the vedanta kesari september 2010
TRANSCRIPT
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September2010
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SeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptemberSeptember 20102010201020102010
A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER
Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavdin,it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesariin 1914.
For free edition on the Web, please visit:www.chennaimath.org
Vedic Prayers 325
Editorial
Living Like A Lotus 326
Articles
Tampering with National Pride 340Swami Harshananda
Mary Tappan Wright: Swamijis First Western Chronicler 342Somenath Mukherjee
Laws of Karma and Thermodynamics 348Gopal C Bhar
MaterialismA Truth at Lower Level 358Krishnan Unni
Compilation
Thus Prayed Sri Ramakrishna 330
Reminiscences
Reminiscences of Master Mahashay 336Swami Dharmeshananda
New Find
Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 353
The Order on the March 360
Book Reviews 361
Features
Simhvalokanam (Confessions on the Way towards Peace)329,
Vivekananda Tells Stories356
VOL. 97, No. 9 ISSN 0042-2983
CONTENTS
Cover Story: Page 4
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The Vedanta KesariSri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004
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Bloomed Lotus
Lotus, Indias national flower, has been a powerful spiritualand cultural symbol for centuries. Right from drawing parallels
with a persons face, feet and eyes (lotus-eyed, for instance), toa much-recommended spot for meditation, the lotus-symbol isa rich source of imagination and cultural motifs. Lotus alsosymbolises purity, devotion and detachment. For learning moreabout the spiritual significance of lotus, please turn to page 326of this issue.
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325T h e V e d a n t a Ke s a r i D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9~ ~
EACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE. THE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN.VOL.97, No. 9, SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSN0042-2983
Vedic PrayersTr. by Swami Sambuddhananda
Anm{UnmXmo OdZmo JhrVm n``Mjw g eUmo`H$U &g do{m do Z M V`mpVdomm V_mhaJ nwf _hmV_ &&
Shvetashvatara Upanishad, III, 19
gHe Anm{UnmXbereft of hands and feet OdZquick JhrVmonewho grasps AMjwwithout eyes n`{Vsees AH$Uwithout ears eUmo{Vhears gHe dowhich is to be known, knowable do{mknows V`ofHim Znot ApVthere is dommknower V_Him AJ_the foremost, thefirst
_hmV_eminent
nwfPurusha (the infinite being)
Amhthey say.
Without hands He grasps and without feet He moves fast, with-
out eyes He sees and without ears He hears. He knows what is to be
known. But there is none who knows Him. They say He is the fore-
most, the most eminent and infinite being.
He, the One, who vibrates more quickly than mind, who attains to
more speed than mind can ever do, whom even the gods reach not,
nor thought grasps, He moving, everything moves. In Him all exists.
He is moving. He is also immovable. He is near and He is far. He isinside everything. He is outside everything, interpenetrating everything.
Whoever sees in every being that same Atman, and whoever sees
everything in that Atman, he never goes far from that Atman. When all
life and the whole universe are seen in this Atman, then alone man has
attained the secret. There is no more delusion for him. Where is any
more misery for him who sees this Oneness in the universe?
Swami Vivekananda, CW, 2:153
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Living Like A Lotus
An Ancient Symbol
Standing by the side of a lotus pond if
one observes a bloomed lotus, what does one
see? A large flower, generally white or pink
in colour, on the top-end of a long, semi-hard
stalk, with good-sized petals. One more thing
about lotus that strikes one is its big, round
leafs, surrounding the flower, untouched by the
water. Water does not wet its petals and leafs.A Sanskrit verse compares human life itself
with a drop of water on a lotus leaffrail and
transient.
Yes, lotus, unlike water lily, does not get
wet. Botanists may attribute it to the fine layer
of fibres which keeps the water from entering
the inner lining of lotus flower and leafs. A
deep, water pond and plenty of sunshine are
the two things that go a long way to make the
lotus bloom. But to a spiritually inclined mind,lotus, and the sun (both of which are deeply
interconnected with each other), are much
more than mere objects of nature. Swami
Vivekananda remarked about this thus,
There is the lotusthat wonderful flower . . .
opening in the morning as the solar rays strike
its closed petals and with the waning sun
shutting up again. . . The sun and the lotus are
the chief symbols in the most ancient religions.
Why these symbols? Because abstract thought,whatever that be, when expressed, is bound to
come clad in visible, tangible, gross garments.1
What, then, does lotus symbolise?
First, and the most widely known, idea
that the lotus represents is detachment. Lotus
does not get wet by water although it grows
in waterand mire. Swamiji says,
As a lotus-leaf, living in the water yet untouched
by it, so should the soul be in the world.2
Of course, soul is ever untouched and
untouchable by anything of this world. No
event, no thought, no good and bad action,
nothing in this world can affect the soul. It is
intact always. The Gita [2.23] speaks of soul,
or atman, as one which weapons cannot cut,
fire cannot burn, water cannot wet and thewind cannot dry. The word soul here, there-
fore, refers to jivatman (individualised cons-
ciousness), or a commonplace word, mind.
Soul, i.e., the mind, should be free from all
desires and attachments.
The chief meaning of detachment is not
cold indifference, as some unripe minds think,
but absence of selfishness. It is our feeling of
identification with our body-mind which binds
us to the world. We are tied to the world by asubtle chord of I and mine. What happens
when one gets tied with the world? One
becomes miserable and anxious. What else
could be there when we put the whole burden
of our existence on this ever-changing,
transient world? Change being its nature, the
world cannot be the source of permanent
happiness. The real happiness lies in fixing
our mind on Something which never changes.
If we fail to do so, inevitably we have to suffer,sooner or later. But if we can live unselfishly,
without the idea of self, we are truly detached.
Swamiji says,
Just as water cannot wet the lotus leaf, so work
cannot bind the unselfish man by giving rise to
attachment to results. The selfless and un-
attached man may live in the very heart of a
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crowded and sinful city; he will not be touched
by sin.3
Should one think detachment means go-
ing to a forest, or retiring into mountains,
Swamiji makes it clear in the above statement,unattached man may live in the very heart of
a crowded and sinful city; he will not be
touched by sin. And by sin is meant impurities
of mind. Swamiji further says,
The man who gives up living in houses, wearing
fine clothes, and eating good food, and goes into
the desert, may be a most attached person. His
only possession, his own body, may become
everything to him; and as he lives he will be
simply struggling for the sake of his body. Non-attachment does not mean anything that we may
do in relation to our external body; it is all in
the mind. The binding link of I and mine is in
the mind. If we have not this link with the body
and with the things of the senses, we are non-
attached, wherever and whatever we may be. A
man may be on a throne and perfectly non-
attached; another man may be in rags and still
very much attached.4
The most important meaning of lotus and
leafs, therefore, is detachment. And true
detachment has nothing to do with what one
does or wears or where one lives. It is a
question of mind. In Swamijis words,
There is one thing which is the world and
another which is God; and this distinction is very
true. What they mean by world is selfishness.
Unselfishness is God. One may live on a throne,
in a golden palace, and be perfectly unselfish;
and then he is in God. Another may live in a
hut and wear rags, and have nothing in the
world; yet, if he is selfish, he is intensely merged
in the world.5
Lotus of the Heart
Lotus is also a symbol of devotion. While
meditating on God, one is asked to meditate
on a bloomed lotus in the centre of chest. Like
a lotus, a pure heart never gets dirty by the
mire called worldly thoughts and negative
emotions. It is ever pure, and fresh, and a
fitting place to think of the Presence of God.Of course, God is present everywhere for
His all-pervasiveness is His nature. Logically
one can, therefore, meditate on Him wherever
one wants to meditate on. But in pure heart,
free from all negative ideas such as lust, greed,
jealousy, anger and so on, God is manifest
more. Sri Ramakrishna used to call heart as
the drawing room. In a house, the master of
the house can move around, and hence can be
found, in any part of the house. But mostlikely, the master can be found in his drawing
room. That is where he is most comfortable
and relaxed. Likewise, while God can be
meditated anywhere, He is most visibly pre-
sent in the pure heart of a devotee.
Lotus is also a symbol of our inner recep-
tivity. What is required of us most in order to
learn anything higher? Merely buying books
or listening to lectures or reading books cannot
make one spiritually awakened. They mayhelp to some extent, or might become even
obstacles! Inner awakening makes one a fit
recipient of all exalted teachings. An awakened
mind can find meaning even in simple,
common, day-to-day events. To a sleeping per-
son, no spiritual activity is of any help. Swamiji
says,
To whom do the brooks preach sermons? To
that human soul only whose lotus of life has
already opened. When the heart has beenopened, it can receive teaching from the brooks
or the stonesit can get some religious teaching
from all these; but the unopened heart will see
nothing but brooks and rolling stones.6
The one call therefore, which Swamiji
repeatedly gave in his message was, Arise,
awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.
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Blooming of the Inner Lotus
To a person who has reached the goal of
life, the meaning of lotus acquires one more
aspect:
We all see evil around us. Of course, dif-ferent people perceive evil differently. To an
unwilling child, going to school may be a big
evil. To a teenager, keeping his surroundings
clean and following his parents instruc-
tions may sound evil. To a religious fanatic, the
followers of other religions may appear as evil.
To a youth, old people may appear evil (for
being outmoded, and hence burdensome) and
to the old people, youth may be full of evil!
Well, there is no universal definition of evil.But one thing that everyone universally
admits is that world is not perfect. There is so
much of imperfection here. The poor, the rich,
the healthy and the sick, everyone knows from
experience that world is not perfect. How to
change or help this imperfect world? Food,
clothing, shelter, medicine, money, efficient
government, and so on, are good and needed.
They have a vital role to play. However, the
greatest need of the hour, of all times, is rightthinking. In absence of right thinking, all help
given in various forms will bear only a
temporary result. Swamiji says,
What the world wants is thought-power through
individuals. My Master used to say, Why dont
you help your own lotus flower to bloom? The
bees will then come of themselves. The world
needs people who are mad with love of God.
You must believe in yourself, and then you will
believe in God.7
The blooming of the inner lotus, hence,
means becoming full of Gods presence. We
are at present full of the presence of world.
A person, whose inner lotus is blossomed, is
full of God. Feeling the divinity within is the
beginning of seeing the divinity without.
Conclusion
Living like a lotus is both a means andthe end. As an end, to be like a lotus is to be a
Jivanmukta, living-free, free even while living.
Such a man is the ideal man, untouched by
the evil of imperfection, like the lotus leafs in
water, untouched by water.
On the other hand, as a means, or a prac-
tice, living like a lotus, implies learning to offer
all one does, achieves, possesses, thinks, plans,
in fact, ones whole life, to God. Or one might
look at the whole world as a machine of Godwhere he, the practitioner, is playing his role.
And let him play his role well, but without
getting attached.
In this context, one may recall Holy
Mother Sri Sarada Devi's words,
The Master [Sri Ramakrishna] saw dabchicks
floating, diving and swimming in the water of
Haldars pond, but there would be not a drop of
water sticking to themthey would just shake
it off. He gave their example and said that inthis world one should live like these. . .8
To be detached is to be free from both
attachment and aversion. Detachment is an
attitude of self-effacement. The Gita (5.10) says,
~`mYm` H$_m{U g `dm H$amo{V `&
{bfl`Vo Z g nmnoZ nn{_dm^gm&&
Whosoever lives in the midst of the world, and
works, and gives up all the fruit of his action
unto the Lord, he is never touched with the evils
of the world. Just as the lotus, born under the
water, rises up and blossoms above the water,
even so is the man who is engaged in the
activities of the world, giving up all the fruit of
his activities unto the Lord.9
References: 1. CW, 8: 227 2. CW, 8: 227 3. CW, 1: 60 4. CW, 1: 101 5. CW, 1: 87
6. CW, 4: 27 7. CW, 6: 144 8. Teachings of Holy Mother, p. 25 9. CW, 4: 130
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From the Archives ofTHE VEDANTA KESARI
S imh v a l o k a n am
Confessions on the Way towards Peace
By Le Frile
(August, 1920-21, pp. 115-116)
I feel as if I have just reached the threshold of peace. . . I feel
as if the sun of truth has just dawned in upon me, his twilight of the morning surrounding me,
but he himself not visible to me yet. I have reached that point which settles my earthly destiny,
not to a shore of dreams whence issued my paths of old, but to a real and practical haven from
which sets out a romantic and glorious path for my life. The fitting opportunity has presented
itself uncalled for, and I am pushed forward to activity by a superior and stronger impulse than
that which backed me all these years of my life. Although I have not arrived at peace yet, I
have a strong belief that I am nearing it. I do not believe that any seeker after truth on earth
found it all on a sudden. As the sun dawns slowly and gradually in harmony with the rhythm
of the, music of the cosmos so, the light of truth dawns slowly and gradually in the view of the
enquiring mind, oppressed with the darkness of doubt and despair.
I pray Thee, Oh unknown Lord! make Thyself known to me. Drive off from me for ever
and ever the little tormenting devils of doubt and despair. Back me, guide me, teach me,
command me, love me and lead me and on my part, I will love Thee and obey Thee with all I
am worth.
Oh Lord! I thank Thee for all the bitter cups which Thou gavest me. I fear them no more.
I have realised their sweetness. Make me pure, make me strong, and above all make me
straight. Let me never lose sight of Thee,Thy laws and Thy protection. Let me always walk in
the path which leadeth to Thee, the path of love, the path of purity, the broad and generous
path, the straight and narrow path.
Oh Lord! I fear myself. I fear my own changing moods. Preserve me in, my present faith
and resolution. Let this not become a sincere farce to be laughed at after the moment of
excitement is over, as were my resolutions of old.
Oh Lord! I long for Thee with all my heart and strength. I love and revere Thee in all
sincerity and humbleness. I feel myself profoundly calm and happy and free in having based
my faith on Thee at last. So, let me never more doubt. Above all, I fear doubt. Protect me from
its sly approaches, that I may not again relapse into unbelief. Let me not think. Let me not
think again to see if my faith is based upon truth. In this I implore Thy grace, Oh Lord!
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Thus Prayed Sri RamakrishnaSri Ramakrishna laid much emphasis on praying to God as an effective spiritual exercise . He
asked almost everyone who came to him for spiritual guidance or for solving his difficulties in life to
pray to God. Not only did he himself pray, at times, he would actually demonstrate how to pray.
The following is a selection of some of the prayers of Sri Ramakrishna recorded in The Gospel of
Sri Ramakrishna (published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai). These prayers, intense,
passionate and spiritually elevating as they are, can be of much help to anyone learning to pray and
employ it as a spiritual discipline.
Him, O Lord, I have committed sins, but I
wont repeat them.4
Suppose a man becomes pure by
chanting the holy name of God,
bu t immediately af terwards
commits many sins. He has no
strength of mind. He doesnt
take a vow not to repeat his
sins. Chant the name of
God, and with it pray to Himthat you may have love for
Him. Pray to God that your
attachment to such transitory
things as wealth, name, and crea-
ture comforts may become less and less
every day.5
You can perform them [worldly duties],
but only as much as you need for your
livelihood. . . . You should say to Him: O
God, make my worldly duties fewer andfewer; otherwise, O Lord, I find that I forget
Thee when I am involved in too many acti-
vities. I may think I am doing unselfish work,
but it turns out to be selfish.6
Suppose God appears before you; then
will you ask Him to build hospitals and dis-
pensaries for you? A lover of God never says
How to Pray
One should pray to God with sincere
longing. God cannot but listen to
prayer if it is sincere.1
[The way to spiritual life lies
in] earnestly praying to God.
God is our very own. We
should say to Him: O God,
what is Thy nature? Reveal
Thyself to me. Thou mustshow Thyself to me; for why
else hast Thou created me?2
Pray to Him with a long-
ing heart: O God, give me know-
ledge, give me devotion, and reveal
Thyself to me! The path of karma is extremely
difficult. Therefore one should pray: O God,
make my duties fewer and fewer; and may I,
through Thy grace, do the few duties that Thou
givest me without any attachment to theirresults! May I have no desire to be involved
in many activities!3
By repeating a hundred times, I am a
sinner, one verily becomes a sinner. One should
have such faith as to be able to say, What? I
have taken the name of God; how can I be a
sinner? God is our Father and Mother. Tell
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that. He will rather say: O Lord, give me a
place at Thy Lotus Feet. Keep me always in
Thy company. Give me sincere and pure love
for Thee.7
One should not reason too much; it isenough if one loves the Lotus Feet of the
Mother. Too much reasoning throws the mind
into confusion. You get clear water if you drink
from the surface of a pool. Put your hand
deeper and stir the water, and it becomes
muddy. Therefore pray to God for devotion.8
Renounce all and say, O mind, may you
and I alone behold the Mother, letting no One
else intrude.9
One needs faithfaith in the words ofthe guru, childlike faith. The mother says to
her child, A ghost lives there; and the child
is firmly convinced that the ghost is there.
Again, the mother says to the child, A holy
man is there, and the child is sure of it. Fur-
ther, the mother says, pointing to a man, He
is your elder brother, and the child believes
that the man is one hundred and twenty-five
per cent his brother. One needs faith.10
Whom to Pray?
Satchidananda is like an infinite ocean.
Intense cold freezes the water into ice, which
floats on the ocean in blocks of various forms.
Likewise, through the cooling influence of
bhakti, one sees forms of God in the Ocean of
the Absolute. These forms are meant for the
bhaktas, the lovers of God. But when the Sun
of Knowledge rises, the ice melts; it becomes
the same water it was before. Water aboveand water below, everywhere nothing but
water. Therefore a prayer in the Bhagavata says:
O Lord, Thou hast form, and Thou art also
formless. Thou walkest before us, O Lord, in
the shape of a man; again, Thou hast been
described in the Vedas as beyond words and
thought.11
But you may say that for certain devotees
God assumes eternal forms. There are places
in the ocean where the ice doesnt melt at all.
It assumes the form of quartz.12
God is the Kalpataru, the Wish-fulfillingTree. You will certainly get whatever you ask
of Him. But you must pray standing near the
Kalpataru. Only then will your prayer be
fulfilled. But you must remember another
thing. God knows our inner feeling. A man
gets fulfilment of the desire he cherishes while
practising sadhana. As one thinks, so one
receives.13
A man should have such intense yearn-
ing for God that he can say, O Father of theuniverse, am I outside Your universe? Wont
You be kind to me, You wretch?14
Be ready for Death. Death has entered
the house. You must fight him with the wea-
pon of Gods holy name. God alone is the
Doer.15
While thus practising discipline in soli-
tude, you should think: I have no one else in
the world. God is my all.16
It will be very good if you can practiseunselfish love for God. A man who has such
love says: O Lord, I do not seek salvation,
fame, wealth, or cure of disease. None of these
do I seek. I want only Thee.17
Do you know the attitude of one who
has realised God? He feels: I am the machine,
and Thou, O Lord, art the Operator. I am the
house and Thou art the Indweller. I am the
chariot and Thou art the Driver. I move as
Thou movest me; I speak as Thou makest mespeak.18
Sri Ramakrishnas Prayers to the Divine
Mother
This Primal Power, Mahamaya, has
covered Brahman . . . As long as that covering
remains, one should call on God as Mother.
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Addressing God, the devotee should say,
Thou art the Mother and I am Thy child; Thou
art the Master and I am Thy servant. It is
good to have the attitude of the servant toward
the master. From this relationship of masterand servant spring up other attitudes: the
attitude of serene love for God, the attitude of
friend toward friend, and so forth.19
Is it possible to understand Gods action
and His motive? He creates, He preserves, and
He destroys. Can we ever understand why
He destroys? I say to the Divine Mother: O
Mother, I do not need to understand. Please
give me love for Thy Lotus Feet. The aim of
human life is to attain bhakti. As for otherthings, the Mother knows best. I have come to
the garden to eat mangoes. What is the use of
my calculating the number of trees, branches,
and leaves? I only eat the mangoes; I dont
need to know the number of trees and leaves.20
I prayed to Divine Mother: Mother, here
is Thy virtue, here is Thy vice. Take them both
and grant me only pure love for Thee. Here is
Thy knowledge, here is Thy ignorance. Take
them both and grant me only pure love forThee. Here is Thy purity, here is Thy impurity.
Take them both, Mother, and grant me only
pure love for Thee. Here is Thy dharma, here
is Thy adharma. Take them both, Mother and
grant me only pure love for Thee.21
O Mother! O Destroyer of suffering! O
Remover of grief and agony!22
O Mother, please dwell in my heart.23
O Mother, worship has left me, and japa
also. Please see, Mother, that I do not becomean inert thing. Let my attitude toward God be
that of the servant toward the master. O
Mother, let me talk about Thee and chant Thy
holy name. I want to sing Thy glories. Give
me a little strength of body that I may move
about, that I may go to places where Thy
devotees live, and sing Thy name.24
O Mother, I offered flowers at Thy feet
this morning. I thought: That is good. My
mind is again going back to formal worship.
Then why do I feel like this now? Why art
Thou turning me into a sort of inert thing?25
O Mother! O Embodiment of Om!
Mother, how many things people say about
Thee! But I dont understand any of them. I
dont know anything, Mother. I have taken
refuge at Thy feet. I have sought protection in
Thee. O Mother, I pray only that I may have
pure love for Thy Lotus Feet, love that seeks
no return. And Mother, do not delude me with
Thy world-bewitching Maya. I seek Thy pro-
tection. I have taken refuge in Thee.26
Mother, I dont know the Vedanta; and
Mother, I dont even care to know. The Vedas
and the Vedanta remain so far below when
Thou art realized, O Divine Mother!27
O Mother, blight with Thy thunderbolt
my desire to reason! . . . O Mother, reveal to
me what is contained in the Vedas and the
Vedanta. Reveal to me what is in the Purana
and the Tantra.28
O Mother, make me like Sita, completelyforgetful of everythingbody and limbs
totally unconscious of hands, feet, and sense
organsonly the one thought in her mind,
Where is Rama?29
Mother, Thou hast done away with my
worship. Please see, Mother, that I dont give
up all desire. Mother, the paramahamsa is but
a child. Doesnt a child need a mother? There-
fore Thou art the Mother and I am the child.
How can the child live without the Mother?30
O Mother, everybodys future is deter-
mined by the tendencies of his previous births.
What shall I say to these people? Nothing can
be achieved without discrimination and
renunciation.31
[Sri Ramakrishna was speaking to Her like a
small child making importunate demands on his
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mother. He said in a piteous voice]: Mother, why
havent You revealed to me that form of Yours,
the form that bewitches the world? I pleaded
with You so much for it. But You wouldnt
listen to me. You act as You please.32
While praying to the Divine Mother, I
said, O Mother, I dont seek anything else:
give me only pure love for Thee.33
[Sri Ramakrishna wept and prayed to the
Mother in a voice choked with emotion. He prayed
to Her with tearful eyes for the welfare of the
devotees] Mother, may those who come to You
have all their desires fulfilled! But please dont
make them give up everything at once,
Mother. Well, You may do whatever You likein the end. If You keep them in the world,
Mother, then please reveal Yourself to them
now and then. Otherwise, how will they live?
How will they be encouraged if they dont see
You once in a while? But You may do what-
ever You like in the end.34
Om! Om! Om! Mother, what is this that
I am saying? Dont make me unconscious,
Mother, with the Knowledge of Brahman.
Dont give me Brahmajnana. I am but Thychild. I am easily worried and frightened. I
want a Mother. A million salutations to the
Knowledge of Brahman! Give it to those who
seek it. O Anandamayi! O Blissful Mother!. . .35
O Mother! O Blissful One! Reveal
Thyself to me. Thou must! . . . O Lord of the
lowly! O Lord of the universe! Surely I am not
outside Thy universe. I am bereft of know-
ledge. I am without discipline. I have no devo-
tion. I know nothing. Thou must be graciousand reveal Thyself to me.36
When I renounced everything with an
offering of flowers at the Lotus Feet of the
Mother, I said: Here, Mother, take Thy
holiness, take Thy unholiness. Here, Mother,
take Thy dharma, take Thy adharma. Here,
Mother, take Thy sin, take Thy virtue. Here,
Mother, take Thy good, take Thy evil. And
give me only pure bhakti. But I could not
say, Here, Mother, take Thy truth, take Thy
falsehood.37
Mother, tell me what this is. They wantsomeone to extract the butter for them and
hold it to their mouths. They wont throw the
spiced bait into the lake. They wont even hold
the fishing-rod. Someone must catch the fish
and put it into their hands! How troublesome!
Mother, I wont listen to any more argument.
The rogues force it on me. What a bother! I
shall shake it off. God is beyond the Vedas
and their injunctions. Can one realise Him by
studying the scriptures, the Vedas, and theVedanta?
O Mother, I am a fool. Please teach me
what is contained in the Vedas, the Puranas,
the Tantras, and the other scriptures. The
Mother said to me, The essence of the Vedanta
is that Brahman alone is real and the world
illusory.38
I used to weep, praying to the Divine
Mother, O Mother, destroy with Thy thunder-
bolt my inclination to reason.39
O Mother! Thou dost ever enjoy Thine
eternal Sports. Tell us, O Mother, what is the
way? We have taken refuge in Thee; we have
taken shelter at Thy feet.40
O Mother, I throw myself on Thy mercy;
I take shelter at Thy Hallowed Feet. I do not
want bodily comforts; I do not crave name
and fame; I do not seek the eight occult
powers. Be gracious and grant that I may have
pure love for Thee, a love unsmitten by desire,untainted by any selfish endsa love craved
by the devotee for the sake of love alone. And
grant me the favour, O Mother, that I may not
be deluded by Thy world-bewitching Maya,
that I may never be attached to the world, to
woman and gold, conjured up by Thy in-
scrutable Maya! O Mother, there is no one but
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thee whom I may call my own. Mother, I do
not know how to worship; I am without aus-
terity; I have neither devotion nor knowledge.
Be gracious, Mother, and out of Thy infinite
mercy grant me love for Thy Lotus Feet.41
I felt ashamed to speak to her about my
illness. I said to her, Mother, I saw a skeleton
in the Asiatic Society Museum. It was pieced
together with wires into a human form. O
Mother, please keep my body together a little,
like that, so that I may sing Thy name and
glories.42
I prayed to the Divine Mother, O
Mother, turn my mind at once from the world
to God. . . .O Divine Mother, please dont makeme a worldly man if I am to be born again in
a human body.43
A lover of God prays to the Divine
Mother: O Mother, I am very much afraid of
selfish actions. Such actions have desires
behind them, and if I perform them I shall
have to reap their fruit. But it is very difficult
to work in a detached spirit. I shall certainly
forget Thee, O Mother, if I involve myself in
selfish actions. Therefore I have no use forthem. May my actions, O Divine Mother, be
fewer every day till I attain Thee. May I
perform, without attachment to the results,
only what action is absolutely necessary for
me. May I have great love for Thee as I go on
with my few duties. May I not entangle myself
in new work so long as I do not realise Thee.
But I shall perform it if I receive Thy command.
Otherwise not.44
Sri Ramakrishnas Other Prayers
Sri Ramakrishna said: Krishna! Krishna!
Krishna! Krishna Satchidananda! Nowadays I
do not see Your form. Now I see You both in-
side me and outside. I see that it is You who
have become the universe, all living beings,
the twenty-four cosmic principles, and every-
thing else. You alone have become mind,
intelligence, everything. It is said in the Hymn
of Salutation to the Guru: I bow down to
the Guru by whose grace I have realized Him
who pervades the indivisible universe of theanimate and the inanimate.45
You alone are the Indivisible. . . You are
verily the manifold universe; again, You alone
are its basis. O Krishna! You are my life. O
Krishna! You are my mind. O Krishna! You
are my intelligence. O Krishna! You are my
soul. O Govinda! You are my life-breath. You
are my life itself. . . . Om Satchidananda!
Govinda! Govinda! Govinda! Yogamaya!46
O friend, take me to my beloved Krishnaand make me your bond slave. I shall be your
handmaid for ever. O friend, it was you who
taught me how to love Krishna. O Krishna! O
Beloved of my soul! . . . . Ah me! Ah me!47
After attaining Knowledge a man says:
O God, nothing belongs to meneither this
house ofworship nor this Kali temple nor this
Brahmo Samaj. These are all Thine. Wife, son,
and family do not belong to me. They are all
Thine.48
Hanuman, after realizing God in both
His Personal and His Impersonal aspect, cheri-
shed toward God the attitude of a servant, a
devotee. He said to Rama: O Rama, sometimes
I think that You are the whole and I am a part
of You. Sometimes I think that You are the
Master and I am Your servant. And sometimes,
Rama, when I contemplate the Absolute, I see
that I am You and You are I.49
Once Rama was pleased with the prayerof Narada and told him to ask for a boon.
Narada prayed for pure love and said further,
O Rama, please grant that I may not be
deluded by Thy world-bewitching maya.
Rama said: That is all right. But ask for
something else. Narada replied: I dont want
anything else. I pray only for pure love.50
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O Rama! O Rama! I am without devotion
and austerity, without knowledge and love; I
have not performed any religious rites. O
Rama, I have taken refuge in Thee; I have taken
shelter at Thy feet. I do not want creaturecomforts; I do not seek name and fame. O
Rama, I do not crave the eight occult powers;
I do not care for a hundred occult powers! I
am Thy servant. I have taken refuge in Thee.
Grant, O Rama, that I may have pure love for
Thy Lotus Feet; that I may not be deluded by
Thy world-bewitching Maya! O Rama, I have
taken refuge it Thee.51
Yashoda said to Radha: I dont want
Brahmajnana. Please grant me only this: that Imay see the form of Gopala in my meditation;
that I may always have the company of
Krishnas devotees; that I may always serve
the devotees of God; that I may always chant
Gods name and glories. . . We want to see
Gopala and serve Him. Please grant us that
boon alone. We dont want anything else.52
O Govinda, Thou art my soul! Thou art
my life! Victory to Govinda! Hallowed be the
name of Govinda! Thou art the Embodiment
of Satchidananda! Oh, Krishna! Ah, Krishna!
Krishna is knowledge. Krishna is mind.
Krishna is life. Krishna is soul. Krishna is body.
Krishna is caste. Krishna is family. O Govinda,
my life and soul!53
O Jagannath, Lord of the Universe! O
Friend of the world! O Friend of the poor! Iam not, O Lord, outside Thy universe. Be gra-
cious to me!54
References
1. The Gospel, p.703 2. Ibid., p.96 3. Ibid., p.452 4. Ibid., p.159 5. Ibid., p.190-91
6. Ibid., p.142 7. Ibid., p.143 8. Ibid., p.186 9. Ibid., p.315 10. Ibid., p.381
11. Ibid., p.191 12. Ibid., p. 191 13. Ibid., p.481 14. Ibid., p.688 15. Ibid., p.209
16. Ibid., p.313 17. Ibid., p.386 18. Ibid., p.211 19. Ibid., p.290 20. Ibid., p.161
21. Ibid., p.138-39 22. Ibid., p.223 23. Ibid., p.263 24. Ibid., p.295 25. Ibid., p.295
26. Ibid., p.299 27. Ibid., p.373-74 28. Ibid., p.376 29. Ibid., p.342 30. Ibid., p.35731. Ibid., p.502 32. Ibid., p.381 33. Ibid., p.682 34. Ibid., p.381 35. Ibid., p.384
36. Ibid., p.384 37. Ibid., p.782 38. Ibid., p.544 39. Ibid., p.482 40. Ibid., p..704
41. Ibid., p.731 42. Ibid., p.396 43. Ibid., p.463 44. Ibid., p.468-69 45. Ibid., p.440-41
46. Ibid., p.441 47. Ibid., p.445 48. Ibid., p.456 49. Ibid., p.480 50. Ibid., p.503
51. Ibid., p.566 52. Ibid., p.480-81 53. Ibid., p.641 54. Ibid., p.809-10
Intense Prayer
Whenever we pray to God in right earnest, He is sure to come
to us. The trouble is, we pray to so many others besides God.
We pray to the doctor to give us health, to the shopkeeper togive us food or dress, and in among the rest we pray to God to
give us spiritual light and knowledge. When we look to Him
alone and pray to Him and to no one else, He never fails to
answer our prayers, if we make them really intense.
Swami Ramakrishnananda,
a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
15
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Reminiscences of Master MahashaySWAMI DHARMESHANANDA
Master Mahashay, Mahendranath Gupta, or M, was an eminent householder disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna. He recorded the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna in Bengali and published them later
as Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (translated into English: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). The
following is the translation of reminiscences of M from Srima Samipe, [In the Proximity of M], a
book in Bengali, edited by Swami Chetanananda (Udbodhan Office: Calcutta, 1996), pp.88-132. Swami
Chetanananda (the translator of the present article) is the Head of Vedanta Society of St. Louise, USA.
He has to his credit several notable books in Bengali and English, translations as well as original.
First Meeting
In 1920 or 1921 I went to see M. with my
friend Surendra Nath Kundu and brother
Bhupati, who was a householder devotee of
Sri Ramakrishna. At the time I was living in
North Calcutta and was in my second year at
City College. Surendra had given me a copy
of the fourth volume of the Kathamrita, which
I read with great attention. He also told me
that the author of this book was still alive,and that it would be wonderful if we could
hear the Masters words directly from him.
One afternoon Surendra and I went to
the fourth floor of the Morton Institution and
met M., who was surrounded by devotees. He
received us cordially. It was the rainy season,
a few days after the Chariot Festival of Jagan-
nath. M. put Jagannaths prasad (dry rice) into
our hands and said, When one has this prasad
one attains devotion for God. I used to go tothe Brahmo Samaj and was moreover under
the influence of Western education, so I
considered such faith to be superstitious.
I remarked: Yes, if one eats this prasad
with faith, one may attain devotion.
M. replied: No, there is a sure effect of
an object. In whatever way you eat this prasad,
your mind will become pure and you will
attain faith and devotion.
How is that possible? The mind is every-
thing. I replied. If there isnt any faith in ones
mind, how can one attain devotion?
The Master said that whatever way you
take prasad, you will attain devotion.
I cant accept that.
M. became grave and turned his chair
towards the devotees. Pointing at me with hisleft index finger, he said indignantly: The
Master said, One attains devotion, and this
person does not accept the Masters words.
Everyone remained silent. Surendra was
looking at me, and I hung my head and kept
quiet. I was ashamed of my audacity.
M. then told me affectionately: Listen,
one day in Dakshineswar the Master said to
me, The Chariot Festival is over. The pilgrims
are now returning from Puri. You go toHowrah Station and beg for some prasad for
me. One attains devotion if one takes this
prasad. I went to Howrah Station. When I
saw pilgrims getting off the train, I pleaded
like a beggar, Will you give me a little
prasad? Some were amazed by the sight of a
well-dressed gentleman begging for prasad;
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some walked away quickly without paying
any attention; and some devotees realised my
sincerity and gave me some grains of dry rice
from their bundle. When I carried that prasad
to the Master, he was very happy. When Godis pleased, the whole world becomes pleased.
I was truly blessed. The Master used to eat
one or two grains of that dry rice every day
and asked me also to do so. Have faith in his
words. There is no other way.
I took one or two grains of that prasad.
Starting in 1924, my faith gradually developed
after I began visiting M. regularly.
EncouragementIn 1924 I went to see M. with Brahma-
chari Tarak of the Vivekananda Society. I was
then a student in my fifth year of college. I
used to stay at the Society and perform wor-
ship there. We went to visit M. at the Morton
Institution.
M. asked Tarak: What do you do?
Tarak replied: I collect subscriptions for
the Vivekananda Society, help the secretary,
and arrange religious classes and kirtans indevotees houses once a month. And every
week there are two classes in the Society on
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature.
Very good, M. said. This is real karma
yoga as described by Swamiji. If you can
perform this service without any motive, you
will attain knowledge and devotion.
This encouragement made Tarak happy,
and he rededicated his life to the Vivekananda
Society.M. then asked me: What do you do?
I replied: I perform daily worship in the
shrine of the Society and conduct the vesper
service.
You have gotten a very good job, M.
said. This work will give you devotion. Look,
flowers have a beautiful fragranceand you
are offering them to the feet of the Lord. When
you make sandal paste, it generates a sweet
fragrance and you offer that to the Lord. You
are also meditating upon Him in your heart.
Dont give up this work. One can attain Godsgrace quickly by means of worship. Perform
worship with a pure and concentrated mind,
and then pray and offer yourself at the feet of
the Lord. When one listens to vesper songs,
ones mind becomes one-pointed and medi-
tation comes automatically. You are doing
marvellous work.
Many devotees were present. M. praised
our jobs though they were different.
Devotion for Holy Mother
M.s devotion for Holy Mother was
indescribable. He considered her to be Mother
Lakshmi. In 1931, long after Holy Mother had
passed away, I had an opportunity to go with
M. to Udbodhan, Mothers house. He brought
a big basket of sandesh to offer to the Master.
We arrived at 9:00 a.m. and entered the room
where Mother passed away, which is now the
shrine. Mothers bed is still there, as it wasduring her lifetime. M. sat near the bed and
meditated for a long time. Then a monk gave
M. prasad and we returned to his residence.
Alone with M.
Early one afternoon (at 1:30 or 2:00 pm)
in 1931, I went to the Morton Institution. I
was then staying at Udbodhan, and almost
every evening I would go to M. to listen to
him speak about the Master. In the eveninghe would meditate with devotees in the tulsi
grove on the roof. I would bring my own asana
[meditation carpet], but one night I forgot to
bring it back with me, so I returned at that
odd time to retrieve it. M. saw me.
M. loved solitude so he would stay alone
in the attic room of the school building. But
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he also loved to talk about the Master with
devotees. When he saw me, he called out,
Please come here. I went to his room. He
asked me to sit on his bed and inquired about
my welfare. I said: I have to leave now. Thereis a class on the Chandogya Upanishad at
Udbodhan. I need to attend it. I forgot to take
my asana with me, so I came to get it.
Please sit down, M. said, but I got up
and bowed down to him. When I was about
to leave, he said: Dhiren, all Vedas and
Vedanta are at the Masters feet. One can attain
knowledge by meditating on those feet.
Like a fool, I did not understand the deep
meaning of his words, so I returned to Udbo-dhan. Later I lamented that I had lost a chance
to enjoy his rare holy company all by myself.
Perhaps he intended to raise my mind to a
higher realm of consciousness, which he did
for one of my friends.
About Ramakrishnas Centenary
Sri Ramakrishnas centenary celebration
was to be held from 1936 to 1937. For five
years the Centenary Committee had been plan-ning to publish a centenary memorial volume
on Sri Ramakrishna. The committee was collec-
ting articles from great thinkers of India about
their experiences with and concepts about the
Sanatana Dharma [Eternal Religion]. Swami
Avinashananda, the organiser of the Cente-
nary Committee, came to M. one day with ano-
ther monk to consult with him about articles
for that volume. I was present at that time.
M. said: The soul of dharma [religion] istapas [austerities]. Sri Ramakrishna was the
embodiment of tapas. If you can travel all over
India and collect descriptions of spiritual
experiences from all-renouncing monks, that
collection would be the best memorial volume
on Sri Ramakrishna. The Ramakrishna Order
is based on the austerities of Swamiji, Swami
Brahmananda, and other monastic disciples of
the Master.
Morton Institution, Christmas Eve 1930, 7:00
pmM. was seated on his chair and surround-
ed by nearly twenty devotees. A devotee from
Sind had sent a basket of fruit wrapped in red
paper. M. was very pleased, and he showed
the basket to the devotees.
M.: Today is an auspicious day to think
of Christ and the Master. The Master said, I
am Christ. Let us first think of the Master
and then we shall be able to understand Christ.
Christ had 12 disciples from Galilee andmost of them were fishermen. He was the son
of a carpenter and did not have a formal
education. The Master also said, I am an
unlettered fool. They did not teach by virtue
of their education. A learned ignorance is the
end of philosophy and the beginning of
religion. Renunciation is necessary.
The Master said openly that it would be
enough if people came to him; they didnt need
any spiritual disciplines. Then the DivineMother took him away from this world. The
Master produced butter and gave it to every-
one to eat, without any need for making an
effort. Now he will make us work, and this is
the beginning of spiritual life. The goal is love
for Satchidananda. Love is God. The vision of
God means unconditional love and devotion
for God. There may be one or two exceptions,
but everyone will have to work and practise
sadhana. Krishna said in the Gita (18:11): It isindeed impossible for an embodied being to
renounce action entirely. The goal of action
is to attain love and devotion. Western people
are very busy collecting enjoyments; they will
not be able to preach Christ. The people of the
East will preach Christ. Moreover, he belonged
to Asia. He considered himself to be a lamb;
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he surrendered himself like a sacrificial animal.
And he incarnated to take away the sins of
all. By the grace of the Master, I understand a
little of Christs message. Is it easy to
understand the words of an avatar? Onecannot understand Christ if ones mind is
attached to lust and gold.
M. then opened his Bible and showed us
pictures of the Madonna and Christ, Jerusalem,
and so on. He touched the Bible to his head
and then read from Matthew, John, and Luke.
He read the following sections: Christs birth
in the manger; his escape from Herod; the wise
men of the East who found Christ and then
fled; Christs preaching; the pure life of hisparents; his baptism by John; and so on. We
left at 9:30 p.m.
Morton Institution, 4 January 1931, 7:30 p.m.
M. was seated with some swamis, devo-
tees, and an English journalist from London
who was curious to learn about God.
M. told the journalist: God incarnates as
an avatar.
Journalist: Is it true that when a personbecomes one with God, he becomes an avatar?
No, there is a belief in this country that
God comes down as an avatar. Our scriptures
tell us of ten, twenty-four, and again numerous
avatars. Christians do not believe Christ was
an avatar, but we do.
Then godmen are chosen as avatars?
Who would choose?
I have used the wrong words. Pardon me.
Christ is the same as Krishna, Chaitanya,and now Ramakrishna. He himself says so.
This is the proof.
How do people know whether this or
that avatar is authentic?
If they pray, they will know. Some false
prophets profess themselves to be avatars, but
the sincere devotee recognises the genuine
avatar. You went to Dakshineswar. It is as
sacred as Jerusalem. Prayer is the essential
thing. Pray. Knock and it will be opened. Be
eager.How should we pray?
O Father, let us know You. Give us Your
love. Make us perfect devotees. Give us eternal
lifetrue life.
In which way? Praying aloud?
There is no need for that. One may or
may not do it aloud. If one is hungry and can-
not give it proper expression, is one not hun-
gry? The Father knows ones inner yearning.
How can we have love for God so thatwe may pray?
The company of holy people who have
renounced the world will make you feel love
for God. This is the first step towards religion
and the alpha and omega of spiritual life. The
intellect cannot understand all this. Your scien-
tists are engaged in seeking sense knowledge.
A human beings intellect is feeble, very weak.
Only faith and prayer are needed these are
all. Depend on His mercy. He will let us knowin time. We are under Him; He is not under
us. We need His grace. If you ask, when one
should renounce, the answer is given in
Christs words. Once he asked someone to
come and follow him. The man answered: A
relative of mine died. I have to bury him first;
then I will join you. Christ replied: Follow
me, and let the dead bury the dead. Worldly-
minded people are truly dead. The sadhus live
real lives. All others are dead. Those peoplewill take care of the dead. Pray without ceasing
and keep company with holy people.
The journalist wanted to take a picture
of M., but M. declined. Instead, he presented
the journalist with a copy of TheGospel of Sri
Ramakrishna as a memento. OO
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Tampering with National PrideSWAMI HARSHANANDA
Introduction
From the most ancient times Bharata-
varsha or India has laid the greatest emphasis
on the acquisition of knowledge (jnana)
through proper education (vidyabhyasa). In fact,
persons without education have been termed
as brutes (pashu). On the other hand, an
educated person is honoured everywhere.India had, what may be called in modern
parlance, truly a knowledge society.
Ancient Indian Education
Education in ancient India was aimed at
preparing the students for the life here as well
as the hereafter. The education was in the
hands of sages, Rishis, who maintained huge
Gurukulas (forest academies) which accom-
modated and imparted education to a largenumber of students. These ancient sages paid
equal attention to secular education (anna-
vidya) as well as spiritual education (brahma-
vidya). This was a holistic and complete
approach to education and helped both in
personality development and nation-building.
It naturally helped the recipients of such
training to care for their personal welfare and
also in discharge of their social obligations.
In modern times, Swami Vivekananda
succinctly put this complete ideal of education
as atmano moksha and jagad-hitafor ones
spiritual emancipation and for the good of
others.
Modern Indian Education
Unfortunately, the educational system
that is in vogue in India today is the very
antithesis of our time-tested ancient values of
life. A product of this system is neither able to
stand on his own feet nor serve the society as
needed. This is because, after political inde-
pendence, our political rulers paid more atten-tion to the improvement of economy without
simultaneously attempting to improve the
quality and the wisdom of the people to use
that economic progress for the good of all,
through a proper system of education. Even
the excellent survey reports of the various
Education Commissions headed by distingui-
shed educationists were ignored and never
implemented.
Studying Science and Humanities
Science education is needed to develop
our economy and raise the level of our civili-
sation or civilised ways of living. However
Humanitiesespecially History and Civics,
more commonly known as Social Studies
are also needed to teach us as to how to utilise
the discoveries and inventions of Science and
Technology for the benefit of the society as a
whole. Without a proper understanding of our
history and civics, our personal and public
lives cannot go on smoothly and effectively.
Here comes the pivotal role of studying
history. Textbooks of history should not only
A senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, the author is the Adyaksha of Ramakrishna Math, Basavanagudi,
Bangalore. He is a versatile speaker and a prolific writer having several publications in English, Kannada, and
Sanskrit to his credit. His monumental work A Concise Encyclopaedia of Hinduismwas published in 2008.
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21
contain an impartial narration of actual facts
as they occurred, but also the critical analyses
of the same to draw proper conclusions to
guide future generations. A proper study of
history helps in expanding our mental hori-zons.
History Textbooks and Preindependence
Era
It is now a well-established fact that our
history textbooks had been cleverly mani-
pulated by the colonial rulers and their
henchmen to prove their superiority and
exhibit us in a poor light. That is why Swami
Vivekananda had exhorted Indians to writetheir own history, and not believe or depend
upon the ones doctored by alien historians.
Unfortunately, even after attaining political
freedom no serious attempts were made in
this direction, thereby perpetuating a slave
psychology and an inferiority complex in the
minds of the younger generation.
The Need of the Hour
Better late than neveras the tritesaying goes, it is high time that any truly
national Government ruling at the centre forms
a committee comprising experts in the fields
of history, archaeology and Indian Culture to
correct the distortions in the old textbooks and
present facts (based on authentic records and
research) in an undiluted manner.
Looked at from this angle, the honestattempts made some years ago by the then
Government to revise the textbooks of history
and social sciences with the help of unbiased
experts in the field, and that too in the light of
agreed principles and guidelines framed much
earlier was a welcome step. This resulted in
the publication and introduction of authentic
and well documented history books in our
educational system.
Epilogue
It is really unfortunate, however, that
attempts are being made in certain important
quarters to distort history thereby distorting
the minds of the younger generation. The
effects of such politically motivated distortions
are bound to be disastrous.
We earnestly hope that these wiseacres
will realise and retrace their steps. We better
learn from other nations like the Chinese, whodo everything that boosts their morale and
never do anything that hurts their national
pride.
Indias Timeless Wisdom
Y{V j_m X_mo@Vo` emM{_p`{ZJh&
Yr{dm g`_H$moYmo XeH$ Y_bjU_&&
Patience, forgiveness, control of mind, non-stealing, inner and outer purity,
control of senses, cultivating sattvik intellect, following the noble path,
truthfulness, and non-angerthese are the ten characteristics of dharma.
Manusmruti
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Mary Tappan Wright:Swamijis first Western Chronicler
SOMENATH MUKHERJEE
The Lady Extraordinaire
On 18 December 1851, Mary Tappan was
born to Eli Todd Tappan and Lydia (Mc-
Dowell) Tappan of
Steubenville, Ohio.When Marys father
Eli Tappan was
born, his father, Ben-
jamin Tappan, was
serving in Washing-
ton as a federal
judge and, as also, in
the US Senate. Eli
got his (Honorary)
A. M. degree in 1860from Baltimores St.
Marys College. He practised law under his
father, founded and ran a weekly paper in
Columbus for two years, and returned to
Steubenville in 1848 where, eventually, he
became a Mayor in 1852.
On 2 February, 1854, Eli Tappan deli-
vered a lecture on Arithmetic before the
Union Institute of Teachers and Friends of
Education for Jefferson and Harrison counties,and that changed his career forever. He
became, thenceforth, drawn to the path of
education. In 1859 Eli Tappan was elected as
a professor of mathematics at Ohio University.
After serving there for one year, he went to
the Mt. Auburn Young Ladies Institute near
Cincinnati and remained there until 1865. In
fact, in the Mt. Auburn
Young Ladies Insti-tute both the father
and his daughter had
gone for reverse pur-
poses, there the former
was a teacher while
the later was a learner.
During this time Eli
Todd came out with
his book Elements of
Plane and Solid Geo-metry. In 1865 he was
recalled to the Ohio University, where he
wrote his Treatise on Geometry and Trigono-
metry.
In 1868 Eli Tappan was elected president
of the Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. In
1886 he became the honorary member of the
Association for the Improvement of Geo-
metrical Teaching in England and, in the same
year, had been elected as the State Com-missioner of Common Schools.
Never in her life had Mary lived far from
an academic environment. This would, even-
tually, have its effect on her creative life.
The author is engaged in research work on the life of Swami Vivekananda under instruction and guidance of the
Swami Vivekananda Archives, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata.
(Continued from the previous issue. . .)
Eli Todd TappanBenjamin Tappan
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Besides, her background, presumably, never
allowed her to be instantly impressed by
personality or brilliance of common scho-
lastic charisma.
On 2 April 1878 Mary was married toJohn Henry Wright, an associate pro-
fessor of Greek at Dartmouth College. The
successive moves in John Wrights career
include his becoming the professor of
classical philology and dean of the Colle-
giate Board of Johns Hopkins University;
professor of Greek at Harvard University,
and, finally, the dean of Harvards Graduate
School of Arts and Science.
Among the places the Wrights lived wereHanover, New Hampshire, Baltimore, Mary-
land and, lastly, Cambridge in Massachusetts.
At one point of time this couple also lived in
Greece where John Wright served as a
professor at the American School of Classical
Studies at Athens. Mary Wright breathed her
last in Cambridge on 28 August 1917, survived
by her two sons.
Apart from her role as the wife of a noted
academician, Mary was also a writer of emi-nence during her days. She wrote stories and
novels, and people read whatever she wrote.
A look at her literary achievements deserves
our attention.
Her Prowess
Marys first published story was How
They Cured Him. It appeared in The Youths
Companion Magazine on 24 March, 1887. Writers
like Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain,Emily Dickinson, Booker T. Washington,
and Jack London were also contributors to this
particular magazine. Marys writings evoked
more attention when she began to write for
the Scribners Magazine with As Haggards of
the Rock in their May 1890 issue. This was
followed by six more of her stories in the same
magazine which include A Truce, A Portion
of the Tempest, From Macedonia, Deep as
First Love and A Fragment of Play, with a
Chorus.Later in 1895 these stories were compiled
in her first bookA Truce, and Other Stories and
was published by Charles Scribners Sons, the
noted American publisher. The Scribners
Magazine also belonged to Charles Scribners
Sons. Afterwards Mary came out with four
novels and more than a dozen other short
stories. Before we talk
about Marys novels,
we should look at howher maiden book was
evaluated in the press.
The Critic, on 20 June
1896, choose to make a
prophetic suggestion:
Mrs. Wright possesses
the qualities which
should go to the mak-
ing of novels rather
than of short stories. . . The book is by no
means uninteresting.
The style is good, the
plots show ingenuity, and in some instances Mrs.
Wright has a clever way of not telling the whole
story, of trusting the imagination of the reader
to furnish the dnouement.8
A Truce and OtherStoriesthe cover of
the first edition
John Henry Wright Mary Tappan Wright
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With unhesitant praise The Independent
on 29 August 1895 wrote,
A book made up of six excellent short stories by
a writer who never does slovenly work. We
hardly know where can be found strongerdescriptive passages or dramatic scenes more
sharply set than in one or two of Mrs. Wrights
sketches.9
The New York Observer and Chronicle on
June 13 1895 made no exception and wrote,
This volume of six stories contains a variety
rarely offered by a single writer in so small a
collection. Mrs. Wright possesses dramatic
power of a high order united with keen fancy
and sparkling wit. Each story is admirable and
unlike all of its companions, and together they
make a charming book.10
Such accolades to a new entrant from
the big Houses unquestionably prove the
authors literary flair. Her first novel wasAliens
(1902), followed by The Test (1904), The Tower
(1906) and The Charioteers (1912). Like her
maiden story book, the first three novels were
also published by Charles Scribners Sons,while the fourth one had D. Appleton &
Company as its publisher. The New York Times,
while reviewing Aliens, on 3 May 1902 wrote,
Alien is a novel of more than usual excellence. It
is well written, the characters are well sustained,
and the situationit is hardly a plotis one that
calls for much subtlety of discernment on the
part of the author.11
Later, on 30 April 1904 the same paper
was more appreciative in reviewing The Test.It wrote that,
Mary Tappan Wright knows her trade as nove-
list. As novelists go she is one among ten thou-
sand. . . Mary Tappan Wright has a keen sense
of humor, good descriptive powers, a good
working knowledge of human nature, an effec-
tive style. She can tell a story well.12
Mary, as we have said earlier, neither in
her maiden life nor in the succeeding one, had
ever lived far from an academic environment.
This, perhaps, led her to weave many of her
plots within or around the American Univer-sity life. She even had set her stories in a
fictional college town called Dulwich which
purely was her creation. This Dulwich, it is
said, has an apparent elementary combination
of both Kenyon College and Harvard Univer-
sity. Recently some of the Marys writings
were republished in America, viz, Aliens in
June 2007 (Kessinger Publishing, LLC), The
Tower in December 2008 (Kessinger Publishing,
LLC). Besides, collections of her hitherto un-published short stories have also been
published between December 2007 and
November 2008 (Fleabonnet Press).
The Unmistakable Brilliance
Now to go back to the couple of remar-
kable days that changed the course of Viveka-
nandas life, let us see what Mary Wright wrote
to her mother on 29th August 1893:
We have been having a queer time. Kate Sanborn
had a Hindoo monk in tow as I believe I
mentioned in my last letter. John went down to
meet him in Boston and missing him, invited
him up here. He came Friday! In a long saffron
robe that caused universal amazement. He was
a most gorgeous vision. He had a superb carriage
of the head, was very handsome in an oriental
way, about thirty years old in time, ages in
civilization. He stayed until Monday and was
one of the most interesting people I have yetcome across. We talked all day all night and
began again with interest the next morning. The
town was in a fume to see him; the boarders at
Miss Lanes in wild excitement. They were in
and out of the Lodge [the Wrights cottage]
constantly and little Mrs. Merrills eyes were
blazing and her cheeks red with excitement.
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Chiefly we talked religion. It was a kind of
revival, I have not felt so wrought up for a long
time myself! Then on Sunday John had him
invited to speak in the church and they took up
a collection for a Heathen college to be carried
on strictly heathen principleswhereupon I
retired to my corner and laughed until I cried.
He is an educated gentleman, knows as much
as anybody. Has been a monk since he was
eighteen. Their vows are very much our vows,
or rather the vows of a Christian monk. Only
Poverty with them means poverty. They have
no monastery, no property, they cannot even
beg; but they sit and wait until alms are given
them. Then they sit and teach people. For days
they talk and dispute. He is wonderfully clever
and clear in putting his arguments and laying
his trains [of thought] to a conclusion. You cant
trip him up, nor get ahead of him.13
Mary Wright, at the outset, hinted that
she might have earlier written about the Swami
to her mother. Though a similar letter is yet to
surface, but it has, no doubt, its historical
relevance. Marys expression of having a
queer time has an apparent superficial atti-tude, but as we read on the letter, the stress
shifts more to the extraordinariness of the
situation. She informs us that Swamiji arrived
in Annisquam on Friday, i. e., on August 25.
His attire is also vividly described with hint
on the overall impact of causing universal
amazement. Most probably this amazement
had its origin on the surface appearance of
the Swami which was so utterly conspicuous
in those days Annisquam. But with her deepunderstanding, appreciation and literary flair
Mary Wright instantly took us to the deeper
meaning of the words. She specifies the
Swamis age as about thirty years old in time,
ages in civilization. We become instantly
aware of the Swamis magnetic charm when
she wrote, we talked all day all night and
began again with interest the next morning.
And what was the immediate impact of such
prolonged company? She described the feeling
as a kind of revival, and hastily added that
she never had felt so wrought up for a long
time herself. Her initial assessment had it that
the Swami was wonderfully clever and clear
in putting his arguments and laying his trainsof thought to a conclusion. She told us that
none could trip him up, nor get ahead of him.
In her diary on Friday, August 25, 1893
Mary wrote,
RainSwami Vivekananda came. Went down
to Wambaughs in the evening, his talk mainly
political. Very warm.14
Swami Vivekananda in America
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With notes and observations kept in her
diary and papers during Swamijis stay at
Annisquam, Mary Wright later prepared a
narrative which later got included in the
Swamis English biography by Eastern andWestern Disciples. Keeping the essence of our
article in mind, we would, selectively, quote
from it,
One day, at an unfashionable place by the sea,
the professor was seen crossing the lawn
between the boarding-house and his cottage
accompanied by a man in a long red coat. The
coat, which had something of a priestly cut,
descended far below the mans knees, and was
girded around his waist with a thick cord of the
same reddish orange tint. He walked with a
strange, shambling gait, and yet there was a
commanding dignity and impressiveness in the
carriage of his neck and bare head that caused
everyone in sight to stop and look [at] him; he
moved slowly, with the swinging tread of one
who had never hastened, and in his great dark
eyes was the beauty of an alien civilization which
mightshould time and circumstances turn it
into oppositionbecome intolerably repulsive.
He was dark, about the colour of a lightquadroon, and his full lips, which in a man of
Caucasian race would have been brilliant scarlet,
had a tint of bluish purple.
His teeth were regular, white and sometimes
cruel, but his beautiful expressive eyes and the
proud wonderful carriage of his head, the swing
and grace of the heavy crimson tassels that hung
from the end of his sash, made one forget that
he was too heavy for so young a man, and that
long sitting on the floor had visited him withthe fate of the tailor.
. . . He seemed very young, even younger than
his twenty-nine years, and as he seated himself
he covered his legs carefully with his flowing
robe, like a woman or a priest; but the hoary
ancient turn of his thought belied his childlike
manner...
. . . And then, having said his say, the Swami
was silent . . . Occasionally he cast his eye up to
the roof and repeated softly Shiva, Shiva, Shiva!
. . . And a current of powerful feeling seemed to
be flowing like molten lava beneath the silent
surface of this strange being. . .
His habit of argument was mainly Socratic,
beginning insidiously and simply by a story, or
clear statement of some incontestable fact, and
then from that deriving strange and unanswera-
ble things. All through, his discourses abounded
in picturesque illustrations and beautiful legends.
To work, to get on in the world, in fact any
measure of temporal success seemed to him
entirely beside the subject . . .
When someone suggested to him that Christi-
anity was a saving power he opened his great
dark eyes upon him and said, If Christianity is
a saving power in itself, why has it not saved
the Ethiopians, the Abyssinians? . . .
All the people of that little place were moved
and excited by this young man, in a manner
beyond what might be accounted for by his
coming from a strange country and a different
people. He had another power, an unusualability to bring his hearers into vivid sympathy
with his own point of view . . .
All the people of all degrees were interested;
womens eyes blazed and their cheeks were red
with excitement; even the children of the village
talked of what he had said to them; all the idle
summer boarders trooped to hear him, and all
the artists longingly observed him and wanted
to paint him
Always his thoughts turned back to his people.He lived to raise them up and make them better
and had come this long way in the hope of
gaining help to teach them, to be practically more
efficient. We hardly knew what he needed;
money, if money would do it; tools, advice, new
ideas. And for this he was willing to die
tomorrow . . .
26
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In quoting from the Upanishads his voice was
most musical. He would quote a verse in Sanskrit
with intonations and then translate it into
beautiful English, of which he had a wonderful
command. And, in his mystical religion, he
seemed perfectly and unquestionably happy.
References
8. Available at http://www.stanford.edu/
~bkunde/mtw/mtw-atruce-
reviews.html>accessed 12 December, 2009.
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Available at http://query.nytimes.com/mem/
archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9E03E4D6103-
DEE32A25750C0A9639C946397D6CF> accessed
12 December, 2009.
12. Available at http://query.nytimes.com/mem/
archive-free/
pdf?res=9D03E2DF113DE633A25753C3A9629-
C946597D6CF> accessed 12 December, 2009.
13. Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries
By Mary Louise Burke (Advaita Ashrama,
Kolkata), Volume 1 (July 2000), page 27-28.
14. New Discoveries - Vol. 1, page 29.
15. The Life of Swami Vivekananda By His Eastern
and Western Disciples [hereinafter The Life]
(Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, July 2006), Vol. 1,
page 406-409.
. . . And yet, when they gave him money, it
seemed as if some injury had been done him
and some disgrace put upon him. Of all the
worries I have ever had, he said, as he left us,
the greatest has been the care of this
money! . . .15
(To be continued. . .)
Holy Mothers Daily Routine in Jayrambati
Holy Mother always got up at three in the morning, as was her habit during the
Dakshineswar days, and did not retire before eleven oclock at night. We have already
given a routine of her daily life at the Udbodhan. At Jayrambati, where she was mistress
of the house, she busied herself with various household activities and at the same time
talked to her intimate attendants. When she was in good health she also took part in the
more strenuous household duties, like scouring utensils, carrying water from the tank, or
husking paddy. The Mother herself made the arrangements for the daily worship, such as
gathering flowers, at which she was sometimes assisted by her nieces or devotees. After
the worship she went into the kitchen and relieved the cook, who would then go out for
her refreshment or to attend to any other personal needs. She herself cooked most of the
food to be offered to the Master in the shrine. In the afternoon many villagers visited her
with their children and grandchildren to show her their respect, and they always got
something to eat. She generally gave initiation in the morning, and had mail read
to her either in the morning or in the evening, according to her leisure, and
dictated replies. I n earlier days Holy Mother with her own hands served all
the devotees their meals, and she herself ate only after they had finished
eating. Sometimes she worked in the kitchen in the evening in order to
relieve the cook from over-work.
Holy Motherby Swami Nikhilananda, p.318-319
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Laws of Karma and ThermodynamicsGOPAL C BHAR
A former professor of physics at Burdwan University, the author is now a research professor in the Ramakrishna
Mission Vivekananda University, Belur Math, District Howrah, West Bengal.
Two Types of Laws
Human life is guided mainly by two
types of laws: man-made and God-made or
Natures.
Man-made laws are envisaged and en-
forced by society to create and maintain social
order, as also to preserve the existing power
structure in society. They are meant for leadinga regulated, happy and peaceful life. As the
requirements in life change with time and vary
from society to society, man-made laws too
are scrutinized and change over the time. Even
for a given sect, family and country, the law
changes with time, requiring new adjustments
and amendments.
God-made laws are, however, different.
God created the world along with certain
physical and biological laws to guide, nurtureand sustain it. Only some of these laws can be
seen and experienced; others await their turn
to be un-covered or discovered. These are
the laws that scientists discover by studying
the pattern and regularity at which they occur.
These laws are repeatable, verifiable by any-
body anywhere in the world.
One has the freedom of stepping out of
man-made laws for immediate gain or plea-
sure, but God-made laws cannot be broken.As they deal with certain fundamental truths
of life, one cannot break them. We use them
for our benefit, but if not properly and wisely
used, they invite catastrophe. Growing threat
to life due to disturbance in environ-
mental equilibrium is a fitting example of what
happens when we violate God-made laws.
Cause and Effect
Man discovered these God-made laws
and that was the beginning of scienceon
the basis of common human experience. Tobegin with, man perceived things in nature,
observed events in different times, and drew
certain conclusions to explain them. They
observed how there exists a cause-effect rela-
tionship behind all phenomena. This relation-
ship is what we call as the concept of causation.
The concept simply states that one pheno-
menon (cause) gives rise to a succeeding
phenomenon (effect). Initially man looked at
the world as space-time but later refined,reconstructed, and elaborated the concepts for
better understanding. The basis of common
experiences and scientific method rests on the
concept of causality.
The same cause and effect relationship
was found to operate with regard to human
life itself. The Hindus called it the principle of
Karma. Behind all sufferings and joys of life,
behind achievement and failure, life and death