coimbatore 641 108 - arsha vidya gurukulam – welcome ... not come anywhere near, when you are near...

Arsha Vidya PithamSwami Dayananda AshramSri Gangadhareswar TrustPurani Jhadi, RishikeshPin 249 201, UttarakhandaPh.0135-2431769Fax: 0135 2430769Website: www.dayananda.orgEmail: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:

Chairman:Swami DayanandaSaraswati

Trustees:Swami SuddhanandaSwami AparokshanandaSwami BrahmavidyanandaSwamini ManeeshanandaSwami SadanandaSwami SwarupanandaSri RajnikantSri M.G. Srinivasan

Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam72, Bharat NagarAmaravathi Road, NagpurMaharashtra 410 033Phone: 91-0712-2523768Emai: [email protected]

Board of Trustees

Paramount Trustee:

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

President

Rajashree Shrikant Jichkar,

Secretary

Madhav Babasaheb Solao,

Trustees:Ramesh Bhaurao Girde

Avinash Narayanprasad Pande

Madhav Chintaman Kinkhede

Ramesh alias Nana PandurangGawande

Rajendra Wamanrao Korde

Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta and SanskritSruti Seva TrustAnaikatti P.O.Coimbatore 641 108Tel. 0422-2657001,Fax 91-0422-2657002Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.in"Email: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:Paramount Trustee:Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Chairman:G.K. Sundaram

Exe. Trustee:R. Santharam

Trustees:C. Soundar Raj

P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajhah

Ravi Sam

N.K. Kejriwal

T.A. Kandasamy PillaiRavi GuptaM. Krishnan

Secretary:V. Sivaprasad

Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta andSanskritP.O. Box No.1059Saylorsburg, PA, 18353, USATel: 570-992-2339Fax: 570-992-7150

570-992-9617Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.org"Books Dept. : "http://books.arshavidya.org"

Board of Directors:

President:Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Vice Presidents:Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati

Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati

Secretary:Anand Gupta

Treasurer:Piyush and Avantika Shah

Asst. Secretary:Dr. Carol Whitfield

Directors:Drs.N.Balasubramaniam (Bala) & ArulAjay & Bharati ChanchaniDr.Urmila GujarathiSharad & Lata PimplaskarDr.V.B. Prathikanti & SakubaiDr.Sundar Ramaswamy(Dhira) & UshaDr.L.Mohan & Vinita RaoV.B.Somasundaram and Dr.AnasuyaBhagubhai and Janaki TailorDr.Ashok Chhabra & Martha DohertyVijay and Pammi Kapoor

Associate Board of Directors:Dr.Soma & Nagaveni AvvaDr.Ravindra BathinaDr.Mahesh & Maheswari DesaiDr.Pramod & Lata DeshmukhDr.T.A.Gopal & LataDr.Kamlesh & Smita GosaiDr.Haren Joshi & Pratima TolatDr.Arun & Mangala PuranikG.S. Raman & GitaDr.Bhagabat & Pushpalakshmi SahuRakesh Sharma

Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 2009 1

Arsha VidyaNewsletter

In fearless voice maywe proclaim

The Rishi's message from all house-tops

And bring the menof different claim

To a fold of Lovewhere oneness lasts!

Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 20092

kQaepin;dœKaöhopaniñad

(continued from March issue)

ya imaà madhvadaà veda ätmänaà jévamantikät |éçänaà bhütabhavyasya na tato vijugupsate | etadvai tat ||5|

He who knows the Self intimately, as non-separate from being a jiva, as the enjoyerof the fruits of his actions and as the Lord of the past, present and future, does notwish to protect himself against anything. This indeed is that.

As even honey is liked by all without exception everyone would like to enjoy theresults of his actions. The one who is a präëa dhäri and sees oneself to be the enjoyerof fruits of his actions—bhoktäram jévam—, should recognize himself as the Lordof the past, present and future— bhüta bhavyasya éçänam. The one who thinks thathe is a sukhi or a dukhi always has to recognise himself as the Lord of the past,present and future. Such a person is not concerned about projecting body, life orlongevity—na vjugupsate—, as he is released from mortality.

Krishna was there in Brindavan; This is parokshagyanam. If you go to golokaBrindavan and see Krishna right in front of you, antikaat, isaanam bhuta bhavyasya.The one who is the Lord of all time – kaalaavachinnam paramesvaram. The one whois conditioned by time: past, present and future, means, he is not independent oftime here. He is in the form of very time, space and the whole world and that isIsaana:, tam isaanam bhuta bhavyasya isaanam sameepe – in whose presence yousit and thereafterwards no fear for death because death will be afraid of Lord. Deathwill not come anywhere near, when you are near God. He will not come t all.

Markandeya was the devotee of Lord Siva and Yama came to him because, the timehad come. His 16 years were over and Markandeya was to die. When the LordYama came, Markandeya was in the temple. He also knew that the day had come

Arsha Vidya Newsletter - December 2007 3Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 2009 3

for him and so he went to the temple. Lord Yama wanted to catch him and Makandeyawent inside the temple and embraced the Linga. Lord Yama wanted to get his souland therefore, he threw the pasa around the linga. Linga splits and Lingodbhava,the Lord, who is the Mrtyunjaya came out. His third eye opened and Yama wasburnt. and afterwards the Lord revived him. This is the story.

Wht is said here is because he was close to the Lord, Yama could not get anywherenear. Isvara is non-separate from Jiva. Antikät means abhedhena That is whyMarkandeya was not sitting near the Linga. He became one with the Linga. Thenonly Lord protected him from death. That is Moksha. There is no bheda because heembraced the Lord with no distance at all between him and the Lord, and thereafter,Yama had no access. For him death itself was burnt meaning he went beyond death.He is no more governed by time. He is kälätétaù.

After that knowledge, na vijugupsate| na gopäyitum icchati. That person does notdesire to protect ätmä any more Why? abhayapräptatvät. Here abhaya präpti is notgetting the refuge in Bhagavan. It is abhayasya präptiù or abhedena präptiù orätmatvena präptiù. Abhayam is that which is free from bhaya. That is advayam,non-dual. Where there is duality, there is fear; where there is no duality, there isabhayam. That abhayam is parabrahma. Therefore, abhayam Brahma präptiù evaabhaya präptiù.

As Markandeya gained eva abhaya präptiù, he had gone out of the hands of timeand space and he was not afraid of Lord Yama any more. He is muktaù. He isliberated. Sankara explains here— yävat hi bhayamadhyastaù— as long as one whois within the scope of fear, meaning, death, then, he looks upon ätmä as anitya, —anityam aätmäanam manyate —bound by time, and therefore, there is always a fearof death.

Therefore, if you are within the fold of fear, then you will look upon ätmä as anityam.Not only that ätmä is anithya, you will look upon the ätmä as having every otherlimitation. There is always fear—fear of loss of life, fear of loss of health, fear ofloss of security – everything. Therefore bhayamadhyasta: aätmänam anityamparicchinnam manyate. Ätmä is looked upon by him as anitya— non-eternalparichinnam, as limited, wanting. Fear will always be there.


Therefore, I want Bhagavan to protect me. How will He protect me? Already I amprotected, and if I go and ask him, protect me, what will he do? He will get onlyangry. Otherwise, he will think that this person is crazy. Either you become an objectof anger or an object of pity. When there is duality, you are already in the handsof Lord Death because duality implies my being separate from everything else;everything seprate means all within time frame alone. Things are separate by time,space and quality and each one is separate. You are in the hands of time. Lord Yamais right inside.

Whereas when one knows nityam advaitamätmänam, the non-daual ätmä, whichis not bound by time, then what is it that he wants to protect? kim gopäyitum icchati,and then again, kaù gopäyitum icchati—Who is the one that he wants to proteect?kutaù gopäyitum icchati? From what and whom that he wants to protect. What hewants to protect, is the only thing that is available. That is already advaya, non-dual,nitya, eternal, and therefore, there is no question of protecting it from death.

And then again, kuta: from death there is no fear from at all because everything elseis me. Lord Yama is myself. All the devas are myself. Therefore, from whom I haveto protect myself? Have I to protect myself from Yama, Indra, Varuna, Agni oranybbody? I don’t require to be protected from any Deva because all the Devas aremyself. So Sankara says, nityam advaitam ätmänam vijänäti yadä kim kaù kuto vägopayitum icchet|

Etat vaitat: Naachiketas wanted to know what is above dhrama and adharma. Thisis that thing. This is the one which is always asti, satyam. Then again he himselfsaid Vishnoh paramam padam; this is that one. Sa paraagati, he pointedout. This isthat.

The one who has got vijïäna sarathi reaches advanaù päram äpnoti, the end of thesamsara; that is indeed this one. With the chariot one has to reach the other end;the ultimate end is the one. Etat vai tat. This is what is meant by the imagery ofchariot etc. This is the place that is to be reached. Even at the level of jiva, the onewho obtains in the antaùkaraëa is nothing but Parameswara. The one who isupalabdhä, the one who sees, one who hears, one who thinks, one who does that isnothing but this jiva is isvara eva.

(To be continued)


108 Names of çré DakñiëämürtiWith the Gloss Tattva Prakäçikä

By Swami Tattvavidananda SaraswatiTranslated into English by Puppala B.

108 Names of çré DakñiëämürtiWith the Gloss Tattva Prakäçikä

23, Aae< g¼axvlidVya¼ay nm>,g<gaya xvl< SvCD< idVy< Aàak«t< tejaemy< va A<g< mUitR> ySy s>, tSmE nm>,prmeñrSy yae idVym<glae iv¢h> tSy izris x&ta g<ga SvCDtamapadytITywR>,Awva g<gev xvl< Svy< Xyat&n! pivÇIktu¡ ]m< idVy< A<g< ySyeit, prmeñr> Svy< jgÔƒpe[ ivrajte #itvedaNte;u àisÏmev olu, tiSmn! jgit yÇ $ñrIyae mihma Aitzyen àkqIÉvit sa $ñrivÉUitirit kWyte,tasu ivÉUit;u svRàwmae ihmvÚg>, izv @v ihmvÔƒpe[ %Äu<gizorE> ivrajte, ngsanu;u @”mana vnrajy>devdavaRid v&ús<pda ivraJ<t> izvSy jqaklapmnuk…vRiNt, tSma¾qaklaps†zat! z&<gjatat! pirt> övNtIg<ga vnp<i´iÉ> hirta< ihmvÓƒim< xvlIkraeit,

Salutations to the One whose divine form is imbued with the purity of Gaìgä.

Gaìgä supported on the head of çivä imparts purity to His divine and auspiciousform. This is the meaning. Or, it can mean that His divine form is capable of makingthe meditator pure, just as Gaìgä can. Verily, it is well known from the upanishadsthat the Lord is shining in the form of universe. Wherever Lord’s power is manifestto an extraordinary degree, it is said to be the glory of the Lord. Among those glories,the glory in the form of the Himalayas is the foremost. Lord çivä alone is manifest inthe form of the Himalayas with towering peaks. The mighty forests growing in themountainous terrain with the trees such as deodar constituting forest wealth look likethe budled up matted hair of beautiful çivä. Gaìgä, flowing all around the mountainpeaks that resemble the bundled up matted hair, imparts whiteness to the Himalayas,which are themselves green with multitudinous forests.

24, Aae< g<gap<ikls¾qay nm>,g<gaya> p<ken yu´aSsTy> mnaehra> jqa> ySy s>, tSmE nm>,vy< yid ihmaly< ÉgvtiZzraeêpe[ mnis pZyam> tihR g<gaàvahSy %ÉaE jlaÔaER mnaehraE tqaE izvSyAaÔRjqaêpe[ Ô‰òu< z²…m>,

Salutations to the One whose beautiful matted hair is covered with the mud of Gaìgä.


If we visualize the Himalayas as the head of the Lord, we can look upon the wetand lovely banks of the Ganges as the wet matted hair of Lord çivä.

25, Aae< ggnaMbrs<vItay nm>,ggnmev AMbr< vô< ten s<vIt> sMykœ pirveiòt>, tSmE nm>,Égvan! izv> idgMbr> #it pura[àisiXd>, @tiÎgMbrTv< Égvtae yawaWyRSy sUckmaÇmev, AÖy< Ao{fsÔƒp<äü mayaziKws<vilt< st! yda jgÔƒpe[ AaivÉRvit tda svRàwm< Vy´êp< kay¡ Aakaz #it%pin;Tàitpaidts&iòài³yaya < v{yRte, AêpSy Égvt> àwm< Vy´Ikr[< Aakaz #it k«TvaÉgvtZzrIrmakaz #it ïuTya AiÉvRi[Rtm!, ta†zae gMÉIrae iv;y> pura[pirÉa;aya< Égvtae idgMbrTvenvi[Rt>, prae]iàya #v ih deva> @etreyaepin;id t&tIyae=Xyaye #it àisÏmev olu, tSmaÖa @tSmadaTmnAakazSsMÉUt> 2-1 AakazzrIr< äü 106 #Tyete tEiÄrIyïutI AÇ %dahtRVye, jgt! AaTmcEtNye vStut>Asdip ÝIyte, AaTma c Anya àtITya n ilPyte, @tdev AaTmniZzvSy idgMbrTvm!,

Salutations to the One who is enveloped by the sky as garment.

That the Lord çivä is naked is renowned in the puräëäs. The naked state of theLord is only indicative of the true nature of the Lord. Describing the process ofcretion, it is declared by the upaniñads that when the non-dual, undifferentiated,Existence-Absolute Brahman in association with Mäyäçakti manifests in the form ofuniverse, the first manifest effect is space. As the first manifest form of the formlessLord, space is described as the body of the Lord by the vedäs. In the terminologyof the puräëäs, such a profound matter is turned into description of the Lord as naked.‘The deities love to keep profound truths hidden in metaphors’. This is renownedstatement from the Aitareya upaniñad (3 rd chapter). Space is indeed born from thisÄtman (2-1)’. ‘Brahman has the space as the body’ (1-6). These statements fromthe Taitiréya upaniçad may be quoted here. The universe, though unreal in nature,appears in the Consciousness that is ätman. Ätman is not contaminated by thisappearance. This alone is the nakedness of çivä that is Ätman.

26, Aae< ggnamu´mUxRjay nm>,ggne Aakaze Aamu´a> me”êpe[ x&na> mUxRja> keza ySy s>, tSmE nm>,vy< svRda Égvt %Ts<ge sa]at! Égvit Aixòane jIvam>, Égvan! ASmTpurt> jgÔƒpe[ ivÉait, @tt!ùdye ivÉaVyte cet! tdev ivñêpaepasn< Évit, yiSmn! kale @tt! sTy< }ayte s> àTygiÉÚäü}anat!AËre vtRte, svaRi[ kmaRi[ svRmupasnmiSmÚev pyRvSyiNt, ggntle †Zymana me”a> Égvt> jqajUqayNte,jgit namêp†iò< ivhay sgu[äü†iò< k…vRt> ij}asae> mn> AÃsa pirzuXyit,

Salutations to the One who wears his locks of hair in the form of clouds in the sky.

We are directly in the lap of the Lord, and always live in Him with His supportand sustenance. The Lord shines in the form of the world before us. If He is thuscontemplated in the heart, it becomes a meditation upon the Lord’s cosmic form.The moment this truth is known, one is not far from realizing that one’s essentialnature is non different from Brahman. All enjoined actions and all forms of meditationculminate in this knowledge alone. The clouds seen in the sky appear like a massof twisted hair of the Lord. One who gives up seeing the world in terms of diversenames and forms, and instead, sees it as the manifest form of Brahman, such a seeker’smind gets purified ere long.


Pujya Swamiji’s Camp at Ambolifrom March 9 to 13, 2009

Pujya Sri Swami DayanandaSaraswati arrived in Amboli on the 9 th

of March, 09 after a hectic schedulein Karnataka, just in time to conducta session on guided meditation forthe campers.

Pujya Swamiji explained the meaningof comfort and said the nature of ‘I’was wholeness and one could playthe various roles his scripts enjoinedand realize in and through allexperiences that he was the Wholeand the comfort that he sought.

In the subsequent sessions, PujyaSwamiji delved deep into theMahavakya and explained theessential meaning of it in detail.

The climate was moderate forcompact 30 member group and theyenjoyed the mornings and eveningswith the beautiful sunrise and moonrise in the range of mountainssurrounding the ashram!

We hope to complete the pendingprojects of building structures for agenerator room, a Laundromat roomand an extension for the existing dining facility as desired by Pujya Swamiji.

Seeing the enthusiastic support offered by the campers, we also appeal to the devotees ofPujya Swamiji to help us complete the projects before Pujya Swamiji’s next visit.

Report by : Shribanta Giri

Email : [email protected]


Ramagita Camp of Pujya Swamijee at Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh

Pujya Swami Dayanandaji took RAMAGITA text in the camp organizedat Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh from the 14 th of March to the 28 th of March2009.

RAMAGITA occurs in Uttarakanda of Adhyatma Ramayana., whichforms later portion of Brahmanda Purana. As is well known Maharshi VedaVyasa composed this Purana. So the style of presentation of Ramagita isPuranic.

The consort of Lord Paremeshwara, Mother Goddess Parvati, requested himto explain the top secret and glory of Lord Rama. The entire AdhyatmaRamayana is a dialogue between Parameshwara and His consort Parvati.In the fifth chapter of Uttarakanda of this Ramayana, the younger brotherof Lord Rama, Shri Lakshman requests him to teach so that he can cross overthe shore less ocean of ignorance. This teaching by Lord Rama to his dearyounger brother Shri Lakshman is called RAMAGITA. This teaching is theessence of Vedanta:

rame[aepin;iTsNxumuNmWyaeTpaidta< mudalúm[ayaipRta< gItasuxa< pITvamrae Évet! .

Lord Rama by churning the ocean of Upanishads extracted this knowledgeand condensed it as Rama Gita.. He gave this knowledge to Lakshmana withpleasure. One may assimilate it and become eternal. (Adhyatma Ramayana,Mahatmya-49).

Page sponsored by:

Swami VishnuswarupanandaArsha Vidya Varidhi, Janaki Bhavan, Plot 5, Bus Stand Road, Ganeshpeth, Nagpur 400 018


Page sponsored by:

Arsha Vidya VaridhiPlot 5, Bus Stand Road, Ganeshpeth, Nagpur 400 018.

There were more than 300 participants for the camp from India and manyfrom different countries of the globe. It was really an international gatheringof sort, as people from more than eleven countries were present. There wasa big contingent of 27 participants from U.K. under the stewardship ofSwamini Atmaprakashanandji. There were 14 persons from Brazil, and otherswere from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, and Mauritius etc.More than 200 participants were from different states of India.

Rama Gita is primarily a text of Vedanta but it deals with Patanjala Yoga,Sadhana chatusthaya, devotion to Iswara etc. Such an excellent text when itis expounded by Pujya Swamiji, it was a rare treat to listen to it. Furtherthe exposition of Reality or Parmartha Tatva reached the zenith when anexpert exponent like Puya Swamiji explained the glory of Lord Rama. It wasunique presentation about the essential non-difference between knowledgeand bhakti. This removed misconceptions many persons have aboutexclusiveness of knowledge and bhakti.

Like every good thing comes to an end, the camp ended on 28th March 2009.To participate in the valedictory function was a great treat. There was asense of contentment among all. Pujya Swamiji made participants from eachcountry to stand-up and all others greeted them with clapping of hands. Pujyaswamiji was beaming and shining and so all the participants, more than300 persons, felt blessed to listen to a great Guru about reality and gloryof Lord RAMA.


Sannyasa Diksha Givenby Pujya Swamijee

Pujya Swamijee gave Sannyasa Diksha to two persons on 21 st March 2009 namely MahtiChaitanya and Br. Vedanishtha Chaitanya.

Mahatijee is a graduate of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Anaikatti and Vedantanishthajee is agraduate from Dayananda Ashram Rishikesh.

The ceremony was solemn and started on the previous day. Swami Vidiatmanandji also camefrom Ahmedabad to participate in the ceremony. After performing final fire ritual called VirajaHoma, the persons were ready to receive Sannyasa Diksha. Pujya Swamiji gave Sannyas Dikshaand Upadesha to the new Sannyasins. Many persons who had taken Sannyas long back alsoattended this Upadesha ceremony to get fresh insight into reality of things.

Pujya Swamijee gave Sannyasa Diksha to three persons on the 5 th of April 2009.

Shri Padmanabhanji is one of the officials of Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh and is stayingin the Ashram for the past about nineteen years.

Br. Guhatma Chaitanya is graduate of Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh.

Br. Radhanatha Das is from Kailas Ashram and is known to Pujya Swamiji.

The Upadesha of Pujya Swamijee was unique. All the three new Sannyasins and otherSannyasinis present felt blessed by the Upadesha the teaching, of Pujya Swamiji.

“Left: Swamini Tatvavidyananda Saraswati (MahatiChaitanya), Right: Swami Vedanishthananda Saraswati(Br. Vedanishtha Chaitanya”

Left: Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati (C. Padmanabhan),Middle: Swami Guhatmananda Saraswati (Br. GuhatmaChaitanya), Right: Swami Deveshananda Saraswati (Br.Radhanatha Das)


Seven-Days Camp of Pujya Swamiji onHastämalakéyam at Dayananda Ashram Rishikesh

Pujya Swamiji took Hastämalakéyam text for the seven days camp from the 31 st of Marchto the 6 th of April 2009 at Dayananda Ashram Rishikesh. This text consists of only 14 versesbut its content is deep and full of significance. Actually the story of a boy of thirteenbecoming äcäryä Hastämalaka is interesting. As per details given in Çaìkara digvijayawritten by çaìkaräcärya of Shringeri Svämi Vidhyäraëyä, when Ädi Çaìkaräcärya wastravelling in Karnataka, he meets a dumb boy of thirteen. Çaìkara asks the boy lovingly:

kSTv< izzae kSy k…tae=is gNtaik< nam te Tv< k…t Aagtae=is,@tNmyae´< vd caÉRk Tvm!mTàITye àIitivvxRnae=is.

“ Oh boy! Whose child are you, what is your name, from where have you come & wherewill you go. You are bright and you look attractive and loving to me. Please give replyto me for my pleasure. “

The reply given by the boy to the query of Äcäryä Çaìkarä in twelve verses is what isknown as Hastämalakéya stotram. He specifically says that I am not jada (an inert object)but am self-aware consciousness. At the end of each of the twelve verses it is said that-

s inTyaepliBx> Svêpae=hmaTma,

I am that Ätmä whose nature is everlasting knowledge consciousness..

Pujya Swamiji at the outset gave the background of the story and two sets of details availableabout the incident of the young boy. In his characteristic style, he made the text complete.The text mainly deals with individual or tvaà pada. But Pujya Swamiji took diversionand spoke at length about Éçvarä tatva or Tat pada to make the presentation complete.

In this camp there were 250 participants. The participants from abroad were around 40and the rest were from different States of India.

Pujya Swamiji conducted meditation classes in the morning. He was taking three classeson Vedanta during day and satsang at night. Last three classes were devoted for take homematerial for the campers. Everybody felt a great sense of participation and fulfillment byattending the camp.


Balasthapana

The painting of the Dakshinamurti temple and Murugan temple towers(vimanas) was completed (Please refer the article http://www.arshavidya.in/Newsletter/Mar09/vimana-repainting.pdf) and they were re-consecrated onApril 9, 2009 by re-uniting the chit amsha and jada (maya) amshas. Homas wereperformed on the occasion. We were also blessed to have Pujya Swamiji’spresence for the occasion. “


VISHVA HINDU PARISHAD OF AUSTRALIA Incorporated(World Hindu Council, Australia)

(ABN:78862155168,Reg.No:Y2898719,Charity No:C N10709)GPO Box No 1374,Sydney 2001, Australia

The 2nd Australian Hindu Conference

The 2nd Austrlian Hindu Conference with thetheme “Sustaining Australia throughstrengthening bonds amongst communities“ wasorganized by Vishv Hindu Parish d (VHP) ofAustrali Inc. The conference was inauguratedby world renowned Hindu teacher andspiritual leader, His Holiness SwamiDayananda Saraswathi by lighting the lamp.The conference was held on 11-12 April 2009at the University of Western Sydney,Parramatta campus, Sydney. Uncle MaxHarrison, the Aboriginal elder, blessed theoccasion with Aboriginal blessing. He wasimpressed by the welcome by the Hinducommunity and told the audience that he feltbeing at home.

The conference brought together Hindus inAustrali coming from different countries aswell as guests from cross Australia, Dharmacivilization group (Buddhist, Jain, Sikh andAboriginal) and Australian host community.There were over 250 attendees at this 2-dayconference.

Sri Brij Pal Singh, the President of the VHPAustralia, welcomed all the delegates. ShriNikhil Rughani, co-ordinator of Hindu YouthAustralia, was the master of ceremony forinauguration ceremony.

Mrs.Akila Ramarathinam, Joint GeneralSecretary of VHP Australia, and coordinatorof the 2nd Australian Hindu conferenceprovided an update of VHP activities overthe past 12 months. Sydney Veda Patasala,unique project for Veda chanting, was started

in 2008 with 10 students. Veda chanting hasbeen considered as the outstanding oralcultural tradition , and has been declared asWorld’s Intangible Cultural Heritage byUNESCO. Now over 100 students learn theVedas at 5 Veda Patasalas (schools) in thevarious suburbs of Sydney. The recital ofselect mantras (verses) from number of Vedasby students of the Sydney Veda Patasalademonstrated the levels of learning achievedin mere 12 months and less. It also showedAustralias country that supports and nurturesoral traditions of the Vedas that has beenrecognized by the United Nations as a WorldCultural Heritage.

His Holiness Swami Dayananda Saraswathipresented the keynote address of theconference, in which he pointed out thathuman conscience and values are universal.Swamiji emphasized the message from theVedas. ‘Ahimsa Paramo Dharma’ – that non-violence in thought, deed and action – is thehighest and most basic of all values and allelse are derivatives of this universal value.

Mr Cheenu Srinivasan made presentation thathighlighted the fact (based on AustralianCensus 2006)that among the immigrantcommunity, Hindu community is the thirdlargest faith-based community in Australia.He also highlighted the Hindu contributionin Health, Economy, Education, Social andCultural aspects. He mentioned how Hindudoctors and nurses are providing services byworking for the various hospitals, thereby


The 2nd Australian Hindu Conference


fulfilling the shortage of skills in the healthsector. Of the age distribution among Hinducommunity, majority of people are in themost productive age group (20 – 49 years).In education, it was highlighted that thenumber of post graduates and doctoraldegree holders in Hindu community is atleast 9 times when compared to totalAustralian population, on percentage scale. Insocial and cultural aspects, it showedevidences of how Hindus have integratedwith the Australian society while maintainingthe Hindu identity intact.

Hindus are major contributor to Australia’stalent pool in: Health Services, Teaching,Research, IT Services, Public Service, BusinessServices (Accounting, Legal etc). A numberof our fellow Hindus won nationalrecognition with Order of Australia Medals,Prime Minister’s Science Award etc. In ourown way we recognize their contribution toAustrali and the country acknowledging theircontributions.

Federal Parliamentarians, the Hon Mr.PhilipRuddock and Hon Mr.Laurie Ferguson(Parliamentary Secretary for MulticulturalAffairs) addressed the conference. FormerMinister for Immigration and MulticulturalAffairs, the Hon Mr.Philip Ruddock said thatAustralia had benefited from diversity in itssociety and that managing it was not easyand requires good deal of effort with policiesand programs. Hon Mr.Laurie Fergusonrecalled the address of Swami Vivekanandaat the World Conference of Religions inChicago 1893 and acknowledged Hindu ethosand values. He reaffirmed the Rudd LaborGovernments’ commitment tomulticulturalism.

Other dignitaries who attended theconference were The Hon. Ray Williams MPrepresenting the New South Wales Leader ofthe Opposition, Hon Mr. Dilip Chopra,Councilor of the Hormsby Shire Council andProfessor Michael Adams, Head of the Schoolof Law and Provost of UWS Parramatta.

There were 6 paper presentation sessions and3 workshops. The workshops focused onissues, which were common to all Hinduorganizations, and also to the widercommunity, such as “Harnessing the dynamicspirit of youth“, ”Providing social services toHindu community“ and “Networking amongHindu organizations, associations, templesand institutions“. The conference papers werepresented by highly qualified researchscholars, university lecturers of both Hinduand non-Hindu origin. Discussions followingthe presentations and during the workshopswere highly appreciated by the delegates.Although this conference was mainly for theAustralian community, there were number ofdelegates from India, New Zealand, Fiji andSouth Africa.

With speakers drawn cross wide cross-sectionof the Dharma traditions – Hindu, Jain,Buddhist,

Sikh – that grew out of the spiritualhomeland of India, participants were able tolearn the different hues of common culturethat binds them all. The session onSpirituality and the Environment heard animpassioned plea from Aboriginal Elder,Uncle Max Harrison to care for theenvironment. Dr Vasudev Achary imploredgreater use of solar energy in keeping withthe Hindu traditions of caring for MotherEarth and contrasted Hindu teachings tothose of the Old Testament that advocatedman’s subjugation of nature. Dr RugminiVenketraman stressed the need for proactivepartnering with Government agencies inaddressing community services.

An highlight of the conference was thepowerful dance of the ‘Purush Suktam andAboriginal

Dreamtime Spirituality’ choreographed byadopted Aboriginal Elders, Kumaran andJennifer Pather representing the GoomeroiAboriginal Community of Toomelah. Therewas standing ovation for this dance and call


for an on-going engagement of the VHP withthe Aboriginal communities to both share andlearn from each other. In an impromptu andemotional address after the dance, AboriginalElder Uncle Max Harrison said, ‘There were9 dancers in the group. This according to ourcustoms means that we have just witnessedanother re-birth of our traditional culture’.

In parallel with the conference sessions, theHindu Youth focused on the issues they faceand worked their way out to resoundingresolution to host the Hindu YouthFoundation’s inaugural conference in April2010. Other workshops looked into those oftemples and associations as well as how tobetter service the growing needs of the Hinducommunity and build stronger andsustainable networks.

Dr. Guna Magesan, General Secretary ofHindu Council of New Zealand Inc.,presented the closing address on ‘GoingForward’ while also recapping the path theyhad taken in New Zealand. Earlier, SwamiVigyanand honoured the Veda Patasalateachers and volunteers for their contributionover the past 12 months.

Brij Pal Singh, VHP Australia President saidthat ‘At time of global financial crises andfears of long recession, we must rediscoverour spiritual roots and help each other tosustain us through these difficult times. VHPAustralia looks forward to all Hindus andfellow Dharmic traditions in Australiaworking in harmony with all sections of thewider Australian community and enrichingour lives with our shared traditions.’

Finally, Mrs Nalini Sankar, the vice presidentof the VHP Australia, thanked all themembers of the organizing committee fortheir hard work, the foreign and localdelegates for their participation in theconference, sponsors for their financial andin-kind support, media and internet sites forwide publicity, volunteers for their selflessservice for the success of the conference.

The 1st Australian Hindu youth conferencewith the theme “Dynamic Spirit of Youth“was announced to be held in April 2010, and3rd Australian Hindu conference to be heldin April 2011.

Delegates expressed their appreciation at theway the conference was organized withhuman and personal touch for looking afterthe needs of the delegates.

The conference organizers were overwhelmedby the response that they received, and itappered that the conference had caught theimagination of the people. There was anactive participation from various governmentagencies, professionals, university staff,business leaders, Aboriginal elders, andcommunity and youth leaders.

Outcomes of the conference : As result ofworkshop deliberations, key issues of theHindu community have been identified. Fournew divisions of VHP Australia Inc (VidyaVihar, Hindu Youth Australia, Hindu EldersFoundation and Hindu Social ServicesFoundation) were launched as the outcomesof this conference. Many youth, especiallywomen, have volunteered to activelyparticipate and coordinate these programmes.This is indeed good outcome and theconference has given enough confidence tothe Hindu community in general, and youthand women in particular.

Vidya Vihar is holistic personalitydevelopment educational programme. Theweekly classes are for children and youth.Hindu Youth Australi was launched tostrengthen and unite and to developleadership among Hindu Youth. HinduElders Foundation will be run by the eldersfor the elders. VHP Australia Inc. will offerthem the necessary infrastructure andsupport. The Hindu Social ServicesFoundation will work with the communityand the government agencies to findsolutions to the social issues of Hinducommunity.


The teachings of Pujya Swamiji entered Japanwhen Br. Chetana went back to Japan aftercompleting the last three-year course onVedanta at AVG Coimbatore, to share hisknowledge with others. Soon he couldestablish himself as a teacher of Vedanta andthe result is evident for all to see when 150people could sit for a week and listen toPujya Swamiji when he visited Japan for acamp on Tatvabodha from April 13 to 19.

The hall at Joenji temple in Shinjuku, Tokyoprovided the right venue with excellentacoustics and beautiful look. The stage wasprepared with minute care and there was noneed for Pujya Swamiji to ask a wee bit ofalteration. The talks were translated intoJapanese by Br.Chetana simultaneously.

The programme began with meditation everyday. There were two sessions of teaching inthe morning with a lunch break, followed byan evening session and a question andanswer in the night. The participants satthrough the whole day.

Pujya Swamiji in Japan

Pujya Swamiji in his inimitable style unfoldedthe topics on the nature of self, nature ofIsvara and the truth of jagat and pointed outthat all of them are pervaded by one Satyamand everything else is mithya, drawing itsexistence from Satyam which is the truth ofall the three and which is oneself.

Ashok Restaurant of Bindu and Verma andKhana Peena of Renu and Mahesvariprovided the lunch for all the campers andensured that the participants could continuetheir stay in the premises for the eveningsession.

On 16th April Pujya Swamiji visited UchikuDaibutsu to see the mammoth standingBuddha of 120 metre tall made of bronzeweighing 4000 tons. One can go insideBuddha upto 85 metres using an elevator. Inthe evening talk, Pujya Swamiji released theJapanese version of Stress Free Living. Healso committed himself to annual visitscovering different areas like Hiroshima andKyoto.


Next day Pujya Swamiji met the Head of theJoenji Mandir, Shusuke Oikawa andexchanged pleasantries and later in theevening interacted with a senior monk of thetemple to know about their tradition, teachingand lifestyle.

On the last day, after lunch, Pujya Swamijiaddressed the Indian community in Megro onthe occasion of Tamil New Year day. He

exhorted them not to make resolves thatcannot be implemented and instead commit

oneself to restraint in words and actionswhen one is in reaction mode.

Pujya Swamiji left Japan on the 20th morningwith people giving a tearful send off, hopingto see Swamiji next year.

A first time listener expressed that heunderstood the teaching well and wasamazed at the clarity of exposition, simplicityand lucidity of delivery.

Report bySakshatkrtananda


Aparokña-anubhüti1Introduction

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

1 Excerpt from classes on Aparokñänubhüti in Saylorsburg, 2006, transcribed and edited by Swamini Srividyananda.


2 sadeva saumya idam agra äsit, ChU 6.


Tamil New Year Day Puja atAVG, Coimbatore


Adi Çaìkaräcärya -Satsang with Sri Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati

At Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg

Adi Çaìkaräcärya was a wise man, a greatteacher, devotee and karma yogi. Heappeared in India about 1200 to 1500 yearsago at a time when the people were miredin confusions and misconceptions obtainingabout religion and the scriptures. There weremany schools of philosophy prevalent at thattime and the common man was unclear aboutthe teachings of the scriptures. There werealso many distortions in the interpretationsof the various rituals and stipulations of thescriptures, and the people were distressed bythe many practices that involved the sacrificeof animals etc. Thus, at the time that AdiÇaìkaräcärya appeared, a desperate situationobtained for the spiritual seeker and theconfusion and desperation within, manifestedin the behavior and conduct of the people.

Çré Çaìkaräcärya is said to be an incarnationof Lord Çiva because in the short span of hislife of 32 years his accomplishment was sophenomenal. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said ofhim, that what Çré Çaìkaräcärya accomplishedin one short life is much more than whatmany people would accomplish in many lifetimes. While there are many legends aboutÇré Çaìkaräcärya, as is the case with most ofthe ancient sages of India, there are not manyhistorical facts available to us. We can onlylearn about him through his works.

Çré Çaìkaräcärya’s most important work is,of course, his commentaries upon theUpaniñads, the Brahma Sütra and theBhagavad Gétä. This provided access to theknowledge contained in these basic texts ofour culture. Until then, the teachings of thescriptures were not available to the commonman because there would not be many

teachers who could unfold what thescriptures had to say. Çré Çaìkaräcärya wasa great teacher, who traveled along the entirecountry as many as three times, teaching thetruths of the scriptures to the people. Heconducted debates with learned peoplewherever necessary, in order to make themappreciate the true vision of the scriptures.Many of his opponents subsequently becamehis disciples. Thus, he had a large followingin India among kings and scholars as wellas ordinary people. Çré Çaìkaräcärya can becredited with reviving the Vedic culture andHindu tradition. If not for him, India wouldperhaps be different from what it is today.

Legend has it that he knew his nativelanguage, Malayalam, by the time he wastwo, and Sanskrit, by the age of three. By theage of five, he knew the Vedas, andcompleted all his studies at the gurukulamwhen he was seven. He took sannyäsa at theage of eight and by the time he was twelve,he had completed the study of all thescriptures like the Brahma Sütras and theUpaniñads. Between the ages of 12 and 16,he traveled, wrote his commentaries, andtaught his disciples. His life was supposedto end at 16, but it is believed that he wasgiven another 16 years to live by the greatsage Veda Vyäsa. Bhagavän Vyäsa issupposed to have come to Çré Çaìkaräcäryain the guise of an old Brahmin and at the endof a lengthy debate blessed him with another16 years of life. Sage Vyäsa apparently urgedhim to go around the country and spread theknowledge and therefore, the last 16 years ofÇré Çaìkaräcärya’s life were spent inspreading this knowledge throughout India 1.

1 Based on an Introduction to Bhaja Govindam. Transcribed and edited by KK Davey and Jayshree Ramkrishnan.


Arsha Vidya NewsletterPublished by V. Sivaprasad,

Trustee, Sruti Seva Trust, Anaikatti, Coimbatore 641 108and

Edited by S. SrinivasanPh. 0422-2657001

Massive Turnout at Hindu rally

*MANGALORE:* *Anti-Hindu forces trying toweaken dharma through terrorism and religiousconversions, have no place in the country, declaredthe seers here on Sunday.*

*Dharma Rakshana Vedike* convener ShreeRajashekarananda Swamiji of Vajradehi Mutt*administered oath to the 70,000-strong gathering atthe Hindu Samajotsava 2009,* organised by theDharma Rakshana Vedike at Nehru Maidan,*pledged to oppose terrorism, religious conversions,untouchability and foster brotherhood amongHindus to realise the ‘Hindu Samrajya.’ Seers at thevenue without mincing words urged the Hindus tovote for those political parties which fight for theirrights.*

*Gurudevananda Swamiji of Odiyoor Mutt askedHindus to flex their muscles through suchsamajotsavas to prove their vigilance. RamanandaSwamiji of Kolya Mutt said that India’s identity asa ‘Hindu country’ should be protected. MohandasSwamiji of Manila Mutt regretted that Hindus wererefugees in their own country. VidyaprasannaSwamiji of Subramanya temple andYoganandaswamy of Nithyananda Ashram urgedthe youths to shoulder the responsibility ofprotecting the Hindu culture.*

Dharmapalnath Swamiji of Anegundi Mutt said:*”The massive convention is a warning bell to anti-Hindus.’’* In a colourful example, he said just asresidents wear cotton clothes in desert-likeconditions and woollen in cold places, the Hindudharma must be accepted by others for peaceful co-existence.

‘Govt must commemorate 500-years ofVijaynagar empire’

Shree Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji of PejavarMutt compared the convention to a ‘VishwaroopaDarshana’. He clarified that the convention was notagainst minorities or politicians and urged thepoliticians not to divide the society as Hindus andminorities.

*VHP general secretary Surendra Kumar Jain saidthat those who continue to insult Hindus and theirdeities have no place not only in Mangalore but alsoin India.* ‘’This Samajotsava is a strong message toanti-Hindu forces opposing the Act which ban cowslaughter and declaring Rama Sethu as a nationalmonument,’’ Jain said.

“Terrorism is the biggest threat to India. Just asShivaji fought Atankavadhis, the Vijayanagaraempire waged a relentless campaign against theJehadis,’’ he said.

He further said that this year being the 500thyear of Vijayanagar empire, the state governmentmust publicise the empire’s message state-wide andthe VHP would spread it in the remaining parts ofthe country. *He lashed out at the secularists whocoined the word ‘Hindu athankavadi’ in a bid tosecure the Muslim votes.*

Shree Swasthi Charukeerthi Bhattarak Swamiji ofMoodbidri Jain Mutt and Sadhvi Mathanandamayealso spoke. VHP leader Prof M B Puranik welcomedthe gathering.

*Advocate P P Hegde who had filed a caseagainst Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury, waswelcomed in public by Shree RajashekaranandaSwamiji.*

*By Express News Service **16 Mar 2009 03:26:00 AM IST** *

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=sGGZPumiUIY=

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