A Quarterly Publication of
RAMAKRISHNA MISSION SINGAPORE
Yogin Ma
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Karma Yoga
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Volunteers’ Day
17
Swamiji Honoured
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MITA (P) No. 033/09/2008 ISSN0218-7183
ISSUE No. 62 JUL-SEP 2009
in this issue ...
State of spiritual enlightenment or illumination. Nirvana releases humans from the cycle of birth, suffering, death and all forms of worldly bondage.
Pearls of Wisdom
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Editorial
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Yogin-Ma
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Karma Yoga
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Volunteers’ Day
17
Swamiji Honoured
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The Ramayana-13
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“I want Peace”
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Relief Work In Sri Lanka
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Programme Festival Calendar
Edited and Published by Swami Muktirupananda, President, Ramakrishna Mission, 179 Bartley Road, Singapore 539784 Tel: 6288 9077 Fax: 6288 5798. Printer: Regional Press Pte Ltd & Production: Viga Graphics & Printing Services
P earls
W isdom
of
Uddhava Gita Translated by Swami Madhavananda
Òri bhagavÀn uvÀca YathÀgniÆ susamrddÀrciÆ karotyedhÀmsi bhasmasÀt TathÀ madviÚayÀ bhaktiÆ uddhavinÀmsi krtsnaÒaÆ Na sÀdhyati mÀm yogo na sÀmkhyam dharma uddhava Na svÀdhyÀyaÆ tapastyÀgo yathÀ bhaktirmamorjitÀ BhakytÀhamekayÀ grÀhyaÆ ÒradhayÀ’tmÀ priyaÆ satÀm BhaktiÆ punÀti manniÚtha ÒvapÀkÀnapi sambhavÀt The Lord said: As fire kindled into a blaze burns the faggots to ashes, so, O Uddhava, devotion to Me totally destroys all sins. O Uddhava, neither Yoga, nor knowledge, nor piety, nor study, nor austerity, nor renunciation captivates Me so much as a heightened devotion to Me. I, the dear Self of the pious, am attainable by devotion alone, which is the outcome of faith. The devotion to Me purges even outcasts of their congenital impurity. (To be continued) Uddava Gita, IX.19-21
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Editorial
Ashrama
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shrama is a Sanskrit word which popularly means a hermitage or the dwelling place of monks. Though the word has other meanings also. In such quiet places monks meditate and engage themselves in spiritual practices. People who are world-weary often spend hours or days in such peaceful resorts to relax their tense nerves. Without such unwinding life becomes dreary and meaningless unceasing struggle. A pause, a respite in the midst of these struggles provides a glimpse of the deeper dimensions of life. Sleep gives needed brief rest to the physical body and hectic mind. Sadly, the modern life has become so stressful that even this natural rest is eluding the grasp of man. The question is, is there a way out of this trying situation? One of the beautiful names of God is Ashrama – the bestower of rest and peace to the weary souls. For people who are wandering in the forest of this world with tired body and worn out mind, the resting place is God. He is the abode of lasting peace, so say the scriptures. None has to run here and there in search of peaceful places or seek the help of physicians or other experts. The remedy lies within one’s easy reach and that too without much expense. God is the indweller in every heart. He is potentially ever present. He is nearer than the nearest. Chanting of His name, meditation upon Him bring the much sought after rest and healing calmness to the feverish mind. He is eternal and unchanging. Other objects dear to us are subject to change, decay and death. It is futile to fret over them. Repetition of His name arrests the wandering and worrying mind and makes it steady. As the mind slows down it experiences freshness and quietness. So also meditation upon the divine form of God removes all disturbing thoughts. A mind free from noisy thoughts is silent mind, a mind at total rest. So this Ashrama, a place of everlasting calmness and rest lies in one’s heart. After much futile search outside one comes back to oneself.
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Lay Disciples - XX
Yogin-Ma Dr Chetana Mandavia
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ri Ramakrishna was such a dynamo of spirituality that he churned out a number of saints; they included his monastic direct disciples, as also householder men and women disciples. His women disciples were remarkable, each one great and unique, possessing superior divine wisdom, spiritual powers and inexhaustible spiritual wealth. These women saints were not only initiated to the sainthood by Sri Ramakrishana, they had the mission to fulfil: to help the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi in her spiritual ministration and in her sincere efforts to nurture the Ramakrishna Order, which was still in its formative years.
an ordinary woman - she is like the bud of a thousand-petalled lotus which slowly blossoms and delights all with its beauty and fragrance.” At another time he said, “She is a Gopi perfected by God’s grace.” But the statement of the Master which gives the best judgment of the spiritual eminence of Yogin Ma was, “Among women devotees Yogin has the characteristics of a Jnani”. Sri Sarada Devi had said, "Yogin is a soul perfected by rigorous spiritual discipline- a Tapaswini." Yogin Ma was born on 16 January, 1851 in a wealthy family of north Calcutta. At the age of seven, as was the custom then, she was married off to Ambika Charan Das, also hailing from a rich and aristocratic family. However, she went to live with her in laws only after she was mature. But a happy married life was not meant for her. Her husband was a debauchee and he squandered all his wealth and became virtually a beggar. She struggled hard to convince her husband to change his way of life and to lead a respectable life, but
Yogindra Mohini Biswas, a wonderful blend of tranquil composure and a spirit of service, familiarly known as Yogin Ma was one of Sri Ramakrishna's prominent women disciples. She was so striking in her attainments that she evoked very distinctive response from Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother. Sri Ramakrishna had remarked about her, “Yogin is not
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This was a turning point in Yogindra's life. She felt as if she were in an abyss of darkness from where no ray was visible. A deep anxiety about how to spend the rest of her forlorn life made her restless. At last, a ray of hope entered in her life in the form of Sri Ramakrishna. Balaram Basu, a staunch devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, who was a distant relative of Yogindra, took her to his residence where Sri Ramakrishna was supposed to come. That was in 1883. Yogindra saw Sri Ramakrishna staggering like a drunkard in a state of divine ecstasy. She completely misunderstood the Master's mood, thinking that he was reeling under the influence of wine, as was the practice in vogue among some Shakti worshippers. She was sorely disappointed.
matters with his usual sweetness. Yogin Ma realized how foolish she had been to mistake Sri Ramakrishna’s behaviour in a spiritual mood as that of a drunkard. She took refuge at his feet and was immensely happy to find Sri Ramakrishna as the embodiment of purity and spiritual brilliance. She intensified her spiritual practices under his guidance. The magic of Sri Ramakrishna started working on her. She felt intoxicated while she was with the Master and this would last for almost a week. She would go to him prepared to ask many questions, tell him her problems, but in his presence, all her doubts, agonies vanished. Encouraged by Sri Ramakrishna, she also started the study of the chief Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In July 1885, Sri Ramakrishna paid a visit to her house. Golap Ma, who was also there, said to the Master, “Ganu's mother (Yogin Ma) requests you to bless her room with the dust of your feet. Then the room will be turned into Benaras, and anyone dying in it will have no trouble." The Master fulfilled Yogin Ma's wish.
Nevertheless, she went to Dakshineswar to meet Sri Ramakrishna in order to verify her judgment. The Master received her warmly and talked on spiritual
Once in Dakshineshwar, Yogin Ma passed by Sri Ramakrishna who was standing in the northern porch of his room. She had gathered flowers from the garden in the
all her efforts seemed to have been futile. At last, leaving her husband, she returned to her parental home, bringing with her their daughter (Ganu). By then Yogin Ma's father had died, but her mother welcomed them heartily.
First Meeting with Ramakrishna
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corner of her sari. When the Master saw her, he enquired about what she was carrying. She showed him the flowers, knelt and placed them at his feet. Sri Ramakrishna became ecstatic and blessed her, touching his foot to her head. Gopaler Ma was standing nearby and suggested to hold his foot to her chest. Yogin Ma followed her instruction. Time elapsed. Long after the Mahasamadhi of the Master, when she was doing japa, she heard a divine voice speak, “Your chest has been imprinted with auspicious marks from the lotus feet of Vishnu Gadadhar.”
undifferentiated being.’ This vision led her to serve both Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi with unwavering fervour until the end of Sri Sarada Devi’s life. She had another unusual vision after the Master’s Mahasamadhi when she was with the Holy Mother at Vrindavan. They both were extremely sad at the great loss, when he appeared in a vision to both of them, and said, “Here I am. Where I have gone? It is just like passing from one room to another”. We see here the extraordinary development of Yogin Ma under the guidance of the Master as well as Sri Ramakrishna’s judgment of her attainments. The Master had once blessed her by the words “You will get everything.”
Another great blessing the Master conferred on Yogin Ma was the boon of passing away while in Samadhi. One day Sri Ramakrishna in divine mood said to Yogin Ma, “Look, your Ishta (Chosen Ideal) is within this (pointing to his body).” By saying so, the Master indicated his own divinity as well as the relationship of the disciple to her Chosen Ideal. The Master also taught Yogin Ma two basic principles of spiritual life— how to do japa using the fingers and how to meditate. In addition to a wealth of instructions received from the Master, Yogin Ma was fortunate to have two visions. In the first vision Sri Ramakrishna’s instruction made Yogin Ma think of the Master and the Holy Mother as ‘one
Relationship with Sri Sarada Devi There was an excellent rapport between Yogin Ma and the Holy Mother. They were about the same age and when the Master introduced Yogin Ma to Sri Sarada Devi, they instantly liked each other and a strong bond of mutual respect and deep love developed between them. Yogin Ma used to go to Dakshineshwar at weekly intervals and sometimes spent nights there. After the Mahasamadhi of Sri Ramakrishna in 1886, Yogin
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Ma was the constant companion of the Mother. The Mother felt greatly relieved to have Yogin Ma by her side so that she could unburden all her worries to her. The Holy Mother once said, “Yogen is my Jaya (one of the two principal attendants of the goddess Durga) - my attendant maid, my comrade, my companion”. Yogin Ma’s attitude toward Sri Sarada Devi was maternal and protective. Holy Mother, on the other hand, looked upon her companion as her beloved daughter and friend, and showered her blessings on her. Once, the Mother had to go to her native village. Seeing her off Yogin Ma went to the Mother’s room. Overwhelmed with grief, she wept bitterly. Sri Ramakrishna was then just passing by the room, and saw Yogin Ma. Sensing her grief, he
called her to his room and narrated his marvellous spiritual experiences to console her. Yogin Ma had deep insight into mundane and spiritual matters and an amazing common sense. She could comprehend any situation quickly, and could suggest immediate solution. This made her an invaluable friend and adviser to the Mother. She always sought her advice in spiritual matters also, not to speak of many other knotty problems she was confronted with in her daily affairs. Sri Sarada Devi held her in such love and regard that she used to praise her to the devotees and insisted them to follow her example and discuss spiritual matters with her. Once, while giving initiation to a person, the Holy Mother somehow sensed
Udbodhan House
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a lack of devotion for Sri Ramakrishna in him. Anxiously, she sought Yogin Ma’s opinion. She promptly replied, “ Well, Mother, it does not matter. The Mantra you will give him has the power to change him in time. Don’t worry, initiate him.” The Mother accepted her companion’s counsel, and Yogin Ma’s prediction proved to be correct. The man was metamorphosed into a great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna.
but the Master kept silent. On returning to the Holy Mother, she found her seated on her prayer mat, performing the worship. She was in an exalted mood, laughing, crying, or remaining motionless for a while. Yogin Ma was surprised to see her ecstasy. When the Mother came down to the normal plane, Yogin Ma asked her, “You complain that you do not experience Samadhi, but what is all this?” An abashed Holy Mother smiled.
Yogin Ma’s mother lived in the neighbourhood of Udbodhan, the Holy Mother’s house, where she lived from 1909 to 1920, till her Mahasamadhi. Yogin Ma shouldered many responsibilities of the Mother’s household. She also accompanied the Mother during her visits to Kamarpukur and Jayarambati, the birth places of Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother respectively, and to other places of pilgrimages whenever the Mother happened to go.
One night Yogin Ma saw the Mother entering into a high spiritual mood by hearing the incoming sweet sound of flute. During her stay at Calcutta in 1888, she saw the Mother in a state of Samadhi on the roof of Balaram Babu's house, and at the house of Nilambar Mukherjee, near Belur. Thus, through Yogin Ma, we also have glimpses of the Mother’s spiritual experiences and her greatness. In spite of her intimate association with Sri Sarada Devi, once a doubt cropped up in Yogin Ma’s mind regarding Holy Mother’s spiritual greatness. Sri Ramakrishna appeared to her in a vision and asked her not to doubt the Holy Mother. He told her, “Can anything make the Ganga impure? Regard her (Holy Mother) in the same way. Never doubt her. Know for certain that she and this (meaning himself) are one and the same.” After that
Sri Sarada Devi lived a silent life. Her spiritual eminence was known only to a few. Yogin Ma, however, was one of the few privileged to witness her exalted spiritual experiences including those of Samadhi (superconscious state). One day, the Holy Mother asked her to go to Sri Ramakrishna and plead for the boon of Samadhi for her. Yogin Ma did as she was told;
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would decrease on account of her grandchildren. His words proved to be true. Her widowed daughter Ganu died, and the responsibility of rearing her three orphan boys fell on her. She was forced to be preoccupied with this new duty, which she performed very well with the help of Swami Saradananda. Eventually one of them became a monk of the Ramakrishna Order.
experience, Yogin Ma had unshakable faith in Sri Sarada Devi. In the year 1918, when Golap ma was seriously ill, the Mother had remarked, “ Yogin and Golap know all the stages of my life. With them gone, how can I stay here? Ah, those will be blessed who speak of Yogin Ma and Golap Ma.”
Her Life – An amalgamation of Asceticism and Duty
A very vivacious picture of her roundthe-clock daily routine has been given by Sister Devamata, an American devotee. Writes she in her book Days in an Indian Monastery, “ She got up at four in the morning, had bath in the Ganga with prayers and chanting, went home for meditation and about half past seven she came to the Holy Mother’s house. She cut vegetables, performed worship in the shrine, served noon-meals to all the devotees, did vesper service in the shrine and served evening meals. Intermittently, she would go to her home located nearby, did household work, cooked and fed her mother.” This schedule speaks of her dexterity, meticulousness, duty-consciousness, regularity, one-pointedness and devotion to the Holy Mother. There was no room for even minimal changes in the routine. Sometimes, when she was unwell, Swami Saradananda would forbid her to take bath in the Ganga,
Yogin Ma's life is a glowing example of the ancient Indian ideal of womanhood and austerity. She used to spend most of her time in worship, japa and meditation; in addition to looking after her aged mother, and performing the household duties of her own, as well as that of the Holy Mother’s. Her whole life was full of intense tapasya and selfless service .Along with the Holy Mother she did an extremely difficult form of spiritual practice, called Panchatapa, with flaming fires on four sides and the burning sun overhead. Once she relinquished water for six months at a stretch, only taking milk instead. She also spent a whole winter on the strand of Prayaga, the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna at Allahabad. Once she had a vision of Krishna and Balaram. Krishna prophesized that the intensity of her worship
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Yogin Ma
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but she would not relent, as that was a religious duty and should not be put aside. She seemed to have only one object in her mind: to serve the Holy Mother and her children with love and fervent devotion while performing her spiritual practice on a regular basis. Very appropriately the Sister says, “She did not abandon her householder life, but no nun in a cloister was more rigid in her spiritual observance than she… No service was ever omitted, no care neglected”. Her house was a happy resort for many devotees of Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother including many direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. She was a skilled cook; Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother as well as the monastic disciples all liked her culinary preparations very much. Swami Vivekananda often asked her to prepare his favourite dishes.
Ma’s profound respect for the monastic ideal, he reminisced, “One day I was writing letters in Swami Saradananda’s room when Yogin Ma entered. Accidentally her foot touched my robe. She immediately folded her palms and saluted me. I protested, ‘The touch of your foot is a blessing, Yogin Ma. Please don’t feel embarrassed!’ She replied, ‘You are a monk. Your ochre robe is the symbol of renunciation. It is this renunciation that made Sri Ramakrishna great; you are following in his footsteps. A little cobra is as poisonous as a big cobra!’ Her words made me realize what a great responsibility lies behind the wearing of the monk’s robe”. Yogin Ma’s grandson wrote in an article: “From evening right up to nine in the night we saw her meditating statue-like - straight, erect, externally dead, but obviously in touch with some luminous reality within.” The Holy Mother also once remarked, “Yogin used to meditate with such concentration, that even if mosquitoes sat on her eyes, she was unaware of them.” She had experienced Samadhi at Lala Babu’s Kunj in Vrindavan as also in her own house. On hearing of this, Swami Vivekananda once said to her, “Yogin Ma, you will pass away in Samadhi (superconscious state), for once a person
Swami Asheshananda, (the former Head of the Portland Vedanta Society, U.S.A.), was the attendant of Swami Saradananda. He lived at the Udbodhan House for five years and had the blessing of Yogin Ma’s and Golap Ma’s holy company. Writes he, “What impressed me most about them was their regularity in spiritual practice. They were living examples of saintliness, and we loved and respected them for their devotion, deep spirituality, and humility”. Highlighting Yogin
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experiences this blessed state, and the memory of it is revived at the time of his death.”
contributed to the greatness of her life.
The End of a Hallowed Life Besides her immense spiritual accomplishments, Yogin Ma possessed prodigious memory. She memorized many stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas and helped Sister Nivedita in writing her book ‘Cradle Tales of Hinduism’ by narrating stories from these epics. Owing to her close association with the Master and his devotees; Swami Saradananda frequently used her recollections in his monumental book, ‘Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master’. Every month, before the manuscript of the book was sent to the press, it was read aloud to Yogin Ma, who offered her valued suggestions. One of her distinguished achievements was her initiation by Swami Saradananda at Puri into Tantrik sannyasa. Her asceticism, purity, humility, modesty, poise, sweetness, forbearance, spiritual astuteness, renunciation, and personal contact with Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi, as also the selfless service rendered to them and to the disciples of the Master- all
The Holy Mother left her body in 1920. This was a severe blow to Yogin Ma; consequently, her health broke down. She now yearned for eternal union with the Master and the Mother. However, she was still her old self, strong and dedicated, hence, in spite of her failing health, she accompanied Swami Saradanada in 1923 to Jayarambati to attend the consecration ceremony of the Holy Mother’s memorial temple. During her last days, Yogin Ma frequently entered into Samadhi. She passed away in 1924 at the Udbodhan House at the age of seventy- three. She epitomizes Swami Vivekananda’s vision of the women of future, which he saw in his life-time. He had Yogin Ma in mind when he prophesized that India would witness the pristine glory of womanhood. “Such lives” says Sister Devamata, “are like river. The sun may draw up its waters, but they fall again to refresh the earth”. Certainly, her life will surely remain a perennial source of inspiration to generations to come.
Sources - First Meetings with Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Prabhananda. - They Lived With God by Swami Chetanananda. - Article by Swami Asheshananda published in the November-December 1954 issue of Vedanta and the West.
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Karma Yoga Swami Muktirupananda
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There are four popular types of Yogas meant for active, emotional, introspective and rational types of people.
ntroduction: Yoga means a path or a spiritual discipline that leads to God. There is not one but are many. Direct experience of Truth or Reality can be obtained through spiritual disciplines. Christ said, “Seek you will find, and knock it will open.” Without seeking, without knocking it is difficult to find Truth. There are different Yogas. One may ask why many? Because we are many, we are not one. Therefore there are many religions and numerous sects. One religion cannot satisfy all.
a)Active type of people are interested in work, their tendency is always towards work. When they are engaged in activities they are happy and feel fulfilled. For them Karma Yoga appeals. b)Some are emotional. Love and emotion are dominant in their lives. Worship, rituals devotional music and prayers attract their hearts. For such people Bhakti Yoga, way to God through love appeals.
No person is alike. We are all different, our mental and physical capacities vary, so also our interest and propensities. Our innate natures are dissimilar. Even in family we notice contrasting natures. The human society is not an exception. Variety is the beauty of life. Uniformity is death. We can only find uniformity in machines and robots and not in living beings. So these Yogas are meant to suit different mental temperaments. If one takes up that spiritual discipline suited to his interest and capacity he will make good progress.
c)Some are of introspective and meditative type. They want to know through their own experiments and investigation about truth. Raja Yoga – or way to God through psychological exercises is for them. d)Some are intellectual type. They want to see everything in the light of reason and rationality. If kingdom of God is within me why I can’t see it, what veils it, thus he enquires. Belief and faith do not convince
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them. Jnana Yoga – way to God through knowledge is suitable for them. These Yogas are not exclusive of one another. It does not mean if one pursues a particular yoga he does not have any connection with others. It is not so. One can take up one or two or three yogas and make progress. We can take up the practice of any yoga wherever we are and to whatever religion we belong to.
poetic imagination of someone? In a thundering voice the Gita says it is possible for everyone to become free. Our wish to be happy is all right, but the means we employ are wrong. Through the practice of Karma Yoga we can loosen our fretters and experience the higher states. The Gita is the masterful treatise on Karma Yoga. In it we find the lucid exposition of work from different angles. The text tries to impress upon us that we can transform the ordinary work to the state of yoga. Yoga liberates us and takes us to the higher dimension. The Gita elucidates: 1) What is work? 2)Work and Life 3) Why should we work? 4) How to work.
Karma Yoga means – way of God through work. Work is staple of human life. We see activity in nature and in human beings. Our body is active and our mind is active. Therefore the work we do has great significance. The Gita tells us the secret of work. Mere work is different from Karma Yoga.
1)What is work? Any action we perform physical or mental is karma. All our physical actions and thinking or knowing, come under karma. In simple words whatever we do and try not to do is karma. In trying not do something, the effort to restrain us is required. That effort is also karma.
What is the goal of a person? Freedom is the goal. We want to be free. All our activities in life are directed towards this goal. We want to be free – free from what? Free from sorrows, wants, worries, anxieties, fear and always to be in a state of happiness and joy. Freedom in other words is happiness.
2)Work and Life? Work is the chief component of human life. There cannot be life without work – life evolves through work. We cannot remain without work or activity. “No one can ever remain even for a moment without
All human beings are busy and working all the time, but they are not happy. It shows mere work does not bring happiness or freedom. Is freedom a dream or
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doing any work, for all are made to act helplessly, by the gunas (forces of nature). “ (Gita III-5).
4)How to work We all work and we all think continuously with only a little rest. Is it not sufficient? No, it is not. Our work and thinking produce more anxiety, worries, fears, tension and misery than happiness. We are all working to get more happiness, but we do not get it. That shows that somewhere something is wrong. Perhaps there is something wrong with the way we work and the way we think. How to think in this world needs training of the mind, reeducation of it. Our frozen ideas about work should go.
“Actions cannot be entirely abandoned by an embodied being”(Gita 18-11). So work is like our shadow and it follows us wherever we go. A human being cannot shake off work. Since we cannot avoid work, then why not use it wisely to cut our bonds and free ourselves. Voluntary and involuntary work goes on without our knowledge. 3)Why should we work?
Why does work often bring suffering? If we go little deep into it, we realize it is not work that produces misery, but what we expect to gain from that work. This expectation – this desire brings sorrow. This is called attachment to work in the Gita. When the expectations are not fulfilled we become frustrated. Love of work and expecting something from work are two different things. One brings joy and other brings attachment or slavery. A slave is a miserable human being. The Gita says: ”perform work without attachment” (III-9).
Is it possible to remain idle and shun the work? Suppose we stop all physical actions and sit quietly, what happens? The mind goes on functioning. There will be endless stream of thoughts about the pain and pleasures experienced in the past and anticipation of them in the future. The mind does not stop. It is karma. Such a person is called in the Gita a hypocrite (III-6). Therefore action is superior to inaction or deliberately avoiding work (III-8). Even the bare maintenance of the body requires action. So when the net of karma is inescapable of man, it is better to learn the secret of how to work. Therefore by knowing this secret we can stop miseries, which are the results of our ignorance.
Love work and work for work’s sake. What does it mean by work for work’s sake? When we perform any work, either small or big, we have
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to brush aside all distractions and concentrate the whole mind on it. Other than this work nothing else should be there, forget everything else. Ex-Dish washing, brushing one’s teeth, cleaning the room or studying or any other work. With such absorption perfection in work is possible. We are at our best when the mind is totally absorbed in the work. When the work is over then forget about it. Do not brood over it and do not fuss about it. It is over, it is finished. The simple formula is – when you work forget everything else and when the work is over forget the work. You and work should become one. Not doer doing something but only the doing. When children are absorbed in something they forget everything. Later they get absorbed in something else forgetting the earlier one. Therefore nothing leaves any mark on their minds. Such is their concentration. At home we talk and think about our office work. At work place we think about our home. Our mind never remains on the present – ‘now’. We have to practise doing one simple work with our whole attention. This is training of the mind.
anxiety, fear and sorrow while performing your work, you offer them to God - your deity. Offer all work to Him and leave the outcome also to Him. “O Lord, I have done my best. The outcome of this work is left to you. I will not burden myself with it.” We have to reach a state where we do not find any difference between work, worship and prayer. As we go on offering our work to God our worries and anxieties become less and less. “Worshipping God through performance of work done with a spirit of dedication, a man attains perfection” (18-46). Offering all our work to God is yoga. The work, instead of binding us, making us slaves leads to freedom and joy. Work is not a burden nor boredom – it is the untrained wily mind which causes all the troubles. Therefore Karma Yoga gives us good training to turn our everyday work to break our fetters.
Work Quotes: Swami Brahmananda: -Why are you afraid of work? Work for Him. You can overcome all disinclination for work if you consider it as dedicated to God. Know that all work is the Lord’s work.
Another way of working with nonattachment is also mentioned in the Gita (III-9). “Perform all works as an offering to God otherwise they become cause of your bondage” says the Gita. To avoid stress,
-If you work with the idea of pleasing
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men, you will be disappointed. Learn to work for the Lord instead of working for yourself.
and end-all of life. Never mind success or failure. -Ready to attach and ready to detach any minute. We take up a work and get attached to it.- We cannot detach ourselves from it. We must have the power to give up at will – to leave everything behind. -If you give your entire mind to the work at hand, it will turn out perfectly and you will benefit by it.
-This is the true secret of work: First llearn to like your work. -Every work is sacred.
Swami Saradananda : -Remember these things 1) An impure person can never be a good worker. 2) A true worker works with skill and efficiency. He is tolerant of other people’s viewpoints. 3) Japa and meditation are the salt of work. “You have no right to the results of your work.” The result depends on various factors among which your effort is only one. The aspirant must try all means for the fulfillment of his immediate duty but should not be disappointed if he is not successful. For though one of the factors may be fulfilled well, yet the work may not turn out successful for want of other factors. Hence do one’s best and be at peace without being anxious about the result is called Karma Yoga.
Swami Brahmananda
Swami Turiyananda : -Work binds and also it unbinds -Work for work’s sake. Your whole mind should be fixed upon the work. Let that be your ideal, the be all
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Volunteers’ Day
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current economic downturn. This could take the form of counselling, passing information and assistance to procure jobs or other forms of support.
How can I help you?” seems to have been the mantra pervading the Volunteer Appreciation Day proceedings hosted by the Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 2009.
But more of it later. During a brain-storming session in which all the volunteers participated, ideas and suggestions came fast and smooth how each one of us could help those who need some kind of assistance during the
The day’s function, third in the series to thank and appreciate its volunteers for their generous support extended to the Mission’s various activities – spiritual, cultural,
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educational and medical – started with an Invocation by a group of young children who attend regular chanting and religious classes run by volunteers, of course.
He emphasized that the Darwinist theory of ‘survival of the fittest’ has long been replaced by the idea of collective well-being of all. He quoted the famous biologist Julian Huxley as saying that the future human evolution would not be physical but psycho-social. Psycho-social means to transcend the limitations of the body and mind. Psycho means to forget the religious, racial, political and national prejudices when we think of welfare of others. Human welfare is more important than one’s petty opinions and beliefs. Socio means we belong to one human family. Because we are interconnected and interdependent.
The Assistant Supervisor of the Boys’ Home, Mr Suguneswaran rendered a song in Tamil on Sri Ramakrishna.. In his welcoming address, Swami Muktirupananda, President of the Ramakrishna Mission, underlined the importance of volunteers without whose service and support no organization or institution engaged in welfare activities can move forward. “Whether young or old we are inspired by the same ideal based on love, compassion and a sense of fulfillment. This feeling of fulfillment comes when we do a little good to others. We have no selfinterest, no self-gain, “ he added.
He urged volunteers to rise above narrow personal ideas and devote their energies to alleviate human distress and misery. The chief guest, Ms Bridget Lew Tan, founder President of HOME, recalled how the organization took roots more than a decade ago for the alleviation of the plight of foreign workers coming to Singapore who had little or no protection under the law.
He noted that the ideal of social service is quite old. This is embodied in the Bodhisattva spirit of Lord Buddha who took repeated births to alleviate the sufferings of people. The same Samaritan spirit worked for the good of the world through the selfless and pure character of Jesus Christ. While the ideal is old, the mode of serving has changed to suit modern day conditions.
She related her early contacts with a group of Sri Lankan domestic workers who were in distress because of unscrupulous employers and agents. She organized temporary
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Swami Muktirupananda presents a momento to Ms. Lew
accommodation for them and helped sort out their problems. This brought on more workers in distress and they came from different countries such as Bangladesh, Philippines etc all of whom had faced almost identical difficulties.
TWC2 (The Working Committee 2). This generated considerable public sympathy. In 2004 HOME (the Humanitarian Organization for Migrant Economics) was registered with Ms Lew as the founder President. The organization is now a member of NCSS (National Council of Social Services, a government umbrella organization of which the Ramakrishna Mission is also a member).
A typical encounter she recalls: Meeting a group of some 30 Bangladeshi workers at midnight in front of a coffeeshop. Midnight, because they work till 11 pm. And the venue has to be somewhere beyond the periscope of employers, lest they punish the workers for approaching potential helpers. Their wages have not been paid and there is nothing the workers can do to persuade the bosses. She took them to an old school where they were temporarily housed and their case was taken up.
Ms Lew noted that her organsiation had forged close ties with foreign embassies in Singapore to help ensure that the welfare of foreign workers is taken care of. In recognition of her services to foreign workers, she was honoured with many awards, including the “Banaag� award from the Presidenrt of the Philppines in 2003.
To get things organized, Ms Lew formed a civic movement known as
Ms Lew’s experiences in dealing with the plight of migrant workers
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Discussion
came as an additional inspiration for the volunteers as they began discussing the day’s topic – How can I help you?
overcoming or reducing feelings of depression. Ideas on how to publicise information on opportunities for employment as well as training or retraining facilities available were also exchanged. The importance of motivation in the present circumstances was also emphasized.
As most of the participants are active social workers in different fields of activities, the suggestions were varied and abundant. The main emphasis was on helping retrenched workers and their families, how to help them find alternate employment and arrange interim financial assistance where needed. The need to provide counselling where necessary was also discussed, with a view to
All participants agreed that they would increase their vigilance and do their very best to assist those in need and spread useful information among their own groups to create a larger pool of assistance.
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Eager listeners
Swami Muktirupananda launched the Ramakrishna Mission Boys’ Home website. It is a comprehensive presentation containing the history, aims, objectives and scope of the Boys’ Home whose main objective is to provide education, care and protection to children who lack adequate parental support. At the same time efforts are made to inculcate moral and spiritual values in them so that they grow up as responsible, wholesome individuals.Apart from attending regular schools, they receive tuition from both paid and volunteer teachers.
Website: www.rkmbh.org
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Swamiji Honoured
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Parliament, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr S.M. Krishna, the former Chief Minister, and other dignitaries.
n acknowledgement of his profound achievements, a large bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda was installed at the Ramakrishna Square opposite the Ramakrishna Math in Bangalore on 12 January 2009, his birthday.
Some 4500 people, including some 2000 students from various educational institutions carrying banners of the sayings of Swamiji attended the public meeting
The 9.5 feet (2.9m) statue, mounted on a metre-high pedestal, was unveiled by Mr Rameshwar Thakur, the Governor of Karnataka state, at a well-attended function . Also present were Mr Lal Krishna Advani, Leader of the Opposition in *
A souvenir, An Icon of Inspiration, containing illuminating articles by monks and scholars was also released on the occasion. *
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*
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Mr Seshadri Iyer soon met the Swami and made his acquaintance. A few minutes of conversation was sufficient to impress this shrewd statesman that the young sannyasin possessed a “magnificent personality and a divine force which were destined to leave their mark on the history of his country.” The Swami became the most sought-out person by the royalty, community leaders and the intelligentsia.
Homa The Swami arrived in Bangalore from Margao in December 1892 during his travels through India as a Parivrajaka (itinerant monk). With no acquaintance in the city, he went and stayed at the Kalappa choultry (an alms house) in the Majestic area. Soon after his arrival he was infected with chickenpox. Since, according to the municipal laws the infection can only be treated by authorised doctors, Dr P. Palpu, the Municipal Medical Officer, was called in. A few minutes of talk convinced Dr Palpu that his patient was no ordinary monk and straightaway took him to his own house as his guest.
Mr Shesadri Iyer soon brought the “young Acharya” (as he usually referred to him) to meet the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamarajendra Wadiyar, himself an accomplished scholar. The Maharaja was so delighted with the acquaintance of the Swami, then 29, that he exclaimed: “Such brilliancy of thought, such charm of personality, such wide learning and such penetrating religious insight.”
Dr Palpu, a close friend of Mr K. Seshadri Iyer, the Dewan (Chief Minister) of Mysore State, promptly conveyed the developments to him.
During his appearance before an assembly of Pundits (religious scholars) in Bangalore, the Swami
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outlined some thoughts on Vedanta which he was to expand, articulate and present to a world audience in the next few years.
So while staying at the Kalappa choultry he had plenty of opportunities to see rural India. He used to sit and rest on a stone bench attached to the front wall of the house of Sri Sugappa, a jeweller by profession. Later, when Sri Sugappa came to know that the itinerant monk who broke bread with them was none other than Swami Vivekananda, he and his descendants preserved the bench carefully and respectfully, treating it as a valuable monument. The stone-bench was officially handed over to the Ramakrishna Math in January 1997.
While Swamiji believed that the Maharajas and their senior executives could be instruments of change in a feudalistic society, the main aim of his two-year-long travel through India was to study the problems of the masses and to seek solutions to improve their living conditions through education, modernization of agriculture and industries and technical sciences.
On 27 March 2009, the monument was consecrated at a special function presided over by Swami Bhaumananda, P r e s i d e n t , Ramakrishna Math, Pune. As part of the early morning function, there was special puja, homa and mangalarati. In the evening some 1600 people turned up at a public meeting to mark the consecration where speakers traced the history of the Swami’s voyage across the world in the cause of Vedanta.
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The Ramayana-13
Rama Upholds Dharma N.Narandran
(Continued from last issue)
W
was amiss and took a few steps back from the speechless king. Kaikeyi quickly put his mind at ease by saying that the king, having had a sleepless night thinking and worrying about the coronation, was drowsy. She requested Sumantra to go and bring Rama before the king.
hen dawn broke the next day, Vasishtha and his disciples left for Dasaratha’s palace in a procession bearing vessels filled with waters from the holy rivers and the other paraphernalia to be used at the coronation planned for later in the morning. The splendidly decorated streets were thronged with people excitedly waiting for the momentous event to commence.
Sumantra, thinking that the king probably had something important to discuss with Rama before the coronation, hurried to Rama’s palace. Along the way, several people inquired why the king’s appearance was delayed though the auspicious moment was fast approaching. At Rama’s palace where Rama and Sita were getting ready, Sumantra informed Rama of the king’s desire to see him. Rama informed Sita and left at once. He followed Sumantra in his chariot and drove through the streets packed with increasingly impatient people.
Approaching the palace gates, Vasishtha requested Sumantra to inform King Dasaratha that the auspicious moment was imminent and that his subjects were awaiting his appearance. Sumantra hurried to the king’s chamber and chanting the morning hymn, requested the king to rise from his slumber to meet Vasishtha, the priests and the people who had gathered to witness the coronation. The king looked at Sumantra with sleep-deprived eyes, red with weeping but said nothing. Sumantra sensed that something
On reaching the king’s palace, Rama quickly went towards Kaikeyi’s chamber, eager to meet
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his beloved father. Lakshmana waited at the entrance while Rama entered the chamber. A strange silence greeted him. The king was seated on a couch looking as if he was undergoing some mental torture. Rama fell at his feet and clasped his feet but the king with eyes closed could utter only one word ‘Rama’. Tears flowed from his eyes. Rama prostrated before Kaikeyi who was standing a short distance away. Rama was saddened and taken aback by this unusual welcome and asked Kaikeyi if he had unknowingly done something wrong to displease the king and cause such unhappiness to his father. Had someone spoken rudely to him? He could not bear to see his father whom he worshipped, suffering such unhappiness.
anyone. His mind was plagued by an important matter which he was reluctant to tell Rama for fear of hurting him. She then quickly related how, a long time ago, the king had granted her two boons for saving his life. She wanted the king to honour his promise now but the king was reluctant. His love for Rama was making him go back on his word and violating the rules of dharma, something most unbecoming of a king. Kaikeyi told Rama that he had the power to ensure that the king’s promise was kept and should give the king strength to act righteously. The shrewd Kaikeyi then elicited from Rama a promise that he would help the king honour his pledge. Rama replied that if he was in anyway the cause of his father’s sorrow, nobody should doubt him for he was prepared to obey his father to the letter without question.
Kaikeyi seized her chance to explain that the king was neither unwell physically nor upset with
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If his father so ordered, he was prepared to jump into fire, swallow poison or drown himself. He solemnly promised Kaikeyi that he would fulfil his father’s promise.
messengers immediately to Kekaya and summon Bharata for his coronation. Kaikeyi, triumphant at last, urged Rama to leave for the forest fast and not prolong the matter. She would send messengers and bring Bharata back.
Having secured this promise, the merciless Kaikeyi explained that the two boons she was claiming now, were that Bharata should be crowned the Yuvaraja and that Rama should be banished to the Dandaka forest and remain there in exile for 14 years. She reminded Rama that he had given his word and should keep it.
King Dasaratha, listening to all these, sobbed loudly, his grief uncontrollable. Telling Kaikeyi to look after his father well and to ensure that Bharata carried out his duties well, Rama touched the feet of his father and Kaikeyi’s and hurried out of the chamber.
Rama remained calm and unperturbed by Kaikeyi’s words while the king writhed in agony. Rama’s face showed neither anger nor disappointment. He replied that the king’s promise must be fulfilled and that he would leave at once for the forest dressed in tree-bark and deerskin. He said he would gladly give up anything for his brother Bharata. He was hurt that his father had doubted his willingness to carry out his desires. To Rama, service to one’s parents was the only path which leads to the other purusharthas. As a son, he was duty bound to obey his father’s every command. He then requested Kaikeyi to dispatch
Lakshmana who had been standing near the doorway to the chamber had heard everything and was seething with anger. His lips throbbed with anger and his eyes filled with tears. Rama, however, showed no emotions but looked like a sannyasi who had renounced the world. Passing the hall where the preparations had been made, he went round the vessels containing the consecrated waters for the coronation. Leaving behind the white umbrella and the other royal insignia, he went towards Queen Kausalya’s chamber to break the news to his mother and receive her blessing before departing for Dandaka.
References: 1. Ramayana by Kamala Subramaniam 2. Ramayana by C. Rajagopalachari
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I want peace R.Jayasekar
T
he sage Narada was restless. He was respected, honoured, adored even. People looked up to him, admired him, loved him. Yet he himself was dissatisfied, agitated. He had mastered all the sciences and arts available to mankind, yet he felt something was lacking, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. Hence his discontentment.
admitted humbly, “Yet in spite of all this knowledge, I am only a knower of words. My heart is restless. I long for peace, but it ever eludes me. I have heard that only from great ones like you can the knowledge that gives true peace be attained. Take me, O blessed one, across the ocean of sorrow.” Peace! Shanti! What a beautiful word. All are in search of it. But how many attain it? Even Narada, famed in all the worlds, lacked it in spite of his vast learning. In what way was Narada’s learning incomplete? When does knowledge get transformed into wisdom and bring about peace? Finding in him a sincere seeker, Sanatkumara decided to help him attain the peace that eluded him.
He sought out the ever youthful seer Sanatkumara, otherwise known as Skanda. Approaching him with all humility as a student and seeker, he bowed to him and said, “Please teach me, O blessed one.” Sanatkumara said in reply, “Tell me what you already know, then I shall teach you about what remains to be known.” Narada began to give a list of subjects he had mastered. It was a long list, covering the entire field of positivistic knowledge then available. They included such diverse topics as mathematics, music, astronomy, the science of war, the science of animals, the fine arts, grammar, physical science and all the scriptures. Then he
“All that you have learnt is only name, mere form without substance,” began Sanatkumara.
Knowledge of Self Without knowing about oneself no external knowledge can bring about fulfilment. Knowledge of the Self, the Atman as the real nature of man,
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is essential to complement the knowledge of the external world and help one to rise from knowledge to wisdom. Slowly leading Narada through the various categories of experience disclosed by the knowledge of the external world and pointing out their limitations, Sanatkumara exhorted Narada to seek the Atman. For true and lasting peace comes only when one realises and abides in the knowledge that he is essentially the Atman, beyond all limitations imposed by the body and mind.
doubts, and therefore faith and steadfastness are necessary to take us forward. We must have faith in the scriptures, the record of the experiences of the realised sages. We must have faith in the Guru who shows the way. And we must have faith in ourselves. Such faith gives self confidence and strength to face all difficulties and strive to become more and more spiritual. You must then act on that faith said Sanatkumara. We must actively put into practice the tenets and principles of our religion in all our undertakings. As the famous saying goes, “An ounce of practice is far superior to tons of knowledge”.
“That which is infinite, is alone happiness,” declared Sanatkumara to Narada. “There is no happiness in anything finite.”
Spiritual Growth True shanti comes only from the infinite reality (Brahman or Bhuman in the words of Sanatkumara) that sustains this universe. The finite, perishable things of the world can never give lasting peace. So life should be anchored in spirituality, for that alone will put all things in perspective and enable one to face all situations with equanimity.
How do we know we are growing spiritually? Swami Ranganathananda gives the criteria very clearly: “Can you love others? Can you feel oneness with others? Have you peace within yourself and do you radiate it around you? That is called spiritual growth, which is stimulated by meditation inwardly, and work done in a spirit of service outwardly.”
How does one become spiritual? One must have Sraddha (faith) and Nishtha (steadfastness) continued Sanatkumara. Sraddha and Nishtha are two very important qualifications for spiritual growth. In the beginning there will be many
To be truly spiritual one must be pure in mind, continued Sanatkumara. All spiritual practices and religious observances have
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purity of mind as the ultimate goal. How does one become pure? Sanatkumara made a very important declaration.
internal purity these external observances are of no value whatsoever. In the list of qualities conducive to purity, Ramanujacharya enumerates the following – truthfulness, sincerity, doing good to others without any personal gain, not injuring others by thought, word or deed, not coveting another’s goods, not thinking vain thoughts and not brooding over injuries received from another.
Ãhara suddhau sattva-suddhih; Sattva- suddau dhruva smrtih; Smrti-lambhe sarva-granthinam vipra-moksah. “When the ahara is pure, the mind becomes pure; when the mind becomes pure, the memory of one’s divine nature becomes steady; when this memory is achieved, all the knots of the heart (all doubts and defects) are completely destroyed.”
We know we have reached the goal when we see God everywhere, said Sanatkumara, and concluded in an ecstatic outburst. “That Infinite alone is below, That alone is above. That Infinite alone is behind, That is in front. That Infinite alone is to the south, That is to the north. That Infinite alone is all this. I alone am below, I am above. I am behind, I am in front. I am to the south, I am to the north. I alone am all this.”
By ahara we usually mean food. But here Sanatkumara means all that is gathered into the physical and mental system of man through his senses and organs.
Purity Purity is the bed-rock upon which spiritual growth rests. Cleaning the external body and discriminating the food are both easy, but without
Thus did the revered Sanatkumara bring peace to the heart of Narada.
Reference: Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 7)
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Relief Work in Sri Lanka In keeping with its tradition, the Ramakrishna Mission has launched relief work in northern Sri Lanka to help alleviate the immense humanitarian crisis there.
and soap. Other supplies may be added after a study of the problems facing the refugees.
The volunteers will also provide counselling and spiritual support for Soon after the guns fell silent, the dispossessed people. Swami Sarvarupananda, head of the Colombo centre, was given special The supplies are being procured clearance by the authorities to go from a budget of Rs. 3 million rupees to Jaffna to organise relief. He (US$25,000). Meanwhile efforts are reached Jaffna on 22 May and met being made to raise more funds to the Government Agent there to chalk keep the relief work going. The target out plans for relief work. for the Mission’s relief work is relatively a small segment of the To start with the Swami has people affected, According to official selected a camp with 306 families estimates there are close to 275,000 consisting of 1320 members for Tamil refugees in northern Sri Lanka immediate distribution of relief including Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mannar materials. Initially the Swami, and Trincomalee. assisted by a team of volunteers from the Ramakrishna Samity in Donations can be made to Thavady, Jaffna, will distribute food, Ramakrishna Mission, 40 milk powder, clothes, oil, toothpaste Ramakrishna Road, Colombo 6.
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TEMPLE PROGRAMMES & DISCOURSES
1.
2.
3.
Daily 6.00am 9.00am 7.00pm
Mangalarati Puja Evening Arati & Bhajan
Ekadashi 6.15pm 7.00pm
Vishnu Sahasranamam Arati followed by Rama-Nama Sankirtan
Saturdays 5.00pm 6.00pm 7.30pm
4.
Sundays 9.30am 11.00am 4.00pm 5.00pm
6.00pm
Bhajan, Cultural & Religious Classes for Children (Temple hall – I level) Discourse on “Meditation and Spiritual Life” by Swami Satyalokananda (Library) Vedic Chanting & Bhajan Class (Temple)
Yoga Class (Sarada Hall) Chanting & Cultural Class for Children (Temple hall – I level) Sanskrit Language Classes (Library) (a) Beginners, (b) for Advanced Students Discourse on “Svetasvatara Upanishad” by Swami Samachittananda (Temple hall – I level) Discourse on “Vishnu Sahasranama” by Swami Muktirupananda (Sarada Hall)
Discourses and classes are open to all Registration required for Yoga class
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FESTIVAL CALENDAR July - September 2009
July 2009 03 07 18 27
Friday Tuesday Saturday Monday
Ekadashi Guru Purnima Ekadashi Birthday of Swami Ramakrishnananda
Saturday Wednesday Thursday Monday Wednesday Monday
Ekadashi Birthday of Swami Niranjanananda Sri Krishna Janmashtami Ekadashi Birthday of Swami Advaitananda Ekadashi
August 2009 01 05 13 17 19 31
September 2009 13 Sunday 15 Tuesday 18 Friday 25 Friday 26 Saturday 27 Sunday 28 Monday 30 Wednesday
Birthday of Swami Abhedananda Ekadashi Birthday of Swami Akhandananda Sri Sri Durga Puja Saptami Sri Sri Durga Puja Ashtami Sri Sri Durga Puja Navami Vijaya Dashami Ekadashi
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