The Vedanta Kesari March 2016 issue

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The Vedanta Kesari THE LION OF VEDANTA

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

Kuthibari, Dakshineswar, Kolkata

M arch 2016

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A view of the entrance to Dakshineshwar Kali temple (mark Kuthibari on the right)

Editor: Swami Atmashraddhananda Managing Editor: Swami Gautamananda Printed and published by Swami Vimurtananda on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust H 2 0 1 6 h e V e d a n t a KMath e s aRoad, r i  ~ 2Mylapore, ~ M A R CChennai fromT No.31, Ramakrishna - 4 and Printed at Sri Ramakrishna Printing Press, No.31 Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4. Ph: 044 - 24621110

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The Vedanta Kesari

103

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VOL. 103, No. 3 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 MARCH 2016

Gita Verse for Reflection

85

Editorial  Finding the ‘Ocean’ Within

86

Articles  ‘Listen, You Children of Immortal Bliss’ Shyamali Ghosh  Baba Premananda Bharati and the Vedanta Society Gopal Stavig  Theory and Practice of Eco-Yoga: Thoughts on How Yoga Can Help Remedy Environmental Issues K.V.Raghupathi Reminiscences  Reminiscences of Sargachhi Swami Suhitananda

91 104

110

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New Find  Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda

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Special Report  Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Sarada Vidyalaya, Chennai 108 The Order on the March 115 Book Reviews 119 Feature  Simhâvalokanam (Need for Sanskrit Study) Cover Story: Page 6

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The Vedanta Kesari Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 h (044) 2462 1110 (4 lines) Website : www.chennaimath.org For all authors and contributors : thevedantakesari@chennaimath.org For all subscription related inquiries: magazine@chennaimath.org TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS

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We invite our readers to liberally contribute to the Vedanta Kesari Permanent Fund. This will go a long way in placing this 100 years old magazine on firm financial footing to continue its service to the cause of a holistic and meaningful life. Your contributions (minimum of Rs.1000/- or US$ 25) by Cheque/DD/ MO should be sent to Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai, along with a covering note stating that it is meant for Vedanta Kesari Permanent Fund. Every contribution will be gratefully acknowledged and the donor’s name will be published in the Vedanta Kesari. All donations to Sri Ramakrishna Math are exempt from Income Tax under section 80G of the [Indian] I.T. Act, 1961.

We accept online donations also.

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Vedanta Kesari Library Fund Scheme Do you wish to join in spreading the message of Vedanta and of RamakrishnaVivekananda to larger number of people?

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The Manager, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 Email : thevedantakesari@chennaimath.org Website : www.chennaimath.org ‘Doing is very good, but that comes from thinking. . . .

Fill the brain, therefore, with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.’

—Swami Vivekananda

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N Cover Story N Kuthibari, Dakshineswar, Kolkata Sri Ramakrishna resided in Dakshineswar in two rooms. Besides the well known room at the far end of entrance to the inner courtyard of the temple, Sri Ramakrishna also lived (before shifting to the well-known room) in the building known as Kuthibari, situated at the entrance of the temple complex. Sri Ramakrishna lived in the room facing the river Ganges at the western corner of the building (see Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play tr. by Swami Chetanananda, p.184, the map of Dakshineswar temple, and p. 197, an old picture of the Kuthibari). A plaque, installed by the temple authorities, points that Sri Ramakrishna resided in Kuthibari for 16 long years and few months between 1855 and 1871. Besides Sri Ramakrishna, many others who occasionally stayed in different rooms of the building include Rani Rashmoni, Mathurbabu, Sri Ramakrishna’s mother Chandramoni Devi, his elder brother Ramkumar and others. It was here that Sri Ramakrishna heard sound of anklets worn by Divine Mother Kali. Standing on the roof of the building, Sri Ramakrishna used to send his divine call to his would-be disciples, ‘Where are you all? Come here and come to me.’ A sacred place, Kuthibari now enshrines a marble image of Sri Ramakrishna in standing pose (called studio picture) in the room where he lived and a public library and reading room in the adjacent hall. o

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

DONORS

722. Sri R. Venkatakrishnan,

Madhya Pradesh

Sri R. Venkatakrishnan, Madhya Pradesh Rs. 2000 Sri S. Dinakaran, Chennai Rs. 2000

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

5913. Prof. Gopal Chandra Bhar, W.B. 5914.

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AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

Govt. Degree College, Champawat, Uttaranchal - 262 523 Govt. Degree College, Joshimat, Uttaranchal - 246 482 Govt. Degree College, Talwari, Uttaranchal - 246 482 Govt. Degree College, Chamba, Uttaranchal - 176 310 Govt. Degree College, Karanprayag, Uttaranchal - 246 444 To be continued . . .

The Vedanta Kesari VOL. 103, No. 3, MARCH 2016 ISSN 0042-2983

E ACH

SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE.

T HE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN. 7

Gita Verse for Reflection Tr. by Swami Tapasyananda

—Bhagavad Gita, 12. 18-19

Alike to friend and foe, alike in honour and insult, alike in heat and cold, alike in praise and blame—unattached, contented, homeless, and steady in mind—dear to Me is a man who is thus devoted.

Chastity, non-injury, forgiving even the greatest enemy, truth, faith in the Lord, these are all different Vrittis. Be not afraid if you are not perfect in all of these; work, they will come. He who has given up all attachment, all fear, and all anger, he whose whole soul has gone unto the Lord, he who has taken refuge in the Lord, whose heart has become purified, with whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord, He will grant that to him. Therefore worship Him through knowledge, love, or renunciation.

—Swami Vivekananda, CW, 1: 193

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Editorial

Finding the ‘Ocean’ Within Those who have been to a sea beach recall with joy the experience of standing on the shoreline, watching the waves, with occasional running up of the sea water through their feet and the slipping sand underneath. It is a pleasant and refreshing experience, and to a first-time visitor, it can be quite exciting and sometimes unnerving—as if the earth was slipping out of their feet!

Something similar happens if one takes the Vedanta idea of the all-pervasive nature of Self, eschewing the apparent self, consisting of ego, body, mind and the attendant implications.

Emma Calve, the noted American opera singer, recounts how she felt when told about giving up the body-mind complex called individuality and to look beyond. She recalled,

getting rid of the fear of losing individuality, after duly questioning and analyzing it, will be our true individuality—the divine Godhood within. This divinity, again, is not limited to us but ever-present and everywhere the reality underlying the whole creation.

Speaking of the fear that one encounters while understanding one’s real Self, Swami Vivekananda pointed out,

‘I cannot bear the idea,’ I exclaimed. ‘I cling to my individuality, unimportant as it may be: I don’t want to be absorbed into an eternal unity.

The mere thought is terrible to me.’

‘One day a drop of water fell into the vast ocean,’ the Swami answered. ‘When it found itself there, it began to weep and complain just as you are doing. The great ocean laughed at the drop of water. “Why do you weep?” it asked. “I do not understand. When you join me, you join all your brothers and sisters, the other drops of water of which I am made. You become the ocean itself.

If you wish to leave me, you have only to rise up on a sunbeam into the clouds. From there you can descend again, little drop of water, a blessing and a benediction to the thirsty earth.”’1

While this may frighten many, it is not so if we know the reality. For what we find after T h e

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People are frightened when they are told that they are Universal Being, everywhere present.

Through everything you work, through every foot you move, through every lip you talk, through every heart you feel.

People are frightened when they are told this.

They will again and again ask you if they are not going to keep their individuality. What is individuality? I should like to see it. A baby has no moustache; when he grows to be a man, perhaps he has a moustache and beard.

His individuality would be lost, if it were in the body. If I lose one eye, or if I lose one of my hands, my individuality would be lost if it were in the body. Then, a drunkard should not give up drinking because he would lose his individuality. A thief should not be a good man because he would thereby lose his individuality.

No man ought to change his habits for fear of this. There is no individuality except in the Infinite. That is the only condition which does not change. Everything else is in a constant state of flux. Neither can individuality be in memory.

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and existence are one, then whatever I forget is gone. That part of my life which I do not remember, I did not live. That is a very narrow idea of individuality.

We are not individuals yet. We are struggling towards individuality, and that is the Infinite, that is the real nature of man. He alone lives whose life is in the whole universe, and the more we concentrate our lives on limited things, the faster we go towards death. Those moments alone we live when our lives are in the universe, in others; and living this little life is death, simply death, and that is why the fear of death comes.

The fear of death can only be conquered when man realises that so long as there is one life in this universe, he is living.2

The real individuality, therefore, is only to be found in the Self, the Divine Substance of our being. Individuality means the ultimate undivided something in us which defines and makes us. All concepts and definition based on body-mind are subject to change and destruction and are hence inconsistent with the ever-present reality of our being. This of course produces fear, which though unfounded, is a thing to be handled in the right way or else it becomes a great obstacle in our spiritual striving.

Life Beyond Fear On the face of it, fear is a powerful emotion. No one is devoid it. In some measure and form everyone has some fear or other. A popular verse says that desire for food, sleep, progeny and the feeling of fear is common to both animals and man. Only man, endowed with a superior intelligence and understanding can overcome these instincts and live a life of Dharma, righteousness, and ultimately discover his inherent divinity.

The fear of losing one’s individuality, as Swamiji points out in the above passage, is the one thing that needs to be dealt with. How T h e

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to do it? The path of Advaita Vedanta speaks of denying everything as a temporary reality called mithya and thus get rid of fear. Mithya is a much misunderstood term and Vedanta is at times blamed for denying the reality of daily, everyday life. The truth of course is far from this. Vedanta while treating the world as mithya only refers to its temporary, provisional and momentary status. Called vyavaharika satya, this practical or mundane reality is denied only in the sense that it is not a permanent reality. It is real, for the time being, but ultimately it is unreal. What is permanent, always is the ever real God, or Brahman. While denying the permanence of name and form that make our world, Vedanta also emphasizes the underlying reality called Brahman or Atman. In fact, the Vedanta says THAT alone is real, and the rest is only a temporary manifestation of It! So, a seeker or aspirant on the path of Vedanta can deny the permanence of fear by calling the world unreal. This is the highest state of being but is often not feasible for a large majority of seekers. What is the way then?

One way, according to Bhartrihari, the saint-composer of medieval India, is to remember the glory of renunciation.

Everything in this mundane world is fraught with fear; only a person who cultivates nonattachment and renunciation is freed from fear. Says Bhartrihari in his famous Vairagyashatakam, hundred verses on dispassion:

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In enjoyment there is fear of illness, in social position there is the fear of losing reputation, in wealth there is fear of kings, in fame there is fear of humiliation, in strength there is fear of enemies, in beauty there is fear of old age, in scholarship there is the fear of disputants, in virtue there is fear of the wicked, in life there is the fear of death. Indeed, everything in this M A R C H

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world is accompanied by fear. Renunciation alone leads to fearlessness.

Dive deep and make your way to Mother Kali’s realm.

Renunciation means giving up the temporary and holding on to the ultimate, permanent truth. Renunciation is always born of deep thinking and conviction in the truth of a lasting reality of life. A man of renunciation attains peace because he is no longer attracted and affected by the objects of senses. The objects come to him but he is not affected by them. Says Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita,3

One has to turn within in order find that ocean—that is the point. To discover the inner ocean means to find the everexisting Sat-chit-ananda, the never-exhausting Existence-Consciousness-Joy, within. Calling That, or Him or Her, by any name, Kali, Krishna, Shiva or any other name—it hardly matters.

Bhakti, surrendering all to the Divine Beloved, is another powerful and, much easier, way to get rid of this fear. Sri Krishna says in the Gita,4

He attains peace into whom all sense-objects enter, even as rivers enter an ocean which is unaffected though being ever filled, and not one who is desirous of enjoyment.

That person who is giving up all sense-objects goes about unattached, devoid of the sense of ownership and free from egoism—he attains peace.

One has to transcend the sensory level, even the level of ordinary intellect, to find the ocean of peace and joy that lies within.

All mystics have called upon to dive deep within to find this mystical truth. Sang Sri Ramakrishna, Dive deep, O mind, dive deep in the Ocean of God’s Beauty; If you descend to the uttermost depths, There you will find the gem of Love.

Taking the name of Kali, dive deep down, O mind, Into the heart’s fathomless depths, Where many a precious gem lies hid.

But never believe the bed of the ocean bare of gems If in the first few dives you fail; With firm resolve and self-control

Relinquishing all Dharmas, take refuge in Me [the Supreme Godhead] alone. I will liberate you from bondages, grieve not.

That is most wonderful, the very essence of scriptures—Godhead Himself assuring the mankind His help and assistance!

What happens if one finds that Inner Source? One becomes strong and develops an immense capacity to face the secret of life and death. As Swami Vivekananda points out: Do you know how much energy, how many powers, how many forces are still lurking behind that frame of yours? What scientist has known all that is in man? Millions of years have passed since man first came here, and yet but one infinitesimal part of his powers has been manifested. Therefore, you must not say that you are weak. How do you know what possibilities lie behind that degradation on the surface? You know but little of that which is within you. For behind you is the ocean of infinite power and blessedness.5

These reassuring words open the gates to a direct journey to reach the ocean of peace and eternal life within. What more do we need! o

References 1. Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples, Advaita Ashrama, 1.451 3. Bhagavad Gita, 2.70-71 T h e

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Simhâvalokanam From the Archives of The Vedanta Kesari (March, 1915-16, p. 339-341)

Need for Sanskrit Study LIEUT. COLONEL HIS HIGHNESS SHRI SEWAI MAHARAJADHIRAJ SIR JEY SINGHJI BAHADUR NARENDRA SHIROMANI DEO K.C.S.I., K.C.I.E., OF ALWAR

My countrymen! any organised system of education can cultivate the mind, but the mind is a dangerous thing if cultivated without discipline, and it is this particular discipline embodied in Dharma that is so necessary for us in order to make ourselves useful citizens of our country. And how is that Dharma to be obtained and learnt? It can no doubt to some extent be studied through translations, but translations are never the real thing and in order to obtain knowledge at first hand and in its original form, it is necessary to know our religion through the language in which it is embodied. That language is the glorious DevaVanee Sanskrit. If we do not make it our business to study this sacred tongue, how will it be possible for us to assume that position where we shall possess the necessary qualification for being able to give our wealth to others?. . .

It is not necessary for me to enlarge on the utility of studying Sanskrit, for it has been well understood and realised in olden times. It is only the modern circumstances which tend to move us in directions which are not altogether within our control that has resulted to some extent in a neglect of its study. Let us then make our best efforts to revive it once more and to sing its praises from one end of Arya Varta to the other as were sung in olden times by Dandin, Patanjali and Vishwanath in the Kavya Darsha, Mahabhashya, and Sahitya Darpana :—

Apart from its ancient glory the stress I lay upon the study of our sacred tongue is particularly with respect to the future. I understand that it is in this respect that our University T h e

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is to be so different from those that now exist, namely, that while the others only give secular education, this institution will not only teach Sanskrit but through it also the moral and religious side of life.

Gentlemen, I do not wish to detain you much longer because many of you present here are in a far better position than myself to realise the importance of the study of this sacred language in our country and will no doubt exert your influences and use your best endeavours to help our University to attain that end. I hope that as we have given it our good wishes as well as moral and material support that it will continue to receive the kind attention of our countrymen in order that its future advancement may be secured, and as the squirrel that laid its quota of dust to make a bridge in order to let the armies of Sri Rama proceed to Lanka, I hope you will not think me presumptuous to announce today that as a further addition to my subscription to our University—little as the sum may have been—my State [Alwar, in Rajasthan] will give a chair for Sanskrit Literature and Philosophy at a cost of Rs. 12,000 annually for the next five years.

Gentlemen, I know you must be impatient to listen to the lectures of the three different scholars who have been requested to deliver their address on Sanskrit, and as I have no doubt they will enlighten us with their eloquence more ably than I can, regarding the importance and esteem attached to this subject, I will detain you no longer and will call upon them by turn to give their speeches. Before doing so, however, I will say one more word. This is the first public function at which it has been my good fortune to preside in British India and it will in itself explain facts if you detect any omissions on my part in what I have attempted to say, but I am nevertheless proud of the fact that on this occasion I have had the good fortune of presiding over a subject which has been the ancient glory of our ancestors in the past and which is of such momentous importance for the future of our land and its sons.

If one day, and let us hope that may be within the lives of many of us present here today, this University begins to bear its fruit and our cherished hopes begin to fulfil themselves, and through the sympathetic and generous tutelage and guardianship of its present Rulers, India awakens and rises once more to its ancient glories it will be a pleasant day to look back to and to be able to feel that we were able to do our little best in giving to this institu­tion both our moral and material support. When the united efforts of all those concerned are able to create in the future sons of India, who are steadfast in their Dharma which is at the foundation of all right-living, loyalty, justice and advancement; then we shall have no cause to be ashamed of what little effort we have been able to make in this direction, and when the time comes for us to lay down our armour and to unbuckle our sword, we may then be able to say conscientiously to our successors that we tried to do our duty. o T h e

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Article

‘Listen, You Children of Immortal Bliss’ SHYAMALI GHOSH

The Eternal Message of Vedanta During his famous address at the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in America in September, 1893, Swami Vivekananda addressed the gathering as ‘children of immortal bliss’—amritasya putrah—a term taken from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (2,5).

The audience of more than 5000 was speechless and spellbound with his message of hope and universality.

Swami Vivekananda was a man of profound spiritual experiences.

It is the strength of this realization that deeply touched the innermost chords of the audience. His address emphasized the ‘state of oneness’ as the origin and destination of the entire human race, irrespective of its growing diversity in ethnicity, race, colour, religion or language. His message echoed the wisdom of the ancient Indian scriptures—the Vedas and Upanishads. Swami Vivekananda reiterated the Vedic concept of the immortality of the soul and the oneness of human existence.

This idea of oneness of existence, which Swamiji proclaimed, is derived from the

Hindu scriptural literature—the Upanishads.

The great ancient seers and sages of India acquired the divine truths in their superconscious state of meditation and delivered the wisdom to posterity through the Shruti and Samhita literature. Today their thoughts and teachings pertaining to all fields of science, society, politics, and above all philosophy, are being investigated and revalidated by physical scientists and philosophers alike. Besides, Vedanta has scientific, philosophical, and experiential foundations which we need to reflect.

This is essential to understand the human journey towards its coveted spiritual destination of oneness as the ‘children of eternal bliss’—amritasya putrah.

Vedanta philosophy influenced the thoughts of many famous western scientists like Einstein, Oppenheimer, Erwin Schrödinger, Wigner and many more. Vedanta literature is vast and many erudite scholars have put forward interpretations of each and every verse in this vast body of literature. The modern day annals of such quests (to ‘oneness’) are exemplified in the Godintoxicated lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy

Dr. Shyamali Ghosh, a Ph.D in Biochemistry from Bose Institute, Kolkata, taught in Jogmaya Devi College in Kolkata for about 15 years. Later she moved to Reykjavik in Iceland where she worked as a senior scientist in Population Genomics and is at present Project Leader for Icelandic Red Cross. She was initiated into spiritual life by Swami Omkaranandaji, Vice President of Ramakrishna Order, in Kankurgachhi, Kolkata. o T h e

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Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda and many other great mystics the world over.

Man’s Uniqueness Human race is accepted as the most evolved species. It is so because of ‘their evolved minds’ which have the power to think, analyze, and contemplate. No other living species is gifted with the faculty of multi-dimensional thinking. Human beings have a physical existence limited by the body and a causal existence beyond. This has been accepted by philosophers and scientists from both the east and the west since ancient times.

Pure science uses modern technology and analyzes all natural phenomena of the universe which includes everything that is living or non-living. It seeks answers about their existence, their origin, and their destination at the sensory level.

On the other hand, philosophical and metaphysical thoughts probe the same questions inwardly by delving deep within the human mind and spirit. Hence science and philosophy can be considered to be two parallel and complementary methods of study.

Interactively, they offer us insights on the total (physical and causal) identity of human beings.

The Idea of Vijnana The Sanskrit word Vijnana means an intense search for knowledge—physical as well as metaphysical. It is a continuing search for truth that never stagnates. This search is always for ‘more’, for something new which has not been achieved at that point of time; it is the search for the Eternal, the Vast Reality.

The Chandogya Upanishad (7.23.1) says, ‘yo vai bhuma tat sukham, nalpe sukhamasti—‘There is no happiness in the small; only in the Vast One there is [eternal] happiness.’ Hence this search has no boundary. It keeps enlarging T h e

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its reach to bigger and broader phenomena starting with earthly objects. It extends to the cosmos, or deeper to the molecular level of all objects and beings, including probing into the innermost core of the human mind and soul.

This extraordinary thirst has led both scientists and philosophers to continue to make amazing discoveries centering on human life and the human condition. For example, it led the pure scientists to discover the facts about the distant planets, stars, galaxies many million light years away, their beginnings and their deaths, about the mysteries in all the objects on the planet earth whether at the top of the highest mountains or in the unfathomable depths of the oceans.

Resolving the Old Conflict In the winter of 1895-96, Swami Vivekananda asked Nikola Tesla—the well-known scientist—at Sarah Bernhart’s party whether he could prove mathematically that matter is the same as potential energy. Swamiji believed that if this could be scientifically proven then ‘Vedantic cosmology will be placed on the surest of foundations.’ Tesla could not provide the answer at that point of time. However, ten years later in 1905, Albert Einstein, a young man in his mid-twenties, published five extraordinary papers which were forerunners of the theory of Relativity.

Though Swami Vivekananda did not live to see this extraordinary discovery, it removed some conflicts between scientific theory and Vedanta philosophy for the first time.

The fascinating development is that scientists are now turning inward, trying to seek answers from the fields of metaphysics and western and eastern philosophical thought, primarily Vedanta philosophy.

According to the findings of the physical sciences, all objects can be broken down to the

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common molecular, atomic and subatomic units of electron, proton, and neutrons and even further to smaller fundamental particles.

From the lowest virus to the highest homo sapiens, all have a guiding core of DNA, the guiding unit of life.

Coming to humans, we find that in spite of being made of the same basic units, they appear to be quite diverse. They differ in respect of looks, habits, and mental make-ups even if they are born as twins. This diversity is a fundamental law of nature and includes everything in its fold. The huge prehistoric animals, plodding the earth for many millions of years, gradually became extinct leaving the ground to the more fit species that could adapt better to the environment. All the while there was a general shrinkage in size; shrinkage in the ratio of body to brain mass. As the relative size of the brain increased, the reflective and analytical power heightened and so did the chance of their survival. Today’s modern flora and fauna have come about through a journey of many billions of years of evolution.

The biological ancestors of modern humans, the homo sapiens (means ‘wise men’ in Latin), inhabited this earth as far back as 3-4 million years BCE. This has been verified by the discovery of Ardi, believed to have existed 4.4 million BCE and Lucy, 3.2 million BCE. By looking at the simplified timeline structure of that development we realize that it has taken the human race almost four million years to reach it’s present stage of development.

In spite of so much alikeness, why and how each human being differs from one another is still a mystery at the molecular level.

Biologists are yet to find clear answers. The facts as to why the two opposite sexes differ so much at the mental, psychological, or at the social levels, are also subjects of intensive modern research. It is being clearly revealed T h e

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that subtle controls exist at the molecular levels to cause such variances.

Discovering Oneness The quest for something everlasting, and perhaps a tangible experience, dwelling on the meaning and purpose of human existence on earth started more than 5000 years ago simultaneously in different parts of the eastern world. The search for the unknown in the physical, metaphysical, and philosophical domains is an innate urge of the human mind irrespective of time, place, race, or country.

The Vedas and the Upanishads which date back approximately to 3500 years before the Christian era (with the help of more current discoveries of artifacts, it is being pushed to 6000 BCE) constitute the bedrock of Hindu philosophy. They deal with eternal queries of the human mind as to their origin, identity, and ultimate destiny.

Hindu philosophy does not accept the scientific concept that death is the cessation of the individual. It proclaims that the soul with its innate spark of divinity continues or may continue its onward journey even after the demise of one’s physical body. The soul is thought to be wrapped in layers of karma or samskara (impressions of past actions) which continue to accumulate or diminish as we pass from one birth to another.

The soul in itself is pure, sublime, and without any attribute. It wears these diverse garbs (of samskara) which makes each one of us look different, act in a different manner and experience different destinies. The cycles of births compel the individual soul to travel through different paths in each birth. Thus, with each rebirth, it accumulates or works on varied experiences, both good and bad.

The eternal urge of the soul is to attain the supreme liberation and it tries to

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evolve from the lower to the higher states of consciousness, just as a student is promoted from the kindergarten to the university levels. The course of this journey of the soul also involves the play of the free will (purushakâra), predestination (prarabdha) and divine grace. These ongoing cycles of reincarnation continue until the soul is completely stripped of all the adhering layers of karma. It finally merges with Brahman or Paramâtman to become one with the unlimited powerhouse of bliss, and achieves the eternal oneness and immortality.

In the light of this theory of essential oneness, it is really a misconception on our part to think that we are inherently different from one another. The veil of Maya causes this illusion and we accept it as true. The Brahman pervades all living beings and inanimate objects in spite of differences in appearances.

The Upanishads proclaim that the Brahman is like a full circle. It is eternally whole and complete, having neither a beginning nor an end. Hence Brahman can neither be increased by addition of anything nor can it be diminished by taking away any part from it. This is the essence of the well-known Shanti Mantra found in many Upanishads: Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnam udachyate Purnasya, purnamadaya purnameva avasishyatey. Om shantih shantih shantih || That is whole; this is whole; from that whole this whole came; From that whole, this whole removed, what remains is whole. Om, Peace, peace, peace.

Inner Investigation The great Rishis did not have access to our modern science and technology.

They investigated the same questions as the scientists by delving into the depths of the T h e

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multi-layered human mind, which became their principal search engine. Their techniques of yoga , introspection, meditation, along with their razor sharp intellect allowed them to reach deep into the subtle mental spheres.

The conceptions of soul, its immortality, reincarnation and that of an all-encompassing Brahman or Paramatman, were their unique contributions to the world of philosophy. On the basis of the knowledge acquired by direct realization, they announced to the world that human beings are amritasya putrah or children of immortal bliss, which sounds as a universal message of grand hope. This ‘all-inclusive’ philosophy transcends secular worldly knowledge and helps us to get a unified vision of the cosmos in its entirety. It explains the causes behind the physical variety of natural phenomena, including the diversity among human beings.

The word bliss entails much more than its dictionary meaning. This bliss is something impersonal, relative, and an evolving experience until it becomes allencompassing and immortal. It is independent of the object of reference and its surroundings.

According to Swami Vivekananda, life is a journey from lower to higher truths or from one state of being to the next. Whichever step of this eternal journey we are in at the present time, it seems to be true for that particular moment. In a similar way, the state of bliss is also relative. From a scientific perspective, it echoes the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, one of the fundamental bases of quantum physics. The theory states that for an atomic or subatomic particle, its position and momentum cannot be determined with accuracy at the same time.

As one’s soul ascends to the next higher stage of the journey, the corresponding truth changes and so does the nature of bliss. This

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long journey of the soul becomes complete when it merges with the supreme soul or Brahman. At this stage the outer world does not affect the mind or the soul as all are subsumed within the whole circle or Brahman, and therefore there is nothing left to relate to. In other words, the knower, known and knowable, all three merge into a state of undifferentiated ‘oneness.’ Sri Ramakrishna poetically called this as merging of the salt doll which had gone into the ocean to measure its depth.’ This ultimate realization allows the person to live in the physical world, but remain untouched by the trappings of his physical surroundings. Sri Ramakrishna’s life was a perfect example of such bliss.

In Swamiji’s words, The omnipresent God of the universe cannot be seen until He is reflected by the giant lamps of the earth: the Prophets, the Man-Gods, the Incarnations, the embodiments of God.

This holds true for all times past, present or future and exemplifies the veracity of the idea of amritasya putrah.

This unique realization was a direct result of his close association with Sri Ramakrishna. Swamiji proclaimed to the world that Sri Ramakrishna was LOVE personified.

His love was all encompassing and there was no discrimination based on status, religion, or any other aspect. To me, this all inclusive, unbounded love stands as an example of the ‘real godliness’ in the present world of conflicts and differences, and it leads one to the vision of ‘eternal oneness’ in everything (sarvam khalvidam brahma).

Shining Examples of the Holy Trio In studying the lives of Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi we note the inherent simplicity in all actions in their daily lives, exemplifying the highest divine T h e

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truths. In their everyday life they elevated themselves above the mundane smallness of our daily existence. They did not reject the material needs but showed how one may rise above such needs. They accepted all beings, low and high, with the same love. Their minds dwelt constantly in the spiritual plane. They transcended the barrier between the material and the spiritual and could also elevate others to a level of the highest consciousness by a mere touch or a look.

They practised and demonstrated in their lives the principles of the highest philosophical texts of the world while living in the company of worldly beings and behaving just as one of them. Just to be present in their godly company gave people an opportunity to have a foretaste of the ‘eternal bliss’. So also the life of Swami Vivekananda is an ideal example of universal integration and ‘oneness’. His outlook was one of acceptance (as in the case of embracing all aspects of life), unification (of sacred and secular), and harmonization (every religion is true).

In the closing sentence of his lecture on the 1st day of the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, Swami Vivekananda said, ‘I am proud to represent a religion in whose ancient language it is not possible to translate the word exclusion.’ The journey through birth, life, death, and rebirth is a continuum and it does not seek exclusion but accepts everything, every being, and every happening, good or bad, into its fold until it reverts back to its source of bliss. Swami Vivekananda declared that religion is a question of being and becoming and not of believing. ‘His was an all-inclusive vision—every aspect of (his) life was an illustration of a spiritual ideal waiting to be recognized, divinity manifesting’.

Assertion of Divinity

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We have discussed aspects of ‘immortality’ and ‘oneness’ of human existence from the scientific and philosophical perspectives, emphasizing Vedanta and lives of the holy trinity of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. It is also seen that in parallal, physical science establishes the basic pillars of unity in modern human beings in the form of correct alignment of 3 billion base pairs in their DNA. This discovery is one of the greatest leaps in the biological researches and has led us to the common genetic makeup of the entire human race while emphasizing diversity at the molecular level.

Vedanta asserts that all beings, living or inanimate, have in them a spark of divinity.

This truth prompted the Rishis from time immemorial to address human beings as amritasya putrah or ‘children of immortal bliss’.

For each individual, this tiny spark is packaged differently on the outer plane of existence aligned with their accumulated experiences (past karmas or samskaras) from previous births. These differences in the samskara cause the basic differences between two individuals (at the physical, mental and spiritual levels). After many reincarnations or rebirths, the divine spark in the soul is freed of all bondages of karma and samskara. It thus transcends the veil of Maya or illusion and merges into eternal oneness with the Brahman just as different streams having different sources ultimately mingle into the sea.

According to the eastern philosophical interpretations of life, the entire human race is alike at the level of object or Jada (translates as inert, lifeless) as has been proven by the genome project. But we differ (even between the two nearest copies like the homo zygotic twins) at the higher level of Chit or consciousness revealing the play of karma and samskara. Thus, reconciliation is achieved between the scientific and the philosophical thoughts on the concept of attaining the state of ‘oneness’.

Conclusion The message of ‘oneness’ and eternal harmony is best explained and sustained through the philosophical concepts of the Vedas and Upanishads, and is illustrated for mankind at large, and particularly for the ordinary householders through the lives of the Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. This ‘oneness’ is actually attainable in one’s lifetime by awakening one’s eternal identity as ‘a child of immortal bliss’ or amritasya putrah, and treating others as one’s very own. This nature of thought brings promise and hope to humanity and to the entire universe.

To conclude in Swamiji’s words, ‘As in business, everyone can achieve something in spirituality, whoever embarks on it.’ Spiritual life is within our reach if we choose to realize our innate spiritual identity. o

Select Bibliography 1. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda in nine volumes 2. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna recorded by ‘M’, tr.

by Swami Nikhilananda 3. ‘Vedanta And The 21st Century: Reality In Vedanta And Science’, in Folks Magazine by N S Rajaram 4. ‘Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Human Solidarity’ T h e

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by Ramin Jahanbegloo in Spirit of India 5. Nikola Tesla: The Genius Who Lit the World by Dr. Ljubo Vujovic 6. Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt (Jewish Lives) by Robert Gottlieb 7. Political Thought by Urmila Sharma and S.K. Sharma 8. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

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Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi SWAMI SUHITANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

Sargachhi is located in Murshidabad district of West Bengal and is well-known to the devotees of Ramakrishna Order for being associated with Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. The following writing is about another revered monk who lived in Sargachhi, Swami Premeshananda (1894-1967), a disciple of Holy Mother and well known for encouraging many young men and women, as also many married people to live a life of spirituality and service. The following reminiscences in Bengali, Sargachhir Smriti, is by Swami Suhitananda, the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math. He was a personal attendant of Swami Premeshananda for several years and while serving him noted his conversations and teachings in his diary. The same is being serially published in the Udbodhan (our Bengali monthly published from Kolkata) from its Jyaishtha, B.S. 1419 issue. These reminiscences have been translated by Sri Shoutir Kishore Chatterjee, a long-standing devotee from Kolkata. English words and expressions which appear in the original have been put within single inverted commas ‘ ’. The numbers ||1||, ||2||, etc., denote the serial numbers of the Udbodhan instalments. ||3|| 23.10.1958 In the morning [Premesh] Maharaj came back from outside. As he put off his clothes one after another, he said: How horrible is the life of a being! ‘Association’ and ‘identification’ are two different things. That I have made myself one with this body is identification—I regard myself permanently as this body. But when I say, ‘my clothes’, it means association. I have ‘identified’ with the body and that body ‘feels association’ with the clothes. (‘Identification = permanent association, Association = temporary identification’).

In the afternoon after Maharaj had taken a little rest, the attendant went to him. Maharaj said, ‘What is the difference between sleep and death? In sleep consciousness merges in nescience (ajnana), the same takes place T h e

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in death also. Yet in sleep the vital principle (prana) works on in its “momentum” and after sleep all the earlier “associations” remain; but in death the vital principle remains in “seed” form along with the mind and intellect in “potential” state and forgetting its past “associations” identifies itself with new “associations.”’

In the afternoon we had come out for a walk with Maharaj, taking umbrellas and seats (asanas) with us. Maharaj sat under a Bel tree by the side of the railway line and took rest.

There was conversation on various topics. On the way the attendant happened to crush to death a worm.

About that Maharaj said: In the scriptures there is mention of panchasuna (the five places in the house where a householder commits violence unaware—the oven, the grinding

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stone and the pestle, the broom, the hole under the husking pedal, and the pitcher) i.e. of five types of sin. You may consult a Sanskrit dictionary. Man often commits small acts of violence either unknowingly or to meet particular needs. Therefore our sages prescribed five types of sacrifices (yajnas) as redress. The five great sacrifices are—Brahmayajna (sacrifice for the sake of Brahman), nri-yajna (sacrifice for the sake of man), devayajna (sacrifice for the sake of gods), pitri-yajna (sacrifice for the sake of the manes), and bhuta-yajna (sacrifice for the sake of the creatures).

Attendant: Thakur [Sri Ramakrishna] has every now and then spoken about renouncing ‘woman’ and ‘gold’. But it is not possible for us to stay away from these if we have to do our work.

Maharaj: Thakur has said that men naturally are fond of women and women naturally are fond of men. Yet, unless attachment to this body goes, liking for God cannot come. That is why monks are so wary.

One must be always alert.

Attendant: Maharaj, what is the meaning of seeing God? Maharaj: There is no separate meaning of seeing God. To disengage and bring oneself out from the five sheaths (panchakosha) is called emancipation (moksha). This is the very meaning of sannyasa.

Attendant: Then why do we go to the shrine?

Maharaj: As long as I have consciousness of body, I have to pray to God. At that time we are dualists. That is why I say we are monistic performers of dualism (advaitavadi dvaitakari).

It means we know that Kali is that indivisible Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, only It manifests Itself through a form. Look at Thakur—at one moment the particularities [of the world] are T h e

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non-existent to him; next he sees everything is permeated by Brahman and the particulars appear; when he comes down another step he sees Narayana in everybody. In the very last stage, entering the shell of Ramakrishna, he becomes an ordinary man and dwells on Naren, Rakhal and others [disciples].

24.10.1958 In course of conversation with a certain person the attendant said, ‘If Thakur intends

Swami Premeshananda

so, it will happen.’ Maharaj heard that and said: So you too have started trickeries. Have you managed to discover what God intends and what he intends not? One can speak of God’s intention only after the ‘I’ has been

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completely annihilated. Therefore put more emphasis on self-effort (purushakara). See, if I give you a pinch, you will immediately jump and kick. The whole country has become out and out inert by repeatedly reciting ‘writing on the forehead (decree of fate)’ and ‘command of Allah.’

In course of a discussion on the relief work done by Ramakrishna Mission, Premesh Maharaj said: A meeting took place in Dhaka— there would have to be relief work. A devotee proposed that the monks of the Mission need to go from door to door to do relief. In the course of his speech he said that Swami Shivananda wants just like that. I protested and said that I have done door-to-door relief and seen it does not produce good results.

Rather it would be better if relief be done in an organized way from one place.

At that time an idealistic movement had formed with Sylhet as centre. All this was possible through the blessings of monks. I used to distribute Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature and the Gospel from door to door like a fisherwoman. I was born in a family of preceptors (Acharya). In my horoscope it was written that I would become a preceptor myself. Through the grace of the Maharajs that perverse plan came to be of use in the movement for the propagation of Thakur’s ideas.

25.10.1958 A monk from the Sarada Pith of Belur Math arrived early in the morning. He raised the question: Will there be any harm if at the time of meditation I meditate on Thakur instead of the figure of Guru?

Maharaj said: It is He who is our Guru.

He remains as a symbol in the form of the human Guru. In my boyhood I tried to meditate upon Thakur and found that the face T h e

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of Swamiji would appear repeatedly. For some length of time I kept the picture of Swamiji a little distance away. These are different stages of spiritual practice.

17.11.1958 A gentleman had come from Berhampur.

He said: ‘Everybody has his own philosophy’.

Premesh Maharaj immediately observed: My only philosophy is of Swami Vivekananda.

Another gentleman said: I saw there are two trees right at the ‘gate’ of the Ashrama— one is that of Kamini flower, the other that of Kanchan.

Premesh Maharaj made the quick repartee: Those two have been kept just outside the ‘gate’ of the Ashrama to signify that to enter the Ashrama one has to keep those two outside [Kamini stands for ‘woman’ or lustfulness and Kanchan for ‘gold’ or greed].

18.11.1958 Premesh Maharaj was returning from his walk around 9 in the morning. A Brahmacharin accompanied him. Maharaj had to take regularly jute herbs in his diet. As they passed through the fields it was found that jute had been cultivated in the fields on both sides. The Brahmacharin plucked and collected a few leaves from there. Maharaj at once said: To whom do these things that you are taking belong? Have you taken his permission? To take things like this amounts to stealing.

Have you not heard about the words of our Thakur?

In the Ashrama, Maharaj used to sit in an ‘easy chair’. That required some repair. I saw that an artisan was working; so I took it to him and got it repaired. After hearing this, Maharaj said: You see his wages are paid by the School.

You have not done the right thing by getting it done within that work time. Do one thing—

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give him these two rupees and ask him to do a little extra work [for the school] another day.

Maharaj used to take his bath on the veranda. The bucket he used was getting discoloured. He said to me: Ask Saroj (a monastic aspirant) to put a little paint on it.

But the very next moment he said: What’s the necessity! Nobody else has paint on his bucket—my purpose is served by this bucket as it is. Besides, if paint is put on it, who knows the cost thereof would be met from what source. You don’t have to get it painted.

9.12.1958 Attendant: Maharaj, Swamiji’s epithet Avatara-varishtha (the greatest among the Incarnations) is very ‘confusing’.

Maharaj: Why? Have you not attended some days ago the classes of so many professors? Do all the professors teach equally well? Again, does not the same professor teach extraordinarily on some days? If the listeners are excellent and the examination is drawing near, would he not teach putting all his heart into the teaching? The same has happened this time. The circumstances have become such that the Avatar had to manifest himself more.

Question: Does there remain any consciousness in deep sleep?

Maharaj: In deep sleep there is no sense of ‘I’—that sense is forgotten. I am not conscious of what I am. That is, my existence is covered by a veil; one gets the clue of one’s conscious self as soon as that veil goes away.

This means when one is conscious that veil does not remain there.

As the attendant went on talking about the various activities in the Ashrama, Maharaj said: See, there are two kinds of things in the world—‘acceptable’ and ‘rejectable’. You would have to decide, among all things of T h e

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the world, which ones would be ‘acceptable’ to you, and which ones, ‘rejectable’. Then, after taking your decision, you would have to go your own way; otherwise, you would only bargain about the price in the market, but actual shopping would still remain undone. In this context I tell you—keep it in mind carefully—that there are three kinds of ‘politics’: (1) ‘Newspaper politics’—to make noise about the news appearing in the newspapers, (2) Devotee ‘politics’—to waste time discussing which devotee is of what type, (3) Ashrama ‘politics’—to indulge in factional politics about the activities in the Ashrama.

That day a householder came and made some comments about a certain monk. Then he recited a verse which says, ‘Oh Yogi, what a mistake you have committed by colouring your clothes into ochre red without colouring your mind!’ I felt very much ashamed and embarrassed. That is why from the beginning I am warning you about your inner life.

Question: Maharaj, you put emphasis on self-effort (purushakara). But other monks emphasize grace. They say, unless there is grace of Thakur and of Holy Mother it will not happen.

Maharaj: The real thing is self-effort— ‘God helps those who help themselves’. More one’s veil of ignorance is removed, more one feels the attraction of collective consciousness (samashti chaitanya); it is that attraction which we call grace. You yourself will have to do something at least. In this context let me tell you a little about karma. Do you know that karma is of three types?—sanchita (stored), kriyamana (being worked out) and prarabdha (already begun). Somebody has 1000 rupees stored in the bank; he took out 300 rupees (prarabdha) to dig a tank. Out of that 200 rupees is kriyamana. Again the result of what is kriyamana is credited to what is sanchita.

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Therefore the movement of karma is ‘eternal’.

So there is no way to escape but through devotion to God. Unless you catch hold of God there is no way of escape from this vicious circle.

12.12.1958 Attendant: Maharaj, in the Gospel we read about the gunas—sattva, rajas and tamas.

But generally the monks are possessed of sattva-guna. What is meant by there being rajas and tamas types among them?

Maharaj: We have body, we have mind, we have intellect, and we have vital force.

Body, mind, intellect, vital force—these also have sattva, rajas and tamas. Take for instance, tamas of body. One intends to contemplate on God, but the body does not agree. One is sitting in the shrine but is unable to contemplate on God owing to tamas of mind.

The tamas of intellect is when one is unable to discriminate; one remains busy with whatever comes one’s way—there is useless frittering away of intellect.

13.12.1958 Maharaj: That fellow there prattled so long and argued whether God has form or is without form— tell me what gain came out of it. How long would one argue about withform, without form etc.? Only as long as one is not certain about one’s need. Verification of the market-price is over when one’s sense of need is fixed. Once the need is felt one would pay whatever price and take the thing. Plunge, plunge, plunge —take the plunge; once you take the plunge, you would know everything.

The devotion of the Mohammedans to their religion is noteworthy. Same is true of the Vaishnavas. The real purpose is to try to drive the mind inwards.

When the ‘electricity’ in the ‘bulb’ realizes, ‘I am not the “bulb”, I am “electricity”’, it feels that the same electricity is present in all bulbs. Then it becomes vast (virat). Thereafter, during daytime that ‘electricity’ remains within itself—at that time it is independent (svarat). I will be glad if you think over this now and then. That is, as consciousness I am all-pervasive; again during the state of samadhi that same I feels ‘I am Brahman (aham brahma asmi).’

One cannot say in words what happens when one perceives Brahman. Then does it become ‘nothing’? No, it becomes sat (‘continuous existence’). Does it become unconscious? No, it becomes chit (unbroken consciousness). Does it remain insensate as wood? Does it not have happiness or misery?

No, then there is only bliss, without any trace of joylessness. This Existence-Knowledge-Bliss is no other than this ‘I’ which says ‘I,’ ‘I’. I have myself forgotten what I am. Combining together and covering myself with five sheets, I think myself as situated within the body, the mind and the intellect. I have swollen this ‘I’ like a balloon by blowing air into it. But if I prick into it with a needle, anger and conceit would gush out.

That very Existence-Knowledge-Bliss reveals Itself sometimes as Krishna and sometimes as Kali. As long as I am not aware of my true self, I imagine various forms in my mind.

(To be continued . . . .)

By repeating a hundred times, ‘I am a sinner’, one verily becomes a sinner. One should have such faith as to be able to say, ‘What? I have taken the name God; how can I be a sinner?’ God is our Father and Mother. Tell Him, ‘O Lord, I have committed sins, but I won’t repeat them.’

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New Find

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1 India.

Ramakrishna Advaita Ashram.

Luxa. Benares City.

Feb 24. 10.

Dearest Grannie,2 You will see from the above address that I am at Benares. I have been here for the last three weeks for a especial purpose but everything has turned out just the opposite of what I thought. I told you of the death of Jogin Ma’s son-in-law about four years ago and the consequent poverty to which the family of Jogin Ma’s daughter were reduced. They had been pulling on somehow however when about two months ago the whole family consisting of Jogin Ma’s widowed daughter and her six sons (all minors and the eldest not more than fourteen years old) became a prey to the new disease “berry-berry” or the swollen epidemic. The doctor advised a change of climate as the only remedy & I sent them to Benares making arrangements with the friends here to look after them. Three days after their arrival a boy of eleven died and another of the age of seven in a fortnight. I hastened here with Jogin Maa after hearing of this second death and secured a better house and better medical help for the rest. But all were of no avail, the mother of the children (Jogin Maa’s daughter) died twelve days ago & she, the only child of Jogin Ma! Poor Jogin Maa, she has been trying hard to remain calm under the blow! But so it is said, ‘the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’! She had been inquiring of you the other day even in this state of her mind and told me to tell you of her woe when I write to, wishes me at the same time to send you her love. My mother would have been of great help to her, had she been living at this time. I have spent in all Rs.400 for the poor family out of your last remittance, for Jogin Maa has no money to call her own except what barely meets her own expenses—and her wants too are very few. She was going to spend that too for her only child but I did not let her do. My mind is so full of this sad event now-a-days that nothing else is coming to me to tell you in this.

I hope yourself and Mrs.Vaughan are well. When do you think you will be able to come to us Grannie? Kindly tender my warm rememberances to Agnes and Santi & to all friends there who care to have them.

With my dear love & blessings to Grannie and prayers to Sri R. that she might be kept with us for a long long time to come, Ever yours affectionately Saradananda

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P.S. Kindly direct your reply to the Math, Belur, Howrah and if possible send me some more money when convenient.

Yrs, S.

Math. Belur. Howrah. India April 28, 10.

Dearest Granny – I thank you for your kind letter informing me of the sending of the draft for £ 30. I am really ashamed to think that I troubled you for it at a time when you are yourself so ill—and pray that you might get well soon and be spared to us all for a long time to come. Please do not write until the doctor advises you and you feel free. I wish I were with you and permitted to do what little I could to serve.

You need not be anxious about M’s being taken into the Math or Mission. Again I am sure his liking for us is not such as to seek for the same.

About our authorizing Mr.Whitmarsh[?] about the books of S.V. I frankly acknowledge I have been misled by Jane’s[?] letter. She wrote to me to do it or get it done as soon as possible for she wrote ‘we are trying to get the control of all of Swamiji’s books’ and that Mr.Whitmarsh is Mr.Leggett’s successor & so on. We thought the ‘we’ in her letter included yourself too—and as you all in the short[?] think it best to give the authority to W- we here ought not to have any objection. However I have been talking the matter over with Sister Nivedita and think it best to authorize a respectable firm as the Longman’s about them (books) if you agree to the proposal.

You can have the opinion of Mrs.Leggett etc about it and see what can be done towards that end, when you are well.

Poor Santi—remember me kindly to her. Yogin Maa is grateful indeed for your kind sympathy and sends her love to you and prayers for your speedy recovery. She too is having the same experience as Santi, with her old mother. Remember me kindly to Agnes, when you write to her. I hope she is well.

With loving and grateful regards from Your affectionate boy as ever P.S. I paid Sister Christine her grant till March 1910 inclusive, before she sailed, though I thought at first I would not be able to do it. Of course I borrowed the money for the same.

Yrs, S. References 1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

2. Mrs. Sara Bull, an American disciple of Swami Vivekananda

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math T h e

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Article

Baba Premananda Bharati and the Vedanta Society GOPAL STAVIG

(Continued from the previous issue) Bharati Comes to Los Angeles Reverend Benjamin Fay Mills (1857-1916) an extremely successful evangelist organized a two-month long parliament of religions called the ‘Venice Assembly.’ He invited Baba Bharati, whom he advertised as ‘The holy man of India’ and ‘The distinguished sage and mystic from India,’ to give a series of lectures at the large Venice Auditorium near Los Angeles in August 1905. Two years later Bharati ‘paid a warm tribute to Mr. Mills, whom he said brought him here from Boston and has been a brother to him.’ Five years earlier it was Rev. B. F. Mills who was responsible for bringing Swami Vivekananda to Northern California. Mills invited Swamiji to come there, paid for his train ticket and offered him large audiences to speak to at his Unitarian Church.8 Bharati soon realized that Los Angeles was the ideal city for him to teach his religious ideas and gather a following. At Blanchard Hall in September 1905, he offered a number of lectures, where Vivekananda had formally addressed the public. He established the first Krishna Home in the United States at 730 West 16th Street in Los Angeles. It included

an ashram, temple and publication facilities for his new journal the Light of India (later renamed in 1910-11 as East and West) created in October 1906 to spread his message, with Rose Anthon serving as editor. In that year she published the book Stories of India, which was reprinted in New Delhi in 2001.

Bharati attracted a great deal of public attention with his outspoken teachings that criticized Western materialism and colonialism, along with a missionary critique of Hinduism.9 The Krishna Home received a visit from the distinguished Maharaja and Maharani of Baroda in June 1906. They came on a tour of the United States in order to study the industrial methods of the country for the purpose of improving the standard of living in Baroda (in Gujarat). One month earlier, the couple attended the farewell reception in New York held for Swami Abhedananda upon his return to India. The Maharaja ‘spoke in high terms of praise of the work which Swami Abhedananda had accomplished in the United States, both in spreading the great teachings of Vedanta and in awakening a true sympathy and love for India.’10

For over 50 years the author has been a member of Vedanta Society of Southern California, USA. He is the author of the book Western Admirers of Ramakrishna and His Disciples, edited and published by Advaita Ashrama Kolkata, and has contributed thoughtful articles to various religious and philosophical journals including The Vedanta Kesari. o T h e

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Bharati mailed a copy of his book Sree Krishna to Leo Tolstoy in Russia. In an affectionate letter of response dated 16 February 1907, Tolstoy emphasized: The metaphysical religious ideas of the doctrine of Krishna so well exposed in your book,—is the eternal and universal foundation of all true philosophies and all religions. . . Humanity must unite in one and the same faith, because the soul of every man—as you know it—only seems to be multiple and different in every individual, but is one in all beings. And therefore dear brother, I think that you ought to put aside your national traditions and likings and expose only the great universal truth of your religion.

Though Tolstoy far preferred the writings of Vivekananda, he had Bharati’s anti-colonial article ‘The White Peril’ translated into Russian.11 One of the Baba’s followers in Los Angeles, Adelia Bee Adams informs us that his followers had daily, almost hourly, privilege to know what manner of life he lived. The uniform sweetness of his character, his almost childlike candor in all his dealings with friends, united to a giant intellect and profound wisdom with a very human sympathy for the frailties of mankind, together with his untiring efforts to lead them into the changeless joys of a spiritual life, compel unqualified devotion in those who know him intimately.12

a spiritual consciousness whose atmosphere must envelop the very heart of life and penetrate the strata of its soul. . . Nigh unto five years you have been with us, an ascetic in the midst of householders, living a life of simplicity when luxury might have been yours had commercialism been your forte. Without purse or scrip you came to us, and without money or material reward you labored here.

Several hundred friends attended the farewell reception for Bharati, including Swami Sachchidananda II (the younger) who offered him praise. Sachchidananda, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, received training from Swami Trigunatita in Northern California, and then took over the leadership of the Vedanta Society in Los Angeles, commencing on December 31, 1904. After Bharati’s departure, services were held at the Krishna Home for a couple of months, under the supervision of Elizabeth King and Charles P. Neilson.

It was Neilson an artist and good friend of Vivekananda, who took two photographs of Swamiji in Alameda, California, during April 1900 that are now part of the Vivekananda collection.13 Baba Bharati described his meeting with Swamis Trigunatita and Prakashananda in San Francisco while he was en route to Seattle on a return trip to India in July 1907:

In the summer of 1907 Bharati prepared to return to India accompanied by six American disciples including Rose Anthon. At his farewell reception in Los Angeles Reverend Benjamin Fay Mills made the following statement: [As] the hour of your departure draws near, we, your American students, find ourselves viewing with heavy, yet grateful hearts the rich harvest which your sojourn in our midst has left in your trail . . . You have given to the Western world T h e

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We were sandwiched between two Swamis and they pressed us into sweet jelly. My, the warmth of the reception! We had Hindoo dinners, a dozen courses cooked in right orthodox Hindoo style by the younger Swami himself—Swami Prakashananda, the young man who speaks so little but loves so much to serve one with all his ascetic heart and soul. He snatched away from me all the laurels I had gathered in Los Angeles as a first class Hindoo chef. But the daintiness of his dishes took away all pang of their loss. And dear, old Trigunatita was amiability itself. He wears still the heart of the rambler of the Holy M A R C H

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Road, despite his American dress. His old-world goodwill, the merry twinkle of his eye are still twinkling in our memory.14

April he left for a speaking tour of the East Coast that lasted for several months. Among other locations he lectured at the New York Sanskrit College. Bharati claimed,

Bharati Returns to India Bharati then revisited India for a threeyear stays, 1907-10. In Calcutta during April 1909, he was invited to participate as a representative of Vaishnavism in a Convention of Religions under the sponsorship of the Ramakrishna Mission. There he shared the platform with Girish Chandra Ghosh whom Bharati’s biographer describes as a ‘friend’ of his. He formed the Indo-American Zenana Society to educate high-caste Indian women along Hindu lines rather than attempting to Westernize them. This work was undertaken

by Rose Anthon who remained in India until 1914, and Christina Albers (1866-1948).

The German born Miss Albers heard Swami Vivekananda speak on many occasions in Northern California in 1900 and later wrote a tribute to him that appeared in the Prabuddha Bharata of August 1938. She lived for a long time in India and was active with the Maha Bodhi Society which reprinted one of her books on India in 1949. Bharati was the chairman of a convention held in December 1910 comprising the Vaishnavas of Orissa and the Northern Telugu country. After making the decision to return to America, many noted countrymen gathered in Madras to attend his farewell.15 Baba Bharati returned to the West during 1910-12. First, in July he established a new Krishna Temple at 1240 Dana Street in Southeast Los Angeles. In the temple he enshrined Krishna, Radha and Chaitanya, while performing an evening arati accompanied by the waving of lights. He taught his American disciples to participate in kirtans and to sing bhajans. The following

About five thousand persons, without renouncing their creeds, believed in his interpretation of the Hindu faith. The underlying principle of his creed, he said, was to know God by knowing the inner Self.

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He then on June 29, 1911 sailed for London with his friend Robert Todd an English railway builder, and then later proceeded to Paris, France. In Europe he received far less newspaper coverage than he had in America.16 In poor health by late November 1912, Bharati returned to Bombay. During April 1913 he engaged in a series of lectures given to the Madras public, under the sponsorship of Justice P. S. Sivaswami Iyer.

His Passing away and Thereafter Notice of Baba Bharati’s passing appeared in many American newspapers. Among other things Rose Reinhardt Anthon wrote for G. A. Natesan’s Indian Review (February 1914), ‘A bigger heart, a greater spirit coupled with as gigantic an intellect and as broad a humanity as lodged in the frame of Baba Bharati will not come our way again’ and in the Los Angeles Times (March 2, 1914) she stated, ‘The Baba was a good friend to me, and a man of bigger heart, broader sympathies and greater soul it has never been my fortune to meet.’ On June 30, 1914, Miss Anthon in a letter to the American poet Edwin Markham (1852-1940) wrote of Bharati’s passing:

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No doubt you have heard of our dear Baba’s passing on Jan 24th 1914. I had the wonderful privilege and deep sorrow of being present when he made the Great Change. He went as do the Big Ones of the world, fully conscious, every M A R C H

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sense alert and clean and foretelling his going to the half hour. He went forth from here to there with a chant on his lips, triumphantly and joyously as one who has found and conquered much. It was a wonderful experience to have been there in that hour—quite worth having been born for.

Markham, known as the ‘Dean of American Poets’, had previously published a poem in Abhedananda’s journal (and the Prabuddha Bharata) and had spoken at his Vedanta Society.17 The Yogi Publication Society in Chicago who originally published books written by Yogi Ramacharaka, many decades later wrote, In the closing years of the 1800s, Baba Bharata (Bharati sometime went by this name) became acquainted with William Walker Atkinson . . . The men collaborated and with Bharata providing the material and Atkinson the writing talent, they wrote the books which they attributed to Yogi Ramacharaka.

The Yogi Publication Society business admitted, ‘We can’t account for archives and record-keeping dating back to the early years when the authors were living and collaborating . . . Therefore we are not able to vouch for its authenticity.’

There is no doubt that Atkinson knew and praised Baba Bharati. The as-

sertion, ‘The men collaborated and with Bharata providing the material and Atkinson the writing talent’ appears to be a sizable overstatement.

It is possible that Baba William Walker Atkinson Bharati inspired Atkinson, to write on Indian subjects, but to what extent we do not know. William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932), a highly successful author and attorney, was one of the most influential writers associated with the ‘New Thought’ movement.

When Atkinson published under the pen name of Yogi Ramacharaka (1903-09), he helped to popularize Indian religious concepts in America, with Yoga philosophy being his primary interest along with the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. The 13 works of Yogi Ramacharaka have been widely translated throughout the world including Gujarati and Hindi, and after a century are still being reprinted. Four of them can be downloaded on the computer free of charge.18 o (Concluded.)

References 8. Los Angeles Herald (July 4, 1905), p. 4; (Aug. 7, 1905), p. 2; Los Angeles Times (June 22, 1907), p. II6; Bharati (2007), p. xlvii; Stavig (2010), pp. 331-33.

9. Bharati (2007), pp. xlviii-xlix.

10. Bharati (2007), p. xlviiI; Stavig (2010), pp. 738-39, 11. Bharati (2007), pp. lxxvii-ix.

12. Carney (1998), pp. 161-88.

13. Bharati (2007), p. lvi; Light of Asia (July 1907), pp.

355-56; Burke, (1987), VI, pp. facing 112, 133-34.

14. ‘Email correspondence with Professor Gerald T h e

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Carney’ (June 9, 2005); Light of India 2 (Jan. 1908), p. 22; Stavig (2010), p. 883.

15. Bharati (2007), pp. lvii-lx; Carney (1998), pp. 16188; Stavig (2010), pp. 396-98.

16. Bharati (2007), pp. lxi-iii; New York Tribune (June 30, 1911); Carney (1998), pp. 161-88.

17. Bharati (2007), pp. lxiii-iv.

18. Web: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_ Atkinson; users.telenet.be/ananda/ramach.htm; williamwalkeratkinson.wwwhubs.com

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Special Report

Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Sarada Vidyalaya, Chennai The School Sarada Vidyalaya, the well-known girls’ school in Chennai, under the Belur Math, Kolkata, celebrated its platinum jubilee on 8-9 January 2016. Sarada Vidyalaya schools are known for providing wholesome education for all-round development of girls.

The founder of the school was Sister Subbalakshmi, one of South India’s wellknown social reformers. She had been widowed at the age of nine and the family, consisting of her parents and four sisters moved to Madras, now Chennai, to find a new life for her. This was necessary if she were to escape the tragic fate that awaited all widows, such as shaved head, wearing prescribed attire, eating prescribed food and generally leading lives circumscribed by societal rules.

Subbalakshmi’s progress was beyond their wildest imaginings. She stood first in the presidency in her school leaving examination. She was the first woman graduate in the presidency, with a degree in Chemistry. She trained as a teacher and thus started a brilliant career, a life lived for others, fighting for the rights of other women in a position of subjugation as widows.

Sister Subbalakshmi founded the Sarada Vidyalaya for girls to empower them through education to live economically self-sufficient lives. Wanting T h e

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to further this for posterity, she handed the institution over to the Ramakrishna Math, which was to prove to be a far-sighted decision because her carefully nurtured creation would pass into the best possible hands, hands that were supported by the words and teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the Holy Mother, the school bearing her name.

The Celebration The two day platinum jubilee celebrations were held at the Usman Road branch of the school, where there is a 70 year old temple dedicated to Sri Venugopalaswamy— Shri Krishna playing the flute. This temple used in the past for various events was renovated in 2014-15, with photographs of the Holy Trinity installed. Further renovations

Shrine hall at Sarada Vidayala

had taken place in the last two months in preparation for the 75th anniversary. So also the Shrine Hall in the campus has been renovated,

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Speakers in the public function

After the unveiling of Holy Mother’s statue

with new marble floors, now air-conditioned, with tastefully framed pictures of the direct disciples of Sri Thakur adorning the wall.

However, the piece de resistance is the installation of a statue of the Holy Mother in a mandapam, built by Shankar Sthapathi at the centre of the grounds. The statue was sculpted

by Sri Rajendran with a small tasteful garden adding immense beauty to it.

On the morning of 8th January, priests chanted the Vedic Mantras earlier in the morning, followed by a detailed puja to the Holy Trinity by Swami Shantatmananda, the Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi.

The programme began with traditional welcome accorded by primary school students and teachers to Swami Gautamananda, Adhyaksha of the Chennai Math, and Swami Suhitananda, General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Belur Math.

Swami Suhitananda unveiled the statue of the Holy Mother. After making a pradakshinam, the Swamijis were greeted with a rare sight—75 primary school girls dressed as Holy Mother were sitting in an enclosure. Later, both the revered monks and other monks from various centres of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission took part in the Puja and Homam. Distribution of prasadam to one and all followed.

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The evening saw a huge turnout— old students, parents, current batch of students. Swami Gautamananda and Swami Suhitananda addressed the audience and expressed their joy at being part of the celebrations. The Chief Guest, the celebrated legend Dr V Shanta, Chairman of the Cancer Hospital, Adyar, spoke with great feeling to the audience of the qualities that made for strong character—determination, focus, integrity. The programme concluded with a dance drama Srinivasa Kalyanam followed by a dramatised summary of the Ramayanam.

The next evening saw the Old Girls’ Association where retired Headmistresses, old teachers and students in large numbers took part enthusiastically. Once the formalities were over, Smt. Nithyashree Mahadevan, the well-known Carnatic singer and an old student of Sarada Vidyalaya, gave a grand concert that delighted the audience. This was followed by groups of alumni and retired teachers performing on stage.

All in all the Platinum Jubilee celebrations were a memorable occasion, marking the tangible presence of Holy Mother in the campus, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere, creating a focal point from which everyone can draw inspiration and go about their tasks in the new year. o

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Article

Theory and Practice of Eco-Yoga Thoughts on How Yoga Can Help Remedy Environmental Issues K.V.RAGHUPATHI

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

Patanjali Yoga Several forms of Hatha Yoga are in vogue but these forms are mainly concerned with physical fitness. These have nothing to do with environment. The focus here is on Patanjali’s Astanga Yoga wherein the first two limbs, Yama and Niyama are crucial for linking with eco system. These are dos and donts. These constitute ethical discipline which is essential for leading a higher life that is, spiritual.

For spiritual life ethical discipline is like foundation. If this ethical discipline is strong, the yogi can lead a spiritual life with ease and comfort.

Unfortunately, in the present day practice of Yoga, ethical discipline is not given its due importance and focus. Hence the Yoga practiced now all over the world has been reduced to physical fitness exercise. But the real Yoga begins with ethical discipline found in the first two limbs, Yama and Niyama.

One of the significant meanings attributed to Yoga is ‘balance’. When we are inwardly balanced, we are also balanced in relationship to our environment. This is borne in the comprehensive understanding of the ethical code of Yoga which covers the whole range of man’s conduct and behavior not only to his own biological system but to

his own environment. The practice and strict adherence to this ethical code in one’s own life will streamline the system in such a way that a perfect balance is attained without leading to extremities.

‘Balance’ is opposed to the word ‘excess’.

Excess leads to imbalance and disease. Man in the present day world is suffering from this ‘excess’, hence he causes damage not only to himself but to his own environment resulting in disharmony. How to restore and achieve this ‘balance’, not only at individual level but in relation to environment?

Ten Cardinal Principles of Yoga The ethical code expounded in Yama and Niyama comprises ten principles. The five moral disciplines of Yama are succinctly put in the following sutra: ‘Ahimsa-satyasteyabrahmacharyaparigraha yamah’. They are: ahimsa (non-hurting, non-killing), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence, i.e. chastity) and aparigraha (freedom from greed).

The five cardinal disciplines of ‘Niyama’ are succinctly put in the following sutra: Shauca-samtosha-tapah-svadhyayaesvarapranidhanani niyamah. They are: shaucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas

Dr. K.V. Raghupathi is Senior Assistant Professor in English, Central University of Tamil Nadu. Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu. He has a number of articles and books to his credit. o T h e

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(contemplation), svadhyaya (self-study) and The practitioner should keep a strict Isvara pranidhana (devotion to the Lord). watch over his mind, emotions, words and Let us first deal with the five moral actions and start regulating them in accordance disciplines of Yama. The first with his ideal. Slowly as he moral principle is ahimsa. It practices, the cruelties and really denotes an attitude and injustices involved in his mode of behavior towards all thoughts, actions and words living creatures based on the will gradually evaporate recognition of the underlying and the right course of unity of life. It is non-violence conduct will become known in thought and deeds. It is intuitively. And gradually the root of all other ethical this will transform itself into norms. This ahimsa consists the positive and dynamic in reverence for all forms of force. The tender compassion life without discrimination. will flow towards all living The Yogi recognizes that the creatures. Ahimsa (nonprinciple of life force that injury) is paramo dharmah flows in all creatures is the (righteousness). same. Only the forms are The second principle of different. If this principle Yama is asteya (non-stealing). is recognized the Yogi will It implies that we should respect all creatures without not take more than what is harming in violence. required. That which does This leads to the not belong to us belongs to principle that all must coNature. Also it implies that exist, that no one has a right taking that which does not to kill another, that no one has A traditional image of Sage Patanjali belong to us amounts to theft a right to take away life from or exploitation. Exploitation any creature. This also implies we should is robbing or stealing. It should really not be choose a life style that will be simple and interpreted as abstaining from stealing but contented. This principle checks the principle abstaining from misappropriation of all kinds. of ‘excess’ which leads to robbing the resources This principle also checks the principles in the form of destruction. Once the ‘excess’ of ‘excess’, i.e., imbalance. Non-stealing on is checked through this principle, perfect the other hand restores ‘balance’. This also relationship with environment is established. leads to live in the Spartan fashion to which Hence, among all the ten moral disciplines yogis are accustomed. By this principle we ahimsa is considered the root. can avoid what has been called ‘conspicuous There are many people who without consumption’ including the needless wasting practising an iota of it enter into academic of food and water which is a common sight at discussions as to how far and to what extent it academic seminars, workshops, conferences is practicable in life. This is essentially a wrong and social gatherings like marriages, public approach. places like hotels and hostels. Instead we T h e

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can minimize wastage, and learn to use our surplus to improve the living standards of our less fortunate and deprived sections of society. It is said that in our country as many as 300 million people do not get to eat even one decent meal a day.

Similarly the third principle of Yama is aparigraha (greedlessness). Though it is translated as absence of greed but nonpossessiveness perhaps gives the underlying idea better. The tendency to accumulate worldly goods is so strong that it has become almost a basic instinct in human life. The root cause of environment destruction is greed. Greed implies exploitation which in turn deprives the right of others to share the resources of our planet. The planet belongs to every one of us; hence, everyone has a right to use that which is required and not exploit. This creates consciousness which strikes a balance between giving and taking. For instance, if we are cutting down one tree, we must plant at least two. This kind of thinking and conscious living will establish harmony between us and nature. Eco-yoga thinking demands that we help replenish our planet’s resources.

The practice of satya (truthfulness) checks pollution in the environment. It means strict avoidance of all exaggerations, equivocation and pretence. Satya implies simple and honest living which further does not imply breaking promises and making unnecessary promises beyond man’s limits, that if fulfilled will lead to exploitation and destruction. Ecologic thinking demands that we should lead an honest life in order to facilitate the world to exist, the planet to survive.

The fifth principle of Yama is Brahmacharya (celibacy). It means abstinence when in youth at the individual level and moderate indulgence when married. The practitioner conserves the excess and utilizes it for loka T h e

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kalyana (well-being of the world). Austerity is thus a necessary part of the Yogic discipline.

The excess energy is utilized for social reconstruction and not for social destruction.

For instance, the sexual energy is used for procreation to maintain human race. In fact, that is the meaning attributed to marriage in our scriptures. The surplus can be transformed into spiritual energy which can be used for social reconstruction like helping the poor and the deprived and conserving the environment by taking up tree plantation, maintaining gardens within the premises of government offices and houses and so on.

Let us examine how effective the five principles of Niyama are in maintaining ecological balance. What is purity (shoucha)?

According to Yogic philosophy and the Upanishads the whole of the Universe, seen or unseen, is a manifestation of Divine Life and pervaded by the Pure Consciousness.

Therefore all life is pure and divine. Being truthful is the same as being in harmony with Nature. Unselfishness is more paying, only people don’t have the patience to practice it. It is not true that man has to be greedy to survive.

This principle of shaucha (purity) can be understood in a wide ecological sense.

It implies purity in thinking and deeds. A pure mind easily and naturally thinks pure thoughts and feels pure emotions and it becomes difficult for it to entertain undesirable thoughts and emotions in the same way as it is difficult for an impure mind to entertain high and noble thoughts and emotions. This pure mind eliminates pollution in our own life.

All pollution outside is linked with pollution within us. If we are clean in our thinking, free from all kinds of evil thoughts, it will automatically reflect in our surroundings.

Every evil thought is self-destructive, and if translated into action, it will destroy the outer

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environment. Hence purity within us leads to pollution free environment.

Santosha (happiness) is the second principle in Niyama that implies contentment in eco-yogic thinking. Happiness lies in contentment and not in dissatisfaction.

Though a relative term at the mundane level, it has to be understood in Yogic sense as absolute. Contentment is not satisfaction.

The drive to satisfy our cravings leads to exploitation and destruction. Contentment implies being happy with whatever is given

by Nature and not craving for that which is neither given nor yours. Contentment maintains balance between man and nature.

The cultivation of this supreme contentment and consequent tranquility of the mind will have positive impact on the environment. It cannot be acquired by a mere assertion. Habits developed through innumerable lives or over a period in one’s life cannot be changed all at once. Constant alertness or vigil and training of the mind is necessary.

Similarly, tapas (contemplation) in ecoyogic thinking enlightens us. It raises several questions as to the existence and meaning of life. As we contemplate and ponder over these crucial questions, it will create new consciousness in us wherein we will try to see the beauty of existence and meaningful co-existence with nature. It will enhance our respect for life and the whole creation. This will check our conscious or unconscious harming of environment.

Svadhyaya (self-study) is similar to contemplation. Understanding the mystery of creation means understanding ourselves.

All enquiries into nature—her mystery—have led nowhere. It has failed to solve the mystical existence and our strange relationship with nature. Hence the proper study of nature is the proper study of man. One should dive T h e

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into his own mind for everything he needs in his quest. It lies in the reading of our own mind. Understanding this body-mind complex will enhance our understanding of our own environment. Hence constant self-study in the form of investigating our own bodymind complex is of paramount importance in understanding our complex relationship with nature.

The last principle in Niyama of ecoyogic thinking is Ishvara pranidhana (devotion to the Lord). This implies recognizing the Supreme Power, call it by whatever name that lies beyond or behind the creation and surrendering oneself to it. Once this is recognized, respect for all forms of life flows from within, thereby we will stop harming anything in the creation, even a small ant that creeps on our body.

The principles included in Yama are moral and prohibitive while those in Niyama are disciplinal and constructive. Though these ten eternal principles may look tough for the beginner to practice, they are the need of the hour. As Swami Vivekananda said that an iota of practice is greater than thousand years of knowledge codified, documented and preserved in university libraries. The Yama and Niyama principles are universal. Patanjali did not divide Yoga into fragments when he expounded it. He described Yoga as ‘sarva bhauma’. ‘Bhauma’ means the world, ‘sarva’ means all. Hence Yoga is a universal culture.

These principles do not belong to a particular religion, though it was born in this land of Santana Dharma. If sincerely cultivated they become a way of life.

Need for Eco-Yoga The need of the hour is the practice of eco-yoga to save this planet. Many think that Yoga begins with dhyana or with asanas and

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pranayama. Such people are living in illusion.

There are some who think that these Yamas and Niyamas are out-fashioned virtues in the modern racing technological world. Such people have never testified the authenticity in their life.

As Mahatma Gandhi has repeatedly said the practice of Ahimsa is enough to transform this world. What is required at this juncture is to cultivate eco-yogic thinking by practicing and adhering to at least one principle of Yama or one principle of Niyama. This will transform us from being what we are right now to being virtuous, simple, honest and truthful. This eradicates imbalances between us and nature.

‘Eco-Yoga’ is a convergence between traditional yogic spirituality and social activism focusing on ecological concerns, as Gerge Feurestein, an eminent exponent of Yoga has said (211). In the third millennium man is facing an increasing environmental crisis affecting all our lives deeply. We cannot ignore it and lead an unconcerned and apathetic life. We can no longer afford to live in isolation as if we have nothing to do with our environment. Great changes in climate are seriously affecting our day-to-day life.

Hence we must take responsibility for the environment in which we live, and that means

we should restore ecological balance that has been eroded due to man’s greediness. We should recover our sense of sacredness of this planet by actively participating in its ecological recovery. This can be done only by practicing eco-yogic thinking.

Metaphysically speaking we should realize and recognize the twin principles of existence, transcendence and imbalance. To put it succinctly, we cannot find the divine, the Supreme, as long as we are surrounded by mountains of garbage, piling of destructive nuclear arms, opaqueing the air with toxic pollutants, indiscriminate felling of forests and their resources. Hence we must learn to revere Nature, which is the basis of spiritual advancement we wish to make.

We must be loyal to our habitant if we want to tread the spiritual path. The Earth is the only beautiful planet with man as the scientific creature besides several lakhs of species. It is the only planet we have on which life exists. If we destroy it, we commit collective suicide. When we realize and recognize this, we will feel a deeper affinity for everyone and for everything which is healing in itself. We become true human beings of this creation, constantly sharing our feelings of happiness with one another. o (Concluded.)

 Works cited:

Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. New York: Longman. 2007. Print.

Feurestein, Georg. The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga (2003). Boston & London: Shambala, 2003. Print.

Feurestein, Georg, Subhash Kak & David Frawley. In Search of the Cradle of Civilization, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas Publishers, 2008. Print.

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Naes, Arne. ‘The Shallow and the Deep, Long Range Ecology Movement: A Summary’. The Deep Ecology Movement: An Introductory Anthology.

Eds. Alan Drengson & Yuichi Inone. Berkley, California: North Atlantic Books, 1995. Print.

Taimni, I.K. The Science of Yoga. Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1961. Print.

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The Order on the March News and Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Mission National Youth Day Celebrated Centres of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in India and elsewhere celebrated Swami Vivekananda’s birthday on 12 January (as per the English calendar) 2016 with usual solemnity and gaiety.

The programmes included floral tributes, processions, youth meets, and public talks and so on. Thousands of youth took part in the festivities.

Besides Arati, Bhajans and floral offering at Swamiji’s statue at the Marina Beach, the Chennai Math organised a public meeting at Vivekanandar Illam in the evening. The programme included presentation of Kalarippayattu, a traditional self-defense martial art, by Giridharan’s Kalariyil Kshathriyas Team which also included a women participant. Cultural programme was presented by young students from G.K.

Arati to Swamiji at Vivekanandar Illam

Public meeting in the evening

Display of Kalarippayattu

Screening of new film

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Shetty Vivekananda Vidyalaya, Ambattur. A new 3D short movie for the youth was released by Dr C. Sylendra Babu, I.P.S., ADGP, Coastal Security Group, Tamilnadu, followed by his inspiring talk. Swami Gautamanandaji, the Adhyakasha of the Math, presided over all the events and spoke. The programme ended with a video presentation of flood relief done by Ramakrishna Math and Mission centres during the recent floods in Chennai. v Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Visakhapatnam held a Youth Convention at Andhra University Convocation Hall on the 12th of January, 2016, to commemorate the National Youth Day. Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, presided over the function. Prior to it, he performed camphor Arati to Swamiji’s image on the dais.

Swami Atmavidananda, secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Visakhapatnam welcomed the gathering. Dr. K. Subrahmanyam, former principal, Vivekananda College, Thiruvedakam, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh doing Arati to Swamiji at Vizag Tamil Nadu, addressed the youth delegates. o General News v Sri Ram Naik, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, inaugurated the two-day National Symposium of Acupuncture Association of India at Lucknow Sevashrama on 5 December 2015. v Swami Vagishanandaji, Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, consecrated the renovated temple, with new portraits of the Holy Trio, at Manasadwip Ashrama on 7 December 2015. v Swami Suhitanandaji, the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, inaugurated the newly constructed monks’ quarters at Cooch Behar centre on 9 December 2015. v As a part of the yearlong programme to mark the centenary of Prabuddha-keralam, the Malayalam monthly brought out by Thrissur centre, a meeting of monks was held on 12 December 2015. About 35 monks belonging to different religious orders attended it. v Salem Ashrama conducted two value education programmes at two colleges in Salem district from 17 to 22 December 2015. In all, 555 students attended the programmes. v Belgharia Students’ Home held the first phase of its yearlong centenary celebration from 24 to 27 December 2015. Swami Vagishanandaji inaugurated the programme comprising public meetings, release of the commemorative volume, a procession, a photo exhibition and cultural events. Swami Shivamayanandaji and the General Secretary, besides about 350 monks, 500 former students and 2500 devotees, attended the programme. v The newly constructed extension to the dispensary building at Kozhikode (Calicut) centre was inaugurated on 25th December 2015. v A visually challenged student of Swami Shivananda Higher Secondary School of Coimbatore Vidyalaya secured National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities-2015 from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, for his outstanding performance as a creative child with disabilities. Sri Arun Jaitley, Union Finance Minister, presented the award comprising T h e

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a certificate, a medal and a cash prize of 50,000 rupees on 3 December, International Disability Day. v Three students of the Boys’ & Girls’ Higher Secondary Schools of Chengalpattu centre who had excelled in a national-level recitation competition on Thirukkural (a Tamil classic composed by Thiruvalluvar) participated in the Thirukkural in Parliament event held at the Parliament House, New Delhi, on 17 December. Each of them was awarded a memento, a medal and a certificate; the schools were also given mementos. The competition was organized by Students and Youth for Thiruvalluvar. o From Bangladesh The General Secretary inaugurated the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhava Prasar Samsad in a function held at Dhaka centre on 4 December. The Samsad will function in Bangladesh on the same lines as the Bhava Prachar Parishad in India. o v

Rain and Flood Relief in Tamilnadu Torrential rains in many parts of Tamil Nadu in November and December caused severe inundation in several areas of the state, affecting lakhs of families. Besides three centres in Chennai, the following centres in Tamilnadu conducted the relief services as given below. (a) Chengalpattu centre served 13,850 plates of cooked food and distributed 1290 kg rice, 258 kg dal, 187 saris, 187 dhotis, 187 bed-sheets and 374 mats among 316 families of 35 villages in Kanchipuram district from 29 November to 23 December. The centre also served milk to 1000 poor children and provided medical relief to 82 patients on 3 December 10. (b) Coimbatore Math distributed 229 lungis, 229 saris, 229 towels, 229 utensil-sets (each set containing 2 cooking pots, 3 plates, 2 spoons, a pan and 2 tumblers), 279 children’s garments and 279 toiletry kits (each kit containing a toothpaste tube, a toothbrush, a soap bar, a vial of coconut oil and 2 bars of washing soap) among 229 families of 7 villages in Thiruvallur district on 8 December. The centre also distributed 145 lungis, 145 saris, 145 towels, 290 plates, 290 tumblers and 145 toiletry kits (each kit containing a toothpaste tube, a toothbrush, a vial of coconut oil, a bathing soap bar and 2 bars of washing soap) among 145 families in Bhuvanagiri taluk of Cuddalore district on 22 December 10. (c) Kanchipuram centre distributed 16,265 kg rice, 2470 kg dal, 500 packets of biscuits, 2784 kg milk powder, 425 kg sugar, 4508 litres of drinking water, 2500 mats, 3699 blankets, 250 dhotis and 1166 saris among 2330 families of 14 villages in Kanchipuram district from 18 November to 10 December. (d) Madurai centre arranged the distribution of the following items through Chennai Math: 2222 kg rice, 159 kg flour, 70 kg rava, 29 loaves of bread, 15 kg dal, 10 kg assorted spices, 12 kg salt, 50 coconuts, 1500 packets of pickles, 1557 packets of biscuits, 5 kg sugar, 11 kg coffee powder, 100 kg sweets, 354 litres of drinking water, 558 saris, 552 churidars, 210 shirts, 90 T-shirts, 141 pants, 20 lungis, 175 dhotis, 120 nightgowns, 1773 children’s garments, 109 towels, 347 bed-sheets, 175 blankets, 268 tubes of toothpaste, 37 toothbrushes, 75 bars of soap, 16 buckets, 168 plates, 200 sets of utensils (each set containing a cooking vessel, plates, a tumbler and a spoon), 50 candles and 100 notebooks. (e) Malliankaranai centre distributed 6300 kg rice, 20 kg wheat flour, 750 kg dal, 720 kg edible oil, 20 kg assorted spices, 720 kg salt, 720 kg sugar, 595 utensil-sets (each set containing 1 kadahi, 2 tumblers, 2 spoons and 1 plate), 600 saris, 600 dhotis, 600 towels, 600 bed-sheets, 20 blankets, 600 mats, etc among 1253 families of 7 villages in Kanchipuram district from 15 to 28 December. (f) Nattarampalli centre served 3900 plates of cooked food to 300 families and distributed 10,800 T h e

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kg rice, 1080 kg dal, 1080 kg edible oil, 540 kg tamarind, 1242 kg assorted spices, 1080 kg salt, 1500 litres of drinking water, 713 mosquito-repellents, 100 bottles of Dettol, 296 kg bleaching powder, 300 tubes of toothpaste, 200 towels, 1000 saris, 986 pants and 948 shirts among 2441 families of 17 villages in Kanchipuram & Cuddalore districts from 4 to 21 December. Medical relief was provided to 752 floodaffected patients at Indira Nagar area in Kanchipuram district on 8 December. o News from the Imphal Centre In January, at the newly started Ramakrishna Mission at Imphal in Manifupur, monks quarters were inaugurated and the foundation was laid for the Centre for Human Excellence, jointly by the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission and the Chief Minister of Manipur. o

Statement about ownership and other particulars about The Vedanta Kesari (according to Form IV Rule 8, circulated by Registrar of Newspapers for India).

1. Place of Publication : Chennai - 600 004 2. Periodicity of Publication : Monthly 3. Printer’s Name : Swami Vimurtananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 4. Publisher’s Name : Swami Vimurtananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 5. Editor’s Name : Swami Atmashraddhananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 6. Names & Addresses of the individuals who own the newspaper and partners or share- : Sri Ramakrishna Math

holders holding more than 1% of the capital Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 I, Swami Vimurtananda, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Sd/Swami Vimurtananda Date: 1.3.2016 Signature of the Publisher T h e

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Book Reviews

For review in The Vedanta Kesari,

publishers need to send us two copies of their latest publication.

Make Me a Man – Message of Swami Vivekananda

By T.S. Avinashilingam.

Published by Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore - 641 020. Email: coimbatore.mission@ rkmm.org 2014, paperback, pp.212, Rs. 100 The title of this book under review is taken from Swami Vivekananda’s famous dictum of man making education, which puts the responsibility of living squarely on an individual’s shoulders, rather than hold society at large answerable for it.

The writer, Sri Avinashilingam, speaks from a position of authority and personal experience.

A close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and having had the good fortune of being disciple of Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Avinashilingam was a man of many gifts. He was a thinker, an industrialist, an educationist, a writer and a leader of very high ideals.

This book consists of 18 chapters and is designed to create men whose actions and character made India a country of human beings with the highest moral fibre.

The author defines manliness as ‘the capacity to face any problem and rise up to any situation’ (p3, Make Me A Man). Swamiji had said it even more strongly ‘Face the brutes’ and in the first essay, Sri Avinashilingam gives us the recipe for achieving this enviable state. The secret lies in selfrestraint and sense control, resulting in a conscience which actually works, letting its owner know the difference between right and wrong.

The second and third essays give us the road map to the achievement of such a life. It is a path which has for its foundation the twin virtues of truthfulness and integrity to which has been added T h e

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another ingredient—that of peace or non-violence.

Sri Avinashilingam gives instances of great men who have set the example of such elevated lives, based on the principles and practices of ethical living. The courage that is the result of this potent combination can inspire children as young as 10 to become lions among men.

Chapters four and five are focused on the central figures in the author’s life—Swami Vivekananda and Gandhiji. Swamiji’s definition of religion, like all his other interpretations, transcends the usual ritual based norms. His brand of religion means spirituality which translates into action and feeling for others. Gandhiji, Sri Avinashilingam’s other great mentor, was a close friend, ‘the true successor of Swami Vivekananda’ (p 36, ibid) though he was different in many ways. What made his charisma so intense? Again, it was his devotion to Truth, self-reflection and self-mastery. His death at the hands of an assassin, a threat he lived with, was nothing to him. The writer points out that this courage, in the face of odds, is an unbeatable example of manliness.

Chapters six and seven set out the author’s education based on the tenets of the Gita and the Upanishads. It is now an accepted fact that a human being is the result of his beliefs and thoughts which are within his control. Therefore it follows that he is in charge of his own life.

Following this are essays on duty, unique to each and every person born on earth and following one’s own path (dharma) is mandatory for a life of courage and ethics. Two of the most inspiring essays are ‘Build a Great and United India’ and ‘Education for man making.’ He recalls Swamiji’s words on religion—the living out of the highest spiritual truths resulting in the welfare of all. Education is the bridge that will close the gap between classes, bringing about a keener sense of equality and democracy in our country.

The author urges the youth of this country to imbibe the principles of education, not mere literacy.

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All the essays in this book are strengthened by the power of the writer’s belief—in his own self and his conviction that the youth of India hold the keys to a great and brilliant dawn. The language of the writing, while formal and literary, is not pedantic thereby making his far-reaching and unconventional ideas accessible to anyone who reads the book. As the founder-president of the Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, Coimbatore, he was a valuable mentor, having actually achieved his ideals.

Each essay is about 20 pages long and arranged in logical sequence, outlining the situation, reaching out for solutions which are inclusive, thereby giving students and teachers ownership of their own future and that of the country’s. Balancing the present and the future, which is what education aims to do, is never an easy task. Books like this help us along the way.

and others. The book has interesting chapters such as ‘Universalism of Vivekananda in Theory and Practice’, ‘Vivekananda on Education’, ‘Swami Vivekananda on Buddha and Buddhism,’ to name a few.

One chapter on the excellence of Indian Philosophy worth mentioning is ‘Acharya Vinoba Bhave—A moving Tirtha,’ describing Vinobaji’s contribution to Hinduism and Indian freedom struggle. Vinobaji’s contribution in the form of distributing land to the landless through the Bhoodan movement has been well highlighted. There is one chapter on ‘Philosophy of Swaminarayan and the Upanishads’.

The book is a good read providing many insights in various aspects of Swami Vivekananda and some other eminent men of India. __________ SANTOSH KUMAR SHARMA, KHARAGPUR (WB)

__________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

Vivekananda & Others

By Tapash Sankar Dutta Published by the Tapash Sankar Dutta, Premtola, Silchar-788 004, Assam.

Email not given. 2014, paperback, pp.118, Rs.100 The book under review is a compilation of author’s articles published in reputed journals, magazines and books, both English and Bengali, related to Swami Vivekananda and his philosophy.

The English section of the book has 22 chapters. The first chapter is titled ‘Sri Ramakrishna in the eyes of his admirers’, describing various views of some well-known people about Sri Ramakrishna. The chapter quotes Will Durant, ‘Ramakrishna represented the eternal soul of India, calm and majestic with a unifying, pacifying love for all living beings.’ Also quoted are the words of Romain Rolland, the Nobel laureate, ‘Sri Ramakrishna was the consummation of two thousand years of the spiritual life of three thousand million people.’ Elsewhere, the author has also recalled the thoughts of many Indian leaders and thinkers such as C Rajagopalachari T h e

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Srimad Bhagavad Gita

By Mamidipudi Ramakrishnaiah Mamidipudi Krishnamoorthy, 202, Anjanadri Apartments, Asmangadh, Malakpet, Hyderabad-500 036. krishnamamidipudi@ gmail.com; 2013, Hardback, Pp.214+xvi, Rs 300.

US $10.

Bhagavad Gita has fascinated scholars and philosophers in and out of India. Warren Hastings observed that the Gita will remain ‘. . . long after the British domination in India ceased . . .’ Swami Ranganathananda in his outstanding three-volume commentary reveals a hidden element in the study of the Gita, namely, as ‘a science of human development and fulfillment.’ The lessons are not confined to sourcing some mental peace or worship. The author of the book under review in his concluding chapter points out that some scholars find ‘action’ as the essence of Gita, some others consider ‘self-knowledge’ as the way to liberation, and so on.

The author adopts an unconventional method in presenting the Bhagavad Gita. The ‘Preface’ points out: ‘The traditional eighteen chapters have been replaced by select focal topics

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wherein multiple verses across disparate chapters are concatenated. . .’ Thus, for instance, the topic ‘Creation’ has been discussed drawing attention to selected slokas from Chapters VII, X, XIII, XV, etc. of the Gita. Such cross references are usual in any commentary on the Gita but the author here has chosen his ‘focal topics’ in place of the eighteen chapters. Visvaroopa Darshanam has received attention early in the book as the fifth chapter.

Having studied the Gita in depth, the author has ensured that the essential teachings of the Lord receive attention. However, detailed analysis of many topics has not been attempted as the whole Gitopadesha has been confined to 145 pages; the remaining part contains the original slokas of eighteen chapters transliterated in English. Prakriti and Purusha, the Gunas, Atman and Paramatman and other manifestations, forms of yogas, theory of Karma, etc. have been dealt with. The message of the Gita is immense, many in subtle forms and requires commentaries to have a thorough understanding.

The author cautions readers about ‘confusion of thought’ in the chapter titled Yogas and Nishthas’.

Similarly, the relative merits of ‘Action’ and ‘Buddhi yoga’ or the import of the expressions such as ‘action’ and ‘inaction’ will need careful study.

The opening paragraphs of the book provide the background that necessitated the exposition by the Lord. Gita was propounded by Sri Krishna to remedy the distress and helplessness of Arjuna.

Therefore, observes the author, ‘. . . a man’s distress will turn his mind towards God. . .’ Facets of human nature, trotting out excuses and alibis, deserve attention. Fate or destiny is ‘a sort of an opiate’ not to be encouraged.

Bhagavad Gita is unique; the teachings will appeal and remain relevant to all sections of humanity; moreover, they are universal. This spirit has been retained by Ramakrishnaiah. _______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM, MUMBAI

Divyatraya-padarpita-pushpamanjari (Sanskrit only)

By Svami Harshananda Puri Published by the author, Ramakrishna Math, Bull Temple Road, Bangalore - 560 019, rkmblr@vsnl.net.,2015, hardbound, pp.808, Rs.500.

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This large volume of 800-pages plus is a complete compilation of the life-long Sanskrit writings of Swami Harshananda—a well-known and respected senior monk of Ramakrishna Math. One is delighted to see his Sanskrit compositions— prose and poetic—written in simple and easy to understand style. They form an assortment of Bhashyas, stotras, sutras, biographical essays and other expository writings. The book has sixteen Sanskrit works in all—a brief overview of these: The first is an essay on Mahendranath Gupta, the chronicler of Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. This is followed by a brief essay on the importance of Sanskrit language and its role in promoting culture and spirituality.

The third is Ashtottara-shatanama on Sri Sarada Devi which devotees use for chanting followed by another Ashtottara on Swami Vivekananda.

A brief biography on Sri Ramakrishna follows.

Thereafter the book has the well-known Vivekananda Karmayoga Sutra Shatakam, hundred verses on Swami Vivekananda’s Karma Yoga, Sadhana-sutrani, aphorisms on spiritual practice, Ashta-sutrani, eight aphorisms on message of Sri Ramakrishna for the modern times, Vivekasourabham, a commentary on Shankara’s Bhashya on Brahmasutras, Chatusutri of Ramakrishna Vedanta Darshana, and Ramakrishna Upadeshashtakam.

The next part of the book has the following: Vivekasukhavardhini, a commentary on Isavasya Upanishad and Arthaprakashini Vyakhya on Adi Shankara’s Atmabodha, followed by Bhaktakaumudhi Vyakhya of Narada Bhakti Sutras. The well-known Arati songs and other popular hymns is commented upon and elucidated in Ramakrishnamathasya Aratrika-stotrani (vyakhyana-sahitani). The last section of the book, Vividhastotrani, has 19 stotras, Sanskrit hymns, composed by the author over several decades.

Neatly printed on good quality paper, with very readable fonts, the book is a treasure for all lovers of Sanskrit, Sanatana Dharma and especially the devotees of the Holy Trio. The work is a unique

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offering at the sacred feet of the Holy Trio—as the tastefully designed cover page in four colours shows.

Worth having an individual copy for all Sanskrit loving devotees and admirers. _____________________________________________ V.K. OFFICE

The Journal of Oriental Research, Madras, Vol.85 and 86 Published by The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, No.84, Thiru Vi Ka Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004. 2014, Paperback, Pp.177. Rs.250, $30 This research journal consists of articles contributed by eminent academicians, research scholars, and a retired judge covering a wide range of areas such as ithihasa, purana, sahitya, yoga and Vedanta.

A few topics are significant since they deal with contemporary subjects.

The article by C.S. Sundharam on ‘Tamil versions of the Mahabharata’ is an analysis of a few episodes in the Mahabharata as espoused in a few Tamil versions of the epic. Description of Psychology and Anatomy in the Yogic Texts by K.S. Balasubramanian presents unique dimensions of yogic practice ‘to lead a life in harmony with nature and a balanced life’ by providing a detailed description of the body—components, psychic powers, spiritual centers, etc. T.V. Vasudeva in his article on ‘Ascetic Ideals in Epics’ gives an elaborate account of various stages of becoming an ascetic, besides analyzing the causes for becoming hermits as envisaged in the epics and other scriptures.

‘Disaster Management in Ancient India’ by Prabha Sridevan commences with a few citations from the Bhagavata and the author excellently elucidates the forecasting system as well as the emergency relief measures, etc., emerging due to a few natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, cyclones, draught, tsunami etc., as depicted in the literary sources of ancient India. R. Parthasarathy’s ‘Puranic Conception of Ice Age and Global Warming’ is an article on the scientific explanation for two extremes of climatic features leading T h e

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to global warming and ice age. The author has assessed these events from the puranic references and has made a comparative analysis between them and the modern science. S.Anusha’s article is on ‘Dristantakalika of Kusumadeva’, a rare text that makes the readers understand the facts of life that the author wishes to point out, by providing many examples (dristantas).

‘Sri Ayyakumara Tatacarya in Satakratuvamsavilasa Kavyam’ by P.C. Muralidharan depicts the life of Sri Kumara Tatacarya, who had been reverentially addressed as Ayya and this work has been written by Sri Ammani Ramanuja Tatacarya.

Sri Ayyakumara Tatacarya was a legendary scholar who lived 450 years ago and had written 14 grand works and built several temples for Mahavishnu in Tamil Nadu. R.Muthulakshmi in her article on ‘Two Unknown Women commentators in Sanskrit Literature’ focuses seriously on the two efficient women commentators little known to scholars by name Sundari and Kamala. ‘Rainfall—A Comparative Study of Ancient and Modern Times’ by J. Subadhra is an attempt to portray the comprehensive meteorological survey of the elements that are responsible for copious rainfall as elucidated in the ancient scriptures and modern science.

V.Ramakrishnan’s ‘Bhumadhikaranam’, S. Umapathi’s ‘Sabdasaktimuladhvanau Vrttivicarah’ and S.N. Krishna’s ‘Karmavipakavimarsah’ are written in Sanskrit language. The first one extensively exemplifies the tenets of Vedanta philosophy; the second, deals with the concept of dhvani as envisaged in the Alankara sastra and the third one is seriously concerned with the Dharma Sastra.

This Journal also contains reviews of 17 books of varied interests not only from the literary sources but also from the intellectual perspectives. It also gives an account of academic activities of K.S.R.I. as a research institute, such as research activities, visit of overseas scholars, publications, projects undertaken, lectures on various topics delivered and seminars organized, digitization of palm leaves and competition in Sanskrit for students.

A careful study of this journal reveals a philosophical truth that time is a continuous, gapless, seamless flow and the so called past is working through the present moving towards a bright future. The literary works transcending the boundaries of time, language, etc. are really

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beneficial from the subject matters which are eternally pragmatic. __________________________R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, CHENNAI

A Complete Guide to Managing Stress

By Dr. Bimal Chhajer Published by New Age Books, A-44, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110 028. nab@ newagebooksindia.com; 2014, paperback, pp.158, Rs.350.

There are scores, if not hundreds, of books on stress and stress management but it is rare to find a book by a qualified and practicing cardiologist, who at the same time is a follower of no less the saints as Acharya Tulasi and Acharya Mahapragya, and who treats heart patients by stress management techniques. In the Preface, Dr. Chhajer describing the genesis of the book narrates how one of his heart patients died in spite of treatment due to his extremely poor lifestyle. This prompted him to start a new scheme of treatment naming it SAAOL (Science And Art Of Living). This scheme, taught in camps, includes cutting down stresses of life, change of diet, meditation, yoga made user-friendly and varied according to the patient. Many of the doctor’s patients were thus able to change their life style completely and become better persons.

The book is divided into two parts. Part I dealing with STRESS has five chapters. Everyone who wishes to deal with stress must carefully read the First Chapter to understand what stress is, its causes, role which ego plays in it and its behavioral, cognitive, emotional and physical symptoms. The author very rightly points out the fact that stress is not only natural but is even important for the very survival of an individual. It becomes a problem only when it exceeds the individual’s capacity to cope with it.

According to the author, modernization and urbanization have created five types of overloads which cause abnormal stress. They are work overload, time overload, information overload, requirement overload and illness overload. Then the author suggests a life wheel with eight spokes T h e

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which must be kept in equilibrium. They are money, work and vocation, family, emotional support, ego (individualism), community living, health and fitness, and the spiritual spoke.

While dealing with the psychology and physiology of stress, in the second Chapter, twenty characteristics each of two types of personalities Type A and Type B, are enumerated. With the help of charts and a diagram of the brain, the author has explained the physiological effect of stress; and in the process he has also tried to tell to a lay reader the working of the various parts of human brain.

One may be shocked to learn that there are as many as twenty two stress related physical ailments which might be as serious as coronary heart disease and as trivial as common cold and constipation.

In the next three chapters, the management of stress and how to deal with it, are taken up.

With the help of a chart, the author gives a fourstep model of managing stress. These four steps are, 1. Identify stress, 2. Stop stress reaction, 3.

Release stress and 4. Beat or manage the residual stress. There are more diagrams to show that some amount of stress is indeed beneficial. Apart from external stresses, internal conditioning or mind set and factors influencing it are also enumerated and briefly explained. Time management is described in some details and the author has showed many ‘time wasters’ which we often overlook. Likewise some hints about healthy food habits are given.

Part II deals solely with meditation. After a brief overview of meditation, the author takes up yoga as a lifestyle. It is unfortunate that nowadays yoga is equated with posture(asana) breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation only. A yogic way of life must include the yama (ethical values) and niyama (the five observances, i.e., purity, contentment, austerity, reading healthy literature and surrender to God.’ There is a brief review of the historical background of yoga: its origin, temporary loss of popularity and the present rise in the popularity of yoga-meditation. The vital role of guru is repeatedly elaborated. The author has briefly mentioned the eight limbs of yoga, without emphasizing the fact that Yama or the ethical values i.e., truthfulness, non-violence, chastity, non-possessiveness and nonstealing as the most important foundations of yoga.

According to Patanjali, the father of Yoga, austerity, study of healthy literature and a spirit of surrender

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to God are the essential features of a healthy living, and are collectively called Kriya Yoga (Yoga Sutras, II,1.) These should be included in the scheme of stress management.

In one Chapter, the stepwise process of meditation is described in some detail. Some of the popular types of meditations are enumerated.

The author is of the view that all the meditations have similar components like a quiet environment, a suitable posture, a passive attitude and a specific theme of meditation. Five themes of mediation have been mentioned. The author has avoided inclusion of theistic themes of meditation like the form, virtues, divinity etc. of gods and goddesses and divine personalities.

One of the most effective means of getting over stress is meditation on a stress free holy personality like the Buddha, Lord Mahavir, Lord Shiva, etc. This has been mentioned by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras (I,37) as ‘Vitaragavishayam va chittam’, ie. ‘by meditation on the personalities free from attachment and aversion or on their heart.’

Patanjali also advocates the chanting of a Name of God as a help to concentrate the mind. (I,28) It is also a fact that those individuals who have greater faith, and who follow some traditional religious practices are better able to face stressful situations.

Five postures for meditation have been described in some details, including the steps to follow in each. Finally, the five steps of putting meditation into practice are briefly summarized with special emphasis on observing the breath. The next chapter on ‘Making Meditation more Effective’, exercises for eyes, ears, neck, shoulder, face, chest, waist, thighs, etc., are given and some major yogasanas are shown with the help of diagrams.

Tools to enhance meditation include bio-feed back, light background music, pyramid, Feng Shui, etc.

Being a trained physician, Dr. Chhajer takes up the scientific perspective of yoga in the next chapter. He deals with the beneficial effects of meditation on the blood pressure, cardiovascular capacity, respiratory rate, spirometric studies, skin resistance, ECG and EEG and even the blood chemistry. He also briefly touches the yogic concept of the Nervous System – ida, pingala, kundalini and chakras.

Though the last, the chapter on Preksha Meditation System, originating in the ancient Jain religion, and popularized by Late Acharya Sri Tulasi and his disciple Acharya Mahapragya, is an important one. The word Preksha means seeing, and in this technique of meditation, various parts of the body, respiration, mind, consciousness etc. are impartially observed in a systematic manner.

The book is good for a lay person who might wish to have some idea about meditation, stress, and stress management. Since so many ideas and techniques have been packed in such a short book, the reader will have to select his own method of stress release. Better would be to join the SAAOL camps.

No book can deal comprehensively with all the types of stress management techniques or types of meditation. Unless our desires, lust, greed and anger are controlled at least to some extent, one is bound to get into difficulty sooner or later. Stress management is not the ultimate goal of life. One has to become a better human being, and strive for higher spiritual goals.

The book has taken 10 years to go into 1st reprint. One of the reasons is the cost, which itself might cause stress! ___________________ SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA, VARANASI

Books are good but they are only maps. Reading a book by direction of a man I read that so many inches of rain fell during the year. Then he told me to take the book and squeeze it between my hands. I did so and not a drop of water came from it. It was the idea only that the book conveyed. So we can get good from books, from the temple, from the church, from anything, so long as it leads us onward and upward.

—Swami Vivekananda

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Ramakrishna Math (A Branch of Belur Math) South Nada, Opp. Ashoka Petrol Pump, Haripad - 690514 Dist. Alleppey, Kerala. Phone: 0479-2411700, 0974 5325 834. Email: srkmathharipad@gmail.com, viveka.vira@gmail.com Website: www.rkmathharipad.org

Help Build A New Centre For Sri Ramakrishna An Appeal

Dear Devotees, well-wishers and friends, Swami Brahmananda Ramakrishna Math at Haripad in Kerala was started in 1912 and has been sanctified by the stay of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj, the Spiritual Son of Sri Ramakrishna. But by long lapse of time, the buildings have become totally unfit for use.

To start with, we propose to have the Monk’s quarters, rooms for Welfare and social activities, office building, Library and free reading room, guests room and a Universal Temple of Sri Ramakrishna. The entire infrastructure has to be re-constructed. By the grace of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna, the plans for rebuilding the whole centre has been prepared.

The estimated expenditure for this project is Rupees 5 Crores.

We invite every one of you the noble-hearted people, specially the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, to come forward with their generous donations to enable us to erect this abode for Sri Ramakrishna and serve humanity.

Every one, who participates in this seva-yajna (service-sacrifice) will be a sure recipient of the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda.

Yours in the Lord, Swami Virabhadrananda, Adhyaksha

Details for sending donations Donations from India: Cheque / D.D may be drawn in favour of ‘Ramakrishna Math, Haripad’ NEFT Transfer :A/C Number : 30642551603, : State Bank of India. Haripad. RTGS/NEFT/IFSC code: SBIN0010596.

(In case of NEFT transfer please email your Name, Amount, Postal Address, PAN NUMBER, phone number &transaction details to srkmathharipad@gamil.com This is for accounting purposes.)

Donations from Foreign countries: Kindly draw a Cheque / Draft in favour of "Ramakrishna Math" and send it to the General Secretary, Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, Dt. Howrah (West Bengal), Pin -711 202, India.

In the covering letter mention that it is a donation for Haripad Centre building fund. And inform all the details of the donation to e-mail: srkmathharipad@gmail.com, viveka.vira@gmail.com

Donations to Ramakrishna Math are Exempt from Income Tax Under Section 80 G. Old godown used as Monks’ Quarters at present

Old building in a dilapidated condition

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Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama

(A branch centre of Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math. Howrah, W.B. – 711 202) Swami Vivekananda Path, P.O. Bela, Muzaffarpur–843 116, Ph.: 0621-2272127, 2272963 E-mail: rkm.muzaffarpur@gmail.com Website: www.rkmmuzaffarpur.org

Appeal for Vivekananda Netralaya (Eye, ENT, Dental Clinic cum Diagnostic Centre) Present Oldest Eye Infirmary in North Bihar established in 1947, Infrastructure: General dispensary, Dental, Homeopathy, X-Ray, Pathology Service Rendered (2014-15) :

Total OPD – 74,632, Cataract Operation : Full Free – 2,470, Part Free – 1,400, Patho Test – 2,684, Preventive Health Care for 5,000 School Students, Computer Awareness & Tailoring Training, Value Added Competition for 5,000 Students, Disaster Management, Non-Formal Education and Coaching to 450 Children

Our Vision:

A new Medical Building with Specialty Eye, ENT and Dental care, Various OPD Sections, Well equipped Clinical Lab., R & D, Modern Diagnostic Unit, Para medical Training.

Funds Required:

Rs.35 Lakh for remaining work of Recovery Unit, Rs.65 Lakh for remaining work of Gr Fl. and1st Fl. of Vivekananda Netralaya Rs.85 Lakh for construction of Doctors / Staff Qtrs., Rs.75 Lakh for Equipments:, Rs.15 Lakh for Maintenance, Rs.15 Lakh for Educational Programmes, Puja and Celebration Rs.1 Crore for Permanent Fund (corpus)

Dear Devotees and Friends, We appeal to you to contribute towards up-coming Vivekananda Netralaya Project (Eye, E N T, Dental Clinic cum Diagnostic Centre) which we took up in 2011 and has made remarkable progress with your help. Muzaffarpur in north Bihar where health infrastructure is very poor, our Sevashrama needs to have a better set up for continuing its medical services. Your contribution will be a real worship to Swami Vivekananda, Ma Sarada and Sri Ramakrishna who lived their life for and whose lives embodied concern for the welfare of the poor needy, nearer to the ideals of Atmano Moksartham Jagat Hitaya Cha (For liberation of the self and good of the world). It will also serve the purpose of perpetuating memories and sentiments of your loved ones.

Kindly send your contribution by Cheque/DD or by NEFT/ RTGS to A/c No. 10877071752 IFS Code: SBIN0006016 (Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Muzaffarpur) Donations to Sevashrama are exempted from Income Tax u/s 80G of IT Act 1961. Details of the Project may be had from our office.

With Prayers to Holy Trinity for you and all yours, Swami Bhavatmananda Secretary

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Ramakrishna Math, Nattarampalli VELLORE DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU – 635 852 Email: nattarampalli@rkmm.org : Phone: 04179-242227

We Seek Your Help!

Dear Devotees, Well-wishers and Friends, Ramakrishna Math, Nattarampalli, is a branch centre of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, H.Q. Belur Math, West Bengal. Since its inception in 1908, it has been serving the rural poor in more than 100 remote villages around Nattarampalli in the area of Education and Health.

It is indeed a blessing to serve the economically deprived and bring light into their lives by providing them holistic education. The school run by our Math in this backward area as a not for profit project was recently upgraded to High school level, necessitating additional class rooms and related infrastructure. We propose to add 5400 sq. ft more to the existing school building to house a modern science lab, a well-equipped library, 3 class rooms and an auditorium in tune with the requirements of a high school.

We seek your generous support to this noble project by lending a helping hand for the cause of education of the poor. We welcome both financial and material support for this project estimated at Rs. 60 Lakhs details of which are given under: Cost of building additional Class Rooms : Rs. 7,00,000/- per class room in the Gr. Floor) Estimated cost for Science Lab : Rs. 10,00,000/- (In the first floor) Estimated cost for Library : Rs. 10,00,000/- (In the first floor) Estimated cost for Auditorium

: Rs. 19,00,000/- (In the second floor) Name of the donors who sponsor in full any individual unit i.e. class room / Science lab / library / auditorium will be christened to that unit. The names of the donors who donate Rs.50,000/- and above will be displayed prominently in the building in a granite stone.

You can remit your contribution to the project through a Cheque/DD favouring ‘Ramakrishna Math, Nattarampalli’.

For NEFT Transfer (within India only) : * Account Name : Ramakrishna Math, Nattarampalli: * Account Type: Savings .*Bank Account Number : 31502956578 * Bank & Branch : State Bank of India, Nattarampalli *Branch Code : 14619: * IFSC Code : SBIN0014619: Bank Address : R.C.S. Main Road, Nattarampalli – 635 852, Dist. Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

In the case of NEFT transfer, please send email to nattarampalli@rkmm.org, giving your Name, Amount, Postal address, PAN Number & phone number.

All contributions are eligible for I.T. exemption under Sec.80 G of the Income Tax Act Thanking you with best wishes, Yours in the service of Lord, Swami Tyagarajananda Adhyaksha

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The Ramayana of Valmiki —An Appraisal Swami Harshananda

One of India’s timeless epics, the Ramayana by the sage Valmiki is the basis of the powerful and widely known Rama Bhakti tradition followed by millions both inside and outside India. This handy volume dwells on the spiritual, cultural and literary aspects of Ramayana, moving the readers to be rooted in Dharma and strengthen their values for righteous living. The author of the book is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, well known for his scholarship and insights, and the head of Ramakrishna Math, Bull Temple Road, Bangalore.

Soft-bound, Pages x + 86 Price: Rs. 30/- Postage: Rs.22/-for single copy.

No request for VPP entertained Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 Email : mail@chennaimath.org

Invitation to Serve and Heal the Poor Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama situated in Calicut district of Kerala has been running a Charitable Dispensary since 1967 treating many poor patients.

The dispensary is well-equipped with a good laboratory, an Ultrasound Scanning facility, a Computed X-Ray Radiography, Physiotherapy, a Pharmacy and a fullfledged dental unit with paramedics and visiting doctors.

Recently we have added well-furnished 2 bed room family quarters with spacious hall cum dining and a kitchen facility for the accommodation of resident doctors.

Ramakrishna Mission Calicut invites doctors who are conversant with the use of Ultrasound, X-Ray, laboratory and other facilities to work at our charitable dispensary for 6 days a week. Honorarium with food, accommodation and vehicle facility within the city limits will be provided for the resident doctors.

The doctors willing to lend a helping hand in this noble cause may kindly contact the Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Calicut, by email rkmissioncalicut@gmail.com or by phone 08281929280.

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Goddess Durga: The Divine Energy

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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 37 Years of Service to Humanity 1979–2015 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 Dumb & Deaf Home

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Patapatnam

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 & Kalahandi [Orissa]

8.

Navajeevan Orphanage Children Homes

–

Tirupati, Parlehkimundi, Saluru, Golamunda, Berhampur, Pandukal, Vizag & Araku, Dundelmal

9.

Navajeevan Atharvana Veda Pathasala

-

Tirupati

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/-

2. Sponsor 5 IOL Cataract Eye Operations

4. Sponsor one poor aged person for one year

5. Sponsor one free eye camp at Rural/Tribal area 6. Vidyadan—Educational aid for one Child

– Rs. 7000/–

Rs. 5000/-

–

Rs. 2000/-

– Rs. 50000/-

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. Our Bank details for online transfer : Bank Name : Indian Bank , Gandhi Road Branch, Tirupati SB A/c No: 463789382, Account Holder : Navajeevan Blind Relief Centre, Branch Code: T036, IFSC code: IDIB000T036,

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

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Vol.103-3 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) March 2016. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957. POSTAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:TN / CH (C) / 190 / 15-17. LICENSED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2015-2017.

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 (inclusive of postage) Annual : ` 100 10 years: ` 1000 56 ~ M A RWebsite: C H 2 0 1 www.chennaimath.org 6 Contact: Ramakrishna T h Sri e V e d a n t a K eMath, s a r i ~Chennai.