Vivekananda Way

ISSUE 10 ISSUE 25

Series 5: Issue 4: Vedantism - contd.

I

Defining Hinduism

II

Books of the Hindus

III

IV

The Core Principles of Hinduism

The Practices of Hinduism

Vedantism - part 2 focus in this issue:

V

The Task Ahead

This is the second issue of the talk 'Vedantism', delivered in Jaffna on 24th

January 1897. In the first issue of this series we explored Sections

I II

as shown above. Please refer Vivekananda Way Issue 24 for the same. In this

issue, we explore Section

III

The Core Principles of Hinduism

1: Who created this world?

─ The world was not created on a specific day. ─ It is not as if a God came one day and created the world. God is eternally creating - is never at rest. ─ The Sanskrit word for creation, properly translated, should be projection and not creation. Thus, the word we use is "Srishti" which means projection.

To say, therefore, that it [the world] had a beginning is utter nonsense. No question can occur as to its beginning or its end. Therefore wherever in our scriptures the words beginning and end are used, you must remember that it means the beginning and the end of one particular cycle; no more than that.

SRISHTI

EVOLUTION

INVOLUTION

Designed & developed by ILLUMINE Knowledge Catalysts

─ What makes this creation? God. ─ Although we use the English word God, there is a good deal of difference in meaning. It is better to confine to the use of the Sanskrit word Brahman. ─ Brahman is the general cause of all manifestations.

What is this Brahman? He is eternal, eternally pure, eternally awake, the almighty, the all-knowing, the all-merciful, the omnipresent, the formless, the partless… He creates this universe.

3: Is God partial or impartial? ─ God's mercy falls equally on all people. It is we who make the difference. ─ God's mercy is like a cloud of rain, which falls equally on all fields. But it is the well-cultivated field that gets the advantage of the shower.

The mercy of God is eternal and unchangeable; it is we that make the differentiation.

God's mercy is equal for all

Cloud of Rain

Well-cultivated field Neglected field

4: Why are some people happy or unhappy?

Our past lives LIFE IS ETERNAL

Our present life Our future lives

─ It is not this birth that is responsible for people's happiness or unhappiness. What they did in their last birth is responsible for this difference in the current life. This is the Law of Karma.

the sum total which creates our present people in different conditions of life our future is within our control

─ Each one of us carries within us the burden of our past, and therefore we are responsible for what we suffer; yet, each of us is the maker of our own fate. ─ Therefore, we alone are responsible for what we suffer and we are also free to transform our circumstances.

The human will stands beyond all circumstance. Before it — the strong, gigantic, infinite will and freedom in man — all the powers, even of nature, must bow down, succumb, and become its servants.

─ We cannot understand God in our scriptures without knowing the soul. ─ Souls are without beginning and without end, and immortal by their very nature. All powers, blessing, purity, omnipresence, omniscience are buried in each soul. ─ Thus, in every man and in every animal, however weak or wicked, great or small, resides the same omnipresent, omniscient soul - the Atman. ─ The Atman is separate from the mind, as well as from the body. The Atman goes through birth and death, accompanied by the mind, the Sukshma Sharira.

Between me and the smallest animal, the difference is only in manifestation, but as a principle he is the same as I am, he is my brother, he has the same soul as I have. The talk of the brotherhood of man becomes in India the brotherhood of universal life, of animals, and of all life down to the little ants — all these are our bodies.

The Atman is the real soul of man

1

1. My gross body or Sthula Sharira - this is the first layer. 2. My subtle body or Sukshma Sharira - this is the second layer, and lies behind the gross body. It is mind; the fine body, made of fine particles, which goes from birth to death, and so on. 2 3

3. Atman - lies behind the mind. This is the Soul, the Self of man. The Atman is separate from the mind as well as from the body, and this Atman goes through birth and death accompanied by the mind (the sukshma sharira) [In the West manas (mind) is often identified as soul; while the Hindu regards the soul as a manifestation of God]

6: What is the goal of the human soul?

HIGHER AND HIGHER HEAVENS more & more happiness and temporary states of enjoyment

less & less happiness and temporary states of misery LOWER AND LOWER HELLS PATH TO ETERNAL

BLISS

─ The goal of the soul is neither to go to higher & higher heavens nor to go to lower & lower hells. ─ According to the Hindu scriptures, even in the highest heavens you are a slave! Whichever state you climb to, you are still bound by the conditions around you. ─ Therefore, the goal of human life is to be free of internal or external nature - i.e. to attain Mukti or freedom.

Nature must fall at your feet, and you must trample on it and be free and glorious by going beyond. No more is there life; therefore no more is there death. No more enjoyment; therefore no more misery. It is bliss unspeakable, indestructible, beyond everything. What we call happiness and good here are but particles of that eternal Bliss. And this eternal Bliss is our goal.

─ The Atman is not the cause of birth and rebirth. ─ It is our ignorance which is the cause. ─ The cure is Knowledge. It will free us from bondage. ─ Knowledge is born when we develop intense love for God. And, knowledge is also born when we love all human beings as temples of God. It never ages; the ancient One is always the same. How did It come down to earth? There is but one answer to that in our scriptures. Ignorance is the cause of all this bondage. It is through ignorance that we have become bound; knowledge will cure it by taking us to the other side. ... with that intense love will come knowledge, and ignorance will disappear, the bonds will break, and the soul will be free.

There are two types of relationships mentioned in our scriptures - the personal relationship and the impersonal relationship, as shown below: 8: What is the relationship between soul and God?

In the personal relationship, God is viewed as - The Omnipresent creator, preserver, and destroyer of everything. The eternal Father and Mother of the universe. One who is eternally separate from us and from all souls. And, liberation is in coming near Him and living in Him.

...liberation consists in coming near to Him and living in Him.

In the impersonal relationship, God is viewed as: An impersonal, omnipresent Being, where adjectives are taken away as superfluous and illogical, such as:

● Not a knowing being - as knowledge belongs to the human mind ● Not a thinking being - as thinking is a process of the weak

● Not a reasoning being - as reasoning is a sign of weakness

● Not a creating being - as none creates except in bondage

● Not someone who works - as work is for fulfillment of wants and desires

The impersonal "It" is used to refer to this impersonality. This is the Advaitic conception of God. Every one is but a manifestation of that Impersonal. And, liberation consists of knowing that we are He - and realizing our unity with this wonderful impersonality.

...misery consists in thinking of ourselves as different from this Infinite, Impersonal Being; and liberation consists in knowing our unity with this wonderful Impersonality.

TO BE CONTINUED...

M a g i c , M i r a c l e s a n d t h e M y s t i c a l T w e l v e

LAKSHMI DEVNATH

Roots in the Air and Shoots in the Soil The Story of Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar (Continued from previous issue. . .) T wo minutes passed. Nothing seemed to happen. “Swami Thaatha, you said …” Poorva whined.

“Poorva, we are indeed in a different place.” The Swami stressed each syllable.

“Are we? Yes, we are. How? Anyway, that doesn’t matter.” Poorva jumbled her questions and answers in elation. Her enthusiasm increased considerably when, through the open door of a house, she saw Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar. He was in deep meditation. A young man was standing respectfully at a short distance from him.

The Swami began, “We’re at Thiruvekka, at the Aazhvaar’s home. Do you recall hearing this name before?” Poorva scratched her head, trying to remember, and the Swami reminded her, “This is Poigai’s native place.” He continued, “The young man attending on Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar is Kanikannan. He sees the Aazhvaar as his guru – follows him around like a shadow, and takes care of all his needs.”

“Look!” Poorva muttered under her breath. Through the open door, they saw an old woman, who had been sweeping the floor, fall at the feet of the Aazhvaar. Poorva wondered whether the woman had done anything wrong till she heard Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar say, “I am very pleased with your services. Tell me, how can I reward you?”

The woman’s answer was so feeble that Poorva could not hear her.

Yet, wonder of wonders, when the old woman got up, she had become young! Poorva whistled in surprise. “I must say, Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar is an expert at turning old people young.”

“Remember Pey Aazhvaar saying that Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar has magical powers? He has rewarded the maid’s loyal and devoted service by …” The Swami did not get to complete his sentence, as there was a sudden change of scene.

“Wow!” gaped Poorva. “This is ammmaaazzzing.”

“Close your mouth. It looks like a dark tunnel!” cawed two birds as they flew past her and perched on a tree.

The rude remark shook Poorva, but she did not respond. In front of her stood a magnificent palace! A flag with the emblem of a bull was flying from the mast above.

“The Pallavas …” she whispered. “You’re right.”

Poorva looked up. There were those rude, raucous ravens again. “You mind your …” she began.

“What’s that? Speak up a little – you either open your mouth too wide or not at all!” With that taunt, the birds took off.

Poorva was nonplussed. This trip was throwing up surprises by the minute. She realized that she was invisible only to human eyes. The birds had seen her. What was more, they could actually understand her language, and she theirs! Poorva’s chest swelled with pride. She was wondering what other hidden talents she might have, when she heard loud voices coming from inside the palace. The next moment, she was peeping through an open window.

“Pardon me, Your Majesty …” a young man was pleading.

“Gosh, isn’t that Kanikannan? I wonder what crime he has committed.” Poorva was a little agitated. She turned her attention back to the scene.

“Your Majesty, please pardon me. It was for special reasons that my revered guru, Bhakthisaara, the yogi of Thirumazhisai, restored the youth of an old woman. I concede that your request is similar. Nevertheless, I’m sorry I cannot convey it to him. Riches and power do not mean anything to my illustrious guru. He is a great poet, whose words will adorn only the Lord and not mere mortals. His magical powers will be used only to do the Lord’s work and not for selfish gains.”

Poorva saw the Pallava king’s face turn a deep purple. He thundered, “I banish you from my kingdom!” The ruthless roar sent a ripple of fear through Poorva. At the same time, she could not help chuckling, for the king looked quite comical in his rage.

A woebegone Kanikannan stepped out of the palace gates, and Poorva followed him to the Aazhvaar’s house. She remembered the Aazhvaar’s song, which the Swami had translated for her, and wished that the king would respect other people’s principles.

As she wondered what would happen next, the doors opened and the Aazhvaar walked out.

Poorva jumped up and briskly followed him. The Aazhvaar entered a temple. She felt that, heartbroken as he must be, he had perhaps come there to pray. She too said a small prayer on Kanikannan’s behalf and decided to explore the temple, when she heard Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar’s voice. It was coming from the sanctum. To whom was he speaking?

Through the feeble rays of sunlight piercing the darkness, Poorva tried to identify the other person. Nothing had prepared her for what she saw. “Incredible!” she gasped in disbelief. “He is actually talking to God. I thought the Aazhvaar was sad, but looks like he’s mad!”

She heard the Aazhvaar say, “Kanikannan is leaving, O Lord of Kanchi! And I go with him. You too should not stay here. Roll up Your serpent bed and come with us.” Vishnu promptly rolled up His serpent bed like one would a mat, and docilely went with him. Poorva looked at the Aazhvaar with added respect. If someone could not only talk to God, but also get Him to follow orders, he must be one great person.

En route, Kanikannan joined them, and all three left town. A flabbergasted Poorva saw several gods from other temples follow them.

She ran behind the procession, muttering to herself, “My friends are never going to believe this. I can imagine their reactions … Oh, I must not daydream. This is too exciting an event to be missed.”

Poorva sensed a general unease in the air. She surmised that everyone had heard the news of the Lord leaving town. Dogs, cats, cows, even the plants and trees seemed to wear a desolate look. Night was fast setting in. Poorva hurried on, anxious that she should not lose sight of the threesome. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. (to be continued. . .) This story book is available through www.lakshmidevnath.com

Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission brings out 22 cultural and s p i r i t u a l m a ga z i n e s i n 1 3 languages. Of these, four magazines have completed 100 years of publication. Prabuddha Bharata is into its 125 th year of publication, Udbodhan into its 121 st year, The Vedanta Kesari into its 107 th year, and Prabuddha Keralam into its 106 th year of publication. Now, there is one more feather in the cap of the Order’s magazine publication with Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, our Tamil magazine joining this centenary club.

Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam started its publication in 1921 from Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai under the guidance of its then head Swami Sarvananda. Over these 99 years Vijayam has carved a special niche for itself in spreading the message of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda across Tamil Nadu. For scores of people it is a touchstone for understanding the deeper truths of Vedanta and Hinduism in practice.

Vijayam is a role-model for other Tamil spiritual magazines. The people behind its illustrious journey are its dedicated monastic editors, and numerous admirers. From among Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam –

Touching 100 Years the earlier editors, the noteworthy stalwarts are Swamis Vipulananda, Rudrananda, Chidbhavananda, and Paramatmananda. Sri R. Ramakrishnan and Sri Anna Subramaniam, disciples of Swami Shivananda who was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, were closely involved in the publication of Vijayam.

Vijayam underwent a big transformation in its content, layout, and circulation under Swami Kamalatmananda, who was its editor from 1985 to 2000. With the help of agents, the magazine became the first spiritual magazine to be sold in general magazine stores along with other popular magazines. Its circulation increased from 1,100 copies to 93,000 copies reaching every part of Tamil Nadu and even some other states. Later under the editorship of Swami Vimurtananda, the magazine’s subscription reached 1,75,000 copies. Today, under the editorship of Swami Apavargananda, the magazine is entering into its centenary year holding aloft the banner of Sanatana Dharma.

The uniqueness of Vijayam is in the manner in which it presents the epics, the puranas, religious doctrines and philosophy in a simple language supplemented with stories

and pictorials. Its readership is across a wide section of people including traditional and modern devotees, children, youth, and the elderly. Vijayam acts as a bridge connecting the ancient spiritual tradition of Alwars and Nayanmars with the new revived Vedantic message of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and other direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

At a time when our youth are being influenced by the largely sensual, and unethical media, internet, and cinema content, Vijayam acts as a spring of noble ideas and pure feelings and tries to keep the young minds connected with our culture. Through articles based on Swamiji’s manmaking philosophy, and regular competitions Vijayam empowers the youth to grow as selfconfident, patriotic, and service minded citizens of India. Twelve lakh students participated in a competition conducted in 2012, and the prizewinners were felicitated by the then Chief Minister Dr. Jayalalitha. Not surprisingly, Vijayam is perhaps the only spiritual and cultural magazine with the largest number of young readers – One lakh subscribers of Vijayam are students!

Vijayam’s influence on Tamil print media is seen in the development where most of the Tamil magazines and papers now have a spiritual supplementary or at least some pages dedicated to spirituality. Vijayam has also been a platform from where many writers, and artists have established themselves in the field of religious literature. The magazine is also a resource material for speakers on religion and spirituality. Vijayam articles for students, teachers and mothers are so inspiring that they are brought out in book form which are fast selling.

Honourable Vice-President of India Sri Venkaiah Naidu

On 12 January 2020, the year-long centenary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam was launched by the Honourable VicePresident of India Sri Venkaiah Naidu in a programme held at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai. Inaugurating the celebrations, the Vice-President also digitally launched the Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam Mobile Subscription App. The other dignitaries on the stage were His Excellency the Governor of Tamil Nadu Sri Banwarilal Purohit, Sri Jayakumar, Honourable Minister of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu, Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order and head of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Swami Vimurtananda, Manager and previous editor of Vijayam welcomed the gathering and S wa m i S u k h a d e va n a n d a , S e c re t a r y, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, delivered the words of thanks.

Many organisations and institutions have come forward to celebrate the centenary of Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam. The Chennai Institute of Technology conducted various competitions for school and college students to commemorate the Centenary of Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam. Over 1.40,000 students participated in the competitions and the prize winners were felicitated by the Vice-President in the Centenary Inaugural Function. Also, as part of the celebrations from Jan 2020 to Jan 2021 c u l t u r a l p r o g r a m m e s l i k e m u s i c a l performances and discourses by eminent artists and speakers have been arranged in 15 localities across Chennai city. Programmes are also scheduled outside Chennai to spread the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda message.

His Excellency the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Sri Banwarilal Purohit