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Issue 5
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Atma Bodha - Shloka-36 Are we really Free? Yagna-Daan-Tapas Quarrel Among the Senses Mission / Ashram Progs
Vedanta Sandesh
Spreading Love & Light
Hari om! Human beings are the most evolved living beings on our planet, they are indeed the finest creation of God. While the whole world alongwith its amazing flora & fauna are all extremely beautiful, yet human beings stand out. No wonder we humans rule the world & all its creatures. What is the uniqueness of humans? It is certainly our astounding intelligence. We can understand and appreciate things very deeply, we can go into the truth of things around and then improvise our understanding into technologies which make our lives more comfortable. As humans we can not only understand things outside in a much better way, but more important and profound than this is our amazing capacity of Self-Consciousness. In fact this is the real USP of human beings. While there are other living beings who can experience the things outside in a relatively better way, but the limits of self-consciousness constrains them to live in a particularly conditioned & programmed way. Humans have the freedom to break free of any conditionings or conversely even create an entirely new one. So potent is this capacity of self-consciousness that all the problems of mankind and also of its solutions can be traced to this alone. The Upanishads diagnose and connect the nature of our Bondage and Liberation to this capacity of Self-Consciousness alone. Taking ourself to be a limited individual basically means that our perception & conclusion of ourself is that of a limited fellow. Our own subsequent discomfort with this conclusion implies that such a conclusion is baseless & delusory. Liberation is all about becoming aware of a Self which is complete - pointed out as Brahman. Abiding in the truth of ourself is Moksha. Therefore the real objective of all sadhanas is just to expand our level of consciousness - both about Atma and Anatma. The various problems, challenges, grief etc. are all situations which are basically invitations to make our awareness levels deeper & factual in that field. We will keep on fumbling till we know the truth in that particular field, and the moment we are conscious of the truth, then that very moment it is freedom. Another aspect about self-consciousness is that the nature of this alone discerns our priorities of things around. All thoughts are basicaly dependent on I-thought. The very necessity of other thoughts & deliberations is because we percieve ourselves to be incomplete. The moment the Self is realized to be complete then there is no neecessity of any thoughts or desires. Thereafter it is all love & freedom. One who is not aware of this dimension of self-consciousness alone focusses on superficial & external things like wealth & pleasures to fill their cups. They are all the deluded & ignorant ones, for they shall continue to seek inspite of all their achievements. Just as right diagnosis alone is the guarantee of success of a treatment so also right understanding of our problem is the assurance of our fulfillment & happiness in life. Getting rich and having all the various objects of gratification is not our real priority, but just expansion of our consciousness which alone matters. If at the end of a terrible experience we have a better & deeper understanding of life, then we have truly got a wealth which really matters. Moreso, it is the awareness about the truth of ourself which will put us on the evolution ladder. Let us redeem our human-ness and focus on our self-consciousness and work to live a truly free, fulfilled and a loving life, rather than be an eternal, desperate seeker, dependent of so many things for our fulfillment and security. This alone is real hell. Love & om,
Nov 2011
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Swami Atmananda
36
Nitya shuddha vimuktaikam akhandanandam advaiyam Satyam gyanam anantam yat param brahmaahameva tat
Nitya: eternal; shuddha: immaculate; vimukta: free; ekam: the only one; akhandanandam: Bliss complete; advaiyam: non-dual; Satyam: imperishable; gyanam: knowledge; anantam: endless; yat: which; param brahma: supreme brahma; aham eva: verily myself; tat: that. I am indeed that Supreme Brahman which is eternal, immaculate and pure. I am of the nature of knowledge which is complete, non-dual, imperishable and endless. Nitya shuddha vimukta ekam: Nitya: The Self is the eternal factor that exists at all times. In the ocean the waves are born and they die away but the main substratum of the waves i.e. the water does not go through any modifications nor does it die. Similarly it is the body, mind and intellect which go through various modifications but in and through all the modifications is an eternal and changeless factor which remains constant inspite of all coming and going. Shuddha: The Self is immaculate. It is free of the impurity of ignorance and its effects. Although in the state of ignorance when one identifies with the unreal self one sees the Self as limited, contaminated by impuritie of the mind like likes, dislikes, anger, jealousy, greed, and the biggest impuVedanta Sandesh - Nov 2011
rity being ignorance itself. One is so strongly identified with the limited Elf and its shortcomings that even when the scripture and Masters reveal to us our basic divine nature as Brahman, as Selfeffulgent, ever pure, it is hard to believe that I am divine and pure by nature. Here too the Acharya says I am immaculate. Ignorance is basically not knowling the true nature of the Self and then being led by wrong notions about the Self. Once authentic knowledge of the Self is gained by negating the false understanding of the Self that alone is liberation and awakening into the divinity of ones self. Vimuktah: We are basically liberated by nature. I do not have to attain liberation. Bondage is only a reflection of our ignorance and mis understanding of the Self. It has o real existence. Bond-
age exists like an imagination of a snake on the rope. Once we imagine the rope to be asnake then all sorts of fears etc are born. Once this delusion is dropped and one sees the rope a s a rope then all sense of bondage is negated and we awaken into our own divine nature which is ever liberated. Ekam: Brahman, the Self is one without a second. There is only reality that exits, no pluraility. All sense of distinction and differentiation is born of ignorance and misapprehension about the Self and the world. We arenot able to see the one underlying unity i.e. the substratum of everything manifested. At the level of manifestation names, forms, pottentials, may vary but we are all made of the same mud, just like the mud pot, the vase, mud toys etc. In the beging there was the mud, when taken a form there is mud and everything is dissolved in the mud too. Infact the very imagination of Jiva is also not distinct from the one reality, this imagination too exists in Brahman alone. Iswara the creator sustainer and destroyer is also the manifested or sagun form of Brahman. Akhandanandam advaiyam: Akhandanandam: I alone am of the nature of complete bliss. Bliss outside is a reflection of my own bliss within. If bliss was in the external world of objects and their experiences then all objects should give me pleasure and at all time, but we see something gives me pleasure when i am basically happy within my self. Infact my love for anything outside is a reflection of my love for my own self. I love something because I love myself and because something is favourable to my happiness and peace. The most important thing to be noted here is that it is basically because I am of the nature of infinite bliss and because I am not aware of it I wish to experience bliss from the outside world and a bliss that stays at all times. This is because everything traces back to its own nature. I too wish to revel in bliss eternally. The only thing one needs to realise that bliss can never be attained a s a seeker but it has to be
discovered as ones very own nature. Advaiyam: I am one without a second. I am all pervading, including the Sareera thrayam and the world. I am the cause of every thing. Everything is merely my reflection and is Mithya. I am therefore the only one without a second. Satyam gyanam anantam: Satyam: I am that truth which exists without any changes at all times. Inspite of all the changes at the level of the body, mind, intellect and the objective world, I am the changeless one. An untouched and uninvolved witness of all changes. I am free of the cycle of birth, death, and any kind of physical & mental changes. Gyanam: I am changeless and that effulgence which enlightens and enlivens all modifications. I am the one who enlightens everything but I do not need any other source of light to enlighten me. I am Self effulgent. The objective world outsides needs me to bring about its exitence but I do not need another person to tell me if exist or not. I am aware of my own exitence. Anantam: I am the limitless one. I am not bound by the boundaries of time, space and objectivity. I am all pervading. Yat param brahma ahameva tat: The one with these lakshanas is param brahma (Supreme Brahman). and I am that infinite Brahmanahameva tat. Param means desh kaal vastu pariccheda shoonyam that which is free of any limitations of time space and objectivity. I am that. In this manner the scriptures reveal to us an identity of the Self which is infinite, divine, blissful and self effulgent, but unfortunately due to ignorance and misapprehehension I come to see my self as a limited entity, a seeker, devoid of bliss within. The scriptures and our Masters continuously inspire us to arise and awake in that sate of Brahman which has been revealed so far.
Knowledge is all about being aware of the truth of what is, while Yoga and Bhakti aim to If we are free change the mind for the better, about to bring so technically they fall e r r o n e o u s in the category of conclusion then karma, working to change the doubt where is something. For knowledge even that we can correct a sankalpa to that change baseless anything is an impediment, conclusion :) because then our - Poojya Guruji priorities change from knowing what is to working for what should be. - Poojya Guruji
Awakening into a state of freedom is the goal of human life. In this journey to freedom yagya daan tapah are three very potent means which work like a pole valt taking us to great heights of mental purity making us capable to enter the portals of liberation & divinity. Since these three are such significant fetaures of our spiritual journey let us see the nature of each one of - Yagya, Daan & Tapas. Yagya Yagna or Yagya is commonly understood as a ritual where one makes offerings to the Gods of and fulfills ones desires. But in the Gita the term Yagya is not confined to just the ritualistic aspect of yagya, but Bhagvan Sri Krishna explains the concept of Yagya in a more universally appealing & deeper way, that suits the field of action in the best manner one could ever think of. Other wise as per the common understanding of Yagya one would have to leave all fields of action and live confined to just performing rituals and making offering to please the Gods. Ths idea not only sounds highly impractical but instead of making man a very dynamic being where Action is equal to life, there a man whould become an inactive person confined to the boundary of mere rituals. Yagya in the Gita in other words is also known as Karma Yoga. It is explained as an attitude of Action, that attitude in action that only filfills ones desires but also purifies the mind of the sense of individuality and personal likes & dislikes. Such is the glory of Karma Yoga mentioned in the Gita that Bhagvan Krishna calls it the Kamdhenu of life. Kamdhenu in Mythology is that celestial cow who could fulfill any desire of a person. You name it and you have it. The essence of Yagya bhava is eliminating the sense of self-centricity and dedicating ones actions to that sustainer who is an intelligent power running the world in a flawless manner. In this spirit of action one rises above individual worries of the fruits of actions, self limitations and the sense of doership. One performs actions selflessly and lovingly just as a mother looks after her child without any self concerns. She goes beyond the realms of food, rest or any kind of personal desires. A karma yogi too performs his actions as such an offering to God who has bestowed upon him life and all the means of living. He discerns a goal and then dedicates himself fully with all his heart & soul in performing the action dynamically, intelligently, creatively and lovingly. There are no worries about the results of actions but such is his humble attitude that having performed actions to the best of his ability he accepts the fruits of actions as a prasad from God, having complete faith in the will of God. This is the spirit of Yagya in the Gita also known as Karma Yoga. Sri Krishna says this attitude of action becomes a great blessing from the point of view of worldly achievements helps awakening to the Real nature of the Self. The Lord says that may the human beings make every action a selfless and humble offering to the Gods and may the Gods fulfill all desires of such human beings . In this manner the Art of Karma Yoga or the spirit of Yagya bhava lead is a technology given by our scriptures to bring about the welfare of all. Daan Daan or Charity is another significant gesture prescribed by our scriptures, that leads an individual jiva to mental purification and awakening to the state of oneness. Daan is not merely a rich man giving something to a needy person. It implies more finer attitudes which expand the contours of an individual being to universal
Yagna-Daan-Tapas
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brotherhood. Charity is an attitude embibing which one arises above the sense of individuality to embrace everyone with a sense of oneness. One invokes the feelings of oneness and lovings shares with a needy person that which may be a excessive in his own right. Charity does not mean that one pours out riches in great amounts. It means being able to give what ever one can at his own level with a sense of bigheartedness and the spirit of being a universal family. Infact our scriptures prescribe that whatever a man earns he must divide hid earnings for his personal & family needs, for society, for serving brahmins & ashramas for animals and for needy people. Just earning for the self and looking after the self reflects a miserly person at the level of universal oneness. Tapas Commonly tapas is understood as esomething like extreme fasting, standing on one feet and any kind of extreme measures to control the sense organs and the mind. Authetically as per the scriptures Tapas no where means deliberate deprivation or suppression of any kind at the level of the body and the mind. The scriptures expalin Tapas as a deiberate consentious effort to overcome habitual tendencies that are born of a conditioned mind preparing the mind and the body for a higher and more divine goal in life. In ignorance generally a person flows helplessly and thoughtlessly with his past samskars or conditioning of likes and dislikes, of habits and addictions. These habitual tendencies can be at any level of sleeping, eating, judging people with a conditioned mind any action which is only a reaction of a pre-conditioned mind. The Shastras explian Tapas as a means to overcome such a weak mind. In such a tapas very deliberrate efforts are made to give right direction to the body, the sense organs, the mind and the intellect to act as per what is right in view of our ultimate goal in life i.e. to attain Freedom from the bondage of ignorance and thoughtless living. In ishavasya Upanishad the significance of freedom from a conditioned life is shown by saying that any person who lives life bound by the clutches of earlier samskars, personal likes and dislikes and such conditionings is as a good as the presence of death in such a person, because there is no freedom in action and thoughts. Infact knowing such a persons weaknessess such a person can easily become a puppet in other peoples hands. Anyone can make him go through a rollercoaster of happiness and sorrow. Such a persons responses, decision making and thinking is easily predictable. Tapas thus is a very potent sadhana for a seeker of liberation to prepare himself for Self knowledge. Such a person alone can make himself an instrument of God, surrender at the Holy Feet of his Guru, work for the society and family and ultimately such a condition free mind alone can rise and embibe the knowledge of himself, God and the world around. In the Gita Bhagwan Krishna says Yagya daan tapah karma na tyajyam. A devotee,a person walking on the path of righteousness, a student of knowledge should never give up on these three types of actions. Infact one should take up these actions extremely deliberately as something that necessarily should be done. It is these actions alone that will purify the mind of all impurities born out of the sense of individuality. Mental impurities alone are the only obstacle in gaining knowledge and being able to live up to it. A purified mind is like a shining mirror surface where one then has to make no efforts in being able to see himself in the mirror. He effortlesslt sees that which he truly is. Self effulgent, blissfull, conscious entity. Most importantly one should remember it is the human birth alone where one has the freedom to change and purify the mind and gain the knowledge of the Self. No other embodiment has the freedom to act and gain knowledge, not even the devatas.
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A Step
On the other side of darkness, far away there shines a light, A light to end all sorrow, A light to be ever free, A light for a new tomorrow A light for you and me On the other side of darkness, far away there shines a light, A light which gives out joy, A light which is made of love, A light which minds employ, That light in heaven above On the other side of darkness, far away there shines a light A light which bathes mans mind in the wisdom of eternal flame That which will redeem mankind And make the highest truths plain -Raja Sivaji
Stories by Sages
They went to Prajapati, their father, and said: Sir, who is the best of us? He replied: He by whose departure the body looks the worst he is the best of you. Speech then departed and, having stayed away for a year, returned and said: How have you been able to live without me? They replied: Like the dumb -not speaking, but breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived. Then speech entered in. The eye then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: How have you been able to live without me? They replied: Like the blind not seeing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, hearing with the ear and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived. Then the eye entered in. The ear then departed, and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: How have you been able to live without me? They replied: Like the deaf not hearing, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and thinking with the mind. Thus we lived. Then the ear entered. The mind then departed and having stayed away for a year, returned and said: How have you been able to live without me? They replied: Like children not thinking, but breathing with the breath, speaking with the tongue, seeing with the eye and hearing with the ear. Thus we lived. Then the mind entered in. Now, when the breath was about to depart, tearing up the other senses, as a strong horse about to depart might tear up the pegs to which he is tethered, they gathered round him and said: Sir, remain. You are the best of us, do not depart. Then speech said to him: If I am the most prosperous, so are you the most prosperous. The eye said to him: If I am the firm basis, so are you the firm basis. The ear said to him: If I am success, so are you the success. The mind said to him; If I am the abode, so are you the abode. Hence these are not termed organs of speech or eyes or ears or minds. They are termed signs of life. For life itself becomes all these.
Oct11 VM / VA Programs
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Vedanta Mission / Ashram Programs
Vedanta Ashram completed sixteen years of its existence. It was established on the Dasshera day in1995. All these years have been very active, busy and also satisfactory. Apart from successfully completing a full time Vedanta Course, whose students are full time Ashram Mahatmas, there have been good work to take the message of Vedanta to the different segments of society. There have been regular Sadhana Camps, Vedanta Gyana Yagnas, Youth Programs and Children packages. There are regular Vedanta Discourses at the Ashram apart from regular devotional activities. The infra structure of Vedanta Ashram too has undergone a sea-change. Initially it was a two room cottage, and is now a well-equipped institution which can comfortably accomodate 30 sadhakas for a week long stay. With the new ongoing project of Project Lift the facilities on upper flooors will be acccessible to our senior & handicapped devotees.
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Project Lift is going on in good speed, and God-willing the project will be complete before the forthcoming Sadhana Camp in Jan 2012.
Check out the detailed Photo Albums of the various functions on VM News Blog at : http://vmissionews.blogspot.com/
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Oct11 VM / VA Programs
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Forthcoming Programs
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