cheque, D.D. may be drawn in favour of ‘Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home, Chennai - 4’ ‘Doing good to others is virtue (Dharma)’ —Swami Vivekananda

Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home, 66, P.S. Sivasami Salai, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 Phone: 044 - 24990264, 42107550 Fax: 044 - 4231 2830 E-mail: office@rkmshome.org www.rkmshome.org

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Joy of Spirituality Joy is what everyone is searching for.

Irrespective of what one is and does, it is joy that one is seeking. Some succeed in getting joy, some remain unhappy. Real joy, says Sri Ramakrishna, is the joy of the spirituality. Sri Ramakrishna himself was Joy Personified.

This book, comprising articles published in the December 2011 issue of the Vedanta Kesari, dwells on various aspects of his life and message and how one can become joyful by living the spiritual ideal he embodied.

Pages vi + 329

Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004

Price: Rs. 80/- + Postage: Rs.22/-for single copy. No request for VPP entertained OM NAMOSHIVAYA !

SRI RAMAKRISHNA YATHRA SERVICES ® New no. 120/1, Old no. 216/1 Ramakrishna Math Road (Opp. Ramakrishna Math), Mylapore, Chennai-600 004. Ph. : 044-24616968 / 24950095 Fax: 044-2462 0631 Mob: (0) 9444091428 / 9842711886 E-mail : srk.yathraservices@gmail.com

1. Holy Mount Kailash Manasarovar Yatra:

2. Sri Ramakrishna Yatra:

3. Kashi Yatra:

2013 YATRA PROGRAMMES Kathmandu –Manasarovar- Kathmandu—15 days (MaySeptember), Lahsa Trip (22 days) and Hillsa route by helicopter trip (12 days) is also arranged.

Nandi Parikirama, Inner Parikrama (May-September).

Mukthinath Yatra with Manokamna Sakti Pitha Darshan (at extra cost additional 3 days from Kathamandu) Mt.Everest Darshan—separate trip by chartered flight at extra cost.

Gurupitham Darshan: Belur Math (Kolkata) Kamarpukur, Jayarambati any other important places connected with Sri Ramakrishna.

Bhubaneswar, Puri, Kolkata, Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Kashi, Saranath Vindayachal Sakti Pitha, Sitamarihi, Allahabad, Madhura, Brindavan and Govardhanagiri.

We assist in air tickets (domestic / international), rail, bus tickets & passport, visa services

Organiser - G.S. Anandhan (Mob. # : (0)94431 44808)

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SRI RAMAKRISHNA ADVAITA ASHRAMA (HQS: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math) P.O. Kalady, Ernakulam-683574, Kerala Phone: 0484-2462345, Mob: 9447051231 E-mail: srkaadv@dataone.in The Ashrama has been running a free hostel for the poor & underprivileged children from classes V to X since 1936. They are provided with food, uniform, accommodation and education up to Xth Std. absolutely free of charge. They are admitted in the school managed by the Ashrama within its campus.

There is an urgent need for repair and renovation of the old hostel buildings and also creating a ‘Hostel Corpus Fund’ of Rs. 2 Crores for maintaining the hostel with 100 boys.

We appeal to the generous public, friends and well wishers to donate liberally for this most essential educational project.

You are also welcome to donate towards various other regular activities: a) Daily Puja & Seva; b) General Maintenance of the Ashrama; c) Charitable Dispensary; d) Widow’s Welfare.

Donations towards the activities of the Ashrama are exempt from Income Tax under 80G. Cheques or Bank Drafts may be drawn in favour of ‘Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama, Kalady’ and sent to the above address. Donations also can be sent directly through RTGS/NEFT to our A/c No. 338602010009164 at Union Bank of India, Kalady (IFSC Code: UBIN0533866).

Swami Amaleshananda Adhyaksha

THE RAMAKRISHNA MISSION INSTITUTE OF CULTURE GOL PARK KOLKATA - 700029

DEBESH KAMAL SCHOLARSHIP 2013 Candidates going abroad for higher studies may apply by 15 April 2013 downloading Forms & Rules from our website: www.sriramakrishna.org. or send a self-addressed envelope with stamp of Rs.5/-

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Swami Ramakrishnananda’s 150th Birthday Special Publication

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SWAMI RAMAKRISHNANANDA

Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi Maharaj), a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna wrote and spoke on a wide range of subjects, besides penning numerous letters to monks and devotees. The Complete Works of Swami Ramakrishnananda in three volumes bring together all his available writings in English, with translations from Bengali and Sanskrit.

Hardbound. Vol. 1, Pp.xlii + 469. Vol. 2, Pp.v + 462, and Vol. 3, Pp.vi + 542.

Price: Each Volume Rs.180/- , Complete Set (3 volumes) Rs.540/+ Postage (by registered packet): Rs. 30/- for single volume, Rs.40- for two volumes and Rs.50/- for the complete set. No request for VPP entertained.

Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 Email: mail@chennaimath.org

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NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE (FREE HOME FOR THE BLIND, ORPHAN AND AGED) TIRUCHANOOR, TIRUPATI - 517503. Ph : 0877-2239992, 9908537528 [Mob.] E-mail: sreenavajeevan@gmail.com Website: www.navajeevan.org

An Appeal 34 Years of Service to Humanity 1979 - 2012 1. Navajeevan School & Hostel for Blind Children – Tirupati, Parlekhimundi, Golamunda 2. Navajeevan Free Eye Hospital

– Tirupati

3. Navajeevan Free Home for Aged – Tirupati, Rishikesh, Parlekhimundi and Chennai 4. Navajeevan Harijan Sewa Ashram

– Kothapeta

5. Navajeevan Sharanagati Vridhashram

– Tirupati

6. Navajeevan Rural Medical Centres

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Berhampur [Orissa]

7. Navajeevan Eye Care Centres

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Serango [Orissa]

8. Navajeevan Orphanage Homes – Tirupati, Parlehkimundi, Saluru, Golamunda, Berhampur, Pandukal, Vizag

A Humble Request for Donation 1. Sponsor one day Annadan to Blind Children and aged

– Rs. 5000/-

3. Sponsor one blind child or Orphan child for one year

– Rs. 6000/-

5. Sponsor one free eye camp at Rural/Tribal area

– Rs. 50000/-

2. Sponsor 5 IOL Cataract Eye Operations

4. Sponsor one poor aged person for one year 6. Vidyadan—Educational aid for one Child

– Rs. 7000/– Rs. 5000/– Rs. 2000/-

Donor devotees can send their contributions by cheque/DD/MO to the above address on the occasion of birthday, wedding day or any other special occasion and receive prasadam of Lord Balaji Venkateswara of Tirupati as blessings.

Contributions to NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE, Tirupati are eligible for Tax Relief U/S 80G of Income Tax Act.

‘We can attain salvation through social work’ – Swami Vivekananda K. Sridhar Acharya Founder/ President

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Vol.100-4 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) April 2013. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 57. POSTAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:TN / CH (C) / 190 / 12-14. LICENCED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2012-14 Date of Publication: 24th of every month

Teach yourselves, teach everyone his/her real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come, when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity.

—Swami Vivekananda

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Subscription 10 years: ` 1000 2 0 1 3 T h e V e(inclusive d a n t a of K postage) e s a r i ~ IVAnnual ~ A P R :I L` 100 Contact: Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Website: www.chennaimath.org