Contents Page No.Editorial 2Mission 3The Eternal Freedom 4Amrita Dhara 6Spiritual Quest 7Free Bird 8Taming the Ego 9Yuvanjali 10My India 10Life - A Mysterious Gift 12Final Thought is the Guide 13Freedom - My Choice 14Living with a Divine Soul 16Sri Rama Stuti 17Smiles of Freedom 18A Mother’s Pride 20Varalakshmi Vratam 21Be Proud to be a Hindu 22Mirror Mirror... 23Samskrit - Lesson Six 24Onathappam 25In the Path of Spirituality...Saawan 26Naga Panchami 27Sri Aurobindo 28Vande Mataram 29News and Events 30Special Health Camp 31Helping Hands 32An Appeal 33Invitation 34Subscriptions 35

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EDITORIAL

-Subhadra K.

When friends or relatives come home, we cordiallywelcome them, enquire after their well-beingand make them feel comfortable. “Hi, how areyou?” is how we greet someone on the phone.What is the underlying aspect in the question“How are you?” How does it affect us if they arenot doing well? Let us understand the questionin a better way.

This is a great social norm. Our happiness ishidden in other’s well-being. Since ancient timesour culture is to aspire and desire for other’sprosperity. Every word that we speak shouldcontain the desire that everyone should be happyand prosperous. ‘Everyone’ has a wide range ofapplication. In that ‘everyone’ category comeour relatives, friends and also enemies. In thebroader perspective there is no selfishness, nojealousy, no enmity or hatred hidden in the word.‘Everyone’ binds the entire society. Such feelingwhen expressed by the whole world results inprosperity of the entire universe. When we aspirefor others well-being we’ll definitely not harmthem. We have to be happy and desire forother’s happiness as well.

On the contrary there are people who encourageterrorism and derive happiness from it. They arenot bothered about other’s welfare. They haveno proper understanding of life. They search fortheir happiness in harming others. They followthe demon’s path. What is the reason for this?Where does the fault lie?

We get perturbed when someone falls sick in aclose family. We pray for their speedy recoveryand in the process we forget our own happiness.That is the true nature of a human being. Weshould find our happiness in other’s happiness.Man tries to overlook this aspect and turns out tobe demonic. He disturbs the peace of the society.This doesn’t depict the true nature of a humanbeing. Such feelings lead to loss of mental peace,insecurity and he is at a loss of his own happiness.In the final analysis one should refine his thinkingpattern and dedicate himself to the welfare ofthe society.

Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu!

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- Swami Nachiketananda

Dear Sadhakas!

We do have set goals in our lives. We do haveevery possible support to achieve them andeven invisible hands to work for us. But, whatis the use, if we do not have the longing toaccomplish those goals? They say that “Goalscan be many but mission in life is one.” Thenhow to transform every goal into mission?What is a mission in life? Is it a vision in life? Isit a reality in life? Is it the Truth in life? Thenwhat is really a mission called?

Dear Sadhakas!

They say that, “That which fulfills our desire ismission.” Then is it true that ‘desire is mission’?No, for me “Mission is desire but desire is notmission.” Desire has limitations but mission isunlimited. Mission of life is life itself…Missionin life is life itself. Therefore mission is infinite.But to accomplish mission in life we have tohave sincere desires, interest, clarity and innerstrength. If we do not have those spiritualvalues, then we lose interest and ultimatelythe mission. I always feel that “Mission shouldbe desired...”

Dear Sadhakas!

It is a wonderful thing to see, when people aretalking to trees, animals and stones, playinghide and seek with wind and challenging sky toprove its infinity. But who can do this? Onlythose souls, who have accomplished theirmission in life and understood life beyond life.Our mission should be inspiration for all. I amone among those who feel happy to get

associated with people who have clear missionin their lives. Paramhamsa Ramakrishna visitedthis planet to accomplish His mission. Therewas perfect mission set for SwamiVivekananda. Ramanuja, Kabir, Tulasidas orValmiki, they all have had mission in their lives.They played their role and simply vanishedleaving behind the ocean of knowledge andwisdom.

Dear Sadhakas!

What a wonderful contribution! This is possiblefor those who have really understood the realmission in life. It is always possible to transformany desire into mission, but need tremendousunderstanding about life. Let us look at God’screation. He created life. We live in life. Wetalk about life. But we do not know whatexactly life is. What a strange phenomenon!It is like: fish asking what the ocean is or birdasking what the sky is. Don’t you think that,this strange phenomena needs to beunderstood?

Dear Sadhakas!

For me “Mission is life and life is mission.”What I feel, the day when we encounter life,our mission is accomplished. But to know lifewe have to have courage to look within…wehave to have a desireless mission in life…wehave to have selfless motive in life…we haveto have sincere desire to rise above allobstacles…and above all we have to have‘Shradda’ in us…Hari Om Tat Sat…!

Goals can be many but mission in life is one!

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DHURLABHAM BHARATE JANMA,MANUSHYAM TATRA DURLABHE,

These words spoken by Jagath guru Adishankaracharya mean that “to be born in Indiais rare and rarer still is to be born in humanform.” We are very lucky to have procuredhuman birth. Behind every birth, there is apurpose. Likewise, human birth also has somepurpose, but how many of us are fulfilling thepurpose of human birth?

What is the purpose of life? In spite ofgetting such a wonderful human birth, becauseof difficulties and problems, people feel that ifthey leave this body, then all problems will beresolved. That’s why we see every day innewspaper and TV that many people arecommitting suicides because they are not ableto withstand the problems in life. And theycommit suicide thinking that through death theyget freedom from problems of the world. Manypeople try to escape from their duties and thinkthat they will get freedom. If escapism anddeath brings final liberation, then this worldwould have been the biggest graveyard. Deathis not the final liberation. It doesn’t give usimmortal freedom. Freedom is the dream ofeveryone’s life and the purpose of life also isFreedom of the self or Liberation.

What can give you freedom?

Money, technology, status in society andpower are not capable of giving eternal freedom.Economical freedom, Political freedom and Socialfreedom cannot give us eternal freedom. Beyondall these freedoms there is a superior freedom,which has to be discovered by every humanbeing in the world. Nothing in the world cangive us freedom except we ourselves.

What is Freedom?

When foreign invaders come and rule thecountry, we no longer have freedom. We loseour freedom. Our freedom is in other’s hands.Then we need to achieve our freedom. Socialfreedom cannot give individual freedom, butindividual freedom has a capacity to bring social

The Eternal Freedomfreedom. The freedom given by others is notsuperior freedom, because it is limited. There isfreedom which is superior, and it is neither givenby others nor it is found outside. The truefreedom lies very much within us. DearSadhakas, we have lost our permanent address;we do not know how to find out our rightaddress. Some sadhakas are ignorant of theroute. Some sadhakas know the route, but theydo not want to walk on it. Some sadhakas don’twant to make an attempt to know the route.Some are completely drenched in desires andenjoyment of senses. From birth to death, wego through lot of sufferings and obstacles in lifeand it is just because we have lost the way toour destination, we lost our permanent address.How many days are we going to stay in a rentedhouse? Every one wants to have an own housewhere one is free to live and enjoy the life.Whole day we work in the office and evening wecome back home, why? Because we know verywell that we can rest in the house and relax. Inthe same way God wants us to discover the trueabode of the self, where we can have nectarinstead of tea, where we find just not theenjoyment but the bliss and eternal freedom.As long as the ignorance is not shed there is fogin our path.

Punarapi Jananam Punarapi MaranamPunarapi Jananee Jathare Shayanam

Iha Samsare Bahu DusthareKrupaya Pare Pahi Murare

Unless we are free from the cycle of birthand death, we keep taking birth. When onebecomes free from the cycle of birth and death,that very moment is called freedom. In subtlelevel it is a state, in which we experience theeternal freedom. Freedom destroys illusion; itbreaks all the bondages and makes us aware ofthe real world. We need to know what is thatwhich is taking us away from our destination. Itis necessary to identify the enemies who arecreating obstacles in finding out our permanentaddress.

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- Swami Shivanandamayi

Who are our enemies?

Please think for a while, who are ourenemies? ………. Throughout our life we seeenemies around us. It is an irony that more thanexternal enemies our internal enemies arestronger. We all are interested to know aboutexternal world, that’s why there are manyscientists in various fields, who are discoveringand inventing many great things. But it is anunchanging truth that if we discover ourselves,we can discover the science of the universe. Thebody which we got is the biggest laboratory, inwhich the entire universe exists. Our sages haverealized this truth. It is a surprising fact that,Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, Pride, andJealousy are the strongest enemies which alwayscreate obstacles in our path. With the help ofright instruments all these shadaripus becomepowerful tools. We are Jivas, and the supremeis called Shiva. When jiva meets Shiva it is theultimate event in one’s life. This very event isour destiny and at that very moment our trueabode or permanent address is discovered. Ourpowerful enemies are creating thick layers ofignorance around the self. Unless these layersare not removed, it is only day dreaming todiscover the eternal freedom. We are completelyimmersed in the world. Then what is thepowerful instrument which can help removethese layers of ignorance?

1. Burning desire: First quality of a Sadhakais to have a burning desire to know the trueabode. There is a lot of difference betweenhaving a desire and having a burning desire.Every one has a desire to earn money in one’slifetime. But just by having desire it doesn’t

work. In the same way, just having desire todiscover the true freedom doesn’t help. To realizethe truth we need to have a burning desire.

2. Right Sadhana: Taking up a right Spiritualsadhana according to one’s nature. The burningdesire introduces us to our Guru, who prescribesus the right Sadhana, according to our nature.Many people take up a Sadhana which doesn’tsuit their nature. Finally they find themselves inchaos. The very aim of sadhana is to discoverthe truth. But if it is not suitable to us it maytake more time in discovering our destination.The aim of Sadhana is purification. It purifies ourmind and makes it one pointed.

3. Karma Yoga: Taking up a Karma (action,profession) which suits one’s nature. Karmayoga is an expression of our Sadhana. Theaction which we perform in daily life, must beaccording to ‘Swadharma’. It should not beagainst Dharma. Taking up a right profession orlivelihood according to one’s nature is the mostimportant aspect. A Sadhaka should convert hismere action into Karmayoga. Karma also playsa major role in discovering eternal freedom.Offer all the selfless actions at the feet of theLord, by renouncing the fruit of action. Freedomis like birds eye view; freedom brings clarity inlife.

Freedom makes you experience the relationof the Self and the Supreme self. In freedom theself becomes one with the Supreme self. This isthe only event which makes us free from illusion.Freedom is the ultimate event in life, in whichwe are one with the Lord or with the Supremeconsciousness. So let us start discovering theeternal freedom which brings usbliss...bliss….and only bliss.

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Sri Ramakrishna’s

-Compiled by Geetha K.

We all dream of freedom – we yearn to befree at least for a day when we can do as weplease and not be regulated by any person or byany laws. But have we ever paused to think whywe feel we are bound, bound by our family, byour work, by our country etc. As long as we arenot in the spiritual path we can never be trulyfree.

Swami Ranganathananda said “We talk offreedom from hunger, freedom from starvation,as well as of freedom from illiteracy, ignorance,or political bondage; all these freedoms arewonderful but the supreme freedom is spiritual.Are you spiritually free? That is what we haveto seek and attain. So, the highest freedomcomes when we realise that infinite Divine whichis our true nature beyond this world of relativity,beyond the world of manifestation.”

Sri Ramakrishna said- “Under the spell ofGod’s maya man forgets his true nature. Heforgets that he is heir to the infinite glories ofhis Father. This divine maya is made up of threegunas. And all the three are robbers; for theyrob man of all his treasures and make himforget his true nature. The three gunas aresattva, rajas and tamas. Of these, sattva alonepoints the way to God. But even sattva cannottake a man to God.

Listen to a story. Once a man was goingthrough a forest, when three robbers fell uponhim and robbed him of all his possessions. Oneof the robbers said, “What’s the use of keepingthis man alive?” So saying, he was about to killhim with his sword, when the second robberinterrupted him, saying: “Oh, no! What is theuse of killing him? Tie him hand and foot andleave him here.” The robbers bound his feet andwent away.

On Freedom!After a while the third robber returned and

said to the man: “Ah, I am sorry. Are you hurt?I will release you from your bonds.” After settingthe man free, the thief said: “Come with me, Iwill take you to the public highway.” After a longtime they reached the road. Then the robbersaid: “Follow the road. Over there is your house.”At this the man said “Sir, you have been verygood to me. Come with me to my house.” “Oh,no!’’ the robber replied. “I can’t go there. Thepolice will know it.”

This world itself is the forest. The threerobbers prowling here are sattva, rajas andtamas. It is they that rob a man of the Knowledgeof Truth. Tamas wants to destroy him. Rajasbinds him to the world. But sattva rescues himfrom the clutches of rajas and tamas. Under theprotection of sattva, man is rescued from anger,passion and other evil effects of tamas. Furthersattva loosens the bonds of the world. But sattvais also a robber. It cannot give him the ultimateKnowledge of Truth, though it shows him theroad leading to the Supreme Abode of God.Setting him on the path, sattva tells him: “Lookyonder. There is your home.” Even sattva is faraway from the Knowledge of Brahman.

We need not despair that we will not beliberated in this birth and there is hope for all ofus as Sri Ramakrishna said: “All will surely realiseGod. All will be liberated. It may be that someget their meal in the morning, some at noon,some in the evening but none will go withoutfood. All without exception will certainly knowtheir real self.” With His blessings let us strive toattain true freedom.

Amrita Dhara

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SPIRITUAL QUEST

- Swami Nachiketananda

What is freedom?Ans: Freedom means ‘Heart’. It is like an identity of the soul. It is like a

signature of the soul. It is like the innocence of the child…the purity of MaGanga…the sound of silence…the Omkar in the space…the depth of the spiritualperson…the renunciation of the Sannyasi…the voice of the soul. Freedom is ahigher state of mind and when our minds get purified, we experience the state offreedom. Then everything becomes more natural and spontaneous. The body losesits rigidity. Mind becomes still and the soul speaks. Then there is no journey andno achievements…no sorrow and no happiness…no pain and no pleasure…no upsand no downs…no life and no death…no within and no without.

Freedom cannot be borrowed or gotten from outside. It is very much deepwithin. Once the search is over, ‘I’ vanishes and ‘We’ springs, then ‘We’ vanishesand ‘Soul’ springs and lastly ’Soul’ vanishes and the ‘Supreme soul’ springs. Thendivinity becomes life and life becomes divinity.

Freedom means ‘Choice’. Choice of everything from life to death and beyondit. Freedom means free will. Freedom means no bondage and no boundaries. Andwhen we experience that freedom, frozen beauty comes to life. Dead becomesalive. Then the real phenomenon starts in life. Life travels into life. Soul travelsinto soul. Then utterances become mantras. Then the ultimate reality becomesjourney. Then everything becomes meaningful and beautiful.

There are souls like Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana who have demonstratedthe highest state of freedom. They in fact breathed and lived that freedom. Justa glance of Sri Ramana and touch of Sri Ramakrishna could bring tremendouschange in the society. Their very presence was so dynamic that without moving,they moved the entire Universe at their will. They lived by choice. And if weunderstand this phenomenon, then it is possible for all of us to get freed fromeverything.

Freedom means not running away from the world and sitting at one placewithout doing anything. Freedom makes us more active. Freedom brings clarityin life and motivates everything. Then we develop looking at ourselves as a witness.That is something, what we are looking for… Hari Om Tat Sat!

Freedom brings clarity in lifeand motivates everything.

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- Annapurna R.

Have you ever wished you could fly likea free bird? Yes, as a child, I did. But it hasbeen a long time since I quit imaginingbecause I willfully tied down my wings tothe invisible yet strong shackles ofignorance. While still some nations of themodern world were struggling to getindependence from domineering superpowers, I was happily getting intricatelyentangled in the locks of attachments andpossessions. In the name of finding myidentity, I was losing my freedom of love toattachments, freedom of speech todiplomacy, the freedom of simple living topomp and prestige, the freedom of life tothe fear of death. It took me almost half acentury just to realize that the strong chainsthat were restricting me were beingmanufactured in my own mind and thehands that were tying me down were noneother than my own notions. But here I wasblaming my dear ones all this time forenslaving me with their affection.

Once a trader with his herd of camelscarrying loads of inventory and an assistantwho tended to the camels set out on abusiness trip. After travelling all day througha desert terrain they reached an oasis anddecided to halt for the night. As they startedsettling down, the assistant came runningto the trader sheepishly admitting that heforgot to bring the leash for tying down thecamels for the night. The trader, afterhearing the complaint calmly, advised hisassistant, “Oh my friend, you know that youdon’t have the leash but the poor camelsdon’t. Just pretend tying them down as youwould with the leash and I assure youresults!” The obedient assistantimplemented his master’s orders and

Free Birdpretended to perform the routine of leashing thecamels to poles and watched to his relief that theysettled down to rest after a day long journey andslept all night. The next morning when they gotready to resume their journey, the care takersimply ushered them to move but they wouldn’t,until he pretended to untie the strings from thepoles. The ‘poor’ camels were totally unawarethat they were as free as birds all night and couldhave walked their way royally into the expanse ofthe golden hued desert!

I was worse than the trader’s ‘poor’ camels. Atleast the camels needed to be demonstrated thatthey were being tied down whereas I was spinningmy own snare. My memories and opinions of myselfand my expectations for myself were sufficient tocause the near loss of one-in-a-million opportunitycalled ‘Life’. I consider myself fortunate that beforeit got too late I am able to identify the fine linebetween love and obsession, taste and addiction,dislike and hatred, saving for a rainy day andhoarding for a few generations! Now that theculprit has been identified I hope I can wiggle myway out of the chrysalis of entanglements andemerge as a free butterfly into this Beautiful World,slowly but steadily!

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‘Ego’ – one hears this word with increasingfrequency as the world around us is suddenlyflooded by this three letteredword. What accounts for thissudden increased awakening? Ihad no idea that such an entityexisted in the human psyche- letalone my very own psyche. WhenI first heard the word Ego, in oneof the spiritual discourses that Ihad attended, I just nodded andbrushed it aside, giving it the least importance.Hardly did I realize that the word would hauntme throughout the rest of my life. It was onlylater when I was faced by my Guru, with thedemand to make my choice - freedom or ego-that I started paying heed to the word.Pressure mounted to make a quick decision, totake sides and I made a deeper commitmentto pay attention to my ego. The inner selfdemanded I empty my mind and then startedthe war. My heart wriggled for freedom, butmy ego-ruled mind put up a stiff resistance.Years of siege followed and I lost the battle.But even in losing this FIRST big battle I madea commitment that I should never give up.The war can be won through surrender, whichmeans to turn our minds over to our hearts.However, I found this to be quite a difficulttask. But deep down I was aware that if Icould surrender to my heart’s cry and just letgo, I could swim in the current which wouldtake me into the truth, far beyond ego.

The story of the Little bird and the Sea isproof enough to show that sincere attemptscan always be successful in achieving our goals.As the story goes, once a small bird laid itseggs on the seashore and went in search offood. When it returned it was in for a shock asthe sea had washed away the eggs. The birddemanded the sea to return its eggs andwhen the latter failed to do so, it startedthrowing grains of sand into the sea. The littlebird was under the impression that all thegrains would absorb the sea water and theeggs could be retrieved. It never gave up and

Taming The Egocontinued its struggle for days together.Garuda, the king of birds was informed about

this and he immediately came tothe rescue. He was amused to seethe futile attempts of the tiny birdand was moved by its will power.He threatened the sea of direconsequences if the eggs were notreturned. The sea, out of fear,immediately returned the eggs tothe little bird. Our attempts to win

over our ego should be unceasing like that ofthe bird in the story. We might face manyobstacles in winning the war but we need todevelop a strong will power to emergevictorious. When our faith is strong, the Gurucomes to our rescue like the Garuda in thestory and helps us reach the pinnacle ofsuccess.

We often mistake enlightenment as egoeradication, which is not true. Swamiji alwayssays ego is essential but only when it is purified.Purified ego leads to purified actions, which isdrastically needed in today’s society. SriRamakrishna’s example of mudfish is reallyrelevant. Just like the mudfish which is neverstained by the mud, certainly one can live afull fledged life among family members,attending and fulfilling their duties and yetremain untainted by attachments. It is indeedpossible to maintain a sense of perfectfreedom.

Ego can be conquered more effectivelywith knowledge of the inner self. But thehuman self can not remain complete withoutthe existence of the ego. Ego is necessary andinstead of trying to conquer it, we should usethe same for positive, constructive purposeswithout an iota of selfishness. We are allfellow travelers in the spiritual journey. Maythe light of Truth shine in the hearts of all! Ifspirituality helps awaken our conscience andhelps us reach where we meant to go, itwould be wonderful if we all become actuallyvery spiritual indeed!

- Subhadra K.

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Look upon everyman, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot

help anyone, you can only serve: serve thechildren of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself,if you have the privilege. If the Lord grantsthat you can help any one of His children,blessed you are; do not think too much ofyourselves. Blessed you are that theprivilege was given to you when others hadit not. Do it only as a worship. I should seeGod in the poor, and it is for my salvationthat I go and worship them. The poor andthe miserable are for our salvation, so thatwe may serve the Lord, coming in the shapeof the diseased, coming in the shape of thelunatic, the leper, and the sinner! Bold aremy words; and let me repeat that it is thegreatest privilege in our life that we areallowed to serve the Lord in all these shapes.Give up the idea that by ruling over othersyou can do any good to them. But you cando as much as you can in the case of theplant; you can supply the growing seed withthe materials for making up of the body,bringing to it the earth, the water, the air,that it will assimilate and grow by its ownnature.

Bring all the light into the world. Light,bring Light! Let light come unto every one;the task will not be finished till everyone hasreached the Lord. Bring light to the poor;and bring more light to the rich, for theyrequire it more than the poor. Bring light tothe ignorant, and more light to the educatedfor the vanities of the education of our timeare tremendous! Thus bring light to all andleave the rest unto the Lord, for in words ofthe same Lord, “To work you have the rightand not to the fruits thereof.” “Let not yourwork produce results for you, and at thesame time may you never be without work.”

Source: The Complete Works of SwamiVivekananda; Vol.3, pg 246

India stinks. It’s a wreck of a place.

It’s nothing more than a lump of poor housesbuilt with mud and plastered with cow dung.

It’s nothing more than a bunch of filthy rich,power hungry, immoral creatures running thewheel of ‘democracy’.

It’s nothing more than a sad little chickenthat has been trying to stand up on its feet forthe past three fourths of a century, in vain.

In fact, it’s nothing more than a sad excuseof a miserable piece of land in the name of a‘country’.

That’s India.

It’s a land that has mystified the world forcenturies with its splendid tales of wealth andbeauty. And when wide eyed tourists step ontothe shores of this country, they are ripped off,robbed and raped. No other questions asked.

It’s a land that has been ‘poised’ for the leapfor decades now; it’s been ‘developing’ for yearsnow; it’s been liberalized, privatized, globalizedand in every way, thoroughly sanitized. Yet thestreets of its financial capital, Mumbai, arechoked with the stench of overflowing gutters,heaps of garbage, and sometimes, the remainsof immobile ‘citizens’ themselves.

It’s a land where the man and the womanwho vote are nothing more than helpless,frustrated spectators of bomb blasts and terrorattacks; justice just cries out silently for mercyfrom under the shackles of an omnipotentbureaucracy.

That’s India.

I wish I could leave right now. I wish I couldgrow wings and fly away to some far-off countryin the glorious west. Or that I could grow finsand swim to some nearer country in the eastthat is smaller but happier. But I can’t.

I can’t leave India.

Not after I’ve heard all the sounds on thestreets- the mad honking, the screaming ofdrivers, the crying of hawkers, the mooing ofcows, the barking of dogs and the cursing offisherwomen.

My India

Yuvanjali

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For I know, that beneath all that, there is achild waiting to go back home from school intothe open arms of his grandmother.

There is a husband who is going to make hiswife’s day unforgettable by giving her half agarland of small, white jasmines.

There is a working woman hurrying backhome after buying vegetables for dinner thatnight.

There is a college student on her way tocoaching classes for the next six and a halfhours. She has to top the entrance examinations.It’s her parents’ dream.

I can’t leave India.

Not after I’ve seen glimpses of life in thevillage- the half-starved bullocks tilling the land,a toddler suffering at home from malnutrition,the sweat gleaming on a farmer’s forehead ashe works in the field, an aged Brahmin marryingoff a man and a woman who have never meteach other in their life.

For I know, these folk still find happiness inthe splashing of water in the muddy rivers. Theystill enjoy rolling a bicycle wheel with a thin stickbecause willow bats are too expensive.

In the age of the internet and computer,they gather around an 80 year old man arounda bonfire on a starlit night to hear fantasticstories about ‘those days’.

I can’t leave India.

Not after I’ve seen the colors and sounds andlights of celebration all around me.

For I know, there is no other place in theworld that would open its arms to a completestranger and let him become a part of their life.

There is no other place where completestrangers become family after dancing with abaraat in the middle of a narrow gully, their feetjumping in tune with the sound of drums and theblowing of shehnais.

If there’s such a land that breathes, throbswith life and feels emotions more humane thanus humans, it’s this land called India.

If there’s such a land whose sons anddaughters have willingly given away their livesfor it, regretting only the fact that they had butone life to sacrifice at her altar, it’s this landcalled India.

My

India

If there’s such a land whose soil, whosewater and whose air at first breath become apart of you, and make you an inseparable partof them, it’s this land called India.

So go on. Go and choose to live your life inthe ‘glorious’ west or the ‘mystic’ east,whichever seems more promising.

You may hate or love that distant landcalled India that seems to be wriggling in apuddle of mud of its own making. But youcan’t ignore it. You can’t get it out of yoursystem.

Because, ironically, it’s only in these muddypuddles that the flowering of a ‘thousand-petalled lotus’ happens…the other places justgrow flowers.

That’s my India.

-Avinash Agarwal

11

- Ramya Manasa

Life….wonder what it means. Everyday Iawake, I chalk out a plan to accomplish mychores, meet friends, go out for study and whatnot. But, did I ever wait and think what do Iwant to see myself as, at the end of the day?The answer is a big NO! I was so busy with livingmy future that I never thought of what I amdoing today. Life is a gift indeed, a pricelessone…Have we ever thought of it? Are we livingit to the fullest? Mere survival doesn’t make abeautiful life. We know how to achieve ourgoals, win wars and struggle for our livelihoodbut do we actually know how to live life?

In a small village lived an extremely poorwoman who went begging from house to housefor alms. Every morning she set out early to begfor food and living. People wondered why theold woman went begging everyday though shehad enough food to eat. This continued forlong. One sad day, the old woman died. Peoplecame to her hut to perform the ceremony.When they went in, they found the place to besmelling bad; they saw rats running from onecorner of the hut to the other. They cleared themess to see where the rats were running in andout. They saw ‘rotis’ piled in a corner. Then didthe villagers realize that this woman wentbegging everyday, came home, piled food andate little every day thinking “If I won’t gobegging for tomorrow due to illness, I can eatthe food that I store.” Seldom did she eat toheart’s content in the worry about the nextday.

Life is too short and unexpected. Plan fortomorrow but live today. Future has a reason tobe the TOMORROW and not TODAY. Live theday as it goes. Today, once gone, never comesback and today is always a ‘mysterious gift’ fullof surprises. Enjoy every moment, everythingthat comes your way. If you keep yourself busywith future, today, then you will have nothingto live tomorrow. Life has to be lived the wayit has to be. Live life, learn more, exploreyourself, explore within you and thus make theright use of the priceless and mysterious giftyou got from God above.

Life - A Mysterious Gift

God gaveme nothingI wanted,

He gave meeverythingI needed!

- Swami Vivekananda

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How nice it would be if our last thought was,“If I had been a renunciate, I would be living inmountain cave now. I would be meditating onGod, without interacting with anybody.” This isprecisely why, in the evening of my life, I leftMunger and came here to Rikhia. Now I pray allthe time, “Oh God may no doctor or nurseattend me when I die. I do not want a drip ora bedpan. I do not want to see my disciplecrying for me. Let there be just one image in mymind of Lord Shiva, besmeared with ashes andadorned with matted locks, crescent moon andserpent, and with the third eye closed, ofcourse.” This is my sankalpa- that I should seehis form at the time of death. I did not comehere to start an institution, to become a greatman or to fulfill any other ambitions. WhateverI do here is because I have been told to do it bysomebody whom you don’t know, whom I havenever seen and whose telephone number I don’thave. He has asked me to do it.

So at the time of death, the last thoughtbecomes the guiding principle for your nextbirth. In this life you may be a wretched person,hopeless in every sense, but during the lastmoments before your departure, you may thinkof very high spiritual things. This is nearlyimpossible, but if it happens, your next birth willbe directed by that last thought. You willincarnate according to that last thought in yourprevious life. However, all the other karmas ofyour previous life will also follow you into thatincarnation, even with that great sankalpa. Youmay be a good person, but there will also besuffering because you have to suffer, you haveto enjoy, you have to face and confront thekarma. You can escape anything in life, you cancheat God in every sense, but you cannot cheatyour karma, because karma is within you, isthere all the time, making notes in his computer.Every thing is being computerized.

Therefore, this matter of transmigration,relating to the journey of the soul from ignoranceto light, from mortality to immortality, should beunderstood in the light of karma, in the light ofthe nature of the soul. At the same time, youshould remember one point. The wise men inIndia, regardless of their tradition, whether theywere from the north, south, east or west, wereinspired by the philosophy, by the approach, butthey were never satisfied with the final answerbecause the final answer is with God, not withman. We have to be open minded all the time.The wise men, whether Shankaracharya or anyother saint, have explained very clearly how thesoul moves from one body to enter another.However, no matter which body it adopts, thesoul has to face and experience the karma thatit has reaped. This is eternal process until theday we are emancipated.

Final thought isthe Guide

By Paramahansa Satyananda Saraswati,(Bhakti Yoga Sagar Vol.5)

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Freedom - My Choice!One of these days I received a message from

Swamiji that the topic for the August issue isFreedom- Freedom in every sense. The last wordcaught my attention. For a while I couldn’tperceive. I was not that free to catch theconcept in a jiffy. After thinking for a moment itoccurred to me- is Swamiji testing me? Because,for the last issue also he asked me to write onGuru Purnima. Though writing on a spiritualtopic was not my cup of tea, I could manage towrite purely with the confidence he reposed inme in attempting the topic. Before I could takea free long breath I am asked to write on thisintricate topic and I realized how important it isto be free to conceive anything. The topic is“Freedom”- the problem is if I take more libertyI may go overboard or if I restrict myself it losesits beauty - because the topic is freedom. As Iwas penning down I understood how difficult itis to enter into a phase called FREEDOM. Aman with much curiosity once asked SwamiVivekananda, “Swamiji, being a great patriotwhy can’t you make this country, India free?”Swamiji candidly replied, “My friend, I can makeyou all free, but can you retain that freedom?”What Swamiji was referring to was about thepurest form of Freedom which Gandhiji dreamtof and which even today we could not achieve.Freedom in every sense means and includesalmost everything under the sun, where progressor change is inevitable. Freedom may be takenin a different sense, in a different context butthe very meaning remains the same. It isreaching a stage where it is better than before,having a better clarity than before, havingprogressed from stagnation, more dynamic thanstatic, having a better idea than before, havinga better understanding than before, having morespace of your own than before. Freedom for anation is different from individual freedom,spiritual freedom is different from worldlyfreedom, freedom from responsibility is differentfrom freedom from irresponsibility and child-likefreedom is different from childish freedom.Freedom is like a two edged sword which has tobe handled carefully.

Feeling free is different from really being free.But nothing is ever superior to a free mind andsoul. The soul of freedom is always like a fresh

water stream where you can see its bottom ora beautiful smile on the face of a child. A freenation is that which is free from poverty, illiteracyand insecurity. Mahatma Gandhiji said, “A nationis that, that provides peace and prosperity to itscitizens.” The nation alone survives when itceases the slavish attitude. We as a nation wereunited before independence and are dividingourselves in the name of religion, caste andcreed. Firstly we need to be free from thesedogmas. Can’t we evolve a concept called‘INDIAN’ wherein a person is recognized by hisskills and intellect and not by any religion orcaste? A personal or an individual freedom isthat which is free from anger, fear, weakness,jealousy and greed. Without relinquishing thesetendencies how could individual freedom beachieved? Being your true self under allcircumstances and having a stoic attitude is theonly easiest way to attain such freedom. Tomake others free we need not lose our freedom.Bal Gangadhar Tilak said: ‘a slave with a freemind is better than a person enjoying freedombut having a dependent mind.’ Coming toSpiritual freedom, once a guru along with hisdisciple was about to cross a stream. They hadthe power of walking on water. Having knownthis, a lady requested the monks to carry heracross the stream. The disciple hesitated, buthis guru carried her across and left her. After awhile the disciple started discussing about thatlady. The guru says ‘I left her after crossing thestream but you seem to be still carrying her.’This is the true spiritual freedom- doing deedswith a free mind. Once Swami Turiyananda wasabout to be operated upon for an ailment andthe doctors were to give him sedatives. Swamijisimply requested them to inform the time whenthey are exactly going to operate upon him andwhen they informed, he simply withdrew thesense of his body in that area where operationwas to be done- this is also a freedom where youwithdraw your sense and make your body free.A man strives hard throughout his life to amasshuge wealth for his family and himself and thinksthat he is free from all the hardships- the stageis Worldly Freedom but where is the free timefor him to enjoy those fruits. The freedom mayallow him to think that he had made a niche ofhis own, but unfortunately he left no room forhimself. Freedom from responsibility is thatwhere the man had reached a stage, where he

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had accomplished all his duties: what he wassupposed to do as a son to his parents, as ahusband to his wife, as a father to his children.He had done all including his responsibilitytowards his nation like paying taxes and helpedthe needy the way best possible for him. Bestexample is Nagamahasay, a household discipleof Sri Ramakrishna who has not only done hisduties as a householder but reached a pinnaclein the spiritual line. Sri Ramakrishna would say,“Hold work with one hand and with the otherGod. After completion of the work hold Godwith both hands.” Nagamahasay had doneexactly the same and attained freedom fromresponsibilities. Some people resist dischargingtheir responsibilities but speak of rights; onewho has not realized one’s responsibility has noright to demand his rights. Freedom fromirresponsibility is a stage where the person hasto realize that the freedom lies in taking up theresponsibility but not shying away from it.

Child like freedom is a great state of mind. Achild accepts people as they are and loves tomingle with them without any attachments orattributes. The acceptance levels are such thatthe child enjoys irrespective of the experiencethe child had on the day the mother scolded orbeat up her baby. If we look at the child, itnever carries yesterday with it but lives in thepresent always. The child is free from thosefeelings, but being adults we ignore to followthis simple rule. We maintain relations dependingon our positive experience with them; if anythinggoes awry we carry with us the same impressionabout them for the remaining time of our lives.Knowing fully and having failed to notice ourweakness we try to build a comfort zone of ourown and never try to break the shell and stillpretend to be free. This is feeling free but notreally free. We are not free unless we make ourmind a duster to wipe off all our bad experiencesand learn to begin with clean slates. It is saidthat ‘for a wise man, everyday is a newbeginning’. The secret lies in not carrying overany mental baggage but freeing the mind bythe end of the day which will create a wholenew atmosphere and can enjoy his freedom. Asuccessful businessman was once asked whatthe secret of his success was to which he repliedthat everyday before going to bed he emptiesall the papers and currency from his pants and

shirt pockets and sleeps peacefully. Similarly ifwe practice to unload all our worries or tensionsby the end of the day we can lead a peaceful life.At least we can start our day with a new hope.Once we reach that stage we can call ourselvesfree.

A calm and peaceful mind or soul is the bestamong all the freedoms and the trailblazer for allfreedoms. Mahatma Gandhi is still rememberedand revered as father of our nation for his noblequalities. He could attain these qualities onlythrough a calm and cool mind. He was activelycalm and calmly active. A free mind hasdetachment. Whenever anything is done in adetached manner, it becomes what is calledNISHKAMA SEVA whose result will benefit peopleat large. Similarly a cool headed person can bringsuccess in his field and lead by example for hiscolleagues.

A real freedom will bring a confidence andassures individual happiness and peace. A positivethought about tomorrow will make people morefree. A man with non-violence as his weapon hadfreed the nation from slavery. This is the bestexample for true freedom; he was individuallyfree and had dreamt of the same for hiscompatriots at large. His dream of independencewas realized only through that thought calledFreedom- Freedom at any cost. A mind which isfree would alone bring change; similarly a nationwhich is free from poverty and illiteracy wouldflourish. A free atmosphere would enable thechild to grow. A spiritual seeker free from theworldly desires would progress in the line of self-realization.

On this August occasion let us rededicateourselves and resolve to make ourselves freefrom one of our bad qualities. Help a child labourerin becoming free and send him to school, try tobe free from bad thoughts, try to do work onhand with a free mind, try to avoid carryingmental baggage with you wherever you go bydoing which you will make others also free. Dreamand sustain enthusiasm to attain freedom fromall the forces that act as hindrances in youradvancement in the path to the stage calledFREEDOM.

- M. Koti RajasekharE.Mail ID : koti.rajsekhar@gmail.com

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Very few people are blessed to live with divinesouls. When we are blessed, we should utilizeevery moment to imbibe the essence of theirteachings. Each of us is awarethat God is residing in ourhearts and the real Guru iswithin us. But can we feeland experience Him? Weknow we are ever free. Butare we really experiencing thefreedom? The answer is a bigNO. We are all bound by ourown body and mind anddesires. Then what is the wayto freedom? Here comes External Guru’s help.A baby in the womb derives all energy from themother through the umbilical cord; similarlywith spiritual bond we can also imbibe thequalities of the Guru.

I wanted to narrate a small but significantincident which happened a few years back.Swami Nachiketananda desired to bring up twoDoberman puppies and His desire was fulfilledwhen they were gifted by a devotee. Heexhibited the happiness of a child when Hereceived them. He made a room for themdownstairs and He made provision for them tocome to His room through the mesh door withHis carpentry skills. The puppies adored Swamijiand they always wanted to be with Him whetherHe was in the office or doing His sadhana. ButHe was never disturbed by them. Who will notbe attracted to such a pure, loving soul? The

inmates of the Ashram were amused to see theirpranks.

Unfortunately, this did not last long. Suddenlyone of the puppies had fallensick and the other followed suit.Swamiji took them to thehospital and the doctor advisedthey should be kept in thehospital for 3-4 days. It waspeak summer and the roomswere too small with tinnedroofs. Swamiji decided to stayback with the puppies andwatched silently as drip was

administered. He took extreme care of them,though they did not survive. Though He knew oftheir fate when they were brought to Him, Hedid not fail in attending to them. He showeredon them all His love and the puppies were reallyblessed to be liberated in His presence. This wassomething to watch and learn. In the presentday scenario if we come to know what is goingto happen our thinking and behavioral patternswould immediately change. We do our workexpecting results. But I have never seen Himfunction with any expectations. I personally feelthere is no need for listening to big lectures ondetachment or freedom. The above incidentteaches us many subtle things if we want tolearn. Some will preach, some will teach, somewill only demonstrate. Swamiji belongs to thelatter category. I thank Him for revealing to methe true meaning of FREEDOM.

Detachment does not mean becoming apathetic to thingsaround you. That is not the meaning of detachment. ‘Idon’t care. Children are weeping there, I don’t care. Ihave no attachment.’ That is not detachment. Love isthere, but no attachment is there. Pure love can flow fromyou when you are truly detached.

- Vasundhara P.

- Swami Ranganathananda

Living with A Divine Soul

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Shri Ramachandra kripalu bhaja manaharana bhava bhaya darunam

Nava kanja lochana kanja mukha karakanja pada kanjarunam

O mind! Worship the compassionate ShreeRamachandra,

Who destroys fear of thephenomenal world.

His eyes are like fresh lotuses.He is lotus faced.

His hands are like lotuses,His feet are like lotuses.

The Power and Divinity of Rama nam havebeen acclaimed time and again by Gods andSaints including Lord Shiva Himself.Goswami Sant Tulasidas through Ramanam Kirtan brought a dead man backto life proving that His Divine name isas powerful or even greater than theLord Himself. “Rama” is a mantra, therepetition of which leads to higherstates of consciousness. Rama itselfmeans the one which is present inevery atom of this universe- “RaamNam so hi jaaniye jo ramta sakal jahan,ghut ghut me jo ram raha usko RaamPechchan.”

Tulsidas is regarded as the kaliyugreincarnation of Valmiki as proclaimed by Shivain Bhavishyottara purana and hisRamcharitmanas as Tulasi-krit Ramayan.Ramcharitmanas was written in Devnagariscript, Awadhi language in seven kandasencompassing three folds of God realization:Sublime Bhakti, Divine Knowledge and Mukti orSalvation. Ramcharitmanas considered as thebest work on Devotion by Mahatma Gandhiwas completed by Tulsidas in a short time of 2years 7 months and 26 days. Goswami Tuslidasbegins each chapter of this work with aninvocation of God, as he believed that readingand writing of the story of Lord Rama requiresthe right frame of mind and the Divine

assistance of God. Tulsidas endsevery chapter in the samemanner.

Tulsidas follows an eclecticapproach to realization of God. Like SriRamanuja He believes in a supreme personalGod, possessing all gracious qualities (saguna),as well as like Sankaracharya in the quality-less(nirguna) impersonal Brahman. The fact thatLord Himself takes human form, and becomesincarnate, Rama, Krishna and so on, this body isto be honored, not despised. The Lord is to beapproached by faith, devotion and surrender ofself in perfect love, and all actions are to be

purified of self-interest in contemplationof Him. He is all in all. Therefore loving allcreatures is, loving God and thereforethe surest way to happiness. Accordingto Tulsidas, Rama is Satchitananda, theall pervading Brahman, a sun who dispelsthe darkness of ignorance and as Shivasays ‘the story of Rama is an axe whichfells the tree of Kaliyuga.’ In theUttarakanda of Ramcharitmanas, theBhakti in all its glory echoes advaitism.

Tulsidas at one time surrenders, “I am the servantand He my master, hold fast to this doctrine andworship the lotus feet of Rama” and at theother merges, “I am That - this unbroken mentalstate is the flame which burns away theignorance. No distinction is possible at this state.”The loss of individual is the only way to attainthe Supreme Bliss according to Tulsidas.

Iti vadati tulasidasashankara-sesha-muni-mana-ranjanam

Mama hridai kanja-nivaasa kuru,kaamaadi khala-dala-ganjanam

Thus says Tulsidas, worship Him who pleasesShankara and all the sages,

Reside in the lotus of my heart, destroyingevil feelings like lust.

(Tulsidas Jayanti-16th of August 2010)

Sri Rama Stuti

“Ramayan is the sublime shadow of the tree of Divinity. One whoseeks it, or comes near it, leaves his miseries far and behind.”

- Goswami Sant Tulasidas

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Smiles of F18

Freedom19

- Annapurna R.

As a Telugu poem fromSumathi Shatakam goes, the joyof parenting is not experienced asmuch at the time of the birth of achild as when the child isrecognized for his/her success bythe world! This has been very truein my case. Virtues of my childrenhave been sources of such pridethat my heart bursts into spraysof jasmines and lotuses, veinsgurgle joyously as the waters ofGanga and Godavari and my hair sways withhappiness as paddy and wheat grasses. IndeedI have been the proudest mother ever. I have,like anyone else on this earth gone through upsand downs. Taking in a stride, from the glory ofthe golden rule of Sri Rama, the honor ofwitnessing the Gitopadesha I traveled a longroad into the Kali yuga. My children who havecherished the good times thrived in the difficulttimes too with the help of patience, hope andtenacity which they inherited from me. Everyfamily has to have a hero to lead it on the Roadto Glory. It is not by sustaining but only byoutperforming his legacy does one win accoladesof the world. And I am proud to claim that Ibore innumerable such heroes from my goldenwomb, who for my honour and freedom havelaid their lives with iron wills and lotus hearts.Today I wish to pay homage especially to thosechildren who sacrificed themselves to give me anew life so that rest of their family shall live indignity.

“Atithi devobhava” has been a value of ourculture since times immemorial. Havingassimilated the same we welcomed thePortuguese ship San Gabriel led by Vasco daGama in 1498 that sailed around the Cape ofGood Hope to finally dock at Calicut on theMalabar Coast. Around this time India was eyedby the rest of the world for its wealth andspices. In the footsteps of Portuguese, Dutch,English and French also entered India to establishtrade relationships under the banner of EastIndia Company. However, the English byinitiating successful diplomatic relations withthe Mughal court gained in the process not onlyfriends in the Mughal court but also the

A Mother’sPride

Emperor’s permission to establisha British East India Companytrading post at Surat by 1618.British East India Companygenerated more than ten percentof England’s revenue so theirtrading interests took the form ofpolitical ambition and gradually likethe fabled camel; they exploited agesture of welcome into gaininggovernance of our country. Indiabecame British India and my ownsons and daughters had to paycompensation to the Queen ofEngland. In a move to establish

their rule permanently in India British introducedthe railways, telegraph and postal service inIndia. But due to number of factors my childrenstarted to grow increasingly resentful of Britain’spolitical and cultural motives in India. As aculmination of which my patriotic sons anddaughters unceasingly confronted the Britishstarting from the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 to theSwadeshi movement to The Quit India movementin 1942, adapting diverse means from Violenceto Non-violence; adhering to the mantra “Do ordie” until the midnight of August 15th 1947 andrestored my freedom. My brave soldiers metwith all the disruptions, brutal beatings,humiliating punishments, and even deathsentences with great poise and dignity for myindependence. Bhagat Singh, Subhash ChandraBose, Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak,Mangal Pandey, Tantia Tope, Rani of Jhansi,Madam Bhikaji Cama, Lala Lajpat Rai, BipinChandra Pal, Sukhdev, Gopal KrishnaGokhale,Chandrashekhar Azad, SarojiniNaidu, Dadabhai Naoroji, SuchetaKriplani and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, ArunaAsaf Ali, Durgabai Deshmukh are just a fewnames and forms to mention, of my valiantchildren whose footsteps today’s generationscan follow.

Today my family comprises of 1,150,000,000(1.15 billion) members. Even if half ofus demonstrate an iota of the exemplary spiritof responsibility, selflessness, courage,perseverance, determination and patriotism ofour gallant heroes, our family would lead rest ofthe nations of this world. Let us march on tomake this fact a verity of today!

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Goddess Lakshmi is one ofthe most important figures inthe Hindu pantheon. Traditiontells us to pray to the Goddessfirst, because with Her kind andbenevolent heart, She willintercede with the Lord for thegranting of any boon. There aremany festivals in the yeardedicated to Goddess Lakshmi.Among them, VaralakshmiVratham is unique because it ismarked by strict observance ofcertain practices and austerities.

Varalakshmi puja is observed by marriedwomen in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,Maharashtra and other parts of South India. TheFriday before the full moon or Pournima day ofthe month of Shravan (August) is chosen toperform Varalakshmi puja. Worshipping GoddessLakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshippingAshtalakshmi- the eight Goddesses of Wealth,Earth, Learning, Love, Fame, Peace, Pleasureand Strength.

The legend behind the Varalakshmi puja andvratam is fascinating. It was a game of dicewhich caused a small tiff between Lord Shivaand Parvathi as to who was the victor. An honestgana, Chitranemi, was asked to arbitrate and hedecided in Shiva’s favour. An angry Parvati cursedhim to suffer from leprosy. When Shiva pleadedwith her, She gave in and said, the day womenin the world observed Varalakshmi puja,Chitranemi would get deliverance. Chitranemigot relief when he observed some womenperforming the puja. Ever since then, this vratamhas been observed. This vratam is mentioned inthe Skanda purana.

There is also another legend that tells us thestory of a very pious lady Charumathi who wasasked by Goddess Lakshmi, in her dream, to dothe vratam along with other ladies in her village.Charumati followed the instructions and wasamazed to find her body decked with jewels and

Varalakshmi Vratam

their homes full of riches. Fromthen on, women startedperforming this vratam everyyear seeking wealth andprosperity in their families.

On the day of the puja,houses are cleaned and shrinesdecorated. The main pujabegins by worshipping LordGanesha to remove all obstaclesand evil forces. Later, GoddessLakshmi is invoked into akalasha filled with water and

decorated with mango leaves and a coconutsmeared with turmeric and vermillion. GoddessLakshmi is worshipped by chanting Ashtottarasatanama (108 names) and offered nine varietiesof delicacies as naivedhyam. Toram, a bunch ofnine threads, is tied to the right hand wrist ofthe person performing the puja. In conclusion ofthe vratam hymns are sung in praise of GoddessLakshmi and married women are invited toreceive tamboolam (an offering of betel leaves,betel nuts, Fruits, vermillion, turmeric anddakshina) which signifies prosperity.

In 2010, the puja date is August 20th, Friday.Those who cannot perform it on that day can doit on any other Friday in the month of Shravan.More than the religious aspect let us derivespiritual benefits by staying tuned to GoddessVaralakshmi on the auspicious day.

- Source: Festivals of India

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This is not a fanatic outburstof a staunch religious believer.In fact, this article has nothing,absolutely nothing to do with areligion. So, what does “Hindu”mean? Who is a Hindu? What isHinduism??? Answers to thesequestions can be profoundlygiven in the words of SadguruJaggi Vasudev of ISHAfoundation, Coimbatore, one ofthe most enlightened spiritual masters living onearth today. “The word ‘HINDU’ comes fromthe word ‘Sindhu’ which is a river. The civilizationthat was on the banks of this river was calledthe Sindhu civilization. When the Persians camethey could not pronounce Sindhu, so called itIndu. Over a period of time it became Hindu. SoHindu is a geographical identity and to someextent a cultural identity not a religious identityat all. Hindu was never an ‘ism’. It is only whenhugely aggressive religions came that the Hindustried to organize themselves into a religion butwithout success. Because, there is no one beliefsystem. In fact, there is no belief system at all.You can believe God as a man or a woman andbe a good Hindu, you can worship a snake or atree or a monkey and be a good Hindu. Youneed not believe in God and still be a goodHindu.”

“This culture, which grew in this particularpart of the planet, focused its whole attentionon the ultimate well-being of a human being.The immediate well-being was not tooimportant. Generally, it is said that ‘Hindu’ meansin your life there is only one goal – ‘Mukti’ whichmeans liberation. The ultimate liberation is theonly goal a Hindu has. Everything else issecondary. Even God is just one more device forhim to attain mukti. Generally, in every religion,God is the ultimate goal. But this is a culturewhere we do not see God as the ultimate thing,because we know we created Him. And we can

create any number of Gods andany kind we want. We can turna rock into God and we createdthis whole art and science ofconsecration. Nobody else onthis planet looks at it this way.If you explore the deeperdimensions of this culture,nowhere else has humanityever invested that much timeand energy to look at the inner

well-being of a human being. It is absolutelyincredible. Here this doesn’t come from a beliefsystem. It happens as a science. Because of thisyou cannot call Hinduism a religion. It is a wayof life, a culture which gives freedom to everybodyto have their own religion, to worship anythingthey can relate to or not worship if they don’tneed to but still be a good Hindu. I think this isthe freedom and sense that we need in theworld today. In this world, conflict has alwaysbeen projected as good versus bad. But the truthis, conflict is always between one man’s beliefversus another man’s belief. Belief might giveyou confidence but confidence without clarity ishighly dangerous.”

To sum up, the word ‘Hindu’ is synonymous to‘Indian’ geographically. It is an identity to aculture which knew the true sense of freedom, afreedom from the limitations of the mind andego, from the bondages of attachments andcompulsions, a freedom to even go beyond thelimitations of nationality and culture and to bean infinite blissful Self. So, anybody who is walkingtowards ‘Ultimate liberation’ is a Hinduirrespective of not only his religion but alsonationality. I am very proud to be a Hindu and Iwould like to be born again on this sacred soil ifnot as a human in any form possible for this is theonly land on earth where even a stone can betransformed into Shiva – God.

JAI HIND ‘U’ - Uma M.

Be Proud To Be A Hindu

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COCOON- A caterpillar, for sure knows it will becomea butterfly with nature’s help.

A great freedom fighter when travelling through themountains found a cocoon of a butterfly. When a smallopening appeared, he sat and watched the butterflyfor several hours as it struggled to force its bodythrough the opening without making any progress.Being a great freedom fighter that he was, he took apair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of thecocoon. The butterfly that emerged out of the cocoonhad a swollen body and small shriveled wings. In factthe butterfly was never able to fly. What the man inhis kindness and haste did not understand was that therestricting cocoon and the struggle required for thebutterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature’sway of forcing fluid in the body of the butterfly into itswing, so that it would be ready for flight once itachieved freedom from the cocoon. That night amonghis group of caravans he saw a beautiful parrot in acage, continually repeating the word “Freedom,Freedom” and it would go on echoing in the valleys andmountains. Being a great freedom fighter that he was,in the middle of the night, he opened the cage andasked the parrot to fly out. He was surprised that theparrot was clinging and refused to move. He pulled theparrot out and threw him into the sky, satisfied. In themorning as he was waking up he heard the parrotshouting “Freedom, Freedom”, still sitting in the cagewith the door open.

The freedom fighter realized that sometimes strugglesare exactly what we need in our life and if we wereallowed through our lives without obstacles it wouldcripple us and we would not be as strong as we couldhave been to fly. The freedom fighter realized that hewas a slave to his own idea of freedom and realizedthe value of waiting right upon time, as the caterpillarand parrot were clear about their purpose in life.Freedom to be yourself, know yourself, to explore yourown nature brings much more bliss. Finally it is notfreedom from something or somebody that matters,but liberation for one’s own existence that does.

- Dr Surendra

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL…Do You Ever Crave For Freedom At All?

- Not Really!

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amskrit - Lesson SixlɱÉÈ lÉÉqÉ ÌMüqÉç? nadyAH nAma kim?lɱÉÈ lÉÉqÉ aÉ…¡ûÉ| nadyAH nAma ga~ggA.What is the name of the river? River’s name is Ganga.

pÉÉUiÉxrÉ UÉeÉkÉÉlrÉÉÈ lÉÉqÉ ÌMüqÉç? bhAratasya rAjadhAnyAH nAma kim?pÉÉUiÉxrÉ UÉeÉkÉÉlÉÏ SåWûsÉÏ| bhAratasya rAjadhAnI dehalI.What is the name of Bharat’s capital? Bharat’s capital is Delhi.

Here are more examples:

eÉlÉlÉÏ – eÉlÉlrÉÉÈ jananI – jananyAH : Mother – Mother’spÉuÉiÉÏ – pÉuÉirÉÉÈ bhavatI – bhavayAH : (Feminine) You - YoursÉåZÉlÉÏ – sÉåZÉlrÉÉÈ lekhanI – lekhanyAH : Pen – Pen’sMüiÉïUÏ – MüiÉïrÉÉïÈ kartarI – kartaryAH : Scissors – Scissors’

Now we will look at neutral gender.

uÉÉsqÉÏÌMüÈ MüÈ? vAlmIkiH kaH?uÉÉsqÉÏÌMüÈ UÉqÉÉrÉhÉxrÉ MüiÉÉï| vAlmIkiH rAmAyaNasya kartA.Who is Valmiki? Valmiki is Ramayana’s author.

aÉÏiÉxrÉ UÉaÉÈ E¨ÉqÉÈ| gItasya rAgaH uttamaH.The tune of the song is good.

pÉuÉlÉxrÉ AÉæ³ÉirÉqÉç AÍkÉMüqÉç| bhavanasya aunnatyam adhikam.The height of the building is more. (The building is very high.)

Müƒ¡ûiÉxrÉ uÉhÉïÈ lÉÏsÉÈ| ka~gkatasya varNaH nIlaH.The colour of the comb is blue.

The ‘akArAnta’ neutral words have ‘m’ in its noun form. A ‘sya’ appears in the wordexpressing relationships – as in the case of ‘akArAnta’ masculine nouns – but in theplace of ‘m’ at the end.

aÉÏiÉqÉç – aÉÏiÉxrÉ gItam – gItasya : Song – Song’spÉuÉlÉqÉç – pÉuÉlÉxrÉ bhavanam – bhavanasya : Building – Building’sMüƒ¡ûiÉqÉç - Müƒ¡ûiÉxrÉ ka~gkatam – ka~gkatasya : Comb – Comb’s

- Krupalu Ogeti, Secretary, Samskrit Bharati, Hyderabadokrupalu@samskritam.net

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Onam is undoubtedly the most spectacularfestival of Kerala. It falls during the first month ofMalayalee calendar which is Chingam (August-September) and marks the home coming of thelegendary King Mahabali or Onathappan as fondlycalled by the Keralites. But there is a lot more toOnam than being just a festival. Onam reflects thefaith of the people of Kerala, a belief in theirlegendary past, religion and power of worship.

The legend of King Mahabali is the most popularand the most fascinating of all legends behind Onam.Kerala witnessed its golden era during the reign ofking Mahabali. The king was considered to be wise,judicious and extremely generous. It is said thatpeople never locked their houses, as dharmaprevailed in his reign. There was no poverty, sorrowor disease and the king was highly respected by hiscitizens. Apart from all his virtues, the king had oneshortcoming. He was egoistic. However, for all thegood deeds done by him, Lord Vishnu granted theboon when Mahabali requested that he be allowedto visit Kerala once in a year. It is the day of the visitof king Mahabali to Kerala that is celebrated asOnam every year. People make elaboratepreparations to welcome their dear king and wishto please his spirit by depicting that his people arehappy and wish him well.

People are in best form and spirit during the tenday long festival, starting from the first day Athamand continuing till the tenth and biggest called‘Thiru Onam.’ The most impressive part of Onamcelebration is the grand feast called ‘Onasadya’prepared on Thiru Onam. It is a nine course mealconsisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes. The grandmeal is served on banana leaves and people sit ona mat laid on the floor to have the meal. Anotherenchanting feature of Onam is Vallamkali, the Snakeboat race, held on the river Pampa. There is also atradition to play games, collectively called Onakalikal.Men go for rigorous sports while women indulge incultural activities. They make intricately designedflower mats called, Pookalam in the front courtyardof their houses to welcome Onathappan.

Let us participate in their festivities and sharetheir joy in seeking the blessings of King Mahabali onOnam, August 23rd 2010 in ‘God’s own country.’

ONATHAPPAN

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It is a discernible fact that religion paves wayto spirituality. When followed in the right sense,religion predisposes oneself towards spirituality.It is unquestionable that Hindus are the mostopportune in this respect that their religion, likea loving parent walks its child into theenlightening school of spirituality. Each and everyelement of Hinduism is conducive to the healthygrowth of her child and observation of vratamsand celebration of festivals is one of them.Another salient angle of Hinduism: Worship ofanimals, echoes the underlying as well asdistinguishing principle of our religion that allcreation of His is sentient. The month of Shravanis considered to be one of the auspicious of the12 and the most auspicious of the Chaturmasaand it heralds the onset of a stretch of festivitiesending the lull of Ashadam. Let us reiterate thesignificance of a few of the less known Shravanfestivals here.

Hayagriva JayantiThe Teacher of Goddess Saraswati

Hayagreeva Avatar, the God of Vidya, is theforemost of Vishnu avatars and dates back tothe very beginning of the Srushti (projection) ofthe universe. ‘Haya’ means horse and ‘greeva’means neck. The horse-faced incarnation ofVishnu with His crystal-hued, luminous formdescended for the redemption of souls fromsamsara, up into His realm of blissfulness.

At the time of Creation Vishnu through Hisbreath of Vedas, taught Brahma theCreation. But Brahma became conceited aboutthe possession of Vedas and the status of ‘Shrustikarta’. Maha Vishnu wanted to regain Brahma’shumility and created two Asuras named Madhuand Kaitabha who stole Vedas from Brahma andhid them in Paatala. On realizing his folly Brahmacame running to Vishnu for help in retrievingVedas from asuras. Maha Vishnu incarnatedHimself as Sri Hayagreeva, who declared a waron Paatala loka, triumphed over Madhu(tamoguna)and Kaitabha(rajo guna)and restored Vedasfrom Asuras and handed them over to Brahma.

In The Path of Spirituality…Saawan

Hayagreeva Jayanthi falls on the full moonday of the month ‘Shravana’ which happens onthe 23rd of August in 2010. As the protector ofthe Vedas, Hayagreeva was born on this day. Upakarma (change of the sacred thread) is alsoperformed on this day in South Indian States –Andhra Pradesh (Jandhyala Purnima), Karnataka(Yajur Upakarma or Rig Upakarma), Tamilnaduand Kerala (Avani Avittam). According toscriptures Hayagreeva was the first person tooffer Aksharabhyasam and teach knowledge toGoddess Saraswati. Hence it is believed that ifVidyabhyasam of a child is performed in thecloseness of Hayagreeeva, the child will flourishin education. Students worship Lord Hayagreevaon this day seeking knowledge and wisdom. OnHayagreeva Jayanthi, married women performTulasi pooja seeking prosperity and happiness offamily and rest of the family joins in to get theblessings of Lord Sri Hayagreeva.

Hayagreeva Stotram, written and compiledby the great saint, poet and logicianVenkatanatha also known as Swamy VedantaDesikan in 13th century, comprises of 33 slokas.Chanting His stotram is the ultimate way toattain fluency over words, true knowledgeand wisdom along with self-confidence andcourage to face challenges in life. The first twostanzas of the stotram are given below:

Jnyana nadamayam devamNirmala spatikakrutim!

Aadharam sarvavidyanamHayagriva Mupasmahe!!

Meaning:

We meditate upon thatSupreme One, who has theneck and face of a horse andwho is the embodiment ofJnyana (divine Knowledge)and Ananda (Bliss). He has aThirumeni (body) like aradiant, blemish lessSpatikam (Crystal) and is theabode of all Vidyas (branchesof Learning).

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Whether it is because Lord Vishnu chose Shesha Nag symbolizingeternity to recline or Lord Shiva adorns His neck with cobras or LordSubramanya offered refuge to Vasuki and other serpents, honoringsnakes has been a part of the Hindu religion from Vedic times. Snakescarved or painted on the walls of many Hindu temples testifies this.Also it is believed that a Cobra saved the life of Buddha and anotherprotected the Jain Muni Parshwanath. The fifth day of the Shravanis celebrated as Naga Panchami in many parts of India. No doubtthere is an element of fear among human beings for Snakes owingto their poisonous bite but Hinduism has prescribed peace andpropitiation of snakes rather than violence and annihilation inaccordance with its core principle that God is omnipresent and canbe reached only through love. Also praying to snakes in snake pits andtemples helps people in overcoming the fears they have for thesefascinating, sinuous species. This time of the year serpents come outof their holes that get drowned in rain-water to seek shelter ingardens and many times in houses. Thus it is logical that NagPanchami, one of the most ancient fasts is observed on the fifth dayof the waxing lunar cycle of Shravan. However as legend explains, itwas on this day that Lord Krishna as child’s play tamed the evil Kaliyaliving in Yamuna harassing the townsfolk of Repalle and it is thistriumph of Little Krishna that we celebrate on Nag Panchami. Devoteesfast on the Panchami day and take food only in the evening. Topropitiate snakes they are bathed with milk; haldi-kumkum is sprinkledon their heads and milk and rice are offered as “naivedya”. Hindusbelieve in the immortality of a snake because of its habit of sloughingits skin. As such Eternity in Hinduism is often represented by a serpenteating its own tail. The prominent Cobra snakes mentioned in thePuranas are Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia,Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra and Pingal

Naga Panchami falls on 14thAugust in 2010.

Naga Panchami

Things to do during themonth of Shravan

♦♦♦♦♦ Chant Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra.

♦♦♦♦♦ Offer Bilva Patra and Panchamrut (mixture of milk, curd,ghee,honey & sugar) on Shiva Linga.

♦♦♦♦♦ Offer Tambul to Lord Shiva and get good results.

♦♦♦♦♦ Wear Rudraksh and use a Rudraksh mala for chanting.

♦♦♦♦♦ Offer darbh (a kind of grass) mixed in water and get rid of diseases.

♦♦♦♦♦ Make ablution to Lord Shiva to make your soul pure.

♦♦♦♦♦ Coronate Lord Shiva with the holy water of river Ganges, to attain salvation.

♦♦♦♦♦ Offer honey, ghee and sugarcane and attain wealth.

♦♦♦♦♦ Offer Naivedya and get blessed with a long and satisfied life.

- Annapurna R.

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Sri Aurobindoborn on 15th

August 1872 wasa revolutionary,poet, philosopher,writer and SpiritualMaster. He wished

to bring the divine into all aspects of life. Whenhe was studying in Cambridge University hebecame aware of the plight of his country, atthe time under the rule of the British Empire.He returned to India at the age of 21 and wascommitted to working for Indian independence.On his return to Indian soil he was overwhelmedwith a feeling of intense inner peace. Throughhis journal Bande Mataram, Sri Aurobindo wasthe first leader to call for the full independenceof India.

He once received an ‘inner command’ thathenceforth he should not worry about politicsand India would gain independence in duecourse but this would be achieved by others. Histask was the renewal of “Sanathana dharma,the eternal religion.” This made him leave thepolitical arena. In his own words “We mustreturn and seek the sources of life and strengthwithin ourselves…It is the spiritual revolutionwe foresee and the material is only its shadowand reflex.”

He delivered a lecture in the Grand Squareof the National school, Amraoti, Berar, onJanuary 29th 1908. The meeting commencedwith the singing of Bande Mataram a song inBengali of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee which hetranslated. He said that he was exceedinglypleased to know that the song had become sopopular in all parts of India and that it wasbeing so repeatedly sung. The song, he said,was not only a national anthem, but one repletewith mighty power, being a sacred mantra,revealed to us by the author of ‘Ananda Math,’who might be called an inspired Rishi. He furtherdescribed the manner in which the mantra hadbeen revealed to Bankim Chandra, probably by

Sri Aurobindoa sannyasi under whose teaching he was. Hesaid the mantra was not an invention, but arevivification of the old mantra which hadbecome extinct. The mantra of Bankim Chandrawas not appreciated in his own days and hepredicted that there would come a time whenthe whole of India would resound with the singingof the song and the word of the prophet wasmiraculously fulfilled.

The meaning of the song was not understoodthen because there was no patriotism exceptsuch as consisted in making India the shadow ofEngland and other countries which dazzled thesight of the sons of this our Motherland withtheir glory and opulence. The so called patriotsof that time might have been the well-wishers ofIndia but not men who loved her. One who lovedhis mother never looked to her defects, neverdisregarded her as an ignorant, superstitiousand degraded woman.

Sri Aurobindo then unfolded the meaning ofthe song. As with the individual, so with thenation, there were three bodies or koshas. Theaudience sat before him like dumb statues, notknowing where they were or whether they werelistening to a prophet revealing to them thehigher mysteries of life. He then concluded witha most pathetic appeal to true patriotism andexhorted the audience to love the Motherlandand sacrifice everything to bring about hersalvation.

- Source: Biography of Sri Aurobindo

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Mother, I bow to theeRich with thy hurrying streams,Bright with thy orchard gleams,Cool with thy winds of delight,

Dark fields waving, Mother of might,Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreamsOver thy branches and lordly streams,

Clad in thy blossoming trees,Mother given of ease,

Laughing low and sweet!Mother, I kiss thy feet,

Speaker sweet and low!Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weakin thy lands,

When the swords flash out in twice seventymillion hands,

And seventy millions voices roar,Thy dreadful name from

shore to shore?With many strengths who art

mighty and stored,To thee I call, Mother and Lord!Thou who savest, arise and save!

To her I cry who ever herfoemen drave,

Back from plain and sea,And shook herself free.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, With her hands that strike and

her swords of sheen,Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,Pure and perfect without peer,

Mother, lend thine ear.

Rich with thy hurrying streams,Bright with thy orchard gleams,

Dark of hue, O candid–fair,In thy soul, with jeweled hair,And thy glorious smile divine,Loveliest of all earthly lands,

Showering wealth fromwell-stored hands!

Mother, mother mine!Mother sweet, I bow to thee,

Mother great and free.

First published in “Bande Mataram,”January 29, 1908

Vande MataramVande MataramSong in Bengali of Bankim Chandra

Chatterjee (Translation by Sri Aurobindo)

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Tree

P l a n t a t i o n

With the help ofForest Department, we havetaken up plantation work inNachiketa Tapovan Ashram,Gairan Tanda, Kodgal Village,Jadcherla Mandal. Near about5000 plants are being planted.We the family of NachiketaTapovan, thank the ForestDepartment and special thanksto Sri Nageshwar Rao Garuand Sri Vijay Garu forproviding plants and takingpersonal care.

Kodgal Village peopleare planting trees

Kodgal Village peopleare planting trees

Chaitanya Arts Theatre presenting“Guardians of Goodwill” award to Nachiketa Tapovan

Organisation for selfless service to the mankind.

Sri Gurumurthy Garu, Forest Dept and SwamijiSri Gurumurthy Garu, Forest Dept and Swamiji

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Special Health CampENT & SKIN

Dr. RohiniOncologist

Suma NiketanTeam

Dr. Ramesh,ENT

Dr. Chendraidu,Dermatologist

SSSSSUUUUUMMMMMAAAAA

NNNNNIIIIIKKKKKEEEEETTTTTAAAAANNNNN Nachiketa Tapovan Team

distributing medicinesNachiketa Tapovan Team

distributing medicines

Dr. RohiniOncologist

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SPONSOR OPTIONSAnna daanam maha daanam; vidya daanam mahattaram.

Annena kshanika trupthihi yaavajjeevanthu vidyaya.Vidya Mandir at Nachiketa Tapovan is currently able to accommodate a family ofabout 150 children who receive all-round nourishment from man-makingeducation to milk-n-meals and basic health-aid in an atmosphere of genuinelove. Kind-hearted Well wishers have been the unseen force behind this offeringto God. We thank you for your continued support.

Vidya Daanam (Education) Rs. 4500/year/child

Anna Daanam (Mid-day Meals) Rs. 3500/day

Ksheera Daanam (Morning Milk) Rs. 700/dayVastra Daanam (Uniforms) Rs. 600/2 pairsDinnerware (Steel Plates & Glasses) Rs. 5000/ 50 setsStationery Supplies (Copier Paper) Rs. 5000/termFestivals Celebration Rs. 1500/festival

Oushadhi (Medical Supplies) Rs. 5000/month

Celebrate your Special Days with the Children at Nachiketa Tapovan!

PUBLICATION

The CDs comprise instructions given on different yogic techniquesbased on an extensive research done by Swami Nachiketananda and

assisted by other Swamis and volunteers. 'Om' - A divine melody is firstof the series. All the CDs are available at the Nachiketa Tapovan

premises at Kavuri Hills, and also in leading bookstores.

A set of 8 'Yogic CDs'were released on

1st April 2007.

Cost of eachCD is RS.35/-

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Dear Atman,

Nachiketa Tapovan has launched a massiveAshram project in Kodgal village, JadcherlaMandal in Mahboobnagar district with anoble vision of providing Free Education,Medical aid, Vocational training and Spiritualupliftment for the underprivileged. Temples,Dhyana mandir, Residential Campus, VidyaMandir and Dispensary are given priority inthe 1st Phase of construction. With the graceof the Almighty we have been movingforward towards the completion of some ofthese projects.

First we want to thank our supporters andwell wishers for accomplishing our goals ofconstructing a Dhyana Mandir andResidential Campus at the Ashram. Yoursupport was essential for meeting thesubstantial expenses of this Humanitarianwork for which we are deeply grateful. Atpresent our top priority is the major TempleProject and Vidya Mandir which are underconstruction. The total cost for these projectsis estimated at Rs 2.9 Crores Currently wehave collected Rs 1.19 Crores. The rest ofthe funds have to be raised to inauguratethe Ashram. For the coming year, our goal

is to continue reaching out to more andmore souls with our basic spiritual services,programs and publications and also toaccomplish a number of smaller projects atNachiketa Tapovan, Kavuri hills and Ashramat Jadcherla.

We hereby make a fervent appeal forgenerous donations. You can contribute tothe project in any manner possible. Pleaseparticipate in this noble task so that ourcultural heritage and religious traditions willbe safeguarded for the coming generations.

It may kindly be noted that donations toNachiketa Tapovan are exempted fromIncome Tax U/S 80 G of IT Act, 1961 of Govtof India. Donations in the form of cheques/Demand drafts may please be drawn in favourof Nachiketa Tapovan.

Yours in the service of Motherland

Swami Nachiketananda

AN APPEAL

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Nachiketa Tapovan istaking part in theDeepshikha mela.

Date:6th to 8th ofAugust, 2010

Venue:Jewel Gardens,

Sikh Village.Our stall will have

beautiful Rakhis andhandmade gifts made by

volunteers and thechildren of Nachiketa

Tapovan. All proceedswill be used for the needy

children of NachiketaTapovan’s Vidya Mandir.

We hope to see you there tosupport and encourage us.

Deepshikha Mela

With best wishes fromInfomile Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Freedom , is freedom for all!

Nachiketa Tapovan cordiallyinvites you to theIndependence Day

Celebrations.

Date:15th August 2010.

Time:9.30 am

Venue:Nachiketa Tapovan Vidya

Mandir#70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills,Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

500 033

Invitation

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a) You can send articles by email tonachiketanjali1@gmail.com or by post toNachiketanjali, Nachiketa Tapovan, PlotNo.70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur,Guttlabegumpet, Serilingampally, RangaReddy District. A.P., with your full name,address and contact details.

b) No article is returned.c) Your article should be reader friendly with

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f) The styles of references should be as perthe ‘Documentation of Sources’ given atthe end of the Merriam Webster’s CollegiateDictionary.

g) Editor reserves the right to accept/ rejectarticles and edit the selected articles.

h) Unsolicited articles are not acknowledged.i) The Editor does not accept responsibility

for the author’s views.j) Articles received will be published in one

of the forthcoming issues.

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BOOK REVIEWWe request Publishers to send two copiesof their Spiritual, Philosophical andReligious books for publishing a BookReview in our “Nachiketanjali” - monthlyMagazine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTNachiketa Tapovan is indebted to all thewell-wishers, donors, patrons and advisorswhose immense help and cooperation inmultiple ways has helped us accomplishour goals.

with best wishes fromGriha Constructions, Chennai

Hate the sin, love the sinner!

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