VedantaSandesh Dec2015

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Year 21

Issue 6

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Dec 2015 : Year 21 / Issue 6

Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

?k`rfeo i;fl fuxw<a Hkwrs Hkwrs p olfr foKkue~ A lrra eUFkf;rO;a eulk eUFkku Hkwrsu AA Just as ghee is inherent in the milk and has to be churned out, so also the truth of everything is inherent in everything, and has to be realized by deep churning like enquiry & meditation.

Amrutbindu Upanishad -20

Published by

International Vedanta Mission

http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

Section Index 1.

Message of P. Guruji

-

5

4.

Letter

-

9

2.

5.

6.

7.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Tattva Bodha

-

6-7

Gita Reflections

-

10-11

Yoga Vasistha

-

14-15

VM News

-

18

Jivanmukta

Story Section

-

-

13

17

VM Activities

-

19

VM Programs

-

23

Album

-

20-21

from Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji

What makes us do Sin? Arjuna asks Krishna as to What is it because of which a person compromises and commits sin? We know the consequences of sin or evil work on our mind and also its effect on the people, other living beings and also the world at large. Is it because of the ‘Will of God’ as so many people believe in? or, Is it something to do with the devatas? or Is it the effect of our times & the world in which we live in? Maybe our wrong education or maybe our karmas? Is it our natural instincts & impulses versus impractical injunctions? The very question implies all the various possibilities which the people of the world believe in. Not knowing the truth we know there are people who keep exploiting the ignorant, and we on our part will keep on compromising & therefore also keep on suffering endlessly.

Negating the existing of any extraneous factor whatsoever, Lord unequivocally says that the cause of people commiting compromises or sin is simply subjective. One should never get into the trap of anyone who very intensely tries to prove that it is the powers outside who are making a mess of our lives, or maybe some devatas or disha (directions) as the Vastu people tell us. It has just something to do with our minds alone. Motivated by our self-centered concerns it is our ‘desires’ which are responsible for us to propel in other directions. Desires are very strong forces. They dont come in us by powers or even people outside, unless we are open to them. We ourselves slowly & steadily cultivate them. It is our innocent salkalpa which starts the whole process. ‘May this be like this’, ‘May I be blessed with so & so thing’, this is sankalpa, the beginning of our journey, or ley us say the birth of a powerful ‘driving force’ in us. Initially it is very innocent, but as we keep deliberating on our wish, we then tend to get atached to that ‘thing’, and as we continue our thinking continously & even intensely we ‘empower’ our thoughts with intensity which can make us cry or joyful. Just as we sow a seed and reap a crop, so also we sow a sankalpa and reap a thought & subsequently a ‘desire‘. Thought is a very powerful entity. It veils our wisdom, creates a limited entity, brings about duality, and is the ground in which the crop of desires is raised. We know that when desires raise their head we just have to follow the wish - many a times even helplessly. So one should realize the power of desires & even thoughts. They are borne out of ignorance and have baseless aspirations, and are therefore insatiable. However much wisdom we may accrue they have the capacity to wash everything off.

There itself, Bhagwan says that to handle ‘desires’, one should initially aim for finer & nobler & subtler desires, and then ‘see’ the fact that as our identification with our grosser body fades off so also does our desires of that level. We have our gross body, then our emotional dimension, then comes the intellectual level and finally our real self - waking unto which there is no need for any desires whatsoever, and then alone - the compromise-demon is effaced completely.

Tattva Bodha What is the Subtle Body?

Having discussed about the Gross body the Acharya now goes on to speak about the Subtle body. We

shall go ahead with this discussion keeping in mind the connection of this discussion. The Acharya is explaining the three bodies etc to reveal to the student what the Atma is not, negating which the real nature of the Atma is

revealed. Just as in the discussion about the Gross Body here too the teacher speaks about the various facets of the Subtle body, what it is made up of, it’s objective, it’s components and its features.

What is the Sukshma Sarira (the subtle body)?

That which is composed of five Mahabhutas (elements) prior to their undergoing the process of Panchikarana, born of good actions of the past the instruments for experiences of pleasure, pain etc. constituted of the seventeen items namely: the five Jnanendriyas, (sense organs) the five karmendriyas, (the organs of action) the five Prans (Prana, Apana, Udana, Samana and Vyana) the mind and the intellect is the Subtle body.

The word Sookshma means ‘Subtle'. The Subtle

rance, yet knowledge too can be acquired only in the

pranas, senses etc. The Jiva in the Subtle Body trav-

age & liberation are only because of mind, so these

body is the data bank of actions, sanskars, emotions,

els with its baggage from one birth to another by means of the subtle body. The subtle body basically carries

forward the impressions in the mind which lead to the cycle of birth and death. It is like the earth which has

unlimited pottential but what we get out of it totally de-

subtle domain of the mind and the intellect. As bondtoo become aspects of our subtle body. The Atma is

ever-free. Our mind has to just realize this and be free.

It is the subtle body which acts as a medium for consciousness to manifest itself.

pends on what we invoke out of it by our own

Apanchikrita ... kritam:

liberated from the various desires the subtle body too

elements but in their subtle state called as the

called ‘Subtle’ or Sookshma because it is not physi-

nation of these five elements.

actions.But as soon as one gains knowledge and is

dissolves. Hence it is called Shareera. This body is cally seen or felt by the sense organs. All experiences

The Subtle body too is made of the five great

Tanmatras. The whole world is nothing but a combi-

like happiness and sorrow, knowledge and ignorance,

Satkarmajanyam:

subtle body. It is a very important body born of igno-

is acquired due to our meritorious actions. When the

all emotions and values etc are experienced in the

Vedanta Sandesh

As we saw in case of Gross body that this body

meritorious actions are predominant then we get a

prises of seventeen components. Five sense organs

pure actions we go into lower births, but when both

Mind & the Intellect. By sense organs is meant the

heavenly body. When there is a predominance of imthese are balanced then we are born as a human be-

ing. As a human being we have the freedom to perform meritorious actions or walk the path of demerits.

A human being is blessed with a mind and intellect so

God has given us the freedom too to perform either good actions are bad ones. Each individual's actions

differ so the subtle body of each individual is also different from the other.

power with which the sense organs can perceive their

respective objects, and not the physical organ as such.

If the gross body is the house or office of functioning

then the subtle body is the officer or boss who functions through this office.

If we know the subtle body as the subtle body

then we will not misapprehend it as the atma. This is a

great sign of liberation because either we take the gross body as the self or the subtle body as the self. I am the

Sukhadukhaadi Bhogasadhanam:

It is the mind and the intellect in the subtle body

that experiences joys and sorrows, pain and pleasure etc. It is only in deep sleep state when the mind and

the intellect temporarily stop functioning that we do not experience anything.

Saptadashakalabhih:

of perception, five sense organs of action, five Prana's,

seer of the gross and the subtle body. Although I have the pottential to identify with something and so I can

experience pleasure and pain as I wish. If I identify with the child then I can feel the joys and sorrows of

the child. I also have the power of detachment. If I

wish to experience something then I should identify with it. But if I wish to gain knowledge then I should get

The Subtle body or the Sukshma Sharira com-

detached from it. The Subtle Body is thus the driver of our manifested existence.

All Indore Devotees are invited for a grand SALIL SANDHYA

being organized at Vedanta Ashram on 15th Dec (Tuesday)

from 7.00 PM onwards There will be Bhandara for all after the Flute Program Hari om!

-7-

Ganapati Swoops Down There was an unusually hot summer prevailing in South India and Sage Agastya went to mount Kailas to ask Lord Shiva for water. Kaveri happened to be worshipping Shiva at that time.

Shiva picked her up and put her in Agastya's kamandalu.

The sage thanked his benefactor and set out for home.

Indra did not approve of what Shiva had done and requested Ganpati to somehow overturn Agastya's kamandalu.

Ganpati took the form of a crow and when Agastya kept the vessel down swooped down, and sat on its rim. The vessel overturned and Kaveri flowed out.

Agastya was very angry but calmed down when Ganpati revealed his true form.

Ganpati refilled Agastya's kamandalu, but Kaveri flowed on and continues to flow to this day.

Vedanta Sandesh

Analysis of Bondage Analysis of our Bondage - excerpt from Tattva Bodha Lesson Course

___________________________________________________________________

Hari om !

Planning

for

future is no problem, but to think that all the

joys & fulfillment lie in the womb of future is

incorrect and in fact baseless. The real art of living is in initiating every

work

'with

f u l f i l l m e n t ,

enthusiasm & love' rather than with a deep sense of lack & insecurity.

- PoojyaGuruji

Bondage doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really come from the activities we undertake, but certainly manifests in our activities. The source is basically in the mind, and even here the roots lie deep in our perceptions about ourselves, and also in our understanding as to how best we can go about in getting what we wish. As the problem is basically one of improper understanding so it is logical that right insight & knowledge redeems a person from various baseless & imaginary issues.

Planning for future is no problem, but to think that all the joys & fulfillment lie in the womb of future is incorrect and in fact baseless.

The real art of living is in initiating every work 'with fulfillment, enthusiasm & love' rather than with a deep sense of lack & insecurity.

It is this mind set which is the real problem, in fact the whole life of such people becomes a problem. Work will be a problem, money will be a problem, and even relationships will be a problem. At the end of the day your health & mind will be a problem. So please identify the real issue.

It is the present moment which is important, not the future. Present alone is the real living moment, past is dead and future is unborn, and this future too will come to you as a present moment. Think why the present moment is called a 'present'? I would also suggest you to read an interesting book called the 'Power of Now' apart from Vedanta, which alone reveals our glorious truth. The former book throws good light on the importance of living properly & fully in the present moment.

Love & om

Swami Atmananda

-9-

by

(Chaturvidha Bhajante Mam)

Swamini Samatananda

In the seveth chapter of the Gita Sri Krishna speaks of his divine power of maya using which he as Ishwara creates and sustains this world. The world created out of his Maya shakti is so mesmerising that the mind and intellect of an individual jiva is veiled by it and at times he even fails to see the presence of God and his compassion in creating the world and sustaining it. Such is the power of Maya. Sri Krishna says that a person deluded by the power of maya and its creation becomes in capable of even seeing the existence of God. In this context Bhagwan speaks of two kinds of people-The Sukriti and the Dushkriti. People who are known to be a Sukriti are the ones who live a God-centric life and the Dushkriti are the ones who live an individual cenric life.

Sukriti: The Sukritis are the ones whose actions are pure and righteous having God as the nucleus of their life. They see themselves as the ambassadors or instruments in the divine hand. They are motivated by the fact that they are born to serve god in what ever kind of situations that come to them. They live a selfless yet dynamic, deliberate, fearless and creative life all in order to serve God. They have no complaints towards the shortcomings of life and are neither elated at the level of their ego in case of great achievements. They are a beautiful combination in setting the example of karma and upasana together.

Dushkriti: Dushkritis are the type of people who are individual centric. Their persuits are for themselves and see themselves as the doers of all achievements. They reflect an extremely limited existence seeking superficial pleasures in the material world. These deluded kind can never see their identity with God nor can they ever cross the ocean of Maya or this delusory world. They are sooner or later bound to face the pangs of fear & insecurity. Sri Krishna cautions us against this mental state of illness and inspires us to take the path of the righteous performerthe Sukriti if one aims to see the truth beyond the illusory world created by Maya.

The four types of Devotees: As Sri Krishna speaks of the Sukriti-the righteous one, he speaks of four types of devotees in this category. Bhagwan says even though all these can be seen as Sukritis yet based upon their identification with God, their level of surrender of their individuality and worldly goals their attitudes in the field of action, ttheir prayers, they can be categorised as four types of devotees. They are the Arta bhaktas (Grief-stricken), the Arthaarthi (desirous of material wealth), the Jigyaasu(desirous of knowledge) and the Gyaani Bhaktas (the knowledgable ones).

Arta Devotee: ‘Arti’ means extreme grief or distress. An ‘Artah’ is one who is siezed by a kind of extreme grief or distress. The prayer of an Arta devotee is very very inVedanta Sandesh

tense. It is a situation of a drowing person gasping for breath. Having hit their hands and legs in every way they can, their only resort now is God himself. A situation of great extremity invokes in them the most intense prayer one can imagine. It is a case of complete surrender.

The

Gyani

Bhakta is unlike the first three types. This

category of devotees

is a class apart. They are the real devotees who are devoted to

God unconditionally and at all times. He

has no worldly accomplishments to be fulfilled.

The Arthaarthi Devotee This kind include the majority of people. Such devotees are hard working and believe in their efforts to make great achievements in life. They take work as worship. In extreme situations when all their efforts fail and they become helpless, having no other worldly source of help or protection they then call for god. Such devotees although they believe in the existence of God and his power to do anything, they only look up to him only in times of some requirements in life. They are seasonal devotees who pray to God when they are in dire need of something and don’t see any other source pf fulfillment. The only positive thing about such devotees is that even though God is not in their priority list, nor are they interested in knowing about God and his nature or the secrets of life, but they at least see Ishwara as the most potent one who is capable of doing the impossible. These are the amateur kind, who are blessed by God in all situations yet they don’t forget to pat their own backs in case of achievements in life, but yet Bhagwan Sri Krishna appreciates them in taking the first step in their connection with God. Jigyasu Devotee: They are only motivated to know the truth and do not desire any worldly fulfillments. All spiritual students are in this category. They wish to know the truth of Isvara, bhagavat-tattvam. He is not invoking Isvara’s grace for simple accomplishments. He wants to know the truth of Isvara, the ultimate cause of everything. Knowledge of Ishwara is nothing but knowledge of atma. Ishwara, the cause of everything happens to be the essence, oneself. A Jigyasu is a great devotee. As a bhakta he invokes Isvara’s grace for this. All his actions, his devotional persuits of puja, japa and meditation are all aimed only to ultimately gain the knowledge of the truth. A jigyasu is a karma yogi who’se pwer of discrimination, his detachment and aother mental qualities are nicely directed towards being a good student of knowledge.

Gyani Devotee: This knowledgable devotee is unlike the first three types. This category of devotees is a class apart. They are the real devotees who are devoted to God unconditionally and at all times. He has no worldly accomplishments to be fulfilled. He sings the glories of god because he can see the beauty of God. He believes God is the only one worth loving. He has seen his complete union with God. He sees Ishwara as his very own atma.

Culminating this topic Sri Krishna says all the devotees are nice but they hav not reached their goal of being one with god, but the gyani has seen himself as one with ishwara so he is his very own self.

- 11 -

The Cleaning Lady During my second month of nursing school, our

professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen

the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count

toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant.

They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'Hello'."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her

name was Dorothy.

- Joanne C. Jones

Vedanta Sandesh

Wandering in Himalayas Difficult Routes,

Blissful

Contemplations

Excerpts from the

Travel Memoirs of

Param Poojya Swami

Tapovanji Maharaj

When we have travelled four or five miles up along the difficult route from Lakshmivanam, we reach a small, pretty lake called Chakrateertha. A mile or two beyond is another lake called Satyapatha. We then reach two pools called Suryakunda and Chandrakunda. The lakes are on a plain covered with rocks and snow and sorrounded by mountains over 23,000 feet i height. Now a short trip over the snow brings us to the famous Swargarohini. The heroic Yudhishthira, who no longer thought of his body and who had vowed not to look back or turn back, might have climbed up into that terrible expanse of snow in benumbing cold, but it remains inaccessible to all ordinary mortals. It is said that, in ancient days, people determined to enter Heaven used to ascend into these regions and relinquish their bodies here.

Today people may laugh at such queer notions as Heaven, ascent into Heaven, a visit to the Holy place as an act of merit, and death at the spot as a passport to the realm of the Gods. They may deride all that is said about such things as the ravings of fools. Yet even they cannot deny the natural attractions of the sorrounding landscape.

The snow-clad peaks shining like silver or gold in the sunshine and the noise of the avalanches resembling the bursts of cannon convert the region into a wonderland, and fill the hearts of theists and atheists with astonishment and admiration. As for me, my heart was dancing with joy at the divine splendour all around me. My mind was intoxicated with the glory of God. God himself shines here as this mass of spotless snow, as lakes and springs, as these tall peaks and these powerful cold blasts and these crystalline streams.

All I see is God. The HImalayas are God, the entire earth is God. Everything exisits in him. Everything shines because of his brightness. All beauty is His. I enjoyed the natural beauty of that divine region, realizing His presence everywhere, whether in the snow or snow-mountain, in lakes or rivers, in stone or soil, in sunshine or wind, in pleasure or sorrow. But I could not prolong my pleasant stay there, and so I returned to Badrinath with a sense of disappointment. The best season for a journey to Swargarohini is from the middle of July to the middle of September. But my journey was in June and I had no guide. In the circumstances, I had to return satisfied with a distant vision of Swargarohini, Glory to Thee, oh Swargarohini! May the epic story of Yudhishthira continue to inspire man to the end of the world!

- 13 -

by

Swamini Vidyananda

Adhyatmic Teachings of Guru Vasishtha to Sri Ramji

To illustrate his narration, Shri Vasishtha tells a wonderful story of the huge demoness named Karkati. She lived in a remote region of the Himalaya mountain and was huge, black and terrible-looking. She fed upon living beings and never had enough to eat, so she was ever hungry. So, naturally, all her thoughts were about how to find more food. Once, she thought - “If I could eat all people at once, my hunger would subside! But people living here are good ones, and so it is not appropriate to eat them. I don’t know what to do. I should do penance, for this way I can attain that which would be otherwise very difficult to attain”. And so she performed penance on a mountain peak for one thousand years. She became thin as a skeleton clothed in transparent skin.

The creator Brahma was pleased with her penance, and appeared in front of her. She bowed to him mentally and started to think what to ask as her boon. And she requested to become a tiny needle, which would enter into hearts and bodies of many living beings, feed on them and torment them! She decided to give up her huge body and become tiny and subtle, something analogous to bacteria or a virus as science tells us now. And Brahma granted her wish.

Now she could enter the bodies of the ones who eat wrong food, or live in dirty places, or don’t keep up with their hygiene, who are sick already, aged and demented.

Also he gave mantra, which would be able to cure this disease. Now the demoness Karkati was called Visucika, disease.

Immediately the huge body of Karkati started to shrink and she became so subtle what her existence could be only imagined. She gained the boon of her choice and was able to enter many bodies at once but still she could not fulfill her desire to devour all beings! Do you think her request was intelligent one or ignorant?

I think it was not well-thought of, and the result was matching it. If you are not clear about your desires and goals, the methods you use will not be appropriate, your actions will reflect this non-clarity, and result of non-appropriate actions will also be strange and confusing. Anyway, she got what she wanted so intensively, at the cost of the death of her previous body.

Vedanta Sandesh

Now, as she became tiny, she roamed the world with winds and dust, entering various bodies and leaving them freely, feasting on them from inside, making them suffer and die, remaining unseen, and she enjoyed this life on the earth for many many years. She had many houses and hiding places beside bodies - she would live in dirt and dead bodies, on dirty hands and between treads of a cloth, in stale water and in puddles, in caves and tree stumps, in trash and rotten things. No one saw her and no one could harm her, and she was silently working for the death and destruction of others, drinking their blood and eating on their flesh.

After many years she became disillusioned with this kind of life. She discovered this glorious life of a powerful disease was not satisfactory! No one noticed her, and so no one appreciated her power. No one saw her, and so she was so lonely and had no friends. No one would ever even think about her! She wanted to devour everyone, but she was lying under people’s feet in dust. And so she bewailed of her degraded existence - “Oh, where is my huge luminous body?

I fall into mud and I am trampled upon by people. I have no friends and no one takes pity on me! I don’t have a stable house or even a body worth the name. I wanted to be free and rule others, but I am at their mercy, and do that they want me to do. I wanted to appease my hunger, but that has led to a remedy worse than the disease! Surely, I am a brainless fool, as I deliberately chose this despicable body of a needle and this miserable existence worse than that of a worm! No one will ever pray for me, for the thought of me will never arise in the heart of sages.

When will I again be as large as a mountain and drink the blood of large beings?

I want to become an ascetic again and perform penances as I did before”. And so she did. And this is not yet the end of the story.

Who is Karkati? Karkati is the thick dark ignorant mind, full of desires and insatiable hunger at the expense of suffering of other beings. If it tries, it can achieve almost anything. But if it is ignorant, it will have only ignorant desires, and the ways it chooses to achieve its ends will also be stupid. Its ignorance takes upon gross or subtle forms, and causing harm to others, it also harms itself. It never feels happy and satisfied, it is ever upset with life and its choices, it is agitated and disbalanced. Driven by the ignorance, one endlessly continues in this and many other lives, driven as dust by accidental winds of desires and passions, flying up high and falling down low. Overcome by ignorance, one is unable to aspire for the good, he is beaten up by the situations, his desires are lowly and degrading. What can help him? He goes through numerous sufferings, takes many beatings, he is afflicted and in pain a lot. He runs after his desires, and obtaining them, he sees their folly. He does it many many times and finally may become disillusioned, he discovers he was always running after mirages.

What does he do next? If he is lucky, he may turn to the God, if not, his sufferings continue in the endless circle.

-7-

Quotes When you love what you have, you have everything you need.

Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be.

Simplicity is not a simple thing.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

For attractive lips, speak word of kindness. For lovely eyes seek out the good in people.

You are confined only to the walls you build yourself.

Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer grows you.

If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nt do than by the things you did do.

If your always racing to the next moment what happens to the one your in.

Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while your waiting.

Vedanta Sandesh

The Death of Jarasandh Story Section

n o p u e c O n e ... m a ti

Yudhisthira was planning to make a Rajasuya yagna or Ashwameda Yagna in order to become an emperor. On the advise of Krishna he learnt that Jarasandha is the only obstacle who will oppose Yudhisthira from becoming an emperor. On the other hand, Jarasandha who got defeated from Krishna and Balarama repeatedly on 17 earlier occasions, imprisoned 95 kings so far. He was in need of 5 more kings, after which Jarasandha could perform an Yagna to Lord Shiva. If he sacrificed these 100 kings in this yagna, then Jarasandha would become invincible by the grace of lord Shiva. So, Jarasandha was planning to make one last attack on Dwaraka after this Yagna. This would in turn make Jarasandha an emperor.

Thus, Krishna advised Yudhisthira that Jarasandha must be killed before Yudhisthira starts performing the Rajasuya yagna. Krishna further stated that it was not possible for Yudhisthira to defeat Jarasandha in a war as he had a boon of not being killed through any weapons. To find a way out, Krishna suggested to wage a Mallayudda (one on one battle / wrestling) with Jarasandha. So, Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna disguised as Brahmins and went to the capital of Jarasandha.

Like Karna, Jarasandha was also very good in giving charity donations.

After performing his Shiva pooja, he used to give whatever the Brahmins asked for. On one such occasion Krishna, Arjuna and Bheema in the guise of Brahmins met Jarasandha. Krishna asked Jarasandha to choose any one of them for a Mallayudda. Jarasandha choose Bheema to wrestle. Both of them fought for 27 days. Bheema did not know how to defeat Jarasandha. So, he sought the help of Krishna. Krishna knew the secret by which Jarasandha could be killed. Since, Jarasandha was brought to life when the two lifeless halves joined together, conversely, he can be killed only when these his body was torn into two halves and find a way as how these two don't merge. Krishna took a stick, he broke it into two and threw them in both directions. Bheema got the hint. He tore Jarasandha's body into two and threw the pieces in two directions. But, these two pieces came together and Jarasandha was able to battle Bheema again.

Bheema got tired after several such futile attempts. He again sought the help of Krishna. This time, Lord Krishna took a stick, broke it into two and threw the left piece on right side and the right piece on the left side. Bheema followed precisely the same. Now, he tore Jarasandha's body into two and threw them in opposite directions. Thus, Jarasandha was killed as the two pieces could not merge into one.

After his death, the Pandavas released all the 95 kings who were imprisoned by Jarasandha and made the Son of Jarasandha (Sahdeva) as the king of Magadha. Thus, these 95 kings along with the Sahdeva ruler of Magadha became an ally of Pandavas who took part in the great Mahabharat war later.

- 17 -

Vedanta Sandesh

During this Diwali two families came over to Ashram from Ahmedabad to celebrate Diwali along with Ashram members. They were Sh Ramakant & Smt Ushaben Trivedi, and Sh Kaileshbhai & Smt Tarunaben Oza, alongwith their daughter Palak.

Diwali is celebrated at Indore with great fervour & enthusiasm. Every house is decorated with lights every tastefully, and it is a joy to see all this by any outsider. The Laxmi puja was done by Oza couple this year.

The Nov edition of the Hanuman Chalisa Satsang was organized on 15th, because of the preoccupations of Poojya Guruji on the last Sunday. On 15th was also the birthday of Swamini Samatanandaji. So both the programs were nicely celebrated on that day.

In the Hanuman Chalisa Satsang Poojya Guruji talked about the word MahaJagvandan. He said that while this is a fact that Hanumanji was highly respected & revered by one & all, but interestingly this is also a fact that he had no aspirations for being revered.

Reverence in fact followed him effortlessly. That is why this word is interesting. He did everything very nicely & selflessly, and it is the beauty of such selfless, dedicated & loving work that we get the respects of one & all.

The Bhandara that followed was nicely attended, and many devotees got together to prepare the dishes.

Poojya Guruji conducted the annual Gita Gyana Yagna at Hindi Sahitya Samiti Hall, at RNT Marg Indore from 23rd to 29th Nov. The subject matter was Chapter-3. There were seven sponsors for the sven days program, and this year we also had various heads of various Samaj of the city as special guests. While the marraige season was on in full swing, but overall the program was satisfactory.

P. Swamini Samatanandaji is conducting a Gita Gyana Yagna in a new locality in Lucknow, this is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ramâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Naam Bank Hall, in the SBI Colony on the Sitapur Road. She is taking Tattva Bodha and Gita Chapter-1 there. Response is good.

On Sunday she conducted a Vishnu Sahasranama Archana in the Mandir Hall.

Every devotee brought their own puja material and P.Swaminiji conducted the entire grand ritual. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the archana.

- 19 -

This year the Diwali festival was on the 11th Nov All Ashram Mahatmas & various devotees were present

Birthday of P.Swamini Samatanandaji was celebrated with HC Satsang and Bhandara

Vedanta Sandesh

by Poojya Guruji at Hindi Sahitya Samiti Hall, Indore - 23-29th Nov. Gita-3

Gita Gyana Yagna by P. Swamini Samatanandaji at SBI Colony, Lucknow - 27/11 to 3/12

- 21 -

What love is all about It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman, in his 80s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry and that he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs, and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redressed his wound. While taking care of him, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for awhile and was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, and hadn't recognized him in five years. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled and patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

Vedanta Sandesh

Anand-Lahari Musical Program:

The annual musical program ‘Anand-Lahari’ organized by the Indian Cultural

Foundation, Mumbai will be organized on 6th Dec, this time at the Vivekananda Hall in the RK Math Campus.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai :

A six days long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji will be

organized at Ramkrishna Math Campus in Khar, Mumbai from 7th to 12th Dec. The subject matter of the proposed discourses will be Gita-13 / Mundakopanishad 3-1.

Salil Sandhya, Indore :

On 15th Dec, the birthday of Poojya Guruji, the annual Salil Sandhya will be

organized. Apart from the Flute recital, there will be Bhandara for all.

Gita Jayanti, Indore :

On 21st Dec is the Mokshada Ekadashi - the Gita Jayanti. The Ashramites and its

devotees shall chant the entire Bhagwad Gita on that day.

Hanuman Chalisa Satsang - Dec’15:

The Dec edition of monthly‘Hanuman Chalisa Satsang’ will be organized on 27th

Dec. There will be lovely bhajans, chanting of Hanuman Chalisa, followed by Talk of Poojya Guruji on Hanuman Chalisa. Open to all Indore devotees.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Vadodara :

A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will be organized

at Atmajyoti Ashram, Vadodara from 4th to 10th Jan 2016. The subject matter of the proposed discourses will be Gita-4 / Kaivalyopanishad.

- 23 -

International Vedanta Mission http://www.vmission.org.in/

Vedanta Mission Blog: http://blog.vmission.org.in/

Indian Cultural Foundation http://icf.vmission.org.in/

Earlier ‘Vedanta Sandesh’ issues http://bit.ly/1oGD4TK

Om Tat Sat