vedanta sandesh - may 2013
DESCRIPTION
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
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.
- 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 -
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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