The Vedanta Kesari February 2011 Issue by Sri Ramakrishna Math Chennai

F ebruary 2011

VOL. 98, No. 2

ISSN 0042-2983

A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL M O N T H L Y O F T H E R A M A K R I S H N A O R D E R

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 February 2011

Vedic Prayers

Editorial

Swami Vivekananda, a Spiritual Giant

Articles

Bhuvaneshwari Devi: The Great and Noble Mother of Swami Vivekananda Swami Tathagatananda Holy Mother’s Four Visits to Orissa Swami Tannishthananda Spiritual Values in the Gita Swami Visharadananda The Path of Devotion Kanwaljit Singh

50 54 68 73

Annual Report

Synopsis of the Governing Body’s Report for 2009-10 Swami Prabhananda

Compilation

Kathopanishad: In the words of Swami Vivekananda

New Find

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda

Questions and Answers

Peace and Happiness Swami Brahmeshananda

Review Article

Living with Swami Brahmananda William Page

The Order on the March

Book Reviews

Features Simhâvalokanam (The Spirit of Indian Culture and Education)—49, Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories—72

Cover Story: Page 4

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Cover Story

Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar Started in 1922, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Deoghar in Jharkhand is a premier educational Institution of Ramakrishna Order. Swami Shivanandaji, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, consecrated the pictures of the Holy Trio at its make-shift shrine in 1925. In 1969 the foundation for the Vidyapith temple was laid by Swami Gambhiranandaji (later, the 11th President of the Ramakrishna Order), and it was consecrated by Swami Vireswaranandaji (the 10th President of the Ramakrishna Order) in 1970. The students (around 350) of the Higher Secondary Section of the Vidyapith attend the daily prayers in the temple prayer hall which has, besides the pictures of the Holy Trio, pictures of direct disciples and other holy personalities. Â&#x2020;

The Vedanta Kesari Patronsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Scheme 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 it is for the Patrons' Scheme. PATRONS 607. Mr. T.R. Mohan, Chennai 608. Mr. B. Ramakrishna, Vijayawada 609. Mrs. Nandlal R. Aggarwal, Mumbai

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DONORS ER. Purna Chandra Patnaik Chethan Belludi, USA K.J. Hegde, Mangalore, Tara Pada Ghosh, New Delhi

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The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme SL.NO.

NAMES OF SPONSORS

AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

4518. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Edayangudy G.S. Pillay College, Nagapattinam - 611 002 4519. -doVanavil Residential School, Sikkal Post, Nagapattinam Dt., T.N. - 611 108 4520. -doAdi Dravidar Welfare High School, Mallapuram, Tanjore Dt., T.N. - 612 201 4521. -doGovt. Hr. Sec. School, Thiruvidaimaruthur Tk., Tanjore Dt., T.N. - 612 504 4522. -doM.N. Para Medical College, Kutchery Road, Tanjore, T.N. - 613 001 4523. -doSelvaraj High School, Ganapathy Nagar, Tanjore, T.N. - 613 001 4524. -doRamakrishna Polytechnic, Kuruvadi, Tanjore, T.N. - 613 003 4525. -doKings College of Engineering, Punalkulam, T.N. - 613 303

To be continued . . .

VOL. 98, No. 2, FEBRUARY 2011 ISSN 0042-2983

ACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE.

T HE

GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN.

Vedic Prayers

Tr. by Swami Sambuddhananda

Ëd§ Zmo A½Zo _hmo{^… nm{h {dûdñ` AamVo… CV {Ûfmo _V©ñ` & —(Samaveda) Agneya Parva—Ch. 1. 6.

I. Adhiyajnik (from the standpoint of sacrifice): A¾o O Agni Ëd§ Thou _hmo{^… pleased with the oblation (done by us) {dœñ` all AamVo from evils like disease CV as well as _V©ñ` of men {Ûf… from troubles arising from drought and famine Z… us nm{h protect. Do Thou, O Agni, pleased as Thou art by our oblations, protect us from all troubles in the form of diseases and evils arising out of drought and famine that mortal beings are subject to. II. Adhyatmik (from the standpoint of Self): A¾o O all-knowing Being Ëd§ Thou _hmo{^… being worshipped by our five great sacrifices {dœñ` all AamVo… from evils internal and external CV as well as _V©ñ` of men {Ûf… from troubles due to drought and famine Z… us nm{h save. Do Thou, O Supreme Being, worshipped as Thou art by our five great sacrifices, save us from all evils, internal and external as well as troubles due to drought and famine that mortals or men suffer from.

This Eka-nishtha or devotion to one ideal is absolutely necessary for the beginner in the practice of religious devotion. He must say with Hanuman in the Ramayana, ‘Though I know that the Lord of Shri [Lord Krishna] and the Lord of Janaki [Lord Rama] are both manifestations of the same supreme Being, yet my all in all is the lotus-eyed Rama.’ Or, as was said by the sage Tulasidasa, he must say, ‘Take the sweetness of all, sit with all, take the name of all, say yea, yea, but keep your seat firm.’ T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ —Swami 45 ~ D Vivekananda, E C E M B E R 2CW, 0 0 93:64

Swami Vivekananda, a Spiritual Giant A Multifaceted Personality Swami Vivekananda is well-known as the patriot-saint of India. And of course he was a patriot and a saint, both. His birthday is officially celebrated by the Government of India and by numerous educational and public institutions in most parts of India as National Youth Day every year. And rightly is he called an enduring youth icon. On the desks and diaries of countless young people one finds Swamiji’s quotes or pictures or both, inspiring and giving succour to the young minds. But it would be unjust to restrict Swamiji to only ‘an enduring youth icon’; Swamiji had a multifaceted and exceptional personality. He was an orator, writer, thinker, organizer, and even an excellent musician and cook! Besides, he was a personification of kindness, strength, and love and so on. To the close devotees, Swamiji was a rishi, a seer whom Sri Ramakrishna ‘brought down’ from his mysterious abode for the good of the world. In and through all we might speak of Swamiji, one thing is very clear; he was, in the truest sense of the term, a spiritual giant. Let us make an attempt to explore this aspect of his personality. Introducing the life of Swamiji, his Life by Eastern and Western Disciples says [p.1], To introduce the life of Swami Vivekananda is to introduce the subject of spiritual life itself. All the intellectual struggle, all the doubts, all the burning faith, all the unfolding process of spiritual illumination were revealed in him. As a man and as a Vedantist he manifested the manliness that is sanctity, and the sanctity that T h e

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is manliness; he manifested the patriotism that proceeds from the vision of the Dharma and the universality that comes when God is seen in everything; and through the true insight of divine wisdom, he lived a life of both intense activity and Supreme Realization. Indeed, his life revealed throughout, the glory of the supersensuous life.1

Swamiji’s life and personality were thus spirituality embodied in a human form. His was a life which demonstrated spiritual struggle in all its phases, all its challenges and trails, successes and failures and the final realization. Truly, a life of spirituality. But having said it, we have to now describe what spirituality is! Indeed, what is spirituality? There are many difficulties in speaking about spirituality. Firstly, spirituality deals with the deeper aspects of personality and is therefore invisible. Nor can one measure it. The above passage speaks of ‘supersensuous’ as spirituality. In Swamiji’s words, spirituality is ‘manifestation of the divinity within’. In popular literature, spirituality refers to ‘an ultimate or immaterial reality or an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of one’s being; or the deepest values and meanings by which people live.’ Another hurdle in understanding the spiritual stature of Swamiji, or of any great spiritual giant, is our incompetence to do so. For only a spiritual giant can understand another spiritual giant. It is a fact that ‘only an athlete can truly appreciate another athlete or a musician can truly understand another musician’ and so on.

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Despite all these, we need to understand or get a glimpse of Swamiji’s spiritual stature. Why? For our own good. There is a hunger in every human heart to experience the Infinite, to embrace the Limitless and to live eternally. Not everyone, of course, expresses this inherent hunger in the sense we understand it. It is often clothed in different language. The saint and the sinner are both seeking the same. Though their means are different, their goal is same which is to be truly happy, ‘to embrace the limitless’. To study Swamiji’s spiritual life is to study spirituality itself. Moreover, as Patanjali (Yoga Sutra, 1.37) says, by meditating over a spiritual personality, ‘on a mind that has given up all attachment to sense-objects’, one gains purity and concentration of mind. A Spiritual Giant Says Swami Vivekananda to one of his western disciples, I am at heart a mystic . . . all this reasoning is only apparent. I am really always on the lookout for signs and things.2

Indeed, Swamiji was a mystic at heart. A mystic is one who pursues the inner, arduous path of Self-realization. The path of a mystic is called mysticism (from the Greek mystikos, an initiate of a mystery religion). ‘It is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God.’ According to Vedanta tradition, a mystic alone can be truly called saint or a man of realisation. Hindu scriptures refer to this realization as attainable through direct or an intuitive experience. Nor should we not restrict the meaning of mystic; the word includes any realized person, whether a Jnana Yogi or a Bhakti Yogi or a Raja Yogi or a Karma Yogi. On going through Swamiji’s different biographies, one thing that one finds without T h e

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doubt is that he was a man of great spiritual realization. He was a Jnani, a Yogi, a Bhakta and a Karma Yogi, all rolled into one. Even as a young boy, Swamiji showed signs of his spiritual future. When he was quite young, before sleeping, he used to see a light between his eyebrows which would expand and pervade his whole being. As this was an everyday phenomenon, he thought it happened with everyone! It is only later that he discovered, after he came in touch with Sri Ramakrishna, that it was a sign of an exceptionally advanced spiritual aspirant. Sri Ramakrishna, his master, pointed out on several occasions that Naren (as Swamiji was known then) was a man of high spiritual aptitude. So deep was his love for Naren that whenever Naren came to see him, Sri Ramakrishna would be in great joy and ecstasy. In the beginning Swamiji did not believe in the highest experience of spiritual world— the experience of Oneness with the Allpervading Reality called Brahman. He, in fact, ridiculed even the possibility of such a state. But later, it is recorded, while at the Cossipore Garden House, where the young disciples gathered to serve the ailing Sri Ramakrishna, he one day experienced nirvikalpa samadhi, the experience of the Non-dual Reality. He had the same type of experience while in the West and in India later. Not only that. During his last days in Belur Math, once Swamiji gave an instance of how he himself had become capable of imparting that experience to others. Here is how that incident is recorded in the Life:

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. . . The Swami came downstairs and sat on the canvas cot under the mango tree in the courtyard, facing west, as he often did. His eyes were luminous; his whole frame seemed alive with some strange spiritual consciousness. Pointing to the sannyasis and Brahmacharis about him, F E B R U A R Y

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he exclaimed: ‘And where will you go to seek Brahman? He is immanent in all beings. Here, here is the visible Brahman! Shame on those who, disregarding the visible Brahman, set their minds on other things! Here is the Brahman before you as tangible as a fruit in your hand! Can’t you see! Here—here—here is the Brahman!’ He spoke these words in such an inspiring way that over all present there came the peace and insight of deep meditation. They stood like marble statues, so motionless and hushed in silence had they become! Swami Premananda, after his bath in the Ganga, was on his way to the shrine for worship. Hearing the words of his brother-monk he fell into a state of absorption and became motionless. After a quarter of an hour the Swami said to him, ‘Now go for worship’. Then only did Premananda regain normal consciousness.3

On another occasion, Swamiji said, Whenever death approaches me, all weakness vanishes. I have neither fear, nor doubt, nor thought of the external. I simply busy myself making ready to die. I am as hard as that [the pebbles struck one another in his hand]—for I have touched the feet of God!4

Understanding Higher Experience As to what is spiritual realization, one often wonders about what it means to have this experience. It is a big problem to explain it. Of course, the experience is important and vital but like every experience, one cannot communicate or explain it adequately. One cannot communicate the experience of eating a rasagula [a kind of sweet] to one who has

never tasted it—what to speak of spiritual experience! There are some descriptions of spiritual experiences given by mystics, what they really mean by ‘going up in consciousness’ or having ‘peace that passeth understanding’ and so on, but their real meaning remains shrouded in mystery. In fact making claims in this matter is rather easier (there are many who do it with much ado). In this context, hence, what matters is what happens to one who has had such spiritual realization. Holy Mother’s words come to mind here. She said: What does a man become by realization of God? Does he grow two horns? No what happens is that he develops discrimination between real and unreal, obtains spiritual consciousness, and goes beyond life and death. God is realized in spirit.5

In terms of what Mother says, Swamiji’s was a sterling personality. He was purity and simplicity personified. All the qualities and traits that characterize a spiritually illumined soul—renunciation, non-attachment, chastity, compassion, patience, love and so on—were manifest in him in full measure. What is more, unlike many a mystic, he laid great emphasis on strength and faith in oneself. He was a unique mystic who believed that spirituality should find its expression not only in one’s spiritual hour but in extending help and service to others in a deep spirit of service. In conclusion, one just wishes to recall what one of Swamiji’s western disciples said, Blessed is the country in which he was born, blessed are they who lived on this earth at the same time, and blessed, thrice blessed are the few who sat his feet.6

References 1. 2.

Life of Swami Vivekananda, by Eastern and Western Disciples, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, p.1 Swami Vivekananda in the West, New Discoveries, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 3: 128 T h e

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3. 5. 6.

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Life, 2.630-31 4. CW, 9: 426 Teachings of Holy Mother, Chennai Math, p.16 Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, p.147 F E B R U A R Y

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Simhâvalokanam

From the Archives of THE VEDANTA KESARI (February, 1920-21, pp. 306-308)

The Spirit of Indian Culture and Education

A young student is in direct touch with three things generally: the Teachers, the Text-books and the Surroundings. If these three centres of forces emit the Indian spirit, and mould the child silently, the child as a grown up man will feel no conflict of ideals. (1) The Teacher should be a living spirit, equipped with the traditional treasures of ancient India. He should bring himself to the centre of Indian life in thought and action, but at the same time he is required to be up-to-date, being in touch with the foreign cultural elements that he may weave the new into the old. He must be purely Indian in the habits of life, dress, language, manners and so on. We should teach morality not by preaching of abstract principles, but by the doings of our own life. Morality is the expression of the active aspect of human mind. Intellect cannot satisfy will, it is rather will that can influence will. So examples, and not precepts, should be the lessons in a class-room of morality. Too much preaching makes the mind dull and dead to all stimuli, for, from our very faculty of habit, passive impressions by being repeated grow weaker, according to the law of ‘diminishing returns.’ (2) The Text-book. Student’s text-books should be written in an Indian spirit. The glorious traditions of the past should supply the bulk of the matter. The method of teaching of the western people is more scientific and critical; their ways of looking at things can be profitably used to interpret what is beautiful and real in the Indian life. Take the case of history; now-adays, students are to read the political history of India; kings and wars, as in the west, form the centre of historical interest, and the focus of the reader's attention. History of India must be religious in its essence, mighty spiritual forces should make the main stream, whereas the political and social events should form the attractive eddies and whirlpools as created by the main current. Similarly the literary text-books should be full of characters bearing the stamp of the national culture. . . Nature-study is important, but it should not be materialistic. . . (3) The Surrounding is a matter of last importance for the moral, religious and aesthetic training of the child. Students should be surrounded with the beautiful paintings of the great religious teachers and heroes along with the striking scenes and events from the puranas and histories. Children, as a rule, should be kept in a place where the superiors pass their usual periods in divine contemplation, and other religious practices. These will give a definite conception of life to the children who will discover that for themselves. . . T h e

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Bhuvaneshwari Devi

The Great and Noble Mother of Swami Vivekananda SWAMI TATHAGATANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue. . .) Her Exceptional Household Management Bhuvaneshwari Devi demonstrated an exceptional capacity when managing the affairs of the large, complicated household. Free of superstition, she valued her daughters’ as well as her sons’ education. She sent her two eldest daughters to Bethune College and her two younger daughters to Rambagan’s Mission school. Jogendrabala’s English studies were given by the Principal of Bethune College, Miss Kamini Seal. She was also tutored at home by the wife of Prof. Macdonald.15 The annual Hindu Mela [Fair] was organized in 1867 by Nabagopal Mitra to encourage and advance national pride in India’s cultural heritage. Most members of the Datta family participated in it. Bhuvaneshwari Devi’s daughters contributed samples of their handicrafts. One year, two of the highest awards were received by her children: one by her daughter Haramani for her exhibit of jari, an embroidered design on red velvet and the other by her son Naren for his gymnastic skills. Jogendrabala also received a medal for a garland of beads she exhibited in Calcutta’s Youbert Exhibition of 1880.16 Her Self-Development

In the midst of rigorous duties, Bhuvaneshwari Devi would examine the current Bengali literature and compose Bengali verses. Her Bengali handwriting was exceptionally beautiful. Somehow, she also found time to learn English and was able to converse in English with Sister Nivedita and Sister Christine when they visited her later. Her three sons learned primary English directly from their mother’s lessons at home, during which she imparted moral instructions to them. Bhuvaneshwari was as large-hearted as her husband. Fully approving of his support for the marriage of young widows, she joined him in defending two such marriages which took place in their locality amidst the strong resistance of their neighbours to this social reform. Her husband used to buy large properties from court sales and resell them. Purchasing one of these properties in her name, he held on to it and rented it to Muslim tenants. When they were unable to pay the rent and approached him about it, Vishwanath directed them to his wife, the rightful owner of the property. She in turn heard their case and relieved them of their concern. Thereafter, the Muslims paid no rent and eventually earned squatter’s rights to the property.17

The author is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and the Head of Vedanta Society, New York. His books include The Journey of Upanishads to the West, and Light from the Orient, among others. T h e

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Sometime during 1885 or 1886, Bhuvaneshwari Devi saw the Master when he was at the Cossipore garden house. She also saw Holy Mother at Belur Math. Her Uniquely Selfless Magnanimity There is a particularly impressive incident of her rare magnanimity and spirit of self-sacrifice. After her twenty-five-year old daughter Jogendrabala committed suicide at Simla Hill in 1891, her son-in-law remarried. Bhuvaneshwari sublimated her emotions, accepted the new wife into her home and moreover treated her as her own daughter.18

deliver the food, Bhupendranath had to walk the long distance waist-deep in floodwaters over a long distance.19 That she knowingly placed her son at risk demonstrates her great capacity for self-sacrifice and the benevolent influence she had over her children. Her Inner Resourcefulness When her husband Viswanth Dutta suddenly passed away in 1884 Bhuvaneshwari Devi was forty-three years old. Her resourcefulness and spiritual refinement after his death protected the family from disaster. Swami Saradananda describes her austerity, ingenuity and initiative:

Bhupendranath Dutta, younger brother of Swamiji

Another incident that reveals her loving concern for others took place during the heavy deluge of rain lasting a fortnight in Calcutta and its surrounding area in 1900. Bhuveneshwari Devi sent Bhupendranath, her youngest son, with some foodstuffs to Kankurgacchi Yogodyan where some of the sacred remains of Sri Ramakrishna are interred. To T h e

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Fallen on bad days after her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, her mettle was put to the test. She, however, showed wonderful patience, calmness, frugality and adaptability to the sudden change of circumstances. The lady, who spent a thousand rupees monthly to manage her household affairs, had now only thirty rupees a month to maintain herself and her sons and daughters. But she was never for a day seen to be dejected. She managed all affairs of her family with that meagre income in such a way that those who saw it took her monthly expenditure to be much higher. One shudders indeed to think of the terrible condition into which Bhuvaneshwari fell on the sudden death of her husband. There was no assured income with which to meet the needs of her family; and yet she had to maintain her old mother, sons, and daughters brought up in opulence, and meet expenses for the education of her children. Her relatives, who had been enabled to earn a decent living by her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generosity and influence, in place of coming forward to help her in her bad days, found now an opportunity to do something that was to their liking, and that was to do their best to deprive her even of her legitimate possessions. Her eldest son Narendranath, possessed of many good qualities, failed to find a job in spite of his best F E B R U A R Y

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efforts in many directions and losing all attraction for the world, was making himself ready to renounce it forever. One naturally feels respect and reverence for Sri Bhuvaneshwari when one thinks of the manner in which she performed her duties even in that terrible condition.20

The many ways in which Bhuvaneshwari Devi was extraordinary evokes profound admiration from all of us. It may be recalled that there were distinct causes for her suffering —illegal eviction from the family’s residence, deprivation of her legitimate share of property, expensive long-term law-suits and other acute financial difficulties, and Jogendrabala’s suicide. There was also the significant absence of her eldest son and her second son Mahendranath’s absolute silence for six years between 1896 until 1902, during which she received no letter from him about his whereabouts in England where he had gone to study law. Mahendranath returned to his mother in Calcutta only after Swamiji’s demise. During this critical period of financial deprivation and emotional suffering in her life, Bhupendranath joined the Indian revolutionary movement in 1903 and became the editor of Yugantar, the revolutionary movement’s literary organ in Bengal. In 1907 he was charged with sedition and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year, after which he was released. Following Sister Christine’s suggestion, he left Calcutta the same day with her financial aid. Three or four days later, he travelled incognito to the United States, leaving the police baffled in a fruitless search for him at Belur Math. The women of Calcutta congratulated Bhuvaneshwari Devi for being the mother of such a brave son. She gave the sober reply: ‘Bhupen’s work has just begun. I have dedicated him for the cause of the country.’21 These words speak T h e

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An archival photo of the entrance to the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda in Kolkata

highly of her heartfelt magnanimity and her courage. Her Fulfilling Life of Devotion and Sacrifice Comes to an End Having a premonition of his early death, Swamiji requested Swami Brahmananda to take care of his mother in his absence and to take her to various pilgrimage centers in northern India. When Swamiji, her ‘veritable apple of the eye,’ left his body, his mother was sixty-one years old. Afterwards, Swami Brahmananda regularly visited Swamiji’s

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mother, consoling and helping her in various ways. In 1900 and 1903, Bhuvaneshwari Devi made pilgrimages to Puri, always accompanied by a swami or brahmachari from Belur Math. Swami Brahmananda went with her to Puri in 1911. Some time after she returned from Puri, her ‘life of suffering and renunciation at the altar of family duties’ came to an end on 25 July 1911 when she was seventy.22 Manmatha Nath Ganguly, a disciple of Swamiji who saw Bhuvaneshwari Devi in her old age, writes:

A view of the entrance to the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda as it is now (a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission)

Her very appearance commanded respect. She was a strongly built lady with large, fine eyes and long eyelashes. She had a remarkably strong personality that commanded respect without any questioning. No wonder that Swamiji had inherited these qualities from her.23

Sadly, posterity knows little of the magnitude of Bhuvaneshwari Devi’s influence in the life of her great son Swami Vivekananda, except for a few words pertaining to her in the Vivekananda literature. The only existing photo of her speaks of her devotion: following the Indian tradition of spiritual life, she is seated in meditation, telling beads and concentrating on her Ishta Devata, her Chosen Ideal.

The mettle of her character may be understood from her heroic attitude and nobility of character that are revealed by her steadfastness, patience and forbearance and above all, by her utter dependence upon God. Widowed at the age of forty-three and forced to live with unsympathetic guardians, her lack of money, decades-long court case, her daughter’s suicide, the absence of her two sons, and her bearing the brunt of the family’s responsibility almost single-handedly—all speak highly of her indomitable will power and strength of character. (Concluded.)

O O

References 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

SV, Patriot-Prophet, p. 139. Comp. Bio., SV, Part I, p. 11. SV, Patriot-Prophet, pp. 103-4. Comp. Bio., SV, Part I, p. 12. SV, Patriot-Prophet, p. 123.

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20. Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master, p. 840. 21. SV, Patriot-Prophet, pp. 112-13. 22. Comp. Bio., SV, Part II, pp. 1391-2. 23. Manmatha Nath Ganguly in Reminiscences, p. 345.

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Holy Mother’s Four Visits to Orissa SWAMI TANNISHTHANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue. . .) Holy Mother in Puri There is a beautiful flower garden in the Jagannath temple premises. While at Puri, Holy Mother would visit the flower garden like a small child. One day she stopped at a flower plant and uttered that these bunches of flowers in the garden are blessed ones, for they are used for the worship of God and for shayana of the deities day after day.

One day, they visited Haridas Thakur’s Samadhi place where, it is recorded, that the Holy Mother went into Bhavasamadhi. Sitting near Haridas Thakur’s samadhi, the Mother narrated his story—his love and devotion to God—in a choked voice. Thinking of separation from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Haridas Thakur had left his mortal body right before Chaitanya. Then, singing Sankirtan and

Gundicha Temple

Indradyumna Sarovar

One day, the party visited Gundicha Temple where Lord Jagannath stays for a week at the time of Ratha Yatra. Everyone took bath in Indradyumna Sarovar. Another day they bathed in Chandanpukur and also visited Atharanala. It is here that Mother told the story of Atharanala and said about how many sacrifices the King had to make at this place for the welfare of his subjects.

Bhajans the devotees carried his mortal body and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself gave him the samadhi (i.e., buried his body). Saying this Holy Mother became quiet and still. Seeing this, Master Mahashaya remarked that Holy Mother was now in Gauranga Bhava and wished to sing Gaura-Hari-Kirtan. So he started the kirtan accompanied by Ramlaldada. Slowly Holy Mother returned to normal plane.

The author is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order at its Nagpur Centre. T h e

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Haridas Thakur’s Samadhi

Yet on another day, returning from Mahaprabhu’s Lilasthan Gambhira, seeing Bakul Tree Holy Mother said, ‘This tree is a witness to [Chaitanya] Prabhu’s Lila. How many times Prabhu might have gone this way! All of you take the dust of this place.’ Everybody present there followed her instructions. While in Puri, Holy Mother used to go to the sea beach. Her companions, along with a few strangers, would sit around her. Mother would speak something about spiritual life and all would listen to her with rapt attention. Mother was usually seen on the beach in two moods, either cheerful like a small child or in a serene mood. One day, Holy Mother went to the beach in Balaram Basu’s carriage. On the beach, the children made a seat of sand for her and requested her to sit on it. She happily consented. The children started playing on the beach asking the Mother to play with them. The Mother preferred to watch the play as ‘Bala Lila’. Seeing the children playing joyfully, Holy Mother observed that the joy of children is like the joy of God. That is why Thakur used to say that if one has child-like simplicity then one can realise God. Everyone present there was enjoying the noise of the playing children and that of the T h e

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waves of the sea. The wife of Ramlaldada, however, became irritated and said how much noise the sea is making. Holy Mother compassionately glanced at her once and then to the sea. Then Mother became quiet for sometime. Breaking the silence Mother explained why the sea is making the noise, ‘Once gods and demons, for their selfish motive, churned the sea to get nectar. They took away anything and everything from the sea and even his daughter. That is why the sea is crying. Can’t you see the heartfelt pain of a father for the daughter?’ Listening to this novel explanation everyone was dumfounded. Then Holy Mother said, ‘In the turmoil of the world, one has to repeat the name of God regularly. By the power of Japam the bad effect of senses gets subsided.’ One day Holy Mother expressed her desire to go to Tota Gopinath by walk. She said, ‘One has to go for darshan of Devata, Guru, Ganga and Sadhu by walk, without showing ostentatious display of wealth (aishwarya).’ But the temple was far away and Mother’s legs began aching. So the devotees requested her to go by a bullock cart to which she consented. On her way to the temple there was one Stupa called ‘Chataka Parvata’. Somebody informed her about that Stupa. Immediately Mother got down from the cart and started walking fast towards it in divine mood. After some distance she stopped and kept gazing towards the ‘Chataka Parvata’. Women devotees present there brought her back to the bullock cart without disturbing her divine mood. That day they could not go to Tota Gopinath temple. Next day they visited the Tota Gopinath and had darshan of the beautiful image of Sri Krishna. There was immense joy on Holy Mother’s face. How many things God has to do for the sake of a devotee! The story goes

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Tota Gopinath Temple

The image of Tota Gopinath

that previously the image was in a standing position. The priest who worshipped the image grew old and found it tiresome to stand long for performing the worship. He thought of his inability to worship and in anguish prayed to Krishna. Considering his intense prayer, the image of Krishna ‘sat down’—just to fulfil the wish of the priest. From the next day, people flocked to see this miracle. The companions of Holy Mother offered pranams to her by touching her feet. Holy Mother blessed them by putting her hand on their heads, saying that they may be blessed with devotion. The priest of the temple requested the Holy Mother to take the prasad, which she happily agreed. The food was simple but Mother became very happy to get such nectarlike prasad. As Balaram Basu’s family managed the temple affairs, Holy Mother asked the wife of Balaram Basu to offer the anna-bhog to the deities, which she gladly did. One day they decided to visit the Sakshi Gopal Temple by train. Holy Mother was taken to railway station by palanquin and others went by bullock cart. The temple is situated T h e

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in a village with pleasing surroundings where the deity has a very lovely appearance. When local people came to know about her arrival, they came for her darshan and whispered amongst them, ‘Bhagavati of Bengal has come’. When the local people started offering pranams to Holy Mother and started taking the dust of her feet, she objected, saying, ‘You people belong to the holy land of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.’ Later, the party entered the shrine and offered pranams to the deities. Holy Mother on looking at the deity was totally engrossed in the bhava and she felt as if she was in Vrindavan. The attendant reminded her that she was in Sakshi Gopal Temple and not in Vrindavan. After a while she looked around and asked the attendant to offer garland and prasad to the image. Attendant brought a garland, but Mother did not like the garland. Another attendant went and brought two beautiful garlands made of fragrant flowers which the Holy Mother liked and asked him to offer it to Sakshi Gopal. Golap-Ma asked the attendant to offer one garland to the deity and the other to the Holy Mother. Others

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present agreed to this idea. But Holy Mother disapproved this and asked him to offer one garland to Radharani instead. Then everyone came out and circumambulated the temple. There the Holy Mother saw the ‘Tamal Vriksha’ [a flowering tree] which reminded her of Vrindavan. She offered her Pranams to the tree. Afterwards everyone present offered pranams to her and entered the temple again. In the meantime, garlands had been offered and food offering was in progress. Then the priest brought Gopal’s garland and offered it to Holy Mother, which everybody appreciated. Like a child Holy Mother became joyous. All took prasad and went to the railway station in a joyous mood and found that the train had already left. However, the caring stationmaster arranged for their departure by a goods train. They all reached Puri safely. 4 Visit to Bhuvaneshwar: From Puri they went to Bhuvaneshwar by the Sikshala train. When they arrived at Bhuvaneshwar, it was nearly evening. A Brahmin Panda of the Lingaraj Temple, Ishwar Bhattu Shringari, met them at the station. Sarada Devi’s disciples did not want to accept his offer of a place to stay, fearing he may be taking advantage of charging a lot of money to accommodate such a large party but Pandaji humbly declared, ‘Mother, I am not asking for any fee. Please give me opportunity to facilitate your darshan of Lingaraj.’ Because of his earnestness, his desire was fulfilled and he took them by bullock cart to his home. In his house there was a big hall consisting of two-rooms. It had a large courtyard and was near the temple. T h e

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Sakshi Gopal Temple

Bindusagar Lake

After taking a dip in Bindusagar, they all went to Lingaraj Temple. Holy Mother meditated after performing the puja. She touched the Linga and sat for meditation in a corner of inner shrine. She told her mother (Shyamasundari) and others to do Japa. She told them, ‘Bhuvaneshwar is Harihara,’ [i.e., half Hari or Vishnu and half Hara or Shiva], —Jagannath and Maheshwar. They carried a pushpapatra (the flower tray), which had akshata (rice grains) and sandal paste among other items. They performed worship and arati. Again the party went to Gauri Kund and took bath. Then they went to the Panda’s house for

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a meal, which he unstintingly lavished on them. Next day all went to Khandagiri and Udyagiri hills. Holy Mother sat for meditation in one of the caves. She later said: ‘This place is very congenial for Tapas.’ Then they all returned to Puri. 5 Time moved fast in the company of Holy Mother! And soon it was time to return to Calcutta. Holy Mother was unwilling to return since she was expecting some devotees to come to meet her at Puri. She was waiting for someone. After a few days, eager aspirants came to her for initiation. She came out of the room and told them affectionately, ‘Come, [waiting] for you people only I was unable to go to Calcutta.’ She talked with them as if she knew them all since long. The fact was that nothing was arranged before hand. They all came from different parts of Orissa and were on a pilgrimage to Orissa. Holy Mother arranged for their lodging and boarding. The next day early morning in Kshetra-basir Math, Holy Mother initiated them and took them to Jagannath Temple for darshan. They prostrated before her and told that they never expected that they would get her darshan and initiation and that too in Puri. Holy Mother blessed them saying that, ‘What you got here [i.e., the mantra], you should repeat it regularly. You people are very fortunate.’ 6

Lingaraj Temple, Bhuvaneshwar

Khandagiri Temple

After spending sometime thus in the salubrious, and holy atmosphere of Puri, she returned at the end of January, 1905 to Calcutta where she was put up in the old rented house on the Bagbazar street in Calcutta from where her mother left for home a little later.7 (To be continued . . .)

References 4.

Sri Sri Mayer Jiban Katha (Bengali) by Swami Bhumananda p.109, Sarada Ramakrishna by Sri Sri Saradeshwari Ashrama (Bengali) p. 226-236 Shyamasundari Devi: Mother of Sri Sarada Devi by Pravrajika Prabuddhaprana, p.44 T h e

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6. 7.

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Sarada Ramakrishna by Sri Sri Saradeshwari Ashrama, p.239 Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi by Swami Gambhirananda, p.202

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Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Synopsis of the Governing Body’s Report for 2009-10 The 101st Annual General Meeting of the Ramakrishna Mission was held at Belur Math on Sunday, the 19th December 2010 at 3.30 p.m. Following is the synopsis of the annual report presented at the meeting which was attended by monastic and lay members.

The 101st Annual General Meeting of two-year M.Sc. course in Agricultural Biothe Ramakrishna Mission was held at Belur technology and a Ph.D. programme in EnMath on Sunday, the 19th December 2010 at vironment and Disaster Management by 3.30 p.m. The Mission released a commeNarendrapur Faculty centre of Vivekananda morative volume on Ramakrishna Mission and University; 3-year Bachelor courses in Critical a booklet on Ramakrishna Mission’s relief services on the completion of 100 years of registration of the Mission with the Registrar of Societies. The 175th Birth Anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna will be celebrated in March 2011. The 150 th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda will be observed between January 2013 and January 2014. The National Committee set up under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister approved our scheme of Rs. 100 crore for various service-oriented programmes all over India for four years, from 2010 to 2014. The major programmes are: chilThe 101st Annual General Meeting—a view of the audience dren’s health improvement and all-round development in 150 villages; educational Care Technology and Operation Theatre development and self-empowerment of rural Technology under West Bengal University of women in 10 villages; alleviation of severe Health Sciences by Seva Pratishthan hospital poverty from 10 selected pockets, value centre (Kolkata); a 1-year course in Ancient education for the youth; publication of books Greek and a 6-month communicative course on Swamiji in different languages, production each in French and Spanish by the Institute of of films on Swamiji, etc. Culture (Kolkata). In educational field, the following new In medical field, the following new projects deserve special mention: starting of a projects deserve special mention: starting of T h e

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an OPD block, an MRI unit and a two-bed haemo-dialysis unit by Itangar centre; a 20bed primary health care unit and an orthopaedic clinic for outpatients by Ranchi (Sanatorium) centre; a charitable dispensary by Srinagar centre; a mobile medical unit each by Muzaffarpur and Bankura centres. In rural development field, the following new projects deserve special mention: construction of a mist chamber by Ranchi (Morabadi) centre for hardening the sapling produced from the tissue culture laboratory; a number of free training programmes on lac cultivation, leaf moulding, motor driving, etc conducted by Ranchi (Sanatorium) centre for poor and tribal people; a post-Aila social rehabilitation project conducted by Lokasiksha Parishad of Narendrapur centre (Kolkata) for trauma-affected women and children in 63 villages of Gosaba Island through counselling and supply of hygiene kits and sanitary materials to 321 Anganwadi Centers, 160 primary schools, 40 high schools and 40 SSKs (Sishu Sikhan Kendras). During the year under review, the Ramakrishna Math started a new sub-centre at Gourhati in West Bengal. Under the Math, the following new developments deserve special mention: starting of a laboratory block, an OPD counter, a physiotherapy unit and a laparoscopy department by Thiruvananthapuram centre and a Homeopathic System implemented through Prevention of Deformity Camps in association with the Society for

Welfare of the Handicapped Persons, Durgapur, West Bengal, to heal ulcers and to help the leprosy-affected persons regain lost sensation by Chennai Math centre. Outside India, Chittagong Mission centre started a new sub-centre at Fateyabad. Sylhet centre and Fateyabad sub-centre in Bangladesh started computer training courses. During the year, the Math and Mission undertook extensive relief and rehabilitation programmes in several parts of the country involving an expenditure of Rs. 6.71 crore, benefiting 11.18 lakh people belonging to 2.86 lakh families in 1134 villages. Welfare work was done by way of providing scholarships to poor students, pecuniary help to old, sick and destitute people, etc; the expenditure incurred was Rs. 7.21 crore. Medical service was rendered to more than 80.73 lakh people through 15 hospitals, 130 dispensaries and 59 mobile medical units; the expenditure incurred was Rs. 88.37 crore. Nearly 3.85 lakh students were studying in our educational institutions from kindergarten to university level. A sum of Rs. 171.46 crore was spent on educational work. A number of rural and tribal development projects were undertaken with a total expenditure of Rs.27.92 crore. We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to our members and friends for their kind co-operation and help. Swami Prabhananda (General Secretary)

All perform this or that discipline because they think it their duty to do so. But how many seek God? No doubt you must do your duties. It keeps oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind in good condition. But it is also very necessary to practise japam, meditation, and prayer. . . Unless you practise meditation side by side with your work, how will you know whether you are doing the desirable or the undesirable thing? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi T h e

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COMPILATION. . .

The following compilation from the nine-volume Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda attempts to present Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts in relation with the verses from the Kathopanishad. Of all the Upanishads, Swami Vivekananda loved the Kathopanishad most. He once told [CW, 6: 456] his disciple, Sharat Chandra Chakravarty, to memorize the Kathopanishad. In many of his lectures, Swamiji quoted from the Kathopanishad. This compilation attempts to juxtapose what Swamiji said in different contexts (references to the CW, are given in brackets) with the original verses. The Kathopanishad consists of two chapters, subdivided into 2 and 3 sections, and in all having 120 verses. Swamiji has referred to some 85 verses from different sections of the Upanishad. In this compilation only those verses which could be related to Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words have been given; uncommented verses have been omitted. This compilation has been done by V. Radhakrishnan, a retired teacher of mathematics from Pune, Maharashtra. Qualifications of a Seeker Who are fit to become Jnana Yogis? Those who are equipped with these requisites1: First, renunciation of all fruits of work and of all enjoyments in this life or another life. . . We give the first place to desires of enjoyment, either in this or another life. Deny that there is any life at all, because life is only another name for death. Deny that you are a living being. Who cares for life? Life is one of these hallucinations, and death is its counterpart. Joy is one part of these hallucinations, and misery the other part, and so on. What have you to do with life and death? These are all creations of the mind. This is called giving up desires of enjoyment either in this life or another. (3.17) Vairagya or renunciation is the turning point in all the various Yogas. The Karmi (worker) renounces the fruits of his work. The Bhakta (devotee) renounces all little loves for the almighty and omnipresent love. The Yogi renounces his experiences, because his philosophy is that the whole Nature, although T h e

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it is for experience of the soul, at last brings him to know that he is not in Nature, but eternally separate from Nature. The Jnani (philosopher) renounces everything, because his philosophy is that Nature never existed, neither in the past, nor present, nor will It in the future. (3.19) Nityanitya-vivekaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;discriminating between that which is true and that which is untrue, between the eternal and the transitory. God alone is eternal, everything else is transitory. Everything dies; the angels die, men die, animals die, earths die, sun, moon, and stars, all die; everything undergoes constant change. The mountains of today were the oceans of yesterday and will be oceans tomorrow. Everything is in a state of flux. The whole universe is a mass of change. But there is One who never changes, and that is God; and the nearer we get to Him, the less will be the change for us, the less will nature be able to work on us; and when we reach Him, and stand with Him, we shall conquer nature, we

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shall be masters of these phenomena of nature, and they will have no effect on us. (1.411-12) First among the qualification required of the aspirant for Jnana, or wisdom, come Shama and Dama, which may be taken together. They mean the keeping of the organs in their own centres without allowing them to stray out. (1.405) You must bear in mind that by the word ‘organ’ is meant the nerve centre in the brain. The eyes and ears are only the instruments of seeing and hearing, and the organs are inside. If the organs are destroyed by any means, even if the eyes or the ears be there, we shall not see or hear. So in order to control the mind, we must first be able to control these organs. To restrain the mind from wandering outward or inward, and keep the organs in their respective centres, is what is meant by the words Shama and Dama. Shama consists in not allowing the mind to externalise, and Dama, in checking the external instruments. (1.405-6) Now comes Uparati which consists in not thinking of things of the senses. Most of our time is spent in thinking about sense-objects, things which we have seen, or we have heard, which we shall see or shall hear, things which we have eaten, or are eating, or shall eat, places where we have lived, and so on. We think of them or talk of them most of our time. One who wishes to be a Vedantin must give up this habit. (1.406) Then comes the next preparation (it is a hard task to be a philosopher!), Titiksha, the most difficult of all. It is nothing less than the ideal forbearance—‘Resist not evil.’ This requires a little explanation. We may not resist an evil, but at the same time we may feel very miserable. A man may say very harsh things to me, and I may not outwardly hate him for it, may not answer him back, and may restrain myself from apparently getting angry, but T h e

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anger and hatred may be in my mind, and I may feel very badly towards that man. That is not non-resistance; I should be without any feeling of hatred or anger, without any thought of resistance; my mind must then be as calm as if nothing had happened. And only when I have got to that state, have I attained to nonresistance, and not before. Forbearance of all misery, without even a thought of resisting or driving it out, without even any painful feeling in the mind, or any remorse—this is Titiksha. Suppose I do not resist, and some great evil comes thereby; if I have Titiksha, I should not feel any remorse for not having resisted. When the mind has attained to that state, it has become established in Titiksha. (1.406) When an injury comes, do not mind it. If a tiger comes, stand there. Who flies? There are men who practice Titiksha, and succeed in it. There are men who sleep on the banks of the Ganga in the midsummer sun of India, and in winter float in the waters of the Ganga for a whole day; they do not care. Men sit in the snow of the Himalayas, and do not care to wear any garment. What is heat? What is cold? Let things come and go, what is that to me, I am not the body... This is Titiksha, to bear everything, not to complain of anything. I myself have seen men who say, ‘I am the soul; what is the universe to me? Neither pleasure nor pain, nor virtue nor vice, nor heat nor cold is anything to me.’ That is Titiksha, not running after the enjoyments of the body. (3.17-18) The next qualification required is Shraddha, faith. One must have tremendous faith in religion and God. Until one has it, one cannot aspire to be a Jnani. A great sage once told me that not one in twenty millions in this world believed in God. I asked him why, and he told me, ‘Suppose there is a thief in this room, and he gets to know that there is a mass of gold in the next room, and only a very thin

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partition between the two rooms; what will be the condition of that thief?’ I answered, ‘He will not be able to sleep at all; his brain will be actively thinking of some means of getting at the gold, and he will think of nothing else.’ Then he replied, ‘Do you believe that a man could believe in God and not go mad to get Him? If a man sincerely believes that there is that immense, infinite mine of Bliss, and that It can be reached, would not that man go mad in his struggle to reach It?’ Strong faith in God and the consequent eagerness to reach Him constitute Shraddha. (1.407) Then comes Samadhana, or constant practice, to hold the mind in God. Nothing is done in a day. Religion cannot be swallowed in the form of a pill. It requires hard and constant practice. The mind can be conquered only by slow and steady practice. (1.407) Next is Mumukshutva, the intense desire to be free. (1.407) What is Mumukshutva? It is the strong desire for Moksha—earnest yearning to get out of the sphere of pain and pleasure—utter disgust for the world. When that intense burning desire to see God comes, then you should know that you are entitled to the realisation of the Supreme. (3.451-52) If a piece of burning charcoal be placed on a man’s head, see how he struggles to throw it off. Similar will be the struggles for freedom of a man who really understands that he is a slave of nature. (1.411) Chapter I Canto 1 I will read to you from one of the Upanishads. It is called the Katha Upanishad. (2.155) The Vedanta philosophy, as it is generally called at the present day, really comprises all the various sects that now exist in India. Thus 1.

there have been various interpretations, and …they have been progressive, beginning with the dualistic or Dvaita and ending with the non-dualistic or Advaita. (1.357) Sacrifice of Vajasravas:

› CeZ² h d¡ dmOldg… gd©dXo g§ XXm¡& Vñ` h Z{MHo$Vm Zm_ nwÌ Amg&&1&& The Katha Upanishad speaks in very figurative language. There was, in ancient times, a very rich man (known as Vajasravas), who made a certain sacrifice which required that he should give away everything that he had. . . He had a boy called Nachiketas. (2.157) Shraddha and enquiry:

hÒ Ó N¯“VZCÒ ¥whÒ ∆<RLZ¥¯ i≥¸VZiZ¥¯ √·Z&&<——v{ ¥Zv&Vw¸h $$ 2 $$ nrVmoXH$m O½YV¥Um Xþ½YXmohm {Z[apÝÐ`m…& AZÝXm Zm_ Vo bmoH$mñVmZ² g JÀN>{V Vm XXV²&&3&& Now, this man (Vajasravas) was not sincere. He wanted to get the fame and glory of having made the sacrifice, but he was only giving things which were of no further use to him—old cows, barren, blind, and lame.(2.157) This boy saw that his father was not doing what was right, that he was breaking his vow; but he did not know what to say to him. In India, father and mother are living gods to their children. (2.158)… at that time Shraddha entered into the heart of his son Nachiketa. I would not translate this word Shraddha to you, it would be a mistake; it is a wonderful word to understand, and much depends on it. (3.319) Nachiketas, a bright young boy, who, observing the poor gifts made by his father, and pondering on the demerit that was sure to accrue to him thereby, resolved to make amends for them by making a gift of himself. (2.406) (To be continued. . .)

References gmYZm{Z - {ZË`m{ZË`dñVw{ddoHo$hm_wÌmW©\$b^moJ{damJe_m{XfQ²>H$gån{Îm_w_wjwËdm{Z& Vedanta Sara by Sadananda Yogindra, Verse 15 T h e

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Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1 Sep 14th 1899 Math. Belur. Howrah. India. My dear Mrs.Bull,2 Your two kind letters of the 9th & the 13th August reached me last mail. I thank you very much for them and for the good wishes and wisdom they contain. I am glad you were permitted to have a little rest, after such hard days of care & struggle, as you had lately with your friends. Kindly convey my cordial greetings to Mr. & Mrs.Thorp. I always remember how kind they were to me, as well as how sensitive open they are to everything that is good and noble. My love & blessings to the children too. I am glad Mrs.Crossby is improving & Mrs.Vaughan is being drawn to a new influence, which will be so beneficial. My kind regards to them both. I am sorry I could not write you for the last two mails & feel guilty. But as I was discouraged a little and struggling to gain my centre in Sri R. [Ramakrishna] I thought it best to be quiet, as much as was possible. I have finished the memoir long ago & found so much in it, to store up in my mind & revere! All that I can say is, I love the man & it will be great pleasure, if our paths meet at any time, in fuller sympathy and wisdom. Yes, Agnes has written this mail of her successful work. I am so thankful. I am glad she will have a little glimpse of you too, before she goes back to Chicago (or New York?). My blessings & best wishes to her & Santi. The latter has not written this mail. I hope she is well & improving. Mother sends her love to her three children every day in her prayer. The cheering prospect in the work here is the sincere respect, which the young members of the Math have for me. The discouraging part is that we have lost a chance of striking the iron, while it was hot at Calcutta & have to wait till it gets hotter again, as it surely will, if it be the work of Sri R. But I am paying all my attention to the centre of things in myself, as well as in others, so that the work might be a slow but a sure one. All show and vaunting is perfectly nauseating to my taste. The family difficulties continue the same. My father & mother would desire to be remembered in all gratefulness, had they known, I am writing to you. The Swamijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival is America will be an old thing by the time this reaches you. S.Brahmananda is to send the accounts very soon. The Swami V. has desired it. Remember me kindly to him & all friends. With dear regards to you always Faithfully yours Saradananda

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Written on the side margin— My accounts of the work in this has been a very general one. I will write the details a little later as I have no time to write to the Swami this mail. Kindly inform him that everything is getting on well here. Yours S. Oct 5th 1899. Math. Belur. Howrah. India. My dear Mrs.Briggs3 These days more are for a great meeting of friends. Every face is happy either with realised assurance of love & friendship or with the anticipation of its realisation—for it is the Divine Mother – who is coming in all Her love & glory to bless & cheer the poor & the weak! I might well believe, the waves here have something to do to bring you there together quietly in the old house! I am sorry you have been suffering so much of late. But it seems Sri R. has intended you as a living protest, against the saying that a strong healthy mind cannot live in a sickly form – and your strength is the most durable of all – for it draws its life from the fountain of love! I hope Dr.Hillever will be able to help you a little. I am grateful to be remembered by your mother & Harry still. My kind regards & best wishes to them in return. Remember me kindly to all friends too. Yes – the Greenacre song is being sung many a times by day & by night, as the boat glides over the river in the full blaze of day or the dark shadow of night. I am still sending this letter with Granny’s. I will not write you separately at 59 S lane until you tell me expressly to do it. Do not forget to write all your impressions of each one at Stove Ridge. Do not hurry but do it leisurely. I am glad to think you shall have a whole month of Granny’s kind care there. My very kind regards to you always and blessings, in which latter mother is joining me with her warm love. Faithfully yours, Saradananda

References 1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna 3. Mrs.J.A. Briggs

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

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math

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Peace and Happiness SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA

QUESTION: Is peace of mind different from peace of our body and peace of the world? ANSWER: Though different, peace of mind, body and the world are inter-related. A person may be intensely active physically yet his mind can be absolutely calm. In fact, such calmness combined with intense activity is the ideal advocated by the Bhagvad Gita in its fourth chapter. Swami Vivekananda has paraphrased the meaning of its 18th verse thus: ‘He who even while active can keep his mind calm and in whom even when not doing anything outward, action flows in the form of a contemplation of Brahman is intelligent one among men, he indeed is the Yogi. He indeed is the perfect worker.’ Likewise, there might be great unrest, even war, around in the world, yet one may have absolute peace within. This is the ideal of inner peace. QUESTION: Then how are they inter-related? ANSWER: It is said, ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body.’ Similarly, it can be said, ‘A peaceful mind in a peaceful body.’ This statement has certain practical implications. If you want to make the mind quiet before, say meditation, one must sit quietly without moving any part of your body. This helps in calming the mind. The opposite of it is also true. If your mind is peaceful, the body will tend to be less restless. QUESTION: Is there a relation between peace of mind and world peace?

ANSWER: Yes. Most of the unrest in the world is because our minds are restless. No lasting world peace is possible unless our minds are peaceful. Restlessness of mind expresses as disturbance in society. Hence, much greater effort must be made to calm the mind, than the efforts that are made to establish peace in the world. If we had paid more attention to make the mind calm, there would have been little need to redress external restlessness. QUESTION: What is meant by happiness? ANSWER: Different people have different concepts of happiness. Some people feel happy by getting more money. Young men and women feel happy if they get a good spouse. Others feel happy in having a son, name and fame, high position in society, and so on. There are others whose happiness lies in serving others. There are yet others, the spiritually inclined people, who derive a great joy in singing the glories of God, chanting His name and meditating on Him. QUESTION: It is understandable that there could be various causes of happiness. But what is happiness? ANSWER: According to Indian philosophy, atman or soul is inherently divine and blissful. However, this bliss is not expressed or experienced due to the impurities of mind. A pure and peaceful mind reflects this bliss which is called, or is experienced, as ‘happiness’ or joy. When any of our desires are fulfilled, the mind

A former editor of THE VEDANTA KESARI, the author is the Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Chandigarh. T h e

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become peaceful for the time being and the soul’s natural bliss becomes manifested, giving us a feeling of happiness. QUESTION: How can we have everlasting peace and happiness? ANSWER: As explained, the source of all happiness and bliss is the atman or soul. One can get everlasting bliss by realizing the atman. And since this bliss expresses itself through a peaceful, pure and sattvika (serene) mind, every attempt must be made to purify the mind and make it peaceful through spiritual practices. Only a pure mind can get ever-lasting peace and happiness. QUESTION: It is said that we should feel happy in other’s happiness. But some people might feel happy in injuring others. What should be done then? ANSWER: It is everyone’s duty to protect one’s interest and happiness. But in the process of becoming happy, one must not harm others. At times, the search for our happiness gets us into a conflicting circumstance. The whole story of Mahabharata demonstrates the ways and means by which such situations are to be tackled. The Pandavas, for instance, tried every peaceful means to uphold truth, justice and righteousness. But when all these failed, war

became inevitable and thus the war of Mahabharata was fought. Peace must not be accepted at the cost of truth and righteousness or Dharma. For it would lead to greater suffering. We should seek peace through righteous means. QUESTION: How can one be loyal to anything but the truth? After all in the Gita, did not Lord Krishna ask Arjuna to stand against everyone, even his guru if he is wrong? Then where is the place of loyalty or nishtha in spiritual life? Also, if someone has done much for you, but then he is wrong on an issue, should one stand up for the truth, or should one be grateful? ANSWER: The whole of Mahabharta is an attempt to answer this question regarding conflict between truth and loyalty (nishtha). Even Sri Krishna in the Gita accepts the fact that it is very difficult to decide what is the right conduct and what is the wrong conduct (kim karma, kim akarma, kavayo api atra mohitaha). It is also said that where there is dharma, there is victory. Further, it is said that dharma is where Sri Krishna is. This means that at the time of confusion of such values, we must take refuge in God. He is the Ultimate Value. We should pray to Him for guidance and strength.

India’s Timeless Wisdom

Šd{MV² n¥Ïdreæ`… Šd{MX{n M n`©‘>e`Z… Šd{MÀN>mH$mhma… Šd{MX{n M emë`moXZé{M…& Šd{MV² H$ÝWmYmar Šd{MX{n M {Xì`må~aYamo _Zñdr H$m`m©Wu Z JU`{V Xþ…I§ Z M gwI_²&& One who is keen and determined to complete his work (i.e. he is focused on his aim) does not pay any heed to pain or comfort that come in his way. Sometimes he may sleep on bare earth and sometimes on a bed; sometimes he may eat only simple roots and fruits and sometimes he may eat delicious rice; sometimes he may wear worn out garments or sometimes fine clothes. (Nothing deters him from reaching his goal). —Neeti Shatakam, 82

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Spiritual Values in the Gita SWAMI VISHARADANANDA

(Continued from October 2010 issue. . .) [An exposition of verses 7-11 of the 13th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, the following is the 15th and the final instalment of the article; January to October 2009 and January, March, August, and October 2010 issues contained the earlier parts of the article.] 19. Adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam Adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam means dwelling upon the Knowledge of atman or the Self, i.e., thinking deeply and analysing the true nature of ‘I’. One should spend some time daily on the subject of atman and the anatman (non-self). One should try to find out what is the reality of atman. ‘I’ does not mean only the physical body; there is an indwelling Self which resides, as it were, in this, with all the traits and adjuncts (upadhis). The physical body is merely a dwelling place for that mighty essence or Being. There is a subtle body behind the physical body and beyond that is the true basis of our personality. We should learn to separate the Indweller and the dwelling place through proper discrimination (viveka) and detachment (vairagya). Again, we can compare body and mind to a chair or a sofa which one uses for sitting and enjoying something. Body is called the ‘seat of experience’ (bhog-adhisthanam). We should find out who is the ‘enjoyer’ (bhokta). When our mind is preoccupied with the objects of enjoyment, with senses, with people and consumer goods, we do not see the ‘enjoyer’.

Holy Company (satsanga) and scripture (shastra) draw our attention to the ‘enjoyer’ and make the mind rise above the bodyconsciousness. The mind, hence, should be trained to see the Indweller, the Self, and a corrective be made in our thinking. The Journey of Life Let us remember that parents do not create the subtle body (sukshma sharira). The parents only provide a dwelling place for the embodied being (jiva). Before this ‘dwelling place’ (the body) was created, where was the embodied being? It is only the physical body which comes into existence at the time of birth. The Indweller, the Self, was not absent when the body had not been created nor will this become absent when the body dies and one goes to the next body. It is like shifting a house or moving into a new house. The same holds true of the embodied being. A seeker should learn to see himself as an Indweller of the body and not as the body. All our worldly relationships are based on the belief that we are body. What is your real identity? Who is the ‘being’ that comes and goes? According to

Swami Visharadananda is a monk of the dashanami tradition. He lives and teaches at Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Mahavidyapith, Prashanti Kutiram, near Jigani Industrial Area, Bangalore, Karnataka. This serialised article has been condensed from his book Human Values, published by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashan, Chamarajpet, Bangalore, pp.102. T h e

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Hindu scriptures, in previous lives too, we had a body and were attached either as husband or wife or son or daughter. We were attached to property, money, power and so on in that life and are attached in this life also. But when we leave or give up this body, we will be reborn in a new circumstance, create fresh relationships, fresh attachments and we develop the same sense of possession (mamabhava), and self-centredness (ahambhava), and good (punya) and bad (papa) results of action will be accrued. That is how the embodied being, has been travelling on, birth after birth. The mind, however, is more interested in knowing with whom the embodied being has been travelling rather than seeing who is travelling. But we begin to feel a sense of independence, when we go deeper and feel how we are different from our body. Physical body is like a dress and the subtle body is yet another dress, worn beneath it. Even our subtle body undergoes change. The subtle body is made up of thoughts, feelings, impressions and so on. When our thoughts, feelings and values undergo a change, our subtle body also undergoes a change. They all keep changing but the ‘I’, the seer and the experiencer, who sees all these changes, remains unchanging. When one discovers this aspect of oneself, one begins to enjoy how free he is—he is neither gross body nor subtle body. No matter what one does, the physical body is going to wither away like a flower. Just as it is ridiculous to expect a flower not to dry up so also it is pointless to expect that the body will not deteriorate; it is definite. Why then should one spoil the mind with vain hopes? Wife, sister, mother, father, husband, friend—all are important till one ‘occupies’ the body. All relations exist as long as one is in the body; no such relationship is permanent. T h e

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Nothing can make the body eternal: medicine, wealth, name or fame—none. Let us accept this simple truth. The subtle body, again, is also a combination of various elements such as—five organs of action, five organs of knowledge, five vital energies and mindstuff. Inside it is the atman. The embodied being is the experiencer, being the 17th ‘element’. The Inner Nature of Happiness The key to be happy or unhappy lies within us. If we decide to be happy, the external world cannot disturb us. Certain circumstances may take away an object or a person we love but being established in our real self, we can still remain happy. We should control our mind which is the source of our happiness or unhappiness. This is what we discover when we think deeply. Vedanta does not say that everything is fine outside but it gives a better understanding of our happiness and misery. If we change our mind, the whole world looks different. The Vedanta gives a capacity to protect our mental health, and not just to go on changing the external world. With a better understanding, the world no longer frightens us. We then develop the capacity to accept whatever comes and take things in their stride. With a change of vision towards life, all situations in life become negligible and we see the glory of the atman, our real Self. The bodymind in which we ‘live’ may be small but that which dwells in them is infinite. We then find our real nature which is ever perfect, pure, strong and wise. This is what the scriptures teach us. Once we learn this truth and our attention is always fixed on this, it is called adhyatma-jnana-nityatvam.

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20. Tattvajnartha-darshanam This is the last of the spiritual value enumerated here. Tat means ‘that-ness’. Tattva is Knowledge of Reality. If you see a mirage and conclude that there is water, then that is called an illusion (bhranti). To realize that it is a mirage and not a water-body is called tattva jnanam. What is tattva of atman? The Vedantic scriptures tell us that atman is Ultimate Reality (Brahman or tattva). It is never born, never dies, and is changeless. But then what do most people think of the self? What do we refer to whenever we say ‘I’? Tattva jnanam means to find out the reality of Self. What is the benefit if we find It out? Suppose we find out the height of a mountain or find out how many leaves are there on a tree, what do gain from it? Similarly, if we know that nature of the Self, what will we get out of it? Such a knowledge solves the problem of life and death. We suffer from many problems such as a sense of helplessness, inferiority, impatience and so on. If we look deeper, we will find that in reality these problems are results of our conclusions about us. We are troubled by these conclusions and hence become unhappy. Once a person concludes that he is small or limited, he further feels that he is insecure. This sense of limitation is the door through which all wrong conclusions enter. But happiness comes to us when our conclusion about the ‘self’ is set right. A mind bogged down with fear, anxiety and panic cannot be happy. Since we think we cannot get out of this vicious circle, we carry on with our old ways. If we know that there is a way out, we would be eager to know it and our scriptures tell us that there is a way and that way is the Knowledge of the Self. Self-knowledge leads to freedom from misery. T h e

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How to ‘See’ the Self The issue is how to ‘see’ or ‘know’ one’s own Self! Although we may arrive at the conclusion we are the Great One, we feel we are small. Although we know that we are the Beautiful One, we feel we are ugly. Although we know that we are the Wise One, we feel we are ignorant. Well, we have to change our attitude. How? Through discrimination or viveka. We have to clean up the mind, and develop our discriminative faculty. Alongside, we should also develop dispassion towards praise and blame, name and fame and so on. We should value the Self, and let go all names and forms. Developing viveka means understanding that our physical form is different from our true nature which is Eternal and Ever-present. It is to know that we are Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. But the difficulty is if we are so, why do not we ‘see’ it? The answer lies in our emotional and psychological inadequacies to grasp this truth. Even though we seem to want this truth, we are unwilling to let go our pet and long-cultivated ideas about our limitations. As we equate our attachments to happiness, giving up our attachments becomes giving up happiness. And who wants to be unhappy! ‘Attachment only brings destruction’ was the lesson Bhagavan Dattatreya learnt from a family of birds. In a forest fire, their baby bird perished and seeing the loss of their baby, the mother and father too give up life. Dattatreya then wonders how attachment causes destruction. If helplessness brings about destruction, it is understandable. But here helplessness comes due to attachment and that cannot be explained. Likewise, we too suffer because of our attachments. We forget the eternity of atman and get busy with our ‘my name, my

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body, my wife, my family, my job’ and so on. The suffering thus comes from our attachments and not from outside. Of course it is not easy to change our attitude. That is why we have to cultivate all the spiritual values enlisted in these virtues. Human values like humility, non-violence, purity, control of sense and so on help us to change our mind and prepare us see things as they are and be ready for the highest knowledge. We develop a larger view of life and our emotional attachments to people, ideas, objects and other things drop away slowly.

And then comes the realization that atman is Brahman and that alone matters. As long we use the word ‘I’ along with its adjuncts (upadhis), we cannot know the Ultimate Reality. Hence one needs viveka and vairagya to know the Reality. That realization of the Reality leads to wiping out of all misery and pain of life. This is ever-lasting peace what Self-knowledge brings to us. As the Upanishad says, ‘A Knower of Self goes across the sea of misery’ (shokam tarati atmavit—Chandogya Upanishad). (Concluded.)

The Method of Self-analysis The method of self-analysis is a two-way practice: negation and affirmation. First the seeker tries to separate his individual self from all diversities by negating them as mere superimpositions of the deluded mind. Simultaneously he affirms that his individual self is the only reality and that it is the focus of the universal Self, the common Self of all beings and things. This is known as the process of neti, neti. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna: ‘First of all you must discriminate, following the method of “Neti, neti”: “He is not the five elements, nor the sense-organs, nor the mind, nor the intelligence, nor the ego. He is beyond all these cosmic principles.” You want to climb to the roof; then you must eliminate and leave behind all the steps, one by one. The steps are by no means the roof. But after reaching the roof you find that the steps are made of the same materials—brick, lime, and brick-dust—as the roof. It is the Supreme Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings and the twenty-four cosmic principles. That which is Atman has become the five elements. The superimpositions are the accumulated deposits of Self-forgetfulness that have developed into different layers of embodiment—the body, mind, and ego. Actually, these are all layers of ego, made up of attitudes, motives, values, and self-identity. Derived from the environment and biochemical and hormonal processes, they determine our likes and dislikes, love and hatred, gain and loss, fulfilment and frustration. By the process of negation, we free ourselves from these various superimpositions. —Swami Yatiswarananda, Meditation and Its Practice, p.229-230 T h e

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

2 Homa Bird Youngsters like him [Naren] belong to the class of the ever-perfect. They are born with God-Consciousness. No sooner do they grow a little older than they realize the danger of coming in contact with the world. There is the parable of the homa bird in the Vedas. The bird lives high up in the sky and never descends to earth. It lays its egg in the sky, and the egg begins to fall. But the bird lives in such a high region that the egg hatches while falling. The fledgling comes out and continues to fall. But it is still so high that while falling it grows wings and its eyes open. Then the young bird perceives that it is dashing down toward the earth and will be instantly killed. The moment it sees the ground, it turns and shoots up toward its mother in the sky. Then its one goal is to reach its mother. (p.192.) True Self-Knowledge A man had two sons. The father sent them to a preceptor to learn the Knowledge of Brahman. After a few years they returned from their preceptor’s house and bowed low before their father. Wanting to measure the depth of their knowledge of Brahman, he first questioned the older of the two boys. ‘My child,’ he said, ‘You have studied all the scriptures. Now tell me, what is the nature of Brahman?’ The boy began to explain Brahman by reciting T h e

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various texts from the Vedas. The father did not say anything. Then he asked the younger son the same question. But the boy remained silent and stood with eyes cast down. No word escaped his lips. The father was pleased and said to him: ‘My child, you have understood a little of Brahman. What It is cannot be expressed in words’. (p. 102) Ant and the Sugar Hill Men often think they have understood Brahman fully. Once an ant went to a hill of sugar. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another grain in its mouth it started homeward. On its way it thought, ‘Next time I shall carry home the whole hill.’ That is the way shallow minds think. They don’t know that Brahman is beyond one’s words and thought. However great a man may be, how much can he know of Brahman? Sukadeva and sages like him may have been big ants; but even they could carry at the utmost eight or ten grains of sugar! (p. 102.) Parable of Salt Doll Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean. It wanted to tell others how deep the water was. But this it could never do, for no sooner did it get into the water than it melted. Now who was there to report the ocean’s depth? (p. 103)

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The Path of Devotion KANWALJIT SINGH

Seeking God through Devotion Though often held in subordination to the path of Jnana [Knowledge], the path of Bhakti [devotion] has especially attracted the people in the world, the householders, who are content to proceed rather slowly towards moksha or spiritual freedom—while discharging their worldly duties. Bhakti, succinctly speaking, is the surging aspiration of the soul to reach the Divine, to grasp the Ideal and cling thereto eternally. A Jnani seeks the moksha or Ultimate Knowledge through a forceful effort of controlling and resisting the thought-waves and analyzing what is ‘real’, while a Bhakta tries to flow with the current, turning his emotional energy towards God, the Embodiment of freedom and knowledge. To him God is a Living Presence that fills and pervades the whole universe. Devotion, at its culminating point, marks a release from the ego-bound existence. Indeed when ‘I’ is effaced and surrendered to ‘Thou’, only the ineffable bliss of Supreme Identity remains. The lover merges into the Loved and becomes the all-embracing Love. All the doubts and musings, proper to the functioning of mind, are carried in that uncontrolled drift to the Supreme who accepts and harkens to the heart’s longings and prayers. After all, the objects of nature are suffused with the light emanating from God. Through every stem, every blade of grass the Divine manifests His creative energy. Even the senses seem to

become a medium for the perception of the Eternal Light. Intellect is flooded with the sublime tunes which echo the Infinite. With the dissolution of ego into the illimitable One, a bridge is made between the paths of Bhakti and Karma. How? When all beings are but the manifestation of the One Supreme Being, the Bhakta humbles himself before all and offers the fruit of all that he does to that One. By thus serving his fellowbeings unselfishly he becomes an instrument in hands of God. A true Bhakta does not detest the world as such; to his gaze the impurities of the world are nothing but a passing shadow temporarily hiding the luminous Purity. A Bhakta has nothing to reject, for all is He to him. The flutter of every moth that burns itself out, the starry spheres decking the firmament and the majestic winds sweeping across the grassy swards bespeak of His presence. A devotee never causes harm to anyone insomuch as the entire creation, to him, reflects the Divine, his Beloved. Every act of the devotee, performed with thoughts fixed on Him, thus, becomes hallowed. The Life of a Bhakta True Bhakti is not just a detached acceptance of what is, but finding a luminous harmony even with the realities of life. Rejecting nothing and taking everything in his embrace, the devotee becomes filled with divine bliss and ecstasy. It is through love that

The author is a devotee from Ludhiana district of Punjab. T h e

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he seeks oneness with God. To him love is the key wherewith to unlock the recesses of his heart. With the intensity of his ecstasy he turns, as Meera [a woman saint of 16th century India] did—turning poison offered to her into nectar. His whole life is offered to his Beloved. His life, thus, becomes a prayer, expecting nothing in return. Like the Gopis of Vrindavan, the sole joy of his life consists in being with his Beloved. In this way devotion leads, holding the conscious and sub-conscious layers of mind in control, to the Superconscious. Devotion is always, as in the path of Knowledge, founded upon an awareness of the Self within, which is eternally one with the Supreme. It is to this Self that all devotion is directed. Meera’s Krishna is not merely in the idols made of stone. He is within her, ever radiating in blissfulness. However the form [to which a devotee feels drawn] may reflect the formless consciousness that suffuses the form. When all is Divine, there is nothing to run away from. The world contains Him and is contained therein. The saint and the sinner, the theist and the atheist manifest, in more or less degree, the Divinity which constitutes the essence of their being. A true devotee rises above the duality of sex. Devotion, at its highest, is transcending sex-consciousness and making the mind servile to it. In this way both the Jnani and the Bhakta attain to the ‘no-mind’ state; the former by controlling the thought-waves and the latter by transcending them. Insomuch as every spiritual effort aims at going beyond mind, Bhakti does not, however, take into account the thoughts and doubts peculiar to mind. It, in fact, directly takes a leap towards the Supreme, the repository of everything. A Jnani, striving to reach the Highest may have, at times, doubts as to his Goal, but a devotee is T h e

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so absorbed in his devotion that to his inundated vision the Goal and the means vanish into ineffable bliss—and so also all doubts. His ego is dissolved into the Divine Beloved. Bhakti is that nectar partaking of which one becomes a channel, a medium through which God functions. Surrendering to the Beloved Like Sri Krishna’s call to Arjuna in the Gita to take refuge in Him, a Bhakta, shunning all other thoughts and ways, surrenders his whole being to the Lord. Through this selfsurrender the Bhakta acquires mastery over his lower nature, for all desires are supplanted by one Desire—that of enjoying an eternal union with the Beloved. Even the thoughts of good and evil, of gain and loss are rendered inane under the overwhelming tide of Love; Love that permeates through every pore of a devotee. Love forms the essence of Bhakti and pure untainted love leads to God. Meera, in one of her songs, sings of love as the sole means to attain a permanent union with Krishna, her Beloved. Radha was no Yogi, but a simple, pure maid who loved Krishna, and in love she found the means and the end as well of her aspirations. She did not meditate on Krishna, as the word is generally used to mean, but would, in her ecstatic frenzy, grasp her Lover as her sole possession. In a way a Bhakta, like a lover, has a claim upon the object of his search. With his unflinching devotion and love he would make even God yield to his loving gestures. God does listen to every prayer that emanates from the heart of an intoxicated Bhakta. In fact the very life of a devotee turns into an everlasting prayer to God. Like Sri Chaitanya, a Bhakta will dance himself to Samadhi, the highest state of consciousness. Bhakti is the ebullient flow of energies latent in the being.

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Bhakti marks the culmination of the divine love inherent in each living being. The Bhakta is not afraid of treading the path that lies through the worldly dross to God. On the other hand, he, forgetful of external bondage, marches towards Liberation. Like a lotus, he blooms in the muddy and turbid waters of the material world. However, the arduousness of his journey is amply lessened by his dependence on God. As he trudges on, his Beloved, condescending to share his burden, advances to meet him likewise. Thus he has in God, the supreme Refuge in this gloomy world. The Harmonizing Influence of Bhakti Bhakti is not the reflection of a morbid mind, but a dynamic realization of the divine Presence from which the devotee gets an inexhaustible supply of spiritual energy. A true Bhakta is, thus, a true Karma Yogi who, not caring for the results of his actions, acts in accordance with the love and harmony that suffuse his heart. Disseminating love and peace, he treads the mundane world with his thoughts directed to God. He has no need to

escape from this world of senses, for to him all is That. Unmoved by pain or pleasure, suffering or joy, he walks with God as his Guide. It was not for nothing that Sri Ramakrishna extolled Bhakti Yoga as the surest way to reach God. With the intensity of his aspirations that devotee attains to a state of no less illumination than that of a Jnani. But there has to be an unconditional devotion attended with childlike purity and innocence, for it is the pure in heart that will see God. All thoughts of worldly gains must vanish and be directed to God, the eternal Self shining in the lotus of the heart. It is That which a Bhakta seeks. He may obtain the aid of senses as they are the subtle gates through which that Divine within looks at the world. A Bhakta may choose to repeat a mantra or adore an idol. But what he worships is the self same Presence which a Jnani wants to identify himself with. The entire world, to the Bhakta’s illumined gaze, becomes the play field of God and ceasing to remain enslaved therein, he rises to pure Transcendence where nothing but He alone is.

‘You may be in the world, but your mind must not be tied to it. The Master used to say: “It is very necessary to have discrimination—to consider that the world is evanescent and that God alone is real and eternal. What can money give you? It can give you good, clothing, and a habitation. That is all; it cannot lead you to God. So money can never be the goal of life. Considering things like this is called discrimination.” Do not cherish in your mind too much of worldly ambition. You have already provided for the bare necessities of life. Be content with them. The mind has a natural proclivity towards the low and the vulgar—towards lust and lucre and towards name and fame. The task of the aspirant is to gather together that scattered mind and fix it on the lotus feet of the Lord. The highest ambition in life should be the realization of God. Keep that ambition ever awake in the mind, and try heart and soul to reach that goal.’ —Mahapurush Swami Shivananda, For Seekers of God, p.167 T h e

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Living with Swami Brahmananda WILLIAM PAGE

Swami Brahmananda As We Saw Him: Reminiscences of Monastic and Lay Devotees, compiled and edited by Swami Atmashraddhananda. Forty reminiscences, with 101 photos, six appendices, notes, and glossary. Chennai, Sri Ramakrishna Math, 2010. Hardbound, pages 588 + xii, Rs. 200. This is one of those books that can put the reader in an elevated mood. It is to the credit of Swami Atmashraddhananda and his editorial team at The Vedanta Kesari that they have drawn together reminiscences about Swami Brahmananda from a wide variety of sources and compiled it into one handy volume. The result is a spiritual feast for the soul. As most readers will know, Swami Brahmananda (familiarly known as Raja Maharaj, or simply as Maharaj) was the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna and the first President of the Ramakrishna Order. He was the guru of many of the great disciples of the Second Generation—the disciples of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. In this book 30 monastics and ten devotees record their memories of him and his teachings. Among the contributors are five former Presidents of the Order: Swamis Vijnanananda, Vishuddhananda, Madhavananda, Vireswarananda, and Bhuteshananda.

The book is enhanced by 73 black-andwhite photographs in the main text, mostly of Swami Brahmananda and places associated with him, and 28 smaller photos of the contributors. For those of us who knew some of the swamis of the Second Generation only when they were old, it is a delight to see what they looked like when they were young: Swamis Ashokananda, Satprakashananda, Vividishananda, Akhilananda, and others, with Swami Prabhavananda the most dashing of them all. The six appendices include an article on the role of the guru written by Swami Brahmananda himself; a brief biography of Swami Brahmananda by Swami Yatiswarananda; a touching letter from Swami Siddheswarananda to his father recounting Swami Brahmananda’s passing away; and a nine-page collection of Swami Brahmananda’s spiritual precepts compiled by P. Seshadri Aiyar. This last selection is an invaluable, concise distillation

William Page is a retired English teacher living in Bangkok, Thailand. He has been associated with the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Massachusetts, USA, since 1960. Courtesy: American Vedantist, Volume 15, No.3, Fall 2009, p.8 -11. T h e

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of everything we need to know about meditation, and it ends the book with a bang. It would be especially useful for beginners, and deserves to be printed separately and distributed as widely as possible. ……… How to sum up Swami Brahmananda? Swami Vireswarananda does it best when he says, ‘Raja Maharaj was a “pocket edition” of the “library edition” of Sri Ramakrishna.’ (p.120) Like his Master, he was multi-faceted. Characteristics that might appear contradictory were in fact complementary, depending on his mood and the situation. He could be so solemn and grave that nobody dared approach him, but he could also laugh, joke, and play like a child. The pranks he played were legendary. It’s hard to forget the image of the great swami dressed up in a bearskin, trying to frighten the grandchildren of Balaram Bose. Often, especially in holy places, he emanated a spiritual atmosphere that everybody felt, and that elevated many to a higher plane; but he could also come down to a lower level to smoke the hookah and even play cards. His disciples saw such mundane activities as devices to bring his mind down from its usual lofty state. Like Sri Ramakrishna, he could transmit spirituality by touch, and even by his mere presence. In separate reminiscences, Swamis Prabhavananda, Yatiswarananda, Nirvanananda, Ambikananda, and Aseshananda all remark on this and narrate their experiences

of it. When he was in a high spiritual mood, he could be oblivious to everything happening around him; but when he came down he would pay attention to the smallest details of everyday life, such as how much milk suchand-such a cow had been giving or whether a particular plant had flowered. He loved plants and animals, and was an expert gardener. Readers are bound to find some selections more interesting than others, depending on their tastes. I found the one by Swami Nirvanananda especially illuminating. He relates many incidents that give insight into Swami Brahmananda’s character. There’s a detailed account of Sister Nivedita’s last meeting with him before she formally dissociated herself from the Ramakrishna Order. In this encounter Swami Brahmananda comes across as a perfect diplomat, polite but firm, but fatherly all the while; and Nivedita as a wayward but docile daughter. (155-156) Like his Master before him, Swami Brahmananda attracted and held his disciples by the power of his love. Swami Shambhavananda sums up the general consensus perfectly: ‘I was the recipient of such love as I had previously received only from my mother. He often spoke to me as if I was his very own child….Love just poured out of him, and if you came near Maharaj you couldn’t help but be showered with [it].’ (411) This book promises to be an invaluable addition to the growing body of literature on Swami Brahmananda and his teachings.

What is Shraddha

Shraddha is a mental attitude constituted primarily of sincerity of purpose, humility, reverence, and faith. You have Shraddha for your Guru—it is sincere reverence. You have Shraddha for the Gita—it is admiration for those of its teachings you understand and faith in those that you do not. You give alms to a beggar with Shraddha—it is a sense of humility combined with the hope that what you give will be acceptable and serviceable. —Swami Swarupananda, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chap.III. 31 T h e

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New Math Sub-Centre We are glad to announce that Shyampukur Bati, where Sri Ramakrishna stayed for seventy days before moving to Cossipore garden-house, has been taken over by Ramakrishna Math, Belur, and made a sub-centre of Ramakrishna Math (Balaram Mandir), Kolkata. A function was organized on this occasion on 18 November 2010, the birthday of Swami Subodhanandaji Maharaj, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. Srimat Swami Atmasthanandaji Revered President Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Order, gave a benedictory speech and Swami Prabhanandaji, the General Secretary of the Order, addressed the gathering. Many monks and devotees attended the function. The address of this new sub-centre is Ramakrishna Math (Shyampukur Bati), 55A, Shyampukur Street, Kolkata 700004. West Bengal.

Public meeting at the Shyampukur Bati (right) and the decorated shrine of the Bati (left)

Birthday of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi Celebrated The birthday of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was celebrated at Belur Math on Monday, 27 December 2010. Thousands of devotees attended the celebration throughout the day. Cooked Prasad was served to about 34,000 devotees. Swami Suhitanandaji, Assistant General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, chaired the public meeting held in the afternoon. Holy Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthday was observed in all centres of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission all over the country and abroad. Puja, Homa, Bhajans and Vedic chanting, public meetings, feeding the poor, distribution of garments and other necessities to the needy, and similar activities marked the occasion. T h e

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Homa at the Holy Mother's temple, Belur Math

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Y Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur, won the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2010. Smt Pratibha D Patil, President of India, handed over the award, comprising a citation, a certificate and a sum of 1,00,000 rupees, on 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, in a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Y Madurai Math organized an All Tamil Nadu Devotees’ Conference from 3 to 5 December 2010 in which about 9000 delegates participated. Swami Smarananandaji inaugurated the conference. Several monks and eminent speakers addressed the gathering.

Events at Narainpur Ashrama Sri Shekhar Dutta, Governor of Chhattisgarh, inaugurated the four-day sports meet organized by Narainpur centre from 18 to 21 November 2010. About 2000 school children from 36 schools of Narainpur and Kanker districts participated in the meet. On 15 December, Swami Prabhanandaji, the General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission inaugurated the coaching centre building and laid the foundation stone for the proposed ITI administrative building and ITI hostel building at Narainpur Ashrama on the occasion of its silver jubilee in the presence of Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, and several other dignitaries.

Celebration at Vijayawada Centre

Y Ramakrishna Mission, Vijayawada (Andhra

Pradesh) organized Convention for Teachers, Youth and Parents in connection with 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Swami Vivekananda (2010 – 2014). Held on 17, 18 and 19 December 2010 respectively at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Vidya Vihar, Sitanagaram, the Conventions were addressed by, among others, Swami Gautamanandaji, Adhyaksha, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai and Swami Vimurtananadaji, Editor, Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, the Tamil monthly of the Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. 500 Teachers, 800 Youth and 200 Parents took part in the events. Y Swami Gitanandaji, Vice-President of Ramakrishna The Convention at Vijayawada Centre Order, inaugurated the renovated Sarada Devi Sabhangan (multipurpose hall) at Kankurgachhi Math on 27 December, Holy Mother’s birthday. Y A staff member of Deoghar Vidyapith, Sri Sanat Haldar, won the Gold Medal in the 35th National Yoga Championship in the age group 25-40 (for men) organized from 4 to 7 December at Margaon, Goa, under the aegis of Yoga Federation of India, an alliance affiliated to Asian Yoga Federation and recognized by the Indian Olympic Association. Y Viveknagar (Tripura) centre organized an All Tripura Devotees’ Conference at the Ashrama on 5 December, which was attended by 645 devotees. Y Kanpur Ashrama launched Vivekananda Jnana Vahini (mobile bookstall) on 16 December. Y On 17 November, the sacred Jugal Parikrama day, Vrindaban centre conducted a medical camp in which 200 pilgrims were provided first aid. Y Sri M O H Farook, Governor of Jharkhand, visited Deoghar Vidyapith on 28 December and addressed a meeting held on this occasion. Y The newly built Sarada Bhavan (office-cum-bookstall building) at Coimbatore Math was inaugurated on 30 December. Y Chapra centre conducted a Child Eye Care Programme in which the eye check-up of 1566 school children of Chapra town and 11 nearby villages was done from August to December; 64 of these children having refractory errors were given free glasses. T h e

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Eye-camp at Khetri Ashrama (right) and saree distribution at Belgaum Ashrama

Y Khetri centre organized a Child Eye Care Project in which 12,000 students of 50 schools in and around Khetri underwent eye check-up. Of these, 1191 students with refractory errors were given free glasses. Y On the occasion of birthday celebrations of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Belgaum (Karnataka) distributed sarees and blankets to the poor on December 12, 2010. The invited dignitaries included the Mayor of Belgaum city, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, President of the Bar Association of Belgaum, and the Executive Engineer of the Pre-division, Belgaum. A short address explaining the significance of the programme and the ideal as envisioned by Swami Vivekananda preceded the distribution. The event was held amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. Cooked Prasad was distributed to everyone present.

Flood Relief

Distribution of relief materials at Thiruvarur (right) and Nagarkoil (left)

Tamil Nadu: Torrential rains caused by cyclonic depression led to floods in some districts of Tamil Nadu last month, leaving in its wake several deaths and hundreds homeless. The Chennai Math centre served 64,400 plates of cooked food to 9550 flood victims in 30 villages of Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts. Winter Relief More than 6300 blankets were distributed through the following centres to poor people: Agartala, Baghbazar, Belgharia, Chandigarh, Chapra, Coimbatore Mission, Karimganj, Manasadwip and Shyamla Tal. Shyamla Tal centre also distributed 300 jackets to local people. T h e

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For review in THE VEDANTA KESARI, publishers need to send us two copies of their latest publication.

The Lost River By Michel Danino Published by Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017. paperback, pp.357, Rs.399. The river Sarasvati has been the subject of intense investigations for a little more than a century. Though its name occurs regularly in the Vedas, especially the Rigveda, and many other scriptures, it has always been considered to be a mythical river, a product of the imagination of the ancient Risis of ancient India. Only recently has enough evidence accumulated for us to be able to say that this river was in existence in the past. It does not exist anymore for a very simple reason. It dried up because of certain geological events, which blocked the flow of Himalayan waters into it, and fed it instead to the Ganga and Jamuna. The first concrete evidence about the existence of this river came from satellite photographs, which displayed in the Haryana and Rajasthan region the existence of an underground river. Interestingly, most archaeological sites in that area fall on either side of the trace of this river. This was followed by actual diggings along the track of the river, revealing underground water. These diggings were conducted by the Department of Archaeology, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Oil and Natural Gas Commission. A detailed analysis of data accumulated laid to rest the so-called Aryan Invasion Theory of Max Mueller. It also showed that the so-called Aryans and Dravidians were Vedic people, who are indigenous, and did not migrate into India about 4000 years ago. Since then, the river Sarasvati has become a symbol of National Heritage. The study of ancient T h e

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Indian culture has become a respectable enterprise. One of the prominent figures, who have contributed significantly to this enterprise, is the author of the book under review, Michel Danino. In this book he has presented a cogent summary of whatever is known today about the river Sarasvati, in a popular and easy-to-read format for the common reader, without compromising with facts and figures. For more technical details, the readers can refer to the seven-volume publication of Dr.Venkataraman of Chennai, who has covered the subject extensively. The book consists of three parts, with a total of eleven chapters, followed by an epilogue. The first part ‘The Lost Sarasvati’ has three chapters. In the first chapter, the author reviews investigations undertaken by British officials about the river, before India’s independence. He also talks about the work done by a French geologist, Vivien de Saint-Martin, who tried to match the existing rivers of the Punjab with the references to major rivers in the epics. He felt that the river Sarasvati represents the totality of all streams in that area. But, the most important contribution came from Richard Dixon Oldham, a British geologist, who showed that the existing river Ghaggar might be the original river Sarasvati. His work also showed that the landscape of Punjab and Rajasthan has undergone drastic changes from the time of Sarasvati to that of Ghaggar. The second chapter is devoted to references to the river in the scriptures from the Vedas down to the epics. It also describes the work of British archaeologists of trying to bring out the historical element from these books relating to the river. This is indeed a great contribution from them, since only a dispassionate critical study by an unbiased mind could help in this work. The third chapter is about the latest researches in this field. It refers to satellite photography for detecting the course of the river, techniques of

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dating etc. The first part thus lays the foundation for the book, by exciting the curiosity of the reader to learn more. The second part, ‘India’s First Civilization’, has five chapters. The first chapter is about the reconstruction of the ancient Vedic culture with the help of archaeological excavations. The second part is about the major cities of that period, Mohenjodaro and Harappa. One of the remarkable features of these cities is the absence of any fortifications or defense measures, unlike the cities of ancient Egypt or Greece. The third chapter is about the excavations at Kalibangan, a work started about a century ago by the remarkable Marc Aurel Stein, a Hungarian archaeologist working for the Archaeological Survey of India. This and subsequent investigations have yielded rich dividends. They have positively identified the Ghaggar-Hakra basin to lie on the course of the river Sarasvati. The fourth chapter is about the latest excavations in the sites of Banawali, Kalibangan, Lothal and Dholavira, throwing ample light on the methods of town planning prevalent at that time. Apparently, water was of great importance to the residents of these cities. One finds in them water storage and distribution facilities, which show an advanced stage of development. The fifth chapter of this part is devoted to the chronological sequence of events, indicating when and why these giant river systems underwent transitions, leading to some of them drying up and even changing their course. This had a drastic effect on the prevailing civilization, leading to its gradual disappearance, thus indicating that it was basically riverine with water as its lifeline. The third and last part, ‘From Sarasvati to Ganga’, has three chapters. The first of them talks of the several important artefacts discovered that throw a light on the style of life of the people. The second chapter is about the symbolism represented in some of these artefacts. Especially interesting are those tablets depicting yogic postures. The last chapter is devoted to a rebuttal of a recent book of Kochhar, questioning all these conclusions, and arguing that the river Sarasvati is a fiction. This is an echo of the now defunct Aryan Invasion Hypothesis of Max Mueller, so beloved of Marxist historians. The answers given by Danino are cogent, to the point and convincing. A good feature of the book by Danino is that he takes this infamous T h e

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Hypothesis as already defunct, and does not waste the reader’s time by referring to it! There is a short Epilogue at the end of the book, dealing with the process of the drying up and disappearance of the river Sarasvati. There are profuse endnotes and a bibliography at the end of the book, to help those readers who may like to make a more detailed study. This is, indeed, a remarkable book. It makes fascinating reading. One feels at the end as if one has lived in the presence of the river Sarasvati during the process. The author should be complimented for bringing out this book, so that future generations may understand and appreciate our ancient culture better. May his tribe increase! ______________________________ NVC SWAMY, BANGALORE

Bhagavad Gita and Hinduism By Nilesh M. Shukla Published by Readworthy Publications (P) Ltd. A-18 Mohan Garden, Near Nawada Metro Station, New Delhi-110 059-06. 2010, paperback, pp.218, Rs. 290. Vyasa delivered a message for all seasons, when he made Arjuna question the sanity of fighting the Kurukshetra battle. Nilesh Shukla has built his own pathway to the Song of Songs. The present book is structured as a handbook of Sanatana Dharma for Hindus to help them live their broad-minded faith. It would also assist them, to some extent, in explaining their religion to outsiders. We can heartily second Nilesh’s affirmation: ‘Gita is perhaps the only refuge for us to reclaim global peace, progress and prosperity.’ It is a seamless style that keeps flowing: Hinduism does not punish people for holding religious or irreligious views. It has no concept of Murtadd (apostate) and accepts idol-worship as well as idol-less worship; cosmic consciousness which includes matter and spirit is in the very nature of Hinduism; the religion exercises no power over someone’s life, leaving it to the judiciary of the land; there is no concept of ‘original sin’. There are also observations on varied subjects like miracle, fatalism, rebirth, the four castes and the holy cow. Nilesh is not evasive on the uneasy sub-

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ject of Dalits either: ‘Untouchability may perhaps have started for the reasons of hygiene, but it was a very inhuman and unjust system that needed to be demolished.’ He has also a theory about the perpetuation of caste system in what he considers a deliberate genocide of Brahmins by foreign invaders. The author does not countenance aggressive Hinduism but points out that Hindus have been wronged for centuries. The actual tie-up with the Gita commences on page 158. Nilesh would have us study the scripture as a guide to self-betterment but he gets lost in the mazes of comparing it with other scriptures like the Torah, the Bible and the Koran in terms of size and age. The longish defence of Krishna sidetracks the reader. Fortunately the quotations from Nobel Laureates like Hermann Hesse and T.S.Eliot and explications of a few chosen verses restore the balance. An acceptable addition to the Gita shelf. ___________________________ PREMA NANDAKUMAR, TRICHY

KULASEKHARA’S PERUMAL THIRUMOZHI By Vekeepuram Rajagopalan Old No. 3 (New No.5), Third Canal Cross Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600 020. 2009, paperback, Pp.126 +xxv, Rs.150/- US$ 15. Azhwars, the Tamil poetsaints saw God only more intensely than they saw anything else on earth. They lived and had their being in God. ‘It is not in the brain but in the heart that the Atman, possessed of knowledge, power and activity, has Its seat’, says Swami Vivekananda. Kulasekhara Perumal, the royal renunciate was so God-intoxicated that he gave up his kingdom for the begging bowl and lived in Sri Rangam singing paens of joy on Sri Ranganatha. Besides ‘Mukundamala’ he wrote 105 pasurams spread over ten decades known as Perumal Thirumozhi on Sri Ranganatha, Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and the God of the Seven Hills. Divine love brims over every line of the pasurams, the Azhvar becoming Devaki, Dasaratha and the Gopis by turn and experiencing the consummate bliss of his favourite incarnations. Whether as Dasaratha T h e

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pining for his son leaving him for the jungle or as Devaki lulling the child Krishna into sleep or as the Gopis gently chiding Krishna for his divine pranks, the Azhvar makes the reader feel the divine presence. Sri Rajagopalan has done a good job translating all the pasurams into English for the benefit of the Vishnu devotee not knowing Tamil providing them transliteration also. The translator has tried to recapture the original mood and the poetic charm with considerable success. But his use of ‘sanctimonious’ on p.123 as a compliment is wrong. Though Sri Rajagopalan has recreated the mantric effect of the hymns in rich poetic diction and soul-stirring rhythms with felicitous words, almost synonymous, one feels that they lie as precious gems waiting to be studded in jewels as the syntactical structures remain loose. There are gaps in proof-reading which need a relook. The wrapper is attractive with an imposing gopuram. The author’s scholarship, dedication and religious fervour are unquestionable. The colour plates of the deities are a loveable feature. The short notes at the end are the scholar’s delight. ___________________________ K.PANCHAPAGESAN, CHENNAI

Management Moment by Moment By J.P. Vaswani Published by Gita Publishing House, 10, Sadu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001. 2008. Paperback, Pp.96. Price Rs. 75/-. Management has become a household word in the present day. As life has become more complicated, one has to master the art of living, and for this one should learn to manage the various ‘parameters’ of or factors that have a bearing on our life like time, people and emotions. Sure, there are experts to advise and also several books to provide information on issues of business and financial management; but life management skills are a different category altogether. In the book under review the author teaches how to achieve the sense of inner peace and harmony which alone can make one’s life meaningful.

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The author, J.P. Vaswani, popularly known as Dada Vaswani, is a well-known spiritual guide and also a gifted speaker. Both in his talks and writings, he has the knack of making even the most difficult subjects simple and very easy to understand. The topic of ‘management’ of the different aspects of life is dealt with under seven heads, namely, stress, anger, fear, health, time, people and soul. The section on Stress Management, for instance, starts with a beautiful introduction, explains what stress is, its effect on the human body and psyche, how and why it is caused, how it can be overcome and simple tips to manage stress. The same pattern or format is followed in all the subsequent sections as well with suitable illustrations and humorous anecdotes, making the subject very easy for the reader to understand and also to remember. The sections on management of time and health need special mention as these two factors need much attention in the present day. We can make our lives more worthwhile, more rewarding and more satisfying, if we add a new dimension to our management skills—namely, Spiritual Quotient, a concept the author generally deals with in his talks and writings. In short, this is a very useful book every one should read.

established in 1980 at Bloomington, Indiana, USA. The editor, Michael Oren Fitzgerald is an author, editor, and publisher of books on world religions, sacred art, tradition, culture, and philosophy. The book has been organised in such a way that one gets the experience of listening to the Mahaswamigal as his devotees did during his tour of South India. ‘The editing process for this book has attempted to recreate the experience of sitting near the guru everyday during a camping period of between one to two weeks.’ The book is divided into 16 chapters which are again subdivided into sections of connected themes. Fitzgerald has done a commendable work in organizing the Mahaswamigal’s teachings in a logical format. The revered Acharya touches upon every important aspect of Hindu Dharma in his discourses – the Vedas, the Shastras, Varnashramadharma, the forty Samskaras, conflict between tradition and modernity in Hindu Dharma, the problem of secularism, etc. His views are profound and reflect his deep knowledge of the shastras and his vast spiritual wisdom. Savour this: Religious leaders should never interfere in matters of governance. To keep reminding the government that it should act to nurture religion, to express appreciation when the government acts in this manner, to boldly criticize it if it interferes in matters of religion—beyond this religious leaders should not have connection with the government. Mixing politics with religion is like destroying the very source where water is purified.

__________________________ H. SUBRAMANIAN, BANGALORE

INTRODUCTION TO HINDU DHARMA By Chandrashekarendra Sarasvati Swamigal. Introduction by Arvind Sharma. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, 41, UA Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007. 2010, Paperback, pp. 145, Rs. 695. Prof. Arvind Sharma deems it a singular honour to write the Introduction for this book. Perhaps, it would not be an exaggeration for this reviewer to say that he too feels equally honoured to review such a book on Hindu Dharma, containing the teachings of one of the most respected Gurus of Hinduism in recent times. MLBD has published this book by arrangements with World Wisdom, a publishing company T h e

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No one can remain unmoved by the Mahaswamigal’s fervent appeal to Hindus of all castes and creeds to preserve the Vedas and their Dharma. Preserving the Vedas is a Lifetime Mission says the Swami and it was to this cause that he dedicated his entire life. It is difficult for a reviewer to be objective when confronted with a book so profound in its content, coming as it does from a remarkable spiritual leader like the Mahaswamigal. This book is a must for every Hindu who seeks to understand the philosophy and worldview of Sanatana Dharma. It is an excellent teaching aid for every teacher who is involved in teaching Hinduism to the younger generation. It is great resource for every Hindu parent who wants to impart wisdom and culture to his/her children. ______________________ M. PRAMOD KUMAR, COIMBATORE

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JOIN US IN SERVING GOD IN MAN Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Sikra Kulingram is a branch centre of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, West Bengal. Sikra Kulingram is a small village in West Bengal about 60 km from Kolkata. It became a blessed hamlet with the birth of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj (1863-1922), the first President of the Ramakrishna Order. Since its very inception, the centre has been carrying on various welfare service schemes for the upliftment of the poor and backward classes including SC/ST/OBC and other minority communities living in nearby villages. Services like free coaching, non-formal schools, distress relief, child welfare, medical services, and other need-based services are provided in the remote Sunderbans area. A few monks and the local devotees are carrying out these services in a severely resource constrained setup. To upgrade the present infrastructure we request you for liberal financial help to strengthen the corpus fund. All donations are exempt from Income tax under section 80G. Cheque or Demand Draft favouring Ramakrishna Mission, Sikra may be sent to the above mentioned address. For donations of more than Rupees one lakh, suitable marble slabs shall be put up in relevant places. Construction of Office, Auditorium-cum-Library, Computer Training Centre, Free Coaching centre, Monksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; quarters, Dining Hall, Kitchen, and Staff Quarters Rs.76.5 lakhs Furniture and office accessories Rs.5 lakhs Tube Well pumping Unit Rs. 7 lakhs Corpus Fund for Rural Development Services Rs.100 lakhs General Fund for Ashrama Rs.7.5 lakhs Yours in the Service of Lord Swami Vitaragananda Secretary

Ramakrishna Mission Sikra-Kulingram, 24 Parganas (N) West Bengal, India 743 428 Ph: 03217 - 249 980

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RAMAKRISHNA KUTIR BRIGHT END CORNER, ALMORA—263 601, Uttarakhand (A branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math) PHONE: 05962-254417, E-mail: rkutir@gmail.com, rkutir@yahoo.in

Appeal for Restoration Ramakrishna Kutir (Ashrama) at Almora, Uttarakhand, was founded in 1916 by Swami Turiyananda and Swami Shivananda (two direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna) at the behest of the Swami Vivekananda. The Almora Ashrama is a retreat center where monks and devotees of Sri Ramakrishna come to live in its spiritual atmosphere and get peace of mind. The place is imbued with the spiritual vibrations of Swami Turiyananda’s holy and austere life. The Ashrama also conducts welfare activities for the poor hilly people and needy students. Last year we distributed 5000 woollen blankets to the victims of devastating rain that hit Almora district. Unprecedented rains and cloud burst in September 2010 in Almora resulted in tremendous landslide, gorges, cracks and land-sinking of the Ashrama premises. The changed land contour has damaged the temple and other buildings. Our engineers have suggested abandoning of an old building and rebuilding of other inhabitable one. Hence we appeal to all devotees and general public to extend their helping hands to restore the Ashrama buildings. The restoration of land, at least, should be completed before the next rainy season in 2011. After that we shall have to start the construction of the damaged buildings. For this entire restoration and reconstruction work, we need more than 2 Crore rupees. Cheque/Draft may please be drawn in favour of ‘Ramakrishna Kutir, Almora’ and send it to: Ramakrishna Kutir, Bright End Corner, Almora, Pin - 263 601 (Uttarakhand). The name of the donors of 2 Lakh rupees and above will be displayed in prominent place, if he or she wishes. All donations to Ramakrishna Math are exempt from the Income Tax U/S. 80G of the I.T. Act. Swami Somadevananda Adhyaksha

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New Release

Personality development is the key to all progress and happiness. Swami Vivekananda said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Men, men these are wanted; everything else will be readyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In other words, he wanted men with a well-developed personality, full of all noble virtues such as sincerity, unselfishness and purity of heart. How to Shape the Personality describes various aspects, methods and ways of Personality Development. Contains 30 thought-provoking articles by monks and lay writers, actively involved in teaching and implementing different aspects of Personality Development. Paperback, Pages 352 + vii Price: Rs. 70/- + Postage: Rs.25/- per copy No request for VPP entertained Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004

New Release

Paperback, Pages 282 + vi Price: Rs. 50/- + Postage: Rs. 23/- per copy No request for VPP entertained

Madras or Chennai is associated with the Ramakrishna Movement from its inception. Swami Vivekananda, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Brahmananda, Swami Ramakrishnananda and several other direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna have visited the city of Madras on different occasions. The first monastery of the Ramakrishna Math was started in Madras in 1897. The present book is a compilation of details of these visits from various books and articles, giving a focused and comprehensive picture of chain of events associated with the great disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004

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Now available!

The

DVD conta ining the containing Archiv es of Archives

The V edanta Kesari Vedanta

The Vedanta Kesari, a spiritual and cultural monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914, has been effectively disseminating Indian Ethos and Values, with uninterrupted publication for the last 96 years. The entire collection of archival articles (1914-2009) contributed by scholars and thinkers, savants and admirers, monks and practitioners of Vedanta is now available in one DVD. The DVD has 14300 articles running into 48000 pages by 2400 authors, with search facility indexed author-wise, title-wise, year-wise and by keywords, plus other features. A veritable encyclopedia of Vedanta is now available to you at the click of a button! Price: Rs.500/Rs.500/-Packing and Posting charges: Rs.60/- (within India) For ordering your copy, draw your DD in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai and send to: The Manager, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 600 004, Email: mail@chennaimath.org You can also order online at: www.chennaimath.org/estore/96-years-of-the-vedanta-kesari-a-dvd-collection

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SRI RAMAKRISHNA ADVAITA ASHRAMA (Hqs.: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math) P.O. Kalady, Ernakulam-683574; Ph: 0484-2462345. E-mai1:srkaadv@dataone.in The Ashrama has been running a free hostel for the poor, underprivileged and orphan children from classes V to X since 1936. There is an urgent need for repair and renovation of the old buildings and also creating a corpus fund for maintaining the hostel of 100 children, providing them with food, uniform, accommodation and study materials free of cost. We appeal to the generous public and well wishers to donate liberally for: 1) Hostel Corpus Fund and/or 2) Hostel Renovation Fund, which are exempt 100% from Income Tax under 35AC. An Endowment of Rs.1 lakh and above may be created in memory of the loved ones. Donations towards other activities of the Ashrama- Daily Puja, Charitable Dispensaries, Celebrations, Maintenance etc. (General Fund) are exempt from I.T. under 80G. Cheques/Bank Drafts/M.O. may be drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama, Kalady and sent to the above address. Donors from foreign countries can send their contributions online to our F.C. A/C No. 338602010005806 while the Indians can send to the I.C. A/C No.338602010009164 at Union Bank of India, Kalady (IFSC Code: UBIN0533866).

Swami Amaleshananda Adhyaksha

RAMAKRISHNA MISSION SEV ASHRAMA (CHARIT ABLE HOSPIT AL) SEVASHRAMA (CHARITABLE HOSPITAL) Swami Vivekananda Marg, Vrindaban, Dist. Mathura, Uttar Pradesh â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 281121, Ph: 0565-2442310,2443310 (Fax), Website:www.rkmsvrnd.org E-mails: rkmsvrnd@gmail.com, info@rkmsvrind.org The Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Vrindaban started in 1907 runs a 165 bed capacity charitable hospital, providing free Medical services to the poor and the needy of the holy land of Braj for the past 103 years. The total number of patients treated during 2009-10 was 3, 34, 000 all of whom were given free medicines. A Rural Mobile Medical Service, a School of Nursing, Nonformal education centers, widow & TB welfare programmes, Goshala are run along with various other charitable activities. We appeal to the generous public to donate forâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Our Special Pr oject (details) Project Y Y

Estimated Cost (Rs. In Cr or es) Cror ores) (including medical equipments and other facilities) 24.15 (for maintenance of the Hospital and free distribution of medicines) 10.00

Grand Total Donations towards Infrastructure Development and Corpus Fund are eligible for 100% exemption from Income Tax u/s 35AC of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Cheques or Drafts may please be drawn in favour of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Vrindaban and sent to the above address. Else you may also deposit the same with AXIS BANK Account No. 9100 1001 8246 169 and inform the same by post/email or phone. Swami Suprakashananda Secretary

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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: navajeevan@sancharnet.in Website: www.navajeevan.org

An Appeal 31 Years of Service to Humanity 1979 - 2009 1. Navajeevan School & Hostel for Blind Children

– Tirupati & Orissa

2. Navajeevan Free Eye Hospital

– Tirupati

3. Navajeevan Free Home for Aged

– Tirupati & Rishikesh

4. Navajeevan Harijan Sewa Ashram

– Kothapeta

5. Navajeevan Sharanagati Vridhashram

– Tirupati

6. Navajeevan Orphanage

– Parlaki Mudi [Orissa]

7. Navajeevan Rural Medical Centres

Berhampur [Orissa]

8. Navajeevan Eye Care Centres

Serango [Orissa]

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

– Rs. 5000/-

2. Sponsor 5 IOL Cataract Eye Operations

– Rs. 7000/-

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

– Rs. 6000/-

4. Sponsor one poor aged person for one year

– Rs. 5000/-

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

– Rs. 50000/-

6. Vidyadan—Educational aid for one Child

– Rs. 2000/-

Donor devotees can send their contributions by cheque/DD/MO to the above address on the occasion of birthday, wedding day or any other special occasion and receive prasadam of Lord Balaji Venkateswara of Tirupati as blessings. Contributions to NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE, Tirupati are eligible for Tax Relief U/S 80G of Income Tax Act.

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

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The Vedanta Kesari Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 57. Postal Registered No. TN / CH (C) / 190 / 09-11 Licenced to Post WPP No. 259 / 09-11 Date of publication: 26th 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 selfconscious activity. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Swami Vivekananda

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