VedantaSandesh_Jan2016

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Year 21

Issue 7

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Jan 2016 : Year 21 / Issue 7

Editor: Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

Kkuus=a leknk; m)js}fg~uor~ ije~ A fu"dya fu'pya 'kkUra rn~czãkgfefr Le`re~AA Having opened the ‘eye of wisdom’, directly appreciate that ‘I am that Brahman’ which is self-effulgent - like fire, which is transendental, without any parts, without any movements and is an embodiment of peace.

Amrutbindu Upanishad -21

Published by

International Vedanta Mission

http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

Section Index 1.

Message of P. Guruji

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5

4.

Letter

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9

2.

5.

6.

7.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Tattva Bodha

-

6-7

Gita Reflections

-

10-11

Yoga Vasistha

-

14-15

VM News

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18

Jivanmukta

Story Section

-

-

13

17

VM Activities

-

19

VM Programs

-

23

Album

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20-21

from Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji

Save the world - with Vedas It was a great news from Paris, so many countries finally took a decision to work to reduce the global temprature by 1.5 degrees. More could have been done by the developed nations, but this step too is praiseworthy. With extreme climatic conditions in various parts of the world it is indeed an emergency situation. Nature has started ringing the bell. Most of the people are too engrossed in their own lives to be sensitive to these things, it is the leaders and thoughtful leaders and thinkers who have to take such a call. Now concrete steps need to be taken to assure the implementation of such a resolve. Apart from various emergency steps which need to be taken regarding emissions by our industries & transport sector, we all need to seriously think of all other steps to assure a better lifestyle. Awareness of environmental health need to be inculcated in our children right from their school level, and this awareness needs to be more fortified in college etc too. It has to be part of our life & value system. We all need to be proud of our beautiful blue planet and we all need to be very careful that our thoughtless actions do not turn it into a red one.

We need to revert back to nature worship in our religion, as the very manifestation of God. May our festivals too help bring about greater sensitivity & gratitude towards nature. May all such festivities help purify the environment rather than pollute it. Religion is always a package which helps us live the best of values we cherish & revere. In fact when we look at the Vedic practices, they all were prakruti related. Somewhere down the line our religion changed course to worship of God in human form, and this change was singularly responsible for various such problems.

Worship in human form has its own advantages too, people can relate to God & various godly values more easily, but as the things stand now, some problems are also there. It is not only for handling these problems, but more for reverting back to the original Vedic systems.

Another very important contribution of Vedic thought regarding this is the very philosophy of life. Thoughtless destruction of nature is motivated by the presumption that the real source of happiness & security is the world outside. This is baseless & untrue. The real source is our own Self - it alone is the real source of fulfillment & security. Untill this realization dawns in man, we shall helplessly continue to exploit & destroy the nature, which is basically changing & ephemeral.

We do not really need to change the world for our fulfillment, the world can be what it is, yet we can all be an embodiment of fulfillment. It is this philosphy which alone shall save not only man from such a thoughtless lifestyle but shall also save the world. The world needs to discover the teachings of Vedanta. The philosophy of Vedanta will be the true redeemer, coupled with the package of religion as revealed in the Vedas - it is the call of the day. It alone shall assure a sensitive life, living in tune with the nature.

Tattva Bodha

Sense Organs Of Perception & Action To reveal that which the Self is not the Acharya commenced the discussion about the three bodies that a human personality is made up of. So far he has discussed about the Gross and the Subtle bodies. It was said that the Subtle body is made up of 17 components. Five sense organs, five organs of actions, the five pranas and the faculties of the mind & intellect. Before moving on to discuss the third body the Acharya speaks about the five sense organs, their fields of actions and their respective dieties who are blessing each with their respective powers. In this discussion we shall look into the details of the five sense organs.

Ear, skin (sense of touch), eyes, tongue (sense of taste) and nose (smell), these are the five Jnanendriyas— organs of perception. The presiding deity of the ear is Space, of the skin (touch) is the Air, of the eyes is the Sun, of the tongue(taste) is the Varuna (The principle of water), of the smell (nose ) is the Aswini Kumars(twins). Thus (the aforesaid) are the presiding deities of the organs of perception. The field of experience for the ear is the reception of sound, for the skin is the cognition of touch, for the eyes is the perception of forms, for the tongue is the cognition of taste and for the Nose is the cognition of smell.

Speech, hands, legs, anus and the genitals are the five Karmendriyas—the organs of action.

The presiding deity of the speech is Fire, of the hands is Indra, of the feet isVishnu, of the anus is Mrityu, of the genitals is Prajapati. Thus the presiding deities for the organs of action. The function of the organ of the speech is to speak, of the hands is to grasp the things, of the legs is locomotion,-of the anus(excretory organ) is the elimination of the waste products, of the genital organs is pleasure(procreation).

Sense organs are organs of perception. These are the instruments which bring about the consciousness of the world outside. The world of objects in all comprises of five categories. Objects that have a form, smell, touch, sound and taste. In a natural co-ordination Ishwara too has blessed a human being with five sense organs. These five senses are the instruments through

which we not only get conscious of these five types of objects but also are able to experience them.

If there is some form then the eye is bound to see.

Similarly if there is some kind of odour it is but natural for the nose to sense it. So all the sense organs are an instrument to serve this Jiva. Often people eye the sense organs or for that matter all our faculties as

Vedanta Sandesh

instruments that bind us in attraction to the objective world. The truth on the other hand is that the faculties in themselves are tools which are a blessing of God. It is in our hands how we use them to bless our life or to bring about conditioning and bondage. Witout these faculties we would be incapacitated toe even aquire knowledge for that matter. If used rightly there couldn’t be a better blessing than being able to see and experience this beautiful creation of God. No wonder that a human birth is seen as the greatest blessing on this planet.

Sense organs & their Devatas: Each sense organ has a devata blessing it to function in a particular manner. What we see outside as eyes, nose and ears are simply windows, but the real pottential to grasp any stimuli of form, taste, and smell is known as the sense organ. This pottential is blessed by a devata. Devatas are humble instruments of God who function as per the will of God. Hence all our faculties are blessed by their respectve deities, who are the powerhouses of all functioning. The concept of devatas is a unique and factual concept which helps us see the blessings that we have been showered with. When an individual sees the existence of these devatas there is no scope for a sense of doership and ego. We can see this fact that we would not be

able to function even for a moment if we were not blessed by these powers. Such realization only makes us more humble and brings about a sense of great gratitude.

The Five Sense Organs: The five Gyana Indriya's are Ears, Skin, Eyes, Tongue and the Nose. The deities of each of these sense organs are Dig devata for ears, Vayu devata for skin, Surya for eyes, Varun for tongue and Ashwini Kumar for the Nose. Devatas are powers because of which the sense organs are enlivened. The text book is very meticulous even to indicate the precise object of each of these Gyana Indriya's. Ears are meant to receive the stimuli of sound, skin perceives touch, eyes function to objectify forms, taste is the object of tongue, and finally the nose is meant for experiencing various kinds of fragrance etc.

The Five Organs of Action: The five Sense organs of Action are : Speech, Hands, Legs, Anus & Genitals. The work of each of these are : to speak, to hold on, to move around, to excrete, and to get the joys of procreation. The devatas responsible of each of these activities are Agni, Indra, Vishnu, Yama & Prajapati for speech, hands, legs, anus & genitals respectively.

WISHING A VERY ENLIGHTENING

2016

to all our readers

When our very nature is Bliss, then a truly happy & healthy year should be a ‘knowledge-year’.

Wish for Self-Knowledge, Pray for it, Work for it, and the door shall indeed open

for a blissful & immortal existence - for all times -7-

The Dilemma Once upon a time a Rishi was doing penance in a forest. One day a man came running to him in great terror. He was perspiring both out of exertion and fear. Clutching the feet of the sage, he said, “Maharaj!

I am in great trouble. I am being persued by a murderer. Please show me a way to escape from him.“ The Rishi took pity on him and pointed out an intricate path in the forest by which he could escape. The man was grateful and ran along the path as fast as he could.

The Rishi then closed his eyes and plunged himself in meditation. After some time a rough looking man with a sword in hand arrived. He paused before the Holy man and asked, “Sir, have you seen a man running in this direction?” The Rishi was in a dilemma. If he said that he had seen the man, then he would surely ask him which way, he had gone. He would have had to point it out to this murderer. That would be assisting the murder of a person. If he denied any knowledge of the man, then it would be a lie. To tell lies was wrong. How could he avoid both wrongs?

The Rishi thought for some time and replied, “My dear Sir, you are asking an impossible question. It is the eye that sees. You are asking the mouth to speak. The mouth does not see. How can the mouth say what the eye has seen?”

The Rishi’s reply appeared to be perfectly logical, for the murderer was all brawn and no brain and could not see that the Rishi was only trying to confuse him. Bewildered, he retraced his steps and went back. Thus the Rishi saved a man’s life without compromising his own principles in life.

Vedanta Sandesh

Self is neither Sat nor Asat Hari om !

The Self is that which reveals to us all existing objects, or even their nonexistence. We need to turn to ‘that’ subject which is making all our experiences possible, and that self-effulgent subject always continues to exist irrespective of the fact whether something is to be revealed or not.

That is the implication of this lakshana.

- PoojyaGuruji

Recently I discussed the teachings of the thirteenth chapter of Bhagwad Gita in one of my Gyana Yagnas (in Mumbai). One of the lakshana given there for the truth was ‘Na san, na asan uchyate’ - it can not be called as Sat or even Asat. Someone asked a clarification on this pointer.

We know that in the swaroop lakshanas of Brahman, we use the words like Sat-Chit & Ananda, meaning that which is of the nature of pure existence, pure life (consciousness) and Bliss; and here Lord Krishna is saying that Brahman is neither Sat or even Asat. So the question is very much justified, there does appear to be some contradiction, which really speaking is not there.

In his commentary on Gita Sri Adi Sankara says that the meaning is appreciated in a different way. The word Sat really implies ‘that which cannot be appreciated as ‘Asti-buddhi’ and similarly the word Asat implies that it cannot be pointed out by ‘Asat-buddhi’. What this means is that whenever we classify something as existent, then what we do is to objectify that object and then say ‘it is’; and similarly whenever we say that something is not, then all what we imply is that this object cannot be objectified. So the usage of such words is more from its objectification point of view. All what Gita is telling us here is that the truth has to be realized as your very Self, and not as an object. The Self is that which reveals to us all existing objects, or even their nonexistence. We need to turn to ‘that’ subject which is making all our experiences possible, and that self-effulgent subject always continues to exist irrespective of the fact whether something is to be revealed or not. That is the implication of this lakshana.

Love & om

Swami Atmananda -9-

by

(Yo yo yam yam tanum bhaktaha)

Swamini Samatananda

In the 7th chapter Sri Krishna speaks of four kinds of devotees which was discussed in the previous edition. In the four kinds of devotees, there are the ones who looks up to God as the all powerful one to fulfill all their desires, some are the grief-stricken ones who remember God in dire situations, some are those who are curious to know the truth of life and the most rare ones being the knowledgeable bhaktas. Sri Krishna says all these devotees are dear to me but the knowledgeable ones are my very ownself. These are the ones who are most rare, who see their oneness with God and also see the entire world pervaded by Ishwara himself. Further in the chapter Bhagwan compassionately goes on to speak about the ignorant ones who are not aware of the nature of Ishwara and their relationship with him and whose priority in life is acquiring joys from superficial things in life.

Taking the example of such cases Sri Krishna speaks of the laws and systems of Ishwara’s functioning which is featured by non-interferance and even enhancing the faith of such deluded ones.

Ishwara’s non-interferance: Speaking at the level of Ishwara, the creator and sustainer of this universe, Bhagwan says I have my own ways in connecting with my creation and sustaning it. Even though I am the creator and sustainer of this entire cosmos yet my way of functioning is not like that of a dictator or a nagging daddy. But I have my own constitution as per which I function. I do not interfere in the desires of any living being nor do I interfere in the actions performed by any Jiva. I respect the freedom of all living beings to desire anything they wish to, based on their own discretion.

I have created this entire play of Maya which presents a wide spectrum of experiences at the level of the five senses, the mind and the intellect and at the same time there is also another dimension of life which is the ultimate truth of all living beings. The truth that reveals oneness between me and the entire creation of living and non-living beings. The truth that reveals the very Self as the Supreme divinity. Both these dimensions of life are openly available to see, yet I do not impose my ways or myself on anyone. At the same time Ishwara is not insensitive as to leave his creation to live on the basis of trail and error. He has been equally compassionate to give us the knowledge that not only reveals the art of holistic living in a manner that brings about the welfare of one and all but he has also blessed us with the knowledge of truth.

The availability of Scriptures and the Guru: In the begining of the creation itself God has blessed us with scriptures that reveal to us the reality and goal of life. Scriptures that reveal to us systems of a righteous way of life. Not only this, we are also blessed by great teachers who can translate the secrets of the scriptures to guide us to the path of dharma(righteousness) and knowledge of the Self. Having blessed us with the mauscripts of life God then does not interfere in the kind of desires we have nor does he interfere in the process of fulfilling the desires. Discrimination between right and wrong and knowledge of the ultimate goal in life is all available at the feet of the Guru if we so desire. For that matter, this alone is the role of the Guru. Our spiritual teachers and the literary heritage are light houses to guide us to live this Vedanta Sandesh

life fully and also to show us beyond the horizons of the objective world. If one takes to the guidance of spiritual masters one can live a life of dynamism and yet be untouched by the limitations of the objective world. But in spite of the availability of such wonderful scriptures and teachers who are embodiments of knowledge majority of mankind continues to remain ignorant and be a part of a blind following the blind. Such deluded ones continue to fall prey to the attraction of petty things making them the priority in life and hence surrendering their faith at the feet of any source that can fulfill their superficial desires. What then is the attitude of Ishwara towards such people?

I have my own

constitution as per which I function. I do

not interfere in the desires of any living

being nor do I inter-

fere in the actions

performed by any Jiva. I respect the freedom of all living

beings to desire anything they wish to..

I enhance the faith of all devotees: As Sri Krishna says I do not interfere in the resolution, in the desires, and the ways and means of any devotee in aspiring what ever they wish to. I respect the mind of all Jivas. Even though I can see that their desired objects cannot fulfill them or benefit them in any way, as all objective experiences are momentary and have no reality. But this seems to be the glory of the sensuous world of maya which is easily visible and hence mesmerises a human being to the extent of delusion and even though all such experiences come with their package of insecurity and suffering yet majority of them crave for the world of Maya alone. In that case too I do not interfere, but I enhance their faith they have towards the source and the object of desire. If a person is convinced and has the faith that wealth alone can bring about happiness and security then I do not shatter that faith but let them abide by it and if their faith is realised and strengthened in reality by any source of dieties or worldly powers then too I enhance their faith in these sources and their own convictions. People are ready to go to all powerful sources be it devatas, politicians, wealthy people and not only this they are ready to do anything they are asked to do, from making offerings, to fasting, to standing on one leg. It is all a matter of faith. If we have faith in something we will do anything to translate it into reality. On the other hand if someone does ot have faith you can never force him into doing something. In fact this principle can be a great inspiration in all our relationships, to try and understand th faith of our related ones and treat them with the freedom to think for themselves. All one needs is a good insight into life and then the freedom lies in the individual to decide what is best for him. This is the way of God in functioning the entire cosmic system. God says I watch this play until someone himself sees the futility of all such achievements and himself wishes to see the truth of life and the supreme divinity behind the material world. A human being has been given a good mind and an intellect.

Hence he ought to be treated with maturity and respect. He must learn to see facts for himself and so Ishwara never ever speaks the language of do’s & dont’s.

God has given us good knowledge and insights to see the facts of life. Now it is in our hands to carve the stone of our life and personality. The Gita reveals to us that our innocent desires are strengthened by constant nourishment of thoughts and once we have a strong resolve and effort towards our desire the entire cosmos starts helping us to fulfill it, but ultimately what we desire alone helps us to discover the truth of life or veil it further. Sri Krishna warns us that an ignorant one walks the path of superficial achievements and continues to be a seeker. On the other hand a knowledgable devotee seeks the truth and awakens into it.

- 11 -

The Black Dot A small town chamber of commerce invited a speaker to address its

annual dinner. The community’s economy was bad, people were discouraged, and they wanted this motivational speaker to give them a boost.

During her presentation, the speaker took a large piece of white

paper and made a small black dot at the center with a marking pen.

Then she held the paper up before the group and asked them what they saw.

One person quickly replied, “I see a black dot.”

“Okay, what else do you see?”

Others joined in agreement: “A black dot.”

“Don’t you see anything besides the dot?” – she asked.

A resounding “No” came from the audience.

“What about the sheet of paper?” – asked the speaker. “I am sure you have all seen it”, she said, “But you have chosen to overlook it.”

“In life, we also tend to overlook and take for granted many wonderful things that we have or happen around us and focus our attention

and energy on small, dotlike failures and disappointments. They are

small and insignificant if we can widen our horizon and look at the whole picture.”

Vedanta Sandesh

Wandering in Himalayas Difficult Routes,

Blissful

Contemplations

From Rishikesh to Badrinath it is 169 miles, from Kedarnath to Badri it is only 115. But in fact, Kedarnath and Badrinath are situated much nearer on the same mountain range, and a direct line of communication, if there was one, would have been much shorter. As it is, to cross the snow clad ridges between the two Holy places is an impossibility for human beings, and so pilgrims follow a circuitous route along the foot of the Gupt Kasi mountain, the seat of Vishwanath Ukhimadha, the court of Banasura; and Tunganatha, the site of Ravanas penance-these are only a few of the Holy places on the way. Ukhimadha, where the priests of Kedarnath reside, is believed to have been founded by Sri Shankara.

The Tunganatha mountain, 12,000 feet high, is especially remarkable for the presence of the musk-deer and the monal bird.

From Rishikesh the route lies along the bank of the Ganga and passes through the fine forests. There are five famous centres of pilgrimage along the route and they are collectively known as Panchaprayag; Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, and Vishnuprayag. The first of these is situated 40 miles from Rishikesh. It is at the confluence of the Ganga(coming down from Gangotri) and the Alaknanda (flowing down from Badri). There is a temple here dedicated to Sri Ramachandra, a memorial to the penance he performed in his old age at this holy place. It is also said that the famous ashram of Kanva stood here. The meeting of the two rivers, which come roaring down from the mountain ranges as if clearing a way through them by sheer force, affords an attractive sight to all lovers of nature.

Excerpts from the

Travel Memoirs of

Param Poojya Swami

Tapovanji Maharaj

At Devaprayag, paths diverge. One goes to Gangotri along the bank of the Alaknanda. twenty miles from Devaprayag is a small town called Srinagar. Twenty miles further on, to the northeast, is Rudraprayag, where the Mandakini (starting from Kedarnath) joins the Alaknanda. Karnaprayag is 18 miles farther on, at the confluence of the Pindara and the Alaknanda.

If you travel a few miles more, up to the Alaknanda, you reach Nandaprayag. It takes still another two or three days’ journey to reach Vishnuprayag. The famous Jyotirmata is situated near Vishnuprayag. According to tradition it was Sri Shankara who founded the Ashram, and one of his disciples, Totaka, was its first head. Jyotirmata is now the residence of the head priest of Badrinath for six months of the year. From here starts a route that leads to Tibet over the Neeti Pass, 17,000 feet high.

Near the pass stands Dronagiri, which is described in the Ramayana as the home of the medicinal plants with divine virtues. Badrinath is 18 miles from Jyotirmata. Beyond it are high rocky mountains that stretch uninterrupted mile after mile. How did the Alaknanda find an opening to let herself down through these imposing rock formations? But there are several such rivers which emerge in this fashion from the mountain ranges through small, almost imperceptible clefts.

- 13 -

by

Swamini Vidyananda

Visucika knew how to obtain that which is difficult to obtain. So, she went to

the Himalayas to perform her penance. She at once abandoned all desire to devour living beings, eager to obtain her goal. The fire of her penance was so great, it generated smoke from the crown of her head. Even the trees and plants admired her determination. God of heaven tried to feed her, winds tried to enter her mouth, but she would not consume anything at all, firm on her resolve. She stood on one

place for seven thousand years. Her whole being became purified by the penance, and she gained the highest wisdom. She did not eat anything at all this time and became almost completely dried up.

Indra, the king of heaven, learned about her penance and became afraid

the power of her penance might burn up everything, the heavens including. He went to Brahma

and reported to him,

asking Brahma to

help in resolving the

He saw that she

became totally pure by

situation. Brahma

went to see Visucika.

her penance, and

by coming in contact

became liberated.

At this time, she had

with her, even air gained

direct

dust

knowledge

particles of

the

s u p r e m e

causeless cause of all

intelligence within

her.

boon, and she

reflected inside herself

by

Adhyatmic Teachings of Guru Vasishtha to Sri Ramji

and

her

own

examination of the

Brahma

asked her to choose her

“I have reached absolute,

the realization of the

and

there are no doubts or

wants in me. What shall I do with boons? When I was an ignorant girl, I was haunted by the goblin of my desires; now, through the self-knowledge, that ghost has been laid”. She did not want anything, but Brahma said “The eternal worldorder should be maintained, and by it, you should regain your previous body, live

long and happy, and then attain liberation. You will live an enlightened life, punishing only the wicked and sinful”. Karkati agreed and regained her previous huge black form.

For the long time she remained in the superconscious state, without any

desires or tendencies. After half a year she became again fully aware of the outside world and her body. She felt hunger, and aerial voice advised her to come down, Vedanta Sandesh

and approach ignorant and deluded people, and try to awaken wisdom in them.

This is the only mission of enlightened beings. But the ones who fail to awake would be fit for the consumption, and it will be no sin in that. Karkati agreed and went down the mountain...

Although Visucika’s desire was to gain her previous form, she was able to

renounce all her desires and meditate single-pointedly. She suffered a lot in her lives in different bodies, and the reflection on the suffering made it possible to

reflect on what would be the most desirable state. With penance lasting several thousand years, her mind was completely purified, and was able to see the truth

of her own self, and that of everything else. She became liberated, because no

desires and notions were binding her to the cycle of lives and deaths. She did not

crave for worldly pleasures, she was immersed into the highest bliss, realizing herself to be the Bliss absolute. She did not have desire to continue her life, nor

had the desire to die. Because of that she was able to take Brahma’s advice easily

and agreed to continue her life till the prarabdha karma, which already was bearing fruit, to fructify. She had nothing to lose or gain by continuing so.

So, she came down the mountain one dark night. She was looking for some

ignorant beings, which she would try to enlighten, and if they were not be able to understand, she would eat them. In the dark forest she came across two men,

who wandered in the dark. She thought that they are exactly what she was looking for. She did not know they were King Vikrama, the King of the Kiratas, and his minister, who were discussing their country problems and looking for the hideouts of thieves and robbers to protect their subjects from them.

Seeing these two, Karkati thought “Surely, these two men have come here

to applease my hunger. They are ignorant and therefore a burden on earth. Such

ignorant people suffer here and hereafter, and so death will be a welcome release from their suffering, and they will get a chance in their next life to awake. ...But

also they may be wise men, and I don’t want to devour wise people. May be, they should be worshipped for their wisdom, and given everything they would want. I should test their knowledge. If they are wise, I will salute and serve them, if not, I will eat them.

Having decided so, Karkati roared making great terrible noise. Then she

shouted “O you two little worms roaming this dense forest! Who are you? Tell me quick or else I shall devour you!” But the answer of the king was cool and calm, he

asked “Who are you? I only hear you, but do not see you. Make yourself visible, please”. She felt, that the answer was appropriate, and made herself visible to the

king and his minister. Seeing her dreadful form, they again were not scared! Karkati greatly admired the courage of the two men, and felt they are not ordinary beings.

So she decided to ask them several questions to test their knowledge and, if they can answer them, clear some doubts left in her mind.

-7-

Quotes Postive thinkers have a solution for every problem. Negative thinkers have a problem for every solution.

It is better to be disliked for who you are than to be liked for who you are not.

Wise men speak because they have something to say, and fools speak because they have to say something.

I cant change the direction of the wind but I can always change the direction of my sails.

Good order is the foundation of all things.

In order to succeed we must first believe that we can.

Time is always right to do what is right.

In the end its not the years in your life that count, its the life in your years.

Dont watch the clock. Do what it does, keep going.

Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have.

Life is art in the purest form.

Vedanta Sandesh

Parashurama’s Encounter Story Section

n o p u e c O n e ... m a ti

After avenging his father’s death and the massacre of the erring Kshatriyas, Parashurama desired to personally pay homage to Bhagavan Shiva and reached Kailasa; he witnessed Nandeeswara, Maha Kaala, Ruru Bhairava, Rudraganas and Bhuta-Preta-Piscachas but finally Ganesha stopped him. All “18 kinds of requests, and prayers failed and Ganesha refused entry to Bhargava Rama asDevi Parvati and Shiva were engaged in privacy. Finally, the latter lifted his Parashu (axe) and tried to force his entry; Ganesha lifted his trunk , looped Parashurama with it and encircled him round and round where by Bhargava visioned Sapta Dwipas, Sapta Parvatas, Sapta Samudras and Sapta Lokas viz.BhurBhuvarSwara-Janar-Tapo-Dhruva-Gouri Lokas and Vaikuntha / and Golokas. In the process, the mighty Parashurama hit one of Ganesha’s tusks with the Parashu that Maha Deva once gifted to Bhragava and the tusk fell off and blood gushed out.

The resting parents of Ganesha were shocked as Kartikeya rushed and informed them. Parvati’s first reaction was to kill Parashurama but being the Loka Mata or the Mother of the Universe restrained herself and addresed Parashurama as follows: ‘You are born in Brahma Vamsha to one of the illustrious sons Maharshi Jamadagni and to Devi Renuka of Lakshmi ‘Amsha’or alternate Form of Devi Lakshmi.

How did you do this to my son! Shiva is your Guru since he taught Trailokya Vijaya Kavacha and countless Asrtras to you. Is this the Guru Dakshina that you thought fit to give your Guru! You could have perhaps given a better Dakshina by cutting Ganesha’s head instead of breaking his tusk only! My son Ganesha has the power of destroying crores of cunning animals like you but was only playful with you; yet,you have only want only hurt him by breaking his tusk-not as an accident but with vengeance; you may know that he recieves the foremost worship all over the Universe!’ As Parvati addressed on the above lines, Parashurama felt ashamed of himself, prostrated to his Guru Shiva and Devi Parvati and the Almighty Shri Krishna the Immortlal. Meanwhile a Brahmana boy was visioned who actually was Vishnu who analysed the situation; indeed there was no justification of what Parashurama did to Ganesha but Parashurama was momentarily taken aback by folly as otherwise he was also like Ganesha or Skanda! Vishnu therefore pleaded being the Universal Parents might not read much into the happening. Vishnu also assauged the hurt feelings of Parvati and requested her not to impose personal angles into the unhappy situation; He further said that her son had Eight names viz. Ganesha, Ekadanta, Heramba, Vighna nayaka, Lambodara, Shurpakarna, Gajavaktra and Guhaagraja! Parashurama pleaded mercy of Parvati since she was Jagan Mata or the Mother of Creation and begged of Ganesha for pardon of his indiscretion; Ganesha was graceful enough to agree.

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Vedanta Sandesh

Indian Cultural Foundation, Mumbai organized its annual cultural musical program on the evening of 6th Dec at Vivekananda Auditorium, inside the Ramkrishna Math, in Khar, Mumbai. Asha Bacchani welcomed Poojya Guruji , Swamini Samatanandaji and the jam-packed auditorium. Anand-Lahari has created a name for itself in the hearts of devotional music lovers of Mumbai, and they eagerly look forward to it. This year there were two vocal artists. They were Sruti Viswanath (from Bangalore), who was an expert in Carnatic Music and also sings Abhangas. The second one was Radhika Sood Nayar, who presented awesome Sufi songs. Poojya Guruji also blessed the artists & the guests.

Poojya Guruji conducted a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna at the same above venue from 7th Dec onwards - till 12th evening. The subject matter of his twin discourse series were Gita Chapter-13, and Mundakopanishad 3-1. The audio recordings of these discourses is now freely available on the net on vmission website and various social medias.

On 15th Dec, the birthday of Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji a lovely program was organized in the Sankaracharya Sabhagruh at the Vedanta Ashram. It was the Salil Sandhya, an hour long presentation of Flute Recital by the well-known artist Salil Date and his team. It was a great program. Later everyone has a sumptous dinner.

Gita Jayanti is always celebrated at Indore in a grand way. There are week-long programs in the city where Mahatmas from all over the country converge. Poojya Guruji inaugurated the 18th All-India Gita Jayanti at Agrasen Dham by lighting the traditional lamp and his inaugural address. Later all the Ashram Mahatmas too were invited to speak on different days. On 22nd Poojya Guruji was invited at Gita Bhawan in their 58th year celebrations.

On the main Gita Jayanti day all the Ashamites & various devotees got together and chanted all the 18 chapter of Bhagwad Gita. This was done in two sesions.

On 27th Dec, the last Sunday of the month, there was the monthly Hanuman Chalisa Satsang at the Ashram. After the bhajans and chanting of Hanuman Chalisa, Poojya Guruji spoke for more than an hour on the 7th chaupayi - Vidyavan guni... Later there was Aarti and everyone partook the prasad.

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ICF organized Anand-Lahari on 6th Dec at Vivekananda Auditorium inside Ramkrishna Math, Mumbai There were two artists: Sruti Viswanath - Carnatic Music & Abhangas, and Radhika Sood Nayak - Sufi Music

By P. Guruji Swami Atmananda at RK Math Hall -7th to 12th Dec: Gita-13 / Mundaka 3-1

Vedanta Sandesh

On 15th Dec, the birthday of Poojya Guruji, Salil Date presented a Flute Prog, at Sankaracharya Hall

Week-long Celebs from 18th to 22nd Dec. Main prog was at Ashram on 21st Dec

Dec edition of the HCS was organized at Ashram on the 27th Dec, the last Sunday. Chaupayi-7

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Ambition Three men met at a tavern table. One was a weaver, another a carpenter and the third a ploughman.

Said the weaver, “I sold a fine linen shroud today for two pieces of gold. Let us have all the wine we went.”

“And I,” said the carpenter, “I sold my best coffin. We will have a great roast with the wine.”

“I only dug a grave,” said the ploughman, “but my patron paid me double. Let us have honey cakes too.”

And all that evening the tavern was busy, for they called often for wine and meat and cakes. And they were merry.

And the host rubbed his hands and smiled at his wife; for his guests were spending freely.

When they left the moon was high, and they walked along the road singing and shouting together.

The host and his wife stood in the tavern door and looked after them.

“Ah!” said the wife, “these gentlemen! So freehanded and so gay! If only they could bring us such luck every day! Then our son need not be a taven-keeper and work hard. We could educate him, and he could become a priest.”

Vedanta Sandesh

Gita Gyana Yagna, Vadodara :

A week-long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will be organized

at Atmajyoti Ashram, Vadodara from 4th to 10th Jan 2016. The subject matter of the proposed discourses will be Gita-4 / Kaivalyopanishad.

Hanuman Chalisa Satsang - Jan’16:

The Jan 2016 edition of monthly Hanuman Chalisa Satsang will be organized on

31st Jan. There will be bhajans, chanting of Hanuman Chalisa, followed by continuation of the talk of P. Guruji on the 7th chaupayi Chalisa. Open to all.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Ahmedabad :

A five days long Gita Gyana Yagna by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will be

organized at Ramkrishna Kendra, in Maninagar, Amdavad from 8th to 12th Feb. The subject matter of the proposed discourses will be Gita-12 / Laghu Vakya Vritti.

Mahashivratri Camp, Indore :

A 5 days Vedanta Camp will be organized at Vedanta Ashram from 3rd to 8th Mar.

On 8th is Mahashivratri. Subjects: Isavasyopanishad / Kamna Section - Gita-3

Gita Gyana Yagna, Jalgaon :

Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji will be organizing a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna

(in Marathi) at the same Dutta Mandir, Jalgaon. Subjects will be Gita-6 / Katho-2-3.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhubaneshwar :

Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji will be organizing a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna

at Sivananda Samskritik Kendra at Bhubaneshwar from 7th to 13th April. Subjects will be Gita-2 / Katho-1-2.

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International Vedanta Mission http://www.vmission.org.in/

Vedanta Mission Blog: http://blog.vmission.org.in/

Indian Cultural Foundation http://icf.vmission.org.in/

Earlier ‘Vedanta Sandesh’ issues http://bit.ly/1oGD4TK

Om Tat Sat