Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Year 20
July 2013
Issue 1
Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission July 201 3 : Year 20 / Issue 1 Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati
He, by whose light the unreal world appears real, teaches the truth of Brahman, to those who want to know the Atman through the Vedic statement Tattvamasi (Thou Art That) and He, who puts an end to the samsaric cycle, to that Bhagwan Sri Dakshinamurti, who is present as my Guru, I offer this humble salutations.
Published by
International Vedanta Mission http://www.vmission.org.in vmission@gmail.com
In This Issue 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. 7. 7. 8. 9. 1 0. 11 .
Message of P. Guruji Atma Bodha Letter Gita Reflections Jivanmukta Yoga Vasistha Story Section VM News VM Activities Album VM Programs
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5 6-7 9 1 0-11 13 1 4-1 5 17 18 19 20-21 23
from Poojya Guruji
Devastation in Uttarakhand The tragedy in Uttarakhand has been unimaginable for all. All the Char-Dham bore the brunt, with Kedarnath being the epicenter. Our condolences to thousands of pilgrims and local residents who died in the process. Some of video clips remind us of the tsunamis which come with such a terrible magnitude, force and suddeness. We are pained badly. While natural calamities keep happening, but the religious people always connect prakriti with God, and thus all cordial situations are seen as his blessings, while all such disasters are seen as anger of Gods. The Gods are indeed angry and we need to seriously introspect if our deeds and ways need to be corrected. Nobody should ever have the arrogance that they can ever control nature, we just need to invoke its blessings and need to humbly live in accordance with the laws of nature, and its possible occasional extremes. Obviously we were unprepared for various things and were arrogantly complacent, and were most importantly compromising very badly on various fronts. Everyone needs to introspect in their fields as to what can be corrected; we as sadhus too realize the shortcomings in the religious beliefs & values of the people at large. Ages back when these pilgrimages were started, the Himalayas must have been much more inaccessible as compared to what they are today, yet the masters made the various inaccessible & literally god-forsaken places as the pilgrim centers. Why? The reason for this was that the real objective of a pilgrimage is not finally being in the presence of some idol, but it was the journey which made all the difference. Today this has gone. Commercialization and ignorance of our traditions have converted these pilgrim centers into tourist spots, bereft of all the piousness and austerities which were associated with these places and traditions. Our priorities are now earning money, so that the locals can make a living etc. While all this is fine but we need to remember that if we do not stick to the basic objectives of pilgrimages then they will slowly die, and this will be far more detrimental to the money-makers. We need to keep the sanctity of pilgrim centers at all cost. Anyone who has visited any pilgrim centers in Himalayas are sad to see the clutter, dirt, unplanned development, mushrooming buildings in any possible places, degradation of eco-system etc - all because of our changed priorities of money-making. However unpleasant this may be but this indeed is a fact. All our visitors need to come out more purified, blessed & charged. We need to keep these places clean, pure, inspiring. For this it is important that we keep these visits a bit difficult, because then alone we will have to depend on God to undertake the journey. This is a very important aspect of all such Yatras. Compromising on these will tantamount to playing with our religion. No body can dare to play with the traditions of other religions, so why should we let this happen in our religion. We need to protect our systems ourselves. Our over secure life tends to make God irrelevant and this only increases our ego & arrogance, and these alone are the thorns which are aimed to be removed by such yatras etc. Every pilgrimage was a package wherein there was an amazing misxture of Yagna, Daan & Tapas, the three things which Bhagwad Gita tells us never to let go. Let us not dilute the tapas componenet just for the sake of some old people or business community etc. When old people also dare & resolve to undertake such journies then we will help to carve out truly good human beings - more humble, pious & blessed. Making money alone is not enough, it is the making of good human beings which matters more. Hindus need to wake up fast, there are many elements who are playing with and exploiting our traditions blindly. We cannot remain an uninvolved spectator. All this is a wake up call. Let us not miss this call and humbly go back to the basics & roots. After all we all know that the prevalent values are making a terrible mess of man and also the world.
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Swamini Samatananda
Brahman is All-Pervading In the previous sloka the Acharya glorified Self knowledge as the culmination of all that is seen, all that one has experienced by becoming something or the other in relationships, in society, at the financial level etc, and all that which one has learnt at the level of worldly knowledge and righteousness. In the following sloka the Acharya gives us some more pointers which reveal the limitless, blissful and self effulgent nature of the Self, as Brahman.
56
Tiryagoordhvamadhah poornam sachidaanandam advaiyam Anantam nityamekam yattadbrahmetyavadhaarayet
Tiryag: around, across; oordhvam: above; adhah: below; poornam: complete; sachidaanandam: infinite bliss; advaiyam: without a second; anantam: limitless; nityam: eternal; ekam: the one; yat: which; tad brahma: that is Brahman; iti: thus; avadhaarayet: should understand.
That One is to be understood as Brahman, which is all pervading, across, above, and below, which is existence, consciousness and bliss, one without a second, limitless, eternal and the only one.
Tiryagoordhvamadhah poornam:
One which is all pervading and all permeating, know that to be Brahman. One who is all around, who is above and who is below. In Mundakopanishad it is said -All this that is in front is but Brahman, the immortal. Brahman is at the back, as also on the right and the left. It is extended above and below, too. This world is nothing but Brahman, the highest. As the scriptures thus reveal the all-pervasiveness of Brahman one must understand that the all pervasiveness is only spoken with reference to the fragmentations in the world. If the divisibility in the world appears to be existent and real for us then the need arises to say that Brahman is everywhere. For a knowledgeable person in whose vision fragmentation ceases to exist where is the need to say brahman is all-
pervasive. For a man of wisdom Brahman 'is'. it is pure existence. That Brahman is Poornam -Complete within itself. For that matter I am Poornam. Poornam: The nature of the Self is contented by itself. In the Gita Sri Krishna reveals the nature of a a man of complete wisdom as one who is fulfilled by himself and within himself. A person who has discovered this nature of the Self has nothing to be attained from the extranious world. Only the ungratified ones who see themselves as limited beings move into the outside world to gratify the vaccum within. Sachidaanandam: Sachidaananda is the swaroopa lakshana of the self. Sat is that pure existence because of which everything exists. It is the very substratum of the universe, just as gold is
Vedanta Sandesh
the substratum of various ornaments with different names, forms and utility. This principle of existence is experienced in the world as 'isness' of an object such as the phone 'is', the car 'is' etc. Within the self this pure existence is experienced as 'I am'. Chit: or Consciousness is the Self-illumining knowledge principle. The light of consciousness illumines the objective world through the means of the senses, mind and intellect. I illumine all the senses, the body, mind and intellect and yet I am that light which cannot be illumined by any other source of light. I am self effulgent. Anandam: I am of the nature of absolute bliss. Bliss that is not because of something but my very nature is bilssful. Everything moves towards its basic nature, I too desire happiness because it is my basic nature. Sorrow is an artificial phase which is experienced when desire veils my very own natural state of bliss. Removal of ignorance is the only means to awaken unto this state of sachidaananda. Advaiyam : That which is non-dual, one without a second. That alone is. The real existence of something depends on the fact that it exists at all time, that which is unaffected by the realm of time & space. All that comes into existence at a particular point of time, undergoes changes and which passes away with time is unreal. In this sense all that we see in the objective world including our body, our emotions, our thoughts, values and experiences everthing under that spectrum is limited in time and space. Brahman alone is eternal, verily the substratum of the entire spectrum of change, of time space and objectives. The entire spectrum of plurality is an illusory experience as a dream world. Brahman alone is the truth and one without a second. The Acharya gives us some more pointers to indicate the state of Brahman. Anantam: Brahman is anantam implies, Brahman is all pervading, eternal and non dual. It is free from the three limitations of time, space and object. Brahman is not limited to a space and you can never perceive a locus for it. It is all pervading. Just as the sky is limitless. It is an existencial platform for all manifested beings yet it remains indivisible, and unchanged. - 7
Brahman is beyond the limitation of time. I exist first and then the existence of time comes into being. It was never such that I was not there before, nor will I ever cease to exist. Any object enjoys temporary existence while Brahman being the subject, is there in all the three periods of time. It is eternal. Brahman is not limited by another object. Each object is limited by its own attributes. A computer, will function as a computer and not a car. Each object is limited and separated from others on the basis of certain qualities. While Brahman means that which is 'Big'. Generally big is used as an adjective a big car, a big house etc where big is used to describe another noun. Here the word 'Big' itself is a noun implying the limitlessness of Brahman. Nityam: The Self is eternal. What comes and goes is the manifested form. Anything born of the three gunas of Maya is anitya and goes through birth, change and decay. Ekam: The Self is one without a second. Nothing exists other than this truth alone. All the multiplicity is a beautiful dream in the mind of this one ultimate truth. Just as there is a variety in the names and forms of mud products as a pot, toys, utensils but the substratum of all the products is mud alone so also the source of the entire play of the universe is one substratum where in all is created, sustained and destroyed. Hence it does not admit any differences nor can undergo any changes. All the differences are at the level of adjuncts which is a play of maya and its three gunas.
Tadbrahmetyavdhaarayet:
Realise that to be Brahman as the nature under discussion and have a firm conviction. As of now our conviction about the Self is that of a the body, mind and intellect. It is as that of the jiva who is bound by a sense of doership and enjoyership. Come to question this conviction of the self, enquire upon the deep sense of reality that we have imposed upon the self as a limited and seeking being. Come to see that all the suffering is only due to the ignorance of the real nature of the self as Brahman and seeing it as a fragmented, limited being. Enquire and see that thou art. -
A Compassionate Boy Once upon a time, in a small village in Kenya, there lived a young boy with his step family. Due to the scarcity of water in the village, the young boy awoke early every morning, carried his pot and headed for the stream with the aim of fetching water for himself and his step family. Sadly for him, he alone had this task as a routine every morning and evening to fetch water froma distant stream while his step siblings were given other lenient tasks or even none. Yet, the young boy bore no grudge against his step family, loved them and carried out his task, diligently. On his way back from the stream, he met an old man resting under a tree who beggedfor water to quench his thirst and he gave the old man. He met an elderly woman who begged for water and he gave the woman. This happens almost every time as he comes back from the stream; meeting peoplewho beg for thirst, yet he gave them despite his step mother’s torture on him for fetching half-filled pots that wouldn’t even be enough for the family. One day, he couldn’t bear the torture from his step mum, so heswore never to give anyone water, but on his way back, he met a strange looking man who begged him for water. The strange man lay by the road sidewith an injury. The young boy remembered his vow – never to give anyone water – but contemplated for a moment and then gave the strange man some water. When he got home, his step mum noticed the half-filled pots, and again pounced on him – this time with more cruelty. As she was beating this young boy, there was a knock on the door. It was the wounded strange man – a mail deliverer. Apparently, he came from the town with a letterfor the young boy. A letter containing a scholarship with additional cash gift for the young boy and would have died on the way if not for the boy’s help.
Vedanta Sandesh
Power of Love Letter of the Month
‘‘Basically world is just ‘grossification’ of our thoughts. While we all apparently live in one world but really speaking we all live in our
own
different
worlds, a world of our making – as per our individual
values
&
perceptions, attracting appropriate things.’ Poojya
Guruji
Hari om! Aashirwad! I am happy that you were ‘offered’ a job which you loved. For me the good news is not the job, but good news is ‘that which you love’ is now coming to you by itself. Lets keep our perceptions clear. Love not only gives meaning to life & generates enthusiasm, but it also attracts things of its kind & class by itself. Things will just happen and come to you by themself. The people in the west call this Law of Attraction, while we call it Power of Love. When we study creation in our Upanishads then we realize that really speaking, creation is not an independent entity, but is a projection of our minds. That which we see, feel, dream & think, is all the manifestation of our values & aspirations. The clearer & deeper it is, clearer is the dream which you see – yes, the world is just your dream :). Basically world is just ‘grossification’ of our thoughts. While we all apparently live in one world but really speaking we all live in our own different worlds, a world of our making – as per our individual values & perceptions, attracting appropriate things. You sincerely believe in something, then it ‘alone’ is ‘seen’ around, you truly wish & love something, and it shall come to you. So it is all about your love. That is why I have been saying that let it all be just ‘Project Love’, and everything will fall into right place – job, satisfaction, right people, mentors, friends, relationships, money, respect, position, and the most elusive of it all – joy in the heart of your teachers. I am indeed very happy to see that now what matters to you is just doing what you just love to do, let everything be like shadows, which just follows – helplessly. This is a fundamental and profound shift which changes our lives completely and for the better. Just continue to be true to it and forget everything else. No doubts whatsoever, sincerely believe that if you really & passionately love some thing or even a person then it or they have to come to you. Love is too pure & divine a thing to be made a means for some petty worldly ends. Just dream to do your best, not for any fruits but because you are made & born to do this – with your heart & soul. Then all the artha’s will become siddha. Lots of love & om, Guruji - 9
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by
Meditating upon objects:
(Consequences of dreaming about an Object)
Dhyayato Vishayan Punsah
Swamini Samatananda
In Gita chapter 2 Sri Krishna brings up an analysation about how the graph of a person's mindset goes downwards when he or she is completely overtaken by senses and their desires. There is a perfect psychological pattern of desire explained, how a desire originates, how the persuit of it begins, how it takes away the capacity of a person to think objectively and how anger takes over slowly hypnotising a person to a mental suicide. All objects have their own attributes and usefullness. But not all the objects and people are desired by us. An object, person or situation is not desired for itself, but it is desired because we see it as desirable. This desire may sprout due to some past impression, due to an impact created by a particular object or we may see the usefulness of it. Whatever the reason certain objects and people, having seen it once, come back to our mind again and again. Dwelling upon these objects is what Sri Krishna calls as meditation here. This kind of meditation may not appear to be a problem as such. We may like something about a person's looks, his dressing, his mannersims, his mindset etc and we may open the doors of our mind allowing it to make its home. What happens however is that this kind of meditation or dwelling upon an object brings about a liking towards that object and gives birth to its desirability which again may not be a problem. Desiring something itself is not a problem, however if a desire leads to a downfall of human righteousness and the spirit of self contentment, then it is a problem, as we will see in the following discussion.
Meditation leading to attachment:
Once a person starts dwelling or meditating on something, affection and attachment is developed. Attachment or sanga to any person or object brings about a smile of elation. One cannot develop affection without dwelling upon it. A pet owner develops love and affection merely by caring for it and thinking about it. Attachment can also come about when one sees an object or person fulfilling a vaccum in one's life. This kind of attachment can be for anything, money, house, car, or any person who is nice to me. Affection to something is not a problem by itself. The problem is that when we start liking something we want to possess it. In the Gita, Bhagwan Kishna says that desire is born of attachment. To add to it, a person is then naturally not satisfied with one thing. Given an entire mutiplicity of the world of objects and people in front of him, he then has umpteen number of desires. The world of advertisements understands this psychology of bringing about attachment by continuous bombardment of a thought of an object and then developing it into a desire. A company launches a Vedanta Sandesh
new soap which is asolutely new for us and we have no desire to buy it. But one thought of the soap bringing about fairness of the skin is bombarded on our senses and mind so many times in half an hours program that a simple thought about the soap leads to its meditation and then a desire to buy it. In this manner a desire is created.
Unfulfilled desire leads to anger:
If a desire is fulfilled then it's not a problem. But not every desire can be fulfilled. When the desire is not fulfilled one gets angry. Anger again depends upon the intensity of the desire. If the desire to achieve something is not very strong then it will not bother much, but if the desire is really intense then anything or person instrumental in the unfulfillment of the desire will become the target of my anger. The point to understand here is not avoid a desire or control anger by suppression, but one needs to be realistic in one's expectations. Unrealistic expectations from a person or object are due to individual likes and dislikes (raag-dvesha) which need to be handled by right knowledge.
Anger leads to delusion and loss of memory:
One needs to see how an innocent selfcentered desire can create havoc in life if it is not handled inteeligently and factually. .
It is well experienced that any person overpowered by anger is deluded and loses his sense of reasoning and intelligence, thus leading to loss of memory. In this case loss of memory refers to the loss of all that knowledge a person has gained from the study of the scriptures, one's elders, and one's own experiences. Once we lose this kind of wisdom of past experiences and learning, the mind is incapacitated. The intellect is no more capable of seeing objectively that which is right or that which is wrong. in such a situation a person does not act but he is swayed away by his anger helplessly totally under the control of his mental impressions and impulses.
Intellect
overtaken
by impulse:
The intellect is available only when wisdom is available. When wisdom is lost the freedom to think is also lost and what takes over is impulsiveness. A human being is a human being only due to the uniqueness of of a mind that is sensitive and an intellect that can think. When impulses take over it means the capacity to think and discrimiate as a human being is lost. In such a situation a person does not act, he only reacts. A person no more has any control over a situation. Once anger is born, delusion, loss of wisdom and ultimately destruction of the person is inevitable. A person has freedom until he comes at the level of controlling his anger, but if anger takes over then rest will follow suit. One needs to see how an innocent self-centered desire can create havoc in life if it is not handled intelligently and factually. - 11
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Quotes “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” “Those who wish to sing, always find a song.” “He who is devoid of the power to forgive, is devoid of the power to love. ” “Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.” “The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. ” “For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you.” “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” “Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. ” “I will offer a choice, not an echo.” “The greatest power is often simple patience.” “There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go.”
Vedanta Sandesh
Wandering in Himalayas The Heritage of a Golden Past
Heritage of a Golden Past
12 Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj
In the increasing worldliness that encompasses man in our time, he finds little time to look into himself and discover the Inner Spirit. People dominated by rajoguna can hardly pass a day without seeing other people and mixing themselves with worldly things. They cannot spend a few days in solitude. In our time little value is attached to qualities like peace (shanti) and dispassion (vairagya). Love, hate, greed, egotism and avidity for sensual pleasures are the ruling passions of our age. There are but few people who can discern and appreciate sattwik qualities. If spiritual elavation was the objective of our ancestors, material happiness is the goal of our generation. Thus the aims of our ancestors and of ourselves appear poles apart. We can only console ourselves with the thought that the Wheel of time will go full round. Good and evil, prosperity and adversity come up by turns and disappear by turns. However that may, I must confess, I can hardly pass through the solitary plains in the lovely Himalayan region without casting a longing, lingering look at the past and without being saddened by the changes that have come over our motherland. I believe that no man who loves his native land and who has some power of thought still left in him can traverse these regions without feeling a touch of melancholy.
Conquest of Illusion
If enjoyment is the body, suffering is its head. Nobody can live without his head. Still, man forgets the more he enjoys the more he wil suffer. Even in extreme old age, when the body is in a state of dissolution, man clings to it as if it was still young and healthy and full of vigour. Thus aiming at pleasure and eagerly longing for the prolongation of life, man goes on revolving within the endless circle of samsara. Man is like a caged lion. he cannot get out of the limitation of his senses. He does not recollect that he has fallen from a high state of freedom into abject slavery. Every book on religeon refers to man's sad fall.
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by Swamini Vidyananda
8
Part-2
Adhyatmic Teachings of Guru Vashista to Sri Ramji
contd from last issue... Everything in this world is dependent upon the mind, upon one’s mental attitude. On examination, the mind itself appears to be unreal? But, we are bewitched by it. We seem to be running after a mirage in the desert to slake our thirst! ... What is this world? What comes into being, grows, and dies? How does this suffering come to an end? My heart bleeds with sorrow... Only he lives who strives to gain self-knowledge, which alone is worth gaining in this world, thereby putting an end to future births; others exist here like donkeys... Pray, enlighten me...” Rama goes on and on, pointing the shortcomings of various objects and states of life, - everything is fleeting and not able to give a lasting joy, beauty fades, youth passes, love is transient and life is spent uselessly in running after desires. Not everyone is able to see so clearly the shortcomings of the world in all its stages and manifestations, and its inability to give the complete satisfaction. Everything the worldly pleasures and states can offer is of a fleeting nature, always changing, never giving complete satisfaction, its’ joys are always followed by sorrows, and they desert you when you least expect it. And this is inevitable, because whatever has a beginning, will have its end, too, and putting your hopes and affections in the changing objects of the samsara, you are bound to become disheartened some time sooner or later. Children will grow, friends and relatives are bound to die and go away, best food spoils and turns waste once you eat it, the best and the finest clothes and jewelry become boring and go out of fashion, your attitudes change with time and the most desired things become non-wanted or even the objects of hate and can be seen as the source of many future problems. Such is the nature of the worldly things, - they change, and happiness they bring is only momentary. Once we have the desired and longed for the objects in our possessions, we enjoy them for a moment, and next moment another desire arises, which drags us again to catch it, requests efforts and exertion to reach. Once we reach it and see it as not so desirable, the new circle of a new desire starts, which requires new actions, new goals and new running in a seemingly endless circle of desire and action. Yet, if we stop and think, we discover what in every desire our real goal is not to reach an object, but a short moment of bliss and joy upon reaching, when we feel completely full and satisfied, when we feel completely at home, when we don’t desire to change or to reach something else, when everything seem perfect as it is and new desires do not exist yet. What everyone desires in reality is this state of no desire when nothing drags a man out of the joy and balance, keeping Vedanta Sandesh
Changing world gives great lessons
him in the running. Once we see that our goal is just to stay in ourselves not running somewhere else, our whole approach about how to get where changes. We see the desired state as not running after something, not becoming someone else, but just being happy with what is, not dependent on the changing objects of the world, not dependent on desires or actions, our innate state of limitless blissfulness and completeness. Rama sees right here that is no satisfaction in the changing objects and states. But he is yet to make the next step of deducing what the desired state of completeness is his own nature. He feels the pain of the state he is in and eagerly desires to find a way out. He makes an inspired speech on the shortcomings of the world and humbly request help from the assembly of sages, understanding his inability to solve the riddle himself. And only after such a whole-hearted submission and request for knowledge from a qualified student, teaching can begin.
Sri Ram at the feet of Sage Vasistha - 15
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Message of Bhagwad Gita 4. Consequences of Ego The lives of self-centric people, who are always driven by their personal likes and dislikes, is very isolating, limiting and above all choking. They live a highly stressed life, with indecisiveness glaring at them at every crossroad. Success binds these ignorant ones as much as their failures do, and the tragedy is that irrespective of what they achieve and experience they continue to remain condemn as a seeker.
Vedanta Sandesh
Kirat: The Hunter
Story Section
pon u e c n . . O . me i t a
This is the only form of Lord Shiva in which He appeared black in color. Arjuna wanted to get the peerless weapon Pashupatastram from Lord Shiva for the battle of Mahabharata. He left the other four Pandavas, went to the forest and did austere tapas for getting the boon of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was satisfied with his prayer, wanted to give the pashupatastram to him, but wanted to play a bit too. He took the form of a Hunter with Shakthi as Huntress. That time a demon by name Mukasura, who was in the form of a wild pig came to kill Arjuna. To kill the wild pig Arjuna fired an arrow from the front, at the same time the Hunter, Who is none other than God Himself, attacked it from the back and killed the pig. Arjuna mocked at the Hunter for firing the arrow from the back. Having great pride of his valour, he was also angry at the Hunter because He aimed at his prey. The Hunter responded that attacking an animal from the back is not against the rules of hunting. An argument broke out. They decided to fight deciding who was more valourous between them. The Hunter cut the string in Arjuna's bow with His arrow in the fight! Angered and excited, Arjuna started wrestling. He couldn't match the Lord, and the Lord enjoyed his fighting. At one point of time in wrestling Arjuna held the foot of the Hunter. As the Lord is pleased when somebody catches His holy feet, He stopped wrestling appeared with Parvati revealing who He is. Shocked Arjuna pleaded for forgiveness, as he was trying to fight with the Supreme out of his ignorance. However the God, Who was pleased by his devotion, blessed him and gave him the invincible Pashupatastra. (In some books it is told that arjuna couldn't fight with the Hunter, he started worshipping the Shiva Lingam. To his astonishment he found the flowers he offered to the Lingam on the head of the Hunter. Then he prostrated before the Hunter and the Lord revealed Himself). This can be found in detail in Kirat-Arjuniyam of Bharavi and Mahabharata. - 17
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Vedanta Sandesh
The present phase of Renovation at Vedanta Ashram was over just before the monsoons - by mid-june. Now we have a nice parikrama around the giant Shiv-Linga on the roof, a RCC roof in our Dining Area in place of the tin-shed earlier, this gives us a bigger roof area too. The re-painting of the giant Shiv-Linga has also been completed satisfactorily. We have used texture finish which was done by Asian Paints certified people under their supervision. Now our Shivji is having a bule pearl mettalic hue. On the roof we now have an additional temple in the shape of a small mount, which we call it as Ganga-Parvat, because we have put Gangaji's statue on the snowcapped mountain peaks. She represents the glaciers, and below is the old Shiv-Linga which was earlier established in the mount below. After 7 odd years that Shiv-Linga is being re-established, in an appropriate place. The whole structure has come out beautifully and gives a great ambiance to the whole area there. On 1 6th June evening this place was inaugurated and opened for select visitors at Ashram by Poojya Guruji amdist chanting of prayers. Then everyone did the Aarti. On 1 6th June itself before the inauguration of the Ganga-Parvat, we started a new program at Vedanta Ashram - a monthly Satsang for our various Indore devotees. Poojya Guruji has started discourses on Hanuman Chalisa in this program. The program started with chanting of Hanuman Chalisa, followed by discourse on the first line of the first doha of the chalisa. Then everyone went for the inaugural Aarti of the Ganga-Parvat, and then there was Samashti Bhandara. There were very heavy rains on that evening, yet there was a good attendance for the program. Due to extremely inclement weather in Uttarakhand followed by devastating floods etc, the proposed Vedanta Camp had to be cancelled over there. Water even entered the Sw Dayananda Ashram. In liu of that we have now proposed to have a Camp at Vedanta Ashram instead from Guru Poornima (22nd to 27th July). Please contact Ashram for more details. Advance will be refunded to those who cannot come. A seven days Bal Samskar Shivir was organized at Vedanta Ashram from 23rd to 29th June. More than 20 children attended the Camp.
Vedanta Sandesh
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Check out the detailed Photo Albums of the various functions on VM News Blog at : http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/
Sadhana Panchakam Discourses Vedanta Mission had started a new program of Weekly Online Satsang in Sept 201 2, which will conclude on 2nd June 201 3. In this program Pujya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji gave elaborate discourses on the first shloka of Sadhana Panchakam, a text written by Sri Adi Sankaracharyaji. In this series of 35 discourses, which were a commentary of the first eight sutras of the text, the initial preparatory journey of a spiritual aspirant has been discussed, the last stage of which was the natural manifestation of the inquisitiveness for AtmaGyana. Vedanta shastra reveals the science behind this Jignyasa, and once this is there then the journey thereafter is relatively easy, and so these shlokas and the commentary are of great importance. While so many sadhakas sincerely do so many sadhanas, but very rarely all this culminates in such an inquisitiveness, they obviously miss out on few subtle facts, which have been elaborated in these discourses. This series is a 'must listen' for all such aspirants who wish prepare the right foundation for the journey within and we would highly recommend all Hindi speaking sadhakas to regularly and very sincerely listen on them. Preferably small groups can be formed and these Video Pravachans should be shown to all such people for the well-being of all. Desirous sadhakas can either listen to them online, or can even download them for uninterrupted telecast. Pl visit the Vedanta Mission Web Site for links of these discourses.
Vedanta Sandesh
Forthcoming Rishikesh Camp rescheduled to Indore:
A 'Vedanta Camp' by Poojya Guruji which was to be organized at Sw Dayananda Ashram, at Rishikesh from 24th to 29th June has been rescheduled to Indore because of the devastating floods there. New dates are 23rd to 27th July.
Guru Poornima, Indore:
This year Guru Poornima is on the 22nd of July. As every year special programs will be organized on that day. Respects will be paid to the entire Guru Parampara by Poojya Guruji, and Poojan of Bhagwan Sri Sankaracharya will be done. Thereafter devotees will offer their respects to Poojya Guruji. Bhandara will be organized for all.
Monthly Hanuman Chalisa Satsang:
The second Satsang of the monthly Hanuman Chalisa will be held on the evening of 22nd July, Guru Poornima - as announced earlier. The program will begin with the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa by everyone, followed by pravachan by Poojya Guruji.
Janmashtami Camp, Indore:
A unique first ever 'Pancha-Kosha-Viveka Camp' will be organized at Vedanta Ashram, Indore, from 23rd to 27th Aug. On 28th Aug is the Janmashtami, and all devotees will participate in the celebrations.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow:
A Gita Gyana Yagna is being organized at Hari om Mandir, Lal Bag, Lucknow by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji from 23rd to 30th Sept. The subject matter of the discourse series will be: Gita Chapter-6, and Laghu Vakya Vritti.
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Om Tat Sat