Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

Year 16

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Opw!3121

Issue 5

In This Issue

1.

Vedanta Section:

Atma Bodha - Shloka-24

2.

Letter Section:

Duryodhana, to Heaven?

3.

Festival Section:

Chaturmas

4.

Story Section:

Story of Narakasura

5.

VM Programs:

Mission / Ashram Progs

From Poojya Guruji

Vedanta Sandesh Spreading Love & Light

Hari om!

Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission Sharing the message of Vedanta and Sanatan Dharma

Nov 2010 On the Net since 1995

Started by:

Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji

Editor:

Swamini Samatananda

Published from:

Vedanta Ashram E/2948-50, Sudama Nagar Indore-452 009, India

Web:

www.vmission.org.in Email:

vmission@gmail.com

The difference between a natural and an artificial flower is the fragrance which the natural one exudes outside. It provides honey for the bees, beauty to the eyes, and then fruits and other innumerable beneficial products to the world around. It is not only conscentious and caring but rather lives its life for the well-being of others, in the spirit of Yagna-bhava. This alone is the difference between a cultured, religious and an ethical person and an uncultured, irreligious and an unethical one. Ethical life is indeed the mark of a wise man.

Ethics is about entertaining values which respects and cares for the world and life around. It is an expression of our profound respect for the very existence of the world with all its variagated manifestation of beauty & life. To be born as a living being in a living and an extremely beautiful planet is the greatest of all possible blessing which we can ever imagine. Sensitive people tend to become poets by just seeing the amazing beauty around. They dance in joy and sing glories of the creator. We indeed need to respect life with all its beauty.

When noble values, sensitivity and conscentiousness is not there then alone we have unethical living. We have unimaginable decline in ethical standards the world over. Global warming, nuclear arsenals which can destroy the world many time over, the new tool of terrorism, polluted rivers and airs all reveal terrible decline in ethical values so much so that even the existence of life on this planet is in danger. We have Biomedical Ethics, dealing with issues like illegal experiments of drugs on humans and animals, refusal of docs to treat AIDS patients, abortion, female infanticide, organ-swapping, sex-determinations tests, human cloning and euthanasia. Then there is Social, Environmental, Sexual, Personal, and Business Ethics etc. Corruption which doesnt even leave war-widows to get what is due to them. Political ethics, wherein the politicians resort to lowest of means to divide the society to further their selfish ends. Child labor, animal rights, recreational use of drugs, adulterated drugs, milk, sweets and food items. Sound pollution which not only is injurious to elderly men, but also to children, diseased, birds & animals. Rape, molestations, child-porn etc. We can keep listing such problems in every field. The basic issue in all these things reveals profound insensitivity towards the people, things & being around by some people who have gone blind in the mad rush of fulfilling their selfish & petty aspirations. There is obviously no awareness whatsoever of the beauty & blessing of life in all such people. This is the consequence of leading an irreligious life devoid of good values. Let us appreciate that the life lived for others alone is life lived well. Lets rediscover true Dharma.

Love & om,

Swami Atmananda

Atma Bodha - Shloka 24 Vedanta Section

I am of the nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda In the last few slokas Our Real Self was shown free of any sense of doership or enjoyership.

It has been very well explained that various activities take place at the level of the sense organs prompted by the desires of the mind and these desires of the mind being born out of certain understanding in the intelect, about the Self and the world outside. Thus showing that basically all activities, sense of doership and enjoyership belong to the BMI and not to the Atman and due to ignorance all kinds of superimpositions are made on the Self (Atman) The Atman is not even the agent of such doership and enjoyership. In the last sloka it was logically proved that the attributes like pleasure, pain, desires etc all also belong to the mind and not to the Atman. It has thus been declared that the Atman has no attributes or non-attributes, it is neither blessed nor on-blessed.

Having described the nature of the superimpositions in the previous slokas, the present sloka now describes the real nature of the Atman.

24 Prakasho arkasya toyasya shaityam agner yathoshnata Swabhavah sachidananda nitya nirmalatmanah Prakasho: light; arkasya: to the sun; toyasya : to the water; shaityam: coldness; agner: to the fire; yathoshnata: as heat; swabhavah: nature; sachidananda: existence, consciousness, bliss; nitya:eternity; nirmala: purity; atmanah: the nature of atman.

As light is the nature of the sun, coldness of water and heat of fire, so are existence, consciousness, bliss, eternity, and purity the nature of the Atman.

Praksho arkasya toyasya shaityam: The Acharya says just as light is the nature of the Sun and coldness is the nature of water so also existence, bliss and eternity are nature of the Atman.

It is an unquestionable fact that everything revels in its own nature. One can not seperate a particular thing from what constitues its natural state.

Sometimes some situations can become instrumental in as though bringing about some change in a particular thing but the fact remains that given a chance that thing will go back to its orignal nature.

In this part of the sloka the Acharya gives the example of the sun and the water. He says that light is not a property of the sun but light itself is the sun.

Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

If light is not there the sun will also cease to exist.

Infact in our day to day experiences we see the sun setting and the sun rising. In our common understanding at one point of time the sun sets and the sun rise. But the fact is that this is just an appearance. The sun as though appears to set and appears to rise too. In reality it is not the sun which coming out or going down. This is a deception of our eyes. It only shows that it is not necessary that all what we see with our eyes or experience at the level of the body may be really true. The sun is always revelling in its glorious nature i.e. light. Similarly in the case of water. Water too cannot be seperated from its nature. The nature of water is coolness. No matter to what temperature the water

is heated once it is off the heat water will come back to its own natural state of coolness. Water also flows and is free of any shape and color. Try as we might we cannot take the fluidity of water or bind it in a paricular shape. Infact because water by itself has no shape it can take the shape of any container.

Agner Yathoshnata The Master further gives an example of fire.

The nature of fire is heat. Fire is equal to heat. It would be absurd to imagine fire without heat. None

of these elements or the sun can be detered from their very nature. Any kind of difference in appearance is only situational due to some reason. Once the instrumental cause is taken off they go back to their natural state.

Swabhavah sachidananda Just as the sun, water and fire revel in their own nature, so too our natural state is sachidanandah .i.e. pure existence. pure conscouness and bliss.

Sat: Sat is That which remains unchanged in the three periods of time, past present and future. The self is present in all the three periods of time. It means it was always there and will ever be.That which comes and goes or is born and dies is the one with name, form and attributes. Infact everything exists because of this Existence principle which is the very substratum of the entire universe.

It is experienced in the world as ‘isness’ of an object such as the book ‘is’ the pen ‘is’ etc. It is experienced within as ‘I am’. Infact first there is existence and then names, forms and attributes come into being. First the book is and then the book is nice or not nice.

Chit: Chit is Consciousness .ie. Absolute Knowledge. Chit is that which illumines everything but does not need another light to iIllumine it. I illumine various thought, objects, people and experiences. But who illumines the Self? No one. The Self is self revealing. It is the subject therefore it can never be known as an object of knowledge. Just as the sun does not need any torch to illumine it so also I always know that ‘I am’. I dont have to ask my neighbur to know of my existence. Even in the deep

sleep state when the mind is not functioning, I am and I know that I am as I wake up and say “I slept very well”. The Self is ever-shining, self revealing knowledge principle i.e is called Chit, consciouness which is my true nature.

Bliss: The word Ananda or Bliss reveals that where the mind stands fulfilled & contended. A state wherein we are at peace with ourself. In fact our mind continuously seeks its most natural state, and this is what is the most satisfying experience called as Ananda. Atma is not joy of so & so object, but joy per se. Normally we know joy only with relation to a situation. Every cordial situation brings about a state of mind of great satisfaction which is called as joy or happiness. Ignorantly we impose our on some extraneous object, person or experience. The objective of gaining the knowledge of the Self is to discover this real source of Joy which is our very nature. The desire to be joyous and contented is not wrong and unnatural, infact this is our desire to glide into our natural state of existence. All we need to do is to discover this by understanding or true self.

Nitya Nirmalatmanah The Atman is Nitya i.e. eternal and Nirmalah i.e. immaculate and pure. Modifications, birth and death, changes, growth, decay are all features of the Anatman i.e. the not-self and the objective world, the body, mind and intellect. Know the Atman to be free from the bondages of time, space and object. It is also immaculate. It is pure. All the impurities are a play of ignorance and reflect in the mind. This being the truth Lord Krishna in the Gita says that even the worst of the sinners if they surrender at the feet of the Lord and gain the knowledge of the truth of the Self become one with Parmatma himself.

With this we saw in this sloak the swaroop lakshanas that is the intrinsic nature, of the Atman the Self. The Acharya reveals that knowlingly or unknowingly we all wish to revel in our natural state, but we need to see this fact that the journey of going back into our natural state of pure existence, absolute knowledge and bliss is not extraneous but it lies in diving deep within and discovering the real Self through knowledge.

No man can be made truly happy by wealth. What use are these: wealth, long life and desires and objects of enjoyment? They wear out the vigor of all the senses and even the longest life is verily short. - Kathopanishad Page # 5

The Burning Hut The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue So there are him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but two things: one none is seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from changing and the the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then other is changeless, one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The namely the mind and worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with I, its witness. See the grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. nature of each as it is, neither trying to stop Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come the change of the to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," changing entity, nor they replied. trying to change the It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in - Poojya Guruji our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

changeless.

Remember next time your little hut is burning to the ground- - it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

Letter of the Month

Duryodhana, to heaven?

Hari om A..., The 15th anniversary of Vedanta Ashram was celebrated as usual with special puja of Bhagwan Shiva, thanking him for all the opportunity to serve all and resolving to continue doing our work with all the more greater dedication and inspiration.

Such stories indicate that there is a chance for even the immoral to change & redeem themselves. No one is permanently condemned.

However, the duration of the stay of such people in heaven is proportionately shorter.

- Poojya Guruji

Nice to see that your Hinduism studies have started in right earnest. Your queries: 1. At the end of the Mahabharata, when Yudhistira enters the heavenly realm he sees Duryodhana and the other Kauravas there. From my understanding, the Kauravas entered the heavenly realm as they fulfilled their duty as a kshatriya, they fought bravely and never gave up, just as a kshatriya should.

However, especially Duryodhana, he was so immoral, so adharmic is the message of this saying that if you fulfill your social duties you will achieve heaven even if you have a bad character?

Ans: Such stories indicate that there is a chance for even the immoral to change & redeem themselves. No one is permanently condemned. However, the duration of the stay of such people in heaven is proportionately shorter as compared to people who have fulfilled more criteria's of good karmas, doing ones duty is just one of them. More important criteria is to perform duty for the well-being of the society on the whole while keeping the whole work in the very spirit of Dharma, which is Punya Karma. However, please understand that while heaven does stand for a relatively higher realm of existence, it is not the highest. There is transmigration even from Heaven. The scriptures thus talk about Moksha, which is to awake to the infinite transcendental truth, attaining which there is no more coming & going. Those who attain Moksha do not go to Heaven, but awake to the truth of themselves, which is Brahman.

2. Also, in the Rig Vedas, most of the poems are directed to the Vedic Gods (Indra, Varuna, Agni etc...) how and when did worshipping these Vedic Gods shift to more 'modern' Hinduism with Shiva, Vishnu and Mother Goddess being the popular deities?

Ans: The shift from Vedic Gods to the present ones, started with the Pauranic era. The author of Puranas obviously felt that humanization of dieties will result in better identification of the people with gods.

Blessings & Best Wishes, Swami Atmananda

Page # 7

the Four Special Months of Worship

Chaturmas

VedantaSandesh Sandesh- -Nov April2010 2009 Vedanta

Chaturmas is a holy period of four months (July to October). Chaturmas literally means four months, derived from the words ‘Chatur’ meaning four and ‘maas’ means a month. It begins on Shayani Ekadashi - the 11th day of the first bright half, Shukla paksha, of Ashadh (fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar) until Prabodhini Ekadashi - the 11th day of the first bright half of the Kartik (eighth month of the Hindu lunar calendar). The sun enters the orbit of Karka (Cancer) and begins to move southwards in the month of Ashadh. The Hindu preserver-god Vishnu is believed to sleep on this day, hence the 11th of Ashadh is called as Devashayani Ekadashi. He is believed to wake up on 11th of Kartik, hence called as Prabodhini Ekadashi. It corresponds with the rainy season in India.

Legend Story: One year of human beings is one day for the celestial counterparts (Devas and Gods). The first six months from mid Jan to mid July (Utharayana) is the day time and the next six months mid July to mid Jan (Dakshinaayana) is the night time for the Gods.

The six months of Utharayana are the daytime of gods and the months of Daksinayana are their night time. Once, the gods, who had assembled before the Lord Sri Hari on Mount Meru, took leave of Him as their night set in. Just then, the goddess of their night (Daksinayana) in the guise of a lady of dark complexion, with an axe in hand fell at the feet of god and said, “Oh merciful one! Upanayanas, marriages and other auspicious celebrations are banned during my period; I am branded as an inauspicious one and censured by all. I pray that I may be spared or I shall end my life”. The gods too pleaded on her behalf.

Lord Sri Hari was pleased to grant her the following boon: “The first 4 months of hers; viz., Sravana, Bhadrapada, Asvina and Kartika shall be more auspicious than all the other months. Any good deeds like Japa, Vow, Gift and so on done in these months shall yield an infinitely greater merit than done in other months. Even in these four, each day is more meritorious than the previous and shall reach its climax in Kartika”.

The gods and goddess of Daksinayana were all pleased and went to their respective places. From then, the Caturmasya is hailed supreme and so we must make the best use of this period and be benefited in all ways.

Significance for Householders It is believed that Hindu gods and goddesses are at rest during this period and should not be disturbed, so no auspicious ceremonies, like wedding, thread ceremony etc. are held during the four months period. Chaturmas is a suitable time for the householders to have an annual renewal of the faith by listening to the statement of the Dharma and by meditation and vartas (self-control). This period is thus reserved in the Page # 10

year for penance, austerities, fasting, bathing in holy rivers, chanting of mantras, charity and religious observances by all. Devotees resolve to observe some form of vow, be it of silence or leaving a favourite food item, or having a single meal in a day.

Special Vishnu Maha puja is performed,by giving a sacred bath to the Idol of Lord Vishnu(Abhishek), by chanting the mantras i.e. Vishnu Sahasranama and stotras etc.

Chaturmas is believed to be the night of Lord Vishnu, So,Vishnu devotees listen to his stories,also recite them to others,through stories or hymns(bhajans). Devotees read the epics Mahabharat,Ramayan, Bhagwad Gita and Bhagwad Puran.

On the final day of Chaturmas Vrata (Utthana Ekadasi or Kartik Shukla Ekadashi), the devotee offers Dakshina (includes food, clothes and other daily commodities) to a Brahmin and gets his blessings.

Significance for Sanyasis The Sanyasis or the ascetics observe Chaturmas for four fortnights, beginning on full moon day of the month Ashadh also known as Guru Purnima or Vyas Purnima, and ending on full moon day of the month Bhadrapada. Wandering monks, mendicants and ascetics (sanyasi) in Hinduism generally do not to stay in place for long. They observe their annual 'Rain Retreat' during this period, by living in one place during the entire period amidst lay people. On a practical level, this time period is when the monsoon season falls in India. As a result of the heavy rainfalls, it would be impossible for the wandering sages and preachers to travel the land to preach and offer spiritual guidance. Therefore, during this period they remain resident at one place. As they are no longer travelling, they have spare time, which is occupied with the extra vows, and thus they further please the Lord. observing a vow of silence (Mauna), meditation, fasting and other austerities during this period, and also by giving religious discourses to local public.

Adhik Mas The Hindu calendar is based around the lunar cycle. Since this calendar is based around the phases of the moon, a lunar year lasts for 354 days. This creates a difference of 10-11 days between the lunar and solar years. When this accumulated difference exceeds 29 days, approximately every 3 years, an adjustment is made with an extra month, the Adhik (extra), or Purushottam Mas. The extra month carries the name of the next month.

The year Samvat 2060 (2004) is such a year where we have had an Adhik Mas. We had 2 Shravan months, the first is the Adhik month, which starts on the 18th July and ends on the 16th August. The annual Shravan month begins on the 17th August.

Major fetivals within this holy period include: Guru Purnima Krishna Janmashtami Raksha Bandhan Ganesh Chaturthi Navratri (Dasara - Durga Puja - Vijayadashami) Diwali Page # 9

Dont Quit When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow-You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out-The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

Stories from Purana’s n o p e u .. c n .

O e m a ti

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

The Story of Narakasura Bhoomi Devi (mother Earth) had a son named Naraka. Even though Naraka was the son of a divinity, he had the nature of a demon. Naraka was powerful and he took pleasure in terrorising the inhabitants of the three worlds.

Narakasura would raid and plunder the kingdoms of the three worlds. He did not even leave the women and would kidnap them for his own personal harem. Narakasura heard that Indra, the king of the devas, had thousands of divine elephants in his army. Now Narakasura, greedy that he was, wanted to possess everything, so he attacked the heavens.

Indra was helpless as he watched Naraka's minions plunder the heavens. Naraka himself began pursuit of the devas. While pursuing the devas, a glimmering object far away caught his eye. Upon inspection, he realised that the glimmering object was mother Aditi's (the mother of the devas) earrings. He assaulted mother Aditi and grabbed her earrings.

Now Indra, feeling humiliated at his loss and even worse that his mother was assaulted, wanted revenge and he knew that there was only one person who was a match for Naraka. It was Krishna.

Indra reached Krishna's palace when Krishna was spending quality time with his wife Satyabhama. He told Krishna about the happenings and begged him for his help. Krishna was enraged that Naraka might lay his hands on mother Aditi and said that Naraka must die for his insolence.

Satyabhama looked annoyed because Krishna was about to leave her. Wanting to please both Satyabhama and Indra, Krishna decided to take Satyabhama with him into battle.

Krishna summoned his mount Garuda (a giant eagle) and made way towards Naraka's fortress. An impenetrable barrier of magic mountains surrounded Naraka's fortress. The mountains were such that a barrier would come up from any side that Krishna tried to enter the fortress.

Krishna, unperturbed, hurled his mace at the barrier and shattered the entire mountain range in one blow. A downpour of magical weapons rained down on them. Krishna fired multiple arrows and destroyed all the weapons. In this manner Krishna destroyed countless other magical barriers and finally reached Naraka's fortress.

Naraka's palace was guarded by the five-headed demon Mura.

Mura hurled countless weapons at Krishna, but Krishna shot each one down with his bow and arrow. Then Krishna picked up his flying discus and hurled it towards Mura dislocating Mura's five heads. Mura fell to the ground, dead.

Krishna challenged Naraka to battle and killed him easily. Bhoomi Devi then sang hymns in praise of Krishna and begged him to take Naraka's son Bhagdatta under his protection. Krishna placed Bhagdatta on the throne and then freed all of Naraka's prisoners. The devas showered Krishna with flowers from the heavens.

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Oct’10 VM / VA Programs

Vedanta Mission / Ashram Programs

Sanyas Deeksha Day of Poojya Guruji, Indore: Sanyas Deeksha Day of Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji was celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion on 10th Oct 2010. This was the twenty third anniversary of the Sanyas Deeksha which was given by his Poojya Gurudev Brahmaleen Swami Chinmayanandaji at Sidhabari in HP. Poojya Guruji was the Acharya of Sandeepany Himalaya Ashram at that time conducting a three years Brahmachari Course there.

The day started with a Rudrabhisheka of Bhagwan Sri Gangeshwar Mahadev by Poojya Guruji, and this was followed by a Satsang in which Poojya Guruji briefly revealed the essence of the words Sanyas and Tyaga as revealed in the 18th chapter of Bhagwat Gita. A Bhandara followed, in which many devotees and disciples participated. They prayed for his good health and many more fruitful years of sewa by him.

Dashera and Ashram Day, Indore: Dashera this year was on 17th Oct. On this day in 1995 the Vedanta Ashram was established. It has been very fruitful 15 years for the ashram and its inmates. The ashram has undergone profound changes to come to this state. Now it is a full-fledged Advaita Vedanta Gurukula. We have had a three years long term Vedanta Course here, foreign students and come and stayed and studied here, it provides facility for regular studies of Vedanta in the form of daily discourses and occasional Camps.

On this day all the ashramites conduct special annual puja of the padukas of Bhagwan Shiva on the terrace. On this Poojya Guruji also inaugurated the new complex of Charchit Apparels, a Readymade Garment factory of Sh Sunil Garg, who is not only one of the trustee of the Ashram Trust but is also a disciple of Poojya Guruji.

Sharad Poornima Celebrations, Indore: On 22nd Oct was the Sharad Poornima, the day after which the cooler season starts. This full-moon day is one of the most beautiful one. Not only the size of moon appears biggest but the clear skies after monsoon makes the night very clean, clear & magnificient. Chandra Devata is seen showering his blessings to the utmost. To ceelebrate this beautiful night, people have special kheer which is kept in the moonlight to absorb the showering ambrosia and then sing the glories of God. On this day the earlier Balvihar children who are now colloge going students decided to have a reunion and celebrate the day with dance and dinner. The children came all dressed beautifully, some girls wore the traditional Sari dress for the first time. They presented Garba and Dandiya dances. and got the accalamations and aashirwad of all. Everyone enjoyed the special Kheer.

Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

Oct’10 VM / VA Programs

Vedanta Mission / Ashram Programs

Lucknow Visit: On 24th Oct P.Guruji had to urgently fly to Lucknow to meet his mother who had suddenly got very sick. With the grace of God, hard work of doctors, and the prayers of everyone she is fine now. She got a very rare & vivid Near-Death-Experience (NDE), in which she experienced herself leaving her mortal coil, escorted by someone very respectfully, while she kept chanting the Ram-nama all the way. She was taken to some far off place which was misty but extremely peaceful, the kind of peace she had never experienced earlier in her whole life. However, she was told that something still holds her back so she has to go back. With a heavy heart she came back.

While earlier doctors had given up hope, after this experience and ofcourse the great services of all she very miraculous became allright. She was all thanks to Guruji for his prayers about which she was told there itself.

Talk on Ethics, Ambarnath: Poojya Guruji flew to Mumbai on 30th Oct for a day to give a Talk on the topic of ‘Ethics in Personal and Business Life’ at the Rotary Center, Ambarnath. Ambarnath is an ancient town with lots of industries now on the outskirts of Mumbai. Poojya Guruji alongwith Mohan Lala and Ashok Bhimjiani drove to Ambarnath right from the airport, a good 2 1/2 hours drive. They stayed at the lush green Rangoli Hotel. Next day he was welcomed by the Dist Rotary Governor, President of Rotary Club Ambarnath and other officials very respectfully.

In his inspiring Talk Poojya Guruji said that Ethics is the manifestation of the Values entertained by people. When there is respect for the life in general, then the life is ethical, but when because of ones ego the life takes a down-turn then there is profound insensitivity all over. Lack of ethics has become a terrible bane of modern times, and we need to wake up.

Visiting Ancient Shiv Mandir, Ambarnath: Ambarnath has a very ancient Shiv Mandir, which is now in the possesion of Archeological Survey of India. The walls are exquisitely carved with beautiful statues. The Garba gruha of the mandir in underground with stairs leading to it. The Shivlinga is still worshipped with authorized pandits at the shrine, and devotees regularly visit it. On Mahashivratri lakhs of visitors come there for darshan. A rivulet adjacent to the temple has unfortunately become very dirty.

Sh Vinayak Dongaonkar, the President of Rotary Club of Ambarnath accompanied Poojya Guruj and others to the temple. We were told that before selecting Pune, Osho had plans to have his Ashram here, but the lack of infrastructure finally made him select Pune for his Ashram. The town has nice hills around.

Check out the detailed Photo Albums of the various functions on VM News Blog at : http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/ Page # 13

Quotes “We first make our habits, and Then our habits make us.”

- John Dryden “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread” - Mother Teresa “Life like a mirror, never gives back more than what we put into it” - Unknown “It’s never too late to become the person you might have been”.

- George Elliot The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."

- George Baker

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death."

- Albert Einstein "The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention."

- Unknown.

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can decide how you're going to live now."

- Joan Baez

Silence is argument carried out by other means."

- Ernesto “Che” Guevera

Vedanta Sandesh - Nov 2010

Forthcoming Programs

Talk at Rotary Club, at Bandra, Mumbai: Poojya Guruji will give a Talk on the topic of ‘Values and Ethics in Life’ at the Manik Sabhagriha, “Vishwakarma”, M.D. Lotlikar Vidya Sankul, Opp. Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai on 2nd December 2010 from 7.00 to 8.30 PM.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai: Poojya Guruji will conduct a week-long Gita Gyana Yagna at BHA, Bandra, Mumbai from 3rd to 9th Dec 2010. The texts of the morning and evening discourses will be Gita Chapter 3 and the Kathopanishad - 2nd Valli of the 1st Chapter.

Birthday Celebrations of Poojya Guruji, Indore: The birthday celebrations of Poojya Guruji will be celebrated at Vedanta Ashram with a special Bhajan & Bhojan program.

Earlier there will be Rudrabhisheka of Bhagwan Gangeshwar Mahadev.

Gita Jayanti Celebrations, Indore: This year Gita Jayanti is on the 17th of Dec, as such special programs are organized at Indore on the occasion. Poojya Guruji will inaugurate the Mega program at Agrasen Dham (Footi Kothi) on that day.

Gita Chanting program will also be organized at the Vedanta Ashram on that day - in the morning, while the evening discourse will be there at the Agrasen Dham (Footi Kothi).

Pravachan at Gita Bhavan, Indore: Poojya Guruji will give a discourse at the Akhil Bharatiya Gita Jayanti Mahotsav at Gita Bhavan Indore on 18th Dec at 5.00 PM.

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Hari om !

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