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Arsha Vidya Newsletter


Vol. 13 January 2012 Issue 1





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - January 2012 1

Arsha Vidya Pitham Swami Dayananda Ashram Sri Gangadhareswar TrustPurani Jhadi, RishikeshPin 249 201, UttarakhandaPh.0135-2431769

Fax: 0135 2430769 Website: www.dayananda.orgEmail: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:

Chairman:

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Managing Trustee:

Swami Suddhananda

Trustees:

Swami Santatmananda

Swami Hamsananda

Sri Rajni Kant

Sri M.G. Srinivasan

Col. Kamal Kumar

Sri M. Rajalingam

Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam 72, Bharat Nagar

Amaravathi Road, NagpurMaharashtra 410 033Phone: 91-0712-2523768Emai: [email protected]

Board of Trustees

Paramount Trustee:


President

Rajashree Shrikant Jichkar,

Secretary

Madhav Babasaheb Solao,

Trustees:

Ramesh Bhaurao Girde

Avinash Narayanprasad Pande

Madhav Chintaman Kinkhede

Ramesh alias Nana PandurangGawande

Rajendra Wamanrao Korde

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Institute of Vedanta and SanskritSruti Seva Trust Anaikatti P.O.Coimbatore 641 108Tel. 0422-2657001,

Fax 91-0422-2657002

Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.in"

Email: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:

Paramount Trustee:


Chairman: R. Santharam

Trustees:

C. Soundar Raj

P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajhah

Ravi Sam

N.K. Kejriwal

T.A. Kandasamy Pillai

Ravi Gupta

M. Krishnan

Secretary: V. Sivaprasad

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Institute of Vedanta andSanskritP.O. Box No.1059Saylorsburg, PA, 18353, USATel: 570-992-2339

Fax: 570-992-7150570-992-9617

Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.org"

Books Dept. : "http://books.arshavidya.org"

Board of Directors:

President: Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Vice Presidents: Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati

Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati

Secretary: Anand Gupta

Treasurer: Piyush and Avantika Shah

Asst. Secretary: Dr. Carol Whitfield

Directors:

Drs.N.Balasubramaniam (Bala) & Arul Ajay & Bharati Chanchani

Dr.Urmila Gujarathi

Sharad & Lata Pimplaskar

Dr.V.B. Prathikanti & Sakubai

Dr.Sundar Ramaswamy(Dhira) & Usha

Dr.L.Mohan & Vinita Rao

V.B.Somasundaram and Dr.Anasuya

Bhagubhai and Janaki Tailor

Dr.Ashok Chhabra & Martha Doherty

Vijay and Pammi Kapoor

Associate Board of Directors: Dr.Soma & Nagaveni Avva

Dr.Ravindra Bathina

Dr.Mahesh & Maheswari Desai

Dr.Pramod & Lata Deshmukh

Dr.T.A.Gopal & Lata

Dr.Kamlesh & Smita Gosai

Dr.Haren Joshi & Pratima Tolat

Dr.Arun & Mangala Puranik

G.S. Raman & Gita

Dr.Bhagabat & Pushpalakshmi Sahu

Rakesh Sharma


Arsha Vidya

Newsletter

In fearless voice may we proclaim

The Rishi's messagefrom all house-tops

And bring the menof different claim

To a fold of Love where oneness lasts!




Muëòakopaniñad Manträ 2

AwvR [ae ya< àvdet äüaAwvaR ta< puraevacai¼re äüivXyam!,s ÉarÖajay sTyvahy àahÉarÖajaei¼rse pravram! . 1,1,2.atharvaëo yäà pravadeta brahmäatharvä täà puroväcäìgire brahmavidhyäm |sa bhäradväjäya satyavähaya präha

bhäradväjoìgirase parävaräm || 1|1|2||

purä – in the beginning; yäm – which; brahmä – Brahmaji; atharvaëe – to Atharvä;pravadeta – taught; täm – that; brahmavidyäm – knowledge of Brahman; atharvä –Atharvä; aìgire – to Angir; uväca – taught; saù – he (Angir) satyavähäya – to Satyavaha;

bhäradväjäya – one who was born in the family of Bharadväja; präha - taught; bhäradväjaù– Bharadväja; parävaräm – that which comes through a teacher and then a student;aìgirase - (taugt) Angiras.

‘In the beginning, Atharva taught to Angir that very same brahmavidya given by Brahmaji

to him. Angir taught it to Satyavaha who was born in the family of Bharadvfaja. Satyavahahanded down this knowledge, that passes from the higher to the lower, to Angiras.

Brahmä atharvaëe yäà pravadeta: that which Brahmaji taught to Atharva. The upaniñaduses two word-forms for Atharva1. In the first mantra it was akäränta (ending in ‘a’)atharvan-çabda and in this mantra it is nakäränta (ending in ‘n’) atharvan-çabda. Atharväyaand Atharvaëe, both of them are dative case. The form Atharväya comes from the akäräntaword. So, Atharva had two names. Some called him Atharva and others, Atharvä. Thisnakäränta usage is more popular.

The word pravadeta in the mantra, meaning ‘must teach’, nededs to be read as ‘prävadat’,meaning ‘taught’. The usage is called chändasa, Vedic expression. Päëini mentions inhis grammar many word-forms appearing in the Veda that do not conform to general rules.He brought all of them within the grammer rules by making one single rule.2 The variationsin the forms can be with respect to tense, gender, number, case ending and so on. Päëinilists all these irregular expressions found in the Veda in the above section.

1 AwvRzBdae AkaraNtae nkaraNtí, AÇ mÙe AwvR[e #it nkaraNt> àyu´>, pUv¡ àwm mÙe AwvaRy #it AkaraNt> àyu´>,2

VyTyyae h÷lm! 3,1,85 #it pai[in-sUÇe[ DNdis kalSyinymat! àvdet #it CDaNdsm!, àavdidTywR>,




What was taught by Brahmaji to Atharvä, Atharvä imparted the same brahmavidhyä toAìgir. Therefore, the same brahmavidhyä is coming down unadulterated, just as Brahmajigave to his son. So, it can bless us.

Atharvä initiated the sampradäya. He had to transfer the knowledge from his head toanother head. How he transferred this knowledge from himself to another is thesampradäya. This sampradäya was initiated by Atharvä in this çaunaka çäkhä, teachingthe same brahmavidyä to Aìgir3, his own çiñya. Aìgir taught to Bharadväja., Bharadväjais a person born in the gotra, family of Bharadväja. His name is Satyavaha, the one whofollows the truth. Bharadväja taught to Aìgiras.4 He taught the same Brahma-vidyä.Though the word Brahma-vidyä is not mentioned here, an equivalent word ‘parävaräm’is used.

Parävarä means that which is received from the teacher, who comes fitrst, by a disciplewho comes later. Avarä means lower. Here the word ‘lower’ signifies that which occurs

later. It is lower in order, not in quality. If we interpret this as lower in quality, then itimplies that the content and the quantity of the knowledge is subject to a process of attritionas it is handed down from deacher to disciple. Being the knowledge of Brahman, thewhole, this knowledge is not subject to verbal entropy. Here avarä does not mean lowerin quality but later in time. Therefore, the guru got it first; the çiñya being taught by theguru got it later. In this interpretation5 the compound ‘parävaräm has to be consideredas chandasa, Vedic usage, because the words of the compound do not have the capacityto join togethder in that sense.

Without assuming chändasa, we can interpret the word parävaräm as follows. 6 It is

karmadhäraya compound which is resolved as that vidyä which covers the subject matterof lboth parä vidyä and avara vidyä. This will be said in the next mantra. Parä meansthe cause. The cause is first in order and so it is parä. Avarä is the effect. Both areBrahman. This vidyä deals with Brahman that is both cause and effect, the effect beingnot separate from the cause. The word parävarä is used for Brahman later in this upaniñad. 7 Sankara gives this second meaning also.8 Par ä vidyä reveals Brahman. Avarä vidyä iseverything else. Everything else is also Brahman. Therefore, this brahma-vidyä pervadesthe subject matter of both parä vidyä and avara vidyä.

Satyavaha taught this knowledge to Aìgiras. The brahma-vidyä paramparä is established

here. Çruti herself does this by stating many names. Thus, we have a set up now. Wehave the teacher Aìgiras here, who has this knowledge and who is available to teach.Somebody can approach this Aìgiras and get the knowledge from him. Çaunaka doesthis, and the dialogue between Aìgiras and Çaunaka is reported on the following mantras.From here onwards the dialogue begins.

To be continued… 3 Ai¼irit re)aNt-nama,4 Ai¼risit saNtnama,5 prSmaTprSmadvre[ àaÝa #it pravra, mu{fœk Éa:ym! AiSmn! p]e samWyaRÉavadœ Aa;R smaÝ>6 pra casaE Avra ceit kmRxary>7 iÉXyte ùdy ¢iNw>., tiSmn! †òe pravre. 2,2,88 prapr - svR ivXya iv;y VyaÝe> va ta< pravram!, mu{fk Éa:ym!




Çré Rudram Mantra 14

Åñi - Parameçvaraù; Chandas - Anuñöbh; Devatä - Parameçvaraù

nm?Ste A/STvayu?xa/yana?ttay x& /:[veš %/Éa_ya?mu/t te/ nmae? ba/÷_ya</ tv/ xNv?ne. 14.

nama×ste aÞstväyu×dhäÞyänä×tatäya dhåÞñëave÷

uÞbhäbhyä×muÞta teÞ namo× bäÞhubhyäàÞ tavaÞ dhanva×ne || 14 ||

namaù – salutation; te – your; astu – let it be; äyudhäya – to weapon;anätatäya – that are at rest; dåñëave – that have the potential power to strike;ubhäbhyäm – to both; uta – further; te – your; namaù – salutation;

bähubhyäm – to both hands; tava - your; hanvane – to bow

Oh Lord! I salute your weapons that are at rest and that have the potential ofstriking at me. Further, my salutations to your hands and the bow in yourhand.

My salutation be to all your weapons which are at rest. Éçvarä’s weapon isnot separate from Him. He is nimitta-käraëa, the intelligent cause as well asupädäna käraëa, the material cause. He being the upädäna-käraëa, the weaponis a part of Him. The devotee says, “Even unto your weapon, my salutation”.What kind of weapon is it? It is a weapon not raised against me. Anantyäya—ätata means that which is used for praharaëa, chastising. Anätata means the

oppsite of it. They are the weapons that are resting in the Lord’s hands. Inastrology çänti, propitiation, to all the devatäs is done by chanting a mantrafor each devatä. When seven and a half years of Çani, period of Saturn, comes,you offer salutation to Lofrd Çani. When you do çänti to Çani, you do not seekhis blessings. If he blesses, you lose your shirt! Whenever you pray to Çani,you have to ask him not to do anything that will hurt you. So too, you arepraying to the weapon seeking its blessing not to hurt you.




Dhåñëave—O Lord, you are someone who can use the weapons. Unto you mysalutation. Or, unto the weapons that have the potential to strike me, I offermy salutation. Ubhäbhyäm bähubhyäm—Unto both hands, my salutation

Finally, tava dhanvane namaù astu, for your bow, my salutations.

Mantra 15

Åñi - Parameçvaraù; Chandas - Anuñöubh; Devatä - Parameçvara×ù

pir? te / xNv?nae he/itr/SmaNv&?[ …́ iv/ñt>,Awae/ y #?;u/ixStva/re A/SmiÚxe?ih/ tm!. 15.

pari× teÞ dhanva×no heÞtiraÞsmänvå×ëaktu viÞçvataù |athoÞ ya i×ñuÞdhistaväÞre aÞsmannidhe×hiÞ tam || 15 ||

parivå×ëaktu – avoid; dhanva×naù – belonging to (set on) the bow; heÞtiù – theweapon (arrow); asmän – us; viçvataù – from all; atho – further; iñudhiù –that quiver; tava – your; äre – the host of enemies; asmat – our; asmat – our;nidhehi – place; tam – that

O Lord! Let the arrow that is set on your bow avoid us from all directions.Further, may you place (target) your quiver (the arrows in it) on our host ofenemies.

Te dhanvanaù hetiù parivåëaktu – O Lord, may that weapon, arrow connectedto your bow, remove completely for us all our duritäs that cause difficulties.The Lord has enough arrows in his quiver to destroy any amount of durita.Therefore the prayer: ‘Strike my adversary, not me. The arrow set on your

bow has now a worthy target’. This is emphasised in the following words ofthe mantra.

Tava yä iñudiù täm asmat äre nidhehi – Place (target) the quiver (along withthe sharp arrows that are in in it) on the collection of our päpas, Asmat isunderstood as asmäkam sambandhini, connected to us and äre means aréëämçatrüëäm samuhe , in the host of enemies (sitting in me in the form of papäs).

(To be continued...)




ARSHA VIDYA PITHAM Swami Dayananda Ashram

PUJYA SRI SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI will be conducting four camps on

MAHAVAKYA VICHARA at Swami Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh

as per details given below:

CAMP FROM TO TOPIC CAMP NO. 1 24-02-2012 01-03-2012 Tattvamasi –(7 DAYS) Chändogyopaniñad– Säma Veda.CAMP NO.2 04-03-2012 10-03-2012 Prajnanam Brahma –(7 DAYS) Aitareyopaniñad – Rig Veda

CAMP NO.3 13-03-2012 19-03-2012 Aham Brahmasmi –

(7 DAYS) Båhadäraëyakopaniñad- Yajur VedaCAMP No. 4 22-03-2012 31-03-2012 Ayamatma Brahma (10 DAYS) Mäëòükyopaniñad – Atharva Veda

Those who are interested in attending the camp are requested to apply on or before 20 DECEMBER 2011.

The application form could be downloaded from our Website or it could be obtained from the ashram

by email or post. A copy of the application form can be found in this News Letter

****** Swami Santatmananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Ashram, Purani Jhadi, Muni-Ke-Reti, Rishikesh - 249137,

Tehri Garhwal, (Uttarakhand), India Phone: 0135-2430769/ 2431769

E-mail Id: [email protected] Website: www.dayananda.org




Photo/stampsize(or)

2"X2" Photo here

Arsha Vidya Pitham (Swami Dayananda Ashram)

Purani Jhadi, Muni-Ke-Reti-249137, Tehri Garhwal, (Uttarakhand), India Phone: 0135-2430769/2431769/2433769

E-mail: [email protected]: www.dayananda.org

Application Form for Camps on Vedanta Last Date for completed applications: 20th December, 2011.

NOTE: Attach a separate sheet if the space is inadequate to give details in any item oryou may want to say morePlease apply for ONE CAMP only so that more persons can listen to Pujya Swamij.

Applying for: (Please select the appropriate box).Camp-1 (Feb 24h to March 01st 2012) 7 days !

Camp-2 (March 04th to March 10th 2012) 7 days !

Camp-3 (March 13th to March 19th 2012) 7 days !

Camp-4 (March 22nd to March 31st 2012) 10 days !

1. Full Legal Name Mr. / Mrs. /Ms......................................................................................

2. Gender (M / F) 3. Age...........................

4. Citizenship ............................5. Profession: ……………………………….6. Address for Communication:

…………………………………………………....…………………………………...……...………………………………………………………………………………………………E-mail ID ............................................................................................…………………..Phone (O) ................................................. (R) .....................................……………….(Cell) ..............................................…

7. If you have attended a previous camps conducted by Pujya Swamiji here or atAnaikatti Ashram please gives details year wise & any other information you maylike to give about yourself.

I here by apply for admission to the Camp-1 | Camp-2 | Camp-3 | Camp-4 onVedanta at Arsha Vidya Pitham – Swami Dayananda Ashram and declare that to the

best of my knowledge all of the above statements are correct and complete.

Date Signature




NOTE TO THE APPLICANTS (To be retained by the applicants)

Pujya Swamiji’s expressed that it is his wish and request to admit

participants to one camp only in order to make sure that a maximum number of people can attend the camps and listen to him.

Therefore students who have done long-term-courses and Sannyasis who have studied with Pujya Swamiji are requested not to apply for the Vedanta Camps 2012.

1. Important Note: Since we have limited accommodation and we wantto give an opportunity to be in the presence of Pujya Swamiij to

maximum number of persons possible, we can only offer sharedaccommodation in the room during the program. The participant willhave to share the room with 1 or 2 more persons.

WE CANNOT OFFER SINGLE ROOM ACCOMMODATION.

Please bear with us.

2. Please make do with stay arrangements we offer.

3. The participants will have to vacate the rooms before noon on the nextday after the last day of the program.

4. Please make arrangements for your onward & return journey, inadvance, if you will be traveling by train in India. We suggest that you

book your tickets – and if you are not selected / not attending theprogram, then you can cancel the booking.

5. Submission of Application does not mean confirmation of admission

to the program.We will send intimation to all the participants separately around the1st or 2nd week of Jan, 2012 whether they are selected or not.

6. Last date for receipt of completed applications is 20th Dec, 2011.

7. Please bring with you any medicines etc that you need during the camp.




ARSHA VIDYA GURUKULAM (SRUTI SEVA TRUST)

ANAIKATTI, COIMBATORE - 641 108Phones : (0422) 2657 001 / 2657 170

E-mail : [email protected] : www.arshavidya.in

Maha Sivaratri Puja

We welcome you to participate in the Maha Sivaratri Puja at the Gurukulam on Monday,February 20, 2012. We begin with the Nitya-Puja in the morning, which will be followedby Ekadasa-Rudrabhisheka, Special Puja & Maha-arati in the evening.

PROGRAMME

Nitya - Puja ... 5.00 A.M.

Akhanda-nama-japa ... 7.00 A.M to 12.30 (afternoon)

Ekadasa-Rudrabhisheka ... 4.00 P.M.

Maha-arati ... 7.30 P.M.

P.S. Please send your offering by way of DD for Rs.251/- (for Cheques add Rs.50/- as bank charges) to reach us on or before 18.02.2012. Use the form given below.Please make your cheque or DD payable to SrutiSeva Trust, Coimbatore.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUJA OFFERING

Enclosed is my offering for the Special Puja on the day of Maha Sivaratri on 20.02.2012

Name (in Block Letters) Nakshatra Gotra

1. ........................................................................................................................................

2. .....................................................................................................................................

3. .....................................................................................................................................

4. .....................................................................................................................................

My address (in block letters) ..........................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Phone........................Mobile..........................E-mail..........................................................

Cheque/DD No.........................Bank...............................................Date...........................




Pujya Swamiji was in Dubai between the12th and the 16th of Dec ’11. During the fiveday talk series, Swamiji spoke on the topicof ‘ An Objective View & Way of Life’ . Talkswere held at the spacious Sheikh RashidAuditorium of Indian High School, Dubai.Consul general of India, H.E Shri SanjayVarma, inaugurated the series. Classicalmusical, Bharata Natyam and grouprendering of Slokas by Children precededthe talk sessions.

AIM for Seva, Poorna Vidya presentationswere made to the audience to createawareness. Extensive sale ofSwamiji’s books and CDs tookplace. Many corporaterepresentatives supported the

event.In the mornings, PujyaSwamiji addressed a selectaudience wherein he stressed onthe importance of SATSANGHand Gita Home Study.

This is the seventh visit of PujyaSwamiji to Dubai. All programs

had overwhelming response.

SELECT QUOTES OF PUJYA SWAMIJI FROM DUBAI TALKS

1. In this universe with life forms, ifthere is a self judging self-consciousperson, he/she will have problemscentred on himself.

2. As long as one is not self-judging, one

seems to be safe. Self-judgement leadsto self-loathe and self-non acceptance.

3. There can be nothing more tragic thanself non-acceptance or self-inadequacy.

4. People are unable to conform tocertain normal value structure due tosome inner pressure. Therefore thereis no self-adequacy.

5. Every human being is seeki ngsolutions to the basic problem of self-inadequacy.

6. Every school should teach what makesone a self adequate person. Thenfaculties can be used to accomplish

An Objective View & Way of Life - Talk-series by Pujya Swamiji at Dubai




whatever one wants. Latereverything else becomes aplus.

7. One has to see oneself asan adequate person

through adequateknowledge and thus enjoy being oneself.

8. If you have accept theOrder of Dharma you gotto accept the Order ofKarma.

9. The huma n being and all thetheologies must conform to the Order

of what is given.Time, Space, & Laws are a givenReality together with other life formsin the macro and micro Universe.

10. A dynamic Universe is given, whichis in a constant flux of change. Amongthe given things there are possibilities.

We keep collapsing possibilities intorealities and call it technology or

creation. There is nothing new evercreated.

11. I can’t arrogate anything that I haveor anything that I discover to bemine.I stand upon the Knowledgegained by previous generations.

12. All that is here is intelligently puttogether. Any Creation presupposesknowledge.

13. To be objective is to acknowledge thatthere is Knowledge involved behindthis Creation.

If there is a source of Knowledgecalled Ishvara, we have to understandwhat is Ishvara.

14. To be Objective is to be alive to what‘Is’ and not what I make of it.

15 If we live in our own world set updue to the way we perceive things, interms of values, priorities and

importance, then our response to theexternal world becomes highlysubjective, it distorts our perceptionand denies harmony with what ‘Is’.

16. We have given ourselves certaindegrees of subjectivity and considerthem to be normal or passable, forwant of objectivity.

17. The degree of subjectivity one has,

indicates that there is room to grow.One has to deal with oneself and one’ssubjectivity.

Reducing subjectivity marks thegrowth of a person.

18. To be objective is not simple. There ispossibility to be saner, if there is moreobjectivity.

19. If there is confusion between ‘ Artha’and ‘Kama’ pursuits, then there issubjectivity.

20. Dharma manifests in one’s head,where the faculty of choice is.

To be objective, one has to understandthe value of ‘Dharma’ as a‘Purushartha’




Abu Dhabi was blessed and fil ledwith the aura of thedivine presence ofPujya Swamiji fromthe 16th to the 18th December 2011. TheAbu Dhabi branchesof Aim for Seva and

Purna Vidya hadorganized the three-day talk by PujyaSwamiji on the topic“Healthy Attitudes and Values”.

2011 being theSatabhishekam yearfor Pujya Swamiji, it was a special privilegeand opportunity for the people of AbuDhabi to meet and receive his blessings.The three day talk was held in the HCTAuditorium of the Abu Dhabi Men’sCollege. The 400 seat auditorium waspacked to capacity on all the three days ofthe talks.

The talk was inaugurated on the 16 th

December by Mr S N Raoji, who is a wellknown businessman who currently ownsand operates state of the art steel smeltersin the UAE and has held various positionsincluding Chairmanship of the IndianSchool, Dubai. After garlanding Pujya

Swamiji, Raoji introduced him asone Swamiji as one whoseteaching showed us the absolutereality, knowing which wegained fulfillment in our lives.

Pujya Swamiji commenced histalks in his inimitable fashion,referring to “attitudes” as a veryimportant dimension of allhuman problems with an aptexample of how one’s attitudecould change based on theknowledge or understanding ofthe background of the situation.

Healthy Attitudes and Values Three-day Talk-series by Pujya Swamiji at Abu Dhabi




Pujya Swamiji dealt with a few significantissues that would lead one to “healthy orappropriate attitudes” on 16th and 17th starting with one’s attitudes towards one’s

body and our self-image born out of ourfamily background, skill sets, our academic

and professional achievements and so on.He went on to explaining the properattitude towards money and success – onehas to manage likes and dislikes and notcome under their spell – such managementskills come purely from one’s healthyattitude. This led to a beautiful explanationof prasada buddhi.

On the final day, Pujya Swamiji nicely

connected “attitudes” with “values” byintroducing the concept of “Karmasu

Kausalam yoga:” underlying the importanceof values that needs to prevail over orsupplement one’s proper attitude.

At the end of the three-day talks, everyonepresent expressed their gratitude by offering

their Guru Dakshina to Pujya Swamiji andobtained Swamiji’s blessings and “yajnaprasadam”. There was elation and hugeround of applause when we announced thatin 2012 Abu Dhabi will have a 5-day talk

by Pujya Swamiji.

During his visit, Pujya Swamiji started aGita Home Study class for the first time inAbu Dhabi. We are really fortunate thatSwamiji inaugurated the class for us.

By Gopal S Gopalakrishnan




January 1, 2012 found Anaikatti in a jubilantmood as Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi was personally present to blessmore than 1000 disciples who hadassembled at Anaikatti Gurukulam.

New Year Celebrations started at 4 AM withGanapathi Homa at Lord Dakshinamurti

temple. It was followed by nithya puja. At8 AM puja was done at Lord Subramanyatemple.

At 8.30 AM Pujya Swamiji taughtKenopanishad Bhasyam. After the class,Pujya Swamiji released volumes 6 and 7 ofBhagavad Gita Home Study in Kannada.Brahmachari Shankar, Teacher ofSamaskrutum at the long term course,

received the first copy. SwaminiVaradananda of Mysore, who translated thiswork from English to Kannada thankedPujya Swamiji for the opportunity given toher. She said that she took five years tocomplete this work. Head of Sringeri MuttSri Bharathi Theertha Swamigal had givena foreword for this work.

A special abisheka and new year puja was

performed at Lord Dakshinamurthi templeat 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., Pujya Swamijidelivered his anugraha bhasanam. He said:

“New year puja at a temple is a good wayto start the new year. One need not broodover the past and suffer from a hangover.One should positively begin each day witha prayer. It requires Isvara’s grace to have

a new beginning at every stage. Then onecan celebrate every day as a new year’s day.

One has free will to pray. But anger,sadness, depression, agitation and fear allhappen. One should acknowledge that it all

happen without their effort.One does activities for welfare of thecommunity or reaching out karma, out ofa degree of free will. But a sense of guiltand wretchedness also make one do that.So it is not totally out of free will. Prayeris the only karma that is totally out of freewill.

You have started this year with prayer. Let2012 be a good year to you. You should saynext year that 2012 was a wonderful yearand I want a repeat of that year. I wishyou all a happy new year 2012.”

The disciples had an auspicious start of theNew Year with Ishvara’s grace and Guru’s

blessings.

Report by N. Avinashilingam

New Year Celebrations at Anaikatti




By the Grace of the Almighty and with the Blessings of Gurus, the Trial-Run of the newlyconstructed Sri Ambal Chariot, was conducted with piety and solemnity, in the presenceof Sri Guru Maha Sannidhanam of Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, Pujya Sri Swamiji andother dignitaries on Thursday the 12th of January at Thiruvidaimaruthur.

A large number of devotees had gathered for this historic function and amidst the chantsof “Mahalingaa, Idaimaruthaa, Ambikey-Parasakthi, Om Sakthi-Parasakthi”, the beautifullydecorated New Chariot was taken around the four Ratha-Veedhis [the four car streets].

Earlier in the morning, Homams and Pujas were performed to the newly constructed Ratham by batches of Sivacharyas and Sthapathis.

This sacred function was conducted with benign blessings of Their Holiness Sankaracharyasof Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

The main Rathotsavam of Sri Mahalingaswami Temple will be conducted atThiruvidaimaruthur during the annual Brahmotsavam on Sunday the 5th of February, 2012.

This trial run of Sri Ambal chariot became possible thanks to the spontaneous and valuablecontributions, inputs and suggestions.

Three more Chariots have to be constructed for Lord Sri Vigneswara, Sri Subrahmanyaand Sri Chandikeswara. Sri Mahalingaswami Seva Trust plan to complete constructionof the chariots before the next Brahmotsavam, in 2013. The Trust earnestly seek the supportand participation of all the devotees to complete this sacred Pancha-Ratha Project for theHoly Kshetra of Sr Mahalingaswami at Thiruvidaimaruthur, which was visualized and beingexecuted by Pujyasri Swamiji.

Trial Run of the New Chariot at Thiruvidaimaruthur










1

We are grateful to Sri Joshi for providing the picture in this article










Swami Omkarananda’s Jnana Yagna at Coimbatore

Swami Omkarananda conducted jnanayagna at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Coimbatore from 24.12.2011 to 31.12.2011.He taught Kaivalya Navaneetham in themornings and Bhagavad Gita Chapter III inthe evenings.

Kaivalya Navaneetham has 2 chapters, viz,Teaching of Tatva and Clarification ofDoubts. Swamiji taught thesecond chapter on the topicClarification of Doubts.

After teaching the tatva, Guruasked the Sishya, if he had anydoubt. The Sishya worshippedthe Guru and told that byGuru’s grace, he hadunderstood the teaching. But hehad some doubts.

The Sishya asked whetherBrahman can be revealed bywords or not. The Guru replied

that the words do not revealBrahman as on object. But thewords of the Sastra revealBrahman as atma, the subject.

The Sishya asked whetherBrahman can be known as anobject. The Guru replied thatBrahman cannot be known in the

mind like an object, throughsense organs or through showingexamples or through inference.But Brahman can be known inthe mind of a qualified student

by understanding the teaching ofthe Sastra. Reflected consciousness revealsBrahman, the original consciousness.

Such a Sishya asked how to achieve

concentration of the mind. The Guru repliedthat when sattva guna becomespredominant in the mind, concentration ofmind can be achieved. The mind would beable to see atma as sat chit anandaBrahman.




Swamiji taught Bhagavad Gita Chapter III

on the topic Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga isnishkama dharma anustana. Karma Yogiperforms action with the attitude of offeringthe action to Ishwara. He cheerfully accepts

both the pleasant and unpleasant results asprasada from Ishwara.

Jnani for the welfare of the society performsaction. He understands that matter andmatter interact and that it does not matter.

In his action there is no tension. There isonly attention.

With reference to sense objects, it is naturalfor one to have likes and dislikes. But one

should grow to have thematurity to have them as non

binding likes and non bindingdislikes.

Arjuna asked what prompted

one to do papa. Lord Krishnareplied that desire and angerprompted one to do papa.

One’s jnana is covered by desirelike fire is covered by smoke,mirror is covered by dust andfoetus is covered by womb. Oneshould control the enemy in the

form of desire.

Senses are superior to the body. Mind issuperior to the senses. Intellect is superiorto the mind. Atma is superior to theintellect.

Having contentment is natural richness.Atma is satyam, jnanam, anantam Brahmanand is always free. One who has thisknowledge is free of all binding desires.





Kannada Translation of Bhagavad Gita Home Study

The Bhagavad Gita Home StudyProgramme is a teaching programme basedon the classes on Bhagavad Gita taught byPujya Swamiji to the students of a three-year Vedanta Course conducted at AVG,Saylorsburg, Pa, USA. His classes weretranscribed and edited to create thisprogramme. This has been translated intomany languages.

Swamini Varadananda, who is currently based in Mysore, completed the translationof the course into Kannada.

Pujya Swamiji released the Kannadatranslation of Volume VI and VII on theNew Years Day at AVG, Anaikatti,Coimbatore.

Pujya Swamiji said the Home Studyprogramme was a complete one and it tooka lot of efforts to translate this voluminouswork. Various translations of theprogramme were now available and manymore translations in other languages would

become available ere long.

Pujya Swamiji congratulated SwaminiVaradananda on her dedication and effort

resulting in the completion and release ofKannada translation of the Bhagavad GitaHome Study Course in just three years.

Speaking on the occasion, SwaminiVaradananda said that she could undertakeand complete the task of translating the GitaHome Study programme in Kannada onlywith the blessings of Srigeri Saradamba andPujya Swamiji.




Çré Çaìkaräcärya’s Käçé Païcakam

With the commentary Tatva Prakäçikä by Svämi Tattvavidänanda Sarasvati

Verse 2

ySyaimd< kiLptimNÔjal< cracr< Éait mnaeivlasm!,si½TsuoEka prmaTmêpa sa kaizka=h< injbaexêpa. 2.yasyämidaà kalpitamindrajälaà caräcaraà bhäti manoviläsam |saccitsukaikä paramätmarüpä sä käçikä’haà nijabodharüpä || 2 |

yasyäm – In Which, idaà – this, kalpitam – imagined, indrajälaà – magic, manoviläsam- the playfulness of the mind, caräcaraà – moving and non-moving, bhäti – shines,saccitsukaikä – Existence-Awareness-Bliss, ekä - One, paramätmarüpä – in the formof the innermost core of the individual, sä – that, käçikä’ – Kasi; ahaà – I am,nijabodharüpä – having the form of one’s own awareness.

I am the city of Käsi in the form of my own pure awareness. In it shines this unrealmagic called the world consisting of moving and non-moving life forms. This worldis mere playfulness of the mind. That Reality is Existence-Awareness-Bliss, One,obtaining as the innermost core of the individual.

This universe that exists and shines in that primordial intelligence called Ätman iscreated by the movement of the mind. For example, as the light of the movie projectorshines brilliantly, a movie is projected on the screen due to the movement of the film.The movie has all the elements of saàsära consisting of pleasure, pain, attachment,aversion etc., includiung the space and time. It has mountains, rivers, gardens, flowers,

animals, birds and creatures. Everything exists and shines in the brilliance of theprojector light. Our waking world is no different.

Where is the world when we are asleep? The moment we wake up, the primordialintelligence, ‘I am’, comes to light and then the body. The world also arises alongwith the body, and there is an instant identification with the body giving birth tothe person. The body and the world arise and resolve together. Just as the filmmoving in the presence of the light makes a movie, so also the playfulness of themind in the waking consciousness creates the world. The light is the brilliantly shining




Awareness Absolute. It is the Käsi and the film is manoviläsa, the playfulness ofthe mind. The entire world of moving and unmoving, living and non-living, comesto light.

Sometimes, the movie world appears more attractive, tangible, and real than the real

world. A tennis match watched on high-definition TV could be more engaging thanwatching it in a stadium. Yet it is kalpita, projected, unreal, and dream-like. Theworld that we expeience is entirely a projection of the mind, a magic show, acaptivating and binding illusion. One has to gradually grow into this vision.

What is the reality? Saccitsukhaikä, the one Existence-Awareness-Bliss. We haveto negate nänä rüpa buddhi, the commitment to names and forms, to understandthe truth. We have to negate all projections – name, form, opposites like attachmentand aversion etc. There is a lot of confusion around ‘I am’. ‘I am’ is not connectedto any of the content of waking consciousness in any way. It is undefined,undesignated, undifferentiated, primordial awareness of being. It is saccit.

What is it that we want in life? We assume that we want different things like money,power, family etc., but what we really want is happiness. We are seeking happinessalone through money, power etc. We have a right to seek the happiness , but themethods are all wrong. We should not seekhappiness in the other because the otheris insentient and unreal, and hence, cannot give us hap;piness. Where do we get this

feeling of goodness when we feel good watching a movie? Does it flow from thescreen unto us or does it flow from us on to the screen? It flows from us to thescreen. Happiness does not flow from the outside into our hearts. This is the truththat we refuse to realize. Those who know this truth conquer saàsära. How doesone discover this truth? One has to abide in the awareness of the being in order todiscover its fullness. As we discover saccit, the screen of thoughts created by themind melts away and the inner reality flows into life making it spontaneously joyful.

Paramätmarüpä, the reality is the innermost Self, not the self identified with

body-mind. We derive the sense of self from every possible non-self. Forexample, the rich man derives his sense of self from his riches. The parentor spouse derives the sense of the self from his relationships. One should notderive lthe sense of self from anything that one comes to know, because it isthe other. Therefore, one has to drop all self-identification. There is nothingsacred in these identifications; they are indeed misleading. The enlightenedfind it very hard to identify with anythIng, while the worldly people readilyidentify with everything. Be nobody, not a somebody. Only then will thereal Self shine gloriously.




A 90-day Residential Vedanta Camp at Rishikesh

Sri Swami Paravidyananda writes:

I reached Rishikesh in the early morning

hours of the 26th of November, 2011. current.All the participants in the camp attendedthe temple puja. Shri Ashok Chabraconducted meditation sessions and it wason the same lines of Pujya Swamiji.

Swami Santatmananda handled the Vedantaand Sanskrit Classes.

I, for my part, took Upadesa Sara of Sri

Ramana and completed the text. I also tooka chanting session in the after noon. Acouple of times we chanted Adityhridayamoutside the class room facing Ganga.

Sri Gopal took care of Yoga classes. Thesatsang was well attended and theprogramme gained a steady pace.

Gita jayanti was well organised withchanting of all 18 chapters of Gita, and the

lunar eclipse-day saw bhajans. A few braved to take bath in Ganga in spite ofshivering cold.

The campers also gave a few bhikshas.

It was a rewarding stay at Rishikesh.

On the whole it was well begun, and so, asgood as half done.

I wish to conclude this with a prayer toPujya Swamiji,

“Like a flock of home sick cranes flying

night and day back to their mountain nests,let all my senses bend down at thy feet Oh.Medha Dakshinamoorthy, in the form ofPujya Swamiji, in one salutation. Let thisacademic atmoshphere blossom further intolong duration courses in that Tapoboomi ofyours.”

Paravidyananda













Singer O S Sudha gave a scintillating Carnatic music recital in the presenceof Pujya Swamiji in Anaikatty Ashram on Dec 29, 2011. She was ablyaccompanied on the flute by her husband, G Raghuraman.

O S Sudha, who is the niece of well-known Carnatic musicians O.S.Thyagarajan and O.S. Arun, rendered with gusto Pujya Swamiji’s popularcompositions, Bho Shambho and Bharata Desha Hitaya, among other kritis,during her 75-minute recital. Her performance was greatly appreciated by

all present.Sudha and Raghuraman are based in New Delhi where they are muchsought-after in the classical music and dance circuit. They have also beenperforming creditably in various sabhas during the Margazhi ‘season’ inChennai in recent years as also in many foreign lands.

Scintillating rendering of Pujya Swamiji’s compositions at Anaikatty Ashram




BEING DIFFERENT: AN INDIAN CHALLENGE TO WESTERN UNIVERSALISM

By Rajiv Malhotra

Publishers: HarperCollins Publishers India

Pages: 474 Price: Rs.599

Western universalism wants everything on this earth (and even literally on heaven)to be assimilated into the western way of thinking. According to the west, there isonly one acceptable approach in all fields from science to spirituality.

Rajiv Malhotra boldly challenges this type of biased, intolerant and myopic thinking.He gives a refreshingly different approach of seeing things in the perspective ofdharmic traditions of India.

The book contains the following sections:

INTRODUCTION: India has a great civilization, which has gracefully acceptedthe different cultures, religions and philosophies and respects all of them.

THE AUDACITY OF DIFFERENCE: The cultural and spiritual wealth of Indianreligions are dismantled and rearranged into western frame and characterized asuniversal.

YOGA: FREEDOM FROM HISTORY: In Judeo-Christian traditions, the ultimategoal is salvation after death. It is history centric, based on revelations that are finaland cannot be reinterpreted as per current requirements. Indic traditions are a wayof life. The philosophy teaches how one can live a contended and happy life here.The ultimate goal is to understand the true nature of Self. The ultimate goal is enjoyedhere and now, without waiting for death. Gurus have the authority to reinterpretdharma as per current context.

BOOK REVIEW




INTEGRAL UNITY AND SYNTHETIC UNITY: Indic traditions teach that theworld is non-separate from the divine, which can be called Integral Unity. Judeo-Christian faiths proclaim that the universe is different from God and promise ofsalvation in a distant future, which can be called Synthetic Unity.

ORDER AND CHAOS: Indic traditions accept differences, unpredictability anduncertainty as natural and normal. West sees chaos as a profound threat that needsto be eradicated either by destruction or by complete assimilation.

NON-TRANSLATABLE SANSKRIT VERSUS DIGESTION: The meaning ofSanskrit words can be understood by understanding the cultural context, nuancesand implied meaning. West forces its culture while translating Sanskrit works inEnglish. There is an attempt to domesticate or distort the vision. The meaning ismany times false or misleading. Holding on to Sanskrit terms and thereby preservingtheir meaning will safeguard dharmic knowledge.

CONTESTING WESTERN UNIVERSALISM: West provides the templates intowhich it squeezes all other cultures. The result has been the ongoing appropriation,

by the West, of the intellectual and cultural property of various civilizations. Oneneeds to engage in purva paksha or reversing the gaze to shed light on how thisleads to the misapprehension and denigration of dharmic traditions.

CONCLUSION: Mahatma Gandhi lived as per his sva-dharma and demonstratedhow differences may be asserted constructively while maintaining respect for one’s

opponents at the same time. The big brother attitude of “tolerance” will not work.The attitude should be of “mutual respect” for all religions and should be on anequal platform.

This book is a “MUST READ” for those who desire to look at the West throughIndian eyes, confident that dharmic traditions are workable alternative in the modernworld.

Review by N. Avinashilingam

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zaEnkae h vE mhazal> Ai¼rs< ivixvÊpsÚ> pàCD,kiSmÚu Égvae iv}ate svRimd< iv}at< ÉvtIit. 1,1,3.çaunako ha vai mahäçälaù aìgirasaà vidhivadupasannaù papraccha |kasminnu bhagavo vijïäte sarvamidaà vijïätaà bhavatéti || 1|1|3||

Çaunakù - Çaunakù; ha vai – indeed; mahäçälaù – the famous householder;aìgirasaà – Angiras; vidhivat – as per stipulations; upasannaù – approroched; papraccha– (and) asked; iti – thus; bhagavaù – O revered Sir!; kasmin nu vijïäte – by knowingwhich one thing alone; idam – this; sarvam – all; vijïätaà – known; bhavaté -

becomes.

Çaunakaù, the famous householder, approached Angiras as per the stipulations andasked thus: ‘Oh Revered Sir! By knowing whichone thing alone, does everything becomeknown.

Çaunakaù ha vai mahäçälaù: Çaunakaù was indeed a great householder. ‘Ha’ and ‘vai’are particles used in order to either emphasise a point, or just to say ‘this happened

before’. They mean ‘indeed’, or ‘once upon a time as it happened’. Çaunaka, the sonof Riñi Çunaka, was indeed a famouse householder. The word ‘mahäçäläù’ is anadjective to Çaunakaù. Whenever çästra uses an adjective, there is an additional meaning

brought in. The word ‘mahäçälaù’ has a purpose to serve. Mahäçäla means 1 the onewho has big çälas, halls, including yajïaçälä, the hall used for performing yajïa,sacrifice. Distribution of food is one of the limbs in the performance of a ritual. Çaunakahad distributed a lot of food to people while performing rituals. The word mahäçäläùindicates he had done a lot of rituals and lived a life of prayer and dharma, and therebyhe had gained purity of mind.

‘Mahäçäläù’ also indicates he was a famous grahastha, married person. Unless one is

a gåhastha one cannot be a mahäçäla. A gåhastha means one who can be ready forknowledge. As a gåhastha one should become ready, otherwise it is useless.Gåhasthaçrama has got its own difficulties and also its own benefits. It gives the benefitof readiness, preparedness of mind to gain this knowledge. One can perform thesacrifices, because one is married. One cannot become a mahäçälä as a bachelor. Amahäçälä is the one who is married, who has succeeded and who has the benefit ofgåhasthäçrama.

How can you say so? It is so because Çaunaka goes to Aìgiras for this ultimateknowledge. So, all the yajïäs, yägäs and prayers have paid off. He knew how to

1 mhTy> y}-pak-zalady> ySy s>




approach a teacher. That is why Çruti says vidhivat upasannaù, he approached theteacher according to the stipulatred method. Later, in this section it is made clearthat a student should approach a teacher as a samitpäëi, with a small bundle oftwigs, which are used for daily ritual, in his hands. The twigs represent the student’sreadiness to be of service.

There is a rule that says:2 “Do not see a king, a deity (in a temple) or teacher empty-handed”. One should not go them empty-handed. That is how the King of Englandcollected a lot of precious stones and jewellery from Indian kings. The British Crownruled over these kings, and whenever the kings had an audience with the BritishCrown, they always carried these precious stones, not twigs. They followed this rule.Even now this rule is being followed, and we see people carryingt fruits or sweetswhen thehy visit any of them. Only a student takes twigs when he goes to a teacherwho is a householder. He thereby declares, “I am ready to bring firewood daily foryour rituals”. If he is a sannyäsi guru one cannot take twigs because he does notperform rituals and twigs are of no use to him. The student has to take somethingt

appropriate. It is symbolic. That shows his readiness to serve the teacher. The isready to do everything that he has to do—washing the house, grazing the cows. Thestudent has çraddhä and sense of surrender. That is how one approaches the teacher.

Here Sankara raises a point. Before Çaunaka, Atharva approached Brahmaji, Aìgirapproached Atharva, Satyavaha approached Aìgir, and Aìgiras approachedSatyavaha. There was no mention about the vidhi, the rule, in approaching the teacher.The stipulated approach is pointed out oly here. Does it mean it was not there before?Sankara himself replies3 saying that perhaps there was no rule before, up to Çaunaka,

but from Çaunaka onwards the rule has come into force. Or else, we have to lookat it like the analogy of a lamp placed at the doorstep, dehalé dépa nyäyavat. Whatis this analogy? Dehalé is a doorstep. Suppose you keep a lamp on the doorstep.That lamp will throw light outside as well as inside. Similarly, the statement thatÇaunaka approached according to stipulation, throws lkight upon both sides. It tellsthe students who come later that they should always approach the teacher followingthe rules of approach. It also indicates that those who had approachedthe teacher

before did so in keeping with the niyama, rule.

There is a simple answer to the above question. We can say that everyone approachedthe teacher vidhivat only. It was not mentioned befofre because the mention of earlierteachders and students was purely to point out the tradition of learning from a teacher.

But Çaunaka is gthe student of the upaniñad and Aìgiras is the teacher. But Çaunakais the student of this upaniñad and Aìgiras is the teacher. Çaunaka is asking thequestion here to Aìgiras. Aìgiras is going to teach. What we are going to get isonly what Aìgiras taught. So, the approach of Çaunaka is stated here with specificmention of ‘proper approach’.

To be continued……

2 ir´pai[nR pZyet rajan< dEvt< guém!,3 zaEnkai¼rsae sMbNxadœ Avag!R ivixviÖze;[adœ %psdn ivxe> pUveR;am! Ainym> #it gMyte, myaRda kr[aw¡

mXy dIipka Nyayaw¡ va ivze;[m!, ASmdaid:vip %psdn ivxeiróœTvat!, mu{fk Éa:ym!




Çré Rudram Anuväka 02

nm?Ste AStu ÉgviNvñe /ray? mhadevay?ÇyMb/kay? iÇpu raNtkay iw+ kali¶ka/lay?kali¶é/Ôay? nIlk/{Qay? m&Tyu Ã/yay?sve Rñ/ray? sdaiz/vay? ïImNmhade /vay/ nm>?.nama×ste astu bhagavanviçveäÞräya× mahädeväya×trayambaÞkäya× tripuräntakäya thrikälagnikäÞläya×kälagniruÞdräya× nélakaÞëöhäya× måtyuïjaÞyäya× sarveçvaÞräya× sadäçiÞväaya× çrémanmahädeÞväyaÞ namaù× ||

namaù – salutation; te – to you; astu- be; bhagavan – O Lord; viçveeçvaräya– who is the Lord of the universe; mahädeväya – who is the all-knowledge effulgentLord; trayambaÞkäya× - who has three eyes; tripuräntakäya – who burnt the city of thethree demons; thrikälagnikäÞläya× - who is the basis of the three periods of fire-like-time;kälagniruÞdräya× - whlo is timeless and also the destroyer of time; nélakaÞëöhäya× - whoseneck is blue; måtyuïjaÞyäya× - who wins over death; sarveçvaÞräya – who is Lord of all;

× sadäçiÞväaya× - who is always a blessing; çrémanmahädeÞväyaÞ – who is endowed withall wealth and who is the great Lord; namaù× - salutation.

Let my salutation be unto you, O Lord, who is the Lord of the universe, who is theall-knowledge effulgence, who has three eyes, who burnt the city of the three demons,who is the three periods of time which is like fire, who is timeless and also destroyerof time, who is blue-necked, who wins over death, who is the Lord of all, who is alwaysa blessing, who is endowed with all wealth and who is the great Lord.

This particular mantra is not in the original Rudra but by convention it is repeated atthe end of the first anuväka.

Namaù te astu—May this salutation be unto you, O Bhagavan, O Lord! O Bhagavan,O Lord! Viçvasyas éçvaraù – (who is) the Lord of the universe. He is Mahädeva. Deva

means effulgent; he is all-knowledge. The adjective mahä great is used to say that heis the Lord of all.

TrayambaÞkäya×—unto the one who has three eyes: chandra, moon, süryä, sun and agni,fire. If the universe is vieswed as the Lord’s form, the effulgent luminaries like sunand moon are viewed as his eyes. The effulgent agni, fire, is his third eye.

Tripuräntakäya—Unto the one who burnt the tripuras, the city of the three asuras.Tripuras can be looked upon as the three states of experiences, waking, dream andsleep. The svarüpa of Brahman being neither in the form of sleeping nor waking nor

dr4eaming, one is able to negate the sense of reality given to these three states.




Thrikälagni-käÞläya—Unto the one who is the three periods of time which is likefire. Trikälam eva agni, the three divisions of time—past, present and future—itselfis fire. The Lord is the devourer of that fire. It is not that he burns the past, presentand future, but the truth of time is present. The past was present when it obtainedand future will be present when it unfolds. So there is no length of time involvedin the presaent. The present, without a length of time is his svaüpa.

Kälagni-ruÞdräya—Unto Rudra who is in the form of fire of time that devourseverything. Time consumes everything. It is time that makes one change, grow,decline and die, to be reduced to ashes, vibhüti of Lord Rudra; every devotree burntis bhagavad- vibhüti alone.

NélakaÞëöhäya×—Unto the one whose neck is blue. If the Lord is the cosmos, thenthe blue sky is, indeed, his neck, to put it poetically.

MåtyuïjaÞyäya—Unto the one who is the victor of time. Time is the devourer of allpeople. The Lord consumes even that ‘time’. The story of Märkaëòeya portrayedin the puräëäs is an illustration of this fact.Märkaëòeya was born after the prayers of his parents. Lord Çiva pleased with theirprayers offered a boon with certain conditions. Either the devout couple has to becontent with a brilliant boy who would live only for sixteen years or one who wouldlive long but dull and adharmic. The couple had no choice; they had to settle forthe brilliant son even though he would be no more before he would complete histeenage. Märkaëòeya was born bringing joy to his parents. But they were afraidof the imminent death as the years rolled by. The final day arrived.

Märkaëòeya wasw doing püjä to Lord Çiva when Lord Yama sent his messengers.Seeing Märkaëòeyain the temple they did not think that he was within the boundariesof their operation. They returned to Lord Yama and reported the matter to him.Lord Yama chose to do the job himself. Märkaëòeya knew his time had come. Hethought, ‘Atleast let me hold on to the Lord, the father and mother of the universe.”As Märkaëòeya embraced the Lord, Yama gthrew the päça, noose, to gtet him alongwith the linga. That was a mistake; out came from the linga the Lord with his thirdeye open. Lord Yama who is käla, became aq heap of ashes. Käla is Bhagavän’svibhüti. Thus the Lord is known as MåtyuïjaÞya. If you are with the timeless, timecannot touch you. If you give yourself to time, then you become a citizen of Yama’skingdom. The word MåtyuïjaÞyä is illustrated in this story.

SarveçvaÞräya—He is the Lord of all worlds and all beings. He is SadäçiÞva, alwayspure, by whose grace one gains mokña, freedom.

ÇrémanmahädeÞväya namaù—Unto that MahädeÞva who is Çréman, mysalutation. Çré is mäyä. Unto the Lord, my salutation.




Swami Dayananda College of Arts & Science held their 8th Convocation Day on the29th of January 2012.

In a grand culmination of a week-long celebration, over 480 students receivedtheir graduation certificates from Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati in the presence ofSri. K.B. Chandrasekar, Founder & Chairman, E4E Inc, and Jamcracker Inc.

The secretary Smt. Sheela Balaji welcomed the gathering.

Dr.N.R. Vembu, Principal presented academic achievements of the college.

It was a proud moment for the graduates, 283 of them who were women, to stand andtake their graduation oath in front of a massive gathering of parents, relatives and villagers.Four students were recognized for obtaining univesrsity ranks. They are:

Dhilsathbegum. M B.B.A. 6th rankAjimabanu. H B.Sc., Chemistry 11th rankRajaboopathy. D B.Sc., Chemistry 13th rankAnisha beevi. M B.Com 15th rank

Eighth the Convocation Day of Swami Dayananda College of Arts & Science,

Manjakkudi. Manjakkudi, January 29, 2012.




Pujya Swamiji blessed the graduatingcongregation and advised them to be “Selfconscious in self decision.”

The presiding officer Sri. Chandrasekarcommended the pioneering work of theTrust in empowering the villagers. He said:“Pujya Sri Swamiji’s blessings havetransformed Manjakkudi village into a

global village. The college and the teachershave had a key role to play in producingfine graduates every year.”

Mr. Ram Kini, disciple of PujyaSwamiji said that the collegewas a ‘Role model’ to othercolleges.

Dr. C. Mani, Member-Academic

Standing Committee ofBharathidasan University andPrincipal, Annai College of Arts& Science, Kumbakonamfelicitated the graduates.

Sri.G. Ramachandran,Correspondent of the collegeproposed vote of thanks.

Sri.V. Rengarajan, Vice-Principal of the collegeanchored the proceedingsfor the day.

Earlier in the week, theSwami Dayananda Collegeof Arts and Scienceconducted three daysworkshop on “Total QualityManagement In Education.

The workshop series beganon January 26, 2012 andwas attended by the faculty

of the SDET group ofinstitutions, and final year post graduateand undergraduate students.

The inaugural address was given byDr.K.Sekar, Syndicate member ofBharathidasan University and the Principalof Chidambaram Pillai Women’s College,Mannachanallur. Thiruchirappalli. He spokeon “Art is long, life is short”. He said, there

was no limit and end for learning process.

Dr.Prafulla Agnihotri, Director, IndianInstitute of Management, Tiruchirapalli




spoke on “Present Scenario ofHigher Education in India”. Inthis address, he said that thepresent education should helpthe students’ community to facethe challenges of this competitiveworld and teacher shouldpossess sufficient knowledge inhis subject and must be able tokindle interest and thirst tolearn.

Dr.V. Badrinath, Dean, Trainingand placement, SASTRAUniversity, Thanjavur spoke on

talent scarcity in higher education-institutions. He put forward the reasons forthe scarcity of talent in higher education andthe possible solutions.

The first day of the workshop ended withPujya Sri Swamiji’s anugraha bhashanam onthe reverential value of money. “Money hasa value; no one can say there is no valuein money. Money is the manifestation of

God but not money alone is God”, he said.On Januray 27, 2012, the day began with

blessings from Pujya Sw amiji.

Ms.V.Subamangala, Chartered Accountant,

spoke about the principles of Total QualityManagement.

Dr. N. Parthasarathy, Dean, Bio-technology,Rajalakshmi Engineering College,Sriperumbudur, Trichy gave a splendid talkon “How to prepare lecture materials fortotal quality management”.

Dr. N. Thamaraiselvan, Head, Management

Studies, National Institute of Technology,Thiruchirappalli, spoke on “Practices forQuality Education’. He explained how tomanage the work-stress on teaching

methods and essence of effectiveand efficient teaching.Dr.S.Jayakrishna AssistantProfessor, BharathidasanInstitute of Management,Thiruchirappalli spoke on “Six

sigma in Education”. Heexplained “the key stake holdersin education.

The second day workshopconcluded with Pujya sriSwamiji’s special address onduties of a person.




The third day of workshop on January 28,2012, started with blessings of Pujya SriSwami Dayananda Saraswati’s specialaddress.

Dr.S.M.Suriyakumar Associate Professor,Department of Economics UrumuDhanalakshmi College, Thiruchirappalli &Secretary, Association of Economics,Tamilnadu spoke on positives and negativeaspects of ‘Globalisation and EducationalChanges in India’. He outlined five formulasfor success in Education.

Prof.G.Balakrishnan Vice – Principal (Retd.)

St. Joseph’s College Thiruchirappallidebated on “Is teaching—a job, a professionor a vocation? He explained the difference

between a job, profession and vocation.

The next session began with a talk by Mr.S. Venkatraman, Inspector of Police, PoliceRecruit school. He spoke on ‘BetterCommunication yields Better Quality.

The last session started with a talk by Sri.G.Prabhukumar, Managing Partner, Logic InfoSystems (I) Pvt. Ltd., Chennai. He spokeon “A comparison of quality in highereducation – India and USA”.

Dr.S.Sekar, Principal, Urumu DhanalakshmiCollege, Thiruchirappalli & Member,

Academic standing Committee,Bharathidasan University delivered thevaledictory address.

He summarized the proceedings of threedays workshop. He differentiated the thingsin proactive and retroactive available inTotal Quality Management in Education.

All the delegates who participated in theworkshop were presented with ‘participantcertificates’ by Dr.S.Sekar and SecretaryMs.SheelaBalaji.

Sri.G.Ramachandran,Correspondentproposed vote of thanks.

The workshop was followed by a culturalshow every day. An annual affair which iseagerly awaited, this is modeled on theMusic and Art festivals and brings to theheartland of Cauvery delta famousmusicians and performers to enthrall the

rural audiences.The Manjakkudi Concerts have thus servedto bring back the cultural explosion to thevillages from where it all started.

This year saw performances by the worldfamous Thiruppamburam brothers, vocalrecital by Sikkil Gurucharan, Smt.GayathriVenkatraghavan Team. The Dance formsincluded performances by Padma BhushanDr.Padmasubramanyam’s students, and theKalakshetra students.

The grand finale was a performance bySri.T.M.Krishna, accompanied by Smt.Akkarai Subbulakshmi on Vilolin,Sri.Neyveli S. Kandasubramaniam onMirudangam and Sri.N.Guruprasad onGhatam.

The culture festival also show-cased the in-house talents of the students. Over 300students from the SDET institutionspresented a rich tapestry of Indian folkculture, dance and drama in the wellequipped auditorium.




Mahasivaratri was celebrated in Rishikesh ashram on February 20 in the presence of PujyaSwami Dayanandaji.

Pujya Swamiji gave sannyasa to seven sadhakas on this auspicious day. These are:

Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Sadhavi Vrnda Chaitanya ofEugene, Oregon, USA);

Swamini Svatmabodhananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Lakshmi Muthuswamy ofMalleswaram, Bangalore);

Swamini Shuddhavidyananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Yatiswari Thujarapriya ofVellore, TN);

Swamini Siddhatmananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Lakshmi Thanuja of Rayadurgam,TN);

Swami Atmajnandananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Bharat Natwarlal Bhatt of Talaja,Gujarat);

Swami Buddhatmananda Saraswati (purvasrama name: Nirmal Chaitanya of Coimbatore,TN) and

Mahasivaratri Celebration at Swami Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh




Swami Mokshavijnanananda(purvasrama name: PavitraChaitanya).

The day started with Rudraabhisekham to LordGangadhareshwara followed bysannyasa dikshas.

Pujya Swamiji inaugurated OmNamah Sivaya chanting at 7:00AMand stayed with devotees most ofthe day. Mahabhisekham wasperformed to the LordGangadhareshawara from 4 to 7

p.m.Everyone felt blessed to be withPujya Swamiji and to witness theauspicious sannyasa diksha.




The Confederation of Indian Industry,Coimbatore Chapter had an auspicious startof the new year 2012 by organizing an interactive session with Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi on January 2, 2012 at theirChapter premises.

Pujya Swamiji gave an inspiring talk to the

captains of industry of Coimbatore. He said,“ One need not carry the baggage of thepast to the new year. Hang over of the pastwill stifle efficient performance. It willimpair clarity of thinking. Life unfoldsmoment to moment. There are enjoyablemoments. There are challenging moments.What is required is a fresh approach

Pujya Swamiji Addresses members of Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore

without baggage of the past. The intelligentperson lives moment to moment.

The intelligent person does not worry aboutthe past. He has no fear of the future. Helives the present. He cheerfully faces thepresent situation. Even if the presentsituation is not favourable, he faces the

same with equanimity. To deal withunfavourable situation one requires the rightconnection. That right connection is withIshwara. One should seek Ishwara’s graceand live a dharmic life.

Another impediment to success isprocrastination. When one has all the




required information,he should go aheadand complete the job.But if he does nothave the required

details to complete,he can postpone.One should do thedifficult job first.Then one will be leftwith only easy tasksto be completedlater.”

Pujya Swamijidiscussed about the boo k titled “Ind ian Integra tiveManagement” written by SriK.V.K.Thampuran. He said that this bookteaches management on the basis of valuesfrom our Sastra.

Sri Ravi Sam, Chairman, CII, Coimbatoresaid that if the industrialists followedPujya Swamiji’s advise, they would be wellequipped to face the current economicsituation.





Public talks of Sri Swami Omkarananda wasorganised at Kikani School, Coimbatorefrom the 20th to 22nd of January 2012 by SriM. Krishnan of Sree Krishna Sweets. Thetalks were titled “Daiva Tamil” which

means Divine Tamil Language.On the first day Swamiji gave a talk on thetopic ‘Gita and Valluvar’. Thiruvalluvarhad written Thirukural, a lyrical Tamil workof 1330 couplets explaining how one shouldpursue dharma artha and käma. It is wellknown for its brevity and profundity. Thereis a systematic teaching like Bhagavad Gita.Although Gita is not quoted in Thirukural,in many places the message of Gita is

explained.Swamiji explained the Kural starting with“Noy Näòi”. The meaning is ‘let thephysician enquire into the nature of disease,its cause, its method of cure and treataccordingly’.

Swamiji explained that sorrow is theaffliction of human beings. Its cause isignorance of one’s true self or Ätma. This

can be cured by knowledge of Ätma. Themethod of treatment is making one’s likesand dislikes conform to dharma.

On the second day Swamiji talked on thetopic Gita and Thayumanavar.Thayumanavar had written more than 1500Tamil hymns, which showed the yearningsof a sincere seeker. He said: ‘they do notcontain systematic teaching like Gita.Although Gita is not quoted byThayumanavar, the teachings found in Gitalike disciplining the mind, managing desiresand meditating peacefully are explained’.

Swamiji explained that there are seekerswho sincerely yearn for knowledge ofÄtma. But due to habitual thinking they arenot able to come out of worldly desires. Forthose seekers Thayumanavar’s songs show

the proper path.On the third day Swamiji gave a talk on thetopic Gita and Bharathiyar. Bharathiyar hascomposed many songs in Tamil languagewhich are soaked in devotion andpatriotism. His iñöa devatä was LordKrishna. His songs are extensively used inmusic and dance concerts. He has a written13 articles explaining the teachings ofBhagavad Gita in a Tamil daily, ‘India’.

There is no systematic teaching in the worksof Bharathiyar. He had Ätma jïäna and wasable to see Éçvara in living beings and nonliving things.

Swamiji concluded that Tamil Saintsconveyed the divine message of Gita insimple and sweet Tamil language.


Public Talks of Sri Swami Omkarananda at Coimbatore




Chariot festival of Sri Mahalingeswara Swami, Thiruvidaimaruthur

During the annual Brahmotsavam conducted in the Tamil-month of‘THAI’, the Chariot festival of Sri Mahalingeswara Swami is organizedat Thiruvidaimaruthur on the tenth day – a day before “THAI-POOSAM. This year, the Rathotsavam was held on the 5th of February2012.

His Holiness Sri. Swami Omkaranandaji, Founder of Sri SwamiChidbhavananda Ashramam, Theni, represented Pujyasri Swamiji atthis festival. His Holiness Sri Guru Maha Sannidhanam ofThiruvavaduthurai Adheenam and His Holiness Sri SwamiOmkaranandaji inaugurated the Rathotsavam by their initial “pull” ofthe Maharatham.

Dr, Raya R. Govindarajan, Chairman, Raya Group, Kumbakonam andTrustee of Sri Mahalingaswami Seva Trust and Sri Mahesh Sharma,

Secretary of the Trust painstakingly and meticulously organized thisRathotsavam in which two new Chariots carried the Deities of theLord and Ambal.

The trial run of the new Ambal chariot, which was funded by Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya Swamigal of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam,was held the 12th of January 2012.

His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal of Sri Kanchi SankaraMutt, visited Thiruvidamaruthur and inspected the new Ambal charioton the 23rd of last month and blessed the team of workers and artistswho constructed the new Ambal chariot, which is adorned with many

beautiful sculptures of Devi.










With the blessing of Pujya Swamiji, SwamiDayananda Ashram, Rishikesh, was pleasedto host a 90-day residential course inVedanta and Sanskrit from the 25 th ofNovember 2011. As many as 60applications from India and abroad werereceived and 26 students were selected,including 11 from Canada, France, Japan,and the United States.

Swami Santatmananda Saraswati, ResidentAcharya of the Ashram, guided thestudents through the course, which featureda busy schedule. The day started at 5 a.m.with temple arati, followed by meditationand a Vedanta class. After breakfast,

students gathered for Sanskrit, Chantingand the second Vedanta class. Studentsthen had lunch and some rest orhomework. Afternoon tea was followed byBhagavad Gita class, Yoga practice, eveningarati and dinner. Alternate eveningsfeatured satsanga.

The course syllabus featured SwamiSantatmanandaji teaching Katha Upanishad,Tattva Bodha, Bhaja Govindam, Sanskrit (15lessons of Antoine – Part I), and Chanting(Vishnu Sahasranama, Shiva MahimnaStotram, Bhagavad Gita Chapters I, II andXV, Dakshinamurti stotram, Ganga stotramand other temple stotras). He alsodelivered the satsangas.

Swami Paravidyanandaji taught UpadesaSaram and Vedic chanting including MedhaSuktam, shanti mantras, and Adityahrdayam. Ashok Chhabraji guided the

morning meditation. Later, SwamiBrahmavidyanandaji arrived to continue themeditations, and taught Bhagavad GitaChapters I & II. All the participantsreceived a puja set and were taughtshodasha upacara puja.

Br. Gopalji conducted yogasana andpranayama sessions. He was complemented

by Anusha Meenakshi Raman of Mumbaiand Iyengar teacher Nanda Kumar, visitingfrom Malaysia. Swami Aparokshanandajiand Swamini Divyatmanandaji contributedto the success of the camp as well.

Students faced wintry mornings andhowling winds, but were not deterred from

Residential Course in Vedanta and Sanskrit in Rishikesh




attending class and temple aratis. TheAshram organized a Ganga arati everyevening. The group was fortunate toexperience Gita Jayanti puja when the entiretext was chanted. Makar Sankranti was

celebrated on the banks of Ganga, with pujaand chanting of Aditya Hrdayam. In spiteof overcast skies, the Sun came out brieflyto grace the occasion.

There were some guest performances,featuring bhajans and Indian classical music.Kanchi Kamakoti Natyalaya presented theirrendition of Dashavataram and AdiShankara. Students watched video talksfrom Pujya Swamiji’s Indian Heritage Series,such as ‘Conformity to Dharma’ and‘Strengthening Free Will’. Towards the end

of the course a few students presented theirunderstanding of a Katha Upanishadmantra.

The course concluded on 19 Feb 2012 with

a valedictory function in which studentsshared their experiences of the past fewmonths and were given a Certificate ofcompletion. Pujya Swamiji was garlandedand pada puja performed. He delivered ananugraha talk and blessed the students withguruprasadam. With the blessings ofHaimavati and Gangadharesvara, the coursewas a success. Students and Acharyasexpress their gratitude to SwamiSuddhanandaji for providing the facilitiesand being a support throughout.




ASmak< dezSy kalSy c mhaNt> icNtnkara>dazRinka> baexka> leôkaí siNt pUJya> ïIdyanNdsrSvtI Svaimpada>, te;a< pircy< kariytu < àyÆ> i³yte=Ç ihmalySyev sagrSyev

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àsÚa, ti‘iot< sda àsÚm! , gMÉIr< c, àay>Aaidz»radnNtr< dyabaexkae nNdsrSvtIs†zae vedaNtbaexkae naedp*t ÉU tle, vdiNt Svaimpada>@k @v devae=StIit n, dev @k @vaiStivñiSmn! , tÇ ydiSt tTsvR m! $ñr @v, #it,àacInEiMJnRiÉ> àae´m! @v sTy< nUtnEvRcaeiÉ>ivv&{viNt Svaimpada>, ïI dyanNdsrSvtISvaimnae gu ê[a< gu rv>, sve R ;a< vysa< jna> svaR sa< s<Sk«tIna< àitinxy> tÖca<is

ïa et uimCDiNt, svaR > s<Sk «ty> s_ytaíiàr][Iya #it Svaimcr[anam! Aazy>, mtiv;ye kdaip Aa³m[kairta, na eicta #it teàitpadyiNt, 1999 v;eR ihNÊxmaRcayRsÉam!

AayaeJy dyanNdsrSvtISvaimcr[a> @eithaisk< kayRm! AguvRn!, maELyaxairt< iz][< svRÇkLpiytu < c te àytNte, SvaimdyanNdiz][Nyase n caLymanasu zalasu nana¢ama[a< balkaivXyajR n< k…vR iNt,v eds<Sk «t e > ïImTvSy }an àsariyt u <ihNÊxmRr][simit> ïISvaimcr[E> Swaipta,ivñzaNte> k«t e xma R[a < m EÈya> k«t e csnatnxmRSy sblupiSwitrinvay e R itSvaimcr[ana< Éavna, ïIdyanNdsrSvtISvaimna< s<gIte=ip mhtIAasi´riSt, srls<Sk«te bþy> k«ty>tEivRricta>, k[aRqkzaÇIy s<gItSy seva<k«tvÑ(ae mhÑ(> Aa;R klaÉU;[m! #it àzait< à !datu < Svaimcr[a> vyUvSwa< k«tvNt>,@tavTpyR Nt< Çyaedz ïeóa> s<gItkara> àziStm! AlÉNt,

@v< manvk…lSy svRtaemuÔyE AiÉv&Ï(E stt<àytmanana< ïIdyanNdsrSvtISvaimna< ÉgvÌItaVyaÔyan< sMàit kÚf Éa;ayam! Aip l_yte#it ASmak< kÚfÉai;[a< mht> àmaedSyiv;y>,

ivÖan! @c! iv nagrajrav!

su xmaR – 29.01.2012pU Jya> dyanNdsrSvtISvaimn>





With the commentary Tatva Prakäçikä by

Svämi Tattvavidänanda Sarasvati

Verse 3

kaeze;u pÂSvixrajmana bu iÏÉRvanI àitdehgehm!,s]I izvSsvRgtae=NtraTma sa kaizka=h< injbaexêpa.

koçeñu païcasvadhiräjamänä buddhirbhaväné pratidehageham |sakñé çivassarvagatho’ntarätmä sä käçikä’haà nijabodharüpä ||

àitdehgehm! Pratidehageham – in every home of the body, pÂsupaïcasu–five, kaeze;u koçeñu – in the sheaths, Aixrajmana adhiräjamänä –

shining as the presiding deity, buiÏ> buddhiù – intellect, ÉvanI bhaväné –consort of Çiva, svR gt> sarvagataù, - all-pervading, ANtraTma antarätmä – theinner ruler, s]I sakñé – the witness, izv> çivaù, - Çivaù, sa sä – that, kaizkakäçikä – Käçi, Ahm! Aham – I am, injbaexêpa nijabodharüpä – having theform of one’s own awareness.

I am that city of Käçi in the form of my own pure awareness. The all-pervading witness, who is the inner ruler, is Lord Çiva. The intellect shiningas the presiding deity in the five sheaths in everybody is the consort ofÇiva.

Sä aham, I am that. Sä is that reality. We cannot describe the reality with anyother words except saying That. The truth is so simple and so profound thatlanguage cannot reach it. Truth is existential, not linguistic. Yet, it has to becommunicated only through words. Therefore, we use words which signal the

truth. One such word is tat, that. Om tatsaditi nirdeço brahmaëästrividhassmåtaù(Gita, 17-23), Brahman is referreed to in three ways, Om, tat, and sat. Sä isa form of that alone. Saù is masculine gender, sä feminine, and tat neuter,

but the meaning is the same. The gender belongs to the language, not to thelight of awareness.

I am that Käçikä, the self-shining Awareness. The multiple experiences of lthewaking and dream states shine in It. Deep sleep, which is absence of allexperiences, is also an experience, and it shines in that awareness. That Awarenessis the substratum, the light of lights, in which all human experience shine. That

is my essential nature.




Käçikä is jïapti, knowingness, the Atman, the Infinite, which reflects in the finite body-mind as sakñé, witness, witness of all cognitions and actions. It is thewitness to the entire movement of the mind, which is broadly classified as wakingconsciousness, dream consciousness and the unmanifest consciousness of deepsleep. We become conscious of something only because of the contact of the

infinite with the finite; that is the manifest consciousness. The Atman as it reflectsis the sakñé, witness, in all the three states.

Atman is sarvagata, pervading all. Generally, we think that ‘all’ is outside.Outside of what? It cannot be outside the waking consciousness. The pot isoutside the body but not the knowingness. What kind of existence would it bethat is outside the space-like consciousness? Existence cannot be divorced fromknowingness. When we say ‘all’, that ‘all’ is indeed the content of theconsciousness. The light of knowingness pervades the entire content of the wakingconsciousness. The content can be broadly divided into two categories, known

and unknown; knowingness pervades the known as well as the unknown. Or,if the content is divided as in and out, then the space-like knowingness pervades both in and out. That light in which the entire consciousness shines is free fromall opposites. It is free from pleasure and pain, comfort and discomfort, friendand foe, honor and dishonor, self and non-self. Divisions and opposites bind.As long as we are perturbed by these opposites, we are in bondage.

The opposites bind us due to identification of different kinds. Sometimes, theidentification can be very gross such as the body-identification. Sometimes, itis very subtle like intellectual arrogance. Every identification makes us victimsof pairs of opposites. Be nirdvandva, free of opposites. Rise above theidentifications and abide as the light of lihgts, the awareness of the being, säkçiof all bodily and mental experiences.

Fortunately, the dream state is very short lived and does not bind us much exceptin rare cases where the dreams become a nightmare. Though we abide as thewitnessing awareness to the sleep state, it does not bind us. All bondage iscentered on the waking consciousness. Therefore, we need to be unperturbed,uninvolved and disinterested witness to the content of waking consciousness,and thus, transcend it. We should not get caught in the web of opposites. Justas electricity of the powerhouse appears as a glow when it comes into contact

with a filament, so also the infinite Atman, Käçi, comes into contact with thefinite body-mind and reflects in the five sheaths.

In life, there is the fundamental mistake of identifivcation at different levels, because of which they become koçäs, sheaths, which bind. There is bondageonly when we identify. The identification amounts to a sin. The Infinite isembedded in the finite, like a shining sword hidden by the scabbard. The sheathsare, annamaya, physical body, präëamaya, vital force, which causes all themovements of life, manomaya, mind, vijïänamaya, the sense of doershipand änandamaya, enjoyership or the ego. Body and mind are sheaths only when




we identify with them. If we do not identify by remaining as the witnessingawareness, they are no more sheaths. Similarly, if one does not mistake himselofas a doer, the intellect is no more a sheath, in spite of activity that originates inthe intellect. Similarly, when we relinquish the enjoyership, the ego is not bondageany more.

There is bondage only because of the mistake of identification. This mistake iscalled mäyä or ävidhyä. The ignorance of the individual or ävidhyä is part ofthe cosmic mäyä, which is the cause of this entire universe. It is the creative powerof Brahman. Symbolically, it is presented as Bhaväni, the consort of Çiva.

You are not the body, because you are aware of it. If one were the body, one willnot know the body. As Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi says, deho na jänäti, the

body does not known ( Saddarçanam, 26). But one knows the body and therefore,one is not the body. The eyes do not see themselves. One knows when the eyessee and also when they do not. Therefore, one is not the eyes. A thought is the

means of cognizing an object such as a pot but it cannot cognize itself. One knowsthe thought and also its absence. Therefore, one is not the mind. One is theintelligence behind the thought, always aware of the thought. Therefore,identification with the mind or its thought is a mistake.The same logic applies to doership. One is not a doer unless one identifies withthe body and the organs of action. Similarly, there is no enjoyership in the absenceof identification with the sense organs. Therefore, there is a very fundamentalmistake in life of identifying with the five levels of the finite medium called upädhi.And we have to correct this mistake. Mistakes like investing in a wrong stockare not as harmful as this cognitive error. Another name for such a mistake is

avidyä, ignorance, which has its origin in the cosmic principle of creation.Pratidehageham, this is a universal mistake. Bhaväni is the cosmic principle.

Çiva is the universal Being. It is our essential nature. We havge to identify withthe being. Don’t identify with the five categories mentioned above Çiva is puruña,the fullness of Being, and buddhi is prakåti or Bhaväni, the medium in which thefullness of the Being reflects. As the Gita says (13 – 22) puruñaù prakåtistho hi

buìkte prakåtijän guëän, puruña suffers the qualities of prakõti due toidentification with prakåti. Bhavaà samsäriëäm karoti iti Bhaväni, Bhaväni orprakåti makes Çiva a saàsäri .

Once one knows oneself as säkäçi and desits from every identification, the sheathsare decimated and the apprent difference between the individual and Godheadends. The body and vital forces continue to function normally and spontaneously

by the momentum of nature. On the other hand, as we identify, the bondageremains in place. Be a witness to the mind, to the ego, and to all enjoyments.As we witness the ego, it cannot survive; it simply resolves. A functional egomay arise, but it is harmless. Mind becomes pure even as you begin to watch it;such an ego won’t bind you. I am säkñi, I am Çiva.




A jnana yajna was organised by Krishna Gana sabha,Chennai from the 30th of October to the 4th of November.2011. It was a jnana Yajna given by Sri SwamiSantatmananda. It was maiden venture for the Swami inChennai. The Topic of the Yajna was an unique one- amodern title- IT IS HERE & NOW. It was well received

by the public.

Everyday the jnana Yajna was blessed by giants in the fieldof Vedanta. One the inauguration Day Sri SwamiOmkarananda blessed the venture . He highlighted theimportance of Moksha- He said Here represents place andNow indicates time. One should strive to gain atma jnanahere and now. It is not a thing to be acquired. It is alreadythere as the ever present one as Advaita. He said that Swami Santatmananda is a sishyaof the famous traditional Guru Swami Dayananda Saraswati- a sampradaya Guru. Chennaiis blessed to listen to Swami Santatmananda. The hall was full with a thousand listenerson the first day.

The Yagna was given in the mini hall from the second day. Sri Swami Nityananda Girigave the benediction blessing Swami Santatmananda. On the third day Sri SwamiParamarthananda blessed the Yajna of the Swami. In a delectable way Sri SwamiSantatmananda presented the topic. on the fourth day Sri Swami Abhiramananda andSri Swami Suvijnanananda gave the blessings. They said the unique topic is the contentof the Upanishads urging seekers to achieve this task of understanding the Self here andnow.

On the fifth day Sri Ranganatha Yatheendra Maha Desikan gave the benediction. He tracedthe growth of Praveen who blossomed as Swami Santatmananda. On the concluding daySriSwami Suddhanada Saraswati the founder of Samvit Sagar ashrams blessed the venture.

To talk on a general topic one needs expertise. Swami Santatmananda exhibited that in aunique way. Everyday the hall was full. People of Chennai were blessed to have the JnanYajna. They wanted such talks to be given frequently by Swami Santatmananda.

Five of the Swamis who gave the benedictions and Swami Santatmananda are all disciplesof Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

A Jnana Yajna by Sri Swami Santatmananda




Arsha Vidya Bhavan, Pondicherrycelebrated its 18th Anniversary from the 9th of January to the 11th of January 2012 Thefunction was conducted in Jayaram KalyanaMandapam , Pondicherry on all the threedays in the evenings from 6-45 to 8-45 p.m.The proceedings were in Tamil all through.

Swami Suvijnanananda Saraswati, discipleof Pujyasri Swami Dayananda Saraswatiwas invited to give the talks on EzhamArivu - Enge Thedugurai- ( Seventh Stateof Consciousness- Where seeketh Thou this?) on all the three days. The caption was newand audience had thronged the hall in fullto know what this topic was. The eagerness,coupled with commitment and love forVedanta was found in abundance in theaudience, who listened to the talks in raptattention on all the three days.

On the inaugural day SwamiTattwabhodananda Saraswatiintroduced the speaker and alsothe topic. He said this topic hadnothing to do with the title ofthe recently released Tamil

movie and this topic wasVedanta out and out. The sevenstages of awareness, he said,were sabda, sparsa, roopa, rasa,gandha, manas (which includesthe buddhi, chitta and ahankara).That because of which these

function was the seventh state ofconsciousness.

The speaker Swami Suvijnananandaemphasized that all these were necessary fortransactions in life. He traced the saga of the

jiva as samsara yatra. When the jiva wanted

Anniversary of Arsha Vidya Bhavan, Pondicherry.




to know the goal and the means it becamea jeeva yatra and here came the place ofVeda and the sampradaya Guru whounfolded the Vedanta. The speakerconnected the topic to Karma Yoga,

Upasana yoga, Jnanayoga and finally to jnana, and moksha.

On the concluding Day (11th Jan, 2012) thePeetadhipathi of Koviloor Matt SriMahasannidhanam Maiyappa Jnana

Desika Swamigal was welcomed andhonoured in a traditional way. The Pontiffof this Koviloor Mautt gave the anugrahaBhashanam in Tamil.

All the talks and programmes were inTamil. The function concluded with a talk by Swami Tattwabhodananda exhorting theaudience to get them committed to theclasses on yoga and Vedanta




ÉgvÌItapu StklaekapR [m!

mEsUrœ - ASy masSy @kaeniÇ<ze idvse 29-2-2012 ÉanuvasreÉgvÌItapu StkSy laekapR [ smarMÉ Aayaeijt>, say< pÂvadnvelaya< smarMÉSyarMÉ>, Swl< k…veMpu nkre nvkantraj mageR ivXyman< je,@s! ,@s! , lakalej! sÉa¼[m! ,

Aa;R ivXyagu ék…lSy s<SwapkE> pU JyE> dyanNd srSvtImhaSvaimiÉ>Aa<Gl Éa;aya< ivrictSy ÉavÌIta g&haXyyn VyaOyanSy kÚfœÉa;anuvad> SvaimNya vrdanNd srSvTya> k«t>, tSy AiNtmaE ÖaEsMpu qaE laekaipR taE Éiv:yt>, SvaimnI SvaTminóanNd srSvtI laekapR [< kir:yit, su wmR ga ArvsMpadk> ivÖan! @c! , iv, nagrajrav! ¢Nwm!

Aixk«Ty Éai;:yte, sÉaXy]pIQœ < ÉartIyivXyaÉvnSy mEsU ézaoaya>àmu o> àaXyapk> fa, @,iv, nris<hmU itR > ivÉU ;iy:yit, sve R É> Svgt< vdiNt smarMÉSy VyvSwapka>,

pUJy dyanNdsrSvtI Svimn> tim¦unafuraJySy kaeymÄUéngre

Aa;R ivXyagu ék…l< SwapiyTv xmR Sy s<Sk«teí seva< k…vR iNt, }ainiÉStE>ivrictaE ¢Nw> svE R ij}asuiÉ> pQœnIy>,

Courtesy:“Sudharma” dt. 29.1.12




Mysore, January 30

“The culture of India is too strong to go toextinct”, opined Prof. a.V. NarasimhaMurthy (AVN), Chairman, Bharathiya VidyaBhavan (BVB), Mysore.

He was speaking at a programme organized

by Arshavidya Gurukula for the release ofthe book Bhagavadgita-Mane ManeyalliAdhyayana written by Swami DayanandaSaraswati at JSS Law College, inKuvembunagar here yesterday.

“Several westerners attempted to erode theIndian culture but finally swere influenced

by its purity and richness. The grandmatalers literally became the foundation for

Indian culture aptly supported by the moralstories drawn from great epics likeRamayana and Mahabharatha. Similarly,Gita is true to nature even today”, he said.

Addressing the gathering, Sanskrit ScholarH.V. Nagaraj Rao pointed out that Gita had

been translated to hundreds of languagesindicating the quality of the substance.

The last two volumes of the book werereleased by Swamini SwathmanishtanandaSaraswathi. Swamini VaradanandaSaraswathi was present.

Courtesy:“Star of Mysore”, 30th January 2012

IMG.1266Mysore1, 1319Dharwad2,1321Dharward

Indian Culture can never go extinct: Prof. AVN




Venkata Appala Chari, who translatedthe ‘Bhagavad Gita’ into Urdu. Photo:G. Ramakrishna Venkata Appala Charitranslates the holy book into Urdu

In mundane imagination, a book titled‘Naghme Ilahi’ will perhaps invoke theimage of classical Sufi saints in ecstasyof God’s praise. But hardly does itoccur to even the most devout Hindusthat the title literally translates into‘Bhagavad Gita’!

If this Urdu translation of the hymnfrom Hindu mythology raises many

eyebrows, the translator S.T. VenkataAppala Chari, who achieved this task at 74surprises many more. Now 83, Mr. Chari,who retired as the Statistical Officer in theEducation Department long ago, claims thathis is the most authentic Urdu translationof the hymn. “I finished the work in oneyear, and got it published in 2003. In 18chapters, it contains the translation of themeanings of 700 slokas,” said Mr.Chari.

The job was not as simple as said. Effort toscript the slokas in Urdu failed due to manydifferences between the languages in termsof pronunciation. Barriers were encounteredin translating a few words such as‘Parashakthi’ and ‘Paramapadam’, and inexplaining the relevance of a fewmythological characters. These wereeffectively addressed by providing a

Now read Bhagavad Gita from right to left!

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article2915419.ece?homepage=trueSWATHI. V

glossary. “During Mughal period, theBhagavad Gita was translated into Persiantongue. There have been a few recent Urdutranslations too, but not very meaningfulones. I am satisfied that my translation isfaithful to the original,” Mr. Chari says.

The Nawabi tongue came more naturally toMr.Chari than either Telugu or Sanskrit, ashe had studied up to graduation with Urduas language medium.

“I owe my penchant for and knowledge ofUrdu to my high school teacher, KhadarHusain Khan, who would call me ‘111’referring to my Vaishnavite symbols,” herecalled fondly.

The octogenarian is now busy working onthe manuscript of a 50-year-old Telugu-Urdu dictionary.




Padmanabha Temple’s Other Treasure: Palm Leaves

Source: Hindu Press International

INDIA, December 25, 2011 (The HIndu):

The State Archives Department is digitizing

the Mathilakom records (old palm leaf

manuscripts of Padmanabhaswamy temple in

Thiruvananthapuram) as part of the second

phase of digitization of old records. The

records throw light on the history of the

temple, and digitization might help inresearching the records and finding missing

links. There is renewed interest in the

records because of the finding of large

quantum of wealth in the temple vaults.

Assistant Archivist Ashok Kumar told The

Hindu that the State Archives had the largest

collection of palm leaf records in the whole

of Asia. The Department had plans todigitize all of them so that the information

could be preserved. (The cadjan manuscripts

were susceptible to climatic conditions). The

process involved cleaning and scanning of

the records and conversion into portable

document format. “A few of the preserved

records date back to the 14th century A.D.

but most are around 200 years old”, Mr.

Ashok Kumar said.

The Department had entrusted the

digitization process to the Centre for

Development of Imaging Technology (C-

DIT) and work had started on the first phase

four years ago. The records digitized so far

included those on palm leaves, bamboo

splints, copper plates and paper. Altogether

110,000 records were digitized including

about 1000 churnas, paper records and rare

News & Views

documents. About 12,500 microfilmed

records were converted to digital form. The

Department is now focusing particularly onthe Mathilakom records. They contain

information pertaining to the temple

administration of the past.

Many of the age old rituals still being

followed in the Padmanabhaswamy temple

had their origins during the administration

of the temple under the kings of Travancore.

The Department proposes to complete thesecond phase by March next year subject to

availability of funds. 250,000 rupees had

been allocated for the project this year.

Record Number of Pilgrims Visits Vaishno Devi Source

JAMMU, INDIA, December 26, 2011(Zeenews): A record number of 9.9 million

pilgrims from India and abroad visited the

Hindu shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in

Jammu region this year, an official said on

Sunday.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board

(SMVDSB) said the number of pilgrims has

been increasing by about a million every

year in the last four years. “We are any timeabout to touch the figure of 10 million

pilgrims,” Board additional chief executive

officer MK Bhandari said.

The number of pilgrims in 2010 was 8.75

million. The board was formed in 1986 to

manage the shrine. “That time the number

of pilgrims visiting the shrine was 1.3

million,” Bhandari said.




World Sanskrit Conference at New Delhi, Jan 5-10, 2012 Source

NEW DELHI, INDIA, December, 2011: The

15th World Sanskrit Conference, organized

by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi

in association with the International

Association of Sanskrit Studies, will be

inaugurated by Honorable Prime Minister of

India Dr. Manmohan Singh at Vigyan

Bhavan, New Delhi on January 5, 2012 at

10 a.m.

Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan will release the

catalogue of approximately 57,000

manuscripts belonging to its Ganganatha JhaCampus. The catalogue in ten volumes in

hard copies will be released in the inaugural

session of the Conference and it will also

be uploaded on the website of the Sansthan.

A Sanskrit Book Fair is being arranged in

the premises of the Indira Gandhi National

Centre for Arts. The exhibitions and around

105 book-stalls in the Book Fair will remain

open during conference days for scholars,students, delegates and Sanskrit lovers. The

fair will feature revitalization of knowledge

systems through manuscript wealth with

focus on scientific traditions of India,

Sanskrit and Sanskritic inscriptions in South

East Asia, Historical traditions of India

through manuscripts, Exhibition on

Information Technology and computer tools

related to Sanskrit.The Conference will operate in twenty

sections. About eight sessions will be

running concurrently in four cakras (slots)

on most of the days. Sections include: Veda;

Linguistics; Epics and Puranas; Tantra and

Agamas; Poetry, Drama and Aesthetics;

Sanskrit and Asian Languages and

Literatures; Sanskrit and Science; Buddhist

Studies; Jain Studies; Philosophies; Religious

Studies; Ritual Studies; Epigraphy; Sanskrit

in Technological World; Modern Sanskrit

Literature; Pandit-parishad; Law and Society;

and Manuscriptology.

The 15th World Sanskrit Conference is

going to be an important meet of Sanskritscholars of various Universities and

Institutions of the world who are working

in different disciplines of Sanskrit Studies.

Likely two hundred foreign delegates and

one thousand Indian delegates will

participate in the conference. They will

interact and deliberate upon important issues

of Sanskrit learning and research in the

global scenario and present the essence of

wisdom as well as the treasures from the

Sanskrit-based knowledge systems. Visit

sanskrit.nic.in for more details

First Veda Sammelanam Of North America Source

UNITED STATES, February 2012: Sringeri

Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc., USA, isorganizing the first Veda Sammelanam of

North America at the Sharada Temple in

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday,

April 14. Vedic Scholars, Priests, Agama/

Sastra Pundits, Shivacharyas and

Bhattacharyas from USA and Canada are

invited to participate.

This coincides with the 100th year of

ascension to the spiritual throne of the 34thPontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham,

Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekara Bharati

Mahaswamiji. The program will include a

ceremonious procession of the Vedic

scriptures, recitation of all the four Vedas,

an elaborate Vedic offering to Goddess

Sharadamba, a lecture-cum-demonstration of

various recitation practices, talks and

honoring of the Pundits. Additional details

can be found at source above




BREAKING INDIA- WESTERN INTERVENTIONS IN DRAVIDIAN AND DALIT FAULTINESS

By Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan Publishers: Amaryllis Pages: 640

Price: Rs.695/ US $20

BOOK REVIEW







This book has been written after 5 years ofresearch. Analysis has been done over 19chapters.

Three global networks that have wellestablished operating bases inside India,undermine India’s integrity. First is Islamicradicalism linked with Pakistan. Second isMarxist radicals supported by China. Thirdis Dravidian and Dalit identity separatism

being fostered by the West.

The focus is on the role of U.S. andEuropean Churches, academics, foundations,Government and human rights groups infostering separation. It tracks money trailsthat start out claiming to be for education,human rights and empowerment training

but end up in programmes designed tomisguide Indian youth to separatistthinking.

The British to suit their colonial interestshad the policy of divide and rule. Hence

they created a myth that Aryans andDravidians are separate races. Christian

evangelists and local Politicians use thismyth for their selfish ends. Christianorganizations in the West spread falsepropaganda that Dalits and religiousminorities are persecuted in India.

The Aryan race theory has been rejected byEurope. But the academics and media inIndia still hold on to Aryan invasiontheory. Many such myths are systematicallymanufactured and disseminated through

entrenched channels with ulterior motive.A Tamil translation of this English book isalso available.

This book is a “MUST READ” for thosewho are concerned about the unity of Indiaand interested in preserving the cultural andreligious legacy of India.

Review by N. Avinashilingam



" P r e s e n t e d t o P u j y a S

w a m i j i b y H e m a n t i k a L .

J o s h i ,

A h m e d a b a

d o n h e r b i r t h d a y "



Date of Publication : 30th of every monthPOSTAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: TN/CH/(C)/175/12-14

WPP NO. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-286/2012-14



Rs. 15/-

Arsha Vidya Newsletter Arsha Vidya Newsletter

Vol. 12 March 2011 Issue 3

Pujya Swamiji addressing a large gathering on “Grace” at the

Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Hall, Mumbai

on the 13 th of February 2011





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - March 2011 1



Board of Trustees:

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Trustees:

Swami Suddhananda Swami Aparokshananda

Swami Hamsananda

Sri Rajnikant

Sri M.G. Srinivasan


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Phone: 91-0712-2523768Emai: [email protected]

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Paramount Trustee:


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Arsha Vidya

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kQaepin;dœ Kaöhopaniñad

2.3.15

yda sveR àiÉ*Nte ùdySyeh ¢Nwy>,Aw mTyaeR=m&tae ÉvTyetavÏ(nu zasnm!, 2,3,15yadä sarve prabhidyante hådayasyeha granthayaù |atha martyo’måto bhavatyetävaddhyanuçäsanam | 2|3|15

15. When all the knots of the heart are severed here, then the mortal

becomes immortal, This is the message of the Vedanta scriptures.

This stanza is a continuation of the idea given out in the previousmantra.

Yadä Hådayasya sarve granthayaù prabhidyante : Úranthi meansa knot. We have seen this in the Mundaka Upanishad also. It refersto the knot that really binds the Ätma to the physical body. It refersnot only to this physical body but to other physical bodies that onewould assume later. This was also the binding factor previously tothe various bodies that one had assumed before. And this would bethe binding factor to other bodies they would assume in future. If oneassumed a physical body, it was caused by Karma. Karma was thecause for the Ätma to get bound to the body. Here Karma means thekarma phala and this is achieved by Käma and kriya. Käma, the desireis another strand of that Granthi and is centred on the individual. Thisindividual, in reality, is Ätma but has a false notion about himself.

This is due to ignorance— Avidyä. Avidyä has two aspects: one isavarana and the other is vikñepa. This Avidyä or ajïänam is calledAvidyä pratyaya and is called hådayasya granthayaù. These knots getresolved for good here itself—iha prapidyantey, even while one is alive.Like even a knot which does not get easily resolved, the false notionsabout oneself like ‘this sarira is mine’, ‘this is my wealth’, ‘I am sukhior dukhi’ are very firm. In sleep these notions will not be there but






Åñi - Ätreya; Chandas - Anuñöubh; Devat ä - Çré Rudraù

Dhyäna-Çloka

Aak[Rk«òe xnui; JvlNtI— devIim;u< ÉaSvit sNdxanm!,XyaNmhez< mhnIyve;< deVya yut< yaextnu< yuvanm!.äkarëakåñöe dhanuñi jvalantéà devémiñuà bhäsvati sandadhänam |dhyäenmaheçaà mahanéyaveñaà devyä yutaà yodhatanuà yuvänam |

May one meditate upon Lord Çiva, who has fixed the radiant arrow that is pulled up tothe ear on the shining bow, who has a beautiful form, who has body like that of a warrior,who is young and who is united with Goddess Pärvaté.

A dhyäna-çloka always describes a form of the Lord. Keeping dhyäna-çloka in mind, thesculptors visualise the form and then begin sculpting a given image. They have rulespertaining to the measurements of the face, shoulders and so on, in proportion to the heightof the image. Here, too, one visualises the form of the Lord in keeping with the dhyäna- çloka and offers the prayer.

Result for chanting the first mantra: One who chants this mantra while circumambulating,gains the grace of the Lord, the päpas are destroyed and one gains leadership qualities.

nm?Ste éÔ m!/Nyv? %/tae t!/ #;?ve/ nm>,nm?Ste AStu/ xNv?ne b/÷_ya?mu/t te/ nm>. 1.nama×ste rudra mÞnyava× uÞto tÞ iña×veÞ namaù |nama×ste astuÞ dhanva×ne baÞhubhyä×muÞta teÞ namaù || 1 ||

namaù – salutation; te – to you; Rudra – O Lord Rudra!; manyave – to (your) anger; uto– and also; te iñave - unto your arrow; namaù – salutation; - te – to you; astu – let it be; dhanvane – unto the bow; bähubhyäm – for both hands (holding the bow and arrow);uta – and also; te – to you; namaù – salutation.

O Lord Rudra! Salutations to you, to your anger and also to your arrow. Salutations to(your) bow and also to both your hands (holding the bow and arrow). Salutations to you(again).

Çré Rudram Mantra 01




This is the first mantra of the Rudrädhyäya. Éçvara, the Lord, is visualised forupäasanä as one who has bow and arrow in his hands. As Rudra, his anger,his bow and arrows, are all saluted. The jéva, who is aware of his or heromissions and commissions looks upon the Lord as a chastiser, being the giverof the fruits of actions, karma-phala-dätä. Even though the Lord, as the giver of

the fruits of actions, is viewed as a source of all-knowledge, wealth, progeny,intelligence, memory, brilliance and so on, the prayer is for grace which willneutralise the ordained undesirable results for one’s own omissions andcommissions.

One sows the karma-béja, seed of action, and reaps its fruits. The päpa can expressat the level of the body, or through tragedies around, making one’s life sad.It can even stand against one’s spiritual pursuit. Karma phala being avaçyam bhävi, a happening with certainty, one has to go through the bhoga, experience.

Namaskära, salutation, can be physical or even vocal. Both are kriyä. For thiskriyä, the result is neutralisation of the päpa. The Lord then appears as saumya- mürti, benevolent form. That is how one wishes to relate to Éçvara. Even thoughhe is relentless, one would like a form in which he is a blessing to the person.The angry form, by prayer, is transformed into one of blessing. Thus, manyave namaù, unto the one who has manyu, anger, my salutation. The Lord is as thoughangry because his laws give me unpleasant results too. They seem to comefrom an angry person, even though they are results of my past actions. Supposehe is subject to anger then he is bound to have an unconscious with core issues!O Rudra! May this act of salutation produce the desired result! Namaù manyave, for your anger one more salutation, unto your arrow my salutation. Unto thehands that use them, my salutation. Let these arrows and bow become a

blessing for me. May you be my protector, rakñaka!

Rudra can be a bädhaka, punisher or a rakñaka, protector and therefore, the äyudhäsare for both. The same Rudra who was a punisher is now going to be aprotector. In this mantra, the Lord appears as if he is going to get me. So Ifirst surrender to him;. In the Mahäbhärata, when Açvatthäma sent theNärayanästra to destroy the Päëòaväs, Päëòaväs bowed down; the act being

one of surrender without opposing it, they were not harmed by the astra, missile.Furthermore, I also offer my salutation to the hands that send the arrows, sincethey have karma phala dätåtva. They are the hands that shape the results inaccordance with the laws. But I cannot handle these results. Because of mysalutation to the hands, the bow and the arrows of the Lord, they becomeprotective.

To be continued..




Swami Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh will be conducting

a 8-Day Residential

and Intensive Iyengar Yoga Course from 19th April –26th April 2011

with Sri. Nanda Kumar a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher and a student of Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

Interested participants are requested to apply for the camp on or before before 15th March 2011.

An online application form could be submitted through our

Website at www.dayananda.org

or

it could be obtained by sending an e-mail or

by post from our Ashram

ADDRESS FOR COMMUNICATION

Swami Santatmananda SaraswatiSwami Dayananda Ashram, Purani Jhadi, Post Box No.30

Rishikesh-249201 ( Uttarakhanda), India

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ashram Phone Number: +91-135-2430769/ 2431769.Ashram Contact Email: [email protected]

Yoga Instructors Email: [email protected]




By the grace of PujyaSwamiji, under theguidance of SwaminiBrahmprakasananda thestudents of the Three-YearCourse in Vedanta &Sanskrit at the ArshaVijnana Gurukulam,

Vedapuri (Nagpur)completed the first year oftheir course on the 3rd ofFebruary, 2011. Nineteenstudents, hailing from allover India and alsoMalayasia & ReunionIslands have been attending the Course.

Amidst the beautiful and tranquil

surroundings of the Dandakaranya forest,classes on the Kena and Mundaka Upanisads,Gita, Vedic Chanting and Sanskrit Grammarwere regularly conducted during the pastone year.

Swamini Brahmaparkasanandaji had startedfor them classes on the Taittiriya Upanishadwith Sri Sankara’s commentary. Classes onPancadasi of Vidyaranya was also started in

this period. Sivaprakasa Caitanya conductedclasses on Vedic Chanting SanskritGrammar.

All the students made a trip to the Ashramat Amboli for the summer and continuedtheir Sastra studies, enjoying both thepleasant weather and the great hospitalityoffered by Sri and Smt. Giri. They returnedto Vedapuri in June. During the year, the

group also made short trips to Kolhapur,Ramtek and Goa visiting various temples.Recently they went to Manjakkudi and

participated in the function held in honourof Pujya Swamiji.

Festivals such as Guru Purnima, Sivaratri,Gita Jayanti and Ganesa Caturthi werecelebrated with verve and enthusiasm. Alakñärcana for Pujya Swamiji was organizedon 21st August, 2010. In January Bhoomi Pooja for the upcoming Brahmcarini Hosteltook place. All in all it has been an eventful

year and a great learning experience for allthe students.

The students hope to continue and intensifytheir studies in the coming year. They lookforward to their stay at Arsha VidyaGurukulam, Anaikatti and be blessed byPujya Swamiji.

— Dhruva

Three Year Course in Vedanta & Sanskrit at Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam, Vedapuri, Nagpur




The garden city of Bangaloreextended a very warm, graciousand respectful welcome to PujyaSwami Dayananda Saraswati onthe 4 February, 2011. Bannersand festoons were put up at allstrategic places in the city

informing about Swamiji’s talks.People gathered in largenumbers for morning guidedmeditation classes. The chillweather did not prove adeterrent to the many, whoeagerly participated in themorning meditation sessions. The guidedmediation helped them to rejuvenate and

rediscover self. The evening lectures drewrecord number of people who listened inrapt attention.

Swamiji delivered series of lectures on“Living the Learning”. His lectures unfolded

a holistic approach to living, bringing insome meaning into our life. His lectureshighlighted that key to blossoming into ahuman being is in cultivating compassionto fellow being.

Swamiji addressed a gathering of CEOs inBangaluru on 4 February, 2011. He

introduced AIM for Seva and thevision behind the movement.

His topic “Transformational

Leadership” was an eye openerto the younger generation - ameeting with a true friend,philosopher and a guide.

The first book to be released onthis occasion was ‘BreakingIndia’ written by Rajiv Malhotraand Aravindan Neelakandan.

This book focuses on howIndia’s integrity is being

Living The Learning - Swami Dayananda Saraswatis Talk in Bangalore

Date : February 20, 2011




undermined by global networks that have

well-established operating bases insideIndia.

Kannada version of the Bhagavad GitaHome Study of Pujya Swamiji, volume 4and 5 containing chapters 7 to 12 werereleased by Swamiji. The English versionhad been translated into Kannada bySwamini Varadananda Saraswatiji.

The Bhagavad Gita Home Study is not just

another Gita Book. It is classroom teachingand presented to the reader as a programfor self-study. While reading one canactually feel that he or she is listening tothe Guru directly in the classroom.

On the 5 February, the film ‘A day at theChatralaya’ was screened for the gathering.

On 6 February, a very special movie on

Swamiji called ‘Satabhishekham’ wasscreened which showed all of Swamiji’sactivities dedicated to the community. Thiswas followed by Swamiji’s address. Lateryagna prasada was distributed to thegathering. Books by Swamiji were wellreceived at Arsha Vidya Research andPublication counter in the venue.




Pujya Swamiji arrived in Mumbai for a

three-day program which started with afull- day seminar on “Personal Re-Organization” at the Padma ShriSubbulaxmi Hall on the 12th February 2011,a Sunday morning talk on “Grace” at theSri Shanmukhananda ChandrasekharendraSaraswati Hall and an evening talk on the14th February 2011 on “An essential verseof the Bhagawad Gita” at the BharatiyaVidya Bhavan.

As always Pujya Swamiji held hisaudiences spell bound and time vanishedwhile his upadesha flowed like the GangesRiver in torrential form.

The Personal Re-Organisation seminarlasting the full day was supposed to breakfor lunch and then start the third and lastsession of the day. So absorbing was theseminar that the audience continuedlistening to Pujya Swamiji and submittedquestions and the participants had a late

lunch in the afternoon.

Pujya Swamiji’s rendition of managingone raga dvesha as a method of handlingthe world was revealing and absorbing. Hesuggested that instead of trying to changethe world which is impossible, we need tochange ourselves and accommodate theworld and that no one could live withoutrelating to the world. Success is managingones raga dvesha in accordance with theprinciples of dharma.

At the evening function, the HindiEdition of the “Bhagavad Gita” waslaunched and free copies were given tovarious dignitaries in the audience. ShriShankar - President of the Shanmukhanandaauditorium spoke in glowing terms aboutPujya Swamiji and how lucky the audiencewas to hear him. Pujya Swamiji then wenton to explain that “ all that is here is Isvara”and that the whole creation is the glorious

manifestation of Isvara. There is nothinghere other than Isvara so we can worshipHim in any form we chose to. WorshippingIsvara by performance of ones’ actions,human beings can get success”.

The next day in the evening PujyaSwamiji delivered the “Bharatiya VidyaBhavan” Memorial lecture on “An essentialverse of the Bhagawad Gita”, and his ownunique and wondrous way, linked Dharmaas an essential way to Moksha, linking thetwo as two sides of the same coin. Dharmamakes one fearless and accepting. Citingverse 46 of the 18th Chapter, Pujya Swamijiagain emphasized the importance ofrecognizing that everything here is manifestas Isvara and that material and knowledgeare inseparable.

As always Pujya Swamiji’s stay was tooshort and the Mumbai audiences were

blessed as even the desert that needs the

rain.

“ON GRACE” Talk by Pujya Swamiji in Mumbai




On the 2nd of March 2011—the Maha Sivaratri Day, Pujya Swamiji gave Sannyäsa dékñäto five of his students: Daksha Chaitanya , Deva Chaitanya , Guhapriya Chaitanya,Brni.Leeva Devi Caumul and Parama Chaitanya .

Purvashrama Name Sanyasi Name 1) Daksha Chaitanya Swami Susantananda Saraswati2) Deva Chaitanya Swami Devatmananda Saraswati3) Guhapriya Chaitanya Swamini Guhapriyananda Saraswati4) Brni.Leeva Devi Swamini Lakshyananda Saraswati

5) Parama Chaitanya Swamini Paramananda SaraswatiPujya Swamiji also gave Brahmacharini Diksha to Poongothai. She was named ViswaChaitanya.

On the 8th of March 2011, Pujya Swamiji gave Sanyas Diksha to three of his students:Paritushta Chaitanya , Prathiba Chaitanya and Brni. Kalyani .

Purvashrama Name Sannyasi Name 1) Paritushta Chaitanya Swami Paritushtananda Saraswati2) Prathiba Chaitanya Swamini Prathibananda Saraswati3) Brni. Kalyani Swamini Nithya Kalyana Saraswati

Maha Sivaratri at Rishikesh Ashram




On 17th march, a bhandara(feeding the sadhus) wasorganized at the Rishikeshashram. As many as 3000sanyasis participated and hadlunch in the ashram.Arranging such bhandaras isnothing new for ashram or itsoffice bearers. However, what

surprised me and all thecampers on 17th, was the scaleon which bhandara wasplanned. Every time 100 to 300sadhus were offered food

but this time, there was openinvitation. Every sadhu/ residing inRishikesh,can have lunch.This is knownas samsthi bhandara.

Preparations for the bhandara started 72hours before i.e. on the evening of the 14th.Three types of sweets were preparedand offered. Tons of flour, ghee andsugar continued to arrive and wereconsumed as soon as they reached the

cooking area. As many as 15 sweetmakers worked for more then 48 hours.Another team prepared vegetables, puris;dal and rice. How ever, their work beganon 16th only so that stale food is not servedto the sanyasis.

The food was delicious. Every one enjoyedit. Serving of food was done in batches.Mahatmas /managing various ashrams

of Rishikesh had special seatsand lunch with Pujya Swamiji..Their immediate followers also gotspecial attention. This wasfollowed by the other sanyasis.After the lunch every sanyasi wasgiven a dakshina of Rs. 100/ anda shawl.

The whole serving program tookmore then three hours and it wasamazingly well organised..

Report by Vipin Trivedi

Bhandara at Rishikesh




With the blessings of Pujya Sri Swamiji, a most unique bhandara was organized by Swami Dayananda Ashram on the 17th March, 2011 at the Rishikesh ashram,in a grand way.

It was a samashti bhandara- one in which Sadhus and Mahatmas from all overwere invited to join in bhiksha. A bhandara of such a kind is not easily witnessedin one’s lifetime.

As the slated hour approached, Mahatmas and Sadhus came in thousands.Wherever one turned, there were Sadhus adorning the place. It was a sight to behold Pujya Sri Swamiji, as he most graciously greeted and received everySadhu personally.

Revered Swami Divyananda Mahamandaleswar of Kailash ashram and ReveredSwami Vimalananda of the Divine Life Society graced the occasion. SwamiDivyananda addressed the students and devotees.

An excellent repast had been prepared, with elaborate arrangements that had

begun days before the bhandara. Many devotees and students partook in theprivilege of serving the Mahatmas with reverence and care.

It was a uniquely fulfilling sight too. Many of us felt as though our own hungerhad been satiated merely by witnessing the bhandara. Pujya Sri Swamiji’steaching that happiness shared increases manifold was clearly seen thatafternoon. It was an event where, amid great bustle and activity, a steady feelingof contentment and joy prevailed.

Report by Smt. Neera Bhalla and

Ms Niranjana Sreenivasan

Samashti Bhandara at Rishikesh Ashram

Page sponsored by:

S.A. Chandran

377/22, 6th Cross, Wilson Garden, Bangalore - 560 027Ph: 2224 1165, Res. 222 4556 Fax: 080-2222 7456




3rd National Conference on ‘Roots & Facets of Indian Culture’

Organized by Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra

The 3rd National Conference was arranged by Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra, Bhubaneswarfrom 25 to 27 February 2011 at KalingaConvention Hall, Panthanivas,Bhubaneswar.

In the three-day Conference on ‘Roots and Facets of Indian Culture’, around tendistinguished scholars/speakers 1) Prof.

Kapil Kapoor (JNU) 2) Prof. Satya PalNarang, (French Institute of Pondicherry) 3)Prof. R Nagaswamy, eminent Art Historian,4) Prof. R K Mohanty, Archaeologist 5) Prof.Nirad Mohapatra, Filmmaker 6) Prof.Ganesh Thite, BORI 7) Prof. RaghunathPanda (UU) 8) Prof. Radha Madhab Dash(UU) 9) Prof. Braja Kishore Swain (SJSV) 10)Dr. P C Sahoo, Deccan College 11) BibhutiMohapatra, Research Scholar and 12)

Annada Sadangi participated, and presenttheir learned papers. VedapathasalaBrahmacharis chanted portions of various

sakhas of the four Vedas, and were befelicitated.

Mr. Abasara Beuria, IAS, Ex-Ambassador ofIndia, IFS presided as the Chief Guest.Theme of the Conference was introduced byProf. Prafulla Kumar Mishra. Prof. KapilKapoor, from JNU delivered the Keynoteaddress on ‘Natyasastra as the root of

Indian Art & Culture’.‘Arsha Vidya Indological Library’ wasdedicated to the research scholars duringthe Inaugural Session and its Cataloguelisting out 2000 books in 65 titles released.

Three books were released during theconference. ‘Nomenclature of the Vedas’,‘Rsikas’ and ‘Om’ authored by Swamini

Atmaprajnananda Saraswati were released.Prof. Nilakantha Pati, Vice Chancellor of Sri

Jagannath Samskrta Visvavidyalaya was theChief Guest for the Valedictory Session on27th February, 2011 and 7th Anniversary ofAVVK.

The 3rd National Conference was convened by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati , and organized by Arsha Vidya Vikas

Kendra. AVVK is a Teaching and ResearchCentre for Vedanta, Sanskrit and IndianCulture. It was founded by SwaminiAtmaprajnananda Saraswati, a student-disciple of His Holiness Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati (b.1930-) founder ofArsha Vidya parampara.

Shatabhishekam of His Holiness Pujya Swami Sri Dayananda Saraswati was also

celebrated.




3rd National Conference on ‘Roots & Facets of Indian culture’ convened by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati

and organized by Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra, Bhubaneswar

Mr. Abasar Beuria, Ex-Ambassador of India,Chief Guest of the Inaugural Session Mr. R. Venkatnarayanan, Former Secretary toGOI, Guest of Honour of the InauguralSession

Prof. Nirad Mohapatra, National Award-winning Filmmaker speaks on ‘Transcendence

in Films’

Prof. R K Mohanty, Eminent Archaeologistspeaking on ‘Excavation at Sisupalgarh

(Orissa) 2005-09’

Prof. Kapil Kapoor, the Keynote Speaker,

presenting ‘Natyasastra as the Root of IndianArt & Culture’

Prof. R. Nagaswamy, Eminent Art &

Architecture Historian, presenting‘The Dance of Shiva’




The message of the contemplative man

wearing the saffron robe was to knowyourself and consequently be free.

Seated in a yoga position during aninterview with a reporter, SwamiDayananda Saraswati of Bombay, India,explained that knowing yourself andbeing free form the foundation of theHindu Philosophy of Vendanta.

Vedanta helps a person know himself

in relation to himself, the world andGod, Dayananda said.

The philosophy helps a person knowthe cause for the world and himself.

"Once you appreciate yourself in termsof these three, then you see yourposition clarly.. the whole scheme", hesaid.

Dayananda, 47, arrived in Milwaukeefrom Thunder Bay, Ontario, this weekto begin a 10 day series of free lecturesat the Shorewood Women's Club inHubbard Park. The talks will bepresented at 7.15 p.m. daily throughFriday.

Vedanta is more than a mere religion,said the Swmi, whose title is conferred

upon a Hindu monk the way "reverend"

is bestowed upon an American minister.Swami means "master of myself."

The philosophy he lectures on is "ameans of knowledge, like perception,like inference:

Vedanda "points out the bacis problemof the human, which is a dislike towardsoneself," he said.

"A self dislike is there for everybodybecause each one feels that he's notacceptable to himself or herself. Eachperson consciously feels that waybecause each person feels inadequate.He feels, "I am not the one I want tobe.".

He continued, "I should discover whetherit is possible for me to find myself as aperson who is acceptable to myself. A

self who is free and who is notdependent, who is adequate, only thatself can I accept".

Dayananda said, "I can't accept a personwho is inadequate, who is dependent,who is bound. I want a person whom Ican love and that person should be everyperson - an adequate person, a satisfiedperson.".

Pujya Swamiji gave a series of talks on Geeta Chapter 3 from October 11 to 20, 1978 at

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Reproduced is the report in the local newspaper “Milwaukee Sentinel”

MILWAUKEE SENTINEL

KNOW YOURSELF, SWAMI ADVISES By Kenneth Stoffels




MADRAS has hit the spiritual jackpotagain and this time in a 'maha' way!While all these years the seekers weregreen the joy of hearing only snatchesof the 'Song Celestial' at a time now they

will hear the entire Song, sung to themby Swami Dayanandaji, and for 21 days!

Inaugurating the Maha Yagna onFeb.15th, H.E. Sri Prabhudas Patwari,Governor of Tamil Nadu, eulogised thework of both Gurudev and Swamiji andlikened them to torches which dispel thedarkness of the groping humanity.Continuing in the same trend, Sri. P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, a leading

indulbu.... of Rajapalayam, said in hispresidential address that the very fact thatso many trained Vedantic teachers havebeen turned out by the SandeepanySadhanalaya shows that SwamiDayanandaji must indeed be a greatteacher with the rare gift ofcommunication. Justice RamaprasadaRao, who came merely to ... wasrequested to say a few words. In his short

address he said that Madras had becomea sacred place by virtue of having heldso many glorious Yagnas.

In his introductory speech Swamijipointed out that the reasoning faculty of

man which gives him an edge overanimals also poses him many problems,the main being a sense of discontentmentand inadequacy. That every human beingis ever "in want" is a common feature,only what each one wants differs. Thenext 18 days he said, were intended tomake seekers out of the gropers and helpeach one live his life fully.

Earlier, Sri Pethachi, president of theMission, welcomed gathering afterSwamiji was received at the Yagnashalawith poornakumbham and SriRamaswamy, secretary, unfurled the OMflag.

Swamiji will be taking Mundakopanishadin the mornings and a special class forthe brahmacharis between 9.30 and 11a.m.

Audiences is his global travels, the swamisaid, often asked him aboutreincarnation. As an answer, he repliesthat reincarnation is a belief that can'tbe disproved.

"I don't find anything coming to an endin this creation. You cannot destroy

matter. It is always in one form or another, and you also cannot destroyenergy."

Also, he said, "there are so many freak

births where people seem to rememberwhat was in the past."

Report on the 21-days Yagna by Pujya Swamiji at Madras. The Yagna was inaugurated on February 15, 1979 by H.E. Sri Prabhudas Patwari, Governor of Tamil Nadu.

THE MAHA - YAGNA




Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra’s 7th Anniversary was celebrated on the 27th February, 2011.

On its 7th Anniversary AVVK honoured distinguished Sanskrit/Indological scholars withManapatra, a Memento, Silk Shawl and Cash Gift. Prof. Gourikumar Brahma was honouredwith ‘Arsha Vidya-Kulasreshtha’ Samman (in absentia) for his life-time-contribution toOdia and Sanskrit literature. Prof. R N Sahoo, the eminent Neurologist was honoured with‘Arsha Vidya-Dhanvantai’ Samman for his Community Service. Eleven scholars weredecorated with ‘Arsha Vidya-Bharati’ Samman –

1) Mr. Abasara Beuria, Ex-Ambassador, for popularizing Indian Culture2) Mr. R Venkatnarayanan, IAS, for popularizing Indian Culture

3) Pandit Kunjabehari Upadhyaya, for surfacing Atharvaveda-Paippalada Sakha

4) Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Indologist

5) Prof. Satya Pal Narang, Indologist

6) Prof. R K Mohanty, Archaeologist

7) Prof. Nirad Mohapatra, Sensitive Filmmaker

8) Prof. B K Swain, Vedic Scholar

9) Smt. Bani Devi, for creating another generation of Sanskrit scholars

10) Michelle Danino, Indologist,

11) Pandit Ravi Sastri, Vedic Scholar

‘Arsha Vidya-Bhamati’ Samman was given to Smt. Kananbala Sahoo, Smt. SwarnalataMishra, Smt. Sabita Mohanty, for their support service.

‘Arsha Vidya-Suhrd’ Samman was give to Susri Maheswari, for her invaluable immediatesupport from long distance.

Arsha Vidya Indological Library was dedicated to the research scholars during theInaugural Session and its Catalogue listing out 2,000 books in 65 titles released.

Three books ‘Nomenclature of the Vedas’, ‘Rsikas’ and ‘Om’ authored by Swamini werereleased.

Felicitation of Sanskrit/Indological Scholars 7 th Anniversary of Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra,

Bhubaneswar




7th Anniversary of Arsha Vidya Vikas Kendra, Bhubaneswar

Book Release of ‘Nomenclature of the Vedas’Authored by Swamini tmaprajnananda

Saraswati

Book Release of ‘Rsikas’ authored bySwamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati

Release of ‘Arsha Vidya Indological Library’Catalogue listing 2,000 books under 65 titles

‘Arsha Vidya-Kulasreshtha’ sammanconferred on Prof. Gouri Kumar Brahma,

Sanskrit & Odia cholar

‘Arsha Vidya-Dhanvantari’ Sammanconferred on Prof. R. N. Sahoo, the Eminent

Neurologist

‘Arsha Vidya-Bharati’ Samman conferred onPandit Kunjabehari Upadhyaya for surfacing

Paippalada Sakha




Sri Sringeri Sharada Peethadhipati Sastiapha Poorthi Mahotsavam Lecture Series

Report by Sri N. Avinashilingam

Sri Sringeri Sharada Mutt, CoimbatoreBranch and Sri Krishna Sweets organized alecture series titled “Eternal Voices” at SriSaradambal Temple, Race Course,Coimbatore for 5 days from 21st February2011. This was organized on the occasion ofSri Sringeri Sharadha Peetadhipathi

Jagadguru Sri Sri Bharathi TheerthaMahaswamigal’s sashtiabdha purthimahotsavam.

Sri T.R.Ramanathan welcomed thegathering. Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi released a CD titledSarada Pamalai authored by SriRamanan.

Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswathiinaugurated the lecture series. Hedelivered his anugraha bhasanam.

Hinduism does not have afounder. Even Lord Rama andLord Krishna are not thefounders of this dharma. Theywere born in this dharma. Theyhave shown how to live thisdharma. It is sanatana dharma.

Vedas are not authored by ahuman being. They are eternal.Rishis are the seers of thisknowledge and not authors ofthis knowledge.

All the Indians have been livingin this land for a long time. All

of them have the same DNA. The Aryaninvasion theory is false and has beendisproved.

Everything that is here is Iswara. All the jivas and even the five elements are nothing




but Iswara. This is the teaching ofHinduism. Iswara is all pervasive. Heis inside and also outside. He is everywhere. Even an uneducated simplevillager understands this truth.

Mahatmas have always lived in India.They have protected this knowledge. Through the teaching tradition theyhave preserved this knowledge.Bharata desa is a punya bumi. Manylearned scholars following the traditionhave lived here and are living here.

Sringeri Mutt is a great organization. This

always had great Scholars and Teachers likeSri Vidyaranya, Sri Narasimha Bharathi andmany other spiritual Masters. In thecontemporary society some charismaticperson, who does not follow the tradition,will try to give wrong teaching. ThePetathipathis of Sringeri Mutt have alwaysdismissed the wrong teaching and

established correct teaching. They have

always lived and shown the path ofdharma.

Pujya Swamiji concluded with the prayerthat Sri Sringeri Sharadha Peetadhipathi

Jagadguru Sri Sr i Bha ra th i The erthaMahaswamigal should have a long life andguide us.




Pujya Swamiji’s Talks in Erode

Pujya Sri Swamiji arrived at Erode onthe evening of the 11th of December.2010. The students of Arsha VidyaVruksham welcomed Pujya Swamijiwith purnakumbha and Vedicchanting.

The first day’s talk started at 6.00 pm

at Vellalar College for Women atThindal. Pujya Swamiji spoke on thetopic “Vazhkaye Yogam” for twodays. He started the topic with thefirst verse in Bhagavd Gita andcontinued with the topic of KarmaYoga. In the final session, PujyaSwamiji said dissociation fromassociation with dukha is Yoga and

that has to be understood properlyin day-to-day life. Apart from the public talk, Pujya Swamijispoke on “Stress Free Living”at Hotel Club Milange inErode town. Around fourhundred people attended thetalks. In these two sessions,Pujya Swamiji spoke on stressfree relationship in day-to-day

life and conducted guidedmeditation.

Arsha Vidya Vrukshamstudents arranged the twodays programme in Erode.

Report byCA. M.Venkataraman




Arsha Vidya Tirtha, Jaipur Maha Sivaratri Celebrations

With the Blessings of PujyaSwamiji, Arsha Vidya Tirtha,

Jaipur had grand celebration ofMaha Shivaratri on March 2, 2011in both City Centre andChhatralayam. The auspiciousday started with Rudrabhishekamto Lord Shiva from 8:00 a.m. to10.00 a.m. followed by AkhandaMahamrityunjaya Japam bydevotees’ from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00p.m. It was concluded withkarpura Aarti and Swasti mantra.

In the evening 7:00 p.m. – 11:50p.m., EkadashadravyaRudrabhishekam was performed toNarmadeshwara Shivalingam of

Chhatralayam. Sri Rudram was chantedthrice with four Anuvakas of Chamakamafter completion of each round of SriRudram by devotees’ and children alongwith Swamijis’. After beautiful alankaram,

mahadeeparadhana Aarti with allUpacharas was conducted.

After partaking mahaprasadam at midnight,the chanting of Stotrani followed by Bhajans by Swamiji and children kept theatmosphere very lively and heavenly. Thecelebration concluded in the morning at 5.30a.m. with 108 Ashtotarashatanamavali and

Mangala Aarti and Dhyanam bySwamiji.The highlight of Mahashivaratriwas all our children observedfast and did akhandaMahamrityunjaya Japam andwere all up till next day morningtill the celebration concluded.As you can see from the picturesthe entire ashram was

beautifully decorated by childrenwith flowers and thoranams andeven the welcome note at the

entrance was done with flowers!













To be continued..




The 4th and 5th volumes of theKannada version of ParamapoojyaSwami Dayananda Saraswathi’s“Bhagavad Gita Home StudyProgramme” were released at afunction in Mysore on February 19.

Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji of

Jagadguru Sri Shivaratrishwara Muttreleased the two volumes, translatedinto Kannada by SwaminiVaradananda. He lauded the Kannadaversion of the Bhagavad Gita homestudy and recalled the yeomanservices being rendered by SwamiDayananda Saraswathi in protecting HinduDharma. He underlined the need to studyBhagavad Gita at each and every home as

it would serve as a guiding spirit. Its studywas more vital today because of thecomplex world people were facing.

Speaking about the Kannada version, Vid.Gangadhara V.Bhat of Maharaja’s Sanskrit

Bhagavad Gita home study in Kannada released - Mysore

College, who was the chief guest, saidSwamini Varadananda had not failed toconvey the meaning and spirit of the

English version of “Bhagavad Gita”authored by Swami Dayananda. It was alucid presentation in Kannada, though adifficult job, he said lauding the Kannadatranslation.

Swami Chidrupananda Saraswathi, whospoke, explained briefly the nobletask undertaken by SwamiDayananda. Despite his age, he

continued to strive untiringlydedicating himself to the cause ofHindu Dharma. He was aMahaguru, he eulogized.

Swamini Varadananda proposed avote of thanks.

The first three volumes of theKannada translation have already

been released.




AIM FOR SEVA & BASAVA SEVA TRUST AN APPEAL

“AIM FOR SEVA” & “BASAVA SEVA TRUST” are looking for a couple toserve in the tribal village of Kodakirai in Doddamanchi panchayat of Denkanikottaitaluk in Krishnagiri District of Tamil Nadu, bordering Karnataka.

“Manava Seva is Mahadevana Seva”. True to this saying, it is an excellent opportunityfor a couple to serve the tribal community, who need YOUR service desperately. Acouple with an attitude of ‘Service’ and knowledge of Tamil & Kannada languages isdesirable. We will provide all the required facilities for your stay.

Kodakirai is a cluster of about 10 scattered villages situated on the hill peak in theforest area, with an enchanting surrounding. It has a population of more than 2,500.

We have been running ‘Chatralaya’ like school here since 2004-05.

VISION: Our vision is to provide education related support, both monetary and inthe form of material needs such as books, dress, accommodation, food etc, for thechildren, irrespective of caste, creed, race or religion. Our vision also extends tothe empowerment of women and tribal poor in all walks of life.

We shall also provide facilities to benefit the children with skills of agricultural science,poultry & dairy farming, sericulture, carpentry, masonry, welding, computer science,electronics etc.,

OUR OBJECTIVES:

· To impart education to children in primary, higher & technical education.

· To provide accommodation facilities to tribal children.

· To take library to the tribal villages.

· To take the benefits of science & technology to the villages.

· To provide basic health care in villages.

We invite YOU to be a part of Seva Group and associate in our vision, foster positive

changes in the lives of these tribal people. SRI SWAMI CHIDRUPANANDA Saraswatijihas vast experience in promoting & running such STUDENT HOME Chatralayas inKarnataka.. HE will be the guide & Patron of this facility in Kodakirai.

Please Contact :

Swami Chidrupanandaji Cell: 919845326279 ; email : [email protected]




YEAR 2011 Programs of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam,

Saylorsburg (www.arshavidya.org) Tel : 570-992-2339)

Month Day Retreat Details

Apr. 22-24 (Fri-Sun) Easter Weekend Family Vedanta RetreatBhishma Stuti from BhagavatamSwami Pratyagbodhananda

May 27-30 (Fri-Mon) Memorial Day Weekend Family Vedanta RetreatHealthy Attitudes and ValuesSwami Viditatmananda

July 1-4 (Fri-Mon) Independence Day Vendanta RetreatConquering Inner EnemiesSwami Viditatmananda

July 10-16 (Sun-Sat) Family Vedanta Retreat-IVivekachudamani (continuing from verse 50)Swami Viditatmananda

July 10-16 (Sun-Sat) Children's Retreat-I

July 31 Aug 6 (Sun-Sat) Family Vedanta Retreat-IIAitareya Upanishad (Aatma va idameka evagra..)Selected verses from Ch.IV of Bhagavad Gita Part 1Pujya SwamijiSwami Viditatmananda

Aug 7-14 (Sun-Sun) Family Vedanta Retreat-IIIKathopanishad I Ch III Valli-10, 11 & 12Selected verses from Ch.IV of Bhagavad Gita Part IIPujya SwamijiSwami Viditatmananda

Aug 14 (Sun) Pujya Swamiji's 81 Birthday at the Gurukulam

Aug 14-19 (Sun-Fri) Carnatic Music workshop with Ramachandran




Month Day Retreat Details

Aug 14-19 (Sun-Fri) Purna Vidya Teacher's TrainingPujya Swamiji

Aug 20-21 (Sat-Sun) Gurukulam's Silver Jubilee function

Aug 25-28 (Thu-Sun) Labor Day Patron's Retreat-IApuryamanam...Bhagavad Gita Ch II-70Kaupeena PanchakamPujya Swamiji & Swami Tattvavidananda

Sep 2-3 (Fri-Mon) Labor Day Patron's Retreat-IIKarmani Akarama...Bhagavad Gita Ch IV-18Sraddha SuktamPujya Swamiji & Swami Tattvavidananda

Sep 17-24 (Sat-Sat) One Week CourseJyotir Brahmana from Brahadaranyaka UPNarada Bhakti SutraPujya Swamiji & Swami Tattvavidananda

Sep 25 - Oct 8 (Sun-Sat) Two Wek Vedanta CourseUpadesa Sahasri Part IINarada Bhakti Sutra

Pujya Swamiji & Swami Tattvavidananda

Oct 12 - Nov 19 (Wed-Sat) Fall Vedanta CourseMaitreyi Brahmana &Gita Ch.VIII (with Shankara Bhashya)Swami Tattvavidananda

Nov 24-27 (Thu-Sun) Thanksgiving Family Vedanta RetreatMeditation based on Upadesa SaraSwami Tattvavidananda

Dec 24-31 (Sat-Sat) Year End Vedanta Retreat (Christmas)Sarava Dharman Parityajja,Bhagavad Gita, Ch-XVIII-66Ramayana-SundarakandamPujya SwamijiSwami Tattvavidananda

Jan 1, 2012 (Sun) New Year's Day Celebration







And




News & Views

Hindu Population Declining in Bangladesh BANGLADESH, February 2011:

Pre-Partition, Hindus in Bangladesh constituted

28 per cent of the population. The Hindu

population of Bangladesh has been slowly

declining over the years since it got

independence from Pakistan, but questions of

how much it has declined and why it has

happened generates heated debate.

According to the census website of Bangladesh,

in 2001, Hindus were 9.6 per cent of the

population. Most blogs and websites devoted tothe status of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh

contrast this with the 28 per cent that once

existed there. Of course, soon after Partition in

1947, millions of Hindus fled to India.

In the census after the Partition exodus, in 1951,

the Hindu population had already fallen to 22

per cent and this again fell to 18.5 per cent by

the 1961 census. ‘During the Bangladesh

Liberation War of 1971, Hindus in particular

bore the brunt of the Pakistan army’s onslaught,leading to more migration,’ a Bangladesh

government official said . ‘Though many

returned after the formation of Bangladesh, the

1974 census showed that the population had

fallen to 13.5 per cent, mostly because of steady

emigration to Burma and India.

Rabindranath Trivedi, president of the Human

Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities, has

a different take altogether. According to Trivedi,

the census was deliberately undercounting

Hindus in Bangladesh, who, by his estimate,

constitute about 15 per cent of the population

even today. ‘The government does this onpurpose to deflect the charge of large scale

Hindu migration due to state oppression,’ he

said.

Source • Email to a friend • •

Bali Temples To Have Information Centers BALI, INDONESIA, February 26, 2011:

The provincial government of Bali plans to equipits most sacred Hindu temples with information

centers to assist visiting tourists. Chief among

those temples targeted for information centers

are the largest religious sites most frequented by

visitors, such a Bali’s Mother temple of Pura

Besakih. Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika

said on Wednesday that the establishment of

information centers is badly needed because

many guides are giving incorrect information to

tourists. This is particularly the case for guides

originating from outside Bali who do not fully

understand the traditions and culture of Bali.

Pastika said the planned information centers will

be staffed by people drawn from surrounding

areas who truly understand about history, and

local rules and protocols. This is especially

important in Bali where every temples has its

own distinctive set of rules and regulations.

Source • Email to a friend • •



"BHANDARA AT DAYANANDA ASHRAM, RISHIKESH"



REGISTERED REGN. NO. TN / CH(C) / 175 / 09-11LICENSED TO POST WITHOUT PRE-PAYMENT OF

POSTAGE WPP - 286 / 2009-2011Date of Publication : 30th of every month



Rs. 15/-



Vol. 13 April 2012 Issue 4





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 2012 1

Arsha Vidya PithamSwami Dayananda AshramSri Gangadhareswar TrustPurani Jhadi, RishikeshPin 249 201, UttarakhandaPh.0135-2431769


Board of Trustees:

Chairman:

Swami DayanandaSaraswati

Managing Trustee:

Swami Suddhananda

Trustees:

Swami Santatmananda

Swami Hamsananda

Sri Rajni Kant

Sri M.G. Srinivasan

Col. Kamal Kumar

Sri M. Rajalingam

Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam72, Bharat Nagar

Amaravathi Road, Nagpur Maharashtra 410 033Phone: 91-0712-2523768Emai: [email protected]

Board of Trustees

Paramount Trustee:


President


Secretary


Trustees:






Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta and SanskritSruti Seva Trust Anaikatti P.O.Coimbatore 641 108Tel. 0422-2657001,

Fax 91-0422-2657002



Board of Trustees:

Paramount Trustee:


Chairman:R. Santharam

Trustees:

C. Soundar Raj


Ravi Sam

N.K. Kejriwal


Ravi Gupta

M. Krishnan


Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta andSanskritP.O. Box No.1059Saylorsburg, PA, 18353, USA Tel: 570-992-2339

Fax: 570-992-7150570-992-9617



Board of Directors:

President:Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Vice Presidents:Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati



Treasurer:Piyush and Avantika Shah

Asst. Secretary:Dr. Carol Whitfield

Directors:


Dr.Urmila Gujarathi









Associate Board of Directors:Dr.Soma & Nagaveni Avva

Dr.Ravindra Bathina



Dr.T.A.Gopal & Lata




G.S. Raman & Gita


Rakesh Sharma


Arsha Vidya

Newsletter


The Rishi's message from all house-tops





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 20122

MuëòakopaniñadManträ 4

tSmE s haevac Öe ivXye veidTVye #it! h Sm,ydœ büivdae vdiNt pra cEvapra c11,4.

tasmai sa hoväca dve vidhye veditvye iti ha sma |yad bahmavido vadanti parä caiväparä ca||11|4||

tasmai – to him (Çaunaka); saù – he (Aìgiras); uväca – said; brahmvidaù – those whoknow Veda; vadanti – declare; iti – that; dve vidhye – there are two types of knowledge; has sma – indeed; veditvye – to be gained; yad – which (are knownas); parä ca eva – higher; aparä ca – and lower.

Aìgiras and Çaunaka, ‘Those who know the Vedas say that there are indeed twotypes of knowledge to be gained, which are (known as) higher and lower’.

Here Çaunaka approached Aìgiras and Aìgiras begins the teaching. He has his ownmethod of introducing the topic. Introduction is not of one type; there are manyways of introducing the sentence. It depends upon what the teacher wants to startwith. Here he starts like this:

Dve vidhye veditvye iti ha sma yad bahmavido vadanti: those who know the Vedasay that there are two types of knowledge to be gained. Brahma here is Veda.Brahmavid means one who knows the entire Veda, including Vedanta. The particles

‘ha’ and ‘sma’ are used in the sense of ‘definitely’, ‘critically’.

Here the teacher, instead of directly answering the question and unfolding parä vidhyä,starts with the statement that one has to know aparä vidhyä also. This is becauseof an important rule that Sankara cites1 here: a teacher has to fitrst present all prevalenterroneous notions and negate them. Pakña is a contention. Pürva pakña is a contention

1 ³mape]Tvat! àitvcnSy., inrak«Ty ih pUvRp]< píat! isÏaNtae v´Vyae ÉvtIit Nyat!, - mu{fkœ Éa:ym!




presented as an objection to siddhänta, the right conclusion. Every teacher shouldfollow this rule. Otherwise, there will always be vagueness in understanding. Themore he is able to negagte the wrong notions that are available, the closer he is tothe truth. The whole process is the removal of various notions, because peoplde

have swallowed lots of beliefs. These things have to be negated. Then only one’smind will become ready to see the vastu is unfolded.

There are two types of knowledge thateveryone has to know, one is parä vidhyäand the other is aparä vidhyä. This implies that every human being is born ignorant.Everyone must gain these two vidhyäs. Even though there are two vidhyäs to begained, aparä vidhyä is later termed as avidyä. Parä vidhyä alone is vidyä, knowingwhich everything is as well known. The teacher places the parä vidyä first because

it is the most exalted. Parä vidhyä is brahma- vidhyä.

Aparä vidhyä is something different from para vidyä. Na parä, aparä, that whichis not aparä, that which is not parä is called aparä. Even though both of them areto be gained in terms of knowledge, there is a lot of difference between the two.Parä vidhyä is for mokña while the other is not. Parä vidhyä is not gained in thesame form as aparä vidhyä. It talks about the infinite, and so the approach and theapproacher to the parä vidhyä is also infinitely different. Aparä vidyä also has no

limit, but one can gain that knowledge only in a reasonable measure. One does reqireonly adequate knowledge of it. Parä vidhyä, on the other hand, is to be gained byeverybody in full. It is a complete knowledge. It is only for the purpose of negationthat aparä vidhyä is mentioned here.

Apara vidyä, though it is for negation, is as important as parä vidhyä because it ishelpful for gaining parä vidhyä. Language is necessary. Rituals are necessary. Theymake a person fit to receive the parä vidhyä. Without language one cannot understand

what is a pot, what is clay and so on. There is analysis and logic involved in thestudy because there is much wrong thinking in the erroneous conclusions. Whenwrong thinking is there, we have to righgt the wrong. Righting the wrong is to seethe fallacies in our thinking. To see the fallacies in our thinking we require analysisand logic. We should learn to see what is proper and improper, what is logical andillogical. Therefore, aparä vidhyä is necessary.

To be continued…




Çré RudramAnuväka 02

(continued from last issue)

nm?Ss/iSp|!?jray/ iTv;I?mte pwI/na< pt?ye/ nm?>. 3.nama×ssaÞspiï×jaräyaÞ tviñé×mate pathéÞnäà pata×yeÞ nama×ù || 3 ||

nama× ù – salutation; saÞspiï× jaräyaÞ – one who has the colour of tendergrass that is a mixture of red and yellow; tviñé×mate – who is bright; pathéÞnäà

– of all Vedic means; pata×yeÞ – to the Lord; nama×ù - salutation.

Salutation to the one who has the colour of tender grass that is a mixture of red and yellow, who is bright and who is the Lord of all Vedic means.

In the description, ‘the one who is yelloish red like bälapiï×jarä, tender grass’,red stands for çakti, power, and the golden colour stands for jïäna, knowledge.The Lord is the one who has all knowledge and all çakti. This description helpsone visualise the Lord in a particular form and colour for upäsanä, meditation.

Tviñati means shines. The Lord has a shine, meaning he is the one who is all-luminous. It is like your dream world. In the dream world you are jyotisvarüpa, of the nature of awareness and you are everything that obtains indream—sentient beings as well as the insentient mountains. All these are non-separate from caitanya ätmä. All the stars, space and so on, are caitanya jyotialone and the Lord is that shining awareness as well as all that exists.

PathéÞnäà pata×yeÞ nama×ù—Salutations to the Lord of all paths. There are arcirä

and dhüma märgäs, the bright and dark paths. The departed soul, accordingto one’s karma and upäsanä, goes to different worlds through these paths. Anyend or goal is looked upon as the Lord and the means is also the Lord. Afterdeath also, the path of one’s travel is Bhagavän. In this world too, the märga,means and präpya, ends afre the Lord. When you say He is the means, He isupädäna käraëa, material cause. When you say He is the Lord of the means,he is nimitta käraëa. As the sun, moon, earth and so on, He is the manifestform of upädäna käraëa. One relates to the Lord as nimitta käraëa. The




upädäna käraëa becomes the locus to invoke the nimitta käraëa. The creation being non-separate from Éçvara, nothing is inert in creation. Our relation iswith Éçvara who is all-knowledge and all-power.

nmae? b_lu/zay? ivVya/ixne=Úa?na</ pt?ye/ nm>?.4.namo× babhluÞçäya× vivyäÞdhine’nnä×näàÞ pata×yeÞ namaù× ||4||

namù – salutation; babhluÞçäya – to the one who is seated on a bull; vivyäÞdhine– who severely afflicts (the wrong doers); ‘annä×näàÞ – of all food; pata×yeÞ – tothe Lord; namaù× - salutation.

Salutations to the one who is seated on a bull, who severely afflicts (the wrongdoers) and who is the Lord of all foods.

Babhru, also read as babhlu, is derived from the root bhå-to hold, to carry; itmeans åñabha, a bull. (Here the root does not mean ‘to sustain’. Babhlusa1

refers to the one who rides a åñabha, åñabha-vähanäruòha. The bull stands fortwo things: tamas and the quality of denying differences. As an animal it standsfor tamas, the quality of resolving everything into itself. The Lord weilds andkeeps tamo guëa, mäyä, under his control as mäyävi in an undifferentiatedcondition. So he is called babhlusaù. To that Lord in whom everything isresolved, namaù.

Vivyädine2 annänäà pataye namaù—Salutation to him who causes hunger andthirst and who is the Lord of foods. In the form of hunger and thirst he is atormentor. He creates hunger and thirst in you to be appeased and quenched.You require food and water. He is a tormentor only if he does not providelyou with food and water. But the Lord provides you with the food and water.He needs to cause affliction in the form of pinching hunger and thirst to makeyou seek redress through food and water. He is the tormentor and he is theprovider. If the Lord is not both—thecause of affliction and cause of redress—you have cornered yourself to have another force called devil. If there are twoentities, both need a cause in another God. To the Lord of all of them annänäàpataye namù.

1 The derivation of the word ‘babhlusa kurbhraçca (1.22) ityuëädisütreëa bhåndhätoù kupratyayedvitve dhätoryaëadeçe kittvät guëa våddhi pratiñedh ca sati babhåuriti rüpaniñpattiù babhåreva babhluù.

babhlau ñeti tiñöati iti babhluçaù2 viçeñeëa vidhyate iti vivyädhé tasmai vivyädhine—one who torments in specific form (in the form

of hunger and thirst)




nmae hir?kezayaepvI/itne? pu/òana</ pt?ye/ nm?>. 5.namo hari×keçäyopavéÞtine× puÞñöänäàÞ pata×yeÞ nama×ù || 5||

namaù – salutation; harikeçäya – to the one who has green (not chanting)hair; upavétine - who wears the holy thread; puñöänäà – of those who arewell nourished; pataye – to the Lord; namaù – salutation.

Salutation to the one who has original (black) hair, who has the holy threadand who is the Lord of those who are well nourished.

Harikeçäya namaù – Salutation to him who has green hair, one whose hairis not subject to change. In other words he is nitya yuvä, ever young. Thismantra talks of the Lord’s nitya yauvana, lasting youth in poetic language.It is said for the purpose of upäsanä. You do not visualise a grey ageingGod! When you invoke the Lord in a form for upäsanä, he is presentedas nitya yuvä. If a Swedish person invokes the Lord, he will think of theLord with golden hair! This allows all forms of keça—black, red, blondeand so on. So, he is anybody’s God and everybody’s God who can bevisualised with golden hair, blue eyes and so on.

Upavétine namaù – Salutation to the one who has got the sacred thread,yajïopavéta. When yajïopavéta is worn over the left shoulder, it is calledupavéta. The Lord is ädi brahmaëa, the first brahmin. A brahamaëa isrespected for his Vedic knowledge. He may have studied the Veda but maynot have the knowledge, ‘I am Brahman’. A brähmaëa is deaqd and gone

but ädi brahmaëa is always there. He is the most respectful. All the Vedicknowledge is with him. He is the real initiator of all the Vedas and hegives kinowledge in the form of the åñi’s words.

Puñöänäà pataye namaù - Salutation to him who is the Lord of allnourishment, because of which all the living beings become nourished. Puñöarefers to those who are well nourished. He is the Lord of the nourishingfood, the meaning of the word ‘nourishjment’ and the living beings thatare nourished. He is the Lord of the well nourished animals and also thewell nourished human beings.

to be continued..




Sringeri Äcarya visits AVG, Coimbatore

His Holiness Jagadguru Çaìkaräcärya Sri SriBhärati Tértha Mahäsvämigal who was onhis first visit to Coimbatore came to theArsha Vidya Gurukulam on the 2nd of April.

He was received with pürëa kumbham andtaken to Çré Dakñiëämürti temple.

Later he addressed the students and visitorsto the Gurukulam at the Lecture Hall in theGurukulam.

The Acharya spoke in Tamil and his talkwas translated into English by Pujya

Swamiji. Acharya’s exposition was a very brilliant one. He said :

It is all very well known that Ädi Çaìkaräwas an avatära puruña to establish thissanätana dharma when it was under somepressure. There is a wide spread feeling thatÄdi Çaìkarä created and propoundedadvaita. He did not create a ssampradäya.He was not a sampradäya kåt; he wassampradäya vit. What was there in theçrutis and what has come down from theåñis; that is adwaita and his job was only




to present them as a bouquet collected fromall sources and presented

Not only that Ädi Çaìkarä left acommentary for the posterity to follow.There are commentaries on Upaniñads Úétäand Brahma Sütra. It has a style capturingthe tradition and sampradäya.

Bhäñyakära himself says in the GétäBhäñyam ‘asampradäyavit çastrajïopimürkhavat upekñaëéyaù. A person whodoes not conform to sampradäya should be

kept away like an adamantine fool. A foolwho is adamantine is a mürkha.

Çästra is so profound; one has to get it froma teacher. Teacher himself is one whoreceived the sampradäya from anotherteacher. In Çaìkarä Vijaya there is anepisode. Vyasa himself comes out to checkup Çaìkarä. He comes as a våddha, an old

man and he comes to know through thedisciples of Çaìkarä that he is teaching andcommenting upon Sütra Bhäñya. Vyasa isthe sütrakära. Naturally, in the form of anold man, he wanted to check up, and theyentered into a discussion. He said: “You arecommenting upon Vyasa’s sutras”. Çaìkaräsaid, I am not commenting on Vyasa’ssutras. I have received from my elders and

what I have received, I am discussing.




There was a big discussion andit went on and on andPadmapadha made a remarkthat this discussion was

between Çiva and Näräyaëa; it

will never come to an end. Thatis the sampradäya. He gave acertain verse to stress thispoint:

tyaja dharmam adharmam cayena tyajasi tat tyaja|ubhe satyänåute tyaktvä yenatyajasi tat tyaja||

You cannot understand withouta guru. Yena tyajasi tat tyajameans yena atmajïänenapraptam tat tyaja upadiça, makeit descend upon the çiñyäs.

Really it is the sampradäya thatholds everything. Some enjoyand without understanding the

sampradäya, the subject matterwill not be meaningful. We arestudying bhäñya etc. Andtherefore it is the sampradäyathat really holds the whole thingand without sampradäya, thesubject matter will not bemeaningful..

We are studying bhäñya etc.And Swami here is teaching

bhäñya etc. And therefore I amvery happy. I hear a lot of people come and tell me andtherefore I am very happy thatyou are all pursuing Çaìkaräs

bhäñya and Äcarya. You havethe blessings of the Äcaryas and




my own blessings will always be with you.

Pujya Swamiji spoke of theservices of Sri Sri V.R. GowriSankar, Administrator of the

Sringeri Mutt and honouredhim with a shawl.

Pujya Swamiji presented theAcharya with a rudräkñamälahaving 62 rudräkñ.

The 62nd Vardhanti (birthdaycelebrations) of His Holiness

Jagadguru Çaìkarächarya SriSri Bharati TirthaMahaswamigal wascelebrated in the City of Coimbatore on Wednesday.The Swamigal was on a vijayayathra across Tamil Nadu andAndhra Pradesh from March20 to April 4. The Sri

Shadambal ThirukoilKumbabishekam was alsoperformed on April 1.

During the Vardhanticelebrations, the Swamigalsaid that both tireless effortsand divine blessings werevery important in life. Healso spoke about the

importance of Dharma in life.He said: “You might seepeople who have strayedfrom the path of Dharma

being successful in life. Youmight doubt why they aresuccessful even after strayingfrom Dharma. But such




success is only temporary and leads to thepath of destruction. To achieve your goal youhave to make tireless efforts. Only then willyou be successful. Also, please do notundermine the role of your divine blessing”.

This was the first visit by the Swamigal toCoimbatore and to the Gurukulam inAnaikatti.

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The Shruti Mandir Ashram wasenveloped in pure light and lovewhen Pujya Swamiji arrived on theevening of April 3, 2012. On hisarrival, Pujya Swamiji was welcomed

by Swami Brahmatmanandji andSwamini Shrutisaranandaji, alongwith the other spiritual seekers of theashram, with Purna Kumbh. Swamijispent some time with the Ashramfamily of saadhaks, who had beeneagerly awaiting his arrival; recallinghis previous visit, and with his smile andserenity, making everyone feel blessed anduplifted.

During the following three days, PujyaSwamiji blessed seekers with discourses atthe Ashram in the morning and forenoon,on the topics: 1) "Namah" 2) Duties and

Conflicts, and 3) "Satyam JnanamAnantham". In the discourse on Namah,Pujya Swamiji unfolded how in ourgreeting, "Namaste“ , to one another, we aresaluting not the outward physicalappearance, but the true self within; whichis none other than the Paramatma.

Elaborating on the topic of Duties and

Conflicts, Pujya Swamiji explained beautifully all about rights and duties; andhow a duty followed by one automatically

becomes the fulfillment of a right of another.He emphasized that each one of us should

follow our duties, thereby we help meet therights of others; and when others too do thesame, our rights are met. This attitude leadsto far more harmony and happiness ascompared to ‘fighting for one’s rights.’

Pujya Swamiji also elucidated with greatclarity and wisdom in his discourses, the

beauty of the essence of Brahman… Truth,

Pujya Swami Dayanandji’s Blessings to Barodians:

Spiritual Festival at Vadodara : April 4-6, 2012




Knowledge and Infinite Ananda:"Satyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma: Agifted teacher that he is, he helpedlisteners understand the profound

message contained in these words.In the evenings from April 4 to 6, publiclectures were organized at the BarodaMedical College Auditorium; from 6.30pm to 8 pm, on the topic: ‘You are

Unique.’ In these lectures, in his uniqueway, with simplicity and clarity, PujyaSwamiji unfolded the profound truthembedded in our scriptures, which helps

us all realize that each one of us isunique.

A central message given to all was,”Be

a contributor, not merely a consumer…this

is the only way to discover that you are

unique.” Laced with wit and humor,Pujya Swamiji’s lectures also had theaudience breaking into laughter nowand then.

On the opening day (April 4), the royalGaekwad family of Baroda graced the inaugural

function; and Dr. (Smt) Mrunalini Devi Puar(respected Chancellor of M.S. University)inaugurated the evening talks. In the inauguralfunction, a book named ‘THE’ (TransformingHigher Education)’, written by Dr. (Smt) JayantiRavi (Commissioner, Higher Education, GujaratState) was released by Pujya Swamiji.

Pujya Swamiji was very appreciative of the careand hospitality he received at Shruti Mandir

Ashram from one and all; and gladly posed fora photograph with each volunteer; so that thesememories could be cherished.

We pray to The Lord to bless our belovedSwamiji with sound health for years to come.May we be privileged once again with his visitin the near future.

Compiled by Shubhada Kanani

April 15, 2012




Swami Pratyagbodhananda Saraswati Enthralls

Houston’s Hindu Youth

Swamiji with youth after addressing them ontheir role in the future of Hindu Dharma atthe Guruvayurappan Temple.

By Dr. Jayakumar Srinivasan

In his address to the youth, titled, “Role of Youth in the Future of Hindu Dharma” at theSri Guruvayurappan temple, SwamiPratyagbodhananda of Arsha Vidya Gurukulamsaid that though children of Indian origin are

born in the US, their roots go back to the ancientIndian civilizations of the Indus, Saraswati and

be yon d. A holi st ic unders ta ndin g of thatheritage enables them to have a strong Hinduidentity.

Covering topics pertaining to the Hindureligion, including the multiplicity of Gods, idolworship, and daily customs such as wearingtilak , Sawmiji answered the very interesting and

often asked question, “Do we worship idols orGods?” – Hindus worship Gods who personifyideals and are in the form of idols, clarifiedSwamiji.

According to Swamiji, when we salute a flag,we are not saluting a piece of cloth; we aresaluting everything that it epitomizes – acollective history, the will, pride and aspirationsof an entire nation! Likewise, Hindus worshipidols which are not just ordinary statuettes, buticons which have come to possess a sanctified

and sacred status over several millennia.

During interactions with the youth, Swamijidefined culture as encompassing of language,customs, dress, music, worship, festival, historyand worldviews. Stressing on respect for allcultures, he said that no culture should beobliterated. According to Swamiji, the HinduDharma is exclusive in that if religion isremoved from Indian culture, there will be no

culture left. He touched upon the history of ongoing attempts by Abrahamic religions toconvert Hindus, and categorically stated that“Conversion is violence against humanity”,drawing applause from the audience.

America is unique in that independent religiousidentities are encouraged and respected. Here,the Hindu Youth have the opportunity todevelop and express their religious identities increative ways. Swamiji urged Hinduorganizations to establish a solid Vedic Heritage

curriculum for children and to developleadership programs.

During the week Swamiji presented a series of discourses on Uddhava Gita, a dialogue

between Lord Krishna and Uddhava. Swamijialso spoke at the Hindu Temple of Woodlandsand at the Meenakshi Temple.

The program was organized by Arsha VidyaSatsanga, Houston.

For more information, visit www.AVShouston.org

or email [email protected]




Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati receiving her Ph.D. Degree in

Sanskrit from His Excellency, Sri M.C. Bhandare, Honorable Governor of

Odisha and Chancellor of Utkal university. Also standing Prof. P K Sahoo,Vice Chancellor.

On 2 March, 2012, Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati was awarded her Ph.D Degree inSanskrit from Utkal University in its 44 Annual Convocation. The title of her thesis was‘Vision of Vedanta as reflected in Taittiriyopanishad with special reference toSankarabhashya’.

Swamini immediately enrolled for her Masters in Sanskrit in the Utkal University, after

leaving AVG, Annaikatti in June 2003. She completed her Masters in first division (66%)in July 2005 with Sanskrit Grammar as special papers. Immediately after, she registeredfor PhD in Sanskrit in May 2007, submitted her thesis in January 2010, and cleared theViva Voce test in May 2011.

Swamini is planning to pursue her post-doctoral research on ‘The Tarkapada of Brahmasutra’.

‘Arsha Vidya Newsletter’ congratulates Swamini on her continued commitment to academicpursuit, and her distinguished scholarly achievement.

Ph.D. Degree awarded to

Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati




Samashti Bhandara at Rishikesh Ashram

Pujya Swamiji supervising the Bhandara

1st Batch of 1000 Sadhus receiving Bhandara

Delicacies prepared forSamashti Bhandara

Brahmacharis chanting theVedas

Celebrating Pujya Swamiji’s Golden Jubilee

of Sannyasa Diksha




A Sadhvi receiving Bhandara Another Sadhvi

And another Sadhvi His companion created a lot of emotions

People under the blue sky also cameA happy family after Bhandara and

Dakshina




ArshaVidya Research & Publication Trust

ArshaVidya Research & Publication Trust is the single source center for publishing

Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswati’s classroom & public teachings. The Trust

with Pujya Swami Dayananda Sarsawati as the sole author of all its publications

has published over fifty titles till date. The Publication maintains a high standard

reader-friendly format, with quality print and & finish with a unique cover style.

The Trust has won two awards for Excellence in Printing and Production besides

the content of the books

To bring out more books to the seekers, the Trust will deeply appreciate the

participation of philanthrophic devotees of Pujyasri Swamiji. You can participate

in any of the following:

1 ) Sponsor the cost of printing any of the forthcoming titles

2 ) Stock & sell, in your place

3 ) Put up bookstalls during Pujya Swamiji’s or his disciples’ talks in your

area & arrange for display & sale of books.

4 ) Send general donations favoring “ArshaVidya Research & Publication Trust”

Those who wish to contribute, please write to:

ArshaVidya Research and Publication Trust4, Srinidhi Apartments, Desika Road,

Mylapore – 600004


Website: www.avrpt.com

Ph: 044 24997023/7131




That Look

That look of Pujya SwamijiPouring out compassion

Offered to all, denied to noneEntirely free from the predilectionsOf attachment and aversionDevoid of all worldly calculations.

That look The look of Pujya SwamijiEver ready to bless and encourageEven the delinquent and undiligent

Never judging even the suspiciousBenefic to the worst offender.

That look The look of Pujya SwamijiEver pure, and unsulliedBy the travails of bodily existenceThat look is indeed the Look Behind the look, the innermost Self.

That look The look of Pujya Swamijiis indeed The Brahman manifest.

- Swami Tatvavidananda




Swami Sudeerananda’s Public Talks

at Coimbatore

Swami Sudeerananda deliveredpublic talks on Bhagawad GitaChapter IX at Ramar Temple,Ramnagar, Coimbatore from 13April 2012 to 19 April 201.

Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi inaugurated the

jnana yagna on 13 April 2012.

He said that sun entering mesharasi is New year. This is theactual New year. But it is onlycelebrated in Tamil Nadu andKerala. He congratulated thepublic who had assembled onthat tamil New year’s day afterworshipping Iswara at thetemple to listen to Gita.

All the human problems are dueto moha or wrong perception. Itis due to not seeing the reality.Gita teaches what is reality andcorrect thinking.

All that is here is Iswara. We seethe sun, space, air, fire, waterand earth as manifestations of Iswara. We see you and me asIswara. Only in our culture

money is worshipped asLakshmi, knowledge is worshipped asSaraswathi and land is worshipped asMother Earth. Our dance and music revealevery thing as Iswara.

On this New year’s day in Kerala, vishukani is celebrated. On the altar a mirror iskept. Fruits are kept before that. One looksat his/ her own image in the mirror asIswara and worships. This is atma puja.

When one does fire ritual at home, whenspace is not adequate to go around the fire,one just goes around one self three times.This is also atma puja. Iswara begins withyou and extends every where.

Due to advertisement one knows that Luxis a soap. When he goes to the shop topurchase a soap, he asks for Lux. Lux

becomes his ista soap. Ganesha is Iswara.Siva is Iswara. Rama is Iswara. Krishna is




Iswara. If you ask one who is Iswara andif he says Siva is Iswara that means his Istadevata is Siva. One can call Iswara in anyname and Iswara will understand andrespond. Even when you call Subramaniamas Subbu or Mani or LS he responds. Like

that by what ever name you call Iswara ,whether Ganesha, Siva, Rama or Krishna orany other name, he will respond.

In the Gita 9th chapter Lord Krishna explainshis glories. He also promises to give yogaand kshema to those who surrender to him.Yoga is getting what one does not alreadyhave. Kshema is retaining what one hasalready got. Iswara as karma phala dathagives one the result of one’s karma. Amature person will accept what ever comesas prasada from Iswara with prasada

buddhi.

Swami Sudeerananda taught Gita ChapterIX. Lord Krishna explains Satyomukthi.Satyomukthi is getting liberation here andnow by knowledge. The knowledge isatma is Brahman. This knowledge destroysthe sorrow caused by the sense of want.

This knowledge is the highest knowledge.This secret is the greatest secret. Thisknowledge is the greatest purifier.

Only a qualified student with a sense of discrimination and commitment can get thisknowledge. The whole jagat hasits existence in atma. Evenwithout the jagat, atma willexist. The entire jagat ismanifest at the time of srusti.The entire jagat goes tounmanifest form at the time of laya.

Brahman is the intelligent causeof this jagat. Brahman is alsothe material cause and manifestsas this jagat. Hence all thingsmanifest in this jagat areBrahman alone.

One having knowledge of Vedas, doingyaga and earning punya will reach Swarga.After exhaustion of his punya phala, will

be born again as a human being.

Lord Krishna promises that he will take care

of yoga ( getting material wealth) andkshema (retaining material wealth) of thosewho pursue self knowledge with singlepointed commitment. There is also a secondmeaning. Yoga is getting atma jnana.Kshema is retaining atma jnana or being in

jnana nishta.

Lord Krishna says he will accept what everis offered with bakthi. It may be a simpleleaf, flower, fruit or water. What isimportant is not the material but theattitude.

One should offer all his actions includingeating, religious karmas, charitable acts andausterities to Ishwara. Doing all worldlyactivities with the attitude of offering themto Ishwara is karma yoga.

A qualified student pursuing self

knowledge will understand atma isBrahman





Abstract

One of the greatest contributions of Indiato the world is Holy Gita which isconsidered to be one of the first revelationsfrom God. The eighteen chapters of theBhagavad-Gita are found in the Bhisma-parva(23-40), of Mahabharata which was

compiled by Veda Vyasa. Let me bow withfolded hands to Indian Maharishi VedaVysa, who contributed to the world the“supreme knowledge” through his writingson various sacred texts. Gita is one of themost popular and accessible of all Indianscriptures, which is to be studied by anyoneinterested in Indian philosophy. The Gita

teaches how one’s aim in life can be

achieved; howsoever it may be difficult, bydoing his duty with devotion, andmeditation, integrating many differentthreads of Indian philosophy. It givescorrect solution to all the problems inhuman life. One has to do his duty asmother looks after a child. Among all thesacred texts of India, the G it a greatlyinfluenced the east and the west. Many

philosophers, transcendentalists weredeeply influenced by its insights, andthousands of individuals struggling withmany problems have found comfort andwisdom in its pages. The greatestsignificance of the Gita lies in the fact thatit proposes a solution to a central typicalproblem of human life that presents itself at a certain critical stage of development.

Bhagavad Gita And Management

We may say that Arjuna to whom theteaching is addressed is a representativeman, and the problem that he faced aroseat a certain height of ethical concern in themidst of an actual and symbolic battlefield(Kurukshetra, which is also Dharmakshetra).

The Gita gives answers for any problem in

any relationship. The best philosophy,spirituality, psychology, religion and yogaare contained in the Gita. It begins with SriKrishna teaching the essence of human

being that he is not the body but theimmortal soul. The ancient science of life iscalled the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita from thegreat country India that invented thenumber zero. All dimensions of human life

have been explained in this. Bhagavad-Gitahas, for more than five millennia, served asa guide to liberation through a life of knowledge, devotion, and action withoutaiming the fruits of attachment to results.The Gita teaches the first masterly attemptat harmony and synthesis. Its concern is tohelp us get out of the problems that weourselves have created in our own minds.

The influence of this most renowned of allthe Indian scriptures has spread far beyondits religion of origin to inspire figures asdiverse as Henry David Thoreau, RalphWaldo Emerson, Aldus Huxley, C. G. Jung,Max Muller and Charles Wilkins who firsttranslated to English in 1784.Theirtranslations stand out from all the othersfirst of all for its careful faithfulness to the




original language, but also for the extensivetools for understanding. Sri Sanakacharyathe great philosopher of India said that, inthe 15th chapter, the meaning of not onlythe entire Gita, but also all that is known

in the entirety of the Vedas, is presented briefly and completely. The Gita teaches thephilosophy of human psychology, how tooperate in the world. During times of commotion we may feel unsure, fearful,tense and confused. It comes into our lifeand gives us spiritual perspective to ourattitudes, behaviour and personality. .Almost al the freedom fighters of India

strongly believed that they got inspirationsand motivation from Gita.

The spiritual philosophy and managementlessons in this holy book were brought into light of the world by saints, philosophersand other eminent personalities and theycall the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of VedicLiterature and a complete guide to practicallife. Through the centuries, the sublime and

ennobling counsel of the Gita has endearedit to truth-seekers of East & West alike. Itprovides “all that is needed to raise thepersonality of man to the highest possiblelevel” and self improvement which meansself guided improvement in physical,mental, social, spiritual and emotion. Itsgospel of devotion to duty, withoutattachment, has shown the way of life for

all men, rich or poor, learned or ignorant,who have sought for light in life. Energyexists in all human beings to fulfil thepurpose of the aim of the life. We expectenergy to get task done. The Lord Krishnareveals the deep, universal truths of life thatspeak to the needs and aspirations of everyone which is relevant even today inGita. One has a special mission, a special

realisation, and each one individually canface all the obstacles necessary to makeone’s realisation perfect. Always one willsee that within him the shadow & the lightare equal: you have ability; you have also

the negation of this ability. But if onediscover a very black hole, a thick shadow, be sure there is somewhere in him a greatlight. It is up to him to know how tounderstand the one to realise the other.

Their followers in their respectiveestablishment are continuing their mission

by keeping this lantern burning alwaysknowing the wishes of the moderngenerations. They stress the importance of spiritual and ethical values for corporateand personal success. Maharishi interpretsthe Indian philosophy, religion and culturefor modern day managers so that they mayattain excellence in whatever work they areengaged. In the Gita Krishna says: “Changeyour attitude toward work. When youchange your attitude (not geared toward

rewards) and continue to do your work, youare able to unfold your inner potential andthat is freedom and that is happiness all of us are seeking. Otherwise we come to astate where we are just for the grossrewards. Swami Vivekananda said thatsystem of education should aim at character

building, achi eving stre ng th of mind,expansion of intellect and then only one can

stand on one’s own feet. Those people can bring a lasting and transformative effect andwill be assets for their family, society andnation.

Arjuna got mentally depressed in the battlefield when he saw his relatives with whomhe has to fight. (Mental health has becomea major international public health concern

now). On the eve of battle Arjuna is filled




with deep misgivings; he feels to kill hisrelatives and friends would be a great sin.Lord Krishna says O Arjiuna from wherehas this delusion come? How could thisdelusion come upon a great person such as

you, obstructing the path to heaven? OArjuna give up this faint-heartedness. Thiskind of mental weakness is unbecoming toa strong person such as you, shake it off.Arise and fight. (Gita 2-.2&3). Arjuna saidthat now I am confused about my duty andhave lost all composure because of miserlyweakness. In this condition I am asking Youto tell me for certain what is best for

me.(Gita 2-7). Now I am Your disciple, anda soul surrendered unto You. Please instructme. Sri Krishna says that you speak like awise person but grieving over something,the wise do not grieve for. (Gita.2-11).Furthermore the death of the body does notharm the soul, as the immortal quote of theGita runs. To motivate him the Bhagavad-Gita is preached in the battle fieldKurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna ascounselling to do his duty while multitudesof men stood by waiting. Arjuna face theproblem of conflict between emotions andintellect. Gita teaches Honesty, Sincerity, andTruthfulness etc. Gita also shows howchallenge as an opportunity to find the way to

success, it only depends on you and you are your

own alchemist.

The Gita was delivered by Sri Krishna to boost Arjuna’s declining morale, motivation,confidence and to increase his effectiveness.The Gita contains the unwritten laws of theuniverse. So if you study the same in alogical manner, you will achieve salvation.But on the other hand if you are a devoteeof Lord Krishna and read it with devotion,then also you will achieve salvation. So, the

Gita will lead you to God both theintellectual way and the devotional way.

Today there are innumerable professionalsand industrialists who are great achievers,have great social prestige yet do not enjoylife. On the other hand, there are many whoare contended and happy but are notachievers. What is needed today is acombination of these two qualities. Oneshould be a great achiever and at the sametime should live a peaceful life and it can

be assured that a study of Gita will serve both these purposes.

Indian Vedic contribution is a reservoir of Vibrant Information and HarmoniousCreativity. May the womb of natureembrace all with tranquil blessings from thisday forward? Let this attract one’s attentionaffecting them positively. It is a sanctuaryof the self a creative venue which serves asan enduring expression of lightness, wherea peaceful atmosphere with sunlight flows

and serene atmosphere prevail.

In the storm of life we struggle throughmyriads of stimuli of pressure, stress, andmulti problems that seek for a solution andanswer. We are so suppressed by theroutine of this every life style that most of us seem helpless. However, if we lookclosely to ancient techniques we shall

discover the magnificent way to understandand realize the ones around us and mostlyourselves. If only we could stop for amoment and allow this to happen. May all

beings be happy (Loka Samastha Sukhino

Bhavanthu) is the essence of Indianphilosophy?

The ancient Indian philosophy of keepingmind and body for the well being has




entered the managerial, medical and judicialdomain of the world. Today it has found itsplace as an alternative to the theory of modern management and also as a meansto bring back the right path of peace and

prosperity for the human beings.Introduction

In this modern world the art of Management has become a part and parcelof everyday life, be it at home, in the officeor factory and in Government. In allorganizations, where a group of human

beings assemble for a common purpose

irrespective of caste, creed, and religion,management principles come into playthrough the management of resources,finance and planning, priorities, policies andpractice. Management is a systematic wayof carrying out activities in any field of human effort. Management is a continuingprocess, and managers are always involvedin some way with the principles of:

planning, organizing, influencing,controlling and decision making. Theseprinciples are designed to help managersaccomplish organizational objectives, andgood managers will use them. Theseprinciples are not isolated but areinterwoven throughout the manager’sthoughts and actions.

Managers must combine and coordinatethese principles and must maximize theirvalue to achieve their goals. Managersstrive to be effective and efficient and theseprinciples help them. These managementprinciples are universal and applicable to alltypes of businesses and organizations.Management need to focus more onleadership skills e.g.: establishing vision

and goals, communicating the vision and

goals, and guiding others to accomplishthem. It also asserts thatleadership must bemore facilitative, participative andempowering in how visions and goals areestablished and carried out.

One of the biggest problems that we arefacing in our daily life, professional workand personal life is that we don’t seem toenjoy what we are doing. Today thechildren say “I am bored”. Youngprofessionals want to adopt the westernmodel of “weekend getaway”. We needweekend getaways if work is perceived asdrudgery and an avoidable aspect of our

life. Such a perspective can never get the best from work place that modern businessmanagement is worried about. What is this

boredom? Why does it happen? Becausewe don’t enjoy what we are doing, we get

bored. Stress management is a big issuetoday. Today’s life is so, that everyone feelsto be very busy in this hectic day to day life.We all are very busy at our work place &

in our home life also. In this busy life, weface lot of tensions and our mind is full of stress all the time. We forget about the truehappiness in life and how it can be attained.

Sukhaduhkhe same kritwaa laabhaalaabhau

jayaajayau;

Tato yuddhaaya yujyaswa naivam

paapamavaapsyasi. (Gita.2.38)

Having made pleasure and pain, gain andloss, victory and defeat the same, engagethou

in battle for the sake of battle; thus thoushall not incur sin.

Generally people think that earning lot’s of

money and enjoying it, is the aim of life and




they think that can give them happiness inlife. In our life we either run after moneyor we try to make our near and dear oneshappy in life. Money and material thingsmay give us joy at present but when these

material things are not in our life, due toone reason or the other, much pain comesin our life. Same is the case with humanrelations. Till the time these relations arewith you, they may give you joy for thetime being. But in the absence of theserelations our mind feels pain & sorrow. Weall know that we have come to this worldalone & shall leave this world alone only.Whatever things we acquire or whateverrelations we make on this world stage isonly in between your birth and death. Someday, these things or relations shall leave youwithin this lifetime or ultimately you haveto leave all these in the end.

Any infatuation to material things orrelations is going to give you pain only,whenever, separation shall occur from these

one day. Unless one seeks a perfect andpermanent thing in life, he will not be ableto find perfect love in life. Most of theknowledge and help we get from themodern day thinking is to suppress ordivert our attention from the issue of stress.They implicitly operate with an assumptionthat stress will be inevitably generated andthe solution lies in doing something about

it once we are stressed. “Let us kill it or runaway from it by some means after it

happens” is the basis for stressmanagement. We do not seem to addresswhy one should get stressed in the firstplace.

Gita also offers perspectives on how tomanage certain things in life, understandcomplex things that we go through insimple terms (just as the example of birthand death). It also offers direct ideas andsets us in a state of contemplation. The Gita

can be compared to a wish fulfilling tree.Whatever we seek to learn, we can get itfrom the Gita. Each person who reads theGita, can understand it from a differentlevel. It can give lessons to a beginner aswell as a pundit. Based on the state of feelings, each person can understand theGita depending on the stage that they havereached in the spiritual path. There is plentyof water in an ocean, but what you can

bring away from it depends on the size of the vessel that you take. Similarly themessages will be vast but what we get from

it depends on our capacity to absorb. The basic message of the Gita is the same andits purpose is to transform humanity todivinity. We should therefore not take sucha book lightly. We should approach it withdevotion and commitment and not only tryto learn the teachings, but more importantlystrive to practice it. Only then we can attainfulfilment in our lives. By repeated reading

and studying only we can achieve this.

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Some people assert that this really isn’t achange in the management functions ratherit’s re-emphasizing certain aspects of management. Management is creativeproblem solving method. This creative

problem solving is accomplished throughfour functions of management: planning,organizing, leading and controlling. Theintended result is the use of anorganization’s resources in a way thataccomplishes its mission and objectives.Socio technical systems approach; technicalsystems such as production and officeoperation have great effect on social system

such aspersonal. This concept places importance onlabour and lower-level office work andignores other managerial knowledge. In thisconcept managing is treated asmathematical processes. It is viewed as apurely logical process and is expressed inmathematical symbols and relationships.Managing is not a pure science and hencecannot be completely modelled. Just ashuman body is formed of differentinterdependent systems so is also anorganization. A change in any one of thesesystems may affect all or some othersystems to varying degrees. This ‘rippleeffect’ influences the effectiveness of theorganization. To understand the interactionsand the consequences between the varioussystems of the organization the managersshould posses the ability to get aperspective view.

Treating an organization as formed of different systems is known as systemsapproach. Systems theory was first appliedin the fields of science and engineering. Italso has found wide acceptance in thepractice of management. Successful

planning is a process. It is the firstmanagement principle that must bedeveloped and all the others are interrelatedto it. It is the foundation for success.

Samuel Certo, in the Principles of ModernManagement, suggests there are six steps inthe planning process: 1) Statingorganizational objectives – the objectivesmust be clear for proper planning; 2) Listingalternative ways of reaching objectives – amanager should list several availablealternatives; 3) Develop premises uponwhich each alternative is based – thesepremises are assumptions and theseassumptions will help you work throughthe alternatives; 4) Choosing the bestalternative for

reaching objectives – evaluate thealternatives based on your assumptions andchoose; 5) Develop plans to pursue thechosen alternative – a manager shoulddevelop strategic and tactical plans; and 6)

Putting the plans into action – organizationcan not benefit until the plans are put intoaction; both short plans and long rangeplans.

Its task is to make people capable of jointperformance, to make their weaknessesirrelevant, says the Management Guru PeterDucker whose career as a writer, consultant

and teacher spanned more than six decades.His groundbreaking work turned modernmanagement theory into a seriousdiscipline, and he influenced or creatednearly every facet of its application,including corporate social responsibility,decentralization, privatization, andempowerment, and has coined such termsas the “knowledge worker.” It creates

harmony in working together - equilibrium




in thoughts and actions, goals andachievements, plans and performance,products and markets. It resolves situationsof scarcity, be they in the physical, technicalor human fields, through maximum

utilization with the minimum availableprocesses to achieve the goal. Leadership islifting a person’s vision to high sights, theraising of a person’s performance to ahigher standard, the building of apersonality beyond its normal limitations.

This approach emphasized that a managerand a subordinate would get together andset goals with the understanding that

achieving these goals would be a majorfactor in evaluating the subordinate’s jobperformance. This approach was supposedto begin at the top of the organization andall the way through it. Therefore, it was theachievement of these objectives that woulddetermine the success or failure of anorganization. Obviously, the better theseobjectives and goals were stated and then

subsequently accomplished the more likelythe organization would succeed. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion,wastage, delay, destruction and evendepression. Managing men, money andmaterials in the best possible way, accordingto circumstances and environment, is themost important and essential factor for asuccessful management. Gita gives answer

to all these points. The discoveries of modern science only demonstrate the truthintuitively arrived at by meditation by theancient saints of India and confirm theirdoctrines.

The Bhagavad-Gita was delivered by SriKrishna to boost Arjuna’s declining morale,motivation, confidence and to increase his

(Arjuna) effectiveness. Sri Krishna gave not

only spiritual enlightenment but also the artof self management, conflict , stress, angermanagement, transformational leadership,motivation, goal setting and many othersaspects of management which can be used

as a guide to increase HRM effectiveness.Unlike the western approach to HRM,which focuses in exploring the externalworld of matter and energy, the Bhagavad-Gita recommends a HRM approach, whichfocuses on exploring the inner world of theself.

HRM can understand from Gita theorganizational behaviour in terms of thereciprocal causation among the employee(unique personality characteristics). Becauseof these combined reciprocal influences,employees are at the same time bothproducts and producers of their personality,their behaviours, and their respectiveenvironments. They can suggest that theimplications that self-efficacy may have foremployee performance in organizations can

no longer be ignored by practicingmanagers. They contend that whiletraditional motivational and behaviouralmanagement approaches are still relevant,expanding the behavioural managementapproach with CSR and self-efficacy willlead to the more comprehensiveunderstanding and effective management of today’s human resources.

HR managers need good ‘people’ skills andrequire the confidence and communicationskills to deal in a calm and tactful mannerwith a variety of situations, balancing theneeds of the individual employee againstthe business interests of the organisation.You may be required to operate in stressfulsituations when handling issues such as




discipline, redundancy or the personalproblems of individual employees, so youwould need a measure of resilience and anunderstanding of the importance of confidentiality. Accuracy, attention to detail,

co-operation and teamwork are as importantas a fair and objective attitude. Good spokenand written communication skills areessential to avoid errors andmisunderstandings when dealing withemployees’ personal details.

Management guidelines from Bhagavad-

Gita

One should do one’s duty equipoise or withthe equanimity of mind renouncing thefruits of action. O Arjuna, you have a certainauthority over an action you perform butyou do not have an absolute authority overthe fruit it yields. Neither accepts inactionas the way of life, nor let the fruit be themotive behind performing an action (Gita

2.47). If one does one’s duty efficiently and

with single minded devotion, without anyfear of success or failure in his/herendeavour, then certainly that person shallsucceed in his/her work. His/her mindshall be at peace & ease while doing suchwork without any fear of success or failure.Any person, whose mind is at peace,certainly works effectively. The Gita

conceives reality as that which never

changes. The ego, being subject to change,is unreal; so also are all its objects. HenceSri Krishna asks Arjuna to transcend thedualities of experience like heat and cold,pain and pleasure, and identify himself with

the permanent and unchanging being. Thefour goals of human life — doing one’sduty, earning wealth, material and sensualenjoyment, and attaining salvation — weredesigned in the Vedic tradition for gradual

and systematic growth of the individual andthe progress of society

After, hearing Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna gotmotivated, energized and acted accordingto Sri Krishna’s instruction. This istransformation management (leadership), asquoted by great management gurus whoexplained what happened after the Bhagavad-

Gita. He (Arjuna) stood steady on the

ground with bow and arrow in hand. Helifted his arms ready to fight the war. SriKrishna demonstrated transformational HRleadership qualities in developing andguiding Arjuna to victory in the war.Transformational leaders (HR managers)exhibit charisma, encourage followers toquestion their own way of doing things, andtreat followers differently but equitably

based on followe r need. Mod ern HRmanagers and consultants can benefit fromthe philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita, which canserve as a guide in HRM. Mere imitation of western HRM approaches may not beappropriate in the Indian (Asian) contextdue to differences in the culturalenvironment. Many new western HRMapproaches will continue to emerge,

however the Bhagavad-Gita has remainedand will remain to be relevant and continueto contribute to HRM for many centuries tocome.




Silver Jubilee Celebration of

Kaumara Matalaya’s Gaja Puja etc.

As far back as March 25 to 27 in the year 1987, His Holiness Sundara Swamigal of SiravaiAdheenam initiated, organized and brought together 108 elephants, installed Vinayakain 108 kalasas and conducted Vedic rituals through 108 Homa kundas. Besides all these,he had arranged a big main homa kunda for seeking the blessings of Vinayaka, Navagraha,Siva, Sudharsana, Satha Chandi and Muruga. Lakhs of people from different parts of India visited and wereawe struck with thegrandeur of the worshiporganized. Since thentwenty five years hadrolled by and the

devotees wanted tocelebrate such a bigevent in a fittingmanner.

Siravai Adheenamorganized the silver

jubilee celebrations forthree days from 22nd to25th of March 2012.








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Rasi Graphics Pvt. Ltd.,

40 Peters Road, Madras 600014.

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During this celebration Gaja (elephant) puja was organized. There was also worship of 108 Cows, 1008 lighted lamps, 63 Nayanmars and special pujas at the temple of theAdheenam at Chinnavedampatti, Coimbatore.

There was also a book release function. Books of Swami Kandaswamy, books on thehistory of the Adheenam, Tamil books of K. Natesa Gounder etc. were released.

Various Heads of Mutts, religious leaders and Tamil Pandits and musicians participated.



Kaumara Matalaya's Gaja Puja etc.



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Vol. 13 May 2012 Issue 5

“H.H. Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Dakshinamnaya Sri Sringeri Sharada

Peetadhipati, Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji presenting the first

Adi Shankaracharya Award to Pujya Swamiji”





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - May 2012 1



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Dr.T.A.Gopal & Lata




G.S. Raman & Gita


Rakesh Sharma


Arsha Vidya

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Pujya Swamiji presented with First Adi Shankaracharya Award

Everyone will be glad to learnthat the FIRST ADI SHANKARACHARYA AWARD instituted by the

Jagadguru ShankaracharyaMahasamsthaanam,Dakshinaamnaaya SharadaPeetham, Sringeri, went to noneother than our most revered anddear Pujya Swamiji. It has beenawarded to him in recognitionof his ‘exemplary service toSanatana Dharma, Advaita-Vedanta Prachara and tohumanity’.

It was presented to him at theShankara Jayanti celebrations atThirunelveli, by the SringeriShankaracharya Sri BharatiTeertha Mahaswamiji.

Pujya Sri Swamiji accepted it as‘prasadam’ in all humility andmentioned that as per the ShrutiVakya “, it is a twice blessedone, as the giver and recipientare blessed. He said that Hisown reverence to the Peetham isthe same as to ShankaraBhagavatpaada Himself!







The Sringeri Mahaswami in histurn said that He is awarding thisto Swami Dayananda Saraswathi,with a great sense of pride for hisunparalleled contribution in,

particularly spreading the light ofthe Bhaashya , with the same love, dedication and reverence toAdishankaracharya as he himselfhas! In that, Pujya Swamiji is a (ofthe same intent as Himself, though

by age Pujyasri is much older.Further, Pujya Swamiji has spreadthe teaching beyond the Indianshores, to the whole world. Hewished that it flows perennially

To the students of Pujya Swamijiit is a great joy as the traditionalShankaracharya peethamrecognises his amazingcontribution. No wonder we see

the image of Adi ShankaraBhagavatpada in him, and werewe to think of what Adishankara’sdisciples felt when the greatAcharya taught....... the feeling isnot alien to us!!

Yes, twice blessed is the award,

Even as it is Mahapurushas wholend sanctity to any Teertha (Holyplace), (or an ornament on theLord’s Vigraha really embellishesitself), the award has got‘awarded’, and our Acharya, theocean of compassion standssaluted!!




“A felicitation function to Pujya SriSwami Dayananda Saraswati forreceiving the Adi ShankaracharyaAward was organized at the KikaniSchool, Coimbatore, on the 13 th ofMay 2012 by Sri M. Krishnan of SriKrishna Sweets. The Kikani Schoolauditorium was packed to the

capacity”.

Sri T.R. Ramanathan welcomed thegathering. He explained how Sri AdiSankara dismissed 72 wrongphilosophies and re-established Hinduism.He also explained how H H Sri NarasimhaBharthi, the 33rd Pontiff of Sringeri Muttpopularised Sankara Jayanthi celebration,established the birth place of Sri Adi

Sankara at Kalady and arranged forpublication of Sri Adi Sankara’s works.The present Pontiff of Sringeri Mutt, H HSri Bharathi Theertha Swamigal hadinitiated Sri Adi Sankaracharya Award.He had awarded that to the most

Felicitation to Pujya Swamiji for Receiving Adi Sankaracharya Award

deserving Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi.

Video clippings of the awards functionat Tirunelveli at 26 April 2012 was

screened. On the awards function PujyaSwamiji said that he received the awardas a prasadam from Sri Adi Sankara. Hetaught Bhasyam daily. He felt that theaward received from Acharya wasreceived from Sri Adi Sankara himself.

Both the receiver and giver of the giftought to be careful. A gift becomestwice blessed as the giver is happyand the receiver is also happy. Hereceived the award in all humility.

On the awards function Sri BharathiTheertha Swamigal said that heappreciated the advaita Vedantasiddanta prachara by SwamiDayananda Saraswathi. Thatappreciation made him give thisaward to him. Both of them had

sraddha in and bakthi to Sri Adi




Sankara. Their age was not thesame. But their thinking was thesame. Due to Mutt tradition, he wasdoing prachara of Adi Sankara’steachings only within India. ButSwami was doing prachara of AdiSankara’s teachings even outsideIndia. He blessed that PujyaSwamiji’s prachara should continue.

Sri S. Gurmurthy, renowned socialthinker spoke. He said that theearlier speaker Sri T.R. Ramanathanhad spoken eloquently and demonstratedthat he was more competent to speak on

the awards function. But as he had beeninvited, he spoke.

During the awards function Acharya andPujya Swamiji said that they were happy.They never uttered that it was bestowingan honour. There is no difference in theirthought process. Even the words used by

both of them were the same. He wasclosely associated with Pujya Swamiji

since the formation of Dharma RakshanaSamithi in 1999.

During Pope’s visit to India, Pope saidthat in the first 1000 years Europeans

were converted to Christianity. In the

second 1000 years Americans andAfricans were converted to Christianity. Inthe next 1000 years Asian should beconverted to Christianity. Pujya Swamijiobjected about this to Pope and gave theprofound thinking in a single line “Conversion is Violence”.

In 2002, Pujya Swamiji established theHindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. He made

125 Acharyas, who were heads of muttsof at least 300 years standing to sit on asingle platform. In 2000 MillenniumSummit held by United Nations, he hada resolution passed for mutual respect and

reverence to all religions. In 2008Hindu Jewish Summit, we madethe Jews understand that theultimate God as per Hinduism isalso formless God as worshipped

by the Jews. In December 2008, hemade the United Nations agreethat every one had a right tofollow religion of his birth,conversion should not be induced

by money or fear and no religionshould criticise other religions. Hesaid that Pujya Swamiji’s activitiesfor protection of Sanatana Dharmaare numerous.




Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswathi gavehis benedictory address. He said the Guruparampara started with LordDakshinamoorthy. The greatest link in theparampara in Sri Adi Sankara. Thatparampara continues today up to my ownGuru. Guru is the one who dispelsdarkness or ignorance.

Human being thinks that he isinsignificant. But he is Brahman. The onethat does not change is satyam. This iswhat the sampradaya tells. Adi Sankara

is not the maker of the sampradaya. Heis the knower of the sampradaya. He isan important link in the parampara. Heinitiated a tradition of teaching by his

bashya. In bashya, the meaning is given.The meaning is also defended.

During Adi Sankara’s time Buddhism anda thinking that karma alone could giveMoksha were popular. He corrected the

wrong thinking by his bhasyam on Gita,Upanishads and Brahma Sutra.

There are two words aham (subject) andidam ( object). I see the world. So I amnot the world. I see my body and mymind. So I am not the body and the mind.Seeing what is not there is samsara. Seeingthe reality is moksha. You are satyam,

jnanam, anantam Brahman. Confusion issamsara. Resolution is moksha. You areBrahman is the essence of Hinduism. Noother religion has this profound teaching.This teaching has been handed over bythe parmapara.

Bharat is a breathing culture. Bharat is one breathing spiritual organisation.





7th Thirumurai Awareness Program in New Jersey, USA

The 7th Annual ThirumuraiAwareness Program was heldon April 29th, 2012 at the SriVenkateswara TempleAuditorium, Bridgewater, NJ08807. It was sponsored bythe Forum for ReligiousFreedom, Staten Island, New

York. Swamini Srividyanandaof Arsha Vidya Gurukulam,Saylorsburg, graced theoccasion. Dr. P. Jayaraman,founder of the BharatiyaVidya Bhavan was the ChiefGuest. Introducing theprogram, Dr. V. Swaminathan, said thatit was organized to support the OduvarProject and the Thiruvidaimarudur Sri

Mahalingaswamy Ther project undertaken by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

During the Program, a video message fromPujya Swamiji was shown, needless to say,to the delight of the participants and theaudience. Pujya Swamiji referred to theinstitution of Oduvars started by King RajaRaja Chozha. The Oduvars sang theThevarams in Siva Temples during the

daily worship. It was fostered bysuccessive kings but in course of time withthe disappearance of the royal patronage,the Oduvars were unsupported and thereligious tradition slowly became extinct.There has been a steady decline of theOduvars and many temples today arewithout any Oduvars. Pujya Swamiji

succinctly summarized the situation bysaying that we now have the responsibilityto maintain the Oduvars who had

maintained the tradition of our culture.Pujya Swamiji appreciated the efforts beingmade in this direction. He also expressedhis happiness at the inclusion in this year’sprogram of songs from the Nalayira DivyaPrabandham, the devotional songs of theVaishnava tradition. Swamiji said that inthe Vishnu Temples generally the Prieststhemselves were conversant with theNaalayira Prabandham and they were

reciting them during worship.

At the start of the proceedings, a younggirl, Uma Mani, offered a Prayer to LordVinayaka by singing Arunagirinathar’s‘Kaithala Nirai Kani’. This was followed

by ten distinguished music teachers of thearea rendering the Invocation ‘Mahalinga

1 Reported by Sri V. Ramachandran of Bridgewater, New Jersey, USA




vibho’, a recent composition of PujyaSwamiji in the raga Sivaranjani. (See thepicture)

Smt Neyveli Ramalaskhmi, who has beentrained in the singing of Thevarams,rendered selected Thevarams of SaintThirunavakkarasar (Appar) by herself andalso along with her students. The songs,in various pans (melodies), related to thesuffering and incarceration of Appar by the

Pallava King of that time and how heovercame them with his devotion to LordShiva. The context of each song was

briefly described prior to its renderingwhich enabled the listeners to enjoy thespirit of the song. As a second segmentin the program, eight compositions of theTamil Composers who are now known asTamil Moovar (Mutthuthandavar,Maarimuttha Pillai and Arunachala

Kavirayar) were rendered by the studentsof Aravind Narasimhan, AshvinBhogendra, Dr. Bhavani Prakash, KalyaniRamani, Manjula Ramachandran, PadmaSrinivasan, Rajeswari Satish and SumatiSarangapani. It can be said that thedevotional content of the compositionstransported the audience to another worldof tranquility and joy. As a third segmentin the program, Sri Prasanna Venkatesh

& students rendered Pasurams fromNammazhvar Thirumozhi on the twelvenames of Lord Vishnu. The properpronunciation of the Tamil words and thedevotion packed singing of theprabandhams that were set to differentragas were inspiring and made all toappreciate the high devotional content ofthe songs.

After the music session, Dr Swaminathan

introduced the Chief Guest Dr P Jayaraman as the founder of the BharatiyaVidya Bhavan in New York, a person ofphilosophical bent with a deep learning inour scriptures and a linguist. Dr.

Jayaraman spoke about the exalted feelinghe had throughout the entire program anddwelt a little on the Nayanmars andAlwars and the aspect of the devotionalelement exemplified by their lives and their

songs. He complimented the efforts beingmade to preserve the ancient IndianTradition and concluded by conveying hisgood wishes to everyone assembled there.The program concluded with all thestudents singing the inimitable PujyaSwamiji’s composition “Bho sambo” inraga Revati as the mangalam. (See thepicture) Sumptuous lunch was served toall the attendees.




Keynote Address Delivered at the First Hindu Priests' Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 28th April 2012

by Swamini Svatmavidyananda

manner, one is ignorant of the truthoneself, and due to this ignorance one issubject to samsara, characterised bynotions of bondage and sorrow.

Assimilating this knowledge requirespreparation. It requires, shraddha and

bhakti in Ishvara and the Veda, it requiresdeveloping surrender, spiritual disciplineand emotional maturity. There is no betterway to gain this preparation than byfollowing the way of life prescribed by theVedas —a committed lifestyle that isconducive to gaining the preparedness for

self-knowledge. Here is where we have been given the wealth of the priests, aclass of people whose purpose is toembody the Vedic lifestyle, and whose solerole is to to assist humankind to developthe requisite shraddha, bhakti, and thematurity for gaining the ultimatepurushartha. This lifestyle recommended

by the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita can be best descr ibed as one of desire-

It is said that Hinduism is a view and away of life conducive to achieving the view.The vision is best expressed in thesentence, “Ishavasyam idam sarvam,” allthat is here is pervaded by Ishvara, by theLord, and is non separate from the Lord.When we use the word “all,” we must notforget to include ourselves. All that is here,including one’s body, mind, and senses, isa manifestation of Bhagavan and istherefore sacred. Assimilating this visionof oneness is called moksha, the ultimatepurushartha, and is the primary purposeof human birth. For this, one has to seek

this knowledge and study Vedanta, theknowledge of oneself as the whole, witha qualified teacher. One is already free, butdue to ignorance, one does not know it.To illustrate this, we use the story of thetenth man, who went on a picnic withnine other friends. Upon returning fromthe outing, he counted everyone excepthimself and mourned the loss of the tenthman. A passing sage enlightened him that

he indeed was the tenth man. In this




management. Learning to manage one’sdesires is an important goal in the Hindudharma, and is achieved in a unique way.The entire karma kanda, first portion ofthe Vedas is dedicated to specific prayers,designed to fulfill the gamut of one’sdesires in the here and the hereafter. Myguru, Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji saysthat while every tradition has generalprayers, best called “sprayers,” ours is theonly tradition that has “prayers,” highlysophisticated means dedicated toachieving specific ends. The whole idea isfor one to grow emotionally by channellingone’s desires through prayer. One leaves

the desires at the feet of the Lord, onededicates the actions taken to fulfill thedesires at the feet of the Lord.

Finally, one learns to accept the outcomeas prasada coming from the Lord. In thisway, one grows from a person who praysto being a prayerful person. In the former,the prayer is a discrete action, in thelatter, it is an attitude with which one

greets life. The role of the priests in ourculture is invaluable in accomplishing thistransformation. The Vedic vision and thelifestyle, the spirit and form areinextricably linked. They are married likeShiva and Parvati. Therefore, to upholdone, without the other, does not makesense. Upholding the spirit without theform is too abstract, whereas protectingthe form, without understanding the spirit

and purpose behind it is like protecting adead body of know-hows and techniques,without understanding their purpose.

The priests, generally speaking, especiallythose that work in the North Americancontext, are an endangered species.Although every priest is still the son of apriest, these days, the son of every priestmay not want to become a priest. There

are few occupations in the world that aremore of a calling, and are service-oriented.Such occupations cannot be considered as“professions,” and their beneficiaries are

not “clients” or “customers.” Doctors andhealers, for example, cannot say that theyhave clients, and neither can teachers.Likewise, the priests also do not havecustomers. Themselves being in service ofIshvara, they serve other devotees. Thepriests do not have a 9-5 job. Even whenthey are not doing puja, they do not stop

being a priest, because priesthood is theirvery being. The essence of priesthood is

devotion, and the priest is essentially adevotee.

During the course of one’s life, one playsmany roles. One is son or daughter,

brother or sister. One is a student, andthen, based on one’s profession, one is anengineer, lawyer, etc. If one gets married,one is a spouse, and then mother orfather. Again, during the course of a

single day, one might be an employer oremployee, a friend, a co-worker, etc. Oftenthese roles overlap, and one plays multipleroles at once, without any problems. Forexample, one may be simultaneously withone’s parents, siblings, and children at afamily gathering. This is possible only

because one is not the role. There is a basic person who plays these roles in thesame manner as a single actor who dons




various costumes. This basic person is adevotee. The devotee is the individual whois connected to Ishvara, the total. If I wereasked to spell out the primary role of thepriests, I would say that it is to reflect the

basic person, the devotee. Only when thisdevotee is present in the priest, as thepriest, there can be worship. In this way,it is important for us to not lose sight ofthis basic person, the devotee. The templeattendee is a devotee, the mandir executiveis a devotee, and the priest is also,

basically, devotee. All are devoted toIshvara, and the focus of every temple isto help one develop and live this life of

devotion. It is only through this livedpractice of invoking the devotee withinoneself that one learns to not be affected

by the challenges that one faces in life.When we look deeply into this, we can seethat the problems and challenges in life

belong to the role, and not to the person.In other words, while the role is person,the person is not the role. The person isa devotee related to Ishvara. This is the

rahasya, the secret, of transcendingsamsara.

The role of the priest is wonderful, becausethis is the only occupation, where onereflects the devotee that one seeks toinvoke within oneself. One is in the uniqueposition of being able to embody this foroneself, and also reflect it for others. Forthis reason, among many others, the

institution of priesthood deservesprotection, and the priests deserve to berespected. These days, we often talk aboutthe need to protect Hindu dharma. Dharmais an abstract concept. We cannot protectthe dharma without protecting thedharmin, the one who practices thedharma. One of the best ways to protectthe dharma is to sustain those who

practice the lifestyle enjoined by the Vedas,and thereby inspire others to do the same.In the North American context, the priestsface certain unique challenges of

negotiating linguistic and cultural barriers.Additionally, they have the responsibilityof explaining the basics of Hindu dharmato people who might not know muchabout it, and to act as guides, counselorsand chaplains. We have already heardabout some of these challenges from theearlier presentations made today. Toaddress these issues, my guru, Pujya SriSwami Dayanandaji has planned a priests’

training course at the Hindu Univerisity ofAmerica in Orlando, Florida, with the helpof Sri Brahma Aggarwal. Since he is notin attendance, I request Sri Asthana tofollow up on this program and help it totake off. This program will help the prieststo be prepared for their manifold duties,and also to network with other priests. Itis through networking alone that we grow;we stand tall like the redwood trees byconnecting to one another, by holding onto one another.

I congratulate the organizers for hostinga successful and a landmark conference ofHindu pandits, and I pray that thismeeting will inspire everyone to continueto probe common ground, and ways toaddress common concerns. Thank you.




Arsha Vidya Satsanga (AVS), a group dedicated to re-establish the cultural self- identity of Hindus, celebrated the Shankara Jayanthi to commemorate the birthday of jagad guru Sri Adi Shankaracharya – a great reviver of Vedic Sanatana Dharma, at Keshav Smruti, Houston on Apr 21st.

Shankara Jayanti is celebrated on Vaishakamasa shukla panchami and thiscelebration was initiated by the 33rdAcharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetam- HHSachidananda Shivanibhava NarasimhaBharati Swamiji. The program includedGuru pooja, recitation of variouscompositions of Adi-Shankaracharya andSwami Dayananada Saraswati, a play by

children on Adi-Shankaracharya followed by prasada bhojanam.

The program started with a prayer song“Shankaraacharyam Bhajema”composition of Swami DayananadaSaraswati in raga Mohanam sung byVyjayanthi Vivek. Vyjayanthi is a teacherat Arsha Vidya Satsanga who teachessongs, stotras and bhajans to children of

Vedic heritage classes in Sugarland and Jersey village. Prayer song was followed by Ganesha pooja whic h includedPunyahavachanam, Kalasha Sthapanam,Samkalpam Archanai and Ashtotharam.This was followed by ShankaracharyaAbhishekam, Ashtotharam and AvadhanaSeva. The priests Viswasankaran Kartickand Vivek Natarajan conducted the poojain a very traditional and reverentialmanner.

The avadhana seva included recitation ofVeda mantras from Taittariya andMahanarayana Upanishad. Then, thechildren from “Arsha Gokulam”, the Jerseyvillage branch of Houston, beautifullyrendered the following Sanskrit stotrams

by Adi-Shankaracharya - “GaneshaPancharatnam”, “Shiva PanchaksharaStotram” and “Gurupaduka Stotram”.Children’s interest and hard work wasobvious and their Samskritampronunciation was good. Then VivekNatarajan gave a commentary onShankaracharya’s Dakshinamurthystotram and Soundarya Lahari stotramalong with recitation by Dr.JayakumarSrinivasan and Vyjayanthi Vivek. The

Shankara Jayanthi celebration enthralls Houston Posted on: Thursday, May 03, 2012

By Sunitha Ramiah and Dr. Vivek Natarajan




audience was deeply moved during therendition of the stotrams.

After the pooja, the children enacted AdiShankaracharya’s life in a short 30minsplay titled “Bho Shankara”. This play was

directed by Hasita Kartick, a volunteer atAVS, who engages children in variousactivities like drama, and stories. Childrenenthusiastically enacted various parts ofShankara’s life - Lord Shiva blessingShivaGuru and Aryamba with anintelligent but short-lived son; Shankara’sstudent life at the gurukul; hisinquisitiveness about Vedas and its vastknowledge; rendition of KanakaDhara

stotra to goddess Lakshi seeking her blessings for a poor lady, decision to takeSanyasa; caught by the jaws of crocodile,getting his mother’s blessing to become asanyasi; followed by 4 principal disciples- Padmapaada, Hastaamalaka,Sureshwaraacharya and Totaka, who ledthe four learning centers (mathas) in Indiain Dwaraka, Puri, Sringeri and Jyothirmuttrespectively.

At the end of the drama, Totakashtakam– an octet of verses in praise of hismaster, composed by Totaka – a discipleof Adi Shankaracharya, was recited by thechildren. The evening’s programconcluded with a vote of thanks from Dr.

Jayakumar Srinivasan, the Arsha Vidyaand AIM for Seva Houston branchcoordinator and the teacher. His love and

dedication towards the children reflectedin his words. A satvic prasada bhojanam

prepared by the parents and other bhaktaswas served right after.

Some of the observations from proudparents and other attendees include: “Itwas a joy to see children enacting the

entire drama and the thought provokingphilosophical discourse without the use ofany scripts.”; “The dedication of children,parents, teachers and all the volunteerswere very obvious throught out theevening.”; “I learned a lot about AdiSankaracharya” ; “The children wereabsolutely fantastic.”; “The costumesmade it look real.”. Usha and SubodhMudda exclaimed: “Words are not enough

to explain about the Shankara Jayantievent as it is the BEST one we haveattended in years. Insight into theimportance of Hindu culture and howShankaracharya put forth his efforts wasexpressed in stotras and play very well.Children’s performance was memorable.”

The Hindu community in Greater Houstonis proud and thankful to such a dedicated

organization and group of volunteers whoare all hands in guiding our childrentowards discovering their self-identity, thushelping them to blossom from within.

For more details, visit: http://www.avshouston.org/

(contact: [email protected] or 713-412-2923)

SOURCE: Voice of Asia newspaper May4, 2012 issue

Page sponsored by: A Well Wisher




150 th Jayanthi of Swami Vivekananda Celebrated on the occasion of

Yoga Shanthi Gurukulam’s 17 th Anniversary

Yoga Shanthi Gurukulam wasstarted 17 years back by ShriSwami Brahmayogananda on aChitra Pournami. Every year, theanniversary function iscelebrated in a grand mannerduring the season of Chitra Pournami.

Chitra Pournami is also the daywhen Swami Brahmayoganandatook his sanniyaasa dhiksha. Co-incidentally, SwamiVivekananda’s sanniyaasa dhiksha was also on this auspicious day of Chitra Pournami.

This year, the function was celebrated on Sunday, the 6th of May 2012 at Krishna GanaSabha, Chennai.

The celebration began at 08:45 AM with the, veena recital by students of ‘Veena Vidhushi’Smt. Rama Raghuraman followed by the lighting of lamp by Prof. Dr. Nirmala Prasad(Principal, MOP Vaishnav College) and Susri Nivedhitha Bhide Ji (All India Vice President,

Vivekananda Kendra). The songwritten by Namakkal Kavignar wassung as the invocation song by Shri.S P Ramh. Prayer song was choired

by Gurukulam’ s Summer Camp

Children. On this occasion, CDs onSwamiji’s regular classes onBhagavad Gita was released.

All Chief Guests and Guest ofHonour including H.H. SwamiYadhunathananda Maharaj(Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, TNagar), Susri Nivedhitha Bhide ji,




Shri. Sthanumalayan Ji(Kshetra Pracharak,Dakshina Bharath, RSS),Dr. T S Shridhar I.A.S(Addln. Chief Secretary to

Govt.), Dr. PappuVenugopal Rao (Secretary,The Music Academy), Shri.Pinaki Banerjee (VicePresident, Madras KaliBari) & others spoke onthe greatness of SwamiVivekananda.

Susri Nivedhitha Bhide Ji,inspired every individual tosincerely and truthfullycontribute their time forour nation and that SwamiVivekananda called forhundreds of such fearlessand sacrificing youngsters.Dr. Pappu Venugopal Raodescribed SwamiVivekananda as apersonification of SrimadBhagavad Gita. Shri.Sthanumalayan Ji blessedthe students of theGurukulam to contributemore for this nation withresponsibility as theGurukulam was turning “amajor”, entering into the18th year!

‘Swami Vivekananda’sletter to the people ofChennai’ was read outaloud by Swamiji duringthe celebration and a copyof the letter was given to




all who attended the function.Swamiji recalled the inspiringstories that highlight the

boldness and fearlessness thatSwami Vivekananda had from

his childhood and hisinconceivable focus revealinghis power of control over hismind. His strong mind andfearlessness had no match !Swamiji added that while thecommon man refers to the

body to be the self (Dehaathma),Swami Vivekananda always feltand referred this whole nationas the “Self” (Deshaathma).

Swamiji impressively declaredto the crowd that, in 2012, whilethey were celebrating the 150th

Jayanthi of Swami Vivekananda,our nation is a secular Bharath.In 2037, during his 175 th

Jayanthi, our nat ion would become Cultural Bharath! In2062, during his 200th Jayanthi,our nation would be the allpowerful and unified “AikhyaAkhanda Bharatham”!




“THE SWAMI DAYANANDA ACADEMY FOR

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES” –

Skilling the Indian Youth for Export

A major concern today is the agingpopulation in the so called developednations of the world – soon there will bea critical shortage of trained youth power.These countries are beginning to look atChina and India as a major source fortrained youth.

Hence, India should skill her youth forexport. The Governments of Australia andIndia are looking to address un-employability skills by adopting theAustralian expertise in vocational training.

The recent meeting of the AustralianEducation Minister Senator Chris Evansand the Indian Minister for HRD Hon

Kapil Sibal has paved the way forAustralian institutes to conduct off-shoretraining in India in the area of vocationaleducation.

Australian Vocational EducationQualifications are internationally

recognised and are loaded withemployability skills.

Soon, Indian students interested inpursuing a vocational course in Australiacan get a certificate without physicallyleaving India. Support for vocationaltraining will include determining thecourse-content, providing certification andtraining teachers.” said David Holly,




Australian Consulate General for SouthIndia.

Students may study in India and obtainAustralian vocational educationqualifications. The qualifications are

identical to one gained by studying at anyAustralian campus. The mode of study will

be e-learning blended with face-to-facetraining.

“The Swami Dayananda Academy forInternational Studies” managed byVidyanidhi Trust is one of the firstinstitution in India that will be involvedin this programme. The initiative will

facilitate 15 - 20 students access to onlineresources at once, said, Ravi Subraman,Head for India operations of Perth basedAAMC Training Group.

Vidyanidhi Trust signed a MOU withPerth based AAMC Training Groupheaded by Jeff Mazzini, to offer thefollowing courses in India in the firstphase of operations:

Certificate III in Retail SIR30207

Certificate III in Business BSB30107

Certificate IV in Training & AssessmentTAE40110

Certificate IV in Front Line ManagementBSB40807

Certificate IV in Credit ManagementFNS40110

Certificate IV in Customer ContactBSB40311

Certificate IV in Occupational Health &Safety BSB41407

Diploma of Management BSB51107

Diploma of Accounting FNS50210

These Skills Training programs are chosencarefully in consultation with the

Australian employers for their immediateand future needs and are based onAustralian qualification training andassessment guidelines.

The Australian certification helps theseskilled individuals to apply for a work visato get a job in Australia under theEmployer nomination scheme (sub class457) and after successfully meeting all

requirements set by the AustralianDepartment of Immigration andCitizenship under this visa category.

Further, students who desire to pursuehigher studies in Australia may be able toobtain scholarships from AustralianUniversities, besides opening up the doorsto employment all over the world whereAustralian qualifications are recognized.

Vidyanidhi Trust and Perth based AAMCTraining Group called on the Gujarat ChiefMinister to appraise him about theformation of Swami Dayananda Academyfor International Studies.

Further details may be had from RaviSubraman [email protected]

Pic. on Page 19: From left Jeff Mazzini -Managing Director of Perth based AAMCTraining Group, Ravi Subraman - Head forAAMC operations in India, the CM ofGujarat, Swami Tattvanishthananda, Mr.Govindarajan and Swamini Sulabhananda.




Swami Paramarthananda’s Coimbatore Yagna

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam andBharatiya Vidya Bhavanorganised Sri SwamiParamarthananda’s jnanayagna from 26.04.12 to02.05.12. Sri Swamiji taughtDakshinamurthi Stotram inthe mornings. In the evenings,he taught Bhagawad Gita

Chapter XVII.

Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswathi was to inauguratethe yagna. As he was away inTirunvelvi to receive AdiSankaracharya Award on that day, headdressed the students on 30.04.12evening. Pujya Swamiji said that oneshould have vak tapas. Before speaking,one should think whether it is necessaryto speak, whether the listener is interested,and whether it will be beneficial to speak.It should always be pleasant. Attention

should be paid to what, when and howit is spoken.

Swami Paramarthananda unfolded theprofound meaning of Sri DakshnimurthyStotram in the mornings.. Dakshina-murthy means south facing diety.Dakshina-amurthy means the omnipotentone who really does not have a form.

The indication of a purifiedmind is radical reduction oflikes and dislikes, expectationfrom the people and the world.A non-complaining andprepared mind can understandVedanta.

Studying Vedanta from acompetent Acharya issravanam. Convincing one’sown intellect that he isBrahman is mananam.Internalisation of the teaching




is nididhyasanam. This is a nididhyasana-grantha.

One creates the dream world. Enters thedream world. Forgets that he is the creatorof the dream world. He suffers helplessly

in the dream world. Similarly I, the atmawith the mayasakti, create the jagat.Forgetting that I am Brahman, I suffer.

The world is like a reflection in a mirror.When one understands that the world ismithya, it will no longer be a burden tohim.

Sunlight lights the moon. The moon light

lights the world. Atma lendsconsciousness to the body, mind andsense-complex. The mind through senseorgans makes one experience the jagat.Atma is misunderstood as body, prana,mind, intellect or sunya due to maya. Satchit ananda is the nature of Brahman.

Swami Paramarthananda explainedBhagawad Gita Chapter XVII lucidly. Gita

is an extract of Upanishads. In moksha(renunciation), we are dropping ignoranceand misconceptions.

The first misconception is that the worldis cause of problem or sorrow. Theteaching removes this wrong idea that

world is the source of sorrow. Everythingthat is here is Iswara. One shouldunderstand that time, space and objectsare Iswara. Looking at the jagat asmanifestation of Iswara is Viswarupadarsanam. Then the jagat is no morefrightening.

The second misconception is, I am the jiva who is continuous ly af fected,persecuted and battered by the jagat.Understanding that I am atma orBrahman is knowledge.

Complaint-free life is moksha. Oneunderstands that jagat is Iswara and jiva

is Brahman. This wisdom is jivanmukthihere and now.

One’s ahara (food), yagna (worship), tapas(austerities) and danam (charity) are asper one’s guna. They may bepredominantly tamasic, rajasic or sattvic.It is based on their purva-janma- vasanaor samskara. One should give up tamasicactivities, grow out of rajasic activities, and

finally go for sattvic activities.

By becoming predominantly sattvic, oneshould enter jnanayoga and, through

jnanam (self-knowledge), attain liberation.





My Guru as Ishwara

I pray every day for certain things, things formyself, things for my family, and things for theworld. The prayer that is the common threadthrough all the three is for the health and thelong life of my guru, Pujya Swamiji. I countmyself so lucky, (it is an emotion difficult toexpress), that I have had this Being (and I usethe word “Being” because one cannot describeSwamiji as a person, anymore than one woulddescribe Adishankara as a person),as part of my

life from as far back as I can remember. He isParamaguru, he is Ishwara, one only has to sitin his class where he teaches Vedanta to Indiansfrom around the world, Japanese, Brazilians,Germans, Americans, Australians and other mixof world cultures, to know that we have beengiven a gift which this earth has not seen incenturies. There is nowhere else where one cancome and be in the presence of not just a teacherand life guide for many of us but also gnyanaganga.

I see him now as I was fortunate enough to seehim during his 80th birthday, sitting upon astage with an enormous lifelike cut out ofhimself in the backdrop ostensibly seated upona purple lotus. He had his students at his feetas they performed the Pada Pooja, and as hisfeet were washed and flowers placed upon hisfeet, I had tears streaming down my face I knownot why. I only knew that I must have done agreat deal of good, must have lived many livesin harmony with the universe, to have been giventhe opportunity to be at that place at that time.This feeling has swept me over times withoutnumber, as I have sat through class and beenone of may be sixty students walking out witha dazed expression on my face, feeling as thoughall that I knew or thought that I knew has beentaken gently in hand and subtly changed so thatthe world that I thought I knew, is a verydifferent one indeed.

I have had this feeling while watching Swamijigreet each Sanyasi who comes for the Bhandarain Rishikesh. In fact I think it is safe to say thatI experience this feeling every time I am in hispresence, to a greater or lesser degree. It is ironicthat this is what I write today when there wasa time I remember when my father would hie offto the Annaikatti ashram at the drop of a hatand I would wonder what on earth it was thatcaused him to do that. I must have been about

15 or 16 and while I loved the ashram when Icould be around Swamiji, I did not think that Iparticularly enjoyed the food or thought thepeople very interesting and it irked me no endthat I was forced to wear a salwar and pottu andgenerally look unfashionably conservative.Unfortunately for my parents, they decided ona rather democratic upbringing for theirdaughters, and I was a particularly opinionatedteenager. When and how this changed I cannottell you, but as with anyone in Swamiji’s orbit,

given enough time, he changes you,fundamentally. My parents both say that theiroutlook on life, the way they live their lives, theway they brought us up all has images of PujyaSwamiji in there somewhere, if one only wereto look hard enough. In fact one does not reallyhave to look very hard. He is there, in everyaspect of our lives, be it prayer, ritual, dailyattitude, my rather rueful apologies after aparticularly spectacular loss of temper, our familygatherings where we try to discuss each other’sday, the times I have had a conversation with afriend and then thought back only to realise thatsomething Swamiji had said featured there too.The Upanishads talk about an all pervasiveIshwara – Pujya Swamiji is living proof of thisfor me, for my family, for he has permeated everyaspect of our lives and brought with him thatOrder, the divine order which he so often talksabout.

Once during my first camp in Rishikesh, just afew days before the camp ended, after a class




where I felt as though my heart was too full withemotion and my skin too sensitive to even bearound another human being, SwamyAparokshananda just passed by and he musthave seen my face, and his wore a rather similarexpression, and he said “Did you not feel as ifLord Mahavishnu was in front of you just now?”There was nothing else to say. He was in truthMahavishnu himself. I am one of those luckyfew who has had this remarkable Being, thisclosest earthly approximation to Ishwara in mylife from the time I was a child and while I havenot always recognised the import of this fact, I

PUJYA SRI SWAMI DAYANANDA

Holy Ganga takes its originFrom Gangotri of Himalayan regionWhile passing through divine RishikeshShe stopped a while to ask Akash.

“Is not this place has a shallowBereft of budding saint with a hallowFind him out from Cauvery regionBring him here to propagate Vedic religion”

Akash looked around as per her tutelageAble to find one from Manjakudi villageBid him to learn under the feet of ChinmayaEmerged as a teacher to expose worldly Maya

Divinity is not extraneous of manAdvaita, he taught makes a humanServe the man with selfishness resignedAll India Movement of Seva as he designed.

In him convulged Ananda and DayaTravelling round the world he teaches SathyaHe crossed eighty and marching towards hundredI pray Eashwara to preserve him beyond Hundred.

With pranams fromDr. P. Kuppuswamy

Advocate-CBE., First Chitrai Nandana Varsha

am happy to say, I recognise it now every dayas I pray for Swamiji’s health and long life. Ialso pray that am I able to live each day of mylife as an offering to Ishwara, and while rightnow it is still a prayer and nowhere in the realmof reality, it is only because of Swamiji that it isa prayer at all.

To My GuruMy Pranams

Kamna ShrikanthChennai





Of the two vidhyäs, aparä vidhyä is described now.tÇapra \Gvedae yjuveRd> samvedae=wvRved>iz]a kLpae Vyakr[< iné´< DNdae Jyaeit;imit,Aw pra yya td]rmixgMyte. 1,1,5.taträparä ågvedo yajurvedaù sämavedo’tharvavedaùçikñä kalpo vyäkaraëaà niruktaà chando jyotiñamiti |atha parä yayä tadakñaramadhigamyate || 1|1|5||

taträ – among the two; aparä – aparä; iti – is; ågvedaù – Rgveda; yajurvedaù– Yajurvedaù; sämavedù – Sämavedaù; ‘atharvavedaù – Atharvaveda; çikñä– phonetics; kalpaù – know-how of the rituals; vyäkaraëaà – grammar;niruktaà – etymology of Vedic words; chandù – prosody; jyotiñam –astronomy; atha – and; parä – parä; yayä – by which; tad – that; akñaram- akñaram brahma; adhigamyate - is known.

Among the two, the aparä vidhyä is Rgveda, Yajurveda, Sämaveda,Atharvaveda, phonetics, know-how of rituals, grammar, etymology of Vedicwords,science of meters, astronomy and astrology. And parä vidhyä is the

one bhy which that imperishable Brahman is known’.

To get the parä vidhyä one has to acquire two types of qualifications. Thefitrst is cognitive skill or capacity to think properly, because the whole problemis due to aviveka, absence of ability to distinctly understand the real and theunreaql. Therefore, the cognitive skill has to be honed. The second is thatthe life experiences should make one a complete person, in the sense of emotionalmaturity. Parä vidyä is meant for a complete person, a compassionate person.The compassionate person alone is a mature4 person. Compassion towardsoneself and the world implies maturity. Since aparä vidyä gives viveka and

maturity, it is presented first.

Aparä vidhyäs are all thye four Vedas— ÅG veda, Yajurveda, Sämavedaand Atharvaveda . Anything that one studies is aparä vidyä. It is not thatone has to study all the four Vedas. Svädhyäyo’dhyetavyaù, everyone hasto study the recension of the Veda to which one belongs. This is a commonrule. If one has studied one Veda, one has aparä vidyä. But nowadays, evena brahmin does not study his Veda. So, when a person has been initiatedinto gäyatri-mantra, he can be taken as one who has studied the Veda because




gäyatri-mantra is the essence of all the Vedas. We have this kind of nice escaperoutes.

The teacher has not completed the list. The six-fold secondary disciplines ofknowledge that help one to understand the Vedas are also aparä vidhyä. Theyare:

Çikñä: Phonetics is important becausze it deals with the science of pronunciationof varëäs, letters. A script is different from sound. A letter that is written iscalled a script, which is purely a drawing—‘a’ is a drawing. It has nothing todo with what you pronounce. Çabda, word, is purely what is heard, while whatis written is only a symbol for that sound. The sound is the varëa letter. Avarëä is not what is written; it is what is spoken. Language is what is spokenand not what is written. The script is a symbol on which you superimpose thesound. That is why the script can be different. We use different alphabetical

scripts for a particular sound in different languages. We have Sanskrit books inDevanägiri script, in Telugu script, in Grantha script and so on.

Çékñä deals with the pronunciation of the vowels, the consonants and the conjunctconsonants. Pronunciation of the vowels involves knowledge of accents, what isanudätta what is udätta, what is svarita; knowledge of the length of the vowels,what is hrasva, a short vowel, what is dhérgha, a long vowel, what is pluta, anelongated vowel. In Sanskrit, once you have learnt how to pronounce a varëa, aletter, and an akñara, a syllable, then you can read and write. You spell the wordexactly as you pronounce it. In English you require to learn two things: one is

how to write a word and the other is how to pronounce the word. There is doubleresponsibility. That is why there is a spelling problem or a pronunciation problemfor many people. You spell the word differently from the way you pronounce it.Pronunciation is very important in the study of Veda or language because if it isnot proper, the meaning will become different.

Since Veda itself points out the discipline of çékñä, it was there even before Päëini.Päëini and others presented it systematically. For a Päëini to have written histext, thee must have been an audience even before him. Therefore, it is a tradition.The whole Veda is nothing but words. Naturally, knowledgfe of çikñä must be

there to studyu the Vedas.

Kalpaù: The word ‘kalpa’ is used for the book that gives the know-how of ritualsand so on. There is a way of performing every ritual. There are different mantrasin the Vedas, which are used for different occasions. One should know whichmantra should be used for what ritual. Kalpa is connected to our religious life.It is a discipline of knowledge for developing cognitive skill. It provides the basisfor a structured religious life—of rituals, of what is right and wrong, of what should

be done and should not be done. Such a life makes a person maintain alertness




all the time. It also involves a lot of sacrifice. This makes the person maturein life. In the beginning the structure helps you to conform. Everybody elsefollows it, so you conform. Later you grow out of it. ‘Growing out’ meansconforming becomes natural to you. You do not feel that you are beingrestricted by the structure. Dharmädharma, right or wrong, become the

guiding factors in life instead of räga-dveñäs, likes and dislikes. When aperson follows dharma, the unconscious gets released. That person gets outof the hold of the unconscious. In the process, the person grows and becomesready to seek this knowledge. The religious life itself, thus creates a desireto gain parä vidhyä .

Vyäkaraëam : Grammar helps us to understand the words. You go insidethe word and see what is its source, what is the suffix, how it has gainedthe form because of the suffix, what is its meaning and so on. One has toknow all these things. The suffix reveals a variety of things like number,

gender, tense, case-ending, voicde and so on. The study of grammar givesyou that kind of knowledge, and thereby, you cover the language completely.

Niruktam: This is a kind of dictionary of Vedic words showing their evolutionfrom the grammatical roots. It is in the form of verses. It is definitelycompulsory to know the meaning of specific words.

Chandaù: It deals with meters. Gäyatri, anuñöup, triñöup –all these aremeters. These and other meters are used in the Veda as well as in the Sanskritliterature.

Jyotiñam : The Hindu calendar itself forms half of jyotiña. How to read theHindu calendar is a science. All the details will be in an abbreviated style.The life of a Vedic person is very much connected to the cosmic movements.Naturally, to read the Indian Lunar calendar, you require a lot of knowledg.eIt is not juswt knowing the day and date. One has to see what is the starof the day and what is the thithi, which is related to the moon. The Westernfcalendar looks upon the month as consisting of four weeks or more. If youtake a month as having four weeks, the error in determining the length of a

year will be greater. But we count the month as consisting of two lunarfortnights of fifteen days each. One called the bright fortnight, in which themoon is waxing, and the other, the dark fortnight, in which the moon wanes.We aqre moving in fortnights all the time, not by arbitrary months. The firstday of the waxing or waning moon is prathamä, the first thithi, the secondday of the moon is dvitéyä, the second thithi, and the third dayof the moonis trithéyä. The third tithi—what is how you start the fortnight. The 15th day is full moon or new moon. Again you start the first day, thithi, of themoon, and so on.




“KOUSTHUBAM”

A Senior Citizens’ Complex inaugurated by Pujya Swamiji at Coimbatore.

“In our tradition, there is the concept of ‘grihee bhutva vanee bhavet’. After the grihasthasrama,they used to live outside the village in a woodenplace. That is called vanam. It is a place wherethere are trees and plants. It does not meangoing to a jungle. It is a stage in life which isspent japa and other forms of upasana in yourdaily life, and that is Vanaprastha ashram”, saidPujya Swamiji while inaugurating“Kousthubam”, the new senior citizens’complex” at Somayampalayam, Vadavalli-Thudiyalur Road, Vadavalli, Coimbatore 641 041on May 3, 12.

Sri A.V. Ramaswamy, who pioneered the seniorcitizens’ complexes ‘Vanaprastha’,‘Dhyanaprastha’, ‘Sankara Seva Sadan’ and‘Pyramid Complex’ in Vadavalli was again theforce and inspiration behind “Kousthubam”.

In his welcome address, Sri Ramaswamy saidthe city of Coimbatore was becoming a city forthe retired people. Besides our three or fourcomplexes, such complexes for the senior citizenswere coming up, and people were happy withall the arrangements. A long time back PujyaSwamiji and he had discussed about this subjectof providing a good accommodation for theseniors—not like some old age homes but a placewith all facilities for the people who could affordsuch facilities. That was the background for

starting these complexes. People who came andsettled down in these complexes were happy andsay this was the answer for the future generationof senior citizens. People who came and settleddown in these places were happy and say thiswas the answer for the future generation of

senior citizens. He for one had apprehensionsabout avatars but after the Satabishekamcelebration at Codissia Hall, he could realize thatPujya Swamiji as an avatara and it was aprivilege for him to get associated with him.

Sri Ramasswamy said they were having theprivilege of having with them Dr. KrishnaKumar. After his taking over of the Arya VaidyaPharmacy, Ayurveda had spread all over theworld and he had opened up new ayurvedahospitals outside Coimbatore also. Dr.Kuppuswamy who was with them on theoccasion was not only a senior advocate but alsoa great social worker and a number of NGOswho sought help from him for delighted wih hisassistance. He says this he could do becauseof his association with Pujya Swamiji.

Pujya Swamiji, in his anugraha bhashan, saidthe city of Coimbatore was becoming a city forretired people and all the retired people preferredthis city for the reasons that the city had a good




climate and good medical facilities were alsoavailable and cheaper than other places.

The concept of a Vanaprastha ashrama was therewith Sri Ramaswamy and he wanted to provide

a place for the retired people to live in peace andstudy Sastra. People’s whole life was committedto earning money and raising family; it was avery engaging job to be a grahastha and it wasnot a simple one

In our tradition, Pujya Swamiji said, we have avery good concept of four stages in life. Firstly,for 12 years study goes on at the Gurukulam.In his 24th year, the student comes back home.He is ‘snathah’. He has to become a grhastha.After coming come, he ought to earn money; pay

Achrya gurudakshina and then he should marryand raise a family. After the married life, it had been said “grihee bhutva vane bhavet”, meaninghe ought to be out of his home and live outsidethe village in a called ‘vanam’. It did not meangoing to a jungle. It is an attractive place wherethere were trees and plants. It became a stagein life when one spent his daily life in japa andother forms of upasana. That stage was saidto be being in Vanaprasthaashram.

This stage was a lovely concept wherein people

could have a small place where there was a like-minded community and food and other needswere taken care of. This was the bestarrangement for a retired life. One could callhimself a ‘vane’.

Pujya Swamiji said: “This should be a kind ofan ashram where you have the facility providingall that you require. Medical care is available.Here one should engage oneself in japa”, hesaid. There is such a thing called

purascharanam. Many of you were given

Gayatri or some other mantra. This gayatrimantra has 24 ayllables, and for every syllable,one should do japa for a lakh of times. Japa,to be made, is 24 lakhs and you have to chantwith a commitment. This is possible only in

Vanaprastha ashram. It is not possible inGrihasthasrhrama. This is called purascharana.Everybody has to do it. . If you have not got amantra, you must get a mantra from somebodyand then do purashcarana and one should leada spiritual life. It is a great blessing. Let children

be there wherever they are and you pray that allshould live happily. You should be left alonefor doing japa and live happily. This isvanaprastham”.

We had the best retirement plan—vanee bhutvapravrajet. The best retirement plan is sanyasa,where you do not require anything. You requiredonly ‘pakwam’ inside. You should stand underthe sky and say’ I don’t need anything’. Onlywe have this system; no other culture has it. Wehave the system of vanee bhutva pravrajeth.

This Vanaprastha ashram is enough for us.Sarvakarma sanyasa is got by gyana only. Varnaashram dharmas are all designed to grow into

a complete being. It is amazing. When you say‘I am in Vanaprastha’, it may sound that mysons are not keeping me any more. They cancome now and then and see you and go.

Concluding, Pujya Swamiji said: “stay here andspend more time in japa and study. There arepeople around who have read very well andwho can take classes on our scriptures. I wishyou all success for this great undertaking”.




Dr. Krishnakumar, in his address said that PujyaSwamiji, in his anugraha bhashanam hadenlightened and explained how all of you werefortunate to be in this beautiful home set apartfor you. He said all would agree that the senior

most youngster available in this hall was noneother than Pujya Swamiji who had no retirementplan at all and went to every nook and cornerof the world. In spite of the indifferent health,wherever there was need, he was there to bless.He said before coming to the venue here, he wentto the temple and prayed that all seniors like youshould have mana arogyam and sarira arogyam.He had brought a murthy of the LordDhanvantri and requested Pujya Swamiji tohand over to the Kousthbam complex. Heappealed to the senior citizens assembled topursue what Pujya Swamiji had advised in his‘anugraha bhashanam’.

Dhanvanthry murthy was handed over by PujyaSwamiji to AVR.

Dr. Kuppuswamy, in his address said, PujyaSwamiji explained in detail about the fourashramas in our tradition, and how people ofVanaprastha ashrama alone got a goodopportunity to do what they should do in life.

A Tamil Saint spoke of life in eight parts. Inthe first part, one played what he had not played,in the second eight, he learnt what he had notlearnt, in the third eight, he went throughmarried life, in the fourth eight, he brought upchildren, in the fifth eight, he went after thewealth he had not accumulated, in the sixtheight, he went around places he had not visited,in the seventh eight, he took rest he had nottaken so far and in the eighth eight, he had todeal with the death he had not dealt before. In

a tree, a flower becomes a raw fruit and then becomes a fruit.

He said fruit only could be tasted and not theraw one. We were all in the stage of life whichwould give the best taste. If the fruit ripened, itwould not stay on the tree; it would fall down.The fallen fruit should not be allowed to becomerotten one. One’s abilities should become usefulto the society. Elders therefore said,paropakarartham idamsareeram.

Saint Thirumoolar said we go to temple, seeabhishekam and outside the temple, abhishekamwould not go to the one who is outside thetemple, standing and begging. If you go to him

and give him food, it is seva. It is the walkingtemple. Bharathiar, said serving the downtroddenwas yoga. Swamiji has been doing this. Aimfor Seva is throughout India. Those who had towalk miles to go to school are given hostelaccommodation. Similarly hospital becomesreachable for them. There are children’s hostelsand water is made to reach them. There arehospitals in places which could be reached bypeople in remote places. “Senior citizens couldconsider what can be done by them? They allheld high positions; their knowledge and

responsibilities could not be allowed to diminish.It would go rusting. For job there is a retirementage. But for doing service, there is no retirement.You can make open a service centre. Architectscould give free advice. Doctors could give freeadvice. If you were a lawyer, you can give freelegal advaioce, If you are an auditor, you cangive your service. You can open a service centreopen, you can do this for the village peoplearound you”, he said.




22nd Anniversary of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's first visit to Argentina

Students of Arsha Vidya gathered togetherto celebrate the 22nd anniversary of SwamiDayananda Saraswati's first visit toArgentina. The meeting took place inBuenos Aires on the 5th of May 2012.

Swamini Vilasananda, Silvia Vajovsky,Antonio Perrone and Sri Vidya graced theoccasion with their presence. SwaminiSamvidananda sent her well wishes in aletter.

In the opening ceremony, Alfredo Lauríaand Laura Podio lit the lamp. SilviaVajovsky and her students chanted somemantras invoking the grace of the Lord.

Silvia and Swamini Vilasananda completedthe puja with aarati and flower offerings.

Then we watched a video showing the lifeand work of Pujya Swami DayanandaSaraswati subtitled in Spanish, followed bya picture slide show of some of the visitsof Pujya Swamiji to Argentina.

Afterwards we watched the special videowith the message that Pujya Swamiji sentus for this occasion. See the video at –http://youtu.be/dl-ziNi9wZk.

Some fortunate ones talked about theirrecent experiences with Pujya Swamiji. We








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shared a "potluck" buffet with gusto andhappy conversation.

Those present wrote messages of gratitudeto Pujya Swamiji in a book which we will

translate to English and send him.

In our next gathering we can watch a talk by Swami Dayananda in a video subtitledin Spanish and afterwards have a satsang.See the clip at – http://youtu.be/vsi2cuIUohk.

(by Bibiana Luoni)






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Arsha Vidya

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Vol. 13 June 2012 Issue 6





Arsha Vidya Newsletter - June 2012 1



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In Vedic teaching, we observe certain holidays. On the prärthanä, first day,on the añöamé, eighth day, on the caturdaçé, fourteenth day and on the pürëimäand amäväsyä, fifteenth day, there will be no classes. So, in a fortnight wehave four holidays. That means there is a long weekend in every alternate week.This is a good arrangement. Even today the orthodox people follow this system.All the time you have to look up to the sky. Certain configurations of planetsin certain houses are very auspicious for spiritual pursuits. Those days are spentreligiously. The whole Vedic life is connected to visible astronomy based onwhat is visible to the naked eyes in the sky. By looking at the calendar youare at once in touch with the whole cosmos, and your cosmic relationship isrecognized. You are not just alone here fighting against the whole world. Youare a part of the whole setu;p. Therefore, jyotiña is very important.

Jyotiña is predominantly astronomy. Its astrological aspect comes later. Astrologyis useful not for looking at lyour birth chart and making decisions, it is usefulonly when things do not go well. You keep on doing things, and if you find

that everything you do goes down the drain, then you look at the birth chart tofind out whether you can do something more than your effort. As a vaidika,you are saying a general prayer, the broad-spectrum prayer, but sometimes the broad spectrum prayer is not adequate. So, you require a specific prayer. Jyotiñahelps to find out what specific prayer can be said in a given situation.

Prayer is human effort and it is pragmatic. A person who is lost in the cloudsdoes not say a prayer. It is said by a person who is rooted on this earth, whounderstands his limitations and who does not have this funny notion that hecan achieve everything. One who seeks help at the right time is a pragmatic

person. Seeking help swhen you need it is an intelligent way of living. The moreyou think this over, the more you will understand that there is no better definitionof ‘intelligent living’.

The above six disciplines of knowledge are called ñaò aìgäs, the six limbs withthe help of which one understands the aìgi, that is, the Veda and Vedanta. Tounderstand the meaning of the Veda, you require to study these disciplines ofknowledge. They stand for all other disciplines of knowledge—mathematics, biology, geology, botany, medicine, and so on. Anything that you can learn orknow by perception or by inference, or through both, is aparä vidhyä. Anything




that the knower learns is aparä vidhyä. Even the knowledge of Vedic mantrasis aparä vidhyä.

If you analyse all the disciplines of knowledge listed here, you understand that

all of them give you education. Jyotiña gives you your place in the scheme ofthings. Vyäkaraëa provides linguistic education. Through grammar, the styleof teaching is unfolded. Paëini introduced a meta language in order to unfolda language. That naturally implies a lot of logic and reasoning. In the processof understanding the meta language, you develop intellectual discipline. The studyof Paëinian grammar helps you in honing your acumen, and of course memory.Memorising has been a regular part of learning for Indians. They used to repeatthe whole Veda. From a yoiung age they used to memorise entire books, suchas dictionaries. Memory power is there in everyone. The more you use it, themore of it there is. There isw no other way to develop memory than to keep

on memorising more things.

The list of aparä vidhyä reveals something significant. There is nothing moresacred for a Vedic person than the Vedas. He accepts the Vedas as body ofsacred knowledge. We in fact worship the Vedas. The Arya Samaj people donot have a temple. They have only the Book of Vedas, which they call VedaBhagavän. The Veda itself is Bhagavän. All secular disciplines of knowledgeare in the same category asw the Vedas, which are the most sacred. Therefore,everything is sacred for us and nothing is secular. We do not have the word‘secular’ because everything is Éçvara. There is no equi valent for the word‘secular’ in Sanskrit. We have two words: laukika and vaidika. Vaidika is thatwhich is purely connected to Veda like rituals and so on. All other thingts arelaukika, meaning, vyavahärika, worldly. But tht does not mean laukika is secular.We do not have a sacred-secular concept. People use the word ‘secular’ in adifferent sense. By secular trhey mean not connected to religion; in government,it menas non-inbterference in religion, allowing people to follow whatever religionthey want to follow. In our tradition there is nothing secular, everything is sacfred.Money is Lakñmi, marriage is Lakñmi, children are Lakñmi, wealth is Lakñmi,land is Lakñmi, produce is Lakñmi, succdess is Lakñmi; everything is Lakñmi.

Everything is Éçvarä. Now parä vidhyä is defined.Yadä tad akñaram adhigamyate : that by which the akñara is gained, by whichBrahman is understood as non-separate from ätman. Tad means Brahman thatis akñara. It means that which does not undergo any kind of loss or decline,that which is always the same.

Adhigamyate means ‘is gained’. The root ‘gam’ preceded by the prefix ‘adhi’has the sense of ‘gain’ most of the time.1 Why do we give this meaning here?Parä vidhyä is defined here as that knowledge by which one knows Brahman.




This is not right because knowledge itself is Brahman. Therefore, we have tosay ‘it is that knowledge by which one gains Brahman’. Gaining Brahman isonly in terms of knowledge. The self is always self-revealing. It happens to be Brahman. I do not know that gfact. Therefore, the removal of ignorance ofthe self being identical to Brahman alone is para präpti, gain of Brahman.2 It

is the gain of what is already gained. After knowledge, there is nothing elseone has to do, as Brahman is an accomplished fact.

Çaìkara, in his commentary on this mantra, raises an objection3 and clarifiesawhat is parä vidhyä. If all four Vedas are aparä vidhyä, and parä vidhyä isknowledge of Brahman, then parä vidhyä stands outside of the four Vedas.Then how can we say Brahman is known through veda pramäëa? Definitelyit becomes sometrhing that is known through other means of knowledge, suchas perception and inference, like microbiology is known. That means Brahman becomes an object enjoying its own place and attributes like any other objectin the world. Being other than the self, Brahman will become an object of aparävidhyä. Therefore, the vidhyä by which Brahman is gained cannot be called parävidhyä. It also cannot be the means of mokña.

Further Manu says4 that småtis, supporting books, that are outside the Vedasand whose vision is not in keeping with the Vedas, have to be discarded becausetheir vision is distortred, and they will not produce results. They are onlysteeped in ignorance; one should not follow them. They should not even beconsidered for understanding. Being outside the Vedas, Brhma vidhyä or

upaniñad will have the same status as those småtis, and henvce one cannottake to its study.

Therefore, the upaniñads, should be included in the Veda. If the upaniñadsare included in Veda, then one part of the Veda will become aparä vidhyä andthe other part will be parä vidhyä. This is similar to saying that half the eggis for hatching and the other half is for an omelette. Half the Veda is pramäëaand the other half is not pramäëa. This is not correct. The whole Veda should be accepted as pramäëa. Again, if the upaniñads are included in Vedas howcan we separate parä vidhyä from the Vedas. 5 . This mantra says that all the

Vedas are aparä vidhyä and parä vidhyä is that by which Brahman is gained.There is a clear separation seen here. This is the objection.

1 Aix pU vR Sy! gme> àayZ> àaÞy! rœwTvat! , mu {fœk Éa:ym! 2 n c pr àaÝervgmaWSy!R Éedae=iSt, AivXyaya Apay @v ih pr-àaiÝ> nawR Ntrm!, mu{fk Éa:ym! 3 nnu \Kvedaid baha tihR sa kw< pra ivXya SyaNmae] sa×m! - mu{fk Éa:ym! 4 yae vedbaýa> Sm&ty> yaí k…†ò(a> svaR Sta in:)la> àeTy tmae inóa ih ta> Sm&ta> - mnuSm&it 12,9 #it ih SmriNt,

k…†iòTvat! in:)lTvadœ Anadeya Syat! , %pin;da< c \GvedaidbaýTv< Syat!, mu{fk Éa:ym!5

\GvedaidTve tu p&wŠr[mnwR km! Aw preit, mu {fkœ Éa:ym!




Çaìkara gives the answer now. He clarifies what is meant by parä vidhyä. It isnot the words of upaniñads that is parä vidhyä. If you ask a Vedic scholar torecite the Kåñëa Yajurveda, he will chant the Taittiréyopaniñd, including thesentence satyaà jïänm anantam brahma. But he may not fully know what the

sentence satyaà jïänm anantam brahma means. Whenever he is doing püjä tothe Lord, he will chant Taittiréyopaniñd during the abhiñeka, offering water for bathing. When he studies the Vedas, he learns the upaniñad manträs also. Thatis only aparä vidyä. When he studies the pürvamémäàsä, analysis of the sectiondealing with the rituals etc., of the Vedas that is also aparä vidyä. When heperforms the rituals he is putting the aparä vidyä into practice.

Parä vidyä on the other hand refers to the cognitive våtti by which the akñaraà brahma is understood. The knowledge of the identity of the self with Brahmanthat takes place in the buddhi, on hearing the words of the upaniñads, is called

Parä vidyä. Brahman, the subject matter of the upaniñads, is to be known. Herethe knowledge of Brahman alone is desired to be called Parä vidyä.6 Even thoughone can have all the words of the upaniñads in one’s head, still one will not gainthe knowledge of Brahman. Mere words of the upaniñads are not Parä vidyä.One has to make an effort in going to a teacher and asking for this vidyä. Unlessone chooses to know Brahman, this knowledge does not take place.7 With vairägya,objectivity, gained by understanding the limitations of all one’s other pursuits,when one exposes oneself to this teaching and understands “Ah! I am Brahman”,that is called Parä vidyä.

Närada knew all the disciplines of knowledge including the words of all theupaniñads. But he did not know what it was all about, so he was in sorrow.He went to Sanatkumara and asked him for this knowledge to cross the oceanof sorrow. So, when we talk of Rig veda, Yajurveda and so on, we mean onlythe sords of the Vedas8. The words of the upaniñads stand in the same group.Therefore, there is a separation of para vidhyä from the Vedas and the words ofthe . The words of upaniñads along with the tools like grammar, logic and soon to understand their meanings are the ‘mdeans’ ti gaub that knowledge.Therefore, aparä vidhyä becomes part of the means for gaining parä vidhyä. This

is the connection.

6 veXy iv;y iv}anSy ivvi]tTvat! , %pin;ÖeXya]r iv;y< ih iv}animhœ pra ivXyet! àaxaNyen ivvi]t< naepin;CDBd raiz>,mu {fk Éa:ym!

7 zBd=raZyaixgme=ip yÇaNtrmNtre[ gu vRiÉgmnaid l][< vEraGy< c na]raixgm> sMÉvtIit p&wŠr[< bü ivXyaya> praivXyeit kWn< ceit, mu{fkœ Éa:ym!

8

ved zBden tu svR Ç zBd raizivRvi]t>, mu{fk Éa:ym!




Çré Rudram Anuväka 02

(continued from April issue)

nmae? É/vSy he/TyE jg?ta< ptye/ nm>?. 6.

namo× bhaÞvasya heÞtyai jaga×täà patayeÞ namaù× || 6 ||

namaù - salutation; bhavasya – of the life of becoming; hetyai– to the one who is the weapon that destroys; jagatäm – of

the universe; pataye – to the Lord; namaù – salutation.Salutation to the one who destroys the life of becoming and who isthe Lord of the universe.

Bhava is saàsära that is often presented by the çästra as jagat-våkña, the treeof universe, which we have to fell. The tree we fell is the one that we perceivewrongly. The Lordis the one who has the weapon. He is the weapon, çästra,for the destruction of bhava1, a life of becoming, of a jéva. Bhagavän is alsocalled bhava, meaning the one who is in everything as the very existence.

He is the remover of bhava because He is the Lord of the jagat, jagannätha.He is the jagat rakñaka, the protector of the world by removing bhava for the jéva.

You do not destroy the world since the world is Bhagavän and you are bhagavatsvarüpa. Only ajïäna and its kärya , effect, have to be destroyed. The Lord’sgrace helps you destroy bhava. You cannot independently destroy bhava asyou are a product of bhava. By revfealing his svarüpa, the Lord has to destroy bhava. Brahma vidhyä is Umä and He is Umäsahäya. Accompanied by Umä.

Because of His grace, you gain antaù karaëa pakva, maturity of mind. Thegrace takes you to a guru by whose teaching, the nature of the Lord is revealed.Thus Éçvara anugrahäd eva jïänam, knowledge is only with the grace of theLord and by revealing Himself, he also nbecomes the destroyer of bhava.

bhagavän bhagavat svarüpa bhava

bhava bhava

1 bhavati tiñöhati iti bhavaù – that which exists in time is called bhavaù




Three Year Course at AVG Anaikatti

The three-year course in progress at AVG,Anaikatti is quickly approaching the end

of its second year. The student base hasseen very little attrition – it may even havequietly increased in number. The largenumber of students in this batch can, andmust, be attributed to Pujya Swamiji being

recognized as the greatest of Vedantateachers alive today. There are manyreasons for such recognition, not least ofwhich the caliber of the teachers that havegraduated from previous three-yearcourses. The current students arereminded of this every day as they benefitfrom Swami Sakshatkrtanandaji’s ongoing

support of each one of the 80 plus full- Julie Carpenter




time students living here in ashram.Swami Sakshatji quietly attends to all thedetails that make it possible for us toremain focused on our studies. Whetherit be assisting in our understanding of a

particular line of inquiry in bhasya, orexplaining how a challenging Panini sutrais applied, or the need for a medicalreferral or special dietary requirement, orsomeone to turn to for guidance andreassurance, Swami Sakshatji is there. Itis also Swami Sakshatji who teaches thedaily Sanskrit classes and takes theVedanta classes when Pujya Swamiji is

not in residence.We have been studying Taittir+ yaUpanic ad bh c ya in the morningVedanta class with Pujya Swamiji. Havingcompleted the Z+ kc vall+ , we are nowin the Brahm nandavall+ looking at thefive loci of error for placing the “I” notion.Pujya Swamiji guides us

through bh c ya, clearly pointing out theconnections that help one to discover thefull purport of the words, and expanding bh c ya ara’s explanations so that one isgently guided to a place where there is noother option but to recognize the truth.This detailed analysis and attention tosyntax of the Sanskrit sentences reflectsthe increase in of Sanskrit now being used

in classes as the students become morefamiliar with vocabulary and grammar. For

many it is an additional blessing that weare able to record and listen to the classesa second time allowing us not only toreview grammar points that arehighlighted, but most importantly clarify

our understanding so that our level ofSanskrit does not inhibit the teaching thatis being given.

Ever alert to the objective that the studentsthemselves are links in the paraA para,with the potential of teaching in the future,Pujya Swamiji’s classes also teach thestudent how to teach. No unnecessarywords are used. Each metaphor, manytimes in the form of an anecdote, or joke,carries a clear explanation of even thesubtlest inquiry to be found in the bh c ya. Constantly alert to the students’level of understanding, Pujya Swamijiexpands and gives further clarificationwhen needed, explaining the reason forsuch detail; no matter where students arefrom, what background they have, whatobstacles they face, each one is reassuredthat they will understand what is neededand is thus able to relax and let thepram G a do its job. The one whose mindhas been clinging to the mistaken identitiessees the truth shining in the very being ofthe guru – and the compassion of thattruth manifest in Pujya Swamiji knows no bounds as the student begins to humblyacknowledge the mistakes one by one.

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The afternoon Vedanta class, is dedicatedto the study of Bhagavad G+ t alongsideZ aE k ch rya’s bh c ya. Anyone whohas read the G+ t Home Study course books, that are available in several different

languages, has an idea of how it is tolisten to Pujya Swamiji unfold theBhagavad Gita. Pujya Swamiji’s extensiveknowledge of both the Gita andUpanic ads coalesces in each and everyclass. We are currently studying theFourth Chapter. Having covered in detailthe discussion of avat ra – Gita being theonly place where avat ra is discussed so

elaborately by the [ ruti, we have startedour inquiry into the main topic of thischapter, the nature of action. PujyaSwamiji leaves nothing to chance withregards to understanding the tatparya ofthe Gita. Even topics, such as the varG asystem, that have been so misunderstoodand thus challenged, when handled byPujya Swamiji become yet another sourceof appreciation for the attention to detailand intelligence in the Order of *[ vara.

The study of P G ini sk tras duringSanskrit classes continues. We arefollowing Laghu Siddhanta Kaumud+ ,which contains approximately 1300 ofP G ini’s nearly 4000 sk tras. P G ini’s brilliance cannot be overstated. As we sittaking notes, trying to remember the sutrathat was learned last week – or yesterday– because it is plays an important role inarriving at the final form of the word weare currently looking at, one can onlymarvel at the fact that P G ini didn’t havepaper, and books to assist him. As PujyaSwamiji has said on occasion – perhapsthe diet then was rich in something thatwe are not getting nowadays.

Each day ends with satsang. These days,even though Pujya Swamiji still answersany doubts that have arisen or clarifies anyconfusions, by the end of the hour one ortwo students have also taken the

microphone and, standing in front of theclass, told the story of how he or she cameto Vedanta and met Pujya Swamiji. Thestories are as varied as the students here.Not only is there a wide range of family backgrounds, but a wide range of cultural backgrounds too, with students comingfrom all over India, as well as Malaysia, Japan, Brazil, Ta iwa n, Russia, New

Zealand, Italy, England, Canada, and theU.S. Student participation in satsangdoesn’t stop with these stories – we arenow taking it in turn to chant some ofTaittir+ ya in front of everyone as well.When one has not yet assimilated thatthere is no second thing, and thus nothingto fear, looking out at approximately 100shining faces with a microphone no morethan 6 inches from one’s face can be a littleunnerving.

As minutes turn into hours, and hours into days, days to weeks, weeks to monthsand months to years, appreciation growsfor the grace that manifests in the form ofthe contributors who give time, money,and energy so that each three-year coursecan take place. What to say then of thecontributor of contributors, Pujya Swamiji,who with boundless compassion, tirelesslyand enthusiastically repeating what musthave been said by him thousands of times before, assists each student in addressinga problem that when is fully understood,does not even exist.




Sat-sang with Swami Pratyagbodhananda at Syracuse

As the name connotes, SwamiPratyagbodhananda’s discourses arealways full of insight, witty, and lovely.Not a single moment is dull, the entiresession is filled with humorous anecdotes,colorful stories, and scintillatingobservations on human follies, ratherfrailties. But, through all questions,

prodding’s, tooth-pulling queries, andresponses, the preceptor wants nothing but wisdom and welfare for his students.Swamiji’s command over English idiomand vocabulary is superb. He has at thetip of his tongue – the right word, alwaysthe most precise word to convey exactly– what is meant. Total unity betweenthought (meaning) and word is verydifficult to achieve in practice; Kalidasa

himself immortalized the travails ofcommunication in the couplet: vaga- arthau…

Swamiji’s heart is full of kindness for all.But when it comes to calling a spade aspade, he spares none. He is totallyimpartial: Swami exhibits the same levelof abhorrence to any and all bad habits.Whether they belong to Gujarat, Andhra,

Tamil, or Uttar Pradesh, or even NorthAmerica – they are all taken to cleaners,when they (students, disciples) are foundwanting in correct Sanskrit pronunciationor any behavioral trait. But, whereverthere is any virtue (or redeeming quality),he points it out with the same acutenessof observation. A good deed is never justglossed over, without proper appreciation.Ex: American kitchen counters are

sparklingly clean, adorned with a fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase.

When it comes to speaking Sanskritwords, many tend to trip and commitmistakes. Ideally, one should read andwrite in Sanskrit (Devanagari) script. Andpractice, practice a lot uttering Sanskritverses and words. Also, gradually learnhow to break, give pauses to long phraseswith correct emphasis and intonation.Swami illustrated the problem with theword, “ pr asadam”. This word getsmangled by the people of south and north(India) alike. Thus, original prasadam getsmorphed into sadam in Tamil. Up north,it is spoken as “ par-shad”. The nativeEnglish speaker (as do today’s urbanites

in Indian mega cities) has difficulty withpronouncing aspirated consonants (and ofcourse, double and triple consonants):buddhi. Misspeaking and mispronunciationare not just innocent mistakes. Often theylead to misunderstandings, some timeswith disastrous consequences. Purity of body, purity of food, and purity in speech– they are all important for spiritualprogress. Thus carelessness in these

matters, can lead to unnecessary pitfalls(delays) in the path, a fact often stressed by many enlightened teachers.

To a mellowed (unbiased, unencumberedmature) adult, Swamiji’s remarks appearharmless; they are simply meant tostimulate the audience, guide them tolearn Sanskrit words with utmost care.Diction is very important (in Hindu liturgy




as in any tradition) – clear pronunciationwith proper emphasis on aspiratedconsonants is a must. Without correctdiction, we cannot utter Vishnusahasranama (or any nama-vali) flawlessly.Nor can we decipher the deeper meaningof Lalita sahasranama. For those, who arelearning to recite Sanskrit words viaEnglish transliteration, the guidance of apreceptor is needed – needed badly. Muchgrief and hardship can be avoided if onefollows closely the words of SwamiPratyagbodhananda (or pujya SwamiDayanand Saraswati). Just reading,muttering the English transliterated verses,

names, or slokas is not enough. One musta have rudimentary knowledge of Sanskritcharacters, pronunciation of vowels,diphthongs, consonants, and one mustalso understand the key to the Englishtransliteration scheme. A bit of hard work,in deed. Alas, there are no short cuts toany learning! Who said any spiritualprogress is easy?

One session was devoted to japa (chantingthe Lord’s name). The efficacy of callingVishnu’s name is illustrated vividly witha short story: How an illiterate, yet ardentdevotee called the Lord, (a)gha Mochan.Even calling His name incorrectly yieldsveritable results. Because embedded insuch actions is pure bhakti feeling. Also,Swami emphasized how in the case of theLord, the name has the same power as the

Lord Himself. The name and named arethe same. We can do the nama japa,anywhere, at any time, and evenmispronunciations and mistakes arepardoned by the Lord Narayana. In asense, nama japa is (or appears to be)slightly superior to chanting a ‘mantra’.For a (un-initiated) devotee, a nama japais more accessible, it requires less (mental)preparation.

At our local Lakshmi Narayan temple,Swami spoke at length on the origins ofSri Bhagavatam, how the book came to bewritten. He talked about the birth of SageSuka; Veda Vyasa’s dissatisfaction anddespair – even after writing all theeighteen puranas and Maha Bharata, hewas still tormented by unhappiness – afeeling of incompleteness enveloped him.Then Narada suggested Vyasa to write SriBhagavata Purana. The discourse includedthe story of Parikshat, his impending deathdue to a curse (mediated by the greatserpent, Takshaka), and his attainment ofmoksha (Vaikuntha) after listening to

Srimad-Bhagavatam narration. Swami alsodescribed the six essential attributes of“Bhagavan”.

The last session was conducted for youngchildren. Despite being a Sundayafternoon (tail end) event, it too broughtout a great vivacity during the interactivediscussion with youth. Our Swami urgedMr. Raman to initiate a Purna Vidya

Teaching Program for Syracuse children.After eliciting responses (on what they didfor Mothers Day) from the audience,Swamiji ended the session with a story ofLord Krishna and a poor village student.Krishna acts as a loving elder brother(Gopal Bhaiya) to the young kid andpresents him with a small miraculous milkpot.

Hindu scriptures extol the benefits of sat-sang, association with the Lord’s bhaktas.Visiting or meeting a swami like SriPratyagbodhananda is tantamount togoing to a holy place (like Brindavan). Indeed, it is an indescribable boon for allSyracuse Indian residents to see the Swamiin our midst, in our homes. Lucky for us,we all got to spend three days in Swamiji’scompany and participate in sat-sang.




These days, despite a plethora of modern(English) books, videos, and Internetarticles (audio & video), it is extremelydifficult to come across correct, authenticexposition of traditional scriptures(Ramayana, Bhagavata Purana, and MahaBharata). In this context, it is very luckyto have a speaker like SwamiPratyagbodhananda who can crisscrossfour languages and bring the original

meaning of Veda Vyasa’s Sri Bhagavatapurana (with Sri Vallabha-acharya’scommentary) – bring he did, its originalglory with witty jokes and hilariousinterludes. That, itself is a great souluplifting religious retreat! We pray forSwamiji’s health and hope he wouldconduct many more spiritual discussionsacross several continents.

Events in AVG Saylorsburg

Jun 25-26 Swami Viditatmanandaji’s talks on “How & Why to live a Dharmic

Life”, in Salt lake City, UT

Jul 1 & 15 Taittriya Upanishad Bhasya Class with Dr. Swaminathan 8:30

am to 9:45 am; Bhagavad Gita Classes by Swami Viditatmanandaji from

10 am to 12:30 pm followed by Lunch. Satsang 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm

Jul 4 Guru Poornima - Abhishekam to Lord Dakshinamurti, Guru Pada Puja,

Talk by Swamiji 11 am to 12:30 pm followed by Lunch

Jul 1 to 4 Independance Day Weekend Retreat with Swami Viditatmanandajion Person of Wisdom

Aug 12 - Pujya Swamiji’s 81st Birthday Celebrations

Aug 12-17 Carnatic Music Workshop

2012 AVG Program Schedule

Aug 12-17 Purna Vidya Teachers Training

Aug 15 & 29 Pradosha Puja 5:15 pm to 6 pm followed by regular Arati

6 to 6:30 pm and Dinner 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Aug 19 AVG’s 26th Anniversary Celebrations : Pujya Swamiji’s talk on

Creation is the Creator

Aug 23-26 -Labor Day’s Patrons Retreat




Mahakavi Kalidas

Introduction

One of the greatest poets and dramatistsin Sanskrit. His chronicle of the kings ofthe Raghu clan (‘Raghuvamsha’), thegreat play ‘Shakuntala’ and other worksdepict, through many great characters, thehighest ideals of life as seen by the ancient

people of Bharat.Kalidas

There are hundreds of languages in theworld. However, great and classicalliterature which people in all countriesneed to read is found only in a fewlanguages. One such great language isSanskrit. It is one of the oldest languages.

It is the mother of several Indianlanguagessuch as Hindi, Bengali and Marathi in theNorth. Kannada, Telugu and otherlanguages in the South have also beennourished by it.

It needs the genius of poets who createliterary epics and great thinkers for alanguage to achieve world-renown.Sanskrit is eminently lucky in this respect.

Sages’ celebration of the wonders ofnature, the sky, the stars, mountains andrivers, the sun, the moon, the clouds, fire(‘Agni’) and their devout offering ofprayers to the Universal Power are allfound in the Vedic classics which/are inSanskrit. Puranas and historical epics likethe Ramayana and the Mahabharatvividly describe the battle between thegood and the evil. They also portray the

virtues like devotion to truth, a sense of

sacrifice, heroism, cultured living, etc. InSanskrit there are also beautiful stories of birds and animals like Pa nc ha tantra ;stories extolling good and basic qualitiesof wisdom and intelligence. Sanskrit canalso justly boast of a rich treasure houseof plays, poems and many scientific andphilosophical treatises.

A poet who has made a distinct andglorious contribution to this sumptuousSanskrit literature is Kalidas. He haspictured in his works the beauty in life andpondered upon how we can give pleasureto others by generous and graceful behavior. His portrayals are vivid andheart- warming; his word power is unique.In a few words he is capable of bringing

out the entire meaning intended. Hiswritings touchingly show up a noble,meaningful mode of life for the people topursue. His works are an intellectual treatto thinkers and common readers alike.

A Great Scholar and Poet

Who is this Kalidas ? When did he live andwhere in India was he residing? Much

discussion has taken place for a long time




now about his life and times. Not manyqueries on this score have elicited definiteanswers. Several legends have sproutedaround him.

According to one such popular legend,

Kalidas wasn’t always so wise andlearned. In fact, there was a time he wasconsidered to be one of the stupidestpeople in the kingdom!

One sunny day, Kalidas was sitting on a branch of a tree, trying to saw it off. Butthe dimwitted man was sitting on thewrong end of the branch, so when hefinally sawed through the branch, down

he tumbled! This act of sheer stupiditywas observed by some shrewd punditsminister passing by.

Now these pundits wanted to play a trickon the arrogant princess, to teach her alesson. She was determined to marrysomeone who would defeat her in a debateabout the scriptures. The princess hadheaped considerable abuse on them over

a period of time, and they weredetermined to extract their revenge. So,when they chanced upon Kalidas, theydecided to present him to the queen as asuitable match for her.

In order to conceal his stupidity, thepundits asked Kalidas to pretend that hewas a great sage, who was observing avow of silence. Kalidas readily agreed, andthey presented him to the queen, sayingthat Kalidas would only communicate byway of gestures. When the queen askedKalidas a few questions to test hisintelligence, Kalidas gesticulated wildlyand the astute pundits ‘interpreted’ thesegestures as extremely witty answers andretorts. The princess was suitablyimpressed, and the couple was marriedwithout much delay.

Kalidas’s stupidity could be concealed foronly so long, and the night of the weddingKalidas blurted out something inane. Theprincess realized that she had married aprize fool. Furious, she threw him out ofher palace, and her life.

The dejected Kalidas wandered around,till he came to the bank of the river. Hecontemplated taking his life when hesuddenly saw some women washingclothes on the edge of the river bank. Heobserved that the stones which the womenwere pounding with clothes, were smoothand rounded, while the other stones wererough and ragged. This observation hithim like a thunderbolt, and it dawnedupon him that if stones could be wornthrough and change their shape by beingpounded upon by clothes, then whycouldn’t his thick brains change, by beingpounded upon by knowledge!

Kalidas thus grew determined to becomethe wisest and most learned man in thecountry, and to achieve this end he startedindulging in intellectual pastimes, reading,meditating and praying to his goddessKali to grant him divine knowledge. Hiswish was fulfilled.

This is one of the most popular legendsabout Kalidas. There are several otherstories but they lack authenticity.

It appears Kalidas was at the court ofemperor Vikramaditya. The place and timeof this king are also not definite. But it can be said with some certainty that Kalidaslived before the 6th century A.D., i.e., about1400 years ago. But when exactly he lived before the 6th cent ury is not firmlyestablished. Though a deep affection forthe city of Ujjain is discernible in his works,it cannot be said with certainty that helived there. But we can assume that,




wherever he may have been born, he hadlived at Ujjain.

Kalidas, however, had good knowledge ofthe whole of Bharat. In his poem‘Meghaduta’, his descriptions of

mountains and rivers and cities andvillages stretching from Ramagiri in CentralIndia up to Alakanagari in the Himalayasare very beautiful. In another epic poem‘Raghuvamsha’, Kalidas, while portrayingthe conquests of emperor Raghu, describesthe places and peoples, their modes ofliving, food-habits and trades andprofessions, rivers and mountains inalmost the whole country — Assam,Bengal and Utkal in the East; Pandya andKerala in the South and Sind, Gandharaand other places in the North-west.

Reading these pen-pictures, one cannothelp but conclude that the poet must havehad a personal knowledge of these areas.In short, he must have traveled widelyacross the length and breadth of the land,seen those places, talked to the people andstudied their modes of living.

Kalidas possessed that distinct intellectwhich makes one a great poet. He was ascholar and his works display his poeticgenius as well as scholarship. Also theyare marked by a belief of what is good inlife and people’s noble goals of life. Hecould describe the rich and wealthy life ofa royal palace and the serene, simple andpeaceful life at a hermitage with equalunderstanding. He could, likewise,describe the joys of the marital life of aman and his spouse as well as their pangsof separation. He creates scenes of aserious and thoughtful nature as alsohilarious scenes of light comedy. In hisworks is found an excellent combinationof art-consciousness, unmatched

wordpower and an unparalleled capacityfor vivid portrayals.

The Great works by Kalidas

Kalidas wrote seven works.

‘Kumarasambhava’ and ‘Raghuvamsha’are his two epic poems.‘Malavikagnimitra’, ‘Vikramorvashiya’ and‘Abhijnana Shakuntala’ are his celebratedplays. ‘Meghaduta’ and ‘Ritusamhara’ arealso poetical works of great distinction.

Kumarasambhava

One of Kalidas’s greatest works is‘Kumarasambhava’. Critics maintain thatKalidas wrote only the first eight chaptersof the epic poem. The work describes themarriage of Lord Shiva and his consortParvati. It begins with a fine descriptionof that giant among mountains, theHimalaya.

Kalidas’s poem gives us a vivid picture ofwhat a good, meaningful life a man couldand should lead as propounded by ourlearned ancestors.

Raghuvamsha

Kalidas’s second epic is ‘Raghuvamsha’.There are nineteen chapters (‘sargas’) inthis poem. The epic describes the historyof the kings Dileepa, Raghu, Aja,Dasharatha, Sri Rama, Lava and Kusha.It also deals briefly with the twenty kings

from Nala up to Agnivarna.Inthebeginning, the poet extols the finequalities of the kings of Raghu dynasty.

’Raghuvamsha’ depicts our ancient,historical culture and tradition. Ourancestors had discussed in detail aboutsuch matters as to who could be a goodruler, who is a man of ‘tapas’ (penance),how one should lead a good, purposeful




life and the like. The poet has portrayeddiverse characters like Vashishta, Dileepa,Raghu, Aja and others. Agnivarna is anexample of a king who could be termedas ‘depraved’.

Malavikagnimitra ‘Malavikagnimitra’ is Kalidas’s first play.The author shows his humility and isuncertain whether people would acceptsplay. He pleads ‘Puranamityeva Nasadhu sarvam,Nachapikavyamnavamityavadyam’(Everything old is not good, nor is everything knew badly). There may be some

thing, which may not be of much use inthe old, and the new may also be good.The theme of the play is the love-story ofAgnimitra and Malavika.

Vikramor-vashiya

Kalidas’s second play ‘Vikramor -vashiya’is about the loves and tribulations of kingPururava and the heavenly damsel‘Urvashi’.

Abhijnana Shakuntala

‘Abhijnana Shakuntala’ is Kalidas’sgreatest creation. This literary masterpiecehas been translated into several languagesaround the world. The story of Shakuntalaappears in the ‘Adiparva’ chapter of theepic Mahabharat.

Meghaduta

‘Meghaduta’ is a beautiful love-lyric. A‘Yaksha’, who is forced to be separatedfrom his mistress for a year, sends her amessage. The lady is residing atAlakanagari. ‘Go and tell her that I toldso’, instructs the Yaksha to the cloud who becomes his messenger. The very fact thata cloud (‘Megha’) is chosen to be amessenger of love is something unique.

The poet fascinatingly describes the travelsof the cloud from Ramagiri toAlakanagari. The rivers, hills andmountains, cities and towns, vast fields,farmers’ daughters as well as girls in thecities, the birds and the bees — are alldescribed by the poet vividly. It is a totalpicture of a beautiful world. Hisdescriptions of Alakanagari, the Yaksha’shouse and the garden around, theYaksha’swife playing the Veena and her grace and beauty are captivating.

Ritusamhara

‘Ritusamhara’ is a somewhat small-scale

poetical creation depicting the six seasons.However, it is equally appealing. The poethere sees beauty in everything. Eachdifferent facet of nature he sees in eachof the seasons fascinates him; it is aromantic sight.

Summary of the life and work of Kalidas

In sum, it gives us great aesthetic pleasure

to read Kalidas’s works. His descriptionsenthrall us. With him we are in thecompany-cultured a highly civilized,cultured personality. It is like a flowerwhich, in bloom, spreads its fragrance allaround. And a man’s mature, ripenedmind and intellect brings pleasure to thosearound him. In Kalidas’s creations, weenter the world of people pure in mind and body and who are graceful. We learn herethe manner in which man’s nature canreach high, moral levels. It pleases usdeeply to come into contact withcharacters like Parvati, Dileepa, Raghu,Aja, Shakuntala, Dushyanta and Kanva.It is for this wonderful experience that weas well as people in other countries readKalidas.




With the commentary Tatva Prakäçikä by

Svämi Tattvavidänanda Sarasvati

Verse 5

kiz]eÇ!< zrIr< Ç!ÉuvnjnnI VyaipnI }ang¼aÉi´> ïÏa gyey< injguécr[Xyanyaeg> àyag>,ivñezae=y< turIySsSaklajnmnSsai]ÉUtae=NtraTmadehe sv¡ mdIye yid vsit punStIwRmNyiTkmiSt.kaçikñetrà çaréraà trbhuvanajanané vyäpiné jïänagaìgä bhaktiù çraddhä gayeyaà nijagurucaraëadhyänayogaù prayägaù |viçveço’yaà turéyassaskaläjanamanassäkñibhüto’ntarätmädehe sarvaà madéye yadi vasati punastérthamanyatkimasti ||

zrIr< çaréraà – body, kiz]eÇ!< kaçikñetrà – the pilgrimage centre of Kaçi, Ç!ÉuvnjnnItrbhuvanajanané - - the mother of the three worlds, VyaipnI vyäpiné – all-pervading,}ang¼a jïänagaìgä – the Ganges of knowledge, Éi´> bhaktiù – devotion, ïÏa çraddhä– faith, #ym! Iyam – this, gya gayä – Gaya, injg uécr[Xyanya eg>nijagurucaraëadhyänayogaù – the communion of meditation on the feet of one’spreceptor, àyag> prayägaù – Prayäga, Aym! ayam – this, ivñez> viçveçaù – Lord ofthe Universe, t ur Iy> turéyaù – the fourth, t ur IySsSaklajnmnSsai]É Ut> -saskaläjanamanassäkñibhütaù, - obtaining as the witness of the mind in all living

beings, ANtraTma antarätmä – the inner ruler, yid yadi – if, mdIye madéye – belongingto me, dehe dehe – in the body, sv¡ sarvaà – everything, vsit vasati – abides, pun>punaù – so, ANyt! Anyat – other, tIwRm! Tértham – pilgrimage center, ikm!kim – which one, AiSt asti – is?

Body is the pilgrimage center of Kaçi . The all-pervading flos of knosledge is theGanges, the mother of the three worlds. Devotion and faith are this city of Gaya.The communion of meditation on the feet of one’s preceptor is the city of Prayaga.





Atman, the fourth, is this Lord of the universe. It obtains in all living beings asthe witness to the mind and the inner ruler. As everything exists in my body,where is the need for any other pilgrimage centre?

This verse is in the metre called sragdhara. In Vedanta, there is a nyäya callednyäya nahi ninda nyäya, the logic of non-censure: nahi nindä nindyam ninditumapi tu stutyam stotum; the intent of the censure is not to censure one, but to glorifythe other. Superficially, the poet seems to censure something, but is intent is tohighlight the glory of the thing under consideration. The intent is to glorify thehigher, not to fensure the lower. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was once askedif he would go on pilgrimage to Käçé. He replied that he was not interested becausehe sees Çiva in his own heart. He urged his disciples to have motiveless devotionin the heart, rather than visiting places. He was highlighting what is important

rather than putting down pilgrimage.

Pilgrims usually visit Prayäga and Gayä in addition to visiting Käçé. Çré Çaìkaräincluded all the three places in the symbolism. The sacred city of Käçé is body. Just as the Ganges flows in Käçé, so also the manifest consciousness flows inthis body. According to mythology, Ganges is called triloka sarit, the river of threeworlds, as it flows in heaven as well as the nether world also. It is calledMandäkini as it flows in heaven. Atman, the Awareness Absolute, manifestsin the body-mind as the witness of the three states ofr waking, dream and sleep.

Çraddhä, the love for knowledge is Gayä. In Gayä, people perform çraddhä, theritual propitiating the manes. Çraddhayäa kåtaà çrärdham, the ritual is calledçräddha because it is performed with love and devotion. Generally people performthis ritual without fail, but there is a misconception that it is inauspicious, unliketemple worship. The origin of this misconception could be the general fear thatpeople have for death. Anything connected with death is abhorred. But deathis as real as life. Once a bereaving woman prayed to Lord Buddha to revive herson. He told her that he would indeed bring the dead body to life if she could

get a fistful of rice from a home that had no experience of death. Çräddha is asauspicious as ny prayer. In it, we worship God in the form of manes.

Meditation is Prayäga. Prayäga is the confluence of the three sacred rivers Gaìgä,Yamunä and Sarasvaté the unseen. Similarly, in meditation, as one contemplatesupon Éçvara’s feet, the body, mind and ego resolve in Çiva, the Awareness of Being.Éçvara alone appears in the form of preceptor and then as Atman, the sadguru,the preceptor in the form of the inner Being. Ultimately, Éçvara and guru resolvein Atman. Meditation on the feet is symbolic of çiva çaraëägati, self-surrender.




The seeker surrenders to the awarenss of being and abides in the inner silence.It is dhyäna yoga. It is yoga because it is the communion of the body-identifiedpersona with the Reality that reflects in the body-mind. This communion isPrayäga.

Atman is turéya, the fourth. It lights up the entire content of the waking, dreamand sleep, and yet transcends them. The content of the waking consciousnessdoes not affect Atman. Atman is never ever attached to the content. These stateshappen; they do not happen to Atman. Nothing ever happens to Atman just asthe day and night do not happen to the sun. That turiyä is Çiva. The momentyou watch the mind, you become the witnessing awareness. Already, you arenot the persona any more; you are the impersonal intelligence which is Çiva.

Çiva is Viçveçvara, the overlord of Viçva, the universe. Viçva is also the one whoidentifies with the content of the waking consciousness. Vividha pratyayagamyamviçvam. What we taste, touch, smell, see and hear is the Viçva. Who is the masterof this Viçva? The Awareness Absolute is the master. That Käçé, Çiva, is you.Çiva is obtaining in our hearts as antarätmä, the innermost reality.

How does one realize the antarätmä, the inner Reality? By realizing, “I am notthe body, I am not the organs of action, I am not the sense organs, I am not themind (emotions), I am not the intellect, I am not the ego”. Abide as pure ‘I am’.

That is the gateway to the truth. As we abide in the pure ‘I am’, we would resolveinto the pure awareness of the being, which is the antarätmä. That antarätmäis the säkñi of the entire movement of the mind, not only in one’s heart but alsoin the hearts of every living being. It is the same Atman that reflects in the body-minds of all the living beings, like one sun reflecting in a billion dewdrops or oneelectrical energy shining in a million bulbs. Çiva, Bhaväni, Gaìgä, Käçé, Prayäga,Gayä – all are here in this body. What else is needed to purify it? Tirtham is thatwhich sancgtifies. There is no other place that is supposed to purify us. Atmatértham param tértham, says the Süta saàhita. People roam all around in search

of a shrine or river that could purify them. But, they do not realize that the greatestshrine of all is Käçé shining in the heart as Atman. Taking a tourist bus andvisiting various pilgrimage fcenters with a group of people is not an end in itself.It is good for national integtration, but not enough for Self-realization. The strivershould discover silence, peace and happiness, in oneself by yoga or by assimilatingthe truths enunfciated in this encomium. That is the real pilgrimage.

hari oà tat sat çrikåñëärpanamastu






some of the organizations and socialworkers in Shilong. It was a verygood meetings, we could exchangeour ideas and assured for helpingeach other .

On 20th of May we could reachAgaratala, in Tripura, whereVanawasi Kalyan Ashram peoplehelp us for our accommodation andtraveling. There also we could meetmany local people those who workfor tribal welfare. Many of thesepeople knew Pujya Swamiji andsome of them could have Pujya

Swamiji’s blessings also in Guwahatiand Culcatta.

Next Day we could have MataTripura Sundari’s Darshanams andmet a tribal leader called ShriVikram Jamatiyaji. He is working forgetting all North East tribes togetherand save the tribal culture in NorthEast and he has got lots of success

and that is why he was attacked byChristian terrorists many times. Hewas so happy to see us in hishouse. He had served us breakfastand assured us for helping handwith us. That same day we went toplace called Kumarghath, wherePujya Swamiji through one of hisdevotee and student( Dr. Indu—————— ) from USA, had donated a

Hostel building to Vanavasi KalyanAshram. The students and staff welcomedus with a cultural programme and westayed there on that day.

Next day on 22nd whatever we could seeand witness we will not forget in throughour life. Many of us, let me put this waythat 90% of Indians do not know and cannot believe in our so called independent

Bharat( Country) our people we will be

living their life as a refugees in ourcountry.

Since last 15 years, 45,000 thousandRiyong people from Mijuram are living inTripura as a refugees. They told us that1997 they were driven off (thrown out)from their home land of Mijuram toTripura and since then they are totallydependant on Tripura Government.Center Government provides them






A spiritual camp was heldfor Arsha Vidya Tirtha, Jaipur family at Rishikeshfrom 18th to 25th May,2012 under the auspices ofSwami BrahmaparanandaSaraswatiji. About 100devotees from Maharashtra,Surat, Udaipur, Jaipur,Delhi and all the childrenof AVT JaipurChhatralayam participated.The Ashram on the bank of Ganges added to the grandeur of the environment.

The day commenced at 5.15 a.m. withRudrabhishekam in the temple. AVTchildren chanted the Rudram rhythmically

and in a melodious voice. It was followed by the dhyanam conducted by Swamijiwherein the devotees’ went into atranscendental mode. This was followed by Lectures on “Tattvabodh” by Swamiji,who is maestro in this field. This enhanced our knowledge on atma-jnanam.This jnanam is imperative to understandall other scriptures is what was unfolded

to us beautifully and in a most simpleway by Swamiji.

Next came the psychology Lectures byDr. Amrita Murthy, who is a shishya of Pujya Swamiji. Dr. Murthy dealt with

day to day problems related to memory,stress, dementia, personality building etc.

Afternoons were kept reserved for gamesfor all the children, Ganga snanam forall, and yoga conducted for all, by AVTchildren. After the evening aarti in thetemple, was Ganga aarti which wasmesmerizing. The Chhatralayamchildren added to the beauty of it all by

the melodious Ganga stotram.

On 21st May, there was aspecial and elaborate Ganga pujadone by Gulab, 9th class studentof Chhatralaya. It was hisspecial day as he gotBrahmopadesam from Swamiji in the morning. This specialceremony in itself was a veryunique phenomena. It was a

AVT Jaipur family at Rishikesh




Guru-shishyarelationshipwhich onerarely getsto see. All

of us wereindeed blessed tosee such asight,specially fora boy tocome up to

this stature!

8.30-10:00 p.m. saw a fiesta of Bhajans.The Chhatralayam children were the mainperformers, be it on Harmonium, dholak,manjira. Other devotees’ also participatedfreely. It was great to see so much of talentamongst the youngsters.

The highlight of the cultural week was“Deep-se-Deep Jale” — a dramatizationof the Chhatralayam children of theirdevelopment and day-to-day activities.

They portrayed their transformation froma village lad to a “ Gurukulam Chhatra” beautifully. It was wonderful to see theirparents also a part of the skit.

The Ganesh Vandana in Kathak style bySwamiji’s shishya was simply breathtaking.

Inspite of the hectic busy schedule,Swamiji took out time to take us to visit

Kunjapuri—a Shaktipeetham. It was reallyfun climbing the 309 steps though nonecould beat the Chhatralayam children. HEalso took us to Vishwamitra Ashram tohave darshan of Swami BrahmatmanandaSaraswati. This is where Swamiji stayedand studied for few years before movingto Swami Dayananda Ashram. We werevery Blessed to have darshan ofMahamandaleshwar of Kailash Ashramalso.

The camp was indeed an enthrallingexperience. It was amazing to see so manyyoung children along with their parentsand grandparents started their vacation insuch a holistic atmosphere. We all have returned home with definitely discovering some new dimension in ourselves!

We are eagerly awaiting for June 2nd,

2013, when Swamiji will be holding thenext camp. The countdown has seriously begun for al l those who attended thecamp.




Swami Dayananda’s message to his Argentine students

Twenty-second Anniversary of Pujya Swamiji’s first visit toArgentina.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl-ziNi9wZk&feature=youtu.be

Love for India and Vedic culture is wide spread in Latin America.Several Indian masters had travelled all over Latin America inthe last century. Swami Tilak was a close friend of PujyaSwamiji. He spoke Spanish and walked barefoot. He was agenuine sadhu. Pujya Swamiji visited Argentina nine timesstarting in 1990 and he visited Brazil even more times than thatstarting in 1983.

Ayurveda teaching and practice is now mainstream in Argentina,

as well as Bharata Natyam and classical Indian music, besidesYoga and Meditation etc. Now Vedanta is coming to the forefront.We can’t get the books translated fast enough. There is so muchdemand.

Watch this video which was a gift to the Argentine ambassadorto Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay at his farewell ceremonyrecently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_5d0BejL1E&feature=youtu.be

With best wishes and love,

Swamini Vilasananda




Udumalpet : February,2012.A new Student Home forrural girls was inauguratedin Kurichikottai in thepresence of SwamiDayananda Saraswati, on 6Feb. 2012. Spread across1.64 sq mts of land the

Atmalayam complexcontains 6000 sq ft. built uparea which includes adormitory, a kitchen anddining for the girls StudentHome. Udumalpet becomesAIM for Seva’s 89th StudentHome and the 18th StudentHome in Tamil Nadu.

Kurichikottai will have 50 students in phase I, beginning from the academic year June2012. The girls will be in the age group of 9 – 18 years studying in 5th to 12th Std.

Speaking on the occasion , Swami Dayanada Saraswati spoke about the virtues of Danamand the need to give back to the society. He commended the local community for theircommitment to the wellness of the society.

The entire project is a donation from the local community , effectively mobilized byGurupriya Mathaji, Coordinator for Udumalpet region.

The student home infrastructure is funded by multiple donors this includes corporateslike the Servall Group and GVG Group , Janani Hospitals and local philanthropists.

On the occasion of the inauguration a bhoomi puja was performed for a Meditationcum function Hall (Dhyana Mandapam), and a small Dairy farm.

The Dhyana Mandapam building is donated by Smt.Hema Veluswamy & Family of theGVG Group, Udumalpet In Memory of her Parents,Smt. V.Janaki & Sri.K. Venkatesaluof DPF, Coimbatore.

A new Student Home for rural girls




The Cow shelter is sponsored by Sri.S.Vijayprakash & Family of Coimbatore In honourof his parents Smt. N.Rukmani & Sri. A.Sukumaran, Kurichikottai.

The inauguration was well attended with active representation from the local community,administration and local business establishments. This included Vali Thottam SGovindrajan and R Pazhanisamy , Director, RSR Transport . The guests were happyto see the talent show presented by Students of Dharmapuri Chattralaya The

inauguration was concluded with a formal vote of thanks by Dr. Jhansi, local committeemember AIM for Seva, Udumalpet




Swami Dayananda Jayavarthanavelu Rural & Tribal Hospital – Anaikatti, Coimbatore

Coimbatore March 4, 2013. SwamiDayananda Jayavarthanavelu Rural &Tribal Hospital – Anaikatti, Coimbatoreparticipated in a Medical Camp Fair at theCBE Collectorate.

This Fair was organized to promoteawareness about the Hospitals where theC M’s Comprehensive Health Insurance

Scheme is available.The Dist. Collector,Mayor and MLAs along with JD Medicalsvisited the Stall.

March 7, 2012.Coimbatore: AIM for Sevahas a special visitor - Sri KV Giridhar, IFS,Director Tribal Welfare who came on asudden inspection of the Student Homeand Hospital facilities .He spent over twohours at both our AIM for SevaDayananda Tribal Girls Student Home,AIM for Seva Dayananda Tribal BoysStudent Home – Anaikatti, and the Swami

Dayananda Jayavarthanavelu Rural &Tribal Hospital – Anaikatti, Coimbatore.During his visit he inquired with theWarden, Cook and a few students abouttheir well-being . He was also happy to seethe use of solar power for the water heater& lighting at both the hostels. The directorwas especially impressed with the TribalHospital and its cleanliness. AIM for Seva

staff were happy to receive this surprisevisitor as he is known for his commitmentto improving the Govt. Tribal Schools &Hostels and his visit augurs well for theAnaikatti projects.

Shri KV Giridhar IFS, Director Tribal Welfare

inspects the Girls Student Home

Director of Tribal Welfare visits AnaikattiProjects




April 15, 2012,By Pramila Krishnan,DC,Chennai

2 years ago, 23-year-old E. Ramu workedas an office assistant in the Mayajal moviecomplex in Chennai. Now he is the top-scoring II B.Sc. Maths student in SwamiDayananda College of Arts and Science atManjakudi village in Kumbakonam.

His parents, farm coolies inTiruvannamalai, couldn’t dream of sendingRamu to college. But with the help of theSwami Dayananda education andcharitable trust, which runs the college,Ramu is able to continue his studies. Thiscollege has opened its doors for learningto scores of other students like Ramu–

majority of them first generation learners.”Ipaid only Rs 2,000 to join the college.Though my course fee was Rs 6,000, themanagement accepted what I gave for theseat, understanding my financial background. I will complete my B.Ed. andwork as a teacher, helping other poorchildren like me,” said Ramu.

His juniors R. Priyadharshini and B.Suganya, residing in the hostel managed by the trust, are proud of their institution.“Our college provides seats tounderprivileged students. Actually, thosewith fewer marks are accommodated first because poverty could have debilitatedtheir performance. But with the coachinghere, we improve fast and score big”, theysaid.

Correspondent G. Ramachandran saidmany students found jobs in big firmssuch as WIPRO, which runs a rural BPOwithin the campus. “Rajagopal, who

completed his schooling here and evenworked in our college, is now heading theBPO. We are proud that half of theemployees in the BPO, who belong todowntrodden families and studied in ourcollege, have got good jobs”, he said.

R. Janani and her sister Suveetha, studentsof Swami Dayananda government-aidedschool are popular; one is an orator and

the other a sportsperson. “We teach not just textbook lessons but also values to befollowed right from childhood,” said K.Muthulakhsmi, school principal.

“What we like to give the children is a life,not just education. We look after theirhealth as well as their personality whenthey are in our chatralayas and otherinstitutions and hope they will become

very good citizens,” says Sheila Balaji,trustee, AIM for Seva that is central toSwami Dayananda organizations.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/college-helps-deprived-fulfil-dreams-563




‘GNANA BHASKARAM SHIBHIR’ UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

SHRI SWAMI BRAHMAYOGANANDA 18th to 27th May 2012 - YOGA SHANTHI GURUKULAM

Shri Swami Brahmayogananda conducted a six day ‘Gnana Bhaskaram Shibhir’consisting of 32 classes on ‘Dasha Upanishad Saara Sangraha’ at the holy placeof Sringeri between 20th and 25 th of May 2012. It was a revolution of a kind as200 students of Yoga Shanthi Gurukulam had travelled from across the worldlike the US, Dubai, Muscat and many parts of India to attend this uniquelyarranged camp by Swamiji.

The Shibhir commenced with an inaugural function comprising a prayer songand a sacred Puja to the Chathur Vedas. For these six days, the 200 students

were day and night engrossed in ‘Athmeeka Vicharam’ at Sri Adi ChunchanagiriMutt, a serene and scenic place, located on the banks of river Thunga, Sringeri.

The students virtually did not have any connection to the outside world withsix class sessions planned every day between 6 AM in the morning to 9 PM inthe night. Swamiji’s hectic and tightly scheduled classes elaborately covered the10 principal Upanishads in addition to Kaivalya Upanishad. The students also




enthusiastically participated in daily Group discussion sessions to reviseand recap the class room teachings. A surprise quiz contest wasorganized by students of the Gurukulam covering various subjects ofVedanta and the whole camp was divided into 6 groups.

After concluding the six-day Upanishad camp with a Samarop function,as part of this Shibhir, a special one-day Yatra was arranged to visitSaradambal temple, Rishaya Sringar temples at Sringeri, KollurMoogambika, Udipi Krishna and Mangala Devi at Mangalore.

Thisone- week camp organized by Swamiji was a land mark one in termsof the subject content and will be yet another memorable camp for thestudents who attended it. The campers had the complete satisfaction

of attending all the 11 Upanishads in a single place at a single stretchof six days.

Swamiji, recently concluded his class room series on Bhagavad Gita SaaraSangraha- One Adhyayam in one class session. It is to be noted thatthis series commenced in October 2011 on Vijayadasami and concludedon June 17th 2012 with a uniquely organized Samarop function. Swamijiconducts weekly regular classes covering Bhagavad Gita Moolam,Bhagavad Gita- Adi Sankara Bhashyam, Rama Gita, Panchadasi and

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad in addition to the weekly Gita chantingsessions and Abhishekham and Puja to Sri Medha Dakshinamurthy.










Stuttgart Hindus Celebrate STUTTGART, GERMANY, June 4, 2012:

From the outside, the old factory building on

Bad Cannstatt’s Lehmfeldstrasse is quite

unimpressive. Once inside, however, it offers a

different picture: the dilapidated concrete building

holds within itself a magnificent temple. Hundreds

of Tamils from Sri Lanka in colorful clothing

crowd into the room decorated with garlands

of flowers. The air is warm and filled with

incense. It is very noisy. Bare chested men in

white robes beat on large drums and playoriental melodies on long oboe-like instruments.

Some 1,000 Hindus from a radius of 62 miles

have come this Sunday at the height of the

temple festival in Bad Cannstatt, and also some

Germans, for whom the spectacle is not to be

missed. After the ceremony in the temple, the

men have come out carrying the statues of the

Deities on their shoulders. In Sri Lanka the

procession outside the temple could take placeevery day, “in Stuttgart, it is allowed only once

during the ten days,” says 24-year-old

Thadchajini Sothinathan.

While the convoy passes through the streets,

the music continues to play. The Hindu priests,

the Brahmins, throw coconuts to the ground,

News & Views

so that they burst. The hard shell represents the

outer ego shell of man. When the shell is

crushed, the soft core, the good qualities are

exposed.

Michigan Temple Upgrade Complete TROY, MICHIGAN, USA, June 16, 2012

(AP): It took seven years and $10 million to

renovate and expand the Bharatiya Hindu

Temple to accommodate the growing numbers

of worshippers who have arrived in the Detroitarea from India. The temple in Troy, a northern

Detroit suburb, has been enlarged from 28,000

square feet to about 70,000 square feet, The

Detroit News reported. Its prayer hall houses

seven new interior temples that were made in

India from marble that was mined there. Other

parts of the building, including teak doors, were

also built in India then transported to Detroit

by ship and train. Local masons spent a year

assembling the parts inside the Bharatiya

Temple. At least 25,000 Hindus live in the

Detroit area and about 800 families worship at

the Bharatiya Hindu Temple, said Tom Patel,

chairman of the temple’s board of trustees.

“More people are joining and coming, and we

needed more space to offer services,” he said.






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Documents

26ArshaVidya Newsletter 2012 Jan - Jun