VedantaSandesh_May2017

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Vedanta Sandesh Year - 22

Issue 11

May 2017

Narsimha Jayanti Greeetings

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Cover Page

This month our cover page is dedicated to the fourth avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu - the Narsimha Avatar. This unique halfhuman and half-lion avatar was taken up to find the way out to eliminate Hiranyakashipu, a terrible demon, who had got a boon that he will not be killed by any human or animal, inside or outside his house, neither in the day or night nor with any weapons etc, so Bhagwan took up this unique form - at sandhya time, manifested from a pillar, and killed him with his hands alone.

The moral of the story is that no one should consider oneself to be invincible and create terror in the world. There is always a way out to end adharma and again re-establish dharma. God not only creates & sustains but also ends the innings of every person, irrespective of any kind of imaginary protections they create for themselves.

Graphic taken from the net and then customized for our non-commercial purpose. Our thanks to whosoever created this lovely & lively graphic.

Narsimha Jayanti is on 9th of May this year, the day when Bhagwan Narsimha manifested and ended the terrible reign of Hiranyakashipu. Our greetings & best wishes to all. Yato dharmah tato jayah.

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CONTENTS

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Vedanta Sandesh May 2017

1.

Shloka 5

2.

Message of P. Guruji

3.

Tattva Bodha 9-14

4.

Letter 15-16

5.

Gita Reflections 17-22

6.

We Must 23-27

7.

Jivanmukta 28-31

8.

Story Section 32-35

9.

Mission / Ashram News

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36-48

10.

Forthcoming Progs 49

11.

Links 50 3

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission May 2017 : Year 22 / Issue 11

Published by

International Vedanta Mission Vedanta Ashram, E/2948, Sudama Nagar, Indore-452009 (M.P.) India http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

Editor:

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Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

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; ,dks foÒkfr Lor% 'kq)psrk% izdk'kLo:iks·fi ukuso /kh"kqA 'kjkoksndLFkks ;Fkk Òkuqjsd% l fuR;ksiyfC/kLo:iks·gekRekAA

Just as one sun appears as many reflections in many wa-

ter-bodies, so also that which is one, but appears as many in different minds, and is realized as self-effulgent by people of pure minds alone - I am ‘that‘ ever-present & self-effulgent Self.

Hastamalaka Stotram - 8

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Message from Poojya Guruji

Hridaya-Granthi The world is beautiful, and so is every human being and all other beings also. Fundamentally there is no problem in anyone or anything, yet there is so much violence & pain in the world. Why? The diagnosis of this problem by our Rishis is in one word - existence of ‘Hridaya-Granthi’, in all such suffering humanity.

Hridaya-Granthi implies existence of a deep rooted knot in our minds. It is a knot of delusion and baseless invalid conclusions. The consequence of this knot is so dangerous and disasterous that we see our beautiful blue planet painted literally in the red, and still going from bad to worse. The very existence of our lovely planet is now a matter of deep concern. So many species extinct forever, eco-system is in ‘dangerously-ill list’, stress has become a world-wide epidemic, drugs are a blomming business and the list goes on & on - and the cause of all this is not something objective, but purely subjective. It has nothing to do with economy, sociology or politics, but is all V edanta Sandes h

about a fundamental misapprehension, which is called as ‘Hridaya-Granthi’. It is because of this knot that we become a small, limited & perishable entity, separate from all. We live in duality - isolated, fragmented, and are

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eternally seeking & seeking, going & going but never reaching. We are helplessly doing this or that, never contended. Even when we are happy, then also our fulfillment depends on umpteen external factors, and obviously we are afraid lest anything happens to the source of our happiness.

That is the pathetic scenario. All philosophers have been trying to identify the fundamental source of all problems and the Vedic Rishis on their part tell us unequivocally that the root cause is just this ‘Hridaya-Granthi’ alone.

Hridaya-Granthi comprises of three components - Avidya, Kama & Karma.

Avidya here refers to the ignorance of what is the truth of ourselves & life, which is one. The story starts here alone. Not knowing the truth we have no other option except to desire this or that so as to assure our security, comfort & fulfillment. This is the second component of this granthi, called as Kama. Kama is desire - to seek whatever we want from the world outside. Kama is an extremely powerful component. It alone drives us. It alone is responsible for our happiness & sorrows. Even if we create heaven here still we shall be staying there as a seeker alone. The last component of this granthi is - Karma. Karma is our capacity to try to achieve, create, modify or purify anything. A conscious endeavor to change things for better.

Every karma brings some karma-phala, and this motivates us further to do something else or more. This endeavor generally makes us insensitive to everything else. This thus is the nature & consequence of Hridaya-Granthi, and every problem in the world is its consequence. Handling of this granthi is in reverse order. First the Karma has to be defanged, then the Kama to be handled, by not suppressing it and changing its locus, and finally by removing Avidya - by the knowledge as revealed in the Upanishads.

May all awake to the truth of themselves and be free & liberated, and make

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the world a beautiful place once again.

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TATTVA BODHA

Swamini Samatananda

Tattva Bodha I

n the last edition, we looked into the significance

of why we should study the secrets of creation. However, before we enter this third section of Tattva Bodha, let us also look into certain fundamentals about creation.

Creation is the manifestation of the ‘ONE’ as many:

The objective of unraveling the secrets of creation is to fa-

cilitate us to see the dance & play of the ‘one’ divinity all over.

This is the real validity of our knowledge of creation. This alone is declared by the Vedas. It being ‘one’ it envelopes & embraces us too, so in effect we not only discover its all-pervasive nature, but in fact see our ‘self ’ as the self of all, as that which alone is.

The Nature of Creation:

A very heartfelt question in the minds of all those who en-

quire upon the truth is what exactly is the nature of creation? As the scriptures reveal that there is just one changeless truth and nothing else then how did this multiplicity come about? The nature of creation is that the one divinity somehow presents itself in various forms and yet it remains its immaculate self. What we call as creation is nothing but the ‘one’ manifesting itself in different forms. In Vedantic Scriptures this is technically

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called as ‘Vivarta’. In vivarta-vada, one entity pre-

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Tattva Bodha sents itself in different forms, yet it basically remains as it is - in its basic essence & nature. This is unlike another kind of creation which the scriptures speak about where in the orignal form of the raw material changes like when we use milk to make curd its form changes. Milk no more remains milk. Worldly creation cannot be like this because if the creation is made of God then God himslef changes with the creation and thus God does not remain God. All the scriptures directing to being one with God would become meaningless and redundant. This is a logical absurdity. Hence the Vedic Rishis have affirmed this truth that the worldly creation is like an illusion, a dream where the basic essence remaining the same one Truth manisfests into many. This is not unusual because this alone is the nature of all imaginary creations. A classic example of this is our dream world. At the individual level we create a dream world. The dream world is a creation of the mind, the dream is lived in the mind and it finally goes back into the mind. Yet the mind stands apart to see its own play being projected. The mind transcends the dream world and also pervades it.

We project umpteen number of dreams all through our lives yet we remain the same as we are, untouched and untainted. Neither do we get any better or any worst. Dreams come and go but the one who adorns the dream state really remains untouched and changeless. This is an important lesson one can learn from the dream state about the creation of this waking world. In the creation we see that it is constantly undergoing change. Everything V edanta Sandes h

in this creation is born one day, it undergoes changes and then

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Tattva Bodha dies off. In other words it all comes in the realm of time. On the other hand the scriptures reveal that the root essence which is the truth, is timeless and infinite. And anything which is timeless is changeless. In that case all that is born, then undergoes some change and withers away is actually a temporary illusion, a dream. Time too is a product of that which is the timeless. The ‘Timeless’ essence of all creation is really untouched. Moreover, all that is manifested cannot have an independant existence. For anything to be created, to have existence, and then undergo some change, there must be a substratum that is timeless, changeless, immaculate and untainted. Rest all that is manifested is only a dream which appears, stays for a while and then gets dissolved.

With this fundamental background we now enter the Third

Section. The third section had opened with a resolve.

vFk prqfoZa’kfrrÙoksRifÙkizdkja o{;ke%A

“Now, we shall explain to you as to how the 24 basic as-

pects of creation came about.”

This is called a resolve statement or Sankalpa Vakya. For

any endeavour to be taken up the resolve to do that particular thing forms the very mental foundation to do something. Not only in worldly life but the scriptures reveal that even Paramatma first makes a resolve ‘Ekoham bahusyamaha’-I am ONE, I willed V edanta Sandes h

to be many. Nothing in the entire world is created without a

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Tattva Bodha resolve. Infact the stronger and clearer the resolve the stronger the assurity of its completion. One’s resolve is the inspiring and pushing factor towards any task. It is with the power of the resolve that so called seemingly impossible tasks have been made possible. If it wasn’t for the resolve then mankind would not have touched the Moon or Mars for that matter. All achievements are carved into realisation by the power of the resolve. Here too we see that spiritual Masters who are basically contented by them selves and within themselves have nothing to achieve from the world outside as a source of bliss. They have discovered bliss, peace, contentment as the very nature of the Self. They revel in this state of self contentment, yet when they feel there is a requirement for the world and its welfare then they take up a resolve to do something, to create something. It is said that Men of Self realization and self contentment do not easily take up a resolve but when they do then its completion is affirmed. Once the resolve is undertaken then all the faculties of such people are directed in a holistic, integrated & intense way. Here too the Acharya goes on to reveal his resolve to explain how the entire creation came about to ultimately reveal the real truth of this entire creation.

From the beginning of the creation to the way we now see

it with our sense organs the entire process has 24 basic compo-

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nents.

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Tattva Bodha The 24 components being : - 5 Basic Elements - Panch Mahabhutas, - 5 Gyana Indriya’s (Five Organs of Perception) - 5 Karma Indriya’s (Five Organs for action) - 5 Prana’s (Five Vital Airs) - 4 Antahkarana Chatushtaya (Four parts of our mind)

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We shall go into these 24 tattva’s in the our next issue.

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Mail from Poojya Guruji Vairagya Q: I am interested in sincerely studying Vedanta, should I dissociate myself from all relationships and duties?

A: You remind me of the question of Arjuna, which he had put in front of Lord Krishna. Arjuna did develop an inclination to go deep into the secrets of life and categorically said that he is so desperate for this knowledge that if need be he is willing to live like a sanyasi and if need be he is ready to even resort to just asking for alms for his daily needs.

He said that he will give up all duties, responsibilities and relationships and just go for this knowledge. Well, please recollect the answer of Lord Krishna given to Arjuna, the same answer is applicable to you and everyone who have such a query.

The answer given by Bhagwan was that whether it is duties, responsibilities or relationships, as long as you feel that you need to give up, so long the time is not yet ripe. What is initially required is to redefine your attitudes towards all worldly duties & responsibilities in such a way that none of these is seen as a problem. If our mind is diturbed by any of these then the time is not yet ripe. If you sincerely believe

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that the self-knowledge is the answer to all bondages, then why should any extraneous factor ever disturb you. We should rather have the capacity to retain balance under all situations. Equanimity in all extra-

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neous situations is the best test to know that our real priority & focus is now in the subjective. The realization that all worldly activities & relationships have very limited role to bring about lasting fulfillment, translates not in inactivity or dissociation, but rather in selflessness and equanimity. To the extent we can remain selfless in all worldly activities, to that extent we are focussed elsewhere. Do your best in all work, refuse to be disturbed in any situation, then you have already given up the importance of things outside. Giving up is not physical dissociation, but is rather de-prioritization of all worldly things. Make everything a play. World matters to some, so give out your best for the well-being of all such people, while yourself remaining detached. Let your detachment express itself in terms of the prayer & loving service for the well-being of all. Nishkama Karma alone is indicative of a pure & detached mind. Please see this very important fact. Such karma alone purifies the mind, makes it more sattwic, detached and ready for the exploration within.

Love & om

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Swami Atmananda

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Gita Reflections

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ekeqisR; iqutZUe nq%[kky;e’kk’ore~~A ukIuqofUr egkReku% laflf)a ijeka xrk%AA (Gita 8/15) 17 17

Mam Upetya Punarjanma (ekeqisR; iqutZUe)

Swamini Samatananda

Having attained me, the Mahatmas, do not revert back to the impermanent realm of endless V edanta Sandes h

suffering, rather they attain freedom.

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Gita Reflections

I

n the eighth chapter of the Gita from the

14th shloka to the 22nd sloka Sri Krishna speaks of the transcendental state, a state which is beyond the realms of time and space and a state which is attained by Mahatmas who have single pointed devotion towards Ishwara. These great yogis see Ishwara in the real sense. Often people speak of seeing God or getting a glimpse of God in some temple or even in their dreams.

What is the meaning of Ishwar darshan or seeing God?

Seeing or attaining God is not limiting God in one form or place.

Mahatmas who see God in the true sense are people who have a vision of divinity in one and all. A magnanimous vision. Sri Krishna says-”These people having attained me attain ‘param siddhi”. What is ‘param siddhi’? That is they attain a vision of seeing the one non-dual reality. Their vision is not limited to seeing God in one form only. Although this is devotion, but this is not param siddhi. Param siddhi is a state beyond the realms of time.

Today we are living in the realm of time. Living in the realms of time is living in a limted realm, a limitation of time is a dimension of constant change. The objective world, our physical body, our mind everything is constantly changing. Our mind wants to achieve something today and feels that this is the last thing I wish to achieve and thereafter I will be satisfied. But this illusion soon comes to an end when soon the mind says-’Ok! What next? The

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same thirst again. This is the limitation of time & space- ‘Kaalo jagat bhakshakaha’-Time swallows everything. What ever we make in the realm of time must change and die. In the realm of

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Gita Reflections time I am a small entity and everything else also is limited. But one who desires the eternal is devoted to me and such a person attains me. They have seen that which is eternal, the immortal.

They have realised the essence of human life is to see the transcendental reality.

Living life in the objective world is not the real problem

but being ignorant about the truth is. There is nothing to fear about life. For that matter even the definition of Moksha is not appropriate when one says that moksha is freedom from life & death. What is the problem of living and dying? Really speaking none of us have any bitter memories about some pain during birth and death. This definition of Moksha is not the complete understanding. Liberation is what the scriptures speak of here and now, freedom from the bondage of time and space. One needs to understand that living in the realm of time is always living in the realm of change and ephimerality. Liberation is awakening in the state of eternity. Ironically this is the most natural state of our existence. By nature everyone wants to attain eternal bliss and also live where there are no boundaries of time. This transcendental state alone is the reality of one and all. Even if today we see a creation, a world of names and forms, where has all this come from? First there has been pure existence and pure consciousness. In this alone the creation has manifested. With the creation begins the realm of time. May be that is why wise men have said that the first unit of time is not called ‘first’ but it is V edanta Sandes h

called the ‘second’ because first there is the eternal truth of pure existence and then everything else comes about. Seeing that truth

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Gita Reflections beyond the realm of time is seeing that which is changeless and stable. God alone is the changeless and stable one. It is in this state that the Mahatmas live in. As a human being we have the freedom to chose if we wish to live in the realm of time or stability. Generally people are in the realm of change the only diff is its relative stability. Animals, humans or devatas all have relative stability. More higher yonis are relatively more stable. But being relatively stable is not going beyond the realm of time. Real stability is to discover the permanent.

Who ever knows Paramatma he knows him as all perva-

sive. He is not bound to the limitations of time and place. One who is limited to a place is born in a particular time and so is ephimeral. One who sees god in one time and place he limits god also. Upanishads say- ‘Ishavasyam idam sarvam’ Awakening in this truth is going beyond time. Dont look for relative eternity.

My life is longer than an ants life. But Brahmaji’s life is relatively longer than a human life. Sri Krishna says begining from Brahmaji to all lokas they are in the realm of time. They all come and go. Even though in comparison to a human being Brahmaji’s life is longer but Brahmaji and all lokas are born in one time, they go through the growth, change and decay process. Some live longer some shorter but they all come and go. With referance to a human life Brahmaji’s day is one thousand cycles of the four yugas. His night also is the same. We are like insects next to Brahmajis life.

With referance to place Brahmaji’s world appears endless and we V edanta Sandes h

live in such a limited place.

The scriptures have spoken about the secrets of time and

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Gita Reflections place thousands of years ago. So its better to live a short intelligent life than live a long life of folly. Even if we live very long so what? It’s more important to live a quality life, an enlightened and awakened life. Whenenver the creation begins it is only a wave pattern of manifestation from the unmanifest and then going back into the unmanifest. This alone is creation and dissolution. We have come from the unmanifest and will go back into the unmanifest. This will continuously go on untill one awakens into the state which is beyond the dimensions of time. That unmanifest is from where we have come from. This whole creation is born and then dies off helplessly. This is the nature of the creation, know this truth.

Sri Krishna says the eternal is right now and here. All one

needs to do is get enlightened. An awakened life is a liberated life.

To know this truth is the only goal of human life. This creation is the dream world of Brahmaji. God says I am enlivening your life. I am there as the ‘I’ in you. There is a truth beyond the unmanifest too. That is the truth. There is one dimension which is changeable and one is permanent. Like the water is permanent and the wave is subject to coming and going. This substratum is not affected by the coming and going of the name and form. This permanent substratum is the Akshar Brahman. This is the ultimate goal of life. Have devotion for this permanent subtratum.

Have undivided love. That pervades all. Your devotion must lead

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to curiosity to know your beloved. Thereafter there is no doubt such a knowledgable devotee attains me.

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WE MUST 12

Break your shell, open your wings and fly

- 12 -

We Must

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Learn the Right Art of Living

P.P. Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji 24

We Must

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A

Thisscreaming,misguidedworldof menwhoare suffering today from their own inner insufficiencies needs Religion more than any other age ever did. No doubt, the generation has the easy capacity to learn and appreciate philosophy, but, child-like, today’s man always fails to live up to its saner dictates. Religion, at its best, trains us to live the ideals lavished upon humanity by the sacrifice of saints and the contemplation of philosophers. But, this very same specific cure, Religion, is completely misunderstood by the man of our times who, in his own endless delusions, has even come to revolt against this efficient divine science. In the life of a people, Religion is not an attitude, just for a time, towards the ways of the world around them, but it is a people’s way of life, for all time, towards the attitudes of the world that surrounds them.

Religion is not an attempt at improving the conditions of the world so that people may gain freedom from all wants and needs, enjoying, thus, a higher standard of living, but Religion releases that art-of-living by which each one discovers, in himself, the equipoise to stand up to life’s situations, meeting efficiently the ever-changing world of challenges thrown about him. Knowingly and confidently, Religion aims at redeeming man from his wants and his consequent dependence upon his environments of existence. Materialism is wonderful, no doubt, but it burdens man with endless anxiety and craving to possess more, to acquire and aggrandise and to indulge with slavish attachment. This is natural, for man sees his fulfilment and happiness only in thoughtless intemperance, in toiling for and reaching the temporary satiation of his physical passions, mental urges, and intellectual hungers. Is it not a fact that, in recent time, more people are killed by worry than by work? Man, in his pres-

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We Must ent misconceived civilization has learned to waste him self and his precious time in the inevitable trifles and tensions that beset his life.

But to the attentive and vigilant, life is a glorious opportunity with possibilities to reach the perfection of civilization.

Religion advises us to rise above these suicidal preoccupa tions with the non-essentials. Let us learn in life to discriminate between the serious and the trifling, the permanent and the impermanent, the full and the empty occupations, and employ our precious life-span in seeking and striving to acquire and gain the momentous, the lasting, the full. Let us stand tall and alert in the sheer supremacy and glory of our manhood and stretch out our hands to reach for and seize Super-manhood our Godhood. Let us claim, as our birthright, the rare privilege of our present evolutionary status, to act, to achieve and to serve all. Let us dare to go ever forward to the ampler fields of duties and service and upward into the subtler realms of Love and Joy. This is exactly what the best of Religions tacitly imply and implicitly indicate. Expressly they thunder forth in their famous declarations the certainty and glory of our divine inheritance. Let us listen to their words of wisdom, follow the path shown by these eternal Rishis, and reach the summit of our inner possibilities. Thus enriched, let us thrill in serving all around us, glowing with the fresh inspiration continuously gurgling from within us. The world is waiting for such purified hearts, such courage ous heroes to lift it from the valleys of sorrows into which it has stumbled unwittingly. We must try to save the world of our brethren, suffering thus endlessly in their own delusions. We Must.

In this onward march through life, even a true seeker of the higher and the nobler is caught shackled by his own unintelligent involvement with his own life’s paltry nothings. He magnifies the

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We Must importance of the trifles, reads significances into the insignificant, gets himself tied up into “mental blocks�; and thereafter the steady flow of his thoughts into the higher is choked and totally arrested.

A happy young man suddenly finds his life burdened with fancied problems often existing only in his own imaginations. Once he is thus caught up in the tentacles of his own misconceptions and confusions, unless he is helped in time by some Master, he generally ends up making his life a disastrous tragedy. Let us learn to ignore the insignificant, the inconvenient and the unsympathetic. They visit all and the more we court life and come to live it dynamically, the more we will meet them. The more we get ourselves involved in life, the more we find these surrounding us on every side. Why waste time over them? .... Rise above them. We Must.

This is what Religions preach, and true Religions have their own techniques by which we can learn fully this art of living employing each day for our own purposes towards inner freedom and joy. Let us be those real devotees whose serene faith in our Religion glides us effortlessly to the waiting goal.

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We Must.

To live thus, is to be truly religious.

To live thus, We Must.

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Jivanmukta Wandering In Himalayas

56 Amarnath Yatra Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj

The Amarnath Yatra

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fu%lax fueqZfDr ina izi| czãkReÒkosu fojkftrks ;% Jh lkSE;dk’kh’k egs’ojk; rLeS ue% Lokfe riksouk;AA 29 29

Jivanmukta D

ifferences are not real, nondifference

alone is real. Empirically, of course, differences among pots, clothes, and other objects are recognized; but metaphysically, no apprehension of difference can take place. The point is that nondifference is the eternal variety, while differences are imaginary. God alone is real and the multiform world is unreal. The Divine Light manifests itself in different shapes, as mountains, cities, men, animals, or birds. Viewed thus, holy waters and unholy, righteous men, animals or birds. Viewed thus, holy waters and unholy, righteous men and the unrighteous, merit and sin are all forms of God, and the same Divine light shines through them all. If that is so, Time, Space, and Matter cannot give rise to any difficulty.

When I thought of going to Amarnath, I had no idea of

seeing some special Diety or earning special merit. The highlands of Amarnath are like the lowlands of Kashmir: from the point of view of Truth, both are Brahman; from the worldly point of view, both are composed of the five elements. Yet, I was ever fond of rambling among the Himalayan peaks which excel all other landscapes in beauty of Nature and in purity of

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the atmosphere, as well as in peace. The enjoyment of Brahman is the main objective of such rambles. If nature is a great

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Jivanmukta mirror reflecting the power, beauty, and greatness of Brahman, there cannot be any doubt that Nature in all Its nobility will be a help in the realization of Its Being. That is why I have rambled among the peaks of the Himalayas.

We had hardly ten or twelve days rest after our return

from Sarada, when we started for Amarnath. It is generally on the full moon day of Shravan (July-August) that pilgrims visit Amarnath. During this holy festival thousands of people from the Punjab and other provinces assemble at Srinagar and then proceed, more or less in a procession, to the heights of Amarnath. During the season, the Kashmir Goverment usually comes to the help of the pilgrims by providing tents and other accomodations for their use. Eight or ten days before the full moon day, I started out together with a brahmachari and joined the pilgrims.

The distance from Srinagar to Amarnath is only 92 miles.

Up to Pahalgam it is all rugged ascent. Upto Pahalgam there is a fine, broad road which carries busy motor traffic during the season; most of the pilgrims cover the first stage of their journey by car or bus. I too travelled by bus-upto Anantnag, a distance of 30 miles. The rest of the journey I accomplished on

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foot.

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STORY Section

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Narsimha Avatar (Yato Dharmah - Tato Jayah)

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B

hagavataPuranadescribesthatVishnu,inhisprevious avatar as Varaha, killed the asura Hiranayaksa. The elder brother of Hiranayaksa was Hiranyakasipu, and he wanted revenge on Vishnu and his followers. He undertook many years of austere penance to take revenge on Bhagwan Vishnu. Brahma thus offers the demon a boon and Hiranyakasipu asks for immortality. Brahma replies that he himself is not immortal, so he can’t grant immortality to anyone else. Though disappointed, the wily demon tries to get immortality indirectly by seeking the benediction that his death happen only in certain conditions, conditions that he believes will be impossible to be met.

O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky.

Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal.

Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving created by you. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers

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Narsinh Avatar attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time. Brahma said, Tathastu (so be it) and vanished. Hiranyakasipu was happy thinking that he had won over death. Prior to this, while Hiranyakasipu was performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home was attacked by Indra and the other devatas. At this point the Devarshi (divine sage) Narada intervenes to protect Kayadu, whom he describes as sinless. Following this event, Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakasipu’s son) Prahalada, becomes affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada later begins to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu, much to his father’s disappointment.

Hiranyakasipu is furious at the devotion of his son to Vishnu, as the god had killed his brother. Finally, he decides to commit filicide, but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu’s mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent.

Hiranyakasipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if ‘his Vishnu’ is in it and says to his son Prahlada:

O most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?

Narasimha kills Hiranyakasipu, as Prahlada and Lakshmi devi bow before Lord Narasimha Prahlada then answers, He

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Narsinh Avatar

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was, He is and He will be. In an alternate version of the story, Prahlada answers, He is in pillars, and he is in the smallest twig.

Hiranyakasipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and moves to attack Hiranyakasipu in defense of Prahlada. In order to kill Hiranyakasipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha is chosen. Hiranyakasipu can not be killed by human, deva or animal. Narasimha is neither one of these as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal.

He comes upon Hiranyakasipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp fingernails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.

This story reveals however much a person may try to be witty and smart yet it can never over power righteousness. Evil can never triumph over righteousness. At the end of the day the creator has definitely made some inbuilt systems wehere in by default get rid of such unrighteous elements.

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Mission & Ashram News

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Bringing Love & Light in the lives of all with the Knowledge of Self

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Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna - Bhubaneswar

by Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji 7th-131th Apr 2017

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Gita Chap - 4 / Kathopanishad 2-1 Sivananda Samskrutik Kendra, Bhubaneswar

Album Link

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Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhubaneswar

by Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji

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7th - 13th April 2017

Sivananda Samskrutik Kendra, Bhubaneswar 38

Mission News Birds around Bhubaneswar Ashram

Clicked by Swamini Samatanandaji

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Black-hooded Oriole / Magpai / Drongo / Robin etc

Around Sivananda Ashram, Bhubaneswar

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Mission News Konark / Jagannath Puri Yatra

P. Swamini Poornanandaji, Swami Sreenivasananda & Rajesh Kumar

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Konark Sun Temple / Jagannath Puri Mandir

11th April 2017

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Mission News Darshan of Bhagwan Lingaraj

Ancient Shiv Mandir at Bhubaneswar

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Mandir Complex designed in Kalinga Architecture

Amazing Religious Heritage

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Mission News Visit to Nandankanan Zoo

One of the Best Zoo of the Country

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Spread in an area of 400 Hectares

13th April 2017

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Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa Satsang - 30th Apr

by Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji

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Pravachan 43 / Chaupayi No 20

Album Link

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Ashram News Sankracharya Jayanti - 30th Apr

Celebrations at Ashram & S’charya Dwar

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Procession from Ashram - with Dhol & Shankh

Album Link

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Ashram News Sanyas Deeksha Day - 30th Apr

of Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji

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Thirteen Enlightening Years

Puja / Satsang / Bhandara

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Ashram News Ram Navami Celebrations at Ashram

This year it was on - 5th April 2017

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ukSfe frfFk e/kq ekl iquhrk

Jh jke t; jke t; t; jke

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Ashram News Devotees Page

Birthday of Rekha Sharma

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Annivesary of Charchit-Nidhi Garg

Addition in the family of Abhishek Srivastava

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Ashram News Awareness of Ishwara’s Glory Around

Sun - with visible sunspots / Moon

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Birds in & around Ashram

Photos by Swamini Amitanandaji

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Forthcoming Programs 7th - 11th May 2017 GITA SATSANG @ Pathankot Gita Ch-17 By : Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji 5th - 11th June 2017 GITA GYANA YAGNA @ Mumbai Gita Ch-16 / Laghu Vakya Vritti By : Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji

18th - 24th June 2017 GITA GYANA YAGNA @ Vadodara Gita Ch-7 / Kathopanishad 1-3 By : Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji

9th July 2017 V edanta Sandes h

GURU POORNIMA Celebration@ Ashram Puja / Pravachan / Bhandara In the presence of All Ashram Mahatmas 49

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