The Vedanta Kesari November 2021

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Vedanta Kesari November 2021

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The Vedanta Kesari

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Focus The Struggle for the Ideal page 11

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A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

N ovember 2021

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The Vedanta Kesari

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order

CONTENTS

108

th

Year

of

Publication

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Vol. 108, No. 11 ISSN 0042-2983

NOVEMBER 2021

The Struggle for the Ideal Swami Swahananda

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Believe Not Swami Satyapriyananda Upendranath Mukhopadhyay Dr. Ruchira Mitra lls

Ekagrahi Gadai Gitanjali Murari Po

ck

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e

Wh

les

en

Go

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North Kolkata: The Leela Kshetra Swami Chidekananda

Ta

Ca

8 Sri Vishnushatpadi 9 Yugavani 10 Editorial 15 Reminiscences of Sargachhi 25 Vivekananda Way 34 Lessons from Swamis 42 Book Reviews 45 The Order on the March

t

d

FEATURES

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Poorva: Magic, Mircles and 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

November 2021

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The Vedanta Kesari

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Vedanta

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

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

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

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

Kesari

One hundred and eight years and going strong….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 2021

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

Appeal

November 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

November 2021

श्रीविष्णुषट्पदी ।। Sri Vishnushatpadi ।।

The Vedanta Kesari

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उद्धृतनग नगभिदनुज दनुजकुलामित्र मित्रशशिदृष्टे । दृष्टे भवति प्रभवति न भवति किं भवतिरस्कारः ॥ ४॥

O Lord! You held aloft the mountain, you are the younger brother of the mountain-breaker (Indra), you are the enemy of the Asura clan, and you have the sun and the moon as eyes! When you are seen, how can it be that I will not lose interest in this birth and attachment to samsara?

मत्स्यादिभिरवतारैरवतारवताऽवता सदा वसुधाम् । परमेश्वर परिपाल्यो भवता भवतापभीतोऽहम् ॥ ५॥

O Supreme Lord! I who am frightened by the sufferings caused by samsara, deserve to be saved by you who took Matsya and other incarnations to always protect the world.

दामोदर गुणमन्दिर सुन्दरवदनारविन्द गोविन्द । भवजलधिमथनमन्दर परमं दरमपनय त्वं मे ॥ ६॥

O Lord with the binding rope around your waist (Damodara), O abode of all auspicious qualities (Gunamandira), O charming Lord with lotus-like face (Sundaravadanaravinda), O one who cares about all the beings (Govinda), O Lord who are the very Mandara mountain that can help in churning the ocean of samsara, please remove my great fears.

नारायण करुणामय शरणं करवाणि तावकौ चरणौ । इति षट्पदी मदीये वदनसरोजे सदा वसतु ॥ ७॥

The supreme being who is having water as his abode (Narayana), the compassionate one (Karunamaya), I seek the refuge of your lotus-like feet.

May this Shatpadi, the six versed stotram, which is like the six legged honey bee, forever revolve in my lotus-like face (may I always chant it).

॥ इति श्रीमद् शङ्कराचार्यविरचितं विष्णुषट्पदीस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥ Composed by Sri Shankaracharya

Yugavani

Sri Ramakrishna: Repeat His name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts, and so on.

Devotee: How can I take delight in God’s name?

Japa means silently repeating God’s name in solitude. When you chant His name with single-minded devotion you can see God’s form and realize Him. Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank. You proceed link by link, holding to the chain, and you dive into the water and follow the chain. Finally, you are able to reach the timber. In the same way, by repeating God’s name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him.

Japa

The worldly minded practise devotions, japa, and austerity only by fits and starts. But those who know nothing else but God repeat His name with every breath. Some always repeat mentally, ‘Om Rama’. Even the followers of the path of knowledge repeat, ‘Soham’, ‘I am He’. There are others whose tongues are always moving, repeating the name of God. One should remember and think of God constantly.

Sri Ramakrishna (to M. and the others): “Well, these people practise so much japa and go to so many sacred places, but why are they like this? Why do they make no progress? In their case it seems as if the year consists of eighteen months. …. It is because they have no longing for God. God reveals Himself to the devotee if only he calls upon Him with a longing heart.

Suppose a man becomes pure by chanting the holy name of God, but immediately afterwards commits many sins. He has no strength of mind. He doesn’t take a vow not to repeat his sins. A bath in the Ganga undoubtedly absolves one of all sins; but what does that avail? They say that the sins perch on the trees along the bank of the Ganga. No sooner does the man come back from the holy waters than the old sins jump on his shoulders from the trees.

Therefore, I say, chant the name of God, and with it pray to Him that you may have love for Him. Pray to God that your attachment to such transitory things as wealth, name, and creature comforts may become less and less every day.

— The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

November 2021

Sri Ramakrishna: Pray to God with a yearning heart that you may take delight in His name. He will certainly fulfil your heart’s desire.

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

Devotee: How can I develop love for God?

November 2021

Editorial

The Vedanta Kesari

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T

Attention

he value of our life is generally evaluated by our wealth, achievements, health, people in our lives, etc. But Swami Vivekananda tells us that the only value of life is in the striving to achieve a high ideal. What this ideal can be, depends upon our capacity. It can be the highest ideal of Self-realisation / God-realisation, or any of the other innumerable intermediary ideals.

Whichever be the ideal, one factor that determines success is the power of our attention.

Once, Sukadeva approached King Janaka seeking spiritual knowledge. Before accepting him, Janaka asked him to undergo a test. He placed on Sukadeva’s palm a lighted oil lamp filled to the brim. Then he asked him to walk through every room in the palace, observe all the details and report them to him on return.

And in doing all this, he was to take care not to spill a single drop of oil and also keep the lamp burning!

The significance of the test is that while going through the different experiences and challenges of samsara, and striving to perfectly discharge his duties, a sadhaka should keep his attention focused on the lamp of God burning in his heart.

Attention is a faculty of mind which like a searchlight reveals whatever it is focused upon.

Our mind takes the shape of the object that is in the field of our attention and thus experiences it. Attention is called concentration when it is focused continuously on an idea or a thing for a stretch of time. Ordinarily, our attention is repeatedly captured by our vishaya samskaras and the body, and tossed around. The challenge

is to disengage attention from such distractions and focus it on the task at hand.

By doing whatever we do with full attention, we gradually gain the strength to accomplish our worldly tasks with just a small part our attention, and keep the rest focused on God. Swami Brahmananda’s advice to sadhakas was: “Keep at least three-fourths of your mind in God. It is enough if you give one-fourth to service.” Discharging our duties thus, our mind becomes pure and then the world instead of being an obstacle, becomes the ‘house of God’ and every least thing in it reminds us of God. Once, when Guru Nanak worked as the government storekeeper, he was measuring out grain: ‘one, two, three….’ But when he came to ‘thirteen’ he could not count further and just went on repeating ‘thirteen’ or ‘tera, tera, tera’.

‘Tera’ also means ‘Thine’. So the word ‘tera’ filled his mind with the thought ‘Not I and mine, O Lord, but Thee and Thine’, and he became absorbed in that idea. Guru Nanak, whose jayanti is celebrated this month, repeatedly reminded his followers about the importance of surti, or attention / conscious awareness.

We know that Swami Vivekananda exhorted us to “pay as much attention to the means as to the end.” It will do us good if we begin by paying attention to the importance of ‘attention’ itself. Let us, just as a mother checks on her child, once in a while check where our attention is flowing.

This Deepavali may the Lord help us to turn our attention within, and may we with the oil of love keep His light shining bright in our heart.

Focus

The Struggle for the Ideal SWAMI SWAHANANDA

Again, a vast number of people in the world recognise the existence of higher ideals and their beauty, but they think these are reserved for a chosen few. Weak people as they are, how can they think of practising these high ideals? So drifting, falling in inertia, is the only way out. The amount of awareness and the preparedness to look for defects in their life and thinking, that is necessary for following an ideal, is too much for them.

Then there are people who have opted for a life of idealism. But how difficult they find it

on the way! When they made the choice they thought all struggles would be over. But alas!

The ideal has a tendency of receding farther and farther. Finer and subtler ramifications of the same ideal present themselves, and at times they feel it is too much for them.

True, they are not as grossly non-idealistic as many are, but still with regard to the high ideal they feel their incompetence. Feeling one’s insignificance is not pleasant. Moreover, doubt arises, if the ideal becomes more and more subtle and difficult, is it possible to realise it at all? Is it worth partially doing so? If the goal is too distant, is it not proper and more sensible to accept only a suitable ideal, realisable in one’s duration of life and in the seeable future?

The belief nowadays in future births is not strong. The prospect of a continuous struggle for a succession of lives is too discouraging.

Hence, many people prefer to pitch their aspiration on a lower ideal, on par with their capacity.

The higher the prize, the harder is the exertion. The nobler the goal, the greater is the sacrifice. It is of course human to be overwhelmed by the immensity of the task ahead. But proportionate effort is the rule of all successful undertakings in the world. Great men will all testify to this. Edison failed 20,000 times, still he was indomitable. Was his effort a

The author, who was editor of The Vedanta Kesari from 1956 -1962, served as the head of the Hollywood centre of the Ramakrishna Order for over 36 years and attained mahasamadhi on 19 Oct 2012.

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M

an needs an ideal. It is necessary for making his life purposeful. It helps him to direct his energies to a desired goal. But how difficult it is to choose an ideal! The very first problem for him is whether to opt for a life of idealism. Will it be practicable? Is he fit for it? The vast majority of people throughout the world are running after the ordinary joys of life. They feel, having any ideal is detrimental to the proper enjoyment of the pleasures of life. Ideals create conflict because life consists, they say, of compromises.

So they think it is better to do away with all idealism and thus free the mind from all compunctions, and this alone can ensure undisturbed enjoyment of the things of the world. Hence often they are against all idealism and ridicule those who try to follow an ideal.

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

The article gives a simple and clear understanding of the need for idealism in life, the need to judge people by their own ideals, and the need for intermediate ideals as steps to higher ideals.

It appeared in the author’s work Vedanta, Holy Mother, Ideas, & Disciplines published by Ramakrishna Monastery, Vedanta Society of Southern California.

November 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

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total failure? No. ‘I have learnt 20,000 ways in which the thing cannot be done,’ he said. Such are the courage and patience, energy and perseverance that are wanted from a man with an ambitious ideal. This is true in the spiritual realm also. Unless we are prepared to forgo the little gratifications, we cannot aspire after the higher ideal. Of course, when a man is honest and feels that he is not equal to the task, a lower ideal is a necessity for him. Hypocrisy is more objectionable than proper appraisal of one’s capacity and weakness. But denouncing a higher ideal simply because one thinks it is impracticable is moral cowardice.

Failure in a life of idealism is inevitable.

But it does not mean that idealists should view failures with too much concern. The founders of great idealistic movements advise us not to be cowed down by failures, for effort is what is necessary; and according to spiritual teachers no effort is in vain; each contributes to the final emancipation.

About failures and efforts, Swami Vivekananda says: “Never mind failures; they are quite natural, they are the beauty of life, these failures. What would life be without them? It would not be worth having if it were not for struggles. Where would be the poetry of life? Never mind the struggles, the mistakes. I never heard a cow tell a lie, but it is only a cow—never a man. So never mind these failures, these little backslidings; hold the ideal a thousand times, and if you fail a thousand times, make the attempt once more.”1 He who struggles is better than he who never attempts; even to look on one who has given up has a purifying effect. Stand up for God; let the world go. Make no compromise.2 It is open to anyone to say that human nature has not been known to rise to such heights. But if we have made unexpected progress in physical sciences, why should we do less in the science of the soul?3

For a fighter, the fight itself is victory, for he takes delight in it alone.4 The goal recedes from us. The greater the progress, the greater the recognition of our unworthiness. Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.5 Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself. For victory is implied in such an attempt.6”

The problem of choosing an ideal becomes more difficult for young people. But adolescence is the time for opting for an ideal.

Often it is done unconsciously, probably on coming in contact with a man of idealism. But soon the youth wants to find support for it.

That support must be both intellectual and social. With the growth of his intellect, especially the educated youth, wants to test everything in the fire of reason. As he has less experience, imagination plays a great part.

Then he requires social acceptance of the chosen ideal. If the society is indifferent, he is very much disheartened. Often he gets depressed and becomes critical. Sometimes he becomes a revolutionary and wants to bring the entire society by force to his way of thinking.

But alas! Society is by nature given to inertia, sloth. Members are often self-seeking. It is a terrible struggle for all adolescents to adjust to such a society. It becomes more so for those who opt for an ideal. Psychologists may tell us that from imagination the adolescent comes down to the level of reality. But does that satisfy an idealistic mind? His anxious query, why things are what they are, rings through the atmosphere. Worldly-wise people may try to make him acquainted with the ‘real’ life. But is that beneficial? What about the progress of society? How did it march forward? Is it not because of the efforts of idealistic men and women? So is it not unnecessary then to make all people ‘realistic’? The world needs the

Though the flag must be held aloft, we sometimes wonder, is it not better for weak individuals to have an intermediate ideal which

For most of us the immediate moments of life are quite important. So we are advised that we should pay as much attention to the means as to the end. The advantage is that thereby we become thorough regarding immediate duty, it being limited, and moreover we do not meet with failure and disappointment. Little efforts for little successes prepare the mind for bigger exertions and nobler objectives. And ultimately perfection, the highest goal, also may be achieved.

The great thought-leaders of the world admitted the necessity of this. Swami Vivekananda says, “Every man should take up his own ideal and endeavour to accomplish it.

That is a surer way of progress than taking up other men’s ideals, which he can never hope to

November 2021

is easier, more tangible and more realisable? In real life we actually do that. But if we know the connection between the highest ideal and the intermediate one, and if the lower is so designed that it leads to the higher, much of despair, anxiety and sense of failure might vanish and at the same time progress towards the ultimate goal also will be achieved. It was for this that the ancient Rishis fixed the goal of life as liberation but at the same time accorded an honoured place to all the legitimate pursuits of life. This accommodation was done with an integrated philosophy. The idea of the fourfold goal of life with the ultimate ideal of liberation shows that this scheme took into consideration the various factors of human life and made suitable and necessary concessions to human temperaments and requirements. But in so doing, it never gave up the goal. A man following this scheme is apt to get at the ideal by stages. If they did not so accommodate, men, weak as they are, were apt to go out of the purview of the ideal, with painful struggle on the way and with disastrous results at the end for both themselves and the society at large.

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

idealists. They are the salt of the earth.

Moreover, without any ideal, life loses all its value, at least for the sensitive minds. Swamiji echoes the sentiment when he says, “It is a great thing to take up a grand ideal in life and then give one’s whole life to it. For what otherwise is the value of life, this vegetating, little, low life of man? Subordinating it to one high ideal is the only value that life has.7 But alas! How difficult, how agonizing is the path to idealism! Difficult is the realisation of the ideal, even after choosing it, for it is often seen that we compromise on the way. Not that we give up the ideal in totality. We still swear by it. But the tendency is to compromise. Practical difficulties are there, and must be reckoned with. But ultimately what do we see? In a short time, the standard goes so much down that the ideal is practically lost. But protagonists of a life of idealism have warned us. Do not compromise, do not lower the ideal. Even if it is impossible to realise it, it must remain in its pristine purity.

Probably better men will come forward in future who will put it into practice. As Swami Vivekananda said, “There are two tendencies in human nature, one to harmonise the ideal with the life, and the other to elevate the life to the ideal. You must struggle towards the ideal, and if a man comes who wants to bring that ideal down to your level, and teach a religion that does not carry that highest ideal, do not listen to him. 8 Mark you, let us all be honest. If we cannot follow the ideal, let us confess our weakness, but not degrade it; let not any try to pull it down.9 If a hundred fall in the fight, seize the flag and carry it on. God is true for all that, no matter who fails. Let him who falls hand on the flag to another to carry on; it can never fall.10

November 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

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accomplish. For instance, we take a child and at once set him the task of walking twenty miles.

Either the little one dies, or one in a thousand crawls the twenty miles to reach the end exhausted and half-dead. That is like what we generally try to do with the world. All the men and women in any society, are not of the same mind, capacity, or of the same power to do things; they must have different ideals, and we have no right to sneer at any ideal. Let everyone do the best he can for realising his own ideal.

Nor is it right that I should be judged by your standard or you by mine. The apple tree should not be judged by the standard of the oak, nor the oak by that of the apple. To judge the apple tree you must take the apple standard, and for the oak, its own standard. … Our duty is to encourage everyone in his struggle to live up to his own highest ideal, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the truth. 11 The ideal of man is to see God in everything. But if you cannot, see Him in one thing, in that thing which you like best, and then see Him in another. So on you can go.

There is infinite life before the soul. Take your time and you will achieve your end.”12 What exactly does this intermediate ideal or the middle way mean? It will be found that the passage to the goal constitutes that intermediate ideal. So when Moksha is the goal, Dharma, Artha and Kama are the intermediate goals. If equality is the goal, then whatever enhances equality is the intermediate one. If brotherhood is the goal, then whatever helps its growth is the middle one. If love, oneness, unity, are the goals, then whatever tends to increase these is the intermediate goal which is in a sense the means or step to the ultimate goal.

And this is the only way of realising an ideal, from a smaller to the bigger, from a lower to the

higher, from a grosser to the subtler. That is the method. The advantage of this is that our enthusiasm is not dampened before an ideal that is too high. If the highest peak to scale is not within our present capacities, the smaller ones can be conquered. These victories in their turn will supply the necessary strength and courage for higher and more difficult objectives.

This will show that as much attention will have to be paid to this realisable ideal as is demanded by the ultimate ideal. And this is a cardinal idea of Karma Yoga: give as much attention to the means as to the goal.

Moreover, while struggling for this intermediate ideal i.e., for the means, we may, without harm, even forget the ultimate ideal. It is not necessary to think of the goal at every step. Of course, it will be good to remember the goal now and then. That will make us aware whether we are on the right track. And as we cross each obstacle, our spirit will be stronger, determination firmer, confidence greater and we will be prepared for the next stage. It is for this that the well-known saying appeals to us so much: ‘One step enough for me’. In this way if we can lead the civilisation to higher and higher steps, it is quite probable that the highest ideal will one day become real. Even otherwise, as individuals we will be satisfied that we have done our part and met with some success, however meagre it may be. The full detachment, the entire unconcern, the complete abandon may be reserved for the few, but for the vast majority of us who are not so stout-hearted, nor very faint-hearted, this idea of an intermediate goal will be quite sufficient and beneficial. As it will be in tune with the highest, it will gradually lead us to the ultimate goal, the summum bonum of life, the acme of all human endeavour.

References: 1) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. 2: 152 2) Ibid. 7: 99 3) Ibid. 7: 114 4) Ibid. 7: 581 5) Ibid. 7: 63 6) Ibid. 7: 583 7) Ibid. 3: 168 8) Ibid. 2: 281, 296 9) Ibid. 4:141 10) Ibid. 7: 98 11) Ibid. 1: 39 12) Ibid. 2: 153

Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi SRIMAT SWAMI SUHITANANDA JI

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

66

came from aristocratic families; yet they would farm eggplants. We had to manage with rice, roasted eggplants and lentils. On the Ekadashis we used to take soaked moong beans for dinner.

Once a general meeting was held in Sylhet. A song had to be sung. Soumyananda said that he was not prepared. What to do? It was the closing song. I told him, “You accompany me on the harmonium, I will sing.”

With what feelings I sang the song! Aji kokilakujane (opening words of a song on Sri Ra m a k r i s h n a’ s a dve n t c o m p o s e d by Premeshanandaji) Radhu [Holy Mother’s niece Radha Rani] used to sing this song for Holy Mother. Sharat Maharaj too sang it one day. I am dead against harmonium. But to sing without the accompaniment of a harmonium you need to have a sweet voice. Mahapurush Maharaj sang this song one day – he had a very sweet voice. He danced as he sang the song. One day I asked Mahapurush Maharaj if a line describing Sri Ramakrishna’s effulgent smile was correct.

He replied, “Yes, yes it’s all right.” Once, Master Mahashay sang to us the song – O kathure tui

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

November 2021

Maharaj: God Himself has come! We felt like sharing this news with everyone. We started announcing that this is the advent of the Satyayuga; all will be equal, there will be no discrimination. Helay porhe dhulay shayan vishva-sabhay tar prayojan (a line from a Bengali song composed by Premeshanandaji; it means: “(Mother India is) neglected and lying in the dust, yet the world is in need of her.”

These songs of mine are from the time when we were under British rule; they don’t appeal so much now. With the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, we felt we are saved. As for myself, I was at my wits’ end thinking, “What should I do Where should I go?” Fortunately, I got shelter in Sri Ramakrishna. We made the people of Sylhet deeply engaged with his teachings. Girishbabu and Devenbabu started composing songs on Sri Ramakrishna. Then, for some time, there was a lull. Then the tidal wave emerged from Sylhet – the land was inundated by a flood of songs expressing love for Sri Ramakrishna. I would compose songs and, along with Soumyananda, organise meetings in the subdivision to attract boys to Sri Ramakrishna. Oh, how intoxicating were those days! We had a small room thatched with straw and there was no provision for food. The boys

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6.4.61 (continued…)

dur vane ja “O woodcutter, you proceed to the far-off forest”.

just leading an honest life and abstaining from evil conduct.

7.4.61

In the Gita (18:14) Bhagavan says, अधिष्ठानं (the receptacle) = body, कर्ता (the doer) = I, करणं (instruments) = organs of knowledge and organs of action, चेष्टा (effort) = vital force, दैवं (the 5 great elements) = earth, water, fire, air, and sky. This is a very round-about explanation.

We put it simply as ‘the five distinct sheaths.’

November 2021

The words Jeno vismṛta kato swapanete shruta “as if heard in dreams that have been forgotten” are not my original idea.

Bankimbabu (Bengali novelist and poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee) had written “Like a sweet dream dreamt long ago and forgotten”. I was startled when I read those words in my boyhood.

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Question: What’s the difference between Swami Vivekananda and his brother disciples?

Maharaj: Swamiji would stay in the bhava of Aham Brahmasmi “I am Brahman”. There was just a very little incompleteness in that state. If not for that how could he incarnate?

Swami Brahmananda and other Ishvarakotis would remain in savikalpa samadhi holding on to one of the bhavas. In a vision Sri Ramakrishna saw a luminous space — like a heap of red brick-dust— in which on one side was Narendra, and on the other Rakhal and others. Narendra was immersed in meditation; Kedar [a householder devotee] peeped in and ran away with a shudder. Sharat [Saradananda] Maharaj, Sashi [Ramakrishnananda] Maharaj and Master Mahashaya belonged to the ‘everfree’ category. Sri Ramakrishna saw Sharat and Sashi in the company of Jesus Christ. He told Master Mahasaya, “I identified you as soon as I heard you reciting the Bhagavatam.”

20.4.61

Maharaj: Sannyasa is quite an abstract idea; it isn’t easy to understand. If you stay in the company of your guru for a long time, and listen about it from him, you can understand it a little. A sannyasi should be uncompromising and eager for liberation. It is very different from

Nowadays most of the devotees do not pay attention to the Principle embodied as Sri Ramakrishna, and like fanatics just want to be his followers. First of all, you should be alert about the body and the vital force – the sheaths known as annamaya and pranamaya koshas.

You must have a clear idea about the mind and intellect.

Question: Why can’t we grasp it?

Maharaj: The motionless sea is Nirguna Brahman or Brahman without attributes; the sea rippling in waves is Saguna Brahman or Brahman with attributes. Each wave is a Jivatman (individual soul) who puts a veil on the face and experiences the world as a doer.

Don’t you see, at home before marriage a son remains identified with his father; but when he marries, he becomes a master. He feels he has an independent identity. After that, he becomes a father and promptly forgets his own father!

He has a family of his own. The question is, ‘How does he forget?’ It happens when he desires it. This desire arises out of necessity. A person who has not finished tasting the juice of this world, won’t feel any distaste for it. He won’t feel the necessity for any other superior juice. Desire is the only criterion; if you desire, you can go forward to a large extent in spite of a thousand obstacles. If you truly desire, you can even attain the knowledge of Brahman.



(to be continued. . .)

Article

North Kolkata: The Leela Kshetra SWAMI CHIDEKANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue...)

Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral Home Swami Vivekananda’s ancestral home where he was born is located at 105, Vivekananda Road, Maniktala, Azad Hind Bag, Kolkata 700006. Known in his pre-monastic life as Narendranath Datta, Swamiji was born here on 12 January 1863. He grew up here and, except for two years at Raipur, lived here until 1888. This house is now a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Order and is known as the Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananada’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre. The history of how this house became an ashram has been presented in a series of articles published from February to June 2021 in the Prabuddha Bharata, another English monthly magazine of the Ramakrishna Order.

A 6-minutes’ walk from here will take us to Swamiji’s maternal grandmother’s house.

Swami Vivekananda’s maternal grandmother’s house

Walking southward two blocks along Simla Street, we reach Vivekananda Road.

Turning right and walking westward for about a block until the crossing at Ramtanu Bose Lane, we again turn right and reach Swami Vivekananda’s grandmother’s house at # 7, Ramtanu Bose Lane, Kolkata, 700006.

Sri Ramakrishna visited this house a few times to meet Narendranath; he would impart spiritual instructions, encourage him to practise brahmacharya and remain steadfast in his intention of not marrying. Swamiji later narrated: “One day when the Master came to my study and instructed me to practice strict brahmacharya, my grandmother overheard everything and informed my parents.”1 About 5 minutes’ walk from Swamiji’s grandmother’s house is Swami Brahmanandaji’s residence.

Swami Brahmananda’s Kolkata Residence

Walking back on Ramtanu Bose Lane, crossing Vivekananda Road, and then making a right turn on Simla street, we reach after two blocks the Tarak Pramanick Road crossing; turning right here, we arrive within five

The author is a sannyasi of the Ramakrishna Order and is the Production Editor for Prabuddha Bharata, the English journal started by Swami Vivekananda. swamichidekananda@gmail.com

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In the last three issues the residences of Sri Ramakrishna’s householder disciples and later monastic disciples in Baghbazar, Shyambazar, Shyampukur, and Shobhabazar localities were identified. This concluding article introduces us to the residences of disciples in the Simla and Jhamapukur localities and also some places associated with Sri Ramakrishna.

November 2021

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

minutes at Swami Brahmananda’s Kolkata residence located at 36, Tarak Pramanick Road, Kolkata, 700006.

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This is the parental home of Swami Brahmananda’s step-mother, Hemangini Sen. When Rakhal turned twelve years old in 1875, it was decided that he would leave his native village Sikra Kulingram, and move to his stepmother’s ancestral house in Kolkata to continue

his education. During this time, Rakhal’s stepmother would also stay at her Kolkata home to take care of Rakhal. Rakhal stayed here on and off for nearly twelve years. In January 1887, after becoming a sannyasi, he began to stay at the Baranagar Math and never again stayed at his home.2 Descendants of the Sen family continue to reside in this dilapidated home even today.

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1) Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre 2) Swamiji’s Grandmother’s house 3) Swami Brahmananda’s Kolkata residence 4) Sadharan Brahmo Samaj 5) Laxminarayan’s house 6) Thanthania Siddheshwari Kali Bari 7) Swami Subodhananda’s ancestral house

8) M.’s Kathamrita Bhavan 9) Rajendra Lal Mitra’s house 10) Sanskrit Tolle College 11) Chal Ghor 12) Raja Digambar Mitra’s house 13) Navabidhan Brahmo Samaj 14) Keshav Chandra Sen’s ‘Kamalkutir’ 15) Birthplace of Swami Saradananda

Walking back on Tarak Pramanick Road, crossing Simla Street, we arrive at Bidhan Sarani crossing; turning right and walking past Arya Samaj to our left, we find after one block on our right, the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj located at 211, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata, 700006.

Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

Due to irreconcilable differences with Keshab Chandra Sen, some of his followers left him to start the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in May 1878. Once, when Narendranath did not visit Dakshineswar for many days, Sri Ramakrishna

The first floor room in Swamiji’s grandmother’s house where Swamiji would study or practise singing

became very anxious and sent for him. When Narendranath did not come, Sri Ramakrishna went looking for him at the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj. The evening services had already begun when Sri Ramakrishna entered the hall in a semi-conscious state and slowly approached the podium. The preacher stopped his sermon a n d t h e c o n g re ga t i o n s t a re d a t S r i Ramakrishna. Unmindful of all this Sri Ramakrishna continued to walk towards the podium. Some of the Brahmo leaders who thought that Sri Ramakrishna was responsible for the split in their Samaj, were offended by his presence and so they turned the lights on and off. This created even greater confusion

Swami Brahmanandaji’s Stepmother’s parental house

Sadharan Brahmo Samaj front view

November 2021

From here it is about a 7-minute walk to Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.

Swamiji’s grandhmother’s home

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Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House

November 2021

Sadharan Brahmo Samaj inside view

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Swami Subodhanandaji’s ancestral house

and many rushed to the ex it door.

Narendranath, who was sitting in the choir understood why Sri Ramakrishna had come and immediately came to his rescue. He escorted him through the crowd to the backdoor and took him back to Dakshineswar.

Unmindful of the disrespectful behaviour of the Brahmo leaders, Sri Ramakrishna was filled with joy because his Naren was with him!

Walking further south on Bidhan Sarani for a few metres and turning right and proceeding for two blocks we arrive, within 5 minutes, at 90 Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata, 700009. This is the residence of Laxminarayan, the Marwari devotee who had offered Sri Ramakrishna 10,000 rupees for his personal use; Sri Ramakrishna had refused to accept it.

Retracing our steps until Bidhan Sarani and turning left and proceeding eastward for a few metres, we arrive at Thanthania Sidheswari Kali Bari located at Bidhan Sarani, College Street Market, Machuabazar, Kolkata, 700007.

Thanthania Kali Bari

In the early 1700s, the Divine Mother appeared in a dream to a sadhu in the Himalayas and instructed him to come to Kolkata and build a temple for Her. Following Her orders, he came to Kolkata, made a Kali image, worshipped Her, and attained perfection. Thus came into being the Thanthania Kali Mandir where the Mother is

Tanthania Kali Mandir

worshipped as Siddheshwari. In time, Thanthania Kali was neglected. Sometime in 1805 Sri Shankar Ghosh, Swami Subodhananda’s grandfather had a dream in which Thanthania Kali asked him to look after Her. He built a temple for Her and provided all expenses for Her maintenance. Shankar Ghosh’s descendants continue to maintain the temple today.

When Sri Ramakrishna first came to Kolkata to stay with his elder brother Ramkumar, he lived in Jhamapukur on Bechua Street from 1852 to mid-1855. He would often visit Thanthania Kali Mandir and sing devotional songs with great feeling and often go into ecstasy. Even after he moved to Dakshineswar in the middle of 1855, he visited this temple now and then. When Keshab Chandra Sen was seriously ill, he offered rasagollas and green coconut water with sugar to Mother Siddheshwari praying that Keshab Sen be cured of his illness. He did the same when Rakhal was ill.3 Again, when he moved to Shyampukur in late 1885 for his cancer treatment, on the Kali Puja day he directed M., to offer and bring back prasad from this temple. M., devotedly walked barefoot from his home to this temple and then walked to Shyampukur with the prasad. Sri Ramakrishna removed his shoes, took the prasad in his hands, touched it to his head and partook of it.4

Walking back on Bidhan Sarani northward until Shankar Ghosh Lane crossing and proceeding on Shankar Ghosh Lane for a block and then turning right into a small alley we arrive within 3 minutes at the ancestral home of Swami Subodhananda located at 41, Sankar Ghosh Lane, Kolkata. 700006.

Swami Subodhananda’s Ancestral Home

When Sri Ramakrishna met Subodh for the first time, he said, “Do you not belong to the family of Shankar Ghosh? When I was staying at Jhamapukur, I often visited your home as well as your Kali Temple at Thanthania. That was before you were born. I knew you would come.”5 Subodhanandaji’s descendants still live in this house.

From here it is around 4 minutes’ walk to the ancestral house of Sri Mahendranath Gupta, or M., the author of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

Walking on Shankar Ghosh Lane, and turning right into Jadu Sen Lane we arrive at Guru Prasad Choudhury Lane and inside a narrow alley, we find Kathamrita Bhavan, the ancestral home of Sri Mahendranath Gupta (M.,) located at 14, Guru Prasad Chowdhury Lane, Jhamapukur, Kolkata, 700 006.

Kathamrita Bhavan

Sri Ramakrishna visited this house at least on one occasion. After the mahasamadhi

The room where M., wrote Kathamrita

of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi stayed here for a couple of months. It was in this house that M., wrote some portions of the Kathamrita later translated into English as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. M.’s bedroom has many rare pictures and artefacts which include Sri Ramakrishna’s shirt and shoes, bottles and utensils used by him, pictures given by him to M., and the inkpot used by M., to write the Kathamrita. The puja room on the second floor contains rare artefacts including Sri Ramakrishna’s japa mala which he had offered at Holy Mother’s feet during the Shodashi Puja in 1872, Sri Ramakrishna’s nails, Holy Mother’s nails and hair, footprints of Holy Mother, an earthen pot which was worshipped

by Holy Mother as Mother Durga, and original pictures of Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother worshipped by Holy Mother herself.

A 2-minute walk on Guru Prasad Chowdhury Lane will bring us to the residence of Rajendra Lal Mitra at 14, Bechu Chatterjee Street, Kolkata.

Rajendra Lal Mitra’s residence

Sri Ramakrishna visited Rajendra Lal Mitra’s house on 10 December 1881 to participate in a Brahmo Samaj celebration being held there. Keshab Chandra Sen was also present. Before coming here, Surendra Nath Mitra had taken Sri Ramakrishna to Bengal Photographers Studio at Radhabazar where the

November 2021

Shrine in Kathamrita Bhavan

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Murti in Shyamsundar Mandir

Location where Gadadhar and his elder brother lived in Jhamapukur

Inside view of Digambar Mitra’s Mansion

picture of him standing with his arm placed on a pillar was taken.

November 2021

Sanskrit Tolle School

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Walking 2 minutes eastward on Bechu Chatterjee Street we arrive at Shyamsundar Temple located at 61, Bechu Chatterjee Street.

This was the spot where Sri Ramakrishna’s elder brother Ramkumar was running a Sanskrit Tolle (school) around 1850. In early 1853 young Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (as Sri Ramakrishna was known then) came from Kamarpukur to be of help to his brother.

Though he did not participate in the school, he performed daily puja in nearby homes. Today the Shyamsundar Temple is located here which houses the same image of Shyamsundar that was worshipped by Sri Ramakrishna.

Chal Ghor

From here, walking eastward we come to the crossing of Bechu Chatterjee street and Balai Singhi Lane. Turning left as we proceed north for a block down a narrow lane and again turn into another small alley, we arrive within 1 minute at 12/2, Balai Singhi Lane.

This is where Gadadhar and his elder brother Saligrama worshipped by Gadadhar Ramkumar in Digambar Mitra’s mansion

Rajendralal Mitra’s house (now partitioned)

lived from 1853 to mid-1855 in a tin shed which in those times was referred to in Bengali as Chal Ghor.

Digambar Mitra’s residence

Returning to the Shyamsundar Temple, we see directly in front of it, Jhamapukur Lane.

Proceeding along this lane southward for about two blocks, within two minutes we find to our left the large palatial mansion of Digambar Mitra. Every morning Gadadhar would come here to worship the Mitra family’s deities including a Shila Shaligram.

Navabidhan Brahmo Samaj

Proceeding southward along Jhamapukur Lane we reach Keshab Chandra Sen Street.

Turning left into that street after about a block and before the Amherst Street crossing, on our left , we find Keshab Chandra Sen’s Bharatavarshiyo Brahmo Mandir, also known as Navabidhan Brahmo Samaj established in 1869.

Sri Ramakrishna visited this Samaj more than once.

Keshab’s residence is about 10 a minute walk from here. Walking eastward on Keshab Chandra Sen Street and going across Amherst Street we reach after about eight blocks, the Raja Bazar Junction on Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road. Turning right onto that road we find in around 200 metres to our right ‘Kamal Kutir’, Keshab Sen’s residence.

(Continued on page 37...)

Pocket Tales

Ekagrahi Gadai GITANJALI MURARI

G

November 2021

adai shook the parijat tree in the courtyard. White and orange blossoms fell to the ground. Gathering them in his dhoti, he ran to a cradle and scattered the flowers over his baby sister. Sarvamangala gurgled happily. “She likes them baba,” he told his father. “You’ve played enough son,” Kshudiram scooped up Gadai onto his lap, “let’s do a revision of yesterday’s lesson…tell me, what did you learn?”

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A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Sri Ramakrishna.

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

November 2021 The Vedanta Kesari

24

“I learnt about our ancestors, baba,” Gadai answered promptly, “generations of our family have been devoted to Sri Ramachandra, and that is how you came to love Him too, isn’t it?” “Yes, something like that,” Kshudiram smiled, “when I heard of Rama’s glory from my father, I felt attracted to Him, and then over the years that attraction grew into love… that is the power of Rama’s name.” “Tell me about Him, baba.” “Then listen well.”

Kshudiram proceeded to narrate stories from Sri Rama’s childhood. Gadai listened with rapt attention and when his father asked questions to check his understanding, Gadai answered correctly. “Well done,” Kshudiram exclaimed, astonished at his little boy’s ability to recall details. “Now let’s see if you can memorize this Sanskrit hymn in praise of Lord Vishnu...it’s quite difficult, so I will sing it slowly.” To Kshudiram’s amazement, Gadai repeated the hymn as if he had heard it a hundred times before. One song followed another and Gadai, his eyes twinkling, recited them after his father without missing a single word.

“You’re a remarkable child,” Kshudiram applauded and called his older sons.

“Ramkumar…Rameshwar…Gadai can recall every story, every hymn by hearing it just once…I’ve been noticing this talent but today he has outdone himself…he can remember even difficult Sanskrit words!”

Ramkumar, the eldest born, smiled, “Baba, we both know from his horoscope he has many wonderful qualities…one of them is ekagrahi, the power to reproduce anything flawlessly after seeing or hearing it just once…I’m confident he can recollect the song he heard at the yatra a fortnight ago.” “That’s too much to expect,” Kshudiram protested, “he’s only four years old.”

Smiling affectionately at Gadai, Ramkumar asked, “Well, what do you say?” In answer, Gadai hopped off his father’s lap and began to dance and sing. “God is neither less nor more…try subtracting or adding to fullness…you will get only fullness.” Tears sprang to Kshudiram’s eyes and when the song ended, he hugged Gadai, “Ah, my father’s heart forgets who you are, that all this comes naturally to you.” “That’s true baba,” Gadai beamed, “I naturally enjoy arithmetic in a song but not in sums.”

Kshudiram suppressed a smile while the brothers burst out laughing. “Sums you will have to do, like it or not,” they teased their kid brother. “Addition is alright but multiplication,” he shook his head, “I don’t understand it at all…it makes me dizzy.”

“All the more reason to practice some tables now,” Kshudiram declared, once again the concerned father. “But I want to learn only stories and poems today baba,” Gadai moved about restlessly. “No, we will do arithmetic,” Kshudiram insisted.

Suddenly Gadai brightened. A group of peasant boys had appeared leading a herd of cows. “Come with us to the meadow,” they hailed him and without a moment’s hesitation, he shot out of the courtyard like an arrow from a bow. Waving cheerfully at his amused family, he promised, “I’ll practice addition by counting the cows in the meadow, baba.”

“And the tables?” But Kshudiram didn’t receive a reply. Gadai, sitting astride a calf, was already out of earshot.

PULLOUT FOR REFERENCE

Sages of India - Continued.

ISSUE 45

focus in this issue:

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON RAMA & SITA

On Rama: Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, and above all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great sage Vâlmiki

On Sita: Sita is unique; that character was depicted once Sita-Ram Darbar - Tanjore Painting and for all. ..She is the very type of the true Indian woman, for all the Indian ideals of a perfected woman have grown out of that one life of Sita.

There she will always be,this glorious Sita, purer than purity itself, all patience, and all suffering. She who suffered that life of suffering without a murmur, she the ever-chaste and ever-pure wife, she the ideal of the people, the ideal of the gods, the great Sita, our national God she must always remain. ...Sita has gone into the very vitals of our race. She is there in the blood of every Hindu man and woman; we are all children of Sita. Any attempt to Designed & modernise our women, if it tries to take our women away from developed by that ideal of Sita, is immediately a failure, as we see every day.

ILLUMINE The women of India must grow and develop in the footprints of Knowledge Resources ® Sita, and that is the only way. www.illumine.in

November 2021

The lecture is being explored in 3 parts: Part 1: Swami Vivekananda speaks about the Personal-Impersonal Ideal, and the Rishis who see and discover the impersonal truths. [covered in the previous issue] Part 2: Swami Vivekananda talks about the world moving sages − the great incarnations, of which we will cover Rama & Sita, and Krishna. [current issue] Part 3: Swami Vivekananda also talks about Buddha, Shankara, Ramanuja, Chaitanya and Ramakrishna. [to be covered in the next issue]

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The Sages of India - Part 2

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON KRISHNA He who is worshipped in various forms, the favourite ideal of men as well as of women, the ideal of children, as well as of grownup men. I mean He whom the writer of the Bhagavata was not content to call an Incarnation but says, "The other Incarnations were but parts of the Lord. He, Krishna, was the Lord Himself."

November 2021

Krishna of Vrindavan ––

Swami Vivekananda talks about the marvellous phase of Krishna’s life with the Gopis.

––

According to him, it is very difficult to understand this phase unless one has become perfectly chaste and pure.

––

The entire episode is an allegory that can be perceived and understood only by one who is mad with the love of God.

––

The Gopis of Vrindavan represent the very ideal of love, a love that wants nothing, that does not care for heavens, does not care for anything in the world or the world to come.

––

According to Swami Vivekananda, the love of the Gopis represents the only solution to the conflict between the Personal and the Impersonal God.

––

What is the conflict? At a philosophical level we believe in an Impersonal God, immanent in the Universe, of which everything is a manifestation.

At the same time, our souls hanker for something concrete, something we can grasp, and at whose Feet we can pour our souls. The conception of the Personal God is therefore the highest conception of human nature.

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––

The conflict comes when we accept an allmerciful, all-powerful Personal God and then seeing that there is so much injustice in the world, that life on earth is a hell, we conclude that this same Perfect God is also partial!

––

Swami Vivekananda says that there is no solution to this conflict except in the path followed by the Gopis. The Gopis did not care to know that Krishna was Lord of Creation, Almighty, Omnipotent, etc. Instead, they only understood that he was infinite Love − and offered their all at his Feet.

Krishna Painting

by Jamini Roy

Krishna: a many-sided character “… we marvel at the many-sidedness of his character. He was the most wonderful Sannyasin, and the most wonderful householder in one; he had the most wonderful amount of Rajas, power, and was at the same time living in the midst of the most wonderful renunciation.”

Krishna: the embodiment of the Bhagavad Gita “Krishna, the preacher of the Gita, was all his life the embodiment of that Song Celestial; he was the great illustration of non-attachment.

He gives up his throne and never cares for it. He, the leader of India, at whose word kings come down from their thrones, never wants to be a king. He is the simple Krishna, ever the same Krishna who played with the Gopis.”

––

Swami Vivekananda points that it is very difficult to understand the love of the Gopis.

––

Most of us are impure and shrink from such ideas. As long as there is selfishness in the heart, so long, love of God is impossible; it is nothing but shop-keeping.

––

Most of us seek something in return. As long as such ideas are in the brain, one cannot understand the mad love of the Gopis.

––

Swami Vivekananda also responds to some Western and Indian commentators who believe that the Gopi phase of Vrindavan was an interpolation in the Mahabharata.

––

He says that, such commentators, being steeped in commercialism, are unable to comprehend the pure love, untainted by transaction.

––

In fact, Swami Vivekananda goes further and says that the ideal of love in the story of Vrindavan is on a much higher plane than the ideal of work in the Bhagwad Gita.

Sri Sri Radha-Kanta worshiped in the Radha Krishna Temple at Dakshineswar Kali Temple Complex

The love of the Gopis: The resolution of the Personal and the Impersonal God. ...this love of the Gopis has been found the only solution of the conflict between the Personal and the Impersonal God. We know how the Personal God is the highest point of human life; we know that it is philosophical to believe in an Impersonal God immanent in the universe, of whom everything is but a manifestation. At the same time our souls hanker after something concrete, something which we want to grasp, at whose feet we can pour out our soul, and so on.

The Personal God is therefore the highest conception of human nature The ideal of the Gopis: a great landmark in the history of religion!

A great landmark in the history of religion is here, the ideal of love for love's sake, work for work's sake, duty for duty's sake, and it for the first time fell from the lips of the greatest of Incarnations, Krishna, and for the first time in the history of humanity, upon the soil of India. The religions of fear and of temptations were gone for ever, and in spite of the fear of hell and temptation of enjoyment in heaven, came the grandest of ideals, love for love's sake, duty for duty's sake, work for work's sake.

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Thus the Gopis cherished the ideal of pure and selfless love for “their Krishna” – Krishna of Vrindavan. Their ideal was “Let one be born again and again, but Lord, grant me this, that I may have love for Thee, and that for love’s sake.”

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––

Krishna: The preacher of the Gita According to Swami Vivekananda: ––

To elaborate, the non-dualistic commentator, on encountering dualistic passages in the Upanishads, tries to twist and torture them into a non-dualistic meaning. Similarly, a dualistic commentator, on encountering non-dualistic passages, tries to impose a dualistic meaning.

Thus, each commentator sees the entire Upanishads through a single lens.

––

The Bhagavad Gita, on the other hand, does not try to torture or modify the meaning of any Upanishadic ideas. Rather, it is built on the vision of the human soul “rising up and up, step after step, from the gross to the fine, from the fine to the finer, until it reaches the Absolute, the Goal”. In this vision, both dualism and non-dualism have their place and thus the Bhagavad Gita affirms all ideas without text-torturing any.

––

The Bhagavad Gita affirms even the Karma Kanda, pointing out that it may not lead to salvation, but is also valid.

Krishna preaching the Gita to Arjuna Similarly, it affirms ceremonies and form on the condition that the heart of the worshipper must be pure and sincere.

––

Religious pathways of all kinds are the necessities and hankerings of different classes of human minds. The day their necessity ceases, they vanish with the necessity. And, until then they will remain, despite your criticism.

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––

28 The Vedanta Kesari

The Upanishads – the essence of the Shrutis – are hard to understand. The main reason is that there are so many commentators, each trying to interpret them in their own way.

Thus, Lord Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, not only affirms the pathways to God, but we also understand from Sri Krishna why these pathways should remain.

"There is no better commentary on the Vedas than the Gita" Swami Vivekananda

You find in the Gita there is no attempt at torturing any one of them [Upanishadic ideas]. They are all right, says the Lord; for slowly and gradually the human soul rises up and up, step after step, from the gross to the fine, from the fine to the finer, until it reaches the Absolute, the goal.

Religions and sects are not the work of hypocrites and wicked people who invented all these to get a little money, as some of our modern men want to think. ...They are the outcome of the necessity of the human soul. They are all here to satisfy the hankering and thirst of different classes of human minds, and you need not preach against them. The day when that necessity will cease, they will vanish along with the cessation of that necessity; and so long as that necessity remains, they must be there in spite of your preaching, in spite of your criticism. You may bring the sword or the gun into play, you may deluge the world with human blood, but so long as there is a necessity for idols, they must remain. These forms, and all the various steps in religion will remain, and we understand from the Lord Shri Krishna why they should.

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.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Ma

gic ,M ira cle s

and the

e Mystical Twelv LAKSHMI DEVNATH

The Divine Bride andal has proved,” began the Swami as they walked, “that if one sings the name of the Lord with devotion, one is sure to attain Him. She has offered garlands of both flowers and verses to the Lord. The songs of Aandal are filled with great philosophical truths –” “Will they also be commented upon, Swami Thaatha?” asked Poorva, parroting what the Swami had said of Nammaazhvaar’s songs.

Suppressing a smile, the Swami said, “Of course. In fact, among all the songs of the Aazhvaars, these will be the ones most commented upon. Besides, her songs will be very, very popular amongst saints, musicians, traditional storytellers, and ordinary devotees.

Sri Ramanuja, whom I have talked about earlier, will be honoured with the title ‘Thiruppaavai Jeeyar’ because he will recite the Thiruppaavai every day. Vishnu devotees will include Aandal’s songs as part of their daily prayers. All through the year, but especially in the month of Margazhi, the entire Tamil region will reverberate with the voice of Aandal.

Incidentally, many of the Aazhvaars have signed their compositions. Aandal calls herself Kodhai, the daughter of Pattarpiraan, and Nammaazhvaar describes himself as Kurugoor Shattakopan.”

“How absolutely fantastic!” Poorva looked with greater awe and respect at the slender young girl being carried in the palanquin.

“Continuing from where I left off,” said the Swami briskly. “Aandal has sung in one of her songs: ‘To the Lord of Maalirumcholai surrounded by fragrant groves, I give my word 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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“A

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

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The Story of Aandal

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to offer a hundred pots of butter today and a hundred pots filled with sweet rice.’

Unfortunately, she has had no time to fulfil her promise. You know who is going to do it for her?”

“I suppose Periaazhvaar,” Poorva replied logically.

“No, no,” laughed the Swami. “It is Ramanuja who is going to fulfil her vow. He is going to be born approximately three centuries from now, in the year 1017. Yet, for fulfilling Aandal’s vow, this great saint will be affectionately referred to as Aandal’s elder brother.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Poorva as she heard Swami Thaatha rattling off ‘future’ events with absolute certainty. “Swami Thaatha, since Aandal is immersed in her love for Vishnu, I guess that she too is an Aazhvaar,” Poorva stated smartly.

The Swami appeared not to have heard her. He asked, “Poorva, I’m sure you know about the ten incarnations of Vishnu – Matsya, Koorma, Varaaha, Narasimha, Vaamana, Parasurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna and Kalki.” Not waiting for an answer, he continued, “Sri Vedantha Desika says Lord Vishnu once again incarnated ten times as the ten Aazhvaars, in order to spread the message of the Vedas in Tamil.”

“Swami Thaatha, please listen to me. I think you said ‘ten’ instead of ‘twelve’ Aazhvaars.”

The Swami laughed, “Poorva, I’m quite aware of what I’m saying. Aandal, as I told you, is a goddess. So she is actually much more than an Aazhvaar. And you may recall our discussion on Madhura Kavi. He worshipped his master, Nammaazhvaar, as God, while the others are devotees of Vishnu. However, the compositions of these two will be included in the compilation of the Aazhvaars’ songs.”

“Oh,” Poorva muttered under her breath. “Ten, but twelve; twelve, but ten. I’m going to present this in the form of a puzzle in the next Heritage Class at school.”

She once again focused her attention on what the Swami was saying.

“Great poets and philosophers will compose poems and other works in praise of Aandal. Also, temples are going to be built for this goddess, poet and composer, the only woman among the saintly ‘twelve’.

“After this trip is over, I suggest that you return to Srivilliputhur with your parents.

You’ll find a huge temple for Aandal at the very place where Periaazhvaar’s house now stands.”

The Swami went on to tell Poorva that, around the fifteenth century, a famous saint of Rajasthan, Meerabai, would also choose a God – Krishna – as her husband.

They walked along, talking and sharing jokes, and then the Swami pointed to a small temple on top of a hill. He said, “We’re at Trichy, not too far from Srirangam. That is the famous rock temple that you are familiar with as Malaikottai. There are two cave-temples in there. In the lower one are sculptures of Shiva, Vishnu, Surya and a few other gods. I don’t know who carved them, but the cave was excavated by the Pandyas. The one above

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After what seemed like a few hours of walking, the Swami asked, “Poorva, by any chance, are you sleepwalking?” Shaken by that question, she looked around, and he pointed out, “Look. We’ve reached the Srirangam temple.”

Only then did Poorva realize that they were inside the temple and approaching Lord Ranganatha’s shrine. “Don’t let your attention wander, Poorva. What you are about to see is not an ordinary wedding. It is the wedding of Aandal with Lord Ranganatha. She has fulfilled the purpose for which she was born on this earth.”

“What purpose?”

“Have you forgotten? She has spread the message of the Lord through her Tamil songs – the Thiruppaavai. But her separation from the Lord has caused her immense suffering, and she is pining to get back to Him.” The doors of the shrine opened. Poorva, on seeing the beautiful figure of Lord Ranganatha in a reclining pose, stood awestruck. As she watched expectantly, Aandal entered the shrine and, right before her very eyes, merged with the Lord. The divine sight was too much for the little girl to take in. She felt faint, yet several thoughts passed through her mind. Maybe I will also sing Aandal’s songs every day … How many songs did she compose? Oh, where is Swami Thaatha?

From somewhere in the distance came Swami Thaatha’s voice. “Aandal composed two poetic works. Besides the set of 30 songs, she composed another set with 143 verses describing her intense love for the Lord and her desire to be united with Him. By the way, Periaazhvaar has now attained an enviable status – he has become the father-in-law of the Lord. This is also one of the reasons why he is called Periaazhvaar.” His voice faded and Poorva found herself dropping down on the temple floor. Then amazing things started to happen.

(To be continued. . .)

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was excavated by Mahendravarman Pallavan who ruled about the seventh century. That cave has an image of Lord Shiva bearing the River Ganga in His locks. Of course, you must have heard of the famous Pillaiyar temple. That shrine will, however, be built much later.”

“Interesting. Can we –?”

“We can’t go up there now, Poorva. I’m sure you don’t want to miss the wedding.”

“It’s okay,” said Poorva, though there was a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

When God Calls

Upendranath Mukhopadhyay DR. RUCHIRA MITRA

यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः

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

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

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O

nce Sri Ramakrishna asked a young boy, “What do you want?” This fair and handsome boy with curly hair used to visit Sri Ramakrishna regularly; but on account of his poverty he hesitated to mingle freely with Sri Ramakrishna and the devotees.

Brought up in his uncle’s home, he faced constant humiliation from his uncle who harped on his uselessness. Though he had deep devotion, his mind was always preoccupied with the thought of overcoming poverty. Now on being asked, his heart’s desire found expression, “Money!” The blessing came as an oracle, “Khub hobe – You’ll get plenty!”

Coming from Sri Ramakrishna, this blessing seems strange, as his principal teaching was to renounce the attraction for lucre! But Sri Ramakrishna knew that in this boy’s case, a real need of money was acting as an obstacle to gaining true devotion. So, by answering his prayer, he removed this hindrance from his Godward path.

The recipient of this grace was Upendranath Mukhopadhyay, who used his wealth nobly in the service of the Order. He later founded the Basumati Publishing House, and made it one of the chief organs for popularising Sri Ramakrishna’s message among the masses.

Everyone knew that he was poor. When a devotee questioned why Sri Ramakrishna was not showering his grace upon Upendra, he had replied, “I know his wish: his small door should be big. It will be!” Once, Sri Ramakrishna asked him, “Is there daily worship at your house?”

Upendra answered, “Yes. There is daily worship of Narayana at our home.” “Will you bring prasad of Narayana from your home?” Upendra agreed. But he was apprehensive whether his request would be turned down at home. So, he meekly told his aunt that a Brahmin of Dakshineswar Temple had asked for Narayana prasad. His aunt agreed. When he arrived at Dakshineswar with the prasad, Naren, Rakhal and others were seated for lunch. Sri Ramakrishna happily took some prasad and asked Upendra to distribute the remaining among the disciples.

Though apparently money-minded Upendra was, at heart, a devotee of God. With his monetary problem taken care of by the compassionate Sri Ramakrishna, his love for Sri Ramakrishna and his devotees blossomed.

Swami Akhandananda has devoted a sizeable portion of his Smriti-Katha (Reminiscences) in praise of Upendra’s benevolence during the days of extreme privation the monastic direct disciples underwent while at Baranagar Math.

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

Those days, Bengalis were not into the business of selling books. Shops selling books were mostly owned by Marwaris and North Indians and they were concentrated in the Battala area; Upendra took a menial job there. He was honest, sincere and hard-working. When the owner decided to sell the shop for Rs 75 Upendra bought it with a loan taken from his aunt, and repaid her very soon. His sincerity paid off. Little by little, he started compiling rhyme booklets and selling them cheap. He started selling books of various publishers at low prices, thereby making them affordable to poor book-lovers. He was the sole seller of the poetry books written by the famous poet Surendranath Majumdar. Thus, he got acquainted with the literary milieu of Calcutta.

He himself started publishing in a small way with a journal called Jnanankur, in which he serially published Ishanusharan — Swami Vivekananda’s Bengali translation of the

Akhandanandaji writes: “I have said how Upendra wanted to amass money. His financial condition improved through the grace of the Master and as a result of his devotion to sadhus.

Swamiji would say, ‘See, how Upen has fared?

From Upen’s case one can see how readily devotion to sadhus produces good fortune.’

Swamiji said one day, “Upendra’s business acumen is admirable!” Swamiji suggested Namo Narayana — the greeting of the sannyasis — as the permanent caption of the Basumati!

In 1897, a Reception Committee was formed to honour Swamiji for his American success and to welcome him to his hometown, Calcutta. The Committee did not work at publicity. After announcing the date of Swamiji’s arrival in the newspaper, they sat quiet. The evening before the event, Swamis Brahmananda, Yogananda, Girish and other devotees were discussing the arrangements.

Swamiji’s train was scheduled to arrive at Sealdah station at 7 a.m., and they doubted if people would gather to welcome him on such a cold morning. When Upendra heard of their anxiety, he assured them: “Tomorrow thousands of people will welcome Swamiji. I have pasted placards all over Calcutta, Baranagar, Kashipur, Bhavanipur, Alipur etc., and freely distributed fifty thousand handbills and ten thousand copies of the Basumati, with (Continued on page 44...)

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Imitation of Christ. He published a book called Rajbhasha, an easy-to-follow book on learning English. This book became a best-seller and turned his fortunes. He bought a spacious building in Beadon Square, where he established the Basumati Sahitya Mandir. He started the Basumati, first as a weekly journal, and then as a daily newspaper, and published detailed news during the years of the World War. But all this prosperity came to him gradually, after Sri Ramakrishna’s passing.

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He writes: “Let me say here something about the devoted service rendered to sadhus by Upendra. Immediately after the passing away of the Master, some of our Gurubhais including Swamiji and myself, used to go out in a desolate condition from Baranagar Math and walk up to Kankurgachi. From there we would go to the doors of the householder devotees of the Master, uttering, as we walked, Wa Guruji ka fateh! At last, at about eight at night we would reach, hungry and tired, the small shop of Upendra’s, and he invariably refreshed us with a basketful of various sweets and betel. There was a hackney carriage-stand nearby. The drivers there would be shouting, “Baranagar, Kashipur, four pice.” Upendra would hire a carriage for us, paying from his own pocket. Many were the days when he thus fed us and paid our carriage fare.”

Latu Maharaj and Nityagopal got shelter and daily supper from Upendra during their days of austerity in solitude.

Reminiscences

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

New content on this topic is being serialised this year.

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Swami Madhuryananda

alini joined the Order at Baranagore Ashrama in 1934. He received mantra-diksha from Swami Shivanandaji and sannyasa from Swami Virajanandaji in 1944. He also served in Belur Math and Vrindavan centre. A qualified homeopath he treated patients and helped in relief works. Though he lost eyesight in later years, he managed his life independently. He attained mahasamadhi on 26 June 1983.

Eating amriti was his last desire Madhuryanandaji stayed in Vrindavan for over twenty years in a room next to Saradeshanandaji. He was a homeopathic doctor. For the last ten years of his life, he was virtually blind. As long as both of them lived in the old ashrama, Saradeshanandaji would regularly sit beside him and read aloud the scriptures. In this connection, I remember one touching incident.

Madhuryanandaji had a special liking for food. He would every now and then forget that he had eaten and would feel hungry the next hour. One day the swami in-charge of the kitchen went to his room and jokingly said, “Maharaj, what do you want to eat? Tell me, I’ll feed you to your heart’s content.” Madhuryanandaji replied, “I want to eat amriti.”* It was the month of June and amriti was not available anywhere in Vrindavan because the sweet is prepared during October-November. The kitchen in-charge then said, “Maharaj, it is not time for amriti. Will you have any other sweets?”

Madhuryanandaji was unyielding. He said, “No! I will have amriti only. Nothing else!” We all felt very sorry that we could not fulfill Maharaj’s wish. But what happened the next day surprised us all. The secretary swami of Vrindavan returned from Delhi with two bucketsful of amritis!! We were all taken aback. How was it possible? What had happened was that there was a feast in the memory of Swami Budhananda at our New Delhi ashrama. Those two buckets of amriti came from there.

These amritis were served to Madhuryanandaji. He ate two at lunch and then rested on his bed in the afternoon. In the evening his attendant noticed that Maharaj was lying unresponsive. I immediately went and saw that it was all over. What a tranquil death and how strange! Sri Ramakrishna removed even the last fragment of his child’s desire in a miraculous way!

We can hardly judge anybody from outside. Saradeshanandaji used to say, “Madhuryananda is staying in Vrindavan for so many years but I have never heard him complaining about anybody!”

Note: * Amriti also known as Jaangiri is an orange-coloured Indian sweet made of black gram.

— Swami Shuklatmananda

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.

Pariprasna

MAHARAJ: Visions and dreams are as north and south poles. Dreams and day-dreams are the products of one’s own mind and their quality, content and consequences are entirely based on the mind of the individual. But a true vision is a projection of the Cosmic Mind, the indwelling Divine, into the experiencing Jiva. Its form may be shaped by concepts and symbolic thoughts of the experiencing mind, but its content and significance transcend the individual, just as the world we experience in our ordinary consciousness transcends our individual minds. That even the true vision is experienced only by the experiencing mind, does not detract from its truth value. Because, if the right type of receiver, with which the true vision is experienced, is obtained by other minds, they also can experience it. Our ordinary receiver is our Antahkarana (inner organ), consisting of the mind and intellect. But this receiver can be improved or transformed. When we observe different species of beings, we see how the range of direct knowledge varies vastly from species to species with the development and refinement of the receiving apparatus. An insensitive particle of matter, when it becomes a living cell, becomes vaguely sensitive to an environment. As the cell evolves into a more and more complex organism, this vague sensitiveness develops into sense perceptions of varying nature along with the diversification of sense faculties. When the higher mind and, with it, the rational, ethical and aesthetic faculties develop, wonderful forms of apprehension come into being, which are as removed from rudimentary sense perception as rudimentary perception is from the pure insentiency of inorganic matter. It will thus be seen that, even from the study of evolution as known to science with the improvement of the receiving mechanism of organisms, there is observed a remarkable growth in the content and quality of the apprehensions that become possible with reference to the same environment.

If this fact is remembered, we can easily understand how with the improvement of the understanding of man, he can have newer and newer vistas of experience. Improvement of understanding comes from the purification of it by ridding it of the hold of sense-objects, by practice of devotion and surrender to God through dedicated action and meditation and by training the mind to withdraw from its outgoing tendencies and get in-gathered and concentrated on itself.

By the practice of purification, devotion and inward concentration, the Kundalini, is roused, and it goes up by stages to the level of the brain. When this power is confined to the three lowest centres, upto the navel, consciousness is gross and earthbound, and can capture the Cosmic Mind only at the gross sensuous level of vibration. As this power is awakened and raised to higher levels, consciousness becomes more and more subtle and intensified and becomes a receiver, capable of capturing the subtle vibrations of the Cosmic Mind. The heart, the throat, the eyebrows and the brain are spoken of as the centres representing these higher vibrations.

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QUESTION: How does a vision differ from a dream or a day-dream?

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Questions & Answers

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The experiences that are open to consciousness at these subtle levels are the genuine visions.

This idea may be explained by the example of a lift. When the lift is at one level, one has access, if one wants, to all objects at the level. When the lift rises, the lower levels are shut off and a new level opens to our eyes. Applying this analogy to the elevations of consciousness through the awakening of Kundalini, we can understand how the experience of the reality changes with the change of our receiver and our plane of reference. All objects, including our sense perception are, in their ideal form, projections of the Cosmic Mind at different levels of manifestation or vibration.

Consciousness, attuning itself to the vibrations, captures with its receiver such of these vibrations as are, in tune, at its level. At the purely sensuous level, only sensuous presentations appear real and only sensuous values, like those connected with food, pleasures, ambition, etc seem worth pursuing. But when consciousness gains the capacity to capture subtle vibrations, experiences that are no less valid than those of earth consciousness but immensely superior to them in respect of their value, occur to sadhakas.

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They are entirely different from the experiences of dreams, day-dreams, and of minds deranged by disease or by drugs. The first two are conditions that come when the awareness of the mind shrinks and gets diffused and the experiences that occur are only projections of one’s own mind, wherein the mind itself, along with its contents, is both the seer and the seen. It is maintained

by Swami Vivekananda in his Raja Yoga that the sense of objectivity and reality which even such experiences give is due to the very minute stirring of Kundalini. But they are quite normal, and have no special effect on the health of the mind. But the experiences of drug addicts and deranged minds are due to the disintegration of the nervous system and the mind. No question of their reality can therefore arise. The greater the disintegration that takes place, the more are they drawn into these bizarre experiences.

Apart from the difference in their sources, the difference in their effects is visible to any observing mind. Dreams and day-dreams do not in any way increase one’s knowledge or improve the quality of one’s mind. Abnormal experiences of the mentally defective definitely lead to degeneration of the mind and they weaken and disintegrate one’s personality. Drugs give elation and illusory experiences as a result of the distortions they produce in the nervous system. They do not in any way help the integration and enrichment of personality, nor do they establish one in any abiding conviction or sense of settlement and peace. A drug addict becomes a slave to the drug and loses all self-control. As a man, he is much the worse for his experiences and, if he goes on unchecked, he ends up as a complete wreck.

Entirely different are the effects of the real experiences that come to a sadhaka as a result of the expansion and intensification of consciousness through holy living, self-control and inward concentration. He becomes more and more poised in the subject-consciousness; though his awareness is intensified, he maintains the detachment of a witness in regard to external objects, he has mastery of the senses, he gains great powers of concentration, his will gets integrated and powerful. His convictions regarding spiritual entities become settled and unshakable, he is above fear and all passions; he is full of peace and he emanates that peace wherever he goes. It is not that all persons of spiritual development should get visions, but that genuine visions leave a positive effects of the beneficial nature described above, indicating that the sadhaka is on the right path.

They are not an end in themselves. But they are entirely different in their source and effect from dreams and day-dreams of normal people and from fantasies of deranged minds and drug addicts.

(Continued from page 22...)

North Kolkata: The Leela Kshetra Kamal Kutir It was on the second floor of Kamal Kutir that Sri Ramakrishna was first photographed in 1879. In the photograph we see him standing in Samadhi, lightly supported by Hridayram. In

front of this building is the memorial site where Keshab and many of his family members are buried. To the right of this building, is the worship room where Brahmo members now meditate. Since 1932, a premier girls’ educational institute, the Victoria Institute, has been operating in these premises.

Sri Ramakrishna in Samadhi References 1) Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play, p.835-6 Ramakrishna, p. 349

Navabidhan Brahma Samaj

4) The Gospel of Ramakrishna, p. 924

With this, we conclude our visit to the locations where Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples and admirers lived and also the places Sri Ramakrishna visited. (concluded.)

2) God Lived with Them (2016), p. 87 5) God Lived with Them, p. 531

Kamalkutir -- Keshab Chandra Sen’s house

3) The Gospel of

Swami Saradanandaji’s birthplace and residence was located here

37 The Vedanta Kesari

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Retracing our steps on Keshab Chandra Sen Street we reach Amherst Street crossing.

Turning left onto this road and walking southward for around 500 metres we reach the crossing of Amherst Street and Mahatma Gandhi Road (previously known as Harrison Road). At the junction to our right is the birthplace of Sarat Chandra Chakravarty, later known as Swami Saradananda. His cousin Shashi Bhushan Chakravarty, later known as Swami Ramakrishnananda, also lived in this house to pursue his education. Saradanandaji’s father had a medical shop here. Unfortunately, there is no trace of the building now.

November 2021

Swami Saradanandaji’s parental house

Article

Believe Not

November 2021

SWAMI SATYAPRIYANANDA

The Vedanta Kesari

38

M

ost religions of the world and sects thereunder insist on an unquestioning belief in certain doctrines, dogmas, rituals, books, temples or forms. They assert that this unquestioning belief is essential for a person to be considered a follower of that religion or sect. And because of differences in these matters, they also come to blows. However, Swami Vivekananda pointed out that all these were secondary details; the only concern of religion was with manifesting the divinity which is latent within - either by work, or worship, or psychology, or philosophy, by one or more or all of these - and becoming free.

Unquestioning belief was not Narendranath’s cup of tea; he would not believe in the Vedas which proclaimed that the creator entered into his creation. How could the creator become one with the created, he wondered and made much fun of it. This doubt was resolved by one divine touch of Sri Ramakrishna. Narendranath would also not believe in the worship of images. Indeed, how could an intelligent person worship images made out of stone, wood or metal?

Narendranath would not accept something just because everyone else accepted it. He always insisted on tangible proof. Sri Ramakrishna would say, “Narendra says that God with form is a mere idol. He says further: ‘What? He (Ramakrishna) still goes to the Kali temple!’”1 There is an interesting incident mentioned in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. A

sub-judge, who was a member of the Brahmo Samaj, raised the question: “Sir, does God show more grace to one than to another? If so, He can be accused of the fault of partiality.” It is usual to ascribe partiality to God also because we see that while one is born with all that one could desire for, another is born utterly poor without even the basic necessities of life and with physical handicap. A second allegation against God is that he must be sadistic for he must be enjoying the discomfiture of a handicapped person. In reply to the question of the subjudge, Sri Ramakrishna explained at length, “What are you saying? Do you mean to say that the moon and a glow-worm are the same, though both give light? Iswar Vidyasagar asked me the same question. He said, ‘Is it a fact, Sir, that God gives more power to one and less to another?’ ‘God’, I said, ‘exists in every being as the All-pervading Spirit. He is in the ant as well as in me. But there are different manifestations of His Power in different beings. If all are the same, then why have we come here to see you, attracted by your renown? Have you grown a pair of horns? Oh, no! It is not that. You have compassion; you have scholarship; there is a greater degree of these virtues in you than in others. That is the reason you are so well known.’ Don’t you see that there are men who, single-handed, can defeat a hundred persons?

Again, one man takes to his heels in fear of another; you see such a person too. If there are not different manifestations of power in

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

satyapriyananda@rkmm.org

Narendra could not accept a man, “an imperfect mortal”, as his guru. As a member of the Brahmo Samaj, he could not believe that a human intermediary was necessary between

November 2021

Sri Ramakrishna went to see Pandit Sasadhar Tarkachudamani on the day of the Car Festival of 1885. In the course of the conversation, he instructed the Pandit thus: “Those persons only who have got power direct from the Mother of the universe can truly become preachers of religion; the grandiloquence of other so-called preachers is in vain.” He then asked for a glass of water to drink. … As soon as Sri Ramakrishna asked for water, a person wearing tilaka, strings of beads and other emblems of religion on his body, respectfully brought a glass of water and gave it to Sri Ramakrishna. But when Sri Ramakrishna was about to drink it, he could not do so. Another man, who was beside him, saw it and threw away the water in the glass.

Filling it with water again, he brought the glass to Sri Ramakrishna, who drank a little of it and bade good-bye to the Pandit for that day.

Everyone thought that something had fallen into the water brought at first, and hence it was that Sri Ramakrishna did not drink it.

Narendranath said that he was sitting very near Sri Ramakrishna then. He, therefore, saw clearly that there was neither a mote nor a bit of straw nor any other kind of dirt in the water; yet Sri Ramakrishna had refused to drink it. On pondering over the cause of it, Narendranath thought that the glass of water was perhaps

polluted by ‘contactual impurity’. For, he had heard Sri Ramakrishna say that it was impossible for his hand to proceed to take any kind of food or drink brought by those in whom worldly-mindedness was viciously prevalent, who dishonestly earned money by cheating, robbery, or doing harm to others in any other way, and who externally assumed the guise of religion as a mere ruse for satisfying their lust and greed. He was also heard to say that he could know the nature of such persons intuitively, and that his hand would invariably contract if he touched such food unconsciously.

Narendranath said that as soon as this thought arose in his mind, he made a firm resolve to ascertain the truth of the matter taking advantage of the above-mentioned incident. So Narendranath helped Sri Ramakrishna into the carriage and expressed his inability to go with him, as an urgent piece of business detained him there. As Narendranath was acquainted with the younger brother of the man with the emblems of religion on his person, he called him to a secluded place after Sri Ramakrishna had left and began to put questions to him about the character of his elder brother.

Questioned thus, he hesitated at first, but afterwards said, “How can I speak of the bad character of my elder brother?” Narendranath said, “I could understand the truth from that.

Later I questioned another person of that household who was acquainted with me, and came to know everything. Thus freed from doubt, I wondered how Sri Ramakrishna could know people’s minds.” 3 Sri Ramakrishna affirmed that the Divine Mother poured knowledge as a gushing stream of water into his mind and that the supply of knowledge was endless.

39 The Vedanta Kesari

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different beings, then why did people respect Keshab Sen so much? It is said in the Gita that if a man is respected and honoured by many, whether it be for his scholarship or his music or his oratory or anything else, then you may know for certain that he is endowed with a special divine power.” A Brahmo made the jarring comment to the sub-judge, “Why don’t you accept what he says?” To this Sri Ramakrishna sharply responded saying, “What sort of man are you? To accept words without conviction! Why, that is hypocrisy! I see you are only a counterfeit.”2

November 2021

man and God. Moreover, he openly laughed at Sri Ramakrishna’s visions as hallucinations. Sri Ramakrishna was grateful to the Divine Mother for sending him one who doubted his realisations. Often he asked Narendranath and his other disciples to test him as the moneychangers test their coins. He laughed at Narendranath’s biting criticism of his spiritual experiences and samadhi.4

The Vedanta Kesari

40

Even a few days before Sri Ramakrishna’s entering mahasamadhi doubts persisted in Narendranath’s mind! Narendranath said to himself, “If in the midst of this racking physical pain he declares his Godhead, then only shall I accept him as an Incarnation of God.” He was alone by Sri Ramakrishna’s bedside. It was a passing thought, but Sri Ramakrishna merely smiled. Gathering his remaining strength, he distinctly said, “He who was Rama and Krishna is now, in this body, Ramakrishna — but not in your Vedantic sense.” Narendranath was stricken with shame for doubting the genuineness of Sri Ramakrishna.5

Narendranath’s mindset was scientific. No scientist simply believes. He may have some axioms dear to his heart. Yet he collects data, analyses them, classifies them, and then correlates his findings into a scientific truth, which he expounds as a scientific law. The only axiom that Narendranath could accept was the truth of one’s own realisations.

Among the various incarnations and prophets the world has seen, Buddha was the only incarnation who said, “I do not care to know your various theories about God. What is the use of discussing all the subtle doctrines about the soul? Do good and be good. And this will take you to freedom and to whatever truth there is.” ... He is the first great reformer the world has seen. He was the first who dared to say, “Believe not because some old manuscripts are produced, believe not because it is your

national belief, because you have been made to believe it from your childhood; but reason it all out, and after you have analysed it, then, if you find that it will do good to one and all, believe it, live up to it, and help others to live up to it.”6 The scientific mind of Narendranath caught the scientific spirit in Buddha’s words.

Expounding his stand on what religion is, Narendranath said, “Religion is above reason, supernatural. Faith is not belief, it is the grasp on the Ultimate, an illumination. First hear, then reason and find out all that reason can give about the Atman; let the flood of reason flow over It, then take what remains. If nothing remains, thank God you have escaped a superstition. When you have determined that nothing can take away the Atman, that It stands every test, hold fast to this and teach it to all.”7 Here was Sri Ramakrishna who had firsthand experience of religion — who had realised the all-pervading consciousness, in the image and in the vessels used for worship, and in people even of questionable character. To him the Divine Mother was a reality. He could see the Divine Mother, talk to Her and receive guidance from Her. She spoke through Sri Ramakrishna. It is quite easy to see that the scientific temperament of Narendranath found all this difficult to digest or accept without direct personal experience. If Sri Ramakrishna could see the Divine Mother and talk to Her more intensely than he perceived and talked with Narendranath, he wanted direct proof.

Narendranath got that direct proof one day!

It is hard to believe that poverty at home drove Narendranath to approach Sri Ramakrishna to plead with the Divine Mother on his behalf — the same Divine Mother whose presence in the image he had questioned; whose visions that Sri Ramakrishna had, he had dubbed as hallucination! But he did just that!

Sri Ramakrishna, however, asked Narendranth

t

References: 1) The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. p. 225 pp. 685-86 4) Gospel. pp. 57-58 5) Ibid., p. 72 8) Ibid., 9: 399 9) God Lived with Them, p. 585

Therefore, we are not to merely believe, for that is not religion; religion is realisation, not tall talk, however philosophical it may sound. When one has religious experience, one will not be able to doubt it in the least. If there is doubt in the mind, then it is not religious progress. Hiding under the umbrella of belief, we should not fill the mind with the thoughts of others. That will only create confusion and not help us to face the tough challenges of life.

2) Ibid., p. 625-26 3) Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master, 6) The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. 1: 117 7) Ibid., 7: 60

November 2021

On 7 April 1926, Swami Akhandananda, in his speech at the final session of the first Convention of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, said: “One day a man denied the idea of the existence of God before Sri Ramakrishna. And mark you what Sri Ramakrishna, who was ever so deeply absorbed in ecstatic communion with the Divine Mother, said to him in reply: ‘Well, who told you that there is a God? I would not ask you to believe in any such idea. But then, you cannot with reason deny that there is a Power working behind the universe. One may attribute any name to it, but it remains there all the same. Why not take it in that spirit and try to know more intimately what you believe in? Know this and be happy. To be sure, mere belief cannot give rest to your inner cravings. Knowledge — true knowledge of the mysteries of this phenomenal existence — alone can do that.’”9

41 The Vedanta Kesari

It was intriguing to the Western audience, brought up in the religious tradition which required of them blind acceptance of the dogmas of their religion, when the preacher from distant India allowed them to ask any number of questions at the end of every lecture.

Swami Vivekananda knew that the conclusions of Vedanta could withstand any amount of reasoning by the thinking masses. Sometimes Swami Vivekananda shared his views with a large audience. Naturally he expressed the same truth in the same lecture from different angles of vision, each angle of vision being truth. Some agreed and Swami Vivekananda said that that thought was meant for that person. Some did not agree and Swami Vivekananda said, with a smile, that that thought was not meant for that person. The

possibility of the same truth adapting to the needs of different peoples of the world required prophets to give expression as would satisfy them and hence there may be some differences between prophetic utterances. However, each prophet talked about the same God, an observation expressed by Sri Ramakrishna in the words, “all jackals howl alike.”

t

PA G E D O N O R : S R I S A M R AT L A H A , K O L K ATA

to approach the Divine Mother direct with no intermediary. Narendranath walked to the temple and stood before the image of the Divine Mother and saw there not the mere image which he thought was being worshipped but the conscious presence of the Divine Mother. It is recorded history that Narendranath could not stoop so low as to ask of Her material comforts; instead he prayed for knowledge, devotion, discrimination and dispassion. No longer could he, with his scientific spirit, question his own perception. One can never question one’s own realisations. But that meant a great struggle. No wonder, later seeing his disciple Sister Nivedita’s difficulty in totally accepting him, he observed, “Let none regret that they were difficult to convince! I fought my Master for six years with the result that I know every inch of the way! Every inch of the way!”8

Vivekananda’s Loving Relationship with His Brother Disciples

by Asim Chudhuri

November 2021

Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5, Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata-700 014. Email:.mail@ advaitaashrama.org.2019, paperback, pp.372, Rs.275.

The Vedanta Kesari

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W

riting about a largely “misunderstood”/ “underunderstood” (p.8) Vivekananda may be a fairly onerous task but the author Asim Chaudhuri has used his creative acumen to make it a delightful and engrossing experience for the reader of this volume.

Interpersonal interaction is believed to be one of the best ways of delving into the inner being of a person and charting the emotional content of Swamiji’s relationship with his fifteen brother disciples seems like a visual re-enactment of the life and times of the spiritually endowed young boys who clustered around the Great Master and grew like sprouts of a single shoot to encompass large tracts of space and time, leaving indelible footprints on the sands of time.

In an age that swears by Emotional Intelligence, the volume has made a distinctive contribution to the subject. An incisive analysis of “The Types of Love” in the first chapter of the book uses a variety of sources: three of the categories of this emotion put forth by C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves (p.25), affection, friendship and charity; ‘charity’ designated as “agape” or “divine love” in the New Testament (p.31); five types of bhava in Bhakti Yoga—shanta, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, madhura. Using this framework, especially the formulation of Lewis, to illustrate the love which Vivekananda had for his brother disciples and they had for him, the book aims to answer “the real question”—“whether or not he loved them in different ways”, based on the conclusion that “Swamiji loved them deeply.” (p.40) The next 15 chapters are devoted one each to the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, their

Book Reviews experiences with Swamiji, the letters he wrote to them, their contribution to Swamiji’s mission and their personal traits of loyalty, obedience and acceptance which made them suitable receptacles for Vivekananda’s love, affection and reliance/trust.

The first is Swami Brahmananda, closest in age to Swami Vivekananda, vastly different in temperament; both complemented each other.

Being close friends before becoming brother disciples, their relationship as “friendship love” is foregrounded by the author as “an indestructible, endless love that could survive anything” (p.58), even when Swamiji rebuked Brahmanandaji strongly. Each chapter which follows paints innumerable scenes of interaction between the brother disciples and their leader Vivekananda in various times and climes. Many hitherto little known facets come to light; thus keeping the readers’ interest alive.

Developing this parameter of “friendship love” the author says: “The defining feature of friendship is the trifecta of self-disclosure, commonality of interests, and the acceptance of each other’s ideas” (p.336). Of the fifteen brother disciples, eight fit into this frame on the basis of “the letters Swamiji wrote to Ramakrishnananda, Brahmananda, Akhandananda, Turiyananda, Shivananda, Trigunatitananda, Abhedananda and Saradananda [that] portray them as his ‘friends’ with a strong emotional connection….‘sakhyabhava’” (p.337).

As opposed to this “friendship” is the emotion of affection—“the least discriminating of all loves”: which “can unite people

from Sri Asim Chaudhuri’s pen—well-researched, eminently readable and spiritually elevating. _____________________________ DR. SUMITA ROY, HYDERABAD

Journey of Swami Vivekananda to Raipur and His First Trance

by Debashish Roy

W

hen he was 14 years old, Narendranath Datta (later Swami Vivekananda) had to travel for several days from Kolkata to Raipur where his father had taken up his legal practice. The journey through the scenic Vindhya range deeply impressed Narendranath. He later reminisced: “The peaks of the ranges on both sides of the road rose very high in the sky; various kinds of trees and creepers bending under the weight of fruits and flowers produced wonderful beauty on the mountainsides. Birds of various colours, flying from tree to tree, filled the quarters with sweet notes. I saw all these and felt an extraordinary peace in my mind. (My mind) became so much absorbed in the thought of the infinite power of God, the Controller of the three worlds, that I completely lost my consciousness of the external world for some time.”

Impressed by this particular experience of Narendranath, and desiring to know where exactly it had happened, the author Sri Debashish Roy undertook an arduous research and consulted historians, academicians, residents and railway service personnel including a porter of Darekasa section. He has published his research articles in various magazines and newspapers.

The chapters have a wealth of information concerning Narendranath’s father Vishwanath Datta’s legal profession, Narendranath’s education, the geographical location where

November 2021

Published by Debashish Chittaranjan Roy, near D.B. Science College, Lohiya Ward, Gondia 441614 Maharastra.

Email: roydebashish72@gmail.com. paperback, pp.134 + viii, Rs.300.

43 The Vedanta Kesari

PA G E D O N O R : B . P. G I R I S H B A B U, M A N G A LU R U

of diverse nature” (p.330); under this are listed the remaining seven brother-disciples: Adbhutananda, Subodhananada, Advaitananda, Niranjanananda, Yogananda, Premananda and Vijnanananda. The dichotomy of “friendship” and “affection” does not necessarily hierarchize the emotion of “love”!

Of course, a significant point elucidated in many places in the volume is Swamiji’s assertion “about his being intentionally impersonal in his love toward his brother disciples” (p.340).

The author describes this to be an essential prerequisite for making the work of the Mission effective as well as pre-empting any longing among the brother disciples “for distinctiveness in the eyes of” their leader, Swamiji (p.341).

Numerous instances in the entire book reiterate the point repeatedly which the author puts very succinctly as his conclusion: “he loved each differently at different times” (p.343). Often this difference encompassed pranks and jokes too—bringing to our mind the “mart of joy” of side-splitting laughter that emanated from the room of Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineswar during the Master’s lifetime.

An interesting rhetorical observation which the author answers in the positive sketches a map for further study and research into this relevant subject: “Is Aristotle’s theory of ‘Friendship of Unequals,’ where a superior (Swamiji in this case) receives more affection than he bestows, applicable in the case of Swamiji and his brother disciples?” (p.342). Many avenues of research open up from this observation.

The possibilities of continued engagement in these areas are endless. Especially interesting for me is the way contemporary terminology has been used by the author as frames of analysis. In my small way, I have used the SaradaRamakrishna-Vivekananda tradition to inculcate life skills in young students in workshops for the past ten years.

So my enjoyment of the book was immense and my sincere wish is that more and more people participate in this joy by reading the book.

Also is the hope that many more such books flow

Narendranath experienced the aforementioned state, the residence of the Datta family at Raipur and so on; all this information is gleaned from directories, catalogues, registers, gazettes and other sources. We can get a clear idea of the extensive maps and place names used in the book with the aid of Google Maps. Fonts in the tiny images are difficult to read, and in many places the presentation requires more clarity. The book is an excellent literary addition to the growing research on Swami Vivekananda. _____________________ SWAMI SURARCHITANANDA, CHENNAI

A Love That is Love Indeed November 2021

by J.P.Vaswani

The Vedanta Kesari

44

A

Publised by Gita Publishing House, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune-411 001.

Email:gph@sadhuvaswani.org.

2015, paperback, pp.146, Rs99.

Love That is Love Indeed makes the reader sit up and travel the pages with the author. J.P. Vaswani’s in-depth experience in Bhakti marga lucidly glimmers through the narrative. The book is an expression of Bhakti and all its nuances, replete with anecdotes from the lives of saints, stories

from the Puranas, and interspersed with verses from the Bhagavad Gita.

The author guides the seeker towards the path of devotion with love and eagerness. In a succinct persuasive manner, a step by step way to pure Bhakti towards the Lord is revealed — how to love God, the bhavas, modes, stages of Bhakti, how to develop Bhakti, how to overcome the obstacles to Bhakti and the immense importance of Guru Bhakti.

The lover of God is given numerous recommendations to heighten that love and keep at it constantly. “When you are overwhelmed with longing for God, you are detached from worldly affairs. This creates a void — a vacuum, an emptiness! This void will be filled by the presence of God.” At every juncture, Sadhu Vaswani shares his ecstatic experience of loving God ardently — like Aandaal did for her Hari, like Mira for her Giridhar, like the Gopis of Vrindavan for their Krishna. Loving God, nay living in God, transcends everything. It is a mesmerising union of Jeevatma and Paramatma, Shiva and Shakti, Radha and Krishna. It is blissful ananda. Sri Ramakrishna says, “The winds of grace are always blowing, but you have to raise the sail.” This book helps us understand how to raise our sail towards God. _____________________________ SMT SHALINI PAPPU, CHENNAI

vvv

Upendranath Mukhopadhyay

Swamiji’s big photo. I am sure by the grace of the Master, tomorrow before daybreak the Sealdah Station will be overflowing.” Girish exclaimed joyfully, “Brother, you have performed a great service through this p u b l i c i t y.” U p e n d ra’ s s i n g l e - h a n d e d monumental efforts bore fruit. Twenty thousand people came to receive Swamiji at Sealdah Station, creating a sensation all over Calcutta.

Upendra was equally benevolent in helping the needy and the lay devotees of Sri

(Continued from page 33...)

Ramakrishna. His welcoming doors were always open for them. His employees and family members were dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna and his followers. People would say, “This is not Basumati Office! This is Ramakrishna Sadavrata (Alms-house)!”

Sri Ramakrishna, by granting his wish, converted Preyas to Shreyas. Throughout his life, Upendra experienced Sri Ramakrishna’s grace and that made him wealthy in the true sense. In 1919, he passed away peacefully after leading an exemplary life.

Source: Bhaktamalika. Swami Gambhirananda Vol. 2 p. 387-398; Smritikatha. Swami Akhandananda. p 182-184

The Order on the March

Sl.

College

National Rank

State Rank

1.

Vidyamandira (Saradapitha centre)

5

2

2.

Vivekananda Centenary College (Rahara centre)

15

3

3.

Residential College (Narendrapur centre)

21

4

4.

Arts and Science College (Coimbatore Mission centre)

48

15

(West Bengal) (Tamil Nadu)

Smt Pratima Bhoumik, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, visited Belur Math on 13 September. Ms Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Ambassador of Finland to India, visited Belur Math on 18 September. Sri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, visited the Mumbai centre on

November 2021

Sri Ramakrishna Sevashrama, Digboi, founded in 1930 has been taken into the Ramakrishna Order as branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission. A new branch centre of the Ramakrishna Math has been started with the land and buildings received from Badarikashrama, Madihalli, Tutuvekere Taluk, Tumakuru District, Karnataka which was established in 1984.

In commemoration of Swami Vivekananda’s address at the World’s Parliament of Religions, Chennai Math, Deoghar, Hyderabad, Kochi, Prayagraj, Rajkot, Thanjavur and Viveknagar (Agartala) centres held programmes on 11 September. The Hyderabad centre’s online programme included special addresses by Sri N V Ramana, Chief Justice of India, Srimat Swami Gautamanandaji, one of the Vice-presidents of the Ramakrishna Order, and Swami Suviranandaji, the General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Order. At the Viveknagar centre, Smt Pratima Bhoumik, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, and Sri Jishnu Dev Varma, Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, attended the programme.

RKMVERI (deemed university of the Order) held its Annual Convocation on 11 September and awarded degrees and diplomas to 275 candidates from Belur main campus and its off-campus centres at Narendrapur and Ranchi. Owing to Covid restrictions, most students attended the programme in virtual mode. The General Secretary Swami Suviranandaji, who is also the Chancellor of the University, addressed the Convocation through a recorded video.

Four of our degree colleges secured distinguished positions in the India Rankings 2021 announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Education, Government of India:

45 The Vedanta Kesari

PA G E D O N O R : S R I S WA R O O P R O Y, C H E N G A L PAT T U

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Covid-19 Relief: Colombo

Covid-19 Relief: Fiji

Covid-19 Relief: Dinajpur

5 September. Dr Banshidhar Mishra, Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh, visited Mymensingh centre, Bangladesh, on 3 September.

Relief

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46

distributed 14,630 kg rice, 6164 kg flour, 3391 kg pulses, 2725 kg potatoes, 1556 kg onions, 1714 kg salt, 1419 kg sugar, 1856 litres cooking oil, 90 kg spices, 873 kg milk powder, 60,200 tea bags, 2614 soaps, 172 sanitisers, 6,98,760 N-95 face masks, and served cooked food to 12,720 people and vaccinated 9,186 people.

Flood Relief: Incessant torrential rains in August and September 2021 caused flooding and also breached the embankments of rivers in some parts of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Gujarat affecting life and property. 11 centres in these four states undertook relief work and distributed 23,776 kg rice, 17,638 chira (flattened rice), 5802 kg pulses, 1750 kg potatoes, 100 kg onions, 1416 soya chunks, 275 kg spices, 1725 kg salt, 6,011 kg sugar, 3326 litres cooking oil, 324 kg milk powder, 9060 biscuit packets, 53,800 halogen tablets, 1800 tubes of toothpaste, 2090 saris, 2086 lungis, 6102 soap bars among 19,635 families and served cooked food to 14,3764 people.

Distress Relief: 15 centres in India and 2 centres in Bangladesh provided the following items among the needy people: 4235 kg rice, 1202 kg pulses, 100 kg potatoes, 43 kg spices, 687 kg salt, 210 kg sugar, 225 litres cooking oil, 506 biscuit packets, 1000 hair oil bottles, 440 soap bars, 4897 saris, 1097 lungis.

Flood Relief: Rajkot

Distress Relief: Asansol

Flood Relief: Patna

Distress Relief: Raiganj

Flood Relief: Dibrugarh

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

November 2021

Covid-19 Relief: 6 centres in 5 states and 7 centres in 5 foreign countries continued Covid relief and

Flood Relief: Contai

Distress Relief: Tamluk

Ramakrishna Math

Sl.

Activity

Amount

1

Daily Worship in the Temple

4

Completion of Sadhu Nivas & Devotees’ Dining Hall construction

2 3 5 6

Salary to School & Math staff

1,00,000/-

10,00,000/-

Renovation of Math buildings & pathways

10,00,000/12,00,000/-

Purchase of land to construct Vocational Training Institute

30,00,000/-

A four wheeler vehicle to support relief activities

8,00,000/-

Total estimated costing 71 Lakhs I humbly appeal to you all to donate generously and help us to serve and uplift the people of this region.

Donations details: Cheque in favour of Ramakrishna Math, Mekhliganj Account Holders name Bank Branch A/c No. IFSC

: : : : :

Ramakrishna Math State Bank of India Mekhliganj 35367015024 SBIN0018013

Account Holders name Bank Branch A/c No. IFSC

: : : : :

Ramakrishna Math Central Bank of India Mekhliganj 2162973276 CBIN0280131

After donation, kindly send your PAN Number, full Postal Address, and an E-mail with Transaction details. Only donations with PAN number are eligible for tax exemption under section 80G of I.T. Act 1961.

In anticipation of your help and prayer to the Almighty for His blessings on all.

Swami Omkaratmananda Adhyaksha

47 The Vedanta Kesari

Dear all, Ramakrishna Math Mekhliganj, situated close to India-Bangladesh border, runs a Primary School attended by around 250 students, a Medical Dispensary offering free treatment, and conducts regular distress relief service in interior tribal and rural villages. Added to this the Math has decided to impart Computer & Agriculture training, and other essential life-skills to the local youth. The Math is trying to purchase land to house this Vocational Training Institute.

For all these service activities, the Math largely depends upon help from outside because, due to economic backwardness, the local people are unable to financially support the Math. Now, as the Covid-19 pandemic condition has almost dried up donations, it is becoming increasingly difficult to even manage the daily expenses of the Math.

We therefore earnestly request your kind aid to support the below mentioned activities of the Math:

November 2021

Mekhliganj, Dt.Cooch Behar, West Bengal- 735304 (A branch centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal) Phone: 8017876512 / 8617380756, E-mail: mekhliganj@rkmm.org

RAMAKRISHNA MATH, UTTARKASHI Ganganagar, P.O. Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, 249193

November 2021

Mobile: 9447051231; Email: uttarkashi@rkmm.org Shri Ramakrishna Sharanam

The Vedanta Kesari

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Offering to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna: An Appeal Dear Devotees & Friends, Please accept our loving namaskaras and best wishes.

In the innermost sanctuary of the Himalayas there is a tiny centre of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission at the holy town of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. The Ashrama was started in 1963, during the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda with the aim of providing opportunity to the sadhus of the Order, who desire to spend time in solitude in intense Tapasya in the Tapobhumi Himalayas. Over the years hundreds of sadhus performed austerities here for spiritual upliftment.

The same tradition continues till date. sadhus and brahmacharins of the Ramakrishna Order regularly visit this Ashrama in great numbers for Tapasya and pilgrimage to Gangotri and Yamunotri as well.

In view of expanding the popular Retreat Centre, we have recently purchased a parcel of land measuring 1.5 acres at village Sukhi near Harshil valley. It is located at the edge of Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway, 60 kms and 40 kms. away from Uttarkashi and Gangotri respectively. The land deal has been duly ratified by the Board of Trustees, Belurmath.

We plan to construct few individual 1BHK cottages on this property for both the monks and devotees, where they could spend some time in spiritual practices, in the silence of the majestic Himalayas.

We earnestly request you to come forward with your liberal offerings to materialize the project at the earliest.

You are invited to sponsor a single cottage with an estimated cost of Rs.10 Lakhs (approx.) each. A suitable plaque inscribing the name of the loved one’s/ Guru of the donor could be fixed on such dedicated Tapsya Kutir, if the contributor desires so.

Donations can be made by NEFT/RTGS to the Ramakrishna Math, Union Bank of India, Uttarkashi Branch; IFSC: UBIN0560189, A/c No. 601802010006696.

Kindly mention the purpose- “Donation for Construction and Development Fund ”, the PAN and full address of the donor by email to uttarkashi@rkmm.org or SMS to 9447051231.

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

Yours in the Lord, Swami Amaleshananda Adhyaksha

The Vedanta Kesari

49

November 2021

The Vedanta Kesari

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November 2021

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November 2021

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Vol.108. No.11 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) November 2021. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957. Postal registration number: TN / CH (C) / 190 / 2021-2023. Licensed to Post without prepayment TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2021-2023.

Date of Publication: 24th of every month. Posted on 26.10.2021 at Egmore RMS/1 (Patrika Channel), Chennai - 8.

All souls are playing, some consciously, some unconsciously.

Religion is learning to play consciously.

— Swami Vivekananda

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