The Vedanta Kesari - April 2015 issue

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102 Year

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The Vedanta Kesari THE LION OF VEDANTA

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

Swami Vivekananda’s statue at Ramakrishna Mission, Baranagore, Kolkata

A pril 2015

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India's Timeless Wisdom

Endless are the scriptures and endless are the things to be known, and obstacles in life. But life is short.

[Therefore] like a swan separates milk from water, in the same way one should [separate] and know the essentials, and leave the non-essentials. —Traditional Saying

Editor: Swami Atmashraddhananda Managing Editor: Swami Gautamananda Printed and published by Swami Vimurtananda on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust L 2 0 1 5 h e V e d a n t a KMath e s aRoad, r i  ~ 2Mylapore, ~ A P R I Chennai fromT No.31, Ramakrishna - 4 and Printed at Sri Ramakrishna Printing Press, No.31 Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4. Ph: 044 - 24621110

The Vedanta Kesari

102

nd

Year

of

Publication

VOL. 102, No. 4 ISSN 0042-2983 A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER

Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavâdin, it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesari in 1914.

For free edition on the Web, please visit: www.chennaimath.org

CONTENTS APRIL 2015

Gita Verse for Reflection

125

Editorial  How Much Do We Need?

Aspects of Cultivating Contentment 126 Articles  Down the Memory Lane—The First Centenary Celebration of

Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth 131 Swami Sambuddhananda  An Introduction to ‘Sadhana’ 135 William Page  The Never-say-die Spirit: A Firsthand Account of What Determination,

Hard Work and Faith Can Achieve 137 Arunima Sinha  Worshipping God through Images: A Hindu Perspective 144 Umesh Gulati  Vedanta and Scientific Temper 150 C. Balaji  Karma Yoga—the Path of Non-attachment in Action 154 Radhanath Behera Compilation  Insights into Some Keywords: In Swami Vivekananda’s Words

147

New Find Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 148  The Order on the March 156  Book Reviews 159 

Feature  Simhâvalokanam (The Ascent of Values) Cover Story: Page 6

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The Vedanta Kesari Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 h (044) 2462 1110 (4 lines) Fax : (044) 2493 4589 Email : thevedantakesari@chennaimath.org Website : www.chennaimath.org TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS

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N Cover Story N Swamiji’s Statue at RKM Ashrama, Baranagar, Kolkata Installed on 12 January 2011 in the open courtyard of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama at Baranagar in north Kolkata, this fibreglass statue of Swami Vivekananda was unveiled by Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj, the President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. The statue has been installed to mark the Centenary of the Baranagar Ashrama (started in 1912). The eight-foot high statue is placed on a pedestal under a canopy. Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama at Baranagar (situated near Ramakrishna Math, Baranagar) runs a high-school and primary school, two coaching centres, a library, homeopathic dispensary, a mobile medical unit, and conducts value education seminars for students, as also a number of welfare and religious activities. o

T he V edanta K esari P atrons ’ S cheme We invite our readers to join as patrons of the magazine. They can do so by sending Rs.2000/- or more. Names of the patrons will be announced in the journal under the Patrons' Scheme and they will receive the magazine for 20 years. Please send your contribution to The Manager, The Vedanta Kesari by DD/MO drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai with a note that the enclosed amount is for the Patrons' Scheme. (This scheme is valid in India only).

PATRONS 707. Mr. Vikram Singh, UP 708. Mr.P. Veeraiah, Chennai

709. Mr. N. Kannan, Bangalore

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

5843. Mr. K. Prabakar, Hyderabad 5844.

-do- 5845.

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5851.

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AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

Pioneer Kumaraswamy College, Nagercoil, T.N.–629 003 Kongu Arts and Science College, Nanjanapuram, Erode, T.N.–638 107 Kendriya Vidyalaya, Govinda Puram, Calicut, Kerala–673 016 G.T.N. Arts College, Karur Road, Dindigul, T.N.–624 005 Smt. J.P. Shroff Arts College, Valsad, Gujarat - 396 001 Sana College of Education, Nellore, A.P. - 524 302 Padmashree College of Hospital, Bangalore - 560 072 GVM S G G P R College, Ponda, Goa - 403 401 Govt. Thirumagol Mills College, Gudiyattam, Vellore Dist., T.N. - 632 602 Jasani Arts-Com College, Rajkot, Gujarat - 360 001 Agriculture College, Veraval Road, Junagadh - 362 001 To be continued . . .

The Vedanta Kesari VOL. 102, No. 4, APRIL 2015 ISSN 0042-2983

E ACH

SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE.

T HE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN. 7

Gita Verse for Reflection Tr. by Swami Tapasyananda

—Bhagavad Gita, 12-6-7

But, O son of Pritha, soon will I lift from this ocean of death-bound worldly existence, those whose minds are ever set on Me—those who abandon to Me the fruits of all their actions together with the sense of agency thereof, and who worship Me, meditating on Me as their sole refuge and their only love.

B Those who give themselves up to the Lord do more for the world than all the socalled workers. One man who has purified himself thoroughly accomplishes more than a regiment of preachers. Out of purity and silence comes the word of power.

‘Be like a lily—stay in one place and expand your petals; and the bees will come of themselves.’ . . The power is with the silent ones, who only live and love and then withdraw their personality. They never say ‘me’ and ‘mine’; they are only blessed in being instruments. Such men are the makers of Christs and Buddhas, ever living fully identified with God, ideal existences, asking nothing, and not consciously doing anything. They are the real movers, the Jivanmuktas, absolutely selfless, the little personality entirely blown away, ambition non-existent. They are all principle, no personality.

—Swami Vivekananda, CW, 7.16

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Editorial

How Much Do We Need?

Aspects of Cultivating Contentment How Much?

‘How much land does a man need?’ asks Leo Tolstoy, the renowned Russian thinker and author in one of his famous short stories, and ends by saying, ‘Six by two’—a reference to the fact that the acquisitive protagonist of the story who, in his desire to have ‘vast land’, falls dead as he walks through the land ‘as much as possible’ before the sunset in order to own it, and is then buried in a grave: six by two. If the protagonist was from Hindu tradition, he might have needed even less— just a place to cremate his mortal remains and then dispose off the ashes!

Likewise, not only land, how much food, clothing, books, how much big house and car and salary does a man need? And now, in today’s trends, how many computers, hard disks, ‘likes-dislikes’, smartphones, MP3 players, designer’s goods and so on does a man need! Objects change their forms and names but ‘needs’ do not. Having more is what is called ‘progress’, generally speaking.

But is it? More than a century ago, Swami Vivekananda observed, I do not see that what you call progress in the world is other than the multiplication of desires.

If one thing is obvious to me it is this that desires bring all misery; it is the state of the beggar, who is always begging for something, and unable to see anything without the wish to possess it, is always longing, longing for more. If the power to satisfy our desire is increasing in arithmetical progression, the power of desire is increased in geometrical progression.1 T h e

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To think that one can overcome or decimate one’s desires, whatever be their names, forms and shapes, by fulfilling them is like adding fuel to fire with the hope that it will get extinguished. Unbridled enjoyment only adds to our desires. We get caught and entangled in them more and yet more, as Swamiji describes: The bee came to sip the honey, but its feet stuck to the honey-pot and it could not get away.

Again and again, we are finding ourselves in that state. That is the whole secret of existence. Why are we here? We came here to sip the honey, and we find our hands and feet sticking to it. We are caught, though we came to catch. We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life. We are being worked upon by other minds, and we are always struggling to work on other minds. We want to enjoy the pleasures of life; and they eat into our vitals. We want to get everything from nature, but we find in the long run that nature takes everything from us—depletes us, and casts us aside.2

But there comes a time when we seek to get out of this network of illusion of getting and losing, this endless suffering of being at the mercy of desires. The Gita (7.19) says it needs several births (i.e., time and experiences) to realise the true meaning of happiness. And thus begins our journey of tracing back to ‘where it all started’—the source of our mental distress and turmoil—and we start dissecting

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our own actions and reactions, emotions and expectations, successes and failures. And lo! There we discover the problem is not out there but in here. It is right in our own mind or personality, its current structure and inclinations, its deep-rooted thought patterns and areas which it considers important and sources of pleasure; it is desire that is at the root of all mischief. And then arises the need for practice of contentment.

Practice of santosha or contentment is one of the pre-requisites of Ashtanga Yoga.

It forms a part of the five Niyamas that sage Patanjali lays down.

What Brings Dissatisfaction Desire is what makes a prisoner of us. We are caught in the endless maze of seeking, and yet more seeking and never finding a place to lay our head on. How to emerge out of this maze? By cultivating a sense of contentment.

Contentment brings us true riches that we have been seeking. Asks Adi Shankaracharya: ‘Who is rich? One who is content.’ What material prosperity is it supposed to bring?

Happiness. But does happiness come from fulfilling a desire?

According to Vedanta psychology, happiness is not in the object of senses. They seem to give happiness. We come in touch with them, and then they bring happiness. If we are out of sorts for any reason—disturbed or distracted or depressed due to an unpleasant event or experience such as failing in a school examination or being dismissed from our job and so on—we cannot get the enjoyment that seems to come from what we like. A sweet, for instance, may be what we like but if it is offered when we had just fractured our leg!

Cruelty we call it. So, it is not just objects but object plus senses plus our mind—that is how happiness seems to occur.

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But Vedanta goes further and asserts that even coming together of these factors is also not the real source of happiness. The real source is Atman, the eternal, divine and joyful nature of ours. The calmer and purer our mind is, the more we experience this now-faintly- perceived source of happiness.

Happiness comes from within, though it appears to come from outside. What happens is when a desire arises in us, our mind or Chitta becomes restless. The supply of inner happiness thus gets snapped or temporarily disrupted. The basic ground of our existence becomes hazy and unclear. But instead of returning to our pristine state of joy and calmness, we get involved with senses to fulfill the desire. A desire, thus, is a kind of distraction or diversion from the innate happiness present within. When the desire gets fulfilled, for time being, the Chitta seems to calm down, resulting in ‘happiness’. But soon this happiness or the state of joy is replaced by restlessness caused by another set of desires which emerge by then. We thus get into action, again, to fulfill the next desire (i.e. to remove what causes disruption in our inner happiness). And thus it goes on and on in our lives.

Further, how does this mistake or error in finding the right source of happiness happen?

Sage Patanjali says that it is because the Self within becomes identified, through mind, with various objects of senses. He says that when we are full of calmness, the Eternal Seer within rests in his unmodified state. Swami Vivekananda explains,

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The bottom of a lake we cannot see, because its surface is covered with ripples. It is only possible for us to catch a glimpse of the bottom, when the ripples have subsided, and the water is calm. If the water is muddy or is agitated all the time, the bottom will not be seen. If it is clear, and A P R I L

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there are no waves, we shall see the bottom. The bottom of the lake is our own true Self; the lake is the Chitta and the waves the Vrittis. . . The Chitta is always trying to get back to its natural pure state, but the organs draw it out. To restrain it, to check this outward tendency, and to start it on the return journey to the essence of intelligence is the first step in Yoga, because only in this way can the Chitta get into its proper course. . . . As soon as the waves have stopped, and the lake has become quiet, we see its bottom. So with the mind; when it is calm, we see what our own nature is; we do not mix ourselves but remain our own selves.3

be content. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi observed ‘There is no greater virtue than contentment.’

Contentment means being established in our own nature. The Bhagavad Gita says: When a man completely casts away, O Partha, all the desires of the mind, satisfied in the Self alone by the Self, then is he said to be one of steady wisdom.4 With their minds wholly in Me [the Supreme Being], with their senses absorbed in Me, enlightening one another, and always speaking of Me, they are satisfied and delighted.5 He who hates no creature, and is friendly and compassionate towards all, who is free from the feelings of ‘I and mine’, even-minded in pain and pleasure, forbearing, ever content, steady in meditation, self-controlled, and possessed of firm conviction, with mind and intellect fixed on Me—he who is thus devoted to Me, is dear to Me.6

Happiness or true joy is our very nature, and we need not search for it elsewhere!

Other Facets of Contentment The above discussion apart, there are other factors that make us restless and unsatisfied. One of the most powerful of these factors is comparison with those who have more than what we have. This may be due to peerpressure or our own heightened sense of value attached to something. It could be anything— objects that please our senses, physical beauty, better place of living and superior means of transport, talents, speaking or writing skills, enhanced status and position in society or in a hierarchy and so on. The list is so encompassing that it can cover all our activities, plans, accomplishments, whole life itself. So the issue of being or not being content needs to be understood in a larger perspective of life.

Extolling the virtue of contentment a Hindu mystic says, ‘Do not look at the wellcooked meals that others eat and become greedy. Instead enjoy eating whatever you can afford, however dry and tasteless it might be.’

It is only when we turn our attention within and discover the source of joy and peace, that Atman, our real Self, can we truly T h e

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It is discontentment, again, which is the root-cause of many social, environmental and other issues that are threatening our very existence. Greed, ‘wanting more and more’, is what gives rise to many contemporary challenges. Unchecked pollution, deforestation, increasing mental and social unrest and a host of other problems directly arise from wanting to have more.

Need Versus Greed Mahatma Gandhi rightly proclaimed, ‘The world has enough for everybody’s need but not enough for one man’s greed.’ To live a life of satisfaction, one must have a sense of discernment. The same old question, ‘How much do we need?’ Well, besides the general dictum of sticking to need-level, our needs vary depending on our station in life, age, health, the work at hand and so on. Sant Kabir’s wisdom may be recalled in this context,

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Sayeen Itna Deejiye, Ja Mein Kutumb Samaye Main Bhi Bhookha Na Rahun, Sadhu Na Bhookha Jaye Give so much O God, suffice to envelop my clan; I should not suffer cravings, nor does the visitor go unfed.

This means our level of needs can or should include enough resources to serve others. The idea of service to others in some way or the other is also a part of the ideal of contentment. One should not, in the name of contentment, become self-centred and selfish.

How to live in the world then? Swami Ramakrishnananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, says, If you wish to be happy, if you wish to be wise, if you wish to be strong, never let the world take you. The boat may be in the water, but the water must not be in the boat; so we may be in the world, but the world must not be in us.7

One vital aspect of need versus greed is the ability to distinguish between real need and assumed need. A wrist watch, for instance, is a need for most people but a branded wrist-watch, expensive and glittering, is only an assumed need. Many a time we forget the purpose for which we want an object. The irony is that sometimes people wearing commonplace watches may be more punctual than those wearing the branded ones!

Punctuality is the point, not the watch.

While we must be able to gauge where our needs end and greed begins, there is another aspect of cultivating contentment which a spiritual seeker needs to bear in mind.

And this aspect is with regard to spiritual dissatisfaction. Unlike worldly dissatisfaction,

spiritual dissatisfaction is a much needed and praised state. One should be spiritually hungry in order to grow. Called divine discontent, this form of dissatisfaction is welcome.

Sri Ramakrishna laid great emphasis on longing for God which is a form of spiritual dissatisfaction. Says Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna and the first President of the Ramakrishna Order, At the very start how can one attain peace? First must come restlessness, yearning and intense pain for not having seen Him. The greater the thirst, the sweeter the water. We must rouse unrest in the heart. When a man does not find happiness in the world, then he grows restless and attachment to God awakens in him.8

Lack of spiritual hunger or getting satisfied with the little one has obtained in one’s spiritual practice is not a virtue but an obstacle which a seeker should try to overcome.

Conclusion One needs only that much—as much as we perceive what our real needs are and it requires wisdom to separate need from greed. One should develop discernment and a proper sense of proportion. An understanding of the passing nature of life and objects of senses too helps us overcome discontentment.

Ultimately, Self-experience or God-experience or experience of our ever-fulfilled divine nature alone can make us truly content and satisfied. And such a person, says the Gita:9 Whose happiness is within, whose relaxation is within, whose light is within—such a man of inner awakening, becoming one with the Infinite spirit, attains pure calm of eternity. o

References 1. CW, 2.172 2. CW, 2.2 7. Precepts for Perfection, p.115 T h e

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Simhâvalokanam From the Archives of The Vedanta Kesari (January, 1924-25, p. 346-347)

The Ascent of Values K.S. RAMASWAMI SASTRI, B.A. B.L.

Generally values are determined by desires. In the realm of economics this is always so. Diamonds are more valuable than pebbles because human beings desire the former for self-adornment and the supply of diamonds is limited while pebbles are not desired and their number is unlimited.

But there are not only temporary relative values but also permanent relative values.

The things which are the objects of steady and continued desire and are necessary for the functioning of the soul have a higher value than other things. Light, air and water may or may not have an economic value according to their availableness or unavailableness in plenty, but they have certainly and at all times have this higher value.

The next rung in the ladder of values is that of absolute and universal values which are more intimately connected with the will of man than the values above indicated. Our ideas of duty, justice, truth, and beauty belong to this higher order of values. If our consciousness consisted of a discontinuous series of isolated flashes of experience, this higher order of values cannot exist. Upon the continutity of our consciousness and of our self-awareness of identity of personality depend the fundamental directions of evaluation.

In this higher realm of universal and absolute values, there are various important aspects. We have first of all the values of being. We realise the existence of the objective and the subjective worlds, of nature and personalities, of things and persons. The interconnections of these form a realm of values. History is the connections of persons just as nature is the connection of things. In nature’s causal series there is only sequence; but in the case of wills there is union.

Quite as important as the values of being are the values of beauty. Unity in variety and variety in unity—this is the first great law of art. Harmony is the perfect adjustment of unity and variety.

‘Fair is the swan whose majesty, prevailing, O’er breezeless water, on Locarno’s lake Bears him on while proudly sailing, He leaves behind a moon-illumined wake.’

By these lines the poet creates in us the harmony of peace and brightness and unity in variety. Love is the harmony—nay, fusion—of wills: Love is the joy of self-realised harmony.

The unity of love brings the unity of happiness. Happiness is the bright point of touch where truth and beauty meet. o T h e

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Down the Memory Lane —The First Centenary Celebration of Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth SWAMI SAMBUDDHANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

The following article, of much archival and documentary significance, is based on a recorded talk given in the early 1960s by late Swami Sambuddhananda (1891-1974) at the Vedanta Society of Hawaii in Honolulu, USA. Swami Sambuddhananda was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.

He was appointed a Trustee of Ramakrishna Math and Mission in 1947 and had the distinction of playing a pivotal role in organizing the Centenary Celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna in 1936 and Swami Vivekananda in 1963. This very interesting and informative talk has been thoroughly edited by Swami Bhaskarananda, the Head of Vedanta Society of Seattle, USA. It was first published in Global Vedanta, the English quarterly published from there. We are grateful to the Editorial Board of Global Vedanta for permitting us to reproduce it here.

As the work progressed according to the programme already chalked out for the Centenary Celebration [in 1936], we had to prepare for a Parliament of Religions. And it was decided that the Parliament of Religions would be held for seven days, and it would have 14 sessions. The Town Hall of Calcutta, which could hold an audience of 2,500, was chosen to be the venue of the Parliament. Had the sessions been left open to the public, the rush of attendees would be so great that it would be impossible for us to accommodate them in that hall. That’s why we decided that one would have to buy tickets to attend the sessions. Every day there were two sessions— one in the morning and one in the evening.

And the attendance at the evening sessions was very large. The hall would be packed with 2,500 people every evening. As people had to go to work in the morning, only a few hundred attended the morning sessions, except on Sunday when we had a full house.

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In the evening sessions various famous speakers and dignitaries, not only from India, but also from Europe and America, would give their talks or read their papers. In this manner, the Parliament of Religions was conducted.

But the first requirement, according to the programme of the Centenary Celebration, was that a message of the President of the General Committee of the Centenary should be broadcast all over the world. But how to secure the message of the President, who was no other than Swami Akhandananda, was a great problem, considering the fact that the Swami was dead against holding the birth-centenary of Sri Ramakrishna.

All the brother disciples of Swami Vivekananda loved him so much that anyone who was a friend or disciple of the great Swami was also very dear to them. Miss MacLeod figured very highly as an ardent admirer and friend of Swami Vivekananda.

At that time she was staying at Belur Math.

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Miss MacLeod

When she heard about this problem, she came forward and wanted to help us out.

She thought that if she went to Swami Akhandananda, who was at that time staying in our Sargachhi Ashrama, at a distance of nearly 100 miles from Belur Math, she would be able to persuade him to give a message for the Centenary. So she hired for herself an entire railroad coach, known in Indian Railways as the saloon car. A saloon car is like a self-contained house on wheels with bathroom, kitchen facilities, etc. That saloon car was attached to the ‘mail’ train for Behrampore. With Miss Macleod, her servant and also her cook went by the saloon car. The train on its way to its destination would pass through Sargachhi railroad station, where Miss MacLeod’s saloon car would be detached from the train. It would be reattached again when the same train would head back toward Calcutta from Behrampore some twelve hours later.

When she went to see Swami Akhandananda he was naturally overjoyed at her T h e

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surprise visit. Then the Swami heartily welcomed her and took her around the Ashrama and happily showed her the garden, different kinds of flowering plants, fruit trees, etc. At last they came back to the covered porch of the Ashrama building where the Swami usually would grant audiences to people. Both Miss MacLeod and the Swami sat there. Then by way of conversation she skillfully raised the topic of the Centenary Celebration. In so many words Swami Akhandananda expressed his strong disapproval of the very idea of celebrating the birth-centenary of Sri Ramakrishna. Miss MacLeod had taken with her some note sheets and recorded on them whatever the Swami said.

Then she took leave of the Swami, and came back to her saloon car. There she finished her bath, worship and lunch, and then took rest. In the evening she had her supper and waited for the mail train to come around 9 or 10 pm, attach her saloon car to itself and speed toward Calcutta. Next morning she came back to Belur Math and submitted those note sheets to Swami Shuddhananda, another disciple of Swami Vivekananda, as well as a very highly respected senior Swami [and later President] of the Ramakrishna Order. He was also the Secretary of both the General Committee as well as the Working Committee of the Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth-Centenary Celebration.

Swami Shuddhananda called me and said, ‘Well, Sambuddhananda, Miss MacLeod went to secure the message of our President at Sargachhi, and these are the papers that she has brought, you may read them.’

I asked him, ‘Maharaj,4 haven’t you read them yet?’

He said, ‘Yes, I’ve read them.’

Then I said to him, ‘In that case, I don’t see any necessity for me to go through them

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again. Will you please tell me what these papers contain?’

Then the Swami replied, ‘I have gone through all the six pages of her note sheets, but I couldn’t find a single sentence which could be used as a message from our President to the whole world.’

Now what would you do? He wanted my suggestion, so I told him, ‘In that case, it is better to substitute our President’s message with some suitable comments of Swami Vivekananda about Sri Ramakrishna.’

He accepted my suggestion and asked, ‘Can you tell me where such comments occur?’

I told him, ‘No, I can only say that these must be somewhere in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.’ The Complete Works has over eight volumes, how could I remember where those comments were!

The Swami at once asked one of the junior monks to bring a certain volume of the third edition of the book. And as soon as the book had been brought, he told that monk, ‘Well, open to page 264.’ Then he asked the monk to open another page. I was simply astounded by seeing Swami Shuddhananda’s wonderful memory power! Among the eight volumes, the pages that he had pointed out contained the lecture and the passage where we found the comments that we had been looking for. An amazing feat indeed!

Swami Vivekananda’s comments were presented at the Committee meeting. Some members wanted to omit a few words from Swami Vivekananda’s comments, because they thought that they could be interpreted as seditious by the British Government. But I said that we must not omit even a single word from Swami Vivekananda’s comments.

I argued that had those words been seditious the British Government would already have proscribed them.

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So nothing was omitted and we decided to send that message to many different places in Asia, Europe and America. We hardly had one day left for sending the message of Swami Vivekananda to those places, because any more delay would only mean that the message would not reach the destinations before their Centenary Celebrations. So we all worked feverishly day and night. But by the time we had made the letters enclosing that message ready for dispatch and went to the post office, they told us that the mailbags had already been sealed.

Luckily, one of the volunteers at our Centenary office was a retired Assistant Post Master General of the Government of India. So I caught hold of him and requested him to see if he could do anything about it.

He went to the General Post Office of Calcutta and threw his entire weight as the retired Assistant Post Master General, and was thus able to persuade his successor to reopen those mailbags and put all our letters in them. After the bags had been re-sealed and dispatched to the airport he came back to us and gave that good news.

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After two or three days, by the time the dispatched letters had reached their destinations, a messenger arrived from the Sargacchi Ashrama carrying a letter from our President, Swami Akhandananda. It contained the Swami’s message for the Centenary!

Swami Shuddhananda then called me and said, ‘Well, Sambuddhananda, at last our President has sent his message.’

I said to him, ‘Maharaj, I hope you have gone through it.’

He replied, ‘Yes.’ ‘How do you find it?’ I asked.

‘He knows how to write, and he has written quite well.’

The letter was written in Bengali. With only two days left before the Centenary Celebration would commence all over the world, we had another difficult problem to solve. We would have to translate his nearly 300-word long message into English and send it to all those different places in Asia, Europe and America by cablegram in a day! How that problem was resolved is another interesting story.

(To be continued . . .)

vvv References :

4. In the Ramakrishna Order tradition, monks are addressed by using the word ‘Maharaj’.

What Religion Does for Man Well has it been said that man is the only animal that naturally looks upwards; every other animal naturally looks down. That looking upward and going upward and seeking perfection are what is called salvation; and the sooner a man begins to go higher, the sooner he raises himself towards this idea of truth as salvation. It does not consist in the amount of money in your pocket, or the dress you wear, or the house you live in, but in the wealth of spiritual thought in your brain. That is what makes for human progress, that is the source of all material and intellectual progress, the motive power behind, the enthusiasm that pushes mankind forward.

Religion does not live on bread, does not dwell in a house. Again and again you hear this objection advanced: ‘What good can religion do? Can it take away the poverty of the poor?’ Supposing it cannot, would that prove the untruth of religion? Suppose a baby stands up among you when you are trying to demonstrate an astronomical theorem, and says, ‘Does it bring gingerbread?’ ‘No, it does not’, you answer. ‘Then’, says the baby, ‘it is useless.’ Babies judge the whole universe from their own standpoint, that of producing gingerbread, and so do the babies of the world. We must not judge of higher things from a low standpoint. Everything must be judged by its own standard and the infinite must be judged by the standard of infinity. Religion permeates the whole of man’s life, not only the present, but the past, present, and future. It is, therefore, the eternal relation between the eternal soul and the eternal God. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 3:4

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Article

An Introduction to ‘Sadhana’ WILLIAM PAGE

What is Sadhana The Sanskrit word for religious practices is sadhana. Sadhana includes (but is not limited to) activities such as worship, prayer, japa [repeating Divine Name], meditation, performing rituals, studying scriptures, discussing religious subjects, singing hymns and devotional songs, participating in religious gatherings, keeping holy company, and going on pilgrimages. Some of these are best practiced in solitude; others require the participation of others.

Finally, sadhana includes the practice that Swami Vivekananda emphasized most strongly: serving God in others. This is an outward-directed ideal that not only benefits others, but prevents religious practice from degenerating, as it sometimes does, into a selfcentered narcissism.

Sadhana is an ongoing effort to recondition the mind so that it will always be aware of the presence of God. In the Vedantic tradition, its preliminary aim is to attain heightened consciousness of a personal deity or the impersonal Absolute. That may result in religious ecstasies and mystical experiences. But eventually it should lead to a transformation of character. If sadhana doesn’t transform your character (for the better!), it’s not doing its job. Its ultimate goal is vijnana, seeing God in everything—and acting accordingly.

First, ‘Kick Out the Pigs’ Before we begin, we have to make the mind fit for God to dwell in. We wouldn’t invite a king to visit us if we were living in a pigsty. We’d kick out the pigs, get rid of any evidence that they had ever lived there, remodel the whole place, repaint it, redecorate it, sweep and scrub the floors, open the curtains to let in the light, and set out some flowers to welcome our royal guest.

William Page has been associated with the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Massachusetts since 1960 and is a member of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Thailand. o

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In the same way, we have to make preparations to receive God in the little cottage of our heart. We have to clean it up—get rid of all inappropriate, dirty, and evil thoughts; banish unwholesome emotions, habits, and tendencies; and fill it with purity and holiness.

This is hard. Sadhana is not for sissies.

When we’re scrubbing out the corners of our mind, we’re often appalled to find how much dirt has accumulated. The more dirt we scrub away, the more we find, until sometimes it seems that the mind is composed of nothing but unending layers of dirt. That can be discouraging. But God’s grace can

overcome all obstacles, and often we sense him watching us, encouraging us and urging us onward.

It has often been said that for every step we take toward God, he takes a hundred steps toward us. It would be impossible for us to keep struggling to make ourselves worthy of his indwelling if we didn’t believe that he wants to dwell within us as much as we want him to dwell there. Swami Sarvagatananda, a disciple of Swami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna—used to say, ‘Do your best and forget the rest.’ All we can do is try our best—and pray for God to help us. o

That Is The One Great First Step How some people give all their energies, time, brain, body, and everything, to become rich! They have no time for breakfast! Early in the morning they are out and at work! They die in the attempt—ninety per cent of them—and the rest when they make money, cannot enjoy it. That is grand! I do not say it is bad to try to be rich. It is marvellous, wonderful.

Why, what does it show? It shows that one can have the same amount of energy and struggle for freedom as one has for money. We know we have to give up money and all other things when we die, and yet, see the amount of energy we can put forth for them.

But we, the same human beings, should we not put forth a thousandfold more strength and energy to acquire that which never fades, but which remains to us for ever? For this is the one great friend, our own good deeds, our own spiritual excellence, that follows us beyond the grave. Everything else is left behind here with the body.

That is the one great first step—the real desire for the ideal. Everything comes easy after that. That the Indian mind found out; there, in India, men go to any length to find truth. But here, in the West, the difficulty is that everything is made so easy. It is not truth, but development, that is the great aim. The struggle is the great lesson. Mind you, the great benefit in this life is struggle. It is through that we pass. If there is any road to Heaven, it is through Hell. Through Hell to Heaven is always the way. When the soul has wrestled with circumstance and has met death, a thousand times death on the way, but nothing daunted has struggled forward again and again and yet again—then the soul comes out as a giant and laughs at the ideal he has been struggling for, because he finds how much greater is he than the ideal. I am the end, my own Self, and nothing else, for what is there to compare to my own Self? Can a bag of gold be the ideal of my Soul?

Certainly not! My Soul is the highest ideal that I can have. Realising my own real nature is the one goal of my life. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 5.252

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The Never-say-die Spirit A Firsthand Account of What Determination, Hard Work and Faith Can Achieve ARUNIMA SINHA

The following is based on the speech in Hindi delivered by Ms Arunima Sinha, a young athlete who lost her leg under tragic and cruel circumstances but later went on to scale Mount Everest with an artificial leg. She is the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest with an prosthetic leg. The speech was given on 10 August 2013 in the International Youth Conference organised by Ramakrishna Mission, Vadodara in Gujarat. The session was chaired by Swami Suhitanandaji, General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. She was earlier felicitated by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. She was recently awarded Padma Shree, the fourth highest civilian award given by the Government of India. On receiving it, she wrote, ‘I dedicate this award to Swami Vivekananda, Bachendri Pal Mam [the first Indian woman to scale the Mount Everest and under whom Arunima received her training in mountaineering]. This award is for youth of India.’ Recently she co-authored a book titled Born Again on the Mountain with Manish Chandra Pandey, on her experiences, published by Penguin.

We are thankful to Swami Nikhileswarananda, the Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission, Vadodara, for providing us with this text which has been slightly edited and rearranged.

High Goal, Determination and Hard Work It feels wonderful to share my thoughts and my journey with you on the occasion of the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Swami Vivekananda.

The first thing that youth must remember is they must have a goal in life, a high goal.

The difficulty is not whether we succeed in achieving the goal; the difficulty is that a large number of youth do not have any goal at all.

Hence, first we must fix a goal. And then day and night think about it, saturate our mind with the thought of our goal. We must so vigorously pursue our goal that people start calling us mad! Let us not forget that only those ‘dreams’ are realized which are dreamt during waking state, not during sleep. And T h e

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dreams should be so overpowering that they do not allow us to sleep, and then only they will be realized.

Goal-setting should be followed by proper planning or means to achieve our goal.

Besides thinking well over it, we may have to seek help from the experts or eminent people in the field in which we want to succeed. We should approach the right people and plan our path properly. Along with these, we need perseverance. In spite of all setbacks, we must try again and again, do not bother about criticism. For any new undertaking there is always stiff resistance. But if we persevere, acceptance comes but before that we must persevere.

If we want success, there is no substitute for hard work. Practice, practice, practice—

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practice makes a man perfect. As a little girl I remember having read that even stones get eroded by constant friction with a rope. So, if we work hard, success is bound to come today or tomorrow. I do not believe in depending on fate and doing nothing. I believe that even destiny favours those who work hard. Said a famous poet ‘Make yourself so great that before shaping your destiny, even God would feel compelled to ask what your wish is.’ Let us not bother much about destiny or result.

We must work and the result is bound to come today or tomorrow. My own experience validated the age-old proverb: ‘Where there is will, there is way.’ If we exert our will, even what looks impossible, becomes possible.

Finally, success requires that we should seek the blessings of God and the elders. It is important to seek their blessing but alongside we should bear in mind that ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ If you go one step towards God, He will come ten steps towards you, but you have to take the first step.

My Story Now let me illustrate what is said just now through my own story. This was an event that transformed my life forever.

I have been always interested in sports and have been a volleyball player at national level. On 11 April 2011, I boarded the

Padmavati Express at Lucknow at about nine at night to go to Delhi for appearing for an exam of CISF (Central Industrial Security Force). It was an unreserved railway coach.

At midnight four robbers armed with guns entered the compartment and at once started snatching valuable items from the passengers.

When they asked me to hand over my gold chain and bag, I refused to give. They were so enraged that they simply dragged me and threw me out of the running train.

As I fell on the railway track, another train on the parallel track crushed my left leg below the knee. I tried to move but I could not as I was seriously injured. I was bleeding profusely and crying bitterly but none came to my rescue. It was pitch dark and I lay between two tracks, without any help in sight. Several trains passed by but no one observed me.

[Later when I checked the railways timetable, I discovered that about 50 trains passed over my mangled leg.] I was exposed to filthy water from the wastepipes of the passing trains some of which were passenger trains. I was so much close to one of the tracks that I had to take care so that my hand too did not get crushed by the trains. Thus I spent the whole night.

Next morning some villagers spotted me and immediately took me to the civil hospital in Bareilly, a city about 30 km away from there. The doctors examined my injuries Aerial view of the Mount Everest

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Arunima Sinha

and observed that I had multiple injuries on my body; the left leg below the knee was crushed and was dangling. It had developed serious infection. The doctors were talking among themselves that it was not possible to save this girl as they had no anaesthesia in order to do an emergency operation to amputate my infected leg and save the remaining part. Though I was semiconscious, with my eyes closed, I was able to listen to their conversation. I cried out, ‘No, I want to live, please operate without anaesthesia.’

The doctors were amazed when they heard me and decided to do the operation without anaesthesia. They operated for over two and half hours and finally removed the infested part which means my left foot and a part of my lower leg were amputated. I had to forbear an excruciating pain—physical and mental.

Later, the news of the train robbery and my being thrown out of running train were flashed and members of my family came to know of it. After some time, I was shifted to a hospital in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar T h e

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Pradesh, and then after a week, to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi.

For four months I underwent treatment there.

A Delhi-based Indian company came forward and they provided me an artificial leg (called prosthetic leg) free of cost.

While I was in AIIMS, I had to undergo a lot of suffering. Pain of treatment apart, I had to hear many uncharitable comments. Some mean-minded people commented no such robbery had taken place and that I had jumped out of the train when the ticket examiner came as I did not have ticket. Fortunately I had preserved the ticket; I showed it to the media persons who had gathered to report my case.

Further, such unthinkable things like I was thrown away by my brother was put forth.

Immediately, my brother defended himself saying that he was in Lucknow on that day and proved it through evidence. Someone had told the media that it was just a case of attempted suicide and even questioned my credential of being a national volleyball player.

Much greater than all the physical suffering that I was going through, it was this mental torture that broke me down.

But I reflected over the whole thing and told myself that it was no use weeping.

I should give a fitting reply to such baseless accusations by achieving something great. I had learnt that some people were going on a mission to climb Mt Everest. I decided that I too would climb Mount Everest and prove that I was not defeated. I refused to accept that I had become useless. When I said this to some people, they laughed at me. Some exclaimed, ‘The poor girl has lost her brain along with the leg.’ But I was determined to pursue my goal of climbing the Mount Everest. Day and night I dreamt about it.

But fixing the goal is one thing and achieving it is another thing. What is needed

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Some trainees came for the camp for ten days’ course.

They came and went but I continued to be there. And it so happened that from among the group I joined, I was the first to reach to the Island Peak. Curious and amazed, some of them would ask me, ‘Madam, what do you eat?’

Before starting for the Mount Everest, I needed the blessings of God and of elders, because now I was to play the toughest game of my life. I got them in an unexpected way. I was Climbing the Mount Everest—a representational picture invited by a Mountaineering Club for a motivational talk at Vadodara. is planning the means to achieve our cherished While at Vadodara, someone advised me to goal. I contacted Bachendri Pal, the first visit the Vivekananda Memorial (the Dilaram Indian woman to climb the Mount Everest, Bungalow, a place sanctified by Swami and signed up for training under her at the Vivekananda). The ideal appealed to me and Uttarkashi camp organised by the Tata Steel I went there on 23 January 2013. I went to the Adventure Foundation (TSAF) 2012. I began shrine and the meditation room on the first my training and it was no easy thing. I had to floor and sat for meditation there some time. muster all my courage and strength to start my I indeed felt energized and inspired. Later I life all over and again. met the Swamiji [Swami Nikhileswaranandaji] After a rigorous and intensive training there and was gifted a few books on and for one year, I went on my first climb. I of Swami Vivekananda and a small plastic climbed Island Peak (6150 meters) in Nepal folder having the pictures of the Holy Trio (Sri as a preparation to my ascent of the Mount Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi Everest. It is at this juncture I realized the and Swami Vivekananda). The monk told me importance of hard work and perseverance to read the books regularly and to pray to the in success. In the beginning of my training Holy Trio whenever I was in distress. I began period, I was slow in climbing because of my following these words with sincerity. artificial leg which I had difficulty to move.

I returned from Vadodara inspired. But I Sometimes I could reach only half the way by had to solve another challenge. Before starting the time my fellow trainees would be returning my tedious journey of scaling the Mount from their climb. Seeing this, I became Everest, I was in dilemma whether I should nervous, but I did not give in. I continued carry an extra artificial leg or not. This was my training without a break for a year.

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because the artificial leg I had was already worn out due to two years of rigorous training and I did not have enough money to purchase a spare one. I called the Swamiji at Vadodara and told him my problem. He advised me not to take any risk in this matter and promptly arranged for the required amount to procure another prosthetic leg. This gave much fillip to my confidence.

On 1 April, 2013, I left Kathmandu in Nepal and reached the base camp to Mount Everest on 17 April. For one month I stayed there to get adjusted with the climate and high altitude. In the tent where I stayed I made a small make-shift shrine and placed the photo of the Holy Trio there and worshipped it regularly.

On 16 May I left the base camp for the summit. The journey was getting more and more challenging. There were many anxious moments. As I walked, at one point my artificial leg came out. We have to move in the

formation of a line in our climb. The people behind me began to shout to move on but how could I move? I took some courage and caught hold of the artificial leg with one hand and somehow dragged myself to a safer place and fixed it back.

While climbing I used to shout loudly ‘Jai Swamiji’ (Victory to Swamiji). From time to time I used to take out the photo of the Holy Trio and have a look at it and again put it back in the bag. The Sherpa who was accompanying me asked me the reason for my doing like this.

I replied, ‘You will not understand; this is my energy capsule.’

At one point I saw a number of dead bodies (of the mountaineers who had died) on the way. It was a horrible and

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frightening sight. It was difficult to go ahead without going over those bodies. I mentally told the souls of the dead people, ‘I do not know how many of you have fulfilled your wish of reaching the summit

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of Mount Everest. But if your wish has remained unfulfilled, I promise that I will perform that task on behalf of you all and return, please give me your blessings.’

When I was about 700 feet away from the summit of the Mount Everest, there was red light in the meter attached to my oxygen cylinder, indicating that my oxygen was running out. I was told to come back immediately by the Sherpa and the Nepal mountaineering agency people because death was certain without oxygen. I was able to see the summit from that point and I was asked to return! I thought, ‘I have at least enough oxygen to reach the summit, and place the flag of my nation and the photo of Holy Trio there; let me move on.’ Despite all warnings, I took the risk of my life. The Sherpa had threatened that he will not accompany me and become a witness to my death, but after seeing my determination, he just followed me.

On 21 May at 10.55 am, I reached the summit (29,200 ft)—I was atop the highest peak in the world. I placed the Indian national flag along with the flag of Tata steel (the sponsoring agency) on the summit and took a video of about two minutes. As I was not sure if I would able to reach back, I told the Sherpa to send the video to India, so that the youths of India may be motivated. In my video, I also said, ‘Do not stop till the goal is reached even at the cost of death, just as I am here on the top of the world, even while facing death.’

Then I moved the snow a bit and made an altar-like platform of snow and placed the photo of the Holy Trio there. After doing a small mental worship, I prayed, ‘I do not know how to chant the mantras like the monks of Ramakrishna Order but please accept my worship with the devotion of my heart; please remove the sufferings of all the people of T h e

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the world, especially of those, who are more unfortunate than me.’

As I prayed there, the Sherpa was becoming restless because it was getting late and the weather had become terrible. From the viewpoint of uncertain weather, reaching the Everest summit after 11.00 a.m. is considered suicidal and it was already 11.00 a.m. The wind was blowing at a speed of 230 km per hour, the temperature was minus 40o C. Very little oxygen was left in the cylinder. So after the worship I kept the photo of the Holy Trio there for good and started my decent to the base camp.

Surprisingly, within a few minutes I found an oxygen cylinder from a fellow mountaineer who had a spare one and I was thus saved. It was like this: a British man was climbing up with two oxygen cylinders, seeing the terrible weather on the summit; he abandoned his plan of going there and started his return journey. Before going down he threw the oxygen cylinder he was using and put on a new one as he was finding it difficult to carry two heavy cylinders. My Sherpa saw it from a distance and immediately rushed to the spot and brought the cylinder and handed it over to me. This was how I survived.

During the return journey I had to pass through many more trials. At one point due to extreme cold my hand got frozen. I was finding it difficult to hold on to the rope and move. The pain was terrible, and unable to bear it, I began weeping. After a few moments I wiped the tears and told myself, ‘Arunima, it is no use weeping, if you want to survive, you have to move on and bear the pain, no pain, no gain,’ Then I prayed, ‘O Lord, you are Almighty, but remember I am also your daughter, you try your best to kill me, I will also try my best to survive, let us see who wins.’

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Finally, I returned and I am still alive and Let me conclude my speech with a talking to you, for which I am grateful to the couplet: Lord and the elders for their blessings and to The real test is yet not over my family members for their support.

The real flight is yet not taken I now want to start a sports academy I have only covered the ocean for physically handicapped people. There are While the whole sky remains unexplored! many more Arunimas like me, who do not get Goal-setting, practical plan to achieve the a chance to pursue their goal in sports, because goal, hard work, determination and above all they are poor. I want to provide opportunities faith, equipped with these we can achieve even for them. what seems impossible to achieve. o vvv

BOOK REVIEW

Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha with Manish Chandra Pandey.

Published by Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd, 7th Floor, Infinity Tower C, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon 122 002, Haryana. 2014, paperback, pp.217, Rs.299.

In this handy volume one finds an awe-inspiring story of faith, grit and resilience through which one can surmount challenges of life; one can emerge victorious even in the seemingly most hopeless situations and circumstances.

Divided into several sections, though without chapter headings, the book is a gripping narrative of the hardships that Arunima Sinha went through in great details. It provides graphic picture of her accident, treatment and recouping, followed by her training experience, heroic Himalayan expedition where she was face-to-face with death on several occasions, scaling the peak in the most precarious circumstances and being ‘born again on the mountain’, a metaphorical experience of rediscovering her place and worth in life. Many family and social details of the author also find a place in the book. The hurdles placed by some sections of media and bureaucratic red tape is also mentioned. She describes the role played by her family members, Bachendri Pal and many others who helped and made her fulfil her resolve to rediscover her meaning in life through climbing the Mount Everest.

The book is indeed a thriller, a story that is ‘simply inspiration’. However, her connection with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the inspiration that she received from it needs to be highlighted. The book is highly recommended to all—specially the youth.

—VK Office The Prime Minister launching Arunima’s book at New Delhi in December 2014

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Worshipping God through Images A Hindu Perspective UMESH GULATI

An Event that Influenced the Modern Times Let us first refer to a historical event of th 19 century India.

Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884), the celebrated Brahmo leader who succeeded Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) was an accomplished scholar and charming orator.

He had absorbed many ideas from the Western philosophy. He was also a great master of English, and his eloquence equalled that of Gladstone, one of the famous prime ministers of England.

Keshab Sen came into contact with Sri Ramakrishna, and over a period of time began to love and respect Sri Ramakrishna.

But the two men were quite different. While Keshab Sen was the master of the English language and philosophy, and knew about Jesus Christ and many of the Hindu saints, Sri Ramakrishna scarcely had any formal education, even in his native Bengali. While Keshab Sen preached one formless, God, Sri Ramakrishna though believing in one God, always proclaimed that one God could have many names—Shiva or Vishnu, Jehovah or Allah. He also asserted that God could be formless and also with form. Keshab Sen considered the belief of many Hindus in the God with form as idolatry, and one of the objectives of his reform movement was to cleanse Hinduism of this ‘abomination’.

However, Keshab Sen had to learn a lesson of his lifetime from Sri Ramakrishna about what real idolatry is. He had, along with many ‘progressive thinkers of the day’ come to believe that God is formless and that it is a great sin to believe that God can be present in an image, and to pray and worship Him in that form. But then they heard the Master’s remarks on image worship: ‘As formless water freezes and becomes ice, so the formless Satchidananda is frozen, as it were, by devotion and given form.’ Or, ‘As an imitation custard apple reminds one of the real fruit, so one can experience the true nature of God by worshipping an image that represents Him.’1 In other words, an image of Shiva or Vishnu reminds the devotee of Shiva or Vishnu and to concentrate on his Ideal and realize Him. So, one is worshipping Shiva or Vishnu through their images, not the images in themselves. This approach had a far-reaching influence.

Keshab Sen often spoke of glories and powers of God, being merciful, kind, forgiving, and so forth, in his sermons, which the Master believed made Him distant from His children that we are. What Sri Ramakrishna meant was that when some value like worshiping images, endlessly praising of God, or what Karen Armstrong has said in her A History of God, a

 Umesh C. Gulati is a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna from North Carolina, USA. T h e

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Western value of individualism becomes an end in itself, it is idolatry.2

. . think that those who address God through material images are idolaters, while those whose images are shaped by words are not. There is idolatry on both sides, but it has to do with the shortsightedness of those whose vision stops at the image. The image is a window, not an object.

The eighteen-foot image of Vishnu is no more an idol than the cross, the ‘Our Father,’ or the bread at Holy Communion. . . Idolatry is in the eye of the beholder.3

Worshipping Images: A Spiritual Aid Swami Vivekananda too argued that if an image is worshipped as such, and not as a ‘help to the vision’ of God, it is idolatry. So the point that Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda emphasize was that the main objective of a man of religion is to realize God and to have his vision. If a stone image is helpful as a means in doing so, or the image provides a suggestion of the Ultimate Reality that it represents, and turns our minds to its realization, it is a perfectly valid form of worship.

In the recent times, Harvard University professor Diana Eck, too, concurs with the above viewpoint about what is idolatry and what is not. She says, The king, the lord, the shepherd, the father, the God with a mighty arm stretched through history are images, too. Even so, many of us .

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The cross, indeed, is the greatest symbol of Christianity. It signifies not only the death of Christ but also the redemption of man. For, here the blood of Christ cleanses man of the original sin. Islam, which is the most vehement opponent of images, and yet Muslims use the graves of their saints and martyrs almost in place of images. In fact, since such worship in both Christianity and Islam is for the objects in themselves and not as a means of having the vision of God, such worship is real idolatry.4

Mind you, the images of God that Hindus use are symbols by which they express the invisible by visible or sensuous representations. All our contact with the world outside is through symbols. Our language is nothing but symbols. Our art, our poetry, in fact every aspect of our life is based on symbols. According to Vishishtadvaita or qualified non-dualism, the whole universe is but one vast symbol of Brahman (or God).

The Advaitin asks: ‘is not everything Brahman when the name and the form have been removed from it?’

In other words, worshipping God through images or Pratikas, taken as substitutes for God—not God itself—is quite an accepted means for realizing God. The important thing, as Sri Ramakrishna said, is sincerity and yearning as a kitten has for the mother cat. In fact, having been appointed as a priest of the Kali Temple, Sri Ramakrishna wanted

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to know if the Divine Mother was real, and not just an image carved by an artist.

He would often become restless and yearned to see the Mother behind the image of Kali.

At last the Mother heard his prayer; so Sri Ramakrishna had one of his great visions of the Divine Mother Kali. Later, he himself described his first vision of the Mother: I felt as if my heart were being squeezed like a wet towel. I was overpowered with a great restlessness and a fear that it might not be my lot to realize Her [Divine Mother Kali] in this life. I could not bear the separation from Her any longer. Life seemed to be not worth living.

Suddenly my glance fell on the sword that was kept in the Mother’s temple. I determined to put an end to my life. When I jumped up like a madman and seized it, suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself. The building with

its different parts, the temple, and everything else vanished from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me up! I was panting for breath. I was caught in the rush and collapsed, unconscious. What was happening in the outside world I did not know; but within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I felt the presence of the divine Mother.

It is not clear from Sri Ramakrishna’s account that he actually saw the form of Mother Kali in the midst of this vision of shining consciousness. But it would seem that he did; because the first words that he uttered on coming to himself were ‘Mother, Mother!’5 This experience of Sri Ramakrishna is a vindication of many spiritually realized persons who have realized God by meditating on their Ideal through Its image. The thing to remember is that so long as we use the image of any Deity to realize the invisible God, it is not idolatry. How else can we concentrate on something, which is beyond thought or form? The visible image helps us focus on the Invisible Reality.

(To be continued . . .)

References 1

2

Swami Chetanananda (tr.), Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play (St. Louis, MO: Vedanta Society of St. Louis, 2003), 724; originally written in Bengali

by Swami Saradananda, as Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga.

Karen Armstrong, A History of God (New York: Ballantine Books, 1993), 93.

Diana L. Eck, Encountering God—A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993), 78.

4 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1991), v.3, 61-62.

5 Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play, op.cit. 212.

3

In a potter’s shop there are vessels of different shapes and forms—pots, jars, dishes, plates, etc—but all are made of the same clay. So also God is one, but He is worshipped in different ages and places under different names and aspects. —Sri Ramakrishna T h e

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Compilation

Insights into Some Keywords In Swami Vivekananda’s Words A few definitions and descriptive passages from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Pravritti and Nivritti The two beautiful Sanskrit words for these phenomena are Pravritti and Nivritti, ‘circling forward’ and ‘circling inward’. It is the circling forward which usually governs our actions. Religion begins with the circling inward. Religion begins with this ‘do not’.

Spiritual begins with this ‘do not’. When the ‘do not’ is not there, religion has not begun.

(CW, 2.109) Here are two Sanskrit words. The one is Pravritti, which means revolving towards, and the other is Nivritti, which means revolving away. The ‘revolving towards’ is what we call the world, the ‘I and mine’; it includes all those things which are always enriching that ‘me’ by wealth and money and power, and name and fame, and which are of a grasping nature, always tending to accumulate everything in one centre, that centre being ‘myself’.

That is the Pravritti, the natural tendency of every human being; taking everything from everywhere and heaping it around one centre, that centre being man’s own sweet self.

When this tendency begins to break, when it is Nivritti or ‘going away from,’ then begin morality and religion. Both Pravritti and Nivritti are of the nature of work: the former is evil work, and the latter is good work. This Nivritti is the fundamental basis of all morality and all religion, and the very perfection of it is T h e

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entire self- abnegation, readiness to sacrifice mind and body and everything for another being. (CW, 1.86) Samskara Samskara can be translated very nearly by ‘inherent tendency’. Using the simile of a lake for the mind, every ripple, every wave that rises in the mind, when it subsides, does not die out entirely, but leaves a mark and a future possibility of that wave coming out again. This mark, with the possibility of the wave reappearing, is what is called Samskara.

(CW, 1:54) The Virtuous Vira, the Sanskrit word for ‘heroic’, is the origin of our word ‘virtue’, because in ancient times the best fighter was regarded as the most virtuous man. (CW, 7:78) Paradise The English word ‘paradise’ comes from the Sanskrit para-desa, which was taken over into the Persian language and means literally ‘the land beyond’, or the other world. The old Aryans always believed in a soul, never that man was the body. Their heavens and hells were all temporary, because no effect can outlast its cause and no cause is eternal; therefore all effects must come to an end. (CW, 7:80)

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New Find

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1 The Math.

P.O.Belur:Howrah The 14th Dec 1904.

To Mr. Kanaiya Lal Da Private Secretary to H.H.The Gaekwar Baroda.

Dear Sir, Your favour of Nov. 26th duly to hand. In reply I beg to inform you that the Secretary of the Indian Recreation Club of North China, Zientain who forwarded the first Half of the Demand Draft to us, has sent the second half of the same addressed when enclosing the first half of your Demand Draft. We will write to Justice [Zoyeleje] later to have his suggestions in the matter.

With our best wishes & prayers Yrs sincerely Sd/The copy of Secretary’s letter The Math P.O.Belur:Howrah The 12th Dec 1904.

Dear Sir, Your kind favour of Oct. 16th & 17th and the enclosed second half of Zientain Demand for Rs 856-12-10 have reached us duly. We have instructed our bankers to get it cashed in case the first half has not been cashed already. We will try to do what we can when we shall have the money in hand & of this you will be informed later.

In the meantime I beg to send you the copy of the reply of the Private Secretary of H.H.Gaekwar in answer to our former letter and intimated to us the wishes of the members of the same club in his letter to us dated Oct 16th as follows: “I would request on behalf of the Indian Recreation Club, that should the first half not have been cashed or should H.H. the Gaekwar be not disposed to take up the cause, you will please cash the Draft—the second half being as good as the first—and take the needful action to perpetuate the memory of Swami Vivekananda &c &c &c” We are sorry to note from your letter that H.H. will not be able to take the lead in the matter.

Will you therefore kindly inform H.H. of the wishes of the members of the Club & send us the first Half of the Demand Draft if it has not been cashed already or the money realized from the same if it has been cashed, as soon as possible?

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Hoping to get a speedy reply this Yours truly Saradananda Dec 15th 1904 Math.Belur. Howrah.

India.

Dearest Granny2 You wrote last mail to inform me that Mr.Leggett has some money in hand from the sale of Swamiji’s books & pamphlets, which he would like to send to the real heirs. Enclosed you will find a copy of a Will which reached us little after Swamiji’s death. I do not know whether I sent you such a copy before this or not. I am sending another such copy to Mr.Leggett today & have shown the original to General Patterson through Sister Nivedita. Do you think dear Granny we ought to get the Will probated as soon as possible? If so then I will send you the original and everything that you think necessary to get it done. If on the contrary Mr.Leggett is convinced of the moral right of the Math to get the money though the Will has not been probated then it will not be necessary to get it probated I think. However kindly consult with Mr.L. and advice us to do the needful.

You invited me dear Granny to come to you for a change & rest. I cannot tell you how I long for it & how at present I have been compelled almost to stop here on account of Swami Brahmananda’s health. His long illness has left him not even the strength of a child and everything will be ruined if I leave the work just now.

The Women’s work both of Sister Nivedita & Christine are getting on well but I have been put to great inconvenience to meet the expenses of the latter’s work on account of the business failures of Hari Mohan who promised to help us with Rs 2000/-. Educational work always means expense & can never be self-supporting. However I am trying my best to meet it & hope to succeed.

I hope you are well & so is Olea & the Thorps. Tender my kind regards to all who come to have them & my best wishes for a merry XMas & a happy New Year.

With my cordial regards & love for my Granny always Your affectionate boy Saradananda [On the envelope:] Mrs. Sara C. Bull 168 Brattle Street Cambridge. Mass.

U.S.America.

References 1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

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

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Vedanta and Scientific Temper C. BALAJI

Characteristics of Science What are the most cardinal attributes of ‘science’? What has taken science to such great heights in the progress of man and civilization? The foremost attribute of science is: believe in a proposition only if you are able to prove it. So whenever we make a statement, in the scientific sense, it should be verifiable by the interested people. Verfiablity or the inherent possibility of verification of a truth is vital to scientific inquiry and spirit.

Objectivity, precision and universality are its cardinal attributes. Any human endeavour which passes the test of rigour as in the above mentioned attributes is science.

On the other hand, religious dogmas are based on unquestionable belief. In his book, Science and Religion, Swami Ranganathananda, the thirteenth President of the Ramakrishna Order, articulates that religious dogmas generally tended to be believed because of three main reasons: i. Our ancestors believed in them. ii. We have proofs which have been given to us as a legacy. iii. It is forbidden to question their authenticity. Often it is this illusory nature of religious doctrines that has led to the downfall of several religions.

Science is quite contrary to it. No theory in science is so sacrosanct that it cannot be replaced. This is one main reason that has

made it so appealing and evergreen. Classical Mechanics, for instance, had to be replaced

by Relativistic Mechanics in the 20th century, which led to remarkable improvement in our understanding of the universe and has helped us figure out the equivalence of mass and energy. Hence science is progressive. Science is exciting, presents new results everyday and its ‘child’—technology—has gone a long way in making human life more productive or comfortable. The wheel, steam engine, electricity, computer and so on, have been watersheds in the development of technology and there is no looking back.

Reason has become the mainstay of scientific hypothesis. To them, everything stops with reason. Man’s confidence has increased enormously that some feel that they can prove or disprove the existence of God, through mathematical arguments. Even so, it is a different story that none has done it so far.

Towards A Harmony of Science and Religion Now, having said about scientific temper and its objectivity, let us also pose the following questions: ‘Has science solved all the problems of man? Has science made man more happy? And finally, has science set man free?’ Sadly though, the answer to all these questions is no!

The non-believers and the people who sit on the fence as to which is right—science

Prof. C Balaji teaches at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Tamilnadu. This article is based on his talk at the function commemorating the Centenary of The Vedanta Kesari held on 30 December 2014 at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. o T h e

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or religion—will immediately use reason again and aver that just because science has not been able to convincingly answer all of the above questions, there is no need for them to believe in God, who is invariably at the centre of religion.

But does it mean that God is a reflection of our helplessness? Or if God is a concept to handle our ignorance of many phenomena yet to be understood? In short, is God 1 - , where is the fraction of all that we have understood in this universe?

Or is God the best human being yet? Is He a student who gets 100% in all exams? Is he a man/woman who is full of virtue, a dream human being? Is God, only that? Is religion only that?

Or, is religion an insurance policy for us to be protected just in case there was a God who will ‘take care’ of us if we worship Him and not ‘take care’ of us if we do not worship Him? The answer to all these questions again is an emphatic no!

So, despite all that science has brought to mankind, there is a need to have a relook at the whole issue. The two great disciplines of science and religion can in fact be combined harmoniously and synergistically to bring about an all round expansion of human genius and total fulfillment.

Hence science needs to be understood in a broader context and Vedanta which is the science of the inner world of man as upheld in ancient Indian thought and brilliantly articulated by Swami Vivekananda 100 years ago also qualifies to be a science. Like material sciences, Vedanta too has certain cardinal attributes which make it a ‘science’ in its own right. Swami Vivekananda called it ‘science of soul’. Some of these attributes, in response to the three issues that we raised above, are: T h e

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i. Vedanta does not ask us to believe in the ultimate reality just because our ancestors believed in them. ii. It does not ask us to believe in the ultimate reality blindly even though proofs have been given by ancient sages; it wants us to investigate ourselves. iii. It does not forbid one to question either its validity or authenticity. In fact, Vedanta asks us to do the experiments ourselves. The laboratory is life. The scientists are you and me. The end result is also known.

It is not an enigma. However, getting the result is not that easy. Every science has a method of its own. So does spirituality. One may recall a passage from Swami Vivekananda’s works (CW, 6.15):

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You will find many persons in this world who will say, ‘I wanted to become religious, I wanted to realise these things, but I have not been able, so I do not believe anything’. Even among the educated you will find these. Large numbers of people will tell you, ‘I have tried to be religious all my life, but there is nothing in it.’ At the same time you will find this phenomenon: Suppose a man is a chemist, a great scientific man. He comes and tells you this. If you say to him, ‘I do not believe anything about chemistry, because I have tried all my life to become a chemist and do not find anything in it’, he will ask, ‘When did you try?’ ‘When I went to bed, I repeated “O chemistry, come to me”, and it never came.’

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That is the very same thing. The chemist laughs at you and says, ‘Oh, that is not the way. Why did you not go to the laboratory and get all the acids and alkalis and burn your hands from time to time? That alone would have taught you.’

Do you take the same trouble with religion?

Every science has its own method of learning, and religion is to be learnt the same way. It has its own method, and here is something we can learn, and must learn, from all the ancient prophets of the world, every one who has found something, who has realised religion. They will give us the methods, the particular methods, through which alone we shall be able to realise the truths of religion. They struggled all their lives, discovered particular methods of mental culture, bringing the mind to a certain state, the finest perception, and through that they perceived the truths of religion. To become religious, to perceive religion, feel it, to become a prophet, we have to take these methods and practice them; and then if we find nothing, we shall have the right to say, ‘There is nothing in religion, for I have tried and failed.’

One has to try, follow the right method in a right way and then draw some conclusions.

The Challenge Before Us Discovering or experiencing the Divine within is a hard task. This begs the question why should it be so. Why is the end result not easy to get? On a lighter note: 1) Why cannot we make an online booking to realize God?!

2) Why not ‘finish’ God-expereince and put one more tick to our list of to-do things?

Today technology and ‘ticknology’ rule the world. The latter denotes our obsession to put a tick to whatever we want to achieve or enjoy and declare that he has conquered it.

The answer to the two questions is that everything has a price. If we get something for free and without effort or purushartha, T h e

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most often, if not always, we feel that it is not worthy. One should be truly interested and then only serious pursuit of ‘truth’ is possible.

This may be a life long journey or beyond. But again, why should this be? Cannot I accelerate the process?

Vedanta lays great emphasis on the qualities of the experimenter. We call it by an excellent word in Tamil called arhathai meaning eligibility or qualification. So, the initial conditions with which people start are diverse. Each has his or her own way of starting and reaching the goal of realization of the grand truth.

As one who has been studying HeatTransfer, an important aspect of Physics, to me the whole idea of seeking the truth or the ultimate reality can be compared to the cooling of a hot spherical ball. The goal is to reach a ‘final temperature’. The time, however, will vary depending upon the initial conditions as well as the cooling process. Much in the same way the pursuit of ultimate reality as laid down in the Shastras will invariably proceed with different initial conditions and the cooling processes. While we have no control over the initial conditions, we do have control over the process. Vedanta says we can follow Jnana, Bhakti, Karma or Raja Yoga or a combination of these called the Samanvaya Yoga to take us on this spiritual path. The final truth, though, is one. The Rig Veda avers ‘Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti’—Truth is one but the wise call it by many names.

Among the various qualities repeatedly stressed upon by the scriptures is purification of character that leads us to chitta-shuddhi or purity of thought. The latter is easier said than done. For this to happen, we must look at greater good, our hearts need to expand and unselfishness has to take hold of us. Swamiji brilliantly stated it thus ‘Unselfishness is God’.

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The statement has only three words, but is far too profound. The motto of Ramakrishna Math and Mission is a brilliant corroboration of the above statement ‘Atmano Mokshartham Jagat Hitaya Cha’—‘For one’s own realization and the welfare of all’.

In fact the only measurable parameter in our spiritual journey is ‘unselfishness’ and how it grows with time.

However, our inner growth in terms of unselfishness, is quite hard to measure since we and our mind get intermingled. When we study ourselves, the observer and the observed are one and the same and the oneness is lost when the observer is under the spell of desire and attachment. As we generally cannot

measure the speed of a train by being inside the train, the mind wanting to study mind, is a formidable challenge. But man is capable of doing this. The great Vedic Rishis who were highly inspired and in their exalted states studied the mind, overcame this problem and have handed us down the priceless treasure trove, namely Vedanta.

Vedanta is, hence, nothing but a science, the inner science, and needs to be pursued in ways laid down by the spiritual scientists and discover the fact of Highest Reality ourselves.

It is this emphasis on the fact of realization that makes Vedanta so much in tune with scientific spirit of enquiry, experimentation and conclusion. o

Science and Religion What is the fight between science and religion everywhere? Religions are encumbered with such a mass of explanations which come from outside—one angel is in charge of the sun, another of the moon, and so on ad infinitum. Every change is caused by a spirit, the one common point of agreement being that they are all outside the thing. Science means that the cause of a thing is sought out by the nature of the thing itself. As step by step science is progressing, it has taken the explanation of natural phenomena out of the hands of spirits and angels. Because Advaitism has done likewise in spiritual matters, it is the most scientific religion. This universe has not been created by any extra-cosmic God, nor is it the work of any outside genius. It is self-creating, self-dissolving, selfmanifesting, One Infinite Existence, the Brahman. Tattvamasi Shvetaketo—‘That thou art, O Shvetaketu!’

In the human body the balance between good and evil is so even that there is a chance for man to wish to free himself from both. The free never became bound; to ask how he did, is an illogical question. Where no bondage is, there is no cause and effect. ‘I became a fox in a dream and a dog chased me.’ Now how can I ask why the dog chased me? The fox was a part of the dream, and the dog followed as a matter of course; but both belong to the dream and have no existence outside. Science and religion are both attempts to help us out of the bondage; only religion is the more ancient, and we have the superstition that it is the more holy. In a way it is, because it makes morality a vital point, and science does not. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 3.424, 7.103

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Karma Yoga—the Path of Nonattachment in Action RADHANATH BEHERA

Work without Attachment The Bhagavad Gita, the quintessence of Yoga philosophy, describes Karma Yoga as action done without any selfish expectations.

Sri Krishna says, ‘You have only the right to work but not to the fruits thereof.’1 Delivered in the battlefield of Mahabharata War, the Gita advises one to fight the battle of life with courage and valour, without worrying about the results that follow—‘to work one has right and not to the results.’2 This is what Karma wants us to practice: work without attachment to its results.

Sri Krishna emphasizes that all works, when done in a spirit of detachment, become means to Self-realisation; then that work itself becomes the highest form of meditation which can transform the mind. While a Karma Yogi works with full dedication to the work at hand, he has to do it without any expectation for the fruit of his labour. Expectations bind man and seriously curtail his spiritual growth. All attachments are a form of slavery; they take away our spiritual and moral freedom.

Work done in a spirit of detachment to results but with complete dedication, brings us spiritual growth. While this is true, one can also combine other methods of spiritual practices also into one’s spiritual struggle.

The Hindu scriptures broadly outline the four paths for reaching the highest goal of complete liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

These paths are called Yoga—Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga or Dhyana Yoga. All these paths lead to spiritual illumination. A Karma Yogi is as much entitled to spiritual realization or attainment of highest wisdom as the followers of other three paths.

Renouncing the Little Self Swami Vivekananda laid great emphasis on the practice of Karma Yoga. He saw the urgent need to serve others and this means a complete philosophy of action. Service to the poor and the disadvantaged are equally valid means to reach the goal of spiritual liberation.

And as one performs Karma Yoga, one also serves others. Serving others without any selfish motive purifies the mind. Thus comes into picture the twin ideal which Swamiji placed before mankind—‘for one’s own liberation and for the good of others’. This twin ideal is the real meaning of the term Karma Yoga.

Extolling the benefits of working without selfish motive, Swami Vivekananda says in his Karma Yoga: Although a man has not studied a single system of philosophy, although he does not believe in any God, and never has believed, although he has not prayed even once in his whole life, if the simple power of good actions has brought him to that state where he is

o Dr. Radhanath Behera, a retired Principal, is a devotee from Odisha.

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ready to give up his life and all else for others, he has arrived at the same point to which the religious man will come through his prayers and the philosopher through his knowledge; and so you may find that the philosopher, the worker, and the devotee, all meet at one point, that one point being self-abnegation. However much their systems of philosophy and religion may differ, all mankind stand in reverence and awe before the man who is ready to sacrifice himself for others. Here, it is not at all any question of creed, or doctrine—even men who are very much opposed to all religious ideas, when they see one of these acts of complete self-sacrifice, feel that they must revere it.3

inevitable but we should learn the skill to work in such a way that we become free from its binding effects. The secret of work, Swamiji says, lies in working like a master and not of a servant. This means not becoming slave to one’s desires and expectations but working with spiritual growth in mind. Of course one should not forget the practical side of work but the ultimate purpose of work should be inner purification and through that discovering our divine nature. Swamiji says, If you really want to judge of the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another.

Watch a man do his most common actions; those are indeed the things which will tell you the real character of a great man. Great occasions rouse even the lowest of human beings to some kind of greatness, but he alone is the really great man whose character is great always, the same wherever he be.4

Skill in Action—Even in Smallest Actions Karma yoga works like this: all of us, whether we like it or not, have to do our duty—allotted or self-chosen. Work is

Karma Yoga is not about what we do but more about with what motive we do it.

Thus we find, work without attachment is a profound philosophy and a practical way of reaching the highest truth of our being.

Rightly does Sri Krishna call Karma Yoga as ‘skill in action’ (yogah karmasu kaushalam). The skill lies in the fact while one’s body and mind seem to be engaged in work, deep within the practitioner of Karma Yoga is detached and calm.

A true Karma Yogi is not affected by the success and failure of his work. He keeps working only for the good of others and that is his highest reward. o

References: 1. Gita, 2.47 3. CW, 1.86

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2. Ibid 4. CW, 1:29

The Order on the March Ramakrishna Math and Mission—News and Notes Vivekananda Navaratri Celebrated In commemoration of Swami Vivekananda’s historic nine-days’ stay and the stirring lectures given at Madras (now Chennai) after his triumphal return from the West in 1897, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, has been celebrating Vivekananda Navaratri for the past six years. A moving account of Swamiji’s nine-days sojourn (6 to 14 February 1897) can be had from vivid account by K Sundararama Iyer in

Glimpses of various programmes organised during the Vivekananda Navaratri, February 2015

Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda (Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. See pp. 71-97). Swamiji stayed at Ice House which is now called Vivekanandar Illam—a sub-centre of Mylapore Ramakrishna Math. It houses an exhibition on the life and teachings of Swamiji, besides conducting a number of cultural and spiritual activities under auspices of Vivekananda Cultural Centre in the adjacent building which was inaugurated last year.

As in the previous years, this year’s Vivekananda Navaratri was observed with solemnity and enthusiasm. The nine-day programme consisted of lectures on Swamiji and his message by monks and scholars in Tamil and cultural programmes such as dance dramas, solo and chorus devotional singing, Harikatha and so on. The programmes were held in the evening after five, attracting school students, T h e

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many passers-by and devotees, besides the presence of monks and Brahmacharis from various centres of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in and around Chennai. Prasada was distributed at the end of each day. o Birthday Celebration of Sri Ramakrishna at Chennai The 180th Birthday of Sri Ramakrishna was celebrated at Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai, with a three day-programme. Vedic chanting, Bhajans, Puja, Homa, Arati, and lectures marked the event on 20th February, the day on which Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday fell this year. On 21 February, a special programme for the correspondents, principals and teachers of 153 educational institutions in Tamilnadu

Homa at the temple

Bhajans by students in front of the temple

Speeches at the public meeting

Classical concert by Mambalam Sisters

whose students subscribe to Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, the Tamil monthly published from Chennai Math. In the afternoon, DVD on Swami Vivekananda Tele-movie in Tamil produced by Krishnaswamy Associates Pvt. Ltd was launched by Swami Gautamanandaji, the Adhyaksha of Chennai Math, followed by special Bhajans and dance drama on Dashavataram by the students of DAV school, Adambakkam, Chennai. On 22 February, as part of the public celebrations, Bhajans by Bhaktaswara Bhajan Mandali and talks on the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna were held. Justic V Ramasubramanian, Judge, Madras High Court, Chennai, and Sri Sraddhalu Ranade, scientist, educator and scholar on Indian Heritage spoke in Tamil and English respectively. Swami Gautamanandaji gave his benedictory address. The three-day programme concluded with a vocal Carnatic Music concert by Mambalam Sisters. o T h e

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Jagruth Bharath Organised at Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission at Mangaluru in Karnataka organized a four day programme from 30 January to 2 February 2015 titled Jagruth Bharath. It consisted of whole-day seminars in which about 2500 youths took part. Many monks and eminent persons addressed the gathering.

At the instance of Belur Math, the Mangaluru Mission has also started, under Swacch Bharath Abhiyan (Clean India Movement), a programme titled Swacch Mangaluru For a Swacch Bharath. It was flagged off in a grand function held at the Ashrama on 1 February. The event included honouring of 75 sweepers and other employees of the Mangaluru City Corporation as a token of respect for their services in keeping the Jagruth Bharath function city clean.

Swacch Mangaluru For a Swacch Bharath will consist of about 4000 youth participating in a cleanliness drive in 40 different wards of the Mangaluru city under the aegis of the Mangaluru Ashrama.

The duration of the programme is 40 weeks. This will include creating civic awareness, improving the basic amenities and cleaning up of the localities. o A Book on Swami Vivekananda in Gujarat Released A copy of Swami Vivekananda in Gujarat published

by Advaita Ashrama was presented to the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, on 12 December, 2014.

Earlier, on 11 January, 2014 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he had launched Gujaratma Swami Vivekananda published by Vadodara Centre of Ramakrishna Mission.

Brought out to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the book has been well received. The Government of Gujarat has purchased one lakh copies of the book for distribution in libraries and various institutions of Gujarat. o Gold Medalists Felicitated By Vododara Centre 51 students who were awarded Gold Medals by the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda were felicitated by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Memorial, Vadodara. They were gifted a packet of inspiring books of Swami Vivekananda, a picture of Swami Vivekananda and a citation. The event was marked by a lecture on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda, calling upon the students to bear in mind Swami Vivekananda’s message that there should be character development along with career development. Students responded well and some of them came forward to become members of Vivekananda Centre of Positive Thinking and Youth Counselling under the Vadodara Centre. o T h e

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Book Reviews For review in The Vedanta Kesari,

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

Nomenclature of The Vedas

by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati Published by D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd., Vedasri, F-395, Sudarshan Park, (Metro Station: Sudarshan Nagar) New Delhi-110 015. 2012, hardbound, PP.234+xxvi. Rs.600.

Here is a depository of the rich Vedic knowledge, a compendium of the holy literature. The book provides elaborate information on the Vedas starting from the Rig Veda to Atharva Veda, from Vysa to Sayana, from Yaska to Mahidhara, from Vivekananda and Dayananda to Sri Ram Sharma and from H.H Wilson, Max Muller to A.B Keith and R.T.H Griffith.

To the world of knowledge on Vedas, the present book Nomenclature of the Vedas by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati is undoubtedly a dedicated attempt to prepare a comprehensive study on Vedic wealth in an exemplary method of preparing the materials, beautifully editing and presenting the whole chunk of information in a concise book.

There are seven chapters which are indepth studies on the Vedas and related matters supplemented by many illustrations, maps, charts, photos, images etc. The book is dedicated to Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswathi who gave the learned author ‘a new lease of life in 1996 and another lease of life in 2008’.

Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswathi, the founder of Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra and dedicated scholar has taken meticulous care in preparing this profound work on the Apurusheya Vedic Literature. With regard to the oral traditions of Vedic chanting the concept of udata, annudata— svarita (Tri-Svara) system could have been T h e

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included. The Kerala Nambuthiries keep the traditional way of chanting through jada and ghana patha, etc. The Sri Sankara University recently recorded a large portions of Rig Vedic Chanting according to the Kerala Pattern. Tamilnadu and some other states also might have kept this distinctive chanting styles orally alive.

Though the Vedic culture and Yajna tradition is slowly fading away from our spiritual life, all later cultural flows of the nations have their root streams in the Vedic treasure of India. The learned author of Nomenclature of the Vedas deserves all appreciations for her painstaking investigations, survey, collation of materials, analysis, editions and attractive presentation of the material.

This book may be translated into all major Indian languages and the knowledge comprised in this volume be reached to larger number of people. ____________________ D.S.SHARMA, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Essence of Spiritual Wisdom Compiled by Rupali Segal and Anirudh Vasdev Published by New Age Books, A-44,Naraina Industrial Area, PhaseI,New Delhi-110 028. 2013, paperback, pp.157+ x .

Rs.250 ‘If a Pandit takes into his head, he can render anybody’s prattle into correct Sanskrit by force of argument and quotation of texts and rules’, says Swamiji. He makes fun of those who translate ‘aja’[unborn] into ‘a she-goat’. He shows here how quotations may be misapplied to suit one’s purpose.

No doubt, quotations spice up one’s speeches and writings. Adi Shankara’s commentary on the ‘Brahma Sutras’ contains quotations from various texts which betoken his vast scholarship.

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Quotes from Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde Bernard Shaw and others cheer up the hearers. More often than not, a good quote freezes a noble thought in a capsule form as in Shakespeare’s ‘Ripeness is All’.

But when a significant utterance is torn out of its context or when the meaning of a famous statement is misunderstood and misrepresented much damage may be done.

The book of quotes on spiritual wisdom under review has been done by two ‘young, bright and articulate’ persons who have collected 1500 quotes of this kind from 134 sources—saints, mystics, monks, scriptures, motivational writers, philosophers and political leaders—which is a laudable achievement as these inspiring thoughts of the great eastern masters have an important role in instilling calm into the stressed-out minds of the present day and arming the distressed souls with Sattvic weapons to conquer the vicissitudes of life and play the game of life happily and peacefully.

There are 134 heads under which they have been arranged.

The term ‘spiritual’ is viewed variously. To Sri Ramakrishna nothing which is not God-centred is spiritual. To Sri Ramana Maharshi anything that draws the mind outward is unspiritual. On the other hand, a motivational writer defines it thus: ‘Spirituality is not some kind of religious dogma or Ideology but the domain of awareness where we experience values like truth, goodness, beauty, and compassion and also intuition, creativity and insight and focused attention.’ Our young compilers have taken the latter definition as their guideline.

Here are a few interesting and thought provoking aphorisms: God is in all humans but all humans are not in God; that is the reason they suffer [Sri Ramakrishna]; Religion is being good and doing good [Swami Vivekananda]; We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them [Kahlil Gibran]; Undisturbed peace of mind is attained by the cultivation of friendliness towards the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous and indifference in the evil [Sage Patanjali];Action will be judged according to intentions [Mohammed]; Only that which is real never changes [Adi Shankara]; The greatest prayer is patience [Gautama Buddha]. The list is endless.

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sure that they belong to the East. Peace Pilgrim, George Santayana, George Arundale, Paul Brunton and Shakti Gawain are Western masters. Some surprises are there. Swami Vivekananda does not figure under ‘Spirituality’ but under ‘War’. Swamiji says this in his Inspired Talks: ‘Even fighting in selfdefence is wrong, though it is higher than fighting in aggression. There is no “righteous indignation” because indignation comes from not recognizing sameness in all things’. What Swamiji means here is that if one understands the basic unity of existence, there cannot be any anger, hatred or quarrel between two persons. He does not refer to war between two countries.

Since many writers may be unfamiliar to the generality of readers a brief ‘Who is Who’ may be helpful.

The book is beautifully designed and got up.

The wrapper carries the picture of a muscular man, possibly, a primitive, in a contemplative mode as if he is brooding over the words of Swami Sivananda, ‘The body is an instrument or servant of the soul, and not its prison’. ______________________ K. PANCHAPAGESAN, BANGALORE

Images of Divinity

by Ann Myren Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5, Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata - 700 014, paperback, pp.138 + xxiii, Rs.50.

This book is a record of the authentic account of the way Sri Ramakrishna acted with the feminine.

He first realized God in the form of the Divine Mother, Kali. In his life and attitude we find respect for women that rested on the reality of every individual woman as one with the Absolute. Women were recognized as divine: as Mother Goddess, as infinite atman or Self, and as being worthy of the highest spiritual unfoldment. An examination of the lives of women who knew Sri Ramakrishna and of their relationship with him, as is done in this book, highlights the importance of his life and teachings for the women of the present age— when women are being looked upon as a class of autonomous human beings and of enormous shift in humanity’s way of life.

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Apart from the Publisher’s Note, Acknowledgement, preface and an appendix, the book has eight chapters. The first chapter has ‘Reflections on Childhood Associations of Sri Ramakrishna’, with special reference to his relationship with his mother Chandra Devi, whom he saw almost every day for thirty four years, and from whom he learnt to respect women. During childhood as boy Gadadhar, he at times, disguised and acted as a woman, had thus an internal understanding of what it means to be a woman. Reference is also made to Dhani, ‘Gadadhar’s bhikshamata’.

The excellences of the personality of Rani Rasmani and the events of the establishment of the Dakshineswar temple are dealt with in the second chapter. The author concludes by saying: ‘She was an outstanding woman. It is extremely significant that she was not only a woman but of low caste. We see that Sri Ramakrishna really paid very great homage to the Rani by his acceptance of Dakshineswar for his spiritual practice. . .’

According to the author, Rani Rasmani was the first person he instructed.

This is followed by an account and analysis of the sterling qualities of Bhairavi Brahmani and Sri Ramakrishna’s relationship with her.

Due to the expert guidance of the Brahmani, Sri Ramakrishna was able to go beyond the empirical opposites of male and female bodies to the feminine, rooted in the divine creative process, which is the manifestation of divinity itself—the universal feminine principle. In the chapter Four, entitled ‘God-man’, Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual practices, with reference to his feminine approaches have been described and analyzed. In the next two chapters, Sri Ramakrishna’s interaction with women of his family and those on whom he bestowed his grace has been taken up, with short accounts of events and individuals. The author makes relevant analytical comments wherever required all through the narrative.

Finally, she concludes the chapter thus: ‘Ramakrishna attracted a number of women who became genuine knowers of God. They experienced bhava, they experienced samadhi, they became fearless, they recited the scriptures and holy books, they sang devotional songs, they made pilgrimages, they took sannyasa. Several of them became disciples. . . the orthodox became liberal, and the liberal became models for a new age.’. . .

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‘Time may show that Ramakrishna’s greatest work was his work for and for women.’

In the chapter seven, Ramakrishna’s attitude towards women is further described in a general way with the help of certain events. These include his telling two sisters-in-law not to fast; seeing two prostitutes as the embodiment of Divine Mother; having the vision of Sita and merging into Samadhi on seeing another prostitute; bestowing on Binodini the grace of ‘freedom from fear’; the incidence of Bhagavati and Ramakrishna singing songs to console her. This also includes his relationship with Nikunja Devi, the wife of ‘M’ in some details and with Nistarini, wife of Navagopal Ghosh, Lakshmi and others. The last chapter is devoted to Sri Ramakrishna’s relationship with Sarada Devi. The author has described and analyzed, in particular, the Shodashi Puja and the significance of the marriage of Sri Ramakrishna.

She is of the opinion that Sarada Devi had, from 1872 onwards, great spiritual power, and when her spiritual ministry began much later, she acted as if all powers were in her hand. She talked and lived as if she had indeed become the Mother of the universe, forgiving sins, and granting liberation. In one word, like an incarnation herself!

The Appendix is about the phrase ‘woman and gold’, the literal translation of the Bengali ‘kamini-kanchana’ so often used by Sri Ramakrishna. The author regrets that Swami Vivekananda’s injunction to his brother disciple Shashi to change it to kama and kanchana has not been uniformly followed. The book concludes with a note about the late author, who was a woman of extraordinary concentration and determination and who inspired others by her independence of spirit, initiative and freedom of thought and expression.

Not only did Sri Ramakrishna revere women, he manifested enough of feminine in his personality —a fact that was recognized even by his male disciples.

In Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi’s one of the utterances, we get an explanation for this unique phenomenon: ‘Sri Ramakrishna had a maternal attitude towards all. He has left me behind to establish this motherhood in the world.’ The idea is that although Sri Ramakrishna had a maternal feeling for all, this feeling could not be fully expressed in a male body. It got full expression

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through the Holy Mother. The reviewer is of the view that the Holy Mother was, as it were, an extension and fulfilment of the Supreme Incarnation Avtar Varishta, Sri Ramakrishna. This last part of his lila does not form a part of the present book, although this is probably the most important act of Sri Ramakrishna for the upliftment, and transformation of women.

This book must be read by all women, in India and abroad. It must be translated into as many languages as possible so that it could be accessed by even non-English knowing women. ___________________SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA, VARANASI

India—Mother of us All

By Chaman Lal Published by Akshaya Prakashan, 2/18, Ansari Road, New Delhi-110 002, Softcover pp.208, Rs.225, Reprint 2013.

The editor of this book, Bhikshu Chaman Lal was ordained a Buddhist monk at Sarnath in December 1955. He travelled around the world 51 times and wrote over 50 books preaching the humanitarian message of Indian Culture. On the request of Pandit Jawharlal Nehru he compiled this book to serve as a primer of patriotism for the younger generation. What was initially conceived as a 560 page comprehensive compilation had to be shortened to 160 pages due to shortage of funds.

The book opens with extracts from the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Annie Besant and Sri Aurobindo, compiled together as ‘Forewords’ for the book. The book consists of twenty one chapters —articles written by eminent scholars on various aspects of Indian Culture and Heritage.

Three chapters of the book are extracts from the speeches of H.H. Shankaracharya of Kanchi Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamiji, H.H. Shankaracharya of Dwaraka and Swami Abhedananda respectively. All the remaining chapters are based on the speeches of Bhikshu Chaman Lal himself.

While the intention of compiling the positive aspects of Indian Civilization and Heritage in an T h e

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appealing tone is laudable, the presentation lacks a logical flow of ideas which could have made it more readable.

A significant amount of print is spent on Chaman Lal’s idea of a ‘Hindu America’ which is based on some exaggerations and misrepresentations. Commenting on his book Hindu America, the Folks Magazine reiterates this problem: ‘The book, though coupled with several circumstantial evidences and supporting theories, failed to make its point owing to several misrepresentations. But the very idea of Vedic, aka Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro, civilization having links with their American counterparts, namely Mayan & Aztec, was never completely ruled out.’

Akshaya Prakashan could have done well to revise the book’s contents and presentation in the light of new discoveries by adding an addendum or articles from acknowledged Indian historians commenting on the link between ancient Indian and other world civilizations. ______________________ M. PRAMOD KUMAR, COIMBATORE

A Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step

by Dr. Sundari K. Published by DK’s Books For all (an imprint of Low Price Publications) Delhi-110052.

Softcover, pp.155, Rs.150 Student life for many children and adolescents often turns out to be an obstacle race. At different stages in their academic career they find themselves at crossroads—baffled and bewildered by the incongruity between their inner aspiration and the stark reality outside. Proliferation of career avenues and cutthroat competition in recent times have escalated the problems faced by students.

The present book narrates the story of a poor labourer’s son, a story full of hard struggles. After clearing his class 12 exams he was staring at a bleak future. But there was a strong urge within him to come up in life rather than surrendering to what appeared to be his inevitable destiny. Making the best use of the little help he received from a friend, the boy struggles against innumerable odds to

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pursue his studies and finally succeeds in getting a respectable job.

But the true worth of the book lies not in just telling a success story but in pointing out the correct approach and attitude that are essential for attaining success. Having a positive self-image, setting targets that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound), handling stress and anxiety, time management, developing the habit of concentrating on the work at hand, memory improvement techniques, etc. Then there are very useful discussions on other topics that are more closely related to academics: effective note-taking, right use of text books, writing an assignment, giving an oral presentation and facing exams.

The author’s vast experience in pedagogy and her deep knowledge of the subject are evident in almost every page of the book. It is no wonder if the students find this book, written as it is in an engaging and well-structured style, to be a source of inspiration and a mine of useful guidelines for excelling in their careers. In fact, in picking up this small book, they might have taken, albeit unwittingly, the first step in their journey of thousand miles to the pinnacle of success. __________ BRAHMACHARI SHANTICHAITANYA, BELUR MATH

Prosperous India

by Prof.P.Kanagasabapathi Published by Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust, No.5, Singarachari street, Triplicane, Chennai 600 005.2013, paperback,pp.160, Rs.100.

Prosperous India brings to focus the resilience of the Indian economic scene. Many observers have wondered about the country’s silent but vibrant life that has survived a thousand year long slavery and over six decades of unsteady economic revival. Foreign nations that conquered India worked hard to make Indians feel ashamed of the Indian culture, religion and way of life.

But those efforts failed. Poverty was unknown in ancient India. A study by a visiting team from the West was surprised that in Bihar despite natural resources and land fertility, people were kept in T h e

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poverty. Dadabhoy Naoroji did pioneering work in exposing the deliberate drain of our country’s resources to swell the coffers of the British Empire using unethical means.

Prosperous India invites attention to the fact that in ancient India agricultural practices and productivity were at an advanced stage. Even the Vedas and Puranas provide evidence in support.

Arthasastra was the trend setter in formulation of economic policies.

It is well known that the savings habit is part of Indian culture unlike the affluent nations.

Kanagasabapathi has provided further information on Indian economic scene. Indian culture lays ‘strong foundations in the family, community and their network of relationships’. The culture of cluster-based businesses is a feature in India, such as we find in Surat, Ludhiana, Salem district and generally widespread in all regions. Even in the corporate sector, the Indian systems have received approbation from U S researchers.

The author stresses the Indian culture of standing on one’s own feet in business enterprises without dependence on Government. But as we know this came under stress during the permitlicense raj. Industry had to wait till 1991 for liberalization. The Chapters on Social Capital and the role of women in economic growth are informative and important.

The inherent strength of the Indian economy as observed by Swamiji come to mind while reading the book. What impressed him in the West was the theory of organization which he applied while codifying the structure of the Ramakrishna Movement through a Trust. It is essential for every Indian, especially the young generation, to know these facts and take pride in India’s greatness in every field of human activity, whether economic, scientific, moral or spiritual. The lesson to learn is to develop a patriotic spirit and believe in our inherent strength as Swamiji repeatedly stressed. The book says it all so beautifully. _______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM., MUMBAI

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India Awake

By J P Vaswani Published by Gita Publishing House, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, 2013, Paperback pp.114, Rs.100.

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India Awake, title of the book, is straight from the famous words of Swami Vivekananda, ‘Arise, awake, stop not till the goal is reached.’

Following the idea of his Master Sadhu Vaswani, the author Dada Vaswani, who has more than eighty books and CDs to his credit, points out that political Independence is not enough. What India needs is unity and emancipation of the poor, a transfiguration of its social, economic and cultural life. Chapters with titles like: ‘Why India Lives,’ ‘The State of the Nation,’ and ‘India Needs New Builders,’ are prefaced with appropriate quotes from Sadhu Vaswani’s writings. Then Dada Vaswani offers an elaboration of seminal ideas of the development of India.

According to the author, India lives as an entity because it has the message of spirituality to convey to the world, again an idea repeatedly voiced by Swami Vivekananda. Unfortunately India today has become an unequal society with 30% of its people living below poverty line, and the great dream of an egalitarian society has become a mirage. The young are drawn to alien shores to pursue their fantasy to earn millions. What India needs today is a turning away from these false gods of money, pleasure and entertainment.

The author comes up with seven practical suggestions for the youth: to live a life of simplicity like the American thinker Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi, to seek not power but opportunity to serve the poor and under-privileged, to avoid the cult of imitation of an alien culture, to learn science but not to neglect self-control, to focus on the emancipation of the poor, to have courage to face and overcome all odds, and to remember the great Indian ideal that in spirituality lies true strength.

The book is a clarion-call to the youth to wake up and serve mother India. _____________________________ N. EAKAMBARAM, CHENNAI.

Friends Forever

By J P Vaswani Published by Gita publishing house, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, 10, Sadhu Vaswani path, Pune - 411 001, Paperback pp.107, Rs.100 Friends Forever is a tract on friendship. With more than eighty books on self-improvement, spiritual advancement, meditation and philosophy to his credit, J.P.Vaswani at the age of ninety five is a globe-trotting modern Hindu Guru.

The first section of the book has five chapters with titles like: ‘What is Friendship,’ ‘Who are your Friends,’ ‘Why do we need Friends,’ ‘How to recognize a true Friend,’ ‘Become your own Friend.’ Each chapter has a prefatory story, then a quote from a great thinker, followed by a discussion of the topic. The dictionary defines friendship as companionship, camaraderie, fellowship, amity and such synonyms. A variety of friends are mentioned like office friend, close friend, best friend, business friend, casual friend, school friend, etc. In our times we have digital friends, Facebook and Twitter friends whom we do not see but communicate with.

But in times of one’s need, hardly anyone comes to one’s help. Also friends influence us for good or bad, for we learn good habits like hard work, dedication and commitment from our friends.

In the second section of the book, J.P.Vaswani offers ten Practical Suggestions to make good friends and keep them. He suggests that one should allow the friend to have his own space, yet maintain a sympathetic and affectionate relationship. Of course, J.P.Vaswani concludes with the exhortation: ‘make God your Best Friend.’

The book is worth reading and offers suggestions to select good friends and keep them forever. Who can advice us better than Dada Vaswani! _____________________________ N.EAKAMBARAM, CHENNAI.

As fire is cocealed by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an unborn babe by the womb, so is knowledge concealed by ignorance. —Bhagavad Gita, 3.38 T h e

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RAMAKRISHNA MATH, NAORA (A Branch Centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur) Village Naora, P.O.Bodra, P.S.Bhangar, Dist. South 24 Paraganas, Pin-743 502, West Bengal E mail: rkmathnaora@gmail.com rkmathnaora@rediffmail.com Website: www.rkmnaora.org

Swami Trigunatitanandaji’s 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations (2014-2015) An Appeal Ramakrishna Math, Naora is a branch centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, West Bengal. Naora is a village situated at Bhangar block of South 24 Paraganas District.

It became a blessed hamlet with the birth of Swami Trigunatitanandaji Maharaj, the direct monastic disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna.

Since its very inception, the centre has been carrying on various welfare service activities like free coaching, non-formal schools, distress, child welfare, medical services for the upliftment of poor and backward communities. This year being the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Trigunatitanandaji Maharaj, we would like to conduct a year long (2014-2015) welfare service activities for the benefit of the poor and needy in and around Bhangar block of South 24 Paraganas District.

In view of financial constraints we fervently appeal to the generous public and well wishers to donate liberally for conducting the year long welfare activities.

All donations are exempt from income tax under section 80G. Cheque or Demand Draft favouring Ramakrishna Math, Naora, may be sent to the above mentioned address.

Donors can send the contributions online to Indian Overseas Bank, Bodra A/C No. 113801000010949 (IFSC No : IOBA0001138) or State Bank of India, Ghatakpukur A/C. No. 31606923704 (IFSC: SBIN0010540).

Yours in the service of the Lord Swami Muktipradananda Adhyaksha

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SRI RAMAKRISHNA SEVASHRAM

(Regd. No. S/15296 of 1974) Vill. & P.O. B-Ramakrishnapur, PS.: Bishnupur, Dist-24 pgs. (S), West Bengal, Pin-743610 (A member Ashram of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhava Prachar Parishad, South 24 Pgs. Dist, advised by Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission Belur Math, W.B.) Ph: 9674399608, 9433350418 Website: www.srks.org Regd. Off: 6, Baroda Thakur Lane, Kolkata-700 007

AN APPEAL Dear Sisters and Brothers, ‘Extension of Boys’ Home, betterment of the living condition of the inhabitants of the Ashram, construction of Temple of Sri Ramakrishna and a prayer Hall.’

We are grateful to many of you who extended their assistance for the betterment of our SEVASHRAM, which was set up in 1973 under the patronage of Swami Ramanandaji Maharaj (former Secretary Ramakrishna Mission Saradapith, Belur) and registered in 1974. As you know, ours is a philanthropic organisation, involved in— 1. Upbringing of 50 orphan boys and intend to increase to 150.

2. Helping nearly 200 destitue widows.

3. Maintenance of Old Age Home for common men & women.

4. Renovation of a) The Primary School for Boys upto Class IV. b) Existing Charitable Dispensary c) Guest House 5. Vocational Training (Para Medical Training Course) We have already set up 18 Vivekananda Free Schools for the poor children in remote villages in the Sundarban areas.

About 1.5 k.m. from Dakshin Durgapur Rly. Station on Diamond Harbour line, near Kolkata, the sevashram grew up on a 40 Bigha plot of land with all activities.

Over the foundation stone, already consecrated by the most Revered Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj, 13th President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, we intend to complete the construction of a Sri Ramakrishna Temple and A Prayer Hall to accommodate 500 devotees without any distinction of caste, creed and religion. For the aforesaid activities we need financial assistance of Rupees 1 Crore 5 lakhs. 'Service to man is service to God’ is, to our mind, the essence of Swami Vivekananda's teaching of practical Vedanta, and is our source of inspiration. Our religion is to serve humanity.

Arrangement for insertion of memory stone tablet at Rs. 10,000/- (15" x 15"), Rs. 20,000/(18" x 18") and for insertion on the boundary wall of the temple Rs. 30,000/- (24" x 24") is available. Your valued assistance through A/c Payee Cheque/Demand Draft/M.O. in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Sevashram to our above registered office will be accepted with gratitude.

Donations are exempted under 80G of IT Act and the same Yours in the Lord, will be gracefully acknowledged with our official receipt.

Biswanath Purkait Secretary

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RAMAKRISHNA MISSION

Phone: (033) 2654-1144, 1180, 5391, 8494, 9581, 9681 Tele-fax: (033) 2654-6179

E-mail: hqsv150.convener@gmail.com

(The Headquarters) P.O. Belur Math, Dist. Howrah West Bengal 711 202, India

An Appeal Dear Friend, On the occasion of the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Swami Vivekananda, we had implemented the Gadadhar Abhyudaya Prakalpa (GAP) – a Project for the Children’s Holistic Development, during October 2010 to September 2014 with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. There were a total of 174 GAP units which benefitted more than 17,400 underprivileged children from city slums and interior villages in different parts of India. Irrespective of their caste, creed, colour, religion, etc., the project provided an opportunity to these children for their physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual development.

For their Physical Development, they get nutritive food supplements daily, and the items like, school bags, uniforms, study materials, umbrellas / raincoats, footwear, toiletry items, etc. periodically, and they participate in the sessions for games, exercises, overall health check-up-cum-treatments and general health awareness. For their Mental Development, they have sessions for music, drama, chanting, painting, recitation, dancing, value education through the lives and teachings of great men and women, educative films, etc. For their Intellectual Development, they get good coaching on their school subjects that enable them to join good institutes in later years. For their Spiritual Development, the children get an opportunity for prayer, Bhajans and guided meditation.

The GAP programme created immense impact on these children, their parents and localities, so much so that the inhabitants of those areas are urging us to continue the project. The loving care and attention of our brother monks, volunteers and devotees for the GAP children during the last few years has brought about notable changes in many areas.

Now, to continue the GAP activity, yearly we require about Rs. 8.5 crores, and as such, immediately the fund is needed to run the GAP in 2014-15. So, we sincerely request you and other service-minded individuals to come forward and help us generously in this noble endeavour to the extent possible. The charitable institutions from public and private sector are also invited to join in this service for the destitute children.

Donations for GAP in cash / cheque / DD (drawn in favour of ‘Ramakrishna Mission’ payable at Kolkata) may please be sent to the General Secretary in the above address, mentioning its purpose.

Needless to say, these contributions are exempt from Income Tax under section 80G(5)(vi) of the I. T. Act 1961. The donation may be in the form of Corpus Fund the interest of which will be used to run the GAP, or as the yearly Running Expenses for the same.

Anticipating a favorable response from you, Yours sincerely, 15 February 2015 (Swami Suhitananda) General Secretary

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The Mystic Wisdom of Kabir Translation of Kabir’s Popular Verses and Songs In Indian religious history, Saint Kabir is unique. To the Hindus, he is a Vaishnava Bhakta, to the Muslims, a Pir, to the Sikhs, a Bhagat, to the Kabirpanthis, an Avatar, and to the modern patriots, he is a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Swami Brahmeshananda, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order who is a former editor of the Vedanta Kesari and the author of many popular books, has painstakingly done the translation of some of the verses and songs of Kabir.

This book would help the readers to gain the secular and spiritual wisdom ingrained in the mystical verses and songs of Kabir.

Hardbound, Pages vi +168, Price: Rs.70/- + Postage: Rs.20/-for single copy.

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

Teachers & Wardens Vacancies in Arunachal Pradesh If you have a caliber to teach and zeal to serve India in Northeast, Grab this unique opportunity: Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas (VKVs) in Arunachal Pradesh are awaiting your services 33 English medium co-educational schools affiliated to CBSE, Excellent performance, Ample scope for Personal & Professional Development of teachers.

Eligibility for Teachers: Post Graduates in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, History, Geography, Economics, Commerce, Computer Science, Library Science, Physical Education. B.Ed. preferred.

Eligibility for Wardens: Minimum Graduation degree in any subject; Good communication skills in English/Hindi; Past experience in school hostel administration & former military background preferred.

To apply, Courier/Email Resume within 10 days to: The Secretary, VKVs Arunachal Pradesh Trust, Riverside, P.O. Box 104, Near S.P. Office, Dibrugarh – 786001, Assam. Ph: (0373) 2324320.

Email: hr@vkvapt.org (Applications by Email accepted). Download Application Form / Apply Online, through our website http://vkvapt.org/join-us/as-a-teacher

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NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE (FREE HOME FOR THE BLIND, ORPHAN AND AGED) TIRUCHANOOR, TIRUPATI–517503. Ph : 0877-2239992, 9908537528 [Mob.] E-mail: sreenavajeevan@gmail.com Website: www.navajeevan.org

An Appeal 35 Years of Service to Humanity 1979–2014 1. Navajeevan School & Hostel for Blind Children – Tirupati, Parlekhimundi, Golamunda 2. Navajeevan Free Eye Hospital – Tirupati 3. Navajeevan Free Home for Aged – Tirupati, Rishikesh,

Parlekhimundi and Chennai 4. Navajeevan Annaksetram - Kothapeta / Rishikesh 5. Navajeevan Sharanagati Vridhashram – Tirupati 6. Navajeevan Rural Medical Centres - Berhampur [Orissa] 7. Navajeevan Eye Care Centres - Serango & Kalahandi [Orissa] 8. Navajeevan Orphanage Children Homes – Tirupati, Parlehkimundi,

Saluru, Golamunda,

Berhampur, Pandukal, Vizag & Araku

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

– Rs. 5000/-

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

– Rs. 6000/-

2. Sponsor 5 IOL Cataract Eye Operations

4. Sponsor one poor aged person for one year

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

– Rs. 7000/–

Rs. 5000/-

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Rs. 2000/-

– Rs. 50000/-

Donor devotees can send their contributions by cheque/DD/MO to the above address on the occasion of birthday, wedding day or any other special occasion and receive prasadam of Lord Balaji Venkateswara of Tirupati as blessings.

Contributions to NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE, Tirupati are eligible for Tax Relief U/S 80G of Income Tax Act. Our Bank details for online transfer : Bank Name : Indian Bank , Gandhi Road Branch, Tirupati SB A/c No: 463789382, Account Holder : Navajeevan Blind Relief Centre, Branch Code: T036, IFSC code: IDIB000T036,

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

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Vol.102-4 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) April 2015. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957. POSTAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:TN / CH (C) / 190 / 15-17. LICENSED TO POST WITHOUT PREPAYMENT TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2015-2017.

Date of Publication: 24th of every month

Teach yourselves, teach everyone his/her real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes.

Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come, when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity.

—Swami Vivekananda

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Subscription (inclusive of postage) Annual : ` 100 10 years: ` 1000 56 ~ A P RWebsite: I L 2 0 1 5 www.chennaimath.org Contact: Ramakrishna T h Sri e V e d a n t a K eMath, s a r i ~Chennai.