Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission
Vedanta Sandesh Year - 23
Issue 4
Oct 2017
Happy
Sharad Poornima
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Cover Page
This month our cover page is dedicated to the cool & amazingly beautiful Sharad Poornima - which falls on 5th of Oct. Hinduism is basically Vedic religion. Vedas alone are the real source of our philosophy, religion & culture. Vedic masters were nature worshippers. There cannot be a better picturization of the divine than the amazing nature that has manifested in front of us. Everything has a signature of God. The sun, moon, fire, water, air and earth directly bless one & all. They are all so amazing & divine too. We cannot imagine our lives without sun, fire or water, to just mention a few. Those who selflessly bless us to have a healthy & happy life alone are divine manifestations exuding the fragrance of the omniscient & compassionate God. When we worship nature - there can be no sectarian differences too. Beauty of nature and its worship makes a man very sensitive and finally positive & thoughtful. We literally become poets, so its worship should be encouraged by all. Go out to places of natural beauty, bathe in the beauty of nature. You shall become strong, stress-free, and definitely a devotee of its creator. No wonder one full chapter of Bhagwad Gita too is dedicated to the glories of God. The moon of Sharad Poornima is one of the most beautiful sight. Lets not miss it, and make it instrumental to sing the glories of God. Moon is the devata of mind, so while you experience the beauty of moon, also see how it makes your mind quiet, peaceful and awakened.
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CONTENTS
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Vedanta Sandesh October 2017
1.
Shloka 5
2.
Message of P. Guruji
3.
Tattva Bodha 9-15
4.
Letter 16-17
5.
Gita Reflections 18-24
6.
We Must 25-32
7.
Jivanmukta 33-35
8.
Story Section 36-37
9.
Mission / Ashram News
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38-46
10.
Forthcoming Progs 47
11.
Links 48 3
Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Oct 2017 : Year 23 / Issue 4
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
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lnk loZxrks¡I;kRek u loZ=koHkklrsA cq)kosokoHkklsr LoPNs"kq izfrfcEcor~AA
Even though our Atma is revealing at every moment
& place, yet for all those who do not know it, it is to be first appreciated only in our pure minds, just as we can see our reflection clearly in a clean mirror. Atma Bodha - 17
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Message from Poojya Guruji
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Laya - an Obstacle Samadhi in Vedanta is to realize that ‘I am the one infinite non-dual timeless reality’. The first stage of Samadhi is Savikalpa, wherein this Mahatma becomes conscious of this truth and retains this awareness, from various points of views. It is like seeing the oneness even while there is perception of names & forms. It is all about being conscious of what is absolute & what is relative, what is dependent and what is not, what is the causeless cause and what all comes in the domain of effects. With this vivek, the knowledge dawns and one can validate this in various ways and then that awareness is owned up. It is an intrisic character of this knowledge that we realize fundamentally I am that. It is not that the knower is knowing something intellectually, but it is a subjective realization of our own self being the substratum of everything that is. Thoughts are not an impediment but a means to help bring about this realization. So even when thoughts are there there is also this awareness of the unifying principle underlying everything. In Savikalpa Samadhi there is deligent use of thoughts and vivek and the culmination of all this is the direct realization of one’s self being Brahman. When this knowledge is so clear that we do not need any more deliberations to bring about the awareness, then that effortless awareness is called Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is then being Brahman. It is knowing effortlessly that I am Brahman. This awakening is Moksha, this is the sumum bonum of human existence, and with this alone all endless transmigration comes to an end.
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This entire process is however a very subtle journey and there are various ghats to cross. Here we shall not discuss the initial impediments of preparing the mind, going to a teacher, studying shastras etc, but shall take time to discuss some impediments in gliding into this Savikalpa itself. This is discussed in Mandukya Karika by Gaudapadacharya. There are four obstacles which such a knowledgeable person needs to be aware of. They are: Laya, Vikshepa, Kashaya and Rasaswadana. Let us briefly discuss Laya. Laya is that obstacle wherein our mind without being aware of the fact of non-duality it becomes quiet and thoughtless. Such a mind in fact is not doing anything whatsoever, its complete quietitude. When a mind stays in such a state for sometime then there is an experience of absorbtion. One is sucked in a state wherein there is no awareness of anything, no knower, no knowing, and no time or even this world. It is very near to sleep and is called Laya. We can call it an art of gliding into deep sleep like state. Laya has all the benefits of sleep - like blissful experience, deep relaxation, de-stressing and ofcourse complete thoughtlessness. Many people mistake it for samadhi, but it is not so, simply because such a person goes into that state as an individual and obviously comes out of that refreshing state as an individual. So there is no awareness of oneself being the infinite self from whom the whole universe is springing forth etc. Nowadays there is great attraction for being thoughtless. Most of the meditation packages just aim for this thoughtlessness. While everyone should definitely have the capacity of going into thoughtlessness - whenever they wish, but one should also realize that this thoughtlessness has nothing to do with Samadhi. It is rather art of going to Laya. How one can avoid laya, is by having value for valid & worthy awareness rather than of dropping all awareness. Thoughts are not the culprit, our ignorance and all the subsequent baseless notions are the probllems and therefore instead of stopping thoughts one should study shastras and contemplate on pointers revealed therein. It is the absence of knowledge-endeavor which is the gateway to laya. Sleep does not enlighten us it just refreshes us, so in the first place - see Laya as an impediment.
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TATTVA BODHA
Panchikaranam
Swamini Samatananda
Tattva Bodha A
ll that exists in nature is divided into three quali-
ties (Gunas) - Sattva, Rajas, & Tamas. The components of the three Gunas is very much visible in our day to day life. There are times when we are unconditionally happy , our mind is alert and sharp, and we wish to do something for others in a selfless manner. Thhis is a reflection of the Sattva Guna. There are times when we are very active and more concerned about the Self. This is a sign of Rajo Guna. At times we are just in no mood to do anything and just wish to laze around. This is Tamo Guna.
According to their predominance in any human being,
a man is known primarily as either tamasic, rajasic or sattvic. Everyone has traces of all these three elements, because these three constitute what is known as Prakriti or nature. But of the three, in each person one element predominates over the other two, and this is the quality or Guna by which that person is known.
Ramayana is a very popular epic in Hindu
Dharma. We have all heard of the three brothers of Lanka,Vibheeshan, Ravana and Kumbhakarna. Interestingly these three brothers symbolise the three Gunas. Vibheeshana was a Sattvik perV edanta Sandes h
son devoted to Lord Rama, living a pious and
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Tattva Bodha righteous life. Ravana was an epitome of Rajo Guna overflowing with false pride, a strong sense of doership and enjoyership, and thus looking down upon others insensitively. He lived life totally aimed to nourish the ego. On the other hand Kumbhakarna reflected Tamo Guna living a life of inactivity, who slept for six months and ate for six months. These three brothers are a living example of the predominance of the three Gunas and their consequences.
Devatas are known to be predominantly Sattvik and all
other non-human species live a programmed life. It is only a Human being who has the freedom to invoke the predominance of any of the three Gunas. If a preson is Tamasic by nature, he can evolve from the Tamasic to the Rajasic and then from the Rajasic to the Sattvik. Action and fruits of action both become an instrument of either making us go downhill towards becoming Tamasic or raising us to becoming Sattvik. When Karma or action is performed by a great sense of doership and there is a strong desire to enjoy the fruits of action then one will soon glide into laziness. But when one directs and channelises ones actions as a worship to God and uses it for the service of others it cultivates a selfless, pure and subtle mind. This is the reason why in the Geeta Bhagwan Sri Krishna gives so much importance to directing the field of action from Rajo
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Guna to Sattva Guna, from Self centricity to serving others
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Tattva Bodha by becoming an instrument of God. This is Sattva Guna. The art of Sattvik karma has been gifted to us by Bhagwan in the Geeta as Karma Yoga. It is then from the Sattvic path that one can glide into the state beyond the three Gunas. Sattva Guna is the only door to Enlightenment.
With this aerial picture of the three Gunas let us see
What the Acharya now reveals about the Tamasic Aspect of creation. So far we discussed about the Sattvic and the Rajasic aspect of creation.
If one were to build a house, we would first need the
engineering knowledge that goes into making a house. This represents the Sattva guna which is expressed through the intellect. Thereafter knowledge must be followed by energy to make the contstruction. This is the Rajasic aspect of creation. This must then be accompanied by the raw material to build the house. This is the Tamasic aspect of creation. In the process of creating the entire creation the Tamasic aspect is as significant as the Sattvik and the Rajasic. So let us see how the evolution of the Tamasic aspect came about.
How this Pachikarana (grossification) takes place?
iaphdj.ka dFke~ bfr psr~\
If it is asked how this Pachikarana (grossification) takes
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place, it is as follows:
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Tattva Bodha ,rs"kka iapegkHkwrkuka rkelka’k &Lo:ie~ ,desda Hkwra f}/kk foHkT; ,desde~ v/kZa i`Fkd~ O;oLFkkI; vijeije/kZa prq/kkZ foHkT; Lok/kZeU;s"kq v/ksZ"kq LoHkkxprq"V;la;kstua dk;Ze~A rnk iaphdj.ka HkofrA
The Tamas aspect of each of the five elements divide
into two equal parts. One half of each remains intact. The other half of each gets divided into four equal parts. Then, to the intact half of one element, one one-eighth portion from each of the other four elements gets joined. Then Panchikarana (the process by which the subtle elements become the gross elements) is complete.
,rsH;% iaphÑriapegkHkwrsH;% LFkwy’kjhja HkofrA
From these five grossified elements the gross body is
formed.
The evolution of tamas aspect (inertness or ignorance)
is explained by the a process known as panchikaranam. It is the way the five basic subtler elements grossify and make up the gross body (The Sthula Shareera) as well as the gross world.
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The process of Panchikaranam (grossification) takes
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place in the following manner: 1) The tamasic aspect of each of the five basic elements divides into two equal parts. 2) One half of each remains in-tact. 3) The other half of each gets divided into four equal parts. (which is 1/8). 4) To the first intact-half of each element, a 1/8th portion from each of the other four elements is added. 5) Thus the process of panchikaranam takes place.
In this manner every gross element is a mixture of all
five where as, every subtle element contains only that element. The subtle element is called Tanmatra. Even though each of the gross elements is a mixture of five, they are named after the element that is predominent. For example, the gross Air cosists of the grossification of the tamas aspects of ½ Air, 1/8th each of Space, Fire, Water and Earth. From these five grossified elements, the gross body is formed. Thus the five grossified elements and their combinations are responsible for the formation of the gross body and the gross
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objective world.
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Mail from Poojya Guruji Neutralizing Raaga Hari om ! Regarding your question about vairagya and how we need to neutralize our attachments. Vairagya means freedom from our Raga & Dwesha. Vairagya gives us capacity of objective observation & analysis, and one who can do this alone can realize the truth of all, so it is a very important quality for every student to have. The truth of all is beautiful & also divine. Everyone & everything is basically that, however, what these Raga & Dwesha do is to divide this beautiful world into good & bad - just based on our personal fancies & conveniences. Thereafter our life is all about running towards one half & running away from the other half. This is not how life should be. It is wastage of ones life & its energies, and this is why people get so stressed & ill. Not that our personal conveniences have no importance, but we need to be aware that it is not the object which are good or bad but it is all about our specific & personal needs. These Raga & Dwesha come only when we see something partially and
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not holistically. When we have Raga for something then we see only the positive aspects of that thing or person, and we dislike someone then the negative aspects dominate our perception & response. Well,
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lets remember, that everything & everyone have both the positive as well as negative aspects, so ideally we need to be conscious of both and then use them accordingly. Now suppose you have Raga for someone, then in order to neutralize it, all what we need to do is to just become conscious of its other aspects also, and you suddenly dilute your attachment and thus neutralize it. So also with dwesha. Partial perception means ignorance of the truth, so we thereafter live in the world our own personal whims & fancies. To see the beauty & goodness of anything should not be our personal fancy but its truth, available for one & all to see & appreciate. For this one needs to keep our personal fancies aside and look at everything objectively. The truth of everything & everyone is beautiful & divine. Hope the point is clear now. Love & om,
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Swami Atmananda
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Gita Reflections
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i’; es ikFkZ:ikf.k 'kr’kks·Fk lglz’k%A ukukfo/kkfu :ikf.k ukuko.kkZd`rhfu pAA (Gita 11/5) 17 17
Pashya me Parth roopani (i’; es ikFkZ :ikf.k)
Swamini Samatananda
The Supreme Lord said: Behold, O Parth, my hundreds and thousands of wonderful forms of various
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shapes, sizes, and colors.
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Gita Reflections
O
n the humble request of Arjuna in the 11th
chapter of the Gita Sri Krishna very compassionately bestows Arjuna with a divine vision to see the Vishwaroop of the Lord. Having gifted him with the divine vision Sri Krishna thus says “Behold, O Partha, my hundreds and thousands of wonderful forms of various shapes, sizes and colours.� This sentence is a very interesting subject matter not only for Arjuna but for all those people who wish to tread the path of knowledge. Because the fact is that not only is Arjuna gifted with the vision to see the existence of God in and through the entire cosmos but we all too are gifted with this divine vision as long as we hold the hands of the scriptures and the Masters who are the guiding lights on the path of wisdom. This world is a beautiful picture of different shapes, colours and sizes which is intrinsically pervaded by God and to Him alone is all surrendered. When we speak of knowledge then knowledge must not be limited to the physical sciences of the world alone. Knowledge is complete when we also discover who is the creator of the world, how does he sustain the world and what is my relationship with the creator. This is a complete spectrum covering the knowledge the of the world of Ishwara and the Self. At the end of it all, it will be amazing to see that actually God himself has V edanta Sandes h
manifested as this beautiful creation and that I too am not sep-
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Gita Reflections erate from God. There is only is one non dual existence which is self effulgent and bliss. In this entire journey it is very interesting to see that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the Self is not possible without the knowledge of the world itself. It is true that the ultimate truth of everything is beyond all names and forms but the fact remains that one cannot ignore the existence of the beautiful world of names and forms. It is this world alone which speaks volumes of the creator and sustainer of this world, it is this physical world alone which is the first spiritual teacher to unfold the truth of the Supreme power whom we call as Sachidananda. The knowledge of Brahma is not a one sided knowledge. It is a journey from the known to that which is beyond the known and the unknown. It is a journey of seeing God in the multiplicity of names and forms culminating in the truth of the Self which is the substratum of all names and forms and yet which is untouched by all names and forms. Let us take a look into this journey from the form to the formless. Bhagwan says to Arjuna “O Partha Behold and See my hundreds and thousands of wonderful forms of differents shapes, sizes and colours”. In this suggestion of Sri Krishna the word
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‘See’ is worth noticing. It is interesting to see that we all are
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Gita Reflections living in this world since time immemorial, we are experiencing the great beauty of this world, of nature, of human beings and its great pottentials yet ironically we are not actually ‘Seeing’ the world. We are seeing the world and its names and forms but our vision is so superficial that all we can see is how and which object or experience of the world can give me individual pleasure. Our vision towards the world is so self centric and individualistic that we can only look at the world with the glasses of enjoyership. This vision is so limited and disastrous that inspite of seeing the world and getting so many pleasures out of it we are not able to see the beauty of the very world itself, we are not able to see the beauty of the creator and the functioning of the world in totality, forget about seeing the ultimate substratum of it all. Hence the scriptures give us a vision of seeing the gross world itself in a manner which pulls us out of the shell of individuality, connects us with the totality and ultimately opens the doors of the reality where there is a state of pure existence.
There are two phases in the journey of wisdom.
1. Bringing about a God-centric relationship rather than
an individual centric relationship. In the state of ignorance we all live a very individualistic life.
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A life totally revolving around self concerns. But as a first step
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Gita Reflections into wisdom the scriptures teach us to live a life surrendered to the Divine power which is the creator and sustainer of all living and non-living beings. The entire creation is made up of different parts which in totality form the cosmic body or the ‘Viraat Shareera’ of Ishwara himself. Our identity is nothing but we all are a part of the divine cosmic body of God himself. Just as all our parts of the body like the hands, legs, lungs, kidney, heart atc are different parts of the body. Even though they their functioning is connected to each other and they work in harmony with each other yet they all finally function to serve the Jiva, the entity who is adorning this body, the Self. Like wise we all as different forms of manifestation in the world are different parts of the cosmic body of God, and the genuine way of living is to make all our functioning as an offering to the Divine power. If we look at the world the world does not function in isolation. Just as our the different parts of our body. So also we should live in harmony with the totality surrendered to the Cosmic Divine. This spirit of living is what Sri Krishna calls as Yagya Bhava in the Gita. It is a spirit of excuding a fragrance of selfless living, bubbling with the enthusiasm to serve and bring joy to everyone as manifestations of God himself. In this same manner all beings living and inert are part of the cosmic body. This is living in tune with the totality. A mutual co-existence. Yagya bhava is the life of spiritual evolvement. Without which the doors of
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Self knowledge shall never open. This is the objective of all the
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Gita Reflections material world and of all the living beings, to become an instrument of selfless service aimed at serving God in the various forms. All live to fulfill the journey of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha of the other. This makes the world a beauty with a purpose. Otherwise for an ignorant man it is only a means to entertain and nourish the individual ego which only leads to the continuity of samsara. 2:-A life lived as an offering to Ishwara with the spirit of mutual welfare and happiness blooms and purifies the mind like a flower. Such a purified mind alone is the deserving one to see that reality which is beyond the names and forms. Then opens the chapter of seeing that ultimately all names and forms are an illusion, they have a relative existence. Their existence is not possible with the Supreme power which is Pure Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. In this manner it is a journey from the level of individuality to totality and then to that which is beyond all names and forms. This is only possible when we first learn to see the entire cos-
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mos with this divine vision.
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WE MUST 17
Break your shell, open your wings and fly
- 17 -
We Must
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Live our Ideals
P.P. Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji 25
We Must T
he most tragic waste in the world is the dissipation of man’s mental energies which are so vital and precious. It is tragic because this wastage is never detected by the community, nor are individuals conscious of this sad drain of their own personality-vitality. Apart from the impulsive thoughts and acts in an immoral and unethical life which erode one’s mental vigour, there are other false ways-of-life which mirror the quantum of man’s inner dynamism.
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Generally, all the activities of life which are prompted by selfishness and greed, by desire and passion bring about mental exhaustion. The day we realise through self-analysis that worry and resentment stamp a cruelly destructive and disintegrating influence upon our own inner personality, we shall feel an irresistible urgency to eliminate them. Indeed, man sinks into a morass of impotency only due to his own ignorance, and the pity is he seems unaware, all the time, of the ruin that is engulfing him. Of the many channels through which our mental energies are dissipated, the maximum wastage pours out through the constant, ever-dripping leakage the gaping holes created by worry, anxiety, tension and excitement. These neverceasing trickles of our measured life-forces are the thieves of our strength and joy. Exile the robbers! Conserve our energies! by an intelligent reorganisation of our mental attitude toward action.
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We Must
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It is the “ego-sense� in us, the Hindu scriptures say, which is the source of all these streams of mental drain. This ego, or individuality, is but a bundle of memories of the past, anxieties for the future and excitement in the present. When this ego is surrendered at the altar of an ideal, religious or secular, the flowing outlet of dissipation will be halted, and within the individual a more dynamic expression of life arises, harmonising his lifein-the-world existence. When once our mind has been caught into the inspiration of an ideal, we discover a new expansion of unshakable poise, an enchanting balance and a calm self-control, for we have surrendered our total personality in devotion and reverence to that which we adore. In this attitude lies the secret of making our life more efficient, and our actions more productive to the community and to ourselves. Thus, when once we block and seal off the fountain-head, we find within us, as time passes on, that the depleting channels of drain have now become towers of strength, columns of courage and powerful pillars of dynamism. But this new vitality-wealth can now and then run loose in self-destructive directions unless our fresh, creative aspirations care fully release the conserved energies. For this we need to produce new plans, conceive new schemes and draw-up fresh programmes of work. For unless we guide our mounting energies into new fields of endeavour, the old, dirty tendencies might again rise up. ... They must be intelligently removed! Substitute them with the creative thought-patterns as expressed in the sacred books, exemplified by our past mighty men of tradition, and mirrored in the lives of success-
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We Must ful, noble ones among us. It is a fact that the brute force of a cultivated will power is not always sufficient to stem the tide of our passionate tendencies. In one challenging moment we may find ourselves drifting away irresistibly into our old habits of thinking and acting. And not too rarely we even detect our misconduct too late! but, by then we would have committed ourselves to the foul urges within us, insulting our own clear understanding and firm determination. Therefore, we must learn to redeem our lower tendencies with emotions and feelings of a higher order. Cultivate, we must, the habits of mental peace, cheerfulness, fearlessness and a general sense of contentment. When these have taken root in us, we shall find desirable habits displacing the old dissipating tendencies of anger, worry, fear and the sense of perpetual discontentment.
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Let us regularly open our head and heart to the enduring perfections and noble thoughts as preached and lived by the wise noble seers of old. Such a consistent exposure can strengthen and purify our character. By repression of false tendencies, we can never come out of their clutches; substitution of healthy ideas alone is the way to grow in our character-girth and personality-dimension. The best and easiest method of achieving this goal is to steadily study the scriptures, be faithful, sincere and ardent in our daily
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We Must prayers, constantly tend the garden of our own behaviour both mental and physical and be loyal to our vow ot systematic meditation each day. In short, let us try, achieve, and be inspired by our mind’s ability to remain undaunted in an exalted attitude of divine purity and peace.
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Such a total transformation is to be achieved within our selves if we are to really become faithful and useful workers. Others who come near us will be moved to intelligently analyse and study us. Our work amidst them is for their welfare and general inner progress. If they detect weaknesses or irregularities in us, they will get repelled, and such members can never more be served by us. Hence the urgent call to each of us: “develop noble qualities; live them spontaneously in your daily life�. Let us consciously be aware that a world, not too sympathetic, is silently judging our mental and physical behaviour. Nothing escapes them. Nor should it! Our accidental, thoughtless or even unconscious act or word has consequence, and it can, for those who are watching, provide a disgruntled handle with which to spank us. We who speak of goodness and preach religious values Beware! Every word we utter, every expression on our face, every movement of our body, every mannerism, every habit, is being carefully noted though more often it is misinterpreted rather than sympathetically understood, overlooked and ignored. All these build up the total impression which we make upon the minds of others in society. Their approval is our passport to the field of our work. Thus, we must be very deligent in
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We Must cultivating the best habits, manners, moods, all of which go into the moulding of an impressive peronality .... We Must. Persuasively, every man influences the sphere around him and others react to these silent impulses. When an individual is educated and culturally developed, his influence is more forceful and irresistible. As sevaks we are cultivating the highest perfections in ourselves and, naturally, as workers in the spiritual field, we grow to exert an inescapable effect upon our society. Therefore, make the most of yourself at all times. This is a sacred responsibility upon every seeker-sevak who is serving humanity as an expression of his service to the Lord. A life that is consecrated should be exemplary. It is the virtuous life of a sevak or sevika which brings assurance and upliftment to the world by its truthful conviction. In fact, the world is never lifted to new heights of moral or spiritual stature except by the noble life of the prophets and seers, which they lived as an example for all humanity.
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Merely to preach noble ideas is to strive to bring perfection into the realm of imperfection. When this is accomplished it is unavoidable that we will be making compromises with the ideal we are striving to storm and conquer. To live the ideal here on this earth, amid the screaming dedicated workers tensions of sobs and tears, of passions and pains, of selfishness and lust, greed and covetousness, is to lift the gener-
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We Must ation to a point nearer the zenith. Generally the masses understand more through their eyes than through their ears. Let us each take our lofty place in the world, realising that our chaste and honest life will always inspire other men to also pursue and achieve a great and worthy purpose in their life. It shall be our privilege to expend our inner purity and outer discipline for the advancement of the community towards an ampler peace, security and goodness. Thus, by redeeming ourselves from our own paltry weaknesses and by gathering a richer harvest of divine benevolence, our very life is widening the circle of irresistible influence upon the hearts of all others around us working in their own particular fields. Self-improvement is the secret of reaching others around us. He who reigns supreme as master of himself alone becomes the servant of light unto others. Only such a one can profitably serve the society of his age. But the beauty of his life will continue to inspire the ages to come. Live this ideal, we must .
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WE MUST.
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Jivanmukta Wandering In Himalayas
61 Jwalamukhi Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of Param Poojya Swami Tapovanji Maharaj
Jivanmukta J
walamukhi is a famous temple in the Western Himalayas. All over India people worship innumerable gods and Goddesses. The Puranas are full of praise of these deities. Yet none can say definitely when and where these gods and Goddesses originated. The accounts given by historians are inadequate and incomplete. According to our ancient tradition, Jwalamukhi is just one of the numerous forms of Divine Mother. The environs of her temple have come to be known as Jwalamukhi.
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The temple is situated 2000 feet above sea level, in a valley of the Himalayas. The road to it starts at Hoshiarpur in the Punjab. If one proceeds northward along the route for 50 miles, climbing over hillocks and passing through a district of whitish soil and treeless copsewood, one at last arrives at the famous temple. When I got down from the train I was persuaded to get into a car. But the mode of travelling proved very uncomfortable, and before long I gave it up to cover the remaining part of the journey alone on foot. It is not seldom that an apparent curse turns out to be a blessing, and that was so in this instance. As soon as left the vehicle, I found myself a free man. I began to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings with renewed relish. If I had clung to the car, I could not have experienced a thousand part of the pleasure that’s now fell to me. Alighting from the car I proceeded cheerfully along the redhot road passing through open forests. It was May 1929. The heat
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Jivanmukta of the sun was intense. For 30 or 40 miles even drinking water was scarce. But I made my way forward as well as I could. Once I deviated from my course to visit a Devi Temple called Chintamani. As some of the brahmins there were educated men, they pressed me to stay with them at least for one night. I complied with their wish and passed the night outside the village. The stay refreshed me. The next morning I resumed my march, reaching the river Beas, One of the tributaries of the Sindhu. I immersed myself in the cold waters of the broad, bluestream. For 3 days I had not had enough water even to quench my thirst, not to speak of enjoying a bath. This is the paradox of the Himalayas. At one spot is plenty of water, at another there is scarcity. In some places food is found in great profusion; in others there is a swarth of it. Here the place is deserted; there it is over populated!
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A night in a village on the bank of the river. The next day I reached Jwalamukhi. The place appeared to me to be an extensive village with a considerable population. I passed few days there as the guest of the local postmaster, a Punjabi Brahmin. Jwalamukhi is a lovely place; it is surrounded by forests on all sides and with groves of trees. But in the extreme heat of the season, it’s beauty seemed to have faded, yet there was still something very attractive about it.
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STORY Section
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Kaikasi’s Siva Bhakti
R
avana’s shakti increased day by day and we
all know what ghora papa karyas he did once he got Ahankar seeing his own sakti. Devendra, hence, wanted to reduce the shakti of Ravana. He learnt that his shakti was mainly due to his Mata-bhakti and her (Kaikasi’s) shakti was due to her nishchal Siva bhakti. Hence Devendra, once attempted to stop the Siva puja of Kaikasi. Kaikasi used to do Siva puja everyday on the banks of the ocean and on one day the ocean with its high tide came and washed away the Siva Lingam; stopping her Siva puja.
On seeing the great sorrow of her mother, Kaikasi, Rava-
na immediately got angry on Mahavishnu and blames him to have stopped her mother’s Siva puja! Kaikasi then instead of blaming others said that - if really my Siva bhakti had no doshas then nobody could have stopped it. If this has happened then it means there is some mistake committed by us only and it is more important to correct our mistakes than blaming others. Also none can stand against the great Vishnu and even though we are Saivas must never go against Sri Vishnu . Realizing his mistake Ravana immediately sets out to do a tapas for Paramesvara for Siva atma-Lingam (to replace his mother’s Parthiv Lingam). Moral of the Story:
Before blaming others for the mistakes they committed it is
very important to correct ourselves. Anyway no one will be spared V edanta Sandes h
by the God for the mistakes they have done. Everyone shall get the karmaphala of their karmas - without any exception.
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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, Lucknow
by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji
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Gita Chapter 10 / Kenopanishad 1-1
10th - 17th Sept 2017
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Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna - 2
Hariom Mandir, Lucknow
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Vibhooti Yoga
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Mission News Gita Gyana Yagna -3
Conclusion on 16th Sept evening
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Bhandara for all - by Mandir authorities
Departure on 17th Sept
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Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa Satsang: Sept 2017
by Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji
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Chaupayi - 21... contd
24th Sept 2017
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Ashram News Hanuman Chalisa - 2
Bhajans & Chanting of Hanuman Chalisa
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Conclusion with a grand Aarti
Album Link 42
Ashram News Rudrabhisheka at Ashram
by Avinash Datta
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In memory of his wife Ritu Datta
11th Sept 2017 43
Ashram News Ashtami Pujan at Ashram
Once a year special Darshan & Puja
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Mataji resides in the heart of Shivji
28rd Sept 2017
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Ashram News Dasshera Puja of Giant Shiv-Linga
Dasshera is ‘Ashram-Day’ also
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We completed 22 years
Puja by our student - Bharat Raikwar
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Ashram News New Ashram Member - Daya
German Shephard Pup
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Arrived when he was a month old
Growing fast & nicely 46
Forthcoming Programs 2nd-7th Oct 2017 GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Barbil (Orissa) Gita Chapter-1 / Kathopanishad 1-1 By : Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji 22rd-27th Oct 2017 GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Indore Gita Chap-5 Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji
8th-14th Nov 2017 GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Jalgaon Gita Chap-9 / Bhaja Govindam-2 Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji 4th-10th Dec 2017 V edanta Sandes h
GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Mumbai Gita Chap-17 / Advaita Makarand Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji 47
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