Vedanta Sandesh - Oct 2013

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Year 20

Pdu 3124

Issue 4

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Oct 2013 : Year 20 / Issue 4 Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

Some Philosophers contend the body senses, life breath, intellect and non足existence as the real 'I'. Their comprehension is worse than that of women, children, lind and the dull. He who destroys this delusion caused by Maya (and makes us aware of the Truth)足to that Dakshinamoorty, who is embodied in the auspicious Guru, I offer my profound salutations.

Published by

International Vedanta Mission http://www.vmission.org.in vmission@gmail.com

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Message of P. Guruji Atma Bodha Letter Gita Reflections Jivanmukta Yoga Vasistha Story Section VM News VM Activities Album VM Programs

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from Poojya Guruji Religion & Philosophy Real religion is like technology which helps us to live & implement the philosophy or science of life. Religion is a way of life which helps one awake to his/her full potential & truth. Initialy it may be following of some do's & donts, but ultimately it has to lead to a way of life wherein there is an effortless, fearless & blessed expression of our truth. As our truth is the truth of everyone, so real religion has to be basically universal, non­sectarian, magnanimous & all­embracing. In fact there is no effort to be non­sectarian etc, it is all about truthfully being what one really is. So it all boils down to the realization of one's own truth. If we percieve ourselves as a limited individual, then being oneself will naturally imply all the self­concerns & insecurity, in short a very egoistic and fragmentary existence, which is not only a bane for oneself but also for the whole society in which we live in. All divisions based on baseless & imaginary factors becomes instrumental to forge & carve out our identity. Anything favourable will be seen as an object of like, and everything which is beyond its purview will inevitably cause an existential problem for such a person, and so dislikes, fear, violence etc will be a natural consequence. When our very identity creates problem for us and also for the world around, then what more proof do we need that such an identity is baseless & wrong. If on the other hand we enquire deeply into our truth and then not only realize it, but also be it, then obviously the life & values of such a person are naturally different ­ peaceful, contended, magnanimous, loving and all what we cherish & aspire for. The important thing is that there is no effort to be such, it is all a natural consequence of the realization of the divinity & completeness of what we truly are.

All person & country dreams for a society wherein its citizens are truthful, conscentious & caring. We spend unimaginable amount of money, resources and our time to handle all those who are otherwise, yet strangely we do not take the issue of 'natural inculcation' of ethical values seriously. We leave all that to the unorganized and resource constrained sector of religious organizations. While we can still leave religious freedom of everyone untouched, as enshirned in our constitution, yet we need to promote research, discussions & studies of the philosophical aspect of religions. Religion without appreciating the philosophy only leads to superstition, and time & again we keep seeing the disasterous consequence of blind faiths. Unlike the communistic regimes we need not & cannot ban all religions just because by themselves they create frictions and problems. The solution lies in to go deeper into the philosphical aspect of religions and help people become more enlightened & awake.

Not only this will lead to better mutual brotherhood, and 'effotless inculcation' of positive & ethical values, but also lead everyone to that for which the religious order was eatablished in the first place, which is being the technology for the science of life. That was the way of Vedanta, of Gita, of Upanishad ­ of the Mahatmas like Sri Adi Sankara, Swami Vivekananda or in recent times P.P. Swami Chinmayanandaji. They stressed on the appreciation of the philosophical aspect of life. They went around teaching the scriptures, so that everyone thoroughly appreciated the logic of all the good values. It is only when the values become really valuable to us, that we will live as per them. This is a very important approach, and this alone will efface all the nonsense which goes on in the name of religion. Just because a person is a graduate in some subject, we should not expect that they will know the subtle truths of the philosophy of life & religions. That amounts to making philosophy a joke.

It is a serious matter, and if we really wish to have a secure, inspired, coruption­free society which loves & cares for all, then we need to take the study of philosophy of life very seriously. This is not something which needs to be left as an option. This is fundamental to the very fabric of every society, and preservation of the world. We need to change our definition of secularism, we need to change our priorities in education. Enlightened people alone can help create a good & worthy world to live in. ­

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Swamini Samatananda

Brahman is All-Pervasive In the previous sloka the Acharya showed us the glory of the infinite blissful nature of the Real Self and that all beings right from Brahmaji to all the jivas are dependent on a particle of bliss of the Supreme.

In the present sloka the Acharya speaks of the All­pervasive nature of Brahman. It is due to the pervasiveness of this reflected consciousness that all our faculties of the body, mind and intellect function.

59 Tad uktam akhilam vastu Vyavahaarasatadanvitah Tasmaat sarvagatam Brahma ksheere sarpiriva Akhile Tad yuktam: united with that; akhilam vastu: all objects; Vyavahaaraha:function; tadanvitah: imbued with consciousness; tasmaat: therefore; sarvagatam: all pervading; Brahma: Brahman; ksheere: in milk; sarpiriva: like butter; Akhile: in all.

All objects are imbued with That. Every function is stimulated by consciousness. Hence Brahman pervades all, just as butter pervades every particle of milk.

Tadyuktam akhilam vastu: All objects are pervaded by that known as Brahman. Everything in the world living and non­ living, movable & immovable is pervaded by that which the Scriptures thunder as Brahman.

Amazingly the creator himself becomes the creation. In the world that we live in, when man creates something, the raw material, the instrumental cause and the intelligent cause are all seperate from each other. When a goldmith makes ornaments the raw material of the gold, the tools used to make ornaments and the goldsmith are all seperate from each other. On the other hand in case of the entire worldly creation it is interesting to see that Brahman is not a seperate creator from the raw material and the instrument used to create the world. He himself manifests as the raw material in the form of the five elements, Maya is his power to create and he alone is the life principle that

enlivens everything. Thus he manifests as the endless variety of names and forms. The vast expanse of names & forms is nothing but a modification of Brahman, just as ornaments are a modification of gold. Brahman pervades in and through the entire creation as existence, consciousnes and bliss.

Vedantic scriptures explain the nature of the all pervasiveness of Brahman in a very crisp manner. Everything in the universe living and non­ living has 5 components to it.

1. Form (Roopam) :­ Everything in the world has a unique and different form. A form is the grossification of the five elements in different permitations and combinations. All forms are relative and exist for a finite time.

2. Name (Naama): A name is given to a form which gives a unique identification to a particular form.

Names help discriminate one thing from another

Vedanta Sandesh

cools the room, and so on. Just as all electronic devices are activated by the power of electricity so also all our faculties are stimulated by light of consciousness. I am aware of forms, touch, smell, I can feel emotions, I can thing, I can breathe all with the blessings of this divine light.

All that encompasses the realm of time, space and object is enlightened by me. I am the supreme consciousness that enlivens everything and yet I am am the one that is not dependent on another light.

and may also reflect the attributes of the form.

3. Existence (Asti) : You can recognize any name and form when it exists. At the universal level, this property is named sat. While name and form exist for Universe and all things in it and is a property of Anaatma, sat or existence is a quality derived from Brahman.

4. Consciousness (Bhati or Chit) : We must be aware of a thing 足 to say that it exists. It must be in our consciousness. Else, for us, it does not exist.

This quality of every object also comes from Brahman.

5. Liking for the Object (Priyam or Aananda) : Every object is likeable for us in some way, at some time, in some place. The inherent capacity to give joy or Aananda comes from the Original Aananda, the Brahman. An object may be likeable when it comes.

Another may be likeable when it stays. Another may be likeable when it goes or stays away from us. But, every object is capable of giving some joy (reflected Aananda) which is derived from Brahman.

Tasmaat sarvagatam Brahman: Hence Brahman pervades all. Brahman is the atma of everything, the very source of all existence.

Just as butter pervades every particle of milk, oil in oil seeds, fragrance in flower, taste in fruit and so on, Brahman is all pervasive.

Ksheere sarpiriva akhile: Acharya here gives the example of butter and milk. Butter permeates through the milk although it is not seen directly. We do know that butter and ghee are very much present in Milk. We cannot separate a part of milk as devoid of butter, similarly, all the objects are permeated by Brahman.

Upanishads proclaim that just as how milk pervading butter is extracted by churning, so also the Atman has to be separated from the world of names and forms by discrimination of Real & Unreal.

In the process of awakening one discriminates between the asti, bhati, naam, roopa & priyam aspects of all that is. The names & forms are the anatma (that which is Unreal) and the other three aspects are the Atma (that which is Real).

Through knowledge one comes to see that all that can be objectified in any way is illusory in nature including the very individuality of the Jiva and only the Atma is real. Individuality too is something which changes, not 'that' which is its substratum.

Vyavahaaraastadanvitaha: Every function is stimulated by consciousness. Man is blessed with various faculties of the sense organs, the pranas, the mind and the intellect. But all these faculties are inert by themselves and cannot function independently on their own accord. The supreme consciousness stimulates the intellect with its power of consciousness and this reflected consciousness further activates the sense organs, the mind and the pranas to function in their respective fields. The supreme consciousness is like the power house of electricity which comes form the power house, goes through the transformers, reaches our homes and offices in the metrebox and is further distributed to various electrical equipments making them capable to function. Thus the bulb is able to give us light, the refrigerater keeps things cool, the airconditioner

Obwsbusb Hsffujoht up Bmm

The nine days of Navratras are the special days for performing some auterities, not just for health sake, but for invoking the blessngs of God, so as to empower us to live an enlightened life. 足

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The World Economics It is the month of August, on the shores of the Black Sea ..

It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to choose one.

The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to the town’s prostitute that in these hard times, gave her “services” on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At that moment, the tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is! now without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.....

Vedanta Sandesh

Understanding Pride Letter of the Month

Question on Facebook: Pranam, I am very ordinary human, I need one answer of my question, If you have, Please give .. My question is... When or how we will know that some pride comes within us? ­ Suman T ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Hari om Suman.

wish to realize your

To get the answer to your question, you first need to understand as to what you mean by pride. Pride is a self­appreciation which is relative to what you were earlier, or realtive to whom you see around; not only that, but you find yourself to be better than others, and the credit is taken by you alone. It is this self­gloating which is basically pride.

absolute

There are basically two ways of handling the stupidity of pride.

‘‘If at all you go a step further and

identity,

instead of just being content

with

your

relative identity, then obviously also there can be no question of pride at all..’ ­ Poojya Guruji

1. If your achievements are seen as a collective contribution of various other factors & people in your life, then obviously you alone will not be able to take the credit of the various possible achievement, and thus there wont be pride, but rather gratitude & humility.

2. If at all you go a step further and wish to realize your absolute identity, instead of just being content with your relative identity, then obviously there can be no question of pride at all.

If you really appreciate the meaning of pride, then I am sure it will not be difficult to understand as to When & How we will know that pride has come into us. Think.

Love & om Swamiji

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Freedom in Action

Swamini Samatananda

Uniqueness of a Human Being: What makes a human being unique and distinct from other beings. Is it just the physical body and the mental faculties that distinguish a human being from other living beings? Physically every living being has its own unique qualities. A dog has an extremely powerful sense of identifying things using the sense of smell, which a human being does not have. An elephants trunk is so tactful that it can lift the finest of needles and huge logs of wood with equal ease, a human being cannot run in the speed of a horse. At the physical level every living being is unique in himself. Even mentaly animals and human beings have their own abilities useful for themselves. Yet what makes a human being unique amongst all living beings is the freedom to perform actions and makes changes in one's life and the potential to bring about Self awareness.

Jantoonaam narajanma durlabham, meaning that among all living beings, the birth of a human being is rare.

What is Action: Action is a conscious deliberate effort. An effort wherein we take a clear, strong and deliberate resolve to do something and put in our best efforts to accomplish it. It is not flowing effortlessly in the flow of our conditionings, of our past impressions and our individual likes and dislikes. Often we sketch the path of actions begining from exactly where we stand as per our already sculpted temperament. Our actions are another extension and reflection of fixed likes and dislikes. In other words we perform actions based on our samskaras. If one were to tell a South Indian to prepare breakfast he will be inclined to make idli and dosa and a North Indian's first choice will be Parathas. These are situations governed by our samskars or mental conditionings. Action on the other hand is a very deliberate, thoughtful deed with a definite goal in mind.

Capacity to make a choice in performing Actions: A human being uniquely has the capacity to make choices. I can make a choice. A sloka in sanskrit encompasses this entire spectrum of freedom in action足kartum shakyam, akartum shakyam, anyatha va kartum shakyam which means freedom in action is either performing an action or not performing an action or performing an action in a different way by being a Master of action.

This is the beauty of an action true to its meaning where in we are free to excercise a choice and are the masters of what we do. I have a choice in what kind of clothes I wear, what kind of food I eat what kind of profession I choose, everything can be governed by my deliberate efforts. A tiger or a lion does not have a choice but to eat meat. But as much as this freedom of choice is a previlege which Man has, it is seldom that he makes use of this choice. most of the time we are mechanical in whatever we do or we simply react and not act.

Explaining the great significance of such an action the Upanishads declare that Vedanta Sandesh

any man who performs actions carried away by his mental conditionings and does not excercise his freedom to act is as good as dead. In other word the very signature of life is living a deliberate conscious life. Unable to do so it means Man has not achieved the goal of living. And if we have to achieve the goal of living, must necessarily learn to be conscious, free, choose and avoid myself being mechanical.

There is freedom in action only when we deliberately and consciously choose to act.

You have no freedom in action when you allow things to happen to you.

Reaction is mechanical response: If someone asks a group of people to eat icecream in a chilly weather, some would eat and some would not eat, or some would request for a hot coffee. Each one is free to respond as per their discreetion. Each one is free to act. This is freedom in action as it is my deliberate discreetion and decision. I am conscious of what I am doing. In other words, I am alive. On the other hand so often we get angry at someone and speak rudely, hurting the opposite person only to regret later, simply because we reacted and not acted. Any situation or person can easily provoke me to get angry and impulsive. I am not a master who has deliberately and thoughtfully chosen to get angry using anger as a tool. Anger is a reaction.

Similarly other emotions are but various reactions borne out of our past conditionings.

Jealously is a reaction, sadness is a reaction, sorrow is a reaction, all such emotions sweep us off guard. A reaction is something that happens without being conscious of it. The Gita prescribes a life of growing up by being a Master of our responses and cutting down on mechanical living, by living an intelligent and sensitive life. The intellect has the ultimate pottential to think and discriminate, the mind has an amazing power of taking up a resolve, being sensitive to others, but these faculties can guide us best only when we are conscious and alert of our goal in life and our responses in every situation and deed. Another tendency seen in so many of us is to blindly follow what others do, without using one's own discreetion or considering authentic guidelines of scriptures and Knowedgable Masters. We easily submit to the pressures of other people, situations or get tempted to do something because a particular action has brought success to another person and so we too must follow it. Often we oblige others by conforming to the patterns of society without thinking much about it. In such situations the consequences also must be faced by us alone.

Freedom in action is about facing a situation and making a change out of choice. Whereas reaction is getting carried away impulsively and mechanicaly.

There is freedom in action only when we deliberately and consciously choose to act. You have no freedom in action when you allow things to happen to you. Righteous living, universal values and attitudes, stem from a deliberate and conscious living. 足

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Quotes Fear is not your enemy. It is a compass pointing you to the areas where you need to grow.

Every ending is also a begining.

Never fear opposition: A kite rises the highest when it goes against the wind.

I have no idea what's going to happen. And I love it.

If you don't stand for something... you'll fall for anything.

Speak only when you feel your words are better than your silence.

Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take is the worst of suffering.

An entire sea of water cant sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly the negativity of the world cant put you down unless you allow it get inside you.

You don't have to see the whole staircase, just see the first step.

Love the life you live. Live the life you love.

Vedanta Sandesh

Wandering in Himalayas

A Colorful Route to Uttarkashi

15 Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj

It is from Rishikesh that I generally proceed to uttarkasi. If you want to enjoy the Holy and beautiful sights along the Himalayan route from Uttarkasi, get ready to follow me. I am sure every one of you will do so with alacrity, for the route is far more delightful than the streets of Bombay, Paris, or London­ornamented with skyscrapers, luxuries, resounding with music, and splendidly lit by electric lights.

There are three routes leading from Rishikesh to Uttarkasi. Today we shall follow the easiest of those routes and the most and the most familiar one to me. If you walk a little distance along the braod path that goes Northwest from Rishikesh, you reach a thick forest, nosiy with the shrill sound of cicadas. For a mile or a mila and a half it is all level ground. Then the ascent begins. To the very top of the mountain it is all dense forest. What a lovely forest! Artificial charms are harmful and ephemeral. Natural beauty alone is beneficial and lasting. Only in these woods do you find perfect beauty which owes nothing to human ingenuity or dexterity. It is all God­made.

Here one experiences not merely the outward loveliness of nature, but also the wonder and mystery of God's own handiwork. All worldly activities are distinctly portrayed here. A wise man stands in no need of news papaers to understand what is going on around him. look at the captain of the monkey band, who enjoys sensual pleasures with so many female monkeys. Now observe how another stout monkey makes overtures to those same young ladies and how it leads to a fierce quarrel between the rivals in love.

Else where you see another fierce struggle going on for the possession of food. This is exactly what is happeneing in the world.

Woem and gold are the bones of contention everywhere. Of the two species of monkeys found in these forests, the red­faced fellows are the more mischievious. The black­faced ones are gentle and pious.

They sit quietly on the tops of tall trees as if immersed in meditation.

They have no feuds and distractions.

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by Swamini Vidyananda

10 Part­1

Adhyatmic Teachings of Guru Vashista to Sri Ramji

True Knowledge needs validation of the Wise: Words of Shri Rama blaming the world for its many changing stages, objects and feelings were so inspiring, what the gods, siddhas and sages joined together in praising of Rama’s speech. They rose from their seats and showered Rama with flowers. Sage Vishvamitra was greatly delighted to see such an excellent aspirant for the most intimate great knowledge of the Self. Good and qualified teacher, who abides in knowledge and also knows the traditional ways of teaching, is hard to find, and also rare is a qualified pupil, free from egoistic desires and worldly ambitions, ready to receive the knowledge. Sage Vishvamitra’s delight and joy was immense. He recognizes the state of Rama as that of one almost enlightened, who just need a little of explanations from the respected source to understand and become established in the truth. He responds to Rama saying: “You are indeed the foremost among the wise, and there is really nothing further for you to know. However, your knowledge needs confirmation, even as the self­knowledge of Shuka needed confirmation from Janaka before Shuka could find the peace that passeth understanding”. And, at Rama’s request, he tells the story of Shuka.

The Story of Shuka: Shuka arrived at the final truth by his own reasoning. But he could not be satisfied with it, because he acquired it by himself. He asked a question about it to his father, also an enlightened sage, and he told him the same thing. It also did not satisfy Shuka, because he thought “well, I know this already”. His father sensed his dissatisfaction, and so, he sent him to the king Janaka, saying that he should know more. Shuka arrived at the palace of the king Janaka, yet he was not admitted to the king’s presence for seven days. Without eating and drinking, he waited patiently for seven days at the gate, yet he was not moved. After that he was invited inside and entertained with fine music and dances for another seven days. He was not moved by that, too. After that the king Janaka took him into his presence and again Shuka heard the same answer to his question! His self­attained knowledge was confirmed, and Vedanta Sandesh

validate our Knowledge

Sruti, Yukti & Anubhuti

Shuka attained peace. He said “I knew this, my father told me this, the scriptures also affirm this, and now you declare the truth, and that is ­ this diversity arises on account of mental modifications and it will cease when they cease”. Since then, Shuka remained in samadhi, his knowledge unmoving.

Validation of Knowledge is by Sruti, Yukti & Anubhava: Shuka had a doubt, despite arriving at the truth with his own reasoning. Shuka is a very rare example of a person who comes to the knowledge on his own, due to the effects of his past karma. Yet, even he had no confidence in his understanding. Doubt and lack of confidence are able to deny one’s spiritual knowledge. Firm understanding of the truth should be confirmed by three authorities, which are shruti, yukti and anubhava. Shruti is the vedic spiritual authority. understand the To meaning of the Vedas, and its conclusive part, Vedanta, one should learn their meaning from a qualified teacher, because the vedic teachings are passed only from the teacher to the student in an uninterrupted succession.

Vedanta is not something which can be understood by self­study, like a grammar or arithmetic book, because there Vedas deal with the most subtle aspects of the human existence, closely scrutinizing the very individual personality one takes himself to be. This subject matter cannot be treated as something other than the self, as some distant topic. The knowledge of Vedanta should be immediately applied to one’s own life and self, not to be kept as information for some future reference. To do this, one should be ready to question his most intimate conclusions about himself and the world, many notions taken for granted at the early age, which apparently worked so far. To do this, one needs extraordinary motivation and a clean mind. ­

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Message of Bhagwad Gita

7. Blessings of Karma Yoga Karma Yogi lives an inspired and dynamic life. They see themselves as instruments of God. Their entire life along with their deepest motivations are all seen as the blessing and wish of their beloved and benevolent master, and whatever they do is always their humble offering at HIS feet. Such a 'connected' person always lives overwhelmed,

getting

infinite

reciprocating as best as they can.

Vedanta Sandesh

love,

and

The legend of Navaratri

Story Section

pon u e c n . .

O . me i t a

The story of Navaratri begins from the life of two sons of Danu called Rambha and Karambha who performed austerities by to gain extreme power and authority. When their prayers became deeper and austerities became exceptional, the King of the heaven God Indra got perturbed. Out of fear, he killed Karambha. Rambha, who came to know about his brother’s death, became more stubborn to win over the Gods. He increased the intensity of his austerities and finally got several boons from gods like great brilliance, beauty, invincibility in war. He also asked a special wish of not being killed by either humans or Gods or Asuras.

He then considered himself immortal and started freely roaming in the garden of Yaksha where he saw a female­buffalo and fell in love with her. To express his love, Rambha disguised in the form of a male­buffalo and copulated with the female buffalo. However, soon after that a real male buffalo discovered Rambha mating with the she­buffalo and killed him. It was due to Rambha’s inflated ego that killed him, out of which he has not asked his death to be spared from the wrath of animals. As the pyre of Rambha was organized, the female­ buffalo, who was copulated with him jumped into the funeral pyre of Rambha to prove her love. She was pregnant at that time. Thus, demon came out of the with the head of a buffalo and human body and he was named Mahisasura (the buffalo headed demon).

Mahishasura was extremely powerful. He defeated the gods and the demons and acruierd power over the entire world. He even won over the heaven and threw devtas outside it. He captured the throne of Indra and declared himself to be the the lord of the gods. The gods led by Brahma approached Vishnu and Shiva and evaluated them of the situation. In order to save the Gods, the three supreme deities emerged a light of anger, which combined to the take the shape of a terrible form and this was Durga. All the gods then granted this Goddess of power with all the supreme weapons they had. This is why; Durga is called the brilliance of all the Gods.

When the goddess was seen by Mahishasura, he was mesmerized by her beauty. Her then fell in love with her and proposed to marry her. The goddess said she will marry him, if he defeated her in the battle. Then began a scary and terrible battle between both of then which continued for nine days.

Finally, on the last day, Durga took the form of Chandika and stood over the chest of Mahishasura and smashed him down with her foot. She then pierced his neck with her spear and cut off his head off with her sword. It is the day when Vijayadashmi is celebrated. ­

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Vedanta Sandesh

Hjub Hzbob Zbhob- Wbepebsb ;

The second Gita Gyana Yagna of Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji at Atma Shakti Ashram in Subhanpura, Vadodara was organized this month. The first Gyana Yagna was organized there early this year in March 2013 only and in a short time request for the second program was received. While the first program was an endeavor of Vedanta Mission, this second program was organized at the initiative of Vadodara Ashram people. The response was nice again, and as per the trustees of the Ashram the next program will be yet more grand. The subject mater of the discourse series were Gita Chapter 1, and Laghu Vakya Vritti.

Hjub Hzbob Zbhob- Mvdlopx ;

A Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji was organized at Hari om Mandir, Lal Baug, Lucknow from 23rd to 29th Sept 2013. The subject matter of the discourse series were Gita Chapter 6, and Laghu Vakya Vritti. LVV is a small text attritbuted to Sri Adi Sankara and is a free and unique commentary on the Mahavakya 'Aham Brahmasmi'. The sixth chapter of Bhagwad Gita which is called as Dhyana Yoga or even at times Atma­Sanyam Yoga is a great treatise on the topic of Dhyana or Meditation. It talks about the preparations of Dhyana, its objective and methodology.

There is an interesting appendix of some question­answers at the end of the chapter dealing with life­after.

Hjub Hzbob Zbhob- Kbmhbpo ;

The first 'Gita Gyana Yagna' by Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji was organized at Sri Dutta Mandir (Near Ramananda Bus Stop) in Jalgaon from 29th Sept to 2nd Oct 2013. There were some unexpected rains a day before which necessitated to change the venue at the last moment but it all turned to be a greater blessing. A covered Mandir Hall with better & quieter ambiance was got with great love & respect and that also for regular future usage. So now a venue has been fixed for VM Gyana Yagnas there. Swaminiji is conducting discourses on 1st chapters of Gita & Kathopanishad.

Wfsnjdvmuvsf Fyqfsjnfou bu Btisbn ;

Poojya Guruji decided to make positive use of the regular kitchen garbage by going in for Vermiculture experiment. Accordingly composting containers were organized and also the earthworms. Lessons were taken from YouTube and things were nicely setup. If all goes well, then within 2 months we will have nice fertile home­ made vermi­compost for our plants.

Vedanta Sandesh

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Check out the detailed Photo Albums of the various functions on VM News Blog at : http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/

New Website of Vedanta Mission The Web SIte of Vedanta Mission has been completely overhauled. The uniqueness of this website is as follows: 1. It has three sections, which were seen to be used most often: VM News / VM Courses, and / VM Publications All these sections are as tabs on the front page itself. So anyone can get a good overview of all these three sections on our Home Page itself 2. We have a 'Join us' link, with an Online Form, by which anyone can join us for various objectives. We will now have a database of all such people.

4. We have a 'Contact us' Form also, for sending feedbacks, questions or comments to us directly & immediately.

5. We also have a 'Donation Form', with elaborate directions for sending donations to us by various possible means.

6. Sample Video & Audio Players have been given both in English & Hindi, along with the links of recent talks right on the front page.

7. The Website can be accessed in any language of the world, one can choose the option from the drop足down menu on the top right.

Vedanta Sandesh

Forthcoming Gita Gyana Yagna, Jalgaon: A Gita Gyana Yagna is being organized at one Sri Dutta Mandir at Jalgaon from 28th Sept to 2nd Oct, by Poojya Swamini Poornandaji in Marathi language. The subject matter of the discourse series is 1st chapters of Gita & Kathopanishad.

Satsang at Vitthal Mandir, Village Salve: After the Gita Gyana Yagna at Jalgaon, Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji will go to Salve village on 3rd Oct, her home village, and will also conduct a Satsang at the local Vitthal Mandir there. She will will also pay respects to her father who had recently expired.

Sanyas Deeksha of Poojya Guruji, Indore: Sanyas Deeksha Day of Poojya Guruji will be celebrated on 10th Oct at the Ashram, with Pooja, Bhandara and Cultural Program. There will be the next Hanuman Chalisa Satsang that evening.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow: A Gita Gyana Yagna by Pooja Swamini Samatanandaji will be organized at the Satsang Hall of a Devotee Doctor in Mahanagar at Lucknow from 7th to 14th Nov. The subject matter of the discourse series will be Kathopanishad 1­3, and Gita Chapter­3.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhavnagar: A Gita Gyana Yagna by Pooja Swamini Amitanandaji will be organized at Ramdas Ashram, Bhavnagar from 24th to 30th Nov. The subject matter of the discourse series will be Laghu Vakya Vritti and Gita Chapter­6.

'Anand­Lahari' Cultural Program, Mumbai: ICF will organize a grand Cultural event at Mumbai on 15th Dec. Many artists will be coming for the evening. This program is in continuation of the Sufiyana Program of last year, but with a new name & vision. A week­long GGY of Poojya Guruji will follow.

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Visit the New Website of International Vedanta Mission at: http://www.vmission.org.in/ Vedanta Mission Blog : http://blog.vmission.org.in/ VM Online Satsang Page: http://www.vmission.org.in/mission/ols/

Om Tat Sat