yuva bharati voice of youth october 2007 issue

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PRAKASHAN

Founder EditorM ananeeya Eknathji Ranade

EditorM ananeeya P. Parameswaran

Editorial Office5, Singarachari StreetTriplicane,Chennai - 600 005Ph: (044) 28440042Email:[email protected] eb:www.vkendra.org

October 2007Vol. 35 No.3

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CONTENTS

Editorial 4- PPPPP.P.P.P.P.Parameswaranarameswaranarameswaranarameswaranarameswaran

Education for Man-making

- M.R.Lalu- M.R.Lalu- M.R.Lalu- M.R.Lalu- M.R.Lalu 12

Gender Equality and Hindu Dharma- Aravindan NeelakandanAravindan NeelakandanAravindan NeelakandanAravindan NeelakandanAravindan Neelakandan 16

Mother Meenakshi’s Message- DrDrDrDrDr.K.K.K.K.K.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam 25

Proof of Values- Satish ChowkulkarSatish ChowkulkarSatish ChowkulkarSatish ChowkulkarSatish Chowkulkar 31

Stories for Introspection 36

Vivekananda Kendra Samachar 39

- DrDrDrDrDr.K.K.K.K.K.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam.Subrahmanyam

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3 YUVA BHARATI - October 2007

Editorial

4YUVA BHARATI - October 2007

Awakening the Shakti

This year, the month of October bringsthe surcharge atmosphere of worship ofShakti. She is invoked and awakened inmany idols installed in the homes as wellas in pandals raised on the various streetsin the villages and cities. The wholeatmosphere is surcharged by the presenceof the Mother of the Universe. Many lookforward to this event to feel and enjoy Herpresence. But is she present only these ninedays? Actually she is taking care of us,nurturing us through various rivers,mother-earth, mothers, grandmothers andmany seen and unseen hands of sentientand insentient beings. She is everywhere.

Someone had said that as God could notbe everywhere He created mothers. SriRamakrishna had said only the one who has

realized god would understand what awoman is. A woman is Shakti-incarnate. Itis she who can mar or mould the universe.Any power has this dual nature – it couldbe constructive or destructive. SwamiVivekananda told she is Vidyaroopini aswell as Avidyaroopini. She has the power,the capacity to mould the futuregeneration or even to destroy it. Thus, whenwe say we celebrate Shakti pooja duringNavaratri we should be actuallycommitting ourselves to establish thepower of woman - the expression ofMother of Universe that is the expressionof Divinity, the Vidyaroopini aspect ofMother.

Women have a special role to playbecause the women are endowed with suchqualities which when used properly canmanifest the divinity in themselves, in theirprogeny and even in the collectives like

Na mantram no yantram tadapi na cha jaane stutimahoNa chaahvaanam dhyaanam tadapi cha na jaane stutikathaahaNa jaane mudraaste tadapi cha na jaane vilapanamParam jaane maatastvadanu saranam klesaharanam.

O! Mother! Neither do I know the sacred syllables nor the mystic diagrams. And alasI do not know (your) adoration. Neither I know the invocation nor even contemplation.I also do not know the laudable anecdotes. I do not know the postures (made with thehands). And I do not know the lamentation. I know only this much that pursuing youremoves the afflictions.

- Devyaparaadhakshamaapanastotram.


family, society around them. This universecame into existence by One desiring to bemany. And evolution of man, his spiritualawakening starts with the process of seeingmany as One. Women who are the form ofJagatjanani are endowed with thisfunction. For that they are given specialqualities. In Bhagavad Gita in the chapterX, Sri Krishna explains ‘where all, thedivinity is expressed in each category ofthe creation’. He says for example that,‘Divinity is expressed in Ganga amongstrivers, in Garud in the birds, in Himalayasin mountains, in King among the men, inSri Rama among the wielders of weaponetc.’

But with respect to women veryinterestingly it is said in Shloka No. 34, thatGod is present more prominently as sevendivine qualities in women. God means theinner self or the ONE that has becomemany. So it means that woman can expressor manifest best her inner Self throughthese qualities or these are the qualitiesthrough which she interconnects the manyinto One. These seven qualities are Keerti,Sri, Vak, Smriti, Medha, Dhriti and Kshama.Women by nature have these qualities inthem. They do not have to acquire it, theyhave to only manifest it. The festival ofNavaratri for awakening of Mother is alsofor cherishing and nourishing thesequalities in woman who is an expressionof the Mother of Universe. The advent ofSri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekanandawas mainly to establish the Vidyaroopini(constructive, creative and elevating)power of women in the society. What isthe meaning of these seven Shaktis?

Keerti is that quality which inspiresothers to follow the person who has Keerti.Woman as a mother has that influence onher children, which makes children followmother, to be like her. This quality of awoman is essential for having a moreevolved society. If her life is more evolvedthe progeny also gets moulded accordingly.But not just to the children whom she hadgiven birth, woman by right manifestationof this quality in her inspires many in herlife too to become like her.

Sri means wealth coupled withcontentment. A woman is the driving forcefor a man to earn money. If she has Srimanifested in her then she will not bedriving the man to earn money by wrongmeans which leads to corruption in thesociety. If there is higher aim in life thenthe money does not become the consumingpassion. Only when women do not havemotivation and an opportunity to work forhigher ideals, they fall into unduecompetition of acquisition, which leads toearning money by wrong means. Theunjustified desire for money leads tobreaking of family. Sri is that capacity inwomen which makes them radiatehappiness and contentment. In manyhouses it is seen that the money isoverflowing but Sri is missing, whereas insome houses even in moderate economicalsituation the happiness and contentmentis obvious. It is the Sri quality which isrequired if the society is not to fall in therat race of consumerism. Sri in women canfight the Asura of consumerism.

Vak is the capacity to win over others


through the right speech. Woman can keepher husband and whole family on the pathof Dharma if she realizes the full potentialof this innate quality in her. Savitriconquered even God of Death through herpower of Vak. Women with their power ofVak can stop the decay in the family andthe society.

Smriti is a capacity to remember andretain the minutest details. The womenhave it abundantly. This quality if properlyutilized enables woman to run the familyin perfection in minutest details and alsoto pass on our cultural knowledge to ourchildren through many stories and songsof great seers and saints. Many of us havelearnt many Shlokas by heart only becauseour mothers used to chant it regularly.

Medha is a capacity to understandanything in its fullness, as a whole. Menhave the analytical intelligence but womenhave Medha--the holistic, integral thinking.They understand the needs of a child orfamily members more intuitively. That iswhy, generally women are preferred to benurses in the hospitals or teachers in thePrimary Schools. Before a child evenunderstands its need or a patient evenutters his/her requirements, her motherlyheart knows it. By more motherly approachtowards the ills in the society, woman canwork for correction of the systems as wellas for further evolution of mankind. Forthe last few centuries the reductionist,individualistic approach has dominated themankind leading to disintegration ofcommunities, families and even humanbeings. Therefore, today, the talk of

holistic, integral approach, the need ofYoga etc. is seen. If women play the activerole in the regeneration of family andsociety, they can bring back by theirmedhashakti, the balance.

Dhriti is the forbearance that allows aperson to hold on and not to quit the dutyin the face of any difficulty. This quality isvery essential in building durablerelationships and working for a stable andevolving society. Mother has this qualityin abundance. That is how she keeps thefamily intact. In competing with man,woman is fast losing this quality in the Westand even in our cities, so the divorce ratesare increasing and families are breaking.The worship of Mother in Navaratri is alsoto stress the significance and necessity ofwomen in the society. If all women behavelike men, society cannot stay together.Woman-mother is irreplaceable.

Kshama is forgiveness. It is a very greatspiritual quality. Mother needs this qualityand so only woman is born with thisquality, which is needed in tending andprotecting the family ties. Paramatman, theinterconnecting and unifying substratumof this universe, itself became thesequalities in women because these are themost essential ones to keep the family,society and the nation together. It is notthat men do not have these qualities. But,compared to women, men have to striveto acquire these qualities whereas forwomen these are innate.

The festival of Navaratri is to cherishMother, awaken Her through these seven


Shaktis in the hearts of all of us and moreso in women so that they nourish thesociety with these qualities. The Mother isalso called as Durga who destroys all thatis Asuric. The nourishing and nurturing ofsociety also includes resolutely destroyingand removing all that which disturbs ordisintegrates the society. It is also a festivalto see Mother in all women and to respectthem. When we can see Her in the idolsand adore Her, can’t we see her in the livingforms? It is the respect that is given to

women which would make them to bringout the best in them to nourish the creation– Parasparam Bhavayantah ShreyahParama Vapsyatha: by respecting eachother attain the highest! Let Mother beawakened in all of us! Let Shakti beawakened in all of us to mould the societyon the right path so that our motherlandcan guide the world in spirituality!

Nivedita Raghunath Bhide

The most precious period of a man’s lifeis youth. This is a formative period in ahuman being’s life. The molding of one’snature and the development of characterand personality take place in this period.In childhood one is consciously orunconsciously influenced by his or hersurroundings. It can be either positive ornegative. But all those situations willdefinitely imprint a lot of memories in thechild’s mind and make him to recollectthem when the situations demand. Thegrowing child acquires and cultivates allsorts of habits and conduct throughimitation of persons surrounding him. Thatis why wise people say, that parents andteachers should take a key-role in thesociety in molding a child throughbecoming a role model in front of them.

In India, life has always been consideredas an endeavor for higher attainment. Ourancestors had been repeatedly teaching thesame, presenting all necessary examples.Life is not only making money or enjoyingthe luxuries but a task, which directs ourwill, and wish to a higher level. The Indianconcept of l ife’s purpose is theachievement of an all-round perfection ofbody, mind and intellect. It always directedour people to lead a courageous andDharmik life. Swami Vivekananda says,

“Education is the manifestation ofperfection already in man.” Our ancestorshad this aim in their mind. They wererepeatedly doing the same by bringing outthe potentialities of the child, taking himto the nature and its divine mysteries. Theancient Gurukula system was developedonly to make the child a part of the natureand teach him how he can be harmoniouswith the nature.

Does the current system of educationrecognize this most important factor? Towhat extent does the average student ofour present–day colleges receive thisinspiration and living impulse towardsethical education? Does the curriculum oftoday’s educational institutions providesuch valuable things to their students? Itis true that there is nothing as such toprovide certain life giving ideas to thestudents of the modern universities orschools. Those who design the presentcurricula will surely admit their failures inproviding these man-making ideals. Thesociety without ethical values cannotsurvive for a long period. The life of thestudent should be founded upon certainethical values. The present socio-politicalsituation of many countries shows us thelack of this ethical base. The education inschools and colleges should definitely have

EDUCATION FOR MAN-MAKINGEDUCATION FOR MAN-MAKINGEDUCATION FOR MAN-MAKINGEDUCATION FOR MAN-MAKINGEDUCATION FOR MAN-MAKING

M.R.LALU


this moral base. This is the primerequirement of the society for its verysurvival.

In his book ‘Religious Education’,Swami Sivananda writes, “In the Universityof today the real need of the student isneglected. He is denied the “bread” of lifeand gets the “store” of dry booklore thatis worthless to him, except to get a degreeor diploma and earn a livelihood. Thestudent is not merely a brain to be stuffedwith a plethora of facts, figures andstatistical information. He is an integralpersonality with the capacity to think, feel,know, choose and act. The heart, head andhands have to be synthetically andharmoniously developed.” The harmoniousdevelopment of these three things amongstudents will create an ingenious societyand the nation. The education system,which cannot lift up the mind of thestudents, should be reviewed and ethicallystrengthened. The Man-making education

will contribute its core to the child’sphysical, intellectual, emotional andspiritual development.

The education should nourish thenatural talents and capacities of thestudents. That should also create a patrioticfeeling in the mind of the child. It shouldnot be a system, which blames ourancestors and ridicule their efforts to builda model society. It should again not tarnishthe image of our great forefathers whodribbled their blood to secure freedomfrom foreign hands. For this, just to cutthe branches will not do but remove thosediseased roots from the stem. We have tocollectively try for a positive change in thesystem. As a first step, students must striveto develop, a selective discrimination todiscern what is true, pure, noble, worthy,abiding and great, and detect that whichis unworthy impure and ignoble. Parentsand teachers have to help them to bringthis positive change.


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Today the issue of feminism has gaineda lot of importance. Feminist perspectiveis emphasized in literature, politics andeven science. The colonial European valuesimposed upon the entire planet as the onlyuniversal values of civilization, are todayquestioned by even the savants of the Westleave alone the satirically caustic commentattributed to Mahatma Gandhi about theWestern civilization being a good idea.Today an ever increasing body of scientists,philosophers and system-builders areviewing the Western values that dominateour society and polity as being high on themasculine and the result has been that themuch neglected feminine dimension ofexistence has started revolting.

As the dominant religious structure ofthe Western civil ization has beensystematically destroying the Feminine thatthe rebellious Feminine spirit finds nostrong spiritual basis and the result is thatthe rebellious Feminine ends up aping theMasculine which is in a way deeper self-defeat for the Feminine. The fall out has

GENDER EQUALITY AND HINDU DHARMAGENDER EQUALITY AND HINDU DHARMAGENDER EQUALITY AND HINDU DHARMAGENDER EQUALITY AND HINDU DHARMAGENDER EQUALITY AND HINDU DHARMA

been disastrous that the class that apes theWest in India too has taken up this self-defeating feminine line in Indian contextwhich is resulting in confusion and chaosleading to a wasteland.

Not that Indian womanhood is notwithout problems. Colonialimpoverishment of Indian society, inherentnature of man to dominate woman, alieninvasions – all these have resulted in thedethroning of women in Indian societyfrom the place she deserves in a justhumanity. Vedic women seers to the valiantwomen who fought against the British,Indian women have a long heritage to lookupon with pride and draw inspiration toovercome their current problems.

Perhaps Indian womanhood can rightlybe proud that India alone is the land wherewomen seers revealed eternal truths tohumanity. As against this Abrahamicreligions from their formative stages tothis day have not produced a single femaleprophet.

S.No. Rshikaa Universal Eternal Truth discovered andexpressed in the Rig Vedic Hymn

1. Aditi 4.182. Aditirdaakshaayanee 10.723. Apaalaa Aatreyee 8.91

Aravindan Neelakandan


4. Indraanee 10.865. OOrvashee 10.866. Godhaa 10.1347. Goshaa Kaaksheevatee 10.39, 10.408. Juhoorbramhajaayaa 10.1099. Tvashta Garbhakartaa 10.18410. Daksheena Praajaapatyaa 10.10711. Yamee 10.15412. Yamee Vaivasvatee 10.1013. Raatreerbhaaradvaajee 10.12714. Lopaamudraa 1.17115. Vasukrapatnee 10.2816. Vagaambhrinee 10.12517. Vishvavaaraa Aatreyi 5.2818. Sashvatyaangeerasee 8.119. Shradhdaa Kaamaayaani 10.15120. Shachee Paulomi 10.15921. Sarparaajnee 10.18922. Sikataa Nivaavari 9.8623. Soorya Savitree 10.8524. Romashaa 1.12625. Saramaa Devashunee 10.10826. Shikhandinyava

Psarasau Kaashyapan 9.10427. Jaritaa Sharnagah 10.14228. Sudeeteerangirasah 8.71

[Source: ‘Women and Rishikas’- SAKSI – Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastri Institute of Vedic

Culture: http://www.vedah.com/org2/literature/essence/women_&_rishikas.html]

Yet the greatness and independenceenjoyed by Vedic women graduallyunderwent a degradation that was due toboth external and internal factors.Buddhism formulated that idea thatliberation or enlightenment cannot be hadin the body of the female. Even thoughwomen were admitted in the Sangha of

Gautama, they were strictly secondary tothe male monks who were the heads of theinstitution. Whosever compiled the ManuSmrithi, took forward the Buddhist idea.So despite there are eulogizing passagesto womanhood, on the whole Manu Smrithiwas not favourably biased towards women.Nevertheless it should be remembered that


Manu Smrithi is only a Smrithi or a lawbook and not a revealed or experiencedTruth as in the case of the Vedas or theUpanishads. The epics also portray womenas strongly and fiercely independent andintelligent. That the Divine permeating theExistence can be worshipped in Feminineform is a great revolutionary discovery thatIndian Rishis made and Indian culture hasnurtured the environment in which theFeminine worship of the Divine evolved inits full splendour, colour and variety.

With the arrival of Islam the Indianwomen lost their independence and socialstagnation began in an accelerated speed.Abduction of women during the war andeven during peaceful times in order tohumiliate Hindus and convert them becamea usual happening. Purdah system wasintroduced. Hindu women startedpractising mass self-immolation in fire toavoid a fate worse than death. Apart fromthis in male dominated Bhakti cults,woman herself was considered as anobstacle to the realization of Godhood. Ofcourse there have been notable exceptionslike Meera. Again wherever they were freefrom Islamic dominance Hindu womenchose their husbands even acrosscommunity barriers and wielded a stronghand in administration and fought againstalien invaders.

Rani Durgavati (1524-1564) is anexcellent example how Hindu women livedin areas uncontaminated by alien views ofinferiority of women. Born in the familyof Chandal dynasty who were known fortheir bravery as well as artistic

accomplishments like the building of thetemples of Khajuraho, she chose as herhusband Dalpatshah, the eldest son of theking Sangramshah of Gond tribalcommunity. Her husband died accidentallyand she did not commit Sati. Rather shebecame an able administrator and soon theprosperity of her kingdom attractedIslamic invasion. She fought bravely in thebattle-field and became a martyr for theMotherland on June 26, 1564 at the age offorty.

Examples abound that speak of thevalour of Indian women. Rani Chennama(1778 – 1829) is another example. Guidedby the Savira Samsthan Math Swami ofVeera Saiva tradition, she fought againstthe British and inflicted a heavy defeat onthem in the first battle of Kittur. Foughtduring the Navrathri period in the monthof October 1824, the battle saw theconquest of the enemies by the queen. Shearrested the British officers and yet she notonly did not execute them but evenreturned them to the British because of thetraditional Indian magnanimity. Howeverthe treacherous enemy again attacked withreinforcements and on 5th December 1824the Kittur Fort fell to the British. Shelanguished almost five years in jail andbecame a martyr for Mother India on the2 February 1829.

Yet the slavery of women was alsobecoming a social reality in India. So duringthe advent of Swami Vivekananda, we seewomen being a marginalized section in thesociety, exploited, abused and despised.The Hindu response to this degradation


effected by the forces of history isphenomenal. It is not just an accident thatevery savant of the Hindu renaissance wesee in the history of modern India hasspoken so powerfully for the cause ofwomen. Swami Vivekananda spoke for thewomen, her emancipation andempowerment. His clarion call to thewomen of India was taken forward bySister Nivedita.

Sister Nivedita took up the cause ofwomen education, and in the face ofopposition of the stagnant society that hasforgotten its core values, she fought thebattle of righteousness (Dharma Yuddha)for the right of education to the girl child.Her love for creating an institution ofscience was taken up by Jagadish ChandraBose. Alas! When the dream realized intothe wonderful structure of Bose Instituteof Science in 1917, Sister Nivedita hasalready passed into immortality. Yet hermemory became so sacred to the greatpioneering scientist of India that heimmortalized the ideal Indian womanhoodin the Bose Institute of science. Enshrinedin the impersonal bas-relief in bronzeplaced above the lotus-pool at the entranceto the Institute is a woman carrying light.Bose writes: “Entering the Institute thevisitor finds to his left the lotus fountainwith a bas-relief of a woman carrying Lightto the Temple. Without her no light can bekindled in the sanctuary. She is the truelight-bearer and no plaything of man.”

Holy Mother Sarada Devi who showeredgrace and love on saint and sinner alikealso became and continues to inspire the

Indic movement for women empowerment.Swami Vivekananda regarded Sri SaradaDevi as the ideal for women in the modernage. It is not definitely a coincidence thatDr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first womanmedical doctor of India, who fought forthe uplift of women and who fought forthe ending of the abuse of women throughcertain distorted customs – should also bea devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and HolyMother Sarada Devi.

India is one country that continues toproduce women mystics for ages andmillennia. Mystics l ike MataAmritanandamayi share dais with womanscientists like Jane Goodall and voice theirconcern against the exploitation of womenand nature. The voice of motherhood isslowly but surely raising again. It is not anaccident that some of the importantparadigm shifts in science have beenpioneered by women scientists. RachelCarson brought to the awareness of globalcommunity the danger of bio-magnificationof pesticides. Nobel Laureate BarbaraMcClintock put an end to geneticdeterminism. Lynn Margulis – themicrobiologist postulated the Gaiahypothesis which makes the pale blue dotin which live as more a living organism initself than just an inorganic space ship lostin the cosmic wilderness. Jane Goodallchanged the arrogant perception that selfawareness and tool making are uniquelyhuman when she discovered them inChimpanzees of Africa. Each one of thesediscoveries that have changed the way welook at ourselves and the Universe in amore holistic way – has come from women


scientists. This speaks of how harmonizeddevelopment of male and femalecomponents of humanity can make thethird planet from the Sun a better place.What about women and science in India?

“India’s position (and that of otherdeveloping countries viz. Brazil, Turkey,etc.) with respect to women’s participationin science careers is better than those ofmore developed countries like Japan,Germany, United States and UnitedKingdom...It is also found that the nuclearfamily which is the common characteristicsof developed countries put strain on thewoman scientist who lack supportstructure in the domestic sphere. Incomparison the traditional extendedfamily, sti l l a common practice indeveloping countries provides significantsupport for women scientists.” This is by aJNU scholar Ms.Arpita Subhash. (Theobservation made has the followingJournal reference: Etzkowitz and

Kemelgor, ‘Gender Inequality in Science:A Universal Condition?’ Minerva, Vol.39No.2).

Again the woman who walked for thelongest duration in space is a woman whocarries with her Bhagavad Gita and LordVinayaka, is a telling comment on howIndia is one nation where its millennia richheritage can be an empowering strengthto liberate women rather than a burden tosuppress her. It is up to the intellectualsamong the women to understand thisreality of the blessing of Hindu culture tothe empowerment and liberation of womenand hence the whole humanity. We havethe civilizational strength and spiritualheritage to evolve a holistic vision for theFeminine movement not only for India, notonly for the developing country but for thewhole humanity – a vision of the Femininewhich is not conflict-oriented butharmony-oriented. It is not just an optionbefore Indian women but also a mandatoryduty.

Let New India arise—out of the peasants’ cottage, grasping theplough; out of the huts of the fisherman, the cobbler, and the sweeper.

-Swami Vivekananda


Madurai is the temple city of GoddessMeenakshi. The city is known for round-the-clock wakefulness and service. Perhaps it isthe only city, in which, even at 12 o’clock inthe mid-night one can get hot hot idli. People,too, are very loving and courteous. In spiteof the fast spreading selfishness anddeceitfulness, one can find the citizens of thisgreat city to be still kind and trustworthy.Here and there, now and then there may bea few exceptions. Goddess Meenakshi is allmerciful, protecting all the children by herbenign looks. She feeds all by her veryglances. She keeps Herself wakeful andexhorts all, by example, to be ever alert. Upand active, She is a model mother ofbenevolent briskness. On account of Herbeautiful eyes of compassion and care,alertness and affection, dynamism anddetachment, She is called Meenakshi. Shelooks after all; takes care of all.

‘Meena’ is fish; ‘Akshi’ is eye. Meenakshiis the one of fish like eyes. The shape ofGoddess Meenakshi’s eye is like that of fish,very charming, inviting, bracing and benign.The beauty of a person is chiefly due to theeyes. Meenakshi is beautiful because of Herloving looks of ever expanding service andaffectionate kindness. She is Meenakshibecause of six major factors: 1. Fish like

eyes, 2. Ever wakeful eyes like those of a fish,3. Endearing looks of love like those of amother fish, 4. Purifying benedictions like awater purifier fish, 5. Progressive ways andviews like a fish swimming daringly againstthe current, 6. Life amidst all; maintainingspiritual sublimity without being affected byany, like a mud fish of sparkling whitenessor sea fish without being salty.

Dr.K.Subrahmanyam

Mother Meenakshi’s MessageMother Meenakshi’s MessageMother Meenakshi’s MessageMother Meenakshi’s MessageMother Meenakshi’s Message


1. Fish-like eyes are of fine shape, brightand brilliant befriending all benignand benevolent, endearing all. Largeand powerful eyes attract theattention of all. Goddess Meenakshiis of striking beauty on account ofHer enchanting and ennobling eyes.She is so concerned about Herchildren’s safety that She keeps everawake with Her eyes always wideopen ready to rush to their rescue.Also, she takes care of Her devoteesand looks after her votaries by Heraffectionate gaze.

2. Fish do not have lids to close theireyes. Mother Meenakshi never sleepsto close Her protective glances. Nordoes she find fault with anyone. AGoddess of positive outlook, she seesonly the merits and never the defectsin any person. Sun God gives lightimpartially and equally to all. Divinegrace is full and unrestrained. It issweet and spontaneous showering onall fully and ceaselessly. GoddessMeenakshi as a loving mother isshowering Her grace on all, always.

3. Fish, tortoise and hen have theirunique ways of protecting their eggsand bringing out their tiny offspringfrom their eggs. Fish lays eggs andprotects them by simply gazing atthem. Also, by just looking at themit enables the small ones to come outof their shells. Tortoise lays the eggsand protects by just thinking of themalways. Also, by its loving andconcentrated thought, it facilitatesthe offspring to break the shell andemerge well from the bondage. Hen,

however, lays the eggs and protectsthem by spreading her wings overthem. Also, she lives in close contactwith them, brooding over them toopen the shells for the chicks to comeout. Fish only sees. Tortoise onlymeditates and hen physicallycontacts to bring out and bring uptheir offspring. The way of the fishis Nayana Deeksha, wherein God, bymere glances takes care of thecreation. The way of the tortoise isSamarana Deeksha in which Godlooks after all by just thinking ofthem always. The way of the hen isSparsa Deeksha wherein Godprotects all by physical contactthrough the five elements of Nature:space, air, fire, water and earth.Teachers or great masters alsobelong to one or all the three of thesetypes. Mother’s manifestation forNayana Deeksha or protection by thegazing glance of love is seen inGoddess Meenakshi. Gayathri Mathais for Samarna Deeksha orMagnanimous meditation for mightyprogress and prosperity. For SparsaDeeksha or grace by contact ortouch, we find in each village a localgoddess Ellayamma or theprotectress at the border. We go toMeenakshi more to be seen by Herthan to see Her. We recite GayathriManthra more to be thought over byHer than to meditate on Her. Weworship the local Goddess more tobe touched by Her in theperformance of rituals such asAbhisheka etc. Lord Shiva as Linga


Roopa is for grace by touch orsparsa; He is as Dakshina Moorti forprotection by Samarana, throughtand meditation; and is Nataraja forbenedictions by nayana or sight andgaze. By any one of the means, oneis looked after by the mother like godor goddess. Madurai Meenakshi isknown for her protecting glances ofgrace.

4. Purifier: In several temples of India,we find a tank wherein there areplenty of fish. Near the tank, therewill be a shop selling puffed rice.Devotees buy that food and give itto the fish. The training impartedthereby is service to the subhumansuch as fish. Besides, there is a lessonto be learnt from them. The fish inthe pond ceaselessly engagethemselves in the purification ofwater. Very often, they eat what isnot wanted by people and what isharmful to human beings. Natureperhaps is the first and best purifieror cleansing scavenger. Lord Shivahas taken poison to protect creation.Unwanted and harmful fumes andgarbage of poison are taken in byNature and thereby mankind isprotected. God or Goddess is butNature Protecting all. Meenakshi themother of mothers cleanses us all ofour sins and saves us from the firesof hell and extinction. We are,therefore, not only to show ourgrateful reverence to Her, but learna positive lesson from her that weshould also be useful to the societyby drawing less from it and giving

more to it. Let us not ask what thesociety, family or country has doneto us. Let us ask what we have doneto them.

5. Swim against the current: GoddessMeenakshi with her fish like eyesexhorts us to face challenges. At onestage we have not only to stand onour feet but fight against adversesituations or circumstances. Onecannot remain to be a child foreverseeking support and shelter fromsomebody. Not only should we beself-confident, but self-reliant aswell. We may have to encounterimpediments. We have to overcomethem all. We have, therefore, to learnto swim against the current. WhenGoddess Parvathi was unable to winthe hand of Siva in the initial stagesof Her pursuits, She was notdiscouraged. She had onlyintensified Her tapasya or austerity.She, at the southern most tip of thisgreat hand, stood on a single footand observed severe penances eatingbut a lone leaf or mere air. Siva hadto yield and go all the way fromMount Kailas of the North to thecape in the South to wed her.Failures do not and should notimpede our pursuit and progress.They only ensure our success.Mother Meenakshi exhorts all to beup and wakeful, be ever ready to faceany challenge. Not only should onebe alert but be daring to resist andovercome any and everyimpediment. Fish takes delight inswimming against the current. So


also, should the devotees of MotherMeenakshi find pleasure inencountering all impediments andturning disadvantages intoadvantages. Obstacles if any, are allto be changed into opportunities.Positive out look and constructivework are essential for a devotee tobe dynamic.

6. Be detached while being dynamicand brisk: Fish can thrive in the sea,lakes, rivers, ponds and also in mud.Despite their habitat they keepthemselves clean and bright. In spiteof the mud all around, mud fish isfree from dirt or stink. So also is thesea fish never salty. It maintains itspurity and detachment. MotherMeenakshi asks us to be like live fishin being detached. As the lotus liesin the water without becoming wet,nor allowing the drops of water tostick to it, one has to live in thisworld. One may be in the world, butnot of the world. Boats float onwater. If water enters into them, theyonly sink. While discharging all theduties in the family, society and the

world at large, one should developthe ability to be ever pure, free andserene without being caught in theworldly entanglements. One must bein a position to enjoy the sublimeheights of spiritual bliss while beingengaged in the worldly chores.Mother Meenakshi is able to managethe entire cosmic administration byher very looks. She feeds all, all overthe universe, by Her very glances ofgrace. She is never agitated overanything; nor is she ever tossed aboutamidst the pairs of oppositeshappening around her all the time.She remains a spectator to the endlesssport in the cosmos. Similarly shouldone learn to be a witness to theinfinite activity all around. Admistindividual and global activity one hasto maintain serene silence,spectatorship and sublimity always.

Mother Meenakshi, by Her beautiful eyesresembling fish inspires us with profoundpractical philosophy to be peaceful anduseful always to all! May we rise to greatheights both in secular and spiritual fieldswith ever shining success by MotherMeenakshi’s grace!

Vivekananda Kendra – NARDEP has been selected for the Bhoomijal SamvardhanPuraskar Award – 2007 (Southern Zone) for innovative practices of groundwateraugmentation through rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge. The NARDEP hasdone the pioneering work in renovation of old tanks, the Ooranis in 6 villages ofRamanathapuram district. This resulted in recharge of 240 hand-pumps in the area.

The Award consisted of a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a plaque. The President of India,Smt. Pratibha Patil, presented the Award to Sri G.Vasudeo, Secretary, NARDEP,Kanyakumari, on 11th September at New Delhi.


“A nation which forgets its past has nofuture”. I heard Swami Swarupanandatelling with all the seriousness to a groupof students and youth assembled tocelebrate Sri Ganesh festival.

“But our history is full of our debaclesand defeats. How are we going to beinspired by these incidents and shape ourfuture?” asked a student “you are right”said Shiva Swarupananda and continued,“If we look at the incidents of the past 10to 15 centuries, one is bound to getdepressed. This is what exactly Britisherswanted. In the history taught in ouracademic education focus of study is onlyon the debacles and defeats to exhort theIndians that we are an inferior anddefeating race. Even the defeats anddebacles, if we analyse properly will reachus, where and how we went wrong. Howour victors were able to defeat us despiteof our strength and bravery. But, the so-called history is not studied in that way”.

“But, then how far you have to go backin time?”, he asked.

“Do you mean, we have historicalrecords before the advent of Britishers andMughal chroniclers?” asked anotherstudent.

Shiva Swarupananda smiled and said,“we have the most ancient recorders of thehistory of our culture and nation. Keepingin tune with our tradition like Vedas andUpanishads, our history was not preservedin chronicles and libraries. Our historicaldetails are not pertaining to personalitiesand their deeds and misdeeds alone. Ourhistory records the events, focusing onvalues and culture and give positive visionto the posterity. Therefore it is regardedas sacred as scriptures. People whorecorded the history in our parlance, wecall it Itihasa, were most revered. As they

Satish Chowkulkar

PROOF OF VALUESPROOF OF VALUESPROOF OF VALUESPROOF OF VALUESPROOF OF VALUES


had no hidden agenda, unlike British andMughal historians, their word is taken as‘proof’ i.e., Pramana. The Ramayana andthe Mahabharata—the works of Valmiki andVyasa are one of the oldest historicalrecords. Maharishi Valmiki and MaharishiVyasa are our historians. They wereeyewitness to the incidents in Ramayanaand Mahabharata in Time and Space.” ShivaSwarupananda paused to asses theresponse.

“But, how we are assured of itsauthenticity? There are no evidences, nota single archaeological remains of theseperiods,” asked a girl student showing atypical “media designed inquisity”.

Shiva Swarupananda gave a hearty laughand said “OK! I understand your problem.Let us understand this business of ‘proof’,‘evidence’ and ‘archaeology’. If we needto authenticate recent happenings, we mayinsist on eyewitness. If the incidentstranscend the normal life span of humanbeings, say beyond 50 years, we may settlefor photos and documents. Evendocuments have the limited ‘Shelf Life’.When such information is inscribed onlong lasting material like stone inscriptionon pillars, walls and rocks, it is hereArchaeology steps in. This material candate back centuries, like remains of habitatsin Mohenjodaro and Harappa of Sindhu orSaraswati Valley or pillars of King Ashoka’speriod. In spite of these archaeologicalevidences of Saraswati-Sindhu Valley,truth was debated by motivated historianswith Hidden Agenda then and also now,even today. Historians with Emperial

Western orientation are intolerant to thevery idea that Bharat was much morecivilized and cultured than them in ancienttimes. Evidence of anything good prevalentearlier to them is debatable. In manyEuropean and American countries anyevidences of existence of civilizationsthere, before the advent of Christian Erais sidelined and rejected. Our history datesback to thousands of years before theChristian Era began, say minimum 7 to 8thousand years.

A student sharply asked, “So! You meanparameters of evidence for incidents ofmodern history of recent past cannot beinsisted upon for history of Ancient India”.

“Yes!” affirmed Shiva Swarupananda, wehave also seen, in the past 2000 years, theseexpansionists coupled with the over-zealouts of the Semitic faiths have destroyedthe chronicles, libraries, even Universities,like Takshashila and Nalanda, in Bharat andworld over, to erase the evidence ofexistence of the ancient cultures. No onecan know what had befallen in the moreancient times. Even by the passage of timeand natural calamities l ike floods,earthquakes and its likes for tens ofthousands of years physical evidencesacceptable to modern historians are nottraceable at present. They surfacesometime in future as we stumbled uponMohenjodaro and Harappa in the lastcentury. So as of now, if we have to studyancient history, we can’t insist on grossobjects for evidence. We have to rely onand accept subtle ‘Live records’ as evidencelike literature in the form of scriptures


meant for recording the Itihasa. They arebeing preserved in verses, songs andstories, through word of mouth fromgeneration to generation, like the Vedasand Upanishads. Many great inspiringpersonalities in the recent past, likeChhatrapati Shivaji and SwamiVivekananda to name a few, who havemade the history, were inspired throughthe accounts from the Ramayana and theMahabharata, told by their mothers intheir childhood. If we can bring out greatpersonalities like these, even today, byimparting education through these “justscriptures”, it is worth preserving thansinging the glory of the so-called“archaeologically-scientifically proved”fragmented figments turning out onlyagnostic, cynic and depressed book-worms”. As Shiva Swarupananda pausedfor a while a student asked, “But, can weignore the need of archaeologicalevidences?”

“Well! Take one case”, said ShivaSwarupananda, “For few decades work isgoing on – undersea excavation, on thecoast of Dwaraka in Gujarat. Remains of asubmerged city are found in Sri Krishna’ssubmerged Dwaraka.

Now, these by itself may not beacceptable to the ‘modern scientifichistorians as the evidence of existence ofSri Krishna. But when we read thescriptures—Srimad Bhagavata—a Puranaand Mahabharata—an Itihasa, they speakof Sri Krishna telling to Uddhava aboutonset of deluge and imminent submergenceof Dwaraka. The personalities of Uddhava

and Sri Krishna co-exist along with the‘proof’ of existence of Dwaraka. So alsothe other incidents and personalities ofBhagavata and Mahabharata, the advent ofSrimad Bhagavad Gita—both as tooccurrence and antiquity in time. Themodern historians may stumble on suchmore evidences in future as and when thetime prefers to unearth them. These‘evidences’ will have to be read withreports in Puranas and Itihasas – thescriptures, recorded in any form whetherin poems, verses or stories. Then only thesescientific archaeological evidences willmake a meaning. A medical student smiledand said, “Well! This is how the scientificevidences unearthed by the Pathologist areto be corroborated by the Doctor with theliving clinical data available before him.Then only the treatment will be useful.Otherwise……” he again smiled makingfaces. Every one around laughed.

I was a passive listener so far. The turnof discussion prompted me to take part. Iasked Shiva Swarupananda, “Well! Howthese parameters can be applied to RamSethu?” Shiva Swarupananda looked at allothers who also bore the question on theirfaces and then he proceeded….. “You see,NASA and Archaeological Dept. of Indiaadmit the existence of a underwaterstructure formed by sand-bars and sandshores. Good they admit at least this. Now,let us apply common wisdom. Anyone willconstruct something making use ofconstruction material readily availablenearby abundantly. The geographicallocation of the Ram Sethu is between twoland ends – a gulf. This area does not have


quarries of granite from where stoneblocks can be procured to build Sethu. Thequality of soil around there is not suitablefor preparing bricks for the Sethu. You areall aware, while preparing pathway inwaterlogged area—while doing rescue andrelief work in flooded area, sandbags andcement bags are just dumped one over theother and pathway is ‘built’. The purposeis to pass over and not to construct a puccabridge for cars, vehicles and railways areto be passed. The Vanar Sena of Sri Ramawith their mighty force—a sample of whichare Neel, Angad and Hanuman, could easilycompress the sand available in bulkaround. They did built the pathway-Sethuwith these compressed sand blocks todayidentified-certified by the Archaeologist asSand-bars. The archaeological age of thesesand-bars as per A.S.I. is tens of thousandsof years. So also is the period of Sri Ramaas per Ramayana in Treta Yuga. If A.S.I.and their likes are searching for theremains of granite stone arches or thebasements of the bridge, as an evidence forexistence of Rama-Sethu, they arebetraying their immatured foolish ratherknave mind set. With passage of tens ofthousands of years’ of the aquatic pressureof waves the Sethu has got merged withthe eco-system and now appears likenaturally formed sand-bars and shores.Nowhere in the world there are reports ofoccurrence of such natural formations. Thisis a unique site. At least for this reasonitself this unique “natural formationsshould not be destroyed and be preserved,the way we preserve other such natural

formations”. Shiva Swarupananda lookedat us for response. They say there is no‘Man-made structure’ in the gulf, truly so!Because Sri Rama, who caused it, is notjust a man. We regard him as God. So, it isa “God-made structure” and not ‘Man-made’, I said with a smile.

“Well! Some atheist groups claim thereis no God, Nature only is God. They alsowill agree that this is a naturally formedso ‘God-made’ structure. So it meritspreserving, said Shiva Swarupananda andcontinued, “the sanctity and fervour withwhich fossils and products of naturalphenomenon are preserved, the structuresconnected with values of culture of theland should be respected and preserved.The people in power are custodians of thecultural ethos of the values of the land andnot just the non-challant Estate Managers”.

A student of literature came up and said,“I remember from the lines of a poem ofGurudev Tagore. He says:

“Alas! an ornament valuer has entered thebeautiful garden full with flowers. He

wants to judge the value of the flowers bythe method he decides the value of the

ornaments. By rubbing them on theblackstone and pouring acid”.

Now the question is, can we allow thepoliticians to judge the value of the Valuesby putting them to the acid test of votes?


VK Samachar

A Report on the celebrations atVivekanandapuram

Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari,celebrated Raksha Bandhan in a unique way.A few Karyakartas stood near the DhayanMandir In the early morning, and tied Rakhisto every visitor who were returning from thebeach after witnessing the sunrise. Thispleasant act of love and affection surprisedthem. In the evening there was a gatheringof 60 participants of Sanskar Vargas fromSwaminathapuram, Otriyalvilai & AnuvijayTownship, Koodankulam Nuclear PowerProject. Sri Das Guptaji, Kendra well-wisher,from NorthEast, spoke on the importance ofthe day.

***

Janmashtami was celebrated on 4September with the participants of the threeSanskar Vargas mentioned joining in it. Inthe evening, the children presented an itemof Kolattam and this was followed by adevotional session. There was a fitting finalewith an exciting and vociferous Dahi Handiprogramme.

***

Universal Brotherhood day wascelebrated at Vivekanandapuram on Tuesdaythe 11 September 2007 with Sri. M. K. Balaji,Chief Superintendent, Koodankulam Nuclear

Power Project, as the chief guest.

In connection with the celebrations, therewere many competitions for the staff ofKendra and the Vidyalaya. The members ofthe staff of Kendra and Vivekananda KendraVidyalaya who have completed 10 and 20years of service were awarded wall-clocksand wrist watches respectively.

Sri A. Balakrishnanji, Vice-President andSri D. Bhanudasji, General Secretary, SmtKrishnaveni Principal, Vivekananda KendraVidyalaya, and many senior members of thestaff of Kendra also participated in thepleasant function.

Chennai

Competitions in Elocution, Essay-writing,Drawing, Fancy Dress and Skits wereconducted on 2nd September in connectionwith Sri Krishna Jayanthi Celebrations. 94Samskar Varga participants took part.

***

Shri N.Madhavan, Ekal Vidyalaya Co-ordinator, Chennai, spoke on the importanceof Sri Krishna’s incarnation on 4th September.He also urged the gathering to follow thepath of Karma Yoga in our day-to-day life ***


Universal Brotherhood Day wascelebrated on 10th September, incommemorating Swami Vivekananda’saddress at the World Parliament ofReligions, Chicago, in 1893. Susri RekhaDavey, Joint General Secretary, VivekanandaKendra, Kanyakumari, was the Chief Gueston the occasion. In her talk, she stressed theparents to make their children to imbibe themoral values of purposeful living in theirtender age itself, since they are the citizensof tomorrow.

Shri M.Hanumantha Rao, State Organiser,Vivekananda Kendra, Andaman and NicobarIslands, spoke on the occasion. In his

address, he recalled Swamiji’s words that “Iam proud to belong to a Religion which isthe mother of all Religions” which has taughtthe world both tolerance and Universalacceptance. He also said that Indianise theIndian is the core of Hindu Religion—toteach our children how moral values andculture are being practised in our present-day life. He concluded that protection of ourDharma is the need of the hour “DharmoRakshati Rakshitah”.

The prizes to the winners of variouscompetitions for Samskar Varga participantsheld earlier on 2nd September, weredistributed by the Chief Guests on theoccasion.

Bangalore

Universal Brotherhood day wascelebrated on 16th September 2007. Dr.T.G.K. Murthy, the Programme Directorand Senior Scientist of ISRO was the ChiefGuest. Total 220 students from 12 schoolsand colleges participated in the variouscompetitions.

A Soft Skill training programme wasstarted with the help of Tata Consultancy,Bangalore for the 25 selected students ofAdhersha Polytechnique for their holisticpersonality development.

Kallubalu

On 28th August, Raksha Bandhan wascelebrated, in which our students andteachers went to different villages and tiedthe Rakhi.

***

On 3rd Sept. Sree Krishna Janmashtamiwas celebrated with different colourfulcultural programmes and competitions.

***

Universal Brotherhood day wascelebrated on 13th September. Shri Suresh,Secretary of Saraswati Vidya Mandir andTrust was the Chief Guest.


ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG OR COFFEE BEAN?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life, and howthings were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it,and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed asone problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In thefirst pot, she placed carrots, in the second, she placed eggs and the last, sheplaced ground-coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots outand placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?” “Carrots,eggs, and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel thecarrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take theegg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as shesmelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What’s the point,mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversityboiling water but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard andunrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softenedand became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protectedits liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside becamehardened. The ground-coffee beans were unique, however. After they were inthe boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When trials and adversity knockon your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffeebean?”

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt andbecome soft and lose my strength?

Stories for Introspection


Am I the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat?Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some othertrial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but onthe inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, thevery circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releasesthe fragrance and flavour. If you are like the bean, when things are at theirworst, you become better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevateto another level?

PUPPIES FOR SALE

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pupsand set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He lookeddown into the eyes of a little boy.

“Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”“Well,” said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, “these

puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.”

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, hepulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

“I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?”“Sure,” said the farmer.And with that he let out a whistle,”Here,Dolly!” he called.Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of

fur.The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with

delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirringinside the doghouse.

Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp itslid.


Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward theothers, doing its best to catch up....

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy.He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and beganrolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so, he revealed a steel brace running downboth sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see sir, I don’t run too well myself,and he will need someone who understands.”

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

BAD TEMPER

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag ofnails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail intothe back of the fence.

The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next fewweeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered dailygradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than todrive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told hisfather about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for eachday that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finallyable to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You havedone well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be thesame. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one”.

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many timesyou say I’m sorry the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physicalone.


yuva bharati voice of youth october 2007 issue

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