Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission

Vedanta Sandesh
Year - 23 Issue 4
Oct 2017

Happy
Sharad Poornima
 Cover Page

This month our cover page is dedicated to the cool & amazingly
beautiful Sharad Poornima - which falls on 5th of Oct.
Hinduism is basically Vedic religion. Vedas alone are the real
source of our philosophy, religion & culture. Vedic masters were nature
worshippers. There cannot be a better picturization of the divine than
the amazing nature that has manifested in front of us. Everything has a
signature of God. The sun, moon, fire, water, air and earth directly bless
one & all. They are all so amazing & divine too. We cannot imagine our
lives without sun, fire or water, to just mention a few. Those who selflessly
bless us to have a healthy & happy life alone are divine manifestations
exuding the fragrance of the omniscient & compassionate God. When
we worship nature - there can be no sectarian differences too.
Beauty of nature and its worship makes a man very sensitive and
finally positive & thoughtful. We literally become poets, so its worship
should be encouraged by all. Go out to places of natural beauty, bathe in
the beauty of nature. You shall become strong, stress-free, and definitely
a devotee of its creator. No wonder one full chapter of Bhagwad Gita
too is dedicated to the glories of God.
The moon of Sharad Poornima is one of the most beautiful
sight. Lets not miss it, and make it instrumental to sing the glories of
God. Moon is the devata of mind, so while you experience the beauty of
moon, also see how it makes your mind quiet, peaceful and awakened.
V edanta Sandes h

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 CONTENTS Vedanta Sandesh
October 2017

1. Shloka 5

2. Message of P. Guruji 7-8

3. Tattva Bodha 9-15

4. Letter 16-17

5. Gita Reflections 18-24

6. We Must 25-32

7. Jivanmukta 33-35

8. Story Section 36-37

9. Mission / Ashram News 38-46

10. Forthcoming Progs 47

V edanta Sandes h

11. Links 48

3
 Monthly eMagazine of the International Vedanta Mission
Oct 2017 : Year 23 / Issue 4

Published by
International Vedanta Mission
Vedanta Ashram, E/2948, Sudama Nagar,
Indore-452009 (M.P.) India
http://www.vmission.org.in / vmission@gmail.com

Editor:

Swamini
Samatananda
Saraswati
V edanta Sandes h

4
 lnk loZxrksI;kRek
u loZ=koHkklrsA
cq)kosokoHkklsr
LoPNs"kq izfrfcEcor~AA
Even though our Atma is revealing at every moment
& place, yet for all those who do not know it, it is to be
first appreciated only in our pure minds, just as we can
see our reflection clearly in a clean mirror.

Atma Bodha - 17
V edanta Sandes h

6
 Message
from
Poojya Guruji

Laya - an Obstacle
Samadhi in Vedanta is to realize that I am the one infinite non-dual time-
less reality. The first stage of Samadhi is Savikalpa, wherein this Mahatma be-
comes conscious of this truth and retains this awareness, from various points of
views. It is like seeing the oneness even while there is perception of names &
forms. It is all about being conscious of what is absolute & what is relative, what
is dependent and what is not, what is the causeless cause and what all comes in
the domain of effects. With this vivek, the knowledge dawns and one can validate
this in various ways and then that awareness is owned up. It is an intrisic char-
acter of this knowledge that we realize fundamentally I am that. It is not that the
knower is knowing something intellectually, but it is a subjective realization of our
own self being the substratum of everything that is. Thoughts are not an impedi-
ment but a means to help bring about this realization. So even when thoughts are
there there is also this awareness of the unifying principle underlying everything.
In Savikalpa Samadhi there is deligent use of thoughts and vivek and the culmi-
nation of all this is the direct realization of ones self being Brahman. When this
knowledge is so clear that we do not need any more deliberations to bring about
the awareness, then that effortless awareness is called Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is
then being Brahman. It is knowing effortlessly that I am Brahman. This awakening
is Moksha, this is the sumum bonum of human existence, and with this alone all
V edanta Sandes h

endless transmigration comes to an end.

7
 This entire process is however a very subtle journey and there are various
ghats to cross. Here we shall not discuss the initial impediments of preparing
the mind, going to a teacher, studying shastras etc, but shall take time to dis-
cuss some impediments in gliding into this Savikalpa itself. This is discussed in
Mandukya Karika by Gaudapadacharya. There are four obstacles which such a
knowledgeable person needs to be aware of. They are: Laya, Vikshepa, Kashaya
and Rasaswadana. Let us briefly discuss Laya.
Laya is that obstacle wherein our mind without being aware of the fact of
non-duality it becomes quiet and thoughtless. Such a mind in fact is not doing
anything whatsoever, its complete quietitude. When a mind stays in such a state
for sometime then there is an experience of absorbtion. One is sucked in a state
wherein there is no awareness of anything, no knower, no knowing, and no time
or even this world. It is very near to sleep and is called Laya. We can call it an art
of gliding into deep sleep like state. Laya has all the benefits of sleep - like blissful
experience, deep relaxation, de-stressing and ofcourse complete thoughtless-
ness. Many people mistake it for samadhi, but it is not so, simply because such
a person goes into that state as an individual and obviously comes out of that
refreshing state as an individual. So there is no awareness of oneself being the
infinite self from whom the whole universe is springing forth etc.
Nowadays there is great attraction for being thoughtless. Most of the medi-
tation packages just aim for this thoughtlessness. While everyone should definite-
ly have the capacity of going into thoughtlessness - whenever they wish, but one
should also realize that this thoughtlessness has nothing to do with Samadhi. It
is rather art of going to Laya. How one can avoid laya, is by having value for valid
& worthy awareness rather than of dropping all awareness. Thoughts are not the
culprit, our ignorance and all the subsequent baseless notions are the probllems
and therefore instead of stopping thoughts one should study shastras and con-
template on pointers revealed therein. It is the absence of knowledge-endeavor
which is the gateway to laya. Sleep does not enlighten us it just refreshes us, so
in the first place - see Laya as an impediment.
V edanta Sandes h

8
TATTVA
BODHA

Panchikaranam

Swamini Samatananda
 Tattva Bodha

A ll that exists in nature is divided into three quali-

ties (Gunas) - Sattva, Rajas, & Tamas. The components of the
three Gunas is very much visible in our day to day life. There are
times when we are unconditionally happy , our mind is alert and
sharp, and we wish to do something for others in a selfless man-
ner. Thhis is a reflection of the Sattva Guna. There are times
when we are very active and more concerned about the Self.
This is a sign of Rajo Guna. At times we are just in no mood to
do anything and just wish to laze around. This is Tamo Guna.
According to their predominance in any human being,
a man is known primarily as either tamasic, rajasic or sattvic.
Everyone has traces of all these three elements, because these
three constitute what is known as Prakriti or nature. But of the
three, in each person one element predominates over the other
two, and this is the quality or Guna by which that person
is known.
Ramayana is a very popular epic in Hindu
Dharma. We have all heard of the three brothers of
Lanka,Vibheeshan, Ravana and Kumbhakarna. In-
terestingly these three brothers symbolise the
three Gunas. Vibheeshana was a Sattvik per-
son devoted to Lord Rama, living a pious and
V edanta Sandes h

10
 Tattva Bodha
righteous life. Ravana was an epitome of Rajo Guna overflow-
ing with false pride, a strong sense of doership and enjoyer-
ship, and thus looking down upon others insensitively. He lived
life totally aimed to nourish the ego. On the other hand Kumb-
hakarna reflected Tamo Guna living a life of inactivity, who
slept for six months and ate for six months. These three broth-
ers are a living example of the predominance of the three Gu-
nas and their consequences.
Devatas are known to be predominantly Sattvik and all
other non-human species live a programmed life. It is only a
Human being who has the freedom to invoke the predominance
of any of the three Gunas. If a preson is Tamasic by nature,
he can evolve from the Tamasic to the Rajasic and then from
the Rajasic to the Sattvik. Action and fruits of action both be-
come an instrument of either making us go downhill towards
becoming Tamasic or raising us to becoming Sattvik. When
Karma or action is performed by a great sense of doership and
there is a strong desire to enjoy the fruits of action then one
will soon glide into laziness. But when one directs and chan-
nelises ones actions as a worship to God and uses it for the
service of others it cultivates a selfless, pure and subtle mind.
This is the reason why in the Geeta Bhagwan Sri Krishna gives
so much importance to directing the field of action from Rajo
Guna to Sattva Guna, from Self centricity to serving others
V edanta Sandes h

11
 Tattva Bodha
by becoming an instrument of God. This is Sattva Guna. The
art of Sattvik karma has been gifted to us by Bhagwan in the
Geeta as Karma Yoga. It is then from the Sattvic path that one
can glide into the state beyond the three Gunas. Sattva Guna is
the only door to Enlightenment.
With this aerial picture of the three Gunas let us see
What the Acharya now reveals about the Tamasic Aspect of
creation. So far we discussed about the Sattvic and the Rajasic
aspect of creation.
If one were to build a house, we would first need the
engineering knowledge that goes into making a house. This
represents the Sattva guna which is expressed through the in-
tellect. Thereafter knowledge must be followed by energy to
make the contstruction. This is the Rajasic aspect of creation.
This must then be accompanied by the raw material to build the
house. This is the Tamasic aspect of creation. In the process of
creating the entire creation the Tamasic aspect is as significant
as the Sattvik and the Rajasic. So let us see how the evolution of
the Tamasic aspect came about.

How this Pachikarana (grossification) takes place?

iaphdj.ka dFke~ bfr psr~\

If it is asked how this Pachikarana (grossification) takes
place, it is as follows:
V edanta Sandes h

12
 Tattva Bodha

,rs"kka iapegkHkwrkuka rkelkak &Lo:ie~ ,desda

Hkwra f}/kk foHkT; ,desde~ v/kZa i`Fkd~ O;oLFkkI;
vijeije/kZa prq/kkZ foHkT; Lok/kZeU;s"kq v/ksZ"kq
LoHkkxprq"V;la;kstua dk;Ze~A rnk iaphdj.ka HkofrA
The Tamas aspect of each of the five elements divide
into two equal parts. One half of each remains intact. The oth-
er half of each gets divided into four equal parts. Then, to the
intact half of one element, one one-eighth portion from each
of the other four elements gets joined. Then Panchikarana (the
process by which the subtle elements become the gross ele-
ments) is complete.

,rsH;% iaphriapegkHkwrsH;% LFkwykjhja HkofrA

From these five grossified elements the gross body is
formed.

The evolution of tamas aspect (inertness or ignorance)

is explained by the a process known as panchikaranam. It is the
way the five basic subtler elements grossify and make up the
gross body (The Sthula Shareera) as well as the gross world.

The process of Panchikaranam (grossification) takes

V edanta Sandes h

13
 place in the following manner:

1) The tamasic aspect of each of the five basic elements divides

into two equal parts.
2) One half of each remains in-tact.
3) The other half of each gets divided into four equal parts.
(which is 1/8).
4) To the first intact-half of each element, a 1/8th portion
from each of the other four elements is added.
5) Thus the process of panchikaranam takes place.

In this manner every gross element is a mixture of all

five where as, every subtle element contains only that element.
The subtle element is called Tanmatra. Even though each of
the gross elements is a mixture of five, they are named after the
element that is predominent. For example, the gross Air cosists
of the grossification of the tamas aspects of Air, 1/8th each
of Space, Fire, Water and Earth. From these five grossified
elements, the gross body is formed. Thus the five gros-
sified elements and their combinations are responsible
for the formation of the gross body and the gross
objective world.
V edanta Sandes h

14
 Mail from
Poojya Guruji
Neutralizing Raaga
Hari om !

Regarding your question about vairagya and how we need to neutralize

our attachments. Vairagya means freedom from our Raga & Dwesha.
Vairagya gives us capacity of objective observation & analysis, and one
who can do this alone can realize the truth of all, so it is a very impor-
tant quality for every student to have.

The truth of all is beautiful & also divine. Everyone & everything is
basically that, however, what these Raga & Dwesha do is to divide this
beautiful world into good & bad - just based on our personal fancies
& conveniences. Thereafter our life is all about running towards one
half & running away from the other half. This is not how life should be.
It is wastage of ones life & its energies, and this is why people get so
stressed & ill. Not that our personal conveniences have no importance,
but we need to be aware that it is not the object which are good or bad
but it is all about our specific & personal needs.

These Raga & Dwesha come only when we see something partially and
not holistically. When we have Raga for something then we see only
the positive aspects of that thing or person, and we dislike someone
V edanta Sandes h

then the negative aspects dominate our perception & response. Well,

15
 lets remember, that everything & everyone have both the positive as
well as negative aspects, so ideally we need to be conscious of both and
then use them accordingly. Now suppose you have Raga for someone,
then in order to neutralize it, all what we need to do is to just become
conscious of its other aspects also, and you suddenly dilute your at-
tachment and thus neutralize it. So also with dwesha. Partial percep-
tion means ignorance of the truth, so we thereafter live in the world
our own personal whims & fancies. To see the beauty & goodness of an-
ything should not be our personal fancy but its truth, available for one
& all to see & appreciate. For this one needs to keep our personal fan-
cies aside and look at everything objectively. The truth of everything
& everyone is beautiful & divine.

Hope the point is clear now.

Love & om,

Swami Atmananda
V edanta Sandes h

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 Gita Reflections

i; es ikFkZ:ikf.k
'krkksFk lglzk%A
ukukfo/kkfu :ikf.k
ukuko.kkZd`rhfu pAA
V edanta Sandes h

(Gita 11/5)
17
17
 Pashya me Parth roopani
(i; es ikFkZ :ikf.k)

Swamini Samatananda

The Supreme Lord said: Behold, O Parth, my hun-

dreds and thousands of wonderful forms of various
shapes, sizes, and colors.
V edanta Sandes h

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18
 Gita Reflections
O n the humble request of Arjuna in the 11th
chapter of the Gita Sri Krishna very compassionately bestows
Arjuna with a divine vision to see the Vishwaroop of the Lord.
Having gifted him with the divine vision Sri Krishna thus says
Behold, O Partha, my hundreds and thousands of wonderful
forms of various shapes, sizes and colours. This sentence is a
very interesting subject matter not only for Arjuna but for all
those people who wish to tread the path of knowledge. Because
the fact is that not only is Arjuna gifted with the vision to see
the existence of God in and through the entire cosmos but we
all too are gifted with this divine vision as long as we hold the
hands of the scriptures and the Masters who are the guiding
lights on the path of wisdom. This world is a beautiful picture
of different shapes, colours and sizes which is intrinsically per-
vaded by God and to Him alone is all surrendered.

When we speak of knowledge then knowledge must not be

limited to the physical sciences of the world alone. Knowledge
is complete when we also discover who is the creator of the
world, how does he sustain the world and what is my relation-
ship with the creator. This is a complete spectrum covering the
knowledge the of the world of Ishwara and the Self. At the end
of it all, it will be amazing to see that actually God himself has
manifested as this beautiful creation and that I too am not sep-
V edanta Sandes h

19
19
 Gita Reflections
erate from God. There is only is one non dual existence which
is self effulgent and bliss. In this entire journey it is very in-
teresting to see that the knowledge of God and the knowledge
of the Self is not possible without the knowledge of the world
itself. It is true that the ultimate truth of everything is beyond
all names and forms but the fact remains that one cannot ignore
the existence of the beautiful world of names and forms. It is
this world alone which speaks volumes of the creator and sus-
tainer of this world, it is this physical world alone which is the
first spiritual teacher to unfold the truth of the Supreme pow-
er whom we call as Sachidananda. The knowledge of Brahma
is not a one sided knowledge. It is a journey from the known
to that which is beyond the known and the unknown. It is a
journey of seeing God in the multiplicity of names and forms
culminating in the truth of the Self which is the substratum of
all names and forms and yet which is untouched by all names
and forms.

Let us take a look into this journey from the form to the form-
less.

Bhagwan says to Arjuna O Partha Behold and See my hun-

dreds and thousands of wonderful forms of differents shapes,
sizes and colours. In this suggestion of Sri Krishna the word
See is worth noticing. It is interesting to see that we all are
V edanta Sandes h

20
20
 Gita Reflections
living in this world since time immemorial, we are experiencing
the great beauty of this world, of nature, of human beings and
its great pottentials yet ironically we are not actually Seeing
the world. We are seeing the world and its names and forms but
our vision is so superficial that all we can see is how and which
object or experience of the world can give me individual pleas-
ure. Our vision towards the world is so self centric and individ-
ualistic that we can only look at the world with the glasses of
enjoyership. This vision is so limited and disastrous that inspite
of seeing the world and getting so many pleasures out of it we
are not able to see the beauty of the very world itself, we are not
able to see the beauty of the creator and the functioning of the
world in totality, forget about seeing the ultimate substratum of
it all. Hence the scriptures give us a vision of seeing the gross
world itself in a manner which pulls us out of the shell of indi-
viduality, connects us with the totality and ultimately opens the
doors of the reality where there is a state of pure existence.

There are two phases in the journey of wisdom.

1. Bringing about a God-centric relationship rather than

an individual centric relationship.

In the state of ignorance we all live a very individualistic life.

A life totally revolving around self concerns. But as a first step
V edanta Sandes h

21
21
 Gita Reflections
into wisdom the scriptures teach us to live a life surrendered to
the Divine power which is the creator and sustainer of all living
and non-living beings. The entire creation is made up of differ-
ent parts which in totality form the cosmic body or the Viraat
Shareera of Ishwara himself. Our identity is nothing but we all
are a part of the divine cosmic body of God himself. Just as all
our parts of the body like the hands, legs, lungs, kidney, heart
atc are different parts of the body. Even though they their func-
tioning is connected to each other and they work in harmony
with each other yet they all finally function to serve the Jiva, the
entity who is adorning this body, the Self. Like wise we all as
different forms of manifestation in the world are different parts
of the cosmic body of God, and the genuine way of living is to
make all our functioning as an offering to the Divine power. If
we look at the world the world does not function in isolation.
Just as our the different parts of our body. So also we should live
in harmony with the totality surrendered to the Cosmic Divine.
This spirit of living is what Sri Krishna calls as Yagya Bhava in
the Gita. It is a spirit of excuding a fragrance of selfless living,
bubbling with the enthusiasm to serve and bring joy to everyone
as manifestations of God himself. In this same manner all be-
ings living and inert are part of the cosmic body. This is living
in tune with the totality. A mutual co-existence. Yagya bhava
is the life of spiritual evolvement. Without which the doors of
Self knowledge shall never open. This is the objective of all the
V edanta Sandes h

22
22
 Gita Reflections
material world and of all the living beings, to become an in-
strument of selfless service aimed at serving God in the various
forms. All live to fulfill the journey of Dharma, Artha, Kama
and Moksha of the other. This makes the world a beauty with
a purpose. Otherwise for an ignorant man it is only a means to
entertain and nourish the individual ego which only leads to the
continuity of samsara.

2:-A life lived as an offering to Ishwara with the spirit of mu-

tual welfare and happiness blooms and purifies the mind like a
flower. Such a purified mind alone is the deserving one to see
that reality which is beyond the names and forms. Then opens
the chapter of seeing that ultimately all names and forms are
an illusion, they have a relative existence. Their existence is not
possible with the Supreme power which is Pure Existence, Con-
sciousness and Bliss.

In this manner it is a journey from the level of individuality to

totality and then to that which is beyond all names and forms.
This is only possible when we first learn to see the entire cos-
mos with this divine vision.
V edanta Sandes h

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23
 WE MUST

17

Break your shell, open your wings and fly

 - 17 -
We Must
Live our Ideals

P.P. Gurudev
Swami Chinmayanandaji
V edanta Sandes h

25
 We Must
T he most tragic waste in the world is the dis-
sipation of mans mental energies which are so vital and pre-
cious. It is tragic because this wastage is never detected by the
community, nor are individuals conscious of this sad drain of
their own personality-vitality.

Apart from the impulsive thoughts and acts in an immoral and

unethical life which erode ones mental vigour, there are other
false ways-of-life which mirror the quantum of mans inner dy-
namism.

Generally, all the activities of life which are prompted by self-

ishness and greed, by desire and passion bring about mental ex-
haustion. The day we realise through self-analysis that worry
and resentment stamp a cruelly destructive and disintegrating
influence upon our own inner personality, we shall feel an irre-
sistible urgency to eliminate them. Indeed, man sinks into a mo-
rass of impotency only due to his own ignorance, and the pity is
he seems unaware, all the time, of the ruin that is engulfing him.

Of the many channels through which our mental energies are

dissipated, the maximum wastage pours out through the con-
stant, ever-dripping leakage the gaping holes created by worry,
anxiety, tension and excitement. These neverceasing trickles of
our measured life-forces are the thieves of our strength and joy.
V edanta Sandes h

Exile the robbers! Conserve our energies! by an intelligent reor-

ganisation of our mental attitude toward action.

26
 We Must
It is the ego-sense in us, the Hindu scriptures say, which is the
source of all these streams of mental drain. This ego, or indi-
viduality, is but a bundle of memories of the past, anxieties for
the future and excitement in the present. When this ego is sur-
rendered at the altar of an ideal, religious or secular, the flowing
outlet of dissipation will be halted, and within the individual
a more dynamic expression of life arises, harmonising his life-
in-the-world existence. When once our mind has been caught
into the inspiration of an ideal, we discover a new expansion of
unshakable poise, an enchanting balance and a calm self-control,
for we have surrendered our total personality in devotion and
reverence to that which we adore. In this attitude lies the secret
of making our life more efficient, and our actions more produc-
tive to the community and to ourselves.

Thus, when once we block and seal off the fountain-head, we

find within us, as time passes on, that the depleting channels of
drain have now become towers of strength, columns of courage
and powerful pillars of dynamism. But this new vitality-wealth
can now and then run loose in self-destructive directions unless
our fresh, creative aspirations care fully release the conserved
energies. For this we need to produce new plans, conceive new
schemes and draw-up fresh programmes of work. For unless we
guide our mounting energies into new fields of endeavour, the
old, dirty tendencies might again rise up. ... They must be intelli-
gently removed! Substitute them with the creative thought-pat-
terns as expressed in the sacred books, exemplified by our past
V edanta Sandes h

mighty men of tradition, and mirrored in the lives of success-

27
 We Must
ful, noble ones among us.

It is a fact that the brute force of a cultivated will power is not

always sufficient to stem the tide of our passionate tendencies.
In one challenging moment we may find ourselves drifting away
irresistibly into our old habits of thinking and acting. And not
too rarely we even detect our misconduct too late! but, by then
we would have committed ourselves to the foul urges within us,
insulting our own clear understanding and firm determination.

Therefore, we must learn to redeem our lower tendencies with

emotions and feelings of a higher order. Cultivate, we must, the
habits of mental peace, cheerfulness, fearlessness and a general
sense of contentment. When these have taken root in us, we
shall find desirable habits displacing the old dissipating tenden-
cies of anger, worry, fear and the sense of perpetual discontent-
ment.

Let us regularly open our head and heart to the enduring per-
fections and noble thoughts as preached and lived by the wise
noble seers of old. Such a consistent exposure can strengthen
and purify our character. By repression of false tendencies, we
can never come out of their clutches; substitution of healthy
ideas alone is the way to grow in our character-girth and per-
sonality-dimension.

The best and easiest method of achieving this goal is to steadily

V edanta Sandes h

study the scriptures, be faithful, sincere and ardent in our daily

28
 We Must
prayers, constantly tend the garden of our own behaviour both
mental and physical and be loyal to our vow ot systematic med-
itation each day. In short, let us try, achieve, and be inspired by
our minds ability to remain undaunted in an exalted attitude of
divine purity and peace.

Such a total transformation is to be achieved within our selves if

we are to really become faithful and useful workers. Others who
come near us will be moved to intelligently analyse and study
us. Our work amidst them is for their welfare and general inner
progress. If they detect weaknesses or irregularities in us, they
will get repelled, and such members can never more be served
by us. Hence the urgent call to each of us: develop noble quali-
ties; live them spontaneously in your daily life.

Let us consciously be aware that a world, not too sympathetic,

is silently judging our mental and physical behaviour. Nothing
escapes them. Nor should it! Our accidental, thoughtless or even
unconscious act or word has consequence, and it can, for those
who are watching, provide a disgruntled handle with which to
spank us. We who speak of goodness and preach religious val-
ues Beware! Every word we utter, every expression on our face,
every movement of our body, every mannerism, every habit,
is being carefully noted though more often it is misinterpret-
ed rather than sympathetically understood, overlooked and ig-
nored. All these build up the total impression which we make
upon the minds of others in society. Their approval is our pass-
V edanta Sandes h

port to the field of our work. Thus, we must be very deligent in

29
 We Must
cultivating the best habits, manners, moods, all of which go into
the moulding of an impressive peronality .... We Must.

Persuasively, every man influences the sphere around him and

others react to these silent impulses. When an individual is edu-
cated and culturally developed, his influence is more forceful and
irresistible. As sevaks we are cultivating the highest perfections
in ourselves and, naturally, as workers in the spiritual field, we
grow to exert an inescapable effect upon our society. Therefore,
make the most of yourself at all times. This is a sacred respon-
sibility upon every seeker-sevak who is serving humanity as an
expression of his service to the Lord.

A life that is consecrated should be exemplary. It is the virtuous

life of a sevak or sevika which brings assurance and upliftment
to the world by its truthful conviction. In fact, the world is nev-
er lifted to new heights of moral or spiritual stature except by
the noble life of the prophets and seers, which they lived as an
example for all humanity.

Merely to preach noble ideas is to strive to bring perfection into

the realm of imperfection. When this is accomplished it is una-
voidable that we will be making compromises with the ideal we
are striving to storm and conquer.

To live the ideal here on this earth, amid the screaming dedicat-
ed workers tensions of sobs and tears, of passions and pains, of
V edanta Sandes h

selfishness and lust, greed and covetousness, is to lift the gener-

30
 We Must
ation to a point nearer the zenith. Generally the masses under-
stand more through their eyes than through their ears.

Let us each take our lofty place in the world, realising that our
chaste and honest life will always inspire other men to also pur-
sue and achieve a great and worthy purpose in their life. It shall
be our privilege to expend our inner purity and outer discipline
for the advancement of the community towards an ampler peace,
security and goodness. Thus, by redeeming ourselves from our
own paltry weaknesses and by gathering a richer harvest of di-
vine benevolence, our very life is widening the circle of irresist-
ible influence upon the hearts of all others around us working
in their own particular fields.

Self-improvement is the secret of reaching others around us.

He who reigns supreme as master of himself alone becomes
the servant of light unto others. Only such a one can profitably
serve the society of his age. But the beauty of his life will con-
tinue to inspire the ages to come. Live this ideal, we must .

WE MUST.
V edanta Sandes h

31
Jivanmukta
Wandering In
Himalayas

61

Jwalamukhi

Excerpts from the Travel Memoirs of

Param Poojya
Swami Tapovanji Maharaj
 Jivanmukta
J walamukhi is a famous temple in the West-
ern Himalayas. All over India people worship innumerable gods
and Goddesses. The Puranas are full of praise of these deities.
Yet none can say definitely when and where these gods and God-
desses originated. The accounts given by historians are inade-
quate and incomplete. According to our ancient tradition, Jwala-
mukhi is just one of the numerous forms of Divine Mother. The
environs of her temple have come to be known as Jwalamukhi.

The temple is situated 2000 feet above sea level, in a valley of

the Himalayas. The road to it starts at Hoshiarpur in the Punjab. If
one proceeds northward along the route for 50 miles, climbing over
hillocks and passing through a district of whitish soil and treeless
copsewood, one at last arrives at the famous temple. When I got
down from the train I was persuaded to get into a car. But the mode
of travelling proved very uncomfortable, and before long I gave it
up to cover the remaining part of the journey alone on foot. It is
not seldom that an apparent curse turns out to be a blessing, and
that was so in this instance. As soon as left the vehicle, I found my-
self a free man. I began to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings
with renewed relish. If I had clung to the car, I could not have
experienced a thousand part of the pleasure thats now fell to me.

Alighting from the car I proceeded cheerfully along the red-

hot road passing through open forests. It was May 1929. The heat
V edanta Sandes h

33
33
 Jivanmukta
of the sun was intense. For 30 or 40 miles even drinking water
was scarce. But I made my way forward as well as I could. Once
I deviated from my course to visit a Devi Temple called Chin-
tamani. As some of the brahmins there were educated men, they
pressed me to stay with them at least for one night. I complied
with their wish and passed the night outside the village. The stay
refreshed me. The next morning I resumed my march, reaching
the river Beas, One of the tributaries of the Sindhu. I immersed
myself in the cold waters of the broad, bluestream. For 3 days
I had not had enough water even to quench my thirst, not to
speak of enjoying a bath. This is the paradox of the Himalayas.
At one spot is plenty of water, at another there is scarcity. In
some places food is found in great profusion; in others there is a
swarth of it. Here the place is deserted; there it is over populated!

A night in a village on the bank of the river. The next day

I reached Jwalamukhi. The place appeared to me to be an ex-
tensive village with a considerable population. I passed few days
there as the guest of the local postmaster, a Punjabi Brahmin.
Jwalamukhi is a lovely place; it is surrounded by forests on all
sides and with groves of trees. But in the extreme heat of the
season, its beauty seemed to have faded, yet there was still some-
thing very attractive about it.
V edanta Sandes h

34
34
 V edanta Sandes h

35
Section
STORY

35
 Kaikasis Siva Bhakti
R avanas shakti increased day by day and we
all know what ghora papa karyas he did once he got Ahankar see-
ing his own sakti. Devendra, hence, wanted to reduce the shakti of
Ravana. He learnt that his shakti was mainly due to his Mata-bhak-
ti and her (Kaikasis) shakti was due to her nishchal Siva bhakti.
Hence Devendra, once attempted to stop the Siva puja of Kaikasi.
Kaikasi used to do Siva puja everyday on the banks of the ocean and
on one day the ocean with its high tide came and washed away the
Siva Lingam; stopping her Siva puja.
On seeing the great sorrow of her mother, Kaikasi, Rava-
na immediately got angry on Mahavishnu and blames him to have
stopped her mothers Siva puja! Kaikasi then instead of blaming
others said that - if really my Siva bhakti had no doshas then no-
body could have stopped it. If this has happened then it means there
is some mistake committed by us only and it is more important
to correct our mistakes than blaming others. Also none can stand
against the great Vishnu and even though we are Saivas must never
go against Sri Vishnu . Realizing his mistake Ravana immediately
sets out to do a tapas for Paramesvara for Siva atma-Lingam (to
replace his mothers Parthiv Lingam).
Moral of the Story:
Before blaming others for the mistakes they committed it is
very important to correct ourselves. Anyway no one will be spared
by the God for the mistakes they have done. Everyone shall get the
karmaphala of their karmas - without any exception.
V edanta Sandes h

36
36
 Mission & Ashram News

Bringing Love & Light

in the lives of all with the
Knowledge of Self
V edanta Sandes h

37
 Mission News
Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow

by Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji

Gita Chapter 10 / Kenopanishad 1-1

V edanta Sandes h

10th - 17th Sept 2017

38
 Mission News
Gita Gyana Yagna - 2

Hariom Mandir, Lucknow

Vibhooti Yoga
V edanta Sandes h

39
 Mission News
Gita Gyana Yagna -3

Conclusion on 16th Sept evening

Bhandara for all - by Mandir authorities

V edanta Sandes h

Departure on 17th Sept

40
 Ashram News
Hanuman Chalisa Satsang: Sept 2017

by Poojya Guruji Swami Atmanandaji

Chaupayi - 21... contd

V edanta Sandes h

24th Sept 2017

41
 Ashram News
Hanuman Chalisa - 2

Bhajans & Chanting of Hanuman Chalisa

Conclusion with a grand Aarti

V edanta Sandes h

Album Link
42
 Ashram News
Rudrabhisheka at Ashram

by Avinash Datta

In memory of his wife Ritu Datta

V edanta Sandes h

11th Sept 2017

43
 Ashram News
Ashtami Pujan at Ashram

Once a year special Darshan & Puja

Mataji resides in the heart of Shivji

V edanta Sandes h

28rd Sept 2017

44
 Ashram News
Dasshera Puja of Giant Shiv-Linga

Dasshera is Ashram-Day also

We completed 22 years
V edanta Sandes h

Puja by our student - Bharat Raikwar

45
 Ashram News
New Ashram Member - Daya

German Shephard Pup

Arrived when he was a month old

V edanta Sandes h

Growing fast & nicely

46
 Forthcoming Programs
2nd-7th Oct 2017

GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Barbil (Orissa)

Gita Chapter-1 / Kathopanishad 1-1

By : Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji

22rd-27th Oct 2017

GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Indore

Gita Chap-5

Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji

8th-14th Nov 2017

GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Jalgaon

Gita Chap-9 / Bhaja Govindam-2

Poojya Swamini Poornanandaji

4th-10th Dec 2017

GITA GYANA YAGNA@ Mumbai

V edanta Sandes h

Gita Chap-17 / Advaita Makarand

Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji

47
 Visit us online :
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Check out earlier issues of :

Vedanta Sandesh

Visit the IVM Blog at :

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Published by:
International Vedanta Mission

Editor:
Swamini Samatananda Saraswati