Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission
Year 21
Issue 9
Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Mar 2016 : Year 21 / Issue 9
Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati
d#.kko#.kky; iky; eka Hkolkxjnq%[kfonwuâne~ A jp;kf[kyn'kZurÙofona Hko 'kadj nsf'kd es 'kj.ke~ AA O Ocean of Compassion! I, whose heart is pained with the endless ocean of endless seeking & transmigration, pray to you to please bestow me with all the necessary knowledge of the truth of life. O great teacher, I am fully available at your feet for this knowledge. Totakashtakam - 2
Published by
International Vedanta Mission
http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com
Section Index 1.
Message of P. Guruji
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5
4.
Letter
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9
2. 5. 6. 7. 7. 8. 9.
10. 11.
Tattva Bodha
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6-7
Gita Reflections
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10-11
Yoga Vasistha
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14-15
VM News
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18
Jivanmukta
Story Section
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-
13
17
VM Activities
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19
VM Programs
-
23
Album
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20-21
from Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji
Yagna-Bhava ... - is a Vedic word to indicate a positive & holistic Art of Living - implies a gratuitous, loving & selfless living - assures best output, as it is done for someone who is an object of our love, reverence & respect - is stress-free living, because all stresses are related to the fruits of action, and here the perception is that this is the department of our beloved God - implies unfrettered focus on the karma, without any burden of its consequences - does begin with a sankalpa for some fruit, and thereafter our energies are focessed on our karma alone - helps to make our dreams big, because as God alone is the bestower of fruits, and we just have to present our requisition and do relevant karma nicely, so sky is the limit - doesnt bring about any arrogance, rather as every moment is a fruit beatowed by God, it just humbles us with blessedness - is that art of karma, where irrespective of the kind of karma, we remain connected with God, and this is what real bhakti is, so this art of living is the highest form of bhakti - purifes the mind for higher adhyatmic sadhanas, enquiry & meditation - is a generic name of every valid, holistic & right karma - can be inculcated in every karma - worship, yoga, pranayama, bhajan, dhyana, studies, eating, walking, talking, music, performing daily chores or duties, sensual enjoyments, etc. - requires seing a blessed hand who has not only given us this amazing life, but also is helping us live every moment of our lives, and thereafter thetake & give is with that blessed hand unseen alone - is subtle, so it not only needs to be properly appreciated and thereafter daily practised deliberately with the common rituals like Havan or Puja - and once appreciated it needs to be inculcated in 'all' karmas - is not a name of any ritual, but is a unique art of karma which alone is endeavored to be appreciated in & through the daily rituals - is a revolutionary & redeeming art of living, and Gita calls it a 'wishing tree' by which not only we can fulfill every dream, and yet remain unattached with the samsar and also remain connected with God - needs to be learnt by one & all, irrespective of our faith & religions
Tattva Bodha The Three States / Waking State
Having discussed the three bodies the Acharya now goes ahead with the discrimination of the three states, It is called the ‘Awastha traya Viveka’. The Acharya goes on to discuss the three states to reveal to us that which is the changing realm of our personality and the one which is constant, the witness of all the three states.
As a human being all our experiences are a spectrum of the three states-the waking state, the dream state and the deep-sleep state. At all points of time we are living in one state or the other. In the process of spiritual discrimination of the Real & the Unreal, the permanent and the impermanent, we carefully observe the world, the self and all the experiences pertaining to them to discover and see that which is permanent and that which is impermanent. As the Scriptures are revealing to us the that the Atma alone is the truth, the permanent one, and rest all that undergoes modification is the Anatman. Hence the enquiry of the Atma and the Anatma is the journey to discovering the truth. With this objective once again the Acharya introduces to us the analyses of the three states. In this spectrum of experiences too there is one dimension of experience that is ever changing and impermanent and there is another dimension which is constant. The objective is to discover and negate all that is impermanent and see the constant factor as the witness of the three states. That which is permanent.
The Three States: They are the waking, dream and deep sleep states. All our experiences at the level of our gross body, senses, mind and intellect is the range of the waking state. There is also a world that projects our unfulfilled, supressed and hidden desires, emotions, fears etc. which is called the dream state. We also experience the absence of any kind of external or mental experiences. This is the deep sleep state. The entire spectrum of all our such experiences is divided into the waking, dream and deep sleep state. Even though the waking state is more obvious to a human mind and this is where he spends most of his time, yet it is the indepth research of our Rishis who have not studied human life only at the level of the waking state but have taken up a holistic approach by analysing the dream state and the deep sleep atate as well. Considering only the waking state to understand human evolution at the worldly and spiritual levels will only bring about a misapprehension regarding the Self. Life is not just a dimension of our experi-
Vedanta Sandesh
ences in the waking state but the other two states too speak significantly about the human mind and this entity called the Jiva. A lot is revealed about the nature of the Real self as one transits from one state to another. In fact the very fact that I identify as a unique entity with each state reveals the limitation of such an identity as one displaces another. The focus thus turns towards that who witnesses all the three states. The Acharya will introduce to us an analyses of each state. In this section we will try and understand the waking state. As is the beauty of this text here to the Acharya gives us a very crisp and clear definition of the waking state. The Waking State: The waking state is the state of experience where the jiva experiences the objective world through the five senses, the mind and the intellect. All aspects of our personality are active and fully awake. I identify with the gross, the subtle, and the causal body and experience the world through them. The gross body acts as a counter for all the transactions in the world. But the gross body cannot function without the subtle and the causal body. Someone may walk past me but untill my senses and mind are fully available and awake I cannot grasp anything at the gross level. It is the beauty of the waking state that all our faculties of the body, mind and intellect work in integration to get an experience of God's divine creation. At the same time ignorance of the truth of the Real self results the Jiva to identify with this body and look for happiness like looking for mirage water. A Unique Name with referance to the state:
Each of these identities which we take up in each of these states is given a name. In this definition of Waking State the teacher says that when we exist identified even with our Sthoola Sharira then we are called as ‘Vishwa’ in the scriptures. A unique name is required when we need to indicate a unique entity. It is the Viswa who experiences the variety of the world at all levels of the personality. It is also the privilege of the Viswa alone to evolve through these experiences and discover differents facets of life and beyond. Yet the fact remains that this entity as Viswa is also limited and exists only in the waking state. While ‘I’ do exist in all the states, yet I do not exist as Vishwa all the time. This is like a role which I take up & drop. The transitory nature of this role reveals that in essence I am not this particular entity. I am like an actor which takes up various roles in different states, and gives them up too when I enter the different state. It is important to understand the implication of the analyses of the three states. The most important implication is that each role in each state displaces the other. None of the identities as an awakened or dreamer or the experiencer of the deep sleep state is constant. The student here needs to discover the constant factor who is the witness of all the three states. Unfortunately it is due to ignorance alone that we identify ourself with the gross body in the waking state and see it as the be all and end all. It is due to our baseless presumptions that this world and the body that acts as a window to the world appears to be real. A careful analyses of the three states negates the reality imposed upon them revealing to us that which is one in and through these three states.
WISHING EVERYONE A VERY PIOUS & BLESSED MAHASHIVRATRI
Mahashivratri is a unique occasion. It is a day for austerity & devotion. Lord Shiv resides in the heart of all - as their Self. He has to be realized with focus & dedication. Om Namah Shivaya! -7-
We Are Never Alone Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite
of passage?
His father takes him into the forrest...blindfolded...and leaves
him....alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night...and
not take off the blindfold until the ray of sun shines through it. He is all by himself. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night...he is a MAN. He cannot tell the
other boys of this experience. Each boy must come into his own manhood.
The boy was terrified...could hear all kinds of noise...Beasts
were all around him. Maybe even some human would hurt him. The
wind blew the grass and earth... and it shook his stump. But he sat stoically...never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could be a man.
Finally, after a horrific night...the sun appeared and he re-
moved his blindfold. It was then that he saw his father...sitting on the stump next to him...at watch...the entire night.
We are never truly alone. Even when we do not know it, God
is watching us...sitting on a stump beside us.
Vedanta Sandesh
Apaurusheya Q: I have a doubt. Books mention the apaurusheyatvam of our Scriptures.
Couldn't the self-realized sages have passed down their own experiences which got validated over and over again through other liberated souls. As
Shabda Pramana apaurusheyat seems to imply duality. I am not sure how to cross this hurdle.
When we have
the proper vivek of
‘how’ the ‘knower’
raises its head, and thus negate the notion of its independent
reality, that the door
shall open to directly realize the substratum – our real truth
- PoojyaGuruji
------------------------------------------------------------A: Regarding your question. As you know the word apaurusheyatvam implies that which is not within the domain of our existing faculties – like our sense
organs, or even the mind, which gets knowledge of various objects by the five out of six pramanas (except sabda) which fall under the category of paurusheya. That is why we need sabda.
The self-realized sages alone have passed their wisdom to us - in the form of
Vedanta Shastras, and they alone tell us that the self cannot be known by the first five kinds of pramana, and that their words alone should be taken as the final pramana – because of the very nature of the prameya. However, more
important than their passing on the knowledge to posterity is also ‘how’ these awakened masters realized the truth in the first place. The Adi-Guru reveals
this wisdom that till the time the ‘knower’ in us continues to be taken as reality - till that time the veil shall continue to exist. However, when we have the
proper vivek of ‘how’ the ‘knower’ raises its head, and thus negate the notion of its independent reality, that the door shall open to directly realize the substratum – our real truth, the infinite Brahman. This is what
‘apaurusheyatvam’ really means. Please reflect deeply on this and let me know if you require more explanation. Love & om, Swami Atmananda
-9-
by
Avyaktam vyaktimaapannam
The unmanifest has manifested - think the ignorant
Swamini Samatananda
In this essential sloka of 7th chapter Sri krishna says that most people see
Ishwara only in the realm of the manifested form, not knowing the real essence of
God who is the unmanifest and also pervades the manifest. He is the one who is ever existent before manifestation, in the manifested form and will be there even
after the dissolution of the manifest. Bhagwan sees such people as the unintelli-
gent ones (Abuddhaya). Such people do not know and will neither have the pottenial to know the limitless and changeless nature of God. The divinity in God's manifestation:
Sri Krishna spoke of two kinds of nature. The Para Prakriti and the Apara
Prakriti. Apara Prakriti is the entire creation in its manifested form. It is beautiful,
divine & useful yet it is limited in time & space. That which is real and truly glorious is God's para prakriti. That which is unephimeral and limitless. When Ishwara
appears in a form his form too is limited in time & space and therefore it comes in
the realm of apara prakriti. God appears in a form for a particular cause out of his
independant will, but that particular form is not his real nature. Most people believe in Ishwara, but unfortunately for them Ishwara is one manifested in a particular form of Sri Krishna or Sri Rama or some other Gods and godessess alone. Our
understanding of God's divinity is very superficial. We do not know the real es-
sence of God. in the 4th chapter Bhagwan says my birth(janma) and action(karma) both are very divine. He says if one understands the true divinity of his birth and
action one will be liberated. The divinity of Sri Krishna's appearance in a form does not lie in the miraculous circumstances of his birth where in he was born in a
jail and then Vasudevji comes as a saviour and so on. This is not the beauty of my birth. There is something else to the secret of God's manifestation, something more subtle. Similarly the divinity of Gods action as Sri Krishna does not lie in his victory over the snake called kaliya or his raas-leelas with the gopis of Vrindavan.
Knowing the secrets of God's birth and action is knowing the real nature of God. Is
he really a doer and is he truly the one born at a particular time and place? Know-
ing the truth of these points opens the doors of real devotion, service and knowledge. The real criteria of knowing the secrets of Gods birth and action is that the
knower is also liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Such is the profound
effect of knowing the secrets of Gods birth and actions. Knowing this secret is knowing to take a form in spite of being fulfilled and complete, only to fulfill an objective for the welfare of the universe. Performing actions only to set a divine Vedanta Sandesh
example of living in this very world as a fulfilled, complete and sensitive being. It is important to understand the real essence of God's leelas. But unfortunately we get entangled in the literal presentation of the various situaions that God lived and
that alone becomes an expression of our undersanding and devotion to God. It is extremely inportant to discern the real message of the scriptures. Lack of discrimination:
Lack of discrimination denies a devotee of the right understanding of
Ishwara. Even though there is faith in the existence of God. But the indiscriminative ones abudhhaya see god as the body alone. I Ramayana Tulsidasji says 'bhaye
prakat kripala deen dayala... Ishwara appears from the unmanifest to the manifest out of compassion for the welfare of mankind. He was already there even before he manifested. One who does not know this holds on to the body. The
Most people
believe in Ishwara, but unfortunately for
them Ishwara is one
manifested in a par-
ticular form of Sri Krishna or Sri Rama or some other Gods and
godessess
alone. Our understanding of God's divinity is very superfi-
cial. We do not know the real essence of God.
repurcusions of such misapprepoint of view of the devotee
hension are hazardous from the
him and Ishwara as well. though he is a believer true devotion and
himself, the world around
Such a person even in God yet the doors of
knowledge will never
open for him. He wil
never be able to see
God's all pervasive-
ness in the entire cre-
ation and will be condi-
like towards the living and
will be limited to the bound-
tioned with likes and dis-
non-living. His devotion
aries of his temple and
form of God. His services will be limited to idol worship alone. From Ishwaras
point of view too Sri Krishna says such people disrespect me by limiting me only to a particular form and role. They are demeaning me and bringing me down to
the level of a Jiva. Its a wake up call for all such devotees to dive into deeper
realms of Ishwara. To see his all pervasiveness and limitlessness. The scriptures nor our teachers ever deny the beauty of worldly forms or ishwara’s form as an
incarnation. Nor do they deny the usefullness of the objective world and the significance of the manifested form of God. But in this process one should not miss
out the truth. The unmanifest himself is playing this entire play of the world and the various incarnations. See Parmatma in the para prakriti and in and thru apara prakriti. All the physical aspect is apara prakriti which is ephimeral. When you look
at it you can express your devotion thru apara. But also keep in mind the para aspect.
Bhagwan says I am the whole world and I am the Atma of everyone. This is
my real nature-changeless, limitless, and fulfilled. - 11 -
Helping Hands A mother, wishing to encourage her son's progress at the
piano, bought tickets to a performance by the great Polish pianist
Ignace Paderewski. When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on the stage. Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away.
At eight o'clock, the lights in the auditorium began to dim, the
spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy - up on the
piano bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
His mother gasped in shock and embarassment but, before she could retrieve her son, the master himself appeared on the stage and
quickly moved to the keyboard. He whispered gently to the boy, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. Soon his right arm
reached around the other side and improvised a delightful obligato.
Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized with their blended and beautiful music.
In all our lives, we receive helping hands - some we notice,
some we don't. Equally we ourselves have countless opportunites
to provide helping hands - sometimes we would like our assistance
to be noticed, sometimes we don't. Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without support from others and what we receive we should hand out.
Vedanta Sandesh
Wandering in Himalayas Difficult Routes,
Blissful
Contemplations
Excerpts from the
Travel Memoirs of
Param Poojya Swami
Tapovanji Maharaj
The work of the man who does it with the knowledge of the soul will certainly be more efficient and more conducive to the welfare of the world than that of the man who works without that knowledge. Know that you are the soul which cannot be cut into pieces or burnt into ashes. KNowing this attain invincible soul-force; use that force for the welfare of the world , performing desireless action(nishkama karma) and thus make uyours a Rishis life. Celebrating Sankranthi: The vasudhara is a waterfall six miles beyond Badrinath. It is formed by the perriniel streams , that pour down from Renukuta mountain. The waterfall has been called Vasudhara because , according to the Puranas the ashtavasys performed their pennamce near it. The famous Swargarohini, from where Yudhishthira asscended to heaven, is near. The beauty and the holiness of the plain that lies sorrounded by the three mountains-Narayana, Renukuta and Kubera-can hardly be conveyed thorugh words. Today is karkataka Sankranti. An unusual sight reminded me of it. A friendly shepherd who lives near the cave in which I reside at vasudhara was seen bathing in the waterfall and wearing caste marks. Sankranti is observed scrupulously in the Himalayas in the far North as in Kerela as in far South. That reveals how the distant parts of India are knit tohether by social ties such as ceremonies and observances. On the Sankranti day, whether it is at badri or at Kanyakumari, people bathe early in the morning, wear clean clothes, offer sweameats to their Gods, and then feast upon the remnants of these offerings. Such practices have been going on from times immemorial indicating the long-standing cultural unity of the whole of india. But how am I, a son of Kerela living in a solitary rocky cave among the far-off Himalayas, to celebrate this holy day? If, knowing that it is Sankranti, I do not observe it, I shall be guilty of neglecting a national and religeous day. The man who is not proud of his motherland and who is not true to his customary duties must be regarded as a base, ungrateful fellow. For a son of Kerela, the ideal is to become a good Keraleeya; for an Indian, to become a good Indian. For them it is the height of folly to ape the customs and manners of the Englishman or the American. Observe what these snow-white peaks dazzling in the sun are doing in this lovely place, inaccessible to man and animal. they are sweetly, perpetually singing hymns to God; they do nothing else. When I say so, you may be inclined to laugh at the idea: “What! - 13 -
by
Swamini Vidyananda
The minister and the king were able to clearly answer the many questions
asked by Karkati. These answers are also worthy to be cited wholly.
These questions refer to the supreme Self. That self is subtler than even
space since it has no name and cannot be described; and neither the mind nor the senses can reach it or comprehend it. It is pure consciousness. The entire
universe exists in the consciousness that is subtle and atomic, even as a tree
exists within the seed: but, then the universe exists as consciousness and does not exist as the universe. That consciousness exists, however, because such is the experience of
all, and since it alone is
That self is
empty like space; but it
consciousness. It
is: yet because it cannot
the self of all.
Since it is, all else is.
is not nothingness,
since
be experienced by
is
the mind and senses, it
is not. It being the
self of all, it is not
by
Though one, it is
experienced as
the object of experience
anyone.
reflected in the existence many.
infinite
and
atoms
of
hence appears to be
This
appearance is however
i m a g i n a r y
appearance of gold
unreal. It is not a
void or nothingness: for
unreal even as
Adhyatmic Teachings of Guru Vasishtha to Sri Ramji
it
"bracelet"
which alone is real.
is
an
But, the self is not
it is the self of all, and it is the very self of one who says it is and of the one who says or thinks it is not! Moreover, its existence can be experienced indirectly just
as the existence of camphor can be experienced by its fragrance. It alone is the
self of all as consciousness; and it alone is the substance that makes the worldappearance possible.
In that infinite ocean of consciousness, whirlpools known as the three worlds
arise spontaneously and naturally, even as whirlpools are caused by the very nature of the running water. Because this consciousness is beyond the reach of
the mind and senses, it seems to be a void; but since it can be known by selfknowledge, it is not a void. On account of the indivisibility of consciousness, I am
you and you are me; but the indivisible consciousness itself has become neither I nor you! When the wrong notions of "you" and "I" are given up, there arises the Vedanta Sandesh
awareness that there is neither you, nor I, nor everything; perhaps it alone is everything.
The self being infinite moves not through moving, and yet is for ever
established in every atom of existence. The self does not go nor does it ever come: for space and time derive their meaning from consciousness alone. Where can the self go when all that is is within it? If a pot is taken from one place to
another, the space within does not move from one place to another, for everything is for ever in space.
The self which is of the nature of pure consciousness seems to be inert and
insentient when it is apparently associated with inertia. In infinite space, this infinite consciousness has made infinite objects appear; though all this seems to have been done, such effect being a mere fancy, nothing has been done. Hence, it is both consciousness and inertia, the doer and the non-doer.
The reality in fire is this self or consciousness; yet, the self does not burn
nor it is burnt, since it is the reality in all, and infinite. It is the eternal light which shines in the sun, the moon, and the fire, but independent of them. It shines even
when these have set: it illumines all from within all. It alone is the intelligence that indwells even trees, plants and creepers, and preserves them. That self of infinite
consciousness is, from the ordinary point of view, the creator, the protector and the overlord of all; and yet from the absolute point of view, in reality, being the self of all, it has no such limited roles.
There is no world independent of this consciousness; hence, even the
mountains are in the atomic self. In it arise the fantasies of a moment and of an epoch: and these appear to be real time-scales, even as objects seen in a dream
appear to be real at that time. Within the twinkling of an eyes there exists an epoch, even as a whole city is reflected in a small mirror. Such being the case,
how can one assert the reality of either duality or non-duality? This atomic self or infinite consciousness alone appears to be a moment or an epoch, near and far,
and there is nothing apart from it; and these are not mutually contradictory in themselves.
As long as one sees the bracelet as a bracelet, it is not seen as gold; but
when it is seen that "bracelet" is just a word and not the reality, then gold is seen.
Even so, when the world is assumed to be real, the self is not seen: but when this assumption is discarded, consciousness is realised. It is the all; hence real. It is not experienced; hence unreal.
What appears to be is but the jugglery of Maya which creates a division in
consciousness, into subject and object. It is as real as the dream-city. It is neither
real nor unreal, but a long-standing illusion. It is the assumption of division that creates diversity, right from the creator Brahma down to the little insect. Just as in
a single seed the diverse characteristics of the tree remain at all times, even so this apparent diversity exists in the self at all times, but as consciousness. -7-
Quotes In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Theodore Roosevelt The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Mahatma Gandhi In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. Dalai Lama A problem is a chance for you to do your best. Duke Ellington At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst. Aristotle I always prefer to believe the best of everybody, it saves so much trouble. Rudyard Kipling Living well is the best revenge. George Herbert Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. John Wooden To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift. Steve Prefontaine Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people. Carl Jung
Vedanta Sandesh
Mahashivratri Story Section
n o p u e c O n e ... m a ti
The Significance of Mahashivratri : There are several stories which are
associated with this special grand night of Lord Shiva:
Manifestation of Lord Shiv as a Jyotirlinga on this day:
On this day manifested the great & also the first ever effulgent (Jyotirmaya)
form (Anala-skanda or a pillar of fire) of Lord Shiva in front of Lord Vishnu & Brahmaji.
The story goes that once both Vishnuji & Brahmaji, got infected by ego.
The result was an clash between both these gods. In order to show their respective superiority they decided to fight it out. Lord Shiva decided to intervene so as
to make them realise that there is something more to life than the powers of an
embodied beings. He manifested in the form of a huge pillar of fire (Anala-skanda) whose beginning and end could not be seen. Vishnuji & Brahmaji decided to
check what this strange thing was. While Vishnuji, in the form of varaha (boar) went down towards patal-loka to see the end of this pillar, Brahmaji sitting on his swan went up. Even after years of travel they could not see the beginning or the
end of this manifestation. Brahmaji saw a leaf falling off, and thought it fell down
from the top of pillar of fire, and returned satisfied that he had seen the starting point. They came back, while Lord Vishnu accepted that he could not see the
end, Brahmaji said that he had seen, which was a lie. Lord Shiva cursed Brahmaji that no will ever worship him. Then he too surrendered. This manifestation of
Lord Shiva in the form of the first effulgent linga was on this special day of Mahashivratri, and thus all devotees pray to the effulgent linga (jyotirlinga) of Lord Shiva.
Day of Reunion of Shiva & Parvati:
King Daksha, opposed Sati's marriage with Shiva. At a yagna (holy sacri-
fice) the king ignored Shiva’s presence and thereby insulted the latter publicly.
Sati was so angered by this that she jumped into the sacrificial fire and ended
her life. Lord Shiva unleashed his fury at the death of his wife by performing the violent dance, Tandava. He wiped out Daksha’s kingdom, undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. The Gods, who feared that the severity of
Shiva’s penance might bring an end to the world, revived Sati in the new avatar
of Parvati. Shiva-Parvati married and this reunion is celebrated on Maha Shivaratri. - 17 -
Vedanta Sandesh
Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji conducted a two days Dhyana Shivir at Vadodara - in the Atmajyoti Ashram from 6th to 7th Feb. She conducted one discourse giving an overview of the three categories of Vedanta Meditation, and then dedicated three sessions on conducted Meditation practice. It was attended by lots of devotees, and was highly appreciated by all. They could see the unique diference of Vedantic Meditation from the prevelant notions of Dhyana - which is more often just sitting quietly. Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji conducted a five days long Gita Gyana Yagna at Ramkrishna Kendra, Maninagar at Ahmedabad from 8th to 12th Feb. She conducted discourses on Gita Chapter 12 and Laghu Vakya Vritti. The 12th chapter of Gita is the Bhakto Yoga, while Laghu Vakya Vritti is a free & rather unique commentary on the ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ Mahavakya. At the Ashram Poojya Guruji is continuing his daily pravachans on the deep reflections on Mundakopanishad. Right now we are studying the first section of the second Mundaka. On 28th Feb, the last Sunday of the month, there was the monthly Hanuman Chalisa. Pravachan. Poojya Guruji continued his discourse on the 7th chaupayi and concluded it too in this session. He then started the discussion on the 8th chaupayi ‘Ram charit sunabe ko rasiya’. In his pravachan Poojya Guruji said that the secret of having a great holistic personality as describd in the 7th chaupayi - embodiment of knowledge, highly virtuous and also worldly smart to get anything done effortlessly - is being described in this 8th chaupayi. That sadhana is ‘Love to hear the Ram-Katha’. He also has the amazing quality to create space for himself in the hearts of those whom he reveres. This is indicative of the highest form of bhakti and opens the door for all kinds of blessings. Later there was aarti and prasad, and also a special Bhandara for all. On 28th Feb is the birthday of Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji and date-wise the Sanyas-Deeksha day of Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji. A special Bhandara was organized to felicitate both the Mahatmas of the Ashram. Devotees lovingly prepared various dishes and brought them to Ashram, were it was lovingly served by them to all. Ayan Srivastava presented some cute dances too. - 19 -
By P Swamini Amitanandaji - from 6th to 12th Feb at Vadodara & Ahmedabad - Gita-12 / Laghu Vakya Vritti
Gaurav Jyotishi (Indore) performed Puja of Gangeshwar Mahadev on 18th Feb
Vedanta Sandesh
Feb edition of the HCS was organized at Ashram on the 28th Feb Jan, the last Sunday. Chaupayi-7& 8
28th Feb is the birthday of P. Swamini Poornanandaji & Sanyas Deeksha Date of P. Sw. Amitanandaji
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Do not stand at my grave and weep Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glint on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you wake in the morning hush, I am the swift, uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft starlight at night. Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die! - Mary Frye
Vedanta Sandesh
Mahashivratri Camp, Indore :
A five days Vedanta Camp will be organized at Vedanta Ashram from 3rd to 8th
Mar. Subjects: Isavasyopanishad / Kamana Section - Gita-3. On 7th is Mahashivratri,
while on the 8th a yatra will be organized for the campers to a newly made NarmadaKshipra Sangam.
Hanuman Chalisa Satsang - Mar’16:
The Mar 2016 edition of monthly Hanuman Chalisa Satsang will be organized
on 27th Mar. There will be bhajans, chanting of Hanuman Chalisa, followed by continuation of the talk of P. Guruji on the 8th chaupayi Chalisa. Open to all.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Jalgaon :
Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji will be organizing a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna
(in Marathi) at the same Dutta Mandir, Jalgaon from 28th Mar to 3rd Apr. Subjects will be Gita-6 / Katho-2-3.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhubaneshwar :
Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji will be organizing a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna
at Sivananda Samskritik Kendra at Bhubaneshwar from 7th to 13th April. Subjects will be Gita-2 / Katho-1-2.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai :
Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji will be conducting a week-long Gita Gyana
Yagna at Ramkrishna Math campus in Khar, Mumbai from 15th to 21st May. Subjects will be Gita-14 / Mundaka 3-2.
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International Vedanta Mission http://www.vmission.org.in/
Vedanta Mission Blog: http://blog.vmission.org.in/
Earlier ‘Vedanta Sandesh’ issues http://bit.ly/1oGD4TK
Om Tat Sat