The Vedanta Kesari July 2013

7/29/2019 The Vedanta Kesari July 2013

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IT h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i J U L Y 2 0 1 3~ ~

July2013

TheVedanta KesariTHE LION OF VEDANTA

A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914

Vedanta Temp

Santa Barbara, U


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IIT h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i J U L Y 2 0 1 3~ ~

Editor: SwamiatmaShraddhananda Managing Editor: Swami GautamanandaPrinted and published by Swami Asutoshananda on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna MathTrust from No.31, Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4 and Printed at

Sri Ramakrishna Printing Press, No.31 Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore,

Chennai - 4. Ph: 044 - 24621110

Indias Timeless Wisdom

Disease, sorrow, suffering, bondage,

alienationall these are the fruits ofthe tree of sin against oneself reapedby embodied souls. Hitopadesha


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JULY2013

A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER

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

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

VOL. 100, No. 7 ISSN 0042-2983

Cover Story: Page 4

CONTENTS

The Vedanta Kesari

Vedic Prayers 245

EditorialThe Goal of Life 246

Articles

Swami Vivekananda and the Psychic Powers 251

Sudesh

Brahma-sutrasWhat They are and What They Teach 257

Swami Golokananda

Sage Vasishthas Advice to Prince Rama 261

Swami Sarvadevananda

Entering the HimalayasLord Shivas AbodeA Pilgrimage to Almora 264

Pravrajika Brahmaprana

Holy Mother and Her Teachings 272

Swami Sudarshanananda

Dealing with Uncertainty 275

V. Kumar Murty

New Find

Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 270

Glimpses of SwamijiFace the Brutes 274

The Order on the March 279

Book Review 281

Features

Simhvalokanam 250

Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories 260


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2T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i J U L Y 2 0 1 3

The Vedanta Kesari

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SL.NO. NAMES OF SPONSORS AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

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DONORS

Cover StoryN N

Vedanta Temple, Santa Barbara, USA

Nestled in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California, the Vedanta

Temple is part of Vedanta Society of Southern California, a branchof the Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math. The temple was designed bythe renowned architect Lutah Maria Riggs, who was inspired byearly South Indian wood temples. Acquired in 1946 by SwamiPrabhavananda (a disciple of Swami Brahmananda), an eminentscholar-monk and the founder of Vedanta Society of SouthernCalifornia, and initially used as a retreat for lay and monasticmembers of the Vedanta Society in Hollywood, the temple was laterbuilt and dedicated in 1956 by Swami Prabhavananda, SwamiNirvanananda, Swami Madhavananda and other luminaries of theRamakrishna Order.

Ms. Pemalata Naik, Mumbai Rs. 1000

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245T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i J U L Y 2 0 1 3~ ~

VOL. 100, No. 7, JULY 2013 ISSN 0042-2983

EACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE. THE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN.

5

Vedic PrayersTr. by Swami Sarvananda

Man is an innite circle whose circumference is nowhere,

but the centre is located in one spot; and God is an innite circle

whose circumference is nowhere, but whose centre is everywhere.

He works through all hands, sees through all eyes, walks on allfeet, breathes through all bodies, lives in all life, speaks through

every mouth, and thinks through every brain. Man can become like

God and acquire control over the whole universe if he multiplies

infinitely his centre of self-consciousness. Consciousness,

therefore, is the chief thing to understand.

Swami Vivekananda,CW, 2:33

B B


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Editorial

Life Needs a Goal

Unfortunately in this life, said Swami

Vivekananda,

the vast majority of persons are groping through

this dark life without any ideal at all. If a man

with an ideal makes a thousand mistakes, I am

sure that the man without an ideal makes fifty

thousand. Therefore, it is better to have an ideal.1

Ideal, purpose, aim, objectiveby which-ever name we might call it, man needs a goal

in life. Life without a goal is like a ship lost in

the endless expanse of water. Man without an

ideal or goal in life cannot focus on anything

or channel his energies and time towards

anything. It is an aimless, unproductive life

that he leads then. What should he do with his

life? His energies and time? With himself? Life

becomes a burden, a drifting dry leaf in the

winds of time.On the other hand, goal is intrinsic to

life. One does not and cannot live without a

purpose, prayojanam. No man lives without

fulfilling his basic needs such as food, water,

clothing, shelter and other now-considered

needs of life. As the well-known adage in

Sanskrit says:

Prayojanam anuddishyam mando api na pravartate

Without a purpose in view, even a fool does notdo something.

Goal or wanting, therefore, is a

characteristic of all men and women. Goal

has to be theresometimes even goal-less-

ness may the goal! One eats, for instance, for

one feels hungryone eats in order to live.

Why? He clings to life and cannot help it.

To remain alive, he has to eat . . . and so on.

[Suicide is only an act of seeking a different

set of circumstances for living.] Simple acts

of eating, sleeping, working, and so on are a

kind of goals; they are part of our physical

life, thanks to natures programming. But can

eating a sumptuous meal be the goal of life! Or

sleeping!

Again, from the highest spiritual sense,man has no goalas Atman, he is self-fulfilled.

By definition, Atman has no wants and no

deficiency. It is the Eternal One, purna, a

perfect one. What goal should he pursue?!

Between these two extremes of life,

the bare act of living and the state of Self-

awareness, there is the other fact which holds

true of 99.9 percent of peoplewe need a

worthy goal of life. We need a goal of life or

else there is no purpose for living. Merelyeating is not living. Being alive does not mean

just breathing, eating and moving. One needs

a goal which gives meaningto lifesomething

which enriches our existence and gives us a

sense of meaning. This is what Swamiji meant

when he said that one should have a goal

in lifenotwithstanding all the failures and

obstacles one faces in following it.

Four Goals of Human LifeWhen one moves away from the insane

thinking of destruction and disorder that an

extreme state of goal-less-ness will give rise

to, one begins to see the various types of goals

that human beings pursue. Man is bound to

have variety of goals in life. For some people

the goal is money, for some fame, some

The Goal of Life


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7

intellectual achievements, some have political

ambitions and so on. The list is endless. What

does man want? According to Hindu scheme

of life, man has four inherent goals of life.

These aredharma, artha, kama and moksha.

Dharma stands for righteousness and

higher values, artha means money or anything

else that gives one means to fulfill ones needs

including the need for a meaning of life, kama

is desire and moksha is spiritual liberation and

self-realization.

In this enumeration, dharma comes first

which points to the primacy of right conduct

and values. However, there is another way of

enumerating these four, seen from the window

of evolution that pursuing these goals leads to.

In this method, first comes kama, the desire to

enjoy. Says an eminent writer,2

They [human beings] begin by wanting pleasure.

This is natural. We are all born with built-in

pleasure-pain reactors. If we ignored these,

leaving our hands on hot stoves or stepping

out of second-story windows, we would soon

die. What could be more obvious, then, than to

follow the promptings of pleasure and entrust

our lives to it?

. . . Go after itthere is nothing wrong with it;

it is one of the four legitimate ends of life. The

world is awash with beauty and heavy with

sensual delights. Moreover, there are worlds

above this one where pleasures increase by

powers of a million at each rung, and these

worlds, too, we shall experience in due course.

Like everything else, hedonism requires good

sense. Not every impulse can be followed with

impunity. Small immediate goals must besacrificed for long-range gains, and impulses

that would injure others must be curbed to

avoid antagonisms and remorse. Only the stupid

will lie, steal, or cheat for immediate profit, or

succumb to addictions. But as long as the basic

rules of morality are obeyed, you are free to seek

all the pleasure you want.

Then comes artha, or desire for money

and wealth. Says the same author further that

a time comes

. . . when one realizes that pleasure is not all

that one wants. The reason everyone eventuallycomes to this discovery is not because pleasure

is wicked, but because it is too trivial to satisfy

ones total nature. Pleasure is essentially private,

and the self is too small an object for perpetual

enthusiasm. . . Sooner or later everyone wants

to experience more than a kaleidoscope of

momentary pleasures, however delectable.

When this time comes the individuals interests

usually shift to the second major goal of life,

which is worldly success with its three prongs of

wealth, fame, and power.

. . . Drives for power, position, and possessions

run deep. Nor should they be disparaged per se.

A modicum of worldly success is indispensable

for supporting a household and discharging

civic duties responsibly. Beyond this minimum,

worldly achievements confer dignity and self-

respect. In the end, however, these rewards too

have their term. For they all harbor limitations

that we can detail:

1. Wealth, fame, and power are exclusive, hence

competitive, hence precarious. Unlike mental

and spiritual values, they do not multiply when

shared; they cannot be distributed without

diminishing ones own portion. If I own a

dollar, that dollar is not yours; while I am sitting

on a chair, you cannot occupy it. Similarly

with fame and power. The idea of a nation in

which everyone is famous is a contradiction in

terms; and if power were distributed equally,

no one would be powerful in the sense inwhich we customarily use the word. From

the competitiveness of these goods to their

precarious-ness is a short step. As other people

want them too, who knows when success will

change hands?

2. The drive for success is insatiable. A quali-

fication is needed here, for people do get enough


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8

money, fame, and power. It is when they make

these things their chief ambition that their lusts

cannot be satisfied. For these are not the things

people really want, and people can never get

enough of what they do not really want. . .

3. The third problem with worldly success is

identical with that of hedonism. It too centers

meaning in the self, which proves to be too small

for perpetual enthusiasm. Neither fortune nor

station can obscure the realization that one lacks

so much else. In the end everyone wants more

from life than a country home, a sports car, and

posh vacations.

4. The final reason why worldly success cannot

satisfy us completely is that its achievementsare ephemeral. Wealth, fame, and power do

not survive bodily deathYou cant take it

with you, as we routinely say. And since we

cannot, this keeps these things from satisfying

us wholly, for we are creatures who can envision

eternity and must instinctively rue by contrast

the brief purchase on time that worldly success

commands.

These two, pleasure and success, are

called the Path of Desire (pravritti). Then come

dharma and moksha. They constitute the Path

of Renunciation (nivritti). It (i.e., dharma in a

general sense) has two aspects:

The first [is] the community, as the obvious

candidate for something greater than ourselves.

In supporting at once our own life and the lives

of others, the community has an importance no

single life can command. . .

This transfer marks the first great step in religion.

It produces the religion of duty, after pleasureand success, the third great aim of life . . . Its

power over the mature is tremendous. . . . It

details duties appropriate to age, temperament,

and social status. . . Duty, too, yields notable

rewards, only to leave the human spirit unfilled.

Its rewards require maturity to be appreciated,

but given maturity, they are substantial. Faithful

performance of duty brings respect and gratitude

from ones peers. More important, however,

is the self-respect that comes from doing

ones part. But in the end even these rewards

prove insufficient. For even when time turns

community into history, history, standing alone,is finite and hence ultimately tragic. . . The final

human good must lie elsewhere. . . The worlds

offerings are not bad. By and large they are good.

Some of them are good enough to command our

enthusiasm for many lifetimes . . .

. . . Pleasure, success, and duty are never

humanitys ultimate goals. At best they are

means that we assume will take us in the

direction of what we really want. What we really

want are things that lie at a deeper level.First, we want being. Everyone wants to be

rather than not be; normally, no one wants to

die. . . None of us take happily to the thought of

a future in which we shall have no part. . .

Second, we want to know. Whether it be

scientists probing the secrets of nature, a typical

family watching the nightly news, or neighbors

catching up on local gossip, we are insatiably

curious. . .

The third thing people seek is joy, a feeling tonethat is the opposite of frustration, futility, and

boredom.

These are what people really want.

. . A distinctive feature of human nature is its

capacity to think of something that has no limits:

the infinite. This capacity affects all human

life . . . Mention any good, and we can imagine

more of itand, so imagining, want that more.

Medical science has doubled life expectancy, but

has living twice as long made people readier todie? To state the full truth, then, we must say that

what people would really like to have is infinite

being, infinite knowledge, and infinite bliss. They

might have to settle for less, but this is what they

really want. To gather the wants into a single

word, what people really want is liberation

(moksha)release from the finitude that restricts


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us from limitless being, consciousness, and bliss

our hearts desire.

Pleasure, success, responsible discharge of duty,

and liberationwe have completed the circuit

of what people think they want and what they

want in actuality.

While this is an overview of what man

wants, and how he travels from a beginners

goal to the ultimate goal of life, there are many

sub-categories of the goals. But all goals,

ultimately, have only one end in viewhow

to make ones life a worthy and fulfilling

experience. In Sri Ramakrishnas homely

language, God or Self realization is the goal

of life.

Goal Orientation

Goal is necessary, having a goal-orienta-

tion is even more important. Says Swami

Vivekananda,

Our great defect in life is that we are so much

drawn to the ideal, the goal is so much more

enchanting, so much more alluring, so much

bigger in our mental horizon, that we lose sight

of the details altogether.3

While not having a goal is indeed

unfortunate, what is even more unfortunate

is to accept an ideal and forget following it

or start following some other ideal claiming

all the while that one is following the earlier

ideal! One should have a goal but what is more

important is that one be sincere enough to see

that goal is kept in view always.

Seeking to reach goal is always a pointer

that there is some possibility, an unexplored

but realizable something. Like a tree is poten-

tial in a seed, realization lies potential in our

seeking. Goal orientation is seeking turned into

realization and goal is seeking lying potential.

It is vital to have right goal, and only

then hard work to reach it. A popular illus-

tration in this context is: a man had to reach the

top of a wall to repair a window there. He got

a ladder and began climbing. Scorching sun

and strong winds and a long climb needed a

strong determination. He had it. But when he

finally reached the top, he found that he had

put the ladder against a wrong wall! Yes, not

only hard work but the right wall is equally

important.

Finally, one should be consistent and

loyal to the ultimate goal of life. One should

not profess something in public and follow

something else in private. Honesty, integrity is

the key to reaching the goal of life. Whatevergoal at the moment one may be following, one

should not forget that reaching the ultimate

goal of life, or discovering the Self (or the Lord)

within, is what makes a life truly fulfilling and

meaningful.

9

References : 1. CW, 2:152 2. C.f., The Worlds Religions, Huston Smith, a Harper San Francisco

publication, 1998, pp.13-26 3. CW, 2.1

The aim of all sciences, philosophies, and religions is to discover the eternal truth whichis called in Sanskrit satyam. That eternal truth is the ideal of all philosophers, scientists,

and great thinkers of the world. Religions are but so many attempts of the human mind

to discover that eternal truth, that eternal wisdom.

Swami Abhedananda


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From the Archives ofThe VedanTaKesari

S i m h v a l o k a n a m

(July, 1923-24, Pp. 567-568)

Two thought-currents seem to be working in society, the one

being almost purely social or at best socio-spiritual, and the other super-social and almost

purely spiritual. The one tends to preserve all the customs and conventions of society,

its accepted standards and traditions; the other tends to question the value of a life in

society and its workings in enabling man to evolve his higher nature and being of a more

philosophic kind tries to transcend them. . .The forces of Bhoga (enjoyment) and Karma (action) on the one hand, and Tyaga

(renunciation) and Jnana (contemplation) on the other, have been acting on Indian society

from almost prehistoric times. The workings of these two forces have resulted in the growth

of two sections of society, the one formed of Karmakandins or those who believe that

ceremonials and rituals as enjoined in the Vedas are necessary for spiritual perfection and

the other formed of Jnanakandins or those who believe that only the knowledge of truths

as embodied in the Upanishads can help them in attaining the goal of life. The ancient

Aryan society possessed in an extraordinary degree highly spiritual tendencies and therefore

accepting the spiritual ideal tried to work it out in its life. Though the ideal was honouredand accepted, every one in the Aryan fold could not carry it out in its entirety and perfection,

and so society naturally came to consist of two sections, one of which tried to realise the

spiritual ideal through the various ashramas and was contented or rather had to content

itself, by reason of its limited capacities, to achieve its set goal of life slowly and gradually,

and the other, endowed with greater mental strength, keenness of introspection and depth

of philosophic thought, and above all with greater boldness of heart and an almost burning

passion for the ideal, tried to reach the summum bonum of its existence by taking its stand

in the purity and loneliness of the Atman, denying its worldly duties and responsibilities,

and living an exalted life of great steadfastness and intense fervour.In the Sathapatha Brahmana we are told that before marriage and after completing

the investigation into the nature of the Dharma or Vedic injunctions, the man of the world

desired to acquire the means of attaining to the three regions (of man, of Pitris. and of

Devas), namely a son and the two-fold, wealth, . . called human (manusha), . . . and Godly

(daiva) . . . But the renunciation of these is enjoined on him who seeks only the region of

the Self and is free from desire.

Two Thought-Currentsthe Social and theSuper-Social.

(By Brahmachari Saswata Chaitanya)


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Rejects Supernatural Powers

Once Sri Ramakrishna told Narendra

[future Swami Vivekananda] that through

the practice of spiritual disciplines he had

acquired supernatural powers. The Divine

Mother had make known to him, he said, that

Narendra would have to do much work forHer. Therefore, he was thinking of imparting

those powers to him, so that he could use them

when necessary.

Narendra asked if they would help him

to realize God. Sri Ramakrishna replied that

they would not help him do that but they

would be helpful when after realizing God

he would be engaged in doing His work.

Narendra, the young aspirant as he was,

outright rejected the proposal saying that byaccepting them he might forget the ideal and

using them for some selfish purpose, come to

grief. Delighted, Sri Ramakrishna embraced

him, saying that the real purpose of life indeed

was God-realization, what Naren aspired. And

yet! What obnoxious and perverted means

people employ to acquire those powers!

During his itinerant days Narendra (now

Swami Vivekananda) arrived at Limbdi in

Gujarat and learnt of a place where sadhus

lived. The sadhus welcomed him. Tired and

hungry as he was, he accepted the invitation.

But he was horrified to discover that the

inmates belonged to a degenerate group of sex-

worshippers. He thought of leaving the place

Swami Vivekananda andthe Psychic Powers

SUDESH

but was bewildered to find that he was locked

in. The high priest of the sect summoned him

and said, You are a sadhu with a magnetic

personality. Evidently you have practised

Brahmacharya (celibacy) for years. We shall

break your Brahmacharya in order to per-

form a special type of spiritual practice, andthereby acquire for ourselves certain psychic

powers.1

Swamiji, however, managed to escape

with the help of Thakur Saheb, the prince of

the state, to whom he sent a message through a

boy devotee. This shows how spiritual life and

purity was more important to Swamiji than

pursuit of the weird and bizzare things in the

name of religion.

Manifestation of Psychic Powers In Swamiji

We have seen that Swamiji had not

accepted the powers which Sri Ramakrishna

offered him. Yet, during the years 1893 and

1894, Swamiji felt extraordinary Yoga powers

spontaneously manifest in him. He could

change, if he so wished, the whole trend of

thought and life of anyone by the power of his

words or a simple touch. He could see clearly

things happening at a great distance.

This could be explained by the fact

that as soon as he turned inwards into the

chidakasha, the space eternal, whatever subject

he concentrated upon yielded all its secrets

to him. The whole range of ancient and

A devotee rom Ambala, Sudesh regularly contributes inspiring articles to The Vedanta Kesari.


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modern literature, art, music stood revealed

to his inner vision. Through his spiritual

insight he could see into the future of world

events and of nations progress. On many

occasions his students found him answering,

to their entire satisfaction, all sorts of unasked

questions, literary or scientific, historical and

metaphysical.

Wheresoever he went, in the East or

the West, crowds of people flocked to him

consisting partly of curiosity seekers and

partly of sincere seekers animated with

the desire to pursue truth and to learn the

all-embracing character of Indias religion

and philosophy. Some also came intendingto startle and confound him through their

irrefutable logic and scientific theories and

defeat him at every point. But Swamiji had

a rare power of gauging the mental reach of

a self-confident visitor, raise him above his

habitual and fixed beliefs and enlarge his

vision. Soon they found out that it would

be wiser to draw gems on any subject from

one who was the shoreless sea of radiant

knowledge instead of trying to assess hismental and intellectual abilities.

The power to prophesize was clearly

seen manifested in Swamiji. Once he startled

his disciples by saying that the next great

upheaval which was to bring about a new

epoch would come from Russia or China.

This he said when China was still under the

autocratic rule of the Manchu Emperors and

its internal condition was politically very

wretched. But with his penetrating insightSwamiji saw that China would grow and

become powerful in future.

Of Indian freedom, he said that India

would be free within fifty years and had a

sacred mission to bring before humanity the

teachings of Vedanta, conducive to bring

about world peace and the integration of

varied systems of world religions and cultures.

Europe was on the edge of a volcano and

unless the fires were extinguished by a flood

of spirituality, it would blow up. It was not

an expression of opinion with Swamiji, but

an authoritative statement about something

he knew. Like a crystal he reflected the

consciousness of all who came to him to

be taught. And he guided all along the

lines which would accelerate their progress

towards Realization. Sister Christine in her

reminiscences of Swamiji wrote:

His method was different which each disciple.

With some it was an incessant hammering. The

severest asceticism was imposed with regard to

diet, habits, even clothing and conversation. With

others his method was not so easy to understand,

for the habit of asceticism was not encouraged.

Was it because in this case, there was spiritual

vanity to be overcome and because good had

become a bondage? With one the method was

ridiculeloving ridiculewith another it was

sternness. We watched the transformation of

those who put themselves into line with it. . . Our

pet foibles were gently smiled out of existence.

We were taught to reject the false and hold tothe true fearlessly, no matter what the cost.

Perhaps our purposes and aims had been small

and scattered. In time we learnt to lift them into

a higher region, and to unite all little aims into

one great aim, the goal which is the real purpose

of life.2

A disciple from Madras said:

One had to live in his presence as in the vicinity

of a dangerous explosive. The moment a bad

thought entered ones mind, it would flash acrosshis also.3

Though possessed of these powers,

Swamiji did not consider them to be marks

of spirituality. Very rarely did he deliberately

exercise them. Whenever he did, it was al-

ways for the benefit of others. Here is an

instance:

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Swamiji was holding classes for a few

earnest disciples at Thousand Island Park in

the year 1895. He intended to initiate a few on

Monday, July 8. Mrs. Funke and Miss Christine

Greenstidel arrived there on Saturday, July 6.

He wanted to assess if they were fit students

ready to be initiated. He said to them, rather

shyly, I have a power which I seldom use

the power of reading the mind. If you will

permit me, I should like to read your mind, as

I wish to initiate you with others tomorrow.4

They assented joyfully. And Swamiji, with

his power of reading the inner contents of a

persons mind, saw that they would progress

in spiritual life and that one of them would be

indissolubly connected with India.

One day, in England, Swami Sarada-

nanda, who was suffering from malaria

and was much reduced and weak, sat at

the Swamis feet feeling like a child and in

that calm spirit of surrender to his brother-

disciplewho was to him no other than Sri

Ramakrishna in another bodyasked for his

blessings and the promise of knowledge and

salvation. In a moment he was calm and bySwamijis will power, he became healthy and

strong. Swami Saradananda testified to this

psychic power of Swami Vivekananda, never

revealed to him before. There may be many

others, who had the occasion of seeing this

phase of the Swami which revealed his great

powers, the siddhis [psychic powers] that came

to him but remained suppressed as he hated to

demonstrate them.5

But Swamiji did not possess psychicpowers as they are ordinarily understood.

They were power of the Self manifested

spontaneously.

Often, Swamiji had to deliver extempore

twelve to fourteen lectures a week. Sometimes

he felt that he had exhausted himself intellec-

tually and wondered what he would say in his

lecture the following day. At such times he was

aided in wonderful ways. At the dead of night

he would hear a voice saying it all, which he

repeated the next day. To his close disciples

he would explain that those experiences

revealed the powers and potentialities of the

Self; he would deny that there was anything

miraculous about them. They were probably

the expressions of his great spiritual and yogic

powers.

Psychic Powers: Impediments to Spiritual

Progress

Swamiji warned his students against

the occult, pointing out that psychic powers

were hindrances to real spiritual progress, lestthey become entangled in pseudo-mysticism.

Sometimes they come spontaneously to one

when one practices spiritual disciplines, but

one who pays attention to them strays away

from the Path Divine. He becomes egoistic

if he acquires such miraculous powers and

gets entangled in a net of desires. He wants

to control, dominate or impress others and

thereby satisfy his baser passions, or get name

and fame or extract money etc. So miracle-mongering has to be shunned, said he.

Swamijis Life describes one such

incident:During one of his long railway journeys the

Swami had as fellow-passenger a learned

occultist, who besieged him with all sorts of

questions. Had he been in the Himalayas?

Had he met any Mahatmas there, possessed of

supernormal powers? And so forth. The Swami,

wishing to disabuse the man, encouraged him totalk. Then he himself gave such a spell-binding

description of the miracles of the Mahatmas that

his listener gaped in amazement. Had they told

him anything about the duration of the present

cycle?the listener asked. Yes, the Swami

said, he had had a long talk on that with the

Mahatmas: they had spoken to him about the

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coming end of the cycle, and about the part that

they would play in the regeneration of mankind

and the re-establishment of the Satya-yuga

[Golden Age]; and so on and so forth. The man

credulously hung on every word that fell from

the Swamis lips. Gratified by the acquisition ofso much new knowledge, he invited the Swami

to have some food, which he readily consented

to do, since he had not eaten anything for a

whole day. His admirers had bought him a

second-class ticket, but they had not been able to

persuade him to take either money or food with

him, for he was then living by the ideal of taking

no thought for the morrow.

The Swami saw that the man had a good heart,

but because of his credulous nature he hadbecome entangled in pseudo-mysticism. When

the meal was over, therefore, he spoke to him

frankly and sternly: You who boast so much

of your learning and enlightenment, how could

you unhesitatingly swallow such wild, fantastic

tales? The man hung his head at this reproof and

said not a word.

The Swami continued: My friend, you look

intelligent. It befits a person of your type to

exercise your own discrimination. Spirituality

has nothing to do with the display of psychical

powers, which, when analysed, show that

the man who occupies himself with them is a

slave of desire and a most egotistical person.

Spirituality involves the acquisition of that true

power which is character. It is the vanquishing

of passion and the rooting out of desire. All this

chasing after psychical illusions, which means

nothing in the solution of the great problems

of our life, is a terrible waste of energy, the

most intense form of selfishness, and leads todegeneracy of mind. It is this nonsense which

is demoralizing our nation. What we need now

is strong common sense, a public spirit, and a

philosophy and religion which will make us

men.

On hearing this, the man was overcome with

shame, and understood the rightness of the

Swamis attitude. He promised to follow his

advice in future.6

In London, during the course of an

interview with one of the correspondents of

the Westminster Gazette, Swamiji told him whyhe had renounced the world and adopted the

sannyasis life. I am the exponent of no occult

societies, he said, nor do I believe that good

can come of such bodies. . . I call upon men

to make themselves conscious of this divinity

within.7

Swamiji taught chastity and renunciation

of the worlds vanities and its unsubstantial

fleeting attachments as the means to liberation

from this samsara ofmaya and attainment of theGoal Supreme.

Some More Examples

Here are a few examples of how those

who get entangled in these powers, their

mind strays far away from Existence-Know-

ledge-Bliss.

In Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master, the

story is told of Chandra and Girija, who were

helped by the Brahmani in their sadhana. Bothwere aspirants of a high order. But their desire

for realizing God remained unfulfilled. They

attained some powers of working miracles and

were, on account of that, doomed to lose their

way in the woods of occultism.

Chandra attained success in working

a miracle with a tiny ball. With that ball,

sanctified by a Mantra on his person, he could

vanish from the vision of ordinary eyes and

could easily get in and get out unseen evenfrom carefully protected and unapproachable

places. Egoism grew in Chandra and soon

the attachment to lust and gold grew in his

mind. He became enamoured of the daughter

of a respectable well-to-do man and began

to frequent his house by means of that

miraculous power. On account of the increase

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of his egoism and selfishness, Chandra lost

the power and met with various kinds of

humiliation.8

Swamiji also had many yogic powers

but how grand and sublime! When he began

to speak, many a times his audience could not

see his form and felt that it was just a voice

ringing through the void. They themselves

felt raised beyond bodily consciousness and

entered into an inner sphere. Sister Christine

wrote:

Once we had gathered in the class room, it

seemed as if we had left the body and bodily

consciousness outside. . . Vivekanandas flights

carried us with him to supernal heights. We saw

the promised land.9

Mahendranath Dutta in his reminiscences

of Swamiji (translated from Bengali into

English by Swami Yogeshananda) gives a

detailed description of how Vivekanandas

body, mind and spirit soared during his public

talks.

Swamiji, taking up a subject, would begin in a

soft manner. Gradually his mood would change

and (voice) become louder . . . Then his body

would become straight as a rod. His hips, spine,

neck and head all seemed as if suspended by

a common string. Slowly his meditative mood

would deepen; his tone of voice would become

altogether altered. His rhythmical sonorous voice

would come from his throat in an unobstructed

stream . . . It was as if in a boundless space a

vibration had arisen, been converted into waves

and that sound was penetrating everyones ear

and bodyto the very marrow of the bones. Yet

everyone at such times had this particular feelingthat they had no body. Body-consciousness was

totally removed. Place was absent: even the

consciousness that one was sitting somewhere

was gone. Time was nothing, and there was no

awareness of one speaking and others listening.

Speaker and audience were totally one. Neither

had a gross body and from the vast firmament,

the sound was becoming a single wave-current

vibration. Then he would often say, I am a voice

without a form.10

Another devotee by name Girija

had acquired a strange power. Once Sri

Ramakrishna went with him to the house of

Shambhu Babu situated near the Dakshniswar

temple. Absorbed in divine moods, he talked a

long time on God. None of them was conscious

when the first quarter of the night passed

away. While returning to the Kali temple, Sri

Ramakrishna was slipping at every step as

it was pitch dark. Seeing his difficulty, Girija

said, Wait a little, brother; I shall show you

the light.11 Saying so, he stood turned about

and illumined the road with a long stream

of effulgent light emanating from his neck.

The whole of the road till the gate of the Kali

temple was clearly seen.

This, however, was a material light and

had nothing to do with spirituality. Such

powers only make a man vain. The possessor

desires to show them off and dominate others.

Swamiji, on the other hand, manifested the

Light of the Self which transfigured his human

personality in the revelation of Pure Divinity.

He did not merely talk of religious verities;

he gave spiritual light as though showering

all those in his proximity with it. To them he

seemed like a radiant being from that ineffable

region whose glory neither sun, nor moon,

nor stars that twinkle bright can describe. One

who brought some of the glory, the power,

the radiance of that supernal region to this

sorrowful world and scattered the clouds ofdarkness and ignorance.

Swamijis audience felt themselves lifted

up into an atmosphere so rarefied, so vital

that they went out to meet lifes vicissitudes

with new courage, and new hope. It was not

just the power of his words but there was

something else; an influence, an atmosphere

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charged with the desire to escape from

bondage. Basking in the radiance of that

great soul they felt their inner powers and

potentialities, their slumbering souls awak-

ened to realize their true nature which was

divine and self luminous.

Conclusion

M.J.Van Haagen in his reminiscences of

Swamiji wrote:

When a man steps from darkness into a very

bright light, his eyes are dazed for a while. And

when we are asked to describe that joy which

lights our very soul, our answer would be, as

it were, mere groping in the darkness for

words. . . As wholesome food satisfies the

hungry and fresh water quenches the thirsty,

so my longing for truth was satisfied through

the teaching of this wonderful man [Swami

Vivekananda]. . .

[He once said] I could have thousands more at

my lectures if I wanted them. It is the sincere

student who will help to make this work a

success and not merely the large audiences. If I

succeed in my while life to help one man to reach

freedom, I shall feel that my labours have not

been in vain, but quite successful. This remark

filled me with the desire to be one of his students.

. . . His teaching bore to us the peace of mind of

the Aryanrishis. . .12

1. Life of Swami Vivekananda by Eastern and Western

Disciples, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 1: 288-289

2. Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita

Ashrama, Kolkata, p.196

3. Life I : 371

4. Life II : 30-31

5. Reminiscences : 408

6. Life I : 350-351

7. Life II : 46

8. Sri Ramakrishna, The Great Master by Swami

Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, Vol

I : 537-538

9. Life II : 33-34

10. Quoted in Prabuddha Bharata, July 2012 : 369-370

11. Great Master : 539-540

12. Reminiscences : 143-143

References:

16

Powers sometimes come of themselves to the spiritual aspirant, but the moment he

cares for them, he is gone; his further progress is stopped. These powers, again, do not

last. Not to speak of using them for selsh purposes, even using them for other ends

means losing them. A man set out from home in search of the gems in the sea. When

he came to the seashore he found variously coloured pebbles and shells scattered there

and he set himself to ll his pockets with these; he forgot all about the gems in the sea.

Swami Turiyananda


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The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy

There are twelve systems of Indian

Philosophy, six of which, popularly known as

shad darsanas (the six systems), acknowledge

the authority of the Vedas. The remaining

six do not. They are the four systems of

Buddhism, Jainism and the sage Charvakas

materialistic philosophy. Each of these systems

is believed to be founded by a Rishi (sage). All

these sages present their world-views based

on their observations and analysis. The sages

Kanada, Gautama, Patanjali, Kapila, Jaimini

and Veda Vyasa founded the six Vedic systems

of Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Yoga, Samkhya, Purva

Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa respectively.

Obviously, conclusions of these various

schools of thought are not identical. Among

the six systems which owe allegiance to the

Vedas, it is the two Mimamsas that show the

closest affinity to the Vedas.

The word mimamsa means sublime

thoughts (pujaka vicara), or divine thoughts,

as opposed to mundane thoughts. The word

Mimamsa is used for two systemsPurva

Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa.

Purva Mimamsa is based upon the

ritualistic portion of the Vedas known as

Karma Kanda. Uttara Mimamsa is known

variously as Brahma Sutra, Vedanta Sutra,

Badarayana Sutra and Bhikshu Sutra. It is

also called Shariraka Mimamsa because the

scope of its study pertains to the self, the Jiva

Brahma-sutrasWhat They are and What They Teach

SWAMI GOLOKANANDA

presiding over the psycho-physical system,

that is to say the true nature and destiny of the

individual self. Shariraka means that which

dwells within the sharira or body.

The Brahma Sutras

The Brahma Sutras is one of the three

basic Hindu scriptures known as Prasthana

Traya, the three ways of knowing the ultimate

truth that is Brahman. The magnificent edifice

of Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism, as we

know it today, is built on these three strong

foundations.

The Upanishads constitute the Shruti

Prasthana (shruti, to hear). They are also

called Shrutis and are vested with the highest

authority in the Hindu tradition. Then there

is the Smriti Prasthana. Smriti is a term that

covers all codified social laws and also legends

and history embodied in Purana (religious

epics devoted to various deities and their

exploits) and Itihasa (national epics), which

are literature that illustrate and elaborate Vedic

philosophy.

The Brahma Sutras is called the Nyaya

Prasthana or exposition of the truth of the

Upanishads, also called Vedanta with the help

of philosophical reasoning.

According to another method of stat-

ing this division, the Upanishads are called

Upadesha prasthana (injunctive text), the

Bhagavad Gita, as Sadhana prasthana (prac-

Swami Golokananda is the Adhyaksha o Ramakrishna Ashrama, Thiruvalla, Kerala.


20/56


tical text), and the Brahma Sutras as Yukti

prasthana (logical text)

The Sutra-Literature

The Sutras or aphorisms are elliptic

sentences in which only the absolute minimum

of words is used, combining brevity with

accurateness. It was the tradition of Hindu

teachers of old to compose their treatises

in Sutra form. Sutra literature obtains in all

branches of ancient Indian learning. Thus we

have, for example, the Bhakti Sutras of Narada

and Shandilya, and the grammatical treatise of

Panini, PanineeyaSutras or simply Panineeyam.

By its very nature, Sutra literature is

inaccessible to ordinary people without

the help of a commentary. Of the several

explications of the text of the Brahma Sutras

the most widely known is the Bhashya or

commentary, composed by Sri Shankara. He

gives a picturesque description of the great

treatise by portraying it as a beautiful garland

made up of Upanishadic passages.

The 555 sutras of the Brahma-sutras are

classified into 192 Adhikaranas and dividedinto four chapters. Each Adhikarana deals with

a specific theme discussed in the Upanishads.

It states the crux of the relevant Upanishadic

passage, debates the various views on it,

and determines the meaning. For example

the theme of the second Adhikarana is that

which is the cause of the universe. Quoting

the Taittiriya Upanishad (III. i. I), the Sutra

establishes that Brahman is the cause of the

origin sustenance and final sanctuary of theuniverse: That from which all these beings

are born, by which they are sustained, towards

which they move and into which they merge

is Brahman (yato va imani bhutani jayante; yat

prayantyabhisamvisantiti; tad vijijnasaswa, tat

brahmeti). The Brahma Sutras do not insist that

the statements of the Vedas must be accepted

unquestioningly, instead allows scope for

threadbare discussion.

Study of Inner and outer Worlds

Both Vedanta and modern science

attempt to arrive at the truth of the universe

around us by more or less the same method of

analysis. For example we arrive at the general

principles of anatomy and physiology by

studying a few typical individual bodies. It is

enough to study the body of one individual

to understand the structure and functions of

all human bodies. The investigation, if carried

on further, can lead to more generalized

principles that explain the physical structure of

all living things including animals and plants;

because there are uniform laws governing all

animate things.

Similarly Vedanta takes man as the unit

of study to understand the truth about man

and the universe. It seeks to reveal what truly

constitutes man, his true individuality. The

scope of the physical sciences is confined

to the study of the objective universe, i.e.

anything that may be considered as apartfrom the observer. This includes what we call

the mind and the intellect, the cerebral and

sensory system. It is the method of science to

analyze sensory data to understand nature.

Unfortunately, this method per se precludes

the study of the experiencer of the universe,

the subject, or as the Vedantic term isthe

seer, drashta.

The Seer and the SeenThere are two things in nature, the

perceiver and the perceived. The Upanishads

or Vedanta concerns itself with the study of

the perceiver, which essentially man is. He is

the only intelligent observer in the universe.

The conclusion of Vedanta is that the essential

nature of man is intelligence or light, as the

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Vedantic literature puts it metaphorically.

It is the intelligence, consciousness within

ourselves that makes the universe intelligible.

It is the inner light that lights all nature, her

luminaries and all. In fact Indian Philosophy

gives as much importance to the perceiver as

the perceived.

Sri Shankaracharya sums up the con-

clusion of Vedanta through simple questions-

answers between a teacher and his disciple:

What gives you light? The sun by day,

lamps and other lights in the night.

By what light do you see the sun and the

lamps? Eyes.

When you close your eyes, what is the

light? Mind.

What is the light by which you see

(know) the mind? There I am the light.

Here the teacher concludes the catechism

with the statement: You are the light of lights.

The disciple agrees: Revered Sir, that I

am.

So the essential nature of the perceiver

is intelligence, light or as the Vedanta puts it,

I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss absolute.Man is divine; the stature of every being is

that of Divinity itself. Brahma Sutras takes

up important passages from the Upanishads

and codifies their insights into a systemized

philosophy of the nature of man and the

universe.

Sri Ramakrishna tells us the essential

message of the Brahma Sutras in a parable. It

brings home to us the truth that each one of us

is verily the Divinity Itself: A lioness, hungryand big with child, went in search of a prey,

and at long last found a flock of sheep grazing.

It couched in the bushes waiting for its chance,

pounced on a sheep and at that very instant

gave birth to a cub and died. The cub grew up

among the flock eating grass and bleating like

a lamb. Once another lion came upon the flock

and was surprised and ashamed to find one of

his kind eating grass and bleating like a sheep!

It was disgraceful, thought he, that the king of

the forest and all its animals should live a life

of subservience like this.

One day the lion caught hold of the lion-

cub and dragged it to a stream nearby and

told him to look at its image in the water, and

realize his own majesty. He thrust a chunk

of meat into his unwilling mouth. As the cub

chewed it, it began to relish it. The lion from

the forest roared and the forest reverberated

with the sound. The cub that has been growing

up eating grass and bleating piteously at the

slightest fright or distress, now roared such

a mighty roar that the forest trembled. Sri

Ramakrishna tells us through this story that

we too like the sheep-lion think we are poor

helpless creatures, although the truth is that

each one of us is Brahmaninfinite in power

and knowledge.All the great Acharyas of Hinduism,

who are regarded as founders of Sampradayas

(spiritual traditions) have written commen-

taries on Brahma Sutras. They combined in

themselves a mighty intellect with purity of

heart, which enabled them never to lose sight

of the true purpose of the book in spite of their

different philosophical viewpoints. Prominent

among them are the commentaries written

by Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhwa. TheVaishnava tradition following Sri Krishna

Chaitanya holds Srimad Bhagavatam as the

best commentary of Brahma Sutras.

The object of the Vedanta philosophy is to free man from all bondages of life by making

him conscious of his real Self called Paramatman, the Supreme Being. Vedanta philosophy,

in short, teaches that Brahman alone is real, everything else is unreal, and the human

soul is that Brahman, not separate from him. Swami Turiyananda

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11

Sri Ramakrishna was a master story-teller. While he spoke of profound spiritual

truths and mystery of human life, he amply used stories, anecdotes, examples

and analogies to drive home his point. At times, while narrating a story, he

would even make gestures and change the tone of his voice to bring in a

lively element in his narrative. Te following stories, mainly culled from TeGospel of Sri Ramakrishna(published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore,

Chennai) are an attempt to present before the readers Sri Ramakrishnas

rich store-house of stories which are both illuminating and simple.

31

his pulse and said: How is that? No, he is not

dead. I have a medicine for him that will cure

him completely. The joy of the relatives wasunbounded; it seemed to them that heaven

itself had come down into their house.

But, said the brahmin, I must tell you

something else. Another person must take

some of this medicine first and then the boy

must swallow the rest. But the other person

will die. I see he has so many dear relatives

here; one of them will certainly agree to take

the medicine. I see his wife and mother crying

bitterly. Surely they will not hesitate to take it.At once the weeping stopped and all

sat quiet. The mother said: 'Well, this is a big

family. Suppose I die; then who will look after

the family?' She fell into a reflective mood.

The wife, who had been crying a minute

before and bemoaning her ill luck, said: 'Well,

he has gone the way of mortals. I have these

two or three young children. Who will look

after them if I die?'

The disciple saw everything and heardeverything. He stood up at once and said to

the teacher: Let us go, revered sir. I will follow

you. (p. 770-771)

A guru said to his disciple: The world is

illusory. Come away with me.

But, revered sir, said the disciple, mypeople at home-my father, my mother, my

wife-love me so much. How can I give them

up?

The guru said: No doubt you now have

this feeling of I and mine and say that they

love you; but this is all an illusion of your

mind. I shall teach you a trick, and you will

know whether they love you truly or not.

Saying this, the teacher gave the disciple

a pill and said to him: Swallow this at home.You will appear to be a corpse, but you will

not lose consciousness. You will see everything

and hear everything. Then I shall come to your

house and gradually you will regain your

normal state.

The disciple fallowed the teacher's

instructions and lay on his bed like a dead

person: The house was filled with loud

wailing. His mother, his wife, and the others

lay on the ground weeping bitterly. Justthen a brahmin entered the house and said

to them, What is the matter with you? This

boy is dead, they replied. The brahmin felt

Unreality of All Worldly Relationships

Live in the world but be not worldly, as says the verse: Make the frog dance in the

company of the snake, but do not allow the snake to swallow it. Catch sh, but do not

touch the water. Sri Ramakrishna


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Sage Vasishthas Advice to Prince RamaNotes on Yoga-Vasishtha-Sara Translated by Swami Dhireshananda

SWAMI SARVADEVANANDA

Swami Sarvadevananda is the Head o Vedanta Society o Southern Caliornia, USA. This article is based on

excerpts rom his English translation o Yoga Vasishtha (translated into Bengali by Swami Dhireshananda,

Udbodhan Ofce, Kolkata). The translation is likely to be published in a couple o months.

(Continued from the previous issue. . . )

The principle of gentle persuasion

(sama) is of no use to get rid of maya and its

effect on the world, which is the root of all

sufferings, since maya will not be eliminated

if one sets up a friendly relationship with it.

The rule of dana, that is, using donations ormoney to achieve the purpose is also a failure,

as through it the illusion will increase even

more. Maya cannot be satisfied by any means.

It cannot be subjugated by offering the objects

of enjoyment. The principle of aggravating

dissension among forces opposed to each

other (bheda) will not also work, because maya

itself creates all types of separations. It is

meaningless to use the principle of punishment

(danda) since maya is too hard and tough tosever; it cannot be destroyed by punishment.

It is true that, many a times it is possible to

have control over many living beings, by using

deceit and magic, but maya itself is deceiving

and magical by nature. It is impossible to

destroy it totally even by these means as well.

Therefore, at last, there remains only

one meansthat is, to ignore it with the

understanding that it is false. Maya can be

controlled only by this means of ignoring(upeksha). In a nutshell, the first six means are

for the people who are starving for worldly

prosperity and the last one, meaning the means

of ignoring deliberately is for the seekers of

liberation.

Ignoring maya, it is ones duty to

concentrate on Brahman,

yena shabdam rasam rupam gandham janasi raghava,

tamatmanam param brahma janihiparameshvaram.8.3

O Rama, That by which you become aware of

the objects of sound, taste, form, smell and so

forth; know that inmost-Self as the controller

of everything, the supreme-Ishvara, and the

supreme Brahman. In addition to that, theworshipper of the Self is being instructed topractice thus:

aham sarvamidam vishvam paramatmahamavyayah,

na bhutam nasti no bhavi mattonya diti bhavaya. 8.8This entire universe1 is verily My appearance

alone. I am also the imperishable supreme

Self. There is nothing other than Me which is

originated, nor is at present, neither it will be

there in the future. Keep reflecting like this.

What is the appropriate worship of

Brahman or the real adoration and praise of

the Self is being described in this concluding

verse of this chapter:

grahyagrahakasamvandhe samanye sarvadehinam,

yoginah savadhanatvam yattadarcanamatmanah. 8.11

All embodied beings have somewhat a similar

understanding that the empirical actions having


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22

relationship with the perceiver and the perceived

are true. The yogis or the seekers of the Truth,

being restrained from that, carefully engage

themselves in the thought of Brahman alone.

This is verily the proper worship of the Self.

Chapter nine begins with the result ofbeing established in the Self:

sarvameva cidakasham brahmeti ghananishcaye,

sthitim yate shamam yati jivo nihsnehadipavat. 9.2

If one gets established in this type of firm

conviction that this entire visible universe is

Brahman, extremely pure conscious-space and

nothing other than that; then, the individuality

spontaneously comes to an end, just as the flame

of a lamp dies out without oil.

And this Self-establishment dependssolely on the discriminative faculty of the

aspirant:

mritsnebhake yathebhatvam shishuradhyasya valgati,

adhyasyatmani dehadin murihastadvadviceshtate. 9.5

As a child plays variously with a baby elephant

made out of clay, imposing the idea of a real one,

in the same manner, the ignorant person also

plays and acts diversely, superimposing the body

and so forth on the Self.

One should remember:

agnisangad yatha lohamagnitvamupagacchati,

atmasangattatha gacchatyatmatamindriyadikam. 9.12

Due to its association with the fire the iron

attains the fire-quality, in the same manner, due

to the closeness of the Self, the sense organs, etc.,

also attain the nature of the Self. On the other

hand the Self happens to get the non-Self nature

due to the association with the inert ones.

Since Self-forgetfulness is a natural

phenomenon, extreme effort is necessary forSelf-realization:

ikshau gurio tile tailam kashthe vanhirdrishadyah,

dhenavajyam vapushyatma labhyate caiva yatnatah.

9.16

The molasses that exist in the sugar cane, the oil

that is present in the sesame seeds, the fire that is

there in the wood, the butter that subsists in the

cow are gained with effort; and as the iron that

is in the iron-ore is extracted through the great

effort of blasting and so forth; similarly, the Self1

present in this body is realized through careful

analysis (of listening, reflecting, contemplating)alone.

The Consciousness is everything with

this supreme conclusion this chapter is

concluded:

yadasti yadbhati tadatmarupam

yaccanyato bhati na canyadasti,

svabhavasamvitpratibhati kevalo

grahyam grahiteti mrisha vikalpah. 9.32

Whatever exists and shines is verily the essentialnature of the Self. Anything (name and form)

that is cognized by others or appears in other

forms does not exist. Only Consciousness or

Knowledge; which by its essential nature is the

extremely pure Self, remains. The objects to

receive, the receiver and the like, are all false

imaginations.

Through all these nine chapters the

importance of and means towards attaining

concentration on Brahman are described.But what is Brahman, is answered in the

last chapter, Emptiness and non-emptiness

(Shunya-ashunya-pada-prakarana). The Brahman

we are instructed to meditate on is:

dvayormadhye gatam nitymastinastiti pakshayoh,

prakashanaam prakashanamatmanam samupasmahe.

10.7

We meditate on that Self which illumines all the

luminous objects and is eternally interspersed

between these two sides of existence and non-

existence.

It is actually the state beyond all thoughts

and resolutions.

nidradau jagarasyante yo bhava upajayate,

tam bhavam bhavayan

sakshadakshayanandamashnute. 10.8


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One attains the undying bliss directly if one can

always remember to meditate the state that arises

at the end of the waking condition and at the

beginning of the sleep state.

This chapter dwells on the knowledge of

the Self alone, but the beauty of this universe

or the world in light of the Atman is well

depicted also. This very world is described

as shunya-ashunya-pada [a state beyond the

void and the non-void]. The world is verily

Brahman; therefore it is not void. Without

Brahman the world is empty.

When Brahman is realized as the all

pervading, undivided Reality, and then only,

this vast universe is perceived as the supreme-

Self alone.

yadaiva brahmano rupam tatam buddhamakhanditam,

tada vistirnah samsarah parameshvaratam gatah.

10.17

I am that supreme-Self which is consciousness

alone and Brahman, this type of reflection

is called contemplation. When this type of

reflection becomes uninterrupted, then it is verily

termed as the highest samadhi1.

soham cinmatrameveti cintanam dhyanamucyate,dhyanasyavismritih samyak samadhirabhidhiyate.

10.24

In this context the commentator has

described not only savikalpa and nirvikalpa

samadhi in detail, but also has clearly

explained the term shunya-ashunya-pada as an

adjective for Brahman, which is unchanging

(kutastha) and eternal (nitya). Whether bereft

of the world or together with the world

Brahman cannot undergo any change. In the

relative sense Brahman is imagined by maya

and is associated with the world. Again, in the

absolute sense, in Its real nature, It is devoid

of the world. In truth, there is no difference

between these two perceptions.

saumyambhasi yatha vicirnacasti na ca nasti ca,

tatha jagad brahmanidam shunya-ashunyapadam

gatam. 10.34

In the calm water there is no wave; yet it cannot

be said, there is no wave at all either.2 In the

similar manner, this universe attains the state of

emptiness and fullness3

in Brahman.Let us close by returning to Swami

Satswarupananda: As there is no separation,

then there is neither new nor old; nothing is

ever born or unborn, but ever existingthe

shoreless consciousness (aparavara samvit). This

is the very core message of Vedanta and also the

message of the Yoga Vasishtha Sara. Standing

upon the rock-solid foundation of pure

discrimination and Self-realization, this book

boldly announces this immortal principle, notquoting any scriptures, not even the Vedas or

Vedantic texts.

Every drop of the limited belongs to the

Unlimited. Where is the distinction between

the finite and the Infinite? There is only

One that is unlimited, the limited is mere

imagination.

(Concluded.)

23

1 I am That, consciousness alone, such reflection

is called meditation. When the concept of

meditation is forgotten, it is called right type of

samadhi or samyak samadhi.

2. Because, if the waves were not there at all, then

where from would appear from?

3. The universe exists in the Brahman; at the same

time it is not there either. This means, the

existence of worldly-characteristics and the

total absence of the worldly-characteristics

both verily exist in Brahman. The inner meaning

is: the universe is perceived in Brahman in the

phenomenal state; but from the noumenal or

philosophical state the universe is not there.

Notes


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PRAVRAJIKA BRAHMAPRANA

Entering the HimalayasLord Shivas AbodeA Pilgrimage to Almora

Pravrajika Brahmaprana is a nun o the Vedanta Society o Southern Caliornia, Hollywood. She has compiled

and edited several books on Vedanta, including The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 9;

Vivekacudamani of Sri Sankaracarya, translated by Swami Turiyananda; and With the Swamis in America

and India. Brahmaprana has also written numerous articles on the philosophy and practice o Vedanta or

journals and anthologies in America and abroad. (Pravrajika Brahmapranas pilgrimage to Almora took place

in October 2012.)

the word a telegram had arrived at Lala

Badri Shahs Almora home, divulging the

Paatal Devi

The next morning from my guest

quarters, Nanda Devis unearthly visage was

the first to greet me as I descended the steep

hillside steps to the convent shrine room. Afterbreakfast, Prabhaprana and I, with Govind as

our driver, began our day-long pilgrimage.

Our first stop was Paatal Devi, an ancient

Shaktipithathe sacred spot of a natural stone

yoni etched into the floor of a small cave inside

the temple. Here also Swami Vivekananda had

come in the fall of 1890 after his stop at the

nearby cave of Kasar Devi.

In 1777, the Paatal Devi temple had

been erected along with simple kutirs formonks quarters adjacent to the mandir, or

temple compound. The kutir where Swami

Vivekananda stayed is now occupied by a

poor, recently widowed mother. The local

temple authorities had taken pity on this

woman and her child and given permission

for them to stay in one the monks quarters

and clean the temple premises in return for this

special favour.

It was at the spot of the Paatal Devitemple that Vivekananda first received

(Continued from the previous issue. . . )

Paatal Devi


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shocking news of his sisters

suicide. The Swami, torn with

agony, was suddenly awakened

to the plight of Indian women

and later worked toward womens

upliftment in India as part of his

mission on earth.

Muslim Graveyard

From Paatal Devi we drove

to the nearby Muslim graveyard

where Swami Vivekananda almost

passed away from hunger due

to the exertion of his pilgrimage,

and sank to the ground with

exhaustion. The keeper of the

cemetery, a Muslim fakir by name

Zulfikar Ali, saw the swamis dire plight and

offered him a cucumber, the only food he

had. Vivekananda asked him to put it into

his mouth as he was even too weak to do

this much himself, but the Muslim protested,

Maharaj, I am a Muslim!

That doesnt matter at all. Are we not

brothers? Swamiji declared with a smile. Onthat spot Gertrude Sen, wife of renowned

scientist Boshi Sen, erected a memorial

to immortalize Vivekanandas boundless

gratitude toward this Muslim fakir to whom

he owed his life. One could say that this

simple monument is a testament to this

living example of Advaita Vedantaor what

interfaith understanding can bring at its root

level.

Ramakrishna Mission Kutir, Almora

From there we drove a mile or two

to the Ramakrishna Kutir, a centre of the

Ramakrishna Order, and descended the steep

staircase past the library and guest cottages to

the temple, erected on the spot where Swami

Turiyananda had stayed for seven years,

after Swami Vivekanandas mahasamadhi in

1902.

His bed upon which his photograph rests

against the pillow is to the left of the main

altar. To the right is a dazzling painting of

Mother Durga, the Protectress of the Universe.

On the left wall of the inner shrine and chapel

are two wall-mounted glass cases where

Swami Turiyanandas personal articles arekepteverything from safety razor, shaving

cream bottle, food utensils, and spectacles to

well-worn slippers and a crucifix, darkened

with the years! It was difficult to leave ones

seat in meditation; the atmosphere resonated

with the sound of silencepalpably tranquil,

like the shimmering calm of a vast, placid lake.

Swami Turiyananda established this sacred

space of utter peace in Almora as well as at

Shanti Ashrama, in Northern Californiaaretreat must for any seeker who hankers for

solitude and deeper meditation.

In the Footsteps of Vivekananda

After lunch prasad and a tour of the

Ramakrishna Kutir, we left for Sarada Math.

But on the way, Prabhaprana asked Govind to

The way to Muslim graveyard where Swamiji was given cucumber

25


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pull over to view the sloping forest land below

us. She then explained:

One time in Almora, Vivekananda was

with one of his brother disciples (probably

Swami Akhandananda) as they made their

way toward their next stop one evening.

Suddenly the swami turned to his

brother-monk and said, You go by the road,

and I will cut through this forest. Swami

Akhandananda agreed, but soon afterwardsbecame curious and somewhat puzzled by

this odd travel arrangement. So he followed

Swamiji deep into the pine forest. Suddenly

through the branches, he saw a white light

ahead which became brighter and brighter as

he approached a clearing. There he saw his

brother-monk embracing Sri Ramakrishna.

Ah, that is why you wanted to come alone

into this leopard-infested forest! he later told

Swamiji.

At Lala Badri Shahs Home, Almora

After sharing this reminiscence,

Prabhaprana and I returned to our jeep and

rode further, past Boshi Sens Institute, where

he had made his cutting-edge discoveries of

consciousness within plants, until Prabhapranaonce again beckoned the driver to turn off

to the side of the road. To our left was a

Lala Badri Shah

Swami Turiyanandas room, Almora Ashrama

Inside Swami Turiyanandas room

26


29/56


steep cliff and to the right a staircase leading

upward to Lala Badri Shahs house. Lala

Badri Shah was a wealthy landowner and

close disciple of Swami Vivekananda. In May

1898, Sister Nivedita, Josephine MacLeod, and

Sara Bullall prominent Western disciples

of Vivekanandahad stayed at his home in

Almora. Every day Swamiji used to walk from

Shahs Thompson cottage a mile or so away

to his Oakley House for breakfast followed

by several hours of conversation with Sister

Nivedita and his two other women disciples.

Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita

It was here under a pine tree that

Swamiji transmitted a nondual spiritual

experience to Sister Nivedita and gave her a

glimpse of Brahmanbut only after a period

of rigorous training. Sister Nivedita later

divulged how her guru ruthlessly tore at her

British preconceptions of India as she butted

up against his passionate love for Indian

ideals and culture. But gradually her center of

gravity was made to shift from a deep-rooted

European world view to a more Indianized

outlook of Indias ancient tradition and culture.

Only then did the painful assaults end and

Vivekananda announced: There must be a

change. I am going away into the forests to

be alone; and when I come back, I shall bring

peace. In Sister Niveditas words:

He lifted his hands and blessed, with silent

depths of blessing, his most rebellious disciple,

by this time kneeling before him. But though

such a moment may heal a wound, it cannotrestore an illusion that has been broken into

fragments.

Long, long ago, Sri Ramakrishna had told his

disciples that the day would come when his

beloved Naren would manifest his own great

gift of bestowing knowledge with a touch. That

evening, at Almora, I proved the truth of this

prophecy. For alone, in meditation, I found

myself gazing deep into an Infinite Good, to

Sister Nivedita

A recent picture of Lala Badri Shah's house

27


30/56


the recognition of which no egoistic reasoning

had led me. And I understood, for the first time,

that the greatest teachers may destroy in us a

personal relation, only in order to bestow the

Impersonal Vision in its place.6

Darshan of an Unpublished Reminiscence

of Swami Vivekananda

Today Lala Badri Shahs home has

become a hotel run by the Shah family. The

proprietor greeted us as Prabhaprana and

I climbed the stairs and walked to Sister

Niveditas corner room. Then we made our

way to the room where Swamiji had stayed as

Shahs special guest, at the opposite end of the

mansion. This was to be Prabhapranas special

surprise for me.Inside this beautifully maintained room,

was the cot and easy chair that Swamiji had

used, along with an armoire and standing

mirror atop a chest of drawers. Various smaller

articles the swami also used such as a lamp,

water pot, and hubble bubble were encased in

a wall-mounted glass case.

But above the chest

of drawers was the most

unusual first-generation

tinted photograph of Vivek-

ananda that I had ever

seen anywhere. His eyes

captivated me and I felt as

though they followed me

around the roomso living

this photograph seemed. I

was struck dumbunlike

his other photographs

Swamijis eyes did not

bear the expression of Lord

Shiva; they were, withoutdoubt, none other than the

lotus eyes of Lord Krishna.

When the proprietors

wife, Indu, entered the room, with her help I

managed to take the best photograph possible.

Then she and Prabhaprana shared their story:

Indus mother-in-law, Janaki Devi, was

just newly married when she went to the home

of her husbands grandfather, Lala Badri Shah,

a devoted disciple of Swami Vivekananda.Janaki Devi understood that her grandfather-

in-law paid the utmost respect to all sadhus

who visited his home. Therefore, one day

when one striking sadhu came to his home,

she brought him a tall glass of milk. The monk

drank the entire glass, then asked her, Who do

you love most?

Lord Krishna, she responded.

Very good, he nodded with pleasure,

then left. The sadhu was none other thanSwami Vivekananda.

Shortly thereafter another sadhu came to

Shahs home and gave the young bride a scroll

that was securely wrapped in a tube, Dont

open this for 20 years, he instructed her.

Time past, then one day 20 years later as

the woman was busy moving her household

Nivedita Cottage, Almora

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talk to him and he will answer. Go! Go and

ask!

One day Indus mother-in-law shared

with Prabhaprana, He (meaning Swamiji)

also tells me news before it happens. Once

when Janaki Devi was staying with her son in

Haldwani, she suddenly awoke in the middle

of the night to find Swamiji standing by her

bedside with tears flowing from his eyes.

Whats wrong, Swamiji? she asked.

Please go to your home immediately

was his only reply. Then he vanished.

Thereupon the woman woke her son

and insisted that they begin their journey

to Almora immediately, in spite of all hisprotests. When they arrived, she found her

husband, who was Lala Badri Shahs grandson,

on his deathbed. She gave him Ganges water

and he soon breathed his last. Such was how

this photo of Swami Vivekananda became

living and guided her life.

Stories such as this come from the real

India, the spiritual India. And from such

stories it is possible to touch the outer realm

of the awesome giant of a Man, that specialbeing, we call an ishvarakoti. Vivekananda had

initiated the young bride by drinking her glass

of milk, thus swallowing her karmas. And in

his own inscrutable way he arranged for his

photo, bearing Lord Krishnas likeness, to

land in her hands. That the young bride could

not help but be mesmerized by it, worship

and adore it, was surely also his doing. By

Lala Badri Shahs association with Swamiji,

generations of his family members have beenblessed, for rarely has the world seen such a

spiritual giant as Vivekananda.

(To be continued. . .)

6 Eastern and Western Disciples, The Life of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 2 (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1981), 336-8

(abridged and lightly edited).

Reference

A photo of Swamijis portrait at Shah familys house

29

belongings, she found the scroll and opened

it. It was a colour-tinted photograph of Swami

Vivekananda, perhaps taken in San Francisco.

A most extraordinary photoit became living.When Indu was newly married, she

used to make fun of her mother-in-law, who

long back was the young bride who had met

Swamiji. Indu shared how Janaki Devi would

stand before this photograph of Swamiji

and talk to him. Later when Pravrajika

Prabhaprana came to Almora, she used to

go to the Shah residence to hear Janaki Devi

herself divulge her stories of Shah, Swamiji,

and his photo. She used to say: If I stand tothe left of the photo, h

The Vedanta Kesari July 2013

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