In this Issue . . . Revered President Maharaj's Message ......... 1 A few words about us.................................... 2 Pearls of Wisdom ......................................... 3 President's Page ........................................... 4 Gandhiji on Sri Ramakrishna ......................... 6 Annie Besant on Swami Vivekananda ........... 7 Vedanta Through Stories ............................. 9 The Upanishads : The Jewel in the crown of Literatures ....10 Birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna's Direct Disciples ...................................... 14 News & Notes ............................................. 21
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A few words about us . . . "Order of Sri Ramakrishna"
In the last days of his earthly life, Sri Ramakrishna always urged Sri Sarada Devi, his wife and the companion of his divine play that she had bigger duties to perform towards mankind. Sri Sarada Devi was in her early thirties at that time. Seeing the orthodoxy of the contemporary society of Bengal, it was impossible to conceive of a Brahmin widow to be at a leadership position of a movement. She would express her inability saying that what could she do? She was just a woman after all. Sri Ramakrishna would reply that she will have to do a lot more than what he himself had done. He would add that just so the future work of the movement could be continued, he would be leaving behind such jewel-like young boys as her sons that people do not get such children even after spending entire life cycles in spiritual austerities. In actual fact, young men like Swami Vivekananda or Swami Brahmananda could be the pride of any woman of any time of any country; a mother would feel immense gratification to have sons like them. These are the persons and incidents that form the foundation of our order.
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Pearls of wisdom Purity leads to liberation Na hi ÀtmÀ nÀma kasyacid aprasiddho bhavati (Ādi ŚakarÀcarya's commentary on Bhagavad GītÀ , Chapter II. Verse 18)
Translation One's own Self never remains unknown to anybody.
Note by the Editor No one can ever forget oneself. In our waking state we are always attached to one or more objects of perception. With the help of our ten (five senses of knowledge and other five of action) senses we are always engaged in acquiring happiness or suffering from these objects. But whether we are happy or we suffer, we can never forget our selves. In our dream state too, we are ever present as the observer of our dreams and again we either enjoy or suffer the consequences of our dreams. In our deep sleep, though apparently we are lost to ourselves, yet we have memory of the happiness and ignorance which arises from our deep-sleep experiences. So in waking, dreaming or deep-sleep states, which are the three ways we exist, our selves are never absent. Thus, we have an unbroken chain of experiences of our continuous existence which form the foundation of our knowledge about ourselves
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President's Page Virus From December 2019, a word most widely used around the globe by individuals and groups, by governments and public, by medical professionals and common man is 'Virus' by different names such as deadly virus, Novel Corona virus 2019, and finally was named COVID-19. There are 5000 over varieties of viruses. They are so small that it requires half a million of them if put in a series which could be smaller than a centimetre. We cannot see this virus with naked eye. But this tiny virus has a capacity to kill a living being. We feel proud about abilities. We consider our bodies quite a versatile instrument with our five different abilities (to touch, to smell, to see, to hear and to taste). We consider our bodies capable to rule the world with another set of five senses of action. (tongue to speak, hand to act, feet to walk and senses for reproduction and excretion). We are proud with our capacity to think and explore world. The virus doesn't seem to have any of these ten senses, or the mind or the intellect, but still it can be deadly and capable of challenging all our abilities. The purpose here is not to discuss about the virus but to understand our idea about the world. We see the world around us with the people, places, trees and animals etc in it. Virus reminds us that the world is not only that which we can see. There are parallel worlds. We do not have access to those worlds. When we are affected by them then only we see the symptoms and we find later the colonies of them everywhere. The parallel worlds of bacteria, 4
fungus and other varieties of unicellular organisms. They are living beings. We have yet to fully understand their behaviour and purpose in the creation. The finer is the thing, more powerful it becomes. The mass which makes the shape of the body of the living being is in fact, a limitation for that being, to move or to be effective. For example a flower needs a force of the wind to move but its fragrance can just flow in the air. We cannot cover a long distance without spending a huge energy but our sound or gesture can travel very far with minimum energy. The finer is the thing; more difficult is it to be controlled or to be destroyed. A huge animal or a tree can be killed or destroyed easily but that which is fine like bacteria or the virus needs much more energy to be destroyed. As the forces of the nature are beyond our control, in the same way the finer beings are also very powerful in terms of being identified and destroyed. Intellect, the greatest and finest instrument which man has, can overcome these situations with the help of science and collective organised management skills. Though we find it challenging but what man can't do? Man has achieved seemingly impossible feats which are the shining examples of our success today.
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Gandhiji on Sri Ramakrishna The story of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa’s life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. No one can read the story of his life without being convinced that God alone is real and that all else is an illusion. Ramakrishna was a living embodiment of godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages from the Book of Life. They are revelations of his own experiences. They therefore leave on the reader an impression which he cannot resist. In this age of scepticism Ramakrishna presents an example of a bright and living faith which gives solace to thousands of men and women who would otherwise have remained without spiritual light. Ramakrishna’s life was an object-lesson in ahimsa. His love knew no limits geographical or otherwise. May his divine love be an inspiration to all. From: Life of Sri Ramakrishna (Advaita Ashrama, Calcutta, 1977), Foreword, xi. 6
Annie Besant on Swami Vivekananda Annie Besant travelled from London to India in 1893 and established the Theosophical Society Adyar in Chennai. Later she was to become the President of the Theosophical Society and then the Indian National Congress. The Central Hindu College, the Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Boy Scout Association, the Indian Women’s Association, the Society for the Promotion of Education are all her gifts to India. "A striking figure, clad in yellow and orange, shining like the sun of India in the midst of the heavy atmosphere of Chicago, a lion head, piercing eyes, mobile lips, movements swift and abrupt and fast – such was my first impression of Swami Vivekananda, as I met him in one of the rooms set apart for the use of the delegates to the Parliament of Religions. Monk, they called him, not unwarrantably, but warrior-monk was he, and the first impression was of the warrior rather than of the monk, for he was off the platform, and his figure was instinct with pride of country, pride of race – the representative of the oldest of living religions, surrounded by curious gazers of nearly the youngest. India was not to be shamed before the hurrying arrogant West by 7
this her envoy and her son. He brought her message, he spoke in her name, and the herald remembered the dignity of the royal land whence he came. Purposeful, virile, strong, he stood out, a man among men, able to hold his own. On the platform another side came out. The dignity and the inborn sense of worth and power still were there, but all was subdued to the exquisite beauty of the spiritual message which he had brought, to the sublimity of the matchless truth of the East which is the heart and the life of India, the wondrous teaching of the Self. Enraptured, the huge multitude hung upon his words; not a syllable must be lost, not a cadence missed! ‘That man, a heathen!’ said one, as he came out of the great hall, ‘and we send missionaries to his people! It would be more fitting that they should send missionaries to us!’ From: Prabuddha Bharata 1963, pp. 170 -71
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Vedanta Through Stories Swami Sambuddhananda A king once went out hunting with his prime minister. The king was an atheist but his prime minister had unshaken faith in God and believed that everything that befalls a man was ultimately for his good. The king saw a stag in the forest but while fixing the arrow to the bow string, one of his fingers got a cut from the sharp edge of the arrow. The prime minister assured the king that the cut he had got was for his good. This remark displeases the king, who looked around and finding a well nearby, took the prime minister there and pushed him down into the well. The king told him sarcastically that if he had fallen into the well it was for his own good. The king now started to go back to his place. On his way he was seized by a gang of robbers who were preparing to worship the Goddess Kali. They were in search of a man who could be sacrificed to the deity. The king was brought before the Goddess, bathed and taken to the priest for being offered to the deity. It was customary with the robbers not to sacrifice any person who was not sound and whole in body. At the suggestion of the priest, the king’s body was examined and the cut in his finger was detected. Thereupon the priest declined to sacrifice the king. He was, accordingly, allowed to go. The king now began to think over all the incidents of the day and finding that it was the cut in his finger that had saved him he realised the truth of what his prime minister had told him. He then went to the well into which he had pushed down his prime minister, and letting down a piece of cloth into the well, pulled him out of it. He told the prime minister all that had happened to him, and the latter also said that had the king not pushed him into the well, the robbers would have certainly caught hold of him and sacrificed him. (Courtesy : Ramakrishna Math, Mumbai India for allowing us to publish this story from their publication "Vedanta through Stories")
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The Upanishads : The Jewel in the crown of Literatures Swami Sthiratmananda Prelude The word 'Literature' is translated in Sanskrit and other Indian vernacular languages as 'Sahitya'. The literal meaning of the word 'Sahitya' is: connected with the welfare of all. Sahitya or literature, is in fact, ever present in doing welfare or wellbeing of everyone. In the literary world, the Upanishad finds its position at the apex because it helps to achieve through comprehension, the Truth. It helps in removal of ignorance and its results of fear, flawed philosophies and a persistent sense of discontentment. Literature is supposed to be the mirror of human life. History has been witness to the many disasters human being faced wrongly entertained into his life by his sheer attachment to the sensory world and to the objects of material pleasure. His suffering is because of his subservience to sensory pleasures, to anger, greed, pride or jealousy. Similarly, history also bears witness to the many who have been able to follow the desired path which leads to become good and doing welfare of not only for himself but also the many around him. Swami Vivekananda has commented, “These are (Upanishads) an ocean of knowledge, and to talk about the Upanishads, even for an incompetent person like myself, takes years and not one lecture only...They are the most wonderful poems in the world.�1 10
The sages of yore have spoken fearlessly about the complete failure of the senses in solving this world’s problems of life and death. There is no solution whatsoever that could be found in the external world. But a solution could be found in the internal world of the sages and so it is said, “Know that Atman (soul) only, leave all other words.”2 We have an understanding of the many uses of the Upanishads in our daily lives. In the Varaha Upanishad it is said, “Like a dancer holds a pitcher (pot) on her head in perfect balance while she dances according to the rhythm and pace of the musical instruments, so also an enlightened person, keeping his ability to stay in the Consciousness of Brahman (Ultimate Truth) intact, continues to do the necessary work of his daily life.”3 As Sri Ramakrishna had said: “Like when we have a toothache, our mind veers towards the pain and yet we continue to do our work or when we have an abscess on our back, our minds focus on the abscess and yet we continue to do our work.” He also said, “Haven’t you seen the women from the western parts (of India)? They talk, swing their hands as they walk and yet the water pots on their heads do not fall? Be like that.” Meaning of the word 'Upanishad' It is true that the sun rises in the East. It is also true that the earth moves round the sun. With the same sun as our companion we conduct our daily lives. But again, the knowledge that the earth is moving round the sun--- is also a part of our livelihoods. We feel that since the earth moves round the sun, the sun appears to rise in the East. But actually, this is only a notional thought. The sun actually does not rise; it only appears to do so. Similarly, when the train moves, a passenger feels the stationary trees by the wayside are actually running backwards fast. Thus, there is a difference between appearance and reality. Again, we feel the new moon cannot ever be seen. Actually, we 11
cannot see it only because of our ignorance: the new moon is visible during the time of solar eclipse. The literature of the Upanishads takes our minds from lower truths to higher truths, from ignorance about life to real knowledge. This literature releases us from ignorance, leads us to the kingdom of enlightened wisdom. We can understand the significance of the Upanishads from the origin of the word. The word is made of three parts: “Upa”, “Ni” and “Shad”. The prefix “Upa” means near. The middle sound, “Ni” is definitive. The suffix, “Shad” has three meanings – diffusion or mitigation, arrival or acceptance and conclusion or termination. So, the Upanishad is the wisdom which when embraced, spells the end of ignorance which is the root cause of all miseries. It also brings one in constant realization of the atman and nurtures the understanding that as Atman we are the reservoirs of infinite joy.4 The Shukla Yajurvedic Muktikopanishad contains 108 Upanishads. Besides, there are some more which were composed later like the Allopanishad, Gopichandanopanishad or Radhikopanishad. Including these a total of 188 Upanishads are to be found. Esoteric Art of Upanishad The Upanishads are part of an esoteric or arcane art. The knowledge we receive through our senses can be expressed in words. But the direct and immediate realizations cannot be expressed in words. The Upanishads mention, “In the expression of whom the speech fails and the impure mind returns unsuccessful.”5 A spiritual space where neither the human eye nor the spoken word can reach.6 So, the sages of the past have expressed the same in lyrical language. Such expressions might not be comprehensible to the ordinary lay readers but is comprehensible to a person who is immersed in regular Vedantic 12
thoughts and is the possessor of a pure mind. This is why the Upanishads are sometimes called the esoteric art. One can move towards the Ultimate Truth only by reading an individual’s description of personal realisation, rationalization and one’s own power of discernment. The Samavedic Kenopanishad comments, “The person who says he knows the Brahman or Ultimate Truth, he doesn’t. The person who says he doesn’t know the Brahman, he does.”7 “Knowing” implies direct and immediate perception. Brahman cannot be perceived because mind and senses by which we know can perceive only the material object. This is why it is said the Brahman needs to be understood beyond objectification. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it has been mentioned, “How will you know the Knower? If the unknown could be known, it would not remain Knower any more, it would become known. Once an individual achieves Brahmajnana or knowledge of Brahman, he/she is released from all unhappiness and attains Absolute Peace.”8 Brahman is the personification of Pure Bliss. Once a devotee attains Brahman, he becomes the Brahman Itself.9 Just as when a drop of pure water falls in the pure ocean, the water too becomes the ocean. The Taittiriya Upanishad mentions, “The one who knows the Brahman, also knows the Ultimate or the Param.”10 [To be continued] References : 1. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol.3, p.344.; 2. Mundak Upanishad, 2.2.5.; 3. Varaha Upanishad, 2/82.; 4. Upanishad Granthavali, Swami Gambhirananda, Vol.1, Introduction, p.9.; 5. Taittiriya Upanishad, 2.9.; 6. Kenopanishad, 1.3.; 7. Kenopanishad, 2.3.; 8. Mundakopanishad, 3.1.3. ; 9. Mundakopanishad, 3.2.9. ; 10. Taittiriya Upanishad, 2.1.1. (Swami Sthiratmananda is the President of Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Chandpur, Bangladesh) 13
Birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna's Direct Disciples (During this quarter we have observed birthdays of the following direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. A short note on all of them will be a gentle reminder to the readers about the lofty ideals they have followed. This will be our humble and devotional tribute to them.)
Swami Saradananda Swami Saradananda came of a rich and orthodox Brahmin family of Calcutta. His early name was Sharat Chandra Chakravarti. He was born on 23 December 1865. As the time of birth was a Saturday evening, many were alarmed as to the future of the child. But an uncle of Sharat Chandra, an expert in astrology, predicted that the newborn baby would be so great that he would shed lustre on his family. As he grew up, he came under the influence of the great Brahmo leader Keshab Chandra Sen. Gradually, he began to study the literature of the Brahmo Samaj and even to practise meditation according to its system. It was day in October 1883, that Sharat visited Dakshineswar. As he came more and more in touch with Sri Ramakrishna, he was more and more attracted towards him. Sharat Chandra was caught in the current of his love. After the passing away of the Master, He began to spend his time in meditation and other spiritual practices. Later he came to the monastery at 14
Baranagore. When Swamiji was in need of an assistant, for the Vedanta work in America , he called Swami Saradananda there. After coming back from America Saradananda started looking after the needs of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi when she came to Kolkata. The Swami passed away at 2.34 a.m. of 19 August.
Swami Turiyananda Born in a well-to-do family, Hari lost his parents in boyhood and grew up under the care of his eldest brother. After passing the school final examination he did not go to college. Instead, he devoted his time to meditation and the study of Sankara’s Advaita Vedanta. When he was about 17 years old he visited Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar for the first time, and after that he started going to the Master frequently. The Master regarded him as a yogi. Hari was a member of the team of youngsters who served Sri Ramakrishna during his last illness at Cossipore. After the Master’s passing, Hari joined Baranagar Math and underwent sannyasa ordination assuming the name Turiyananda. After three years he left the monastery and spent his time doing tapasya at different places, sometimes alone, sometimes in the company of his brother monks. When Swami Vivekananda went to the West for the second time, he took Swami Turiyananda with him. When Swamiji went back to India, 15
Turiyananda continued his work first in New York and Boston and later in California. However, his health deteriorated and he left America in June 1902. On his arrival in India, he was shocked to hear of the passing of Swami Vivekananda. Turiyananda spent the next several years practicing intense contemplation in Vrindavan, in different places in the Himalayas, in Dehra Dun, Kankhal, Almora, etc. He finally settled down in Varanasi in February 1919. During the last few years he suffered much from diabetes. He passed away on 21 July 1922 repeating Upanishadic Mantras.
Swami Brahmananda Rakhal was devoted to God and used to practise meditation even in boyhood. At the age of 12 he was brought to Kolkata for his studies. There he met Narendra (later known as Swami Vivekananda) and, under his influence, joined the Brahmo Samaj. Sri Ramakrishna had had a vision in which he saw the Divine Mother showing him a child who would be his son. As soon as Rakhal came to Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna recognized him to be that child, and treated him like a son. After a few visits Rakhal came to Dakshineswar to live permanently with Sri Ramakrishna. Under the Master’s guidance, he practised intense spiritual disciplines, and attained high levels of spiritual illumination. After the Master’s mahasamadhi in 1886 when the new Monastic brotherhood was formed at Baranagar, 16
Rakhal joined it. He underwent sannyasa ordination and assumed the name Brahmananda. Two years later he left Baranagar Math and lived an intensely contemplative life at Varanasi, Omkarnath, Vrindaban, Hardwar and other places. During this period he scaled the highest peak of non-dualistic experience and used to remain absorbed in Samadhi for days together. In 1890 he returned to the Math. When Swami Vivekananda, after his return to India in 1897, wanted to give a new turn to monastic life, Swami Brahmananda whole-heartedly supported him. There was deep love between these two monastic brothers. After establishing Belur Math monastery when Swami Vivekananda got Ramakrishna Math registered as a Trust, Swami Brahmananda became its President. He held this post till the end of his life. During his tenure as President, the Ramakrishna Order underwent great expansion, and several new branch centres were opened in India and abroad. The Ramakrishna Mission, which had been founded by Swami Vivekananda as an Association, was revived and registered during his time. His stress on contemplative life served to counterbalance the activities undertaken by the monks. During those difficult formative years he gave great stability to the Sangha. For his kingly qualities of administration, Swami Vivekananda gave him the appellation ‘Raja’, and since then he was respectfully referred to as ‘Raja Maharaj’ by all. He was one of the six disciples of Sri Ramakrishna whom the Master regarded as ishvarakotis. He gave up his body, after a brief illness, on 10 April 1922. At the place where his body was cremated in Belur Math, a temple now stands in his memory. 17
Swami Trigunatitananda Born in an aristocratic family, Sarada studied in the school of which Mahendranath Gupta (popularly known as M.) was the headmaster. After Sarada passed the school final examination, M. one day took him to Sri Ramakrishna. Owing to his parents’ opposition Sarada could not visit the Master frequently. When the Baranagar Math was established, Sarada joined it and underwent sannyasa ordination assuming the name, Swami Trigunatitananda. He spent a few years visiting the holy places and doing tapasya. He was endowed with strong physique and indomitable courage. In 1896, at the behest of Swami Vivekananda, he bought a press and started the monthly journal Udbodhan in a rented room. This is the first journal of the Ramakrishna Order and is the oldest surviving religious journal of its kind in India. After Swami Yogananda’s passing away, he served the Holy Mother for three years until he left for America. At the behest of Swami Vivekananda he went to America in 1902 and took charge of the San Francisco centre. His holy life, selfless love and unmistakable marks of spirituality attracted a large number of students and disciples. He was, however, a strict disciplinarian. Swami Trigunatitananda passed away on 10 January 1915. 18
Swami Adbhutanandada Speaking about Latu Maharaj, Swami Vivekananda once said, “Latu is Sri Ramakrishna’s greatest miracle. Having absolutely no education, he has attained the highest wisdom simply by virtue of the Master’s touch”. Latu was the only disciple of Sri Ramakrishna who could not even read or write. He was born of very poor parents in a village in Bihar. He lost his parents in early boyhood. Poverty forced his uncle to take him to Kolkata where Latu was employed as a houseboy in the house of Ramachandra Datta, a close devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. The Master recognized the dormant spiritual potential in the boy and asked Ram to allow Latu to stay at Dakshineswar as an attendant. Under the guidance of the Master Latu practised intense sadhana, spending whole nights in meditation, a habit which he followed all through his life. After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing, Latu joined Baranagar Math, and was ordained a sannyasin bearing the name Adbhutananda. Swami Vivekananda established Ramakrishna Mission on 1897 and Belur Math in 1898. Latu Maharaj with his deep absorption in contemplative life could neither take up the service activities of the Mission nor follow the discipline and routine of the monastery. So Swami Vivekananda permitted him to follow his own way of life. After some years Adbhutananda moved to Varanasi where he lived alone, but his needs were taken care of by the Ramakrishna Home of Service. At the end of 19
a brief ailment he passed away in a meditative state on 24 April 1920.
Swami Yogananda Jogin was one of the six disciples whom Sri Ramakrishna regarded as Ishvarakotis. He was spiritually inclined from boyhood. He first met the Master when he was studying for school final examination. Since he lived in the neighbourhood of Kali Temple, he started visiting Sri Ramakrishna frequently. After the Master’s passing, Jogin accompanied Holy Mother on her pilgrimage. At Vrindavan she initiated him by giving a sacred Mantra. After his return from the pilgrimage he joined Baranagar Math and took the vows of sannyasa, assuming the new name Yogananda. However, he dedicated his life to the service of Holy Mother. Whenever Mother visited Kolkata, Swami Yogananda would arrange for Mother’s accommodation, usually in rented premises, and stayed with her to look after her needs. He also spent some time in Varanasi and other places doing severe austerities which told on his health. When Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897, he made Yogananda its Vice-President (Swami Brahmananda was made the President). Owing to his delicate health, he did not live long. He passed away on 28 March 1899 at the age of 38, causing much sorrow to Holy Mother and the other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. 20
News & Notes Kalpataru Day On 1st January, Kalpataru Day was celebrated in the morning. About 177 devotees attended and took breakfast prasad.
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Birthday of Swami Vivekananda On 17th January, Birthday of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated. Throughout the day about 470 people attended the programmes.
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Visiting Monks
Swami Sthiratmanandaji, the head of Chandpur, Bangladesh centre visited us for 10 days. He arrived on 19th January and left on 28th January. He met many devotees and spent time with them discussing spiritual subjects.
Swami Sunisthanandaji the head of our Melbourne centre visited us on his way to Belur Math, India from 5th to 9th February 2020. On his way back to Melbourne also he spent and spent few hours with us on 28th of February 2020
Swami Bhadreshanandaji is appointed as the head of our Fiji centre. He was on his way to take charge of the Fiji centre. He visited us from 12th to 15th February 2020.
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Spiritual Retreat On 25th January, a Spiritual Retreat was organized during CNY holidays. Swami Sthiratmanandaji of Chandpur, Bangladesh was invited to speak during this retreat. 98 devotees participated. Lectures were given by Swamis Satyalokananda and Samachittananda also. Saturday Children’s class students performed an opening song.
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Other talks by Swami Sthiratmanandaji On 19th and 26th of January, Swami Sthiratmanandaji gave a talk on Bhagavad Gita. On 27th January, a special lecture on “Sri Ramakrishna’s Message of Harmony of Religions” by Swami Sthiratmanandaji was organized. This lecture was in Bengali. Many members of “Bengali Community of Singapore” attended the event. Members of BCS presented a melodious opening song. About 100 devotees attended the event.
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Musical Programme In the evening of 25th January, a classical vocal music programme of Sri Ravindra Parchure was organized. About 35 devotees attended it.
Prayer Meeting On 14th of February , Swami Samachittananda attended a special prayer meeting at Ba’Alwie Mosque at 2 Lewis Road in conjunction with the ongoing COVID – 19 situation. Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee, husband of President Halimah Yacoob lead the prayer. Lunch also was organised after the prayer meet.
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Maha Shivaratri celebration at Sri Sivan Temple On 21st of this month on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, we participated in the celebration at Sri Sivan Temple (Geylang). We distributed 768 drinks, assorted biscuits and about 600 booklets from our literature. Previously we had donated 500 kg of rice as our participation in Sri Srivan Temple Shivaratri festival.
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COVID 19 - Steps taken ∗ Our staff, who had returned to Singapore, served a 14-day isolation period at our designated facilities. ∗ All the buildings of our premises were disinfected on 29th February 2020 ∗ All the visitors to the Mission were registered at the level 1 of temple building and temperature was taken from 15th February 2020 to 23rd February 2020. ∗ From 23rd March onwards, entry to our temple is closed for all visitors, till further notice. ∗ Our Boys' Home, Kindergarten and Counselling centre adopted the practices of temperature taking and travel declaration form submission, from the beginning. All unessential people are not allowed to enter the respective premises.
Schedule of Religious Classes Every Saturday 5.00 pm
Discourse on "Hindu Scriptures" in English By Swami Gitasarananda at the Conference Room of the Mission Library in the Cultural Building
6.00 pm
Q&A with Swami Samachittananda at the Conference Room of the Mission Library in the Cultural Building Every Sunday
5.00 pm
Discourse on "Yoga Sutras" in English by Swami Satyalokananda at the Conference Room of the Mission Library in the Cultural Building
6.00 pm
Discourse on "Bhagavad Gita and Our Spiritual Life" in English by Swami Samachittananda at the Sarada Hall
Programmes for Apr-Jun' 2020 Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) ....................................... Saturday, 04th April Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) ....................................... Saturday, 18th April Sri Shankara Panchami ......................................................... Tuesday, 28th April
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Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) ........................................ Monday, 04th May Sri Buddha Purnima ............................................................. Thursday, 07th May Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) ........................................ Monday, 18th May
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Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) ....................................... Tuesday, 02nd June Ekadashi (Sri Ramnam Sankirtan) .................................. Wednesday, 17th June
We had to suspend all our celebrations and activities completely from the second week of February-2020 till further notice due to COVID-19