Two decades of devotion

BY SHANTI RAMAN

Like all good Indian stories, this one has many beginnings, many versions of its origins and multiple experiences and voices contained within its lifetime. As members of a very privileged and unique group, we who have been meeting for 20 uninterrupted years on a Friday night to hear the ‘Shruti’ to be instructed in Advaita Vedanta by a singular spiritual intellectual, feel the need to document this journey as best as possible.

In 1992, in the upstairs room of an inner Sydney restaurant called Shapad Raman, a gathering of like souls sparked an interest in Vedanta classes. One story suggests that Swami Dayanand Saraswathi himself had paid a visit to that venue, a South Indian vegetarian restaurant run by Hari and Lakshmi Raman. He suggested that the upstairs be used as a venue for satsang and promotion of cultural and spiritual events. The Swamiji’s wishes transmitted themselves to this gathering of about 30 spiritual seekers; and became the inception of Shri Vasudevacharya’s classes in Advaita Vedanta in Australia. Another story suggests that Jai Raman, who used to attend and invariably fall asleep (!) during the Sanskrit classes at the University of Sydney given by Shri Vasudevacharya (then Dr Michael Comans), invited the Acharya to the restaurant run by his parents to expound his teachings. The first gathering was held upstairs at Shapad Raman, with Shri Vasudevacharya expounding on the Bhagavad Gita and John Napier performing an Indian raga exposition on the cello. The seeds for this multicultural, uniquely Australian Vedanta class were sown. While the exact date/ time, origins and participants in this venture may be hazy, Hari and Lakshmi Raman, Guru Shri Vasudevacharya and a core group of students have remained constant. Once the concept of the Advaita Vedanta class was born, the venue had to be somewhere central and easy to access. It was eventually settled in Metropolitan Street, Enmore, the home of Alan Croker and Kerry Reid.

The Guru

A disciple of Swami Dayananda

Saraswati, Shri Vasudevacharya imbibed Advaita Vedanta from his Guru in India and in California in the early 1980s. He has a PhD in Classical Indian Philosophy from the Australian National University, Canberra and has taught in the Department of Indian Studies at the University of Sydney. In 1995, he left university teaching to concentrate in more detail on the study and teaching of Vedanta. Perhaps the success of the Vedanta classes in Enmore spurred him on. The Acharya has been teaching Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and Sanskrit to students and devotees with unfailing devotion since then; in all corners of Sydney, at the Shri Venkateswara Temple, and in Melbourne, Perth, Malaysia, Singapore and India.

Shri Vasudevacharya’s deep understanding of this ancient tradition, his proficiency as a Sanskrit scholar and his commitment to a rigorous interpretation of the texts make him a teacher of rare insight. A unique aspect of our Acharya is his ability to teach and respond to queries at different levels, from those with no background in eastern thought or philosophy, to those with a strong foundation in Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy and everyone in-between. No question is too silly, too obvious, too lowly. His openness and willingness to be challenged are also uncommon in a teacher of this tradition. His commitment to us, his students, is also legendary –he holds his classes regardless of rain, hail or shine.

Shri Vasudevacharya is supported in all his endeavours by his Dharma Patni Archana, whose tireless, skilful and barely visible facilitation of various events especially retreats, is legendary.

The venue (Gyan Bhavan)

The atmosphere at 32 Metropolitan Road, Alan and Kerry’s house, is always a pleasure – without fail, sattvic and welcoming. In the midst of the buzz and chaos of Newtown/ Enmore on a Friday night, their home exudes serenity, yet has a powerful charge because of the Satsang within. Their care and consistency in hosting the class for so many years, including making arrangements for caretaker hosts when they are away, is much appreciated.

The teaching (Shruti)

In the 20 years of Advaita lessons, we have experienced the breadth and depth of this philosophy through chosen texts. The texts range from the Bhagavad Gita, the various Upanishads including Chandogya, Isha, Prasna, Katha, Kena, Brhadāranyaka, Aitareya, Taittirīya, Mundaka and Mandukya, the Hastamalaka’s Hastamalakiyam, the Atma Bodha and Shri Acharya’s own treatise, Advaitapratibodha

As one devoted disciple says, “(This) will stay with me through this life and beyond, as will the relationships formed in Enmore with fellow devotees and students of Vedanta.”

Apart from these spiritual texts, a core element of the Vedanta classes has been the Vedic chanting. As Swami Vagishananda suggests, Vedic chanting is “gymnastics for the tongue and mouth”. By opening the mouth and articulating each sound correctly, the resulting vibrations are felt throughout the whole body/mind complex. Shri Vasudevacharya has patiently laboured through teaching disparate attendees of the classes the subtleties of pronunciation, tone and tune of Vedic chanting. A typical class starts with chanting for the first 15-20 minutes, followed by the chosen text, which Acharya will provide a discourse on, usually informed by Adi Shankaracharya. This is followed by a stylised arati, then final prayers, followed by chai and sweets/savouries. As a rather wonderful constant for 20 years, Kerry’s chai warrants a special mention; there is always plenty of it and it is unfailingly good.

The shishya

Over the years, several hundred people have attended Shri Vasudevacharya’s classes and retreats. From diverse backgrounds and walks of life, students are able to thread their understanding of Vedanta through events in their life: marriage, birth of children, loss or moving across the globe. Somehow never too many to fit into the room; and somehow never too few either. A lovely variety of people in backgrounds – personal and spiritual, stages of life, and temperament. Some shishyas come and go, but many stay and have maintained a longstanding commitment to the classes.

Retreats

Retreats provide us with a chance to immerse ourselves in a spiritual

From diverse backgrounds and walks of life, students are able to thread their understanding of Vedanta through events in their life: marriage, birth of children, loss or moving across the globe quest, leaving behind the everyday world of work and life. Acharya and Archana have organised several retreats in Australia, and a large and successful retreat in Rishikesh in 2011. These special retreats provide both opportunities for deeper study and contemplation, and the pleasure of getting to know people a little more. The retreats really do deepen the sense of community.

Conclusion

The Vedanta class in Enmore has had had visitors from Europe, the Americas, Asia and from across Australia; the consensus is that this particular gathering is unique. As we are all now honouring moments in the past 20 years and celebrating the ceaseless blessings bestowed upon us, we look towards the future in anticipation of the divine force continually pushing Acharya to share with us his knowledge of Isvara. As Acharya’s devoted shishyas, we know the importance of the oral transmission of shruti; but above all, we rejoice in having such an inspiring Guru in Shri Vasudevacharya.