vedanta sandesh - mar 2015

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Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Year 21 Issue 9

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Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Mar 2015 : Year 21 / Issue 9

Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

Published by

International Vedanta Mission

http://www.vmission.org.in / [email protected]

Mind alone is the cause of bondage or liberation for human

beings. The mind which is helplessly attached to the objects

(because it imagines them alone as the truth) is in bondage; while

the one which can stand apart freely (because it is aware of its

truth) is indeed known as free & liberated one.

eu ,o euq";k.kkadkj.kacU/keks{k;ks% A

cU/kk; fo"k;klDraeqDrafufoZ"k;aLe`re~AA

Amrutbindu Upanishad - 2


4/24

Section Index

1. Message of P. Guruji - 5

2. Tattva Bodha - 6-7

4. Letter - 9

5. Gita Reflections - 10-11

6. Jivanmukta - 13

7. Yoga Vasistha - 14-15

7. Story Section - 17

8. VM News - 18

9. VM Activities - 19

10. Album - 20-21

11. VM Programs - 23


5/24

On Mahashivratri day, there was the Sanyas Deeksha of Brahmachari Ram, and a new Mahatm

proudly joined the fraternity of Sanyasis in our organization - he is Swami Asangananda Saraswati.

was indeed a rare event to watch and those who witnessed the whole event were very blessed indeed

To witness a marraige ceremony is common, but to witness a Sanyas Deeksha is very rare indeed. Thi

is specially all the more heartening when we see some foreigner coming all the way to India, and gettin

so highly impressed with the vision & values of the philosophy of Hinduism, that he decides to take futime into this lore. Vladimir Danchenko came to Vedanta Ashram from a place called Samara, in Russia

and stayed for months at the Ashram and then decided to take to this life fulltime. He has earlier been t

many countries, studied various philosophies, joined various sects, till the time he studied Vedanta.

When we see someone taking sanyas, many people wonder as to what exactly is sanyas? Is

Sanyas synonymous with not doing anything? If the earlier phase of life all about doing this or that

Pravritti, then is Sanyas all about not doing anything - Nivritti? Well, this is an important question fo

anyone wishing to know the very truth of this unique system of our land.

Pravritti and Nivritti, are the capacity to do anything whole-heartedly, and thereafter learning t

stand-apart and relax fully. These two important qualities which are extremely necessary for every 'doerand are like two sides of a coin. One who can do both these things nicely as part of his life, will not onl

bring the best out of himself, but will never be depressed or stressed. Such people will always be

energetic, enthusiastic & creative. It is just like doing your best throughout the waking hours, and the

having a nice deep sleep thereafter. Then alone our next day will be better. This is pravritti & nivritt

However please note that Nivritti is not Sanyas. Nivritti is 'doer-centric' and happens just because o

getting tired etc, a break is required to freshen up to again face the challenges & responsibilities of lif

with greater vigour & energy. Sanyas is to entertain that state of mind which has realized very clearly tha

everything which is doer-centric is always in a domain of change - it is all anitya. Due to this realization

some people, who have been doing both these very nicely and are still capable of doing this, see thefutility of revelling in the realm of change. They thus become uninvolved witness to everything tha

happens, neither doing nor not-doing anything. It is this unique state of mind which is the essence o

Sanyas, and all the shastras are unanimous in their declaration that it is only these intelligently uninvolve

ones who can objectively analyse everything and shall indeed realize the truth. Sanyasis just go alon

with the flow, accepting what is. Karma implies gravitation towards what should be after being dissatisfie

with what is, while Sanyas implies realization of having a re-look at our notions of what is. They kee

delving deeper to know the truth of everything including themself. All their energy is just used to know th

truth of what is. Waking up to the truth of what is is the life & goal of a Sanyasi.

Nivritti & Sanyas

from Poojya Guruji


6/24Vedanta Sandesh

Tattva BodhaSix Divine Qualities - Damah

What is Dama?

In the previous discussion we learnt that sama is

he restraining of the mind, here dama is restraining of the

ense organs. The five sense organs, e.g., the eyes, ears,

ose, the faculty of touch, and the tongue, have a natural

nclination to percieve their respective objects. God has

esigned them to do so. So it is not unnatural for any of the

ense organs to get attracted to its respective object. The

ongue is made to be sensitive to various kinds of tastes,

weet, sour, bitter etc. The ears are designed to grasp sound

nd similarly each sense organ has its specific use. In such

case where the sense organs are naturally inclined towards

heir respective objects what is the role of Dama then? The

apacity to overcome thoughtless & helpless gravitationowards objects is called Dama.

Dama is bringing about a discriminative mastery over

he use of our sense organs. More often we fail to be the

ntelligent masters of our sense organs but our mind and

enses get helplessly lured towards various objects and

astes gravitated by our various likes and dislikes, also

esulting in attachment and habitual craving. Dama is a very

mportant quality not only for a spiritual aspirant but it's

importance can also be seen in worldly life.

Dama is being a Master in experiencing objects:

As long as we live life will always be an encou

between the sense organs and worldly objects. This ca

be evaded even by a person of knowledge and in fact th

is no need for any kind of supression or evasion of

kind of experience. Intelligence does not lie in being sca

of indulgence due to the fear of attachment but intellige

lies in being free to experience something and if need

being free to not experience something. Wisdom is ab

having an intelligent relationship with the world. Wisdo

in being able to focus our attention towards somet

without any attachments, habits and conditionings. V

often, we find that our own minds and sense organsobstacles to what we want to do. I want that my ears sh

be with me but they go to listen to a sound elsewhe

want my eyes should be with me, but they want to

something else. The problem arises that when I need t

focused I am unable to focus on my work or on my stud

A master is one who not only while experiencing the obj

gives full attention & justice to the present moment

thereafter also does not let this experience linger in h

The first quality of Sama amongst the six divine qualities was discussed in the last edition. Now the student ris desire to understand what is the nature of the second divine quality that which is called as Dama. In this section w

nderstand the meaning and nature of Dama, its significance in acquiring spiritual knowledge and how Dama ca

rought about. Sama was described as the control of the mind and now Dama is being discussed as control of the s

rgans.

What is Damah? Damah means the ability to master & control our sense organs.


7/24- 7 -

er mind so as to condition his subsequent thoughts &

esponses. He drops the earlier thoughts & is available

with a free mind for the next moment. Such people alone

ve & enjoy best every moment of their life. Vedic mantras

ay-O gods! May we hear auspicious things with the ears.

May we see auspicious things with the eyes. Glorifying

You) through the Vedas with healthy limbs, may we enjoy

our full) life as allotted by the Lord.

Dama' an important quality for the persuit of self

knowledge:

Having a focused mind and undistracted sense

organs is essential for the pursuit of self-knowledge. In

he Vedas there are prayer mantras seeking the blessings

of the Devatas to fascilitate one's total availability for a

person who is about to persuit this knowledge. May my

mbs grow (strong). May the organs of speech, eyes, ears,

and all the (other) organs as well as (their) power (grow

trong). Dama implies discipline in all activities of a spiritual

tudent. His life is dedicated in bringing about alertness,

ocus, awareness of all such qualities that will fascilitate

piritual learning. A sportsman plans all his activities in a

manner that will help him become the best player in the

world. His diet, his sleep, his mindset, his clothes, his social

nteractions all are disciplined to bring about the best inim as a player. So also a spiritual seeker needs to use all

is physical and mental faculties in a way that help him

embrace Self-knowledge without any obstacles created by

he Self. In the sixth chapter of the Gita Sri Krishna says-

yuktahaar vihaarasya yukta cheshtasya karmasu

yukta swapnaava bodhasya so yogo bhavati dukkhaha.

A sincere seeker of knowledge leads a balanced

life. He neither consumes too much nor too little food

walks or moves too much or too little. He has a sens

proportion with respect to how long he sleeps; he sle

neither too much nor too little. Similarly, he keeps aw

neither too much nor too little. He values time & ene

There is a discipline that ultimately prepares him for

seat of knowledge and meditation. Again In the Bhaga

Gita Sri Krishna compares sense objects to a powerful that distracts a sailboat away from its p

vaayurnaavamivaambhasi. Like a powerful wind, the se

organs distract the mind away from its focus and dr

into the sense objects. Therefore, there is a need to h

mastery over our minds and over our sense organs.

How is Dama to be brought about?

The following points prove very helpful to b

about the quality of Dama :

1. Learn to live as per your convictions.

2. As a test to see that the intellect is in comma

formulate some dos & donts and live as per them, kee

aside our earlier likes etc. Such exercises need to be d

till we know that it is the intellect which is in comman

not our whims.

3. In the beginning we can also let someone else de

some dos & donts for us.4. Whenever we discover any thoughtless & helpless

then, first we should lovingly explain the fallacy of th

our own minds, and if need be punish it too.

5. Keep company of those people who have this abili

at least value for this quality.

6. Read good inspiring literature, and aim for the ultim

Wishing all our readers a very auspicious,

colorful & happy

Holi


8/24Vedanta Sandesh

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high

esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said,

"Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before you talk to me about my

friend, it might be good idea to take a moment and filter what youre

going to say. Thats why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter isTruth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell

me is true?"

"Well, no," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and"

"All right," said Socrates. "So you dont really know if its true or not.

Now, lets try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are

about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"Umm, no, on the contrary"

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about my

friend, but youre not certain its true. You may still pass the test though,

because theres one filter leftthe filter of Usefulness. Is what you want

to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really." "Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me

is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The Triple Filter Test


9/24

Living as Brahman

Now, learn to

ve as Poorna, as

Brahman learn to

ve as God himself.

Thats your goal &

fe now, not as a

eeker or sadhaka.

- PoojyaGuruji

First letter of Poojya Guruji to Swami Asangananda after he left Ashram

____________________________________

Hari om Asanga,

Nice to know that your long travel back to Samara went off unhindered &

nicely.

Also nice to know that the weather is getting warmer & better and the

advent of spring is round the corner, however now let God bring any

weather condition outside, you need to be just aware of everything in anuninvolved way - as a witness, and turn your attention not only to know the

truth of all what is outside, but moreso of the one who aware of it all. You

are THAT, and as your name suggests you are always asanga untouched

by all what it reveals. The mind of ignorant ones is unnecessarily bothered

by what is revealed outside. First we give importance to things outside then

we keep on dancing to its tune. Thats the funny game of the world. You are

pure, infinite consciousness which is untouched by all what you reveal,

and that alone is the truth, rest is all an illusion, a changing world a

beautiful dream. There is no independent existence of all what is revealed.

It is so obvious that even the existence of an object depends on it being

revealed by us, that is why anything which we are not conscious doesnt

have any existence. The goal of a sanyasi is to always be aware of the fact

that I am one, non-dual, infinite consciousness. Aham Brahmasmi. May

your sanyas help you to remain focused on the truth you have appreciated.

Everyone remembers you as a person here lovingly. We all wish & pray tha

you live an enlightened & complete life, and your manifestation becomes ablessing to the ignorant people of the world. Now, learn to live as Poorna,

as Brahman learn to live as God himself. Thats your goal & life now, not

as a seeker or sadhaka.

Lots of love & om

Guruji

- 9 -


10/24

by

SwaminiSamatananda

Meditation is one form of Sadhana which attracts many spiritual aspirants. B

much as it is a sadhana which the scriptures prescribe & which most of us wish to prac

too, yet meditation is also one of the most misunderstood and mal practised sadha

Most often meditation is understood as a practice that takes us to the leve

thoughtlessness or which brings about some divine experiences of seeing God, rin

bells & of sparkling lights. This understanding or practice of meditation is misguiding

harmful making a sincere seeker escape into an imaginary world or going into a tempo

state of nothingness. Meditation in it's true meaning is a state of awakening in the

nature of the Self. A state of being where one awakens into state of total fulfilme

state where there is no duality between the jiva, the world and Ishwara. This sta

awakening in the seat of meditation has been explained in it's authentic manner in

sixth chapter of the Gita. Often meditation is conceived as an independent sadh

practiced in isolation. Taking meditation as an isolated and independent package w

be depriving the self of the right means, the right goal and the benefits of medita

Meditation is not a state or practice that can be jumped into. It requires preparatio

bring about well controlled sense organs, a quite, poised and thoughtful mind anintellect that been exposed to the authentic knowledge of the scriptures at the feet

Master. There needs to be a balance and good tuning between the body, mind and

intellect. This kind of an equi poised body, mind and intellect is brought about in the

of action and devotion itself before one takes to the seat of meditation.

Preparing the mind in the field of Action:The preparations to awake to the state of being start much before our si

sessions in the field of our actions. In the sixth chapter called the Atma Sayam Yog

also popularly known as Dhyana Yoga, Sri Krishna begins the discourse by telling

whoever performs actions dynamically without any dependencies and expectat

whatsoever is truly a sanyasi and a yogi. Bhagwan reveals the necessity to becomYogaroodha, that is a karma yogi who has brought about a sattwik, quite and balan

mind. This alone is the prerequisite to the seat of meditation. An agitated mind th

helplessly lured by various desires and personal likes and dislikes cannot be read

any kind of subtle contemplation. A person who has his senses under control is like b

ones own friend, otherwise one keeps on creating obstacles for ones own Self. Striv

lead a balanced life whereby all the physical requirements are looked after in a balan

manner without any extremities. A balanced diet-not too much and not too less, suffi

amount of sleep, not too much and not too less. Having prepared the mind by sel

actions at the feet of God let us now enter the portals of meditation.

Daily meditation is a package based on Pranayama, Dharana, Dhyana and

later on - Atma-gyana and Samadhi.

Asana:

Sit down in the early hours of the morning, after having a nice sleep. Preferab

on the floor crossed legs on an asana. If there are health issues one can make use o

chair but sit upright. One should keep the back straight, with upright neck and head.

posture itself should reveal someone who is fully awake, and thus facilitate even fu

awakening. Let your body and its health issues be forgotten. Having sat down in su

posture, one should bring to mind the fact, that this is your personal appointment

God and yourself, so keep everything aside, however important it may be. Call a t

with the world outside. Withdraw the sense organs and do not react to any kind of sou

outside good or bad. This is your special appointment with God and yourself, so men

Y

ogiyunjit

asatatam

Vedanta Sandesh


11/24

Meditation in

's true meaning is a

tate of awakening in

he real nature of the

Self. A state of being

where one awakens

nto state of total

ulfillment. A state

where there is no

uality between the

va, the world and

shwara.

- Samatananda

seek the blessings of your Guru and start with a prayerful mood that 'O God, please b

me to meditate properly so that I may become your good instrument, fulfil a

responsibilities in a nice way, and even realize you - the ultimate divinity.'

Pranayama:

Pranayama is the science of giving right direction and optimising our energy le

Inhale to the fullest and then retain the full lungs for a few seconds and then ha

exhaled also retain the empty lungs for a few seconds. Chant Om three times. With

breath chant Om in a longish way, in one breath, till you exhale all the air out of you lu

One needs to start this chant loudly which slowly fades off. When chanting Om in su

way, feel that the entire area is getting blessed & purified. Chanting of Om in the begin

brings about a quite, alert and thoughtful mind.

Dharana (Focusing the Mind)Dharana is one of the steps of Ashtanga Yoga, and deals with the focusing o

mind on one object. It is basically concentration. We need to focus our mind steadi

something to practice Dharana. One should not misunderstand Dharana to be medita

Concentration is not meditation. Meditation is awakening to our real self, and then

consciously 'being' dropping all other thoughts. To practice focus of the mind we can

some external form too.

Dhyana:Having practiced Dharana and brought about a focused, steady, sensitive an

attentive mind, one then needs to do 'Dhyana'. In the preliminary stage, Dhyana

sadhana which involves dropping of all worldly preoccupations, feeling the presen

my beloved God and identifying with an emotion of oneness with him. It is a devot

oneness with God invoking a saatwik mind, a mind which is overwhelmed by grat

and a feeling of blessedness. It is a practice that is like taking a dip in the loving bond

Ishwara seeing him with faith as the Supreme Intelligence, as the creator, sustaine

destroyer of the world. This meditational practice is a form of Upasana where we r

with a manifestation of God given in the scriptures, preferably our Ishta Devata

personalised form of God, thinking of whom we feel overwhelmed & inspired.Su

devotional bond inspires, recharges, refreshes and destresses the minworldly impurities bringing about a mind that is pure, subtle, enth

and blessed, not only bringing about a sense of blis

existence in the seat of meditation but also makin

charged and enthused to live a sattwik life, there

This is being pointed out in the sloka Yogi yu

satatam.

H a v i n g practiced a life th

featured by selfless actions as a service to

and also having risen to the emotional oneness

God an alert and subtle student comes to realiz

limitations of his understanding of Ishwara and of himse

a Jiva. In spite of the emotional upliftment and devot

bond with God he realizes the ever existent duality between h

Ishwara. Not only this he also see his so called understanding of Ishwara & hims

highly questionable. Such a seeker goes in search of a Sadguru and having go

opportunity to study the Scriptures he now dedicates himself in enquiring and understa

the nature of Jiva and Ishwara dropping the efforts of having to reach some goal o

than him. If Ishwara pervades everything then he is not separate from him, who i

Jiva, how did he come about are the various questions which he enquires upon. Thr

a systematic study of Vedanta he enquires the truth of himself, the world and Ishw

which is all a later exercise.

- 11 -


12/24Vedanta Sandesh

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology hasexceeded our humanity.Albert Einstein

The real problem is not whether machines think but whethermen do.B. F. Skinner

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machinecan do the work of one extraordinary man.Elbert Hubbard

Technological society has succeeded in multiplying theopportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating

joy.Pope Paul VI

The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology.E. F. Schumacher

Technology is always a two-edged sword. It will bring in manybenefits, but also many disasters.Alan Moore

Quotes


13/24

Wanderingin Himalayas

Gangotri

Excerpts from

the

Travel Memoirs

of

Param Poojya

Swami

Tapovanji

Maharaj

32

So sing the Rishis. But man turns a deaf ear to all such wise words. Why? H

dragged down by the tightening hold of gold and worldly pleasure on his heart, wheed

him away from spiritual practices. The sinful not only discountenance but positiv

hate good deeds and acts of penance. Personally, I have had both the good fortand the misfortune of seeing Europeans immersing themselves in the Ganga and w

born educated Hindus sporting in the Gangotri Valley without touching the holy wate

visiting a single temple on the banks of the Ganga.

From Gangotri to Kedarnath it is about 115 miles, and from Rishikesh

Kedarnath it is 130. The way from Gangotri to Kedarnath is difficult but beautiful. On

way travellers have to negotiate a pass called Pavvali, more than 10,000 feet ab

sea level. the mountain here is covered on all sides with lovely forests where one m

come across fine birds and flowers rarely met with elsewhere even in the Himalay

Enraptured by the beauty of the flowers and the songs of the birds, I have o

spent hours here forgetting all the toil and the fatigue of the climb. The view that o

gets from the top of the pass is uncommonly beautiful. During my first ramble I enjo

the wonderful sight with all the zest of a schoolboy. To the north, there is the unend

line of silver mountains; to the south, down to the borders of Hindustan, are rows of

black-green with vegetation; and above the pass rise peaks that stand massive

serene as if in quite contemplation.

Once you cross this, not very long pass, you reach a well-known holy pl

called Triyuginarayana. There is still evidence to show that this spot also was onc

favourite resort of Rishis. The Mahabharata states that Yudhishthira and his companio

on the way to Badrikashram, journeyed over this region. The sight of such holy pla

associated with ancient sages cannot fail to evoke sublime thoughts in the mind of

Hindu. Here also, there is a temple where regular worship is conducted by prie

Descending some distance and ascending again along the bank of the Ganga, the p

proceeds in the direction of Kedarnath. The forests and the streams and the heap

rocks at this place seem to join in a harmony, a constant hymn of praise to the Crea

whose greatness the common man realizes not.

Gourikunda, a place on the bank of the Ganga on the way to Kedarnath, deser

special mention here. it derives its name from a number of pools which are always

of hot water. the sulphur springs are a blessing to the pilgrims in this very cold clim

There is a story which seeks to explain the presence of hot springs in the locality.

said that Sree Shankara was once proceeding towards Kedarnath with his discip

The disciples found it extremely difficult to bathe in the very cold water of the Ga

and perform their ablutions. Taking pity upon them, the master willed that hot spri

should appear, and immediately hot water began to gush forth and form itself i

number of pools. In Vidyaranyaswami's biographical work on Shankara, called Shan

Digvijaya, there is a reference to this incident.

- 13 -


14/24

If nothing is ever created, world is unreal and only absolute is real alw

and at all times, how come this world feels so real? It is seen as real, it is fe

real and so easily concluded by everyone to be real. How that can be?

When you sleep, a whole new world appears as if right in front of yo

has many objects, which can be seen and touched, many other beings, who be

as if consciously, and the most amazing part - you also as if become ano

person participating in this dream! The consciousness of the dreamer him

becomes the whole dream, and it also as if limits itself to be me of my drea

is our experience of almost every night, so we used to see this as a trivial t

But stop and think about it, you have an amazing thing happening every few h

- your consciousness magically creates (although nothing is being cre

actually) many objects, and one of these objects it makes very special -

start to think of it as your own self. I myself create a whole world with myself

The whole creation appears to have emerged from the pure undiv

cosmic consciousness, as a dream appears in the consciousness of the slee

person. The universe, with everything which can be found in it, is in fac

eternal effulgent infinite nondual consciousness, which itself becomes

knowable object, the subject who sees and knows that objects, and even

process of knowing of the object by the subject. There was, is and w

nothing besides that pure Consciousness. With objects of the world or wit

these objects, the pure Consciousness remains the infinite, and there is

real transformation into any of these. Creation happens merely by the cre

potential inherent in the pure Consciousness, without real change.

There are fourteen planes of existence, each with its own type

inhabitants, with food suitable for them, and with everything requred for

existence. And all these are the manifestations of the creativity inherent in

pure Consciousness. This pure Consciousness is Sat-Chit-Ananda, which m

it is existence and consciousness at the same time, as one. When

Vedanta Sandesh

Adhyatmic

Teachings

ofGuru

Vasishtha

to

Sri Ramji

by

SwaminiVidyananda

26


15/24- 7 -

Consciousness thinks I am light, sources of light like sun, moon, stars and

become instantly created, because consciousness and existence are the sa

So also with space, time, air, water and earth. And these elements continue to

one upon another, as experiencer and experience, and the entire creation co

into being like ripples on the surface of the ocean. They are so interwoven

mixed up that they cannot be extracted from one another till the co

dissolution. All these material appearances are changing, only reality remunchanged. Since all this happens in Consciousness, all these appearan

possess the quality of the knowable; at the same time there arises the co

knower. That Conscious

itself becomes its own know

and the knower. When suc

r e l a t i o n s h i p arises,

notion I am a jiva arises in

Consciousness. F u r t h

i d e n t i f i c a t i o n brings a

ego and faculty of discrimin

(intellect), after that - the m

In this process there is no n

for any instrument

material causes, all is of

essential nature of

Consciousness, and count

forms arise and disappear

castles in a d r e a

Everything is nothing but the pure Consciousness. Everything in dream is perce

and so may be called as existing, but they dont exist without that conscious

which supports the whole dream. So their reality is borrowed from

consciousness, and they cannot be said to really exist. Same thing with

created world, which is created like one creates castles in a dream. Everyt

is nothing but pure Consciousness.

Creation is neither real nor it been really created. All this is mere appear

like the forms seen in empty space, they owe their reality to their substra

cosmic Consciousness, which alone is real.

TheTrut

hoftheC

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17/24

Onceup

on

atime...

Story

Section

King Parikshit, the grandson of Pandavas, was killed by Takshak, the k

of snakes. When Janmejaya, Parikshits son grew up and became king, he dec

to avenge his fathers death. Along with Rishi Uttank, Janmejaya did yagnyathe end of all snakes. Rishi Uttank would say some mantra and offer the sna

to the fire swaha. Tens of hundreds of snakes would come and fall into

burning fire. The yagna went on for many days.

A group snakes that were still alive went to their king Takshak for h

Takshak knew the yagna was to kill him to avenge King Parikshits death. Howe

instead of helping the other snakes, he went to Lord Indra to seek refuge. In

granted him asylum.

As the yagna proceeded more and more snakes were sacrificed ev

time Rishi Uttank said swaha.

Meanwhile the pull of the mantras could be felt by Vasuki, the snake

helped devas and asuras during samudramanthan. He went to his sister Jaratk

for help. Sister, you have to help us. The pull of the mantras is too strong for

I feel like I am on fire, and I can only imagine the plight of the other sna

According to Brahma, your son Asteek will save our clan. Please send him

Janmejayas yagna and ask him to stop. Asteek is but a mere boy. How can

stop the yagna? Jaratkaru asked. Asteek may be young but he is v

knowledgeable and knows all the vedas. When you were married, Brahma predicted your son would save our clan. Do not worry, send Asteek. Jaratk

agreed and sent Asteek to Janmejaya.

Asteek was not allowed to enter the yagna. So he began to sing praise

King Janmejaya. Hearing his melodious voice, the King met with him. Ast

began to sing the Vedas and the Mahabharata. Janmejaya was impressed.

impressed with you and will give you in gift whatever you ask. Please ask

anything, son.

In the meanwhile on the yagna floor, Uttank was chanting mantras to b

in Takshak, but to no avail. Then an informant informed that Takshak had ta

refuge with Indra and was being protected by him. Uttank was furious; he chan

mantra, Indray Takshakay swaha. Meaning, I offer Takshak, along with Indr

the fire. Both Indra and Takshak began to descend towards the sacrificial fir

Asteek asked Raja Janmejaya to stop the sacrifice and the yag

Janmejaya having given his word to Asteek to ask anything had to keep his w

and stop the Yagna. Asteek chanted mantras to slow the descent of Indra

Takshak. With the yagna called off, Takshak and Indra were thus saved.

- 17 -

Saving of Takshak & Indra


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Vedanta Sandesh


19/24

Nbibtijwsbusj Dbnq- Joepsf;A five days Vedanta Camp was organized at Vedanta Ashram just prior to

Mahashivratri Parva. Devotees from different parts of the country joined - which included

Lucknow, Vadodara, Mumbai, Bharuch, Bhubaneshwar and Indore. The subject matter of

the discourse series were Advaita Makaranda and Gita Chapter 14. Poojya Guruji took the

Adv Mak. sessions, P.Swamini Amitanandaji took the Gita classes, P.Swamini

Samatanandaji took the Meditation and Chanting sessions. P. Swamini Poornanandaji

who handles kitchen and Mandir was down with cold, but she kept directing various matters

nicely. The camp was overall very satisfactory, and everyone went highly inspired & happy

- this came out in their statements on the final day in the Guru Dakshina Program.

Nbibtijwsbusj Dfmfcsbujpot- JoepsfThis year the Mahashivratri was on 17th Feb. This is one of the biggest festival at

Vedanta Ashram. We have Rudrabhisheka at different times a day, followed by a special

jhanki on some particular theme. The giant Shiv-Linga on the terrace is opened for darshan

on this day for the general public too.

On this were the Sanyas Deeksha Anniversaries of P. Swamini Amitanandaji and P.

Swamini Poornanandaji. As such they performed the first puja, early in the morning.

Siddhartha Arora (Oxford, UK) joined the two motherly Swaminijis too. The second puja

was done by a newly wed couple from Ahmedabad - Tanmay & Virali Patel. The last late

night puja was done by many devotees together - Col & Mrs Krishn Rai, Ajitbhai & Manojbhai,

businessmen from Gujarat, Chandrashekhar & Smt Krishna Agrawal - from Mumbai, and

Smt Prabhavati Sharma - from Indore. The jhanki was of Anala-skandh. It was of a pillar of

fire, with awesome lightening effects specially made for the occasion by Mayank Arora.

Tbozbt Effltib pg Txbnj Btbohboboeb;Brahmachari Ram (Vladimir Danchenko) was given Sanyas Deeksha by Poojya

Guruji on Mahashivratri day. There were a series of steps for this. First the Yagnopavita,

then Viraja Homa, and finally the Preshoschara and Yogapatta. He will now be known as

Swami Asangananda Saraswati. He has since left for Russia.

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

Atmajyoti Ashram, Vadodara from 22nd to 28th Feb. The pravachan texts were: Gita Chapter

3 and Upadesha Saram. Two meditations sessions were also held.

- 19 -



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Somebody said that it couldnt be done, But, he with a chuckle replied

That maybe it couldnt but he would be one Who wouldnt say so till hed tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldnt be done, as he did it.

Somebody scoffed: Oh, youll never do that; At least no one we know has done it;

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat, And the first thing we knew hed

begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldnt be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy

failure;

There are thousands to point out to you, one by one, The dangers that wait to assailyou.

But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing That cannot be done, and youll do it

It Couldnt Be Done


23/24- 23 -

Satsang at Bharuch :

A satsang by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji is being organized at the big & spacious

residence of Sh Manojbhai, a well-known buisinessman of Bharuch city. They will honour

Poojya Swamini on her Sanyas Deeksha day (date wise). She will give a pravchan to the

devotees there and there will be lunch for all.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow :

A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Guruji will be organized at the Hari om

Mandir, Lal Baug, Lucknow from 11th to 17th Mar 2015. The subject matter of the discourseseries will be Gita Chapter 6 and Kathopanishad 2-3.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhubaneshwar :

The first week-long Gita Gyana Yagna will be organized at the Shivananda Ashram

Satsang Hall at Bhubaneshwar from 11th to 17th April by Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji.

The subject-matter of the discourse series will be Gita Chapter 1 and Kathopanishad 1-1.

The discourses will be in Hindi. She will also be visiting the famous Jagannath Temple at

Puri.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Jalgaon :

A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna will be organized at the Dutta Mandir, Jalgaon from

14th to 20th Apr 2015. The subject matter of the discourse series will be Gita Chapter 4

and Kathopanishad 2-1.

Hanuman Chalisa Satsang, Indore :

The Mar15 edition of Hanuman Chalisa Satsang will be organized at the

Sankaracharya Sabhagruh, at the Vedanta Ashram, Indore by Poojya Guruji on the 29th

Mar (last Sunday of the month). Poojya Guruji will possibly take the third chaupayi of the

chalisa in this satsang.


24/24

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

vedanta sandesh - mar 2015

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