Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Year 21 Issue 12Kvof!3126

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta MissionJune 2015 : Year 21 / Issue 12

Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

Published byInternational Vedanta Mission

http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

You have realized Brahman when there is nothing worthcontemplating left, nor is there anything which is to be avoided forthinking. When there is no partisanship between anything worththinking or not-thinking - then you have realized Brahman.

uSSo fpUR;a u okfpUR;a vfpUR;a fpUR;eso p Ai{kikr&fofueqZqDra czz lEi|rs rnk AA

Amrutbindu Upanishad - 6

Section Index

1. Message of P. Guruji - 52. Tattva Bodha - 6-74. Letter - 95. Gita Reflections - 10-116. Jivanmukta - 137. Yoga Vasistha - 14-157. Story Section - 178. VM News - 189. VM Activities - 1910. Album - 20-2111. VM Programs - 23

Moksha is only when we realize ourselves to be basically 'complete, non-dual & limitless'. Theindividuality getting completely negated as a misapprehension, and thereafter we realizing ourself asBrahman is the nature of true self-knowledge. This direct realization is the real goal of life, the so called'End', and everything else, whether it is yoga or dhayana or bhakti etc. is a 'Means'. From this point ofview all Yoga too is a means. It helps us to purify our minds, by making it more thoughtful, subtle &sensitive. However, Yoga is a unique means, and its secret needs to be realized properly.

While theoritically we see that all types of Yoga are means to an end, but when it comes topractice then a Karma Yogi doesnt entertain this view that I am working for some end. He lives asthough he is complete. That there is nothing in this whole perceptible world which is worth desiring. In hiscommentary on Gita, Sri Adi Sankara goes to the extent of saying that even the thought of gettingMoksha is not there in such people. That is why they can afford to be so selfless & detached. His attitudeof completeness is prompted at this stage by belief or sraddha alone, but nevertheless when we live asper the tenets of Karma Yoga then we live with complete selflessness. We are not even working forsome God who is apart from us, rather we are the blessed instruments of God. We need to live asthough we are complete. To the extent we learn to live with such a kingly demeanor wherein we havecome here to give rather than to take, to that extent we become selfless. In other wordss, Karma Yoga issuch an art of living wherein you live with blessedness, with profound belief in your intrinsic completeness.We take ourselves as 'instruments of God', his choosen messenger etc, in practical living it implies thatwe are not working for any end whatsoever. Karma Yoga is that art of living wherein we start living ascomplete even when the direct realization is yet to dawn. Whenever we live for some worldly or other-worldly ends, then we are not fundamentally different from any other person in the world. The bane ofthe worldly art of living is that we are continuously living in duality, as a seeker - for some end which istoday away from us, just beyond the horizon. The moment we look upon karma as a means, then letsclearly see that such a person alone is a 'seeker', a 'samsari'; and when on the other hand, we live assomeone who has already got what we wanted then our thoughts & actions have an alltogether differentfragrance. In short we can say that Karma Yoga is practicing to live as a Siddha, a complete person.Yoga is based on faith, while Brahma Gyana, the direct realization does not require faith - it is all aboutknowing something directly & clearly. This is what is implied in the famous words of Gita Sraddhavanlabhate Gyanam. If you truly believe then dont live as though Yoga is a means, think as though you arealready complete - even though it maybe pure sraddha. That is the Secret of Yoga. Feel complete,expereince completeness, then alone we realize & abide in completeness.

The Secret of Yoga

from Poojya Guruji

Vedanta Sandesh

Tattva BodhaSix Divine Qualities: Shraddha

What is Shraddha?Shraddha is having faith or trust in someone.

Every human being has faith in someone or the other.Be it parents, teachers, friends or God. We cannotfunction in life without faith. Faith opens the doors intothe unknown and helps us move on. I cannot sit in acab unless I have the faith that the taxi driver will reachme safely to my destination. I will not be able to sleepat night untill I have the faith in my destiny that I willwake up hale and hearty the next morning. Faith is avery important and inevitable component of humanliving. In the Gita Sri Krishna says 'ShraddhamayoyamPurushaha'-This Man is constituted of or exists in thisshraddha and 'Yo yah shraddhah sa eva saha'-as aman's faith is so is he. With referance to a spiritualstudent Tattva Bodha defines Shraddha as having faithtowards the scriptures and the words of the Guru. Itimplies trust in the authenticity and correctness towardsthe teachings, the implications and the motivations ofboth the scriptures and the Guru. In the persuit of Selfknowledge the journey begins with faith and culminatesin direct knowledge. The student has no knowledgebut begins with the belief that here is someone who isgoing to lead me correctlly towards Self-realization.

Blessings of Shraddha:Shraddha or trust enables us to have a positive

mindset as we listen to the teacher. It gaurantees ouravailability and open mindedness in the journey of Self-discovery. It is not merely a quality of a dry trust insomeone but it reflects a fine tuning between theteacher and student that is borne of faith, reveranceand love. We all have certain pre-concieved notionsabout the world, about it's creator and about the Self.These notions are not implanted or nursed throughany valid means of knowledge but are inculcatedsimply by following the family and society. Thesenotions play a very significant role in determining ourrelationship with the world, with God and with the Self.Listening to this knowledge with faith is keeping asideour pre-concieved notions and listening to thescriptures and the Guru with an open mind giving thema benefit of doubt. Surely when we study the sripturesat the feet of the Master there will be cotradictionsand doubts regarding our own experiences andconvictions and that what the scriptures reveal. In sucha case I first give the benefit of doubt to VedanticScriptures and then through enquiry I proceed to seeif my conclusion is valid or not. But primarily listening

Shraddha is the next means to being a qualified student of Vedanta. Without this qualification the portalsof knowledge can be completely denied. Faith creates an atmosphere of openmindedness and reverance. Itopens the doors to the unknown. Without this even wordlly knowledge does not unfold itself, let alone thisprofound knowledge of the Self.

Q: What is the nature of Shraddha ?A: Faith in the words etc of the Guru and Vedanta is Shraddha.

- 7 -

with faith is a very important pre-requisite which givesus food for thought to review and question our ownconclusions. If we always hold on to our presentconclusions, we will never learn anything. In order tolearn, our scope of knowledge must grow and it isnecessary to question our conclusions. At the sametime trust does not also mean that we have to blindlyaccept whatever the teacher tells us. It only meansthat we give it the benefit of the doubt and look uponit with a certain reverence. Faith need not requireknowledge in the begining but knowledge surelyrequires faith. This is an intelligent propositionbecause Self knowledge unlike worldly knowlegecannot be objectified or known as something seperatefrom the Self, hence it is a tricky journey to reveal thatwhich cannot be seen as an object, but is the veryknowledge of the knower.

Faith towards the Scriptures:The Scriptures are Apaurusheya i.e. they are

not composed by a human being. It is revealed byGod, in the seat of meditation. Anything composedby a human being will reflect the limitations of thehuman mind. The Vedas are looked upon as nothaving been composed by the ancient sages, but ashaving been revealed to them by God. Hence theyare the only valid and authentic means of knowledge.

Faith towards the teacher:The Scriptures for a student without a teacher

are as good as any reading material for a blind person.It is never possible to understand the scriptures withouta spiritual teacher who has systematically studied thescriptures from his guru and who is also endowedwith the unique quality of communicating thisknowledge. If we have reverance for the scriptureswe necessarily have reverance for the teacher,

because the scriptures will unfold their secrets onlythrough a teacher, a sadguru. The meaning of the wordguru is explained as one who removes us from thedarkness of ignorance. Whenever we read or studysomething, we already have some ideas andconvictions. We then try to understand what we studyin the context of our previous knowledge andconditioning. If the knowledge given to us is in tunewith our previous understanding and convictions weappreciate that knowledge, otherwise a widertendency is to close doors of learning.

Shraddha has to be discovered.Shraddha is discovered by various factors like

the communication by the Guru, the availability of thestudent, and as one gets introduced to the knowledgeof Vedanta and as the knowledge releases us fromour own earlier notions and complexes. Shraddhacannot be commanded. One has to discover Shraddhaand let it unfold in its own way. This reverence cannotbe thrust upon anybody. Devotion and shraddha orfaith cannot be commanded, they have to blossomthrough a compassionate and authenticcommunication between teacher and student.

Shraddha culminates in understanding:Although faith plays a very important role in

taking the very first step in the journey of Vedanta butour scriptures do not appreciate blind faith, nor do ourteachers. Shraddha creates an atmosphere forlearning by bringing about an openness of the mind,reverance and devotion. But it does not take awayour freedom to question and enquire in a gracefulmanner. We begin the journey with a belief but proceedto enquire as the journey culminates in discoveringthe validity of the truth. True sraddha invokes sincereinquisitiveness or Jigyasa.

Guru Poornima Camp, IndoreA four days Guru Poornima Camp will be organized at Vedanta Ashram,

Indore from 27th to 30th July. For four days Poojya Guruji will talk on just

one mantra - Parikshya Lokan (of Mundaka Upa) . Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji

will conduct classes on Guru Paduka Stotram.

Vedanta Sandesh

A crowd came flocking to see a Zen Monk from morning till

night. Many would prostrate at his Feet and worship him. This

became intolerable to the Commander of the army. So one day he

went to the monk and asked, I am the Samurai of this country. I

have thousands of soldiers under my command. But you, who are

almost like a beggar, looking to someone else for your next meal,

get more respect and regard than I do! How is that? I feel bad and

jealous looking at you.The monk led him out of his hermitage. it was a full moon

day. He pointed to the moon and asked, What is that? The Samurai

assertively said, Moon. The monk then pointed out to the rose that

was blooming in the garden and said, Now, what is that? and the

Samurai said, A Rose.

Does this Rose ever compare itself to the Moon and say,

Oh, I am not white and bright like you? Does the Moon look at the

Rose and say, Why am I not colorful like you? The Rose possesses

one kind of beauty , while the moon is pretty and pleasant in another

way.Even before the monk stopped speaking, the Samurai realized

the truth.

The Uniqueness of All

Obstacles & Situations

Obstacles notonly indicate theway to go, but arealso challenges,which makes the lifeworthy & interesting.Challenges invokethe best of ouru n d e r s t a n d i n g ,enthusiasm &courage, and like inall adventure sportsmakes life veryexciting.

- PoojyaGuruji

Hari om !

Obstacles come in the life of anyone who has anywhere to go. The moment wehave goals, then it implies that we have to reach out to something which is far off.There is a gap between where we are and where we want to be. Goals indicatethe existence of gap between 'what is' and 'what should be', and the aspiration tobridge this gap by our understanding & efforts. So in a way obstacles reveal to usthe way to go, because beyond them alone lies the world of our dreams.

Obstacles not only indicate the way to go, but are also challenges, which makesthe life worthy & interesting. Challenges invoke the best of our understanding,enthusiasm & courage, and like in all adventure sports makes life very exciting.It is only in the face of obstacles that we not only realize our weaknesses &shortcomings, but also get a chance to actualize qualities we cherish. Reachingour cherished goals is no doubt a matter of great joy & fulfillment, but the reallasting memories are of moments when we were facing & handling obstacles.

Every so called obstacle is basically a situation, but we brand it as an obstacledepending on our perceived competencies. A so called 'big' problem is indicativeof our corrosponding fears & inabilities; and a small problem just reveals ourconfidence & intelliegnce to deal it. So no situation is a problem and there are noobstacles per se, it is all about our own capacities or incapacities. There arecertainly some situations which cannot be & also need not be changed, soobviously they are not problems, problems are only when we need to changethem. So for an intelligent & competent person there are no problems. Intelligenceis all about being at home anywhere in ourselves by being at home in what is,however, if at all we do need to change something, we can, just study the situation,and handle the situation without any fears of failures, afterall there are noobstacles, just situations.

Love & om,

Swami Atmananda

- 9 -

by

SwaminiSamatananda

Meditation is a sadhana or a means that most often attracts the attention ofvarious spiritual aspirants. The scriptures too appreciate the need of such a meansand also prescribe the methods of practising meditation. In the sixth chapter ofthe Gita Sri Krishna gives a vivid description on this subject, which not only explainsthe nature of meditation but also very specifically charts out a plan of preparationfor meditation. Meditation is a means by which one looks within and dives into thedepths of enquiry. But even though meditation itself is a journey of turning withinBhagwan Sri Krishna in the very begining of the chapter speaks of a very importantpre-requisite sadhana which prepares us for meditation. That preparation involvespolishing the mind in the field of action by developing certain values and attitudesin it. The field of Action is the backbone of all our journey within. If enquiry,meditation, contemplation are different dimensions of traversing deep within ourpersonalities then the field of action is an equally significant means to prepare themind for this journey. Without the backbone of such a dynamic and God-centricfield of action the very foundation of enquiry and self knowledge would be weakand fragile. A student without this backbone will not go far in this journey of Self-discovery. So let us see what Sri Krishna reveals in this external means of preparingthe mind for meditation.

Anashritah karma phalam:As a prerequisite to meditation the field of action plays an inevitable role.

Meditation requires a body & mind that is calm & focused, devotional at the feet ofGod & inspired by the goal of Self-discovery. Most of our time is spent in the fieldof action. This is the arena from where we receive stimuli and responde to it andin the process we either polish our minds deconditioning it from previous mentalimpressions or mar it with more plaque of likes & dislikes, wrong expectations &attachments. Attitudes in Actions play the greatest role which can either make aMan or destroy his life pushing him into the quick sand of eternal seeking. Anordinary mortal who does not understand the significance of healthy actions basedon righteousness wastes his life in petty arrangements of food, clothing, shelterand some emotional experiences & securities with friends and family. To sincerelyuse the field of action as an instrument to carve the human personality into aselfless, dynamic and inspired personality, Bhagwan Krishna has so oftenprescribed the righteous way of action more commonly called as Karma Yoga. Aformula of karma yoga again has been given here wherein the Lord says 'anashritahkarma phalam', i.e. perform your actions without being dependant on the fruits ofaction. The fruit of an action is an inevitable part of action. So the point of concernis not wheather one will achieve any results or not, but what's expected here is tobe free of attachment, to be free of stubbornness towards one's expectations.

Ana

shri

taha

kar

ma

phal

amkar

yam

kar

ma

kar

oti ya

ha.

Vedanta Sandesh

The field ofAction is thebackbone of all ourjourney within. Ifenquiry, meditation,contemplation aredifferent dimensionsof traversing deepwithin ourpersonalities then thefield of action is anequally significantmeans to prepare themind for this journey.

One who can be free of attachments to the results of action or it's stubborninsistence actually reflects his faith towards the decions of God. Ishwara beingthe real deciding factor of Man's situations in life. In this whole scenario Man hasbeen given the freedom to perform actions to the best of his ability, with the freedomto use his discretion in the way one wishes to perform actions.

Karyam Karma:Karyam karmas are actions that we ought to perform. There are three criteria

to discern ones karyam karma or the actions one necessarily needs to perform.These are based upon ones swadharma(mental aptitudes), ashrama(as per onesstage of life); and as that which the situation demands.

As per ones Swadharma:Our scriptures have given us the guidelines to choose one's field of action

on the basis of one's mental aptitudes, one's passions towards something. Ourscriptures have given us the freedom to discern one's goal. This is then translatedwith the attitude of associating all our actions with God. An association, a yogawherein all our actions are like an offering of worship to God. There is no place forself-centricity. One performs actions tuning the self to the will of God, performingactions dynamicaly taking the results of actions as a prasad or blessing from God.

As per ones Ashrama:One performs actions as per the ashrama one belongs to. A

Brahmachari or a student lives a simple life performing hisactions as per the will of his teacher in his gurukul orashram. A householder or a Grihasthiis entitled to look after his family, society,ascetics and nature.A Vanaprasthitakes to the forest and lives a simple lifededicated to God with devotion. And arenunciate is one who is free from thecompulsion of actions yet they perform actions onyfor the benefit of everyone around, be it human beingsor animals and birds.

As per the present situation:Performing actions as per the demand of the situaion . This calls for a

mindset that is ready to surrender each moment at the will of God.One who performs actions in this manner Sri krishna says he is a renunciate

and a yogi. A renunciate is not one who physically gives up the usage of fire nordoes he give up actions. He does not emphasizes on physically leaving everythingand becoming actionless.

Bringing about such a mind set is a pre requisite for all sincere aspirants ofmeditation.

- 11 -

Vedanta Sandesh

Your teacher can open the door, but you must enter byyourself.

We can increase many ways to get rid of the darkness, butnone is as effective as simply increasing the light.

There is always a piece of fortune in misfortune.

Don't confuse the extent of one's fame with the extent ofone's character.

If you befriend another person but lack the mercy to correcthim, you are infact his enemy.

Manifest the courage to discard the shallow and seek theprofound.

True words are often not beautful, just as beautiful wordsare often not true.

Feelings of defensiveness are rooted in self-doubt.

The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.

Quotes

Wanderingin Himalayas

Badrinath

Excerpts from

the

Travel Memoirs

of

Param Poojya

Swami

Tapovanji

Maharaj

35

The temple of Badrinath is situated on the left bank of the Alaknanda. As

soon as a devotees eye falls on the lovely Lord of Badrinath, his or her heart

sheds all sinful tendencies and feels great devotion and happiness. Decked

with various jewels and multicoloured garlands of flowers, the lustrous Lord ofBadri wins the heart of everyone at first sight. The fact that it is a Nambudri

Brahmin from the state of Kerela who conducts the worship(pooja) at Badri, asat Guruvayoor and other temples of Kerela, cannot but be a source of pride and

pleasure to the sons and daughters of Malabar.

The head-priest of Badri is generally known by his title "Ravalji". It hasbeen my pleasure to discuss with him the history of Badrinath Temple and the

connection between the worship at Badri and the Nambudris at Malabar. On

such occassions I have been filled with wonder and pride at the supreme

greatness of Sri Shankara. It is a matter of common knowledge that it was the

great Shankaracharya who installed the image of Narayana on the side of

Narayana Parvata. But exactly when a member of Shree Shankara's own

community began to conduct the worship at the shrine is not known.

How wonderful were the life and achievements of Shree Shankara! In

thought or in action he had no rival. It is only very rarely-very, very rarely-that

such wise philosophers or heroic men of action make their appearance in the

world. When we see the number of books he wrote within the brief span of his

life and the age and circumstances in which he lived, we are not at all surprised

at the view several scholars have taken that Shree Shankaracharya was an

incarnation of Lord Shiva. Yet many people in India today do not know the

greatness of the World-teacher. who raised the Sanatan Dharma to its pristine

glory and honour. Such ignorance is the result of a very defective system of

education. Truly, education is not worth its name if it does not teach people, the

noble lives of their own great countrymen and induce them to follow in the wake

of those national heroes.

- 13 -

The life consists always of ups and downs, of things and situations we likeand things we dislike. Situations come and go and by themselves, they don't haveany power to affect us. The reason we grieve and cry or become joyous andecstatic is because of our identifications and attachments, because of our personallikes and dislikes. If we know the real nature of the world, of our beloved relativesand friends, of love and hate, likes and dislikes, we would not be so easily afflictedby any situation, however bad or good it may be. The problem is we don't want todeal with situations as they really are, we want them to conform to our likes - wewant to have only what we like, and avoid what we dislike. But the world goes itsways, it will not change according to our personal wishes, which change even in agiven person with times and moods. Something liked very much right now bysomeone, may become disliked after some time, or one may become quiteindifferent to it. If the world would follow these whimsical fancies, it would be soonin complete chaos. Luckily for everyone, the world is not going to change for us,various events will always come and go irrespective of whether we want them ornot.

All we can do is change ourselves, and understand our relationship withthe world better and deeper. Usually we like our relatives and friends and grieve ifseparated from them by a long travel or death. But what is death and who is therelative, and, most important, who am I, - these questions usually evade ourattention. Who is a relative here and to whom, and who is an enemy to whom?This river of relationship is flowing on constantly. What is on top proceeds towardsthe bottom, and what is below rises up, like the cartwheel. They who are in heavenlater go to hell; and they who are in hell go to heaven. They go from one speciesto another, from one womb to another, from one part of the universe to another.The brave become cowards and cowards become brave. They who were relativesgo away after a while. The wise know everything to be the Self, they know that"There is nowhere where I am not"; thus they overcome limitations andconditionings. The ignorant ones don't know that, and thinking their friend or relativeis leaving them, they suffer. Indeed, they have a lot of reasons for suffering andgrief, because whatever was born or created, will most certainly die or becomebroken and perish. If one puts his trust into a perishable thing, relation, situation,person etc, and wishes this to last forever, he is bound to suffer. At the verymoment of birth everyone knows this beautiful baby, joy of the family, is going todie - for such is the order of life. But people prefer to forget about inevitable deathand act like this baby and they themselves in this same body are going to live

Vedanta Sandesh

Adhyatmic

Teachings

of

Guru

Vasishtha

to

Sri Ramji

by

SwaminiVidyananda

29

- 7 -

forever. This is not true, and so forgetting the truth is the root cause of all sufferings.Clinging to perishable things as if they were imperishable is a result of ignoranceand it brings only sorrow.

There is a beautiful story about this in Yoga Vasishtha. On the banks ofGanga a holy man named Dirghatapa lived. He and his wife died because of theold age, leaving behind two sons, Punya and Pavana. Of these Punya had reachedfull enlightenment, but Pavana, thought he had overcome ignorance, had not yetreached full enlightenment and had semi-wisdom.

At the sudden departure of the parents Pavana was sunk in grief and wailedinconsolably. Punya, on another hand, performed the funeral ceremonies butremained unmoved by the bereavement. He approached his grieving brother andsaid: Brother, why do you bringthis dreadful sorrow uponyourself? The blindness ofignorance alone is the cause ofthis torrential downpour oftears from your eyes. Ourfather has departed fromhere along with our mother tothat state of liberation or thehighest state, which is naturalto all beings and is the very beingof those who have overcome theself. Why do you grieve whenthey have returned to their ownnature? You have i g n o r a n t l ybound yourself to the notions of"father" and "mother"; andyet you grieve for those who areliberated from such ignorance! He was not your father, nor was she your mother,nor were you their son. You have countless fathers and mothers. They have hadcountless children. Countless have been your incarnations! And, if you wish togrieve over the death of parents, why do you not grieve for all these countlessbeings unceasingly?

Noble one, what you see as the world is only an illusory appearance. Intruth there are neither friends nor relatives. Hence, there is neither death norseparation. All these wonderful signs of prosperity whtat you see around you aretricks, some of which last for three days and others for five days! With your keenintelligence enquire into the truth: abandon notions of "I", "you" etc, and of "He isdead", "He is gone". All these are your own notions, not truth.

Real

ize b

y deep

kno

wld

ge

Vedanta Sandesh

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,Leads by the hand her little child to bed,

Half willing, half reluctant to be led,And leave his broken playthings on the floor,Still gazing at them through the open door,

Nor wholly reassured and comfortedBy promises of others in their stead,

Which, though more splendid, may not please himmore;

So Nature deals with us, and takes awayOur playthings one by one, and by the hand

Leads us to rest so gently, that we goScarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,

Being too full of sleep to understandHow far the unknown transcends the what we know.

Nature

Once up

on

a time

...

StorySection

Indra is the king of the cosmic gods. Being the king of heaven, once Indrasmind got overpowered with pride. He began to neglect Prakriti-Mother-Earth.Prakriti was so enraged that she cursed Indra. She said to him, You will loseeverything you have your throne, your kingdom, everything. Even your Guru,Brihaspati, will curse you. When he was cursed by Prakriti, Indra got extremelydepressed. He was totaly sunk in despair. Just at that time, his Guru Brihaspati,who is also the Guru of all the cosmic godscame to see him. Overpowered by hisdepression, he did not stand up to greet his master and nor did he offer anyoblations. Seeing this Brihaspati became furious. He said, How can you, theking of all the cosmic gods, not show any respect to me? Do you not know who isstanding here? It is your own Guru! Getting enraged, he said, I curse you! Youwill lose your kingdom and throne, you will lose all your prosperity. Everythingyou have, you will lose. You will become a beggar.

In this manner, Prakritis and Brihaspatis curse came true. Indra becamean utter beggar. But, Brihaspati felt sorry for Indra and he modified his curse alittle. He told Indra, After 60,000 years I will restore your kingdom to you. SoIndra prayed and meditated for 60,000 years and his kingdom was restored tohim. Unfortunately, he discovered that his kingdom was not as beautiful as it hadbeen previously. His palace needed remodelling and many other places neededconstruction. Indra was filled with sadness because his kingdom did not have itsformer perfection. So he employed the Heavenly architect, Vishwakarma for theneedful.

Vishwakarma worked for many months. The months became years, butstill Indra was not satisfied. He always found fault with Vishwakarmas work.Every day Vishwakarma had to endure Indras scoldings and insults. In addition,Vishwakarma had no time for his other work, so he was miserable.

One day Vishwakarma went to Vishnu and said, O Revered One!ShriVishnu, please save me, save me! Indra has appointed me to rebuild hiskingdom. I have been working extremely hard to please him, but he is not satis-fied with my work. He only scolds me and insults me. Let me see what I cando, answered Vishnu.

Vishnu took the form of a very striking young boy and came before Indra.This kingdom is your kingdom? he asked. Surely it is my kingdom! said Indra.Who else could have such a kingdom? This is my creation. As you can see,looking at its beauty you too cant resist appreciating it. The young boy went on,No other Indra has such a beautiful kingdom or such a splendid palace. Did youreceive any help from anyone? Yes, said Indra. I received some help fromVishwakarma, but it was next to nothing.

No other Vishwakarma can be of help in re-modelling, no other, said theboy mysteriously. What do you mean? cried Indra. You said no other Indraand no other Vishwakarma. Does that mean there are more Indras and moreVishwakarmas? Yes, yes, there are others, stated the boy. Indra got furious.When he thought that there was more than one Indra, he lost all interest in hiskingdom. He did not mind at all if there were other Vishwakarmas. But for Indrato tolerate more Indras was too much.

Vishnu once more took his own form as a cosmic god. He said to Indra, Icame here to make you realise the futility of pride. I can see that you have realisedit. Now go and bathe in the river and you will be purified. In this manner Indra washumbled and got back his kingdom and he lived with a new vision of humility.

- 17 -

Krishna the Strategist

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Vedanta Sandesh

Hjub!Hzbob!Zbhob-!Binfebcbe;A week long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji was organized

at Ramkrishna Kendra, Maninagar, Ahmedabad from 13th to 19th May 2015. As usualthere were two discourses. The subject matters of the morning & evening discourses were:Gita Chapter 11 and Kathopanishad 2-2.

One of the days there were lovely bhajans & satsang at the residence of the hostsof Poojya Swaminiji - Sh Jatin & Smt Maitreyi Patel.

Hjub!Hzbob!Zbhob-!Nvncbj;Due to indisposition of Poojya Guruji the scheduled Gita Gyana Yagna at Mumbai

was instead conducted by Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji. The Gita Gyana Yagna wasat Vivekananda Auditorium inside the campus of Ramkrishna Math in Khar, Mumbai. Thediscourse series were from 25th to the 30th May morning, and the subject matter of thepravachans were Gita Chapter 12 and Tattva Bodha. Both the pravachans were highlyappreciated.

Pqfsbujpo!pg!Qppkzb!Hvsvkj;Poojya Guruji was lately having some stomach problems like acidity & indigestion

etc. In the sonography it was diagnosed that there were some stones in the Gall Bladderand it was distended too. Doctors decided to perform operation and remove it. Dr AmitabhGoel, a well-known and highly decorated Laproscopy Specialist of the city was kind enoughto give immediate time and as such an emergency operation of LaproscopicCholecystectomy was performed on the 25th May at the Sahaj Hospital, which specializesin endoscopic surgeries.

The operation was very successful & timely. Gall Bladder had got blocked by astone in the duct, which subsequently blocked the artery also, so the condition was indeedserious. The stay in the hospital was very comfortable & nice. He got discharged the nextday night, and is now recovering nicely at the Ashram. The overall health has improvedvery drastically, and even before the stitches could be cut Poojya Guruji has started theclasses, the first one was the Hanuman Chalisa Satsang on 31st May

Ibovnbo!Dibmjtb!Tbutboh!.!Nbz!3126;On 31st May was the last Sunday of the month, and as such it was the day for the

monthly Hanuman Chalisa Satsang. As usual it was full house, and first there were lovelyspirited bhajans, chanting of Hanuman Chalisa and then the pravachan. Poojya Gurujicontinued his deep reflections on the third chaupayi.

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Vedanta Sandesh

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Venue: Ramkrishna Kendra, Maninagar, AhmedabadSubjests: Gita Chapter 11 & Kathopanishad 2-2 / Dates: 13th to 19th May 2015

Venue: Vivekananda Auditorium, Ramkrishna Math, Khar, MumbaiSubjests: Gita Chapter 12 & Tattva Bodha / Dates: 25th to 30th May 2015

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Venue: Sahaj Hospital, South Tukoganj, IndoreLaproscopic Cholecystectomy operation done by Dr Amitabh Goel, MS, on 25th May 2015

At Vedanta Ashram, Indore on 31st May 2015

Vedanta Sandesh

A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her daugh-ter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacyto get some medication for her daughter.Upon returning to her car she foundthat she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get home to hersick daughter. She didn't know what to do, so she called her home and told thebaby sitter what had happened and that she did not know what to do.

The baby sitter told her that her daughter was getting worse. She said,"You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door." The womanlooked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been thrown downon the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time or other had lockedtheir keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't knowhow to use this." So she bowed her head and asked God to send her somehelp.

Within five minutes an old rusty car pulled up, with a dirty, greasy,bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The womanthought, "This is what you sent to help me?" But, she was desperate, so shewas also very thankful.

The man got out of his car and asked her if he could help. She said,"Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and Ilocked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use thishanger to unlock my car?"He said, "Sure". He walked over to the car, and inless than one minute the car was opened.She hugged the man and throughher tears she said, "Thank You So Much! You are a very nice man." The manreplied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison yesterday. I was inprison for car theft and have only been out less than 24 hours."

The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried outloud, "Oh, Thank you God! You even sent me a Professional!"

God knows what we need

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Guru Poornima Camp, Indore :A four days Guru Poornima Camp will be organized at Vedanta Ashram, Indore

from 27th to 30th July. For four days Poojya Guruji will talk on just one mantra - ParikshyaLokan (of Mundaka Upa) . Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will conduct classes on GuruPaduka Stotram.

Guru Poornima Celebrations, Indore :This year Guru Pornima, the spiritual teachers day will be on 31st July. There will

be special puja of our Guru Parampara by Poojya Guruji, and then some devotee will doPada Pooja of Poojya Guruji, followed by Bhandara for all. All are welcome to join.

Janmashtami Camp, Indore :A five days Janmashtami Camp will be organized at Vedanta Ashram, Indore from

31st Aug to 4th Sept Sept. For five days Poojya Guruji will talk on Natakdeep Prakarana ofPanchadasi. Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will conduct classes on Avatara RahasyaShlokas of Bhagwad Gita - Chap-4. Sri Krishna Janmashtami will be celebrated on the 5thSept - by all ashramites & campers.

Hanuman Chalisa Satsang - July15, Indore :The last Sunday in July falls on the 26th. This HC Satsang will be organized in

between the ongoing Guru Poornima Camp in the Sankaracharya Sabhagruh on thesecond floor of the Ashram.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow :A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna by P. Swamini Samatanandaji will be organized at

Hanuman Setu Mandir Hall from 8th to 14th June. Subs: Gita-6 / Atma-Bodha-2

International Vedanta Missionhttp://www.vmission.org.in/

Vedanta Mission Blog:http://blog.vmission.org.in/

Indian Cultural Foundationhttp://icf.vmission.org.in/

Earlier Vedanta Sandesh issueshttp://bit.ly/1oGD4TK

Om Tat Sat