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May 2013 issue of Vedanta Sandesh, the English monthly eMagazine of International Vedanta Mission, containing inspiring and enlightening articles, snippets, quotes of Vedanta & Hinduism, and news of the activities of Vedanta Mission.

TRANSCRIPT

Nbz 3124Year 19 Issue 10

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Apri l 201 3 : Year 1 9 / Issue 1 0

Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

Published by

International Vedanta Mission

http: //www.vmission.org. in

vmission@gmail .com

Like a shining lamp inside a pot with holes, whose rays come

out and il lumine anything in its path, so also our consciousness

percolates through our sense organs in the world around and

il lumines its objects, then alone we say 'I know'; He who directly

knows that effulgence as his very Self, in whose light the whole world

becomes an object of our knowledge, to that teacher Sri

Dakshinamurti , my humble salutations.

In This Issue

1 . Message of P. Guruj i - 5

2. Atma Bodha - 6-7

4. Letter - 9

5. Gita Reflections - 1 0-11

6. Jivanmukta - 1 3

7. Yoga Vasistha - 1 4-1 5

7. Story Section - 1 7

8. VM News - 1 8

9. VM Activities - 1 9

1 0. Album - 20-21

11 . VM Programs - 23

from Poojya Guruji

Creation is Divine

Creation :

- is of unimaginable beauty, it is divine

- is an organic whole where everything is intimately inter-connected

- is an amazing realm of constant change & flux,

- is an astounding show of Time & Space

- looks substantial but real ly speaking is i l lusory.

- is constantly revealing the truth of both its creator

& also the truth of itself.

- is a presentation of someone who has to be omniscient &

omnipotent who is obviously enjoying the very process of

creation and is never attached to the creation, that is why

nothing is static.

- is the Best Teacher.- is a book which our Scriptures & Guru's help us to read.

- is basical ly Sat-Chit and Ananda - Self-effulgent Blissful Existence,which is presenting itself in various forms.

- is a play of timeless & infinite l ife.- is never apart from us. I t represents our complete Self.

- 5 -

Swamini Samatananda

54

Brahma-Gyana is the ultimate

- 7 -Vedanta Sandesh

Yallaabhaat naaparo laabho yatsukhaatnaaparam sukham

Yajgyaanaatnaaparam gyaanam tadbrahmetyavdhaarayet.

Yallaabhaat:other than which gain; naaparolaabho: there is no greater gain; yatsukhaat:

than which happiness; naaparo sukham: there is no greater happiness; yajgyaanaat: than

which knowledge; naaparam gyaanam: there is no greater knowledge; tat brahma: that is

Brahman; iti: thus; avadhaarayet: should understand.

That should be known as Brahman, than the gain of which there is no greater gain,

than the bliss of which there is no greater bl iss and than the knowledge of which there is no

greater knowledge.

In the previous sloka the Acharya spoke of the attributes of a Jivanmukta and how he lives in this

physical body, ti l l his basic resultant karmas or prarabdha karmas are completely exhausted.

Now from the 54th to the 68th sloka the nature of Brahman is revealed. In the fol lowing sloka the

nature of Brahman is described by the process of Tatastha Lakshana-definition by differentiation yet in

consonance with it.

Vedanta Sandesh

Yallaabhaat naaparo laabho:

In his journey of a l ifetime a jiva constantly

strives to attain something or the other. The entire

spectrum of his achievements ranges from gaining

the objects of the outside world, relationships, and

convinient situations, al l to appease the various

layers of his personality physical, emotional and

intel lectual. Yet the irony of the whole situation is

that even though Man attains the highest possible

sources of joy ranging from small material things to

the best of relationships, to the best of heavenly

pleasures, he sti l l remains an unfulfi l led seeking

being. His hunt for that nectar which wil l quench his

thirst eternal ly is sti l l far away in the horizon. The

diagnosis of such a situation and prescribing the

solution to it alone is the subject matter of Vedanta.

Liberating the jiva from the shackles of this endless

hunt which has been going on from time

immemorial. In such a case study, what is the

nature of worldly achievement that keeps us

striving for more endlessly and yet leaves us

unsatisfied? What is the nature of the achiever who

is constantly on a seeking trip but at the end of the

day he reaches no where?

It is a first hand experience of al l

humanbeings that the world of objects undoubtedly

gives us pleasure but the truth about al l objects sti l l

stands clear that al l the objects and their

experiences are transitory, ephimeral and come to

an end over a period of time, thus leaving us

unfulfi l led and craving for more even after working

so hard to achieve all that has been achieved. On

the other hand the Jiva too is an imaginary entity

who is engulfed with a sense of doership and

Swamini Samatananda

- 7 -

In the previous sloka the Acharya spoke of the attributes of a Jivanmukta and how he lives in this

physical body, ti l l his basic resultant karmas or prarabdha karmas are completely exhausted.

Now from the 54th to the 68th sloka the nature of Brahman is revealed. In the fol lowing sloka the

nature of Brahman is described by the process of Tatastha Lakshana-definition by differentiation yet in

consonance with it.

enjoyership, borne of ignorance and

misapprehension about the Self and the world. The

Jiva has wrongly identified with the l imited adjuncts

of the body, mind and intel lect and has

superimposed bliss on the external experiences

borne of interaction between the sense organs, the

mind and the objects of the world. This imaginary

knot between the jiva and the worldly experiences is

what causes bondage and constant seeking. The

knowledge of Vedanta directs this seeker to

discover the fulfi l led nature of the Self which is it's

true nature. Pleasure gained by the objective world

is an imposition of the inner pleasure of the Self

alone. No object or any kind of divine experience too

can truly give the fulfi l lment that l ies within.

Discovering the inner source of contentment and

bliss is the ultimate discovery one can aim for. This

is l ike gaining that by gaining which there is no other

greater achievement. The Acharya uses a word in

this sloka i.e. paro which means that which is

beyond the limitations of space, time and object.

Discovering the inner source of contentment is

discovering a contentment which is beyond the

limitations of space, time and object, whereas, al l

the worldly experiences are l imited in these three

realms. Self contentment is l ike being an ocean that

is so fulfi l led within the Self that it does not overflow

with external joy of al l the river water flowing into it

nor does an ocean ever dry up with discontentment

even if no rivers flow into it.

Yatsukhaat naaparam sukham:

The Acharya further goes on to reveal that

state of bl iss than which happiness there is no

greater happiness. All the joys experienced by

various objects appear to be giving us joy but that

joy is l iking enjoying a feast in a dream which on

waking up leaves us high and dry as before we went

off to sleep. A dream feast is only an imaginary feast

which does not satiate our hunger. Any objective

experience is true by itself only if it were to satisfy

the hunger once and for al l . But no object however

much it may be exotic and divine gives us real

fulfi l lment. After al l such experiences we are back to

square one looking for some other object that may

satisfy us. Realising the Self as blissful by nature is

awakening into that bl issful state that satiates our

hunger eternaly and there appears no need to look

for any joys outside. That bl iss is the highest form of

bl iss awakening into which there is nothing more

blissful to be experienced. This is only possible by

seeing the unreal nature of the ojective world and

seeing the true nature of the self as blissful.

Yajgyaanaat naaparam gyaanam:

Just as we acquire various objects and

experiences in order to experience pleasure so too

we acquire various kinds of knowledge either to

satisfy our curiosity or get some practical benefits in

our day to day life. In the world around there are

countless fields of knowledge and although a

human being is known to be an intel lectual being he

can only special ize to some extent in one subject

and gain a handful of general knowledge regarding

a few other things in the world. All kinds of

knowledge that pertain to anything other than than

the Self or that can be percieved by the Self is

known as 'Objective knowledge'. On the other hand

knowledge that is pertaininng to the Self or the

knower of the Objective world is known as

Subjective knowledge. Subjective kowledge is the

subject matter of Vedanta. The Scriptures thunder

that having known the Self nothing else remains to

be known. Here too the Acharya says that there is

no other knowledge in the world greater than the

knowledge of the Self. Knowing the essence of the

Self one knows the essence and truth of the entire

world. Just as one knows the mud of a single pot

then one knows the essence of al l the articles made

up of mud and knowing which the quest to know the

truth of al l the mud articles is satisfied.

Tadbrahmetyavdhaarayet:

Know that to be Brahman which is your

essential nature. Know that to be Brahman which is

pure existence, self effulgent and of the nature of

bl iss. All the pointers given here point out to the

nature of my very own Self. Realizing which there

wil l be nothing left to attain in this world, that which I

had been looking for as a limited, unfulfi l led and

seeking being. Knowing which I wil l l ive as a

liberated one here and now, where all interactions

and knowing the world too wil l be an expression of a

Self-contented fulfi l led being.

Letter of

the Month

Vedanta Sandesh - 9 -

The Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in

it. He held it up for al l to see & asked the students “How much do you

think this glass weighs?”

’50gms! ’J . . ’1 00gms! ’ J . . ’1 25 gms’ Jthe students answered.

“I real ly don’t know unless I weigh it, ” said the professor, “but, my

question is: What would happen if I held it up l ike this for a few

minutes?”J. . ‘Nothing’ J.. the students said.

‘Ok what would happen if I held it up l ike this for an hour?’ the professor

asked. ‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one of the student. “You’re

right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?” “Your arm could go

numb; you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to

hospital for sure!”. . . Ventured another student & all the students laughed

“Very good. But during al l this, did the weight of the glass change?”

Asked the professor. ‘No’J. Was the answer.

“Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?”

The students were puzzled. “What should I do now to come out of

pain?” asked professor again. “Put the glass down!” said one of the

students. “Exactly!” said the professor. Life’s problems are something

l ike this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of

them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they

begin to paralyze you. You wil l not be able to do anything.

I t’s important to think of the challenges or problems in your l ife, But

EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to ‘PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY! ‘

Put the glass down today

Vedanta Sandesh

Panchikaranam

Letter of

the Month

Q: What is the implication of the admixture of various elements in

Panchikaranam?

____________________________________________________

Hari Om,

Well , Panchikaranam basical ly implies that the whole creation is a holistic,

mutual ly dependent creation - where nothing is real ly independent. When even

the material elements are composites of the elements of the total ity, then the

very thought of our individual consciousness being ‘independent’ is very easily

realized to be delusory. So basical ly such principles are for negating the

presumption of anything having a truly ‘independent’ existence. Today the

scientists are also talking about the relativity of everything in the creation.

There is another reason too, and that is the perceptibi l ity of ‘objects’ by our

sense organs. I f you are fol lowing the topic closely you wil l remember that our

five Gyana-Indriyas have been basical ly created to perceive the five sense

corresponding objects (Vishaya) – Sabda, Sparsh, Roopa, Ras & Gandha. After

Panchikaranam the grossest element (Prithivi) can be experienced by all our

sense organs – because each element has the components of al l other

elements, while progressively subtler ones can only be experienced by specific

sense organs alone, because the majority component is of the subtler element.

Reflect deeply on this fact and you wil l real ize its amazing co-relation.

Hope you are also fine and enjoying your work?

Love & om,

‘‘ When even

the material

elements are

composites of the

elements of the

total ity, then the

very thought of

our individual

consciousness

being

‘independent’ is

very easily

realized to be

delusory. ’

- Poojya Guruji

- 9 -

by

SwaminiSamatananda

Vedanta Sandesh

Expertise, efficiency or skil l in action are the key words towards a good

and successful action. Any dedicated person who wishes to put his best in an

action wil l strive to perform his action skil lful ly and efficiently. Now in worldly

terms although a skil lful action is a good action in our spiritual journey or in our

journey towards righteousness Sri Krishna introduces to us a very amazing

concept of a skil lful l action that not only inspires a person to perform his actions

to the best of his abil ity but is a divine combination of god-centricity,

righteousness and efficiency in action.

Yoga is skillfullness in action:

The spirit of yoga in action given by Bhagwan Sri Krishna is the highest

form of blessing that mankind could get that makes action a dynamic tool to

enjoy the field of action, to get the best out of it and to also bring about unseen

fruits of a holistic, peaceful, pure, sensitive and subtle mind. There couldn't be a

better combination in the spirit of human life than to flavour one's fieldof action

with the divinity of godcentiricity and the welfare of man. Yoga as expounded in

the Gita is an attitude in the field of action that raises action from being

individual ly ego centric to being total istic and god centric. I t involves a spirit of

righteousness that not only aims to bring about the welfare of the individual

performer but also keeps in mind the welfare of total ity around. In this sense a

righteous attitude.

In the Gita Bhagwan says any action which excudes this fradgrance of

karmayoga is a skil lful l action. Some people misinteprete this sloka by saying

that when there is skil l and efficiency in action then the person is a karma yogi.

This interpretation must be abandoned. Firstly not everyone is straightaway

skil lful l in action. A medical intern, a new driver may be dedicated in their job but

being new to it may not necessari ly be efficient or skil lful . But they can surely

have an attitude of selfless service and dedication, a holistic attitude to work for

the welfare of everyone. This attitude reflects in anything and everything they

do. Such a person who may be amateur in his field of action may sti l l be a yogi.

On the other hand a pick-pocket is very efficient in picking pockets, but his

motivation is not holistic. His benefits rest on the loss of another person and his

hard earned money. Such a person even though skil lful l cannot be a karma

yogi.

Understanding 'Kaushala'-Skillfullness:

Kaushala or skil lfulness is discretion in one's choice towards the spirit of

action. I t is a choice between an action of righteousness and an action of

unrighteousness. The norms for the welfare of the Self and the welfare of others

is dharma or righteousness and the opposite is cal led adharma or

unrighteousness. Although dharma and adharma cannot be understood in black

and white, they have to be translated as per the situation, the basic crux of

Kaushala

or skil lfulness is

discretion in

one's choice

towards the

spirit of action.

I t is a choice

between an

action of

righteousness

and an action

of

unrighteousnes

s.Yog

ah

karm

asu

kaus

halam

(Equ

anim

ity

(Yog

a)is

the

real

eff

icie

ncy

inac

tion

)

Vedanta Sandesh

- 1 1 -

Expertise, efficiency or skil l in action are the key words towards a good

and successful action. Any dedicated person who wishes to put his best in an

action wil l strive to perform his action skil lful ly and efficiently. Now in worldly

terms although a skil lful action is a good action in our spiritual journey or in our

journey towards righteousness Sri Krishna introduces to us a very amazing

concept of a skil lful l action that not only inspires a person to perform his actions

to the best of his abil ity but is a divine combination of god-centricity,

righteousness and efficiency in action.

Yoga is skillfullness in action:

The spirit of yoga in action given by Bhagwan Sri Krishna is the highest

form of blessing that mankind could get that makes action a dynamic tool to

enjoy the field of action, to get the best out of it and to also bring about unseen

fruits of a holistic, peaceful, pure, sensitive and subtle mind. There couldn't be a

better combination in the spirit of human life than to flavour one's fieldof action

with the divinity of godcentiricity and the welfare of man. Yoga as expounded in

the Gita is an attitude in the field of action that raises action from being

individual ly ego centric to being total istic and god centric. I t involves a spirit of

righteousness that not only aims to bring about the welfare of the individual

performer but also keeps in mind the welfare of total ity around. In this sense a

righteous attitude.

In the Gita Bhagwan says any action which excudes this fradgrance of

karmayoga is a skil lful l action. Some people misinteprete this sloka by saying

that when there is skil l and efficiency in action then the person is a karma yogi.

This interpretation must be abandoned. Firstly not everyone is straightaway

skil lful l in action. A medical intern, a new driver may be dedicated in their job but

being new to it may not necessari ly be efficient or skil lful . But they can surely

have an attitude of selfless service and dedication, a holistic attitude to work for

the welfare of everyone. This attitude reflects in anything and everything they

do. Such a person who may be amateur in his field of action may sti l l be a yogi.

On the other hand a pick-pocket is very efficient in picking pockets, but his

motivation is not holistic. His benefits rest on the loss of another person and his

hard earned money. Such a person even though skil lful l cannot be a karma

yogi.

Understanding 'Kaushala'-Skillfullness:

Kaushala or skil lfulness is discretion in one's choice towards the spirit of

action. I t is a choice between an action of righteousness and an action of

unrighteousness. The norms for the welfare of the Self and the welfare of others

is dharma or righteousness and the opposite is cal led adharma or

unrighteousness. Although dharma and adharma cannot be understood in black

and white, they have to be translated as per the situation, the basic crux of

dharma being a total istic attitude. This kashala or skil lfulness is yoga because a

person performs action breaking his shell of self-obsession and performing

actions with the spirit that I am a part of the whole cosmos, my actions be in

tune with the enitirity and the welfare of the cosmos is my welfare.

'Kaushala'-Skilfullness in the fruits of action:

We spoke of a godcentric attitude in the field of action where a divine

inpiration is accompanied with dynamism, creativity and dedication is

skil lfulness in action, but let us also see this skil lful lness with referance to the

fruits of action. The art of kaushala or skil lfulness envelopes all the aspects of

an action. An action involves performing an action as well as bearing the fruits

of an action. Fruits of an action is an inevitable part of the field of action. Infact

having a goal in mind is the first step towrds performing an action. In this

spectrum as much as it is important to have an inspired, dynamic and dedicated

attitude towards the action, with God being the nucleus of al l action, it is equally

imortant to have a positive atttude while gaining the fruts of an action. In Gita

chapter two Bhagwan Sri Krishna says that in performing actions Man is not

only previleged to perform actions but he also has the total freedom in

performing action as per his discretion, but when it comes to bearing the fruits

of action, that is the department and discretion of God. We have the freedom to

discern a clear goal and a strong resolve to fulfi l l the goal, but the fulfi l lment

apart from our efforts is also dependent on various other factors which is

worked out as per the discretion of god. Therefore having an equally righteous

attitude while attaining the results of an

action is also a kaushala, a skil l . For

that matter having an attitude of gratitude,

grace and faith towards the cosmic

power who is truly the endower of any result

in the field of action are the qualities that

fulfi l l the attitude of karma yoga. this

attitude of positivity towards the fruits of

action is what Sri Krishna calls as

'Prasad Buddhi' in the Gita.

In this manner unl ike the worldly defnition of efficiency and skil lfulness

where just efficiency in the work alone is the order of the day, the Bhagwad Gita

gives us a very unique definition of skil lfulness in action where the attitude of

yoga is its soul. This idea is not only l imited to polishing one's work skil ls but it

pol ishes the very personality of a human being. This art of action on one hand

inspires man to work dynamically, with enthusiasm, inspiration and creativity

and also blossoms those divine qualities of righteousness, of humil ity,

sensitivity and oneness towards all making a human being truly a human being.

Kaushala

or skil lfulness is

discretion in

one's choice

towards the

spirit of action.

I t is a choice

between an

action of

righteousness

and an action

of

unrighteousnes

s.

- 1 3 -

Quotes

Vedanta Sandesh

Lies may leave you at peace with others but you wil l alwaysbe at war with yourself.

The more Real you get the more unreal the world gets.

Life has no remote, get up and change it yourself.

Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothingand your attitude when you have everything.

The highest form of ignorance is when you reject somethingyou dont know anything about.

There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you whenyou take nothing personally.

I was reminded that my blood type is 'Be Positive. '

To love is to recognize yourself in another.

Feelings are much like waves, we cant stop them fromcoming but we can choose which one to surf.

I t's better to lend a hand than point a finger.

Prayer the world's greatest wireless connection.

Vedanta Sandesh

- 1 3 -

Wandering

in Himalayas

Birds,

Beasts

and a

congregation

of Seekers

Excerpts from

the

Travel Memoirs

of

Param Poojya

Swami Tapovanji

Maharaj

Three miles to the northeast of Rishikesh there is a place of pilgrimage

called Lakshmanjhoola. From there pilgrims sometimes pass on to

Brahmapuri. However, only men of faith wil l find anything especial ly attractive

about such places. For people lacking faith, the Ganga is but a river, and

Rishikesh, Hardwar and Badrikashram, Kashi and Rameshwaram are merely

so many places on the map of India. In their eyes there is nothing sacred or

beautiful about them. I t is no use finding fault with such people. They are at

the mercy of their senses. they can understand only what they can percieve

through their senses. They cannot go beyond. In such cases, perception itself

is l imited because the senses are l imited. That is why well-known logicians

among philosophers refuse to be hedged in by the gross testimony of the

senses in matters of rel igeon, and accept the authority of the Vedas and

shastras as final. For people who consider the gratification of the senses as

the be-al l and the end-al l of existence, there is no need to visit holy places or

to go on pilgrimages.

Uttarkasi

Celebrated in the puranas and central ly situated in the Himalayas is

the mountain called Varanavata. I ts top and sides are covered with forests of

deodar and various other trees. The sides of the mountain are dotted with

small vi l lages. The holy Ganga washes the feet of the mountain to the east

and south and flows on, raising the sound of Om.

Between the Varuna and the Asi, two tributaries of the Ganga, is a

beautiful mountain tract, ten miles in extent. This lovely spot is the famous

Uttarkasi of the Puranas. But the central point of Uttarkasi is a small plain on

the bank of Ganga, in eastern valley of varnavarta. As in Varanai (modern

Banaras), here are Gods like Vishwanaath and pilgrimage centres l ike

Manikarnika, but there are certain important differences between them.

Banaras is a city steeped in luxury and material istic civi l ization. I ts citizens

are people dominated by Rajoguna. Uttarkasi is a simple, old-fashioned little

vi l lage in the Himalayas, uncontaminated by material ism. I ts people are

mostly sattwik in character. The Lord of Banaras is ever pestered by the

pressure of worshipers , the hubbub of sightseers, and the showers of fowers

rained down by devotees.

10

- 1 5 -Vedanta Sandesh

In the l ife of a human being, there are stages indicative of the gradual

inner growth and development. First, a child is born without clear notions about

himself, and the first stage is defining “I ” and “mine” through play with toys and

his peers. “My” toys, “my” sweets, “my” bed, “my” mom, “my” desires and “my”

needs are that the child is to learn. He is not yet able to understand more, his

world is l imited only to what closely relates to him. He makes wonderful

discoveries about himself and about “mine”, and these discoveries make up the

very initial foundation for the further work on the self-understanding and self-

development.

Gradually the world, available for his understanding, grows and the child

discovers more and more of other people, relations, objects and their

connections. He learns to respect the needs of others, too, understand them,

l ive in harmony with other beings, manipulate objects, learn sciences, learn the

unknown, discover his own abil ities and live ful ly to his potential . This is the

stage where limits of self-understanding get tested, defined more elaborately

and grow wide. I t is the next important stage of the growth of the personality,

and if this growth is stunted, abil ities are not discovered and tested, the further

transformation of this initial understanding, discovery of the own true self

becomes impossible. Here, the abil ity to observe and analyze grows, develops

and becomes refined, and the world itself provides plenty of the material to

understand and analyze. He discovers the whole world, and forces behind its

creation and sustenance, and inevitably he comes to question the meaning of

the existence, his roles and usual, but apparently non-working, ways to achieve

lasting happiness. Growing so, he becomes truly human.

After returning from the pilgrimage, where he saw holy ashrams and wise

sages, purifying rivers and sanctuaries, Rama for some time lived in the palace

as usual, duly performing his daily duties. But after some time, a very profound

change came over him. He became thin and emaciated, pale and weak. He lost

the interest in everything - company of his friends, plays and amusements of the

palace, good food and fine clothes, rich jewelry and refined music. His childhood

friends and brothers, seeing him in such a state, fol lowed him. The whole palace

worried about his condition. The king Dasharatha asked the sage Vasishtha

about the causes of this condition, but the sage answered only, that nothing

happens without a cause, and Rama’s sorrow also has a cause.

The life of Rama is an example of an ideal l ife. Not yet sixteen, Rama

already has noble aspirations of seeing holy places, and now, after the

pilgrimage, he is struck with sorrow, which has a deep cause. The pure-hearted

person with clear inquisitive mind, who lived the l ife of fol lowing dharmic values,

who performed his duties well , cannot but to come to the point of questioning al l

his values. At some point he discovers that it is not enough, something is

missing despite al l his good life before, and this something is of a very peculiar

nature, and it cannot be reached through the change, through doing or getting

anything in this changing world. And then, the whole world with its riches and

wonders becomes useless to fi l l out this peculiar sense of void. This is what

Adhyatmic

Teachings

of

Guru

Vashista

to

Sri Ramji

7

by

SwaminiVidyananda

- 1 5 -

Aus

teri

tie

sfa

cili

tate

be

tte

rO

bje

ctiv

ity

Rama discovered. Looking around, he saw that objects, even the best ones, are

not able to bring him lasting happiness. They can bring a temporal joy only,

which is inevitable would be fol lowed by a sorrow, which would be fol lowed by

another joy and sorrow, in a seemingly endless succession. And this, although

was deemed enough before, can no longer satisfy him. What his heart wants is

the lasting happiness, which would not be depend on the objects outside, would

not depend on the desires and could not be betrayed by the changing world.

Yet, he does not see how to get to that happiness, since everything around is so

changing. He does not see an escape. He feels what father’s advice wil l also be

useless, since his father, the king Dasharatha, is the powerful ruler, but even the

rule over the whole universe and the king palace ful l of riches cannot satisfy the

quest for the lasting happiness. And so, Rama keeps quiet on his father’s

enquiry about the causes of his sorrow.

Rama’s state after returning from the pilgrimage is indicative of viveka,

discrimination between the real, ever-lasting, and the unreal, changing and

leeting. He sees the limitations of actions, objects, desires and states, and he

does not want to be limited by them. He does not yet sees unchanging, but

changing does not satisfy him already. As a result of his discrimination, he gains

vairagya, or dispassion, towards the changing objects, - he does not desire any

of them now. Dispassion can arise only in a purified, integrated mind, and

means of its purification are selfless action and fol lowing one’s duties. Mind,

which is able to analyze the world of sense-enjoyments, understand their

fleeting nature, concludes it does not want them, and is able to fol low, l ive up to

this understanding despite pressure from the outside. Without seeing the way

out, this stage of discrimination and viveka is marked by grief. I t is not a grief out

of losing a thing, or not being able to get a desired object. This grief and sorrow

do not have an object, and they cannot be cured by the common methods -

getting that thing which is missing or changing anything outside whatsoever. In

this case, nothing material seems missing, and at the same time the sense of

lack is profound - it is a huge lack which cannot be satisfied by the gain of the

whole wide world. The mind tries to solve this riddle of existence. The mind

knows it can be satisfied only with constant and unchanging, and does not see

anything unchanging in the changing world. The state of Rama is indicative of a

global change in his understanding, which is yet to come to the final conclusion.

His mind is pure and ready, his soul is open and thirsting for the solution, his

desires are reduced to just one - to find a way out of the overwhelming sadness

and despair which fleeting world brings him. Ideal student, Rama, is ready for

the knowledge, and once the student is ready, the whole universe comes out to

arrange for him the best conditions to gain the eternal wisdom.

Rama is grieving, he does not know that everything already is in the

process of helping him. Right in the right moment, sage Vishvamitra’s sacrifice

is already tormented by the demons, which are instrumental for setting

Vishvamitra on a journey which wil l bring him to the palace of the king

Dasharatha, where he wil l trigger the chain of events and discussions which in

the course of time wil l lead to the enlightement of Rama. Nothing is the world

happens without a cause, and Rama’s sadness eventual ly brings him to the

understanding of his own eternally bl issful nature, and us, the readers of Yoga

Vasishtha, - to the whole wealth of the wise explanations of the eternal truths.

Vedanta Sandesh - 1 7 -

Message of Bhagwad Gita

1 . Pray for Right Knowledge

Always remember that al l grief is

just because of some wrong

understanding, and is never given by

God or destiny etc. So whenever you

come to any crossroads, just approach

a wise man and request for the right

knowledge.

- 1 7 -

Story

Section

Stories from Shiv Puran(Why Lord Shiva smears his body with ashes. )

Onceupo

n

a time. . .

There used to be a brahmana who was descended from the great sage

Bhrigu. This brahmana began a very difficult tapasya. The tremendous heat of

the summer made no difference to him. Nor was he disturbed by the downpour

of the monsoon. He was only interested in meditating. When he felt hungry, he

used to ask the bears, the deer, the l ions and the jackals to fetch him some

fruits. The wild beasts had lost al l fear of him, they served him instead. Later on,

the brahmana gave up eating fruits also. He ate only green leaves. And because

leaves are called parna, the brahmana came to be known as Parnada. He

performed tapasya for many years.

One day, Parnada was cutting some grass and his scythe sl ipped and

sliced off his middle finger. Parnada was amazed to find that no blood issued

from the severed joint. Instead, a sap like that which issues from plants came

out. Parnada's vanity knew no bounds. He realized that his was due to the fact

that he had been living on green leaves for such long time. Parnada began to

jump with delight.

Shiva decided that Parnada needed to be taught a lesson. He disguised

himself as a brahmana and arrived before Parnada.

Why are you so happy? asked Shiva. Can't you see? replied Parnada.

My tapasya has been so successful that my blood has become like the sap of

plants.

This sort of vantiy destroys the fruits of al l tapasya, said Shiva. What

have you got to be so proud about? Your blood has only turned into the sap of

plants. What happens when you burn plants? They become ashes. I myself

have performed so much tapasya that my blood has becomes ashes.

Shiva sl iced off his middle finger and ashes came out of it. Parnada was

impressed. He realized that there was nothing that he could be proud about;

here was a far greater hermit than he. He asked Shiva who he was and Shiva

then displayed his true form to Parnada.

Ever since that day, there have always been ashes on Shiva's body.

Vedanta Sandesh- 1 9 -

- 1 9 -

Hjub Hzbob Zbhob- Mvdlopx;A Gita Gyana Yagna was organized by Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji at

Hanuman Setu Sabha Gruh in Lucknow. The discourse series was from 1 3th to 1 8th

Apri l , in which Poojya Swaminij i gave discourses on Gita Chapter-2, and

Kathopanishad 1 -2. Hanuman Setu is a highly respected place at Lucknow, and apart

from its very famous Hanuman Mandir, a Vaidic Gurukula is run there, they have

regular Yoga classes, weekly Bhajans by well-known artists, and of course regular

discourses by various learned Mahatmas too.

Tsj Sbn Obwbnj- Joepsf:On 1 9th APril was Sri Ram Navami, the day of the manifestation of Bhagwan

Sri Ram. At Ashram we prepared a special altar of Bhagwan Sri Ram inside the

temple, and then chanted stotras and Purusha Sooktam. At dot 1 2 in the noon we

chanted the birth section from Sri Ramcharitmanasa fol lowed by Aarti .

On the day there was laying down of the new roof on the second floor. Earl ier

there was tin shed here, which is now being made into a RCC roof. Some other

renovations are also in the offing, l ike fabricating a parikrama around the giant Shiv-

Linga on the roof, and studding the Shiv-Linga with special decorative stones instead

of paint, which normally starts getting cracked.

Wjtjupst bu Btisbn:

Vedanta Ashram had number of visitors this month. First were Sh Mohan & Smt

Chandra Lala, then we had Neena Bhatnagar and her old time American friend Prof

Susan Hague. Susan is a Fullbright scholar from Lousiana US, and is currently on

deputation to Goa Institute of Management. Her common interests with her friend

brought her here, and she went back with loving memories & subtle messages - as

per her comments in our Guest Book. Then Satish Prabhu & fam. came from Mumbai.

Tbozbt Effltib pg Txbnjoj Tbnbuboboebkj;On 30th Apri l is the Sanyas Deeksha Day of Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji .

Early morning she got up in Brahma Muhurat and did Rudrabhisheka of Bhagwan Sri

Gangeshwar Mahadev, and later offered her respects to her teachers.

- 21 -Vedanta Sandesh

- 21 -

Checkoutthedetaile

dPhoto

Albumsofthevariousfunctionson

VM

NewsBlogat:http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/

Checkoutthedetaile

dPhoto

Albumsofthevariousfunctionson

VM

NewsBlogat:http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/

Vedanta Sandesh

Vedanta Mission started a new program

in Sept 201 2, and that was of a Weekly

Online Satsang.

At present Poojya Guruji Sri Swami

Atmanandaji is explaining a small text cal led

‘Sadhana Panchakam ’ . This series is in

Hindi. One Video of the discourse is released

every Sunday at 1 0 AM. This is about an

hour long, and this is fol lowed by half an hour

session of ‘l ive’’ Question & Answers on

Google Hangout on the Google Plus Page of

Vedanta Mission.

The link of the discourse is available on

the Google Plus Page of VM, VM News Blog

or on VM Website. .

Weekly Online Satsang

- 23 -

Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai:

A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji wil l be

conducted at Vivekananda Auditorium in Ramkrishna Math, Mumbai 1 3th to 1 9th May 201 3.

Poojya Guruji wil l conduct discourses on Gita Chapter-8 and Mundakopanishad 1 -1 in the

evening and morning sessions respectively.

Sankaracharya Jayanti, Indore:

On 1 5th May is the Jayanti of Bhagwan Sri Adi Sankaracharya. This day is

celebrated with great respect & devotion at the Vedanta Ashram. Not only we have a statue

of the great Acharya in our Satsang Hall , but have also instal led a statue of the great master

at Sankaracharya dwar. Pujas wil l be performed at both the places.

Vedanta Camp, Rishikesh:

A six days Vedanta Camp by Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji wil l be conducted at

Arsha Vidya Gurukula, Rishikesh from 24th to 29th June. The delegates wil l have to reach

there by 23rd evening and can get their return reservations done for 30th June.

Forthcoming

- 23 -- 23 -

Guru Poornima, Indore:

This year Guru Poornima is on the 22nd of July. As every year special programs wil l

be organized on that day. Respects wil l be paid to the entire Guru Parampara by Poojya

Guruji , and Poojan of Bhagwan Sri Sankaracharya wil l be done. Thereafter devotees wil l

offer their respects to Poojya Guruji . Bhandara wil l be organized for al l .

Visit

International Vedanta Mission at:

http: //www.vmission.org. in/

Vedanta Mission News Blog:

http: //vmissionews.blogspot.com/

VM Online Satsang Page:

http: //www.vmission.org. in/mission/ols/

Om Tat Sat