16

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For Private Circulation only

The Magic of Creativity

Our little shimmering stars of Nachiketa Tapovan love to express

themselves in the form of drawings, paintings and poems. Here’s a

glimpse of the magic of two of our stars!We love them all dearly!

The self inflicted miseries of ignorance are greater

than what can be inflicted by enemies.1

NACHIKETA TAPOVANPlot No.70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033

Phone No. 040 – 23113887 Mobile No. – 9849168937Regd. By Govt. of A.P. (Regd. No. 53/IV/99)

Volume: 1Issue :15

10th August, 2009MondayNachiketanjali

NACHIKETA TAPOVAN ASHRAMGairan Tanda, Kodgal Village, Jadcherla Mandal, Mahaboobnagar Dist-509301

Ph: +91-40-23113887 • Mobile: 98491 68937• www.nachiketatapovan.orgE-mail: admin@nachiketatapovan.org • n_tapovan@rediffmail.com

One can make up for many natural defects through

industriousness.

Pranasyedam vashe sarvam Tridive yat pratisthitam,

Mateva putran rakshasva shrischa prajnam cha vidhehi na iti.

Whatever exists in the three worlds, is all under control of Prana;

(O Prana) protect us like a mother protects her sons.

Give us prosperity and wisdom.

-Prashna Upanishad (Chapter 2, Verse 13)

Lavanya, 2nd Class.

Lavanya is a very

sweet and calm girl.

She expresses

herself through her

pretty drawings.

Sushma, 4th Class.

Sushma is a bright

eyed, happy-go-

lucky girl. She adds

life to the class and

enjoys drawing.

2

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor

Subhadra K.

Editorial Consultants:

Annapurna R.Sowja A.

EDITORIAL

Subhadra K.

Should a fool fall upon a great fortune, strangers will

feast while his family starves.

Page No.CONTENTS

Message by Swamiji 3Mataji's Message 4Live & Let Live 5Spiritual quest 6Celebrations 7Health Camp 8Prashna Upanishad 10Annapurna 11Publications 12Upcoming Events 13Sponsor Options 14An Appeal 15

Quotes fromTHIRUKKURAL

‘’Water, water everywhere but not a drop

to drink!’’ This aptly suits the Tsunami days

when water devastated many lives having

caught people unawares. Those were the

days when people pined for a pot of water

for their very sustenance but when they

were ruthlessly woken from their sleep to

find themselves engulfed by water they were

aghast as water challenged their very

existence.

If this is the effect of Tsunami created by

nature, what about the Tsunamis happening

in our lives? Almost every human being born

on earth would have experienced at least

one Tsunami in their lifetime. Who is to be

blamed? When we opt to function through

the mind and not the heart Tsunamis tend

to occur in our lives. In grueling moments

we realize the mind is not enough to make

right decisions and it is then we feel the need

to reach the source of all knowledge - our

heart - and draw from there the required

solution. If we listen to the voice of our

conscience when confronted with

challenging situations all our problems could

be solved. When our entire life is in disarray

let us be firm like a rock and follow our

virtuous principles. Truly it is in the times of

crisis that we discover who we really are!

Let us take the ethical course of action

though we have to live with repercussions

on the worldly plane when Tsunami hits our

lives.

3One who has realized by himself his soul’s Self

will be worshiped by all other souls.

SWAMIJI'S MESSAGE

We perform many actions every day.

Action is going on constantly even when

sitting quietly. One follows the other.

You cannot stop the action. You might

get involved with one. An action can be

called a good action when it is supported

by a noble cause. The action which is

not acceptable as a noble cause, by the

world, by the society and not even by

you is bad. Then how to translate such

action into proper knowledge? How to

transform that knowledge into wisdom?

This is where the Guru comes into the

picture. Guru will not stop you from

doing that action. Guru will not stop you

from doing anything. A guru will let you

express.

Guru will never ask you to drop anything.

Even if a disciple has some bad habits, a

real Guru will try to transform

differently. If needed, He would not

mind going to the pub with him and

discuss what enjoyment he derives from

it. He will help overcome the thin layer

that separates knowledge from

wisdom. Once you know how to

remove that barrier there is no

stopping!

When wisdom comes into the picture

Spiritual journey becomes smooth.

What you gain with effort is knowledge;

what comes to you effortlessly is

wisdom. And that indicates you are

advancing in your spiritual journey. In

this entire journey someone appears;

an inside voice- the Guru, your Inner

Self. When your heart speaks and you

follow it, it results in pure action. Sixth

sense is always working. But you don’t

know how to use it. This is your Guru.

Swami Vivekananda says that everyone

is divine. Your Guru also might tell you

that you are divine but YOU have to

experience that. You have to express

it and you can do that only through

silent and invisible actions. Only actions

that make an encounter with life are

true actions. Wisdom can never be

expressed externally. It has to be

expressed internally.

Bring wisdom in life and life in wisdom!

SWAMI NACHIKETANANDA

4 It is the nature of asceticism to patiently endure hardship

and to not harm living creatures.

ADHYATMIK PRANETA

Swami Shivanandamayi

SURYANAMASKARAS - MANTRAS

Suryanamaskaras or salutation to Sun

God are a part of Yoga. In ancient

culture Sun is worshiped as God. There

are 12 Suryanamaskaras. When we do

Suryanamaskaras we chant particular

Mantra. Mantra is a combination of

alphabets. Our sages during their deep

meditation have perceived and heard

the sounds of certain alphabets which

turned out to be Mantras. Mantras

impart knowledge and give us insight.

While doing Suryanamaskaras, for every

posture a different mantra is chanted.

When we chant the first mantra Om

Mitraya Namaha- Om is the Pranava, it

is the Janani of all the mantras. In the

traditional way of chanting after Om and

before Sun Mantras we have Bija

Mantras. Sun is our friend.

We have seven chakras or psychik centers

in our body called Muladhara,

Swadistana, Manipura, Anahata,

Vishuddi, Ajna and Sahasrara. The Bija

mantras pertaining to these chakras

might not be decipherabal, yet they are

very powerful. While chanting Om Hram

mitraya Namaha, we have to

concentrate on Anahata Chakra. We fold

our hands in front of our heart where

the chakra is located. Similarly other

chakras are activated through different

mantras and postures.

‘Ravaye Namaha’ is invoking the Sun's

grace to shine in life like the Sun God.

Suryaya Namaha is salutation to Sun

God riding on a chariot drawn by 7

horses which represents the 7 lokas.

Sun is the head of all these lokas. Seven

horses represent seven rainbow

colours.

‘Banave Namaha ‘is praying to the Sun

God to rise and remove the darkness in

our lives to lead us from mortal to

immortality.

‘Khagaya Namaha’ we offer our

homage to the Sun ,by whom time is

measured.

‘Pushne Namaha’ is salutation to Sun

God, who nourishes us.

‘Hiranyagarbhaya Namaha’ is

salutation to the Sun who appears like

a Golden egg of cosmic energy.

‘Marichaye Namaha’ is praying the Sun

God to remove the mirage and show

us the reality.

‘Adityaya Namaha’ is salutation to Sun

who is the son of Aditi.

‘Savitre Namaha’ - We pray the rising

Sun for stimulation of our

consciousness.

‘Arkaya Namaha’ is praying for energy

to function properly in this world.

‘Bhaskaraya Namaha’ is salutation to

the one who reveals the Truth.

It has always proved to be beneficial

when Suryanamaskaras are chanted

mentally.

5

Annapurna R.Annapurna R.Annapurna R.Annapurna R.Annapurna R.

The lotus flower rises to the level of water. Greatness of men

rise with mental strength.

There is more than one way of doing

things right. If everyone did things in

one single fashion, this world wouldn’t

have been this colourful and interesting

enough for us to look forward to waking

up every morning! If we look at our lives

from this perspective, we can cherish

this life in this world manifold.

Many parents get all worked up about

their children being not

interested in Science or

Math adding stress and

limiting joy. Would the

world be the same place

if there were no artists,

linguists, chefs,

journalists, sports

persons etc? We are reaping the

consequences of over enthusiasm in the

area of computer technology. Not to

mention the dire job situation of

computer professionals, the country is

experiencing dearth of expertise in

other professions.

The more judgmental, opinionated and

critical we are, more prone are we to

increased levels of stress and a cause of

pain to our neighbors. Open mind,

flexibility and acceptance are the

qualities we should strive for if we want

to move towards Spirituality. In some

LIVE AND LET LIVE! situations it helps to think ‘why a person

had to do a thing’ than just seeing

‘what the person did’ that earned our

displeasure.

Many times I hear people sing glories

of yester years whether it is about

music, movies, literature, friendships,

education …that the beauty and

achievements of today go unnoticed! I

agree that they are different, might not

appeal to us, but don’t mean they are

bad. As long as we don’t

compromise on values

that string our lives,

families, country and

world together, the best

way to face these life

style changes is to

accept them. In nature,

when population of one minute

organism like a mosquito decreases, the

entire food chain and the ecological

balance of the whole habitat are

affected. With so many changes in way

of life shouldn’t we be prepared for

some changes in areas encompassing

our lives? Every single moment that we

are experiencing is the consequence of

a seed we have sown ‘sometime’

earlier. Keeping in mind that today is

tomorrow’s yesterday, let us not wait

till tomorrow to appreciate today!

A help rendered in hour of need, though small,

is greater than the world. 7

TULSIDAS JAYANTI

At Nachiketa Tapovan, on July 28th

afternoon at 1p.m. Goswami Sant

Tulsidas’s Birthday was celebrated with

humble reverence to the realized Saint

poet who sung the glories of Sri Rama in

common man’s language as Ram

Charitmanas and handed us all the

powerful Hanuman Chalisa.

All the children, teachers and volunteers

assembled in honor of the poet. The

program started with one of the

volunteer teachers lighting the lamp

and narrating the life story of the

Valmiki-incarnate, Rama Bhakta, Sant

Tulsidas with Swamiji’s blessings. Mataji

Swami Shivanandamayi conveyed the

message of His life and its Spiritual

significance to the children as a simple

and appealing story that the listeners

experienced the bliss of the Bhakti

Bhava of Sri Hanuman and Sri Rama

appearing to Tulsidas. Swamiji sang Ram

Bhajans with whom children sang along

and we all had the taste of the nectar of

Rama rasam.

RAKHI CELEBRATIONS

Rakhi was celebrated at Tapovan on

the morning of Wednesday the 5th

August in a very simple yet hearty

mood. All the children colorfully

dressed and adorned with smiles and

excitement, gathered at the

assembly hall. Swamiji, Mataji and

Vasundhara Ma presided over the

gathering. Mataji addressed the

children and talked about the

significance of Sravan Pournima. She

explained how the day is called Triveni

Sangamam because along with

Raksha Bandhan, Change of

Upanayanam thread and Worship of

Sagara, God of Ocean is also

performed on this day. The children

were all distributed Rakhis made by

them which they joyously tied on one

another’s wrist and also on their

favorite Swamiji’s and Mataji’s wrists.

After enjoying the Payasam made by

Jyoti Didi, a skit and some mingling

and fun everyone left home with

renewed bonds that will last forever!

6

1. Does a Guru give the same Mantra

to all his disciples?

Swamiji : One needs to have clarity

about his relationship with God before

deciding to take a mantra from his

Guru. He has to choose his Ishta Devata

and should not waver from his choice..

He should not be influenced by someone

in his decision of taking a mantra.

Everybody is not entitled to give

mantra. He has to experience himself

before giving initiation. If not, the

mantra given by him will be a mere

statement without having any effect.

A Guru knows his disciple’s past, present

and future and gives mantraaccording

to their nature and Ishta Devata when

the time is ripe. It is not necessary for a

Guru to give the same mantra for all his

disciples.

2. What is ‘Mouna’? What are the

benefits of practicing Mouna?

Swamiji: There are two types of Mouna.

One is Aantar mouna and the other is

Bahya mouna. Bahya mouna is easy to

practice but Aantar mouna is very

difficult as it demands no thought or a

state of thoughtlessness. In English we

call it “Silence or Silence State”. Bahya

mouna can be practiced by imposing

few rules on ourselves. But Aantar

mouna cannot be practiced by just

setting certain rules. It demands

greater understanding towards our

own mind and fine tuning of higher

energies to the divinity. Simply keeping

mouth shut will not make much

difference when our minds are

chattering. The true expression comes

out when our minds are still or

experiencing equipoise. Right now you

might be speaking or listening or

addressing gathering or writing or

helping or supporting the noble cause,

but it is not true action as it is coming

from chaos and not from silence. That

which comes from the silence is true

action. Therefore when we start

practicing Mouna, especially Aantar

mouna we encounter with our ‘Self’.

Any action that leads to divinity comes

from Silence and has greater impact

on every life. What we need in today’s

so called developed world is action

from Mouna. Mouna brings life into

life. Mouna when practiced brings

revolution in life and transforms

hundreds and thousands of lives. You

feel more calm and composed, devoted

and dedicated towards every action.

When understood and experienced

Mouna brings clarity in every action!

Starting from this issue, Swamiji will answer questions from the

seekers. Questions are welcome from everyone. They can be

e-mailed to us at nachiketanjali.newsletter@gmail.com

SPIRITUAL QUEST

‘A’ leads alphabets; the Ancient Lord Leads and lords

the entire world.

8 9Even if your mother is seen starving Avoid the

actions condemned by wise men.

Determined efforts result in prosperity;

idleness will bring nothing.

We are also extremely thankful to Dr. Sukhaveni from

Pranadha Hospital who rendered timely help by

conducting general health check-up on more than 100

patients and prescribed relevant medicines. Last but

not least we thank our enthusiastic volunteers who

actively participated in the camp by enrolling patients,

SPECIAL HEALTH CAMP

At Nachiketa

Tapovan, special

health check-up

and awareness

programs have

been going on

the first Sunday

of every month.

Doctors and other

health professionals

have regularly

visited the campus

and shared their

invaluable

expertise and

services.

The dawn of August 2nd 2009 witnessed the noble

involvement of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Speciality

Centre in Tapovan’s charitable activities. Dr.N.G.

Shastri responded immediately to our request and

conducted a screening and awareness camp for

diabetes which was staffed by Coordinator

organizing queues and

rendering prescribed

medicines. The patients left the

campus only after receiving tips

on yogic cure for their ailments

by Swami Shivanandamayi and

Spiritual Prasad from Swami

Nachiketananda who filled

their hungry bellies with the

food specially cooked by our

Karma yogis.

Sri Padmanabha Shastri and Lab

technicians Sri S Sayeed and

Sri Sanjeev Kumar. Over 75

patients were screened and

around 12 patients were

diagnosed with diabetes. Dr N.G.

Shastri counseled the patients on

preventive care. We thank Dr.

Mohan’s Diabetic Centre for such

a noble work and support to our

organization.

If you do not care for pleasure, you

will not be afraid of pain.11The great person will do things rare to do; The small cannot

do rare things.

The day’s menu on the chalk board

welcomes you into ‘Annapurna’ the

kitchen of Nachiketa Tapovan where not

only your souls but also your hungry

bellies are satiated with love. Swamiji

and Mataji make sure that no visitor

leaves Tapovan hungry. The person who

is behind the scenes refilling the

‘Akshaya Patra’ is Jyoti ‘Didi’ as lovingly

called by the children who feeds about

175 or at times even more hungry people

at a time.

With but a few helping hands, Jyoti very

ably manages the whole scene, does the

planning with Smt Vasundhara, shops for

all the provisions at the best prices,

stocks her kitchen, cooks the food each

day as per the menu and still manages

to go around Tapovan with a smile on

her face checking if a volunteer needs a

cup of tea or juice. I owe it to Jyoti for all

the hot cups of perfectly brewed elaichi

tea she treated me to on days I had colds

and Headaches.

In Jyoti’s words, “I love what I am doing.

I never imagined I would be cooking on

this scale for a noble cause like this.

Credit goes to Swamiji for making this

task of cooking and stocking up a part

of my Spiritual Sadhana. If not for the

encouragement and the energy I derive

from Him, I wouldn’t be able to do what

I am doing. I maintain my daily

schedule of Sadhana ordained by

Swamiji by waking up in the small hours

of the day, perform Agnihotra at Sunrise

and Sunset every day that help me

greatly in maintaining the clarity of

mind and purity of thought. We had lot

more fun on days when Swamiji used

to be a regular part of the team in

Kitchen!”ANNADATA SUKHIBHAVA.

ANNAPURNA

To say unpleasant things, when we have nice ones,

is like eating unripe fruit, ignoring sweet ripe fruits.

The Prashna Upanishad belongs to the

Atharva Veda. The Upanishad opens

with the story of six disciples Sukesa,

Satyakama, Gargya, Kausalya,

Bhargava and Kabandhi approaching

the great rishi Pippalada, seeking

clarification for the doubts lingering in

their minds after having fulfilled the

‘Apara-vidya’(science of world), with

fuel ( symbol of self-surrender) in their

hands. The great teacher after a

prescription of a year’s brahmacharya

and austerities answered their

questions about Prana and illumined

them that this creation is spiritual and

not mechanistic.

According to the Upanishad, the first

entity, the Cosmic mind projected the

Universe out of himself. His first

projection consists of the pair, Food or

Rayi (the matter)and Eater or Prana

(the energy). It describes Prana as the

life force in the individual being. Prana,

produced from Atman controls the five

senses of the individual body which is a

result of the actions and thoughts in the

previous life. It sustains the body

through all states of existence. By

meditating on Prana, the aspirant can

enjoy bliss and attain liberation.

The chief Prana, the nucleus of all

activities and energy in the body is the

ego-centre. Prana, Apana, Samana,

Vyana and Udana are the forms of

manifestations of the Chief prana

which from their respective provinces,

enable the physical organs perform

their functions.

At the time of death, the senses

gradually recede from the sense

organs and get absorbed in the mind.

F inally whose fire has been

extinguished, the soul along with the

mind (subtle body) is carried by Udana

out of the (physical) body. According

to the literal meaning of Upanishad,

at the time of death, the thoughts and

impressions of the lifetime (memory)

surface as desires, form a part of the

subtle body that leaves with Udana

and determine the course of the soul

to the consequent Punya loka or Papa

loka after death. We need to

understand here that the word ‘loka’

denotes the ‘field of actions’ in this

very world and not necessarily the

mythical Heaven or Hell. By nurturing

good and meaningful thoughts, one

shall not only enjoy peace in this life

but also the memory that goes out

with Udana will lead to a favourable

‘loka’ in the next birth. Thus we are

the authors of our destiny! It is never

too late to inculcate the right thinking

because intensity and purity of

thought is what matters.

PRASHNA UPANISHAD

10

12

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General InformationMataji-9849168937

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Antarchakshu Dhyana or Inner Eye

Meditation is a journey from dream to

vision. One can develop concentration and

intuition powers by practicing this Dhyana

which is based on an extensive research

done by Swami Nachiketananda.

This work released on 1st April 2007, is a

part of 8 yogic CDs and is available at our

Nachiketa Tapovan Campus and other

leading book stores.

13

UPCOMING EVENTS

Yours in the service of Motherland

Subha D.

Director

Vidya Mandir

Venue:

NACHIKETA TAPOVAN

Plot No. 70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills,

Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

Giving to the poor is true charity. All other

giving expects some return.

Dear AtmabandhuWe invite you to join these

celebrations!

KRISHNASHTAMI

On Thursday August 13th 2009

4.00 PM onwards

INDEPENDENCE DAY

on Saturday August 15th 2009

9.00 AM onwards

GANESH CHATHURTHI

on Sunday 23rd August 2009

10.00 AM onwards

at our

NACHIKETA TAPOVAN

14

SPONSOR OPTIONS

Anna daanam maha daanam; vidya daanam mahattaram.

Annena kshanika trupthihi yaavajjeevanthu vidyaya.

Vidya Mandir at Nachiketa Tapovan is currently able to accommodate a family

of about 150 children who receive all-round nourishment from man-making

education to milk-n- meals and basic health- aid in an atmosphere of genuine

love. Kind-hearted Well wishers have been the unseen force behind this offering

to God. We thank you for your continued support.

Vidya Daanam (Education ) Rs. 3500/ year/student

Anna Daanam (Mid-day Meals) Rs. 2800/day

Ksheera Daanam (Morning Milk) Rs. 600/day

Vastra Daanam (Uniforms) Rs. 600/ 2 pairs

Dinnerware (Steel Plates & Glasses) Rs. 5000/ 50 sets

Stationery Supplies (Copier Paper) Rs. 5000/ term

Festivals Celebration Rs. 1500/festival

Oushadhi (Medical Supplies) Rs. 5000/month

Celebrate your Special Days with the Childrenat Nachiketa Tapovan!

Plan fully before launching out on action. To think of devising

ways and means in the course of the action is fatal.15

DearAtmanNo man is an island. To fight the good

fight we need help. This has been the

basis for the Nachiketa Tapovan’s

inception and ensuing growth over the

last 10 years from a hut into a 3 storied-

building onto a 40 acre spiritual

complex. Imparting literacy to children

from impoverished families was the idea

with which the divine project started

before it grew into a multifarious

movement. All along Tapovan’s efforts

received great support from you all in

every way bringing fruition to the noble

intent..

The main focus has never shifted from

Vidya Mandir. Nachiketa Tapovan has

become the haven for the

underprivileged children who have

been nourished with not only milk and

food but also good academics

supplemented by the traditional values

of India. Vidya Mandir will be taking a

big stride this June from offering

Primary Education extending onto

Secondary Education. That is, this

academic year, Vidya Mandir will offer

classes ranging from LKG through 6th

grade.

It requires additional resources, both

monetary as well as human to fund this

progressive step. We hereby make a

fervent appeal for generous donations.

Please participate in this ‘Vidya Daana

Yaga’ being performed to benefit the

most deserving children and help pass

on the legacy of our Cultural heritage,

Social values and Religious traditions.

It may kindly be noted that donations

to Nachiketa Tapovan are exempted

from Income Tax U/S 80 G of IT Act,

1961 of Govt. of India. Donations in

the form of Cheques/Demand Drafts

may please be drawn in favour of

Nachiketa Tapovan. We acknowledge

the generous contributions made by

donors.

Swami Nachiketananda

Yours in the service of Motherland

AN APPEAL

The wise conserve what is already gained before entering

on a doubtful undertaking.