Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

Year 12

Bqsjm!311:

Issue 10

Ibovnbo!Kbzbouj!Hsffujoht ):ui!Bqsjm!311:* I bow my head to Hanumanji, the son of Wind God, messenger of Bhagwan Sri Rama, leader of the monkey army, who is fast as the wind and quick as the mind, who is the master of his senses and is the most distinguished and wise.

In This Issue

1.

Vedanta Section:

Atma Bodha - Shloka-5

2.

Letter Section:

The Five Koshas

3.

Traditions Section:

Some Names of Hanumanji

4.

Story Section:

No-no for Ketaki in Shiv-Puja

5.

VM Programs:

Mission / Ashram Progs

From Poojya Guruji

Vedanta Sandesh Spreading Love & Light

Hari om! Monthly eMagazine of Vedanta Mission Sharing the message of Vedanta and Sanatan Dharma

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Editor:

Swamini Samatananda Saraswati

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Election to the Indian Parliament have been announced, and now everyone is gearing up for this great mega event. The people of the country will once again give their mandate for the powers that be. The time has again come to remember the vision of the ‘country of our dreams’. We dream of a country where everyone lives with self-respect and dignity, where there is respect and love for each other, where knowledge and hard work is duely respected and encouraged, where loving service has the sanctity and dignity of a spiritual sadhana, where truth is always held in greater respect than individual preferences, where the nature and its beings are as respected as the people who live there, where we have clean rivers, chirping birds and animals safely roaming around as part of one big family. We need a country where everyone gets clean air to breathe, clean unpolluted water to drink and bountiful to eat; where no one goes hungry. We certainly need advances in science, art and also philosophy, but we also need to respect our great heritage, ancestors and the magnanimous tradition which has brought a unique fragrance to the culture of this country. We need a country where truthfulness, integrity, creativity and productivity are effortless and enjoyable, and where men and women both have equal opportunities and freedom, and where even the weakest feel secure and wanted. A country where the traditions and values of others are not looked down, and everyone has the freedom of thought. A country which is humbly dedicated to the pursuit of truth, and where the real change begins with ourself alone. A country which has such an identity and which above all protects and also projects such way of life and values with all the strength and conviction at our command. Let’s dream big and then live for something really worthwhile. With Love & om,

Swami Atmananda Saraswati

Atma Bodha - Shloka 5 Vedanta Section

The Nature and Role of Self-Knowledge In the last shloka we saw that even though we all are basically divine and perfect, just because of ignorance we get entangled in a bad dream and suffer unnecessarily. The solution of a bad dream is not a better dream but to end all dreams and wake up. For this we take resort of the time-tested and valid knowledge of scriptures. Vedantic scriptures are a unique class of literature. They are called as pramana, the ‘valid means’ for the knowledge for the Self; whoever takes their resort shall definitely remove all their confusions and doubts, and then the road for the revelation of the self-effulgent atma will indeed be clear. So the last shloka made our goal and priorities very clear. However most of the students have what is called as the pramana-samshaya, doubts pertaining to the very role of the scriptures. If this is not handled then the result is that these sincere students remain contented with the broad information provided by the scriptures and do not study the scriptures more deeply, and thus keep going round & round endlessly. So as a connection to the next shloka we need to visualize a student saying that: Sir, we appreciate the fact that the Self is basically Brahman, its all very logical; and that all what we now need is to quieten our thoughts and realize ‘that’ which transcends them. That’s it. So the goal is clear, quieten the mind and all its thoughts, and awake to the self. Now, having got this much basic, fundamental ‘knowledge’, if we still continue to study the scriptures then we unnecessarily inject more thoughts in our minds rather than remove them, thus we dont go forward, but rather backwards. So that which appeals more to us is that having got the basic direction and knowledge, we need to focus more on our sadhana, we need to meditate more, have good values and also devotion, and in this way work to quieten the mind, thereafter as you say, the self-effulgent self shall reveal itself. So why burden ourselves with further study of the shastras? Addressing such students the blessed Acharya says:

Agyan kalusham jivam gyanabhyasat vinirmalam Kritva gyanam swayam nashyet jalam katak renuvat Agyan kalusham: Sullied with ignorance; jivam: the individual self; gyan abhyasat: by constant revelling in knowledge: vinirmalam: pure; kritva: having brought; gyanam: knowledge; swayam nashyet: drops off itself; jalam: water; katak renuvat: like the particles of katak or cleansing nut. The individual jiva sullied with ignorance is made pure by constant revelling in right knowledge. Having brought about the awakening, ‘the awareness of Self ’ (akhandakar vritti) then drops off by itself, just like the dust of the cleaning nut in water. Agyan kalusham jivam: The individual is just sullied by ignorance. Life is beautiful and we all are also basically fine. There is no other problem, except that we ‘do not know’ the truth of ourself. So Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

the teacher says that be very clear on this front, you have to just take resort of right knowedge alone, nothing else and you wiill be on road to live a free and fine life. Neither the ignorance nor its multifari-

ous effects, our baseless conclusions, ever touch the self, which is immaculate, pure and ever-free & limitless. The game is all in the mind, and to know this itself is such a relief, because now the things come in our hands. We cannot and also need-not manage the world outside, but we can certainly manage our minds, and thus efface the biggest of any problems in our personal lives or in the world, and that also just by properly opening our eyes of wisdom. This is the glory of such diagnosis and statements, and this is also the beginning of the process of our empowerment and freedom. It is indeed a very big statement, and worthy of being given a serious thought. Kalush are impurities, and they stand for all that which not only gives pain and grief to us, but they also bring about the degradation of our faculties. The sparkling eyes of a child shows how immaculate God had sent us here, but shortly as we ‘grow up’ something goes very fundamentally wrong, and the eyes lose their sparkle and reveal the deeprooted hurt, pain or thirst. So obviously all this is just man-made, just because of his ignorance. No wonder good thoughtful, sensitive and wise people who are at peace with themselves and are inspired by nothing but selfless love are not very easy to find. What we deserved was to revel in infinite peace and bliss, but what we unfortunately find around is people just praying for just ‘some’ peace of mind. A big fall indeed. All that which is responsible for this downfall are called kalush, and it is indeed very serious matter. It needs to be understood and handled at all cost. We need to go into each problem thoroughly and discover that the problem of these pains and problems is only subjective and not anything extraneous. This appreciation itself takes lot of time to dawn, and majority of us wonder the veracity of such statements, that it is ‘our ignorance’ which is the cause of our problems. As an example, if someone insults or even hurts us, then how is ‘my’ ignorance responsible for the pain brought about by such an incident? Well, no one has said that we will never face any untoward incidents and bad people outside. These things will always be there, but it is not necessary that if someone has a bad mouth, then I should necessarily have a bad heart too. It is obvious that when we suffer the bad deeds of someone, then we had some baseless expectations even from such evil and ignorant people, that is why we suffer. We are always free to ignore such people, smile off their stupidity, or have pity on them and rather help them, or if need be, even be very firm

and punish them, with a cool mind. Our mind is our mind, and it is our bounden duty to keep it clean and wise. There is no compulsion and inevitability for us to grieve, feel helpless etc. All ‘that’ is our problem. The wise see opportunity and blessing in every situation, and that is what real wisdom is all about. So let it be any problem, be sure that the power of knowledge is infinite, it can do anything. Whether it is pertaining to the ‘seen’ or to the ‘seer’, right knowledge will indeed redeem us from all pains and sufferings. Interestingly, even the thinker is also a mere thought. That ‘I am a limited being’ is a conclusion of an ignorant mind. Indeed the jiva is sullied by ignorance, and suffers. So read the line as ‘the Jiva is sullied by agyana and all the subsequent kalush’, or even ‘the jiva is sullied by agyana which is the real kalush’. Gyanabhyasat Vinirmalam: By practise (abhyasa) of knowledge (gyana) they are completely purified (vinirmalam). Gyana is that light and understanding which roots out all problems. Start with anything which bothers you, go deep into it, analyse it objectively, and you will be surprised to discover that the so called problem even has a dimension of some great blessing. Whether it is kama (desire), krodha (anger) or anything else pertaining to things outside too, always believe that some ignorance and misunderstanding alone sustains it, so just go deep into it with the help of some more learned & wise people and see them lose their fangs. Turn all problems into innocent situations by right knowledge. Having handled the various problems pertaining to the things outside, one should finally turn to the very root of all problems, ignorance and misapprehension about our own Self. To the extent we handle our thoughts pertaining to the world outside, to that extent our mind gets time, energy and disposition for self-enquiry. We know that of the various means of knowledge (pramana) available to us, none except the Sabda Pramana can be applicable for Self-Knowledge. Atma is obviously not something which can ever be seen or experienced by us, because we are the very experiencer, and never an object of experience. Seer is always different from that which is seen. This basic fact negates all such possibilities that we can ever ‘experience’ the Self, as we have been experiencing various other objects. The self-knowledge is of entirely different class, because here we want to know the very knower. Even though the subject can never be objectified, yet strangely Page # 5

we have notions and definitions about ourselves. This itself reveals how our notions are baseless. Atma is not known as an object, but can be known by the words of the wise ones. That is what sabda pramana is all about. Vedanta shastras are that Sabda Pramana, and they are revelatory in nature and not informatory. What this means is that never be satisfied with mere superficial information got from these unique scriptures that ‘You are Brahman’ etc, but continue to pursue the knowledge till direct realization dawns. The notion that ‘I have understood what vedanta is talking about, and now I have to dedicate myself for various sadhanas’ is only indicative that we take the scriptures as mere informatory, and revelation depends on some other sadhana. In effect it implies that real knowedge or awakening takes place by some subtle effort etc., rather than mere knowledge. All efforts are called karma and are always done by some karta, and the earlier shlokas very categorically stated that ‘it is not by any action whatsoever, but by knowledge alone that moksha is got’. So any such pursuit is yet another moha, and it also devalues the role of scriptures and also ones guru, because ultimately it is not the scriptures and guru, but our self-effort which liberates us. Well, come to think of it, will such a pursuit help us to go beyond our ego, or fatten this ego all the more. A sanyasi is one who has seen the limitation of all our efforts, gross or subtle, and now just wants to open his eyes, rather than ‘do’ something different. If we have really understood that we are Brahman then why do we require any validation. The very necessity of these sadhanas reveals that really speaking personally we still believe ourselves to be the doer and also the experiencer who is now looking forward to some validation, and not that which transcends all this, the Brahman. If we still continue to believe this, then where is the question of any knowledge having been dawned, we are still ignorant of the fundamental facts and the message of scriptures. Self-Knowledge dawns when all efforts whatsoever have ceased, and later the effect of knowledge too is - all the more complete and effortless ‘quietitude’. So the vedantic scriptures should always be seen as revelatory and never informatory; in this way we shall give proper place to knowledge. Such a person shall continue to analyse fine details of our various superimpositions, till all of them get negated, and we stand as we are, in all our glory and purity. In this context it is also important to appreciVedanta Sandesh - April 2009

ate that these unique self-knowledge scriptures do not take a positive approach, but a negative one. They dont ‘reveal’ directly, but just negate. They just remove the clouds so that the sun can reveal itself effortlessly. The test of properly studying the vedantic scriptures is complete and effortless cessation of all efforts and duality, and direct awareness of that which is non-dual and infinite - as our very Self. This direct awareness of the Self to be Brahman is called Akhandakar-Vritti, and it comes by sravana & manana of the vedantic scriptures from an enlightened teacher. Till this vritti comes one should never have any notion of having studied the scriptures; and if we directly and clearly know this fact, then obviously there will be no role of any subsequent validation. This knowledge all the more quietens our efforts rather than motivates us for any unique or divine ‘experience’. This raises one more prevelant doubt, and that was pertaining to the one we discussed in the connecting introduction of this verse. Some people think that when quietitude of all the thoughts is the objective then, injecting more thoughts in the mind will only amount to making the clouds of thoughts all the more dense, and in this way this knowledge shall become an impediment rather than a blessing. The teacher belies all such fears and says that such fears come only when someone is not aware of the basics of a thought. Thought is not knowledge, but is a means for knowledge, and the moment knowledge dawns, the thought drops, leaving behind the knowledge of that object. Thought is indicative of our conscious or unconscious efforts ‘to be consious of’ something, and therefore depending on our priorities and needs appropriate thoughts alone come in our minds. The total bank of our accumulated wisdom is our knowledge, and at no point we have ‘thoughts’ of all the things about which we have gained knowledge. Thoughts are like spoon, which help bring in the food-like wisdom of some aspect of the things of our concern, and having fed the food in the mouth all spoons are taken out, so also the teacher says, krutva gyanam, having brought about the knowledge, swayam nashyet, it drops off itself, jalam katak renuvat, like the dust of katak nut, which also settles down after precipitating the suspended impurities in dirty water. This katak seed is seen to have alum like qualities and was used in ancient times to clean water. Alum, as we know precipitates all the suspended impurities in water, and then when these heavier precipitates along with alum too settle

down at the bottom of the container, we are left behind with crystal clear water cleansed of all its various suspended inorganic impurities. This is the example which comes in the mind of the acharya to reveal the uniqueness of this Akhandakar-Vritti. In all other thoughts, except that of the atma, there is an inevitable continuity of thoughts, because the experiencer continues to exist, but in this case there is no such possibility. Technically speaking, in the case of all other thoughts, there is first the vrittivyapti, and then the phal-vyapti; while in the case of atma-gyana there is only the vritti-vyapti and no phalvyapti, because we dont need to be conscious of the very self-effulegnt consciousness. This will amount to using a lamp to see whether the sun has arisen or not. Thus this akhandakar-vritti is a unique

thought, it reveals the self, and then drops. leaving behind just the liberating wisdom. Khand means fragmentation or duality and akhand means nondual and undivided. Awareness of non-dual alone effaces all duality. The moment we ‘become conscious’ of our non-dual dimension, we transcend all thoughts and duality and just ‘be’ the limitless. Habitually the experiencer may again raise its head, so we are suggested by the scriptures to again bring into our minds this fact, again and again, till our identification with the experiencer ends fully. This vritti by its very nature reveals the truth and drops, we therefore ‘need’ to again deliberately bring it, till all our deep rooted notions about ourselves get negated fully. This vritti alone is opposed to ignorance, so make the best use of it till the dream fully ends.

Can you answer these? 1. What do you mean by Kalush and what is the root of all kalush? 2. What do you mean by Gyana-Abhyasa? 3. How do thoughts drop by themself and why? 4. What is Akhandakar Vritti and how is it different from all other vritti’s?

Lesson from a Donkey One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. Page # 7

Breath of Life When The Breath of God Sweeps across the land The fallen snow melts. Encouraging buried pods. To stretch, to burst, to spill their seed. Sending them on the wings of the wind. Embracing the World. In glorious scent and brilliant color. When the Breath of God Sweeps across the land, The heart swells with wonder. Encouraging the lips. To sing of the Magnificence the eyes behold. To raise in unison hands that pay homage, To God. Whose Breath sweeps across the land. Delivering to all Mankind, Spring! – Roberta Lee Wilcox

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

The Five Kosha’s hari om, there are some speakers who are seen to say that all the five koshas are just energy layers, and even atma is some divine energy. well, please understand that such speakers are not even aware about the fundamentals of vedanta. these ignorant ones have obviously never sat at the feet of any wise & knowledgeable master to study these divine scriptures, and are talking all baseless things, and they just need to be ignored.

Consciousness is not something which is felt, Kena Upanishad points to consciousness as 'that' by which things are felt.

the first layer of our personality is made up of matter, and the second of prana. this prana alone can be rightly translated as energy. the next layer of thoughts. thoughts are all about 'being conscious of something', and when we attribute importance to something then such thoughts do get very powerful, and there is an experience of the flow of energy in that direction. manomaya is therefore said to be the atma of pranamaya. then there is the vigyanamaya kosha, which is the very basis of these thoughts. this layer is of the nature of our decisions & discernments. these things alone generate thoughts, and then we have the layer of the experience of joy, the motivation of which is the basic drive behind all our decisions. atma transcends all these five layers, and is of the nature of pure consciousness.

- Poojya Guruji consciousness is not something which can be felt, energy and matter alone can be felt. kena upanishad points to consciousness as 'that' by which things can be felt, and not that which is felt. that which is felt is the expanse of maya, which is basically inert matter, but 'in flux'. as per einstein matter and energy are inter-convertible, that alone is the essence of his famous relativity equation of e=mc2, where e stands for energy, m stands for matter and c stand for time. when the scale of time is doubled then matter is converted into energy, we reduce the time then energy presents itself as matter. love & om, swami atmananda

Page # 9

Spring Time

Lo! Once again with the coming of Spring Dull shades of life will soon be vanishing With countless promises in store I foresee life, a multi-heathered core And with umpteen joys in offing to rejoice Happier life is the remnant choice So, let's not continue the lugubrious ponder For spring comes only once in a year Let's all dance, spring and spree Spring brings joys and colors all for free

– Mallik Bulusu

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

Holy days: Hanuman Jayanti (9th April) Hanumanji: Story of some of his names

Sri Hanumanji is one of the most inspiring and common gods in the whole pantheon of Hindu deities. He is an embodiment of devotion, selfless inspiring service, divine qualities like fearlessness, and above all knowledge. On the occasion of his jayanti (9th April), we offer our pranams at the feet of this great Acharya of Bhakti and Sewa. If Bhagwan Sri Ram represents what God and perfection is all about, then Hanumanji represents what an ideal devotee and sewak of God should be like. He is indeed one of the best 'role model' which every sadhaka should have in their hearts. While the uniqueness of Hanumanji is basically his divine qualities, magnanimous vision and selfless motivation, yet when we revere someone, we bring into our minds all the various aspects of their personality. He is said to be of Vanar yoni. The word Vanar itself is very interesting. We can break the word as va(or)+nar(human), meaning inspite of his deceptive looks he alone appears to be truly human. Vanar word is commonly translated as monkey, which in symbolic language normally represents our monkey-like mind. Initially the mind of everyone keeps dancing and jumping like a monkey, but with right knowledge transforms itself into an embodiment of all that we cherish and aspire for. No wonder Hanumanji inspires the masses so much. It is worthwhile to mention here that in India, there are far more temples of Hanumanji than even of Bhagwan Sri Ram, his master. This in no way devalues his great master, but all those who are aware of the story of Ramayana, will know that it is the blessing of Bhagwan Sri Ram himself that, may my devotee be revered more than myself, simply because emulation of the qualities of a devotee is the way to their inculcation, and when we truly become like Hanumanji, then the darshan of Lord Ram will never be a far cry. From the worldly point of view he was the son of Anjana and Kesari, yet he is also called as Pavan-putra and also manifestation of Lord Shiva. To know the secret of all this we need to go back and bring into our minds the unique situations which lead to his birth. It is said that Brihaspati (the guru of devatas) had an attendant by the name of Punjikasthala who was cursed to assume the body of a female monkey. The curse was to be removed on her giving birth to an incarnation of Lord Siva. Accordingly, she was born as Anjana and, together with her husband Kesari, lived a life of dharma and purity. Anjana performed intense tapasya for a great many years, during which period she worshipped Lord Shiva who being pleased with her granted her a boon. She asked that Lord Shiva be born to her so that she may be freed from the curse. On the other hand, when Maharaj Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya was given the sacred pudding by Agnideva to share among his wives so that they may have divine children; by divine ordinance, a bird (kite) snatched a fragment of that pudding and, whilst flying over the forest, dropped it where Anjana was engaged in worship. Pavandev (the deity presiding over the wind) delivered that fragment of pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana who immediately swallowed it. With that grace, she, in due course, gave birth to Hanumanji. Thus we find that Lord Shiva incarnated as Hanumanji in the bodily form of a monkey through the grace and blessings of his god-father Pavandev, with Anjana and Kesari as his earthly parents. That is how these various names are used for Hanumanji. Page # 11

On Wings of Spring Dormancy stirs the little cocoon The blush of youth Caressed by the scented winds, Hue-smitten soils race to the blue horizon The swell of Spring cracks the shell and wings spread wide Joining the rhythm of this (nature's) Alchemy

– Uma Parthasarathy

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

Stories from Shiv Purana n o p u e c On me ... a ti

The Cursed Ketaki or Kewada Flower

“A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.”

No-no for Ketaki in Shiv-Puja In Shiv Purana, Romaharshana told the assembled sages, It is easy to please Shiva. But Shiva must never be worshipped with a ketaki or a champaka flower. Why, what is wrong with these flowers? asked the sages. Let me tell you about the ketaki (kewada) flower first, replied Romaharshana. Rama’s father Dasharatha asked Rama to spend fourteen years in the forest. So Rama went to the forest with his brother Lakshmana and his wife Sita. The three of them started to live on the banks of the river Falgu. News reached the forest that Dasharatha had died in their absence and a shraddha (funeral) ceremony had to performed for the dead king. Rama sent Lakshmana to a nearby village to get the necessary ingredients. Time passed and Lakshmana did not return. Rama then went to get the ingredients and look for Lakshmana. But Rama too did not return. It was almost noon and the ceremony had to be performed before noon. In desperation, Sita decided to perform the ceremony herself. She went and bathed in the Falgu river and lit an earthen lamp. She then made the offerings (pinda) to the dead ancestors herself. Immediately, a voice was heard. Sita, you are blessed, it said. We are satisfied. In utter amazement Sita watched some disembodied hands appear in the air to accept the offerings. Who are you? Asked Sita. I am your dead father-in-law, answered the voice. The funeral ceremony has been successful. I have accepted your offerings. But Rama and Lakshmana are going to believe me, said Sita. They will never believe that such disembodied hands appeared out of thin air to accept the offerings. They have to, answered the voice. You have four witnesses. The first is the Falgu river. The second is the cow over there. The third will be the fire. And the last one will be the ketaki bush. Rama and Lakshmana returned and said, Cook the food quickly. There is very little time left. We have to complete the funeral ceremony before noon. Sita told them what happened, and naturally, the two brothers did not believe her. They made fun of her and suggested that she was lying. Sita called upon her four witnesses, but each denied that it had seen anything. Without arguing any further, Sita cooked the food and Rama made offerings to his ancestors. A voice was then heard from the sky. Why are you calling us again? it said. Sita has already satisfied us. I refuse to believe that, said Rama. Indeed, it is true, retorted the voice. Ask the sun god. The sun god confirmed that everything had happened just as Sita had said it had. Rama and Lakshmana were ashamed that they had doubted Sita and were also impressed with the power of her virtue. But Sita cursed the four false witnesses. She cursed the Falgu river that it would henceforth only flow underground. She cursed the ketaki flower (pandanus odoratissimus) that it would never be accepted by Shiva as an offering. She cursed the cow that its mouth would henceforth become impure. It had, after all, lied with its mouth. The hind sections of the cow would however continue to be pure. And finally Sita cursed the fire that it would consume everything indiscriminately. That is the reason why a ketaki flower must never be used to worship Shiva. Page # 13

Mar’09 VM / VA Programs

Vedanta Mission / Ashram Programs

Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow:

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

Poojya Guruji conducted a week long Gita Gyana Yagna at Hariom Mandir, in Lucknow from 2nd to 8th Mar. The subject matter of the week long discourses were Gita Chapter 3 and Panchadasi Chapter 10. In the evening Gita discourses the subject matter was Karma Yoga, where Bhagwan not only talked about the place and role of karma, but also the art of right action in terms of Yagna-Bhava. The chapter ended by enumerating the obstacles faced while taking any resolve. In the morning session was the Natakdeep Prakarana, in which the self-knowledge was revealed with the example of a stage of drama. Both the discourses series are available on the net.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhavnagar: A Gita Gyana Yagna was organized at SriRamdas Ashram, Bhavnagar from 1st to 8th Mar by P. Swamini Amitanandaji. The subject matter of the discourses were Gita Chapter 9 and Panchadasi Chapter 10 (Natakdeep Prakarana) in the evening and morning sessions respectively. The discourses were in Gujrati language. In the 9th chapter which is called the Rajvidya Rajguhya Yoga, Bhagwan Krishna revealed his nirguna swaroop, and also ways to awake to it; while in the Natakdeep prakarana, the self is revealed as something comparable to the constant, unflickering light of a drama stage. That because of which we are conscious of the various good & bad experiences in the timeless truth and all that which is seen is a realm of time and change.

Birthday Celebrations of Swamini Poornanandaji: The inmates of Vedanta Ashram alongwith its various members and devotees, humbly celebrated the Sanyas Deeksha day of P.Swamini Amitanandaji and also the Birthday of P. Swamini Poornanandaji on the 28th of Feb. A short program was organized in the evening at the ashram, wherein various devotees brought the symbolic cake, sweets and snacks. No student of vedanta and specially sanyasi ever looks upon their body as their Atma, yet in this process the importance of human body should never be overlooked. It is a gift of God, not only to help awake to his truth but also to serve one & all. So the birthday is the day of expressing our gratitude to God for this divine gift and everyone who have helped us to the goals of human life. Both the mahatmas left in the night for the outstation programs.

Mar’09 VM / VA Programs

Vedanta Mission / Ashram Programs

Somnath Yatra: After the Gyana Yagna at Bhavnagar, P.Swamini Amitanandaji and Swamini Poornanandaji left for Somnath along with few other devotees from Bhavnagar. Somnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Bhagwan Shiv, and it is situated just on the coast. The temple overlooks the beautiful coastline. This temple has not only religious sanctity but also has historic importance. It was destroyed so many times by Muslim invaders, and therefore the first thing which independent India did was to restore this temple to its ancient glory. The present state govt too has made the place very nice & secure. Everyone got a nice darshan and enjoyed their stay there.

Visit to Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Rajkot: On their way back both the Swaminiji’s stopped at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Rajkot. This is the ashram of Poojya Swami Paramatmanandaji. He is a disciple of Param Poojya Swami Dayanandaji. The ashram is nicely built and maintained, with a beautiful Shiv temple, rooms for mahatmas and students to stay & study; ashram has overall lot of green covering. Sw Paramatmaji was a co-student along with Poojya Guruji during his studies at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai, he also taught P.Swamini Amitanandaji in her poorvashram, and he is at present the Secretary of the Acharya Sabha, an organization started by P.P. Swami Dayanandaji to get the various Acharyas of different Matha’s all over the country together.

Spring Blooms at Vedanta Ashram, Indore: With the advent of Rituraj Basant, the flowers start blooming and smiling all over. The poets get excited and words of beauty & joy start flowing out. At Vedanta Ashram too, the flowers smiled all over. Ring, ring, ring ... Hello? This is spring. Sunny weather I bring, A perfect time to dance and sing; Enjoy birds fluttering their wings, And happy children on swing, It's the magic of spring, It's the magic of spring. A season so calm, a healer like a balm, of life's intoxication, Life's pace will be slow, and creativity will grow, Hear pleasant chirping of crows, see flowers blooming all around in by lanes narrow, Forget your harrow, No time for sorrow, A season for figs to furrow, Look forward for morrow.

Check out the detailed Photo Albums of the various functions on VM News Blog at http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/ Page # 15

Foreign Tour of Poojya Guruji Poojya Guruji shall arrive in the UK on 22nd April for a six weeks tour. Canada Tour has been postponed till July due to visa delays. 27/3 22/4 24-27 1/5 2 3-9 10 12 16 Morn 16 Eve 17 Morn 17 Eve 20 21 24 26 28-30 31 2nd Jun

Vedanta Sandesh - April 2009

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Sw. Samatanandaji arrives in UK P. Guruji arrives in UK Visit Lake Dist Satsang at Luton Peterboro GGY Wellingboro Vishnu Sahasranama Archana Satsang at Reading Leicester, Satsang (Luton group) Leicester, S.Dharma Mandir Gita Bhawan, Loughboro Leicester, Hindu Mandir Oxford Gloucester Satsang nr London Birmingham Leicester, Gita Gyana Yagna Vishnu Sahasranama Archana Leave for India

Forthcoming Programs

Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai: Poojya Guruji will conduct a five days long Gita Gyana Yagna at Bandra Hindu Association hall, at Mumbai from 16th to 20th April. The subject matter of the discourse series will be Gita Chapter 17 and Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1. The last session of Ashtavakra Gita will be on 21st morning, and that night alone Poojya Guruji will leave for the UK.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Dehradun: Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will conduct a five days long Gita Gyana Yagna at Deharadun from 4th to 8th May. The subject-matter of the discourse series will be Gita Chapter 17 and Sadhana Panchakam.

Retreat to the Lake Dist, UK: Poojya Guruji alongwith P. Swamini Samatanandaji, and few devotees will spend 3 days in the scenic Lake Dist of the UK. It is the land of poets like Wordsworth, and his flowers. As the name suggests, the place is full of lakes, hills and walking pathways.

Gita Gyana Yagna, Wellingborough, UK: Poojya Guruji will conduct a week long Gita Gyana Yagna at Hindu Temple, Wellingborough 3rd to 9th of May. The text of the discourse series will be Gita Chapter 3. On the last day will be a Vishnu Sahasranama Archana program followed by a bhandara. Thereafter will start a series of short satsangs in different parts of UK.

Sadhana Camp, Rishikesh: Poojya Guruji will conduct a six days Sadhana Camp at Rishikesh from 7th to 12th June 2009. The text of the discourse series will be the last section of Katha Upanishad and Gita Chapter 9.

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