Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2018

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Issue 5

Nov 2018

Vedanta Sandesh

Year - 24

Happy Diwali

V edanta Sandes h

Cover Page

The cover page of this issue of Vedanta Sandesh is that is Diwali festival. We convey our best wishes to all our readers to celebrate the festival of light with gaity & devotion. This year the Kartik Amavasya is on 7th of Nov.

Diwali symbolises the return of Bhagwan Sri Ram back to Ayodhya after fourteen years of Van-Vaas. It stands for the beginning of the proverbial 'best-poosible rule of law' in the form of Ram-Rajya. It is the new, just & best beginning. It is worthy of nice celebration. Let us regulate our festivities ourselves and celebrate such events in a great manner which bring cheer & hope in the heart of all. The enthusiasm has to be about our faith in Dharma.

The whole Mahabharat can be summarized in a statement that Yato Dharmah tato Jayah, meaning wherever there is true Dharma, there shall be well-being.

In good old days people just use to light oil lamps in their houses & mandirs.

Let us try to celebrate this Diwali in a pious way, instead of deafening sounds of crackers which are a terrible time for not only all of us, but also for the little birdy in your own house-tree, and your pets and ofcourse children.

Let all our festivities make the world more cleaner & better place to live - for one & all.

A very Happy Diwali to all of you.

2

Ăą

CONTENTS

V edanta Sandes h

Vedanta Sandesh Nov 2018 1.

Shloka 5

2.

Message of P. Guruji

3.

Tattva Bodha 9-13

4.

Letter 14-15

5.

Gita Reflections 16-20

6.

The Art of Man Making

7.

Jivanmukta 26-28

8.

Story Section 29-32

9.

Mission / Ashram News

7-8

21-25

33-56

10.

Forthcoming Progs 57

11.

Links 58 3

ñ

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Nov 2018 : Year 24 / Issue 5

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:

V edanta Sandes h

Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

4

Ăą

,oa fujUrjkH;Lrk czĂŁSokLehfroklukA gjR;fo|kfo{ksiku~ jksxkfuo jlk;ue~AA

When someone constantly retains the awareness of Brahman as his Self, then this roots out all the impressions of ones limitation, and also its cause - the ignorance, just like a medicine removes the disease.

Atma Bodha - 37

V edanta Sandes h

6

Ăą

Message from Poojya Guruji

Justice delayed is Justice Denied

V edanta Sandes h

Justice delayed is justice denied. It is very sad & unfortunate that the Supreme Court of India again postponed the date of hearing of the Ayodhya title suit.

It is such acts borne out of misplaced priorities and which are not in sync with the feelings & expectations of the majority of countrymen which become the cause of increasing distrust in a system. History is a proof that it is only such acts which become the cause of unrest & turmoil. I am highly disappointed at this endless postponement. It is as though the people out there cannot garner enough courage to give appropriate decision. Well, at times decision-makers have to take a call as per the famous quote, that the buck stops here and you have no other option except to take the call. This postponement amounts to reducing the faith of people in the rule of law & judiaciary. One wonders whether the people out there are partisan or non-partisan. Such procrastination puts a question-mark on their intentions. In fact we feel a necessity of urgent judicial reforms which assures keeping aside of weak-hearted or partisan people and bringing in people who truly care for the silent masses. Maybe the Supreme Court is telling people to stop being silent masses, and express their resolve & belief’s more firmly & strongly.

Maybe even the Supreme Court is trying to convey that only the most vocal will alone be heard on priority basis. Silent ones will be relegated to the back-bench.

A tradition & philosophy which declares that it is our sankalpa alone which

basically creates the shrishti need to introspect whether their sankalpa is strong

7

Ăą

enough or not. Apparently our sankalpa is not strong enough and needs to be made more strong, so that everyone is compelled to take it into consideration, and things start moving in that direction. Even if they dont, because of some historical or political impediments, then also what needs to be done is to stick more firmly to ones conviction & resolve. Let us create our own world of dreams in our own way, let us create our own way and the world, afterall we sincerely wish for the well-being of all, and all what we wish to do is to correct some historical mistake & atrocity, so that the faith & values of the majority continues to be respected & also encouraged.

The bane of present day society is the lack of people of integrity & values in every field. Voilence, corruption, insenstivity etc is the real problems in any field. This alone has resulted in so many present day problems. Creation of good human beings is not the domain of any political party or administration, this was the domain of religion. As the importance of religion declined we saw the surfaccing of negative forces making this great land a literal hell of a place. High time

V edanta Sandes h

we re-visit the role of religion in society. Our distorted definition of secularism has already taken a terrible toll and has caused enough damage. Ram-Mandir is an epitome of the resurrection of religious values which facilitate in creating men endowed with values of integrity and goodness. A good society can only be made with good human beings. A pathetic education system, occasional TV ads for ethics & morality, and a polity bent upon fragmenting the people is smaller & smaller sects, is not the way to go. Let us take the work of man-making more seriously. Our forefathers had experimented very sincerely in that direction, and we need not start with re-inventing the wheel. The whole world and the best of philosophers of the world acclaim the science & technology of Sanatan Dharma as the best which human beings can attain or imagine, so we sincerely need to give that option a chance by restoring the faith of people in religion & religious values. The men in power need to look at the issue of Ram-Mandir more widely.

Playing the right cards can make or break the country. We sincerely wish & pray that sanity prevails.

Om Tat Sat.

8

Ăą

TATTVA BODHA

The Enlightened Ones

Swamini Samatananda

Tattva Bodha

H

aving discussed who is a Jivanmuktah

and how strongly he abides in his knowledge of Brahman the Acharya now goes on to show how a person of self-knowledge revels in the direct knowledge that I am Brahman alone and is thus liberated from the bondages of action.

^czãSokgefLe* bfr vijks{kKkusu] fuf[ky deZcU/kfofueqZDr% L;kr~AA “I am Brahman alone” – thus by this immediate, direct knowledge,and from the bondage of all karmas,one (the Jivanmukta) becomes liberated Having seen the knowledge directly a Man of Self knowledge is freed from all bondages of action. Aporaksha means direct and clear knowledge, not an intellectual knowledge. The journey of knowledge begins with indirect knowledge wherein the aspirant has faith in the words of the Guru and the scriptures and sees the facts through the expalanations of the Guru. But V edanta Sandes h

still there remains a process of clarifying doubts, contempla-

10

ñ

Tattva Bodha tion and affirming the knowledge. The awareness of the Self is self revealing. It is direct and deep without any doubt. But this has been arrived at by valid knowledge, by shruti, yukti, anubhooti, by the process of shravan, manan and nididhyasan.

Once this conviction has been brought about that I am Brahman, then one is liberated here and now, which is what is said as jeevanmuktah.

A Jivanmuktah is liberated from all bondages of action.

Brahmgyaan dissolves all actions. This statement has very subtle implications. A sense of doership in actions, actions and then fruits of actions is a complete biography in itself. Action is not seen in isolation but it is a product of a rootcause which lies in ignorance and seeing oneself as a limited being. It is only when I am totally ignorant about my real nature I come to see myself as this body, mind and intellect which is not only limited but does not have any independant existence of its own. To fulfill this sense of limitation I further look outside into the world for all those things that will give me satisfaction, joy and security.

With this mindset is born an enjoyer, a seeker. Now this seeker is compelled to perform all sorts of actions to organize all those means of people, things and situations that will give me the so called joy. Thus a bondage of action is a natural consequence

V edanta Sandes h

of a sense of enjoyership and doership. Once trapped in this

11

Ăą

Tattva Bodha shell of seeking a person is compelled to jump into the field of action and acquire one thing or the other. In this process of fulfilling desires we sometimes perform righteous actions or sometimes unrighteous ones. Birth is nothing, but my desire to achieve something and do something. Actions and then fruits of actions is what life is all about between birth and death. Thus an ignorant is ignorantly entangled in the cycle of birth and death. As we perform good or bad actions the consequences of actions can never be washed off. Fruits of an action are inevitable. Knowledge of the Self, frees us from the fruits of actions.

A man of wisdom comes to see that all actions are only in the realm of the three gunas of maya, and as He sees himself detached from the three gunas, for him it is a play of Maya. Just as it is the nature of the waves to play around, sometimes calm and sometimes aggressive. All the three gunas continue to play like waves in the oceans but a Man of steady wisdom does not see himself as the doer. Just as the ocean appears playful at the surface level but under the waves is deep and silent so also there is a deep silence in the core of wise man’s existence. In such a case once you see I am not the doer then any conseq of a doer are not applied to me, just like I see myself doing something in a dream. So also a knowledgable person comes to invoke a sense of doership like an actor who invokes a character of his role,

V edanta Sandes h

but does not get identified with it. He is free to act or not to act.

12

Ăą

Tattva Bodha The doer is in his command and even as he performs actions he transcends the sense of doership and is aware of his nature as Brahman.

This is freedom in action. So a Brahm Gyaani is thus

freed from the bondage of action. He is not compelled to do anything out of a sense of seeking but he is in command of action. A knowledgable person does not seek anything yet he does not live a lazy or passive life, but rather he lives a life full of enthusiasm, energy and for the welfare of others out of love

V edanta Sandes h

and compassion for the whole world.

13

Ăą

Mail from Poojya Guruji Green Diwali Q: As the festivals like Diwali, Holi or Navratras come near we hear the pestering pronouncements of the green brigade to desist in our traditional celebrations. We are made to feel that we alone are doing something wrong. Should we stop celebrating our religious festivals?

V edanta Sandes h

A: Not at all. We need to celebrate all our festivities with all the fervour & enthusiasm. Yes, it is a matter of fact that there are some left-leaning pseudo-intellectuals whose only goal is to put a question mark on our traditions & values. They make fun of our Gods, make fun of our systems & values, denigrate Hinduism, arrest saints like Sankaracharyas, create a bogey of Hindu-terrorism, raise green-issues selectively - and overall assure that the majority are weaned away from their roots & faith. Yes, this is the world in which we live. So we need to assert our constitutional right to follow our religion in the best possible way.

However, we need to celebrate our festivals more conscientiously. There has to be vivek in our celebrations. It is also a matter of fact that many people do not celebrate religious festivities with humility & devotion unto God. Devotion unto God makes us humble & sensitive people, caring for one & all. As the Gita says Adweshta sarvbotanam - a good devotee is one who is caring for all. Some over enthusiastic people become thoughtless, and in the process hamper the very objective & spirit of celebrations & festivities. Let us bring order in our own family and truly appreciate the significance of all festivities. Let us be sensitive to our rivers & lakes - afterall we consider them to be tirth, where even a dip is purifying to our body & mind. Let us assure that we maintain purity of water & air - ourselves, out of our own values & convictions. We have a philosophy of life, which truly feels for all. It is this

14

Ăą

V edanta Sandes h

realization which has prompted people to make the idols of Ganeshji & Durga Mata eco-friendly. This is an example of self-imposed regulation.

We are open to all good suggestions, however, systems have to be out of our conviction & faith. If we make our water-bodies dirty then we cant take a dip there, it will start stinking, and then imagine what will happen to all the birds & fishes, which our God has made. It is our responsibility to let them have their space to live. Water is life, so we need to respect all water-bodies.

Diwali is all about the home-coming of Bhagwan Sri Ram and also the beginning of his proverbial Ram-Rajya. So we defintely should celebrate. However should we not keep in mind our own children who still have so soft tympanic tissues, and what about our old people who need healthy environment to breathe & live. Should we forget the bird in the tree sitting in its nest with its chicks, when we blast crackers. Many times birds fall down dead from trees in that shock. Just imagine the terrible pollution the next day when we cant even breathe properly.

This is all so thoughtless & uncaring. We need to have our own self-regulatory systems because of which we express our prayers in action that - Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah. Religion is all about channelising the energies of its followers in positive channels.

I visualize such religious systems & traditions, wherein wherever such a religious group of people go, the place is made more cleaner, caring & beautiful. The nature should naturally smile where true Hinus live. We have lost many things, and love for silence is one of them. Why is it that wherever we go, there is sound, air & water pollution. Blasting loud-speakers cannot facilitate meditative people to pursue their sadhanas. These blasting loud-speakers are basically imposing others with your faith, which is unfair and in fact intrusion in others freedom.

We need to follow religion with our conviction, and not compelled by others. So we also need various in-house correction. This is the domain of right knowledge, and wisdom grows in the environment of faith & devotion. So have profound love & respect for your religion & its traditions, and follow all your festivals like true Hindus, who care for one & all.

Love & om

15

Ăą

Gita Reflections

V edanta Sandes h

;r% izo`fÙkHkwZrkuka

;su loZfena rre~A LodeZ.kk reH;P;Z%

flf)a foUnfr ekuo%AA (Gita 18/46) 16

ñ 16

All Pervasiveness of God (;r%

izo`fÙkHkZwrkuka------)

Swamini Samatananda

That because of which activities of all beings is possible, that which pervades all living beings - unto ‘that’ offer all your actons, thou shall indeed attain be blessV edanta Sandes h

ed with perfection & purity.

Gita : Ch-18 / Sh-46 17

ñ 17

Gita Reflections

T

he world is a beautiful and divine place where all

activities expresses itself with the blessings of Ishvara. Ishvara who pervades all. In this divine world a human being is one of the glories of God. But what makes this glorious creation of God truly fulfilling is tuning to God himself, becoming a beautiful instrument of Ishvara and ultimately awakening to the state of Ishvara himself. Basically an individual human being is not seperate from Ishvara but he is Ishvara himself manifested in a form. It is only the deep slumber of ignorance and an imaginary screenplay of life that creates a sense of duality between the Self and Ishvara. Ishvara is Brahman and all Jivas are Brahman too.

Hence, as Man plays like ducks in the water diving in and coming out and diving again his ultimate goal is to awaken in this state of Godhood, the Supreme Brahman.

For an ignorant and deluded person life is a momentary party of fun and dance, wherein, he is night and again intoxicated only to wake up with a hangover of suffering and anxiety. But for those who are even slightly awakened are inspired by a higher goal in life and that is to realise one’s true nature as the limitless self-effulgent blissful self. For them life is a means of polishing their minds in order to achieve this higher goal in life.

V edanta Sandes h

In this sloka of the BhagwadGita Sri Krishna inspires us to make

18

Ăą 18

Gita Reflections life an offering to God in order to bring about a pure mind. A pure mind is one that feels blessed, grateful, it is subtle, sharp, enthused and integrated. This purity of the mind comes when all are actions are an expression of our natural inclinations gifted by God and at the same time our actions also excude an attitude of making actions an offering to God. We all are gifted with some natural inclination in life, which the Gita classifies as people inclined towards knowledge as scholars, leaders, as businessmen and as skilled workers. There is not a single person who is not gifted by God in some way or the other.

Now here we have a choice. We can either use this gift to solely satisfy our worldly cravings and nourish the ego or as the Gita suggests we can tune in with God and become an instrument in serving Him through our inherint talents. This art is the Karma Yoga as Sri Krishna speaks of in the GIta. Most commonly we all knowingly or unknowingly choose to live a life of self interest and go about trying to fill our own platter with as much as we can. There is no doubt that living an individual-centric life we do acheive great things in life. We are indeed gifted with fame, money, assets, relationships etc. But at the end of the day the price that we pay for all these acheivements is momentary pleasure loaded with an ego, anxiety, stress, insecurity and fear of losing it all. It is only the wise ones who are able to see this limitation

V edanta Sandes h

and choose to aim for a higher goal in lfe. A goal which breaks

19

Ăą 19

Gita Reflections the shackles of a sense of limitation and constant seeking. A goal that aims to become one with God awakening in a state of limitless joy. The path that leads to discovering oneness with Ishvara and awakening in a state of self fulfillment begins by bringing about a pure mind. By clearing all the entanglements of worldly attachments from the mind. By clearing the clutter of selfishness, personal likes and dislikes, all the attachments and by making the mind sharp and subtle. By purifying our mind and making it a temple of service to God.Worshipping God is not only limited to temples but it begins from temples and goes on to extend and expand in the whole world outside. Thus Sri Krishna gives us a very very important statement in this sloka that may we offer all our actions as a gesture of worship and thus be blessed with a pure mind. When our field of action is that which is gifted as an inclination by God all our actions are a tireless expression of joy, where the toiling and sweating only gives us more satisfaction than ever. The only thing is that may we re-direct this hard work from Self-centricity to God centricity making every action a worship unto the Divine. Actions that become a means of serving and worshiping God are the most enjoyable, tireless actions free of any fear and anxiety. What better way of living and worshipping God than becoming a humble instrument in the hands of the Divine. Becoming the flute of Sri Krishna and letting the heart dance in the pure waters of devotion, charging towards the

V edanta Sandes h

state of perfection, the state of Supreme Bliss.

20

Ăą 20

- 8-

The Art Of Man Making

V edanta Sandes h

The Pride of Duryodhan

P.P. Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji 21

Ăą

The Art of Man Making

O

n the fateful day both the armies assembled

on the battlefield. The Kaurava forces were overwhelming in sheer numbers, in efficient equipment and in ample supplies; the Pandava forces were less equipped, meagre in war materials, and fewer in number. Yet the Pandavas could fight with inspiration, while the Kauravas had to drag a heavy conscience and plan their moves with a sense of guilt.

Vyasa, a child of the Vedas and soaked as he was in Ve-

dic mysticism, employed an allegorical significance to the very dramatic set-up in Kurukshetra. That historic spot is itself a symbol of man’s bosom where the Kauravas and the Pandavas, the bad and the good tendencies, are constantly at war with each other. Strangely enough, these good and bad tendencies are like cousins because of their coming origin. The Kauravas, a hundred in number, represent the innumerable ungodly forces of negative tendencies within man’s bosom. And the Pandavas, no doubt, represent the diviner impulses in man. A constant Mahabharata war is being waged in everyone of us at all crucial moments of action, and often the negative tendencies in us are larger in number and usually mightier in their efficiencies, while the inner divine army is ever less in number and apparV edanta Sandes h

ently weaker in efficiency.

22

Ăą

The Art of Man Making

Thus when the armies have assembled in Kurukshetra,

the Kaurava king Duryodhana rushed to his teacher and exclaimed, *Behold Oh! teacher, this mighty army of the sons of Pandu arrayed by the son of Drupada-thy wise disciple.

Duryodhana fancied all along that it would not be possible for his rivals to mobilise an army strong enough to face his own huge force allied with several kings but when he saw that the strength of the Pandavas was more than his expectations, he was much perturbed and felt unnerved. The very word Duryodhana means ‘he who is hard to combat with’. But his guilty conscience had thrown up a moral conflict in him. A mental sense of defeat in him was a prelude to the actual defeat that came in the war. It is but natural that a frightened child hastens to its parents for protection and encouragement. So too Duryodhana, unsettled in his mind, ran to his teacher Dronacharya. Whenever our motives are impure and our causes unjust, however well equipped we may be, our mind should necessarily feel disturbed and agitated. This is the mental condition of all tyrants and lusty dictators. At moments of high tension, the individual’s words give clear indication as to his essential mental nature. The perturbed prince hints at the foolishness of his teacher, who made a silly mistake in having chosen to teach archery to the son of Drupada who is now standing ready to

V edanta Sandes h

make use of his knowledge of war against his own teacher, - ‘by

23

ñ

The Art of Man Making your tallented disciple’. This innocent looking word , Dheemata’ means much more than what is sounds. The tiny little word belittles Drona. Duryodhana implies that , “Oh! Guru, you have taught him all you know and therefore the son of Drupada has all that you taught him plus his own creative thoughts, for he is a ‘Dheemata’. He indirectly says that Drona’s disciple has outwitted his Guru himself.

Duryodhana censures his master in a subtle and con-

cealed manner by addressing him thus as ‘best of Brahmins’ (dwijottama). Earlier he indicated that all officers manning the Pandava forces were students of Dronacharya. He now implies that his teachers Brahmin-heart should necessaraily have a soft corner for his own great disciples. Duryodhana thus subtly indicates a lack of confidence in his own Revered Guru, and shamelessly doubts, the very loyalty of his own teacher. The word ‘Dwijjottamh’ implies yet another suggestion which cannot be overlooked. Duryodhan’s reprimand comes to this: ‘However capable you may be in teaching the science of warfare, you are afterall a Brahmin, given to peaceful life and a bit timid too by nature. It is too much to expect of you to be courageous in this war with the Pandavas. Still be not afraid; we too have mighty warriors on our side.’ He then proceeds to enumerate the list of

V edanta Sandes h

officials in his army. And adds that this enumeration is for ‘your

24

ñ

The Art of Man Making information’ (sangyartham)- as if Drona might not have been fully informed himself. It is indeed stupid of Duryodhana to point out to Drona the army formation of the Kaurava forces.

It tantamounts to doubting the capacity of the great Acharya Drona. In all these words of Duryodhana, we can never miss the flow of an undercurrent of a suggestion hinting at the incapacity of Drona....A disturbed man of evil intentions always suspects the loyalt of his own henchmen and readily loses faith

V edanta Sandes h

in his supporters.

25

Ăą

Jivanmukta Wandering In Himalayas

71 Vasishta Springs Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj

Jivanmukta V

asishtaisafamousplaceof pilgrimage,24milesto

the North of Kulu. It is situated at the foot of a chain of high mountains covered with snow. As at Manikarnika, here, too, is a hot spring and near the pool is a temple dedicated to Lord Vasishta. We reached the locality at the end of three days’ leisurely journey along the bank of the Vyasa Ganga. The tedium of the journey was lightened by the joyful enthusiasm induced by the broad solitudes along the route. Nowadays motor cars and buses come within two miles of Vasishta, and the place is no longer difficult to reach.

There is a tradition that Vasishta, son of Brahma, used to

pass his days in austerities here. There is nothing improbable about our peace-loving Rishis resorting to the congenial heights of the Himalayas credited with the residence of Vasishta. Of all such places honored by the name of the great Rishi, this place, Vasishta so close to the snow-covered mountains, beautiful and remote, and yet convenient because of the hot springs, was perhaps best suited for the great Rishi’s residence.

We passed three or four days at Vasishta in great devo-

tion-bathing, visiting the temple, and worshiping at the shrine.

People from the neighbouring village supplied us with food. The V edanta Sandes h

mountain folk in this region are extremely poor and lead a hard

27

ñ 27

Jivanmukta life. Yet, like their ancesters, they are whole-heartedly devoted to the service of God and godly men, they are governed by a high sense of duty. Why people who are so generous and so dutiful should live in unrelieved poverty and unending misery is a paradox that has puzzled all thinking men.

If God is omniscient, omnipotent, free, and merciful, why

did He create a world so full of sorrow and suffering? How did He create it? This is a problem over which the greatest philosophers of the world have racked their brains from the earliest times. Much discussion has centred on it and ingenious explanations have been offered. A lot of space in works of philosophy has been deveted to the solution of this difficult problem.

Many an atheist has availed himself of this seemingly unanswerable objection to disprove the existence of God.

In the Sareeraka Bhashya Shree Shankara answered these

objections in his own inimitable way: “In the matter of creation God may be compared to the cloud,” In raising rice or barley, the cloud is the general cause. If the paddy seed produces paddy and the barley seed produces barley, the particular case is within the seed itself. Similarly, God is the general cause in the creation of Gods and men. Their individual form and conduct and expereince are chiefly the result of their own conduct in

V edanta Sandes h

their previous existence.

28

ñ 28

V edanta Sandes h

STORY Section 29

ñ 29

King Bharat and the Deer

K

ing Bharata was really a blessed soul.

He had everything that a man can aspire for. His father passed on the kingdom of Jambudwipa to him. He had married a girl of character, virtue and beauty, Panjagni. He had five sons of noble qualities. Even the land he ruled was named after him as Bharata Varsha which is the noble land, known as India, where we all live now. Above all, he was blessed with qualities of devotion. He was highly knowledgeble. He was a true karma Yogi. He performed diligently his various duties as King, as husband, as father and as devotee and yet he did not wish anything for himself. He dedicated himself to the worship of Lord Vasudeva and spent most of the time by worshipping, meditating and doing various kinds of rituals and sacrifices.

While people were running after power, name and wealth,

King Bharata was running away from it all. As knowledge dawned on him, he realised that true happiness lies not in gaining or possessing something but in renouncing.

Having renounced everything, he proceeded to the forest

and chosen to remain in a small hermitage built by himself and lived like a true saint. With no attachment to any worldly link, he dedicated himself to the worship of Lord Vasudeva at the banks V edanta Sandes h

of the river Gandaki.

30

Ăą 30

King Bharat and the Deer

But the mind never rests at one place. It hovers around all

objects outside. One day, while Bharata was sitting on the banks of the river and engaged in offering prayers to the Sun God, a deer caught his attention. The deer which seemed to be pregnant came near the river to quench its thirst. Suddenly, there was the sound of a roaring lion. Having known that its life was in danger, the deer tried to escape by leaping over the water and to reach the other end of the river. Gripped by fear and tension, the deer desperately tried to move ahead. In the sudden movement that caused to its body, it delivered the baby-deer prematurely. Since the mother deer ran away, Bharata went near the young deer and carried it to his Ashram. He then took care of the young deer and attended to its needs. Gradually, he developed an affection towards it; the affection that transformed into an obsession.

Even a great man like Bharata could not free himself from

the influence of attachment. He was so much attached to the deer that he could not remain separate from it even for a minute. His obsession towards the deer was so much that he even started neglecting his basic religious duties. As the distance between him and the deer became closer, the distance between him and the God became wider. He forgot about Dharma or what his ultimate aim was. He engaged himself exclusively in attending to and caring the deer. Days passed by. It was time for Bharata to depart

V edanta Sandes h

from the world but he was not ready to depart because he was too

31

Ăą 31

King Bharat and the Deer attached to his deer. Even while breathing his last, he was looking at the deer, thinking who would take care of it.

Since at the time of his death, his entire thoughts hovered

around the deer only, he manifested as a deer in his next birth.

A question would arise in the mind of the readers how

Bharata who renounced his kingdom, family and people for the sake of leading a life of detachment could develop so much affinity with a deer cub and forget his spiritual root? This is the lesson one learns from such stories is that how a spiritual seeker on the path of self realization needs to be alert and constantly aware of his knowledge as the manifestations of Maya is there at every step to attract and bind us if we leave the hands of our beloved Lord, his devotion and his knowledge. We all live a life amidst the materials of this world, amidst our family, society, country and the world at large. It is the beauty of the knowledge of the Gita, the Upanishads who teach us the art of living in the world in the most dynamic and loving manner and yet remaining untouched by any kind of attachment to any object or people.

King Bharat went on to take two more births untill he got

liberated from samsara. One as a deer because of his attachment to the deer and second as Jadbharat where he lived a life of detachment and revelled in his nature of Brahman, even as he lived

V edanta Sandes h

amidst the very people of this world.

32

Ăą 32

Mission & Ashram News

V edanta Sandes h

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

Ăą 33

Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow

V edanta Sandes h

Talks on : Gita Ch-11 / Kena Upanishad 1-2

Hariom Mandir, Lucknow

Ăą 34

Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow

V edanta Sandes h

Talks on : Gita Ch-11 / Kena Upanishad 1-2

Hariom Mandir, Lucknow

Ăą 35

Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow

V edanta Sandes h

Bhandara on the last day

Hariom Mandir, Lucknow

Ăą 36

Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa Satsang: Oct 2018

Ch - 29: Charon jug partap tumhara....

V edanta Sandes h

Ch - 30: Sadhu sant ke tum rakhware

Monthly Satsang on last Sunday

Ăą 37

Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa Satsang (contd)

Program starts with Bhajans

V edanta Sandes h

Chanting of Hanuman Chalisa

Followed by Pravachan

Ăą 38

Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa Satsang (contd)

Program concludes with grand Aarti

V edanta Sandes h

Everyone comes and does the Aarti

Finally the Prasad

Ăą 39

Ashram News Sanyas Day Guru-Paduka Pujan

30 Years ago Sanyas Deeksha was given

V edanta Sandes h

By P.Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda

At Sidhbari on 10th Oct

ñ 40

Ashram News Sanyas Day Pujan

This Paduka was given by his Gurudev

V edanta Sandes h

Everyone also paid their respects

Followed by Bhandara

Ăą 41

Ashram News Ashtami Day Celebrations

Inside the giant Shiv-Linga resides Durga Mata

V edanta Sandes h

Ashtami every year we do Shringar

Followed by Bhajans & Aarti

Ăą 42

Ashram News Ashtami Day Celebrations

In Advaita Ashram Shiv & Shakti reside as One

V edanta Sandes h

Devotees from around gathered

Open-Air Satsang on Terrace

Ăą 43

Ashram News Ashram Day (Dusshera) Puja

Vedanta Ashram was established in 1995

V edanta Sandes h

We do special puja of giant Shiv-Linga

Bharat Raikwar did the puja

ñ 44

Ashram News A new Sant-Vahini at Ashram

Capable of Off-roading too

V edanta Sandes h

Tata Nexon - a Compact SUV

Delivered on 29th Oct 2018

ñ 45

General News Conservation Talk by TNV

Mr S. Murthy IFS i/c Panna Tiger Project

V edanta Sandes h

He brought Tigers from 0 to 42 at Panna (MP)

Very interesting Talk & Presentation

Ăą 46

Ashram News Anniversary of Sharma’s

Pradeep & Rekha taking Blessings of P. Guruji

V edanta Sandes h

and also of All Ashram Mahatmas

19th Aug 2018

ñ 47

Visit News Visit : Lal Bagh Palace, Indore

The last Royal residence of Holkar’s

V edanta Sandes h

It is a huge campus - now a Nehru Kendra

Visited on 9th Oct 2018

Ăą 48

Visit News Birds of Lal Bagh Palace Garden

There are lots of huge trees with lots of birds

V edanta Sandes h

Grey Hornbills / Drongoes / Bats / Parrots etc

10th Oct 2018

Ăą 49

Visit News Kheoni Wild Life Sanctuary

Kheoni WLS is in Dewas Dist

V edanta Sandes h

Kheoni is 132 Kms from Indore

11-12th Oct 2018

ñ 50

Visit News Kheoni Wild Life Sanctuary

The place has lots of Birds and other Animals

V edanta Sandes h

The place has 5 Tigers also

11-12th Oct 2018

Ăą 51

Visit News Pipliyapala Lake, Indore

We saw good collection of Birds

V edanta Sandes h

Painted Stork / Ringed Plover / Wood Sandpiper

Cormorant / Yellow & White Wagtails

Ăą 52

Visit News Visit: Pipliyapala Lake, Indore

Pond Heron / Drongo / Green Bee-Eater

V edanta Sandes h

Paddyfield Pipit

This lake is a short drive from Ashram

Ăą 53

Visit News Visit: Bilawali Talab, Indore

Bilawali has a nice long Walking Path

V edanta Sandes h

On the other side of embankment are fields

Saw a flock of Migratory Rosy Starlings there

Ăą 54

Visit News Visit: Sirpur Talab, Indore

These photos are by all Ashramites

V edanta Sandes h

In Winter we have lots of Migratory Birds

The place is great for our daily walks

Ăą 55

Visit News Visit: Sirpur Talab, Indore

All Mahatmas have love for Photography

V edanta Sandes h

We are blessed with amazing fauna around

It is a nice Bird Habitat

Ăą 56

Forthcoming VM Programs 18th - 23rd Nov 2018 GITA GYANA YAGNA @ Lucknow Vigyan Nauka / Gita-4 P. Swamini Samatanandaji 30th Nov - 8th Dec 2018 GITA GYANA MAHAYAGNA @ Mumbai Complete Bhagwad Gita P. Guruji Swami Atmanandaji

24th - 29th Dec 2018 VEDANTA CAMP @ Ashram, Indore Dakshinamurti Stotra / Gita-16 P. Guruji & All Ashram Mahatmas

V edanta Sandes h

4th - 11th Jan 2019 GITA GYANA YAGNA @ Vadodara Kathopanishad 2-2 / Gita-9 P. Guruji & All Ashram Mahatmas

ñ 57

Visit us online : International Vedanta Mission

Check out earlier issues of : Vedanta Sandesh

Visit the IVM Blog at : Vedanta Mission Blog Published by: International Vedanta Mission Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati