J uly 2010

VOL. 97, No. 7 ISSN 0042-2983

A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL M O N T H L Y O F T H E R A M A K R I S H N A O R D E R

Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavâdin,

it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesari in 1914.
For free edition on the Web, please visit: www.sriramakrishnamath.org

CONTENTS
July 2010
Vedic Prayers 245
Editorial
The Reality Behind the Veil 246
Articles
„ Prayer of the Heart 255
Pravrajika Brahmaprana
Reminiscences
„ Reminiscences of Master Mahashay 250
Ramesh Chandra Sarkar
Travelogue
„ ‘World’s Largest Act of Faith’
—Glimpses of Mahakumbh Mela in Haridwar-2010 259
‘Atmashraddha’
New Find
„ An Unpublished Letter of Swami Saradananda 268
Special Column
„ Influence of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda on
Contemporary Bengali Literature - III 270
Hironmoy Mukherjee
The Order on the March 279
Book Reviews 281
Features
Simhâvalokanam (Swami Adbhutananda)—249, Vivekananda Tells Stories—276

Cover Story: Page 4

 2

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Cover Story
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Note: The April 2010 issue carried the picture of Sri Rama-
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 VOL. 97, No. 7, JULY 2010 ISSN 0042-2983

E ACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE. T HE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN.

Vedic Prayers
Tr. by Swami Sambuddhananda
EH$mo XodÖ gd©^yVofw JyT>Ö gd©Ï`mnr gd©^yVm›VamÀ_m &
H$_m©‹`jÖ gd©^yVm{YdmgÖ gmjr MoVm Ho$dbmo {ZJ©wU¸ &&
—Shvetashvatara Upanishad, VI, 2
EH$Ö one XodÖ God gd©^yVofw in all beings JyT>Ö is concealed gd©Ï`mnr all
pervading gd© ^yVm›VamÀ_m the inner self of all creatures H$_m©‹`jÖ Lord of
all actions gd©^yVm{YdmgÖ the abode of all beings gmjr witness MoVm pure
consciousness Ho$dbÖ single {ZJw©UÖ free from three gunas—Sattva, Tamas
and Rajas M and.
God, the only One, exists hidden in all beings. He is all pervad-
ing and is the inner self of all creatures. He is the Lord (presiding
over) of all actions and the abode of all beings. He is the witness and
pure consciousness free from the three gunas of Nature.


Do not disturb your mind by vain arguments; this truth only becomes
effulgent in the heart which has been made pure. He who cannot be
seen without the greatest difficulty, He who is hidden, He who has
entered the cave of the heart of hearts—the Ancient One—cannot be
seen with the external eyes; seeing Him with the eyes of the soul, one
gives up both pleasure and pain. He who knows this secret gives up all
his vain desires, and attains this superfine perception, and thus becomes
ever blessed. That is the way to blessedness. He is beyond all virtue,
beyond all vice, beyond all duties, beyond all non-duties, beyond all
existence, beyond all that is to be; he who know this, alone knows.
—Swami Vivekananda, CW, 2:408-9
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 245 ~ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9
 The Reality Behind the Veil
Swami Brahmananda, an eminent direct
disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, though indrawn
by temperament, was known for his keen sense
of humour and innocent pranks. Often he
would visit or stay at the Calcutta house of
Balaram Basu, a great householder devotee of
Sri Ramakrishna. The grandchildren of Bala-
ram Basu greatly loved ‘Maharaj’, as Swami
Brahmananda was affectionately called. At
times he would play simple games with them
and crack jokes with them. The following
story, narrated by Swami Ashokananda, re-
veals how he would have fun with them:1
He [Swami Brahmananda] was always fond of
children; he liked to play with them, and they
responded to his affection. One day when he was
visiting Balaram Basu’s family, he dressed himself
in a bearskin that covered him from head to foot
and, thus disguised, appeared, before Balaram’s
grandchildren to scare them. They screamed with
genuine alarm, but after the first cry one little
boy said through his tears: ‘I know it’s you,
Maharaj. You can’t freighten me! But why did
you do it!’ Then Swami Brahmananda laid aside
the bearskin and took the little boy in his lap.
Similarly, when faced with difficult
situations and painful moments, we too cry
out to God—with whatever name we may call
Him—and ask, ‘I know it’s You. . . But why
did you do it!’ Of course, God reveals Himself
and takes us in His lap, in His own way. The
important thing is recognising that behind all
our frightening situations stands He, smiling
and reassuring.
The Covering over the Reality
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
According to Vedanta, God or Ultimate
Reality is hidden behind a screen, as it were.
Says Sri Krishna in the Gita [3.38]:
Yy_oZm{d´`Vo d{ï`©WmXem} _boZ Mü&
`WmoÎ~oZmd•Vmo J^©ÒVWm VoZoX_md•V_≤ü&&
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by
dust, as an embryo by the placenta, so is
Knowledge covered by desire.
An eminent translator of the Gita explains
this verse thus:2
Three states of the over-clouding of knowledge
or Self by desire are described by the three
illustrations here given.
The first stage is sattvika—‘fire enveloped by
smoke’—the rise of a slight wind of discri-
mination dispels the smoke of desire in a sattvika
heart.
The second, the rajasika—the removal of ‘the dust
on a mirror,’ requires some time and preparation.
While the third—the tamasika, takes a much
longer time like the release of ‘the embryo’ from
the placenta after birth.
Reality of God thus is covered by the
three gunas or qualities of sattva (serenity), rajas
(activity) and tamas (inertia). These three
qualities hide the reality from us.
The Vedanta speaks of this covering as
an avarana or covering. The reality lies covered
up, as it were, and we suffer in the darkness
of unreality. This covering is made of avidya
or ignorance of our divinity and being covered
by it we feel empty within, a kind of lack and
deficiency, which we try to fill up by sensory
enjoyments, possessions and ego-satisfaction.
~ 246 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Once while explaining this idea to a disciple,
Sri Ramakrishna suddenly covered his face
with the towel and asked him whether he was
able to see his (Sri Ramakrishna’s) face. Of
course, no. Likewise, he said, there is a
covering before our eyes and we are not able
to see the reality of our being—or, that of
Ultimate Reality called God. Sri Ramakrishna
called this covering as ego. Before the house
of God is the wall of ego. If one wants to enter
God’s house, one has to scale over the wall.
Not only is there a screen before our eyes,
this screen is further covered up by all kinds
of sights, sounds, odours, touches and other
fascinating things that senses perceive and are
attached to. It is the world of fascinating
events, persons and places we live in. This
second ‘layer of distractions’ is called vikshepa,
or ‘scattered’. So, most of us busy ourselves
with what is ‘scattered’ over the covering. We
busy ourselves with the film called life, being
played on the covering of avidya. We rejoice
and suffer after identifying ourselves with all
that is happening over the screen. A few probe
deeper and become aware of the underlying
covering of ego that separates, or seems to
separate us, from our divinity. Fewer still go
further and succeed in removing the covering
forever and bask in the magnificent light of
Self behind the separating, limiting and fear-
producing add-on called ego (jivatva).
Removing the Covering
How does one remove this covering? In
the first place, the covering is not a permanent
thing. It is described in a contrasting language
—‘it is there and yet it is not there.’ In other
words, it is a kind of illusion, real now but
unreal ultimately.
Let us try to understand the process by
extending the simile with which we began. If
Ultimate Truth or God has hidden Himself
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
7
behind the veil, we can remove the veil in
four ways:
Y The first way is the way of analysis
and contemplation. One learns to refine and
use the faculty of discrimination and analyse
the veil called avidya. This requires a keen
intellect, freedom from all attachments and a
tremendous will power. One realizes, especi-
ally, by freeing oneself from all impurities in
the form of attachments and aversions. This
enables one to understand the falsity of the
veil. After all, ego or avidya, is only a miscon-
ception and a misconception can be removed
by correcting our understanding and that is
what self-analysis does. This is the path of
Jnana or Knowledge through analysis and
investigation into the nature of Reality.
Y Another way is to calm the mind and
free it from all distractions. A calm and focused
mind, in its meditative state, sees the Truth
beneath the ocean of existence. So, one begins
by withdrawing the mind and concentrating
it within, seeking the Reality. Once the mind
is completely stilled, the Reality stands
revealed. This is the path of meditation—Raja
Yoga. It is uncovering the veil by concentrating
on the Reality behind the veil.
Y The third way is to understand that
the veil is opaque from our side. From the
other side, one can see through it. Hence, the
Reality called God behind the veil is constantly
seeing and watching us. Feeling His Presence,
one then does all actions merely for love of
Him. Freed from all greed and attachment,
one then performs all works as worship. This
is the path of doing righteous action in right
spirit—Karma Yoga. The aim of Karma Yoga
is to purify the mind by examining one’s
motives, and freeing oneself from all attach-
ments and selfishness.
Y The fourth, and the final, way is to
simply cry out one’s heart to the One who is
~ 247 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

hiding behind the veil and ask Him to reveal
Himself. It is the path of Bhakti or pure devo-
tion. It is born of the realisation of the fact
that all efforts to remove the veil are meaning-
less and futile unless He decides to reveal
Himself. It is the path of surrendering and
praying to Him to remove the veil.
All the four paths are relevant and effec-
tive in removing the veil. According to Swamiji
synchronizing all the four for removing the
veil covering the Reality is the best. Though
all are valid, one can use one or combine all
the four and try to remove the veil.
The Golden Disk
Though it may look easy, it is not easy
to remove the veil. It is so firmly and thoro-
ughly covering the divine reality of our being
that any attempt to remove it has to go on for
a long time. A verse in the Isha Upanishad (15)
speaks of this idea of covering of truth thus:
{ha _`oZ nmÃoU gÀ`Ò`m{n{hVß _wI_≤ü&
VŒdß nyffinmd•Uw gÀ`Y_m©` —ÓQ>`oü&&
The face of Truth is covered by a golden cover.
Do thou, O Sun, open it so as to be seen by me
who am by nature truthful.
Here is an insightful observation on what
is meant by ‘the face of Truth is covered by a
golden disk’,
Isn’t it true that this world is covered with a
golden disk? Everybody wants the golden disk.
. . .The word golden wasn’t meant here to
symbolize wealth. Why, then, is the disk that
hides the face of Truth called golden? I think
you know the answer. If the moon were to see
the earth, it would find it golden—certainly
alluring—just as we find the moon golden and
References
1. God Lived with Them, Swami Chetanananda,
Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata; p.119
2. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Tr. and notes by Swami
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
8
alluring when we look at it from our side.
Everything looks golden and alluring from a
distance. So this sage prayed, ‘Your face is
covered with a golden disk. Do You remove it
so that I may see the Truth.’ That is the fact:
everything is alluring here; everybody is eager
for the things of this world; but that is not seeing
the Truth. You have to ask Him who is protecting
you and the world to remove the golden disk
which covers His face. And, you know, that is
what we have been praying for; we may not
recognize it, but that is always our prayer.
How is that disk to be removed? Of course, the
common answer would be that we pray to God
and He will remove the disk from His face. But
that is not how it is done. You have to pray to
God, but you have to make other efforts as well.
What do you have to do? You have to remove
those things within you that make you see the
golden disk over the face of everything. Why do
we find this world so alluring and so charming?
Because we are fools, and we want those things.
The world looks so beautiful. As you outgrow
childhood everything seems to tempt you
everything looks beautiful. That is what is called
youth. Your body has matured, your senses have
become stronger; the inner senses look upon
everything through the outer senses, and every-
thing looks tempting. So if you can remove this
inner sense of glamour and do not pursue these
temptations, the world will not look alluring. . .
You will catch a glimpse of the real golden colour
of the face of Truth.3
To ‘catch a glimpse' of the ‘real gold’ is
what we are all trying knowingly or unknow-
ingly. At last we find that the gold is not out
there but within us. All our search for the gold
outside is actually the search of ‘gold’ within:
the gold of joy, peace and eternal life. †
Swarupananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, p.92
3. When the Many Becomes One, Swami Ashokananda,
Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, pp.89-90
~ 248 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 Simhâvalokanam
From the Archives of THE VEDANTA KESARI
(June-July, 1920-21, pp. 63-64)

Swami Adbhutananda

He [Swami Adbhutananda] had no book knowledge. The

story runs that Sri Ramakrishna brought a first primer of Bengali
alphabets and wanted to teach him, but his peculiar intonation made his Master burst into a
loud laughter and Sri Ramakrishna gave him up for a hopeless case. So his studentship was
nipped in the bud. But he would listen to the sacred books with great attention and could
easily understand and assimilate their import. Through the grace of his Master, he knew that
by knowing which all other things become known. So nothing was new to him. One day one
Sannyasin read out to him a sloka from the Katha Upanishad [II.iii.16]:—
AìxÓR>_mÃÖ nwÈfmo@›VamÀ_m gXm OZmZmß ˆX`o gß{Z{dÔ>Öü&
Vß Òdm¿N>aramÀ‡d•ho›_wƒOm{XdofrH$mß Y°`}Uü&
‘The Purusha of the size of a thumb, the inner soul, dwells always in the heart of beings.
One should separate Him from the body as the stalk from a grass.’ He was very pleased to
hear this and said ‘It is quite right.’ As he had attained this stage, he could easily understand
the most subtle indication of the above Sruti. Hearing from other people he arrived at such
well-thought solutions of all intricate problems of life that even modern cultured people would
be astonished to hear his clear expositions of them in plain and simple language punctuated
with homely illustrations. The perfection which is the aim of all education, he did achieve.
The immortal Swami Vivekananda used to say, ‘If we think of the humble circumstances
which Latu came from and how he was illumined in spirituality just the same like all of us, he
must be regarded much greater than any of us. All of us are born of high family and came to
the Great Master with cultured minds and tutored intelligence. But Latu knew not the a, b, c,
of his own language. When we could not continue meditation and higher religious practices,
we would take to reading for some time for a change. But he had to continue the same routine
of Sadhana throughout his life. But still he kept his brain cool. We get the proof of his innate
strength and the boundless grace of the Master upon him from the high spiritual attainments of
his.’
Latu Moharaj was of a peculiar temperament. He could mix with all—both the young and
old—equally and wholeheartedly. All people would flock to him. Egoism was completely killed
in him. He was very frank, plain spoken, and at times fiery even. His holy conversation with the
devotees was but the breaking forth of the fire of spirituality which was burning within. †
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 249 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 Reminiscences of Master Mahashay
RAMESH CHANDRA SARKAR

Master Mahashay, Mahendranath Gupta, or ‘M’, was an eminent householder disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna. He recorded the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna in Bengali and published them later
as Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (translated into English: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). The
following is the translation of reminiscences of ‘M’ from Srima Samipe, [In the Proximity of ‘M’], a
book in Bengali, edited by Swami Chetanananda (Udbodhan Office: Calcutta, 1996), pp.69-87. Swami
Chetanananda (the translator of the present article) is the Head of Vedanta Society of St. Louise, USA.
He has to his credit several notable books in Bengali and English, translations as well as original.

Morton Institution: Sunday, 2 February
1919, 5:30 pm
My friend Banabihari and I visited M. in
his bedroom. He was reclining on his bed. He
asked us to sit down, and then he sang some
songs in a low voice. ‘What do you do?’ he
asked me.
I responded: ‘I want to give up my
studies.’
‘Why?’
‘I have many problems and no peace.’
‘Well, that is natural. As long as you have
a body, you will face unrest and anxiety.’
‘I need your blessing.’
‘Pray to God wholeheartedly. He will
definitely listen.’
M. gave us some rock candy prasad, then
continued: ‘Why do we experience suffering?
It is so that we can realize that this world is
like a dream. God put lust and anger and other
things into our minds so that He could make
us great souls. Only an expert boatman can
save his boat from a storm. One or two
boatmen are happy when they face tidal
waves. They boast, “Watch how we can break
through these waves and save our boats.”
Weaklings weep and wail as they sit in their
boats. There is a kind of bird named the stormy
petrel. When a cyclone starts in the ocean, the
animals onshore become afraid and hide in
the forest. At that time the stormy petrel
emerges from the cleft in the cliffs and flies
joyfully against the strong wind [M. demon-
strated by spreading his arms]. Likewise, we all
must go through difficulties in life, and we
need courage and self-effort to do so.
“Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, bes-
tows favour on bold and enthusiastic people;
cowards say that luck brings favour.” Self-
effort is a small part of that infinite power. If
you lack strength, please apply to the head
office—i.e., God. God does everything. As a
snake, He bites; and again as a doctor, He
cures. He traps human beings with maya, yet
as the guru He awakens their consciousness.
It is impossible to understand His lila [play].’
Morton Institution, 3 February 1919, 4 pm
M. asked me to sit on the carpet and gave
me a copy of Sri Ramakrishna Punthi to read.
Then he asked Banabihari to sing a song.
Banabihari sang: ‘O black bee of my mind, be

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 250 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

absorbed in the nectar of the lotus feet of
Ramakrishna.’
‘Very good!’ M. exclaimed. ‘Devotional
songs lead the mind to God. Yogis keep their
minds focussed on God. One will float in bliss
if one can develop a little love for Him. So
yogis do not let their minds wander to other
objects. Direct your mind towards God and
try to love Him. What will you gain if you
only love your family members and concen-
trate upon them all the time? One day they
will all die; and when you lose them you will
suffer from grief.
One of my friends built a hut on the bank
of the Narmada River. There he has been
chanting the name of Rama for the last thirteen
years, striving to realize God.’
He then sang:
Raghupati raghava raja ram, patita pavana sita-
ram.
Ram ram jaya raja ram, ram ram jaya sita-ram.
[O Rama, King of the Raghu dynasty, you
are the saviour of the soul. Victory to Rama and
Victory to Sita.]
When the elderly attendant wanted to
light the kerosene lantern, M. said to him: ‘Not
now. It is not yet evening.’ Then I got up to
close the window, and M. saw Sri Ramakrishna
Punthi lying on the carpet. He said: ‘Never
put holy books on the floor near the feet. Pay-
ing respect to the scriptures is a sign of devo-
tion.’ He then sprinkled Ganges water on his
head and on the others present. Now and then
he checked to see if he could see the hair on
his arm; when he could not, he asked that the
lantern be lit.1
A brahmachari arrived who had received
prasad at the temple of Siddheswari Kali of
Thanthania, which Sri Ramakrishna had
visited many times. M. said to the brahma-
chari: ‘You are blessed to have received prasad
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
11
in that temple. Every day during meditation,
you should think of that place and mentally
bow down to the Divine Mother. Thus you
will achieve meditation on the Master. A place
where the Master has been even once becomes
holy. He is the avatar, the Lord of the Uni-
verse.’
M. then put his hand under his chadar
and began to repeat his mantra, becoming
deeply absorbed.
Morton Institution, 4 February 1919, 4 pm
I bowed down to M. and sat on the
carpet. After handing me an issue of the
Udbodhan magazine to read, he began to cough.
‘I see you are not well today,’ I said.
M. replied: ‘You see, I am now an old
man. This body will get a disease and then
die. This is nothing to wonder about. I am an
old man; why should I worry about something
that is inevitable? A raw fruit does not fall
even during a storm, whereas a ripe fruit falls
even when the wind is still. When lust and
anger appear in the mind during one’s youth,
one should not be discouraged or think that
one’s spiritual life is doomed. At that time,
one should resolve: “I must overcome these
obstacles.” When some people experience lust
and anger, they think they are great sinners
and become depressed. Don’t pay any atten-
tion to those things. They are natural impulses,
normal to the human system.
In one’s youth one should fight against
such animal instincts, as the stormy petrel
fights against the wind. For this reason, our
sages introduced brahmacharya [celibacy] to
prepare us to face these obstacles. There are
so many obstacles in this world! God has
created these obstacles, yet as a guru He
rescues us and tells how to overcome them.
He created great souls so that we can have the
company of the holy.’
~ 251 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

In the Gita [2.54], how did Arjuna ask
Krishna for the signs of a great soul? “How
does the man of steady wisdom speak; how
does he sit; how does he move?” Their actions,
their words, even their facial expressions—all
are exquisite. Have you not read in the Gospel
how one moment the Master would be
laughing and the next he would continue
talking on exalted spiritual topics? Everything
about him was connected with God. There
have been so many great souls born in this
country, and so many seers of God! There are
so many holy places on the banks of the
Ganges and in the Himalayas. We are blessed
to have been born in this country. Look at the
West, how they are killing each other in the
war. [This was during the First World War.] Life
is empty to them. Now they may try to accept
the Master’s message that God alone is real.’
‘Do you think the world will accept this
idea?’ I asked.
‘Why not? The idea of God is common
to all. Is the Master limited to a small body?
He is God and sees everyone equally. He loves
everyone in every nation. But we are fortunate
that He was born amongst us.’
Thakur Bari, 6 February 1919, 11 am
I asked M.: ‘When did you write the Katha-
mrita? Did you write at night after working all
day? It must have been exhausting.’
M. replied: ‘Is it possible to achieve
anything without hard labour? Yes, I used to
write at night. Sometimes I listened to the
Master’s conversation, and then wrote it down
in my diary the next day after meditation.’
Then he opened a page from the Chandi [4:11]
and recited, “O Devi, you are the intelligence
by which the essence of all scriptures is
comprehended.” Have I done this work? It
was the Master’s work; he did it. He appeared
in me as medha [the power of remembrance].
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
12
He is the doer and makes others act. We may
or may not realize this.’
8 February 1919, Evening
I visited M. in the evening; a few devo-
tees were present.
M. said: ‘What divine intoxication the
Master experienced! What attraction for God!
Ah, those days are gone. One day the Master
came to Calcutta, but he was eager to return
to Dakshineswar. He was like a fish floun-
dering on the ground, desperate to return to
the water. Calcutta was infested with lust and
gold, but Dakshineswar was the abode of
Mother Kali—free from worldly things. When
the Master saw the attendants of the Divine
Mother, he would experience Her presence.
One day Rasik, the temple sweeper,
bowed down to the Master with folded hands
and asked, “Master, shall I achieve anything
in this life?” The Master replied: “Of course
you will get something. You will have a divine
vision. You are a servant of the Mother and
you keep this temple clean.”
Once I saw the Master sweeping the
garden path in Dakshineswar. He remarked,
“Mother walks on this path.” As he said this
he went into ecstasy, repeating, “Mother,
Mother.” He would talk to the devotees for
their welfare. The Master said: “It is normal
for this mind [i.e., his mind] to remain absorbed
in God; the reverse is abnormal.” The normal
state of bamboo is to be straight, but due to
gravity it bends—that is abnormal. You see,
one should accept the Master’s words. He said
that Chaitanya was an avatar; therefore we
should believe this firmly.
One day after samadhi he touched his
chest and said, “I am the avatar in every age.”
God has form and is also formless. He comes
as an avatar. The Master said this, so it must
be true. What do you think?
~ 252 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

A devotee asked: ‘Does anybody achieve
anything by visiting a holy place?’
M. replied: ‘One should not cultivate a
negative attitude, such as, “It is useless to visit
a holy place” or “I have no devotion.” One
should have self-confidence. Please develop
faith in the scriptures and holy places. The
Master said, “If you bite a chilli, whether you
know it or not, your tongue will burn.” It is
the quality of the chilli and not of the eater.
Similarly, if one associates with the holy people
in a sacred place, one comes under their influ-
ence automatically and new samskaras [impres-
sions] grow. A holy place is not an ordinary
place: it is where the deities, avatars, and holy
people live. Their influence is palpable there.’
11 February 1919, Afternoon
After visiting Swami Saradananda at
Udbodhan and Swami Brahmananda at
Balaram’s house, I went to see M. I raised the
topic of reliance on God.
M.: ‘God takes responsibility for human
beings. There are so many birds and beasts.
Who takes responsibility for them? Men? Men
cannot even take responsibility for themselves.’
One should learn to endure pain and
suffering. At one time the Master’s arm broke.
Some devotees tried to cover it up so that
people would not know that such a holy man
had broken his arm. But the Master would
show people his injury and say, “Look, my
arm was fractured.” Ah, he embraced suffer-
ing, so that others could learn to endure
suffering. This was a song he sang then:
Mother, this is the grief that sorely grieves my
heart,
That even with Thee for Mother, and though I
am wide awake,
There should be robbery in my house.
He could have cured himself with a mere
wish. But he could not force his mind away
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
13
from the Divine Mother and come down to
the cage of flesh and bone.’
A monk had sent a devotee to M. with
some string beans from the Belur Math garden.
When the beans were cooked, M. offered them
to the Master. He took a little and distributed
the rest among the devotees. What great regard
he had for Belur Math!
Wednesday, 12 February 1919, 1:30 pm
A devotee from Ballygunj said to M.:
‘You are very fortunate to have touched, seen,
heard, and served Sri Ramakrishna.’
‘I am not the only fortunate one,’ M.
responded. ‘The Master said that all his
children would inherit his treasures: discri-
mination, renunciation, knowledge, devotion,
and love. Those who think of the Master
develop good qualities.’
Friday, 15 February 1919
A brahmachari said to M.: ‘You were the
first person to preach the Master’s teachings.’
M. replied: ‘The Master preached his own
teachings. Arjuna said in the Gita [10:12-13]:
“All the sages have declared You to be the eter-
nal, self-luminous Person, the first of the gods,
unborn and all-pervading; likewise have
the divine sages Narada, Asita, Devala, and
Vyasa proclaimed. So, too, have You said unto
me.”’
A gentleman asked M.: ‘Did you visit
Paramahamsadeva? Are you his disciple?’
‘It is hard for me to say that I am his
disciple,’ M. said. ‘I am the servant of his
servants. My Lord is the Lord of the Universe.
Did he come for one person only? He came
for the whole of humanity. We are all his
children. He is an avatar.’
Tuesday, 18 February 1919, 4:30 p.m.
I arrived at M.’s at 4:30 p.m.
~ 253 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 14

M. was speaking on the Kathamrita: ‘What God? While thinking of a formless God, some
a wonderful thing the Master produced! Such imagine a Being seated on a big throne with
a thing does not exist for other avatars. The his feet hanging down. We are limited, so how
Kathamrita is like a photograph, an exact can we conceive of That which is unlimited?
reproduction. It depicts the place, time, tithi Can you put six ounces of water in a one-
or lunar day, even the high and low tides of ounce pot? Although God is infinite, He
the Ganges. If someone reads this book after becomes finite when he takes a form as an
visiting Dakshineswar, he or she will experi- avatar. He does this so that devotees can
ence deep meditation. meditate on Him. The Master told some of his
We need the company of the holy. I wan- devotees: “It is not necessary to think of other
ted to visit those places where the Master went deities. Just think of me.”
and to have the company of the holy. But I When the Master was ill in Cossipore,
am old and it is hard for me to walk. What to one night at 1:00 am Swamiji came to him
do? So I meditate on the monks, which is akin besmeared with ashes. He said to the Master,
to holy company. After visiting sadhus, one “Would you like to hear a song?” With his
should meditate on them. It is marvellous to beautiful voice he sang a hymn asserting that
meditate on the avatar, the King of the Sadhus. the Master was God Himself in human form.
Paramahamsadeva was an avatar. One cannot When a person like Swamiji accepts the Master
reach God without meditating on the avatar.’ as an incarnation of God, we have no other
M. then read from Swami Vivekananda’s option than to admit this. To the man whom
Bhakti Yoga: ‘We cannot conceive of God except the Master loved and considered to be a good
through these human manifestations.’ vessel for his teachings, he revealed his true
He continued: ‘Some say that God is nature. He told Swamiji: “I am an avatar. It
formless. How can one think of a formless will be enough if you meditate on me.”’ †
Note : 1. The practice among many orthodox Hindus is to lit the lamp or perform arati in the evening when it
is neither fully bright nor fully dark. This semi-dark moment is determined by looking at the hair on
one's arm. When the hairs are not visible, that is considered as the right time for lighting the evening
lamp or performing arati.

It is no exaggeration to call Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings an

Upanishad. A sage like the rishis of old was born in our age.
This was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. . . Learned men with a
command of language can and do write excellent essays and
discourses. But these writings lack true life. Sri Ramakrishna was a
mahatma who saw God in his heart and in all things in the world outside. He
saw Him in all things with the same certainty and strength of feeling with
which we see each other. . . There is a peculiar power in the words of those
who lead a godly life. They have a force which the exhortations of merely learned
and intellectual men do not have. When a maharishi talks, it is his whole life that
speaks through him, not mere intellect.
—C. Rajagopalachari

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 254 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 Prayer of the Heart
PRAVRAJIKA BRAHMAPRANA

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

Inner Conversion hands and the exhalation of his body was to

As we practice japam with patience and
perseverance through the ups and downs of
life, our love for God will grow and we will
begin to feel nearer to Him. When our mind
becomes fixed like a mariner’s compass, we
will begin to feel prompted from within to
call upon God alone. At this stage, we will
feel the joy of spiritual life from within our
own heart.
Not only does prayer transform the body,
it empowers the rosary.
One winter evening, as the Pilgrim was
walking alone through the forest, a great wolf
suddenly appeared and leapt at him. Armed
only with his starets’ woollen rosary, the
Pilgrim swung at the wolf with that. Mys-
teriously, it was torn out of his hands, caught
on the bough of a dead tree, and simul-
taneously twisted around the wolf’s neck—a
fluke. When the Pilgrim took hold of the
rosary, the wolf then snapped it and fled.
When the frightened Pilgrim finally ventured
on to the closest village further, he met an old
man, who upon hearing the story, explained
the ‘fluke’:
What is the meaning of sanctity? …When the
soul becomes holy the body becomes holy also.
The rosary has always been in the hands of a
sanctified person: the effect of the contact of his
inoculate it with holy power—the power of the
first man’s innocence.39
We are reminded of a similar incident
that occurred in Vrindavan and recorded in
the Eternal Companion:
An aged holy man of the Vaishnava sect was
sitting in one corner (of a Krishna temple),
counting his beads. Suddenly he turned toward
Maharaj and beckoned him to approach,
indicating with affectionate gestures that he
should sit down beside him. The two began to
meditate; as Maharaj became absorbed, he felt
the Vaishnava touch his head with his beads.
He did this repeatedly, and each time, as
Brahmananda received the saint’s touch, the hair
on his body stood on end and he experienced
an ecstatic joy.40
The Power of Mantra
The Jesus Prayer, or mantra japa, not only
transfigures, empowers and protects, but it is
first and foremost a means to final illumi-
nation. Through repetition of the Name of the
Lord, the Pilgrim received many beautiful
spiritual experiences—experiences which tally
closely with the scriptures and revelations of
rishis in the Hindu tradition. Without over
analysis and thus running the risk of dimini-
shing their sanctity, we can feast on the

Pravrajika Brahmaprana is a nun at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hollywood. In addition to writing
articles for various publications in America and abroad, she has also edited With the Swamis in America and
India, by Swami Atulananda, the Vivekacudamani of Sri Sankaracarya, translated by Swami Turiyananda, and
volume 9 of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. …

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 255 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

mystical experiences of others, and thereby
enrich our own level of consciousness and
spiritual practices by their light.
The Pilgrim described the Jesus Prayer
as ‘the radiant Name’, because along with its
repetition, came light—the light of pure con-
sciousness which was given to the mind and
increased his capacity to understand the
scriptures. In his words, ‘I could easily grasp
and dwell upon matters of which up to now I
had not been able even to think of.’ Any
sincere seeker can experience this, as it is a
common revelation—especially to those who
daily read the same scripture—that often
deeper meaning of a passage will suddenly
dawn, or, perhaps, an overlooked passage will
simply strike one for the first time. This is a
sign of spiritual progress.
With any experience, there are various
levels. The Pilgrim attained a very high degree
of knowledge, as he was even able to discern
the speech of all created beings—even in the
animal kingdom.
Those of us who are familiar with Sri
Ramakrishna, the Great Master, are aware that
through his sadhana, Sri Ramakrishna’s yogic
senses were so heightened, that in the words
of Swami Saradananda:
The Master heard, arising naturally and un-
ceasingly everywhere in the universe, the
Anahata Dhvani, the great Pranava sound, which
is the aggregate of all the different sounds of
the universe.
Some of us heard this from the Master himself
and also heard him say that he could at that
time understand the meaning of the cries of all
animals.41
Those who are familiar with the Tantric
mantra shastras and the practice of japam are
acquainted with the idea that the guru
empowers the mantra and thus ‘lives,’ as it
were, in the Holy Name he has transmitted to
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
16
his disciple. With the dawn of mantra-shakti,
the presence of the guru, or guru-shakti, is
also awakened in the mantra. The Pilgrim
experienced this phenomenon. He wrote:
I felt the action of the Prayer in my heart . . .
Suddenly I saw something flash quickly before
my eyes, in the air as it were, like the figure of
my departed starets, I started, and so as to hide
the fact I said, ‘Excuse me, I must have dropped
asleep for a moment,’ Then I felt as though the
soul of my starets made its way into my own, or
gave light to it, I felt a sort of light in my mind,
and a number of ideas about prayer came to
me.42
Japa and Sàkshi Bhava
Repetition of the Jesus Prayer also
brought in its wake a concentrated spirit of
detachment, strongly resembling what is
known in Vedanta as ‘the Witness state of
consciousness.’ An outer clue to this inner
experience is the Pilgrim’s calm reaction to
what would look to us like an unfortunate
chain of events.
In this connection, once a devoted, young
girl whom the Pilgrim had instructed in
prayer, pursued him as he left her village and
begged to be saved from a pending marriage,
by being safely placed in a convent some-
where. The Pilgrim was at a loss as to what to
do, but no sooner had she arrived at his side,
than several men rode up in a carriage, seized
the girl and the Pilgrim too. The girl was sent
back to her parents, but the Pilgrim was
brought to trial for the false charge of attemp-
ted abduction. But the amazing thing is the
way in which the Pilgrim described this
experience:
Early in the morning, two country policemen
came, flogged me and drove me out of the
village. I went off thanking God that He counted
me worthy to suffer for His Name. This com-
~ 256 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

forted me and gave still more warmth and glow
to my ceaseless interior prayer. None of these
things made me feel at all cast down. It was as
though they happened to someone else, and I
merely watched them. Even the flogging was
within my power to bear. The Prayer brought
sweetness into my heart, and made me unaware,
so to speak, of anything else.43
Sri Ramakrishna told a similar story
about a pious weaver to describe this spiritual
attitude of complete nonattachment. The
weaver related his story to the magistrate:
Your Honour, by the will of Rama, I was sitting
in the courtyard. By the will of Rama, it was
very late in the night. By the will of Rama, I was
meditating upon God and repeating His holy
name. By the will of Rama, a band of robbers
passed that way. By the will of Rama, they
dragged me away with them. By the will of
Rama, they broke into a house. By the will of
Rama, they piled a load on my head. By the will
of Rama, I was caught. Then by the will of Rama,
I was kept in prison and this morning I am
brought before your Honour.
The magistrate, seeing the innocence and
spirituality of the man, ordered him to be ac-
quitted. Coming out, the weaver said to his
friends, ‘By the will of Rama, I have been
released.’44
Such is the power of the Name that one
can transcend this maya, no matter how pain-
ful or brutal.
Not only did the Pilgrim see God within,
but also without. He experienced Christ’s
dictum: ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself.’ How?
In the words of the holy Father Nicetas
Stetatus:
He who has attained to true prayer and love has
no sense of the difference between things; from
the sinner, but loves them all equally and judges
no man, as God causes His sun to shine [light of
the Atman] and His rain to fall [law of karma]
on the just and the unjust.45
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
17
This level of consciousness was experi-
enced by Swami Brahmananda. ‘There are
times when it becomes impossible for me to
teach anyone,’ he said.
No matter where I look, I see only God, wearing
many masks. Who am I, the teacher? Who is to
be taught? How can God teach God? But when
my mind comes down again, to a lower level, I
see the ignorance in man and I try to remove
it.46
The Bliss Ultimate
Not only does mantra sadhana reveal
God within oneself, and within others, but also
it reveals Brahman with eyes open. From the
Jesus Prayer, any aspirant like the Pilgrim can
have the Upanishadic realization: ‘In joy
springs this universe; in joy dwells this
universe; and in joy dissolves this universe.’
This is the experience of ananda—Bliss
Absolute. To quote the Pilgrim:
The whole world outside also seemed to me full
of charm and delight. Everything drew me to
love and thank God, people, trees, plants,
animals. I saw them all as my kinsfolk, I found
on all of them the magic of the Name of Jesus.47
This is not simply a mood, but an actual
experience corroborated by rishis of a high
order. In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna we can
read the Master’s experience in his own words:
I used to worship the Deity in the Kali temple.
It was suddenly revealed to me that everything
is Pure Spirit. The utensils of worship, the altar,
the door-frame—all Pure Spirit. Men, animals,
and other living beings—all Pure Spirit. Then
like a madman I began to shower flowers in all
directions. Whatever I saw I worshipped.
One day, while worshipping Shiva, I was about
to offer a bel-leaf on the head of the image, when
it was revealed to me that this Virat, this
Universe, itself is Shiva. After that, my worship
of Shiva through the image came to an end.
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 18

Another day, I had been plucking flowers, when
it was revealed to me that the flowering plants
were so many bouquets.48
From The Way of a Pilgrim, we can see
how one aspirant entered the kingdom of
heaven. But how can this apply to us, here
and now? Once Swami Vijnanananda asked
Mahapurush Maharaj where he would go after
giving up the body, Swami Shivananda
answered: ‘Ramakrishna loka’; whereupon
Swami Vijnanananda replied: ‘To keep
constant recollectedness of Him here and now
is Ramakrishna loka—in this world while
living.’49
Similarly to repeat the Name of Christ
and to remember him constantly is to enter
the kingdom of heaven within, the Christ loka,
while living. In this connection, a senior swami
of the Ramakrishna Order said, ‘When you
are doing japa or meditating—you are already
in the presence of the Ishta. That itself is its
fulfilment.’ Put a little differently, a pioneer
swami in America once related to an intimate
gathering of long-time devotees:
I’ll tell you a secret: as you go to meditate, be
aware that the Lord is seated in your heart. That
is no imagination; it is the reality. When you
have His vision, you will realize that He knew
all the time, that He accepted all that you offered
Him.50 †
(Concluded.)

DD
References
39. The Way of a Pilgrim, p. 45.
40. The Eternal Companion, pp 47-8.
41. Swami Saradananda, Swami Jagadananda, trans.,
Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master (Madras: Sri
Ramakrishna Math, 1952), p. 201.
42. The Way of a Pilgrim, pp. 83-4.
43. The Way of a Pilgrim, p. 54.
44. Swami Abhedananda, The Gospel of Ramakrishna
(New York: The Vedanta Society, 1907), p. 91.
45. Ibid., p.97
46. The Eternal Companion, p.87
47. The Way of a Pilgrim, p. 106
48. Swami Nikhilananda, The Gospel of Sri Rama-
krishna (Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai), p. 396
49. Swami Apurvananda, compiled Swami Vijnana-
nanda (Muthiganj: Sri Ramakrishna Math,1954),
Pp.90-1
50. Unpublished Reminiscences

Upagupta, one of Buddha’s great disciples, was a holy man. In the course of his
travels, he met a charming young woman of loose morals who wanted him to be her
lover. ‘Physical enjoyments bring suffering in the long run’, Upagupta said as he left
her, but he promised to return if she needed him. Years rolled by, and the woman
became a prey to a disease which ravaged her beauty until she was nothing but a mass
of rotting flesh. She thought intensely of Upagupta and he returned to her at once.
‘When my body was beautiful and adorned with silken garments and many jewels, you
refused to come. Why do you come now when I have become so disgusting?’ Upagupta
replied, ‘Sister, for him who sees and understands, you have lost nothing. My love for
you is deeper than that love which depends on the vain outer appearance.’ Her eyes
brightened and hope returned to her. Ultimately she was able to receive Buddha’s
message of enlightenment and found illumination and peace.
—Meditation and Spiritual Life, p.583-584

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 258 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 ‘World’s Largest Act of Faith’
Glimpses of Mahakumbh Mela in Haridwar-2010
‘ATMASHRADDHA’

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

2010 Kumbh—Some Facts undertook the mighty task of organising the

Taking a holy dip in Ganga is central to
Kumbh Mela or Parva. Based on astrological
calculations, specific dates, held as auspicious,
are fixed for the holy baths.
This time, beginning from January 14, the
Parva continued until April 28th, comprising
all full moon (purnima), moonless nights
(amavasya) and other sacred days that fell
during this period.
The Mela arrangements and related
administration were efficiently carried out by
the Uttarakhand State Government which
Mahakumbh Mela. Elaborate arrangements
were made and several hundreds of crores of
rupees were spent by the State Government
for the smooth running of the Mela. Temporary
camps were set up to accommodate about 12
lakh pilgrims and monks. Nearly 60,000
security personnel manned the Mela area
which covered nearly 130 square km spanning
Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri districts.
The entire Kumbh Mela area was divided
into 12 zones and 32 sectors. Many temporary
and permanent bridges were constructed to

A view of the temples on the banks of the Ganga

The author is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order.

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 259 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

decongest movement of pilgrims. Several new
bathing ghats were constructed, extending the
total length of ghats to 25 km; many stretches
of roads were relaid to spruce up the whole
Kumbh area.
Townships of festooned tents stretched
wherever eyes could see. Multitudes of people
kept pouring in through every inlet and the
police were doing a near impossible job of
directing them to riverbanks that overflowed
with people resting, cooking, sleeping, bathing,
singing or just waiting.
There were elaborate arrangements in
place to maintain law and order and provide
medical care and other assistance to the
pilgrims. A Central Control Room (CCR) with
modern communication systems was establi-
shed for round-the-clock monitoring and
management of the pilgrims’ movement,
especially in the Hari-ki-pauri area.
A public address system covering the
entire city of Haridwar and Kankhal was busy
announcing, besides other pieces of infor-
mation, the names or descriptions of the young
and the old who had lost their relatives. At
times, the announcements (such as an old lady
who had got separated from her relatives and
was waiting for six hours) moved our hearts.
Several thousands of such incidents would
have happened, we were told.
A sadhu on
one of the Ganga-ghats
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
20
According to the State Government, this
time, from January 14 to April 28, more than
six crore people took bath in the Ganga.
According to another source, it was ‘the
world’s largest peaceful gathering ever’.
At Haridwar
We arrived at Haridwar some four days
before the main bathing day of April 14th
(mukhya shahi snan). As we alighted at the
Haridwar Railway Station (the station building
has the look of a Hindu temple), we could
sense the festivities vibrant in the air. Although
the Indian Railways had run several Kumbh-
special trains, yet nearly all the trains that came
in and left the station were overflowing with
people. More than 90 percent of passengers in
the train, in which we travelled, too, were
pilgrims.
While proceeding to our ‘camp’ at the
Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama at Kankhal,
the century-old charitable hospital started at
the instance of Swami Vivekananda, we could
see many eye-catching billboards by various
sadhus and organisations, welcoming pilgrims
to the Kumbh. Besides welcoming, these
billboards also informed about the dates and
venues of various Kathas and Pravachans
(discourses) in progress. There was such
variety of billboards! One board that had its
presence all over the Kumbh areas was that of
a monk bearing the name Soham Baba,
advising people to plant more trees, do better
waste disposal and work seriously to check
global warming. There were also boards
urging the Hindus to wake up to the need of
the hour and protect and nurture their religion
and culture.
At the Kankhal Sevashrama arrangement
had been made to accommodate 2000 devotees
from all over India. There were similar
arrangements in many akhadas and ashramas.
~ 260 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

The whole of Kankhal Ashrama, its temple,
hospital and other buildings, had been
illuminated with serial lights and a colourful
Pandal for conducting cultural and religious
programmes had been put up.
In the next four days, we went to Hari-
ki-pauri everyday and had our bath there—in
the midst of crowds of pilgrims. In view of
the Mela, all private and public vehicles had
been restricted and except for a few police
jeeps, a small number of cycle rickshaws and
official vehicles, no vehicles were allowed to
ply during the Mela days. Roads, lanes, ghats,
all were crowded with people. People, people,
people everywhere! What a mind-boggling
diversity of humankind it was! All forms of
traditional Indian clothing were visible as also
were heard diverse languages and dialects
spoken in India.
As we walked along the ghats, we could
see pilgrims bathing—old, young, men,
women, sadhus. While bathing, they made
water-offerings to the Mother Ganga; some
Pilgrims cooking by the road side
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
21
offered lamps and flowers and even milk and
honey. What love and shraddha for Ganga Mai!
There was, again, a young man from the
nearby mountains, who had brought his ailing,
old mother. As she could barely stand, he
carried her on his back all the time. Another
man, on one of the ghats, kept bringing Ganga
water, in his cupped hands, to be poured on
his old mother who was too infirm to get into
waters. While children frolicked around on the
ghats, quite a few were scared by the ice-chill
waters and pleaded with their elders to spare
them from taking a bath. But once inside the
Ganga Mai, they were all joy and invigorated!
After their baths, while some sat down
on the steps and offered short pujas, many
others just relaxed, watching the Ganga flow
by. There were also people observing Kalpa-
vasa, a month-long vow wherein the practi-
tioner rose early, bathed in the Ganga, ate self-
cooked food once a day and repeated a certain
number God’s name (japa). Most of them
would observe it on the banks of the Ganga.
Shops in the narrow lane and bazaar
behind the ashrama and temples did brisk
business. There was much trade of rudraksha
and sphatika malas, black and red thread malas,
brass and copper vessels for puja, pictures of
gods and goddesses and bhajan CDs, along
with prasad packets and eatables of all kinds.
Pilgrims thronged shops to buy memorabilia
to commemorate their Kumbh visit.
We may mention here that this Kumbh
Mela was perhaps the most photographed
Kumbh Mela—thanks to digital cameras and
mobile cameras. For every little event or place,
one could see someone taking a photograph!
Haridwar wore a festive look. Many
buildings had been painted and illumined by
serial lights. Faith and joy were in the air.
While endless number of people kept walking
towards Hari-ki-pauri and other ghats, there
~ 261 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

was no anxiety on their faces. Pilgrims were
pouring in—in big and small groups, nay
whole villages. All they carried was a bag or
two placed on their head or hung on their
shoulders, and an unshakable faith in the glory
of their Ganga Mai. There were, for example,
a number of village women, who came in
groups, singing some folk songs in praise of
Ganga, Kumbh or God. Their singing was full
of joy for ‘having come to Kumbh.’ We saw
some village women playing kar-tals (round
metal instrument used for keeping time while
singing) while they sang Bhajans, and danced.
After the bath, we saw one night, they
just settled down under some roadside tree,
spread a sheet of cloth and slept over it. They
lit small kerosene stoves that they carried, or
put two bricks and lit a fire of small pieces of
wood and made their simple fares of chapattis
and dal. They were pilgrims to the core!
Amazing Sights
There were two visits which we espe-
cially remember. One was to the Bairagi
Akhada Camps—a temporary township on the
A view of the Bairagi akhadas’ camp
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
22
Neeldhara of Ganga, accommodating Vaish-
nav Ani, or the Bairagi Akhadas. It was a huge
affair. There were, perhaps, nearly 60-70
akhadas who had put up their camps there.
In all akhadas, devotees and Bairagi sadhus,
with large religious marks (tilak or namam) on
their foreheads, attended to their rituals and
practices in the morning and in the evening.
There were Pravachans, arati and Prasad dis-
tribution. There were also cultural program-
mes depicting scenes from the lives of Rama
and Krishna. Some of the camps had huge wel-
come arches and fancy facades. In one camp,
we saw an organisation’s efforts to provide
free medical care to polio victims. Free sur-
geries had been conducted on affected children
who were seen recouping in a make shift camp
nearby. They were also provided with artificial
limbs and an exhibition on the organisation’s
service activities had been put up.
In another Bairagi akhada, we saw
people sitting amidst a circle of fire lit using
cow-dung cakes, meditating and doing Japa.
Whatever one might say about it, that was
quite an inspiring sight!
Spread over several acres,
the Bairagi akhadas’ camp was
colourfully decorated. But as it
was located in an otherwise dry,
dusty place, the constant move-
ment of pilgrims had raised a
dust cloud which had covered
the whole place! At night the
whole place looked so different,
it was filled with a variety of
sounds—bhajans, discourses,
cultural programmes, announ-
cements and so on. A religious
cacophony at its best!
Some of the monks who
had gone to visit Mandaleshwar
Nagar, on the Gauri Shankar
~ 262 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Dweep, on the other side of Neeldhara recalled
similar arrangements for the Dashanami
monks. There were also camps where the
Shankaracharyas of Dwarka and Puri were
accommodated. In a relative sense, the Man-
daleshwar Nagar was rather calmer and silent.
Another experience was that of visiting
some of the Chaavanis (camps) of the Juna
and Nirvani akhadas. Juna akhada is located
in the heart of Haridwar town, consisting of a
few two-storied buildings around the Maya-
devi Mandir. A lane or two away, they have a
bathing ghat on the Ganga. The Chaavani of
Juna akhada consisted mainly of makeshift
tents, with a number of naga sadhus occupying
them. Besmeared with ashes, the naga sadhus
sat in their camps, often with a burning dhuni
(fire) in front while some of them smoked from
their chillums. Visiting devotees offered their
Glimpses of sadhus, sannyasins and Mandaleshwars in the Mahakumbh Mela, Haridwar
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
23
respects to the naga sadhus, who in return
gave them some ash or touched their heads
with peacock feathers or steel tongs (chimta).
Signs of modernisation were also visible every-
where. Though without any clothes, many
naga sadhus were seen talking on their
mobiles. Some camps had portable TV sets
playing religious films.
There was one Sadhu, bare-bodied, who
had his right hand raised all the time—for the
last 12 years! We did not try to go into the
logic of such practice; we just admired his will
power and remembered Swami Vivekananda’s
words that for the sake of a religious purpose,
people in India do extraordinary things. How
true.
Referring to this orientation of the Indian
mind, in comparison with the Western mind,
Swamiji said,6
~ 263 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 24

Just as your people [in the West] are practical in

many things, so it seems our people [Indian] are
practical in this line. Five persons in this country
will join their heads together and say, ‘We will
have a joint-stock company’, and in five hours it
is done; in India they could not do it in fifty
years; they are so unpractical in matters like this.
But, mark you, if a man starts a system of
philosophy, however wild its theory may be, it
will have followers. For instance, a sect is started
to teach that if a man stands on one leg for twelve
years, day and night, he will get salvation—there
will be hundreds ready to stand on one leg. All
the suffering will be quietly borne. There are
people who keep their arms upraised for years
to gain religious merit. I have seen hundreds of
them. And, mind you, they are not always
ignorant fools, but are men who will astonish
you with the depth and breadth of their intellect.
So, you see, the word practical is also relative.
There were so
many types of sa-
dhus. In the Juna
akhada, for insta- Kankhal Sevashrama—public meeting and
nce, we also saw cultural programme
the Jangamas, a attended by more than a thousand monks.
type of sadhus who Devotees were seen giving dakshina or
had a distinct style pranami (money-offering) to the sadhus; many
of dressing them- others just stood around respectfully watching
selves: white kurta the sadhus eat. It was an atmosphere of
and dhoti, and a reverence and sanctity.
white headgear
with an upturned A Memorable Congregation
metal cup having The Kankhal Ramakrishna Mission
peacock feathers. Ashrama organised a public meeting on 13th
They moved in April. Swami Gautamanandaji, head of
groups and sang Chennai Math, spoke in Hindi (on Sri Rama-
bhajans. krishna); Swami Bhajananandaji, Assistant
In the Nir- Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and
vani akhada we Mission, spoke in English (on Swami Viveka-
attended a sadhu nanda), and Swami Suviranandaji, another
bhandara (commu- Assistant Secretary of the Math and Mission,
A Jangama sadhu nity feast of monks) spoke in Bengali (on Holy Mother Sri Sarada

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 264 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Devi). Swami Gurusharananandaji, the Head
of Bada Udasin Akhada, presided over the
public meeting and gave an hour long talk on
the significance of Kumbh Mahaparva.
On other days, the Sevashrama organized
cultural programmes such as ras-leela, bhajans
by noted artists and screening of religious films
and documentaries.
Shahi Snan or the Great Royal Bath
Then, finally, came the day of mukhya
shahi snan, the main royal bath. It is called
‘royal’ because on this auspicious day, all the
akhadas go in a royal procession, to take bath
in the Hari-ki-pauri. The time and order of
Shahi Snan is predetermined. When the
akhadas take their holy dip at Brahmakund,
public is not allowed there.
Many Shahi Snans, let us mention here,
are held during a Kumbh Mela. This time the
Main Shahi Snan was on the 14th April, the
New Year day for Bengali, Punjabi, and Tamil
speaking people.
Akhada processions (called peshwai, in
Hindi, meaning ‘presentation’) during the
Kumbh have great public attraction. Monks
of different akhadas were given time-slots for
the shahi snan. Accordingly, they gathered in
The procession of chariots heading towards shahi snan; a sadhu blowing the bugle during the procession
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
25
their camps and set out on their tastefully
decorated ‘chariots’ (mostly tractors or large
cars), with the head of their camp, revered
Mahamandaleshwarji, wearing a flower gar-
land and sitting on a throne like seat, with a
chattri (ceremonial umbrella) held over him
and, in some cases, a chamara (hand fan) being
waved by a disciple. (On some occasions,
horses and elephants were used). In front of
every decorated vehicle stood a number of
followers and devotees with yellow or orange
flags, or some insignia such as Om. They
chanted bhajans or stotras and gave ‘Jai’ now
and then. Several bands, hired for this purpose,
played popular bhajans and religious lyrics to
go with the occasion.
There were several processions, repre-
senting different akhadas. At the head of each
akhada was a dharma dhvaja, several foot-high
flag of their sampradaya. Then came a chariot
containing the metal image of their deity or
adi-guru, with two naga sadhus playing
drums, mounted on horses. This was followed
by decorated chariots of various sects and sub-
sects of ashramas and mathas affiliated to the
respective akhadas. Many sadhus carried a
staff tied with ochre cloth while some had
trishuls (trident) in their hands.
~ 265 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Some of the Mahamandaleswars were
quite young. Some women Mahamandale-
swars were also seen so also one group of
westerners with a Mahamandaleswar sitting
in the chariot.
After the dashanami sadhus of various
akhadas was the turn of Bairagi akhadas.
We, more than 250 monks from the
Ramakrishna Order, started from the Kankhal
Sevashrama, around nine in the morning. We
reached the neighbouring Nirvani akhada to
join the procession for the shahi snan. Many
chariots were being done up with garlands
and other decorations. It took several hours
for the procession to start. One reason for the
delay was a dispute between naga sadhus and
devotees as sequel to a jeep accident, near the
Hari-ki-pauri area. We were told of such
incidents taking place in the past also—on
much larger scale. Unfortunate and sad.
Finally, after some three hours’ delay, the
procession began. The place resounded with
the shouts of har har mahadev. As the procession
slowly moved, thousands of devotees on either
side, greeted the monks by offering namaskars
from the balconies and rooftops. Some devo-
The procession of monks proceeding for shahi snan
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
26
tees had set up counters for providing drinking
waters for the monks and devotees. The sun
was scorching and blistering but the enthu-
siasm of the devotees and monks was no less
igniting.
Near the crossing, called Shankaracharya
Chowk, some of the groups who did not
belong to the official list of dashnamis were
taken out from the procession. This created a
long gap in the procession and as the time-
slot set for our bath was nearing, we had to
practically run to cover up the gap. It was
rather arduous but then nothing comes
without paying for it!
We reached the Hari-ki-pauri around
1.30 pm. Unlike other days, there was not
much crowd there. Police officials and re-
presentatives of akhadas were regulating the
shahi snan. As we crossed the temporary
bridge leading to Hari-ki-pauri, some of the
policemen on the ghat greeted the monks with
folded hands.
In the Hari-ki-pauri, a number of security
men were present to maintain law and order.
They also saw to it that bathing takes place
speedily. ‘Three dips Maharaj, three dips!’
~ 266 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

some of them were seen requesting the monks.
Yes, there were others waiting for their turn.
The security men had folded up their trousers
and were helping the older monks in the waist
deep, ice cold waters, to finish their bath.
We had our holy dip without much
hassles. We offered water-arghya to the Ganga
Mai, did japa and walked back to the place of
our ‘chariot’ which was parked along with
other chariots on the other side of Ganga.
After the bath, many of the devotees were
seen carrying the Ganga water in a large
Kumbh placed in a vehicle, to the accompani-
ment of music and singing. They obviously
headed towards their villages carrying the
Kumbh water as Prasad.
The Government sources said that nearly
1.6 crore people had taken bath in the Ganga
on the shahi snan day.
As we prepared to leave the place, we
saw some women devotees quietly slipping
through the barricades and collecting the dust
and sand from the road on which the monks
had walked. This was their ‘collection of the
holy dust’. Does it not sum up the spirit of the
Kumbh, this sense of devotion and of sanctity?
It was a humbling experience to see the reli-
gious fervour and solemnity that pervaded the
place. The Kumbh was an effective spiritual
and cultural integration of India. From strange
and bizarre to beautiful and charming, the
Kumbh Mela had something for everyone; the
paradox of Hinduism seemed visibly illus-
trated and personalized. It was an experience
unforgettable and well cherished.
After visiting the Kumbh Mela of 1895,
Mark Twain wrote:7
References: 6. CW, 2.24 7. Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World 8. CW, 3: 148, 139
Notes: For a graphic history of Haridwar and Kumbh in Hindi, see Main Haridwar Bol Raha Huin, by
Dr. Kamlakant Budhkar, Hindi Sahitya Niketan, Bijnor, U.P.; Kumbha—India's Ageless Festival by Dilip
Kumar Roy and Indira Devi, 1955, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chhaupatty, Bombay
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
27
It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that,
that can make multitudes upon multitudes of
the old and weak and the young and frail enter
without hesitation or complaint upon such
incredible journeys and endure the resultant
miseries without repining. It is done in love, or
it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No
matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is
beyond imagination, marvellous to our kind of
people, the cold whites.
We were reminded of Swami Viveka-
nanda’s words,8
Each [race] represents, as it were, one peculiar
note in this harmony of nations, and this is its
very life, its vitality. In it is the backbone, the
foundation, and the bed-rock of the national life,
and here in this blessed land, the foundation,
the backbone, the life-centre is religion and
religion alone. . . This is the very reason, the
raison d’etre, that this nation has lived on, in spite
of hundreds of years of persecution, in spite of
nearly a thousand year of foreign rule and
foreign oppression. This nation still lives; the
raison d’etre is it still holds to God, to the treasure-
house of religion and spirituality.
One thing we may note, that whereas you will
find the good and great men of other countries
take pride in tracing back their descent to some
robber-baron who lived in a mountain fortress
and emerged from time to time to plunder
passing wayfarers, we Hindus, on the other
hand, take pride in being the descendants of
rishis and sages who lived on roots and fruits in
mountains and caves, meditating on the
Supreme.
Participating in the Kumbh Mahaparva
was a great experience and a reaffirmation of
Swamiji’s discerning words. (Concluded.)
~ 267 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 An Unpublished Letter of Swami Saradananda1
April 4th 1899, Morvi
2
My dear Doctor,
You can see from the above that I am still in my tour through Western India. We have
come very near Mr.Gandhi’s birth place, which we intend seeing in a few days.
Your very kind letter of Feb. 20th was forwarded here, also the pamphlet and the magazine,
containing your writings. I have just finished reading them and I think they are highly interesting
and instructive. I thank you very much for them.
The idea that the Oriental Philosophy is pessimistic is both true and untrue. It was not
pessimistic during the time of the Vedas and the Upanishads as any one, who [has] read them,
well knows. But the pre-Budhistic and the after Budhistic periods are markedly so. I think
Buddha is one of the chief causes to bring it in India, if I might say so with all due respect for
his great genius, unbounded mercy and pure life. He forbode the meat eating; he made his
whole family to take up the life of sanyassin; had started great monasteries and nunneries and
took away really the flowers of the then existing society and the rest crippled as they were
naturally, took to the idea that they were in the world and the family life on account of their
weakness and want of self-control. These ideas once established would surely degenerate the
ideal of marriage and the social life, as it did. Before the time of Buddha, the great teachers of
the Vedanta were not the Brahmins but crowned kings, who lived and moved and led vigorous
life in the world, and only became monks—some of them—during the last years of their lives.
But Buddha in his rebellion to give the highest knowledge to the mass of the people, established
an institution which gave a very high position to the monks & nuns in society and brought
forth this degeneracy and decay of the social fabric. There was another natural cause of this, it
seems and that is the great development of the resources of the country. It might not be
compared with that of the present age; but it was the highest that any country or society had
reached at the time. The pendulum of social advancement went to one extreme, people became
sick of constant enjoyment and did not know what to do with the accumulated riches and
naturally Buddhism gave a great outlet at once ethical and religious. People began to establish
hospitals for men and animals, gave all to the poor and to the building of great monasteries
and stupas and later on temples and took to the life of the monastery. Most of the puranas
which were written during the downfall of Buddhism, have very little or none of the old Vedic
religion, and are but faint echoes of the non-killing of the lower animals of the former religion
mixed up with certain rites and ceremonials, to be performed not before the symbols started
by the Buddhists, but before like symbols of creation and salvation as the Kally[?] or the
Lingam, started by the revivalists of that time and placed sometimes in the very shrine of the
Buddhists, when they could get hold of them or in like shrines built up very near the existing
Buddhist shrines. The task became the more easy as Buddhism never thoroughly annihilated

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 268 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 29

the then existing worships and ceremonies and made little or no opposition to their remaining
alongside itself. The modern Hinduism as you find in India is this mixture of some of the
tenets of Buddhism with some [of] the Vedas and the worships, … & rituals that were introduced
during the period of its re… most of which you [will] not find in the Vedas at [all.] Hence the
ring of pessimism you find in what is called the orthodox Hinduism; but it is disappearing by
coming in touch with the western thought.
I am so sorry to hear both the little girls were unwell. I hope they will be themselves
again before this reaches you. My love and blessings to them always.
The Swami Vivekananda is much better and has resumed class works in the Math,
though he is not quite himself yet. I had letters from Calcutta to inform he is keeping well
under the light work and we may hope of his perfect recovery very soon.
I do not know the full name of our late friend. His initials were J.J.Goodwin. Mr.Sturdy of
England might know the full name. Greenacre cannot afford to lose you, if it is to stand at all. I
am so sorry to hear of it. I do not know anything as yet of the Benaras Congress. I will inquire
when I go back to Calcutta, soon.
Many here feel that your country is going to give up a very high ideal. Of course a great
change will come over your social, political and industrial life, if you keep the Phillipines and
begin to rule. Perhaps it is another instance of what the Vedanta teachers say, that a perfect
society and [an] ever upwards local progress in the earth or in any sphere, is impossible.
Perhaps the Indian pessimism has also come after long and repeated struggles to create a
perfect society and an ever continuous social progress. If America can realize what India has
failed to realize in the past, why, we shall be obliged to change this sad teachings of our
thought and I hope and pray that it shall be so!
Remember me to Mrs.Farewell and Miss Wyre, when you meet them next; and to all
friends kindly.
Have you read the article of Mr.Deussen on the New Thought in the January number of
The Arena? He has said in one place—‘I express the hope and I say it advisedly, after a careful
comparison of the two systems of thought, that the tendency toward Orientalism will go no
further.’ Of course Orientalism means here the Vedanta as the former paragraph of the essay
shows. Kindly tell him if you meet, that if the Vedanta has nothing to give to the world we
shall be the first to give it a pension and push it aside to make room for better and higher
truths. But because the so-called new thought tickles men’s interests a little by curing a few
headaches or the diseases brought about by over-sensitiveness and hence mostly mental in
morbid organisms, we cannot lay aside one of the great systems of thought in the world,
unique in its breadth of toleration, and its ability to meet all the planes of life with due
reverence as steps or links in a continuous chain, the end of which is the infinite and merciful
God.
With very kind regards to Mrs.Janes and yourself always, dear friend. I am yours faithfully
Saradananda

1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna 2. Dr. Lewis G Janes, a friend of Swami Vivekananda
Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 269 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 Contemporary Bengali Literature - III
HIRONMOY MUKHERJEE
(Continued from previous issue. . .)
It will not be possible to do justice to all much that he gave the title ‘Rangoon-Ratna’ to
the Bengali writers and poets who were deeply him.33
influenced by the philosophy of Sri Rama- He would also listen to the discourses
krishna and Swami Vivekananda in this write delivered by the Swami. It is believed that the
up; we would restrict ourselves to mention character of Swami Vajrananda in his cele-
only some of them. brated novel Srikanta
was based on the
Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay monks of Rama-
Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay was a krishna Math and
prolific writer and next in importance to reflections of Swami
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Rabin- Vivekananda’s per-
dranath Tagore. Sharatchandra held Sri Rama- sonality. On the occa-
krishna, Swami Vivekananda and the Rama- sion of a function to
krishna Movement in high regard. Not many observe Swami Vive-
people were aware that Sharatchandra was a kananda’s birthday
good singer. In 1905 when Swami Rama- in 1937 in Kolkata,
krishnananda was visiting Rangoon, Sharat- Saratchandra had ob-
chandra, who was at that time staying there, Sharatchandra served, ‘It is my sin-
would meet him daily and sing devotional Chattopadhyay cere belief that had
songs on Sri Ramakrishna. Earlier in a we followed the ideals of Swamiji sincerely,
reception given to Swami Ramakrishnananda the country would have advanced further.’34
on his arrival at Rangoon, Sharatchandra sung
a welcome song which pleased Swami so Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay
Dr. Hironmoy Mukherjee is a devotee from Nagpur who retired as Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur, Ministry
of Industry, Government of India. †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 270 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay
Another stalwart in modern Bengali
literature to be recalled here is Tarashankar
Bandopadhyay (1898-1971). He acknowled-
ged the influence of Swami Vivekananda in
his writings. The idealist young Tarashankar
adored three men as his heroes: Swami
Vivekananda, Bankimchandra (author of
Anand Math) and Khudiram, the well-known
revolutionary. In his times Swamiji’s ideal of
‘service to divine in man’ and sacrifice of self
had fired the imagination of youth in India.
Tarashankar was naturally influenced by his
times and engaged himself in serving the poor
and distressed. He organised Daridra
Bhandars [‘stores for the God in poor’] as well
as a team to fight fires in villages, a problem
common in rural Bengal in those days. As the
secretary of Sevaksangh, he nursed cholera
affected persons in his own village.
He wrote glowingly about Sri Sri Rama-
krishna Kathamrita [The Gospel of Sri Rama-
krishna] which to him was a straightforward
and purest message of human civilization. In
an article in Udbodhan which was later
included in the book Bhabasamahita Sri Rama-
krishna he observed the advent of Sri Rama-
krishna as a fulfilment of a historical necessity
and wrote that Vivekananda was a natural
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
31
corollary of Sri Ramakrishna. To Tarashankar,
Sri Ramakrishna and Bhavatarini were as close
as Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. In a poem
on Vivekananda which was later included in
the book Ramakrishna Vivekananda: Yuger Aloke,
he said, ‘The message of Buddha has faded. . .
but now comes a new messenger, rishi Rama-
krishna to raise the consciousness of mankind
through Vivekananda.’35
Bibhuti Bhushon Bandyopadhyay
Another unforgettable writer was Bibhuti
Bhushan Bandyopadhyay (1894-1950). His
artistic mind, gifted with spiritual sensibility,
always held the oneness of man with nature.
In his writings nature appeared at the centre
of his novels. His writings were awash with
the ideas of Sri Ramakrishna. At the time of
writing his famous novel Devyaan he was
reading the lives and teachings of Sri Rama-
krishna and Swami Vivekananda.36 Obviously,
this had influence on the novel. In his another
well-known novel Ichamoti he writes in course
of a dialogue:
Not only God has created me, I am His relative,
a close relation. I have the full right to look at
His face, lighted by billions of sparkling stars,
with love and without hesitation because he is
my Father. Not a toy made by him but His—
only His son.37
In his personal life, he was a devotee of
Sri Ramakrishna and was closely associated
with Ramakrishna Vivekananda Ashrama at
Ghatsila [in Jharkhand] and was for some time
Vice president of the Ashrama. An ardent
devotee, as his end neared he asked the sacred
name of Sri Ramakrishna to be chanted and
passed away listening to the recitation.38
Bibhuti Bhushon Mukhopadhyay
Another prolific writer was Bibhuti
Bhushon Mukhopadhyay (1894-1987). Many of
~ 271 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

his novels dealing with social problems and
politics had in them, the ideals of Swami
Vivekananda such as fighting against injustice,
robust manliness and readiness for sacrifice.
This could be seen in his novels Navasannyas
and Urmi Ahbane. Swargadapi Gariasi, his
magnum opus, had the idea of Motherhood
behind as its theme and behind this was the
philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna. About Swami
Vivekananda he wrote in an article,
There is no other Indian who was daring, a
prophet, and a social reformer all together. . .
He was not only a Karmayogi, Bhaktiyogi or
Jnanayogi of Gita rather he was a combination
of all the three . . No other person has been able
to bring such a revolution in the nation’s
thinking and endeavour in such a short time
after Shankaracharya [as Swami Vivekananda].39
Pramathananth Bishi
Pramathananth Bishi (1902-85) was
another writer who delved deep into Rama-
krishna Vivekananda Philosophy. Prama-
thanath was an expert in using similes in his
writings. In his book Chitra-Chariira, he
compared Sri Ramakrishna with the snow
capped Himalayas and Swami Vivekananda
and his brother disciples with the Himalayan
rivers such as Indus, Sutlej, Ganges and
Brahmaputra. Bishi looked upon the snow-
capped Himalayan peaks as the eternal con-
sciousness of Sri Ramakrishna while the fast-
moving rivers represented the active con-
sciousness of Swami Vivekananda and other
brother monks. Both, he emphasized, should
be seen as a whole in order to appreciate the
uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna’s advent.
Again, through a simile he explained the
significance of two well-known photographs
of Sri Ramakrishna—one in sitting meditative
position and, the other in standing meditative
position. He compared Sri Ramakrishna with
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
32
a bow—one end of which was touching the
Mother Earth and the other end touching the
celestial sky; in one state he was a Guru
concerned about his disciples as well as a
compassionate person concerned about the
welfare of mankind, and in the other state he
was in samadhi immersed in the con-
templation of the Infinite.
In the last years of his life, while writing
in his book Sri Ramakrishna O Tar Kathamrita,
he said,
What shall I say of Sri Thakur—I feel that He is
my eternal friend and the most intimate friend.
One can open oneself to him, tell him all confi-
dential personal matters; one can confess every-
thing to him. . . in spite of knowing everything,
He has shown love to me. . . . there is no person
who did not get to meet him; he did not refuse
Girish . . . my Thakur is my own, all the twenty-
four hours.
About Swami Vivekananda, he wrote,
‘there has been no other person of such forceful
and dynamic personality in India in the
nineteenth century other than Swami Viveka-
nanda.’40
Rajsekhar Basu
Another well-known writer in this
context was Rajshekhar Basu (1880-1960), well-
known by his pen name ‘Parasuram’. It is quite
obvious that Swamiji’s lectures in Chicago and
other places (which were then appearing in
newspapers and periodicals) left a deep im-
pression on young Rajshekhar.
Swamiji used to consider strength and
courage as synonym to religious knowledge,
and weakness as well as cowardice was to him
an equivalent to committing sin. Further,
Vivekananda had said about importance of
worshipping Sri Krishna of Kurukshetra, Sri
Rama, Sri Hanuman and Mother Kali which
would make people more active and strong.
~ 272 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

That was why ‘Parasu-
ram’ had written in his
book Jaticharitra,
Vivekananda is the only
monk who has preached
in India a religion cham-
pioning strength and
which is very appropriate
for modern age.
Swamiji had said
Rajsekhar Basu
that Buddhism was ill-
advised by advocating monasticism for all and
sundry which had resulted in grave harm to
the country. This Basu illustrated in his story
Nidhiramer Nirbandha. Nidhiram, a man of
good character and intelligence and a patriot,
went to heaven after his death and requested
God to do something beneficial to the country;
pleased with Nidhiram God offered to elevate
one fourth of the population to the spiritual
level of Sri Chaitanya or Sri Ramakrishna.
Nidhiram then pleaded, ‘O, Lord, if 25% of
the population leave household duties and
become devotees and the remaining 75%
follow them, then the society will go to dogs.’
This is what Swamiji firmly believed in.
He wanted that people should become more
active, diligent and hard working. Nidhiram,
the protagonist of the novel, too wanted from
God normal ordinary workers comprising of
farmers, artisans, masons, artists, scientists,
teachers etc. with good characters. In his story
Nabajatak, Panchubabu blessing the newborn
son of Somnath, says, ‘Let him become a strong
and bold man. I do not want him to be become
a ruffian; rather he should be able to give back
three slaps to one who slaps him once.’ The
blessings given by Panchubabu were similar
to the words written by Swamiji in his book
Prachya O Paschatya:
Non violence is right . . .but scriptures say that
if you are a house-holder and if someone slaps
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
33
you, you will be a sinner if you do not offer ten
slaps in return.41
Dinesh Chandra Sen
Dinesh Chandra Sen (1866-1939) was a
well-known historian of Bengali literature; his
book Bangabhasa O Sahitya was a major
landmark in Bengali literature. He wrote two
articles titled ‘Dakshineswar’ and ‘Belur’ in
Bangabasi magazine. In ‘Dakshineswar’ he
wrote,
Keshab Chandra Sen wrote, “We merely know
the names of Chaitanya, Jesus and others. But
today we are really gratified to meet a great soul
like him”, referring to Sri Ramakrishna.
In the context of Dakshineswar temple,
he wrote,
The God within realizing the sincere devotion
of Rani Rasmani accepted it [the construction of
temple] and gave her a priest who was king of
all the priests. When Sri Ramakrishna himself
became a priest of that temple it stands to no
doubt that God himself took His seat there and
Dakshineswar temple became the cynosure of
all the temples of Bengal.
In ‘Belur’ he wrote about the temple
there, relation between Vivekananda and
Girish Chandra, Swamiji’s interest for develop-
ing a Math exclusively for women, Udbodhan
magazine and so on. He wrote,
Here is a meeting ground of all people, like Puri;
here is a current of Bhakti like in Vrindaban;
here is inspiration for offering service like in a
large hospital of Europe . . . All these have turned
this place of pilgrimage into a centre of live
philosophy.42
Shankari Prasad Basu
Among the large number of books in
Bengali on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda, Pro-
fessor Shankari Prasad Basu’s pioneering work
in seven volumes, Vivekananda O Samakalin
~ 273 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Bharat Barsha, occupies a place of pride.
Professor Basu, now is his eighties, relates as
to how William Hastie, the Principal of Scottish
Church College in Calcutta, motivated young
Naren to visit Sri Ramakrishna which was to
became a turning point in the spiritual history
of India. The book brings to light the social,
political and cultural condition of contempo-
rary India as described in two English dailies—
Hindu published from Madras and Tribune
published from Lahore. It also gives details of
the malicious attacks which certain old-
fashioned sections of Bengal carried on
Swamiji’s ideas and plans.
Professor Basu describes Swamiji’s role
in organizing a broad-based youth movement,
covering all Indian youth who were rejuve-
nated by Swamiji’s powerful message. It des-
cribed as to how Swamiji brought a revolution
in Bengali literature, contributed to national
integration, his dealing with leading perso-
nalities and intellectuals of those days and
lastly his influence on the next generation of
politicians, writers and intellectuals and youth.
The book is an encyclopaedia on Vivekananda
in Bengali like Mary Louise Burke’s six-volume
book, Swami Vivekananda in America—New
Discoveries.43
Mohitlal Majumdar
Mohitlal Majumdar (1888-1952) was a
reputed poet and critic of the first order in
Bengali literature. He was also a prolific writer
of Bengali prose. His books include Bangiar
Navayug, Vividha Katha, Bir Sannyasi Viveka-
nanda and others. A major portion of his book
Bangiar Navayug dealt with Ramakrishna-
Vivekananda who were, he felt, the best
representative of the modern era.
In Vividha Katha, in the section ‘Sri Rama-
krishna Vivekananda’, he referred to the well-
known vision of Sri Ramakrishna thus:
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
34
One day Sri Ramakrishna saw in Samadhi seven
venerable sages in meditation who surpassed
even the gods and goddesses in wisdom and
holiness. As Sri Ramakrishna was admiring their
unique spirituality, he saw a portion of the
undifferentiated Absolute become congealed, as
it were, and take the form of a divine child.
Gently clasping the neck of one of the sages with
its soft arms, the child whispered something in
his ear and at this magic touch, the sage awoke
from meditation. He fixed his half open eyes
upon the wondrous child, who said in great joy:
‘I am going down to earth. Won’t you come with
me?’ With a benign look the sage expressed
assent and returned into deep spiritual ecstasy.
When Sri Ramakrishna saw Naren for the first
time he immediately recognized him as an
incarnation of the sage. He also admitted that
the divine child who brought about the descent
of the sage was none other than himself.44
‘If Vivekananda is that venerable sage,
then Sri Ramakrishna is naturally the divine
child’, Majumdar wrote and went on to
add, ‘
and it is seen that the sage is the repository of
vast spiritual knowledge while the child is a doll
made of love and spiritual knowledge. The touch
of child’s divine love making the placid sea of
knowledge burst forth into waves of love. . .
The condensed spiritual consciousness gets
melted into spiritual joy. . . in this meditative
dream Sri Ramakrishna looks at himself but there
is no trace of sense of ego in this act; such an
instance of lack of self-consciousness is rare in
spiritual history. . . neither is there any sense of
ego nor a sense of embarrassment. . . ‘I am going
down to earth. Won’t you come with me’ was it
an order or an appeal—it cannot be understood
in normal earthly language. . . that scene of
heaven was enacted in this earth as well.’ Of
course, Narendra, the sage, continued to
remember that benign look to the child that was
Sri Ramakrishna. Narendra often said about his
Master: ‘I felt his wonderful love.’45
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 35

Before concluding this section of article, Mukhopadhyay (Banaful), Satyandra Nath

let us mention that we have not included the
monumental works of Swami Saradananda (Sri
Ramakrishna Leela Prasanga), Swami Gambhira-
nanda (Sri Ma Sarada Devi, Yuganayak Viveka-
nanda), both, biographical in nature, which are
literary treasures in Bengali.
There were many other authors in prose
like Achintya Kumar Sengupta, Dr. Balaichand
Majumdar, Girijashankar Roy Chowdhary,
Shankar, Sanjeeb Chattopadhyay and many
others who have enriched the Bengali litera-
ture with their writings on Sri Ramakrishna
and Swami Vivekananda.
In the final instalment of this article, we
will discuss some of the eminent Bengali poets.
(To be continued . . .)

References
33. Udbodhan, Dec. 2001, p.1006 40. Ibid Pp.605, 606
34. Vivekananda O Samakalin Bharat Barsha Vol IV 41. Udbodhan, Sept 2007 Pages 787, 788
p.160 foot note no. §§ 42. Vivekananda O Samakalin Bharat Barsha, Vol 11
35. Ibid, Vol VII Pages 600, 601 Pp.607, 608
36. Udbodhan, March 2009 p.201 43. The Story of Ramakrishna Mission, 2006 P 776
37. Ibid, May 2009 p.341 44. Vivekananda—a Biography, Swami Nikhilananda
38. Vivekananda O Samakalin Bharat Barsha Vol VII, p.35
p.602 45. Vivekananda O Samakalin Bharat Barsha, Vol VII
39. Ibid, Pp.603, 604 Pp.609, 610

Everything requires to be changed a little according to place,

time, and civilisation. Henceforth I am thinking of writing essays
in Bengali. Litterateurs will perhaps rail at them. Never mind—
I shall try to cast the Bengali language in a new mould.
Nowadays, Bengali writers use too many verbs in their
writings; this takes away the force of the language. If one
can express the ideas of verbs with adjectives, it adds to
the force of the language; henceforth try to write in that
style. Try to write articles in that style in the Udbodhan.
Do you know the meaning of the use of verbs in language?
It gives a pause to the thought; hence the use of too
many verbs in language is the sign of weakness, like
quick breathing, and indicates that there is not much vitality
in the language; that is why one cannot lecture well in the
Bengali language. He who has control over his language,
does not make frequent breaks in his thoughts.
—Swami Vivekananda, CW, 7: 171

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 275 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 Swami Vivekananda was a great storyteller. His talks and
writings are interspersed with numerous anecdotes, examples, similes, and
illustrations mirroring his vast knowledge of human nature—its potential and its relative
limitations. Some of these stories are well known, many others are little known. We
present here some more of these insightful stories, selected from his Complete Works.

XXXXXVII
The Story of Mahabharata (Continuation of previous issue. . .)
It came to pass that after having visited
all the different royal courts, Savitri at last
came to this hermitage, or holy place. Not even
the greatest king could pass by the hermitages,
or Ashramas as they were called, without
going to pay homage to the sages, for such
honour and respect was felt for these holy
men. The greatest emperor of India would be
only too glad to trace his descent to some sage
who lived in a forest, subsisting on roots and
fruits, and clad in rags. We are all children of
sages. That is the respect that is paid to
religion. So, even kings, when they pass by
the hermitages, feel honoured to go in and
pay their respects to the sages. If they approach
on horseback, they descend and walk as they
advance towards them. If they arrive in a
chariot, chariot and armour must be left
outside when they enter. . .
So Savitri came to this hermitage and saw
there Satyavan, the hermit’s son, and her heart
was conquered. She had escaped all the
princes of the palaces and the courts, but here
in the forest - refuge of the King Dyumatsena,
his son, Satyavan, stole her heart.
When Savitri returned to her father’s
house, he asked her, ‘Savitri, dear daughter,
speak. Did you see anybody whom you would
like to marry?’ Then softly with blushes, said
Savitri, ‘Yes, father.’ ‘What is the name of the
prince?’ ‘He is no prince, but the son of King
Dyumatsena who has lost his kingdom—a
prince without a patrimony, who lives a
monastic life, the life of a Sannyasin in a forest,
collecting roots and herbs, helping and feeding
his old father and mother, who live in a
cottage.’
On hearing this the father consulted the
Sage Narada, who happened to be then
present there, and he declared it was the most
ill - omened choice that was ever made. The
king then asked him to explain why it was so.
And Narada said, ‘Within twelve months from
this time the young man will die.’ Then the
king started with terror, and spoke, ‘Savitri,
this young man is going to die in twelve
months, and you will become a widow: think
of that! Desist from your choice, my child, you
shall never be married to a short-lived and
fated bridegroom.’ ‘Never mind, father; do not
ask me to marry another person and sacrifice
the chastity of mind, for I love and have
accepted in my mind that good and brave
Satyavan only as my husband. A maiden
chooses only once, and she never departs from
her troth.’
When the king found that Savitri was
resolute in mind and heart, he complied. Then
Savitri married prince Satyavan, and she
quietly went from the palace of her father into
the forest, to live with her chosen husband
and help her husband’s parents.

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 276 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Now, though Savitri knew the exact date
when Satyavan was to die, she kept it hidden
from him. Daily he went into the depths of
the forests, collected fruits and flowers,
gathered faggots, and then came back to the
cottage, and she cooked the meals and helped
the old people. Thus their lives went on until
the fatal day came near, and three short days
remained only. She took a severe vow of three
nights’ penance and holy fasts, and kept her
hard vigils. Savitri spent sorrowful and
sleepless nights with fervent prayers and
unseen tears, till the dreaded morning
dawned. That day Savitri could not bear him
out of her sight, even for a moment. She
begged permission from his parents to
accompany her husband, when he went to
gather the usual herbs and fuel, and gaining
their consent she went.
Suddenly, in faltering accents, he com-
plained to his wife of feeling faint, ‘My head
is dizzy, and my senses reel, dear Savitri, I
feel sleep stealing over me; let me rest beside
thee for a while.’ In fear and trembling she
replied, ‘Come, lay your head upon my lap,
my dearest lord.’ And he laid his burning head
in the lap of his wife, and ere long sighed and
expired. Clasping him to her, her eyes flowing
with tears, there she sat in the lonesome forest,
until the emissaries of Death approached to
take away the soul of Satyavan. But they could
not come near to the place where Savitri sat
with the dead body of her husband, his head
resting in her lap. There was a zone of fire
surrounding her, and not one of the emissaries
of Death could come within it. They all fled
back from it, returned to King Yama, the God
of Death, and told him why they could not
obtain the soul of this man.
Then came Yama, the God of Death, the
Judge of the dead. He was the first man that
died—the first man that died on earth—and
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
37
he had become the presiding deity over all
those that die. He judges whether, after a man
has died, he is to be punished or rewarded.
So he came himself. Of course, he could go
inside that charmed circle, as he was a god.
When he came to Savitri, he said, ‘Daughter,
give up this dead body, for know, death is the
fate of mortals, and I am the first of mortals
who died. Since then, everyone has had to die.
Death is the fate of man.’ Thus told, Savitri
walked off, and Yama drew the soul out. Yama
having possessed himself of the soul of the
young man proceeded on his way. Before he
had gone far, he heard footfalls upon the dry
leaves. He turned back. ‘Savitri, daughter, why
are you following me? This is the fate of all
mortals.’ ‘I am not following thee, Father,’
replied Savitri, ‘but this is, also, the fate of
woman, she follows where her love takes her,
and the Eternal Law separates not loving man
and faithful wife.’ Then said the God of Death,
‘Ask for any boon, except the life of your
husband.’ ‘If thou art pleased to grant a boon,
O Lord of Death, I ask that my father-in-law
may be cured of his blindness and made
happy.’ ‘Let thy pious wish be granted,
duteous daughter.’
And then the King of Death travelled on
with the soul of Satyavan. Again the same
footfall was heard from behind. He looked
round. ‘Savitri, my daughter, you are still
following me?’ ‘Yes, my Father; I cannot help
doing so; I am trying all the time to go back,
but the mind goes after my husband and the
body follows. The soul has already gone, for
in that soul is also mine; and when you take
the soul, the body follows, does it not?’
‘Pleased am I with your words, fair Savitri.
Ask yet another boon of me, but it must not
be the life of your husband.’ ‘Let my father-
in-law regain his lost wealth and kingdom,
Father, if thou art pleased to grant another
~ 277 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 38

supplication.’ ‘Loving daughter,’ Yama
answered, ‘this boon I now bestow; but return
home, for living mortal cannot go with King
Yama.’ And then Yama pursued his way.
But Savitri, meek and faithful, still
followed her departed husband. Yama again
turned back. ‘Noble Savitri, follow not in
hopeless woe.’ ‘I cannot choose but follow
where thou takest my beloved one.’ ‘Then
suppose, Savitri, that your husband was a
sinner and has to go to hell. In that case goes
Savitri with the one she loves?’ ‘Glad am I to
follow where he goes, be it life or death,
heaven or hell,’ said the loving wife. ‘Blessed
are your words, my child, pleased am I with
you, ask yet another boon, but the dead come
not to life again.’ ‘Since you so permit me,
then, let the imperial line of my father-in-law
be not destroyed; let his kingdom descend to
Satyavan’s sons.’ And then the God of Death
smiled. ‘My daughter, thou shalt have thy
desire now: here is the soul of thy husband,
he shall live again. He shall live to be a father
and thy children also shall reign in due course.
Return home. Love has conquered Death!
Woman never loved like thee, and thou art
the proof that even I, the God of Death, am
powerless against the power of the true love
that abideth!’ against the power of the true
love that abideth!’
This is the story of Savitri, and every girl
in India must aspire to be like Savitri, whose
love could not be conquered by death, and
who through this tremendous love snatched
back from even Yama, the soul of her husband.
The book is full of hundreds of beautiful
episodes like this.(4: 86-90)
(To be continued...)

'I just want to live like a TV'

One day a teacher of a primary school asked her students to write an essay about
what they would like God to do for them. Later in the evening while going through those
essays at home, she came across one that moved her much. Her husband, who just
walked in, enquired: 'What happened?' Handing over a sheet of paper, she answered,
'Read this. It's an essay by one of my students.' The husband read the following essay,
titled, 'I just want to live like a TV':
Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special:
Make me into a television. I want to take its place.
I want to live like the TV in my house.
Have my own special place and have my family around ME.
To be taken seriously when I talk . . .
I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions.
I want to receive the same special care that the TV receives even when it is not working.
Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired.
And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring me...
And . . . I want my brothers to fight to be with me . . .
I want to feel that family leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend some
time with me.
And last, but not the least, make it that I can make them all happy and entertain them.
Lord I don't ask you for much . . . I just want to live like a TV.'
Having finished reading the essay, the husband gravely remarked: ‘My God, poor kid.
What horrible parents!’ Tears rolling down her cheek, she looked up at him and calmly
said: ‘That essay is written by our son!!’ —Cyberspace

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 278 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

At Madurai Math

As a prelude to the 18th All Tamil Nadu Sri Ramakrishna-Swami
Vivekananda Devotees’ Meet to be held at Madurai from 3 to 5
December 2010, the Ramakrishna Math at Madurai organised a
conference on 20 May 2010.
Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, addressed
the gather and also answered questions from an audience of more than
2700 devotees, students and admirers. In the course of his talk, Dr.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
observed, ‘Rama-
krishna Mission is
striving to develop
our motherland and
youths according to
Swami Viveka-
nanda’s ideals.
Swamiji dreamt of
rejuvenation of India
through awakened
Youths. The ideal of
Ramakrishna Mission
is to create this type
Dr. Kalam receiving a set of books during the function (left)
of youths.’ † and making floral offerings to Swamiji's statue at Madurai Math (right)

General News

Y The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata organized Value Orientation Programme
to carry the man-making message of Swami Vivekananda to the youth through 205 Youth Conferences held
in 11 districts of West Bengal. Approximately 39,000 youths participated during January 2009 to December
2009. Apart from these, 9 district-level Youth Conferences were also held. 5 District Level Teachers’
Conferences were held in which 600 teachers participated and 1 Organisation Representatives’ Conference
was held on 31 May at the Institute where 162 organisations participated. Besides these, 2 Central Youth
Conventions were held on 29 March and 29 November at the Institute in which 2450 youth delegates and 478
observers participated. †
Y Foundation Day of the Ramakrishna Mission was celebrated at Belur Math on 1 May. Revered
President Maharaj chaired the meeting and released a commemorative volume on Ramakrishna Mission and
a booklet on Ramakrishna Mission’s relief services. Swami Smarananandaji, Swami Prameyanandaji, Swami
Prabhanandaji, Swami Suhitanandaji and two lay members addressed the gathering. In all, 325 monastics, 46
lay members, 51 associates and about 250 devotees attended the programme. †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 279 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 40

Y The newly set-up Critical Care Unit at Thiruvananthapuram hospital was inaugurated on 5 May.
Y On 6 May, the Government of Delhi State organized a function in connection with the launching of
their new website on Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), in which Smt. Sheila Dikshit,
Chief Minister of Delhi, presented a memento to our Delhi centre for its outstanding service in the area of
TB control. On 21 May, the centre organized an interfaith seminar on ‘A Tobacco-free Mankind’ in which
several religious leaders participated.
Y On 15 May, Swami Prameyanandaji, Vice President of the Ramakrishna Order, laid the foundation
stone for the proposed building with four rooms at Bamunmura Ashrama to be used by our monks intending
to do tapasya there.
Y The newly constructed dispensary building at Visakhapatnam centre was inaugurated on 16 May.
Y The anthropological museum at Cherrapunjee centre was inaugurated on 27 May. †

Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka

With the help of the Ministry of Social-Welfare,
Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and
under the project, ‘Support Services Program For the
Vulnerable Group (SSPVG)’, Ramakrishna Mission, Dhaka
distributed stipend among 1200 poor students on 22 May
2010.
Mr. Enamul Haq Mostafa Shaheed, Minister for Social
Welfare, and several government officials, devotees and
monks attended the function. †

Relief News

1. Storm Relief:
Assam: Silchar centre continued relief work in Cachar district affected by a devastating storm. During the
last month, the centre distributed saris, dhotis, CGI sheets, CGI tulis (ridges) and GI wires to 870 storm-
affected families of 15 villages in Palongghat and Barkhola blocks, Cachar district.
2. Laila Cyclone Relief:
Andhra Pradesh: In the wake of the recent Laila Cyclone in Andhra Pradesh, our Vijayawada centre
distributed dal (lentils), edible oil, duppats (cotton blankets), and towels, steel plates, steel ladles and
aluminium cooking pots to 1013 severely affected families of seven villages in Prakasam district. †

Laila Cyclone—distribution of relief material in Andhra Pradesh

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 280 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

GREAT THINKERS ON RAMAKRISHNA
VIVEKANANDA
Published by Ramakrishna Mis-
sion Institute of Culture, Golpark,
Kolkata - 700 029. Second
revised edition 2009, paperback,
pp. 210, Rs. 60.
In 1983 Swami Lokesh-
warananda brought out a small
book titled World Thinkers on Rama-
krishna-Vivekananda. After several reprints, a
revised edition of this well-known book was
brought out in 2007. The present book is its second
revised edition, with many additions and an
improved organization of matter.
Ramakrishna and Vivekananda are two
aspects of the same truth. While Sri Ramakrishna
was an infinite storehouse of spirituality, Swamiji
broadcast this precious treasure to one and all. The
universality and all-inclusiveness of their lives and
message drew, and continues to draw, great think-
ers the world over. Inspired by their life and
message, many of these great men and women have
articulated their admiration and reverence in the
form of glowing tributes and thoughtful obser-
vations. The book attempts to present a cross-section
of such tributes and observations.
The first and the second parts of the book
deal with the tributes offered to Sri Ramakrishna
and Swami Vivekananda respectively, and the third
part encompasses the short and snappy biographical
sketches of the great thinkers whose tributes have
been included in the book. The list of the legendary
people include famous philosophers and thinkers,
eminent writers and litterateurs, educationists,
historians, painters, statesmen, and scientists from
all over the world, renowned in their respective
fields. To name a few: Aldous Huxley, Christopher
Isherwood, Max Müller, Huston Smith, Sri Auro-
bindo, Jawaharlal Nehru, K. M. Munshi, Leo
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
For review in THE VEDANTA KESARI,
publishers need to send us
two copies of their latest publication.
Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Paul Brunton, R. C.
Majumdar, Romain Rolland, Sarojini Naidu, Subhas
Chandra Bose, Will Durant, William James, Bal
Gangadhar Tilak, J. C. Bose, Rabindranath Tagore,
S. Radhakrishnan, Subrahmanya Bharati, and
others.
It is evident from the pages of the book that
all of them were overwhelmed by Sri Ramakrishna’s
inner spirituality and utter simplicity, apparently
unsophisticated but nectarine, overflowing, un-
alloyed love and universality. Richard Schiffman,
says, ‘To one and all, Ramakrishna offered a vision
of hope’, whereas Romain Rolland aptly calls him
‘the symphony of India’.
On the other hand, it is the leonine strength,
virility of Swamiji, his love for motherland, en-
shrinement of the Advaitic principle in his life,
bracing self-reliance, humour, courage, and his all-
encompassing love for all that cast a magnetic spell
on the great savants. Almost all of them voice their
admiration for Swamiji’s stupendous contribution
towards harmonizing East and West, religion and
science, past and present, in fact, life itself. In the
words of Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Vivekananda’s
gospel marked the awakening of man in his fullness
and that is why it inspired our youth’.
Reading the book is an excellent opportunity
to get a peep into what some of the most gifted
and greatest contemporary thinkers from diverse
fields have said of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami
Vivekananda. It enables the readers to get a better
understanding of the life and message of Sri
Ramakrishna and Vivekananda—in a larger,
international perspective. One feels imbued with
the spirit of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda after
reading the book. It is stimulating to explore further
about the immensity of these great lives.
Modestly priced and elegantly designed, the
book is recommended to all libraries, including the
personal collections of devotees and intellectuals.
______________________ CHETANA MANDAVIA, JUNAGADH.
~ 281 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

SRI RAMAKRISHNA
PARAMAHANSA
By Dushyanta Pandya
Published by Readworthy Publi-
cations (P) Ltd. A-18 Mohan
Garden, Near Nawada Metro
Station, New Delhi - 110 059.
2008, paperback, pp.182,
Rs.220.
The divine life of Sri Ramakrishna
and his teachings were originally written with
utmost care by Swami Saradananda through Sri
Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga and by Mahendranath
Gupta (M) in Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita or The
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Lilaprasanga was
rendered in English with equal care by Swami
Jagadananda over 50 years ago titled Sri Rama-
krishna, The Great Master and more recently giving
a new look and special focus by Swami Chetana-
nanda in his Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play.
In writing these books, the learned monks
were anxious that as the contents concern an avatara,
these should be accurately presented and properly
understood by readers especially by those un-
familiar with Indian tradition, culture and philo-
sophy.
Dushyanta Pandya, the author of the present
book, has had the benefit of a long period of close
association with the Ramakrishna Movement in
various capacities. His book therefore reflects his
familiarity with the subject and attempts to
enlighten the reader about the life and teachings of
the Great Master. It takes the reader through Sri
Ramakrishna’s early life, experiments with spiritu-
ality, the preceptors who initiated him, married life,
interaction with devotees, unique methods of
training his disciples and finally the mahasamadhi.
Mr. Pandya greatly extols the devotion of
Mathurbabu, the son-in-law of Rani Rasmani. To
Mathurbabu Sri Ramakrishna alone was real,
everything else unreal. Guru-sishya episodes of Sri
Ramakrishna with the Brahmani and Totapuri
reveal the superior wisdom of the sishya. Sri Rama-
krishna renounced the world but unlike his
preceptor, he was aware that ‘the world, samsara,
is also God’s creation…it is permeated by God.’
Sri Ramakrishna was a tactful Master. Naren’s
hostility to ‘idol worship’ ended in due course in
his eventual acceptance through the aborted prayer
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
42
of supplication before Kali and later by listening to
the moving experience of Gopaler Ma with her
Gopala. Both, Naren, the vociferous questioner and
Yogin, another young man observing Sri Rama-
krishna ‘in day and at night’ were provided
opportunities to ‘test’ the genuineness of the Master.
In fact, the Master was in favour of a pupil
subjecting the prospective teacher to tests.
Dushyanta Pandya has portrayed the avatara
of our times in simple language. Sri Ramakrishna
as an avatara is an enigmatic personality, and books
on his life should be treated as Holy Scripture.
______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM, CHENNAI
E XPLORING H ARMONY AMONG
RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN INDIA
Published by Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture, Gol Park,
Kolkata - 700 029. 2008, hard-
back, pp. 386, Rs.150.
This book is a collection of
papers read in a seminar held at
the Ramakrishna Mission Insti-
tute of Culture, Kolkata, from January
4 to 6, 2007. The book also contains the
record of the discussions following each paper and
the panel discussion on the concluding day of the
seminar.
The papers presented in the book are by
knowledgeable teachers and practitioners of
Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity,
Judaism, Sikhism, Sidda Yoga, Bahai Faith and
followers of Sri Ramanuja, Sri Chaitanya, Sri
Nimbarka and Sri Ramakrishna. Together, the
papers present a beautiful bouquet of the religious
diversity of modern India. The papers also discuss
the problems faced in peaceful and constructive
dialogue between the religions, and the possible
solutions.
The outstanding paper by Reverend Dr Roger
Gaikwad introduces the various paradigms like
exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism. Exclusivism
is the view that one’s own religion only is true and
all the other religions are false. Inclusivism holds
that one’s own religion is true and all other religions
are preparations for this religion, or in the best case,
all other religions are included in this religion.
Pluralism holds that all world religions are true,
revelations are many, there are several paths to
~ 282 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0

salvation and no single religion is complete by itself.
He also presents how several groups of churches
are striving towards a pluralistic approach from a
Christian point of view.
Dr. Jaswanth Singh Neki shows how the Sikh
religion is itself a living example of religious
pluralism. He shows by various quotations from
and statistics of the Guru Granth Sahib how the
ideas of Hindu saints, Muslim sufis and Sikh gurus
have been blended into a single harmonious system.
Swami Bhajanananda explains these para-
digms from a Hindu perspective and also intro-
duces one more paradigm—universalism—based on
the works of Swami Vivekananda. Universalism is
the view that there exists a set of universally valid
religious principles common to or unifying all
religions. He explains at length how Sri Rama-
krishna’s idea of religious harmony was from
personal experience and not merely based on
academic study.
Professor I.H.Azad Faruqi gives insight into
how Islam is a pluralistic religion that looks beyond
the narrow walls of caste, creed, colour and race.
He gives several quotations from the Quran to
support his view.
Acharya Srivatsa Goswami gives a historic
perspective to religious harmony in India by
showing how religious harmony existed even
during the peak of the Moghul rule in India. He
describes how the Mathura-Vrindavana complex
was built by support from both Raja Man Singh
and Emperor Akbar.
There are also papers in the book describing
the salient principles in different religions. Swami
Atmapriyananda gives an overview of Hinduism.
Prof. Hossainur Rahman gives important points of
Islam. Prof. Geshe N. Samten gives an overview of
Buddhism. Prof. M.A.Lakshmithathachar briefs the
teachings of Sri Ramanuja. Dr.Brindaban Bihari Das
briefs the teachings of Nimbarka. Rabbi Ezekiel
Isaac Malekar briefs the teachings of Judaism.
Dr.A.K.Merchant talks about Bahai Faith. Dr.Bibhu
Das describes his personal experience with Siddha
Yoga. All of them also show how the religions and
sects support religious harmony.
During current times of disharmony and
mutual distrust among religions, mainly caused by
political parties and other groups with vested
interests, such a conference as this and the
proceedings widely available in an easy to access
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
43
form is very much needed. The knowledge gained
by just reading the papers is an ample proof of the
necessity of such interfaith dialogues on a regular
basis.
_____________________________ GOKUL MUTHU, BANGALORE
FOUNDATIONS OF DHARMA
By Paramananda Bharati Swami.
Published by Jnanasamvardhani
Pratishthanam, Sumukha Resi-
dency, #302, 3rd Floor, #33,
M.V.Seetharamaiah Road, Gavi-
puram, Bangalore - 560 019.
Reprint 2008, paperback, pp.131,
Rs.60.
Let us begin with certain inte-
resting facts:
If instinct is that which comes without
practice, it comes from previous birth. Naturally
then, Jiva, the embodied being, should have
preceded body. Jiva has been taking innumerable
births in all species. So, every jiva has instincts of
every species. So, a Japanese sea creature comes all
the way to the Orissa coast to lay eggs. The chicks,
once out of the egg go back to Japan intact.
The information content in the DNA is not
lost as energy is not lost. The last vak, mano and
prana vrittis of a jiva form the blueprint of the future
body. A scientist says that life is not the secret of
DNA but DNA is the secret of life.
An embryo of 240 days in a cow spends 9.7%
of the time in wakeful state, 32% of the time in
dream, 5.8% of the time in deep sleep. Since dreams
can be only on the basis of the past experience, the
Hindu scriptures say that as long as the child is in
the womb, it remembers the past.
One Roger Sperry’s discovery, namely the
right part of the human brain is concerned with
subtle activities while the left is to do with the gross
things, will be more meaningful to us if we read
the statement in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, ’The
soul lives in the right eye and so is called
Dakshinakshi-purusha. He rules all the worlds and
the desires in man.’
Peter Roster, another scientist, has found that
even the single aspect of the Gayatri chandas in the
first Sukta of the Rig Veda has a mysteriously
complicated symmetry which suggests that the
Vedas must be of non-human origin.
~ 283 ~ J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 44
The total period of 600 million years of a
Manvantara corresponds exactly to the Cambrian
Age. Scientists tell us that the fossils of evolved
animals are found only within this age; prior to
this they are blank.
These are only a few of the interesting details
that the author of the book under review has shared
with his audience by way of answering their
questions after his lectures. The format of the book
is one of questions and answers. The language is
non-technical presenting an interface of science and
Vedanta. All the arguments about life and death
are drawn from Adi Shankara’s commentaries on
Upanishads and Gita.
The learned author proves that Vedic state-
ments are verifiable through inference and
experience. Disbelievers and sceptics who came to
scoff must have remained to pray.
The Epilogue contains valuable advice for the
youth of the country who run the risk of many a
pitfall wherever they turn. The book is well written
except that the possessive determiner, ’its’ is printed
as ‘it’s’ throughout the book. Is it a slip?
The wrapper highlights ‘OM’ with the rising
sun in the sylvan background being reflected in
the placid waters below. It appropriately reflects
the spirit in which the book is written.
___________________________ K. PANCHAPAGESAN, MUMBAI
SWARAJ
By A.R. Mohapatra
Published by Readworthy Publi-
cations (P) Ltd. A-18 Mohan
Garden, Near Nawada Metro
Station, New Delhi - 59. 2009,
paperback, pp.102, Rs.120.
Swaraj, as a spiritual and
moral concept, is an inseparable
part of human existence for all Indians.
Swaraj, the book under review, elaborates the idea
of Swaraj with the help of views of the great leaders
of modern India. It provides an insight, though
cursorily, into the thoughts and ideas of visionaries:
such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Rabin-
dranath Tagore, and Swami Vivekananda.
If really you have offered your all, your mind and heart to God, then you are beyond
all duties; you are no longer ‘you’, neither have you anything that is ‘yours’.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 284 ~
Unlike the common man’s mistaken notion
that ‘Swaraj’ means political freedom, the votaries
of ‘Swaraj’ attached a deeper significance to it. Dr
Mohapatra brings out what these great leaders
envisioned by quoting from their writings. Swaraj
is a multidimensional concept and it is based on
the knowledge gained from our scriptures—the
Vedas and the Upanishads. Gandhiji described
Swaraj as self-rule of each individual and not mere
political independence. Tilak was the one who had
proclaimed ‘Swaraj is my birth right and I shall
have it.’ The concepts of Sri Aurobindo’s Sanatana
Dharma, Raja Rammohun Roy’s love for liberty,
Tagore’s philosophical expositions on the equality
of all religions, of man’s dependence on nature and
of the bond between man and god, and Swami
Vivekananda’s spiritual fervour have been des-
cribed by the author in relation to Swaraj. These
enlightened thinkers had brought to light the
essence of Swaraj through their various works and
programmes.
‘Swaraj’ has always been a part of our culture
and heritage. It can be exercised only if individuals
take pride in our culture, and work towards the
revival of a heritage every Indian ought to be proud
of. This is the reason why most of the visionaries
proposed a universal religion on a higher note, and
emphasised the importance of imparting education
in one’s mother tongue rather than in English. The
author describes ‘Culture’ as a way of life and
‘Swaraj’ as a step towards it.
Dr Mahopatra gives the reader a tour through
the views of the great leaders regarding the concept
of ‘Swaraj’. The myth that ‘Swaraj’ is just freedom
from foreign intervention has been effectively
disproved. The innate divinity of man has been
emphasised as the pedestal on which the edifice of
‘Swaraj’ stands.
The book gives us an understanding of what
the proposers of Swaraj meant and makes the reader
realise that Swaraj, in its widest sense, is yet to be
attained.
The book, although needing careful proof-
reading and refinement of expression, is a timely
publication.
______________________ PROBAL RAY CHOUDHURY, KERALA
—Swami Premananda
J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 45

The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme Continued from page 4

4310. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Shree Somnath Sanskrit University, Gujarat - 362 265
4311. -do- ICFAI Business School, Gujarat - 380 054
4312. -do- Srimad Rajchandra Inst. of Mgt., Gujarat - 394 350
4313. Mr. R.L. Mittal, Punjab Atma Ramkumar Sabha Senior Sec. School, Patiala, Punjab
4314. Mr.M.L. Nath R.R. Institution, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal
4315. Dr. Chetan Trived, Vadodara Basappa Memorial Hospital, Jayalakshmipuram, Mysore - 570 012
4316. Ms. Aparna Dalal, Maharastra Rigvi Inst. of Mgt. Studies and Res., Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050
4317. D.R. Zala, Vadodara The Barton Library, Bhav Nagar, Gujarat - 364 001
4318. -do- The Govt. District Library, Vadodara - 390 007
4319. Mrs. Shanti Natarajan, Chennai Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Sarada Public Library, Tenkasi - 627 811
4320. Mrs. Sallitha Devi, Chennai Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai - 600 045
4321. Mr. A.N. Gupta, Rishikesh Swami Vivekananda Yogashram, Delhi (E) - 110 051
4322. Mrs. Bama Pandurang, Bangalore Basavangudi Union Service Club, Bangalore - 560 004
4323. Dr. Vijay Nyati, Rajasthan Sri A.V. Jain Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, Rajasthan - 335 001
4324. Mr. K. Saikiran, Chennai Sathyabama Engineering College, Chennai - 600 096
4325. Mr. Veera Narayan Sreepathe, A.P. Amitaranjan Sankaribala Vedavidya Mandir, W.B. - 712 122
4326. -do- S.M. Krishna College, A.P. - 509 357
4327. -do- Kottan Institute of Advanced Studies, A.P. - 509 125
4328. Mr. Arindam Chowdhury, W.B. Seva Samithy Library, Murshidabad, W.B. - 742 103
4329. Westland Limited, New Delhi Educational Resource Dept., Kodaikanal - 624 101
4330. Ms. K. Chandan, Bangalore Magnus School of Business, Bangalore
4331. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Vikram Sarabai Space Centre, Trivandrum - 695 022
4332. Mrs.P.Bhattacharya, Delhi Ramakrishna Seva Sangha, 24 Parganas (S), W.B. - 743 337
4333. Mr. Sushanta Kumar Chandra, U.P. Kendriya Vihar, Noida, U.P.
4334. Ashish Sharma, Chandigarh Swami Sarvanand Institute, Gurudaspur Dist. - 143 531
4335. -do- S.A.S. Institute of Information Technology, Punjab
4336. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Yugantar Education, Maharastra - 440 001
4337. -do- Y.N. College, W.G. Dist., A.P. - 534 275
4338. -do- Wigan & Leigh College, Hyderabad, A.P. - 500 038
4339. -do- Wigan & Leigh College, Mumbai, Maharastra - 400 011
4340. -do- V.S.M. College, East Godavari Dist., A.P. - 533 255
4341. -do- V.R.S. & Y.R.N. College, Prakasam Dist., A.P. - 532 157
4342. -do- Vivekananda School, Hyderabad, A.P. - 500 073
4343. -do- Sri Saiva Vuvathee Samakhya, Secunderabad - 500 061
4344. -do- Vivekananda Post Gradute Centre, Karimnagar, A.P. - 505 001
4345. -do- Vivekananda College of Arts, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore - 560 010
4346. -do- Vivekananda School, Panjagutta, Hyderabad - 500 073
4347. -do- Vivekananda Education Societies, Mumbai, Maharastra - 400 071
4348. -do- Vivek Vardhini College, Jambagh, Hyderabad - 500 095
4349. -do- Viswa Bharathi Engg. College, Kukatpally, Hyderabad - 500 072
4350. -do- S.R. Institute, Rajbagh, Srinagar - 190 009
4351. -do- Vishveshwarya Inst. of Engg., Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. - 203 207
4352. -do- VIVA Institute, Vasai, Maharastra - 401 303
4353. -do- Visakha Institute, Visakhapatnam, A.P. - 530 022
4354. -do- Vikram University, Ujjain, M.P. - 456 010
4355. -do- Vijaynagar Institute, Karnataka - 583 104
 46

4356. -do- VIF School, Monibad, A.P. - 500 075

4357. -do- Vidya Bharati Institute, C.K. Naidu Marg., Amravati - 444 602
4358. -do- Vidhrabha Institute, Akola, Maharastra - 444 001
4359. -do- Velammal College, Red Hills Road, Chennai - 600 066
4360. -do- Velankanni Institute, Nellore Dist., A.P. - 524 320
4361. -do- Velangini Institute, Hyderabad, A.P. - 501 301
4362. -do- Vathsalya College, Nolgonda, A.P. - 508 116
4363. -do- Vaishali Institute, Bihar - 842 002
4364. -do- Vaikunth Mehta National Institute, Pune, Maharastra - 411 007
4365. -do- Vaagdevi College, Warangal Dist., A.P. - 506 001
4366. -do- V.V.S. Vijayanagar Institute, Bellary, Karnataka - 583 104
4367. -do- V.R. Institute, Nellore, A.P. - 524 001
4368. -do- University School of Management Studies, Delhi - 110 006
4369. -do- University School of Management, Punjab - 151 302
4370. -do- University Post Graduate College, Warangal, A.P. - 506 001
4371. -do- University Post Graduate College, Khammam, A.P. - 507 002
4372. -do- Alkesh Dinesh Mody Inst. of Investment Studies, Mumbai - 400 032
4373. -do- University of Jammu, J & K - 180 004
4374. -do- Bhagalpur University, Bihar - 812 007
4375. -do- Kakatia University, Warangal, A.P. - 506 001
4376. -do- Punjab University, Punjab - 160 014
4377. -do- United Institute of Management, Uttara Pradesh - 211 003
4378. -do- Unique Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, U.P. - 201 201
4379. -do- TTI College, Mysore, Karnataka - 570 009
4380. -do- Trinity PG College, Khammam, A.P. - 507 002
4381. -do- Rajgad Institute, Pune, Maharastra - 411 043
4382. -do- Trimurty Institute, Bharuch, Gujarat - 392 150
4383. -do- Transformation Institute, Mangalore, Karnataka - 575 002
4384. -do- Training and Advanced Studies in Mgt. and Communication, Pune - 411 014
4385. -do- TJPS College, Guntur, A.P. - 522 006
4386. -do- Mukund Lall College, Haryana - 135 001
4387. -do- Thiagarajar School of Management, Madurai, T.N. - 625 005
4388. -do- The Pedanandipadu College, Guntur Dist., A.P. - 522 235
4389. -do- The Oxford College, Hosur Road, Bangalore, Karnataka - 560 068

To be continued . . .

India’s Timeless Wisdom

X°do nwÈfH$mao M H$_©{g{’Ï`©dpÒWVmü&
Và X°d_{^Ï`∫ß$ nm°Èfß nm°d©Xo{hH$_≤ü&&
Success of actions rests equally on destiny and one’s efforts. Of these two,
destiny is the expression of the efforts made in a previous life.
—Yajnavalkya-Smriti, I. 349
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 47 J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University

(Declared by Government of India under Section 3 of UGC Act)
PO Belur Math, Dist Howrah 711202, West Bengal
Phone: (033) 2654 999 / 2654 3503; Fax: (033) 2654 4640
Email: rkmvubelur@gmail.com; vivekananda.university@gmail.com
AN APPEAL
Swami Vivekananda once prophesied, ‘Now, the aim is to gradually develop this [Belur]
Math into an all round university.’ Ramakrishna Mission’s newly established University at Belur,
inaugurated on 4 July 2005, is a humble first step in this direction.
The uniqueness of the University consists in (i) the emphasis on certain ‘thrust areas’ which
are also ‘gap areas’ in that these areas scarcely receive any attention in the conventional
universities in India, (ii) the multi-campus character of the University—it operates through a
wide network of specialized Faculty at the various branch-centres of Ramakrishna Mission some
of which have been working in these areas for decades, (iii) the inculcation of higher human
values in our attempt to realize Swami Vivekananda’s vision of value-based education forms the
essential component of all the courses run by the University.
Some of the courses and programmes being offered at present are:
(i) B.Ed. and M.Ed. courses as well as M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in Disability
Management and Special Education
(ii) Courses in ‘General & Adapted Physical Education and Yoga’ including Special
Olympics meant especially for mentally retarded children—the first of its kind in Asia by any
University
(iii) M.Sc. courses in Integrated Rural Development and Management (IRDM) as well as
Integrated Rural and Tribal Development (IRTD)
(iv) Postgraduate Diploma course in Agro-based Bio-technology
(v) Diploma courses in ‘Integrated Self-Development’—Essentials of Indian Cultural and
Spiritual Heritage, etc.
(vi) Integrated M.A. course in Sanskrit, taught fully in Sanskrit medium, in gurukula spirit
with free food and accommodation; M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in Sanskrit Studies
(vii) M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Bengali Literature and Language Studies, doctoral and post-
doctoral programmes in Ramakrishna-Vivekananda philosophy and thought, Translation
Studies, Consciousness Studies etc.
(viii) M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, M.Phil.
and Ph.D. programmes in Theoretical Physics
We urgently need to create a sizeable corpus fund—at least 25 crores in the next couple of
years—to strengthen the foundations of the University and make it grow further. We therefore
appeal to all the friends, devotees, followers, well-wishers and admirers of Ramakrishna-
Vivekananda ideology to contribute generously for building up such a corpus fund. Donors to
the University will enjoy 100% exemption from Income Tax under a special provision—Section
80G, subsection 2(a) (iiif ) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, as notified by the Ministry of Finance,
Government of India.
Swami Atmapriyananda
Belur Math, 1 October 2009
Vice Chancellor
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 48 J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Sri Vivekananda Ashramam, Vellimalai

Vellimalai, Kalpadi P.O. Kanyakumari District.Tamil Nadu – 629 204
Ph: 04651 – 237411, 214632, Mob: 94430 02840

An Appeal for Sri Ramakrishnar Aalayam and

Swami Madhuranandar Manimandapam
Having received spiritual inspiration on seeing Swami Vivekananda at Madras in 1897,
Swami Ambanandaji was blessed with mantra deeksha from Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. He
started Vivekananda Ashramam in Vellimalai on Thaipoosam day in 1940.
Swami Madhurananda succeeded him in 1951 and all service activities initiated by him are
successfully carried on till this day by Swami Chaitanyanandaji.
Some of these activities are:
Y Training and guiding youth to spiritual
life.
Y Monthly spiritual retreats for devotees
Y Assistance to poor for education,
marriage and Health
Y Weekly spiritual classes at 850 local
temples for the benefit of 2000 teachers
and 30,000 students
Y Deepa Pooja at various temples every
month
Y Prayer for peace and prosperity at
devotees’ houses.
At an estimated cost of rupees one crore, construction of the following was started
1) Sri Ramakrishna temple and Prayer Hall to accommodate 200 people.
2) Swami Madhuranandar Manimandapam with seating capacity for 1000 people
during spiritual retreats programmes
3) A library of spiritual books
As the construction is halfway Rs.50 lakhs more is required to complete it. We seek your
generous help in completing this task which would benefit the spiritually hungry in this remote
area.
Donation of Rs.10,000 will be published in festival souvenir and Rs.50,000 will be
inscribed in stone plaque. Donations are exempt from IT under 80 (a) I.T. act.
Cheques / Demand Draft, payable at Nagar Kovil, in the name of ‘Sri Ramakrishna Seva
Sangam’ may be sent to Sri Vivekanananda Ashramam, Vellimalai, Kalpadi P.O. Kanyakumari
District – 629 204.
In the Service of Sri Guru Maharaj
Swami Chaitanyananda
Secretary
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 49 J U L Y 2 0 1 0

Teachers’

For details contact

Course coordinator, Eknath Bhavan, No. 19, Gavipuram Circule,
Kempegowda Nagar, Bangalore - 560 019
Ph: 080-2661 2669, 2891 6384, 2263 9961, 2263 9997
Telefax: 2660 8645; e-mail: svyasa@svyasa.org
 50
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i J U L Y 2 0 1 0

SRI RAMAKRISHNA ADVAITA ASHRAMA

(Hqs.: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math)
P.O. Kalady, Ernakulam-683574; Ph: 0484-2462345. E-mai1:srkaadv@dataone.in
The Ashrama has been running a free hostel for the poor, underprivileged and orphan
children from classes V to X since 1936. There is an urgent need for repair and renovation of
the old buildings and also creating a corpus fund for maintaining the hostel of 100 children,
providing them with food, uniform, accommodation and study materials free of cost.
We appeal to the generous public and well wishers to donate liberally for: 1) Hostel
Corpus Fund and/or 2) Hostel Renovation Fund, which are exempt 100% from Income Tax
under 35AC.
An Endowment of Rs.1 lakh and above may be created in memory of the loved ones.
Donations towards other activities of the Ashrama- Daily Puja, Charitable Dispensaries,
Celebrations, Maintenance etc. (General Fund) are exempt from I.T. under 80G.
Cheques/Bank Drafts/M.O. may be drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Advaita
Ashrama, Kalady and sent to the above address.
Donors from foreign countries can send their contributions online to our F.C. A/C No.
338602010005806 while the Indians can send to the I.C. A/C No.338602010009164 at Union
Bank of India, Kalady (IFSC Code: UBIN0533866). Swami Amaleshananda
Adhyaksha

JIVANMUKTI VIVEKA
Vidyaranya
A new translation by Swami Harshananda
The celebrated Sanskrit work on various aspects
of jivanmukti—‘free while living’—by the 14th cen-
tury scholar-saint Vidyaranya
Translated from Swami Harshananda’s Kannada
translation by Dr. H Ramachandra Swamy, with copi-
ous notes and cross references

Price: Rs. 90/- + postage: Rs.25/- per copy

No request for VPP entertained

Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore,

Chennai - 600 004
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 51 J U L Y 2 0 1 0
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 52 J U L Y 2 0 1 0

A comprehensive account of
Swami Vivekananda’s nine-day stay
at the Ice House/Castle Kernan
(now called Vivekanandar Illam—
the Tamil word for a house;
‘Vivekananda House’) after his
triumphal return in 1897, followed by the founding of Chennai Sri
Ramakrishna Math there and the hardships and challenges Swami
Ramakrishnananda underwent during the initial years. The book brings
alive, with the help of archival photographs and memoirs, the history of
the building, and its association with many eminent people of
contemporary India. It was at the Vivekanandar Illam that the first centre
of Ramakrishna Math in South India functioned for 11 years.
A source of inspiration to thousands of people who visit it every year,
it is located on the picturesque Marina beach road in Chennai and houses
a ‘Permanent Exhibition on Indian Culture and Swami Vivekananda’,
maintained by Chennai Ramakrishna Math.
The hardbound book (size 1 x 4 crown) has 256+viii pages, with more
than 300 photographs in colour—printed on glossy paper—spread over
18 chapters and 12 appendices.

Price : Rs.200/- + postage: Rs. 40/-. No request for VPP entertained

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 53 J U L Y 2 0 1 0
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 54 J U L Y 2 0 1 0
 The Vedanta Kesari Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India
under No.1084 / 57. Postal Registered No. TN / CH (C) / 190 / 09-11
Licenced to Post WPP No. 259 / 09-11
Date of publication: 26th of every month

Teach yourselves, teach everyone his/her real nature, call upon the
sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will
come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that
is excellent will come, when this sleeping soul is roused to self-
conscious activity.
—Swami Vivekananda

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Contact: Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Website: www.sriramakrishnamath.org