The Vedanta Kesari – March 2021 issue

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Vedanta Kesari

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

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Cover Page

The Vedanta Kesari

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The Cover Page illustration presents the scene when Sri Ramakrishna interpreted Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message, and Swami Vivekananda saw its application as Service to Man is Service to God. One day speaking about the Vaishnava religion Sri Ra m a k r i s h n a explained the three practices enjoined upon its followers – relish for the name of God, compassion for all living creatures, and service to the Vaishnavas. Even as he uttered, “compassion for all living creatures”, Sri Ramakrishna entered into Samadhi!

After some time as he came out of that deep level of consciousness, he said to himself, “… Compassion for creatures! … No, it cannot be. It is not compassion for others, but rather service to man, recognizing him to be the veritable manifestation of God!” Narendranath Datta, one of the young disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was the one who understood the significance of this divine insight.

He told his brother disciples, “What a strange light have I discovered in those wonderful words of the Master! … I have understood that the ideal of Vedanta lived by the recluse outside the pale of society can be practised even from hearth and home and applied to all our daily schemes of life. …” Later, as Swami Vivekananda, he broadcast this idea across the world as Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva, thus giving mankind a new way of worshipping the Lord.

The wonderfully evocative Cover Page painting of this issue is done by Sri Sudhir Mirage of Mumbai (sudhirmirage@gmail.com). The painting is part of Swami Vivekananda Memorial Museum (erstwhile Bhate House), Belagavi, where Swami Vivekananda stayed for three days as the guest of Sri Sadahiv Bhate from 16-18 Oct 1892. The Museum inaugurated in February 2019 is an unparalleled exhibition of paintings on Swami Vivekananda and is a must visit for admirers of the Ramakrishna Movement. We are grateful to Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Belagavi for sharing it with The Vedanta Kesari.

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The Vedanta Kesari

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order

CONTENTS

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Vol. 108, No. 3 ISSN 0042-2983

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Shiva: Interval between Enjoyment and Its Negation Swami Nityabodhananda

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Swami Shivananda: A Living Light Swami Shraddhananda Prankrishna Mukhopadhyay Dr. Ruchira Mitra

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FEATURES 8 Atmarpanastuti 9 Yugavani 10 Editorial 18 Reminiscences of Sargachhi 25 Vivekananda Way 34 Pariprasna 41 Lessons from Swamis 43 Book Reviews 45 The Order on the March

Naren Worships Mother Ganga Gitanjali Murari Po

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Arise! Awake!

Swami Satyapriyananda

Poorva: Magic, Miracles and the Mystical Twelve Lakshmi Devnath

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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

March 2021

The

The Vedanta Kesari

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Vedanta

One hundred and seven 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 seven 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.

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

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

Appeal

March 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

Atmarpanastuti Sri Appayya Dikshitendra

March 2021

Sloka - 41 स्वप्ने वापि स्वरसविकसद्दिव्यपङ्केरुहाभं पश्येयं किं तव पशुपते पादयुग्मं कदाचित् । क्वाहं पापः क्व तव चरणालोकभाग्यं तथापि प्रत्याशां मे घटयति पुनर्विश्रुता तेऽनुकम्पा ॥४१

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O Pashupati, may I see some time in dream Your two feet which have the splendour of lotuses in full bloom! Where am I, a sinner and where is the good fortune to see your feet! Still, Your well known compassion induces this hope in me.

Sloka - 42 भिक्षावृत्तिं चर पितृवने भूतसङ्घार्धमिदं विज्ञातं ते चरितमखिलं विप्रलिप्सोः कपालिन् । आवैकुण्ठगृहिणमखिलप्राणिनामीश्वरस्त्वं नाथ स्वप्नेऽप्यहमिह न ते पादपद्मं त्यजामि ॥४२

O Kapalini Act as a mendicant on the cremation ground or roam about with the Bhutas. This entire conduct of Yours, which is like that of one who wishes to mislead, is well known. You are the Lord of all beings from Vishnu and Brahma downward. O Lord, I will not forsake Your lotus feet even in dream.

Sloka - 43 आलेपनं भसितमावसथः श्मशानमस्थीनि ते सततमाभरणानि सन्तु । निहोतुमीश सकलश्रुतिपारसिद्धमैश्चर्यमम्बुजभवोऽपि च न क्षमस्ते ॥४३

Let it be that Your unguent is only ash, Your abode is the cremation ground, and Your ornaments are always only bones. But, O Lord, even Lord Brahma cannot deny Your lordliness which is established by all the shrutis.

Translated by Sri. S.N. Sastri.

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The characteristics of sattva, rajas, and tamas are very different. The scriptures describe sattva as white, rajas as red, and tamas as black.

Sattva preserves, rajas creates, and tamas destroys.

The Three Gunas

Egotism, sleep, gluttony, lust, anger, and the like, are the traits of people with tamas. Pride and delusion come from tamas. There are a few men who cannot attain knowledge of God: men proud of their scholarship, proud of their education, or proud of their wealth.

Through anger one loses one’s wits and cannot distinguish between right and wrong. In a fit of anger Hanuman set fire to Lanka, without thinking for a moment that the fire might also burn down the hut where Sita lived. [But] a man living in society should make a show of tamas to protect himself from evil-minded people. But he should not harm anybody in anticipation of harm likely to be done him. You must hiss at wicked people.

Men with rajas entangle themselves in many activities. Such a man has a watch and chain, and two or three rings on his fingers. The furniture of his house is all spick and span. His wardrobe is filled with a large assortment of clothes. A portrait of the Queen hangs on a wall in his drawingroom. When he worships God he wears a silk cloth. He has a string of rudraksha beads around his neck, and in-between the beads he puts a few gold ones…When he gives in charity he makes a show of it. Delivering [oneself]…is the characteristic of rajas.

A man endowed with sattva is quiet and peaceful. Sattva makes one introspective. It makes one hide one’s virtues. The man himself is very gentle, quiet, kind, and humble. So far as dress is concerned, anything will do. He earns only enough money to give his stomach the simplest of food; he never flatters men to get money. He never worries about his children’s clothing. He does not hanker for name and fame. His worship, charity, and meditation are all done in secret; people do not know about them at all.

— The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

March 2021

nder the spell of God’s maya man forgets his true nature. He forgets that he is heir to the infinite glories of his Father. This divine maya is made up of three gunas. This universe consists of the three gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas. The three gunas are in Brahman, but It is Itself untainted by them.

You may find both good and bad smells in the air; but the air itself is unaffected.

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PA G E D O N O R : S R I D I N E S H V I J AYA K U M A R , T I R U VA N N A M A L A I

Yugavani

Editorial

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How to Worship?

March 2021

s we prepare to observe Shivaratri and celebrate the janma tithis of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we can ask ourselves how to really worship Lord Shiva.

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When he returned from the West in 1897, Swami Vivekananda visited the Rameswaram Temple, one of the most sacred Shiva temples, and told the devotees assembled there that coming to a temple and worshipping Shiva is “useless” if one is not pure. This is a disturbing statement for those of us who go to temples to pray for that very purity! How then to purify our mind?

Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism gives a devotee the freedom to choose from infinite ways of worshipping the infinite forms of God. The foundation for this grand variety is the unity of existence — Brahman manifesting as the entire universe. The unconditioned, changeless, Brahman manifests through its power of intelligence, known variously as Shakti, Maya, Ishwara, and Divine Mother. The distinction between the two states is a distinction without a difference.

Speaking of how he perceived this world, Sri Ramakrishna says, “Trees, plants, men, animals, grass — these and all other things I see as different coverings like pillow cases … some round in shape and others square. But within all … the same substance cotton. In the same way all the objects of the world are stuffed with the unconditioned Satchidananda. I feel as if the Mother has wrapped Herself in different clothes, and is peeping out from them.”

How to worship this playful Mother who is in everything?

Ours is the age of technology or applied science. Hence, to suit our mindset and needs,

Swami Vivekananda gave us Practical Vedanta or the application of Vedanta in everyday life.

This is a new spiritual technology wherein we “worship the Living God, the Man-God — every being that wears a human form…”

In his Rameswaram address, Swamiji explains this method of worship through a parable. A rich man had two gardeners working in his garden. One of the gardeners was lazy and the other hard-working. To please the owner, the lazy gardener would stand with folded arms and say, “’How beautiful is the face of my master’ and dance before him.” But the hard working gardener would produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables and carry them to the owner who lived far away. Needless to say, the second gardener was more beloved to the master.

Similarly, Lord Shiva is our master and this world is His garden. If we wish to worship and please the Lord, we should be like the hardworking gardener and take care of His children — the poor, the weak, the diseased, the illiterate, the ignorant, and all other living beings. This worshipful service of man will purify our mind and heart and then Shiva who resides in every being becomes manifest.

Instead of this if we spend our time only in singing and chanting the glory of Shiva, and in performing endless rituals we are no better than the lazy gardener.

How to train our mind to see the Lord in everyone? It is simple. When anyone comes to us, we should at once think of the Divine in him or her and mentally tell ourselves, ‘The Lord is present in this person’ (see p.40 of this issue).

This Shivaratri let us begin to see Lord Shiva in our relatives, friends, and neighbours, and cultivate the will to render worshipful service.

Article

Shiva: Interval between Enjoyment and Its Negation

This article is reproduced from the March 1968 issue of Prabuddha Bharata.

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hiva has many aspects, though the most popular representations are Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, and the lingam. Like a magician he engenders by his Maya the diversity of world-phenomena and in this aspect he is Mayavin. In a subtle sense he destroys and creates at the same time: he destroys a lower harmony to construct a higher one and in this aspect he is the symbol of consciousness, which abolishes a status quo to realise its transcendence on a superior plane.

Again, Shiva is Pasupati, guardian of souls whom he protects and goads on in the path of moksa. He is ascetic, Dhurjati, but the lover and husband of Parvati, the Divine Mother, at the same time. As ascetic, as Mahayogin, he reduced to ashes the god of love, Kama, who came to disturb his meditation. But he is the god of love, the beloved husband of Parvati, whom he holds in eternal embrace in the

aspect of Ardhanarishvara. Kalidasa in the invocatory verse in his drama Malavikagnimitra celebrates this aspect of Shiva, saying, “Though in eternal union with your wife, O, Shiva, you are untouched by desire and hence foremost amongst yogins.”

It is in this aspect that we are going to study him in this article. Though an eternal yogin, he married Parvati in order to accomplish a world purpose — to give a commanding general to the army of gods to fight against the demons. Subramanya their son assumed the leadership of the gods. Burning Cupid, then accepting marriage and then again under the aspect of Ardhanarisvara giving to the world the glowing example of the supreme Advaitic position of Asparsa-Yoga — Shiva passes from negation to enjoyment and then again to negation demonstrating to the world thereby that the supreme Reality refuses itself to be contained either in the one or in the other; that is, one cannot attain Reality neither

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PA G E D O N O R : S M T. PA P I YA D E B N AT H , P U N E

Swami Nityabodhanandaji was a disciple of Swami Shivanandaji, the second President of the Ramakrishna Order. He was editor of The Vedanta Kesari, from 1942-1948 and later for three decades he was the head of Geneva centre of the Ramakrishna Order in Switzerland.

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SWAMI NITYABODHANANDA

by enjoyment nor by negation as it transcends both.

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Again, Shiva is the one with the third eye, Trilocana whose powerful flame burnt not only Kama, but also the god of death, Yama. As destroyer of Kama, his third eye symbolises his power of converting physical love into spiritual knowledge; as destroyer of Yama, he is conqueror of death, Mrityunjaya.

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As Nataraja, Shiva is the master of rhythm and music. All dancers in India invoke his benediction before beginning the performance.

Shiva is also the divine author of the Sanskrit grammar. According to a tradition, when he played on his damaru the first rules of Sanskrit grammar flowed out in the form of aphorisms.

Panini, the first grammarian, in summing up his first aphorism says: “Thus the aphorisms came from Shiva.”

In studying the being and acts of Shiva, we shall follow the four modes of expression of the Trinity.

First mode of expression

The first of the four is the act of God of which the continuity of the world as a theatre of values is the proof. We take two acts of Shiva to support this thesis: one, the drinking of the poison to save the world and two, the receiving of the river Ganga on his head. Ganga was first in the heavens and, when she was to come down, nobody could bear the impact of her torrents except Shiva. He received her on his head and from there she flowed down to the earth. How much Ganga contributed to India’s material and spiritual welfare cannot be exaggerated; it is a matter of history.

Shiva’s drinking poison and surviving it brings us the picture of God who accepts the sufferings of the world, but refuses to be crucified by it. It is one thing to allow, in an attitude of abandon, events and political forces

to gain dominance and finally to take form as an act of immolation, which is survived by the incarnation’s love and supreme pardon. It is quite another thing not to allow nature to gain dominance over God or incarnation, but to see beforehand the catastrophe and take the ‘poison’ of nature, i.e., the nature of things, on himself. In Christ, we see nature and man taking their worst turn and Christ accepting to be crucified; but his love and pardon surviving with great force. In the act of Shiva, we see God not allowing nature to take her turn, but accepting the worst in the beginning to change its course.

The descent of the Ganga as well as Shiva’s intervention in it is a marvellous story that explains how human effort combined with grace can change human destiny, not of an individual, but of thousands.

The line of Kings belonging to Raghu, that is Rama’s lineage, long before Rama was born, came under a malediction and all the princes were reduced to ashes. There was a way out—a very difficult way— that if the Ganga were to come down and her waters were to touch these ashes, they would come back to life. One prince in the royal line whose name was Bhagiratha, coming to know of this curse on his ancestors and the way for redemption, wanted to work for their salvation. On coming to know that Shiva alone of the gods could receive the Ganga on his head, Bhagiratha meditated and worshipped Shiva for hundreds of years and finally his wish was granted. So Ganga came down with all her torrents of powerful waters and Shiva received her on his head and from him flowed down Ganga to the spot where was piled up in a mountain the bones of those princes under curse. Prince Bhagiratha was waiting for her arrival by the side of the bones of his ancestors. He waited and waited and the waters did not arrive. So he went in search tracing the line by which the river probably

The sage’s name was Jahnu. In one form or other, Ganga had become, for some time, a part of his body and so she came to be known as his daughter. One of the many names of Ganga is Jahnavi, which means the daughter of Jahnu.

The prince Bhagiratha, the very incarnation of perseverance and devotion to his ancestors, had to encounter many more obstacles before he could bring Ganga to wash the bones and give his ancestors life. The prince’s name today is associated with all difficult efforts which man proposes to do, efforts which are crowned with success, simply because he had faith in God and faith in himself.

Second mode of expression

We now come to the second mode of expression, the scheme which Shiva has shown

The gods lost their commandant of the armies and had none to lead their forces against the Asuras or demons. The gods went for the advice of Brahma and Vishnu. They were told that if they could succeed in bringing about a marriage between Shiva and Parvati, their son would be the best commandant for their armies. But it was the most difficult and dangerous task.

Parvati at that time was a young girl, devoted to Shiva, heart and soul, worshipping him with the hope of one day uniting with him.

How to change the mind of Shiva which was lost in the contemplation of the Infinite? The gods put their heads together and Indra had many striking ideas.

An atmosphere of spring, an atmosphere that enchants the human mind, should be created round the place where Shiva has established himself in meditation. The cuckoos should sing, the flowers should spread their perfume and Eros, the god of love, should shower his arrows on the heart of the meditating Shiva to shake his mind and fix it on Parvati. All the people were requisitioned, the spring-god, the Cupid and their aides, and very soon the height of the Himalayas, where spring never can bring flowers and cuckoos, was converted into a veritable spring season.

Days passed. Shiva’s mind, which was steeped for ages and ages in meditation, was

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us by his personal example, of conflict and harmony. Shiva is an eternal brahmachari. In order to answer to a cosmic purpose, he marries goddess Uma who is the incarnation of Shiva’s own Sakti, or his feminine counterpart.

This marriage is to fulfil the world’s need and not to satisfy his desire. In one cycle she was Dakshayani, in the next cycle she was Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas. The story, which we are going to study, relates to his union with Parvati.

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PA G E D O N O R : S R I D E E PA K G O PA L A K R I S H N A N , C H E N N A I

could have taken to flow down from Shiva in the Himalayas. The prince came to a forest where traces of floods were, but no water. He was told that a great sage meditating in the centre of the forest knew of what had happened. The prince went before the sage and as the sage was in meditation with closed eyes there was no question of putting questions to him. He prayed by his side and the sage, knowing the prince’s request, opened his eyes and asked him what he could do for him. It had happened in the following way: Ganga had come with all force and had flooded the forest, thus immersing the sage’s pedestal of meditation and was threatening to wash him off. The sage then opened his eyes and took the waters by a twist of his hands and drank the whole of the river thus making conditions favourable again for his meditation. Now the prince was to get the water out of the sage’s body. So he prayed to the sage for that. The sage put his finger in his ears and took out a drop of water and threw it, and off flowed in torrents again the Ganga, the sacred goddess, made more sacred by the contact of the sage’s body!

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getting shaken bit by bit. He brought it again and again under control. When he found that his mind was really getting out of control, he opened his eyes. To his surprise he found that spring was surrounding him, that cuckoos were chanting and the whole environment was not one for meditation. He was annoyed. Parvati was meditating at a distance in front of him. He saw at a distance Eros seated on the branch of a tree and aiming his arrows at him. Eros has his arrows made of flowers and his bow of sugarcane. At the sight of Eros (Cupid) the idea immediately flashed in the mind of Shiva that all this was a project against him to change his mind. He was angry. And when Shiva gets angry his third eye on the forehead opens and it emits fire. His third eye opened and the fire that came out first burnt Cupid to ashes. That fire would have burnt down the world itself but for loud prayers of the gods.

A word will be necessary here about the third eye of Shiva before we pass on. We said whenever Shiva was angry his third eve opened. But then, it should not be understood that his third eve was the symbol of anger.

Rather, it was the symbol of knowledge and illumination. The burning of Cupid by the fire of the third eye is also symbolic. Physical passion is burned by knowledge, burned in the sense of being transformed. Spiritual knowledge alone is the fire that can burn desire and passion. It is the knowledge that results from the conjunction of the heart and head. The forehead is the field of this conjunction. Cupid was burnt, but he continues to live without form in human hearts. It means that the same knowledge that burnt down passion must be used to come to a recognition of Cupid’s place in life. A recognition is always a way to transcendence and not domination by force.

In various traditions the third eye has been associated with spiritual knowledge, with

illumination. Among some primitive tribes it was a custom or rite to pierce the centre of the forehead with a hot iron or burning charcoal, for they believed that by that ritual, man was helped on to illumination. I came upon a Christ image of the fourteenth century where Christ is represented with a third eye!

Shiva went back into meditation. But then it was not easy to get back to depths when once disturbed. He had to hear to the prayers of Rati, the wife of Eros who spoke to him thus, “Lord, my husband was acting according to his nature, nature assigned to him by God, and was acting according to the order of his superiors. How is it that he merited death while doing his duty?”

There is something very human about Shiva. He gets angry quickly and gets appeased also quickly. And when appeased, he showers his benedictions. Shiva replied to Rati, “Your husband is dead only in body, but he will continue to live without body in the hearts of the people churning their hearts.” Thus Cupid, who was burnt by Shiva, was resuscitated. By saying that he will continue to live without body or form Shiva meant that none can attack him or get rid of him. If one knows by what form Eros will present himself, one can take precautions or one can get rid of him. Since he has no form and hence can hide in the place where least one can expect him to be, Cupid is unconquerable. Shiva was speaking of the elusive character of love, which disappears when attacked but appears in another form.

Shiva did more than the resuscitation of Eros.

Shiva made Eros eternal in human hearts. Two names for Eros in Sanskrit: Ananga, he who has no body and second Manmatha, meaning, he who churns the human heart, indicate his eternity and how he works.

Shiva, in order to promote world welfare, that is to say, to give the gods a general, accepted the ways of Cupid in himself! He

What is true in man is not satisfied by enjoyment. We usually think that man’s discontent comes from the sense of lack of what he has. This is not true. Man’s dissatisfaction Yogin first, then in conflict with Eros, then comes from the sense of what he is and what he accepting him, that is to is not. What he is and is say accepting to be not can express only by ‘is’ When we say ‘I shall ‘and ‘I shall married and that and ‘is not’. It is true that specifically for achieving a this dissatisfaction not’ or ‘yes’ and ‘no’, we provoke higher harmony: this searches to satisfy its an interval; and then we enter scheme evidences the thirst by ‘possessing’ into that interval and dilate it. design of conflictthings, experiences. Here It is in this dilatation that our harmony which Shiva starts the search for real liberty resides. In that adopts to show to man enjoyment. But in reality interval we do not search to do, that the plenitude of being it is the Being that we search to be—we are and experience can never manifests as the search what we are. be communicated or for enjoyment. Can Being c o n t a i n e d e i t h e r by be satisfied? Never. It goes affirmation or by negation. The plenitude is in from enjoyment to negation or refusal to enjoy between the two. and then to enjoyment and thus without end. In the case of the spiritual man, he comes to a stop When we exercise our liberty in any in realising the Being, which projects yes and circumstance we come to feel in us two voices no, enjoyment and negation and which in the speaking: ‘I shall; I shall not, or I want this, I do process of projecting, realises itself. The not want this.’ This way of contradiction, or unregenerate human being goes from conflict is the manner in which our liberty enjoyment to negation without knowing that it manifests. This is a contradiction on the plane is Being that is involved in this movement from of action, not in the field of spirit. It is yes to no. contradiction in the field of action, because we cannot put the two alternatives in action at the same time. In the spiritual realm ‘shall’ and ‘shall not’ give us the extent or the limit of our possibilities, of our liberty. Is it not the Being that speaks, that expresses ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in the process of extending itself in opposite directions of existence and non-existence, in the direction of enjoyment and its negation?

When we say ‘I shall ‘and ‘I shall not’ or ‘yes’

The Being in man cannot be grasped or defined. When man after having accomplished his choicest desire says, ‘Then what’, he is expressing the plenitude of Being which his cherished experience could not grasp or contain. Speaking of Being the philosophies say, “It is neither good, nor bad; neither empiric nor transcendental; neither simply human nor simply divine; it is and it is not. It is both is and

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and ‘no’, we provoke an interval; and then we enter into that interval and dilate it. It is in this dilatation that our real liberty resides. In that interval we do not search to do, we search to be—we are what we are.

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married Parvati and had a son named Subramanya or Kartikeya who became the most redoubtable general of the gods’ army and kept the Titans under his heels. But then Shiva did not stop there. He gave half of his body to his dear wife to live in eternal juxtaposition with her. This was not attachment for her body but complete control of himself even though he was in constant contact. He was the yogi of yogins.

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is not. It is a mixture of two levels, of continuity and discontinuity, of peace and movement.”

Herein lies the secret of Being. It is both is and is not. The liberty of Being is contained only in this dynamism that infills the movement between is and is not. Shiva was expressing this liberty of Being by enjoyment and negation.

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If Being can be defined only by is and is not, what about the manifestations of Being like affectivity, love, search for enjoyment, etc?

There are moments when manifestations like love or sorrow assume such proportions and intensity that the experiencing subject is all love or all sorrow and nothing more. In that state there is no subject as an entity and no object as object. Both are united in the experience of love or sorrow. It will not be correct to say that in that state the Being and manifestation have become equal. For, in a state of equality manifestation as manifestation does not exist. It is all Being and nothing else. It is more correct to say that the all-pervasiveness of the subject by the manifestation is a precious moment when the distinction between Being (the subject) and manifestation (experience) is completely lost. How can we define or speak of that moment except by is and is not? It is a moment when manifestation gets the prestige of Being.

When nothing is left of the experiencing subject as an entity, when all is love or affectivity, it is quite necessary that this sensitivity, in order to be what it is, in order to renew itself, must touch its limits, terminate and negate itself and then reaffirm by beginning again. No sensitivity, if it is alive, and vibrating, can live only by affirmation or by enjoyment. It pushes its limits to the extreme until by the law of discontinuity it stops or negates itself to begin again.

Shiva by moving between enjoyment and negation was not obeying the laws of Nature

which is manifestation, but was incarnating Being in his acts. It is proper that he should show in life the moment when the manifestation of love gains all the prestige of Being and all its dynamism. Instead of becoming slave to enjoyment and negation, Shiva created the interval in enjoyment and dilated it to extreme limits of enjoyment and negation.

Third mode of expression

The third mode of expression is the incarnation God takes in order to show transcendence, in spite of the limitation of incarnation. Shiva’s incarnations are not so numerous as those of Vishnu. The great philosopher and reformer Sri Shankaracarya of the eighth century is respected as the incarnation of Shiva. The great light of knowledge of Advaita philosophy, which Shankara brought into this world, is really characteristic of the spiritual force that Shiva is.

Shankara’s life as a sannyasi of the highest realisation and his acts as the one who reformed and resuscitated Hinduism are testimonies that in him Shiva took the human form.

Fourth mode of expression

As regards the fourth mode of expression, the utilisation of symbols, we have seen Shiva’s role in the churning of the ocean, how he assimilated the poison and saved the world and also saved the nectar of immortality namely Supreme Knowledge. Shiva has many serpents as ornaments. Serpents symbolize the psychic energy. Shiva, as the Master who decorates himself by serpents, is the example of the conversion of psychic energy into spiritual energy. Shiva is the only one among the Trinity who has the third eye. Here again, Shiva becomes the symbol of illumination, of a superior knowledge whose instrument is the eye but in reality is the eye of the eye—the Self.

the two worlds of existence and This seeking a always the goddess of non-existence, the world of higher harmony brings prosperity to serve him at into being a value quite his feet. Shiva, on the enjoyment and its negation. different from the means contrary, is a beggar of employed; in other words, beggars, the king among brings in a complete discontinuity. Here is a renouncers who has renounced all and hence very interesting story which narrates how Shiva has all. He is the conqueror of death in two ‘succumbed’ to a temptation. senses. Firstly, he killed the god of death who wanted to take away Shiva’s devotee; secondly, In the myth of the churning of the ocean, on Shiva’s breast dances Kali (Time), Kali who to prevent the nectar of immortality from has death in her hands. falling into the hands of the demons, Vishnu had to disguise as a charming young woman and ask the demons to sit down and prepare for distribution. While they were meditating with closed eyes, Vishnu got away with the urn and disposed it in the heavens.

Shiva was present and was enchanted by the young woman. Later on, Shiva asked Vishnu that he would like to see him in that enchanting form. Vishnu agreed and took the form again.

Shiva was so much enchanted by her beauty

Side by side with these severe aspects, Shiva presents very pleasing aspects, as the cosmic dancer and great lover of music, as a husband capable of deep affection and attachment, as a god who is easily pleased and who, when pleased, showers benedictions. Above all, we shall remember that serene face of his when he was drinking the poison that would have destroyed the world, the serenity with which he constructs in the midst of destruction.

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The Shaivaite philosophical systems speak that he had a union with her. As a result, the of Shiva as the white radiance of knowledge god Aiyyappan, or the god of ascetism came out that goes up, a self-revealing, self-knowing, selfof the thigh of Visnu. In a way this myth sufficient Reality that needs no intermediaries. reminds us of the birth of Minerva from the This radiance is personal and impersonal at the thigh of Jupiter. Today, in temples dedicated to same time. How can mythology represent such Visnu or Krishna, Aiyyappan has a place of a Shiva? He is represented as a force that can be worship and is consecrated in a small temple to contained neither in enjoyment nor in its Vishnu’s right. The yearly festival of Aiyyappan negation but the interval of the two. The consists of forty-one days of fasting and prayer interval embodies: is and is not, the two worlds and the practice of chastity, which evidences of existence and non-existence, the world of the special accent on asceticism. enjoyment and its negation. Enjoyment Shiva dressed in tiger-skin with a trident condenses our attitude towards existence and fixed on the ground, surrounded by the snow of negation condenses our the Himalayas, deeply attitude towards nonabsorbed in meditation is existence. Shiva, as the a favourite image for He is represented as a force that white radiance, could not meditation among the can be contained neither in be enclosed in these two Hindus. He is specially the enjoyment nor in its negation attitudes. He is the force ideal and inspirer of but the interval of the two. The t h at see ks a h igh e r sannyasis as different interval embodies: is and is not, harmony. from Vishnu who has

Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi SWAMI SUHITANANDA

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

Swami Premeshananda (1884 – 1967) was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. For over two decades he lived at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachhi, West Bengal. Under his inspiration countless people led a life of spirituality and service, and many young men and women entered into monastic life. His conversations – translated from Bengali and presented below – were noted by his attendant who is now Srimat Swami Suhitananda Ji, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order.

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Question: Does an avatar sleep?

Maharaj: One day, after waking from sleep, Sri Ramakrishna, said, ‘I saw a gourd flower in a dream.’ At once Master Mahasaya was ready to go to the market to buy that flower. But Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘Oh no, you won’t have to bring it.’ Sri Ramakrishna too would go into deep sleep just as we do. But there’s a difference. In his case the sheath of deep sleep was of his own making; he could cover himself or cast it off as he wished. But we cannot do that. Furthermore, in deep sleep he would go back to his true identity, whereas our true identity remains veiled. This is the strangest thing about the avatara leela: even while sporting as an avatar, he remains PurnaBrahman. This great truth has been expressed in the Bhagavatam: ’As many gopis, so many Krishnas.’

The Vaishnavites popularised the idea of pure devotion through Hari-nama. This is a sublime ideal which they expressed in a form suitable for the masses. The Brahmins who are knowers of scriptures changed this by delving into the philosophy of Shakti and Tantra. They invigorated the country by popularising the

Chandi, Ramprasadi and Agamani songs. This is a method where devotion is mixed with knowledge; it is very helpful for us.

The religion of the masses is very good, provided its followers don’t mingle with others.

Your guru may tell you, ‘He who doesn’t worship Krishna will go to hell.’ Very good!

Believe in this and practise it quietly. But if you mix with people holding other views, then you will be in trouble.

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Maharaj: Some say that opportunity will present itself if your wish is sincere. I say, supported by the will of Sri Ramakrishna, go forward with intense self-effort. The desire to lead a wonderful life of sadhana has to be

cultivated. It takes ten years of reflection and discussion to develop such a desire. Desire is a reaction to something; it springs from the experience of lacking something.

Maharaj: Totapuri ascended straight up to Brahman without looking right or left. That is why later Sri Ramakrishna had to show him all the stages of the path. But see the wonder of Gopal’s mother! Para-Brahman Himself came and let Himself be captured by her; she made Him descend.

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Maharaj: There are many who simply repeat, ‘How great is His grace!’, ‘How great is His grace!’ This is a type of escapism. If educated people speak of grace every now and then, it gives rise to the suspicion that they may want to escape responsibility. A devotee here says, ‘If I steal, that is His will; if I do something good, that also is his will.’ This gentleman is unable to read The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna because his eyes fill up with tears. See the hypocrisy! Another devotee says that Sri Ramakrishna will be worshipped in his house ‘if Sri Ramakrishna wills it’. See the extent of his e s c a p i s m ! I f h e fa c e s t h e s l i gh te s t inconvenience, he will abandon his efforts and say, ‘Sri Ramakrishna didn’t will it.’ Do you know what such a devotee will say? If the wall of his house falls down, he will say that it collapsed by the will of Sri Ramakrishna. Just reflect on the extent and force of Sri Ramakrishna’s will! To see his will in every act is a kind of spiritual practice; but must we express it in every turn of speech? It’s very

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When, as the fruit of our karma phala or past actions, some things happen or fail to happen, we shirk off our responsibility by regarding it as the will of God. Ordinary people are so lazy that they don’t want to use their brains — they want to be absolved of any responsibility or blame by dragging in God’s will. Do you know what their attitude is? It is like ‘Here, now I lie down; when you find it necessary, awaken me.’ But God is not an oppressor, nor is He whimsical. He gives what we want. He doesn’t oppress by giving more than what we ask. To give more than what one needs, beyond one’s capacity, amounts to oppression!

(To be continued. . .)

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Is God an alien to us? Your father and mother brought you up. Did you ever think this to be an act of grace on their part? Similarly, what do you mean by ‘God’s grace’? Men like Baburam Maharaj (Swami Premananda, one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna) would talk about grace. That had a special meaning.

Carefully examine this. When the direct disciples spoke about grace, to whom were they speaking, and in what context? Ordinary people think of themselves as helpless; they consider themselves so small and insignificant compared to God that they can’t imagine that they can ever hope to attain the Lord’s presence. In such cases, to give them courage, they have been told, ‘All right, you try to the best of your ability.

Satisfied by that effort, He will by His grace uplift you. You won’t have to do much.’

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Question: Spiritually, what is the difference between Totapuri and Gopal’s mother (known as Gopaler-ma because she had the constant vision of Bala Gopala, who was her Ishta Devata)?

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good that you try to see his will in every act, but what’s the necessity of letting everyone around you know it? Besides, by looking at that person’s conduct, actions and dealings with others, when he says Maar ichchha (‘Mother’s wish’ in Bengali), we wonder if he doesn’t mean A-maar ichchha (‘My wish’ in Bengali)!

Article

Arise! Awake!

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SWAMI SATYAPRIYANANDA

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he Katha Upanishad states, “Arise, awake, and learn by approaching the excellent ones. The wise ones describe that path to be as impassable as a razor’s edge, which when sharpened, is difficult to tread.”1

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In Sri Shankara’s commentary on this verse, it is held that this verse is addressed to “creatures who are sleeping in ignorance.” They are to ‘arise’ or turn towards the knowledge of the Self, and ‘awake’ or put an end to the sleep of ignorance which is terrible by nature and is the seed of all evil. As to how to go about this, it is stated, ‘learn by approaching the excellent ones’, who know that Self.

This verse captured the imagination of Swami Vivekananda who used it in the context of the sleeping leviathan, the masses of India of those times who were under a thousand years of foreign subjugation and quite content to be so, imitating western culture and manners, and believing that the prosperity of the western nations was due to Christianity and that Hinduism was no match to it being ridden with image worship, polytheism, practice of sati, child marriage, etc.

The nation had to be awakened to the sublime Indian heritage, which Vivekananda placed before the western world and which had a resounding echo on the Indian soil.

When a person is sleeping, he is practically dead to the outside world. In the

Chhandogya Upanishad we come across King Ajatasatru instructing Gargya. He takes him by the hand, and walking up to a sleeping man calls him using various words such as ‘O Great One’, ‘O White-robed One’, ‘O Radiant One’, ‘O Soma’ etc. But the sleeping man does not get up.

The king pushes the sleeping man again and again with his hand until he awakens.

A sleeping man has first to be aroused from his deep slumber which requires him to be pushed for long. Thereafter he opens his eyes and looking around, gradually comes to understand the situation: where he is, what is the day, what are the works to be done, etc.

Immediately on waking up one is not aware of all these and it takes its own time.

This was the situation of India as a whole: slumbering for a thousand years under the hypnotism of foreign rule, neglecting the masses and the women, forgetful of her Vedantic realisations both in theory and practice. The nation had to be aroused from this hypnotism and awakened to the need to become free, to elevate the masses and women by applying the truths of Vedanta in daily life, and to spread this nectarine message of Vedanta to the entire world. A hypnotised nation has first to be ‘aroused’ from the state of hypnotism and then ‘awakened’ to its real greatness and the contributions it can make to the rest of the world. This is the significance of “Arise! Awake!”

Furthermore, this awakening should not be given up until the goal is reached. This is Swami

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

satyapriyananda@rkmm.org

However, it was a different environment in America that greeted the Irish. They were told, “You are a man as we are. It is man who has done all, a man like you and me can do everything: have courage!”3 The drooping man raised his head and saw that it was indeed so, the Brahman within woke up.

This awakening of the Brahman is not achieved by secular learning, or wealth and possessions, or by sense enjoyments.

Futility of secular learning

The Mundaka Upanishad speaks of two kinds of knowledge: 1) the lower or secular knowledge which comprises of the four Vedas, the science of pronunciation, the code of rituals, grammar, etymology, metre, and astrology, and 2) the higher knowledge, by which the Imperishable is realised. In a highly impressive narration in Chhandogya Upanishad, Narada tells Sanatkumara, “Venerable Sir, I know the four Vedas, the epics (Puranas) and ancient lore (Itihasa), grammar, the rules of the sacrifices, the science of numbers, the science of portents,

Futility of worldly possessions

In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad we come across an interesting and instructive dialogue between Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi. Yajnavalkya planned to renounce the life of a householder and enter into the next order of life, the vanaprastha ashrama in preparation for sannyasa. So he wanted to settle his property (land, cows, horses, etc.) between Maitreyi and his other wife Katyayani.

The intention of Yajnavalkya was to divide secular property between his wives leaving them in a state of satisfaction and comfort.

Maitreyi thought to herself, “Is it possible to be happy through property? Is it possible to be perpetually happy by possession of material comfort and property? If I am the owner of the entire earth, the wealth of the whole world is mine, will I be perpetually happy, or will there be some other factor which will intrude upon my happiness in spite of my possession of the wealth of the entire world?” So, she asked Yajnavalkya, “If indeed the whole earth, full of wealth, belonged to me, would I be immortal through that?” Yajnavalkya knew that one cannot be happy with wealth and possessions.

There is no hope of immortality through wealth. So he replied, “No, your life would be just like that of people who have plenty. Of Immortality, however, there is no hope through wealth.”

Futility of enjoyments

In the Katha Upanishad we have an illuminating dialogue between Nachiketa and

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Referring to the Irish colonists who came to America, Swami Vivekananda describes their pitiable condition: “… downtrodden, haggardlooking, destitute of all possessions at home, penniless, and wooden-headed—with their only belongings, a stick and a bundle of rags hanging at the end of it, fright in their steps, alarm in their eyes”. In their homeland they were surrounded by contempt and it was as if the whole of nature was telling each Irishman: “You have no more hope, you are born a slave and will remain so.”2 They believed in it and hypnotised themselves that they were very low, and thus the Brahman in them shrank away.

This was also the condition of the Indians under foreign subjugation.

the science of time, logic, ethics, etymology, the science of pronunciation, ceremonials, prosody, etc., the science of elemental spirits, the science of weapons, astronomy, the science of serpents and the fine arts. And yet I am afflicted with sorrow! I have heard from men like you that he who knows the Self overcomes sorrow.”

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Vivekananda’s modified interpretation of the rest of the first line of the verse.

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the God of Death which reveals the futility of enjoyments.

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As the last of the three boons granted to him by Yama, the God of Death, Nachiketa prayed for knowing whether anything imperishable and distinct from the perishable body exists after death or not. Yama first pointed out that this was a very subtle matter not easily comprehensible even to gods, and so Nachiketa should not bother to know about it.

But Nachiketa was not to be put off so easily. On the very grounds that gods too had doubts in this matter, and that the matter was subtle, Nachiketa argued that Yama being a competent instructor should instruct him regarding this.

Yama then tempted Nachiketa with various offers: 1) Sons and grandsons who will be centenarians, animals, elephants, horses, gold, jewels, etc., and a vast expanse of the earth to rule for as many years as Nachiketa liked, 2) Physical fitness to enjoy all delectable and cherished things, and 3) Women with chariots and musical instruments. However, Nachiketa brushed aside all these offers with a few pointed observations: 1) All these are ephemeral. 2) They waste away the vigour of the senses. 3) All life without exception is short.

4) Man is not to be satisfied with wealth, and music; disport and the joy thereof are worthless in comparison to higher goals sought by discriminating people.

Effectiveness of Self-Knowledge

It is only by putting into practice the knowledge of the Imperishable that the masses and women can uplift themselves. Swami Vivekananda wanted to achieve this and see an References: 1) Kathopanishad. I.iii.14

awakened India more glorious than ever before seated on her royal throne as the Queen of all nations.

He therefore forcefully tells us: “Ay, let every man and woman and child, without respect of caste or birth, weakness or strength, hear and learn that behind the strong and the weak, behind the high and the low, behind every one, there is that Infinite Soul, assuring the infinite possibility and the infinite capacity of all to become great and good. Let us proclaim to every soul: — Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached. Arise, awake! Awake from this hypnotism of weakness. None is really weak; the soul is infinite, omnipotent, and omniscient. Stand up, assert yourself, proclaim the God within you, do not deny Him! Too much of inactivity, too much of weakness, too much of hypnotism has been and is upon our race. O ye modern Hindus, de-hypnotise yourselves. The way to do that is found in your own sacred books. Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity.”4 Indeed, instead of striving to achieve this great deed, why should an intelligent man or woman waste his/her precious life in running only after secular knowledge which cannot remove sorrow, or run after wealth and possession which cannot give immortality, or run after worldly enjoyments which while dragging the mind away from the Self, are ephemeral and result in the loss of vigour of the senses?

2) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. 4:483

3) Ibid.

4) Ibid. 3:193

Pocket Tales

Naren Worships Mother Ganga GITANJALI MURARI

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

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N

aren peeped into his father’s office and finding him alone, went inside. Putting his pen down, Vishwanath Datta remarked, “I can tell by just looking at your face that you’ve thought of a new scheme!”

“Yes, baba,” Naren beamed, “my friends and I want to worship mother Ganga on Poush Sankaranti…the festival is in a few days— ” “Worship Ganga,” scoffed a tall gentleman, walking into the room.

“Ah, Binod,” greeted Vishwanath, “Naren is about to reveal his grand plan.”

Binod Ganguly looked down into a pair of shining eyes, “Worship of Ganga is not child’s play…leave us now…I’ve something important to discuss with your father.”

B a f f l e d by t h e guest’s rudeness, Naren started to walk out but stopped. “Excuse me sir,” he said, lifting his chin, “I have something to say to you.”

Binod cocked an eyebrow at Vishwanath Datta, “Your son is quite impertinent.”

“Is he?” Vishwanath smiled, “in that case, it’s my fault…I’ve encouraged him to think for himself.” “ S i r,” Naren continued, “my parents have never spoken to me the way you just did, not even when I was very small.” “What do you mean?” Binod asked, startled.

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

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Naren crossed his arms, “It seems to me that you think only older people are worthy of your respect…perhaps you believe wisdom comes with years…but that’s not true…good sense has nothing to do with age…besides, everyone deserves respect.”

The simple logic of the argument stumped Binod. “You’re right,” he admitted after a moment, “I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that…forgive me…please continue your discussion with your father.”

Half an hour later Naren left the study clutching a purse full of money and hurried to meet his friend. “Hari,” he beamed, waving the purse, “baba has given his permission for the worship…let’s get everyone together…there’s lots to do!”

The Datta home began to buzz with hectic activity. Vishwanath instructed the children’s tutor to teach the boys devotional songs and the house began to resound with their daily rehearsals. Everyday Naren rushed to the market, purchasing either coloured powders for rangoli patterns or ingredients for the preparation of a variety of delicious sweets.

Poush Sankaranti dawned on a cold, bright day. Dressed in new clothes, Naren and his friends set out from their homes, singing bhajans in praise of Goddess Ganga. Catching sight of the small procession, Binod Ganguly stopped to watch and touched by their sweet, earnest voices, he blessed the boys, “May your worship be fruitful.”

On reaching the banks of the river, Naren and his friends offered their gratitude to the goddess, for it was on this day she had agreed to descend from heaven. Bowing their heads, they tossed garlands in the water. Yellow, orange and white, the flowers dotted the blue waves like coloured gems. “We’ll return in the evening for the final prayers,” Naren said, and as soon as the sun moved west, the boys wended their way back to the river.

A huge crowd had already gathered, chanting from the holy scriptures. To the sound of conches and bells, the boys set afloat oil lamps fashioned out of banana leaves. Soon, the river’s surface was covered with tiny, flickering flames. Naren looked up at the darkened sky.

Thousands of stars twinkled above while below the river flowed in an unending stream of sparkling lights, and in the far horizon, he couldn’t tell the difference between heaven and earth. His heart overflowing with joy, Naren bowed his head, thanking the goddess once again.

The river murmured a reply. Naren smiled.

The Gita and the sacred waters of the Ganga constitute the Hinduism of the Hindus. Last time I went to the West, I also took a little of it with me,…and whenever opportunities occurred I used to drink a few drops of it.

And every time I drank, in the midst of the stream of humanity, amid that bustle of civilisation, that hurry of frenzied footsteps of millions of men and women in the West, the mind at once became calm and still, as it were.

— Swami Vivekananda

PULLOUT FOR REFERENCE

Series 5: Understanding India

- through Swami Vivekananda's eyes

PA G E D O N O R : S R I R AV I C H A M U T U R I , H Y D E R A B A D

My Plan of Campaign - 2

In the previous issue, Swami Vivekananda explores his relationship with various reform groups and shows how many of them seek to hinder rather than enable progress because they are caught up with their own self-interest rather than unselfishly seeking the larger interest of the nation. Swami Vivekananda also elucidates some principles of reform, which are: 1. Reform is a process of growth from about reform?" where we currently stand, rather than a 6. The best case is a healthy strong process of destruction or negation of the public opinion which will solve its own past. problems – but that needs a maturing 2. Reformers cannot dictate or advise of people and in the interim we must society. Rather, they can only feed the wait. The immediate question is: national life with the fuel it wants, and let "Where are those who want reform? it grow in its own way.

Make them first."

3. Reform is, at its core, a subjective 7. A small group cannot dictate solutions process, rather than an objective to all, and so one must begin by process. Trying to remedy evil is not the educating the nation, creating true way. Good and evil are two sides of legislative bodies & the power and the same coin, and every good brings sanction, from which laws will spring. with it some evil. Therefore, the work 8. Reform must not be ornamental, against evil is more educational than impacting only a small proportion of actual. people. Rather, reform will need to be 4. Reformers must seek to avoid all forms radical, requiring a transformation of of fanaticism, and constant condemning the fundamental basis of all things. of our nation, people, and society.

9. Reform therefore means a process of Rather, they must provide concrete lighting the fire at the fundamentals, solutions to the challenges people face. and letting it burn upwards to create 5. Reform in the past has come through an Indian the kings who governed their respective nation.

Designed & states – so the question Swami developed by Vivekananda asks is, "Who will bring ILLUMINE Knowledge Catalysts

> Turn overleaf to continue into the next part of this lecture

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March 2021

focus in this issue:

Previously, in this series, we have already explored Swami Vivekananda's lectures at Colombo, Jaffna, Pamban, Rameshwaram, Ramnad, Paramakudi, Shivaganga & Manamadura, Madura and Kumbakonam.

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ISSUE ISSUE 37 10

As we explore Swami Vivekananda's travels from Colombo to Almora, we see that one of the most enthusiastic crowds received him at Madras, where he stayed for nine days and gave four public lectures, namely, 'My Plan of Campaign,' 'The Sages of India,' 'Vedanta in Its Application to Indian Life,' and 'The Future of India.' We have been exploring 'My Plan of Campaign' since the previous issue.

Part 3: A Quick Survey of Reform in India

After appreciating the principles of reform, Swami Vivekananda then does a quick survey of the major reform movements in India.

3.1 BUDDHISTIC REFORM

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–– Swami Vivekananda begins by referring to the intellectual fashion of talking about Buddhism and the greatness of Buddhist agnosticism.

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–– He examines the reasons behind the growth of Buddhism. According to Vivekananda, Buddhism didn’t spread due to the wonderful ethics and personality of Gautam Buddha (whom he venerates and respects deeply), but due to the temples that were built, the idols that were erected and the gorgeous ceremonials that were put before the nation. The little home fireplaces through which Vedic religion was practised were not strong enough to stand against the glamour and pomp of the gorgeous temples and ceremonies.

I have every respect and veneration for Lord Buddha, but mark my words, the spread of Buddhism was less owing to the doctrines and the personality of the great preacher, than to the temples that were built, the idols that were erected, and the gorgeous ceremonials that were put before the nation. The little fire-places in the houses in which the people poured their libations were not strong enough to hold their own against these gorgeous temples and ceremonies; but later on the whole thing degenerated.

–– This growth which took place due to these reasons resulted in a later degeneration, with Buddhism becoming a mass of corruption.

3.2 TRADITIONAL HINDU REFORMERS Then arose the great reformer Shankaracharya and his followers, and during these hundreds of years, since his time to the present day, there has been the slow bringing back of the Indian masses to the pristine purity of the Vedantic religion. These reformers knew full well the evils which existed, yet they did not condemn. They did not say, "All that you have is wrong, and you must throw it away."

–– Swami Vivekananda then examines the reforms carried out by the great Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and others who followed them.

–– The essential principle of reform they followed was the slow upliftment of the Indian masses towards the pristine purity of the Vedantic religion.

–– Swami Vivekananda points out that sudden changes are not possible in a culture. This is illustrated using the example of Christianity.

According to experts like Dr. Barrows, Christianity had overthrown Roman and Greek religious influences in just 300 years. But Swami Vivekananda points out that it is not so, and in fact the influence of Roman and Greek religion

–– continues, but with different names – Goddesses became Mary, Gods became saints, ceremonies got modified and sometimes even older titles (e.g. Pontifex Maximus) were retained as is.

Did India ever stand in want of reformers? Who was Ramanuja?

Who was Shankara? Who was Nanak? Who was Chaitanya? Who was Kabir? Who was Dadu? Who were all these great preachers, one following the other, a galaxy of stars of the first magnitude? Did not Ramanuja feel for the lower classes?

Did he not try all his life to admit even the Pariah to his community? Did he not try to admit even Mohammedans to his own fold? Did not Nanak confer with Hindus and Mohammedans, and try to bring about a new state of things? They all tried, and their work is still going on.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (c. 1486) Around 1485 in Bengal, people were more interested in the pursuit of worldly affairs and there was a general decline in spiritual pursuits. It became Chaitanya’s mission to induce people to turn their mind to God. The novel way of uttering names of Hari caught the fancy of people, who shook off their indifference to spiritual matters and began to flock under his banner in thousands.

–– Swami Vivekananda also refers to several other reformers in India besides Shankara and Ramanuja – such as Nanak, Chaitanya, Kabir and Dadu. All of them not only felt for the people, but also tried to bring about a new state of things.

–– But unlike modern reformers they had no curses on their lips, neither did they condemn. They said, “O Hindus, you have done well, let’s do better”.

They did not say, “you have been wicked, now let us be good”.

Kabir (c. 1398)

Guru Nanak (1469)

He strove to breakdown exclusiveness and all forms of sectarianism. He preached to all members of all castes without any distinction. He tried to express simple thoughts in the common language of the people and urged people to look beyond the differences in different faiths.

He tried to harmonize Hinduism and Islam by his life and teachings. According to the Sikh gurus, the aim of life is not to get salvation or a heavenly abode called paradise, but to develop the best in us, which is God.

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3.3 COMPARING AND CONTRASTING INDIAN REFORMERS WITH MODERN REFORMERS

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...sudden changes cannot be and Shankaracharya knew it.

So did Ramanuja. The only way left to them was slowly to bring up to the highest ideal the existing religion. If they had sought to apply the other –– This principle of change was well method, they would have been understood by Shankaracharya and hypocrites, for the very fundamental Ramanujacharya, who, did not condemn, doctrine of their religion is evolution, even though they knew fully well the evils the soul going towards the highest which existed – rather, they attempted to goal, through all these various stages slowly bring the existing religion to the and phases, which are, therefore highest ideals. necessary and helpful.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S MESSAGE TO MODERN REFORMERS

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Swami Vivekananda tells social reformers of the day (late 19th century) that while he respects and loves them for their great heart, and their love for the country, the poor and the oppressed, their method is incorrect. They are seeking to dictate laws to a race of millions of people with thousands of years of tradition in their bag.

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Swami Vivekananda takes up the example of idolatry to demonstrate how the inability to see things from the other's perspective is the bane of humanity − leading to hatred, jealously, quarrel and fight.

It has become a trite saying that idolatry is wrong, and every man swallows it at the present time without questioning. ...Take a thousand idols more if you can produce Ramakrishna Paramahamsas through idol worship, and may God speed you! Produce such noble natures by any means you can. Yet idolatry is condemned! Why? Nobody knows.

Because some hundreds of years ago some man of Jewish blood happened to condemn it? That is, he happened to condemn everybody else's idols except his own. If God is represented in any beautiful form or any symbolic form, said the Jew, it is awfully bad; it is sin. But if He is represented in the form of a chest, with two angels sitting on each side, and a cloud hanging over it, it is the holy of holies. If God comes in the form of a dove, it is holy. But if He comes in the form of a cow, it is heathen superstition; condemn it! That is how the world goes. That is why the poet says, "What fools we mortals be!"

Vain is it to attempt the lines of action that foreign societies have engrafted upon us; it is impossible.

Glory unto God, that it is impossible, that we cannot be twisted and tortured into the shape of other nations. I do not condemn the institutions of other races; they are good for them, but not for us. What is meat for them may be poison for us.

This is the first lesson to learn. With other sciences, other institutions, and other traditions behind them, they have got their present system.

We, with our traditions, with thousands of years of Karma behind us, naturally can only follow our own bent, run in our own grooves; and that we shall have to do.

–– The difference in approach makes a whole world of difference. Therefore, it is vain to graft lines of action used elsewhere in the world into the Indian context − as many foreign societies attempt to do.

–– This does not mean that the institutions of other races are not good. It simply means that what is good for other nations may not be good for us.

–– Other cultures have got their present systems based on their sciences, their institutions and their traditions behind them.

–– Similarly, India, with its traditions, its thousands of years of karma behind it must follow its own bent, run in its own groove, and reform on its own lines of growth" TO BE CONTINUED...

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 LAKSHMI DEVNATH

Roles Reversed

oorva’s palm felt damp from the dew on the grass. Hardly a minute ago, she had been high up in space with the birds, and now … Peering at her hand with some amusement, she thought, “This trip is offering a mixed bag of surprises. I’m by now so familiar with such happenings that nothing can astonish me any more. Not just that, I can probably smell one coming even at a distance.” Poorva could not have been more wrong.

Another funny sensation – this time a snail was nonchalantly making its way across her toes. “Hey, Mr. House-on-your-back, am I in your territory or are you in mine? I suppose it must be both,” laughed Poorva, realising that she was in a garden.

Right before her eyes, the flying carpet vanished. “That was a mighty smooth landing.

Pilots can take a tip or two from you,” she said, looking at the spot where the carpet had been. That was when something hard fell on her head.

“Ouch!”

“Nut,” said the Swami.

It was only then that Poorva became aware of the Swami’s presence. She glared at him.

The Swami pointed to the nut that had rolled on to the grass after hitting her head.

She looked up and noticed a squirrel, perched on a branch, looking sorrowfully at the fortune that had slipped out of its grasp.

Poorva laughed heartily. “Swami Thaatha, where are we now? You know, we are jetting from one place to another like some of those rich and famous people that I read about in 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

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P

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

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The Story of Periaazhvaar

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magazines. I believe they have breakfast in Rome, lunch in Paris, and so on. They’re so lucky, aren’t they?”

“Look to your left,” said the Swami.

She turned and saw a house at the far end of the garden. As if on cue, the doors opened and a Brahmin came out. He held a small basket in his hand. He picked some flowers and thulasi leaves and began to walk back home.

Not having anything else to do, Poorva ambled behind him and the Swami followed her unobtrusively.

Through the open doorway, she saw the man weave the flowers and thulasi leaves into garlands. Putting them back into the basket, he left the house.

“What shall we do now?” asked Poorva, stretching out her legs on the grass.

“Well, we can go for a small walk!”

Poorva was out of the garden in a jiffy. “Tour conductor, tell me about this new place,” she commanded good-naturedly. She knew he would not take it amiss. He was a wonderful Thaatha, a superb magician, and a great friend.

“We are at Srivilliputhur, about forty kilometres from Madurai. The name of the Brahmin in whose garden we have landed is Vishnuchitha. Chitham is a Sanskrit word for ‘mind’, and true to his name, this person’s mind is devoted only to Vishnu. Vishnuchitha loves making garlands for the Lord and this is what he spends most of his time doing. In fact, at this moment, he is at the Vatapathrashaayi temple.” After this brief introduction, the Swami fell silent.

Night set in and Poorva longed for some sleep. As luck would have it, she came across a house with a thinnai on either side of its main door. “Can I rest here for some time?” she asked. The Swami nodded and Poorva gratefully settled down on one of them.

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The darkness gained intensity. Against this pitch-black backdrop, the moon shone like a spotlight cast by the heavens. Fatigue overpowered Poorva. She was almost asleep, when she heard voices.

Poorva shifted restlessly for a few seconds, and a fresh wave of sleep swept over her.

Simultaneously, the voices grew louder and hauled her successfully out of her slumber. She pried her eyes open. The voices were actually coming from somewhere near her. A little disturbed, she got up and discovered that two men were conversing in whispers on the other thinnai of the same house.

Were they thieves? She moved closer to them, her pulse quickening at the thought that she might have run into something mysterious.

She heard one of the men ask, “O sir, where do you come from?”

The other replied, “I’m on a pilgrimage. I’ve visited several holy places in the north and bathed in various sacred rivers. I’m now proceeding further south.”

Poorva suppressed a yawn and said, “Ayyo. Why would anyone have this conversation in the middle of the night?”

“Please listen to what they are saying,” the Swami’s tone was firm.

“And what have you learnt during this pilgrimage? Can you tell me?” It was the same man who had begun the dialogue.

In reply, the other recited a Sanskrit sloka. The conversation went on for a few more minutes, at the end of which the two men went their separate ways.

“Couldn’t understand a word,” Poorva said, still a little grumpy.

The Swami translated the sloka: “‘For eight months during the year, work for the rainy days; during the day, work for the night; during youth, work for old age; and work during this life, for thereafter.’”

“Mmmm …” mumbled Poorva, shaking her head as if mulling over the verse. “What does ‘work during this life, for thereafter’ mean?” She was a little lively now.

The Swami replied, “If it is of any comfort, the king is not sure either, of what the other man meant.”

“A king? Here in the dead of the night?”

“The person who asked the questions was Srimaara Sri Vallabha, the Pandya king, dressed like a wayfarer. Poorva, do you remember that when we were last in Madurai, we spotted the soldiers of King Nedunjadaiyan? This Srimaara is his successor. Kings often wander about in disguise to get to know what’s really going on in their kingdom. Tonight he happened to meet this man and struck up a conversation with him. The man was not aware that he was talking to the king. Watch the fun tomorrow.”

“So tomorrow should be pretty exciting, huh? I’d better catch up on my sleep then,” declared Poorva, stretching herself out once again on the stone thinnai.

(To be continued. . .)

When God Calls

Prankrishna Mukhopadhyay DR. RUCHIRA MITRA

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

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यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः

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F

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

requent visits to Sri Ramakrishna made an affluent devotee dispassionate towards worldly life.

One day he told Sri Ramakrishna, “Sir, I am thinking now of giving up my work. One who is involved in activity cannot accomplish anything.

(Pointing to his companion) I am training him to do my work. After I resign, he will relieve me.

Work has become intolerable.”

Sri Ramakrishna appreciated his attitude but had his reservations. He said, “Yes, work is very troublesome. It is now good for you to meditate on God for a few days in solitude. No doubt you say that you would like to give up your work. Captain said the same thing. Worldly people talk that way; but they don’t succeed in carrying out their intention.”1 This gentleman was Prankrishna Mukhopadhyay. He belonged to an aristocratic family — the Mukhopadhyayas of Janai in Hoogly district — and lived at Shyampukur, an area in the northern part of Calcutta [now Kolkata]. He held a high post in an English business firm. Since he had no offspring by his first wife, with her permission he married a second time. By his second wife he had a son.2 Because he was rather stout, Sri Ramakrishna addressed him endearingly as ‘the fat brahmin’.3 Prankrishna was very devoted to Sri Ramakrishna and frequently visited the temple

garden at Dakshineswar. Every day, early in the morning, he bathed in the Ganga. And then, whenever it was convenient, he would come to Dakshineswar in a hired country boat. He also would invite other people to accompany him to meet Sri Ramakrishna.

Though a householder, Prankrishna derived great pleasure from the study of Vedanta philosophy and would say, “Brahman alone is real and the world illusory. I am He: So’ham.” The Master used to discourage him in this practice as Vedanta is not a suitable path for a householder. He would instruct him, “In the Kaliyuga the life of a man depends on food.

The path of devotion prescribed by Narada is best for this age.”4 In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna we find Prankrishna asking Sri Ramakrishna a number of questions as if on behalf of all sadhakas: “Sir, what is the Anahata sound?”; “Sir, what is the nature of the life after death?” “What are the characteristics of Knowledge?” etc.

Knowing his eligibility, and recognising his urge for spiritual life, Sri Ramakrishna would specifically teach Prankrishna the right approach to spiritual life. He told him: “Yes, spiritual discipline is necessary;”5 “Without giving up worldliness a man cannot awaken his spiritual consciousness, nor can he realise God. He cannot but be a hypocrite as long as he has

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 would tell him again and again that sticking to Truth is the right path to reach God: “If a man leads a householder’s life, he must have unflagging devotion to truth. God can be realised through truth alone.”12 Once, Prankrishna invited Sri Ramakrishna to his house in Calcutta and held a religious festival. A number of neighbours and

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Prankrishna Mukhopadhyay

other friends had been invited to meet Sri Ramakrishna. They were all eager to hear his words. The Gospel records this incident at length and the chapter is filled with spiritual teachings for householders, giving us ample hope that it is possible to realise God even if one leads a householder’s life.13

In Sri Ramakrishna’s divine play, Prankrishna served as the representative of the educated upper-class devotees who, though living a comfortable worldly life, understand that there is a higher purpose to our existence.

All his interactions with Sri Ramakrishna are a great help to the common spiritual aspirants of all ages.

References 1) Gospel April 5, 1884 2) Gospel April 5, 1884 3) Gospel January 1, 1883 4) Gospel January 1, 1883 5) Gospel April 5, 1884 6) Gospel January 1, 1883 7) Gospel January 1, 1883 8) Gospel April 5, 1884 9) Gospel April 5, 1884 10) Gospel January 1, 1883 11) Gospel January 1, 1883 12) Gospel April 5, 1884 13) Gospel April 9, 1882

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even a trace of worldly desire;”6 “God cannot be realised without guilelessness;” “Cherish love within your heart; abandon cunning and deceit: Through service, worship, selflessness, does Rama’s blessed vision come;”7 “After attaining vijnana one can live in the world as well. Then one clearly realises that God Himself has become the universe and all living beings, that He is not outside the world;” “The fact is that one must have the ‘spiritual eye’. You will develop that eye as soon as your mind becomes pure;” “On one side is the wife and on the other the son. Love is bestowed on both, but in different ways. Therefore, it comes to this, that everything depends upon the mind. The pure mind acquires a new attitude. Through that mind one sees God in this world. Therefore, one needs spiritual discipline;”8 “But it also must be said that there is a great advantage in leading the life of a householder;”9 “The nearer you come to God, the more you feel peace. Peace, peace, peace— supreme peace!;” 10 “The universe and its created beings, and the twentyfour cosmic principles, all exist because God exists. Nothing remains if God is eliminated.

The number increases if you put many zeros after the figure one; but the zeros don’t have any value if the one is not there.”11

Questions & Answers

Pariprasna

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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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QUESTION: Who is the individual self? Who is the Universal Self? How can they be identical and how can a statement like ‘Thou art That’ prove their identity?

MAHARAJ: The individual self is the centre of consciousness with reference to an individual person. To put it according to the Vedanta psychology, a person is an assemblage of several layers of bodies centring on a point of consciousness. There is first the gross physical sheath. Behind it, and permeating it, are the vitalistic sheath, intellectual sheath and causal sheath. The true Self is distinct from even this last. It is the centre of Self-consciousness which flows through and enlivens all the sheaths and integrates them into a whole, which we call the personality. In the state of liberation the Self is released from the hold of all these sheaths and becomes one with Brahman, while at the time of death it is temporarily released from the gross physical sheath alone, to be embodied in another afterwards. In release or Mukti the centre of consciousness gets united with the universal Self according to pure monists, or retains its individuality clothed in a divine body and participates in divine life, according to others.

The Universal Self is the Self of the whole universe. Just as our individual being is a physical body superficially, but basically a non-physical self-conscious entity, so also the gross totality we experience as the universe of matter and individual selves, is at the core of its being Sat-chit-ananda or absolute existence, awareness and bliss. Now this Satchidananda, the core of the reality, is the Universal Self.

According to the Vedanta the individual self and Universal Self are not two entirely different entities. According to some of the realistic schools of Vedanta, the individual self is a part of the Universal Self and, in that sense, one with it. When the limiting adjuncts of the sheaths are removed, the part becomes one with the whole. But according to the pure or idealistic Vedantins, there is no part and whole feature in the Universal Self. The one Self misconstrues itself to be the limited individual self. When this ignorance is removed by reflection on statements like ‘That Thou art’ what is called the individual self recognises itself to be the one Universal Self. It has indeed always been so, since the connection with the adjuncts is only apparent and not real. Liberation therefore means only this recognition of its inherent identity with the Universal Self, according to this school of thought. Identity is not something achieved, but has been always there; in bondage it is forgotten and in liberation it is recognised.

The sense of hearing is very strong in the deer. The hunter taking advantage of it, whistles imitating the sound of a female deer, attracts it to come close and shoots.

The elephant, attached very much to the sense of touch, is drawn into imprisonment by using a female elephant to attract it.

The moth has great attraction for bright colour and fire is used to attract and destroy it.

The honey bee addicted to tasting honey, settles in the lotus flower in bloom during the day, but engrossed in sucking the honey, fails to get out even when the flower closes at dusk and thus gets imprisoned and destroyed.

The fish attracted by the smell of the bait used by the angler, swallows the fatal hook.

Thus each of these creatures is seen to come to destruction by the irresistible hold that each sense exercises on it. It is therefore pointed out that very precarious indeed is the fate of man in whom all these five senses are very strong.

It is true that the hold of all these five senses on man is very strong, and the chances of his becoming their victim are very great. But unlike these lower creatures, he is given the higher mind which can exercise control over the attraction of the senses. He has got the help of the scriptures and spiritual traditions which warn him against dangers and provide him with the advantage of disciplines to regulate the senses and ultimately gain mastery over them. But the first step in gaining mastery over them is to be aware of their dangerous presence, and so the predicament of a man is pictured graphically with the help of the examples of the lower creatures. These examples are cited not to discourage man, but to impress on him the need for being wary.

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There is also another way of understanding the unity of the individual self with the Universal Self, which is more in line with the relation of part and whole with a pronounced stress on the permanence of individuality. Here the Universal Self or God is the whole Being who includes in Himself matter and Individual selves as organic parts or limbs of His Being. Every individual centre of consciousness is a cell, as it were, in His Being, and thus a part of Him, functioning entirely for Him and with His energy. Thus, as a part of Him in body and spirit, the individual is one with the universal whole, which is God, even while remaining an individual. Unlike in the part and the whole theory stated earlier, in which the part merges in the whole in liberation, here the part retains its individuality even in liberation. But by virtue of its organic relationship with the whole that is, by virtue of being its limb or cell, the distinction does not conflict with the unity of the whole. The doctrine of apparency of the distinction between the individual and the universal selves, is the view of the followers of Jnana discipline, while that of real distinction without a difference, whether as part and whole or as organ and organism, represents the outlook of the Bhakti school of thought.

In some Vedantic texts the examples of honey bee, deer, elephant, moth and fish are taken to explain the spiritual predicament of man. The text and its meaning may kindly be explained.

The reference is evidently to the following verse (76) of the Vivekachudamani, a famous Vedantic text: The deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the honey bee these five have died, being tied to one or the other of the five senses, viz sound, etc through their own attachment. What then is in store for man who is attached to all these five!

Each of the creatures mentioned in the verse is noted for the strong hold which one or the other of the senses has over it, and they all come to destruction through the pursuit of the attraction offered by the senses.

Article

Swami Shivananda: A Living Light SWAMI SHRADDHANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue...)

March 2021

In this article, Swami Shraddhanandaji reminiscences about his interaction with Swami Shivananda, one of the direct-disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and the 2nd President of the Ramakrishna Order. From 1957, Shraddhanandaji served in the American centres of San Francisco and Sacramento until his mahasamadhi in July 1996. This article was sent to The Vedanta Kesari by Lali Maly, a devotee of Vedanta Society of Sacramento, USA.

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t continued for about a fortnight.

Brother monastics urged me to go and apologise. But I said, “No. I don’t know what I have done. But I shall bear it, because I know he is my well-wisher.” Then one day suddenly he spoke, and he smiled saying, “My boy. You see, Self-knowledge, the knowledge of Atman, is, after all, the knowledge of God. God can give you Self-knowledge, but it cannot be wrested from Him. So humility must be practised. Every day you should go to the shrine and in all humility pray to Sri Ramakrishna to give you humility, and then you will be ready for Self-knowledge. It isn’t merely studying the Upanishads or just some vain arguments and vain reasoning. Self-knowledge will come when the heart is ready. For you it is necessary to go on that path of devotion. Don’t think Self-knowledge won’t come. It will come, but it will come through devotion.”

There were other swamis present, and they said, “Oh, Maharaj. You have been so hard on him.” “I am his guru,” replied Swami Shivananda. “I have to correct him. I knew the boy was going on the wrong path, and was going astray.”

Gradually his health, weakened by high blood pressure and asthma, deteriorated. He

used to live on the second floor of the monastery. The doctors forbade him to come

Swami Shivananda

down, even to climb two flights of stairs.

However, sometimes he would come outside and walk on the terrace slowly. Physically he was almost an invalid, but when we went to him, we found his mind was far above his body.

It was as though he was bodiless while in his body. If someone would ask, “How are you, Maharaj?” he would reply, “Are you asking about my body? Body is aching, body is old, but

That was his attitude. When you are standing before that person and he is saying these things, and you are looking at his face, you feel that you are studying a living Upanishad, and you also have a glimpse of what spiritual life means.

He had very little sleep. The night would be spent in ecstasy, as he chanted or someone

I remember he was very fond of a verse from The Hundred Verses of Renunciation [Vairagya Shatakam]: “Everything is accompanied with fear. If you have wealth, there is fear; if you have honour, there is fear —fear of its opposite. Only in one thing there is no fear, and that is in vairagyam.” He was very fond of quoting that verse, and he would strike his hands together saying, “Vairagyam alone is fearless.”

One hymn of which he was very fond was the Hymn to the Glories of Shiva [Shiva Mahimna Stotra]. Particularly on Mondays, he would ask some of the sadhus to chant it. He used to say, “We are children of Sri Ramakrishna.” Then, jokingly, he would continue, “Though we do not have all those samadhis that he used to have, we must have something.”

Everything he said vibrated with spiritual fervor, and his state of mind remained high in spite of his declining physical health. And he never forgot those under his care. One of his passions was his concern for the poor. In his room he kept stocks of blankets and clothing to distribute to them. Every day he sent a swami out, instructing him to inquire in the village if anyone was having any kind of suffering. If there was mental turmoil, he was ready with sympathy and love.

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I remember one day it was Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday, about three years before his mahasamadhi. His day began at 3 A.M. even at that age. He would get up, sit down, meditate, and chant and sing. On this day he was in an especially inspired mood. Then from 7 o’clock or so, people began to come from the city in great numbers. Naturally, they wanted to see him. The swamis, however, wanted to have some restrictions, to protect him in his weakened condition, knowing that without precautions being taken, he would go on all through the day.

Toward afternoon, one of the swamis said, “Maharaj, you should rest a little.” Swami Shivanandaji became very excited. “What do you say? Rest a little? People are coming, and they want to see me, a child of Sri Ramakrishna?”

“But, Maharaj, I am speaking so out of concern for your body.” He grew more excited. “Don’t you remember how he shed his blood day and night?

He did not care for his body, even when he was suffering from cancer. I being his child, can I be concerned just with this body and seek bodily comfort, and all that?”

read from a book to him. After his early morning meditation, he would have a light breakfast of milk and shredded wheat. At 4 o’clock he would say, “Oh, now they will come to open the shrine,” and he would wait for the songs to be sung in the shrine. He had introduced the custom that two of the sadhus, who could sing, would sing at the opening of the shrine. He would listen from his own room.

Of course, some other swamis were disturbed, because they wanted a quiet meditation. “What is this?” they complained. “A song this early in the morning?” But they could say nothing because Maharaj himself had introduced it.

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I am all right. I am all right. I am not the body. I am the Self.” It was a very natural mood with him. He would often quote the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita where the body is subject to six changes. “I am well. I am always well,” he would say. “Body is old and body is not going to live many days, but even after my death, I shall go on. I am not despairing. I am here. Sri Ramakrishna wants me here.” Whatever be the topic mentioned to him, his mind soared up to a spiritual subject.

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Once it happened that he had entrusted one of the swamis to go to every corner of the monastery and to report back on the condition of the people, the goats, the cows, and the garden. The swami reported back with great enthusiasm, but as he talked, he found that Swami Shivananda had a vacant look as though he was not listening. He stopped reporting.

Swami Shivananda turned and looked at him.

“Yes, you see, my boy, truly speaking, this world has no existence for me. All these happenings.

When my mind goes to that level of Selfknowledge, then the whole world vanishes for me. So please excuse me. Don’t mind because sometimes my mind soars, and this world has no existence for me.”

During his twelve years, twelve swamis were sent out all over the world. I remember the occasion when Swami Ashokananda was preparing to come to this country [America]. It was in 1931, and he had come from Calcutta to Belur Math to take his leave from Swami Shivanandaji. He was to take his noon meal at the monastery. In the afternoon, we were all assembled in Swami Shivanandaji’s room. His heart was full of emotion because Swami Ashokananda was leaving. He said, “My boy, go.

Jump over the ocean just as in the days of Rama.

Make one great leap over the ocean. Like Hanuman, leap from India to the United States.

The idea is that you are going to do the work of God. Just as it was Rama’s power that enabled Hanuman to make that tremendous jump, so remember that it is Sri Ramakrishna’s power behind you, and everything will be all right.” As he said this, his eyes were glowing, and he blessed Swami Ashokananda. “The only thing that concerns me,” he went on, “is your health.

But you see, my boy, I am also suffering. This body is so weak, and you see how much work Sri Ramakrishna is having done through this body, though it is weak and suffering. So the same thing will happen to you. Sri Ramakrishna

will work out whatever he has to do through you in spite of your bad health.” Again, he said, “You know, I am sure you will do splendid work there. I know what work you will do there. I know. And when Romain Rolland learns that you have gone to the West, he will be so happy.

He could not have written those two great books if you had not helped.”

About four months later, another inspiring occasion arose when Swami Nikhilananda was preparing to leave. Swami Shivananda said to him, “Don’t be afraid. Wherever you go, we will be accompanying you in spirit. Sri Ramakrishna, Swamiji, and all will accompany you. Don’t be nervous.” He drew Swami Nikhilananda close and patted him on the back. “Good. Don’t be afraid. Sri Ramakrishna will be with you.”

He gave inspiration whenever it was necessary. It used to come from the depths of his heart. He was ever concerned about the swamis who had gone out to the foreign countries, even to South America. He was ever eager for news of them. One day in the week was set aside for the foreign mail. Longingly he would ask, “Is there any foreign mail? Can’t you ask them to write? I want to hear from them.

They are so far away.” His great anxiety would melt into love when those letters did come. He would listen to the letters, and dictate replies, and the secretary would write the letters for him to sign.

It was remarkable to see his great attitude of reverence to his brother disciples. He would sometimes walk near Swamiji’s room on the verandah, uttering in ecstasy, “Oh, Swamiji.” At that time, I was the caretaker of Swamiji’s room, which was always kept as it had been.

Each day the room had to be swept and flowers placed in front of his picture. Suddenly, one morning, he entered. Someone had to hold him, because his legs were weak. Thus assisted, he entered the room, and went around from one picture to another. He stopped in front of the

Due to the condition of his health, he could not go to the shrine. There was, of course, a way from his room through the terrace to the shrine without having to go down the stairs, which was forbidden to him. In his room there was a large picture of Sri Ramakrishna. He would stare at that picture with a calm and loving eyes, as though the picture was living. He would say, “You see, this picture of Sri Ramakrishna is not the real Sri Ramakrishna.

The real Sri Ramakrishna has to be realised in the heart.” And as he looked at the picture, he would say, “You see those two dogs (pointing towards his two dogs, of whom he was very fond, and whom he kept by his side) are my dogs, but this (pointing to himself ) is Sri Ramakrishna’s dog.” As he uttered the name of Sri Ramakrishna, he would be overwhelmed with emotion.

He used to tell the swamis, “Don’t think that the shrine is just a show. In the shrine you will find a picture of Sri Ramakrishna. Don’t think it is just a picture. It is the living presence.

Sit down there. I tell you, know from me, that the living presence is in the shrine. Just as you need God, God also needs you. This is a twoway traffic. The devotee wants the Lord to come to him, and God also wants the devotee to come to Him. You see, Brahman is Absolute, and for him no hymn or song is necessary. But Brahman also becomes, for the sake of the devotees, Saguna Brahman and the Ishwara and in that stage he loves devotees. So when the shrine is installed, you know there is Saguna Brahman and for Saguna Brahman all these things are necessary. Try to think God is your very own and try to talk to Him. Don’t think this atmosphere must be all seriousness. This is where you should relax and think, ‘I have come

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His whole mind and heart were always charged with that emotion. A simple word of remembrance of Sri Ramakrishna or God, and he would at once light up.

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picture of Swamiji with his parted hair and Western dress. “Oh, our Swamiji was a king.” He began to clap his hands. “Victory to Swamiji.”

There was a group picture which included Swamiji, Swami Turiyanandaji, Swami Brahmanandaji, Swami Shivanandaji, Swami Abhedanandaji and another devotee. He stared at that picture. “Who is this thief?” he asked pointing to his own likeness. “He was a thief. He was a scoundrel. But in the holy company of Swamiji, he became a saint.” So full of humility was he, though he was the President of the Order. Thousands of spiritual aspirants would come to see him, but he would not permit anyone to talk about him. “No,” he would insist.

“Talk about Sri Ramakrishna. Talk of Swamiji.”

On Swami Vivekananda’s birthday he would be in an inspired mood. All would naturally expect to meet him and salute him, and he would not allow anyone to be refused.

The whole twelve hours, he would remain in a mood of ecstasy, and he would bless everyone.

It was the same on the Holy Mother’s birthday, and on Swami Brahmanandaji’s birthday.

Always he was full of love and reverence towards all his brother-disciples.

Earlier in his life, he had been very austere, and would rarely reveal his feelings; but in this period, he was full of love, and could not hide his emotions. He could not even utter the name of Sri Ramakrishna. On one occasion, some devotees who were good singers had offered some beautiful songs. Later, they came to his room. “Oh, you have given nice entertainment,” said Maharaj. “Please bless us that we may have the grace of Sri Ramakrishna,” was their reply. As soon as the name of Sri Ramakrishna was mentioned, he covered his face with his hands and dismissed them. Later, he said, “I have become old. I could not check my emotions. As soon as I hear the name of Sri Ramakrishna, the Dakshineswar days come back, and I become overwhelmed.”

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to my Beloved.’ If you sit down, if you sing a song, if you do japam, if you meditate, God will say, ‘This devotee really loves me.’”

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One day a devotee came to salute him as he sat on the terrace. It was his first visit.

“Maharaj, may I take the dust of your feet?” he asked. “Feet? I have no feet. Why do you touch me?” replied Maharaj. At once he quoted a verse from the Svetasvara Upanishad, “The Self has no feet; at the same time it walks everywhere. Self as consciousness is present everywhere; it gives movement to everything.

But in itself it has no organs.” Then, Swami Shivanandaji asked, “Have you heard this verse?” “No,” came the reply. “Have you read the Upanishad?” “No.” Then, turning to a swami nearby, he said, “You please explain to him these ideas.” This was done, and the devotee was very happy that Swami Shivananda, although he was ailing, took the time to give him this instruction.

Once during this period, Swami Shivanandaji had an experience. The swamis and devotees began to notice that as soon as anyone came to his room and before anyone

had the opportunity to salute him or talk to him, Swami Shivanandaji would first salute with folded hands, saying, “Salutations to the Lord, salutations to the Self, salutations to you.”

Everyone was embarrassed. “What is this?”

This continued for about a fortnight. Swami Shivanandaji said, “Formerly when anyone came to us, we at once would think of the Divine in him or her, saying, ‘The Lord is present in this devotee.’ This we used to do in the mind. Nobody would know what we were thinking. But now a stage has come where I even want to do this externally.” This state did not last long. He would say, “I am now seeing divinity everywhere. Foolish persons, wicked persons — I see it is God manifested in them all.” The knower of the Self sees the same truth in the scholar, in the elephant, in a dog, in the most condemned person in society. When you see a person who is manifesting this truth in his life, pouring an overflowing love and compassion and equal-sightedness on everyone, then you learn something you could never learn from the study of the scriptures.

(Concluded.)

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

1. Place of Publication : Chennai - 600 004 2. Periodicity of Publication : Monthly 3. Printer’s Name : B. Rajkumar Nationality : Indian Address : M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014 4. Publisher’s Name : Swami Vimurtananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 5. Editor’s Name : Swami Mahamedhananda Nationality : Indian Address : Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 6. Names & Addresses of the individuals who own the newspaper and partners or share-holders : Sri Ramakrishna Math, 31, Ramakrishna Math Road, holding more than 1% of the capital Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 I, Swami Vimurtananda, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date: 1.3.2021 (Swami Vimurtananda) Signature of the Publisher

Reminiscences

Lessons from Swamis

Vision of Lord Viswanatha

I was then serving at the Varanasi Sevashrama. Swami Turiyanandaji too was living at the Sevashrama. Every day we used to assemble before him and there would be reading from the scriptures, followed by his talks and guidance.

One evening, a brother sannyasi and I were at the Dasashwamedha Ghat on the Ganga. The sun was about to set. We were not particularly talking about anything, when I suddenly saw Lord Shiva rising from the Ganga. His complexion was white, but not milk white. It was snow white. I stood there speechless. My gurubhai was in a similar state. After a while the vision disappeared.

We compared notes and found that both of us had seen the same vision.

We literally ran back to the Sevashrama, and burst into Turiyananda Maharaj’s room. He calmly received us and asked what made us call on him at that hour. When we described what we had seen, he quietly confirmed it saying, “Yes, many of us have seen Lord Vishwanatha.” He then warned us against gloating about it with others. — as recorded by Sri Raghu Raman, Australia

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Swami Diptananda

wami Diptananda (Prabodh Maharaj), an initiated disciple of Swami Shivananda, joined the Order in 1922 at Belur Math and served in the shrine-store of Sri Ramakrishna’s Temple until he fell sick in 1977. He attained mahasamadhi in 1989 aged 92.

Shraddha in Guru-vakya and Ishta-seva

Swami Shivanandaji had told Diptanandaji: “Serve in Sri Ramakrishna’s Temple with unswerving devotion, and you will attain everything.” Diptanandaji wholeheartedly obeyed his guru’s command. In a most meticulous and devoted manner, he would procure and arrange the articles for worship in the temple of Sri Ramakrishna, which is the main temple at Belur Math. His day would begin 3 AM. While preparing sandal paste, he would take utmost care and make sure that there were no coarse particles left in it. We learnt from him how to make sandal paste, pluck

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Swami Vijayananda

n 1919, Pasupati joined Belur Math and received mantradiksha from Swami Brahmananda. Later in 1923 Swami Shivanandaji gave him sannyasa-diksha and the name.

In October 1932 he was sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he started the Ramakrishna Ashrama in March 1933. The swami did pioneering work in spreading the message of Sri Ramakrishna in Latin America till his passing away in 1973. He also authored several books in Spanish language.

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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.

flowers, bilva leaves, tulasi leaves, durva grass, and prepare garlands. He taught us how to pluck flowers without hurting the plant. He performed this service with one-pointed devotion for 55 years.

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— Swami Lokanathananda, Belur Math

Swami Chitswarupananda

March 2021

wami Chitswarupananda (Bikash Maharaj), an initiated disciple of Swami Saradananda, joined the Order at Patna Ashrama in 1922. After receiving sannyasadiksha from his guru in 1926, he served as the Bhandari or kitchen in-charge at Belur Math for about four decades. He attained mahasamadhi in 1979 aged 79.

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Shraddha in Guru-vakya and Ishta-seva

Swami Chitswarupananda too had received a simple command from Swami Shivanandaji: “Every day wholeheartedly look after the preparation of food that will be offered in Sri Ramakrishna’s temple, and you will achieve everything in your monastic life.” Chitswarupanandaji did this with utmost sincerity. He paid great attention to make sure that the rice for the noon offering was cooked perfectly— neither too boiled nor hard. Keeping in mind Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi’s words that a deep-fried and hardened luchi had once bruised the fingers of Sri Ramakrishna, he made sure that the luchis offered in the temple for dinner were optimally fried and remained soft. It was also his responsibility to ensure that the timing of food offering and collection never deviated. He served thus for over 40 years. — Swami Lokanathananda, Belur Math

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in 1989.

Swami Atmananda

nitiated by Swami Virajanandaji, he joined the Order in 1951 at Nagpur Ashrama. He established the ashrama in Raipur and spread the Ramakrishna Movement in Central India. He also did extensive tribal development work. He passed away in a road accident

Is it only a marble image?

I was then a volunteer in the Raipur Ashrama. Swami Atmanandaji was the head of the centre.

One morning when I expressed my desire to join the Ramakrishna Order, he blessed me and said: “This life of sannyasa is not an easy thing. You certainly have God’s grace because you are able to hear His call. Whether you join or not, always hold on to the ideal. We must lead a God-centred, God-soaked life — this is verily the Ramakrishna ideal.” Even as we were conversing, a brahmachari who served as the pujari in the ashrama, entered the room and without any hesitation interrupted us and started speaking. He seemed to be very irritated and insistently asked for an additional fan in the shrine. When Atmanandaji in a calm and composed voice asked for the reason, he replied that there were too many mosquitoes in the shrine, which bit and disturbed him during the puja.

At this Atmanandaji patiently said, “My boy, you are continuously telling that the mosquitos bite you. But it seems as if you have no thought about Sri Ramakrishna. Do you think it is only a marble image? Don’t you have the feeling that it is a living entity. Though you are doing puja for some years now, it looks like you are doing neither Karmayoga nor Bhaktiyoga! What a shame! My boy, every work in the Ashrama is Sri Ramakrishna’s puja, his seva. But you are not maintaining that spiritual and mental attitude. You are no doubt following the rituals perfectly. But as you do not have the right bhava, it has become mere work.” As I heard this, a new horizon opened in front of me!

— Swami Suvijneyananda, Ramakrishna Math, Raipur

Book Reviews

Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. paperback, 2020, 160 For review in The Vedanta pages; Price Rs 50/-.

Kesari, publishers need to send he name Margaret us two copies of their latest publication.

Elizabeth Noble (1867-1911) may not ring a bell with everyone, but the name Sister Nivedita certainly does. This book brought out to commemorate her 150th birth anniversary is Be One with God: A Guiding a beautifully written historical biography of her Light to Mankind multi-faceted life. Coming from England as Miss

by Naveena C K. Noble, she made India ‘her own’, harbouring no Self Published, Naveena CK, sense of the ‘other’, and in the process became Basavanagudi, Bengaluru Sister Nivedita. She came with absolute faith in - 560 004, Karnataka. Ph: 080her guru Swami Vivekananda, and he dedicated 41425962. Email: naveena. her to the service of India. ck@karthavya.co.in, 2020, Debaprasad Bhattacharya writes feelingly hardbound, pp.x + 358, about her love for India, which transcended all Rs.350/social, cultural, and political boundaries at a

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very significant stage of Indian history. Sister Nivedita’s contributions to Indian education, which she strongly recommended must remain Indian, are well known. This book brings out other aspects of her great contribution to India. Several stalwarts of her time, such as Jagdish Chandra Bose, Gopalkrishna Gokhale, Rabindranath Tagore, Jadunath Sarkar and Kakuzo Okakura a Japanese scholar acknowledge her brilliance, perceptiveness and selfless devotion. She was a thunderbolt, a fierce practitioner of Truth, a lover of humanity, one of the first women’s activists of this country, and a reformer with the highest refinement.

The book brings out the essential Nivedita and readers will want to know more about this Anglo-Irish lady who came to this faraway shore and made such far-reaching foundational contributions to our society. The book is strongly recommended for anyone who wants to know Sister Nivedita. __________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

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he book is the author’s compilation of inspiring sayings of Swami Vivekananda. He has put together 1863 quotes of Swamiji classifying them into 12 chapters. These quotations in these chapters motivate us in the struggle of life, provide an insight into our true nature, help us to make sense of the diversity and how to live in harmony, provide a manual for day to day life, help us to understand religion and God, present the ideal of service, and finally present the four yogas: Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga.

The sayings are carefully culled mainly from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, and the reference to every quote is give at the end in the Reference Section. As the author says “All that is required for life is here” in these teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

The book is a good addition to those which give a quick introduction to Swami Vivekananda’s ideas on various aspects of life and spirituality. _______________________________________________ VK OFFICE

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PA G E D O N O R : D R . S U B R A M A N I YA B H A R AT H I YA R R . , K A N C H E E P U R A M

by Debaprasad Bhattacharya

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Sister Nivedita - A Beacon of Inspiration

Vedanta Prakarana Grantha-I

by R.B. Athreya.

2015. paperback, pp.68, Rs.75/Vedanta Prakarana Grantha-II

by R.B. Athreya.

2015. paperback, pp.104, Rs.75/-

March 2021

Both published by Tattvaloka, 76, Eldams Road, Chennai - 600 018. Email: info@ tattvaloka.com

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hese two books by Sri R. B. Athreya are compilations of lectures by Swami Paramarthanandaji, a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurkulam. The contents of these books were published as a series of articles in Tattvaloka, the magazine of Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri. Due to popular demand, these have been published in book form.

Swami Paramarthanandaji who has studied scriptures in the traditional way and is regarded as an authority in interpreting scriptures, has been giving several lectures every week in Chennai for the past few decades. He is known for modern interpretation of the scriptures, without compromising on the tradition.

The book Vedanta Prakrana Grantha - 1 gives a simple summary of the texts Atmabodha, Drg-drsya-viveka, Aparokshanubhuti, Naishkarmya Siddhi and Sruti Sara Samuddaranam. The book acts as an introduction for studying these texts.

Atmabodha composed by Adi Sankara in 68 verses, covers all the important concepts of Vedanta. It gives many examples and illustrations

to help the reader understand the concepts easily.

Drg-drsya-viveka is a text with 46 verses focusing exclusively on the nature of the individual (jiva) and various meditations to aid focus on and assimilate Self Knowledge. Aparokshanubhuti, authored by Adi Sankara, is a comprehensive text of 144 verses covering all the aspects of Vedanta.

Naishkarmya Siddhi is an important Vedantic text authored by Suresvaracharya, a disciple of Adi Sankara. Sruti Sara Samuddaranam is a Vedantic text authored by Totakacharya, another disciple of Adi Sankara.

Vedanta Prakrana Grantha - 2 gives a detailed verse by verse exposition of the texts Advaita Makaranda and Upadesa Saram, and a summary of the books Vedanta Sara and Rama Gita.

Advaita Makaranda is a Vedantic text authored by Sri Lakshmidhara Kavi. Each verse gives a logical reason why “I” cannot be anything other than “Brahman”. It has 28 verses. Upadesa Saram was written originally in Tamil by Sri Ramana Maharishi. At the request of devotees, he himself got it translated into Telugu, Malayalam and Sanskrit. The translation into Sanskrit is by Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni. The first 13 verses give the practices (sadhanas) that prepare a person for Jnana Yoga. The remaining 17 verses are on Jnana Yoga. Vedanta Sara is authored

by Swami Sadananda Yogindra Saraswati.

It is a comprehensive prose work, which systematically covers all the important topics of Vedanta, providing references to passages in the Upanishads. There are several popular commentaries on this work by great acharyas like Sri Rama Tirtha, the guru of Sri Madhusudhana Saraswati. Rama Gita is a part of Adhyatma Ramayana. It is presented as a narration by Lord Shiva. It is in the form of a dialogue between Sri Rama and Lakshmana. It covers the essence of the Vedantic teaching in 62 verses.

Both the books are highly recommended for both casual readers and serious students of Vedanta. _____________________________ GOKULMUTHU N, BENGALURU

The birthday (janma-tithi) of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was celebrated at Belur Math on Tuesday, 5 January. Swami Bodhasarananda chaired the religious meeting held in the afternoon. As Belur Math was closed to devotees on account of the Covid pandemic, devotees watched the programmes online.

The newly set-up Vivekananda Education Centre at Vadodara Ashrama was inaugurated on 5 January, the sacred birthday of the Holy Mother. Swami Suviranandaji, the General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Order addressed the audience through a recorded video message. In this new wing of the Ashrama, computer training, free coaching, youth counselling and some other activities will be conducted.

On the occasion of the Gangasagar Mela, Manasadwip ashrama provided board and lodging to pilgrims at its unit on the Mela grounds from 12 to 15 January. Further, Seva Pratishthan hospital extended roundthe-clock medical service and treated about 2000 visiting devotees.

The 50-year old prayer hall of the Batticaloa sub-centre of Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo, Sri Lanka has been renovated with a new imposing architectural frontage and an increased seating capacity of 500 persons.It was consecrated on 01 February 2021 by Swami Aksharatmananda, the Swami-in-Charge of the Ashrama.

National Youth Day Celebrations

Batticaloa, sub-centre of Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo

National Youth Day (12 January, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda) was celebrated with Youth Conventions, and cultural competitions. Many centres live-streamed their programmes on the Internet.

Sri Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), visited Belur Math on 12 January.

March 2021

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

45 The Vedanta Kesari

PA G E D O N O R : D R . S U B R A M A N I YA B H A R AT H I YA R R . , K A N C H E E P U R A M

The Order on the March

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Values Education and Youth Programmes Delhi centre conducted 4 webinars and 2 online workshops on values education in which 407 teachers, principals and students from different parts of India participated.

Rajkot centre conducted in the last few months a number of cultural online competitions in which 3138 students from all over India and a few countries abroad took part.

Relief Work Covid Relief: Darjeeling centre in India and Durban and Phoenix centres in South Africa continued to provide Covid Relief and distributed groceries, grains and clothes to over 550 families.

Winter Relief: 38 ashrama centres in India and 6 centres in Bangladesh provided 19,648 blankets, 388 shawls, and 3,062 sweaters to needy people.

Distress Relief: 15 centres in India and 3 centres in Bangladesh and one centre in Zambia distributed 1,767 saris, 531 dhotis, 4,439 trousers, 10,049 shirts, etc., to needy people.

Economic Rehabilitation: Under self-employment programme, Khetri centre distributed 60 sewing machines to the outstanding students of the centre’s tailoring classes.

Raiganj

Rishikesh

Lusaka

PA G E D O N O R : D R . S U B R A M A N I YA B H A R AT H I YA R R . , K A N C H E E P U R A M

March 2021

Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya held an online meeting in which a recorded video message for the programme sent by Sri Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, was played. The centre also conducted an online quiz competition in which 3124 students participated.

Hyderabad centre conducted five webinars on different topics in which Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Sri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Padma Sri awardee and CEO, Zoho Corp., Sri Sridhar Vembu, Padma Bhushan awardee and National Badminton Coach Sri Pullela Gopichand, distinguished scientists from IISc and other institutions, and young achievers participated.

Narainpur centre held a Youth Convention in which Sri Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, two state ministers, and a number of other dignitaries participated.

Rajkot centre conducted a webinar in which a message received from the Prime Minister of India Sri Narendra Modi was read out, and recorded messages from the Union Minister Sri Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Swami Suviranandaji were played. Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, and a number of other eminent personalities participated online in this webinar.

Floral tributes were offered at Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, by the Governor of West Bengal Sri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Sri Prahlad Singh Patel, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Sri Keshav Prasad Maurya, and a number of other notable people.

The Vedanta Kesari

March 2021

Organic Farming

Medical service

/ramakrishnamath

Organic Farming

Moral education by Sadhus

Goshala

Our rural students

For more details visit : chennaimath.org

Sri Ramakrishna Math,

31, Ramakrishna Math road, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004. Ph : 2462 1110. email : mail@chennaimath.orgg

v For Godanam please contact the Math Office.

Section 80G.

v Donations are exempted from Income Tax under

your full postal address & PAN number.

Saradamma Grama Mangalam, & give

please mention that the donation is for

‘Sri Ramakrishna Math’. In the Covering Letter

v Donation by Cheque / DD: Favouring

v Online donation: https:// donations.chennaimath.org

Saradamma Grama Mangalam our RURAL WELFARE UNIT in Meyyur

Support

47

The Vedanta Kesari

48

March 2021

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

An estimated cost of Rs. 2 crores is required to set up and develop this additional unit of our 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 Foreign contributions may kindly be sent through the headquarters at Belur Math (Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, Howrah-711202; email- accounts@rkmm.org) requesting it to credit the fund in Uttarkashi Math A/c.

Kindly send us email (to uttarkashi@rkmm.org ) or SMS (to 9447051231) after the transaction intimating the purpose of your donation as “Donation for purchase of land and development of the Math.” Please also send your PAN and full postal address.

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

Yours in the Lord, Swami Amaleshananda Adhyaksha

49 The Vedanta Kesari

In view of expanding Swami Vivekananda’s ideal of service and spirituality among the masses we plan to purchase some land measuring at least one acre 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.

March 2021

Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math declared open a Math centre at Uttarkashi, an ancient holy town in the Garhwal Himalayas on 20 Oct 2017. There was already an ashrama, named “Ramakrishna Kutir”, on a small piece of land since 1963. It was maintained directly by the Belur Math, and 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.

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March 2021

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March 2021

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Vol.108. No.3 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) March 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

Attachment is the source of all our pleasures now. We are attached to our friends, to our relatives; we are attached to our intellectual and spiritual works; we are attached to external objects, so that we get pleasure from them.

What, again, brings misery but this very attachment? We have to detach ourselves to earn joy.

— Swami Vivekananda

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