VedantaSandesh Apr2018 by Vedanta Mission

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Year - 23

Parashuram Jayanti Greetings

Issue 10

Apr 2018

Vedanta Sandesh

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Cover Page

This month our cover page is dedicated to one of the avataras of Bhagwan Vishnu, namely Bhagwan Parashuram, whose jayanti falls this month on the 18th April. Like other avatars of Vishnu, he appears at a time when overwhelming evil prevailed on earth. The warrior class, with weapons and power, had begun to abuse their power, they used to take what belonged to others by force and also tyrannize people. Parashurama corrects the cosmic equilibrium by destroying these evil warriors. The place of the birth of Bhagwan Parashuram is near Indore, in a place called Janapao. A big memorial is being planned there. He was son of Jamadagni Rishi, and was also a great devotee of his mother Renuka. They lived in a secluded place in a forest. He was said to be the sixth avatara of Bhagwan Vishnu, and is believed to have lived in Treta Yuga. He was not only adept in the scriptures, because of the teachings from his own father, but was also adept in warfare, and his principle of life was to never succumb to atrocities. He had no problems of using anger against all those who did not understand any other language. He is said to have cleansed the land around him many times of such rulers. His story is found in Ramayana, as an angry sage who got annoyed by the breaking up of the bow of Lord Shiva, but later when he realized who Lord Ram was, then he forgave.

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CONTENTS

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Vedanta Sandesh April 2018

Shloka 5

Message of P. Guruji

Tattva Bodha 9-13

Letter 14-15

Gita Reflections 16-22

The Art of Man Making

Jivanmukta 30-32

Story Section 33-37

Mission / Ashram News

7-8

23-29

38-46

10.

Forthcoming Progs 47

11.

Links 48 3

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Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Apr 2018 : Year 23 / Issue 10

Published by

International Vedanta Mission Vedanta Ashram, E/2948, Sudama Nagar, Indore-452009 (M.P.) India http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

Editor:

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Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

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vkReu%lfPpna'k'p cq)so`ZfĂ&#x2122;kfjfr };e~A la;ksT; pkfoosdsu tkukehfr izorZrsAA

The pure unconditioned self-effulgent existence of the Self on one hand, and the awareness of some object on the other hand - when merely out of ignorance these two get identified and are taken as one, then arises the individuality endowed with knowership. Atma Bodha - 25

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Message from Poojya Guruji

Adhyatma & Dharma

Adhyatma & Dharma are two different things. Roughly translated they are

refered to as Spirituality & Religion. While adhyatma is all about turning inwards and knowing the truth of ourself; dharma is all about following various do’s & dont’s which are supposed to help us with a divine art of living in the world outside, as per the truth of life. Seeing the intrinsic differences between these two, many people tend to say that they are spiritual but not religious. Obviously they prefer a magnanimous, unfragmented & spontaneous life, free from any burden of following any rules & regulations. Adhyatma reveals that truth which is the substratum of all, it negates & transcends all divisions, and is thus definitely all-embracing; while religion is not only seen as fragmentary - as in, my religion & your religion, my god & your god etc., but in that we have to follow the diktats of some and are thus dependent on various religious leaders. If these religious teachers are wise then its fine, otherwise history books are proof that religion has caused greatest wars & violence in the world.

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Adhyatma with its philosophy provides us with the logic & vision of one-

ness & completeness, however, this is another bitter truth that mere intellectual appreciation of this vision doesn’t quiet bless us with that awakening, rather a

mere intellectual appreciation has its own set of problems. So the basic question arises that how can our intellectual appreciation & convictions get translated into an awakening, and doesnt just keep us at an intellectual level, which also becomes as much a burden as following a set of beliefs outside. The basic problem is all about the subtelety & purity of the mind. If we continue to have deep-rooted conditionings regarding various things, so long knowledge remains intellectual. The teachers who revealed to us both these two packages of adhyatma & dharma, were obviously well-aware of the implications of both, they were also conscious of this problem of remaining at the intellectual level. So they proposed the package of religion, not as an alternate to adhyatma, but as a facilitator to it. It is only when adhyatma & dharma are seen as two alternates that preferences manifest. All these people are obviously not on the same page as our great masters of yore. The objective of religion is basically to prepare our minds, make it sattwic & sukshma. We appreciate the intrinsic limitations of any religious package, yet we follow it, just to make our minds ready. It is all about our subjective cleansing rather than some social identity.

Dharma & Adhyatma are related to each other as means & end. That way

it is not a problem rather it is a facilitator. Dharma helps us to love & respect someone more dearly than what we have been loving till now. Religion helps us to change our priorities from self-centricity to being God-centric. It is this which negates all our conditionings. So let us see both in right perspective and get appropriately blessed with our magnanimous adhyatmic vision. There is no doubt that all religious practices must culminate in the subjective awakening.

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Om Tat Sat.

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TATTVA BODHA

How is Non-Duality possible?

Swamini Samatananda

Tattva Bodha S

amsara, the continuous suffering caused by

identification with the body and mind, will continue as long as this incorrect conclusion of difference between the Jiva and Isvara is there. Therefore this difference should not to be accepted. This has been discussed so far. Now how can one discern the unity between Jiva and Ishvara is the subject matter in the following text.

rÙoefl egkokD;kr~ dFka vHksncqf)% L;kn~ mHk;ks% fo#) /keZkdzkUrRokr~( bfr psUuA

In the Mahavakya, “That Thou Art” – how can there be

this equality between these two contradictory things having opposite characteristics? If there is such a doubt, “No, it is not so!” What is a Mahavakya

For an English translation for Maha vakya,if

we take the dictionary meaning, Maha Vakya. would mean a big or a long sentence. But Tattvamasi is small statement. So Maha vakya should be understood to mean as the great spiritual and culminating V edanta Sandes h

statement, which reveals the non-difference

Tattva Bodha or the oneness. Maha vakya is a Vedantic statement,equation which equates the jivatma with paramatma. Though there are many Mahavakyas, four of them, one from each of the four Vedas, are often mentioned as “the Mahavakyas”. One of the most popular Maha vakya is Tat Twam Asi. And this is generally called upadesha vakya because this Maha vakya is normally used by a guru while teaching the student. This Maha vakya is found in the Chhandogya Upanishad of Saam Veda.

As the Mahavakyas reveal that basically there is no du-

ality between Jiva and Ishvara, here the student finds it hard to digest. He says – ubhayo –both of them i.e. jivatma and paramatma have got viruddha dharma aakraantatvaat - aakraanta- means endowed with; dharma means attributes; viruddha means opposite or contradictory. So he says, both jivatma and paramatma are endowed with opposite attributes, paramatma having superior attributes, jivatma having inferior attributes. They are totally opposite. So how can this Maha vakya. be understood?

Today we see ourselves as ignorant limited beings, limit-

ed in knowledge and limited in pottentials. On the other hand Ishvara is seen as the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent divine entity. Ishvara is the divine power who has created the

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universe, who is sustaining it and in whom the entire universe

Tattva Bodha dissolves. Here the differences appear with quite a magnitude and hence the student finds it an almost impossible and absurd proposition to see that Jiva and Ishvara are one. Hence this curiosity to understand this statement. However the student is equally humble and open to enquire and understand this proposition. The student does realise that the proposition may appear impossible from where I stand today, yet is also aware that his present knowledge about the self and Ishvara is questionable and incomplete too. Not only this his incomplete and misconcieved knowledge alone has been the cause of so many suffering, realising this the student humbly requests to understand how the oneness is possible between Jiva and Ishvara.

We have a misconception that there is a duality between

the Jiva and Ishvara, between the individual and God. This misconception is resolved here by the Scriptures. Misconception is in the mind therefore the resolution of such a misunderstanding is also and only possible by authentic enquiry. Any doubt can be cleared by right knowledge. Here is an attempt to give right knowledge regarding the relationship between Jiva and Ishvara with the enquiry into the Mahvakyas. The entire teaching of the Mahvakyas is subtle and systematic teaching and the culmination of the teaching is that jivatma and paramatma are

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one and the same original consciousness only.

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Tattva Bodha

The scriptures will systematically reveal to us how the

differences are seemingly superficial; they are only apparent differences. Even though these differences cannot be denied like the difference between a wave and the ocean yet there is an underlying truth which we are not able to see today. This is revealed by the discrimination of the Mahavakyas. The following section will enter into a systematic understanding of the Mahvakyas. With that we will first get an introduction to what are Mahavakyas.

The teacher is compassionate and therefore appreciates

the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point. He is happy to see the curious and enquiring nature of the student to learn, which is what has prompted the question in the first place. This is another unique feature of our scriptures. All our scriptures always encourage the students to raise questions and doubts and get them clarified before proceeding further. Our scriptures are not based on commandments or blind faith but encourage and appreciate curiosity and enquiry.

With this compassion and under-

standing the Teacher will now go on to reveal the implications of the Maha vakya in the concluding section of this

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chapter.

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Mail from Poojya Guruji Transcendence Q: What do we mean by transcending the mind? Ans: Transcending something implies the realization of the independent existence of that thing. Like a cause transcends the effect. The effect cannot be without the cause, but the cause can exist independent of the effect. Like a wave cannot be without the water, but water can exist even if it has not manifested in the form of a wave. Then we say that water transcends waves. Similarly, we need to discover that I, the self, transcends the mind. Our minds, with all its thoughts, dreams & emotions can only exist as long as I am there. Afterall it is my mind, and my thoughts, so I have to be obviously be around. I am the one who is thinking & dreaming. We have the freedom to either think about this or that, or even keep aside all thoughts and maybe prepare for sleep or meditation. So obviously thoughts cannot exist without me. They are dependent on me. But we also need to realize that even when there are no thoughts, yet we continue to exist. This reveals the independent existence of self, apart

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from the coming & going thoughts. This is what transcendence means. Realization of our transcendence implies freedom. This is the realization of the fundamental truth of the effect, without which it cannot

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be, yet that truth continues to exist in all its glory even when the effect is not there. Realize your transcendence with respect to your body and also the mind, and thereafter live like a master and a free bird. The body and our subsequent life is only possible when I am around blessing the body, yet also see the fact that when in sleep you have kept your body in secure & comfortable place and have taken a flight in other realms of consciousness, then also you continue to exist, independently of the body. So also with reference to our minds and all other faculties & experiences. Love & om,

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Swami Atmananda

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Gita Reflections

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ohrjkxHk;dzks/kk% eUe;k ekeqikfJrk%A cgoks Kkurilk iwrk en~Hkkoekxrk%AA (Gita 4/10) 16

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Vitarag-bhaya-krodhah.... (ohrjkxHk;dzks?k%

eUe;k---)

Swamini Samatananda

Those who are of pure minds, free from attachments, fear & anger, dedicated & attached towards me, many such people after getting purified with V edanta Sandes h

right knowledge attained me. Gita 4/10 17

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Gita Reflections

n the most famous and significant section

of the fourth chapter of the Gita Bhagwan Sri Krishna speaks of the divinity of his birth and the divinity of his Karma. Such is the nature of divinity that knowing it one is freed from the bondages of action and the cycle of birth and death. Bhagwan speaks of divinity in birth that reveals the secret of manifestation brought about by free will and total awareness of the Self. Sri Krishna also reveals that secret of action where action is not an act of helpless dependency towards worldly cravings but a free will to serve one and all as an expression of one’s fulfilled nature. Singing the glory of this divinity Bhagwan says that many people in the past have followed the path of spiritual discipline to awaken into the divine state I have lived and spoken about. Bhagwan compassionately implies here that if many people in the past have accomplished it, there is no reason why you also cannot accomplish it. So here in this 10th sloka, Sri Krishna talks about the spiritual disciplines followed by the people of the past.In this verse the entire “Path-of-Self-development” and the final Goal that is to be reached have been indicated.

With a divine goal in mind of awakening into a state

that frees one from all bondages of action and the cyle of birth and death, the first direction given here is surrendering at the V edanta Sandes h

Feet of God. This handles intense raag(individual likes, intense

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Gita Reflections fear and intense anger. These are impurities of the mind which block the process of spiritual learning and bury us deeper into self-centricity and worldliness. A pure mind alone is the door to awaken into the divine state of pure existence and bliss. Thus the sloka begins with the first step practised by all spiritual seekers and that is freeing the mind of individual likes and dislikes, fear and anger. Let us understand the nature of these impurities and trace their origin. Veetraaga:

Veetraaga is one who is freed of individual likes. When

we speak raag or likes then dvesha or dislikes is an automatic inevitable flip side of the coin. In that case what are likes and dislikes. Likes and dislikes are personal preferances or non preferances. They are our strong conditionings. The root cause of a conditioned mind is ignorance. Not being aware of the Self as a fulfilled being we impose joy on extraneous things. This imposition reflects as strong conditions brought about by our experiences in life and learning from the family and society. Thus we all develop various personal likes and dislikes and soon get bound by them. Fulfilling of ones likes can soon become an attachment and nursing dislikes results in serious aversions towards various things and people. Most of us live life blinded by our likes and dislikes, our attachments and aver-

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sions. This does not end here. It inevitabley gives birth to other

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Gita Reflections impurities like fear and anger. Fear is directly proportional to one’s attachment. Greater the attachment, greater the fear. For example if the child has not come home from school on his usual time, and does not know the reason, then her emotional attachment to the child will give rise to all kinds of fear of accident, illness etc. May be the child is just late due to some trafic but the mother’s mind will take all sorts of negative flights born out of attachment and fear. And when the child finally returns home the mother’s temper will blow the roof top. So, since fear is directly proportional to attachment then if attachment is handled then fear is handled too. This is followed by the negation of anger as well. Manmaya:

Sri Krishna further speaks of the mental disposition one

brings about and goes through. He speaks about ‘Manmaya’. Manmaya means obsessed and absorbed by the thought of me. In other words keeping the Godhood as the primary goal of life, that obsession is indicated by the word manmaya-isvara maya. Just as a player is obsessed by his olympic goal and eats drinks sleeps his goal. So also this devotee aims to be one with God and constantly revels in him. As Bhagwan says in the Gita-pashyan shrunvan...While seeing anything, while listening, while touch anything, eating sleeping at all times my devotee is involved in

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me.

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Gita Reflections Maamupaashritaha:

This means ‘taking refuge in me’, surrendering unto me.

To what ever extent we may do things at the level of a seeker we cannot accomplish anything without the support and blessings of Ishvara. Even though I put in my effort but my effort alone is not enough, it should be backed by the blessings of Ishvara. Once my intense desire and devotion is blessed by Bhagwan himself then now I am ready for the journey. A mind that is purified of attachments, fear and anger, integrated and focused by the blessings of Ishvara now becomes ready for knowledge. Bahavo Gyan Tapasa:

Many people with such a purified mind and dorning the

robes of faith at the Feet of God have performed the tapas or austerity of knowledge. There are various tapas involving the body and the mind. Here Bhagwan speaks of the tapas of knowledge. The austerity of knowledge is the most glorious and redeeming of all tapas. Tapas of knowledge is like the fire of Yagya where one offers the aahuti of ignorance. They awaken and revel in the divinity of birth and actions which Bhagwan earlier spoke of.

So a journey has been taken wherein the seeker has faith,

devotion and an attitude of surrender and is freed of various impurities. Impurities of the mind are negated by living the art

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of Karmayoga which has been highly spoken of by Bhagwan

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Gita Reflections in almost all the chapters of the Gita. Practise of karmayoga alone brings about a mind that is purified by individual preferances, fear and anger. Thus preparing the student for the tapas of knowledge. Here one must understand that the role of karmayoga is to prepare the mind for knowledge. Karma cannot by itself bring about liberation. Moksha is an awakening into the pure existence, self fulfilled nature of the Self. Knowledge alone is the key to it. So having prepared the mind then one has to perform the tapas of knowledge at the revered feet of the Master. Knowledge does not happen by itself. One has to do tapasya of questioning the Jiva, its notions and go through Shravan Manan and Nididhyasan.

Having performed the austerity of knowledge Bhagwan

says â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Madbhavam aagataahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;-they as though attain my very own nature. This coming to God is not a travel in time and space but it is an awakening, a discovery of the divinity within. The divine nature of fulfillment, truth and light. A divine nature that Bhagwan spoke of freeing one from the bondages of action and time

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and space.

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The Art of Man Making Swami Chinmayananda

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The Art Of Man Making

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Why Study The Geeta?

P.P. Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji 24

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The Art of Man Making

hen a determined nation elaborately

plans for its own development and progress, apart from its political plans and economic schemes, it must necessarily look for its own cultural genius in order to impart, mould and polish the character of the individuals. The nation-building work starts with the discovery of a mental poise and a physical dynamism in the young intelligent citizens.

All the great thinkers, through their varied philosophi-

cal flights, have in their final conclusions, realised the need for programmes to evolve the idividual. By disciplining and thereby improving the individual, every culture tries to raise the tempo, quality and beauty of the total national life. A world ordered for progress, through improved individuals constituting the community, is the direction in which all the philosophers and scriptural prophets preach and work. The Bhagwadgeeta is a scripture which tries to integrate the personality of the individual student and make him capable of facing dynamically all his challenges in life.

This will sound as a strange conclusion to all those who

are educated in our modern concepts of the materialists. As exclusive students of the secular scriptures, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s politicians, V edanta Sandes h

economist, scientist, all over the world, in their totally extrovert consideration, come to the natural conclusion that the individuals are saved when the world has improved. Thus, we have

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The Art of Man Making instituted daring experiments in political thought, have pursued heroic adventures in the economic field, and have accomplished spectacular achievements in science. Politicians strive to bring concord into social life and maintain law and order in the community. Economist conceive schemes and plans to increase the wealth in the nation and redistribut it with equity and justice. The scientist with selfless dedication continuously seek to discover means of exploiting the rich treasures concealed within the folds of mother nature, to explore sources of energy and tame them in order to help the people to harness them and thus make their life more comfortable, more rich, and more luxurious. By creating such an order in society and by developing the untapped wealth of a nation, through planned economy, by applying the revealed knowledge of science, materialism strives to raise the standard of living of the people.

It is obvious that the blessings of materialism can remove

the agony of poverty, the Sorrows of illness, the discomforts of a limited life within any underdeveloped community. But the Philosopherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unveil the convincing logic, that in spite of higher standards of Living that we may create for a community in the nation, man can not yet feel happy in his ambitions, and live contented in his relationships with others, merely because he has plenty of food, clothing, shelter and all other amenities of a V edanta Sandes h

peaceful and efficient national life. It is here that we feel the irresistible logic behind the view put forth by the Bhagavad Geeta.

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The Art of Man Making

Man is an animalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; an intelligent animal. Had he been

just an animal he would not need anything more than his physical comforts and security; but as a highly developed psychological being, he wants his emotional satisfaction and being an intellectual being, he is restless at and impatient with all imperfections. He is not merely a physical structure consisting of his body; he has a mind and an intellect. The material district needs of the body can satisfy only the physical man which is only a third part of an individual; two thirds of each individual is not taken into consideration when materialism strives to satisfy merely the basic needs in a community. It is here that the process of total satisfaction revealed in the Bhagavad Gita shines out as a Beacon Light for all lovers of mankind and its destiny.

In short, when the modern world in its materialistic view-

point strives to bring about a higher standard of living, by improving the world around man, the deep thinkers of the scriptures and the rational philosophers conclusively indicate that the happiness and glory of the world depend upon the standard of life that the individuals come to live.

Every nation must determine itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own political institution

an economic system and workout diligently the schemes that they evolve. So too, philosophers of the world have their exhaustive

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theories and detailed schemes for the development of the human personality. The Bhagavad Gita not only indicates theories of the Hindu way of life but she reveals certain definite schemes by

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The Art of Man Making which every individual can work out his own self improvement. The nation is constituted of individual citizens. If the citizens are strong efficient Industries self sacrificing that nation becomes great; if the individuals are selfish in modern ideal and corrupt, it would be a sad Nation indeed. In individual redemption lies National redemption and progress. In the Bhagavad Gita, philosophical theories are couched in a language of least confusion and she suggests schemes for self improvement which are unique in their variety and effectiveness. The most acceptable to the intelligent modern youth— as they are direct, simple, and easy to do exercises for the unfoldment of personality in the students.

The Gita addresses herself to the teenagers. Their mental

problems search has their nameless restlessness, impossible aspirations, unending desires, utter disillusionments, suffocating despairs, entombing dejections, and shattering confusions— nay, even their self deluding sense of materialism in life, are all depicted in Arjuna, and Krishna’s psychological treatment for the Pandava Prince constitutes the main theme of the Bhagavad Gita.

The youth of our country is experiencing today the need

for an ideal that can supply for them a consistent motivation for self sacrificing and dynamic action. It is natural for the youth to

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plan, the irresistible urge to act, the enthusiasm to conceive, the energy to work along with their shy impatience with all inefficiencies and ugly defects that they find in the world all around.

The Art of Man Making Each one of these can release an avalanche power and strength, energy and vitality, thought and action. To channelise these resources in the bosom of the heroic youth, they must be trained to study the problems of life and to evaluate each of them correctly. This calls for a special mental balance in each, and an unerring intellectual self application. Which such a balanced mind and intellect, the youth will be able to arrive at potentially creative judgements and constructive conclusions. In the very midst of confusing situation, how to train the mind and intellect to evaluate and judge explosive conditions, threatening challenges, and suffocating situations? This know how is explained exhaustively in the Bhagavad Gita.

Hence the importance of this great Divine Song, the

Bhagavad Gita, in the rebuilding of our nation, in the rediscovery of the Bharatiya culture, in the ultimate development and

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growth of our young nation.

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Jivanmukta Wandering In Himalayas

64 Rantideva Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj

Jivanmukta O

nce a man has developed power of pratya-

hara, he must proceed gradually to dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

to begin with, one must try to concentrate upon physical

objects. From the contemplation of the physical, one can pass on to the spiritual. There is great variety among the objects of contemplation according to the varying tastes of the practitioners. The lotuses of the mooladhaara ( The lowest yogic centre of consciousness at the base of the spine where man’s spiritual energy is lying dormant ) and the shining “lights” are some of the favourite concrete aides to contemplation. The bhaktas generally prefer the divine forms of dieties such as Vishnu or Shiva. In fact, any object helping to check the constant wavelike movements of the mind and enabling the mind to flow out like a single stream is good enough. The pinning down of the mind according to one’s tastes, to spiritual or physical objects such as an imaginary bright lights in the heart or between the eyebrows or on top of the head or on Vishnu, Shiva, or Devi, is called dharana. If this control of mental activity is continued for a long time it is called Dhyana. The state in which the distinction between meditation and meditator disappears and the object of meditation alone shines is called Samadhi. Samadhi lasts longer than dhyana. when a man has succeeded in attaining dharana, dhyana and Samadhi with the help of corporeal means, his next effort must be to reach these states through V edanta Sandes h

incorporeal means. According to yoga dialects( yoga prakriya), the

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Jivanmukta five story elements (Panchatanmatras), the ego (ahankara), total mind (Mahattatvam, the equipment of God), and Total Intellect (Pradhanam, that from which all matter has sprung forth) asach incorporeal objects; according to the vedantic school of thought, they are spiritual energy( adhyatmika prana), phenomenal energy (adhidaivika prana), and the mind. Only when the mind is passed through these various stages and got rid of the impurities of Rajas and Tamas can it comprehend the self which is the finest of the fine, with no form or attribute. Through dharana and dhyana the mind gains strength and rises into the prolong state of Samadhi. When the mind has become one with the self, as camphor becomes one with the fire or salt becomes one with the water, all distinctions between the meditator, the meditation, and the meditated disappear and the shelf begins to shine by itself. This last and highest state of mind is called by the Yogis asamprajnata; it is called nirvikalpa by the way of Vedantins. The state of Samadhi raises a trainee (sadhaka) to a perfected one

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(siddha) and a layman to a Yogi.

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STORY Section 33

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Arjuna’s Chariot

chariot on which both, Sri Krisna and

Arjuna, rode was donated by Agni (the fire-god) to Arjuna, and that was indication that this chariot was capable of conquering all directions, wherever it was drawn through out the three worlds. This was the story behind the gifting of the chariot – Once when roaming in the Khandava Vana, Arjuna and Krishna met the god of fire, Agni. Agni was in great hunger and needed to burn down the entire Khandava Vana to quench his hunger. But Takshaka, the serpent-king lived in the same forest and was a friend of Indra’s. So the latter brought down heavy rains to thwart Agni’s plans to burn the woods. Agni requested Krishna and Arjuna to help him realize his goal. The three of them then invoked Varuna, the God of the oceans, who blessed Arjuna with the Gandiva – the moon bow created by Brahma. In this way, Arjuna came into possession of his famous bow. Agni also gave Arjuna an incandescent chariot with four horses yoked, and bearing a flag that would one-day be occupied by Hanuman. Arjuna also obtained his famous conch.

With Krishna using the Sudarshana Chakra, Arjuna and

Krishna waged a successful battle against Indra and helped Agni burn down the entire Khandava Vana including all its demons and evil spirits. V edanta Sandes h

To please Agni, the fire-god, Krisna arranged to offer him

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Arjuna’s Chariot the Khandava forest. The Lord, asked Arjuna to burn down the forest and would accompany him as his charioteer. Agni (the demigod in charge of the southeastern portion of the universe) was so satisfied with the offering that he presented Arjuna with the Gandiva bow, a team of horses, a chariot, two inexhaustible quivers, and armor. The Lord’s chariot, yoked with the horses named Saibya, Sugriva, Meghapuspa and Balahaka. Srila Viswanätha Cakravarti quotes the following text of the Padma Purana describing Lord Krsna’s chariot horses: Saibya was green like a parrot’s wings, Sugriva yellow-gold, Meghapuspa the color of a cloud, and Balahaka whitish.”

Lord Hanuman meets Sri Krsna. Lord Hanuman is Chiranjeevi – one who lives forever. Thus even as various eras passed by Hanuman was ever-present. He was also told that Lord Sriram would reappear as Lord Krishna at a future time. Thus Hanuman appears in the Mahabharata at two junctures – once to quell the pride of Bheema and the second time to see Lord Krishna. We all know about the incident in which an arrogant Bheema could not budge the tail of a feeble monkey (later realizing that monkey is lord Hanuman himself) though he tried with all his might. But the meeting of Hanuman and Arjuna is quite interesting as well.

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In an argument between Hanuman and Arjuna, Arjuna

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Arjuna’s Chariot claimed that he could reconstruct the bridge built by the Vanar army during Lord Sriram’s war with Ravana using his archery skills. Hanuman laid the challenge that if Arjuna could build a bridge that could withstand his weight, let alone an army’s, then he would be on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot in the war. But should Arjuna fail it was decided that Arjuna would give up his life by entering a pyre. Arjuna built a bridge in a jiffy and when Hanuman stepped on it the whole bridge collapsed, Arjuna, immensely disappointed decided to end his life. At this moment Lord Krishna appeared and asked Arjuna to build the bridge again. After Arjuna rebuilt the bridge, Lord Krishna touched the bridge and asked Hanuman to walk over it. Despite his best efforts Hanuman could not break the bridge; at this instant Hanuman saw Lord Sriram in Krishna and was overcome with emotion. He promised to aid Arjuna in the war by being on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot, thus stabilizing and protecting it.

Hanumanji’s flag signifies sense control and mind control

that gives victory to the higher nature over the lower nature.

Arjuna’s Chariot bursts into flames

After the war was over Sri Krsna asked Arjuna to take

down the Gandiva and get off from the Chariot, as this is for his good only. Arjuna did as he was directed. After this lord Sri Krsna V edanta Sandes h

abandoned the reins of the steeds and dismounted himself from

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Arjunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chariot the chariot as well. After Sri Krsna had dismounted from that chariot, lord Hanuman that topped the mantle of Arjunaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vehicle, disappeared there and then. The top of the vehicle, which had before been burnt by Drona and Karna with their celestial weapons, the chariot with its quick pairs of steeds, yoke, and shaft, fell down, and reduced to ashes. Arjuna was amazed with this sight and with folded hands he asked Sri Krsna on why the chariot has been consumed by fire. Vasudeva said that the chariot was consumed by diverse kinds of weapons. It was because He had sat upon it during battle that it did not fall into pieces, previously consumed by the energy of brahmastra, it has been reduced to

V edanta Sandes h

ashes upon his abandoning it.

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Mission & Ashram News

V edanta Sandes h

Bringing Love & Light in the lives of all with the Knowledge of Self

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Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow