The Vedanta Kesari August 2021

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The

Vedanta Kesari

Focus

The Blue Plaque in London page 11

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A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

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क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते। क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप ।।

“O Partha! Yield not to unmanliness! It befits thee not. Abandoning this base faint-heartedness, rise up, O dreaded hero!”

(Bhagavad Gita 2:3)

“If one reads this one shloka, one gets all the merits of reading the entire Gita; for in this one shloka lies embedded the whole message of the Gita.”

— Swami Vivekananda

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The Vedanta Kesari

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order

CONTENTS

108

th

Year

of

Publication

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Vol. 108, No. 8 ISSN 0042-2983

AUGUST 2021

The Blue Plaque in London Dr Vayu Naidu

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Jagat Satyam Swami Satyapriyananda Adhar Lal Sen Dr. Ruchira Mitra

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Ca

lls

9 Yugavani 10 Editorial 15 Reminiscences of Sargachhi 23 Pocket Tales 25 Vivekananda Way 34 Pariprasna 35 Lessons from Swamis 42 Book Reviews 44 The Order on the March

Wh

en

Go

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FEATURES 8 Sri Sudarshanashtakam

Poorva: Magic, Mircles and Mystical Twelve Lakshmi Devnath

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North Kolkata: The Leela Kshetra Swami Chidekananda Sri Ramanuja’s Inventive Arrangement Srirangam Mohanarangan

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Editor: Swami Mahamedhananda Published by Swami Vimurtananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, No.31, Ramakrishna Math Road, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed by B. Rajkumar, Chennai - 600 014 on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed at M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014.

Website: www.chennaimath.org

E-mail: vk@chennaimath.org Ph: 6374213070

August 2021

The

The Vedanta Kesari

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Vedanta

One hundred and eight years e of 895 u 1 s r s e and going strong…. ti mb Firs pte e S in, He was a much-celebrated and much-feted Swami. His vad a m h famous address at The World’s Parliament of Religions, Chicago in Bra 1893 had catapulted him to the status of a super star. But Swami Vivekananda was not one to bask in chaffy glory. A letter to one of his trusted followers, from the USA, dated 12 Jan 1895, read, ‘I want to preach my ideas for the good of the world. …What work have you done in the way of advancing the ideas and organising in India? …My life is more precious than spending it in getting the admiration of the world. I have no time for such foolery.’

Swamiji, as Swami Vivekananda was fondly addressed, loved and revered his motherland as his own mother. Every breath of his aspired for her well being and every cell in his body yearned that she regain her lost glory. She had been a beacon light for the world until repeated invasions pillaged her ruthlessly and left her not just poverty-stricken but also psychologically drained. The latter struck at the very core, underlying the urgency for immediate redressal. Swamiji’s panacea for this lay in India’s very own practical and ennobling Vedantic wisdom. Vedanta recognises no weakness. It proclaims that in every individual lies a mine of strength. All that is needed is an effort to draw from it.

Swamiji started looking for the right channel to propagate the powerful message of Vedanta. He opted for the print medium and decided to bring out a journal, giving it the name Brahmavadin. In February 1895, he sent from USA $100 and a letter to his trusted disciple Alasinga Perumal. The letter read: ‘Now I am bent upon starting the journal. Herewith I send a hundred dollars… Hope this will go just a little in starting your paper.’

If selflessness and devotion would have a form, it would have borne the name of Alasinga Perumal. Brahmavadin became Alasinga’s calling and the first issue rolled out from a press in Broadway, Chennai on 14 September First iss 1895. The magazine included a poem of Swamiji ue of The Ved anta Ke specially composed for the occasion. It was titled, sari, Ma y 1914 ‘The Song of the Sannyasin’. One verse ran thus:

Kesari

One hundred and eight years and going strong….

“Strike off thy fetters! Bonds that bind thee down,

(Handwritten words in Swamiji’s own hand) With this message that marked its mission, Brahmavadin made a determined entry into the strife-ridden climate of pre-independence India. The birth of the magazine was certainly an occasion for celebration but the struggles were far from over.

One of Swamiji’s letters to Alasinga read: ‘I learnt from your letter the bad financial state that Brahmavadin is in.’ This was followed by another letter that carried the line, ‘I pledge myself to maintain the paper anyhow.’

Bolstered by this pledge, Alasinga Perumal braved on, surmounting many an impediment. Sadly, Swami Vivekananda passed away in 1902, at the age of thirty-nine.

Alasinga’s intense anguish morphed into heightened devotion towards the magazine. But the next hurdle in Brahmavadin’s journey came in 1909, in the form of Alasinga’s own demise. In May 1914, the magazine, tottering as it was, floundered and ground to a halt.

It was at this crucial juncture, that the Ramakrishna Mission stepped in to revive it. The Mission was itself in its nascent stages with many a teething problem but nothing could come in its way of reviving the Brahmavadin. For, had not their beloved Swamiji repeatedly said, ‘The Brahmavadin is a jewel – it must not perish!” And so, the very same month when Brahmavadin closed, it was resuscitated with the new name The Vedanta Kesari.

The history of The Vedanta Kesari is much more than just a tale of sweat, toil and a dream realised. It is a narrative of Swamiji’s passion for India and Alasinga’s devotion to his master. It is a celebration of love, transcending forms.

5 The Vedanta Kesari

For fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind;

August 2021

Love, hate — good, bad — and all the dual throng,

Appeal

August 2021

For the last 107 years, without missing a single issue, the magazine has been carrying the invigorating message of Vedanta and alongside, continuously revamping itself to meet the changing needs of the times.

The relevance of Vedantic wisdom to everyday life is all the more pertinent today than ever before. ‘Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached,’ is the thundering motto of Swami Vivekananda. The Ramakrishna Mission, as you all know, is a unique organisation where sannyasis and lay people come together and endeavour for the common good. Let’s join hands in taking forward our revered Swamiji’s vision and mission for The Vedanta Kesari.

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Prayer

।। श्रीसुदर्शनाष्टकम्।‌। ।। Sri Sudarshanashtakam ।।

August 2021

SRI VEDANTA DESIKA

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Sudarshana Chakra is the discus weapon of Lord Vishnu and Sri Krishna held by the lord in his right hand. In the tradition of Sri Ramanujacharya, Sudarshana is personified as the prime devotee and called Charathazhwar. Sri Vedanta Desikacharya (1268 – 1369) composed an ashtakam, a stotra of eight slokas, in praise of Sri Sudarshana. It is said that he composed this stotra to help the residents of Tirupputkuzhi when they suffered from the grip of an epidemic fever.

दनुजविस्तारकर्तन जनितामिस्राविकर्तन दनुजविद्यनिकर्तन भजदविद्यानिवर्तन। अमरदृष्टस्वविक्रम समरजुष्टभ्रमिक्रम जय जय श्रीसुदर्शन जय जय श्रीसुदर्शन।।

O Sudarshana! You arrest the growth of the evil-minded Asuras and destroy them down to their roots. You are like the resplendent Sun banishing the dark night of Samsara, which bedevil your devotees. You overcome any and every act of deception practiced by the Asuras. You remove every shred of false knowledge that invades the minds of those, who seek refuge in you. The Devas celebrate your heroic deeds and experience joy in witnessing your powerful actions. You revolve and rotate in many ways in your battles against the enemies of your devotees. May Thou with such auspicious attributes prosper further! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!

प्रतिमुखालीढबन्धुर पृथुमहाहेतिदन्तुर विकटमायाबहिष्कृत विविधमालापरिष्कृत। पृथुमहायन्त्रतन्त्रित दृढदयातन्त्रयन्त्रित जय जय श्रीसुदर्शन जय जय श्रीसुदर्शन।।

O Sudarshana! You give darshana to us with your dynamic gait of One foot placed forward in movement and the other rapidly following it. Your position in that gait is beautiful to behold. You are surrounded by your magnificent and fearsome weapons. You are the conqueror of powerful illusions (Maya) caused by Asuras. You are not therefore affected by their acts of Maya. You are decorated with many beautiful flower garlands that add to your natural beauty. You are firmly bound in the warp of your great compassion for your devotees and bless them, when they worship You through Your Yantra and Mantra. O Sri Sudarshana of such auspicious Gunas! Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee!

Suppose you have separated the shell, flesh, and seeds of a belfruit and someone asks you the weight of the fruit. Will you leave aside the shell and the seeds, and weigh only the flesh? Not at all. To know the real weight of the fruit, you must weigh the whole of it—the shell, the flesh, and the seeds. Only then can you tell its real weight.

The shell may be likened to the universe, and the seeds to living beings.

God and the world

While one is engaged in discrimination one says to oneself that the universe and the living beings are non-Self and unsubstantial. At that time one thinks of the flesh alone as the substance, and the shell and seeds as unsubstantial. But after discrimination is over, one feels that all three parts of the fruit together form a unity. Then one further realises that the stuff that has produced the flesh of the fruit has also produced the shell and seeds. To know the real nature of the bel-fruit one must know all three.

The Nitya and the Lila belong to the same Reality. Therefore, I accept everything, the Relative as well as the Absolute. I don’t explain away the world as maya. Were I to do that I should get short weight.

— The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

August 2021

G

od alone is the Master, and again, He is the Servant. This attitude indicates Perfect Knowledge. At first one discriminates, ‘Not this, not this’, and feels that God alone is real and all else is illusory. Afterwards the same person finds that it is God Himself who has become all this — the universe, maya, and the living beings. First negation and then affirmation. This is the view held by the Puranas.

9 The Vedanta Kesari

PA G E D O N O R : S R I C H A L A PAT I R A O K . V, H Y D E R A B A D

Yugavani

Editorial

Where Am I?

“M

August 2021

an is a compound of animality, humanity, and d iv i n i t y ” s ay s S wa m i Vivekananda. In our daily life we function from one of these, or from the borderlines of any of these three levels of life.

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Our life manifests at the animal or pashutva level when our senses, behaving like wild horses, drags us to experience the pleasures of sense objects. Dictated by bodily instincts, our thoughts and actions remain selfish and flow mainly towards food, sleep, and lust. We begin to function at the human or manushatva level when our mind awakens to higher thoughts and develops the capacity for rational thinking in different fields of knowledge like natural sciences, humanities, and religion. At both these animal and human levels we remain bounded by the laws of Nature or prakriti. It is when we struggle against this bondage to Nature that we begin to manifest the divinity or daivatva in us which is variously known as Self, Soul, or Atman.

To break free from the shackles of prakriti, our scriptures and saints give us powerful tools in the form of awakening questions like ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where have I come from?’, ‘Where am I going?’…. When we deeply engage with such awakening questions they unveil the divinity within us.

There is another question we can ask ourselves as we go through our daily lives; it is: ‘Where am I?’

This down-to-earth question with no metaphysical trappings, has the power to

awaken us into the present moment — the only window of time through which we can realise the inner divinity.

Asking ‘Where am I?’ creates multiple levels of awareness in us — we recognise the influence of external circumstances on us, we understand the nature and dynamics of our relationship with things and people, we realise where we stand in our spiritual journey, and at a deeper level we become aware of where our attention is.

This last awareness is most important because basically we are where are attention is.

When our attention flows out into the world through the senses or through thoughts, we become entrapped in the things of the world. Hence, the degree of control we have over our attention decides at what level our life manifests — animal, or human, or divine.

Again, the question ‘Where am I?’ presumes that we have a clear idea of where we want to be. Without this clarity, the question loses its significance. Speaking about his mission in life, Swamiji declares that it is “to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life.”

This then is where we should seek to be: A state of experiencing and manifesting the inner divinity through our every thought, feeling, and action as a loving service to the Lord manifest as the world.

As we travel through life with this ideal, let us remember to ask ourselves every now and then ‘Where am I?’

Focus

The Blue Plaque in London Blue Plaque is a scheme under which London keeps its history alive by marking out buildings and places associated with eminent people of the past. One such Blue Plaque building is associated with Swami Vivekananda. In 1896, on his second visit to England, Swamiji stayed here along with his brother-disciple Swami Saradananda, his disciple J.J.Goodwin, his younger brother Mahendranath Datta who was there to pursue higher studies, and an American friend.

I

never dreamed that it was literature that drew me to London.

Increasingly, I’ve found myself visiting locations that are signposted in novels, to work out where the action takes place.

Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty is a well-known example, and following its television series as well, I decided to stand on the site and get the measure of how it appears in reality compared to how the writer creates it in my imagination. The difference in scale can result in a multitude of responses culminating in congratulating a brilliant writer for evoking a whole new world peopled with imaginary lives and or a consummate loss of innocence from where it started.

I was mulling on how words can transport readers across spaces as I was standing beneath the alley’s signpost of Apple Tree Yard within the proximity of The London Library, and Beau Brummel’s London, all layered in a

location inspired by English politician and courtier Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans (1605-1684) and the court favourite of Queen Henrietta Maria, consort of Charles I of England. I was trapezing across time.

By happenstance I looked across and had another ripple of history. Just opposite was a new building, on the site of an older one that commemorated where Sir Edwin Lutyens unfurled his plans of building New Delhi for the British Raj between 1912-1930. A little over a hundred years on I was standing on a razed site dedicated to the place which laid plans for the city of my birth – New Delhi; a confluence of traditional Mughal and colonial style architectures that have influenced the languages I think, dream, speak and write in.

It struck me then, that the realities created by literature through imagination, and the reality across linear time categorised as History can both be experienced in the present,

Dr Vayu Naidu continues to unravel the profound meaning of Sri Ramakrishna’s tales and parables, researches global oral traditions as Literacy, and is a novelist. vayu@vayunaidu.com

August 2021

Dr Vayu Naidu who lives in London draws attention to this building sanctified by the two swamis’ stay. This article was commissioned by the Royal Literary Fund when the author was a Fellow at Royal Holloway University College London in 2019 and was originally an audio podcast broadcast by RLF VOX on social media.

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PA G E D O N O R : S R I M AT S WA M I G A U TA M A N A N D A J I , S R I R A M A K R I S H N A M AT H , C H E N N A I

DR VAYU NAIDU

August 2021

if we can locate it. Perhaps that is what makes for Tourism – tourists taking a tour of time past in the present seeking out the grand buildings that are or on that site what once stood. I’ve often spotted individuals, or couples, or a tour group gazing at rubble or a humble brick wall as if the thing itself is there in its glory. In other times of history, these might have been pilgrims seeking salvation. In the here and now a significant life qualified by contributions to, let’s say evolution of thought, rather than civilisation, is signalled by the English Heritage Blue Plaque.

London’s Blue plaques have spurred my enthusiasm for rediscovering literature, its

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The Victoria Coach Station takes up considerable destination attention with tourists, inlanders, and daily commuters who barely notice any other landmark. On one of my lucid unemployed days I decided to turn off the beaten Ebury Bridge Road toward Victoria underground and rail station, and found myself on the borderland of Pimlico on St. George’s Drive. I stumbled on a Blue Plaque on 63 St George’s Drive, SW 1 which fixed my attention completely. It read: SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (1863-1902) Hindu Philosopher lived here in 1896.

Vivekananda would not have considered himself a philosopher. Yet English Heritage subscribes to the documentary evidence provided by the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, UK, ‘informing the public’ that Swami Vivekananda as he was known in the West, continues that trajectory of contribution to human thought that changed the world.

The Vedanta Kesari

While the plaque was installed on the 5th of July 2004, I had not then realised this was the 156th anniversary.

Of course, I could hear Victorian London in motion: People and carriages hurtling past. And time stopped its meaning as I have known it from a schedule of arrivals and departures. I was in a time which was an age of oratory and empire.

Swami Vivekananda in London, 1896

writers, with the additional reality of a historical perspective which enables my search entering the palimpsest of realities, simultaneously. No passports or security checks required. This is the liberation that London brings with the Blue Plaque. But the flight is not as easy as it sounds. The enigma is: Which Blue Plaque to select to begin the journey?

From India, Vivekananda entered the world of philosophy at Chicago’s Parliament of Religions in 1893. He fundraised both voyage and entrance to the platform to speak on Hindu thought. This was the first time Hinduism was not represented by a Christian missionary. The Address was to an American audience of seven thousand without a microphone, in clear British English. “Sisters and Brothers of America” it began, on the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. It was the 11th of September 1893.

He was invited to England not through an institutional capacity, but as a guest of the Sesame Club that was interested in education and among the first that had men and women as its members. This was co-founded by Lady Isabel Margesson and Lady Rippon who brought in May 1896, the Galsworthys, Margaret Noble, Canon Albert Wilberforce

His literary feat in unlocking the potential of the Indic oral traditions, and the epics based on strong philosophical arguments into an age of industrialisation and empire while working across the divergences of class and race was inspired by his guru Sri Ramakrishna, a visionary teacher in all respects.

Today our understanding of time as linear, non-linear, cyclical, light years and infinity seems commonplace. But it was not so in 1896 when Vivekananda began his classes and lectures, and published essays on the subject.

Swamiji stayed at 63 St George’s Drive which was rented by Mr. Sturdy from Lady Isabel Margesson from 1st May to 1st July for his stay and classes. He held four classes a week in the

St George’s Drive

August 2021

among others to attend. Swami Vivekananda’s lecture on another occasion, ‘Privilege,’ sums up the tension between differentiation and unification and what the role of Ethics is, in humanising the individual and as united members of a society. None is superior or inferior, each does a task that is different towards a unified end. The real privilege is in understanding the nature of work.

13 The Vedanta Kesari

PA G E D O N O R : S R I V I S H N U T. A . , C H E N N A I

When I read the published lecture, I find a pivotal literary moment inspired by a socialist thrust prompted by the freedom of the human spirit. In attempting to answer the question in his words, about the “common centre to which all widely diverging radii converge”, he is referring to the changing tides of older civilisations, its epic existences, subsumed by the inventions of the new travelling and trading industries. He is not nostalgic for a past glory: “Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery, and would exist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual world…the discoverers of these laws are called Rishis...I am glad to tell this audience that some of the very greatest of them were women.” The point of discovery is appropriate to the location of the time – the land mass now known as America existed, long before Vespucci or Columbus ‘discovered’ it. His unravelling in English of ‘discovered’ truths that formed a vast tract of literature written as poems or haiku, was inspired by the Upanishads. While much of this and the Bhagavad Gita were in Sanskrit, he brought to it the craft of the epic poets. He was at once, transporting a concept of time and space from a different cultural (Hindu) way of being, from the Sanskrit into English with all the practitioner’s rationality and musical heart of an Indian raga into its cadence. At the centre of this science of self-discovery and connectedness was the notion of Time and how human consciousness can experience true freedom which is the essence of Vedanta.

August 2021

first-floor double drawing room. Around a hundred people attended these classes which culminated in the books on Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. The Blue Plaque write-up at the English Heritage site notes that the hub of Swamiji’s “everyday life was the ground-floor parlour, fronting on to the street, while he slept in a windowless room immediately to the rear. Other parts of the house were given over to his entourage…”

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The two forces of differentiation and unity are best defined in the symbol of Kali in regional folk and classical Indian poetry. The symbol in calendar art was significant during the Bengal Renaissance and indeed, in India’s Freedom Movement in the twentieth century.

Kali is also a female force that is dynamic – associated with the process of constantly becoming. Constant and becoming are not seen as contradictory – they are two forces of the same, one revealing the other, and the essence of the ‘play’ or interaction of these two forces, is to eliminate any trace of privilege which is tightly packed in the fear of loss. It is this ‘fear of loss’ that obstructs the Light behind the creative imagination. The light of the creative imagination shines with the loss of fear, or the death of the limited self.

The age of iron and industrialisation is also referred to as Kali yuga. So, as I stand outside 63 St. George’s Drive, I relish the generosity of the Blue Plaque for liberating me across time zones and continents and tumbling down the walls of historical time for a unique experience of freedom. In a poem that beats to the pounding rhythm of wheels of the steam engine, as of his time, Swami Vivekananda

Albert Bridge over the River Thames

writes about the vision of progress through an all-pervading time in his: KALI THE MOTHER The stars are blotted out, The clouds are covering clouds, It is darkness vibrant, sonant.

In the roaring, whirling wind Are the souls of a million lunatics Just loosed from the prison-house, Wrenching trees by the roots, Sweeping all from the path.

The sea has joined the fray, And swirls up mountain-waves, To reach the pitchy sky.

The flash of lurid light Reveals on every side A thousand, thousand shades Of Death begrimed and black — Scattering plagues and sorrows, Dancing mad with joy, Come, Mother, come!

For Terror is Thy name, Death is in Thy breath, And every shaking step Destroys a world for e’er.

Thou “Time”, the All-Destroyer!

Come, O Mother, come!

Who dares misery love, And hug the form of Death, Dance in Destruction’s dance, To him the Mother comes.

For details about Swami Vivekananda’s stay at the house, I’m indebted to Swami Tripurananda for archival notes, and Swami Sarvasthananda who is Minister-in-Charge Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, UK. Also, Sri Rathin Das who did the research for the book Swami Vivekananda in England: A Pictorial Guide published by Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, UK.

Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi SRIMAT SWAMI SUHITANANDA JI

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

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It is true that if one works without clearly understanding the Reality behind this world, then work turns into a bondage. But if one understands Reality and works selflessly, then his inclination for work gradually disappears.

This is precisely the reason why Swamiji prescribed for us the path of work. But if, along with this, the aspirant does not have bhakti, yoga, and the discrimination of jnana, then he cannot progress on the spiritual path. Unless he becomes न प्रहृष्त्ये प्रियं प्राप्य “one who does not rejoice on receiving what is pleasant”, (Gita 5:20) what will he achieve by becoming विविक्तदेशसेवित्वं, “resorting to a secluded place (Gita 13:10)? When he sits for meditation, as soon as the mind quietens a little, impulses for work well up from within like bubbles, one after another, and he begins to think, ‘Suchand-such work has not been done.’ Even if he meditates, there may lurk in the mind a hankering for honour.

After seeing a little light or some divine form, many feel that they have achieved

everything; very few can go up to the end कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः “one perchance knows Me in reality” (Gita 7:3).

उद्धरेदात्मनाऽऽत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः।। (Gita 6:5) “Uplift

August 2021

Even Master Mahashaya was against work. He used to say, ‘God comes first and work comes after that.’ He admitted the importance of work when Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi affirmed it; but he didn’t give up his own view.

1

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4.3.61 (Cont...)

your lower self by your higher self. Do not downgrade yourself, for you alone are your own friend, you alone are your own enemy.”

People believe in ‘God’s will’ or ‘Fate written on our forehead’ without understanding it. How can they understand?

Mantu’s father is a man of character and a

The author, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order, presents here his conversations with Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967), a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.

August 2021

scholar! But when he reads the Bhagavatam, people offer him a pittance, as if to a beggar. In contrast, the profligate son of the zamindar lives like a king. People are therefore led to ascribe these different circumstances to predestination. In society, a person dressed in a suit like an Englishman is admired more than an honest pundit. The present social conditions have led to this sorry state of affairs.

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परमात्मा समाहितः (Gita 6:7) “The Supreme Self is the object of constant realization”— one must go up to the end; कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः (Gita 7:3) “One perchance knows Me in reality” — it won’t do if the aspirant gets stuck at the stage of jyoti darshan, seeing the light within and assuming it as the final stage. ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा (Gita 6:8) “One whose heart is filled with satisfaction by wisdom and realisation” — It is not enough just to know about the path, and the risks and attainments associated with that path; one should also have conviction and a clear understanding. It is as if I think I know everything about a country by studying its map and repeatedly listening to descriptions of its topography.

6.3.61

साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते (Gita 6:9) “Who looks with equal regard on the good and the sinful.” One cannot treat them equally without understanding the mechanism. This

body, mind, and intellect are like the chariot, and the Atman is the charioteer. What can the charioteer do if his chariot is defective! He has inherited this mind and intellect according to his past actions; and there is no knowing when his karma began. The poor fellow is helpless; he can attain same-sightedness if he is established in this attitude. दु ः खसंयोगवियोगं (Gita 6:23) “Severance from the contact of suffering”— in our ordinary state we are linked to suffering; but when we delight in the Self, आत्मरतिः (Gita 3:17), then contact with suffering is severed. Or, a yogi who rejoices in the Self remains detached from suffering even if he has contact with it; i.e., the cause of that suffering cannot touch him.

Mathuradas was shivering in cold with goose bumps on his skin. Yet, when asked, he replied, “There is no shaking within.” ब्रह्मभूतम् (Gita 6:27), “He becomes identified with Brahman.”

By constantly cultivating this steadiness of mind, the brahmins make it their nature.

From outside some people appear to be in a very high state – always calm and content with the minimum. But, not having any internal practice, they are soon overpowered by tamas and become like dead logs of wood. They mistake the means for the end. Therefore, unless the aspirant combines the practice of jnana, karma, bhakti and yoga, he can have a quick downfall in any of the paths without even having an inkling of it. (to be continued...)



References : 1) The householder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and author of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

Article

North Kolkata: The Leela Kshetra

W

hen he was suffering from throat cancer, Sri Ramakrishna once told his householder devotee Mahendranath Gupta, “This illness is showing who belong to the inner circle and who to the outer. Those who are living here, renouncing the world, belong to the inner circle; and those who pay occasional visits and ask, ‘How are you, sir?’ belong to the outer circle. … When God assumes a human body for the sake of His devotees, many of His devotees accompany Him to this earth. Some of them belong to the inner circle, some to the outer circle, and some become the suppliers of His physical needs.”1

This article discusses three things: 1) the spiritual power of an incarnation’s inner circle and how visiting their homes benefits spiritual aspirants; 2) why Sri Ramakrishna visited Balaram Bose’s house in Northern Kolkata more than one hundred times in his final years (1881-86); 3) rare research findings of the homes and addresses of twelve of Sri Ramakrishna’s monastic disciples in Northern Kolkata.

Spiritual power of an Incarnation’s inner circle Why is it necessary to know where the monastic disciples of an incarnation lived? The answer is: ‘power of association’. Learning about the places which an incarnation visited helps us to purify our minds and to make spiritual progress. One of the spiritual practices of Mahendranath Gupta (hereafter Sri M.), the chronicler of the Kathamrita or The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, was to bow down to holy places whenever he passed by them. Every day, on his way to his school, he would bow down at the place on Bechu Chatterjee Street where Sri Ramakrishna’s elder brother once conducted a Sanskrit Tolle. He would also bow down to the house of the Mitra family at Jhamapukur, where Sri Ramakrishna once officiated as a priest.

Observing his companions’ surprise, M., would tell them, “Do you know that anyone who walks through this street will become a yogi?”2 In other words, places associated with Sri Ramakrishna’s direct disciples become sacred places for spiritual seekers. Each of these

The author is a sannyasi of the Ramakrishna Order and is serving at Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. swamichidekananda@gmail.com

August 2021

Between 1881 and 1886 — the last five years of Sri Ramakrishna’s sojourn on earth — twelve of the sixteen direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna lived in North Kolkata. They were either born there or had moved there for education or work. In hindsight we can see the Divine Mother’s plan in placing these young men in this region of Kolkata, thus making it possible for them to frequently meet Sri Ramakrishna and come under his life-transforming influence. The author narrates this fascinating story in this and three subsequent articles.

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SWAMI CHIDEKANANDA

Name Baburam Ghosh (Swami Premananda)

Nityaniranjan Ghosh (Swami Niranjanananda) Harinath Chattopadhya (Swami Turiyananda) Narendranath Datta (Swami Vivekananda)

August 2021

Rakhal Chandra Ghosh (Swami Brahmananda)

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Sashi Bhushan Chakrabarty

(Swami Ramakrishnananda)

Date of Birth December 10, 1861 Probably in August 1862

January 3, 1863

January 12, 1863 January 21, 1863 July 13, 1863

Gangadhar Gangopadhyay September 30, (Swami Akhandananda) 1864 Sharat Chandra Chakrabarty December 23, 1865 (Swami Saradananda) Sarada Prasanna Mitra January 30, 1865 (Swami Trigunatitananda) Kali Prasad Chandra (Swami Abhedananda)

Subodh Chandra Ghosh (Swami Subodhananda)

October 2, 1866

November 8, 1867

monastic disciples was a spiritual giant whose spiritual powers were largely overshadowed by the glory and spiritual brilliance of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda.

In the Gospel, Sri Ramakrishna often tells the parable of the eggplant seller who offers only nine seers of eggplant for an expensive jewel.

The lesson is that only a master jeweller can understand the true value of an expensive jewel.

Likewise, Swami Vivekananda, a master jeweller of the spiritual realm, gives us the true

Kolkata Residence Balaram Bose's House, 7, Girish Ave, Sovabazar, Baghbazar, Kolkata With uncle in Ahiritola

Bagbazaar, 10/1 Bose Para Lane

105, Vivekananda Rd, Maniktala, Azad Hind Bag, Kolkata, West Bengal 700006 Kansaripara: Presently 36, Tarak Pramanik Road (Old name 54 Baranasi Ghosh Street), arrived in 1875

125 Amherst Street (crossing of Mahatma Gandhi Rd and Amherst), presently 26 Patua Tola Lane, northwest of Sealdah presently in the area of 38/2 or 38/4 Bose Para Lane, Baghbazar 125 Amherst Street (crossing of Mahatma Gandhi Rd and Amherst), presently 26 Patua Tola Lane, northwest of Sealdah 164, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata 700004 (Kolkata Residence)

21 Nimu Goswami Lane, Ahiritola, North Calcutta, 41 Sankar Ghose Lane, 700 009, Shyamapukur

spiritual estimate of his monastic brother disciples. In Talks with Swami Vivekananda, Sarat Chandra quotes Swamiji: “Sri Ramakrishna was a wonderful gardener. Therefore, he has made a bouquet of different flowers and formed his Order… Know each of those who are here to be of great spiritual power. Because they remain shrivelled before me, do not think them to be ordinary souls. When they will go out they will be the cause of the awakening of spirituality in people. Know them to be part of the spiritual body of Sri Ramakrishna, who was the embodiment of infinite religious ideas. I look

Family Status

Education at Kolkata

Sent to North Kolkata to continue education; first Father - Taraprasanna Ghosh & Mother - Mangini admitted to Banga Vidyalaya, then to Aryan Devi belonged to an aristocratic family.

School, & finally to Metropolitan School When Niranjan was in his teens, he was sent to Father - Ambika Charan Ghosh his uncle's house at Ahiritola, for higher education.

Father - Chandranath Chattopadhya was an Kambuliatola Bengali School & then General orthodox brahmin who worked for a British firm. Assembly run by Christian missionaries.

Metropolitan School (Simla), Scottish Church Father - Viswanath Datta was a wealthy lawyer College.

Went to Calcuta for higher English education, passed Calcutta University Entrance Exam, joined Albert College, & then studied at Metropolitan College.

Father - Srimanta Gangopadhyay was a priest and Not known Sanskrit teacher who practiced yoga and tantra.

Albert School and later Hare School, later Large family was partner in Druggist's Hall, a admitted to Saint Xavier's College & then enrolled large foreign-medicine pharmacy in Calcutta Medical College.

Father - Shivakrishna was a religious man and a rich landlord

Studied for four years in the Metropolitan Institution in North Kolkata from the 7th grade.

Grandfather - Shankar Ghosh started family maintenance of Thanthania Kali Mandir.

Albert Collegiate School, Metropolitan School.

Father - Rasiklal Chandra was an English teacher Govinda Seal's Nursery School, Jadu Pandita's in the Oriental Seminary.

Banga Vidyalaya, Sanskrit School at Hatibagan.

upon them with that eye. See, for instance, Brahmananda, who is here—even I do not have the spirituality which he has. Sri Ramakrishna looked upon him as his spiritual son and he lived and walked, ate and slept with him. He is the ornament of our Math, our king. Similarly, Premananda, Turiyananda, Trigunatita, Akhandananda, Saradananda, Ramakrishanananda, Subodhananda and others—you may go round the world, but it is doubtful if you will find men of such spirituality and faith in God like them. They are each a

centre of religious power and in time that power will manifest.”3 Five stages of an Incarnation’s life

The life and work of an incarnation unfolds in five stages. In the first stage, the incarnation lives like an ordinary individual but quickly experiences dissatisfaction with the world. In the second stage, the incarnation engages in intense spiritual practices. In the third stage, he attains spiritual perfection and then begins to help other suffering souls. In the fourth stage, sensing his impending departure

August 2021

Father - Ishwar was court pandit of Raja Indra Narayan Singh of Paikpara, North Calcutta

Kolkata Training Academy & later Metropolitan School (Shyampukur).

19 The Vedanta Kesari

Father was a wealthy landlord in Shikra Kulingram

August 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

20

from this physical world, he Baghbazar, and Kali Prasad begins to gather his Chandra in Ahiritola. The disciples, to whom he can other six disciples would impart the fruits of his move from their villages to spiritual realisations, and Northern Kolkata for further who can later spread his education or work. They teachings to the world. We were Rakhal Chandra Ghosh see this clearly in the lives of to Simla, Shashi Bhushan Bhagawan Buddha, Jesus Chakrabarty to Northern Christ, and Sri Chaitanya Central Kolkata, Sarada Dev. After his enlightenment, Prasanna Mitra to Buddha gathered ten Shyamabazar, Baburam principal disciples around Ghosh to Ahiritola and then him in Sarnath. Similarly, Baghbazar, Nityaniranjan towards the end of his life, Ghosh to Ahiritola. Finally, J e s u s ga t h e re d t we lve Taraknath Ghosal (Swami a p o s t l e s . F i n a l l y, S r i Shivananda), who was nearly Chaitanya Dev gathered six ten years older than his main disciples. And in the other brother disciples, case of Sri Ramakrishna, he would stay in Northern Sri Ramakrishna in Kolkata gathered sixteen monastic Kolkata during the week in disciples around him. In the fifth and final connection with his work, and would return to stage, the incarnation leaves his body in the his village in Barasat during the weekend. state of mahasamadhi.

Why North Kolkata?

In the fourth stage of Sri Ramakrishna’s life, he brought his young monastic disciples together during the last five years of his life (1881-86). Much before this, as he later explained, he would go to the roof of the Kuthi in Dakshineswar Temple garden, look towards Northern Kolkata, and cry out in his native Bengali “ore tora ke kothay aachis aay”4, “Oh, where are you all? Come to me!” Yet for many years they did not come! So why did Sri Ramakrishna look towards Northern Kolkata?

Amazingly, six of his monastic disciples were born in Northern Kolkata: Narendranath Datta in Simla, Subodh Chandra Ghosh in Shyamabazaar, Sarat Chandra Chakrabarty in N o r t h e r n / C e n t ra l Ko l k a t a , H a r i n a t h Chattopadhya in Baghbazar, Gangadhar Gangopadhyay in Ahiritola and later shifted to

During this period, Kolkata was the capital of India. And North Kolkata in particular, was the administrative centre and a cultural, economic, educational, literary, philosophical, and spiritual hub. This provided great scope for young people to develop their personality. A classic example of this is Kali Prasad Chandra who later became Swami Abhedananda. As a young boy, he received a traditional Sanskrit education and was interested in Indian philosophy. As a teenager, he attended the lectures of the great national leader Surendranath Banerjee, the famous Brahmo leaders Keshab Chandra Sen and Pratap Chandra Majumdar, and the Christian evangelist Reverend Kali Charan Banerjee. In 1882-83 Pandit Sashadhar Tarkachudamani, a well-known scholar, began to interpret

The young disciples were teenagers living under parental restrictions and studying in secondary school or college. As Dakshineswar is about 13 kilometers away from North Kolkata, they could not make a quick visit to Dakshineswar unnoticed by their parents.

Hence, they would visit mainly on weekends, often avoiding the notice of their parents or guardians. Furthermore, the young disciples did not have the money for round trip fare by carriage or boat.

The solution

Since he wanted his young disciples to visit him frequently, Sri Ramakrishna often made arrangements for their visit to Dakshineswar.

But he needed a place in Kolkata where he could meet and interact with them freely. This he found in the house of his dear householder devotee Balaram Bose in Baghbazar. He called

t

The homes of the direct disciples, both monastic and lay, which Sri Ramakrishna visited are sacred spaces. Fortunately, many of these homes are still in existence. In these upcoming issues, we will explore these holy homes of both his monastic and lay disciples in the areas of Baghbazar, Shyambazar, and Simla.

References 1) The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna [hereafter Gospel]. p. 933 2) They Lived with God. p.221 3) Talks with Swami Vivekananda. p. 392-93

4) Kathamrita, p. 1103, Gospel. p. 832, August 9, 1885.

5) They Lived with God. p. 443 6) Gospel. p. 724 7) They Lived with God. p. 184

August 2021

North Kolkata’s advantage

21 The Vedanta Kesari

Years later, Swami Premananda nicely expressed the love that Sri Ramakrishna bestowed on his future monastic disciples: “Oh, how can I explain to you how much he loved us!

He would go to Calcutta in a carriage just so he could feed Purna. He would wait near the school where Purna went, send someone to bring the boy, then feed him delicacies…One day he was found waiting outside Balaram Babu’s house where I was staying. Balaram Babu was not at home, and the Master was hesitant to go inside, thinking he might not be welcomed. He had come to see me. Someone finally called him in. His love knew no bounds, and one drop of it completely filled us. Each one thus thought himself to be the most beloved of the Master.”7

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this home his baithak-khana or Parlour room.

Eventually, in the last five years of his life, Sri Ramakrishna visited this house over 100 times!

Balaram’s house became the central meeting place for devotees. Sri M. writes, “And so it happened that whenever the Master was at Balaram’s house, the devotees would gather there. It was the Master’s chief vineyard in Calcutta. It was here that the devotees came to know each other intimately.”6

Hinduism from the scientific point of view and gave a series of lectures on the six systems of Hindu philosophy. Kali regularly attended these lectures in Albert Hall. Furthermore, he learned Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras from Kalibar Vedantavagish.5 Thus those who grew up in Northern Kolkata during this time had the rare opportunity to study and understand Indian philosophy from various angles. This constant search for higher thoughts left many of them dissatisfied with mere scholarship and they sought a spiritual teacher who had realised the truths spoken of in the scriptures.

Article

Sri Ramanuja’s Inventive Arrangement SRIRANGAM MOHANARANGAN

S

August 2021

ri Ramanuja, the great Acharya of Vedanta who propagated the glorious path of Srivaishnavism, had inventive solutions to the challenges of life. One such anecdote is about how he resolved the troubles of a daughter-in-law.

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Sri Ramanuja wanted to become the disciple of Sri Alavandar, the head of Sri Vaishnavaite faith at Srirangam. But when he came to meet him, the guru had just left his body. So, Sri Ramanuja had to learn from the disciples of Sri Alavandar. He received his initiation into the Tirumantra or Ashtaksharamantra from Sri Periya Nambi.

Hence, in a sense, Sri Periya Nambi was Sri Ramanuja’s guru.

Sri Periya Nambi had a daughter named Atthuzhaai. As he was not well-to-do, he was able to arrange only a very simple marriage for her. The poor arrangements and gifts displeased Atthuzhaai’s in-laws. When Atthuzhaai started living at her in-law’s place, they often expressed their disappointment to her face.

Atthuzhaai had to wake up very early in the morning, go to the river for a bath, and then begin her daily chores at home. As she was afraid to go out alone in the dark, she requested her mother-in-law to send someone to accompany her. But the mother-in-law retorted, “Oh! Your people should have arranged to send

a servant also along with the marriage gifts while sending you here!” Atthuzhaai was deeply pained by this criticism of her father, for, she knew with what difficulty her father had managed to get her married. Later in the day, she came to her father and told him of her sorrow.

Unable to know what he could do, Sri Periya Nambi asked her to speak with Sri Ramanuja. To the disciples, a guru’s daughters are like their sisters. With such a relationship Atthuzhaai had always felt free and confident in her brother Sri Ramanuja’s presence. When Sri Ramanuja learnt of the in-laws’ displeasure with the marriage gifts, he calmly directed Sri Mudaliyandan, one of his main disciples, to accompany Atthuzhaai to her in-laws’ house as her servant.

Accordingly, Sri Mudaliyandan began to perform all the menial house-hold chores at Atthuzhaai’s in-law’s house. He went about it with the same one-pointed attention and devotion that he had for his scriptural studies.

Now Atthuzhaai’s in-laws were greatly perturbed. The mother-in-law was terrified that they would suffer some great tragedy for receiving labour-service from a noble soul like Sri Mudaliyandan.

Rushing to Sri Periya Nambi, Atthuzhaai’s agitated in-laws asked why he choose to condemn them by sending a great scholar as a (Continued on page 31...)

The author is a Tamil writer on culture and Hinduism and has done a comparative study of Nammalvar and Swami Vivekananda. He lives in Srirangam. ranganvmsri@gmail.com

Pocket Tales

The Honeycomb in the Mountain GITANJALI MURARI

T

August 2021

he long train journey was at last over. “But now comes the difficult part,” warned Bhutnath De, Vishwanath Datta’s business partner, “we must travel for another two weeks through dense jungles before we finally arrive at Raipur.”

Turning to Naren, he added, “I’ll lead the way in my cart and you bring up the rear...is that alright?”

“Oh yes Uncle,” Naren’s face flushed with excitement, “it’ll be an adventure!”

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A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda.

A month ago, Vishwanath Datta had shifted from Calcutta to Raipur. “The new project will take two years to complete,” he had told his family before leaving, “as soon as I find a good house, I’ll send for all of you…Bhutnath will accompany you and bring you safely to me.”

The author is a media professional and writer. The Crown of Seven Stars is her first novel. She lives in Mumbai. gitanjalimurari@yahoo.com Illustrator: Smt. Lalithaa Thyagarajan. lalithyagu@gmail.com

August 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

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“What about my school, Baba?” Naren had asked anxiously. Vishwanath Datta had laughed, “New experiences are great teachers, son…you will get a unique education.”

Travelling alone in the last bullock-cart, Naren gazed up at the blue sky through the lattice of leaves. Butterflies flitted about and occasionally a white cloud sailed past. In the distance, the undulating line of the Vindhya range became visible. The path narrowed and soon the mountains loomed on both sides. Covered with dense forests, they shone greenish-gold in the sunlight. Streams sparkled amongst the trees, wild flowers and fruits scented the air, and colourful birds skimmed overhead, chirping sweetly. “Can’t we stop here awhile?” Naren asked the driver. “No, no,” came the firm reply, “these forests are full of wild beasts...we must be out of here before the sun sets.”

Just then, the convoy reached a sharp curve and slowed down. Naren looked up. Two mountain peaks met each other in a loving embrace, forming an arch high above the path.

As he passed under it, Naren examined this natural bridge and gasped. A fissure spanned the length of one mountain and inside it nestled a gigantic honeycomb, filling the entire space. “What a grand kingdom,” Naren exclaimed, “the bees must have taken years to build it…how beautifully it fits inside the rock!” “Indeed,” the driver nodded, “nature is full of surprises.” Gazing at the remarkable beehive, Naren marvelled at God’s infinite love for his creation. An inexpressible peace washed over him. The more he reflected on the power of God’s pure love, the higher his mind soared, until losing awareness of the outer world, he entered a realm of extraordinary bliss.

The cart lurched and Naren sat up. The tall mountains had given way to rolling hills.

Much distance had been covered while he had been immersed in heavenly joy. How he wished to recapture it! Noticing a cave, he clambered off the slow-moving cart. “Where are you going?” the driver yelled in alarm but Naren hurried on, impelled by an unseen force.

“Hoy, stop,” the driver called out to the cart ahead, “the boy has gone to that cave… somebody needs to fetch him fast.” Naren’s brothers looked at each other. What could dada be up to now? “I’ll go,” Mahendra announced and quickly got down.

On entering the cave, he found his older brother sitting cross-legged on the rough ground, his face radiating joy. “Dada,” Mahendra rushed forward and Naren opened his eyes. He tried to speak, his eyes aglow with a mystical light, gazing at something beyond ordinary human vision. “Dada,” Mahendra said again, this time a little frightened. Naren shook himself out of the trance and smiled. Catching his brother’s hand, he walked out into the sunshine. His new education had begun.

When you see a beautiful scenery …the vision … brings you to a blissful state of the mind; it tones down all the friction in your soul, it makes you calm, almost raises you, for the time being, beyond your mortal nature and places you in a condition of quite divine ecstasy.

— Swami Vivekananda

PULLOUT FOR REFERENCE

ISSUE 42

This issue is part 3 of the lecture Vedanta in its Application to Indian life.

We covered the first two parts of this lecture in Issue 39 and Issue 41.

focus in this issue:

Vedanta in its Application to Indian Life - 3

This is the one great thing to remember, it has been the one great lesson I have been taught in my life; strength, it says, strength, O man, be not weak.

1.1 There are human weaknesses, but more weakness will not heal them. The answer is to stand up and be strong

“ Are there no human weaknesses? —

says man. There are, say the Upanishads, but will more weakness heal them, would you try to wash dirt with dirt? Will sin cure sin, weakness cure weakness?

Strength, O man, strength, say the Upanishads, stand up and be strong. Ay, it is the only literature in the world where you find the word "Abhih", "fearless", used again and again; in no other scripture in the world is this adjective applied either to God or to man. Abhih, fearless!

1.2 For centuries, we have weakened ourselves till we have become “earth worms”. What we need now is strength

“ There are thousands to weaken us, and of stories we have had enough. Every one of our Puranas, if you press it, gives out stories enough to fill threefourths of the libraries of the world. Everything that can weaken us as a race we have had for the last thousand years. It seems as if during that period the national life had this one end in view, viz how to make us weaker and weaker till we have become real earthworms, crawling at the feet of every one who dares to put his foot on us.

Therefore, my friends, as one of your blood, as one that lives and dies with you, let me tell you that we want strength, strength, and every time strength.

1.3 The Upanishads are the great mine of strength through which the whole world can be unified

“ And the Upanishads are the great mine

of strength. Therein lies strength enough to invigorate the whole world; the whole world can be vivified, made strong, energised through them.

They will call with trumpet voice upon the weak, the miserable, and the downtrodden of all races, all creeds, and all sects to stand on their feet and be free.

Designed & developed by

ILLUMINE

Knowledge Resources

®

www.illumine.in

August 2021

Strength, strength is what the Upanishads speak to me from every page.

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In Part 3 of the lecture: What the Upanishads tell us

1.4 Swami Vivekananda tells us a story that highlights the Upanishadic idea of strength and fearlessness

August 2021

And in my mind rises from the past the vision of the great Emperor of the West, Alexander the Great, and I see, as it were in a picture, the great monarch standing on the bank of the Indus, talking to one of our Sannyâsins in the forest;

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the old man he was talking to, perhaps naked, stark naked, sitting upon a block of stone, and the Emperor, astonished at his wisdom, tempting him with gold and honour to come over to Greece.

And this man smiles at his gold, and smiles at his temptations, and refuses; and then the Emperor standing on his authority as an Emperor, says, "I will kill you if you do not come", and the man bursts into a laugh and says, "You never told such a falsehood in your life, as you tell just now.

Who can kill me? Me you kill, Emperor of the material world! Never!

For I am Spirit unborn and undecaying: never was I born and never do I die; I am the Infinite, the Omnipresent, the Omniscient; and you kill me, child that you are!"

That is strength, that is strength!

Freedom, physical freedom, mental freedom, and spiritual freedom are the watchwords of the Upanishads.

Ay, this is the one scripture in the world, of all others, that does not talk of salvation, but of freedom. Be free from the bonds of nature, be free from weakness!

2.1 Every one of us must admit this truth − that this freedom is already in you For dualists(Dvatists)

“ You are a Dvaitist; never mind, you have got to

admit that by its very nature the soul is perfect; only by certain actions of the soul has it become contracted.

For qualified non-dualists (Vishishta Advaitists)

For non-dualists (Advaitists)

“With the Advaitist the one difference is that

he admits evolution in nature and not in the soul. ... This is the Advaitist's position with regard to evolution — evolution of nature and manifestation of the Self within. Not that the

Each of us in our essence is that Infinite One. The goal of life is to manifest that divinity within

Self can by any means be made to contract.

It is unchangeable, the Infinite One. It was covered, as it were, with a veil, the veil of Maya, and as this Maya veil becomes thinner and thinner, the inborn, natural glory of the soul comes out and becomes more manifest.

2.2 The idea of divinity within every one will revolutionise the world

“ Do you not find how everything is being

revolutionised? Do you not see how it was the custom to take for granted that everything was wicked until it proved itself good? In education, in punishing criminals, in treating lunatics, in the treatment of common diseases even, that was the old law. What is the modern law? The modern law says, the body itself is healthy; it cures diseases of its own nature. Medicine can at the best but help the storing up of the best in the body. What says it of criminals? It takes for granted that however low a criminal may be, there is still the divinity within, which does not change, and we must treat criminals accordingly. All these things are now changing, and reformatories and penitentiaries are established. So with everything.

The treatment of one man to another will be entirely revolutionized, and these old, old ideas of pointing to the weakness of mankind will have to go.

They will have received their death-blow within this century.

Examples of revolutions we should expect: Can we educate assuming that all knowledge exists within every individual?

Can we treat assuming that wellness (not illness) is the body's natural state?

Can we develop a psychology based on strength?

Can we begin by assuming that criminals are essentially good?

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expansion is exactly what the modern evolutionists call evolution and atavism. The soul goes back, becomes contracted as it were, its powers become potential; and by good deeds and good thoughts it expands again and reveals its natural perfection.

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“ Indeed, Ramanuja's theory of contraction and

...the world is waiting to receive from our Upanishads the [idea of the] solidarity of this universe.

A world moving towards solidarity is in need of this message from the Upanishads.

The world is moving towards solidarity among nations, in science, in politics and sociology, and in ethics and morality.

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3.1 The Upanishads offer us a way to digest the increasing intercommunication and globalization of the world

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––

According to Swami Vivekananda, the old lines of demarcation and differentiation are vanishing rapidly across the world. The world is in increasing intercommunication (a process that has since accelerated with the birth of the internet).

––

As a result, people have encountered each other from across the world, and have gone beyond their medieval notions. In Swami Vivekananda's words, "we Hindus no longer say that every country beyond our own land is peopled with demons and hobgoblins, nor do the people of Christian countries say that India is only peopled by cannibals and savages".

––

In practice, we are beginning to recognise that when we go out of our own lands, we find people similar to us, with the same desire to help and the same desire to support each other, as in our own country.

Our Upanishads say that the cause of all misery is ignorance; and that is perfectly true when applied to every state of life, either social or spiritual. It is ignorance that makes us hate each other, it is through ignorance that we do not know and do not love each other. As soon as we come to know each other, love comes, must come, for are we not one? Thus we find solidarity coming in spite of itself.

3.2 The idea of solidarity will help address challenges across multiple domains You speak of matter, the whole –– universe as one mass, one ocean of matter, in which you and I, the sun and the moon, and everything else are but the names of different little whirlpools and nothing more. Mentally speaking, it is one universal ocean of thought in which –– you and I are similar little whirlpools; and as spirit it moveth not, it changeth not.

–– It is the One Unchangeable, Unbroken, Homogeneous Atman. ... The explanation of morality, the fountain of ethics, that also the world wants; and that it will get here.

Problems which were only at a national or a localised level, even late into the 18th century, are now becoming problems that are international or global in nature. And, such problems can only be solved through solidarity at an international level − through international combinations and international laws.

Science is coming to a broader view of matter (a thought which predated Einstein's formula that energy and matter are one whole) There is also a need for a new universal ethics.

Note: This has become particularly obvious when we consider that there is a growing tide where people are not depending on religion and social norms alone for supplying their ethics and morality.

TO BE CONTINUED in Part 4: Swami Vivekananda discusses What we want in India If you have any questions on this lecture, do post your queries on

www.vivekanandaway.org

You can also access previous issues of Vivekananda Way here.

Ma

gic ,M ira cle s

and the

e Mystical Twelv

The Divine Bride

A

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

deer beckoned Poorva from a distance. Walking towards it, she crossed Periaazhvaar’s house and heard him relating delightful tales about Krishna to his daughter. Tempted to listen to them, she jumped smartly onto the

windowsill.

The deer capered across to her, wondering why she had changed her mind. Poorva put her arms around its neck and both listened happily to the stories, along with Kodhai.

One day, Poorva was strolling around the garden as usual, when she felt her feet drag.

It was almost as if someone was compelling her to stop. Unable to resist the force, she halted in front of an open window and peeped in. “Oh my God,” she covered her lips with her palm. “Why on earth is Kodhai doing this? If Periaazhvaar were to see her now, he would get very, very angry.”

Just then who should walk in but Periaazhvaar! He took in the scene with one horrified glance and cried out, “The Lord’s flower garlands around your neck? And you’re admiring yourself in the mirror? Don’t you know it is wrong? Haven’t I taught you to offer everything to the Lord first before we enjoy it? Thank God, I saw you put the garlands back into the basket. Imagine, what a terrible sin I would have committed had I offered them to the Lord.” He then broke down.

Kodhai remained calm and that only increased his agitation. She tried to talk to him, but he seemed in no mood to listen to anything. Distressed, he went and lay down on the The author is a researcher and writer with various books and articles on Indian music and culture to her credit. lakshmidevnath@gmail.com Illustrator: Smt. Lalithaa Thyagarajan. lalithyagu@gmail.com

August 2021

The Story of Aandal

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LAKSHMI DEVNATH

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floor and Poorva heard him lament in a faint voice, “That such a thing should happen in my house! I can’t imagine my daughter Kodhai doing this …”

Poorva was beginning to get angry. She felt that the least a person who makes a mistake could do was to say sorry, and Kodhai was not doing even that.

Eager to tell the Swami all that had happened, Poorva searched the garden for him.

She found him attending to an injured squirrel. Seeing his kindness, her anger receded.

Dropping down on the grass, she said softly, “Sweet of you, Thaatha, to take care of this little thing.”

“Thanks,” smiled the Swami. “Merely doing my duty. A devotee of Vishnu should be kind towards all living creatures.” Looking at the curl on Poorva’s forehead, he smiled secretly and remarked, “You look a little excited, or should I say upset?”

As if she had been waiting to be asked, Poorva animatedly told him about Kodhai’s mischievous behaviour and was surprised to see the Swami’s reaction, or rather, the lack of it. Bewildered, she asked, “You’re not upset?”

The Swami gave her a meaningful look. “Anger clouds one’s thinking. Recall all that I told you about Kodhai.”

Sri Ramanuja’s Inventive Arrangement

servant to their house. Remaining totally unconcerned about the matter Sri Periya Nambi told them to speak with Sri Ramanuja.

The in-laws’ family then rushed to Sri Ramanuja and begged him to save them from the predicament. With a gentle smile Sri

(Continued from page 22...)

Ramanuja said, “Oh! Since you wanted a servant sent as a gift along with our daughter, I sent Sri Mudaliyandan. But if you find it so uncomfortable, I will call him back. Also, in future if Atthuzhaai ever needs any help, he can again be of service at your home.”

Reference : Vaartthamalai. Sri Pinbazhagiya Perumal Jeer. Ed. Sri S Krishnaswami Iyengar, 1983, No 211, pp 244

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His tone indicated that she had forgotten something important. And then it flashed through her mind. “Now I remember …” she began enthusiastically.

The Swami took over, “Kodhai, or rather Bhooma Devi, is eagerly awaiting the day when she’ll be reunited with her Lord. She was wearing those garlands only to see whether she could look as charming as her divine groom. The interesting thing about this whole story is that Kodhai’s father is unaware of all this.”

“Don’t say ‘interesting’, Swami T h a a t h a . T h e i d e a o f ke e p i n g Periaazhvaar in the dark seems unfair to me. You should have seen how upset he was.” Poorva stood up and announced decisively, “I think the best thing would be for me to walk over to the Aazhvaar and tell him the truth about Kodhai.”

“Hasty again! You forget that you can’t do that,” the Swami reminded her.

“Oh yeah,” Poorva sounded exasperated. “I keep forgetting that I’m invisible to the people here. Magician Thaatha, what if you extend your magic a little more so that I …?”

“There you go, all excited again. Everything happens only according to the plan of God. I suggest that you simply wait and watch,” the Swami said firmly.

Left with little choice, Poorva walked across to the hut, got into her bed and snuggled under the warm sheets.

(To be continued. . .)

When God Calls

Adhar Lal Sen DR. RUCHIRA MITRA

यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः

It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23)

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This is the fourteenth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

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O

ne day in 1884, a devotee was yearning to entertain his guru Sri Ramakrishna at his home; and when Sri Ramakrishna arrived, he said, “You haven’t come to our house for a long time. The rooms looked gloomy; they had a musty smell.

But today the whole house is cheerful; the sweetness of your presence fills the atmosphere. Today I called on God earnestly that you should come. I even shed tears while praying.” Deeply touched by these words, Sri Ramakrishna suddenly stood up and blessed him in an ecstatic mood, touching his head and chest. In a voice choked with love Sri Ramakrishna said: “I look upon you as Narayana Himself. You are indeed my own.”1 This fortunate devotee was Adhar Lal Sen.

Once previously, in the summer of 1883, Adhar yearned to receive Sri Ramakrishna at his home. And as if to prove that God answers earnest prayers, Sri Ramakrishna visited his home that day! Sri Ramakrishna actually visited Adhar’s home many times, and those visits were occasions for religious festivals. Devotees would assemble in large numbers, professional musicians would sing and play on instruments, and Adhar would feed everyone sumptuously.

Adhar Lal Sen

Sri Ramakrishna once said, “I saw in a vision that the houses of Adhar, Balaram, and Surendra are places for our gathering.”2

Born on 2 March 1855, Adhar lived in Sobhabazar in north Calcutta. He had an extraordinary academic record. He received the Duff Scholarship in English literature and also published two books of Bengali poems when he was only nineteen. At a young age, he became a deputy magistrate — a government official of high prestige. He was also a Fellow and member of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Calcutta.

The author is a devotee and researcher on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature. Her doctoral thesis was on the life stories of Sri Ramakrishna. ruchiranewid@gmail.com

Sri Ramakrishna urged Adhar to be up and going, “You are a scholar and a deputy magistrate, but with all that you are henpecked. Go forward.”5 “You have your position through the grace of God, do not forget Him. We stay in the world only for a couple of days. One must have strong determination, then alone is spiritual practice possible. But one must finish it speedily.”6 He also told him, “You have both – yoga and bhoga.”7

Every year Sri Ramakrishna attended the Durga Puja celebrations in Adhar’s house. He would be surcharged with emotion. On one such occasion, Sri Ramakrishna went into the worship hall to see the evening worship. When it was over, he remained standing there in an abstracted mood and sang in praise of the Divine Mother. In a mood of divine fervour, he

Adhar invited several deputy magistrates who wanted to watch the Master and judge his holiness. Among them was Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the famous Bengali writer and composer of ‘Vande Mataram’. Sri Ramakrishna impressed them with his spiritual fervour.

When Adhar didn’t visit Sri Ramakrishna for a few days, he upbraided him, “So you completely lost yourself in schools and meetings and forgot everything else? Look here.

All these are unreal — meetings, school, office, and everything else. God alone is the Substance, and all else is illusory. This moment the body is, and the next moment it is not. One must make haste to worship God.” Such remarks assumed significance because Adhar died very young, before he was 30. The all-knowing Sri Ramakrishna warned him against riding horses. But who can avoid fate? On 6 January 1885 Adhar went to inspect Maniktola distillery. He fell from the horseback and broke his wrist. Soon the wound developed into tetanus. Hearing this, Sri Ramakrishna commented, “While riding the horse, Adhar had ishta-darshan and hence he lost his balance, and fell from the horse.” He came to visit Adhar during his last days and mourned for three days when he died on 14 January 1885.

References

1) The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. 9 March 1884 2) Ibid., 20 June 1884 3) The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. December 6, 1884 4) Ibid., 18 August 1883

5) Ibid., 24 May 1884 6) Ibid., 8 April 1883 7) Ibid., 11 October 1884

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Sri Ramakrishna saw the latent spirituality in Adhar and told him, “My son, meditate on the deity whose name you chanted.” With these words he touched Adhar’s tongue with his finger and wrote something on it, thereby imparting him spiritual power.4

told the assembly: “Gentlemen, I have eaten.

Now go and enjoy the feast.” Perhaps the Master was hinting that the Divine Mother had partaken of Adhar’s offering! Then, addressing the Divine Mother, he continued: “Shall I eat, O Mother? Or will You eat? O Mother, the very Embodiment of the Wine of Divine Bliss!”

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Like other Bengali intellectuals of his time, Adhar was introduced to Sri Ramakrishna through Keshab Chandra Sen’s journal. Almost every day, after finishing his tough work at the office, Adhar would hire a carriage and reach Dakshineswar to meet Sri Ramakrishna. His sole delight was in seeing Sri Ramakrishna.

After seeing Sri Ramakrishna and offering his pranams at the temples he would lie down, at Sri Ramakrishna’s request, on a mat spread on the floor and fall asleep. At 9 or 10 pm he would be awakened to return home.3

Questions & Answers

August 2021

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers.

Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

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Pariprasna

QUESTION: What is meant by a ‘conception of God?’ MAHARAJ: An organised notion or idea about anything may be called a conception of it. The notion may originate from perception, be influenced by the nature of the organs through which perception takes place and be subjected to the interpretative activity of the mind. While this is true with regard to conceptions about things of this world, the question of perception with the senses does not arise at all with regard to God. But we have various vague intuitive and also inferential apprehensions of God: our experience of finiteness necessarily implies an infinite background. The world, which is of the nature of combination and movements, must have had a first cause and a prime mover. The intelligence and the design seen in the universe imply a supreme intelligence behind it as the designer. Our moral and aesthetic experiences demand a ground for all values.

These are supported and substantiated by scriptures and by the experience of men of higher vision.

Their authoritative statements on these notions invest them with greater certainty and with a wealth of detail. With all these aids the human mind formulates the idea of an infinite and absolute Being which is the source, controller and sustainer of everything.

Granting that there is such an infinite and absolute Being, what sort of understanding can the human mind have of Him? It can only be partial, ie only as much as one could understand of Him in human terms. Some religions, especially those of Semitic origin, do not understand this and speak of their God as true and that of others as false. This arises out of the background notion in the crude mind that God is an individual. To think of God as personal is one thing but to consider Him as an individual is quite different. To think of Him, however remotely, as an individual separated from everything else is true idolatry, though this derogatory term is applied to, and sometimes strangely accepted by, religions like Hinduism which have a much more enlightened view of Him. A person who speaks of one’s own ‘true God’ and the ‘false God’ of others, must necessarily think of Him only as an individual.

As against this, Hindu thinkers speak of the ‘conception of God’. They do so from an understanding of Him as the infinite and all-comprehensive Being, of whom the human mind can take only as much as it can grasp, just as man going for water to the sea takes only as a much of it as his vessel can contain. So in Hinduism we speak of various ‘conceptions of God’. All these conceptions are true because they are segments, as it were, of the Infinite and through all these He has revealed Himself to His devotees. So long as we have a body and mind, we can have only such conceptions of Him. But if we can transcend our mind and by that our humanity and be established as pure Spirit, then He is apprehended in His fullness through at-one-ment. All others can have only ‘conceptions of God’. Those who, without understanding this, talk of their ‘true God’ and the ‘false God’ of others are the worst idolaters, as they violate the infinitude of the Supreme Being.

Reminiscences

Lessons from Swamis The Dec 2020 Special Issue of The Vedanta Kesari was on the topic ‘Lessons from Swamis’.

New content on this topic is being serialised this year.

The August Movement

29 September 1942. The Quit India Movement or the August Movement had spread across the country. Tamluk, the ancient port city by the Bay of Bengal in the Medinipur district was in the forefront of the movement. With the leadership of Ajoy Mukherjee, Satish Samanta, Sushil Dhara, Matangini Hazra and others, the local Congress workers captured Tamluk treasury, police stations at Mahishadal, Sutahata, Nandigram and several other places and hoisted the national flag. But the bullets from the British police snatched away many lives including that of Matangini Hazra (72-year old freedom fighter popularly known as Gandhi-budi ‘Old lady Gandhi’). The dead bodies were dumped in the police morgue at Tamluk. Sri Rajanikanta Pramanik, an initiated disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and a local Congress leader, brought many wounded freedom fighters to the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Tamluk, for their treatment and nursing. Swami Vishokatmanandaji, who was the head of the ashrama, readily took up their treatment. The news reached the local administration. And when the sub-divisional officer of Tamluk censured Maharaj for his doings, he protested with a bold voice, “Ramakrishna Mission is a service organisation, and its ideal is to serve the people in distress irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Had you, who stand with the government, been injured and had you come to the Ashrama, we would have served you as well.”

After a few days the stinking smell of putrescent dead bodies of the martyrs in the police morgue started spreading in the locality and it became unbearable to the policemen working there.

Now the same sub-divisional officer and the high-rank police officials called Maharaj with a request to cremate the decaying bodies. And Maharaj agreed. He bought a huge quantity of perfumes from shops all over Tamluk, sprinkled it over the bodies and arranged a mass cremation.

—Sri Gourchandra Adhikary, Retired Teacher, Ramakrishna Mission, Vidyabhavan, Medinipur

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shutosh received his mantra-diksha from Swami Shivanandaji and joined the Order at the Tamluk centre in 1927; his guru gave him sannyasa-diksha in 1933. From 1945, Vishokatmanandaji served for 42 years as the head of Midnapore centre. He attained mahasamadhi on 25 January 1998 at the age of 98.

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Swami Vishokatmananda

Swami Nikhilananda

T

August 2021

he Swami received his mantra-diksha from Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and joined the Order at the Mayavati centre in 1922. Swami Saradananda ji gave him sannyasa-diksha in 1924. After undertaking a special study of Vedanta philosophy for two years at Mysore, he went to USA in 1931 and in 1933 founded the the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre in New York and was its spiritual leader until a short period before his passing away. He authored nearly half a dozen books in English, besides translating the Kathamrita and some Sanskrit scriptures into English. He attained mahasamadhi on 21 July 1973 aged 78.

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Strive for perfection This is in reference to an incident at the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York, U.S.A. I was a college student, and a devotee and volunteer of the Center, headed by Swami Nikhilananda.

The center, then as now, was a publishing center with a busy mail-order department. All of the center’s published books were available for sale and delivery by postal service. The method of work in this mail order department was: preparing invoices in three copies, packing books placing a copy of the invoice (along with a list of books being sent) inside packages, fixing address labels on packages, carrying the packages to the Post Office for mailing and so on. I was careful in following this S.O.P. But one day I failed to place a copy of the invoice inside a large book packet to be sent by Bookpost. When I discovered my error I thought, ‘It is a small matter, the customer will refer to the invoice to have a list of the items in the package, the invoice being sent by first class envelope. No problem!’

But, strange to say, it just happened that Mr. Moffitt, of happy memory, came down the stairs for some reason to my workplace. He saw the book packet and a carbon copy of books list lying nearby and asked, “What is this?” I told him I had forgotten to put a copy of the invoice inside the packet. He didn’t say much, only: “It will be better to open the package and put it inside.” I complied, and also cheerfully suggested, “Oh nobody’s perfect, it’s an ordinary oversight; the invoice will reach the addressee ahead of the books.” Mr. Moffitt, silent, seemed unimpressed. He went up the stairs in the direction of the Swami’s room.

I was always happy to associate with Mr. John Moffitt; he was so considerate of others. Shortly he came to the head of the stairs and called to me: “Swami Nikhilananda wants to see you!” Hearing his voice I was alert, but also feeling inner peace, that I, an insignificant volunteer, was being remembered by Swami. I had not the slightest idea why he wanted to see me, but happily put aside my work and went up the stairs. I stood at the Swami’s door and said, “Yes, Swami?” At that moment I understood that Mr. Moffitt must have spoken to him about the book order.

The Swami looked at me kindly, and then said that every work should be done perfectly and that we should always try for that. Swami’s words made an impression on me. I felt sorry about

being exposed for carelessness. But when I perceived forgiveness and was invited to stay at the Centre for dinner with the swamis, of course I felt free and blessed.

Afterward I thought about Swami’s words “always strive for perfection.” Surely, that would be the ‘yoga of action’, Karma Yoga, would it not? Certainly as a young man I had too much restless energy. And the Swami wanted me to be more spiritual. Striving for perfection in work would quieten the mind and make it one-pointed. Did not Sri Ramakrishna say: “No matter what path you follow, yoga is impossible unless the mind becomes quiet.”

— Swami Shivaprasadananda, Chapra

Indifference to public opinion I first met Swami Swahanandaji in 1974 when he was head of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley. I was already a staunch devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and Vedanta, and had more or less decided on a monastic life, though I was unsure about how and when I could do it. I had come to San Francisco to visit friends, but I also made it a point to meet Swami Swahanandaji when I was in the area. From the very first, he greeted me like a long-time acquaintance. He invited me in for tea, and we went for a long walk together. I remember him to have been tall and slim, with a full head of wavy black hair. He was quite athletic even then; in his youth he had been an accomplished volleyball player (a “smasher”), good enough to get a full scholarship to Calcutta University and be named captain of the team. We walked around the athletic field of the university, and he walked so fast I had a hard time keeping up with him.

I was so attracted to his personality, that I visited him three times on that trip, even though I was only in the area for about a week.

Eventually I ended up joining the Order under Swami Swahanandaji in 1981. By then he was head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California. I stayed in our Trabuco Canyon branch until 1997, when I was transferred to the newly formed Vedanta Center of Greater Washington, DC. For the first fifteen or so years after that, I would return to Southern California for a visit every January and spend time both in the Trabuco and Hollywood centers. The incident I am about to describe took place on one of these visits.

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B

ipadbhanjan received mantra-diksha from Swami Vijnananandaji and joined the Order at Saradapitha, Belur in 1947. Swami Shankaranandaji gave him sannyasa-diksha in 1956.

For the next five years until 1962 Swahanandaji served as the editor of The Vedanta Kesari. After this he served as the head of the Delhi centre until he left for America in 1968 where he served at San Francisco, Berkeley and then Hollywood centres. The Hollywood centre witnessed a phenomenal development during his 36 years of spiritual ministration from 1976 till his end. He attained mahasamadhi on 19 Oct 2012.

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Swami Swahananda

August 2021

Swami Swahanandaji had come to Trabuco for his regular monthly stay, so I had the opportunity to be with him there as well as in Hollywood. We had received an invitation that weekend to visit the home of a devotee one night and have our meal there. At the same time, one of the senior monks from Trabuco, who had moved to Santa Barbara, was coming to Trabuco for a visit. I had a very sweet and loving relationship with this monk, and he had agreed to drive the long distance to Trabuco just to see me. I informed the devotee that he was coming and requested that he also be invited. Everything was arranged, when I got a phone call from her. She explained to me that the occasion was her birthday and she had invited only those she felt especially close to, and requested me to explain to the visiting monk that it would be better if he didn’t come this time. I was in a real fix! How was I to explain to him that, after driving all the way to see me, he would have to spend the night in Trabuco all by himself? On the other hand, it would have been extremely difficult for me to skip the dinner after agreeing, especially since Swami Swahanandaji was also going.

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Not knowing what else to do, I explained the entire situation to Swami Swahanandaji and sought his advice. We both agreed that it would not look nice for me to miss the birthday celebration. When I asked him how I should explain skipping out on my brother monk after he had come such a long way to see me, he immediately gave a reply, which even today I find astounding. Without the slightest hesitation, with perfect equanimity and simplicity, he said, “You can blame me.” I was amazed to see his reaction.

Aside from the fact that he was not to be blamed in any way for the situation, what astounded me was his tremendous love and protectiveness, his perfect selflessness, and, a quality that I had seen many times in him and which I feel was one of his greatest virtues, his complete indifference to the opinion of others.

Of course, I could never have agreed to his suggestion, and eventually the visiting monk very graciously understood the matter once I had explained it to him. But I will never forget the fatherly kindness and love with which Swami Swahanandaji made that simple offer for me. The impression that it left on me remains strong even today.

— Swami Atmajnanananda, Hollywood Everything is Real as Brahman On 21 July 1922, Swami Turiyananda, one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna breathed his last. Just before his mahasamadhi, lying on the bed, he declared his life’s realisation that this world is real as the Brahman: “The vital energy is leaving the body. Straighten my legs. Pull them together and keep them straight.” When this was done, the Swami said, “Raise my arms—higher, higher!” Then he folded his hands.

“Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Gurudeva!” With these words he saluted the Master, and then took some holy water. “Everything is real,” he continued. “Brahman is real. The world is real.

The world is Brahman. Everything is real. The life force is established in Truth. Raise my hands. Jaya Gurudeva! Jaya Gurudeva! Say that he is the embodiment of Truth, the embodiment of Knowledge!”

Swami Akhandananda recited the Upanishadic text: सत्यं ज्ञानं अनन्तं ब्रह्म “Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, Infinity.” This made Turiyananda very happy. With great joy he cried out, “Yes, yes! Please repeat these words again.” Akhandananda repeated them twice. Swami Turiyananda joined him the first time, then he became silent. Suddenly, his mind steadfast in the thought of Brahman, he left the body.

— Swami Turiyananda: Life and Teachings

Article

Jagat Satyam

Again, Vedanta declares, ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या, ‘Brahman is Truth, the Reality, and the world is untruth, unreal.’ Thus, this drives home the point that clutching at this world for support is like catching shadows. Though the world is false or unreal, the Jiva or embodied being, is given some status: जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः , the embodied being is verily Brahman. This enigmatic statement must be understood using the techniques used to understand the mahavakyas or great statements of the Upanishads. But that is not the intention of this article.

The jnanis discriminate, following the method of नेति नेति, ‘not this’ ‘not this’: ‘Brahman is not the five elements, nor the sense-organs, nor the mind, nor the intelligence, nor the ego.

Brahman is beyond all these cosmic principles.’

What are the grounds on the basis of which all these are eliminated? There are a few litmus

tests for anatman, that which is not the atman.

These are: 1) gross; 2) being possessed; 3) an aggregate of parts; 4) compacted of gunas; 5) impure; 6) not existing in all the three periods of time, and being subject to modification; 7) delimited by space, time and objects; 8) seen and later not seen; 9) produced, i.e., an effect; 10) the known and not the knower; 11) ruled, not the ruler; and 12) dependent, not selfsubsistent.

Reasoning in this way, the mind becomes steady. Then it disappears and the aspirant enters into samadhi. This knowledge of Brahman is the unwavering conviction of the jnani that Brahman alone is real and the world illusory. All these names and forms are illusory like a dream. What Brahman is cannot be described. One cannot even say that Brahman is a Person. This is the opinion of the jnanis, the followers of Vedanta philosophy.

The atman, thus separated from the three bodies — gross, subtle and causal, is the inmost, apart and beyond all of them, selfexistent, the eternal, what is signified by the term aham, ‘I’, the witness of waking, dream and sleep states, different from the five koshas or sheaths (physical, energy, mental, intellectual, blissful) all-pervasive, illuminating all, the inmost self, beginningless and of the nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda.

Though it is easy to comprehend this intellectually, atmajnana and atmanubhava is the final test. Being very difficult to accomplish,

The author is a senior sannyasi of the Ramakrishna Order and lives in Belur Math.

satyapriyananda@rkmm.org

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edanta speaks of साधनचतुष्टयम्‌ or four spiritual practices; the first of these is नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेक:, i.e., the ability to identify the eternal and the noneternal. This is stated as ब्रह्मैव नित्यं वस्तु ततोऽन्यदखिलमनित्यमिति विवेचनम् – to discriminate that Brahman alone is eternal and every other thing is non-eternal. To this anitya, non-eternal, concept, Sri Krishna added that this world is also असुखम्‌, joyless. Misery comes to us in the garb of joy and when we try to embrace it, one experiences misery instead of joy. This is not a pessimistic view of this world; it is realistic.

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PA G E D O N O R : S R I S R I N I VA S A N V R , B E N G A LU R U

SWAMI SATYAPRIYANANDA

August 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

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this exercise is left for the all-renouncing sannyasins. Thus a major section of the population, the householders, with a thousand cares and worries get excluded from this path.

they attain liberation. She is called saviour, and the remover of the bondage that binds one to the world. She gives freedom to one out of a hundred thousand.”

Thus Shakti has to be accepted as having a significant role in one’s spiritual life. All Vedantic teachers have accepted Shakti in their lifetime. Sri Ramakrishna says, “Brahman and Shakti are identical. If you accept the one, you must accept the other. It is like fire and its power to burn. If you see the fire, you must recognise its power to burn also. You cannot think of fire without its power to burn, nor can you think of the power to burn without fire.” Sri Ramakrishna gives other examples as well: 1) sun and its rays, 2) milk and its whiteness, 3) snake and its wriggling motion, 4) gem and its splendour, and so on. Thus one cannot think of the Absolute without the Relative, or of the Relative without the Absolute. The Primordial Power is ever at play, creating, preserving, and destroying, as it were. Sri Ramakrishna calls this Power by the name Kali. Kali is verily Brahman, and Brahman is verily Kali. When we think of It as inactive, not engaged in the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, then we call It Brahman. But when It engages in these activities, then we call It Kali or Shakti.

Bondage and liberation are both of Her making.

By Her Maya worldly people become entangled in ‘lust and greed’, and again, through Her grace

As long as a man is bound by his human limitations, he cannot but worship God through human forms. Devotees look on God as the parent, the husband, the child, the friend or the servant. The name of God ultimately leads to the Nameless, the form to the Formless, the word to the Silence, the emotion to the serene realization of Peace in Existence-KnowledgeBliss Absolute. The gods gradually merge in the one God. But until that realisation is achieved, the devotee cannot dissociate human factors from his worship. Therefore, the Deity is treated in every way as a human being. He is woken up, bathed, clothed, decked with ornaments, fed and put to sleep. He is propitiated with hymns, songs, and prayers.

And there are appropriate rites connected with all these functions. During worship, he awakens the different spiritual centres of the body and invokes the Supreme Spirit in his heart. Then he transfers the Supreme Spirit to the image before him and worships the image, regarding it no longer as matter, but as the embodiment o f S p i r i t , t h ro b b i n g w i t h L i fe a n d Consciousness. After the worship the Supreme Spirit is recalled from the image to Its true

The jnanis, who adhere to the nondualistic philosophy of Vedanta, say that the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction, the universe itself and all its living beings, are the manifestations of Shakti, the Divine Power.

All these are as illusory as a dream. Though one reasons all one’s life, unless one is established in samadhi, one cannot go beyond the jurisdiction of Shakti. When one says, ‘I am meditating’, still one is moving in the realm of Shakti, within Its power.

The bhaktas accept all the states of consciousness. They take the waking state to be real also. They don’t see the world to be illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation of God’s power and glory. God has created all these — sky, stars, moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals.

They constitute His glory. He is within us, in our hearts. Again, He is outside. The most advanced devotees say that He Himself has become all this — the twenty-four cosmic principles, the universe, and all living beings.

The vijnani clearly realises that God Himself has become the universe and all living beings, that He is not outside the world. One realises this when he has the ‘spiritual eye’. This requires a pure mind. Through that pure mind one sees God in this world. It is God alone who is moving about in various forms: as a holy man, as a cheat, as a villain.

The Vedantins hold that knowledge and work of any kind cannot be combined. The reason is that action has one of four kinds of effects: 1) उत्पाद्यम्,‌ the production of something in a form which did not exist previously; 2) आप्यम् ‌, the attaining of something new or elsewhere; 3) सं स ्कार्यम् ,‌ the purification or sanctification of that which is impure or defiled, and 4) विकार्यम्‌, effecting a change of form. None of these pertains to Brahman because, 1) Brahman is ever-existing; 2) there is no question of Brahman attaining Brahman; 3) Brahman being नित्यशुद्धवस्तु or ever-pure does not require purification, and 4) Brahman being unchanging, it cannot be altered in any way.

However, it stands to reason that while the snake superimposed on the rope is unreal, t h e u n d e r ly i n g ro p e o n w h i c h t h e superimposition takes place is real. Again, the rope cannot be in one place and the superimposed snake in another place. Thus this world which is not a real transformation of

The Ishopanishad says in its very first verse: “All this—whatsoever moves on the earth—should be covered by the Lord. Protect your Self through that detachment. Do not covet anybody’s wealth.” The idea is to change our world perception to a deified world by detaching ourselves from our ego-centric perception of it. When everything is renounced through the thought of God, one should not have any hankering for things such as wealth that are unreal.

Bhagavan Kapila also says in the Bhagavatam: “I abide in all beings as their inner-most soul. Disregarding My Presence within them, men make a show of worshipping Me through images. If one disregards Me present in all as their soul and Lord but ignorantly offers worship only to images, such worship is as ineffective as sacrificial offerings made in ashes. A man who persecutes Me residing in others, who is proud and haughty, who looks upon God as the other —such a person will never attain to peace of mind. If a man disregards and persecutes fellow beings, (Continued on page 43...)

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Vijnana means Knowledge with a greater fullness. Those who have heard of milk are ignorant; those who have seen milk are jnanis; and those who have drunk milk and strengthened by it have a fuller knowledge of it; they are vijnanis. After having the vision of God one talks to Him as if He were an intimate relative. That is vijnana.

Brahman but is an unreal superimposition on Brahman, has Brahman for its substratum.

Hence, it is reasonable to hold that Brahman, which is the substratum of the image as also of human beings, admits of worship. This worship is not work; it is jnana, yoga, worship, all combined. It is called Seva Yoga. It is worship of the Divine by the Divine. While a sannyasi renounces the world, he does not renounce the underlying Brahman. So, doing good to the world means giving up the world-view and worshipping the Virat, God in His Universal Form as the manifest physical Cosmos. As the great Vedantin, Swami Turiyananda said, “This creation is Truth (satyam). This world is Truth.

All is Truth, Prana is established in Truth.”

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sanctuary, the heart of the worshipper. The real devotee appreciates the absurdity of worshipping the Transcendental Reality with material articles and prays for forgiveness.

Book Reviews Swami Swahananda A Profile in Greatness

The Vedanta Kesari

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S

Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata 700 014. Email: mail@ advaitaashrama.org. 2018, paperback, pp.231, Rs.80.

wami Swahananda was born on June 29, 1921 in Habiganj, in what is now Bangladesh. His father, Nirmal Chandra Goswami, had received initiation from the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi in 1908. Thus, a great spiritual atmosphere was part of the family and his early life. Later, as a senior sannyasi of the Ramakrishna Order, he was the spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1976 to 2012.

It was here that the writer of this book Malay Das, a medical doctor by profession, first encountered this great sadhu. In the Preface the writer says that, for all his inexperience in spiritual life, he could see straightaway that he was in the presence of someone remarkable and rare. ‘He radiated purity and compassion…’

This meeting was in the spring of 1995, just a month after the author’s father had passed away. Submerged in grief, he was feeling rudderless when he got a vision of his parents.

In the vision, they assured him that all would be well. Both of them were no strangers to Sri Ramakrishna, having been initiated by Swami Nirvanananda; this vision motivated Dr. Das and his whole family to visit the Hollywood centre.

After this first visit, drawn by Swahanandaji’s spiritual benevolence, Dr. Das became a regular

visitor to the Centre and in turn Swahanandaji graced Dr. Das’ home on several occasions over the next few years. In the guru-shishya relationship that developed between them, Dr. Das’s perspectives on life underwent a change and this book is a description of this relationship with a sense of awe, reverence, and filial adoration.

Incidents and meetings are recounted with precision and care for detail to illustrate Swami Swahananda’s great compassion and love for everyone around him and the consideration he displayed even when seriously ill with cardiac and neurological problems. Dr. Das’ clinical training is evident: passages of intense concern are followed by the clear thinking that an attending doctor must possess.

In other parts of the book, the writer brings out the training Swami Swahananda gave him and the manner in which he liberated him from promises he had made to himself which had become impediments to spiritual progress. Every action whether temporal or spiritual or however small is important to Dr. Das. Far away from their home country, both Swami Swahanandaji and Dr. Das and his family recreate a very special bond that exists between a guru and his sishya - paternal concern and authority from the one, obedience and reverence

PA G E D O N O R : S R I A J AY R A N A , G U R G A O N

August 2021

by Malay Das

Eternal Words: Spiritual Instructions of Swami Adbhutananda Compiled by Swami Siddhananda, Translated by Swami Sarvadevananda

Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5, Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata-700 014.

Email:.mail@advaitaashrama.org.2018, paperback, pp.316. Rs.100.

S

wami Adhbhutananda, or Latu Maharaj as he was popularly and lovingly known, was one of Sri Ramakrishna’s direct disciples and a wonderful sannyasi. He

____________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

Jagat Satyam

but worships Me in images with numerous rituals and rich offerings, I am not at all pleased with him for proferring such worship. A man should, however, worship Me in images, side by side with discharging his duties, which include the love of all beings, until he actually realises

(Continued from page 41...)

My Presence in himself and in all beings.”

(III.29:21-25) The world which for the Jnani is “a framework of illusion” and unreal, gets transformed into truth and “a mansion of mirth” for the Vijnani.

August 2021

____________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

was the epitome of simplicity; rusticity almost.

In an atmosphere otherwise dominated by personalities such as Swami Vivekananda and Swami Brahmananda, who were erudite, aristocratic and self-confident, Latu Maharaj held his own. His is a life that reminds us that being simple is the most difficult thing to achieve.

Sri Ramakrishna knew the true value of Latu Maharaj. We, as readers and devotees, learn that every single one of us is as indispensable to this world as Swami Adbhutananda was to the Order. This knowledge gives us hope.

The forty-five chapters of the book show over and over again Latu Maharaj’s devotion for Sri Ramakrishna and his guru-bhais, especially Swami Viveknanda. His generosity and sweetness are obvious in the manner in which he talks about them.

This book is the result of Swami Siddhananda’s hard work in keeping a record of the intensely down-to earth wisdom of Swami Adbhutananda, whose seemingly simple words carry weighty connotations. He has brought out the essence of Swami Adbhutananda’s teachings and Swami Sarvadevananda of the Vedanta Society of Southern California has made it available to the English speaking world through his translation, reminding us that Swami Adbhutananda was a highly inspiring sannyasi whose loving counsel helped everyone who crossed his path.

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from the other. The guru’s word is final even if spoken with gentleness and grace.

With its simple and sweet descriptions narrated in a crisp and clear style, this book vividly brings out Swami Swahanandaji’s influencing presence in the lives of Dr. Das and his family. Their conversations are not philosophical, but with just a comment here or a word there they highlight some deep truths of life. The book however, is intensely personal. If one were to draw a parallel between this book and another in the same genre — A Disciple’s Journey by Sister Gargi, the difference in the two approaches is immediately apparent: Sister Gargi’s book acquaints us with Swami Ashokananda, while in this book we come to know the writer.

The Order on the March

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Vivekananda College of Chennai Vidyapith celebrated its Platinum Jubilee on 21 June with special worship and a small gathering. Swami Gautamanandaji attended the programme online.

Sri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra and Goa, visited the Goa centre on 17 June.

Smt Droupadi Murmu, Governor of Jharkhand, and others addressed the audience of the online event conducted by the Ranchi Morabadi centre to observe the International Yoga Day on 21 June.

Values Education and Youth Programmes

Vivekananda College, Chennai

The Hyderabad Math conducted a month-long online summer camp for 800 children and two other workshops for 600 children; students participated from across the country. The Delhi centre conducted 16 online workshops in which 11,666 teachers, students and parents participated.

Kathamritha Bhavan Kolkata

Porbandar

Vijayawada

Patna

Tamluk

Chennai

PA G E D O N O R : S M T G E E TA B H A R AT G O R E , M U M B A I

August 2021

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Agartala

Viveknagar

Bishnupur

Ramanathapuram

Kozhikode

Thanjavur

Relief Work Covid Relief : Belur Math and 65 of its branch centres spread across 18 States/ Union Territories and 4 centres abroad continued to render relief to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. They distributed among more than 57,000 families — 4,97,256 kgs of rice, 89,398 kgs of flour, 1,29,844 kgs of pulses, 46,392 kgs of potatoes, 23,077 kgs of onions, 28,791 kgs of salt, 34,961 kgs of sugar, 40,548 litres of cooking oil, 11,210 kgs of spices, 3,545 kgs of tamarind, 28,080 biscuit packets, 59,184 kgs of soap, a number of masks, sanitisers, hand gloves, flasks etc. Also, cooked food was served to 1,80,308 people.

Cyclone Relief The extremely severe cyclone Yaas made landfall over the Odisha coast on 26 May near Balasore and left a trail of destruction in many parts of Odisha and West Bengal. Continuing their relief work, 19 branch centres of the Order distributed among 60,291 families 80,243 kgs of rice, 28,172 kgs of pulses, 22,845 kgs of potatoes, 4228 kgs of onions, 12190 kgs of salt, 19719 kgs of sugar, 16671 litres of cooking oil, 31466 biscuit packets, 26050 soap bars, 11893 tarpaulins, milk powder, ORS, sanitary napkins, etc. Also, 6,22,384 people were served cooked food.

Fire Relief Thanjavur Math, which is a sub-centre of Chennai Math, renovated 9 houses worst affected in a fire accident in Nagapattinam.

Kasundia

Kothar

Narendrapur

August 2021

PA G E D O N O R : S R I S A R V O T H A M A B R A H M AVA R PAT TA N S H E T PA I , B E N G A LU R U

Sikra Kulingram

Coimbatore

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Fiji

RAMAKRISHNA MATH, UTTARKASHI Ganganagar, P.O. Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, 249193 Mobile: 9447051231; Email: uttarkashi@rkmm.org Offering to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna: An Appeal

August 2021

Dear Devotees & Friends,

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Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math declared open a Math centre at Uttarkashi, an ancient holy town in the Garhwal Himalayas on 20th Oct 2017. There was already an Ashrama on a small piece of land, named “Ramakrishna Kutir” since 1963, maintained directly by Belur Math, where sadhus of our Order used to stay for intense Tapasya in the traditional monastic way, begging food from outside and living a simple austere life. The same tradition continues till date. Monks and brahmacharins of the Ramakrishna Order regularly visit this Ashrama in great numbers on their pilgrimage to the ChardhamKedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri & Yamunotri.

In view of expanding Swami Vivekananda’s ideal of service and spirituality among the masses we plan to purchase some land around Harsil Valley, near Gangotri. Along with retreat centres for sadhus and devotees, some welfare activities for the benefit of the poor and underprivileged will be taken up after acquiring and developing the land.

A sum of Rs. 2 crores is estimated to set up and develop the additional unit of the Uttarkashi Math. We request our friends and devotees, trusts and corporate bodies to contribute liberally to complete this project of welfare and spirituality at the earliest.

Donations can be made by NEFT/RTGS to the account given below: A/C Name

: Ramakrishna Math, Uttarkashi

Bank Name

: Union Bank of India

Branch Name

: Uttarkashi Branch

A/C No.

: 601802010006696

IFSC : UBIN0560189 Kindly mention the purpose- “Donation for purchase of land and development of the Math”, the PAN and full address of the donor by email to uttarkashi@rkmm.org or SMS to 9447051231.

Donations towards our Math is exempted from IT under 80G Act. May Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada, Swami Vivekananda bless you all.

Yours in the Lord, Swami Amaleshananda Adhyaksha

Ramakrishna Math (Shyampukur Bati)

(A Branch Centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, Howrah) 55, Shyampukur Street, Kolkata – 700 004.

Phone: 9475701362; e-mail: shyampukurbati@rkmm.org Proper preservation and up keep of Shyampukur Bati, the most important and sacred tirtha of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Parasharananda Adhyaksha

August 2021

AN APPEAL

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Dear Friend / devotee / well-wisher, You all know that Sri Ramakrishna spent the last few months of his life (naralila) in Shyampukur Bati and Cossipore.

Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and his brother disciples stayed in Shyampukur Bati for 2 to 3 months. It was here that Sri Ramakrishna was worshipped as Mother Kali on Kalipuja night by Girish Ghosh and other devotees. Sri Ramakrishna also manifested many bhavas and samadhis in this place.

In November 2017 this holy place was recognised as a full-fledged branch centre of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. This house is now about 200 years old. For its proper preservation, time to time thorough repair work is very much needed.

We run also one charitable homeopathic dispensary and distribute clothes and blankets to the poor and needy.

For the proper maintenance of this sacred tirtha and to continue our seva works we need a sum of Rs. 25 lacs every year.

I fervently appeal to all the devotees, donors and well-wishers to donate generously to preserve this sacred tirtha properly.

All donations through bank with valid PAN are eligible for tax exemption under section 80G of I.T. Act 1961.

Our account details are as follows: State Bank of India, Baghbazar Branch, A/c No.32773763307, IFSC: SBIN0001652, MICR Code: 700002007.

For donations of Rupees Two lacs and above, the name of the donor will be displayed in marble stone in a suitable place.

Kindly send an e-mail informing us the details of your donation along with your full postal address, PAN, and mobile no., otherwise it would be difficult to issue money receipt in favor of the donor.

May the Holy Trio bless us all is my earnest prayer.

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Vol.108. No.8 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) August 2021. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957. Postal registration number: TN / CH (C) / 190 / 2021-2023. Licensed to Post without prepayment TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2021-2023.

Date of Publication: 24th of every month. Posted on 26.07.2021 at Egmore RMS/1 (Patrika Channel), Chennai - 8.

When through the Guru’s instruction and your own conviction you will see, not this world of name and form, but the essence which lies as its substratum then only you will realise your identity with the whole universe from the Creator down to a clump of grass, then only you will get the state in which भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः — ‘The knots of the heart are cut asunder and all doubts are dispelled.’

— Swami Vivekananda

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