Vedanta

The

Kesari

July 2019
1

The Vedanta Kesari

Cover Story
page 11...

1
`15
A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly
of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914
J uly
2019
 2
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देवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे, त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे ।

शङ्करमौलिनिवासिनि विमले, मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले ॥
O stainless pure one who resides in the matted locks of Shankara, may
my devotion remain firmly established on your lotus feet.
हरिपादपद्मतरङ्गिणि गङ्गे, हिमविधुमुक्ताधवलतरङ्गे ।
दूरीकुरु मम दुष्कृतिभारं, कुरु कृपया भवसागरपारम् ॥
O Mother, please remove the burden in my mind created by evil deeds, and
by your grace finally make me cross the ocean of samsara.
—Sri Shankaracharya
ir
M an d
o tr i
ng
Ga

Ganga Dashahara
on 12 June 2019 at
Belur Math
 3

106
th

T he V edanta K esari Year of Publication

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order

JULY Vol. 106, No. 7

2019 CONTENTS ISSN 0042-2983

y
r S to r
ve
Co
11
Sant Tukaram
Arpana Ghosh

46 21
FEATURES
The Guru 7 Dakäiëàmùrti Stotra Lyrics in Terracotta – Ratneshwar
Swami Vivekananda 8 Yugavani Temple of Bhattamati
9 Editorial Devashis Nandy
18 Reminiscences
The Value of Discipline 27 Vivekananda Way Bishop John J. Keane: In Defense
Prof. Sudha Shastri 33 Pariprasna of Swami Vivekananda
40 Book Reviews Asim Chaudhuri
48 What is Religion?
50 Topical Musings
43 52 The Order on the March
24

The ‘As’-‘Is’ Hybrid Poorva: Magic, Miracles and

Swami Satyapriyananda the Mystical Twelve
Lakshmi Devnath

35 31

Editor: Swami Mahamedhananda

Published by Swami Vimurtananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - 600 004 and
Printed by B. Rajkumar, Chennai - 600 014 on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust, Chennai - 600 004 and
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 The Vedanta Kesari
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E-mail: vk@chennaimath.org
Website : www.chennaimath.org

Dear Readers,
The Vedanta Kesari is one of the oldest cultural
and spiritual magazines in the country. Started under
the guidance and support of Swami Vivekananda, the
first issue of the magazine, then called
July 2019

Brahmavadin, came out on 14 Sept 1895.

Brahmavadin was run by one of Swamiji’s ardent
followers Sri Alasinga Perumal. After his death in
4 1909 the magazine publication became irregular,
and stopped in 1914 whereupon the Ramakrishna
Order revived it as The Vedanta Kesari.
The Vedanta Kesari

Swami Vivekananda’s concern for the

magazine is seen in his letters to Alasinga Perumal
where he writes: ‘Now I am bent upon starting the
journal.’ ‘Herewith I send a hundred dollars…. Hope this will go just a little in starting your
paper.’ ‘I am determined to see the paper succeed.’ ‘The Song of the Sannyasin is my first
contribution for your journal.’ ‘I learnt from your letter the bad financial state that Brahmavadin
is in.’ ‘It must be supported by the Hindus if they have any sense of virtue or gratitude left in
them.’ ‘I pledge myself to maintain the paper anyhow.’ ‘The Brahmavadin is a jewel—it must not
perish. Of course, such a paper has to be kept up by private help always, and we will do it.’
For the last 105 years, without missing a single issue, the magazine has been carrying the
invigorating message of Vedanta with articles on spirituality, culture, philosophy, youth,
personality development, science, holistic living, family and corporate values.
Over the years, production and publication costs have gone up manifold. A non-commercial
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Hence, we appeal to our readers and admirers of Swamiji to support us by donating to the
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 Dakäiëàmùrti Stotra
Sri Shankaracharya

Verse 7
बाल्यादिष्वपि जाग्रदादिषु तथा सर्वास्ववस्थास्वपि
व्यावृत्तास्वनुवर्तमानमहमित्यन्तस्स्फुरन्तं सदा ।
स्वात्मानं प्रकटीकरोति भजतां यो मुद्रया भद्रया
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ७ ॥
7. Obeisance to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is the
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. R A J A N I C H A K R AVA R T H Y S . , C H E N N A I

Guru, who by the auspicious mudrā1 is revealing to

his votaries2 his own Self3, which is persistently
present as the ‘I’ always shining inside, in all the

July 2019
various and mutually exclusive states like childhood
etc. as also waking etc.4

Notes:
1. Mudrās are certain mystic poses of fingers 7
and hands. Sometimes a mudrā is defined as that which gives pleasure (mudaṁ rāti) to the

The Vedanta Kesari

gods and make their hearts melt out of compassion (= drāvayati). Sculptured images of gods
invariably exhibit the mudrās. Dakṣiṇāmūrti is usually shown with the cinmudrā or
jñānamudrā, the pose indicating transmission of wisdom.
2. Unless one takes refuge in the guru, he will not teach spiritual wisdom. The Gītā (4.34)
says:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिन तत्त्वदर्शिनः ।।
‘Know that (Truth) by making obeisance to the knowers of Truth and by asking
inquisitive questions. (Those) wise men, the seers of Truth, will teach you (that) knowledge.’
3. The Self of Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, and the Parama-guru, the Supreme Teacher, is
the same as the Self of all beings. This has already been dealt with in the previous sections.
4. Whatever be the state, the sense of ‘I’ inside does not change. ‘I, who was a child, am
now an old man’; ‘I, who had slept, am waking up now’; ‘I, who was seeing, am now hearing’—
This is how the ‘I’-consciousness persists through all the states.

Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotra with Mānasollāsa. Translated and Annotated by Swami Harshananda

 Yugavani

Ego
Ego alone the cause of bondage
Sir, why are we bound like this? Why don’t we see
God?
Maya is nothing but the egotism of the embodied
soul. This egotism has covered everything like a veil. ‘All
troubles come to an end when the ego dies.’ If by the
grace of God a man but once realizes that he is not the
doer, then he at once becomes a Jivanmukta. Though
living in the body, he is liberated. He has nothing else to
fear.
This maya, that is to say, the ego, is like a cloud.
The sun cannot be seen on account of a thin patch of
July 2019

cloud; when that disappears one sees the sun. If by the

grace of the guru one’s ego vanishes, then one sees God.

Ego creates upadhis

8
The jiva is nothing but the embodiment of Satchidananda. But since maya, or ego, has
created various upadhis, he has forgotten his real Self.
The Vedanta Kesari

Each upadhi changes man’s nature. If he wears a fine black-bordered cloth, you will at
once find him humming Nidhu Babu’s love-songs. Then playing-cards and a walking-stick
follow. If even a sickly man puts on high boots, he begins to whistle and climbs the stairs like
an Englishman, jumping from one step to another. If a man but holds a pen in his hand, he
scribbles on any paper he can get hold of—such is the power of the pen!

Erase the Ego

A man cannot realize God unless he gets rid of all such egotistic ideas as ‘I am such an
important man’ or ‘I am so and so’. Level the mound of ‘I’ to the ground by dissolving it with
tears of devotion.

Vijnani’s understanding of Ego

The man coming down from samadhi perceives that it is Brahman that has become the
ego, the universe, and all living beings. This is known as vijnana.

Ego in Kaliyuga
In the Kaliyuga the life of man is centred on food. He cannot get rid of the feeling that he
is the body and the ego. Therefore, the path of devotion is prescribed for this cycle.
—Sri Ramakrishna
 Editorial
Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva
‘He who knows how to serve, knows how
to rule,’ wrote Swami Vivekananda.
Recently, the Prime Minister of India
echoed this idea in his first address to the
parliamentarians of the ruling party elected to
the 17 th Lok Sabha. He called upon the
parliamentarians to remain unattached to power,
because power is intoxicating. To be free from its
disorienting influence he advised them to
cultivate the spirit of Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva—‘to
serve man as God’ as taught by Sri Ramakrishna.
PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I V E N K ATA R A M A N A N T. , C H E N N A I
He asserted that there couldn’t be a greater or
better path than this spirit of seva to achieve
their own good and the good of the country. To
the extent they developed this seva bhav, he
assured them, the intoxication of power would
decrease and the blessings of people increase.
Sometimes, hidden in the folds of
everyday events, life presents a profound
thought, a subtle insight, or the deepest
transcendental truths. Ordinary minds usually
fail to perceive these gifts. It requires a
disciplined, creative mind to discover them.
In the presence of an avatara these
revelations of life are grand and world-moving.
As the avatara is the embodiment of Life, he
presents ideas vital for the evolution of higher
life in that age. More than a hundred years ago,
Sri Ramakrishna, the avatara of the Age, gave us
a flood of such ideas. Those around him,
disciples and lay householders, according to
their capacity caught some of these ideas and
worked them out. But it was given to his chief
disciple Swami Vivekananda to recognise,
interpret and broadcast the core teachings of
the avatara. As The Life of Swami Vivekananda
puts it, ‘His soul was most attuned to the
spiritual vibrations of the Master’s words. Thus
he read volumes where others read but pages
of that Revelation unto men which was the life
and gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.’ One such
profound idea that Swamiji discovered from an
everyday conversation, was Shiva Jnane Jiva
Seva.
One day, when sitting in his room at
Dakshineswar surrounded by Naren (later
Swami Vivekananda) and other disciples, Sri
Ramakrishna spoke about the Vaishnava
religion and explained the three practices
enjoined upon its followers – relish for the
name of God, compassion for all living
July 2019
creatures, and service to the Vaishnavas. Even
as he uttered, ‘compassion for all living
creatures’, Sri Ramakrishna entered into
Samadhi! After some time as he came out of
that deep level of consciousness, he said to 9
himself, ‘… Compassion for creatures! … No, it
The Vedanta Kesari
cannot be. It is not compassion for others, but
rather service to man, recognizing him to be the
veritable manifestation of God!’ When Naren
came out of the room he told the others, ‘What
a strange light have I discovered in those
wonderful words of the Master! … I have
understood that the ideal of Vedanta lived by
the recluse outside the pale of society can be
practised even from hearth and home and
applied to all our daily schemes of life. …’ Later
as Swami Vivekananda, he preached this idea
across the world as Practical Vedanta.
Serving God in man is indeed an ancient
spiritual practice. But it had remained confined
to a small group of people. It was the genius of
Swami Vivekananda that he unveiled the full
dimension of serving Jiva as Shiva. He traced it
to the positive approach to life which sees the
whole creation as divine. This affirmation of life
in a spirit of consecration is the basis from
which people can discover their fundamental
 oneness with the whole humanity and bring
about real harmony of mind and heart.
Serving fellow beings as manifestations of
God also transforms the receiver. In a relief
work undertaken in a slum by one of the
Ramakrishna Math centres, the swami in-
charge explained in simple terms the divinity in
man and after leading them in devotional
singing and prayers, joined them in eating the
food offered to God. Two women then
approached him and said, ‘Because we are poor
and live in a slum, people sometimes come
and give us old clothes and left-over food.
We feel small. Today, when we had prasad we
felt a sense of peace and dignity; we may be
poor, but we know we are really equal to
others.’
But is it so easy to see fellow human
July 2019
beings as God and serve them? It requires a
long methodical preparation. Swamiji
prescribed a three-step process that will
10 gradually empower us to perceive the divinity
in man. The first step is to feel with a
sympathetic heart the miseries and challenges
The Vedanta Kesari
experienced by the masses. This feeling should
be so intense that it pulsates in our blood and
nerve currents. When the whole body is thus
tuned to the real needs of fellow beings, we are
ready for the second step. This is to discover
the means to relieve individual and social
miseries. These solutions, Swamiji stresses,
should be in line with our cultural and spiritual
heritage. The third step is to strictly monitor
our motive in service and make sure that we
‘are not actuated by greed of gold’ or, ‘by thirst
for fame or power.’ If our legislators and
administrators can be trained to think, feel, and
act in this manner, they will manifest their
higher nature, and the whole system of
governance will evolve to Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva.
What is the right time to learn and imbibe
the spirit of Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva? Childhood is
the answer. Education is the only tool that can
effect a large scale social transformation. It is
on the foundation of education that a
civilisation is built. The greatness of ancient
India was based on its knowledge system which
was centered around the guru. It was a system
whose every aspect was firmly linked with a
religious, spiritual outlook. Education in
modern India too should be rooted in the twin
ideals of Renunciation and Service that Swami
Vivekananda presented as our national ideals.
Our students have to learn to renounce the
lower ego which functions as selfishness,
jealousy, etc. And they should pursue
knowledge not for mere livelihood, but to serve
the nation.
The Draft of National Educational Policy
2019, released last month, speaks of training
school children in ethical reasoning and then
inculcating in them ‘traditional Indian values of
seva, ahimsa, swacchata, satya, nishkama
karma, tolerance, honest hard work’ etc. But it
should be noted that ethical reasoning cannot
effect a spiritual orientation, and without a
spiritual outlook, values by themselves are
ineffectual for the good of humanity. The
University Education Commission 1948-49,
headed by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan rightly notes:
‘We have to understand that the great virtues of
loyalty, courage, discipline and self-sacrifice
may be used for good or bad ends. These are
essential for a successful citizen as for a
successful villain. What makes a man truly
virtuous is the purpose for which he lives, his
general outlook on life. Virtue and vice are
determined by the direction in which we move,
by the way in which we organize our life. Unless
morality is taken in a larger sense, it is not
enough. If we exclude spiritual training in our
institutions, we would be untrue to our whole
historical development.’
May the Guru who resides in our heart
give us the strength to serve Him in our fellow
beings. May He lead us from untruth to truth,
from ignorance to knowledge, and from death
to life eternal.
 Cover Story
T
he most popular of all the
Maharashtrian devotional saints is
undoubtedly Sant Tukaram (1608?-
1650). His songs for Vitthala of Pandharpur so
deeply influenced Marathi literature and
culture that they literally have become part of
Maharashtra’s public memory! There is no
home,  no village where someone doesn’t
memorize at least a couple of Tukoba’s abhangs
– many know hundreds by heart! Coming from
an ordinary background, showing his full
tangible humanness by laying bare his
anxieties, sufferings, weaknesses; speaking the
simple tongue of the common people, Tukaram
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. G . K A M E S WA R I D E V I , H Y D E R A B A D
is very much a saint the masses can identify
with; they regard him as one of themselves!
In a famous abhang –santa kripa jhali–his
disciple Bahinabai visualizes this  Bhakti-
Sampraday, the Varkari-Panth, as a temple built
over the last eight  centuries with the
contributions and blessings of all the
sants, culminating in Sant Tukaram as the kalash
or pinnacle. Not because he was greater than the
other saints in his realizations, but because the
teachings of this grand, straight and simple path
of bhakti came to full fruition in him. He is the
people’s poet – millions of illiterate villagers
have been  voicing their prayers of love of God
through Tukoba’s abhangs, receiving all
necessary spiritual instructions through them.
He not only realized God  himself, but
brought God-realization within the easy reach
of all!
‘Jnanoba – Tukaram’ are the two great
names chanted by hundreds of thousands of
Varkaris during the annual Ashad-pilgrimage to
Pandharpur. Sant Jnaneshvar–the foundation,
and Sant Tukaram–the pinnacle, contain within
them the blessings of all the other bhakti-saints
over the centuries.
Arpana Ghosh, a German by birth, is settled in Chennai for 27 years. She has embraced Vitthal Bhakti and is
Vitthal’s German Varkari. arpana-ghosh@hotmail.com
Sant Tukaram
ARPANA GHOSH
Life
Sant Tukaram (1608?-1650) was born in
July 2019
Dehu, a small village near Pune, not far away
from Alandi,  the sanjivan-samadhi of Sant
Jnaneshvar. Both towns lie on the banks of the
river Indrayani. 11
Tukaram’s family were devoted Varkaris
going back  for generations. One of his
The Vedanta Kesari
ancestors, Vishvambar, was so attracted to Lord
Vitthala that he would walk the distance of 250
km to Pandharpur twice a month for ekadashis!
Moved by this great ‘love-toil’ of their bhakta,
Vitthal and Rukmini manifested in two black
stone murtis in Dehu itself and became
Tukaram’s ancestral deities!
Tukaram himself wrote many
autobiographical abhangs. He calls himself a
‘Kumbi’, a peasant and trader. Having inherited
the office of ‘Mahajan’, they were also revenue-
collectors and moneylenders. The family was
initially well-off and by no means socially
backward. Tukaram, the second of three sons,
was married early and since his first wife was
ailing and couldn’t cope with  the household
chores, he married a second time.
 Then adversity struck.  His parents died He sings tujalagi majha jiva jhala pisa…,
and he had to shoulder the burden of his ‘hunting after you my life has become mad! I’m
extended family at the tender age of 17. Initially seeing everywhere only Panduranga! I left all
he showed a good hand with his father’s worldly affairs! In my mind there is only the
business, but gradually he ran into losses. In a sound of his name! I’m in total anguish—like a
terrible famine his first wife Rakhuma and his panting, twisting fish out of water! Tuka says:
elder son starved to death, and though he the only remedy now is to obtain his feet!’ or
strove hard, borrowed money and tried various anika dusare maj nahi ata… ‘now there is
trades, he was driven to bankruptcy and nothing else for me—Pandurang in my mind, in
penury. The village council humiliated him and my thoughts, awake and also dreaming! My
stripped him of his ‘mahajan’ title! eyes see only one—Him on the brick!’ Many
Tukaram became very times he uses the expression:
desperate. Devastated by the He made God ‘Vitthal, I’m entirely sold to you! My
horrors of the famine and failure so central in his life head is like a sacrificial  animal at
after failure to make a living, he now that everything else your feet—do with me what you
turned whole-heartedly to their simply dropped off want!’ People first regarded him as
family-deity Vitthala. mad; but his devotion to Vitthala and
In an autobiographical abhang he his compassion for everyone won them over. He
July 2019

says kaya khave ata…, ‘What to eat? Where to
go? What to do? On whose support? I’m tired of
everything - I shall now go and find out
12 Vitthala!’
Tukoba’s one-pointed devotion
The Vedanta Kesari
helped everyone in need, even animals! And he
never made a difference  between his own
family and others. 
Legends tell that Vitthala himself on
various  occasions came in disguise to help
Tuka’s household with grains, money and other

He set out with an unparalleled one-
pointedness, thinking day and night of nothing
else than Panduranga. He repaired the old
Vitthala shrine and spent most of the time there
or in the wilderness of the nearby Bhandara
and Bhamchander hills, meditating on Vitthala
and trying to study the Jnaneshvari and other
writings of the previous sants. He entirely
stopped working for a living.  There was
no income and he hardly paid attention to
household responsibilities; his wife had to fend
for herself with the children.
There was this extreme desire to see the
Lord, but he felt shame and extreme anguish
about his faults and shortcomings! He was in
constant warfare with himself! All he wanted
was a vision of Vitthal’s feet! The element of
seeking–begging for compassion–is so
dominant in Tuka like in none of the other
saints.
goods. Tukaram however wanted to live on
the grace of God from day to day, and although
his own children didn’t have much to eat, he
always immediately distributed any surplus—
to the great frustration of his wife Avali!
Though in the worldly sense she was a good
wife, she was a great nag and forever berating
Vitthala, calling him the ‘black destroyer of her
samsar’!
Tuka practically led the life of a
renunciate; not because he advocated such a
way of life in order to find God, but because he
made God so central in his life that everything
else simply dropped off. He never thought
about his body, he ate  and slept when nature
compelled, but he took no interest in
it.  Tukaram did not advise this lifestyle  for
everybody! The Varkaris  are all hardworking
householders – peasants, labourers,  traders,
and the like who integrate bhakti, bhajan and
 the recommended pilgrimages to Pandharpur–
the varis–into their life. Sannyasis are generally
not found here!
Sant Namdev in a Dream
About this time Sant Namdev appeared to
him in a dream, asking him  to compose
abhangs. More than 300 years ago Namdev
Maharaj had vowed to write one billion
abhangs for Vitthala, but had fallen short by
several thousand–Tukaram was now to
complete the task.
But Tukaram was diffident to accept this
mystic invitation. He sang, ‘How can I compose?
I never had a real darshan! I can sing with
justification only if I  have seen you, Vitthal!’  After all it was something completely unheard
There are such strong parallels between Sant
Namdev and Sant Tukaram–in their writings
and fervour of their bhakti–that people regard
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , C H E N N A I
Tukaram Maharaj as an incarnation of Sant
Namdev.
Tukaram finds his Guru
Tukaram did not have a guru in flesh and
blood. He tells us that he received initiation in
a dream. Stating the specific day he says: ‘My
Guru appeared in my dream. He put his hand on
my head, told his name as Babaji Chaitanya,
mentioned his spiritual lineage and gave me the
mantra: ‘Ram Krishna Hari’! It is assumed that
his Guru came from the shishya-parampara of
Sant Jnaneshvar. He experienced a fullness of
being like never before and took to the mantra
with all his heart.
Darshan
After the agonies of Tukaram reached an
extreme stage, Vitthala gave him  darshan on
the Bhamchander hill. One can visit this cave
even today in the outskirts of Dehu. Tukaram
sings: ‘My anxiety and doubts are at an end, my
previous outlook has entirely changed! I’m
filled with infinite bliss, His light is like a
million moons! Wherever I go God pursues me
now! Everything has become auspicious, I see
God everywhere, I prostrate in front of rivers,
trees and stones! Blessed that my love was fixed
in His name!’ Again, he says: ‘How could an
uneducated fool have the power to speak what
transcends the Vedas? He fills every nook and
cranny of me! I bear his stamp! Now my only
business is  to spread this easy road  to the
world and carry them over the  ocean of life!’
Tukaram started singing in street processions
with tal and chipli performing kirtan.
The ‘Drowning of the Gatha’
Though Tukaram Maharaj had a great
following, there were many who hated him.
of: a Shudra guru who gave the message of the
Vedas in the vernacular Marathi and who had
July 2019
even brahmin disciples! Starting right back in
the 13 C.E. with Sant Jnaneshvar this radical
bhakti-movement had been in constant conflict
with the brahminical rules,  ritualism and the 13
caste-system. The Brahmins felt very offended!
They sent a great scholar named Rameshvar
The Vedanta Kesari
Bhatt to charge Tukoba with heresy for writing
the secrets of the Vedas in Marathi while being
of a low-caste.
He forced Tukaram Maharaj to destroy his
abhang manuscripts by immersing them in the
Indrayani river. Though Tukaram meekly
complied, it was the worst ordeal. The Gatha
was his life-achievement, his song-offering of
love for Vitthala! That Vitthala allowed them to
be destroyed meant that everything was
meaningless! Tukaram Maharaj went on a fast
unto death. Then, after 13 days the Gatha
bundle floated up dry and intact, and he had
Vitthala’s darshan!
This was a turning point in his career as
poet and saint. His detractors were silenced,
and he became phenomenally popular in his
lifetime. And his persecutor Ramesh Bhatt
became one of his prime disciples who wrote
the famous Arati Tukarama and the abhang
 ‘Repeat his name— Tukaram, Tukaram—and on Garuda during one of his ecstatic kirtans and
death is trembling!’ His brahmin disciple carried him away to Vaikuntha—with his
Bahinabai states: ‘His abhangs were magical, mortal body! We have samadhis of all the other
his personality charismatic!’ People started saints, but not of Tukaram! Intriguingly he left
arriving from faraway places of Maharashtra. a set of farewell abhangs, where he tells that he
He had a group of 14 tal-bearers who followed is leaving for good for Panduranga was calling!
him everywhere to play the cymbals (tal) in his He requested everybody to stick to the holy
kirtans.  Marathi-speaking people were name, he solicited their blessings and vanished. 
brought  together like never before with the
audience singing along in the chorus. His The Abhangs
message was easy to understand and simple in What Tukaram Maharaj left for us are
nature. around 4500 abhangs which are
Shivaji wanted to known as Tukaram Gatha. His
Chatrapati Shivaji renounce his abhangs are more popular and widely
Even the great king Chatrapati kingdom, but sung than those of the other sants,
Shivaji  had heard about the saint and Tukaram Maharaj and there are great Varkari Maharajs
was very eager to meet him. Yet asked him not to who know the whole Gatha by heart!
Tukaram Maharaj declined an leave his dharma. Tukaram’s abhangs can be easily
July 2019

invitation to the kingly court. He discerned by his mudra in the last

refused all honours and kingly patronage and line, Tuka mhane, ‘says Tuka’. Unfortunately,
chose to live life day to day accepting its there is no chronological order in the abhangs;
14 uncertainties. Legend tells that the king himself they appear as a huge jumbled up collection!
came to Dehu with precious gifts, but Tukaram Among them we find many socio-critical
Maharaj rejected them all saying. amhi tene abhangs–against false sadhus and pandits,
The Vedanta Kesari

sukhi… ‘I am happy if you say Vitthala, Vitthala! about the hypocrisy of brahmins, against the
What is for you a great treasure is for me equal worship of many different idols, against
to dust! Wear tulsibeads on the neck and keep superstition and caste etc. Apart from the
the Ekadashi-fast, tell that you are a servant of different bhakti-topics, his abhangs for Vitthala
Hari—that is what makes me happy!’ and can be categorized into abhangs of great agony
mungi ani rava …. ‘ants and kings
are all the same to me!’ Shivaji
wanted to renounce his kingdom
then, but Tukaram Maharaj
asked him not to leave his
dharma. After Sant Tukaram’s
disappearance Chatrapati Shivaji
became the disciple of Sri
Samartha Ramdas.  

Sant Tukaram leaves for

Vaikunth Celebrations at Sant Tukaram Temple in Dehu
If we set his year of birth as 1608, Sant and yearning, abhangs of resignation and
Tukaram disappeared at the age of 42 without waiting, and abhangs of indifference. In the
a trace. People believe that Vitthal himself came latter ones he challenges even the existence of
 God! He accuses Vitthala of not keeping his
promise. He sings, ‘God is nothing but a
meaningless word, an empty symbol! I’m
ashamed to call myself your servant! You are a
beggar and a liar! I refuse to utter your name
again! Would I have known you don’t exist, I
would have not hankered after you!’ And then
there are the songs of bliss, where he tells how
everything entirely changed after getting
Vitthala’s darshan, how his limbs are bathed in
waves of indescribable bliss!
I don’t want brahmajnana – birth and acquired a human
Vitthal’s form
I’m your bhakta and
The most popular of all
his abhangs is ‘sundara te you are my
dhyana…, which along with keep it like this!
Sant Jnaneshvar’s rupa pahata locanim… is sung
as an invocation during any bhajan or kirtan.
Here Tukaram Maharaj describes Vitthala’s
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , C H E N N A I
enchanting form standing on a brick, hand on
the waist, with tulsi garlands around his neck,
yellow dhoti, decorated with fish-shaped
earrings and the kaustubha-gem. Tuka says: ‘He
is all my happiness! I always love to think of
him like this!’; and Tuka was very particular
that he wanted to see Vitthala exactly like this
and not in any other form!
Tukaram is like the other bhakti saints
firm in his sagun approach. He says: nako
brahmajnana… ‘I don’t want brahmajnana – I’m
your bhakta and you are my Deva, keep it like
this! I want to see your face, want to embrace
you, want to speak with you! Don’t make late
now, enchanter of the Gopis, keep your feet on
my head!’
Vitthal as a mother
Tukaram felt himself much like a little boy
and Vitthala as his mother. He chides Vitthala:
‘What mother are you that you left your child in
the forest alone!? How could a mother not fulfill
the wishes of her darling child?’ He pleads:
bhetivancuniya duje nahi chitti… ‘No other
thought than to meet you! Come and whisper to
me loving words, let us eat the food of bliss
together! Mother and child are not separate—
they eat together from one plate!’ Again, he
sings: thakalose dvari… ‘I’m a beggar standing
at your door! Vitthala, I want some alms— send
me out some little love-tokens!’
On the human birth
The Varkaris don’t have a self-negating,
renouncing approach to life. Tuka says: barve
jhalo alo ya janmasi … ‘It was good that I took
body, a vessel of bliss, the
greatest gain! He gave the five
Deva,  senses—hands, feet, ears, eyes
and a mouth to speak! If you,
Vitthala, join to them and be the sole object of
perception, then the bhavarog, the disease of
July 2019
worldly life is destroyed!’
About the sharira, the body, he says:
sharira dukhace kothara… ‘The body is
a storehouse of misery, full of diseases and 15
impurities, the cause of entanglement in
Maya—at the same time this body is the best of
The Vedanta Kesari
all, you can reach with it Parabrahma, you can
break with it the fetters of samsar! Tuka says:
Quickly use it to do bhajans of the Lord!’
Letters
Special to Sant Tukaram are a set of
abhangs titled Patrika. These are wistful letters
which Tukoba formulated for Vitthala when
once he was too sick to join the pilgrimage to
Pandharpur. He sent them along with
the Varkaris passing by his house.
Pandharpur
In many wonderful abhangs he invites
people to go to Pandharpur and plunder there
the unlimited treasure of the holy name. He
calls the city a touchstone and wish  fulfilling
tree! sakala tirthahuni Pandhari mukutamani…
‘What can I tell you about the splendour of
Pandhari, the crest jewel of all tirthas! There
 the husband of Lakshmi stands on a brick! No holy name is the greatest and most effective! Go
need of vows, pilgrimages, alms—the same and plunder Pandhari! There is the
punya you get here by just having one darshan marketplace of God’s name—and it’s all free!’
of Vitthala! Sadhus and sants sing his name! It’s God’s grace is most important because
a place of absolute rest for all beings! Tuka you cannot enforce spiritual vision! But if you
says: No matter how many praises I heap on call him with tears and all satvika bhavas, he
Pandhari— it’s never enough!’ cannot hold himself back and he will give
darshan! svalpa vate cale jaun … ‘After God’s
Who are the Sants? embrace you will see him everywhere! Then
The association with these supreme why mortify the body? You can dance now! Why
bhaktas, who have made Vitthala their all in all, in solitude? There is great bliss in the company
is one of the most significant of the sants!’ ‘I’m walking the simple
elements of the Varkari Sampraday. Say His name with and easy road—and I’m singing
‘Sant is God and God is Sant!’ Many such love that God Vitthala! You and me in merry
sants plead for this divine association stands before you! playfulness, roaring, shouting in bliss!
in their abhangs, and Tukaram You don’t need Carrying flags, adorned with
Maharaj stresses it the most. ‘A saint to go anywhere— gopichandan and tulsimalas! Tuka
who gives himself over to the Lord God comes home! says: This road is straight and goes
July 2019

and is entirely without desire is the right to Vaikuntha!’

ornament of all ornaments, greater than a Tukaram Maharaj expects from his
touchstone or wish-fulfilling tree! All he sees Varkaris very high moral values. All men and
16 and speaks is God! I want to be the sand and women are considered as Panduranga and
pebbles in Pandharpur where the sants walk!’ Rukmini! The worst is to hanker after
He lists up their qualities: ‘The servants of somebody else’s wife or property! Among other
The Vedanta Kesari

Hari are entirely free from fear, desire, worry
and hope! They are full of compassion, see
everybody as equal, and friend and foe alike!
They have no ego and pride, and they calmly
bear the buffets of the world! They never
engage in miracle-mongering! They have
abandoned the world—they need no honour or
perishable goods! God’s name is ever on their
tongue, they are filled in and out with the Lord
and they bear his seal! People live at their feet!’ They practically live on the road, walking up and
Upadesh
Tukaram Maharaj recommended constant
repetition of God’s name with one-pointed
devotion and holding on to Vitthala’s feet in
one’s heart! ‘Say his name with such love that
God stands before you! You don’t need to go
anywhere—God comes home! The name is
utterly sweet—repeating it, all bad qualities
drop off automatically! Among all sadhanas the
qualities he emphasizes utter simplicity,
truthfulness, humility and steadfastness.
The hardcore Varkaris
Among the hundreds of thousands of
Varkaris, there are groups who take Sant
Tukaram’s message in a very literal way. They try
to follow all his precepts, and these ‘hardcore
Varkaris’ are the personification of simplicity.
down Pandharpur-Alandi on Ekadashis, during
which they fast and sing throughout the night.
They receive food and clothing as is needed to
survive, and they lead a life of bhajan absorbed
in Vitthala. With their worn-out dhotis, stitched
up bags, lota and tal dangling from their
shoulders, sleeping on plastic sheets and gunny
bags, they take pride in living life day to day,
accepting the uncertainties of life. The frequent
expression in the abhangs: kaya vaca mana
 samarpana, ‘surrender body, speech, and mind’
is what they practice.
Dehu and the Tukaram Palkhi
Every year in March (phalgun), the little
town Dehu celebrates Sant Tukaram’s
Vaikunth-Arohan or ascension to Vaikuntha. It
is a one-day festival of bhajan where hundred
thousand of Varkaris fill up every nook and
corner.  It is called the ‘Tukaram Beej’.
Pandharpur, Alandi, Dehu and Paithan are the
most venerable places for the Varkaris.
In June/July the Tukaram Palkhi sets out
from Dehu for the Ashad - Yatra (the ‘Vari’) with
hundred thousands of Varkaris walking to
Pandharpur for the great Ashad Ekadashi. The
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. P R E M A R A G H U N AT H , C H E N N A I
Tukaram Palkhi is next to the Jnaneshvar Palkhi
the most prestigous.
The journey itself has the greatest
significance—the pilgrims become the
embodiment of this many century old tradition.
It is open to all, and it is considered a great
honour and privilege to walk the sacred road to
Pandharpur. Here on the road everybody is
deemed a sant.
Vitthal’s heroes and the timeless
Pandharpur
Tukaram Maharaj appears so meek and
gentle, yet there are several abhangs where his
voice is full of power. He is aware of his ability
to inspire people and claims the status of a
messenger: amhi namace dharaka… and kas
ghaloni balkat… ‘I have wrestled with time and
death and made a pathway over the ocean of
samsara! I have come! I’m  the bearer of the
name! I bear the stamp of Vithoba!’ In many an
abhang he says: eka gave amhi vithobace
nama… ‘There is no more birth and death, I
promise! I planted my foot on the forehead of
death!’ ‘I have destroyed the razorblade narrow
path so difficult to cross—now we can walk a
broad  road fit for a king! Take out the
mridangam, the vina and the tal! Let’s enjoy,
let’s taste brahmarasa, “the Bliss of the
Absolute”! Now I have no other work than to
sing Vithoba’s  name! Tuka says: Even the
greatest sinner becomes a jivanmukta and
crosses over in no time!’
Speaking of the ‘Warriors of Vitthala.’ he
says: ‘The only true warriors in the world are
the sants—they are softer than butter, but they
can cleave a diamond—not to fight for material
goods like land and property, but to fight faults
and bad qualities! What has to be destroyed are
the  fetters  of  samsar!’ Tukaram Maharaj
envisaged a united  world in the footsteps of
these sants! He says vira vitthalace gadhe…
‘Death even falls at the feet of these powerful
warriors of Vitthala! When they thunderously
July 2019
roar the names of Hari up in the sky, they burn
all faults. Their weapons are forgiveness,
compassion and peace!’ 
Tuka’s vision is a Pandhari beyond time 17
and death! The city of the sants, the city of love
and joy, where there is no pride of caste, where
The Vedanta Kesari
people fall at each other’s feet, where
everybody is equal! A place where Vitthala
comes out of the priest-and-ritual controlled
temple to dance with his bhaktas on the sand
bed of the river! Tuka says: Heci dana dega
deva… ‘Vitthala, give me the boon that I shall
never forget you! All I ever want is to sing your
name with love! I don’t want liberation or
wealth—let me always be with the sants! I’m
happily accepting then to be reborn again!’
The Varkari tradition is very much alive
even today. But a personality like Sant Tukaram
has not sprung up since the last 370 years!
The abhangs of his disciple Sant Niloba were
the last to be integrated in  the abhang
collection of all the Marathi bhakti-saints. Sant
Tukaram remains the last of the  great,  the
pinnacle!
 Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi
SWAMI SUHITANANDA

(Continued from previous issue. . .)

The author, now one of the Vice Presidents of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission,
noted these conversations while serving Swami Premeshananda (1884 – 1967) at Ramakrishna
Mission Ashrama, Sargachhi, Murshidabad, West Bengal. Premeshananda Maharaj was a disciple
of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. He inspired countless men and women to lead a life of spirituality
and service. These reminiscences were originally published in Bengali.

40
25.9.60 this book, it is a must for learning about Indian

A
sannyasi who was the head of a culture.
large, reputable college went to The foundation of the Sri Sri Chandi is
July 2019

Hrishikesh for some days. Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes).

Maharaj: Look. It is an act of manliness to
walk away from so much honour, influence, and
luxury. He has great potential as a spiritual
18 seeker. But there is a flip side to this. On
returning from Hrishikesh, he will gain prestige
The Vedanta Kesari
Creation starts with the combination of Akasa,
Ether, and Prana, Life force – these have been
depicted variously as the goddesses Chandi,
Jagaddhatri, and Durga. The metaphors of
Mother Kali and Lord Shiva also stand for

among his friends and adding to the honour he
already enjoys, he will be certified as a sadhu
from Hrishikesh (i.e., a tapasvi)! All these
aspects should be kept in mind.
The Brahmin priests are endowed with
tremendous rajoguna – so many ritualistic
practices, waving of hands, reciting verses, and
performing yajnas with much affectation. Just
notice how rajoguni the tantrikas (practitioners
of Shakti worship) are – smearing their
foreheads with red sandalpaste, etc. The
devotees of Krishna are full of love, Gauranga
(Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) devotees are
emotional, and the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna
are serene – gentle and dignified.
Brahmachari: Is there any need for
sannyasis to read the Sri Sri Chandi, or is it
enough if they just read the Gita?
Maharaj: We can learn many things about
Indian culture by reading the Sri Sri Chandi.
Although there is no need for sannyasis to read
Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman
(Brahman without attributes). The practice of
worshipping trees, stones, and serpents slowly
evolved from these concepts.
People who have not yet felt the need of
God in their lives see only the defects in the
lives of great men. Do you know why they do
this? Their minds are weak, so to justify their
own weaknesses they criticise the lives of great
men. Such people even allege that Swamiji had
the desire for honour and fame.
8.10.60
Maharaj: Some sadhus roam about as
parivrajakas (itinerant monks) without any
definite purpose. But a sannyasi has a goal – to
try and exhaust his rajoguna. Wherever he goes,
his mind should always remain spiritually
oriented. He should remember the Creator
whenever he sees beautiful scene. Thus,
gradually his mind will turn inward. The
 purpose of becoming a parivrajaka is to avoid
attachment to anything.
Suppose a seeker practises spiritual
discipline for fifty years. Perhaps he had
committed an evil act ten lifetimes ago. Now in
this birth a coincidence of similar
circumstances may lead him to commit the
same evil act again. For this reason, we have to
always remain alert. Who knows what
untoward action I may commit in a weak
moment?
Dispassion is a subjective matter. It wells
up from within. To quicken and make it strong,
we must practice abhyasa-yoga, living in a
community life in accordance with definite
prescribed rules.
Listen. Listen here. Fetch ‘Srim’.
Attendant: What is ‘Srim’?
Maharaj: Oh! Don’t you know the story? It
PA G E S P O N S O R : D R . R A M YA S . , C H E N N A I
is about the doctor you see there – the one who
is aged, dark, and thin. When he was studying
medicine in Kolkata, he went to Belur Math
once or twice. Possibly as a volunteer he
distributed khichuri prasada to devotees during
some celebration. In the afternoon he attended
the religious meeting as well. The direct
disciples of Sri Ramakrishna too were present
there.
After completing his studies, he took up a
job. The World War began; he went abroad on
commission and earned a lot of money. After
retirement he returned to his own house in
Murshidabad. One day he went to a shop to buy
something. The shopkeeper gave him the item
wrapped in a sheet of paper. When he read the
text written on it, the subject seemed familiar.
It included the names of Baburam, Khoka, and
others. Actually the wrapping paper was a page
from the Kathamrita (the Bengali original of
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). When he
recognised it as a page from the Kathamrita, he
arranged to get a copy of the book. As he read
the book, a deep sorrow welled up within him.
‘Alas!’ he thought. ‘How much I have lost!’
Then the Udbodhan office cabled him
information about the Sargachhi ashrama and
Premeshananda. Since then he has been coming
here now and then. Notice that whenever he
July 2019
comes he brings some produce from his farm.
One day he asked me, ‘Have you read this
book?’ I asked, ‘Which book?’ He replied, ‘Srim’.
Without getting annoyed, I said, ‘The name of 19
the book is Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita – as
told by Sri Ma’ (‘as told by Mr. M.’ In Bengali, ‘m’
The Vedanta Kesari
is pronounced ‘ma’, like the letter of the
alphabet; but the doctor joined the two words
– Sri and M, and pronounced it as ‘Srim’!).
Let me tell you another story about him.
For some days he had been pestering me:
‘Please give me your photograph.’ I tried to
avoid this, but he was persistent. Eventually,
one day I asked him to come after taking his
bath. So he came after bathing and respectfully
spread his cupped hands. I took a photograph
from a cloth bag, held it face down, and put it in
his hands. He touched his head to it reverently
and then, turning it over, found that it was a
photograph of Sri Ramakrishna! He
remonstrated, ‘But it is Sri Ramakrishna’s
photograph!’ I said to him, ‘Sri Ramakrishna is
God, and God is all-inclusive. When everything
is within him, isn’t Premeshananda there?’ And
I added, ‘Never lower your ideal.’
(To be continued. . .)
 RAMAKRISHNA MATH
Ganganagar, P.O: Uttarkashi
Uttarakhand: 249193
Email: uttarkashi@rkmm.org

Offering to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna: An Appeal

Dear Devotees & Friends,

Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math declared open a Math
centre at Uttarkashi, an ancient holy town in the Garhwal Himalayas on 20th Oct
2017. There was already a small dwelling house, named as Ramakrishna Kutir since
1963, where sadhus of our Order used to stay for intense Tapasya in the traditional
monastic way — begging food from outside and living a simple austere life. Swami
Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna spent a year or so in Uttarkashi
July 2019

during his wandering days. Impressed by the Swami’s overwhelming personality and
knowing him to be a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, the Raja of Tehri donated a piece
of land to him at Uttarkashi and the then Mahant of Kailas Ashrama built a small hut
20 for him. That was the sowing of the seed of future Ramakrishna Math in Uttarkashi.
In view of spreading Swami Vivekananda’s ideal of service and spirituality
The Vedanta Kesari

among the masses, we plan to purchase some land measuring at least one acre in
Harsil Valley, 75 kms off Uttarkashi and 25 kms from Gangotri. Along with retreat
centres for sadhus and devotees, some welfare activities for the benefit of the poor
and underprivileged will be taken up after acquiring and developing the land.
A sum of Rs. 2 crores is estimated to set up and develop this additional unit of
the Uttarkashi Math. We request our friends and devotees, trusts and corporate
bodies to contribute liberally to complete this project of welfare and spirituality at
the earliest.
Donations can be made by NEFT/RTTGS to the Ramakrishna Math, Uttarkashi,
Union Bank of India, Uttarkashi Branch; IFSC: UBIN0560189, A/c No.
601802010006696.
Kindly mention the purpose as “Donation for purchase of land and
development of the Math centre” and send your PAN and full address by email to
uttarkashi@rkmm.org or SMS to 9447051231.
May Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada, Swami Vivekananda bless you all.

Date: 1 June 2019 Yours in the Lord,

Swami Amaleshananda
Adhyaksha
 Article

Lyrics in Terracotta – Ratneshwar Temple

of Bhattamati
DEVASHIS NANDY

A
study of temples in Bengal of the
late medieval period is an
interesting chapter in history of
Indian art and architecture. Evolving in
intimate association with the changing phases
of life and faith, temple architecture of Bengal
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , T E Y N A M P E T, C H E N N A I
Bishnupur in Bankura, Laxmi Janardan Temple
of Daspur in Medinipore, Pratapeshwar temple
of Kalna in Burdwan, Raghunath Temple of
Ghurisha in Birbhum, and Raghaveswar temple
of Dignagar in Nadia.
This article is about Ratneshwar temple

with its varied styles – Chala, Ratna, Deul, – a beautiful five-pinnacled terracotta
Dome-shaped, Flat-roofed etc., – and the ornamented Saivaite temple which is fading

July 2019
decorations, designs and graceful terracotta into oblivion.
works of floral, animal and human figures is a
great legacy. The low-lands of Bengal are
sustained by rivers and canals and its alluvial 21
soil inspired the then artisans to make brick
temples. In the humid and moist climate of

The Vedanta Kesari

Bengal it is very natural that instead of stones,
clay was chosen as the medium to give
expression to Bengali sentiments and culture
through terracotta (baked clay) temples across
the Rarh Bengal specially in the districts of
Bankura, Birbhum, Hooghly, Murshidabad,
Medinipore, Howrah, Purulia, Burdwan and
Nadia. The subject matters in terracotta on
these temples are generally Hindu epics –
Ramayana, Mahabharata, Krishna Lila,
Vaishnavism, Mangal Kavyas; social scenes with
different types of floral and geometrical designs
also cover the temple walls. There are hundreds
of beautiful terracotta temples still existing in
Bengal. Some of them are – Radha Govinda
temple of Antpur, Ananta Vasudeva temple of
Hooghly, Shyamrai and Jor Bangal temples of Ratneswar Temple

The author, who lives in Chandannagar, W.B., has a number of publications on Terracotta temples.
devashisnandy1957@gmail.com
 Base Freize Front Facade

Bhattamati, is a small village in d evo te d fo l l o we r s o f S r i C h a i t a nya

Murshidabad district, located about 5 kms west
of Lalbag Court Road Railway Station on
Howrah – Azimganj section of Eastern Railway.
The presence of Ratneshwar, a Pancharatna
Shiva temple full of terracotta artwork,
indicates that the village had a glorious past.
July 2019
Mahaprabhu. These two were instrumental in
bringing these Bhatta Brahmins to this village.
It can be presumed that they were tasked to
establish a Vaishnava learning school in
Murshidabad to spread the Vaishnava culture
and the teachings of Sri Chaitanya. There is a

Most of the terracotta artwork has been
destroyed due to neglect and passage of time.
Still one can enjoy the beautiful handiwork of
22 the artisans of those times, and the temple can
easily stand in favourable comparison with any
other terracotta temple of Bengal. There is no
The Vedanta Kesari
large pond in the southern direction known as
Kalisagar.
This is a Pancharatna temple i.e., having
five turrets on the top – four pinnacles on the
sides and the one at the centre being much
larger in size. The entire structure is on a

dedicatory plaque and it is not known who square base and each of the ratnas or turrets
built this temple. which are pyramidal in shape, are in
The village was initially sy m m e t r y w i t h t h e m a i n
known as Bhattabati, the abode Four hundred structure of the temple. The
of Bhattas; it later became Carnatic Bhatta temple faces south to which is its
corrupted as Bhattamati. It is said Brahmins settled in single entrance. This south-facing
that four hundred Carnatic this Bengal village wall has the richest terracotta
Bhatta Brahmins settled in this ornamentation. All the exterior
during the reign of
village in the days of Allauddin walls follow a similar
Allauddin Hussain
Hussain Shah (1494 -1519), the arrangement of three tiers with
king of Gaur. The reign of Hussain Shah (1494 -1519). overhanging cornices. Inside the
Shah was known for religious tolerance temple there is a huge Siva lingam which is
towards Hindus. It was during his reign that the worshipped daily by a local priest.
celebrated medieval saint Sri Chaitanya The front side, i.e., the south face which
Mahaprabhu preached the Bhakti cult has a rectangular space between the first and
throughout Bengal. Two high level Hindu second arch is heavily decorated with social
officers in Hussain Shah’s administration, one and domestic scenes like hunting, dancing,
his private secretary (Dabir-i-khas) Rupa music, smoking, and even a guru followed by
Goswami and another his confidant minister his disciples. These different scenes are on the
(Saghir-Malik) Sanatan Goswami became two sides of beautifully carved Mangala
 Kalashas, the auspicious earthen pots, set
vertically one above the another. The second
arch has an overhanging cornice supported on
nine twin tigers standing on their hind legs.
The entire arch is overhung by a heavily
ornamented vine design. Above the design is
stucco work of different leafy structure. A
smaller arch above that supports a series of
panels of Dashavataras, the ten
incarnations of Lord Vishnu,
flanked by Ganas. Almost all
brick temples in Bengal of
t h e l a t e m e d i e va l
period portray the
Dashavatars. These
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , K I S M AT P U R , H Y D E R A B A D
Lord Vishnu. On the eastern face of the temple,
to the left is Gour Nitai, to the right Radha
Krishna, and in the middle Sharabhuja
Gouranga, or Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with
six hands. It is believed that Sri Chaitanya
revealed this form with six hands to
Sarvabhauma, Ramananda and Nitai. The first
two hands hold a bow and an arrow, the second
two hands hold a flute in the act of
playing upon it, and the last two
hands hold a danda, or stick,
and a kamandalu, or
sacred water pot. By
this manifestation, Sri
Chaitanya made Nitai

panels are flanked understand that he

on either side from was Rama as well as
bottom to the top by Krishna.

July 2019
a series of panels. The religious,
Those on the right social, and political
side depict episodes scenes depicted on the
from the life of Lord temple walls reflect a 23
Rama, while those on the society which was at the
left side present the life of crossroads in late medieval

The Vedanta Kesari

Lord Krishna. Interestingly, on Bengal, especially in the field of
either side of the doorway, just Sharabhuja Gouranga temple building. Although this
above the base frieze there, there are temple was first documented and
two groups approaching each other – from the notified for renovation and protection by the
right come a troop of Englishmen with suits Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Govt.
and hats, and from the left come a brigade of of West Bengal in 1973, the renovation work
Muslim soldiers. was carried out only in 2005-2006 with the
Other than on the southern side, the rest h e l p o f P u b l i c Wo r k s D e p a r t m e n t ,
of the temple’s terracotta plaques are in a Murshidabad. But after that there has been no
dilapidated condition. On the western side, arrangement to protect this priceless
there is an unusually large 6ft height Matsya monument. The temple stands in the midst of
Avatar, the Fish Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. paddy fields surrounded by ponds, awaiting
Similarly, on the northern side there is the 6ft curious tourists and lovers of terracotta
height Vamana Avatar, the Dwarf Incarnation of temples.

Correction: In the article ‘Swami Vivekananda in Sri Lanka:

New Findings’, June 2019 page 24 the caption for the
photograph should be as: Vennarpannai Shivan temple and
adjoining Kathiresan (Murugan or Kartikeya) temple where
Swamiji worshipped on 24 January 1897.
 Article
Bishop John J. Keane: In Defense of
Swami Vivekananda
ASIM CHAUDHURI
Introduction
S
wami Vivekananda’s first three
speeches at the Parliament of
Religions in 1893: ‘Response to
Welcome’ (September 11), ‘Why We Disagree’
(September 15), and ‘Paper on Hinduism’
(September 19), were respectively an appeal
for tolerance or acceptance, an appeal for
interfaith understanding, and a profound
July 2019
exposition of Hinduism. But it was a different
story on September 20 (‘Religion not the Crying
Need of India’). That was a speech accusing the
24 Christian missionaries in India of trying to save
the souls of the heathen instead of trying to
save their bodies from starvation. He was not
The Vedanta Kesari
scheduled to speak that night. It was a
fortuitous coincidence that some of the
speakers didn’t show up and the audience
persuaded him to take the podium. The Chicago
Inter Ocean of September 21 reported the
following as to what happened just prior to his
actual speech:
At the close of the reading of Mr. Headland’s
paper on ‘Religion in Peking’ Dr. Momerie
announced that the other speakers
bulletined for the evening had failed to
appear. It was but 9 o’clock, and the main
auditorium and galleries were well filled.
There was an outburst of applause as they
caught sight of the Hindoo monk,
Vivekananda, sitting in his orange robe and
scarlet turban upon the platform. This
popular Hindoo responded to the generous
The author, a well known researcher on Swami Vivekananda, lives in U.S.A.
applause by saying that he did not come to
speak tonight. He took occasion, however, to
criticize many of the statements made in the
paper by Mr. Headland. Referring to the
poverty which prevails in China, he said that
the missionaries would do better to work in
appeasing hunger than in endeavoring to
persuade the Chinese to renounce their faith
of centuries and embrace Christianity at [as]
the price of food. And then the Hindu
stepped back on the platform and whispered
to Bishop Keane, of the Catholic church, a
moment. He then resumed his address by
saying that Bishop Keane had told him that
Americans would not be offended at honest
criticism.
This is the first time we see Bishop Keane
entering the ‘Vivekananda Orbit’. It is highly
likely that they had some prior discussions on
that general subject. The absence of the
scheduled speakers in that time slot gave
Swamiji the opportunity to speak. We will see
later how the bishop’s views coincided with
those of Swamiji.
Who was Bishop Keane?
It may be appropriate at this point to
introduce Bishop John Joseph Keane (1839-
1918), then the rector of the Catholic University
of America in Washington, D.C., and also the
bishop of Richmond, Virginia. Bishop Keane
was known for his liberal and progressive
v i ews . A l t h o u gh t h e C a t h o l i c s were
asimphoenix@gmail.com
 discriminated against in the 19th century, he
strongly advocated the full representation of
the Catholic Church at the World’s Parliament
of Religions. His deep commitment to
education, and to interfaith understanding
were legendary. He constantly reached out
beyond the confines of his church,
and was the first Catholic bishop in Christ would
Virginia to preach to the African- bless poverty,
American community. His liberal/ but would never Hindoo, confess that for years he did
progressive worldview drew the ire bless destitution not know where he was going to get
of conservative members of the
Catholic Church hierarchy and he was forced to
resign his rectorship in 1896.
Bishop Keane was a friend of the poor and
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , K I S M AT P U R , H Y D E R A B A D
disenfranchised. He worked tirelessly for the
social and cultural uplifting of the working
classes and for the rapid assimilation of
immigrants into American life. He drew a
distinction between the poor and the destitute.
Just before he expressed his support on
September 21, 1893 at the Parliament (as
reported by the Herald) for Swamiji’s views, the
day before, he had said, ‘Christ would bless
poverty, but Christ would never bless
destitution. Christ was poor, his apostles were
poor, but Christ and his apostles never were
miserable and destitute. It is a mistake to
suppose that the Church of God gives any
sanction or benediction to destitution or
wretchedness.’ There is a subtle difference
between poverty and destitution. While poverty
is a state of being materially poor or indigent,
destitution goes beyond poverty; it implies
reduction to a state of abjectness—a degrading
mental state. The distinction is important,
because Swamiji had taken vows of chastity,
poverty, and mendicancy—but not of destitution.
Bishop Keane’s endorsement of
Vivekananda
On September 21, the day after the
whispered communication between Swamiji
and Bishop Keane on the platform, the bishop
was reading a long paper by one Charles F.
Donnelly at the Parliament, titled ‘The Relation
of the Roman Catholic Church to the Poor and
Destitute.’ But he paused during the reading
and said, as reported by the Chicago Herald of
September 22, 1893 (page 10):
…..My heart was glad when I
listened last night [September 20]
and heard our good friend, the
his next meal. That was the way with
these poor Franciscan monks. They were
reduced to poverty in order that they might
better consecrate themselves to the service of
God everywhere. And let me also say here,
because it is in close connection with the
thought printed in the paper [Mr. Donnelly’s
July 2019
paper], from my heart I indorse the
denunciation that was hurled forth last night
against the system of pretended charity that
offered food to the hungry Hindoo at the cost of 25
their conscience and their faith. The question
might well be asked whether among Christian
The Vedanta Kesari
people such a system was possible, and yet we
have only to look back to the history of famine
in Ireland in order to know that such things
have been. A shame, a disgrace to those who
call themselves Christians. But I am happy to
state, in answer to a half question also asked
last night, and in connection with this subject,
that in China and in India, the Sisters of Charity
and the Little Sisters of the Poor have many
institutions in which they are pledged by holy
vows to care for the indigent, no matter what
might be their faith, without asking any man to
be guilty of the sham hypocrisy of pretending
conversion in order to get bread. [Applause.]
I will go further and say: We were startled
at the denunciation that came also from the
heart of the Hindoo monk last night, of the
Christian system of the atonement, as he
understood it. I sympathize with him from his
standpoint. There have been men who through
 a mistaken piety have so exhausted the
supremacy of God as to utterly annihilate all
responsibility and the co-operation of the
human free will. For any such system or the
idea of the atonement of Christ I have no more
sympathy than has our Buddhist [sic] friend. I
say to him let him go on criticizing the
Christians, we do not hear half enough of this. I
firmly believe in the principle laid down by
dear Bobby Burns [Robert Burns]:
O wad some power the Giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us. [Applause]
And if by these criticisms Vivekananda
can only stir us and sting us into better
teachings and better doings in the great work
of Christ in the world I for one will be
profoundly grateful to our friend, the great
Hindoo monk. [Applause.]
July 2019

A friend in deed
Swamiji rarely received such public
26 endorsement of any clergy in the U.S., and that too
in front of an international audience of Christians Swami Vivekananda in Chicago Sept 1893
of all denominations. He must have been in the
The Vedanta Kesari

It is unfortunate that very little is known

audience listening in appreciation to every word
of it and must have been grateful to the bishop for
his support. It is important to note that the bishop
said things that Swamiji had left unsaid.
Bishop John J. Keane (1839-1918)
about their interaction during the rest of the
Parliament days and thereafter; maybe there
wasn’t any. Swamiji was in Washington, D.C., the
home of the Catholic University of America, in the
fall of 1894, but there is no record of his meeting
with Bishop Keane, who had spoken his mind
against the ‘system of pretended charity’ of
Christian missionaries in Asia. The bishop’s
defense of the Hindu monk probably did not sit
well with the conservative leaders of his church,
and might have been added to the list of his other
unorthodox views that led to his forced resignation
from the rectorship three years later.
Bishop John Joseph Keane will always be
remembered as Swamiji’s friend in need. They were
of the same mindset. Swamiji consulted with him
before firing his salvo of criticism against Christian
missionaries; and the bishop came back, praised him
for it the next day, and did more of the same.
 PULLOUT FOR REFERENCE

Note: This is the

seventh issue in the
9-part series on Swami
Issue 19 Vivekananda's message
issue 10 to the youth. For
previous issues refer
The Vedanta Kesari:
January � June 2019
IN THIS ISSUE:

Message 7
Expand your heart
Swami Vivekananda extols us to expand our heart and
genuinely feel for others. In his own words:

July 2019
PA G E S P O N S O R : G R E E N M E S G . O R G , C H E N N A I

“ First, feel from the heart. What is in

the intellect or reason? It goes a few
steps and there it stops. But through
the heart comes inspiration. Love
opens the most impossible gates;
“ At your very threshold, Nârâyana
Himself in the form of a poor beggar
27
is dying of starvation! Instead of
giving him anything, would you only

The Vedanta Kesari

love is the gate to all the satisfy the appetites of your wife and
secrets of the universe. children with delicacies? Why, that
CW:III: 225
is beastly! CW:V:382

“ Even if you cannot give

to others for want of
money, surely you can at
least breathe into their ears some
good words or impart some good
instruction, can’t you? Or does that
“ Even the least work done for others
awakens the power within; even
thinking the least good of others
also require money? CW:V:382 gradually instills into the heart the
strength of a lion. CW:III:382

Designed & developed by

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 Here are some examples of people who were moved by the
plight of others & took action. Can you think of more?
example 1
SAGAR RASKAR & PANKAJ SHELKE have
witnessed the devastating effects of rioting - burning
of shops and vehicles, leading to loss of life and
property. “In such situations, common citizens are
at the receiving end of the carnage. [Such] violence
prompted the two of us to do something about it”,
says Sagar.
Moved by the plight of the common
citizens in the face of not only riots but
also tragic fire accidents, the two friends
set out to come up with a quicker &
easy-to-use solution that could prevent
such tragedies. After endless research &
development they've come up with a cylinder-shaped
fireball that can douse fire within 3-10 seconds.
July 2019
example 3
28 As a college student, whenever
HIMANSHU PATEL went back
to his village Punsari, he was
The Vedanta Kesari
bothered by the stark difference
between the town and the village.
(i) There was no electricity, water system, health
centres, angandwadi, etc. (ii) Law & order was out of
control & there was no effort to resolve the frequent
internal clashes in the village.
He could not digest the condition of the people
& the village. Even as a student, he wanted to do
something about it. For example, he would search out
government schemes and propose it to the Sarpanch.
However, no one was willing to listen to a young boy
who didn’t hold any position in the village.
So, after completing his education, he decided to take
up full responsibility for changing the condition of the
village. Becoming a Sarpanch at the age of 22, he
has been living this goal for the last 10 years, and the
difference can be seen.
Today, Punsari is one of the best villages of India, with
all the amenities of a city - electricity, street lights,
pucca roads, toilets, garbage management, wifi,
and so on. Himanshu is one of the most dynamic
Sarpanchs India has.
example 2
Children of Sathe Nagar,
had to walk across a
100 feet long stretch of
an open and dirty canal,
which has also claimed
a few lives. The parents
were reluctant to send
their children to school.
Moved by the terrible conditions the school children
had to suffer, & the consequent effect on their
education, 17 year old ESHAN BALBALE took
the initiative to ensure safe travel for the children.
He decided to build a bridge.
Realizing that building a concrete bridge would take
a long time due to permission from the government,
he decided to make a bamboo bridge which would
be light yet strong, and could provide basic safety
to the kids as they travel every day.
example 4
Earth Saviours Foundation at Gurugram
supports abandoned and mentally-
challenged persons. With 500 people to
cater to, the Foundation was primarily
reliant on a borewell for their water needs.
But as the groundwater in the city continued to
deplete, they had to keep digging deeper. Soon they
were facing acute water shortage which was affecting
the lives of the residents.
Seeing this, 15 year old TAVISHI felt the urgent need
to address this crisis. She decided to help them with
a cost-effective yet efficient method of ensuring a
sustainable water source. How? Through rainwater
harvesting.
She only had a month before the monsoon season
started. The marathon began - she campaigned for
funds, contacted experts for guidance & planned the
implementation, got necessary permissions, all the
while managing her exams & swimming practice. The
time-crunch was challenging but she was determined.
The project was completed on time and it has made a
huge difference to the Foundation.
 What stops us from expanding our hearts and becoming like
these people? Here are some of the common barriers...

Barrier 1: Selfishness Barrier 2:

Murugan's house abuts Callousness or
a very narrow lane, insensitivity BREAKING NEWS
which causes issues 2.3 crore
during catastrophes like Rajeev is watching the kids in India
news on the T.V. malnourished
fire etc. A proposal to
widen the lane by taking
No way! I will lose Such things happen because
in the the compound
part of my property, of overpopulation. These
wall along the lane, has
which I worked so villagers produce so many
been proposed...
hard for!! kids & they can't feed them.

In this case, Rajeev is unwilling to

In this case, Murugan is unwilling to go beyond
empathize with the ground realities of
his own narrow self-interest for the sake of
children in various parts of our country
collective good
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. R A J A M S U B R A M A N I A M , C H E N N A I

Barrier 3: Apathy Barrier 4: Insincerity

or lack of concern In a co-operative bank, a pensioner

July 2019
comes in with a genuine & urgent need...
The Times of India Jan 19, 2016
Come back tomorrow
and check. It might
A 39-year-old civic employee lay helplessly on the be ready...
railway tracks at Halisahar station after a train severed
Why should I 29
both his legs on Monday morning. Hundreds of people
including GRP and RPF personnel and commuters hurry up for this
watched, yet no one raised a finger to help. After 20 lady. Anyway, it's

The Vedanta Kesari

minutes, another train crushed him to death. 5 pm and I need to
go home today... BANK
EMPLOYEE CUSTOMER

This is a case where people are reluctant In this case, the employee is unwilling to
to step out of their preoccupation with their sincerely commit to helping somebody else and
own interest and are unwilling to take even invest herself into the other person’s problems.
a little trouble for other people.

Barrier 5: Feeling of Barrier 6: Disengagement

separateness or division
The Times of India Mar 15, 2018
Ayan is searching for a house to rent
in a city. He asks Rakesh for help... In the course of routine, Agency's blunder leads to
cancellation of 5000 ration cards
Under the National Food Safety Act, new cards were to be
issued to all ration card holders. Many applicants left the
Why should I help
Aadhaar field blank in the form, as it was not specified as
him? He is not from
mandatory. However, the department had to get the job done,
my community. Let
so they filled in random Aadhaar numbers to get those forms
him struggle on his
submitted. However, as the verification process failed, the
own!
RAKESH system not only rejected the application, but also cancelled
the existing ration cards of those applicants. These families
came to know only when they went to collect their supplies!
This is a case where Rakesh is unwilling to This is a case where people are unwilling to get
let go of the artificial barriers that he has involved to genuinely solve a problem, and look for
created with other people. quick fix answers instead, which may lead to great
unintentional harm.
 How to expand our hearts?
Four Practices which can help begin our journey...
PRACTICE 1: PRACTICE 2:

Expanding our concern set Expanding our zone of

self-interest
wider concerns
employment wider zone
& livelihood infrastructure Benefit
for all and public for all
facilities concerned? How will it affect
harmony everyone - in
between different ways?
safety for
communities
women and
children narrow zone
narrow concerns My
benefits? Win-win for all?
my wife &
senior citizen
children
friendly What's in
services it for me?
my friends
July 2019

Is it in the
larger interests
my career better How am I
of everyone?
quality of affected?
education
my relatives
30
The Vedanta Kesari

PRACTICE 3: PRACTICE 4:

Expanding our sense of Expanding our vision of life

identification & our aspirations

wider identification wider vision & aspirations

I am identified with
my country and hence new kinds of
positive impact
I feel a oneness with challenges to
on society at
all fellow citizens face & solve?
large?

contribute
narrow identification towards
I am identified nation
with my family, narrow vision & aspirations building?
friends and
people from good
my community/ lifestyle?
locality/ religion. valuable and
career
good fulfilling
growth?
pay? work-life?

Share examples of your experiences of trying out these practices, on

www.vivekanandaway.org
Any questions that come up in your mind while doing so, can also be discussed here.
 Ma
gic
,M
ira
cle
s and e
the Mystical Twelv

LAKSHMI DEVNATH

“O
ne hundred and fifty,” Poorva concluded. Boredom had forced her to count
the ants crawling out of her window in a perfectly straight line. “How I
wish I were one of them,” she sighed. Standing near the window, Poorva
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. S H U B H A L A X M I P I T R E , M U M B A I

watched with utmost irritation as yet another salt-and-pepper head bobbed into her house.
She shifted her position and saw the ungainly figure attached to the almost non-existent

July 2019
neck. God! It was the lady from across the street. Aunties, uncles … so many of them – they
kept coming … coming to see HIM!
Poorva walked towards the staircase and leant over the railing. Yes, there he was – the
old man with the saintly smile. His eyes looked so gentle that Poorva felt her anger wane. 31
Her change in mood, however, lasted for barely a few seconds. He was the supreme

The Vedanta Kesari

saboteur, she reminded herself. The one who had ruined her holiday plans!
Poorva had been forced to remain at home for the last two
months. First, her baby brother had fallen ill, and then she had
come down with chickenpox. Notwithstanding all these
setbacks, the family had just decided to make the most of the
last week of her holidays, when the old man had come to
stay in their house, “completing the disaster sequence,”
Poorva fumed. Anger surged within her as she recalled
yesterday, the day her mother had brought home this Mr.
– or should she say ‘Swami’ – Ramaswamy. Apparently, he
was her granduncle, who had surfaced after a long time.
The previous night, her mother had gushed to her
father, “We always addressed him as ‘Swami Maama’ and
now he has evolved into a true Swami! I’ve heard from so
many people that his spiritual powers are enormous. Don’t
you think we did the right thing by inviting him home? I
can understand Poorva’s disappointment, but we may never
get another opportunity to have somebody like Swami Maama stay with
The author is a researcher and writer with various books and articles on Indian music and culture to her credit.
lakshmidevnath@gmail.com Illustrator: Smt. Lalithaa Thyagarajan. lalithyagu@gmail.com
 us.” She had then turned to Poorva, standing beside her with a pronounced scowl on her
face, and said, “Kanna, don’t look so grumpy. I’m sorry that I have upset your holiday plans.
But I came to know only yesterday that he was visiting Chennai. Poorva, Swami Maama is
like your Thaatha. I’m sure you’ll get to like him.”
Not impressed, Poorva had cut in, “When will he be leaving?”
Her mother had replied, with a reproachful glance, “Stop being rude, Poorva. It’s a
privilege to have him stay with us.”
This was surely the most pathetic holiday ever, or so Poorva thought.
(To be continued. . .)
The book is available through www.lakshmidevnath.com

Aazhvaars
The Aazhvaars or Aalvaars were 12 great Tamil saint-poets who worshipped Sri Vishnu as the
Supreme Lord. They were called Aalvaars because they always remained immersed in experiencing
July 2019

the love and presence of God. They lived in the serene countryside on the banks of Tamraparani
and Cauvery and shores around Mamallapuram and Mylapore.
The Aalvaars poured out their ecstatic experience of the Divine in chaste Tamil poems which
are called Pasurams, or verses. Collectively, these Pasurams constitute the Nalayira Divya
32 Prabandham, which amounts to 4000 verses. They are famous for their poetic beauty, rhythm, and
deep philosophic and spiritual truths.
The Vedanta Kesari

It is believed that the Aalvaars are incarnations of different aspects of Sri Vishnu as given
below:
Name Incarnation of Birth Place
Poigai Aazhvaar Paanchajanyam (conch) Thiruvehka in Kanchipuram
Bhootham Aazhvaar Kaumodhaki (mace) Thirukadalmallai or Mahabalipuram
Pey Aazhvaar Nandhaka (sword) Mylapore
Thirumazhisai Aazhvaar Sudarsana (discus) Thirumazhisai
Nammazhvaar Vishwaksena (commander-in-chief) Thirukkurugoor or Aazhvaar
Thirunagari
Madhura Kavi Kumudha (one of the celestial beings in Thirukkoloor
Sri Visnu's kingdom)
Kulashekhara Aazhvaar Kausthubha (gem) Mahodayapuram now Kodungallur
Periaazhvaar Garuda (vehicle) Srivilliputhur
Andal Bhooma Devi (Mother Earth) Srivilliputhur
Thondaradippodi Vaijayanthi (garland) Mandhankudi, near Kumbakonam
Aazhvaar
Thiruppaan Aazhvaar Shrivatsam (a mole on the chest) Uraiyur
Thirumangai Aazhvaar Saarangam (bow) Thirukkuraiyaloor
 Pariprasna
Q & A with Srimat Swami Tapasyananda
(1904 to 1991), Vice-President of the
Ramakrishna Order.

Approach the wise sages, offer reverential

salutations, repeatedly ask proper questions, serve
them and thus know the Truth.
— Bhagavad Gita
PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I H A R I S H R A N G A N AT H A S H A S T R I , B E N G A LU R U

Reason and Faith

QUESTION: What are the relative roles of reason and faith in the path of devotion?
MAHARAJ: Faith and reason are the two unique faculties of the human mind. Animals have
neither of these. Many a learned man recognizes that reason is a distinguishing feature of man from

July 2019
animal. But by a strange perversity, they fail to recognize that the faculty of faith is equally so. Faith
and rationality are like the two legs of a man. One who is devoid of either of these faculties is like
a one-legged man.
In everyday life also it would be noticed that ninety per cent of our activities are based on
information accepted on faith. For this the so-called rationalists have perhaps no objection. All their 33
objection is reserved for the acceptance of an ultimate spiritual principle that transcends Nature
and of which Nature is only an expression.

The Vedanta Kesari

Now, it is an obvious fact that reason understood as a processing of data cannot in itself
provide the data. In matters connected with life and Nature, the data are provided by sense
experiences. These also include scientific powers of the senses enhanced by instruments. The
function of reason consists in processing these data and establishing connections between them
drawing inferences from them, and formulating theories based on them.
Naturalism contends that Nature is self-sufficient, and self-explanatory. There are no data
beyond Nature and even if there are, there is no way of getting at them. Large numbers of people
feel that this is a very unsatisfactory position. For it makes life and Nature meaningless and to
submit to a meaningless existence is an impossible situation with the human spirit. Those who are
satisfied with the life of the senses and the joys and fulfilments it offers, however, stifle questions
on this problem. They follow the way of the ostrich by ignoring the problem.
But no one with an earnest spirit can rest at that. Such a person struggles through the path of
introspection to overcome this stalemate and it is the verdict of the best among such, that they are
able to solve the riddle by developing the power of intuition by which they recognize that Reality
in its essence is Sat Chit Ananda (Existence Knowledge Bliss) and not a mere mechanical entity.
The witness of intuition is immensely more powerful than sense perception.
Now this power of intuition is only developed from faith. Faith must begin to operate when
pure reasoning gets stultified. Faith is the pre-acceptance of the nature of the ultimate reality as
Sat Chit Ananda, with utmost sincerity and with resolution to live in a way as to lead to this intuitive
experience. It includes also faith in the Sastras or scriptures that inculcates doctrines based on the
intuitions of the great seers of the spiritual reality and the disciplines laid down by them for
aspirants to follow.
 The so-called rationalists scoff at the ideas stated above about the method of intuition. But
their attitude reveals only their ignorance and dogmatism. They seem to have a vested interest in
their ignorance.
Reason has a place in dealing with the data got through intuition. Just as it processes the
findings of science and formulates theories it can do the same with the findings of intuition,—study
them as experiences of different seers, establish their relation with the findings of natural science
and build systems that will appeal to the rational understanding of man. Thus reason and intuition
have to work together to build a comprehensive theory about life and its goal.
All trouble starts when some people begin with the idea that faith is fundamentally a pursuit
of superstition, which it is not. It can of course degenerate into that if it is not properly cultivated,
just as the reasoning faculty of man can lead to fallacious conclusions if it is not trained and
exercised properly. What faith can give, can never be got by mere reasoning; for faith is the
forerunner, the germ, of intuition. Reasoning is also required to coordinate and regulate the findings
of intuition based on faith.

Love of God
QUESTION: What is meant by the expression ‘Intellectual Love of God’?
MAHARAJ: The expression ‘Intellectual Love of God’ was used by the great western
philosopher Spinoza in the context of his conception of an absolute and impersonal God. God loves
July 2019

Himself but does not return the love and prayers of finite beings, according to him. But the finite
being, man, is in his essence one with the only substance, which is God. To know oneself in that
relation with the eternal Being i.e., be united with Him in essence by discarding the hold of
34 impermanent entanglements, is to participate in His self-love, which is only another name for ‘Bliss
of pure existence or unsullied Being’. Such participation in the bliss of the eternal Being through
union with Him is called Intellectual Love in contrast with sentimental, personal devotion to a Being
The Vedanta Kesari

who is expected to respond to personal love and prayers.

This is not much different from the point of view of the followers of the path of pure Jnana or
even of devotion mixed with Jnana in the Indian tradition. But the followers of the path of pure
devotion would also consider God as personal. To say that He is only an impersonal Principle is to
compromise with His absoluteness. To limit Him as irresponsive to love and devotion will only
reduce participation in His bliss to the status of enjoyment of a natural scenery or appreciation of
a scientific law. It is the contention of the Bhakti school that God reveals His pure Bliss-Nature only
to one who considers Him as his ‘own’ and approaches Him in a personal relationship. Of course,
here also the devotee does not crave for any favours except the joy
of serving Him. Here also God is bliss, but He is active bliss. He
has the power of bliss, which actively elevates the devotee
who approaches Him through prayer and surrender to
become a participant of divine bliss by destroying all
obstacles that stand in the way and raising him to the state
of participation in the bliss of service (Bhajanananda).

Selections from Spiritual Quest: Questions &

Answers by Swami Tapasyananda
 Article
The ‘As’-‘Is’ Hybrid
SWAMI SATYAPRIYANANDA
T
he men of Knowledge state that
Brahman alone is real; the world is
illusory like a dream. Yet we know
that in dream the dream experience is real. To
explain their point, they take the illustration of
the snake and the rope. What lies there in front
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , V I D YA R A N YA P U R A , B E N G A LU R U
of us is just a rope, but we become afraid
thinking that it is a snake. We tremble and
shout for help. However, when someone throws
a beam of light and points out that none of the
features of a snake is present in that thing and
it is just a rope, all these unnerving feelings
leave us. Even more unfortunate is our
condition if we look at a snake and think that it
is just a rope! If we try to pick it up, we will be
bitten. So, we are warned not to see Atman in
the Anatman (world) and nor be attached to the
unreal world. We should continue our quest for
Brahman through a system of disciplines.
It is strange also to see that men of
Knowledge explain creation! From Atman
comes space, fire, water, earth and so on to
embodied people. If the world were really
unreal why should one go to such elaborate
explanation of creation. The five fires
explaining creation found in the Upanishads
seem to be out of place. So also is the idea that
Brahman felt lonely and thought I shall become
the many. In many there will be enjoyment of
the ‘other’. And stranger further is the utterance
that having projected the world, Brahman
entered into it.
The main objection that the world would
limit the infinitude of Brahman can come under
question. Where was the world into which
The author is a senior sannyasi of the Ramakrishna Order and lives in Belur Math.
Brahman entered? In the case of embodied
beings, the Atman is lodged in the five sheaths
composed of food, vital force, mind, knowledge,
and bliss. Where are these sheaths when the
world itself is denied? One would expect that
there would be no attempt to describe the
ultimate Truth relying in any way on something
unreal which eventually gets discarded.
In the explanation that, that from which
beings are born, that in which they are
July 2019
sustained and that unto which they return on
dissolution, is Brahman – it is again a reliance
on the false world to point out the real
Brahman. Even a knower of Brahman is not
averse to running ashramas, preaching to 35
disciples, or begging for alms; all of these have
The Vedanta Kesari
interaction with the denied world! Men of
knowledge believe that a daring man turns his
vision (and other senses too) inward to
perceive the Atman. What was there to perceive
outwardly anyway, that one had to turn inward?
In all religions barring Hinduism, such
bold questioning is denied; acceptance of the
dogma is a must. But Hinduism gives scope for
development of
The ‘As-Is’ hybrid
spiritual ideas. The
supposes that Brahman
above observations
were to arrive at a alone is present, either
better understanding. ‘As’ the world or ‘Is’
Let us take the Brahman.
example to illustrate the ‘Is’ ness of the worldly
objects. This pot exists; this cloth exists.
Existence is the common feature of the denied
world. So, the ultimate Reality is Sat, Existence.
It is further described as Chit, Consciousness/
satyapriyananda@rkmm.org
 Knowledge and Ananda, Bliss. So the ‘Is’ and it is all Brahman; turn the mode switch
svarupalakshana of Brahman is Sat-Chit- to ‘As’ and it is this world. With this perception
Ananda. This is supported also by our efforts (a we can explain our otherwise inexplicable
result of the natural tendency to reach that interactions with the world, our sadhana, our
state) to live long, to be conscious and concepts of bondage and liberation, our service
knowledgeable, as well as to enjoy undivided to humanity in the spirit of worship of God and
bliss. However, in the mortal plane there is no last but not the least our ‘namaskar/pranams’
place of absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda; it can be with folded hands. By being stuck to one grove
only relative. We can live longer, know more, we deny the other and in the language of Sri
and be happier. The absolute in a relative world Ramakrishna, we do not get the complete
is only a mirage. weight of the Bilva fruit. As to
Referring to the above Sri Ramakrishna asked whether we will rest in ‘Is’
examples one could take the devotees not to be one-sided: mode or ‘As’ mode depends
stand that ‘whatever is’ is form, formless and many on the Will of the Divine
‘what it looks as’. The ‘Is’ more possibilities exist. Mother whom we supplicate
ness of Brahman looks as the with humility. If She chooses
Put no limit to God.
pot or the cloth in the world. to, She may place a privileged
This gives rise to the ‘As’ ness of Brahman or person in that state of being in touch

PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I R A J U Z . M O R AY, M U M B A I
July 2019

Shakti as it is called. Here comes the
significance of Sri Ramakrishna’s statement
that Brahman and Shakti are identical; that he
36 calls Brahman when it is not engaged in the
acts of creation-preservation-destruction.
When engaged in these activities which we
The Vedanta Kesari
simultaneously with ‘As’ and ‘Is’ aspects. That is
what Bhavamukha is.
Sri Ramakrishna did not like to be merged
in Brahman for ever when one behaves like a
child, a mad man, a ghoul or an inert person. He
wanted multiplicity by being in the company of

perceive all around us, it is Shakti. Therefore,
the world need not be denied and there is no
problem of the world limiting the infinitude of
Brahman. It is like an equilibrium reaction:
reactants < – > products. Following Le
Chatelier’s principle, the reaction can proceed
from left to right or from right to left. In
ordinary usage we can call that involution-
evolution. What is evolving from the amoeba to
the perfect human at the other end was already
involved. This is the theory of cycles; it is not a
linear progress. If there is evolution in some
places, it could be involution in other places.
The ‘As-Is’ hybrid supposes that Brahman alone
is present, either ‘As’ the world or ‘Is’ Brahman.
What is the outcome? The world is also
real. The pair of terms used such as ‘Real and
unreal’, ‘Nitya and Lila’, ‘Brahman and the
world’ need not confound us. They are just two
modes of perception. Turn the mode switch to
devotees, singing songs on the Divine Mother,
speaking of spiritual topics and dancing in
ecstasy and showering blessings on eager
aspirants. He would eat food items without
mixing them up so that his mind did not get
merged into Unity experience. Again sometimes
he wanted to be completely away from all
company, even removing the pictures of deities
from his room. This is a see-saw. Knowing the
frustration of this to and fro movement, the
Divine Mother perhaps asked him thrice to
remain in Bhavamukha. From this vantage
point one could see both sides. It is like being in
Gomukh and seeing no stream on one side and
a gushing, splashing, tumultuous river on the
other side. It is like being at the threshold of a
house and seeing both the inside and the
outside. That is why Sri Ramakrishna asked
(Continued on page 45...)
The Vedanta Kesari July 2019
37
The Vedanta Kesari July 2019

38
 Educational, Medical and Other Services
for the Poor and Afflicted Through
Ramakrishna Math, Ramanathapuram
Scholarship for the 80 poor students
Free medical camp
Free Coaching class for 75 students
Free Tailoring Classes
On returning to India in January 1897 after his triumphant visit to
the West where he propagated the ancient religion of our country,
Swami Vivekananda had stayed in Maharaja Bhaskara Sethupathy’s
Palace Guest House for 3 days from 29th to 31st January, 1897 and
delivered speeches that awakened our nation.
A Math centre was started at this spot sanctified by Swamiji’s stay
and affiliated to the Ramakrishna Order on 26-6-2016. Those who live
at Nagachi, Mandapam, Pamban & Rameswaram are mainly poor
fishermen & women whose children, unable to afford higher studies,
go for daily labour or fishing. The Math is conducting a number of
service activities for these poor people.
Sl No Activity Expenditure
1 Education: Educating 80 poor students in Rs. 30,000/ per student for one
July 2019
Nursing, Polytechnic, and Arts & Science year. Total cost = Rs. 24 lakhs
2 Mobile Medical Service: Conducting medical Rs. 6 lakhs per year
camps
3 Free Coaching Classes: Coaching for 75 poor Rs. 4 lakhs per year.
school children besides giving them food,
uniform, notebooks, etc. 39
4 Tailoring Course: 3-month classes for poor Rs. 6 lakhs per year
women & gifting them One Tailoring
The Vedanta Kesari
Machine to earn their livelihood.
5 Free School Uniform: For 500 poor students Rs. 3 lakhs per year
6 Construction: Monks’ Quarters & Rs. 2.15 crores
Community Hall
You can also create an Endowment for Rs. 10000/- and above
for the above activities.
We request you all to give a helping hand to these poor children
of God, through your small or big contributions and be the recipients
of the Lord’s blessings.
All donations are exempted from 80 G under Income tax act,
1961. The Cheques/ Drafts/ M. O. should be sent in the name of
“Ramakrishna Math, Ramanathapuram”. Or it may transferred through
RTGS to the following account:
Account name: Ramakrishna Math Bank: Indian Bank
Branch: Ramanathapuram A/c No.: 6426034057
IFS Code: IDIB000R051
Please inform us with your address and PAN number after
transferring the amount through RTGS.
Yours in the service of the Lord,
Swami Sutapananda
Adhyaksha
 Book
Reviews
Swami Vivekananda’s
Vision of Future
Society
Papers from a seminar
at Ramakrishna Mission
publishers need to send
Institute of Culture;
Published by Secretary
RMIC, Gol Park, Kolkata -
700 029. 2014, hardbound, pp. 177+ix.
Price not given.
T
his volume consists of some really
thought-provoking scholarly essays
on Swami Vivekananda’s vision on an
July 2019
emerging India and her society. The topics range
from Spirit of Scientific Enquiry, its place in the
India of the future, the role of the teacher, India’s
duties and expectations. The essays are diverse –
40 examining the role of women in contributing to a
new culture and, best of all, examining the place
of electronic media in contemporary education.
The Vedanta Kesari
The progression is significant; the speakers have
examined Swamiji’s contributions to the thought
of not just his own times but his continuing
relevance a hundred and fifty years later.
The underlying theme of the essays in the
volume is education and, through education, the
refining of the collective social consciousness and
intelligence, such that humankind transforms
itself into the best it can be. Every single paper
proves the axiom that Swamiji’s vision was so
spectacularly broad that while India was its base,
its trajectory was vast and covered the whole
world.
This volume is one of those rare
publications which has something in it for
everyone interested in a positive, optimistic
roadmap for the future of India and through it
the whole world. Needless to say, it requires close,
dedicated reading and reflection and is worth
every minute spent on those two endeavours.
___________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI
For review in
The Vedanta Kesari,
us two copies of their
latest publication.
Indian Cultural Unity
Edited by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya
Published by Secretary, RMIC,
Gol Park, Kolkata - 700 029. 2014,
hardbound, pp. 361+ ix. Price not
given.
T
his scholarly work is
the result of a seminar
held in the Ramakrishna
Institute of Culture on the occasion of Swami
Vivekananda’s 150th Birth Anniversary in 2013.
The book consists of thirteen essays spread
over six sessions which examine a wide range of
historical, anthropological, social and geographical
conditions that give a culture its true identity;
they focus on the way culture gains richness
and a colour all of its own. The starting point is
the reformist movement of 19th century Bengal,
notably the part played by Raja Rammohan
Roy, Keshab Chandra Sen, Sri Ramakrishna, and
Swami Vivekananda. The mood of questioning
and framing new belief systems, accepting those
which were relevant and disregarding those
which had outlived their relevance was very
much in the intellectual atmosphere of the time.
Swami Vivekananda went one step further: ‘I do
not believe in it (tolerance),’ he said, ‘I believe in
acceptance. Why should I tolerate? Toleration
means I think you are wrong and I am just allowing
you to live.’ (page 65). This very novel approach has
 been examined along with other contemporary
philosophies of the time as well as the manner in
which these views were reflected in the literature
of the time.
Another important theme explored, by Shri
Imtiaz Ahmed, is an interesting examination of
the religions existing in India – Hinduism, Islam,
Buddhism and Jainism – which co-existed without
conflict until self-interest created differences. The
author argues that these can now be equalised by
using modern technology to spread awareness of
misconceptions.
The third and fourth essays are specific to
cultural unity in India through, paradoxically, its
cultural diversity, which is a point of interaction
rather than separation as the goals of all cultures
remain the same.
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. L A K S H M I D E V N AT H , C H E N N A I
The next session is devoted to two themes –
an anthropological examination of cultural unity
and the part played by geography in creating a
pluralistic society. This is of particular interest
today when artificial barriers have been created
between urban and rural societies, between
the indigenous and the borrowed, and between
Western and Eastern influences.
The topics in the next session are more
specific. Choosing one pan-Indian text, the
Ramayana, the many ways in which the story has
been handled and has evolved in different parts of
North-East India, the speakers have shown how
this story can be interpreted in different ways.
There is an accepted trajectory for the Ramayana
– beginning in Uttar Pradesh, winding its way to
Sri Lanka via Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and
Kerala. These writings show how the stories vary
in their details according to the greater or lesser
importance given to the characters, in the local
languages, thereby leading to their exclusion from
the Sanskritisation of religious stories. This leads
on to art forms, such as dance and theatre, born
out of Vedic rituals in the next essay.
The final essay in the book brings it up to
the 20th century with the contributions made by
Sikhs to the freedom struggle and India’s culture
through polity.
The book raises several questions – how
do we attempt to define culture? Is our national
identity the amalgamated result of several
individual identities rolled into one, embracing the
differences rather than militating against them? Do
we need toleration or acceptance? Archeological
findings have proved the depth of Indian culture
which can very easily absorb diversity. The caves of
Ellora, for instance, show the artistic unity of three
religions – Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The
works of poets like Kabir represent a wide-lens
view of religious traditions. Swami Vivekananda
was consumed by the fire of breaking down
barriers. There is copious evidence to show
that as a concept, Unity was the cornerstone
of Indian culture and civilisation. Swamiji’s
contributions emanate from his interpretations of
Sri Ramakrishna’s unshakeable faith in the validity
of all religions and cultures.
An erudite exposition indeed, this book is of
value to students and lovers of history, religion,
July 2019
anthropology and society. It is not for the casual
reader as the papers are expert views from every
field and require focused reading.
___________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI
41
Indian Philosophy of Nada
The Vedanta Kesari
and its Vocal Applications
by Justice B.S.Raikote
Published by Motilal Banar-
sidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 41,
U.A. Bungalow Road, Jawahar
Nagar, Delhi - 110 007 2016,
Hardbound, pp.481, Rs.695.
G
enerally the subject matters
of Indian philosophy are
logic and epistemology,
metaphysics, ethics and religion; these are
extensively, analytically and even academically
discussed and described. Philosophy of language,
philosophy of beauty, political philosophy, and
social philosophy are studied as the offshoots
of classical Indian philosophical systems. An
intellectual investigation of aesthetics in India
became popular after the famous Natya Sastra
of Bharata was published. The text prescribes
the grammar of beauty in terms of precepts and
concepts and elucidates the denominations of it
in nature and in arts. Later the metaphysicians
 linked the Supreme Reality viz., Brahman with
the aspects of aesthetic enjoyment such as
vastu Brahma vada, sabda Brahma vada, nada
Brahma vada, and rasa Brahma vada. Of these
sabda Brahman is the unmanifest form of the
transcendental nada emanating from Siva-Sakti
as dhvani or sabda (sound). The concepts such
as sthayibhavas (permanent emotions), rasa
(aesthetic experience), dhvani (suggestive of
specific emotions) are the manifested aspects of
joyous enjoyment.
Since the book under review is a Ph.D thesis,
Justice Sri Raikote has justified the selected theme
throughout this work from musical, linguistic,
aesthetic and mystical perspectives. He opines
that the conception of nada emanates from the
primordial sound known as Omkara or Pranava.
The conception of nada has exerted a strong
influence on Indian culture; the Vedas and the
July 2019
Tantras use it while performing rituals in the
form of pranava sound and music tinged with
divine propensities. This book mainly deals with
42 the ontological nature of dhvani as promulgated
in the upanishads, the six orthodox schools of
Indian philosophy, grammatology, tantragamas
The Vedanta Kesari
and musicology.
Since the seers of darsanas in India inquired
into the nature of Reality with spiritual intuition,
metaphysical conception and logical precision,
they seldom evinced keen interest in the analysis
of sabda or nada which stand for ‘sound’ or ‘noise’.
Incidentally Nyaya-vaisesika, Mimamsa and
Vyakarana studied the implications of sabda in
terms of word-meaning, and sentence-meaning;
this in turn enabled them to logically ponder
deeply about the idea of reality. However, the
basis for word-sentence-meaning is sabda or
nada or dhvani. Hence a detailed study of these
terms with their denotations and connotations
has necessitated the author to highlight the
philosophical overtones and he has successfully
accomplished the assigned task.
The author envisages the notions of vak,
nada and dhvani from the pre-Vedic and the
Vedic standpoints along with the conceptions
of rtam, aksara, or omkara, and nada or Purusa.
He succinctly derives the idea of sabda as an
evolute of akasa and develops its application
in all the mahabhutas as explained by the
Samkhya-Yoga system. Nyaya-Vaisesika builds
up the philosophical system from atomism, and
nada is a quality (guna) of akasa (ether) which
is an extensive atom – phenomenal theory of
sound. Nada is an eternal substance (dravya)—
transcendental theory of sound—according to
Mimamsa and Vedanta.
Tantragama subscribes to the vibration
theory of sound, according to which nada is a
phenomenal activity (kriya or spanda) being
the manifestation of cosmic energy. Positivistic
theory of sound has been propounded by the
grammatical system which holds that nada is
an artificial sound produced by vaikhari dhvani
of vocal chords. The musicologist develops the
transcendental theory of sound which states
that nada is the manifestation of cosmic energy
(or kundalini shakti in the body) in the form of
vocal sound. The nastika darsanas known as
Carvaka, Jainism and Buddhism promote the
materialistic theory of sound since nada or sabda
is ‘mode’, a ‘form’, a ‘quality’ or a ‘potential force’
of matter.
All the above mentioned theories have
been critically evaluated by the author which
act reveals not only his academic acumen but
also his stability in intellectual pursuits. In the
chapter on the vocal applications of the accepted
theories of nada he narrates the Vedic (arcika),
musical, aesthetic and spiritual applications with
logical conviction and scientific explanation. In
the conclusion he develops a distinction between
‘transcendental nada’ and ‘phenomenal nada’.
Undoubtedly this work opens the new
vistas of philosophical investigation into a novel
subject-matter which will certainly satisfy the
intellectual quest of the common readers and
also nourish the mental vigour of research
scholars. The author deserves appreciation for
his deep erudition, accumulation of relevant facts,
and scholarly presentation of the entire gamut
of the chosen theme with ample illustrations,
accurate references, appropriate citations, critical
evaluation, and clinching argumentation.
_____________________PROF. R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, CHENNAI
 Article
The Value of
Discipline
PROF. SUDHA SHASTRI
A
s a generation grows older, it is
not unusual for elderly men
and women to bemoan the
dilution of values in the younger generations.
Discipline is probably the most common value
which is seen as highly compromised.
Discipline, which means ‘to be disciplined’
PA G E S P O N S O R : S M T. L A K S H M I D E V N AT H , C H E N N A I
in one’s thoughts, actions and habits – is the
source of all other values. Let us recall Swami
Vivekananda who memorably declared: ‘Mind
you, there is no value in learning. You are all
mistaken in learning. The only value of
knowledge is in the strengthening, the
disciplining, of the mind.’
What this means is that discipline is the
mother and father of all knowledge. It may be
true that one needs to know addition and
subtraction, multiplication and division to
learn Mathematics; or the alphabet ,
vocabulary and grammar to learn a language
and its literature. But it is impossible to learn
even numbers and letters without the aid of
discipline. It is the foundation of any learning,
progress and achievement.
Like everything else, the best and
quickest way to learn discipline is in
childhood. The child’s mind is fresh,
uncluttered, and has great assimilation power
because it absorbs ideas without doubt and
distraction. Hence, discipline as a value
should be inculcated in childhood. Schools, no
less than parents, have an integral role in
teaching children to be disciplined. Ways of
inculcating discipline may differ from parent
The author is a professor of English at IIT, Bombay
to parent, and teacher to teacher. There is no
one correct way. Depending on a child’s
July 2019
temperament and circumstances, the parent
or teacher needs to find a way that will work.
In some contexts, the fear of being punished
may teach a particularly obstinate child to
43
learn to be disciplined. Pressure, however,
should be used as the last resource. For it is a
The Vedanta Kesari
cliché worth remembering that we learn our
lessons best when we are taught with love.
Discipline by example
Discipline, on the face of it, seems to call
for severity and strictness. How does one
ensure that a child remains disciplined if it
has no fear of consequences? It is a prevalent
belief that fear is a successful tool to impose
an unpleasant learning experience. And to a
child, whose natural instinct is to be carefree
and playful, having to obey restricting rules
can be unpleasant indeed. This belief however
may need to be revised in today’s liberal
times. In fact, the best and longest lasting
lessons are those taught by example.
The highest example for such teaching is
perhaps what the four children of Guru
Gobind Singh imbibed from their father, and
senorita.sudha@gmail.com
 o t h e r fa m i ly m e m b e r s . B e t raye d by declares through King Richard in his play
Aurangzeb’s false promise, Baba Ajit Singh Richard II, that ‘I wasted time, and now doth
and Baba Jujhar Singh, the two eldest sons of time waste me.’
the Guru, gave up their lives on the battlefield Learning to respect time and obey its
fighting against heavy odds. They were just 18 demands is the best way to inculcate discipline
and 14 years old, but had in oneself. During school
imbibed their father’s heroic ‘Independence means assemblies for morning prayers,
faith in justice and God. Baba the school authorities are very
Fateh Singh and Baba Zorawar
voluntary restraints particular about students not
S i n g h , t h e yo u n g e r s o n s and discipline, being even a minute late, because
displayed even greater heroism. voluntary acceptance these assemblies are as much
Betrayed by a greedy ex-servant, of the rule of law.’ about discipline in punctuality as
they stood firm in the face of the about praying to God.
Mughal governor’s temptations to convert to
Islam or face death. Calling to memory their A Positive Value
grandfather Guru Teg Bahadur who embraced There is a pressing need to associate
death to conversion, the two boys stood in disciplined behavior with positive values in our
prayer as they were walled in alive to die. The country today. Standing at traffic signals, how
July 2019

two brothers were just 9 and 6 years old.
Teaching by example is invaluable and the
most elevated form of teaching. It also makes an
44 interesting point about discipline: discipline is
essentially self-discipline. It is something that
comes from within an individual. After a few
The Vedanta Kesari
often we find vehicles driven by educated men
and women halt right over pedestrian stripes!
Jumping queues with impunity is also a
common sight. This disregard for rules, even
after having the benefit of education, seems to
arise from a false equation of indiscipline with

initial external lessons, it can be internalized
only through self-teaching.
When we observe discipline, we are both
learning as well as teaching ourselves.
Discipline is not information or knowledge
which can be obtained from outside. It is an
inner capacity that we develop by training our
mind to think and do the right thing. In
childhood we need parents and teachers to tell
us what is right and wrong, and where to sow
discipline. But thereafter, as moral and social
adults, we understand intuitively where our
behavior needs to be disciplined.
Discipline and Time
Discipline is also associated with
timeliness and punctuality. To be disciplined is
to be aware of the value of time. Time’s arrow
moves in only one direction. It is irreversible.
Time lost, is lost forever. Shakespeare famously
power! Instead of feeling ashamed, such people
take pride in a false sense of freedom. They fail
to understand that freedom is always
associated with responsibility.
To b e d i s c i p l i n e d i s to a c c e p t
accountability. How lack of discipline can result
in a counter-intuitive behaviour is revealed in a
real life incident. A middle-aged lady had
parked her car outside her gate. Her teenage
neighbour took his car out in such a hurry that
he dented her car. When the lady rushed out
and seeing the damage to her car became
agitated, the teenager instead of apologizing
became offensive and rudely questioned why
she was making such a fuss about a small
matter. His indiscipline in driving, led to other
character flaws like disrespect, dishonesty, and
arrogance.
We need to recognize that being
disciplined is not about losing one’s freedom,
 but about manifesting self-control and power
in the real sense. Power over oneself and one’s
lesser instincts is more difficult to achieve
than power over others, and hence the former
sort of power is something to take pride in. To
be able to control one’s words and deeds is
the hallmark of a leader.
Discipline and Indian freedom movement
A shining example of discipline in our
national history, is the manner in which we
sent out the colonial rulers, not through
military force, but by the immeasurable power
of self-discipline that thousands of Indians
manifested with the mantra of Satyagraha.
PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I R AV I S H A N K A R S . , C H E N N A I
Mahatma Gandhi declared: ‘There will have to
be rigid and iron discipline before we achieve
anything great and enduring, and that
discipline will not come by mere academic
argument and appeal to reason and logic.’ More
pointedly, he said, ‘Independence means
voluntary restraints and discipline, voluntary
acceptance of the rule of law.’
Discipline arising from self-restraint is
integral to social harmony and all-inclusive
development. The sooner our society, especially
our children and youth, learn to associate
discipline with affirmative values like self-
esteem, and national responsibility, the more
promising will be our future.

July 2019
The ‘As’-‘Is’ Hybrid (Continued from page 36...)

devotees not to be one-sided: form, formless trace of water on the one side and the river on
and many more possibilities exist. Put no limit the other side. It is being beyond all bhavas 45
to God. (moods) and a rich, variety of moods for people
Let us consider the construction of a of various temperaments: bhava-atita and

The Vedanta Kesari

dining hall. First there is the thought of bhava-sagara. What is in between is
construction: it has no form and yet thoughts Bhavamukha.
do take shape in the mind! Then there is the
diagrammatic or written representation in the
blue print or write-up. This is a more formed
presentation of the formless thought, and yet
far away from the actual building which
requires estimation and the lengthy process of
construction. At each stage the formless was
progressing to the formed. As Hindus put it, it
is thought-word-deed. And yet, it is only in the
deed stage that one can call it a functioning
dining hall.
Imagine a satellite thrown into space; it
plunges back to the earth; or it flies
away from the earth’s orbit; or it revolves
around the earth. At just a particular
velocity and radius of the orbit, the
satellite is geo-stationary. It is just like that:
standing at the top of the cliff and seeing not a
 Compilation
Who is a real guru?
A
real Guru is one who is born from
time to time as a repository of
spiritual force which he transmits
to future generations through successive links
of Guru and Shishya (disciple). The current of
this spirit-force changes its course from time to
time, just as a mighty stream of water opens up
a new channel and leaves the old one for good.
Thus it is seen that old sects of religion grow
lifeless in the course of time, and new sects
arise with the fire of life in them. Men who are
truly wise commit themselves to the mercy of
that particular sect through which the current
of life flows. Old forms of religion are like the
July 2019
skeletons of once mighty animals, preserved in
museums. They should be regarded with due
honour. They cannot satisfy the true cravings of
the soul for the Highest, just as a dead mango-
46 tree cannot satisfy the cravings of a man for
luscious mangoes.
The one thing necessary is to be stripped
The Vedanta Kesari
of our vanities—the sense that we possess any
spiritual wisdom— and to surrender ourselves
completely to the guidance of our Guru. The
Guru only knows what will lead us towards
perfection. We are quite blind to it. We do not
know anything. This sort of humility will open
the door of our heart for spiritual truths. Truth
will never come into our minds so long as there
will remain the faintest shadow of Ahamkara
(egotism). All of you should try to root out this
devil from your heart. Complete self-surrender
is the only way to spiritual illumination.
The need of guru
Every soul is destined to be perfect, and
every being, in the end, will attain the state of
perfection. Whatever we are now is the result
of our acts and thoughts in the past; and
whatever we shall be in the future will be the
result of what we think and do now. But this,
The Guru
Selections from The Complete Works of
Swami Vivekananda
the shaping of our own destinies, does not
preclude our receiving help from outside; nay,
in the vast majority of cases such help is
absolutely necessary. When it comes, the higher
powers and possibilities of the soul are
quickened, spiritual life is awakened, growth is
animated, and man becomes holy and perfect in
the end.
This quickening impulse cannot be
derived from books. The soul can only receive
impulses from another soul, and from nothing
else. We may study books all our lives, we may
become very intellectual, but in the end we find
that we have not developed at all spiritually. It
is not true that a high order of intellectual
development always goes hand in hand with a
proportionate development of the spiritual side
in Man. In studying books we are sometimes
deluded into thinking that thereby we are being
spiritually helped; but if we analyse the effect
of the study of books on ourselves, we shall find
that at the utmost it is only our intellect that
derives profit from such studies, and not our
inner spirit. This inadequacy of books to
quicken spiritual growth is the reason why,
although almost every one of us can speak most
 wonderfully on spiritual matters, when it
comes to action and the living of a truly
spiritual life, we find ourselves so awfully
deficient. To quicken the spirit, the impulse
must come from another soul.
The person from whose soul such impulse
comes is called the Guru—the teacher; and the
person to whose soul the impulse is conveyed
is called the Shishya—the student. To convey
such an impulse to any soul, in the first place,
the soul from which it proceeds must possess
the power of transmitting it, as it were to
another; and in the second place, the soul to
which it is transmitted must be fit to receive it.
The seed must be a living seed, and the field
PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I B . N A G A S U B R A M A N I A N , C H E N N A I
must be ready ploughed; and when both these
conditions are fulfilled, a wonderful growth of
genuine religion takes place. “The true preacher
of religion has to be of wonderful capabilities,
and clever shall his hearer be”—आश्र्चर्यो वक्ता
कुशलोऽस्य लब्धा; and when both of these are
really wonderful and extraordinary, then will a
splendid spiritual awakening result, and not
otherwise. Such alone are the real teachers, and
such alone are also the real students, the real
aspirants. All others are only playing with
spirituality. They have just a little curiosity
awakened, just a little intellectual aspiration
kindled in them, but are merely standing on the
outward fringe of the horizon of religion. There
is no doubt some value even in that, as it may in
course of time result in the awakening of a real
thirst for religion; and it is a mysterious law of
nature that as soon as the field is ready, the
seed must and does come; as soon as the soul
earnestly desires to have religion, the
transmitter of the religious force must and does
appear to help that soul. When the power that
attracts the light of religion in the receiving soul
is full and strong, the power which answers to
that attraction and sends in light does come as
a matter of course.
There are, however, certain great dangers
in the way. There is, for instance, the danger to
t h e re c e iv i n g s o u l o f i t s m i s t a k i n g
momentary emotions for real religious
yearning. We may study that in ourselves.
Many a time in our lives, somebody dies
whom we loved; we receive a blow; we feel
that the world is slipping between our
fingers; that we want something surer and
higher, and that we must become religious.
In a few days that wave of feeling has
passed away, and we are left stranded just
where we were before. We are all of us often
mistaking such impulses for real thirst after
religion; but as long as these momentary
emotions are thus mistaken, that continuous,
real craving of the soul for religion will not
come, and we shall not find the true transmitter
of spirituality into our nature. So whenever we
are tempted to complain of our search after the
July 2019
truth that we desire so much, proving vain,
instead of so complaining, our first duty ought
to be to look into our own souls and find
whether the craving in the heart is real. Then in 47
the vast majority of cases it would be
discovered that we were not fit for receiving the
The Vedanta Kesari
truth, that there was no real thirst for
spirituality.
There are still greater dangers in regard
to the transmitter, the Guru. There are many
who, though immersed in ignorance, yet, in the
pride of their hearts, fancy they know
everything, and not only do not stop there, but
offer to take others on their shoulders; and
thus the blind leading the blind, both fall into
the ditch. अविद्यायामन्तरे वर्तमानाः स्वयं धीराः
पण्डितम्मन्यमानाः। दन्द्रम्यमाणाः परियन्ति मूढा अन्धेनैव
नीयमाना यथान्धाः।।—“Fools dwelling in darkness,
wise in their own conceit, and puffed up with
vain knowledge, go round and round staggering
to and fro, like blind men led by the blind.”—
(Katha Up., I.ii.5). The world is full of these.
Every one wants to be a teacher, every beggar
wants to make a gift of a million dollars! Just as
these beggars are ridiculous, so are these
teachers.
 What is Religion?

Religion is
Common Sense

R
eligion is a common-sense,
everyday thing.1 Religion is not
mumbo-jumbo. It is not magic. It is
not mysterious. It is not doctrine or dogma. It
July 2019
every human being. At best when we want to
hear of spiritual things our standard is the
senses; or a man hears things about philosophy,
and God, and transcendental things, and after

is not based on tradition. It is based on
common-sense. If religion does not permeate
the everyday life of its follower, it is not
48 religion; it is something else! This is the view of
Swami Vivekananda.
He elaborates this idea variously as
The Vedanta Kesari
hearing about them for days, he asks: After all,
how much money will they bring, how much
sense-enjoyment will they bring? For his
enjoyment is only in the senses, quite
naturally.’3
‘None can teach another. You have to

follows: realize truth and work it out for yourself

‘Cleanse the mind, this is all of according to your own nature…All must
religion.’2 Just look at the beauty of Every science has struggle to be individuals – strong,
this idea. Can religion be made any standing on your own feet, thinking
its own method
simpler? We believe that religion is your own thoughts, realizing your
of learning,
cumbersome, with its heavy load own Self. No use swallowing
of beliefs, rituals, ceremonies and and religion is to doctrines others pass on – standing
observances. But, none of those be learnt the up together like soldiers in jail,
actually constitute religion. Even if same way. sitting down together, all eating the
we engage in all those so-called same food, all nodding their heads at the
prescribed activities, and do not cleanse our same time. Variation is the sign of life.
minds therefrom, it is not religion, whatever Sameness is the sign of death.’4
else it be! Therefore Swamiji says: ‘The secret of
‘The one objection raised here is this, that religion lies not in theories but in practice. To
love for ceremonials, dressing at certain times, be good and to do good – that is the whole of
eating in a certain way, and shows and religion. “Not he that crieth ‘Lord’, ‘Lord’, but he
mummeries of religion like these are only that doeth the will of the Father.”’5 Religion is
external religion, because you are satisfied with not lip-service, but a perception. From that
the senses and do not want to go beyond them. perception arises a conviction, which becomes
This is a tremendous difficulty with us, with action. Mind you, merely running around in rut
 in the name of doing good to the world is not
what is meant by action. There is a
definite method to the action that constitutes
religion.
Hence, Swamiji warns: ‘You will find many
persons in this world who will say, “I wanted to
become religious, I wanted to realize these
things, but I have not been able, so I do not
believe anything.” Even among the educated
you will find these. Large numbers of people
will tell you, “I have tried to be religious all my
PA G E S P O N S O R : D R . S U B R A M A N I YA B H A R AT H I YA R R . , K A N C H E E P U R A M
do not find anything in it”, he will ask, “When
did you try?” “When I went to bed, I repeated,
‘O chemistry, come to me”, and it never came.
That is the very same thing. The chemist laughs
at you and says, “Oh, that is not the way. Why
did you not go to the laboratory and get all the
acids and alkalis and burn your hands from
time to time? That alone would have taught
you.” Do you take the same trouble with
religion? Every science has its own method of
learning, and religion is to be learnt the same

life, but there is nothing in it.” At the same time way.’ 6

you will find this phenomenon: Suppose a man
is a chemist, a great scientific man. He comes
and tells you this. If you say to him, “I do not
believe anything about chemistry, because I
have all my life tried to become a chemist and
‘In one word, the ideal of Vedanta is to
know man as he really is, and this is its
message, that if you cannot worship your
brother man, the manifested God, how can you
worship a God who is unmanifested?’7

July 2019
References
1 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol-2: 5 Ibid. Vol-6: Epistles – Second Series: 30th April,
The Goal 1891: To Govinda Sahay 49
2 Ibid. Vol-7: Inspired Talks: Monday, July 29, 1895 6 Ibid. Vol-6: The Methods and Purpose of Religion
3 Ibid. Vol-1: Vedic Religious Ideals 7 Ibid. Vol-2: Practical Vedanta: Part II

The Vedanta Kesari

4 Ibid. Vol-6: Formal Worship

Once we rise beyond our tiny ego, everything that we do, every worship, every
meditation, every work, even the so-called worldly work like looking after one’s own family,
become a stimulus for our spiritual growth. It is on this basis that Swami Vivekananda
presented the universality of Practical Vedanta, its being as the basis of all religions and
relevant to all peoples. By discharging their responsibilities and facing the challenges of life,
and keeping in view the steady unfolding of spiritual growth through them, all can realize
the highest goal. That is why this yoga is defined by Sri Krsna in the second chapter of the
Gita as yogah karmasu kausalam— ‘Yoga is efficiency, dexterity, in action’. Through this
efficiency, man increases the material welfare and happiness of society, outwardly, through
his productive labour; and achieves his or her own spiritual growth as well, inwardly. When
we find that our actions result in the economic, social, and cultural growth outside and our
own spiritual growth within, we shall know that we are implementing the message of Yoga
of the Gita, that we are approaching religion as a science of spiritual growth and fulfil­ment.
—Eternal Values for a Changing Society. Swami Ranganathananda. Bombay: Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan. 2:540
 Topical Musings

Our Sadhana
(Continued from the previous issue...)

W
e shall present two facts to our
readers. Putting these two facts
together, we will be able to
appreciate the utmost relevance of Swamiji’s
prescription of Spiritual Sadhana for the
modern age.
1st fact: Spiritual Sadhana requires an
activity (or a set of activities) that man can
perform over and over again, on a daily basis.
July 2019
before that! Hence, we say that all through
history, activities which were conducive to
spiritual growth were never primarily
economic in nature. As a result, the Indian
society came up with certain traditions, where
certain groups of people were ‘taken care of’
economically, and they were left free to
perform these ‘special activities’. The rest of the
people in society engaged in economic

2nd fact: Never before in recorded activities, part of which sustained these
Character
human history have so many people groups of people too. Centuries
is self-restraint.
been involved in economic after centuries, this has been the
activity on a daily basis, all
Self-restraint is tradition. 1 And what was the
50 through the year! self-direction. nature of the economic activity
How are these two facts Self-direction is that these people engaged in? It
concentration.
The Vedanta Kesari

connected? was periodic, seasonal in most

Since society, in the past, Concentration when cases. Agriculture, hunting,
could not engage man in any perfect is Samadhi. fishing, metal-working, trading,
activity on a daily basis, all through the entertainment, warfare, etc. All these
year, Rishis had to invent special activities activities were never on a large-scale, and
that could indeed engage man on such basis. hence were periodic only. Unless you engage in
That explains the evolution of Yajna, rituals, sustained activity, day-after-day, for years
ritualistic Puja, ritualistic Mass, ritualistic together, without any respite, that activity
community prayer, building temples, mosques, cannot lead to spiritual growth. Spiritual
cathedrals, seva to idols and images, japa, practice is not sporadic.
dhyana, nidhidhyasana, contemplation, etc. From the 18th century onwards, with the
Although this is true across cultures and development of science and technology, a new
religions of the world, it is more so with respect age has dawned. The entire structure of
to Indian society down the ages. economic activity has changed. Innumerable
These activities were all special activities. people are participating in productive activity
What we mean is – these activities were never all over the world, daily, year after year. Never
primarily economic activities. Man has to before has the common man had such
survive from day to day. That is vital. Only when sustained engagement with work! This is one
daily survival has been taken care of, man will of the greatest contributions of the modern
be able to strive for his spiritual growth; not age.
 Whenever and wherever you have
sustained activity, there is a scope of converting
it into spiritual practice. This is the cornerstone
in Swami Vivekananda’s conception of Sadhana
for the modern man. If society naturally evolves
such activity, it is well and good. If society
cannot evolve such activity, then the spiritual
leaders of society invent sustained activities, to
enable people to engage in spiritual practice.
When Swami Vivekananda travelled
around the world, he saw the immense
possibility hidden in the new socio-economic
structure created by the modern paradigm.
Though this paradigm was mainly developed in
the West, gradually it has permeated the whole
world. Now, for the first time in human history,
we have common people, everywhere, engaged
in activity on a daily basis. If a suitable turn can
simultaneously bring economic as well as
spiritual benefits; economic benefit for society
and spiritual benefit for the individual! Where
is then, the need to design separate activities
for spiritual growth? If we could only mine the
immense activities that man is now engaged in,
incredible spiritual fruits could be obtained!
This was the vision of Swami Vivekananda.2
Therefore, Sister Nivedita points out:
‘How are we to fight (for spiritual growth)?
Most of us, by work. The world’s work is the
great Sadhana, wherein we accumulate
character, by which, when the time comes, we
can rise even into the Nirvikalpa Samadhi itself.
Character is self-restraint. Self-restraint is self-
direction. Self-direction is concentration.
Concentration when perfect is Samadhi. From
perfect work to perfect Mukti. This is the swing

July 2019
PA G E S P O N S O R : A D E V O T E E , H O U S T O N , U S A

be given to the worker, he can immediately of the soul. Let us then be perfect in work!’3
participate in the activity, which will (To be continued...)

51
References

The Vedanta Kesari

1 Swamiji used to lament that the ancient spiritual
traditions produced one saint at the cost of a hundred
lives! He wished to reverse this situation, whereby
multitudes could attain spiritual heights in society.
2 The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol-5:
Sayings and Utterances: Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga and
Karma – these are the four paths which lead to
salvation. One must follow the path for which one is
best suited; but in this age special stress should be
laid on Karma-Yoga.
3 The Complete Works of Sister Nivedita. Vol-3.
Religion and Dharma: Work

‘... Ramakrishna institutions, … are not like the usual type of religious organizations
where there is a gulf between life and religion. Sri Ramakrishna came to bridge that gulf
and to teach us that life is itself religion. He exhorts us to see life in its unity and wholeness.
This is the vyavasayatmika buddhih (one-pointed intel­ligence) spoken of in the Bhagavad-
Gita (II. 41), where there is a unity of vision and unity of purpose and endeavour, external
and internal. This is the basis of all character development. Young people today want to see
character coming out of religion; if they do not see this, they are not going to be inspired
by religion or religious people. … So, this is the challenge before all religion: can it and does
it show character? Just as the food that you take in must show its effect in the strength of
your body, so also the religion that you profess and live by must show its effect in your inner
riches, in your character, in your spirit of service, in your day-to-day life.’
Eternal Values for a Changing Society. Swami Ranganathananda. Bombay: Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan. 2:129
 The Order on the March
News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and
Ramakrishna Mission
Headquarters
The 123rd Foundation Day
of the Ramakrishna Mission
was celebrated at Belur Math
on 1 May. Srimat Swami
July 2019
Smaranananda Ji Maharaj,
President of Ramakrishna
Math and Ramakrishna Mission
chaired the programme. A good
52
number of monks, devotees and
well-wishers were present in the
The Vedanta Kesari
programme.
Sri Tathagata Roy, Governor
of Meghalaya, visited Belur Math
on 27 May.
125 Anniversary of Swami
th
Vivekananda’s Addresses at
the World’s Parliament of
Religions
The following centres
held various programmes as
mentioned below:
Antpur: Seminar (200
people); Asansol: Four Youth
Conferences (477 youth);
Jalpaiguri: Parents’ Convention
(430 people) and Devotees’
Convention (1350 devotees)
in which Srimat Swami
Suhitananda Ji, one of the
Vice-Presidents of the Order
participated; Mangaluru:
Lectures (850 youths); Rajkot: public meetings and cultural
Public Meeting (400 people) programmes were held in this
which was presided over by connection from 6 to 8 May.
Srimat Swami Shivamayananda Salem Ashrama conducted
Ji, one of the Vice-Presidents of discourses and bhajans at the
the Order. Central Prison in Salem which
Malaysia: Lectures and music were attended by about 500
in a public hall in Kuala Lumpur prison inmates.
attended by 300 devotees; St.
Summer Camps
Louis, USA: Talks and bhajans
Summer Camps for students
held at the Hindu Temple of St.
were held in these centres :
Louis (250 devotees).
Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Chennai
News of Branch Centres (in Math, Chennai Mission Ashrama,
India) Hyderabad, Indore, Kadapa,
Srimat Swami Smaranananda Kayamkulam, Kochi, Madurai,
Ji Maharaj, President of the Rajkot
Ramakrishna Order, installed
new pictures of Holy Mother
Sri Sarada Devi and Swami
Vivekananda in Sri Ramakrishna
temple at Bamunmura centre on
7 May, the auspicious Akshaya
Tritiya. The programme was
attended by 130 monks and
about 500 devotees.
Swami Gautamananda Ji,
one of the Vice-Presidents of Siliguri
the Order, reconsecrated the
renovated Sri Ramakrishna
temple at the Nettayam sub-
centre of Thiruvananthapuram
Ashrama on 7 May. A procession,
 Mysuru, Nagpur, Porbandar,
Rajkot and Tirupati. In total
4956 students participated. The
programmes included chanting,
bhajans, yogasanas, values
education classes, etc.
Youth Programmes
241 youths participated in
a state-level residential youth
camp conducted by Agartala
centre. Delhi centre conducted
24 values education workshops
in 10 states and 2 union
territories; 1655 teachers and
182 principals participated. 425
students from 5 interior schools
PA G E S P O N S O R : S R I H E M A N T G U P TA , C H A N D I G A R H
in Kutch district participated
in programmes conducted by
Rajkot centre. 180 students
participated in a programme
conducted by Salem centre.
Medical Relief
Through 14 centres in India
the Order conducted Eye-
camps in which 6586 people
were treated, 829 were given
spectacles, and 975 operated.
Vijayawada centre,
in association with Madras
Dyslexia Association, held a
training programme in which
62 teachers received training in
imparting education to children
affected by dyslexia.
Aalo centre conducted an
anti-tobacco and health aware-
Koilandy
ness programme in a nearby
village; 50 people attended.
Koyilandy centre held a medical
camp in which doctors checked
60 children from a fishermen
colony and gave medicines.
Lusaka centre, Zambia, held
a blood donation camp in which
42 people donated blood.
Swachchha Bharat Abhiyan
Mangaluru Ashrama
conducted the following
activities in May: (i) four
cleanliness drives in Mangaluru
involving 1950 volunteers,
(ii) awareness campaigns for
24 days in which volunteers
reached out to 1450 households
in different parts of Mangaluru
city, spreading awareness about
waste management, and (iii)
cleanliness drives in 100 villages
of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi
districts.
Cyclone Relief
Fani, an extremely severe
cyclonic storm, made its landfall
in Puri on 3 May. The cyclone
caused severe damage to the
homes and public infrastructure
in Odisha and also a few parts of
West Bengal. Bhubaneswar, Puri
Math and Puri Mission centres
have surveyed the afflicted
areas and are in the process of
distributing relief materials.
Chennai Math
Manasadwip centre distributed
relief material to 11 families.
Drought Relief
In the aftermath of the recent
drought, Aurangabad centre
distributed water storing drums
to 150 affected families.
Summer Relief
Madurai centre distributed
600 litres of buttermilk to
thirsty wayfarers.
Fire Relief
Chennai Math distributed
clothes and utensils to 16
families whose huts were
destroyed in a fire accident.
July 2019
Distress Relief
Through 5 centres in India,
the Order distributed 3544
shirts, 401 trousers, 704 jackets,
386 sweaters, 1250 saris, 122 53
blankets, 100 mosquito-nets and
The Vedanta Kesari
some grocery items.
Flood Rehabilitation
In the aftermath of the
floods that had hit Kerala in
August 2018, Tiruvalla centre
setup a water treatment plant,
cleaned a well and distributed
10 computers, 3 printers and
a camera benefitting over 360
families in Pathanamthitta and
Alappuzha districts.
Puri
 Ramakishna Mission Villupuram— 17th centre in Tamil Nadu
T a m i l
Nadu, the
land of Alvars,
Nayanmars, and
Acharya Ramanuja has
a unique place in the history
of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda
movement for its association
with Holy Mother Sri Sarada
Devi, and several direct disciples
of Sri Ramakrishna including
Swami Vivekananda, Swami
Brahmananda, Swami Shivananda
and Swami Ramakrishnananda.
The Swamis themselves founded
as well as inspired others to
establish several ashramas and
July 2019
outstanding service institutions
in this State. There are now
17 branch centres of the
54 Ramakrishna Order in the State,
the latest of which is in the city
of Villipuram.
The Vedanta Kesari
Two groups of devotees
who were conducting service
activities under the banner of
Sri Ramakrishna Seva Sangam,
Villupuram, and Vivekananda
Mandram, Valayampattu formed
Sri Ramakrishna Educational
Society in May 1983. From
the very beginning these
devotees worked under the
guidance of the sannyasis of the
Ramakrishna Order including
Swami Tapasyananda, the then
Adhyaksha of Sri Ramakrishna
Math, Chennai and one of the
former Vice-Presidents of the
Order, Swamis Tanmayananda
and Raghaveshananda, the two
former managers of the Math,
and in recent times by Srimat
Swami Gautamananda Ji, the
Adhyaksha of Chennai Math and
one of the Vice-Presidents of the
Order.
In the year of inception, the
Society established two schools:
Ramakrishna Vidyalaya Matric.
High School for classes VI-XII
and Ramakrishnananda Nursery
& Primary School for Pre-
Kg to class V. In 1996, the
Ramakrishna Vidyalaya Matric
Higher Secondary School for
classes VI-XII was added.
Affiliated to the Metric board
of Education, Tamil Nadu, all
the three English medium co-
education schools provide quality
education to about 4550 students.
The Society also runs Sri Sarada
Devi Free Homeopathy Clinic
since 1994 and Gadhadhar
Abhyudaya Prakalpa in
Valayampattu village.
It was the sankalpa of the
founding devotees that one day
these institutions would foster the
establishment of a branch centre
of the Ramakrishna Math and
Ramakrishna Mission in the city.
This dream came true on 25 April
2019 when Society registered and
transferred all the three schools
and the charitable dispensary to
Belur Math, the Headquarters of
the Order, in presence of Swami
Bodhasarananda, one of the Asst.
General Secretaries of the Order.
Thus was born Ramakrishna
Mission Villupuram. The
Govt. of Tamil Nadu has given
exemption for stamp duty and
registration fees worth of Rs. 3
crores appreciating this noble
effort. On 2 June 2019, the day
of Phalaharini Kali Puja, the
centre was formally opened in a
grand function in the presence
of Srimat Swami Gautamananda
Ji, Swamis Divyananda and
Muktidananda, Trustees of the
Order, Dr. L. Subramaniyan, the
District collector, K. Munusamy,
Chief Educational Officer of the
district, managing committee
members of the Society and
other dignitaries. In total 53
Sadhus, 300 devotees, 270 staff
and 1500 students attended the
function. Detailed activities of
the centre can be followed at
rkmvillupuram.org.
55
 Vol.106. No.7 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) July 2019. Regd.
56
with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957.
Postal registration number:TN / CH (C) / 190 / 2018-2020. Licensed to Post
without prepayment TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2018-2020.
Date of Publication: 24th of every month; Posted on 26 June 2019

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your own soul.
—Swami Vivekananda

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