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Traditional Wisdom

DISCRIMINATION

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The path of work and renunciation, right and wrong actions, what is to be fearedand what is not, what is bondage and what is freedom—the intellect that knows allthis is said to be of sattvika type. (Bhagavadgita, 18.30)

Live in the world like an ant. The world contains a mixture of truth and untruth,sugar and sand. Be an ant and take the sugar. Again, the world is a mixture of milkand water, the bliss of God-Consciousness and the pleasure of sense-enjoyment. Bea swan and drink the milk, leaving the water aside. Live in the world like a water-fowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like amudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny. (The Gos-pel of Sri Ramakrishna, 472)

To be able to use what we call Viveka (discrimination), to learn how in every mo-ment of our lives, in every one of our actions, to discriminate between what is rightand wrong, true and false, we shall have to know the test of truth, which is purity,oneness. Everything that makes for oneness is truth. Love is truth, and hatred isfalse, because hatred makes for multiplicity. It is hatred that separates man fromman. (The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 2.304)

When a man feels that he is diseased, then he calls for a doctor and follows his ad-vice. If you feel that life in the world is a great bondage, and that the world is anabode of misery, there will come distaste for worldly enjoyments and your love forGod will increase. You will then be interested in taking the remedy, which is tothink of your Chosen Ideal and repeat His name. (Swami Premananda, 65)

9 PB-AUGUST 2003

Vol. 108 AUGUST 2003 No. 8

PRABUDDHA

BHARATAArise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached!

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� This Month �

From the Unreal to the Real, thismonth’s editorial, discusses some traits aspiritual aspirant can gainfully cultivate.

Prabuddha Bharata—100 Years Ago fea-tures excerpts from the articles ‘The Reli-gious Teacher’ and ‘Religion is Realization’,besides a news item on Swami Ramakrishna-nandaji’s lectures.

Reflections on the Bhagavadgita bySwami Atulanandaji (1870-1966) is the thirdinstalment of the author’s commentary onverses 15 to 19 of the seventh chapter of theGita. Why the evil-minded do not worshipGod, the four kinds of devotees worshippingGod, and the superiority of the jnani amongthem—these themes receive a detailed treat-ment from the author, who was a respectedmonk of the Ramakrishna Order.

Glimpses of Holy Lives features inci-dents from the lives of Tukaram, a saintfrom Maharashtra, and Kalyan, a disciple ofSamartha Ramdas.

In the second and final instalment of hisilluminating article The Appeal of the Upa-nishads Today, Swami Atmapriyanandajidiscusses the ‘Atman = Brahman’ equation,what is true globalization, the fivefold selfand the threefold body of the human person-ality . In conclusion he throws a new per-spective on the all-important question: Whois qualified to study the Upanishads? Amonk of the Ramakrishna Order, the authoris Principal of Ramakrishna Mission Vidya-mandira, Belur.

Most readers know of Swami Chetana-nandaji’s wonderful work, They Lived withGod, detailing the lives of Sri Ramakrishna’s

householder disciples. In the revised edition,now in press, the author has included threemore biographies. Prabuddha Bharata ishappy to publish them before they appear inbook form. Tejachandra Mitra is the first inthe series. A senior monk of the Ramakrish-na Order, the author is head of Vedanta So-ciety of St Louis.

In his thought-provoking article Datta,Dámyata, Dayadhvam, Sri R K Dasgupta em-phasizes the topicality and urgency of theUpanishadic message of charity, restraintand compassion. Educated in Kolkata andthe Oxford, the author has been Vivekanan-da Professor of Indology at the RamakrishnaMission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, sinceApril 1994.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras—An Expositionby Swami Premeshanandaji is based on classnotes by Swami Suhitanandaji, who, as anovice of the Ramakrishna Order, was fortu-nate to be given a special class on the subjectby the author. The Bengali notes were serial-ized in the Udbodhan and later published byUdbodhan Office, Kolkata, as Patanjala Yoga-sutra. We are happy to serialize a translationof the book by Sri Shoutir Kishore Chatter-jee, former Professor of Statistics, CalcuttaUniversity, and for many years a deep stu-dent of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda litera-ture. This month features a prologue and anintroduction to the exposition. We are grate-ful to Udbodhan Office, Kolkata, for permit-ting us to publish this translation.

Kaôha Rudra Upaniøad is the fifth instal-ment of a translation of this important San-nyasa Upanishad by Swami Atmapriyanan-daji. The elaborate notes are based on Upani-shad Brahmayogin’s commentary.

PB-AUGUST 2003 10

From the Unreal to the Real

EDITORIAL

We saw in the last editorial that thoughfrom the standpoint of the ultimateReality the world is unreal like a

dream, nothing else is more real to us in oureveryday experience. The world impingesupon our consciousness and determines ourpriorities as long as our body and mind arereal to us. The challenge is to break the unrealworld-dream and wake up to Reality. Minddiscipline and spiritual practices help us inthis endeavour.

What Makes the World-dream Real to us

According to Vedanta, Brahman is theonly reality. It appears to us as this manifoldworld of differences. This appearance is be-cause of maya, the power of Brahman. In fact,maya is a twofold power: the power of con-cealment (ávaraîa ùakti), concealing from usthe basic spiritual Reality, Brahman; and thepower of distortion (vikøepa ùakti), makingBrahman appear to us as the world.

Sankhya philosophy has a name for theultimate Reality: Purusha. According to it,however, there are infinite Purushas, in con-trast with the one-without-a-second Brahmanof Vedanta. Vedanta is more rational since itnegates multiplicity for the Spirit, which tran-scends nature (space and time). Our focushere is on Prakriti, Sankhya’s equivalent ofmaya. Prakriti is loosely translated as Nature.Prakriti is primordial Nature, out of whichevolve everything that is not-Spirit, not-Puru-sha, or not-Self—both at the microcosmic andmacrocosmic levels. Prakriti is inert but is ableto evolve as the subtle and physical worldsand go about its activities by mere proximityto the conscious Purusha. The goal of life is forthe Purusha (the individual soul) to free him-self from the hold of Prakriti, realize his spiri-

tual nature and thus free himself from thethreefold misery of the world arising from (1)his own body and mind, (2) those of othersand (3) nature’s fury like flood, famine, cy-clone and earthquake.

A Brief Survey of the Three Gunas

Prakriti is composed of three gunas,called sattva, rajas and tamas.1 They are re-spectively translated as calmness (or poise),activity and inertia. These gunas constitutePrakriti even as three strands a rope. Minusthe strands, the rope vanishes. Even so, minusthe gunas, Prakriti vanishes and the spiritualReality stands revealed in its true glory. Allthat we perceive with our sense organs, thinkwith our mind, and our own body and mind—all have evolved from Prakriti and hence com-posed of the three gunas. Our identificationwith our body and mind and consequent run-ning after the fleeting objects of the world arethe result of our apparently inextricable asso-ciation with the gunas. All the three gunas arepresent in an individual, but one of them pre-dominates over the other two. Deluded by thethree gunas, the world does not know the spir-itual Reality behind it.2 Sri Ramakrishna de-scribes the three gunas as three robbers whorob man of the knowledge of his real Self.Tamas, the first robber, destroys. The secondrobber, rajas, binds a man to the world and en-tangles him in a variety of activities. Sattvaalone shows the way to God. It produces vir-tues like compassion, righteousness and de-votion. One cannot attain the knowledge ofBrahman unless one transcends the threegunas.3

A little reflection on how much of inertia(sloth), passionate activity and calmness in-heres in us can give us an idea of which guna is

11 PB-AUGUST 2003

predominant in us. The journey to freedomfrom the gunas is from tamas (inertia) to rajas(activity) to sattva (calmness) to the ultimateReality beyond them. Tamas deludes us intobelieving that we are sattvic, because of theapparent calmness born of sloth. Here is apoint that cannot be emphasized more: tamasand sattva are poles apart, though they may beapparently similar in some respects. The jour-ney from tamas to sattva has to pass throughrajas; there is no bypass, however unpleasantand uncomfortable that sounds.

The Way to the Real

Traversing from the unreal to the Realthus amounts to freeing oneself from thegunas. Sri Krishna tells us how. DescribingHis maya as His divine power composed of

the three gunas and difficult to cross, He con-tinues in the Bhagavadgita, ‘Only those whoworship Me tide over this maya.’4 Now, aword about ‘worship Me’. When a divine In-carnation like Sri Krishna says Me it is cer-tainly free from any narrow connotation. Ob-viously, Me refers to the spiritual Reality be-hind His external form. Sri Krishna’s assur-ance has a much wider significance and ap-plies to all divine forms of all religions. Inother words, freedom from maya is possibleonly when we cease to identify ourselves withthe body-mind complex and begin to seek thespiritual Reality behind it.

The Journey More Clearly Defined

Besides the general prescription of taking

refuge in God, or spiritual Reality, are thereany practical guidelines for a spiritual aspi-rant to free himself from the gunas? There sureare. Sri Krishna is a world teacher and doesnot leave loose ends in the Gita. After describ-ing the three gunas in its fourteenth chapter,He details in verses 22 to 25 the characteristicsof a person who has transcended the threegunas (triguîátæta), or the traits of one who hasknown his real divine nature, the Atman.What is the idea behind this catalogue oftraits? Sri Shankaracharya has the answer inhis commentary on verse 25: ‘By special effortsa spiritual aspirant needs to acquire thesetraits as the means of attaining Self-knowl-edge. But on Self-realization these virtues be-come part and parcel of his nature and serve asmarks of liberation, which he can perceive for

himself.’Swami Ashokanandaji

(1893-1969) was a renowneddisciple of Swami Vivekanandaand was known for hisground-breaking work in theWest. A monastic novice underhis care once pressed him to tellhim when he might have some‘realization’. Ashokanandaji re-plied, ‘Why don’t you live as ifyou had already realized?’5 That

was an echo of Sri Shankaracharya’s remarks.What follows is a discussion on these traits aprospective triguîátæta needs to cultivate (Gitaverses 14.22-5).

Abidance in the Self

The most important trait is abidance inthe Self. The man of realization is a man of wis-dom. An aspirant begins with cultivating hisbuddhi, the all-important discriminating fac-ulty in him. He tries to identify himself moreand more with something in him that is differ-ent from his body and his non-cooperatingmind. He understands the Gita teaching thatonly a controlled mind can act as his friend,and monitors his thoughts and actions as their

PB-AUGUST 2003 12

388 Prabuddha Bharata

Most people lead ‘programmed’ lives,programmed by their mental impressions

(samskaras) and ‘executed’ by the senseorgans and the sense objects. An aspirant

on the path to Self-knowledge, on the otherhand, refuses to be taken for a ride by the

mind and the senses.

witness. He does a quality audit of whateverenters his system through his sense organsand is ever alert about any unwholesome orweakening thought crossing his mind. Hetries to think more and more of his real nature,the Atman, and makes serious scriptural stud-ies and deep thinking about his higher Self apart of his life. He does not demean himself byweakening thoughts, knowing that the rem-edy for weakness is strength, not broodingover weakness. As a devotee, he learns to de-rive strength from the thought of his ChosenDeity. Swamiji’s inspiring words beckon himto have faith in his higher Self:

Bring in the light and the evil goes in a moment.Build up your character, and manifest your realnature, the Effulgent, the Resplendent, theEver-Pure, and call It up in everyone that yousee. I wish that every one of us had come to sucha state that even in the vilest of human beingswe could see the Real Self within, and instead ofcondemning them, say, ‘Rise thou effulgentone, rise thou who art always pure, rise thoubirthless and deathless, rise almighty, and man-ifest thy true nature. These little manifestationsdo not befit thee.’ This is the highest prayer thatthe Advaita teaches. This is the one prayer, toremember our true nature, the God who is al-ways within us, thinking of it always as infinite,almighty, ever-good, ever-beneficent, selfless,bereft of all limitations.6

Equipoise: No Hatred, No Craving

As long as the mind does not undergotraining and discipline, it runs behind thesense organs, which are ever eager to come incontact with their respective sense objects.Most people lead ‘programmed’ lives, pro-grammed by their mental impressions (sams-karas) and ‘executed’ by the sense organs andthe sense objects. An aspirant on the path toSelf-knowledge, on the other hand, refuses tobe taken for a ride by the mind and the senses.He trains his mind to remain detached fromthe lure of sense objects. The effects of sattva,rajas and tamas are, respectively, light, activ-ity and delusion. When such effects present

themselves before him, an aspirant does nothate them, nor does he long for them whenthey are absent. His attention is elsewhere: ontrying to observe the vagaries of the mind andcoaxing it to turn inward towards the indwell-ing Lord.

Detachment

The man who has transcended the gunasis unconcerned about the happenings aroundhim, knowing that they are the play of thegunas. By unswervingly abiding in his Self heremains unaffected by them. Remaining un-concerned implies that he does not take sidesin an issue. This needs some explanation. Thelack of concern of a man of realization is differ-ent from the apathy of an inert person, wholives up to Newton’s first law of motion: hecontinues to be in a state of rest unless actedupon by an external force. The external forcesusually happen to be the blows he receivesfrom the world, as a sequel to his sloth andprocrastination. Such a person needs to be-come active to get rid of tamas. He needs to bewicked if he must, instead of leading a pa-thetic apathetic life. Swami Vivekananda’swords are the right external force to set him inmotion:

I once met a man in my country whom I hadknown before as a very stupid, dull person,who knew nothing and had not the desire toknow anything, and was living the life of abrute. He asked me what he should do to knowGod, how he was to get free. ‘Can you tell a lie?’I asked him. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Then you mustlearn to do so. It is better to tell a lie than to be abrute, or a log of wood. You are inactive; youhave not certainly reached the highest state,which is beyond all actions, calm and serene;you are too dull even to do something wicked.’That was an extreme case, of course, and I wasjoking with him; but what I meant was that aman must be active in order to pass through ac-tivity to perfect calmness.7

A spiritual aspirant looks upon work asspiritual practice, as a means to purification ofmind. He does all work with devotion, with

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From the Unreal to the Real 389

his whole being in it, and offers the fruits of ac-tion to the indwelling God. He gradually culti-vates calmness amid intense activity and re-mains unconcerned about the outcome ofwork, certain that if the means are taken careof, the end must come.

Attitude towards the Dualities of Life

The world we live in is characterized bypairs of opposites, called dvandvas: Pleasureand pain, praise and blame, heat and cold, andso on. People fondly believe that they couldhave one to the exclusion of the other. It is apackage deal: if you seek the one, the other co-mes in uninvited. Being convinced of the im-permanence of the world and the necessity totranscend it, a spiritual aspirant tries to face

these dvandvas with equipoise. He tries not tobe attached to one or hate the other. The four-teenth chapter lists five such pairs an aspirantneeds to be careful about.

Agreeable and disagreeable things: Thesepairs of opposites are really relative: what isagreeable to one is quite disagreeable to an-other. The human mind keeps craving foragreeable things. Certain basic facilities in lifecertainly need to be agreeably good. Only thenthe mind can feel free to call on God. But aspiritual aspirant needs to be careful not tolose his sense of balance or contentment. Wereally don’t appreciate how good our situa-tion is unless it deteriorates. People keep com-plaining about not having shoes until theymeet someone who has no feet. Only then theybegin to count their blessings.

Praise and blame: Human mind is so out-ward directed that people know more aboutothers than about themselves. Rightly it is saidthat if A talks to you in private about B, you getto know more about A than about B. A spiri-tual aspirant learns to cultivate a healthy indif-ference to praise and blame. If the criticism istrue, he tries to correct himself; if not, he doesnot spare a thought for it.

Success and failure: The Gita abounds ininstructions to remain unaffected by the resultof one’s actions. The most quoted of them is‘To work alone you have the right, not to itsfruits.’8 Knowing that an action or thought iscertain to bear fruit, an aspirant bends his en-ergy in taking care of the means of work thangetting tense about the outcome. It is not that

he does not think about the re-sults. He does that, but beforetaking up the work. He system-atically plans for the work, tak-ing into account all factors thatinfluence its outcome. Thatdone, he earnestly goes aboutdoing the work, giving hiswhole being to it. He does notbrood over the results or let theend influence the means. He

knows that even when the means are rightthere could be extraneous factors influencingthe outcome of work. He understands that thesaner and healthier way then is not to gettensed about the result of work, provided hehas exercised his physical, mental and intellec-tual faculties to their utmost.

Friend and foe: A man of realization doesnot distinguish between friends and foes,since he sees the same spiritual Reality behindall. The distinction is from the onlooker’spoint of view. An aspirant for Self-knowledgemaintains a dignified poise in his interactionswith people, neither getting attached to some,nor avoiding some. It is needless to say that hecan never afford to be discourteous to anyone.Swami Yatiswaranandaji, a former Vice Presi-dent of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakri-

PB-AUGUST 2003 14


The lack of concern of a man of realizationis different from the apathy of an inert

person, who … continues to be in a state ofrest unless acted upon by an external force.

The external forces usually happen to bethe blows he receives from the world, as a

sequel to his sloth and procrastination.

shna Mission, encouraged spiritual aspirantsto become gentlemen before trying to becomespiritual. But he did not mince words when itcame to warning them about getting attachedto others or letting others get attached to them:

We must renounce all our clinging to our ownbody and mind and to that of others and be-come truly dispassionate and non-attached inevery way. It is not enough if we do this withreference to only certain things and personswhile trying to cling to others all the more. It iseasier to avoid certain things or people whomwe don’t like and call it renunciation. True re-nunciation is a change of attitude towards all.… We should adopt such an attitude that othersdo not dare to approach us in the wrong way. Iam telling this especially to ladies. The Westernconcept of chivalry has no place in spirituallife.9

A piece of gold and a clod of earth: Money iscertainly an important factor in life. But a spir-itual aspirant learns to put proper value on it.He does not let its lure quench his still-unripeaspiration for the Divine. From the standpointof the ultimate Reality, both gold and a clod ofearth are equally worthless. Sri Ramakrishnawas an embodiment of this prescription of theGita. In him the renunciation of lust and lucrewas total. Standing on the bank of the Gangawith a coin in one hand and a piece of earth inthe other, he threw them both into the river,considering them equally worthless on thepath to God-realization. His pure body andmind so deeply integrated the idea with hispersonality that from then on he could neverbear the touch of a coin or any metal; he felt asif stung by an insect even if he came in contactwith them unawares.

Renunciation of All Undertakings

A man who has transcended the threegunas does not initiate any project himself, butlets the gunas act on themselves. Whatever hedoes is for the good of others. He has nothingto gain by what he does in this world, nor doeshe stand to lose by leaving anything undone.10

That explains his disinterestedness in the

world and its proceedings. A spiritual aspi-rant knows such a state to be the goal and con-sciously strives to rise above tamas (inertia) bycultivating rajas (intense work), and learns toperform even that with no desire for its re-sults. By offering the fruits of work to God, heremains uninfluenced by its outcome. He doeswork as worship, remembering Sri Krishna’swords: ‘From whom have originated all be-ings and by whom is everything per-vaded—by worshipping Him through theperformance of his duty, man attains perfec-tion.’11

��

The journey from the unreal to the Realinvolves a change in attitude towards oneself,towards others and towards the world. Thetraits of a realized man are for the unenlight-ened to cultivate with diligence on their wayto enlightenment. One needs to know whereone stands—tamas, rajas or sattva—and grad-ually try to rise above the gunas with spiritualdisciplines. Only thus can the world-dreambreak some day, awakening us to Reality. �

References

1. The gunas are discussed in greater detail in‘The Three-stranded Rope’, March 2002 edito-rial.

2. See Bhagavadgita, 7.13.3. M, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami

Nikhilananda (Madras: Sri RamakrishnaMath, 1985), 218-9.

4. Gita, 7.14.5. Swami Yogeshananda, Six Lighted Windows

(Atlanta: Swami Yogeshananda, 1995), 173.6. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9

vols. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1-8, 1989; 9,1997), 2.357.

7. ibid., 1.40-1.8. Gita, 2.47.9. Swami Yatiswarananda, Meditation and Spiri-

tual Life (Bangalore: Sri Ramakrishna Ashra-ma, 1989), 152-4.

10. Gita, 3.18.11. ibid., 18.46.

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From the Unreal to the Real 391

PB-AUGUST 2003 16

Prabuddha Bharata—100 Years Ago

August 1903

The Religious Teacher

The position of a religious teacher is undoubtedly a great one: great in its responsibilities and

great in its possibilities. The number of men fitted for it by character and attainment is compara-

tively small, for the glowing words of a man convinced of truth, whose heart is aflame with love,

can alone penetrate and awaken the souls of others. Yet no class of men is more welcome in our

midst when coming thoroughly equipped in mind and body, seeing that in no country is the religious

spirit stronger than in that which has been nurtured in the tradition of the ancient Rishis. No one can

question the value of that weighty influence which an experienced and sagacious teacher knows how

to exercise at the right moment; the influence which a teacher can, and should, exercise, especially in

our great cities, inasmuch as among the younger men whose ideas are still of recent growth and

whose experiences are necessarily circumscribed, there must be greater opportunities for wise coun-

sels and tactful guidance. To avail himself of these opportunities, the teacher must possess peculiar

qualities of temper and judgment, though these merely form the equipment with which he starts out

on his mission. To fulfil it, he must be a candid and unprejudiced observer of the men with whom he

comes in contact, feeling the kinship of their spirits with all that is eternal, manifesting to them that pu-

rity of heart as a true reconciliation of the wants and powers of man with the life of God. Possessing

the highest qualities of head and heart, he must have exceptional capacity for bringing into special

use the higher faculties of the soul in other men, quickening the inextinguishable fire within. He must

unfold to them the gospel of their own inner powers, to be developed through a knowledge of truth,

and when this conviction comes to them—of Selfhood, that natural inheritance of man which it is im-

possible to nullify—he must indicate to them how to build and effectually organize their spiritual life,

how to evolve and enrich their inborn endowments by transcending their narrow environments. The

cause of misery is ignorance; therefore the teacher should point out that ignorance minimizes the God

within, knowledge expands it. …

The true interpreter of religion must be eminently self-sacrificing, thinking only of his subject,

never of himself. This will give a singular impressiveness to everything that he says, revealing that

precious gift of seeing the permanent in the impermanent, of discerning the main current in the per-

plexing drift and whirl of human concerns as they pass. It is furthermore impossible to win the world to

truth if he conceives it to be immersed in error, or to persuade people of the wisdom of his philosophy,

if he constantly holds them as not in the truth. Rare tact is required to uproot error successfully and

establish the truth in its place, and it is the teacher’s privilege to point out that man has been living in

constant consciousness of the effect, ignoring the cause, which is the fountain-head of eternal life

within him; to show that religion must be woven into every fibre of man’s heart, dealing with and con-

trolling his daily life. The question now arises: should a teacher follow up the ideals of his predeces-

sors, or take the initiative and show that he is a leader, not a follower? We reply: he should not be sat-

isfied with crystallized beliefs but should show clearly that he intends to be what he means, regardless

of whether or not his speech or action may commend itself to others. …

Expanded intellect and purified understanding are such irresistible forces that they compel atten-

tion—they are the powers by which we are led to a new insight, to an enlarged self-hood—and the

� Prabuddha Bharata—100 Years Ago �

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Prabuddha Bharata—100 Years Ago 393

success of a teacher will be in a great measure due to his instinctively true utterances, for he must

speak from knowledge, not hearsay. …

—Advaitin

Religion is Realization

Often we read in Puranas descriptions of fighting between Devas and Asuras. Sometimes the

Devas get the better, sometimes the Asuras. They may rightly be taken to be the representa-

tives of two opposite forces—spiritual and material. Since time immemorial fight has been go-

ing on between these two opposite forces in different planes of Nature. But this struggle is most

marked in the human plane. In man sometimes spiritual forces rise supreme and sometimes the ma-

terial. The first conquest of the spiritual over the material has always been the beginning of religion.

A moment comes in the life of individuals when Nature with her infinite charms loses all attrac-

tion, when life with its various enjoyments seems quite dull. Man gets disgusted with the ordinary rou-

tine of work and asks himself, ‘Am I born to be Nature’s bond-slave, to be tossed hither and thither by

her freaks, have I taken this birth to lead the life of eternal eating, drinking and talking nonsense and

do nothing higher?’ Religion commences with such unrest of the mind, with such dissatisfaction about

things all around and with a desire to rise higher and get beyond the limitation of the senses.

Perfect mastery of spirit over matter, complete freedom from the bondage of senses—in a word,

perfection and nothing short of it—is the goal of religion. The sages are at one as regards the highest

aim of religious aspirants; they differ only as to the paths leading to it. Religion does not consist in fill-

ing the mind with unhealthy, weak, sensational ideas, or in committing to memory all the philosophies

of the world, or in getting some supernatural power, but in bringing the real man out by manifesting

the divinity potential in all. …

The goal is one and the same, but the paths are different. The Indian sages, recognizing the va-

riety of tendency in men, say that they ought to take to different paths according to their different ten-

dency and temperament. A truly religious man should know this fact well and never speak uncharita-

bly of any path. When a man has taken a path, he should stick to it with dogged pertinacity and follow

it to the end.

As we cannot do without a practical teacher in any department of knowledge, so in religion we

require a spiritual guide. The real spiritual teacher is he who has crossed this ocean of samsara and

out of love is ever ready to help others to do so. The way to be spiritual is to live with the spiritual.

Well has it been said by Sankara in his Mohamudgara, ‘The contact alone with the good even for a

moment becomes like a boat to cross the ocean of samsara.’

But it is very difficult to discern good, great and holy men. … One cannot be too careful in this

matter. We generally mistake fools and mystery-mongers for great men. … The real teacher must be

pure, a knower of Truth and have no worldly motive.

—Prakashananda

Swami Ramakrishnananda’s Lectures

Under the auspices of the Vedanta Society, Bangalore, the following lectures were delivered by

Swami Ramakrishnananda on the 25th, 26th, 29th, and 31st July: ‘The message of Sri

Ramakrishna to the world’; ‘What is Yoga’; ‘Vedanta’; and ‘The common goal of all religions’.

The first lecture was presided over by Sir P N Krishna Murti, KCIE, the Dewan; the second by Dewan

Bahadur A Ramachandra Iyer, Esq, Chief judge; the third by V P Madhava Rao, Esq, CIE, Senior

Councillor; and the fourth by H V Nanjundayya, Esq, MA, ML, Secretary (General and Revenue

Depts) to the Govt of Mysore.

—from ‘News and Notes’

PB-AUGUST 2003 18

Reflections on the Bhagavadgita

SWAMI ATULANANDA

Chapter 7 (continued)

15. The sinful, deluded, lowest of men, deprived of understanding by maya and follow-ing evil ways, (the ways of the asuras) do not take refuge in Me.

All sin is a form of ignorance. When ourintelligence is clouded by maya, or ig-norance, we then become sinful. We

lose sight of the Truth, that in reality all beingsare united in God, that in the last analysis weare all one Spirit appearing as different indi-viduals. And we mistake the differentiationfor the true state of affairs. In other words, wesee separation and lose sight of the underlyingoneness. The Upanishad says, ‘Where one seesanother, where one hears another, that issmall. Where one does not see another, whereone does not hear another, that is infinite.’1

Seeing and feeling separation brings selfish-ness, the source of all evil. As this cloud of ig-norance becomes heavier and thicker, the feel-ing of separateness increases. With it also in-creases egotism and sinfulness.

Sri Krishna speaks here of the lowestclass of human beings possessed of asuric ten-dencies or evil qualities like cruelty and un-truthfulness. Such persons are so entirely en-veloped by ignorance that their understand-ing has become very much clouded. They areatheistic and in their intense egotism they can-not admit of any power superior to their own.They look upon God, eternal Life and a su-preme Ruler of the universe as so many

myths. How can they then take refuge in God,whose very existence they deny? They are un-able to see or understand Truth. They hear,but understand not; they see, but perceive not.Their evil deeds, committed in the past, pre-vent them in the form of samskaras (that is inthe form of stored-up impressions and ten-dencies) from accepting Truth, even whenpresented to them. They scoff. They cannot dootherwise. It is their nature.

The fever patient suffering for a long timeloses all healthy appetite. He craves for un-healthy food that will only increase his mal-ady and suffering. His taste has become per-verted. So it is with those who suffer the feverof egotism, lust and desire. Their taste has be-come degenerated. Vulgar, unhealthy tenden-cies make them crave sinful enjoyments. Theholy, unselfish, loving, sacrificing life appearsto them most unattractive. They feel at homewallowing in the mire.

But all are not like that. These are only thevery lowest class, who care not for God orTruth. Others accept Truth, though in differ-ent measures. And Sri Krishna mentions allthis in the next verse, where He divides theminto four classes of devotees, according totheir motives and spiritual capacity.

16. Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna: the distressed, the seeker ofknowledge, the seeker of material prosperity and, O Prince of the Bharata race, the wise.

As a class quite distinct from those menof asuric or evil nature, mentioned inthe previous verse, Sri Krishna now

deals with men of virtuous tendencies. All

men belonging to this class believe in God anda life eternal. But not all have the same strongand pure faith in God. Nor are they all im-pelled by the same pure and lofty motive in

Reflections on the Bhagavadgita

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Reflections on the Bhagavadgita 395

seeking God and taking refuge in Him. SriKrishna, therefore, divides them into fourclasses, each class characterized by a predomi-nant motive.

First are mentioned the distressed. It iswhen we are in trouble or pain, in suffering ordistress, that we look for help and comfort. Wemay feel quite strong and independent so longas all goes well. But let misfortune visit us;then we realize that after all it is not easy tostand firm on our feet. Our weakness is thenrevealed to us, and we cannot but go for helpand support where we expect to find it.

The wicked and vicious, when afflicted,commit more sin. They seek support in evildeeds, thus heaping gloom on gloom. Ahigher class of men are those who go to goodfriends and wise persons for consolation andadvice. But those of higher understandingknow that real succour can come from Godalone. They turn to Him with their burden,trusting that God’s promise has not beenmade in vain. For have not all the incarnationsinvited mankind to take refuge in them—Krishna and Buddha and Rama? And has notJesus called out to all humanity? ‘Come untoMe, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, andI will give you rest. Peace I leave with you, mypeace I give unto you; not as the world giveth,give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid.’ Trusting in God’spromise they fly to Him in their distress. Theymay be quite indifferent towards God at othertimes, but this at least is their good fortune thatin evil times they turn to God. This is theirgood karma.

It is an indication of good samskaras andis the result of previous practices, for it is thepast that speaks in the present. Past experiencehas settled down in the form of tendencieswith which we are born in this life. These arecalled samskaras. Whatever experience wegather during this life will manifest in a futurebirth as our character, as our natural tenden-cies, as our instincts in that life. Living a holy,devotional life now will force us to be virtuous

when we take new birth. Some men cannot doa good deed, and others are not able to commita crime. Some men are attracted towards Godby their nature, as it were, instinctively, whileothers feel repugnance towards anything con-nected with a religious life. It is the past thatrules now, just as the present will guide our fu-ture destiny. It behoves us then to be carefuland thoughtful in our actions. We are archi-tects. We are building our future dwellingplace. Each stone counts in constructing thebuilding. Every act counts, every word, everythought. Let us construct a dwelling worthy ofthe tenant, for we are building a temple forGod to dwell in.

We may be slaves of the past, but let us bemasters of the future. Let us plant good seedsthat the harvest may be rich. It is just as easy tobe good as it is to be wicked if we have once es-tablished the habit. If it is true that we are thechildren of God, let us try to manifest it. Andabove all let us be pure, for it is Jesus’ promisethat ‘the pure in heart shall see God’.

Sri Krishna says in verse sixteen: Fourkinds of virtuous men worship Me: the dis-tressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker ofmaterial prosperity and the wise. The men ofevil tendencies never turn to God, no matterwhat happens. When misfortune overtakesthem, they turn to sin hoping thereby to forgettheir misery. But the virtuous worship God.And Sri Krishna has classified them accordingto the motive which draws them to God. Wehave seen under what conditions the dis-tressed approach the Lord. Though their mo-tive is not the highest, it is certainly better toturn to God in the hour of need than not to goto Him at all. Devotion to God even undersuch conditions is a sign of good karma, an in-dication of good samskaras. ‘By the tenden-cies generated during one birth the conductduring the next is regulated. And that in turnstrengthens the same tendencies; and thus thewheel rolls on ceaselessly. Like the tree andthe seed, tendencies and acts are perpetuatedby the regulating power of the Deity, which at-

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taches to each man his previously generatedtendencies.’ This is what is meant bysamskaras. Swami Vivekananda explains itvery beautifully:

Each action is like the pulsations quivering overthe surface of the lake. The vibration dies out,and what is left? The Samskaras, the impres-sions. When a large number of these impres-sions are left on the mind, they coalesce and be-come a habit. It is said, ‘Habit is second nature’,it is first nature also, and the whole nature ofman; everything that we are is the result ofhabit. That gives us consolation, because, if it isonly habit, we can make and unmake it at anytime. The Samskaras are left by these vibrationspassing out of our mind, each one of them leav-ing its result. Our character is the sum-total ofthese marks, and according as some particularwave prevails one takes that tone. If good pre-vails, one becomes good; if wickedness, one be-comes wicked; if joyfulness, one becomeshappy. The only remedy for bad habits is coun-ter habits; all the bad habits that have left theirimpressions are to be controlled by good habits.Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts con-tinuously; that is the only way to suppress baseimpressions. Never say any man is hopeless,because he only represents a character, a bundleof habits, which can be checked by new andbetter ones. Character is repeated habits, andrepeated habits alone can reform character.2

This theory of samskaras forms part ofthe theory of reincarnation. It explains manyphenomena. Whence so much inequality inlife? Why is one person born good and strongand clever and in favourable conditions, andanother wicked and weak and feeble-mindedand surrounded by all that is low and mean?Where is the God of justice while such condi-tions prevail in His universe? Yes, answersVedanta, God is just. He gives each one whathe deserves, what he is entitled to according tothe deeds of his past life.

God regulates karma, dealing out to eachone what he has earned. The good will be re-born good; the wicked will be wicked in theirnext life. This samskara theory also explainshow in some cases even during their very

childhood talents appear. Some saints are holyfrom their infancy. Some musicians are bornwith the talent for music and so on. Nothing islost in the universe. No effort is in vain. Re-sults may not show at once, but they are keptto our credit.

Great deeds are born through ages. It isthe accumulated efforts, the thousands of littleattempts, that burst out into the heroic perfor-mance. Five hundred times, it is written, Bud-dha gave his life for others before he made thegreat renunciation. He who is great in this lifehas been great before and will be greater in thefuture. Every deed is a seed. One seed does notshow in the field, but when thousands of seedsare planted we get the harvest.

One class of men comes to God whenthey are in distress. Then there is another classwho come to God for Knowledge. They wantto be taught the truth regarding God and thesoul. They regard God as their Guru, theirMaster and their Teacher.

The third class wants material prosper-ity. They pray for the fulfilment of their de-sires here and hereafter. They want to enjoylife, and when they die, they want to enjoyheaven. And then there is the fourth classcalled the wise. This is the highest class of dev-otees, the jnanis. They know the Reality. Theyhave forsaken all desires knowing them toarise from maya. They come to God not to ob-tain something, but out of pure love. They loveGod for His own sake—for what He is, not forwhat He can bestow. They do not beg for any-thing. They are naturally drawn to God. InHim they find true happiness. These devoteesare very close to God, and they are very dear toHim.

God is the fulfiller of all desires. He givesus what we want. He is like the mythologicalKalpataru. Those who cherish a wish go underthe Kalpa tree. Then they pronounce the wishand the desire is fulfilled. As we approachGod, so does He satisfy our wishes. It dependson us what we bring away from Him. The af-flicted are relieved from their afflictions. The

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seekers after wisdom learn the Truth. Thosewho desire happiness here and hereafter willmeet with happy conditions (provided ofcourse they know how to ask). And the wiseman will realize his oneness with God. He willtranscend maya.

It is possible for every worshipper to

cross over this life of illusion; but owing to di-versity of motives impelling the worship, theactual result is not the same. All these devo-tees are dear to the Lord, but the wise manstands first in His favour. Hear what SriKrishna says regarding him:

17. Among them the wise man, ever steadfast in his devotion to the One, excels, for I amsupremely dear to the wise, and he is dear to Me.

Of those four classes of devotees, theman of wisdom, the jnani, excels. He isever steadfast and first with devotion

for Me alone. Others may turn away whentheir desires are fulfilled, when their sorrowsare allayed. They may forget Me and devotethemselves to others, to friend, wife, childrenor to pleasures and the many attractions of theworld; but the jnani, never. He perceives in thewhole universe no other object worthy of de-votion besides the supreme Spirit. He knowsthat everything changes; there is no stability,no trusting, no depending on anything or any-body in the world. In this universe of falsityGod is the only truth. He is eternal, unchang-ing. On Him he can depend. God he can trust.The Lord is his greatest, his only treasure, verydear to him. And he is dear to the Lord, be-cause his love is disinterested. He does notwant anything. He has no motive, no hiddenpurpose. He knows God as his very Self, thenearest of the near, and therefore the dearestof the dear. And the Lord, in His great com-passion, takes him unto Himself and grantshim the realization of Oneness. Jesus said, ‘Iam in them and Thou in Me, that they may be

made perfect in One. And the glory whichThou gavest Me I have given them; that theymay be One, even as We are One.’3 ‘And I shallgive them eternal life; and they shall neverperish, neither shall any man pluck them outof My hand.’

The jnani lives in God and God in him.They are eternally united. ‘When the Beyond-the-darkness is attained, nor day nor night norbeing nor non-being then. Blessed, aye, pure isHe. That is the Absolute, That the adorablecondition of the Lord; from That too has comeforth the wisdom old.’4

In the Vivekachudamani we see the disci-ple approach the guru to be instructed in thepath of highest wisdom. The great teacher wasoverjoyed. ‘Happy art thou,’ he told the disci-ple. ‘Thou shalt attain thy end. Thy kin is bless-ed in thee, for thou seekest to become the Eter-nal by freeing thyself from the bond of igno-rance.’5 God and His servants love the sincereseeker of Truth.

But if jnanis are so dear to the Lord, arethen the other devotees not dear to Him? Yes,all are dear to Him. Sri Krishna says in the nextverse:

18. Noble indeed are all these, but the wise man I regard as My very Self, for with hismind ever steadfast he is established in Me alone as the Supreme Goal.

All are noble. There is no devotee of Minebut is dear to Me. There is, however, thisdifference: the wise man is the most dear

to Me. Why so? Because others still have someignorance which stands between them and Me,and that prevents the perfect manifestation ofMy love to them. I love all alike in the sense that

My love flows out to all in the same measure.But their imperfection stands between themand my overflowing love. The barrier is inthem. When you put a shield between yourselfand the fire, its full heat cannot reach you. Re-move the shield of ignorance and My full lovewill embrace you.

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Yet it is better to worship the Deity for aselfish end than not to worship Him at all; forthe selfish worshipper can at any time becomea true worshipper by abandoning his selfishtendencies. In time they all can become jnanis.The wise man is My very Self, not differentfrom Me. He has entered the fire of My divineBeing and all that separates man from Me isburned up in his case. He has died in My love(as a great saint expressed it) and all self haspassed away. Ever steadfast, the jnani is estab-lished in Me. He seeks Me alone. His love forMe is so great, so steady, that he forgets him-self and is absorbed in Me. He identifies him-self with Me. He knows no difference betweenus; neither do I. Therefore, our love being mu-tual, all distinction vanishes.

Chaitanya Deva, the greatest of all bhak-tas and jnanis, forgot entirely that he was a hu-man being. He identified himself so entirelywith the Lord that when he entered a templeand the people were worshipping LordKrishna, he seated himself on Krishna’sthrone and received the worship and offeringintended for Krishna. And a light emanatedfrom his body lighting up the temple, and thepeople were awestruck and accepted him as adivine Incarnation. This is the wonderfulblessing of pure all-absorbing love: to loseone’s personality, the consciousness of the lit-tle self, in the object of adoration. The devoteeis transformed into the Deity, who is no otherthan his own divine Self.

Sri Ramakrishna forgot all about his for-mer self when he became transformed into theDivine Mother. He used to point to his bodyand speak of it as ‘this, in which the Motherdwells’. His old personality had disappeared.There remained only the shell or the pillowcase (as he sometimes called it) in which theMother resided. That is the supreme goal; thatis mukti or freedom; that is nirvana. ‘He whosees that One in this ocean of death, he whosees that one life in this fleeting universe, whorealizes that One who never changes, untohim belongs eternal peace, unto none else.’6

This is an exalted state, which we cannot com-prehend. But we can accept the testimony ofthe great bhaktas who have reached that state.

It is written of the boy Prahlada that hereached that state. Prahlada did not care foranything but love of God. He always prayed:‘O Lord, that intense love, which the ignorantbear for worldly things, may I have the samefor Thee; may I have the same intensity of lovefor Thee, but only for love’s sake.’7 Not forwealth, not for prosperity, not for health didPrahlada pray. All these were as nothing tohim compared with the pure love for God,love for just love’s sake.

That is a wonderful story, the story ofPrahlada,8 who even in his childhood foundthe greatest pleasure in worshipping Vishnu,the omnipresent Lord of the universe. Andthat though he had to meet with the most crueltreatment from the hands of his enraged fa-ther, the wicked daitya king Hiranyakashipu,who had conquered the devas and who wasthe supreme ruler of heaven and otherspheres. But through all the torture inflictedon the boy, his mind was so intent uponVishnu that he felt no pain. The more cruellyhe was treated, the more intense became theboy’s prayer to his beloved Vishnu. ‘Saluta-tion to Thee, Lord of the universe, Thou beau-tiful Vishnu,’ he would repeat again andagain. ‘Thus thinking and meditating on Vish-nu, (says Swami Vivekananda) he began tofeel that Vishnu was near him, nay, that Hewas in his own soul, until he began to feel thathe was Vishnu, and that he was everythingand everywhere.’ Prahlada’s father was so en-raged because the boy insisted on worship-ping Vishnu though the king had proclaimedhimself the Lord of the universe and thoughhe had issued orders throughout his domainthat he and no other should be worshipped asthe only God. The king had caused the boy tobe bound with enormous snakes and thus se-curely tied, to be thrown into the ocean, andhis body to be covered by huge mountains, sothat he would surely perish. But when Prah-

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lada realized his unity with Vishnu, ‘all thesnake-bonds snapped asunder, the mountainswere pulverized, the ocean heaved up and hewas gently lifted up above the waves, andsafely carried to the shore. Then, as he stoodthere Prahlada forgot that he had a mortalbody; he felt he was the universe and all thepowers of the universe emanated from him.There was nothing in nature that could injurehim; he himself was the ruler of nature.

Time passed thus in one unbroken ec-stasy of bliss, until gradually Prahlada beganto remember that he had a body and that hewas Prahlada. As soon as he became oncemore conscious of the body, he said that Godwas within and without, and everything ap-peared to him as Vishnu.

I have quoted this story because in thefirst place it illustrates what we discussed in aprevious lesson: bhakti and jnana in the higherstages come closer and closer together until atlast they are no longer different. The two pathsmerge into one. And it further illustrates in theverse under discussion how the Lord regardsthe man of wisdom as His very Self, and re-moving all distinction, grants him unlimitedpower and vision and total identification withHimself.

But such love is very rare. Most devoteesare of a much lower order. They are not satis-fied with the Lord alone. They want manyother things besides Him. They do not thirstfor God yet to the exclusion of all else. But all willhave to enter the Ocean of Nectar sooner orlater if they want to become immortal. Thereare many ways of entering that ocean of bliss,and it matters not how one enters, be itthrough distress, through curiosity or throughlove. Whether we enter willingly or whetherwe are pushed, as long as we enter at all, oursins will be washed off and we will be madeperfect children of God.

We are now trying to enter that ocean.But we are still afraid. We put out one foot andthen we draw back again. That is not the rightway. But it is so hard to make the plunge. And

the more we hesitate, the more difficult it be-comes. We love the body too much. Shankara-charya says, ‘He who wants to gratify thebody and still see Atman, is like the man whotakes hold of a crocodile to cross the river,thinking it to be a log (and is destroyed).’9

Non-attachment is the way to peace and bless-edness. If you throw your anchor into the wa-ter, you may pull your boat, but it will notmove, and you merely waste your energy. Soif you anchor yourself by attachment to thebody and external things, no matter how hardyou try, you cannot advance spiritually. Yetassociation with worldly life may help us byshowing us more clearly the value of the spiri-tual. Everything depends on our attitude andmotives; and when they are right and unself-ish, we are perfectly safe.

The highest realization, the realization ofidentity with God, is the result of spiritualendeavour carried and increased throughmany lives. Spiritual progress is gradual, along and steady process, but it can be hastenedby intensity of purpose. All power, all knowl-edge, is already deposited with us. It is only aquestion of bringing it out. As the water of anirrigation canal is already stored up awaitingthe removal of the sluice to spread over thefield, so omniscience and omnipotence isready to flow into our consciousness the mo-ment the barrier of ignorance is lifted. Theusual process is slow, but the yogi knows howto hasten it. It is a question of practice. ‘An in-crease of speed, an increase of struggle, is ableto bridge the gulf of time.’ That which natu-rally takes a long time to accomplish can beshortened by intensity of action. …10 With suf-ficient effort, says Swamiji, perfection can beattained in this very life.11

But usually when the devotee has set outon the spiritual path, knowing God is the onlyend and purpose of his life. He gathers experi-ence and knowledge through different incar-nations, until the accumulated stored-up ex-perience bursts forth in one great illuminationin the highest samadhi. Then, comes the

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universal Vision. God is seen in and through and as all. Sri Krishna says in the next verse:

19. At the end of numerous births the man of wisdom takes refuge with Me, realizingthat all this is Vasudeva (the universal Spirit). Such a great soul is very seldom to be found.

To reach that highest knowledge, the su-preme realization that God is the soul ofall beings, requires many lives of prepa-

ration. It is the crown of success, that comesonly to the jnani of mature wisdom. He couldnot possibly escape Him. Where could he gowhere God is not? He is omnipresent in the ex-ternal universe. He is also internal, the soul,the substance, of things. Such a jnani is verydifficult to find. His spiritual eye is opened.He is de-hypnotized. He is the true mahatma,the great soul. None is equal or superior tohim. Therefore such souls are very rare.‘Among thousands who strive for perfectionscarcely one knows Me in Truth,’ said Sri Kri-shna.12 He is free; that realization has madehim free. For him there is no more birth, nomore delusion, no more ignorance. The Truthhas made him free.

This is the fulfilment of Sri Krishna’spromise made in the beginning of this chapter.‘I will declare to thee this knowledge with re-alization, which being known naught else re-mains to be known.’13 This chapter deals withVijnana Yoga. A vijnani is one who possessesan intimate knowledge of God. SriRamakrishna said: ‘A vijnani is he who has re-alized God in samadhi, both as Personal andImpersonal. He has talked to God. He hasministered unto Him, as his Father, or Mother,Wife or Brother. According to the testimony of

these perfect men, the world is the manifesta-tion of the Personal God. From Him the hu-man soul and all created things have beenevolved. The Lord reveals Himself unto theRishis from time to time for the salvation ofmankind, as well as for the joy of His devo-tees.’ Sri Krishna has said that such men arevery few. In the following verses He tells uswhy others do not see God as the soul of all.

(to be continued)

References

1. Chandogya Upanishad, 7.24.1.2. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9

vols. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1-8, 1989; 9,1997), 1.207-8.

3. John, 17.23.4. Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 4.18.5. Vivekachudamani, 50.6. Katha Upanishad, 2.2.13. Free translation by

Swami Vivekananda, CW, 3.24.7. Yá prætiravivekánáó viøayeøvanapayinæ;

Tvám-anusmarataë sá me hìdayán-má’pasarpatu.—Vishnu Purana, 1.20.17.

8. Adapted from CW, 4.115-9.9. Vivekachudamani, 84.

10. CW, 1.156.11. ibid., 1.157.12. Bhagavadgita, 7.3.13. ibid., 7.2.

A Correction

In the second part of Swami Smaranananda’s ‘In South America: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay’ (June

2003), two photographs got wrongly placed: the one on page 305 should have appeared on page 307 with

the caption ‘A view of Sao Bento Sapukai’ and the other on page 307, on page 305 with the caption ‘On the

way to Tigre River’. The error is regretted.

—Editor

� Glimpses of Holy Lives �

If God be for us …

Jijabai was cross with her husband Tuka-ram. Bhakti seemed to be his only occupa-tion. He never stuck to any job but spent his

time in singing songs in praise of LordPanduranga. Their family continued to bepoor as ever. While others admired his devo-tional songs, Jijabai was concerned not know-ing where their next meal would come from.She chided Tukaram: ‘Our children are hun-gry. Your Vitthala is the cause of all our hard-ship. It beats me how instead of blaming Him,you are singing His praises?’

Tukaram was born in Dehu (Maha-rashtra) in a Varkari family, devoted to LordPanduranga for generations. But his ancestorshad not neglected their family and ran a gro-cery business. Tukaram’s mind did not settleon anything other than singing praises of theLord. But that did not prove ‘resourceful’ inany way. Jijabai was sick of admonishing herhusband for his callousness. A friendly grainmerchant happened to just visit them. He toldJijabai, ‘Don’t be angry with your husband. Ihave a proposal: He need not move about do-ing work. Let him sit on a mound in my paddyfield and keep singing, now and then justshooing away birds with a stick. I shall giveyour family enough paddy in return.’ Jijabaiconsidered the proposal a godsend and urgedTukaram to accept it. ‘Panduranga, may Yourwill be done,’ exclaimed Tukaram and setabout his new job.

The vast paddy field was almost readyfor harvest. Its ripe grains, the vast blue sky forbackground and a flight of parrots flying to-wards the field—nothing more was needed tokindle the divine in Tukaram. Crows, spar-rows and other birds followed suit and had afeast of the grains. Deeply engrossed in sing-ing, Tukaram was all joy watching the birds

happily feast. He forgot that he was there pre-cisely to prevent that. The field too appearedto him to be the Lord’s playfield and the birds,His creation enjoying a feast. Not satisfiedwith what he saw, Tukaram took some grainsfrom a nearby heap and strew them around asa bonus for the birds. Sated with a rich repast,the birds approached Tukaram and sur-rounded him. They even started repeating thesongs after him.

In the meanwhile the merchant’s farm-hands arrived for work. Tukaram’s devo-tional songs and the flock of birds impressedthem too, but not for long. When they saw amajor portion of the field already ‘harvested’,they reported the matter to the merchant.

Incensed at this, the merchant rushed tohis field. The birds flew away immediately.‘What, my dear sir,’ he told Tukaram. ‘Iwanted to feed your family, but you have in-stead ruined my prospects.’ Never likingTukaram, a farmhand suggested to the mer-chant that Tukaram be tied to a post andthrashed. The merchant had the good sensenot to do that, but Tukaram stood before him aculprit. Tukaram said, ‘Let the harvest takeplace. If there is a shortfall in the usual pro-duce, I shall make good of it.’ However, he didnot have a solution, but depended on LordPanduranga to bail him out.

Learning of the event, Jijabai arrived atthe scene. Her disappointment gave way to aspontaneous outburst at her husband: ‘Allthese days your bhakti stood in the way of ourfamily’s survival. Today it has crossed all itslimits. Don’t you know that devotion to one’sduty is real devotion? Your bhakti has provedsuch a great loss to the merchant. Will you atleast now give up your Vitthala? Will you nottake that ungrateful wretch to task?’

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Tukaram smiled and said, ‘He who grewthe produce in this field came again as birdsand ate them. It is He who inspires you to extolthe virtues of karma in preference to bhakti.He is again my transgression and the punish-ment that is to be meted out to me. OwningHim, disowning Him or taking Him to task?All that is moonshine.’

The farmhands were busy harvesting theproduce, the merchant supervising them. ‘Weshall get mere straw this time,’ they remarkedas they went about threshing. But surprisewas in store for them: Heaps and heaps ofpaddy were piling up, greatly exceeding theprevious year’s yield.

The merchant asked Tukaram in amaze-ment: ‘How did this become possible?’ Tuka-ram replied, ‘If my Krishna dipped His handin the Yamuna and sprinkled the water, thou-

sands of stars would come into being—whatto speak of these paddy grains?’ The mer-chant: ‘But you have such a Krishna underyour beck and call. What sadhana did youperform to accomplished this?’ Tukaram: ‘Ijust sing His names. I never curse anyone—ei-ther Him, others or myself. I don’t know ofanything else.’ Jijabai stood with her headbowed down, as if to salute the Lord, whomshe had blamed all along for their family’splight.

The merchant not only gave Tukaram thepromised quantity of paddy, but also the en-tire excess produce. Jijabai cooked and cookedand fed the poor in the place. Tukaram’s fam-ily soon returned to a hand-to-mouth life. ButJijabai did not blame the Lord anymore. Herbeing too was now filled with the Lord. �

Anything for the Guru

The disciples were very worried about theabscess on their master’s calf. In fact, un-til now they were conspicuously, rather

self-consciously, trying to outdo each other inserving their guru. Now Samarth Ramdassaid conclusively: ‘This is no ordinary abscess.If you want to save me from all this suffering, Iam reluctant to say, one of you has to suck thepus out—at the risk of catching the infectionhimself.’ What they heard made the discipleslook at each other hesitantly. Except one.

Kalyan knelt down beside his master andstarted to undo the bandage. But the knot hadbecome too tight because of the swelling. ‘No,no!’ screamed Ramdasji, withdrawing his leg

as excruciating pain coursed through hisveins. ‘Roll the edge over gently and then tryto draw the pus out.’

Kalyan did as he was told. Then, lower-ing his head, he put his mouth to the abscessand bit a small hole in it. As he began suckingat the wound, he found, to his great disbelief,that the fluid was delicious! ‘Stop, stop!’ Ram-dasji cried out. ‘Slow, for God’s sake, slow!’Even before he could finish the sentence, Kal-yan had sucked the pus out and swallowed itall in one breath. A wave of relief swept overRamdasji as he lay back on his bed …

… and out dropped the pulpless mangofrom the loose bandage! �

PB-AUGUST 2003 26


A Clarification

We captioned the last instalment of ‘Half a Decade in the Enchanting Environs of Along’ by Swami

Kirtidananda as ‘The Curtain Comes Down’ (June 2003). The author clarifies that the caption

should have remained as ‘Curtain-raiser (continued)’. He used it in the dictionary sense of ‘a short perfor-

mance that is put on before a more important one’. The change of title could give the impression that every-

thing was over with this preliminary work; people might not know that bigger things have come up thereaf-

ter. —Editor

The Appeal of the Upanishads Today

SWAMI ATMAPRIYANANDA

(continued from the previous issue)

Inner versus Outer: The ‘Atman = Brahman’ Equation

The Upanishadic rishis asked anotherquestion. By turning the senses inward,by going deep into the Core of one’s own

personality, one realizes that Atman within, inthe chidakasha, the supreme Space within one’sheart. What relation does this individual Con-sciousness Principle, Atman, bear to the cos-mic Consciousness Principle, Brahman, whichis, as it were, without? Sri Ramakrishna askedthe question in his own simple, inimitablestyle: ‘Can you see God only when you closeyour eyes? Can you not see Him with openeyes as well?’ There comes a point of time inthe life of a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) whenhe longs to know how he is related to the uni-verse; how his individual Self (the Atman) isrelated to the universal Self (the Brahman).This question takes him much farther—be-yond his individual search within—until herealizes his cosmic Identity. From the analysisof the Atman as manifesting in the five lay-ers—annamaya, práîamaya, manomaya, vijðána-maya and ánandamaya—the question may bereframed as follows: How is the individual(microcosmic) annamaya related to the Univer-sal (Macrocosmic) annamaya, the individualpráîamaya to the Universal práîamaya, the in-dividual manomaya to the Universal manoma-ya, and the individual vijðánamaya to the Uni-versal vijðánamaya? [Ánandamaya is alwaysUniversal (Macrocosmic) and does not have amicrocosmic counterpart]. Actually, there isno outside or inside in Consciousness, but aslong as we feel that we are conditioned by theannamaya, práîamaya, manomaya and so on, weneed to ask how this individual annamaya, in-

dividual práîamaya, individual manomaya andthe rest are related to their Cosmic counter-parts. When we realize ourselves as Consciousentities, conditioned though by the individuallayers like annamaya and práîamaya, in greatwonder we ask how this Consciousness is re-lated to the cosmic Consciousness. My indi-vidual eye, which sees; my individual ear,which hears; my individual mind, whichthinks—all these are impelled by a conscious-ness Principle, which moves and animates me,the individual. In great wonder, the rishi of theKena Upanishad exclaims: ‘What is that Powerimpelled by which the mind is able to per-ceive; which is that Power that animates theprana, the life-force; what is that Force whichimpels speech; and who is that Shining One(deva) who activates the eyes and the ears to dotheir respective functions?’1

In asking these questions, the rishi is try-ing to investigate into the source of thatPower, that Energy, that supreme Conscious-ness, which activates, animates and impels hisown individual consciousness, and to realizethe relationship between the two. At the end ofthe investigation, the rishi would realize thatthere is only one indivisible Consciousness,unbroken Awareness, which cannot be di-vided or broken up into the individual and thecosmic. But he begins his investigation withwhat he actually sees and knows and feels: hisindividual consciousness. This investigation,this process of enquiry, is of great current ap-peal, for today you cannot talk of the micro ex-cept in terms of the macro. There are two fun-damental manifestations in nature: one is the

27 PB-AUGUST 2003

microcosm and the other is the macrocosm.Swami Vivekananda speaks about these twomanifestations in his famous lectures ‘TheUniverse: the Microcosm’ and ‘The Universe:the Macrocosm’. Thus for every level of con-sciousness like annamaya and práîamaya thereshould be two corresponding manifestations,the micro and the macro. Strictly speaking, itwould be incorrect to say that these two are re-lated; rather, they are one and same, manifest-ing as two. The Advaitic (non-dualistic)school will say that the two are absolutelyidentical and non-dual; the Vishishtadvaitic(qualified non-dualistic) school will assertthat the micro is a part of the macro; and theDvaitic (dualistic) school will claim that themicro is different from the macro, but eternaland absolutely dependent on and subordinateto it. These are philosophical wranglings intowhich we need not enter for the present. Thatthe microcosm and the macrocosm are twomanifestations of one and the same Realityand therefore are built on the same plan, wasrevealed to Swami Vivekananda in a famousvision he had while meditating under a pee-pul tree in Almora. He later told SwamiAkhandananda, his dear brother disciple,‘Gangadhar, today I have solved one of mygreatest problems in life; I have realized theoneness of the microcosm and the macro-cosm.’ He recorded thus the substance of hisvision in a notebook:

In the beginning was the Word etc.The microcosm and the macrocosm are

built on the same plan. Just as the individualsoul is encased in the living body, so is the uni-versal Soul in the Living Prakriti [Nature]—theobjective universe. Shiva [i.e. Kali] is embracingShiva: this is not a fancy. This covering of theone [Soul] by the other [Nature] is analogous tothe relation between an idea and the word ex-pressing it: they are one and the same; and it isonly by a mental abstraction that one can distin-guish them. Thought is impossible withoutwords. Therefore, in the beginning was theWord etc.

This dual aspect of the Universal Soul is

eternal. So what we perceive or feel is this com-bination of the Eternally Formed and the Eter-nally Formless.2

Swami Vivekananda also spoke of hav-ing seen the ‘whole universe in an atom’. It isinteresting to note that Rutherford had a simi-lar perception when he invented the now-fa-mous Rutherford Atomic Model. In thismodel the electrons were thought of as revolv-ing round the nucleus just like the planetsround the sun. It was this vision of micro-cosm-macrocosm unity that prompted Ruth-erford to assert that the atom is built on thesame plan as the universe. Much later, whenEinstein was struggling with his General The-ory of Relativity, he drew inspiration from afamous principle called Mach’s Principle, ac-cording to which there is an unbroken contin-uum of matter. This gave rise to the idea thatmatter at the microcosmic level and matter atthe macrocosmic level are just different mani-festations of one ‘ocean’ of matter, as it were,and related to each other as a bubble or awavelet to a huge wave. By the laws of unity ofnature and uniformity of nature, this ideacould be extrapolated and applied to therealm of the Spirit, and Advaita (non-duality)could be established. In one of his great Advai-tic moods, Swami Vivekananda exclaimed:‘Never forget the glory of human nature. Weare the greatest God that ever was or ever willbe. Buddhas and Christs are but waves of theboundless ocean which I am.’3 The ‘I’ he wasspeaking about was, of course, the ‘Cosmic I’,the ‘Universal I’, the ‘viráô aham’. He wasspeaking from the standpoint of the realiza-tion of his cosmic Identity. In such moods, hewould also say that the ant and the worm, ap-parently small and insignificant in their mani-festations, are non-different from Nazarene,the Prophet of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, a Di-vine Manifestation of cosmic dimension.

The macrocosmic counterpart of the indi-vidual Atman Consciousness (microcosm) iscalled Brahman. Since the microcosm and themacrocosm are one and the same, it follows

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that Atman = Brahman, the famous Vedanticequation. Advaita will say that Atman = Brah-man, that is, Atman is identically equal toBrahman, while Vishishtadvaita or Dvaitawill say that it is not identically equal to, butslightly equal to and so on. These are butphilosophical wranglings; but the truth of theequation is clear: microcosm = macrocosm. Atthat level of intuitive awareness, one cannoteven assert ‘I am Brahman’, ‘I’ meaning themicrocosm and ‘Brahman’ the macrocosm; for‘I’ is but a tiny bubble in the infinite ocean ofBrahman, as it were. The famous mahávákyasof Vedanta, the Great Statements of Identity,namely, Tattvamasi (That thou Art)4 and Ahaóbrahmásmi (I am Brahman),5 also fall far belowin comparison with this actual awareness ofIdentity. There is no ‘Thou’ or ‘I’ to say ‘Thatthou art’ or ‘I am Brahman’; there is only oneinfinite, unbroken continuum of Conscious-ness in which the concepts of ‘Thou’ or ‘I’ be-come irrelevant and meaningless. In his owninimitable and homely fashion, Sri Ramakri-shna gave a beautiful illustration: A salt dollwent to measure the depth of the ocean; now,who would be there to come back and giveany information about the ocean? Similarly,when the ‘I’, the individual consciousness,seeks to fathom the fathomless infinity of theocean of cosmic Consciousness, it simplymelts away and becomes one with the Ocean:‘Brahmaveda brahmaiva bhavati, A knower ofBrahman verily becomes Brahman,’ as theMundaka Upanishad would say.6 This meansthere is no question of knowing Brahman asan object; you can only know It by actually be-coming It.

Globalization concept related tomicrocosm-macrocosm oneness:Upanishadic method of AbsoluteNegation—‘Neti neti’—leads toAbsolute Affirmation

This realization of the Upanishadic rishisof the oneness of the microcosm and the mac-rocosm at all levels—namely, annamaya, prá-

îamaya, manomaya and vijðánamaya—culmi-nated in the ‘Atman = Brahman’ equation. Theappeal of the Upanishads today is here: in to-day’s world nobody can talk of the microcosmexcept as a part of, or as subsumed by, or asidentical with, the macrocosm. The buzzwordtoday is ‘globalization’, whose essence is theunity of everything: seeking and finding theuni-verse in this apparent multi-verse. The ap-peal of the Upanishads today is that they con-tain the only philosophy by which the wholeuniverse can be united, globalized. In fact,Vedanta, the philosophy of the Upanishads,says that one cannot even talk of globalization,for it would mean that we are trying makeglobal something which was not global al-ready. In ‘globalize’, we have the suffix ‘ize’,the abhéta-tadbháva, ‘chvi’ pratyaya of Sanskritgrammar, which means that something wasnot global earlier, and we are now making itso. No; Vedanta says that the universe hasbeen global and will be global all the time—only our ignorance, ajðána or avidyá, makes itappear non-global. The so-called globaliza-tion means the removal of ajðána or ignoranceso that the immediate realization of globaliza-tion that already was, gets revealed to con-sciousness.

Now, globalization can take place at alllevels of consciousness: globalization at thephysical level, annamaya, is being attemptedby the physical sciences; globalization at thelife-force level, práîamaya, is being attemptedby the life sciences, biotechnology and the like;globalization at the mental level, manomaya, isin the realm of psychology; globalization atthe intelligence level, vijðánamaya, is being at-tempted by information technology, commu-nications engineering and artificial intelli-gence people. The bliss level, ánandamaya, theUpanishads say, is always global: there is noindividual, microcosmic ánandamaya-átman.Thus, the Upanishadic philosophy alone is ca-pable of uniting the world—again, you do notunite the world: you only perceive the Unitythat exists already and always; and in this state

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The Appeal of the Upanishads Today 405

of perception, all differences cease. The mo-ment one sees differences, says the Upani-shad, one goes round and round the cycle ofbirth and death.7 There is no manifoldness,there is no difference, náná, anywhere, andthis perception of the many, nánátva, is due toignorance, ajðána. In reality, there is only one.When we say there is only one, it is not thatthere is one as against two, three or four, but itis that there is just only one, without any possi-bility or conception of two, three or four. TheVedantic terminology, therefore, is One-with-out-a-second, ekameva-advitæyam. This is theonly language in which we can express it. Themoment we talk of two, three or four, that ismanifoldness, we are in the realm of objects,things which we perceive by our senses—ourconsciousness, prajða, is then outward-focus-ed: bahië prajða. On the other hand, if we talk ofone inner reality, as against and as juxtaposedwith two, three or four (the manifoldness),then our consciousness would be inward-fo-cused: antaë prajða. A third possibility wouldbe that our consciousness has no focus at all; itsimply remains as an unfocused, amorphousmass, as in the case of deep, dreamless sleep.In that case, our state of consciousness isprajðána-ghana. The Upanishads reject allthese possibilities, deny all these states of con-sciousness and assert that the ultimate Reality

is none of these, because all these states are rel-ative, while the Reality is Absolute. The fa-mous statement in the Mandukya Upanishad as-serts: The absolute Consciousness, the Atman,is not outward-focused (as in the wakingstate), nor is it inward-focused (as in dream),nor is it a combination of both of these, nor is itan unfocused, amorphous mass of conscious-ness (as in deep, dreamless sleep). The Abso-lute Consciousness, is unseen, untran-sanctionable, ungraspable, unrecognizablethrough any signs, unthinkable, unbroken,homogeneous, the death of all relativity, tran-quil, supremely auspicious, non-dual, calledturæya-caitanya.

In this language of neti, neti—not this, notthis—you negate all that you see and perceive.Go on and on till you reach the end of all nega-tion. At the end of this absolute negation is theaffirmation, because affirmation is only a lan-guage to which you come when you negateeverything. Absolute Negation and absoluteAffirmation are one and the same thing. Bud-dha absolutely negated everything and as-serted that the Reality is ùénya, meaning abso-lute Negation, while the Upanishads assertthat the Reality is pérîa, meaning absolute Af-firmation. We do not negate absolutely andtherefore we see negation and affirmation astwo different things.

The three bodies (ùaræra-traya) and the three states (avasthá-traya) related to

the five layers of the Atman: Upanishadic philosophy is derived naturally

from our daily life and experience by the Principle of Projection—hence

its eternal appeal

In the Upanishadic paradigm, the five lay-ers of the Atman—annamaya, práîamaya,manomaya, vijðánamaya and ánandamaya—

are further reduced to three bodies (ùaræra-traya): the annamaya is the gross body (sthéla-ùaræra); práîamaya, manomaya and vijðánamayatogether constitute the subtle body (sékøma-ùaræra); ánandamaya constitutes the causal body

(káraîa-ùaræra). Each of these three bodies has amicrocosmic aspect and a correspondingmacrocosmic aspect: vyaøôi and samaøôi respec-tively. In their micro-aspects these three bod-ies operate through our individual conscious-ness every day: consciousness steering themicrocosmic gross body, called in Vedantavaiùvánara or viùva, is operative in the waking

PB-AUGUST 2003 30


state of consciousness; consciousness pilotingthe microcosmic subtle body, called in Ved-anta taijasa, is operative in the dream state ofconsciousness; and consciousness associatedwith the microcosmic causal body, called inVedanta prájða, is operative in the deep,dreamless state of consciousness. The macro-cosmic counterparts of these three are, respec-tively, viráô, hiraîyagarbha and æùvara.

Thus, when we talk about our body, Ved-anta would ask: Which body do you mean? Isit the gross body, the subtle body or the causalbody? When we dream, see buildings andpeople and all kinds of things in it, what is thelight by which we see them? There is an innerlight, antarjyoti, by which we are able to see ob-jects and persons in dreams. That light cannotbe of any external origin, because there is noexternalized consciousness in dream, con-sciousness being inward-focused in that state:antaë-prajða. The gross body, the sthéla ùaræra,is not operating in that state; all the activitiesare of the suble body, or sékøma ùaræra. Ourconsciousness throws this light up, throws upall the objects and persons and sees all thesethings in that strange inner light. When you gostill farther and deeper, when you lapse intodeep, dreamless sleep, you do not see any-thing, perceive anything. From this state ofdeep sleep (suøupti), you spring back to thedream state (svapna) and from there to thewaking state (jágrat). These are our daily expe-riences, and not some imaginary, philosophi-cal speculations.

This is one tremendous appeal of theUpanishads today: Vedanta as a philosophy isnot cut off from our day-to-day, actual experi-ences. Rather, it is these very experiences thatform the basis of this philosophy. Vedanta isnot speculative or other-worldly, but rooted inthis very world of the daily experiences of youand me. This philosophy is therefore of im-mense appeal and value to men, women andchildren in all walks of life, in all places, in allsituations all over the world. Vedanta has thusa universal appeal, for it deals with our daily

life and experiences. Everybody in the world,wherever, whoever or whatever he may be,passes through these three states of waking,dream and dreamless (deep) sleep. Only, wedo not care to investigate into them or askdeeper questions about their fundamentalroot or source. In India philosophy is calleddarùana, which means seeing, perceiving. Ev-ery Indian is, therefore, a philosopher, if hetries to see through his daily experiences, ana-lyse them, investigate into them and find outthe deeper source from which they spring andon which they rest. According to Vedanta,therefore, philosophizing does not mean po-lemics, speculating or theorizing. It is actuallyseeing Reality, having a vision of Truth. Youlook at your daily life, ask profound questionsabout your daily experiences, investigatedeeply into them and on the basis of this in-quiry, this search as a rational scientist, formyour world view, your Weltanschauung. Thisis of great appeal today, when dogmas andtheories and speculations are being subjectedto the test of reason and investigation; thebaseless ones among them were ‘crumblingaway like masses of porcelain under the tre-mendous sledge-hammer blows of scientificresearch’ in the words of Swami Vivekanan-da.8 He therefore exhorted us to go back to theUpanishads, which propound the wonderful,scientific, rational philosophical system ofVedanta, discovered by investigation into ourown daily life and experiences.

I know that I eat and drink and talk andmove about while I am awake (jágrat avasthá);I know that I see various kinds of objects andpersons which I project out of my own con-sciousness while I am dreaming (svapna avas-thá); I know that I lapse into a blank—no ob-jects, no persons, no motion, no seeing and soon—while I am deeply asleep (suøupti avas-thá). These three avasthás are not speculative,but part and parcel of my daily experience. Byinvestigating into these avasthás, I can easilysee how they are self-contradictory: the wak-ing state experience is contradicted by dream

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state experience and both are contradicted bydeep sleep experience. So I reject all of them asunreal, being mutually contradictory; I realizethat the contradictions arise because I identifymyself with these states and participate inthese experiences. Therefore I see that if I dis-sociate myself from these states and the expe-riences, then the contradictions would cease toexist and would have no relevance for me.With this understanding comes the direct andimmediate (sákøát, aparokøát) realization (anu-bhéti) that I am in reality the non-participatingWitness of these three states (avasthá-traya-sákøin) and my real Self (Atman) is absolutelydissociated from the three bodies and the fivelayers of consciousness, with which I was ig-norantly associating myself (saræra-traya-vilak-øaîa, paðca-koùa-vilakøaîa).

My real Self is eternally Pure, of the na-ture of absolute Awareness and ever free(nitya-ùuddha-buddha-mukta); I am, in reality,Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute,Bliss Absolute (sat-cit-ánanda-svarépa). I per-mit all the three states to play on Myself, justlike the cinema screen permits all the variousscenes to have their full play on it, itself re-maining absolutely unaffected by the changestaking place over it. When there is a scene offlood on the screen, the screen does not getwet; not does the screen get burnt out whenthere is a raging fire playing on it. When allthese plays cease, the screen remains in itsown true nature: the pure white. Likewise,when the Self is no longer caught in the play ofthe avasthás anymore, then it remains estab-lished in Its own true glory: sve mahimni prati-øôitaë.

The Upanishadic investigation into theprofound truths about our own selves, intothe nature of Reality, is made with the help ofvery common examples from daily life. Phi-losophy thus grows out of everyday percep-tion and experience. It is therefore meant foreverybody who is anywhere, and in whateverstate or station in life. This is the special appealof the Upanishads today.

An Example fromthe Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

The following interesting anecdote, thesimple investigation into reality, by askingsimple questions about our daily life and ex-perience, is a case in point. It is from one of thegreatest of the Upanishads, the Brihadaranya-ka. Yajnavalkya, the great sage of this Upani-shad and its hero, goes to King Janaka, withthe desire of discussing Brahman. Janaka askshim some simple questions. Yajnavalkya’s re-plies to them constitute the theme of this sec-tion in the Upanishad called ‘Jyotirbráhmaîa’:

Janaka: What is the light by which we see,move around and perform our daily activities?

Yajnavalkya: By the light of the sun, O king.Janaka: When the sun has set, what is the

light by which we see, move around and per-form our daily activities?

Yajnavalkya: By the light of the moon, Oking.

Janaka: When the sun has set and the moonhas also set, what is the light by which we see,move around and perform our daily activities?

Yajnavalkya: By the light of fire, O king.Janaka: When the sun has set, the moon has

also set, and the fire is extinguished, what is thelight by which we see, move around and per-form our daily activities?

Yajnavalkya: By the ‘light’ of speech, Oking. For, when it is pitch dark, so dark that wecannot even see our own hand, it is speech bywhich we identify people, move around and doour daily activities.

Janaka: When the sun has set, the moon hasalso set, the fire has been extinguished andspeech has been hushed, what is the light bywhich we see, move around and perform ourdaily activities?

Yajnavalkya: By the light of the Self (At-man).

Janaka: What is this Self?Yajnavalkya: This is of the nature of Con-

sciousness, the inner Light, which lights up thehearts of all living beings; it is as if It meditates,It vibrates and so on.

(But in actuality, It is the non-participat-ing Witness of all activities of body, mind andsenses). From here on, the Upanishad analyses

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the states of dream and waking states, point-ing out that it is this inner Light by which wesee dreams and so on.

An understanding into the cosmic mys-teries like creation and the origin of the uni-verse is sought through an understanding ofthe microcosm, by the principle of projection.This is the modern appeal of the Upanishads.We project from the microcosm, which weknow, onto the macrocosm and try to under-stand the mysteries of the macrocosm. This isexactly the process by which science has pro-gressed all along. How did Rutherfold dis-cover his atomic model? We have already seenhow, having discovered the central positivecore in the atom called the nucleus,Rutherford was unable to understand the ar-rangement of electrons in an atom. He thenprojected the macrocosmic scheme of theplanets going round the sun into his mi-cro-world of the atom and suggested that theelectrons are moving round the nucleus likeplanets round the sun. In fact, he called his pe-ripheral electrons moving round the nucleusas ‘planetary electrons’.

When I dream, I create my own dreamobjects, which are nothing but my own con-sciousness; this shows that my individual con-sciousness has the capacity to divide itself into

the subject and the object. Make a projectionfrom here to the macrocosm. The macrocos-mic Consciousness, in a state similar to my mi-cro-dream—may we call it the macro-dream!—creates Its own dream objects, which are we,the created beings! You, I, all the beings,plants, animals and objects—in fact, every-thing we see in this created universe—may beconceived of as dream objects of the universalConsciousness, the supreme Purusha, who isin a state of macro-dream. Since this Purushais Universal, we call Him Purushottama; thePuranas would call Him Mahavishnu, who isimagined to be always in a dreaming posture,anantaùayana, His dream resulting in creation.Just as the dream objects of my micro-dreamdo not know me as the dreamer, we, the dreamobjects of the macro-dream of the SupremePurusha, do not know Him as the Dreamer!Thus is explained our ignorance of the CreatorGod, as long as we are identified with the cre-ation, taking it to be real! The dream of thePurusha is called yoga-nidrá, because He is nothelpless in His dream as we are in our mi-cro-dream. His dream is supreme Yoga, andHe shows us the power and glory of his Yogathrough his creation: Paùya me yogamaiùvaram.9

The most profound appeal of the Upanishads is that they deal with a sub-

ject that is of universal and timeless interest to everybody everywhere: ‘I’

Lastly, the profound appeal of the Upani-shads today is because it deals with asubject that is of universal interest and

appeal. The subject matter of the Upanishadsis átma-vidyá, which is knowledge of the ‘I’,myself. The Upanishads investigate into thereal nature of the ‘I’ consciousness, which eachone of us possesses. Since this subject is uni-versal, time- and space-independent, all peo-ples all over the globe, irrespective of national-ity, creed, religion, gender, time and space,can draw inspiration from the Upanishads.

Therefore, it is only the Upanishads, the Ved-anta philosophy based on the Upanishadicwisdom, that can bring about a real ‘global vil-lage’, a theme of great contemporary rele-vance and importance.

The eligibility of the student, adhikárin, isan important question discussed in the studyof Vedanta. Who is eligible to study the Upa-nishads? Leaving aside the classical concept inthis connection, we may put it very simply intoday’s context: to study any subject, the firstcriterion of eligibility is the aptitude of the stu-

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dent; that is, how the subject matter of thestudy interests the student—is it relevant forhim? Since the Upanishads deal with the sub-ject ‘I’, that is, ‘myself’, it cannot but interesteverybody. Anyone who feels the ‘I’ con-sciousness is therefore an eligible student forthe study of the Upanishad. Once upon a time,Upanishadic knowledge was considered eso-teric knowledge (rahasya-vidyá), not meant foranybody and everybody. This sense of secrecygave rise to an unhealthy tradition of monop-oly of knowledge, clannish authority andprivilege. This was one reason why it re-mained confined to caves and forests, mysti-fied intentionally by its self-styled custodians,making it inaccessible to the common man.Swami Vivekananda, the prophet of this age,came to break down barriers and stretch thefrontiers of knowledge to infinity. He ex-horted everybody to ‘go back to the Upani-shads’ and quench their thirst in its immortalsprings. Exclusiveness and privilege will gowhen we realize that the subject matter of theUpanishads, which is the ‘I’ and its real nature,is within everybody’s claim. Anyone with the‘I’ sense is, therefore, eligible to be enlightenedby the Upanishadic wisdom, which is theátma-vidyá.

There was a study made in USA onwhich single English word people most oftenuse. The study revealed that the word usedmost often was ‘I’, the first person singularpronoun. Everywhere, everybody says, ‘I’, ‘I’,‘I’. But nobody actually knows what this ‘I’ is,what its real nature is. It is this subject, the realnature of the ‘I’, that the Upanishads dealwith. In fact, the Upanishads say that aham (‘I’)is the name of the Atman. When somebodyknocks at your door, and you ask from inside‘Hey, who’s that?’ the answer you would in-variably get is ‘It’s me’. The caller will not an-nounce himself by telling his name; he has soidentified himself with his ‘I’ consciousness,that the name he would use to identify himselfis ‘I’, aham, which is the name of the Atman.Just as Om is the name of Brahman, the

macrocosmic counterpart of Atman, aham isthe name of Atman. We do not, however, careto enquire: What is this ‘I’? Who am ‘I’? Thiswas the path that was highlighted and propa-gated in recent times by Sri Ramana Maharshi,the sage of Arunachala. Interestingly, the com-pilation of the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna,who is conventionally taken to be overwhelm-ingly given to bhakti, by his beloved chosendisciple and spiritual son, SwamiBrahmananda, opens by asking this profoundquestion ‘What is this “I”? ‘Is it my hand orfoot or any other part of my body? Reflect welland you will know that there is no such thingas “I”. The more you peel off the skin of an on-ion, the more skin only appears—you cannotget any kernel; so when you analyse the ego, itvanishes away into nothingness. What is ulti-mately left behind is the Atman (soul).’10 Thisbeing the most interesting subject for any-body, the Upanishads invite everyone to per-form this profound investigation in the depthsof his being. Who will not be interested instudying himself? All that I now study—sci-ence and technology, arts and crafts and thelike—is being studied by me, for myself. It isme in whom I am most interested. It is you inwhom you are most interested. It is oneself(Vedanta would say, one’s Self), in which onewould be most interested. The sage Yajnaval-kya tells his wife Maitreyi in the Brihadaranya-ka Upanishad:

It is not for the sake of the husband that the hus-band is beloved (of the wife); but because of theSelf that the husband is beloved. It is not for thesake of the wife that the wife is beloved (of thehusband), but because of the Self that the wife isbeloved. … It is not for the sake of everythingthat everything appears beloved, but for thesake of the Self that everything appears be-loved. This Self should be seen (real-ized)—should be heard of, should be reflectedupon, should be deeply meditated upon. For,on realization of this Self—on hearing of It, re-flecting upon It and deeply meditating uponIt—everything else becomes known.11

If you use the small ‘s’ it is the ego, and if

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you use the capital ‘S’, it is the Self, or the At-man. When we investigate into the truth of theself, we realize that there is only one Self, theAtman, and the ego is only an unreal myth, ashadow of the Self. Thus, there are not twoselves. There is no small ‘s’ and capital ‘S’.

The question asked by the great house-holder, Shaunaka, to the sage Angiras, in theMundaka Upanishad, ‘Sir, what is that by know-ing which everything else becomes known?’,is answered here, as in the Mundaka Upanishad,by saying that it is the knowledge of the Self,átma-vidyá (which is the same as brahma-vidyá)that would confer on the realizer a knowledgeof everything else. The Theory of Everything(ToE), which physicists all over the world areseeking today, is here: Self-knowledge,átma-vidyá. The appeal of the Upanishads istherefore eternal, for they deal withSelf-knowledge, which is the key to the knowl-edge of All. When we realize the true ‘I’, thereal ‘I’, as the Infinite and the Absolute, shin-ing always as the Light of pure Awareness, vi-brating as Life and Consciousness, saturatingand percolating all living and non-living be-ings everywhere—it is only then that our livesbecome meaningful; there comes to us ever-lasting fulfilment and blessedness. Withoutthis realization, our lives have no meaning orpurpose—‘great is the loss’, in the language ofthe Kena Upanishad.12 The Upanishads inviteus to this Kingdom of God that is within everyone of us. This is the appeal of the Upanishadstoday, when human beings are caught up in amad rush to acquire more and more and more,with their minds outward-focused, consumedin an insatiable fire of sensory passion and de-sire. Such human beings can only engender an

acquisitive, consumerist and possessive soci-ety, with more violence, corruption and mu-tual suspicion. The saving message of theUpanishads comes like a shower of nectaramidst this ‘scorching sun of the mid-daysummer’ of worldliness and sensuality andacquisitiveness that is fast roasting the inner-most soul of humankind in its sweltering heat.The Upanishadic wisdom, which is the scienceof the Self (atma-vidya), is the only messagethat can quench this heat and redeem the‘modern man in search of his soul’ (Jung) andsave him from the great fear of destructionthat is looming large on today’s horizon.13

This is the appeal of the Upanishads today towhich we need to respond most urgently, ifwe are eager to save humankind from annihi-lation. �

References

1. Kena Upanishad, 1.1.2. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9

vols. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1-8, 1989; 9,1997), 9.291.

3. CW, 7.78.4. Chandogya Upanishad, 6.13.3.5. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.10.6. Mundaka Upanishad, 3.2.9.7. Mìtyossa mìtyuó gacchati ya iha náneva paùyati.

—Katha Upanishad, 2.1.11.8. CW, 1.317.9. Bhagavadgita, 9.5.

10. Words of the Master, comp. Swami Brahmanan-da (Calcutta: Udbodhan Office, 1938), 1.

11. Brihadaranyaka, 2.4.5.12. Na ced-ihávedæn-mahatæ vinaøôië. —Kena, 2.5.13. Tráyate mahato bhayát. —Gita, 2.40.

35 PB-AUGUST 2003


Doing Good

Try to do good to others to the best of your ability. Seeing your example, others will learn to do the same.

Do not harbour any desire in the mind, except to serve God in human beings.

—Swami Turiyananda

They Lived with God

Tejachandra Mitra

SWAMI CHETANANANDA

Blessed are they who are simple, for theyeasily communicate with God. One can-not feign simplicity. It is an innate qual-

ity, the result of austerities performedthroughout many past lives. ‘Purity and sim-plicity,’ said Thomas a Kempis, ‘are the twowings with which man soars above earth andall temporary nature. Simplicity is in the inten-tion; purity in the affection: simplicity turns toGod; purity unites with and enjoys Him.’

Sri Ramakrishna always sought to recruithis disciples from among young men whowere as pure as flowers that have never beensmelled and as simple as innocent children.On 25 February 1885, the Master said to M,‘Why do I attract these boys to me so much?They are pure vessels untouched by worldli-ness. A man cannot assimilate instruction ifhis mind is stained with worldliness. Milk canbe safely kept in a new pot; but it turns sour ifkept in a pot in which curd has been made.You may wash a thousand times a cup that hasheld a solution of garlic, but still you cannotremove the smell.’1

Tejachandra Mitra was born in 1863 atBosepara Lane in the Baghbazar district inCalcutta. His father, Bhagavati Charan Mitra,was an extremely religious and generous man.Tejachandra was the eldest of five brothers.His father allowed his young son to build asmall gymnasium in the front of the house. Asa result, Tejachandra became a gymnast andwrestler. He commanded the love and respectof his community and settled disputes whenthey arose. He always helped the poor andneedy and he was always courteous and re-spectful.

Tejachandra had a tremendous love for

his father and obeyed him implicitly. When hewas still in school, his father arranged his mar-riage. Tejachandra fulfilled his father’s wishwithout protest, and then passed the Entranceexamination after his wedding. Tejachandrawas devoted to gods and goddesses, so everyday he visited the Kali temple of Baghbazar,and every year he assisted in the nightlongworship of Mother Kali.

Tejachandra first met Sri Ramakrishnaone Sunday in the summer of 1883 when he ac-companied his neighbour Hari (later, SwamiTuriyananda) to Dakshineswar. Balaram Basuand M were present. On that day the Masterasked Tejachandra, ‘Are you married?’ ‘Yes,sir,’ replied Tejachandra. The Master re-sponded, ‘All right, all right.’ Another day,the Master asked to meet Tejachandra’s wifeto determine whether she would hinderTejachandra’s spiritual life; but this visit didnot materialize. Hari later told the Master thather signs were good; she was a vidyashakti whowould help her husband to realize God.Knowing Tejachandra’s spiritual inclination,the Master told him, ‘Please visit this place fre-quently. Try to come alone, especially onTuesdays and Saturdays.’

Tejachandra described his second visit tothe Master thus:

I did not find Hari at his house, so I went aloneto Dakshineswar. The Master was pleased tosee me. I don’t remember who was presentthere that day. It was Saturday. The Master tookme to the southern veranda and put his fingeron my chest and tongue.

Master: ‘Whom do you like as your ChosenDeity?’

I did not respond.Master: ‘Oh, you don’t like to mention it. All

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Tejachandra Mitra

right. (He pointed to Kali.) You like this deity. Is-n’t that true?’

I nodded my head and the Master gave methe mantra. Later I said to the Master, ‘Sir, youhave initiated me. But if my family guru is up-set, will it not be harmful to me?’

Master: ‘Why? Take a mantra from himalso. Or if you don’t want to take a mantra fromhim, then give him his usual fee.’

The Master fed me well, and I returnedhome after spending the whole day atDakshineswar.2

Tejachandra recalled another visit of his:

It was the Phalaharini Kali Puja day of 1884. Ei-ther Hari or Narayan was with me. When wereached Dakshineswar, the Master asked me tospend the night there. I was in a fix because onthe one hand there was the Master’s invitation,and on the other I had never stayed out over-night. I said to the Master, ‘Sir, I can stay, butwhere shall I eat?’ Master: ‘You will not have tothink about that. I shall feed you.’ So I stayedand sent a message home through either Hari orNarayan. At midnight the Master took me tothe Kali temple and then fed me at one o’clockin the morning.

We returned to his room and he asked me,‘What do you want?’ It came to my mind to askfor money, but I kept quiet. The Master said:‘All right, all right. I understand what youwant.’ The next morning I returned home onfoot.3

Sri Ramakrishna always kept track of hisyoung disciples and thought of their welfare.On 9 November 1884 he said to M, ‘Please askhim [Tejachandra] what he thinks of me. Doeshe think of me as a jnani? Or what does he sayabout me? I understand that he is very reti-cent. (To Gopal) Ask Tejachandra to come hereSaturdays and Tuesdays.’4

On 25 February 1885 the Master visitedGirish Ghosh’s house in Baghbazar. He in-structed the householder devotees on how tolive in this world:

‘Is anything impossible for the grace of God?Suppose you bring a light into a room that hasbeen dark a thousand years. Does it remove thedarkness little by little? The room is lighted all

at once. …‘You should practise calling on God every

day. It is not possible to succeed in one day;through daily prayer you will come to long forGod.

‘How can you feel that restlessness if youare immersed in worldliness day and night?’ …

[The Master] asked Tejachandra to sit nearhim. The boy sat near the Master. Then he whis-pered to M that he would have to leave soon.(703-4)

Tejachandra, Purna, Paltu, Narayan andsome other young boys were students of M,who was the headmaster of Vidyasagar’sschool. A rumour spread that M brought thoseboys to the Master and so they would neglect

their studies. The boys’ guardians held M re-sponsible. The Master defended M, but he wasconcerned about M and his young disciples.

At first Tejachandra’s father did not likehis son’s visits to the Master; but he ceased ob-jecting when he later learned that some of theprominent people of Baghbazar—such as Di-nanath Basu, an attorney of the Calcutta Su-preme Court, Kalinath Basu, a high police offi-cer and Balaram Basu—also visited the Mas-ter.

On 13 July 1885, the Master went to at-tend the Chariot Festival at Balaram’s house inCalcutta. Tejachandra went there to see theMaster.

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Tejachandra Mitra 413

Pointing to his relatives, he onceexplained: ‘Why should I keep mypicture in the house? Seeing mycage of flesh and bone, you willweep and wail throughout yourlives. When I die, you will nothave to perform a shraddhaceremony if you cannot afford it.Just think of the Master; you willachieve everything.’

Master (to Tejachandra): ‘I send for you so of-ten. Why don’t you come? If you practise medi-tation and prayer it will make me happy. I lookon you as my own; that is why I send for you.’

Tejachandra: ‘Sir, I have to go to the office. Iam very busy with my duties.’

M: ‘There was a marriage ceremony at hishome and he got leave from his office for tendays.’

Master (to Tejachandra): ‘Well, well! You sayyou have no leisure. You told me just now thatyou were going to renounce the world.’

Narayan: ‘M said to us one day that thisworld is a wilderness.’

Master (to M): ‘Please tell them the story ofthe disciple who became unconscious after tak-ing some medicine. His teacher arrived at thehouse and said he would revive if someone elseswallowed a pill that he would prescribe. Thedisciple would get back his life, but the man

who swallowed the pill would die.‘Please tell the other one, too, of the

hathayogi who thought that his wife and chil-dren were his very own, and who feigned deathwith his limbs stretched out. It will do themgood to hear those stories.’ (799)

The Master tried to create hunger for Godwithin the young disciples. He visited Teja-chandra’s home in Calcutta and even carriedprasad from Dakshineswar to him.

Tejachandra was grief-stricken when theMaster’s passed away in 1886, but the Masterwas always in his heart. After he met SriRamakrishna, he never kept pictures of him-self in his house. Pointing to his relatives, heonce explained: ‘Why should I keep my pic-

ture in the house? Seeing my cage of flesh andbone, you will weep and wail throughoutyour lives. When I die, you will not have toperform a shraddha ceremony if you cannotafford it. Just think of the Master; you willachieve everything.’

Tejachandra and his wife regularly vis-ited Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi in Udbo-dhan House, and she was very fond of them.Holy Mother told the following story aboutTejachandra:

He who eagerly prays to God will see Him. …What a sincere soul he [Tejachandra] was! TheMaster used to frequent his house. Someonehad deposited two hundred rupees withTejachandra. One day he was robbed of thatamount by a pickpocket in the tramcar. He dis-covered the loss after some time and sufferedterrible mental agony. He came to the bank ofthe Ganga and prayed to the Master with tearsin his eyes, ‘O Lord, what have you done to me?’He was not rich enough to make up thatamount from his own pocket. As he was thusweeping he saw the Master appear before himand say: ‘Why do you weep so bitterly? Themoney is there under a brick on the bank of theGanga.’ Tejachandra quickly removed the brickand really found there a bundle of banknotes.He narrated the incident to Sharat [SwamiSaradananda]. Sharat said: ‘You are lucky to getthe vision of the Master even now.’5

During festivals, Tejachandra would goto the Ramakrishna monastery in Belur to pro-vide service. Once he and some other devoteestook a steamer from the Ahiritola ghat of Cal-cutta to Belur Math. The boat was overcrowd-ed, and a boy of five or six years old acciden-tally fell into the Ganga. Everyone was con-cerned, but no one dared attempt a rescue.Seeing the boy’s hand in the river, Tejachan-dra could not stop himself. Shouting ‘Victoryto Ramakrishna’, he jumped with his shoesand clothes on. People thought that Tejachan-dra must be a close relative of the boy. He res-cued the boy, without losing anything fromhis pocket, returned home to change hisclothes, and again left for Belur Math. He later

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Seeing the boy’s hand in the river,Tejachandra could not stop

himself. Shouting ‘Victory toRamakrishna’, he jumped with

his shoes and clothes on. Peoplethought that Tejachandra must be

a close relative of the boy.

told his friends: ‘It was the Master who in-spired me, so it was possible for me to savethat boy.’6

Once Tejachandra suffered a bout ofasthma that became severe at night, keepinghim from sleep. It was so unbearable that hewould go up to the roof and pace all night. Heconsulted many doctors, but none could givehim any relief. He prayed to the Masterthroughout the nights to cure that painful dis-ease. On one such occasion a sadhu came to hisdoor and said to him, ‘You are suffering.Please take this medicine and you will becured.’

Tejachandra accepted the medicine andasked, ‘How much shall I have to pay?’ ‘Noth-ing,’ replied the holy man. Tejachandrathought that the sadhu was scheming to getmoney from him. ‘When shall I see youagain?’ asked Tejachandra. ‘At the right time,’said the sadhu, and left. Tejachandra decidednot to use the medicine; he consulted his doc-tors and they also forbade him to take it. So themedicine remained in his room. After a day ortwo the Master appeared to him in a dreamand asked, ‘Still you doubt?’ ImmediatelyTejachandra got up and took the medicine.From that day on, he never again sufferedfrom asthma. (373)

Tejachandra led an ideal householder’slife. His son, Manabkrishna Mitra, wrote:

Tejachandra died at 75 Ramkanta BasuStreet, Calcutta, on 16 September 1912 at the ageof forty-nine. Sometime before his death, hewould spend long hours in front of Sri Ramakri-shna’s picture and practise japa and meditation.He was always joyful. He told us, ‘I could not

leave a lot of money or property for you, butsomeone [the Master] will always be behindyou.’

Just before his passing away, Holy Mothersaid to someone in Udbodhan, ‘Tejachandra isdying, please carry this chranamrita [sanctifiedwater] to him right now.’ It was as if he waswaiting for that holy water. As soon as he drankit, he passed away. Then Holy Mother said toSwami Saradananda, ‘You have tried hard tosave Tejachandra. But it is the Master who hastaken him away.’ (373)

In a drama some take big roles and somesmall roles, but each part is important. Teja-chandra played a small role in the divinedrama of Sri Ramakrishna. �

References

1. M, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. SwamiNikhilananda (Chennai: Sri RamakrishnaMath, 2002), 704.

2. Swami Chetanananda, Ramakrishna as We SawHim (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1993), 451-2.

3. ibid., 451-2.4. Gospel, 662.5. Ramakrishna as We Saw Him, 30.6. Udbodhan, 64.373.

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Tejachandra Mitra 415

After a day or two the Masterappeared to him in a dream andasked, ‘Still you doubt?’Immediately Tejachandra got upand took the medicine. From thatday on, he never again sufferedfrom asthma.

Forget the goal of life and you ruin yourself. God dwells in all. He is within your heart. Pray to Him, weep

before Him, and you will get energy and strength. Your mind will come under control. Evil thoughts are

to be driven off by good thoughts.

—Swami Premananda

Datta, Dámyata, Dayadhvam

R K DASGUPTA

Ihave very oddly put three unfamiliar San-skrit words in the title of my article becauseI desire that my readers learn these words,

if they have not learnt them already, utterthem and teach them to their people. We havenot today great minds in our country to teachus the truths of life. We must then turn to greatwords that glow in our 3000-year-old spiritualand moral tradition. This is particularly im-portant when that tradition is being traducedby religious organizations receiving furtivepolitical support.

Charity, Self-control and Compassion

The three words in the title occur in thefifth chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad(5.2.1-3), one of our principal Upanishads.They are all verbs in the imperative moodmeaning, respectively, give, control yourselfand be compassionate. These three virtues ofcharity, self-control and compassion are con-spicuous by their absence in our national life,particularly in some self-appointed teachersand saviours of Hinduism.

Let us concentrate on the three wordsmeaning the three human virtues of charity,self-control and compassion. I think the mostimportant of them is compassion, for he whohas compassion will be naturally charitableand will value self-control. Compassion is adivine virtue. In the Holy Koran the openingwords are ‘In the name of Allah, the Compas-sionate, the Merciful’. The Arabic words forthe qualities of the Lord are Rahmanir-Rahim.Since I have no knowledge of Arabic philol-ogy I cannot go deep into the meaning of thetwo words. I know that while the translator ofthe Penguin Koran (1956), N J Dawood, usesthe words compassionate and merciful, thetranslator of the Islamic Book Service Koran

(2000), Abdullah Yusuf Ali, uses the wordsgracious and merciful. Let us not make toofine a distinction between compassionate andgracious when we know that mercy flowsfrom compassion. The New Testament Greekword for compassion is splangchnizesthai,which also means pity. A Greek scholar ofJadavpur University has helped me to identifythe Greek word in the New Testament, whichwas originally written in Greek. I think whenin the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says ‘Bless-ed are the merciful, for they shall obtainmercy’, by mercy he means compassion.

The three Upanishadic words which rep-resent the essence of ethics so moved an Eng-lish poet that he put them in roman in one ofhis major poems, The Waste Land (1922), wherethey are spoken by the thunder in a differentorder. Unfortunately the great meaning of thethree words seem to be lost in a density oflearned references which mar this poem of T SEliot. In the Upanishad datta, dámyata, dayadh-vam are truly thundering words summoningus to a life of charity and restraint. At the cen-tre of the human universe is a tear, a tenderheart with a sense of the infinite pity of things.There is the need for compassion, for sympa-thy, in a world full of suffering. When Words-worth invokes the spirit of Milton for a moralregeneration of his people, he asks for ‘man-ners, virtue, freedom, power’. There is nomention of the heart, which is the seat of allvirtues, the foremost of them being compas-sion.

Swami Vivekananda missed this com-passion in Shankaracharya, whose philoso-phy of Advaita he embraced as his philoso-phy. ‘Shankara,’ Vivekananda said, ‘had notthe slightest bit of Buddha’s wonderful heart.’Vivekananda looked upon mercy as the prime

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human virtue and for him it was indistin-guishable from compassion. ‘Mercy is heavenitself; to be good, we have all to be merciful.Even justice and right should stand on mercy.’

Let us remember that Jayadeva, the greatBengali Vaishnava poet of the twelfth century,gave Buddha the status of an incarnation ofGod in his Dashavatara Stotra because he wit-nessed the sacrifice of animals with compas-sion, sadaya-hìdaya darùita paùu-ghátam

For Rabindranath Tagore this compas-sion was karuîá and in one of his songs he in-vokes Buddha in these words: ‘Karuîághanadharaîætala koro kalaïkaùénya.’ The world canbe free of sins when compassion enters thesoul of its people. The poet thinks that com-passion leaves us when our heart is dry. WhenMahatma Gandhi broke his fast in YeravadaJail on 26 September 1932 Tagore was present,and when he was asked to sing a song appro-priate for the occasion, the poet sang song 58of the Gitanjali (1910) (song 39 in the EnglishGitanjali, 1912): ‘When the heart is hard andparched up, come upon me with a shower ofmercy.’ The word for mercy in the Bengalipoem is karuîá, or compassion. The poem ex-alts the heart as the seat of all virtues and manhas none of them when he is selfishly busywith himself. This elevating scene at YeravadaJail is described in Louis Fischer’s biographyof Mahatma Gandhi: ‘Tagore sang Bengalihymns. Many eyes were wet.’

It is man’s pride of work, the unrulyurges of his ego, which deprive him of hisheart and make him incapable of compassion.In the first song of the Bengali Gitanjali thepoet says: ‘Ùakal ahaïkár he ámár/ Õubáo chokherjole’ (Drown all my pride in tears). A compas-sionate man is a tearful man. Today our eyesare dry because our hearts are dry. In our poli-tics of desire, our tongue alone is wet and com-passion is so rare because our mind is caughtin a deadly competition for power. The poetwho makes dayadhvam a principal human vir-tue says in a work written more than a decadeafter The Waste Land that ‘those who serve the

greater cause may make the cause serve them.’I say this because today our politicians

corrupt our soul more than our criminals, forthey assemble and address big crowds in thename of some cause. Our teachers, the acade-micians, may not acknowledge compassion asa value in their sphere of work. Then who willraise us up and teach us the three Upanishadicvirtues? I think we have to teach ourselves tosee if our heart can beat fast or even bleedwhen we see suffering. We cannot have com-passion unless we see suffering. Suffering isthe only school where we can learn the rudi-ments of morality. In one of his songs Tagoreasks us to expand our heart and look round(cháridike dekho cháhi, hìdaya prasári). I miss thisin John Rawls, the greatest authority on ethicsin our age. He does not say anything about therole of the heart in our moral life in his mag-num opus A Theory of Justice (1971).

The Three Values in the Gita

Where in the Bhagavadgita do we havethis triple idea of charity, self-control andcompassion? The doctrine of non-attachment(anásakti yoga), which is the essence of the Gita,involves these three virtues. But in the thir-teenth verse of the twelfth chapter we have‘Adveøôá sarvabhétánáó maitraë karuîa eva ca’(He who has no ill will towards any being,who is friendly and compassionate).

The ethics of the Gita is the quintessenceof Hindu and Buddhist ethics and it antici-pates the noble ideals of Christianity and Is-lam. The question today is how to educate ourpeople in these three virtues of datta, dámyataand dayadhvam. Perhaps they cannot betaught. Our people will learn from examples.We must shed our ego to achieve a society ofmen and women who will value charity, self-control and compassion in a grand endeavourto create a new humanity. We may spell thesethree liberating Upanishadic sayings as amantra in our soul—datta, dámyata, daya-dhvam—and wait to see how it works. �

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Datta, Dámyata, Dayadhvam 417

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras—An Exposition

SWAMI PREMESHANANDA

Translated from Bengali by Shoutir Kishore Chatterjee

Prologue

An initiated disciple of Holy Mother SriSarada Devi, Swami PremeshanandajiMaharaj (1884-1967) was a widely re-

spected monk of the Ramakrishna Order.Even after becoming sick and old, with greatconcentration he regularly listened to read-ings from the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda lit-erature and scriptural texts like the Bhagavad-gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Wherever nec-essary, he would now and then explain the im-port of the text.

In February 1962 Premeshanandaji be-came seriously ill. By turn attendants had tofan his head round the clock, since SargachhiAshram (where Premeshanandaji stayed) wasthen not electrified.

Even in the midst of that illness, he re-sponded to the prayer of his attendant, Brah-machari Sanatan (presently, Swami Suhita-nandaji, an Assistant Secretary of the Rama-krishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission),and agreed to give him special lessons on Pat-anjali’s Yoga Sutras in Bengali. Br Sanatan usedto preserve in the form of notes whatever Pre-meshanandaji said by way of explaining theaphorisms and in most cases got the writtendiscussions heard and checked by him.

For a long time these notes remained incirculation within a limited circle. To benefit awider circle of readers, these notes were pub-lished in Udbodhan, the well-known Bengaliorgan of the Ramakrishna Order. The exposi-tion was serialized from the Chaitra 1407 BSthrough the Shravan1409 BS issues (except theAshvin 1408, Puja number), edited by Swami

Purnatmanandaji, the then editor of Udbo-dhan. The serial has since appeared in bookform, published by Udbodhan Office,Kolkata, with a preface by Purnatmanandaji.

In the present English rendering we havegenerally used Swami Vivekananda’s transla-tion of the Yoga Sutras from his ‘Raja Yoga’(Complete Works, Volume 1), with occasionalannotations (within square brackets), mostlyculled from his detailed commentary.

In his preface to the Bengali book Pur-natmanandaji makes the following significantobservation: Authentic Hindu scriptural textslike the Katha Upanishad (2.3.11, 18), Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (2.4.5), Shvetashvatara Upa-nishad (2.8), Bhagavadgita (Chapter 6) and SriShankaracharya’s commentary on the BrahmaSutras (2.1.3), expound the ultimate VedanticTruth: Brahman, Atman and their identity.Further, Vedanta does not accept the doctrineof plurality of Purushas of the Sankhya philos-ophy. It is precisely in the light of these Veda-ntic truths that Premeshanandaji expoundsthe processes of ásana (posture), dháraîá (hold-ing the mind fixed to a particular point), dhy-ána (meditation) and so on.

As Purnatmanandaji says, sincere spiri-tual aspirants are sure to find in this exposi-tion answers to many of their problems intheir search of Truth. He rightly suggests thatwhile reading this exposition readers maygainfully compare it with Swami Vivekanan-da’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras in his‘Raja Yoga’.

—Editor

PB-AUGUST 2003 42

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras—An Exposition

Introduction

After hundreds of years of research onself-development, Indian thinkersreached the ultimate limit of the subject

and came to ‘know That by knowing whichnothing further remains to be known’.1

They made tremendous efforts to em-ploy that knowledge for the benefit of man-kind; the outcome of all that is known as ‘Ve-dic culture’ or ‘Hindu culture’. In commonparlance it is called ‘religion’. The phenome-non is exactly as we see nowadays in the caseof material sciences: as soon as they discover atruth, researchers in these sciences try to putthat to the use of all mankind.

Gradual Steps to Meditation

In directing the mind inward, the firststep is the cultivation of the body and themind. Sciences like Ayurveda were discov-ered precisely for that purpose. Thereaftersystems of worship were introduced for thedevelopment of the mind. As those systemsgradually improved, they took the form of theworship of symbols. To perform worship, onehas to exercise one’s imaginative faculty. Un-less this faculty becomes highly developed, itis impossible for man to conceive of Brahman,the primal cause of this universe. In course ofperforming worship, when the vision ofabodes of peace like heaven, Vaikuntha, andKailasa becomes vivid and the desire to abidein such places arises in the mind of a person,the mind becomes inclined towards medita-tion.

Worldly Prosperity versus Inner Life

Absolute Consciousness covered over bymaya begins Its individual career as a livingorganism from grass, herbs and the like. Then,after roaming about in search of enjoyment formillions of years, It attains human life. Withhis five senses well developed, man goes onenjoying the external world composed of thefive elements until he is seized with an intense

sense of dissatisfaction. At that time if a manrunning after worldly prosperity happens tohear about higher realities like EternalKrishna and Eternal Vrindaban, his mindrushes to attain these. Because of this, personseager to undertake journey in the inner worldcan be found in those human societies wherethere are ample opportunities for achievingworldly success (abhyudaya), and, with that,tidings about the scope for success in the innerworld are also widely current. In the Westnow all types of provision for the attainmentof well-being in the outer world are availableand in India we have news about theattainability of happiness in the inner world.But in neither case are the two aspects of abh-yudaya, or success, simultaneously present; at-tentions of people in both cases are confined toonly one of the aspects. As such we do not findin people any desire to delve into the innerworld. Generally the Westerners seek to em-ploy spiritual knowledge for the sake of mate-rial welfare, and in India, aspirants embarkingon a quest for the inner world become failuresboth in this life and hereafter.

It is not possible for anyone to progressby going against the laws of nature. Unless so-ciety provides enough opportunities for fol-lowing these laws, the beast in man cannot beexorcized. It is because of this that whilefounding Belur Math as a centre for the pur-suit of yoga, Swami Vivekananda gave direc-tions for converting it into a technical institute.

Who is Qualified for the Practice of Yoga?

When man reaches the ultimate limit ofworldly success, the question ‘After this,what?’ arises in his mind. At that time reli-gious teachers give him instructions about theperformance of sacrificial rites, about the wor-ship of gods. When as a result of such worshipa person develops sattva guna [the attribute ofcalmness and balance, broadly meaning herepurity of mind] he receives from devotees the

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Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras—An Exposition 419

tidings of love and devotion. While feeling at-traction towards God, a genuine desire tohave Him near himself arises in his mind. Atthat time he becomes fit for the practice ofyoga. When one has done with seeing thistransitory world, when doubts about the exis-tence of an eternal abode of God beyond thisworld have been cleared from one’s mind, andwhen one can no longer endure without at-taining the eternal and impeccable God, thendoes one qualify for the practice of yoga.

Before starting the journey on the path ofyoga, one must first develop a distaste for theenjoyment of the fruits of one’s actions bothhere and hereafter2 and a strong desire to real-ize the essence of one’s being, which is of the

nature of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. Other-wise, lured by the various riches that aboundon both sides of the way, one proceeds alongthe path of enjoyment abandoning the path ofyoga. Due to this, in the past there occurred adearth of suitably qualified aspirants, and thatcaused the gradual extinction of the yogicsects founded by Patanjali and other masters.For this very reason, Swamiji showed us a newway by which the human mind in its entiretycan be turned inwards and thus the jivatman[individual soul] can be united with Param-atman [supreme Self]. There are many obsta-cles in the path of the four yogas; those whofollow the way shown by Swamiji do not cometo harm from any of them. We have to start thepractice of raja yoga after a thorough compre-

hension of this fact.

The Importance of Meditation

The faculty of discrimination develops inthe mind of an individual in the last stage ofhis evolution as a human being. Only thendoes he feel a curiosity to know about the real-ity of the inner world. By good fortune a fewamong such souls come to know about the sci-ence of Atman of the Vedic religion. As a con-sequence, their minds can gradually grasp allthe mysteries of creation. But although theyare able to know and understand all, it doesnot become possible for them to tear them-selves away from this relative world and at-tain perfection. Usually we find that those

who know everything aboutthe science of Brahman are notyet free from the bondage of thebody-mind complex. Only hewho through meditation real-izes in the essence of his con-sciousness ‘I am eternally of thenature of purity, knowledgeand freedom’ liberates himselffrom the clutches of life anddeath. It is meditation, not dis-crimination, which directlyleads to liberation. Because of

this, unless one develops full awareness of thepath of yoga, mere [theoretical] knowledge isnot of much avail.

We have seen that in the community ofmonks even persons of great intelligence andwisdom cannot often exhibit in their dealingsthe strength of character as evinced by a vijna-ni. Many lose their head in course of continu-ous discrimination. But those who direct theirmind towards Brahman through meditationor yoga, even if they do not reach full perfec-tion, develop in their lives a wonderful sweet-ness.

The Path of Devotion

In the Bhagavadgita the Lord says thatman attains purity of mind after doing merito-

PB-AUGUST 2003 44


When one has done with seeing thistransitory world, when doubts about the

existence of an eternal abode of Godbeyond this world have been cleared from

one’s mind, and when one can no longerendure without attaining the eternal andimpeccable God, then does one qualify for

the practice of yoga.

rious work through many lives. As a result, inhis last birth an intense desire to realize God isgenerated in his mind. (Yeøáó tvantagataó pá-pam. — 7.28)

Even if one feels in mind an attraction to-wards God, one is unable to restrain [all] thetendencies of the body and the mind until onerealizes Him. If one sets realization as one’sgoal but remains absorbed in the charm,sweetness and glory of God, one’s mind maynot become directed to pratyak-cetaná (innerConsciousness). Generally it is found thatdevotees who remain absorbed in the serviceand worship of God and in chanting and pro-claiming His glory, do not progress very fartowards the inner Core. Sometimes out of con-ceit such a devotee neglects and disregardsnon-devotees or scorns personsholding different views, and asa result of such aberration hismind gets very much degraded.Innumerable other obstacles inthis way hinder a devotee andprevent him from realizingGod. As such, unless one is ableto get totally engrossed in thethought of God, it is impossibleto attain perfection by follow-ing the path of devotion. Thus,even in the path of devotion thelast step is meditation. It is notpossible to attain liberation through the pathof devotion without æùvara-praîidhána [surren-dering oneself to God residing in the inner-most recess of one’s heart].

Meditation Needed in Karma Yoga Too

One can even transform one’s daily andoccasional duties into aids to yoga. For that,one has to keep the mind drawn towards free-dom from work even in the midst of the tur-moil of work. If by means of the sharpness ofone’s intellect one can understand that theonly goal of life is freedom and can alwayskeep the mind directed towards that ideal offreedom, then one may maintain an attitude of

gentle meditation in mind even while work-ing. We say ‘gentle’ because to perform a workwell a substantial part of the mind needs to begiven to the work; at that time the thought offreedom will occupy only a fraction of themind.

There is Sri Ramakrishna’s famous illus-tration of karma yoga: ‘the maidservant in thehouse of a rich man’. The maidservant is com-pelled to serve in a rich man’s house becauseof her inability to make both ends meet at herown house. She knows for certain that she hasher own house and near and dear ones and it isfor their sake that she is working. No soonerthe master feels the least bit of inconveniencethan he will dismiss her. Indeed we too haveleft our own abode and have been forced to

enter into the ‘service’ of our body and mind.But we do not know this; and even if we know,do not realize this; and even if we realize, areunable to awaken in our mind the desire to re-turn to our own place.

Therefore for us to assume the role of themaidservant in a rich man’s house is nothingbut hypocrisy. Suppose through reasoningand discrimination we learn that we are eter-nally of the nature of purity, knowledge andfreedom, and suppose we become fascinatedby the charm and sweetness of God. Yet, un-less we meditate constantly and for a longtime with utmost faith, we cannot progressvery far along that path. It is needless to sayhow difficult it is to proceed along the path to

45 PB-AUGUST 2003


Even if one feels in mind an attractiontowards God, one is unable to restrain [all]the tendencies of the body and the minduntil one realizes Him. If one setsrealization as one’s goal but remainsabsorbed in the charm, sweetness and gloryof God, one’s mind may not become directedto pratyak-chetana (inner Consciousness).

freedom after dissipating one’s mind in activi-ties.

In the Gita the Lord says that karma yogaused to be practised by kshatriya kings whohad bodies and minds of adamantinestrength. Therefore karma yoga is an ex-tremely difficult spiritual path. (4.2)

However, it is utterly impossible to giveup all on a sudden the habit of work acquiredthrough innumerable lives. Because of this,while embarking on any form of yogic disci-pline it is essential that one performs somework to cultivate the attitude of desirelessness[unselfishness]. It is for this reason that Swa-miji urged ineligible persons like us so muchto take up work. But if one wants to do unself-ish work, there is no way but to remain con-

stantly aware about fixing the mind on free-dom, which is the goal of work. Not onlyshould the mind remain attracted towardsthat at the time of work, but also as soon as onegets a little respite, one must pull the mind upand engage it in meditation. This is just beinglike the maidservant: she goes home as soon asshe gets leave. Thus the last step of karmayoga too is meditation.

The Need to Rise above Body-Mind

Exceptionally intelligent, imaginativeand unselfish persons may attain freedom bymeans of knowledge, devotion or work. Butvery few persons under the sun are found tobe so qualified. For ordinary people like us,

these means often do not yield much result.Wrestlers get great delight from gymnastics.Even so, intellectual people derive great joyfrom ratiocinating on subtle questions and byexercising their intellect. There have been somany learned philosophers in India as well asin other countries; their lines of thinking are sovery interesting. Intellectual gymnasts get thesame delight by reading such discourses as weget by reading novels. Admittedly, by follow-ing the process of reasoning prescribed in theVedanta, the mind soars very high. But unlessone succeeds in making the mind totally ab-sorbed in one’s true Self, there is no chance ofattaining freedom.

The love that is depicted in devotionalscriptures is really an exalted version of the

human love described in nov-els, with its attraction, separa-tion and union. Out of love for abeautiful image, one laughs,cries, dances and sings and thusderives immense joy. In manycases, in course of chanting thebeauty and charm of God, dev-otees are seen to enter into atrance (bháva-samádhi). Thisalso is a kind of mental gymnas-tics.

However, it is impossibleto attain freedom unless one is able to get rid ofone’s sense of identity with the body [gross aswell as subtle] by practising prescribed spiri-tual disciplines. Bhavanath, the youngerNaren, and many other devotees had takenrefuge at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna, the in-carnation of the present age and the manifes-tation of absolute Brahman. They used to havetrances, yet they led lives of ordinary house-holders later.

The bottom line is this: the desire forsense enjoyment cannot be rooted out unlessone practises yoga according to prescribedmethods and raises the mind step by step tothe level of absolute Consciousness. In theGita, this has been clearly stated in the two

PB-AUGUST 2003 46


Suppose through reasoning anddiscrimination we learn that we are

eternally of the nature of purity, knowledgeand freedom, and suppose we become

fascinated by the charm and sweetness ofGod. Yet, unless we meditate constantly and

for a long time with utmost faith, wecannot progress very far along that path.

verses beginning with ‘Indriyáîi paráîyáhuë’.(3.42-3) Here is the gist of these verses: so longas one is unable to realize one’s Self by raisingthe consciousness above the body-mind com-plex, it is impossible to reach the state of Bless-edness. Through reasoning one comprehendsthe nature of Freedom; through devotion onegets a taste for the contemplation of God, whois identical with Freedom; unselfish work re-fines the intellect; but it is the yoga of medita-tion that can ultimately unite the jivatmanwith the Paramatman. Unless one takes thehelp of the yoga of meditation, success in thepursuit of the former three yogas [generally]remains beyond reach. All the yogas have butone single theme: to unite the individual soulwith God. Therefore one who wants to attainFreedom should practise meditation rightfrom the beginning.

Training in Meditation:The Earlier the Better

Hindus had a custom that every personmust meditate on the luminous Sun threetimes every day: in the morning, at noon andin the evening. People used to be taught thisfrom the age of seven or eight years. Nowa-days even among the brahmins rarely doesanyone do the Gayatri japa every day; amongthe performers of such japa rarely does any-one meditate a little. Hindus knew that medi-tation is the principal means of attaining bothabhyudaya (worldly prosperity) and niëùreyasa(final beatitude). Unless one has practisedconcentration, one is not able to perform welleven the ordinary duties of this world. Allgreat deeds demand special concentration onthe part of the doer.

After the practice of meditation went outof vogue, japa or repetition of the name of theLord was introduced; that too is a lower formof meditation. One can attain perfectionthrough japa as well.3

Sometime back there was a movement bya group of persons who had received so-calledmodern education, to introduce the practice of

keeping still for some time before starting anywork. Maybe, unknown to them, what theywere trying to usher in was nothing but a faintreflection of yoga.

Because the practice of yoga has disap-peared, Hindus have suffered all-round deg-radation. Let a person possess the ability to re-strain and hold the mind above the fleetingworld for even three times a day; howsoeverlittle, it would be natural for a bit of the infiniteglory of the Atman to become manifest in hislife. There is no way there can be upwardmovement in one’s life unless one has somefaith and awareness about the presence of aninfinite Power behind oneself.

Even if one could acquire [intellectual]knowledge of all the mysteries of the worldand all the truths about Brahman, one wouldnot get liberated from the hold of the body andthe mind. That is why Hindus taught personsright from their childhood the only means foruplift: meditation.

‘Cleanse Your Body and Mind’

Suppose through the performance ofselfless work we attain dispassion towardsthis relative world. Suppose through discrimi-nation we come to realize that only my ‘Self ’devoid of all attributes is true and the twoforms, the knowable and the knower, are bothillusory. Suppose we become attracted andfascinated by the infinite grace and charm ofBrahman. But the perfect bliss that comesfrom freeing oneself from the slavery of thebody and the mind would still remain beyondour reach. It is at this stage that Maharshi [theGreat Sage] Patanjali shows us a wonderfullysimple straight road—a road proceedingalong which we are certain to attain perfectbliss. He says, ‘Cleanse your body and mindby washing and scrubbing these with yamaand niyama; after that, stop all external activi-ties and be seated in a posture. While sitting,make your mind inactive by means of theforce of prana. Thereafter stay put, remainingaware only of the sattva guna, which inheres

47 PB-AUGUST 2003


in the intellect. As you remain in that state, allthe mysteries of creation will unfold beforeyou. When in that state you become totally in-different to the beauties, charms and glories ofcreation [the relative world], you will be ableto attain perfection by realizing “Conscious-ness”, which is bereft of all attributes andwhich exists transcending the creation.’

This is the last step in the attainment ofspiritual knowledge. If we sit down with afirm resolve for this end, it is absolutely cer-tain that we will attain bliss; the life of Buddhais a blazing example of this.

Conclusion

As regards the obstacles in the path ofmeditation, many incidents are mentioned inthe lives of Buddha, Jesus and other great per-sonalities. We see in this world that the moreenlightened a person is, the more is his aware-ness about higher enjoyments. A man doingmanual labour eats plain rice and dal withgreat relish, but an educated gentleman is notsatisfied unless he is served a variety ofcourses. Likewise, while spiritual practicewhets a man’s tastes, there also arise feelings[of dissatisfaction] that are commensuratewith such stimulated tastes. Those aspirantswho do selfless work find that work neverends; those who worship God find that unlessthey have intense love for God they do not al-ways feel a strong urge to tear the mind fromthe world and direct it upward; those who fol-low the path of knowledge through discrimi-nation find that even though they come toknow the truth about everything in the uni-verse they do not get peace at heart; and thosepractising meditation find that in the absenceof sincerity concentration proves elusive. Yetgenuine aspirants are not deterred in theirspiritual quest, whatever the obstacles. Joy-fully ascending higher and still higher steps,

they finally attain perfection and bliss.In Maharshi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras we

get not only a description of the obstacles butalso directions about how to overcome them.To grasp the essential points of the Yoga scrip-ture is not very difficult. If one studies themfor some time, they become clear. But the sub-tle matters observed and argued in the apho-risms require for their comprehension deepreflection over many days. Those subtle dis-cussions do not hold much interest for com-mon people like us. Especially, beginners havetrouble understanding the aphorisms, com-posed as they are in archaic style.

The aphorisms have many commentariesand glosses but it is difficult for us to grasptheir import. The extremely lucid expositionof Swami Vivekananda seems to us to be quiteextensive and delightful.

It is helpful for a beginner to get an expo-sure to an abstract of all the topics beforehand.Just as a selection of poems and literary writ-ings aims at creating a taste in the beginner,even so, the present comments and exposi-tions intend to arouse interest in those who arenew to the Yoga Sutras.

In this commentary only the gist has beengiven for the intricate aphorisms. For variousreasons somewhat novel explanations havebeen provided at certain places. Throughoutthis exposition, our effort has been to attractthe interest of the beginner to the essence ofyoga.

(to be continued)

References

1. Bhagavadgita, 7.2.2. Ihámutra-phalabhoga-virágaë. —Vedánta-sára,

17.3. Svadhyáyád-iøôadevatá-samprayogaë. —Yoga

Sutras, 2.44.

PB-AUGUST 2003 48


The more a person conceals his devotional practices from others, the better for him.

—Sri Ramakrishna

49 PB-AUGUST 2003

Kaôha Rudra Upaniøad

TRANSLATED BY SWAMI ATMAPRIYANANDA

The fruit of the knowledge of Brahman (continued)

;;tu bltubgtu ÊtÀbt vqKtuo Òttlbgul ;w >

ytlà=ul m=t vqKo& m=t Òttlbg& mwFe >>25>>

25. Further, the mental self is permeated by the knowledge self; [this] ever joyful knowl-edge [self] is always suffused by bliss.

;:tlà=bg´ttrv c{ÑKtàgul mtrGKt >

mJtoà;huK vqKo´t c{Ñ ltàgul fuUlra;T >>26>>

26. And in the same way, the blissful [self] is again pervaded [or interpenetrated] by Brah-man, which is different [from] and the witness [of everything] and the innermost of all. [But]Brahman is not [pervaded] by anything else.

gr==k c{ÑvwåAtÏgk mÀgÒttltÅgtÀbfUbT >

mthbuJ hmk ÖtçÆJt mtGtæune mlt;lbT >>27>>

mwFe CJr; mJoºt yàg:t mwrF;t fwU;& >

27-8. The embodied being becomes joyful attaining [realizing] everywhere this Brahman,which is named the ‘tail’ [the support] [which is] of the nature of Truth, Knowledge, non-dual-ity, verily the Essence, the Source of Joy, the Eternal. [For] wherefrom otherwise can there behappiness?

ymÀgrôblT vhtlà=u ôJtÀbCq;u~rFÖttÀbltbT >>28>>

fUtu seJr; lhtu st;w fUtu Jt rlÀgk rJau³;u >

28-9. If this supreme Bliss, which is the very Self of all beings, were not existent, which hu-man being can indeed be alive? Or who can [remain] active?

;ôbt;T mJtoÀblt raútu Ctmbtltu Êmti lh& >>29>>

ytlà=gr; =w&FtZÓk seJtÀbtlk m=t sl& >

29-30. It is this Person shining in the mind stuff [the field of Consciousness] as the universalSelf eternally imparts Joy to the individual self, which is [otherwise] full of sorrow.

g=t ÊuJiM Y;rôbªt=]ˆgÀJtr=ÖtGKu >>30>>

rlCuo=k vhbtÅi;k rJà=;u a bntgr;& >

;=uJtCgrbÀgà;k fUÖgtKk vhbtb];bT >>31>>

mŠqvk vhbk c{Ñ rºtvrhåAu=Jrso;bT >

30-2. It is only when the great sage verily attains (realizes) [absolute] non-difference with

PB-AUGUST 2003 50


this supreme non-duality, auspiciousness, supreme immortality, absolute existence devoid ofthe threefold division [of time], which is [the supreme (transcended) Brahman]—it is only thenthat he attains absolute fearlessness.

g=t ÊuJiM Y;rôbªtÖvbËgà;hk lh& >>32>>

rJstltr; ;=t ;ôg Cgk ôgtªttºt mkNg& >

32-3. When an individual [human being] experiences even a slight difference in this [iden-tity with Brahman] he will be possessed of fear; there is no doubt in this.

yôgiJtlà=fUtuNul ô;öctà;t rJíKwvqJofUt& >>33>>

CJrà; mwrFltu rlÀgk ;th;ögf{UbuK ;w >

33-4. It is by the sheath of bliss that [all beings], from [Lord] Vishnu to a clump of grass al-ways experience happiness, though in varying degrees.

;útÀv=rJhÿUôg ¶turºtgôg Œmtr=l& >>34>>

ôJÁvCq; ytlà=& ôJgk Ctr; v=u g:t >

34-5. In the case of one who is dispassionate concerning that [or any] position (or status),who has grasped the inner meaning of the scriptures and is tranquil, the bliss which is one’s verynature shines forth by itself as in his [natural] state [of pure Being].

rlrbútk rfUr½t=tr¶Àg FÖtwNç=& ŒJ;o;u >>35>>

g;tu Jtatu rlJ;oà;u rlrbúttltbCtJ;& >

rlrJoNuMvhtlà=u fU:k Nç=& ŒJ;o;u >>36>>

35-6. Indeed word is prompted by some cause as its support.1 [That Brahman] from whichspeech [word] recoils on account of the absence of [any] causes, [in that] unqualified supremeBliss how can word be evoked? [How can word emanate therefrom?]

;ôbt=u;àbl& mqÌbk ÔgtJ]útk mJodtuahbT >

gôbtåA[tuºtÀJdÌgtr=Ftr=fUbuoràŠgtrK a >>37>>

ÔgtJ]úttrl vhk Œt¹twk l mb:torl ;trl ;w >

37-8. This subtle mind, which perceives all [things], turns back from that [Brahman], fromwhich retreat also the senses [organs of knowledge, namely, of] hearing, touch, sight and so on,as well the organs of action; verily, they are not capable of reaching the Supreme.

;Ã{Ñtlà=bÅàÅk rldwoKk mÀgra°lk >>38>>

rJr=ÀJt ôJtÀbÁvuK l rcCur; fwU;´tl >

38-9. Realizing that Brahman which is Bliss, without any duality [beyond all pairs of oppo-sites], attributeless, Truth and Awareness through and through, as one’s own Self, one fearsfrom nothing else.

YJk gô;w rJstltr; ôJdwhtuh¥v=uN;& >>39>>

m mtÆJmtÆtwfUboÇgtk m=t l ;vr; ŒCw& >

51 PB-AUGUST 2003

Kaôha Rudra Upaniøad 427

39-40. Indeed he who knows thus from the teachings of his own spiritual preceptor [guru],[such a] master [of himself] is never tormented by [the impact of] noble or ignoble actions.

;Ëg;tvfUÁvuK rJCt;brFÖtk sd;T >>40>>

ŒÀgdtÀb;gt Ctr; ÒttltÅu=tà;Jt¢gst;T >

40-1. The whole world [which] appeared2 in the form of tormentor-tormented [relation-ship] shines3 as the inner Self on account of the Knowledge engendered by the Vedantic teach-ing.

Sevenfold division of one attributeless Brahman

YfUôgiJ rlrJoNuMc{ÑK& m¹tÆtt Cu=&

Nwõbe‡Jhai;àgk seJai;àgbuJ a >>41>>

Œbt;t a ŒbtKk a Œbugk a VuÖtk ;:t >

Rr; m¹trJÆtk ŒtuÿkU rC‘;u ÔgJnth;& >>42>>

41-2. For empirical purposes a seven-fold distinction is made [in Brahman, which are]:pure [Brahman], God [æùvara-caitanya] , the individual self [jæva-caitanya], the knower (pramátá),the means of knowledge (pramáîa), the object of knowledge (prameya) and the result or fruit(phala).

(to be concluded)

Notes

1. The functioning of a word is dependent upon a support or a base such as játi, dravya, kriyá and guîa.2. Before the dawn of knowledge—that is in the state of ignorance in which one perceives duality.3. After the awakening of the non-dual knowledge in which the whole world is perceived as one unbro-

ken, infinite mass of Consciousness (akhaîõa, paripérîa caitanya).

Weathering Storms

Never discontinue your meditation even if it is distasteful. Again in the course of time the mind will

change its mood. You will feel love for God and the world will seem beautiful and joyful. Don’t be de-

pressed. Pray to the Master from the bottom of your heart. Then strength will come and you will be able to

make all situations favourable.

When the cyclone blows, people become perturbed; but at that time one should try to be calm. Like-

wise, a storm also arises in the mind. At that time if one can hold on to the Lord firmly, the storm can do

nothing. Take refuge in Him wholeheartedly. The storm is not eternal. Good thoughts will come again to

the mind and you will experience peace. …

Be calm and steady and do your duty by surrendering yourself to God. … Never deviate from the path

of blessedness. At last all good will attend you. … All troubles will go away. Don’t fear. Suppressing all

other thoughts, try to think only of God and nothing else. Undoubtedly you will succeed.

—Swami Turiyananda

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PB-AUGUST 2003 52

� R e v i e w s �

Kudiyattam: Preliminaries and Perfor-mance. L S Rajagopalan. The KuppuswamiSastri Research Institute, 84 Thiru Vi kaRoad, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. 2000.xxvi + 251 pp. Rs 250.

‘Full many a flower is born to blush unseen/And waste its sweetness on the desert air,’

moans the poet. The lament aptly fits Kudiyattam,the Sanskrit theatre form of Kerala, perhaps theoldest Indian dance ensemble that has sunk intooblivion because of its very sophistication. EvenMalayalis are not familiar with this ‘rich honey-comb of rural theatre’, as it was not seen until re-cently outside the exclusive circle of select templesand courts. Few know that the more famousKathakali has grown out of Kudiyattam. Indeed aKudiyattam artist can be easily mistaken for a Ka-thakali dancer—the elaborate make-up is mostlythe same for both.

Of late, however, Kudiyattam has emerged un-der the spotlight of global attention because of theUNESCO‘s declaration that it is ‘a masterpiece of oraland intangible heritage of humanity’—and theworld citizen must be responsible for its protectionand promotion.

Kudiyattam (’dancing in unison’) is itselfevolved from Koothu, a dance recital of stories bythe Chakyar, who is a member of an exclusive com-munity of performing artists. The credit for trans-forming Koothu into Kudiyattam must go to thePerumal King Kulashekhara, himself an ac-tor-cum-playwright.

Kudiyattam is traditionally enacted only in aKuthambalam, or theatre built in the premises ofmajor temples. The Kuthambalams of Vadakkuna-than temple of Thrissur and the Koodalmanickamtemple of Irinjalakuda are justly famous. But in re-cent times performances have been held in othernon-temple mandapams, enabling more of thepublic to enjoy this rare art.

The themes for Kudiyattam are supplied by theepics, the Puranas and major Sanskrit dramas. The

Chakyar acts the part of the male characters whilehis wife, the Nangyar, acts that of female charac-ters. Centre stage stands the majestic Kudiyattamlamp, the Kuthuvilakku, creating a magical aura.The other-worldly atmosphere is further enhancedby the powerful beat of three Mizhavus—immensedrums played by the assistant, Nambiyar, bywhacking them with open palms. Cymbals andEdekka, a single-stick drum, provide the accompa-niment.

The speech is limited to a few lines of Sanskritpoetry, but each line is explored and illuminatedwith hours of finely detailed storytelling. It is amarvel how the Chakyar treats a single scene froma major Sanskrit play as a full-fledged drama. Thepoetic quality of the Sanskrit verse with its multiplelayers of meaning and figures of speech gets its fullbloom in the enacting. Through elaborate exposi-tion a single verse can take upto two hours of actingwhile a whole play may require some forty days fortotal presentation. The face with its delicatelywrought eye, cheek, brow and lip movements andthe elasticity of the face muscles can depict an ex-tensive spectrum of striking emotions. Netrabhi-naya, communication through the eyes, is so re-fined, persuasive and wide-ranging that it can por-tray any situation, thought or activity. The greatestliving exponent of Kudiyattam, the 84-year oldAmmannur Madhava Chakyar, once took fourhours to enact how Ravana approached Sita inAshokavana. The passion that the King of Lankaevinced for the Princess of Ayodhya was a com-plete audio-visual commentary on the nuances ofthe sringara-rasa. On another occasion the maestrotook fifteen minutes to show how the monkey kingVali breathed his last!

The story is told of a Chakyar who was chasedby the bulldog of the local English Collector. TheChakyar stopped in his tracks and enacted pickingup an imaginary stone from the ground and hurl-ing it at the dog. The ferocious animal howled inpain and rolled on the road. The Collector took theChakyar to task for hurting his pet. The Chakyar re-

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plied that he would show how he had done nothingto the animal. He enacted Ravana lifting up MountKailas with great strain. Lord Shiva, however,pressed the mountain with his toe. The mountaincame down with a crash. The Collector felt themountain was making a bee-line for his head. Likehis pet he too collapsed to the ground and writhedin pain. It was a ‘painful’ demonstration of theChakyar’s histrionic power.

L S Rajagopalan’s Kudiyattam: Preliminaries andPerformance is a reference manual for all interestedin this sublime, but almost vanished, art. He has de-voted a lifetime to the study of Kudiyattam, haswitnessed its performance in a number ofKuthambalams and mandapams and has been onintimate terms with many of the prominent actorswith whom he has discussed and explored manysubtle points about this highly stylized dramatictechnique. The present book is a sequel to his earlierwork, Women’s Role in Kudiyattam, which waswarmly welcomed by art critics. He has taken enor-mous pains to gather from nooks and corners valu-able materials on the literary and presentational as-pects of Kudiyattam. He has had access to manypublished and unpublished hereditary manuals ofacting instructions called Attaprakaranams andKramadipikas.

In the first section of the book Rajagopalan hasgiven exhaustive details regarding the consecrationof the Kuthambalam and the Purvaranga, or variedactivities performed on the stage before the actualenacting of the drama. The Kerala tradition mostlyfollows Bharata’s Natya Shastra, but makes minorvariations here and there. In the second sectionRajagopalan illustrates his thesis by a step-by-stepdescription of the dramatization of the ‘ThoranaYuddham’ which forms the third act of the Abhisha-ka Natakam by the pre-Kalidasa playwright Bhasa.The central scene is the fight between Hanumanand the rakshasas, which takes place at the gate,Thorana, of Ashokavana. The battle is not enactedas such, but is presented by way of a report by thegardener Shankhakarna to Ravana. The trepidationof the gardener and the wrath of Ravana are finelycontrasted with the great aplomb of Hanuman fac-ing the terror of the three worlds.

One feature of Kudiyattam is that the Chakyarhas to be a quick-change artist, acting in turn con-trary roles with seamless ease. For instance, Shan-khakarna in a trice becomes Ravana and vice verse.Yet another pleasant feature is the role played by

the Chakyar as the licensed jester, Vidushaka.Much-needed comic relief is provided by the Vidu-shaka, who speaks in Malayalam at length, delight-fully parodying the Sanskrit of the hero. The jesterhilariously alludes to current social problems andmakes fun of individuals in the audience guilty ofsome faux pas. Of course, the person targeted can-not protest, but has to join in the laughter of the au-dience. Rajagopalan’s book is a veritable mine of in-formation about the theory and practice of Kudi-yattam with critical comments from the literaryand theatrical angles. Many Sanskrit texts used indifferent plays are given in the appendix. Again thelucid glossary helps the reader to appreciate manyof the elements that go to enhance the artistry ofKudiyattam.

Altogether, Rajagopalan is to be congratulatedon the yeoman service he has rendered to Kudiyat-tam; and a share of the credit must also go to the ed-itorial staff of the Kuppuswami Sastri Research In-stitute, who have helped the author at every stageto design this monograph. Sadly we remember thelate Dr S S Janaki, Director of the Institute, whoseexpert guidance has left a palpable glow on this la-bour of love.

C S RamakrishnanFormer Editor, Vedanta Kesari

Chennai

Hindu Symbols. Swami Harshananda.Ramakrishna Math, Bull Temple Road,Basavanagudi, Bangalore 560 019. 2000.40 pp. Rs 9.

Swami Harshananda rightly thinks that the fun-damental concepts of any field of knowledge,

which form the basis of its complicated superstruc-ture, are essentially abstract. And just as the use ofsymbols is inevitable in secular sciences, it is abso-lutely necessary in religion too. Especially, Hindu-ism deals with such topics as God, creation, souland the ultimate Goal, which are abstract, and thereis a need to understand the abstract conceptsthrough concrete symbols.

Accordingly, the author has made a successfulattempt to give a brief account of the importantsymbols, emblems and sacred objects that are es-sential parts of Hinduism. He has dealt with the fol-lowing important religious symbols: Praîava(Aum), Ùivaliïga, Ùræcakra, Érdhva-puîõra and soon; trees like aùvattha, tulasæ and bilva; animals like

PB-AUGUST 2003 54


bull and cow; other symbols like kumbha or kalaùa,moon, sun, ùálagráma ùilá, snake and svastika. Thebooklet is useful for all Hindus and others whowant to know about the real significance of theHindu symbols. The author deserves sincerethanks for his efforts to present relevant informa-tion concerning the meanings of symbols and em-blems in Hinduism.

Prof R I IngalalliProfessor and Chairman, Department of Philosophy

Karnatak University, Dharwad

Yoga: Its Mystery and Performing Art.Swami Sadhanananda Giri. Jujersa Yogash-ram, PO Jujersa, Howrah 711 302. 1998.184 pp. Rs 150.

‘Cittanadæ náma ubhayato váhinæ, vahati kalyáîáyavahati pápáya ca’. This commentary of Vyasa

on the philosophy of Patanjali reiterates the truththat the river called citta (the internal soul or mind)flows in two directions: one leads to bliss and theother to its opposite. Obstruction of one channelwill increase the velocity of the other. But one has tochoose the first.

For some, yoga mainly implies some specialkind of respiration. Without inspiration and expira-tion nobody can survive. So one has to breathe inand breathe out so tactfully as to live with ease andyet attain at the same time the desired level of per-fection.

The Vedas, Puranas and Tantras echo the sametruth that in order to perceive the Self one has tosublimate the soul (cittaùuddhi). The knowledgethat the supreme Reality is Existence-Conscious-ness-Bliss is nothing but mere deductive knowl-edge we learn from the scriptures. But we can real-ize the Absolute by yogic practices. Yoga is the indi-vidual being’s rendezvous with the supreme Being,the merging of the former’s little existence in theocean of unalloyed Bliss. This is the zenith of perfec-tion in yoga sadhana.

Swami Sadhanananda Giri has made in hisbook a searching inquiry into the meaning and sig-nificance of the term yoga as understood by Yajna-valkya and Patanjali. A yoga practitioner developsthe capacity to grasp all the scriptures, includingthe Vedas and Upanishads, as he advances in hispractice. The Hiraîyagarbha Saóhitá says, ‘saïkal-pa-vikalpa tyágo yogaë’, implying that the mind is al-ways in some determinative or alternative modes.

Of the five chapters of the book, the third andfourth are important. In the third chapter SwamiSadhananandaji has written with the utmost sincer-ity and seriousness about the necessity of yogasadhana for our ultimate salvation. Based on the su-tra ‘Yogaùcittavìttinirodhaë’, he refers to the fivestates of the mind (køipta, méõha, vikøipta, ekágra andniruddha), which work together to recover it fromits wayward occupations and try to concentrate itsolely on the supreme Reality. The author also re-fers to different kinds of yoga like kriya yoga, hathayoga, raja yoga, mantra yoga and laya yoga, all ofwhich speak of the absolute unanimity betweenthem. We cannot say that one kind of yoga is betterthan the rest, as they are complementary to eachother. The wise person is he who has truly under-stood their real significance.

In the fourth chapter the swami has discussedthe various components of yoga. To attain successin the path of yoga the aspirant has to undergo dis-ciplines like yama, niyama, asana and pranayamaone after another. Of these, pranayama happens tobe the most important because the practice ofpranayama makes it possible for the sadhaka tomerge himself in Brahman.

The concluding chapter deals with the six mys-tical nerve plexuses, or chakras, from the méládhárato the ájðá. The higher ones represent, in fact, stageswhich can only be attained with the help of theguru’s guidance. The chakras are also called lotusesand lie in the spinal axis, along which run threemain nerve currents, called iõá, piïgalá andsuøumná. The méládhára is located at the root of thespinal column and is the receptacle of the ‘coiled-up’ spiritual energy called kundalini. The yogi whocan, after prolonged practice, awaken this latentpower and channel it through the suøumná, comesto possess immense power, and nothing remainsimpossible for him.

A word about the importance of the sadguru’sadvice. According to the author, guru’s grace is in-dispensable especially in the advanced stages ofkriya yoga, when the aspirant’s mind risks beingled off-track by subtle instincts. Doubts and confu-sions cannot be removed by mere verbal acknowl-edgement of spiritual truths. It is only by the guru’sgrace that the sadhaka’s mind learns to rest in itself,in control of the sense organs; only then does thesadhaka reach the supreme state of kriya yoga, theattainment of akøara brahman.

Towards the end of the book the swami has

55 PB-AUGUST 2003

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given twenty detailed guidelines, which help in theperformance of kriya and sadhana with care andreverence. In addition to following these rules, thesadhaka is advised to study the Bhagavadgita andthe Chandi. According to the author, the formerprovides guidance and the latter eradicates sin andleads the aspirant to salvation.

It is no mere cliche that yoga synthesizes all reli-gions; it is a living fact. The book rightly points outthat, from the Buddhist anapana to the Sufi zikr,from the hesychasm of Eastern Orthodox Christian-ity to the Vaishnava mystics, almost all Eastern reli-gions enjoin the practice of yoga in some form.

The secrets of yogic practice have probablynever before appeared in print in such a simple andclear exposition. I wish the book wide circulationamong those who have taken the ultimate oath ofspiritual salvation.

Prof Amalendu ChakrabortyFormer Head of the Department of Philosophy

Presidency College, Kolkata

Mother Power and Mother Worship.Deepali Sinha. Soumendra Nath Sinha, Ga-neshghat, Cuttack 753 002. 2002. vii + 120pp. Rs 90.

The author of this book has tried to bring forththe relevance of women in almost all the

spheres of life, mundane and spiritual. She has triedto bring to the fore the inherent divinity associatedwith Mother worship not only in India but thro-ughout the world.

The book starts with a foreword by Dr Visva-nath Chatterjee, followed by a preface by the au-thor. It is divided into three broad parts: ‘AncientIndian Tradition’, ‘Mother Power and Mother Wor-ship in the World Today’ and ‘Divine Mother andSri Ramakrishna’. The first part is further dividedinto five chapters:‘The Vedas’, ‘The Upanishads’,‘Indus Valley Civilization’, ‘The Puranas’ and ‘TheTantras’. The author has briefly explained the con-dition of women and the powers and privilegesthey enjoyed during various periods of Indian his-tory. Further, she describes different aspects of theDivine Mother found in the Vedas, Upanishads andPuranas. The importance of women is dealt with inshort chapters beginning from the third. Thethemes of the second and third parts of the book aretreated extensively and in detail. They stress thetruth that women are but different representations

of the varied aspects of the one Divine Mother, astaught by Sri Ramakrishna. His worship of SriSarada Devi as the Divine Mother is highlighted asa new concept in Mother worship.

At the end of the book, the author focuses ontopical themes like dowry deaths and female infan-ticide. She calls for an end to all such acts of injus-tice, reminding us of the essential divinity associ-ated with womanhood.

Santosh Kumar SharmaKharagpur

Unconditional Bliss. Howard RaphaelCushnir. New Age Books, A-44, NarainaPhase I, New Delhi 110 028. 2001. viii + 204pp. Rs 125

The musk deer hunts the source of the pleasantodour emanating from its own navel. A la deer,

man goes on a hunting spree and finally dies in har-ness for that which lies hidden in him—bliss. Un-conditional bliss, claims the author, can be experi-enced in every situation of life, favourable and un-favourable. Thoughtful men and women in searchof inner peace will find this book worthy. It is meantfor all those who are ready to choose true bliss. Un-fortunately, man chooses misery! Why? The bookanswers this question, and shows the way out.

How to get bliss? Not through free association,meditation or yoga sittings, nor through pilgrim-ages and painful browsing of scriptural texts, butby practising total presence and allowing the blissto flow, claims the author. According to him, it is aprocess of living the questions. He shows how this ispossible with real-life illustrations that easily con-vince the reader that bliss can be had by all in all cir-cumstances. The author successfully conveys thetechnique of experiencing the magic touch of totalpresence, and through that, experiencing bliss.

He takes the reader gradually from the meshesof pressing situations of mundane life to the highestpinnacle of human experience. The presentation issimple and lucid. This is a handy practical guidethat will help the reader live in all its fullness everyprecious moment of life. The author delineates thesubtlest workings of the human psyche with suchclarity and candour that it ushers the reader into asublime realm, making him rediscover himself in anew light.

Swami ShuddhidanandaAdvaita Ashrama, Kolkata

� R e p o r t s �

Inaugurated. New operation theatre anddental section; at Ramakrishna Saradashra-ma, Ponnampet; by Srimat Swami Atmastha-nandaji Maharaj, Vice President, Ramakri-shna Math and Ramakrishna Mission; on 18April.

Conducted. A two-week summer camp forchildren between 8 and 15 years of age; byRamakrishna Math, Hyderabad; from 27April to 11 May. More than 500 children at-tended the camp, whose daily programmeincluded yogasanas, meditation, bhajans, Ve-dic chanting and moral lessons.

Visited. Ramakrishna Mission VivekanandaAshrama, Raipur; by Sri Ajit Jogi, Chief Min-ister of Chattisgarh; on 2 May.

Laid. Foundation stone for a proposed medi-cal ward; at Ramakrishna Mission Students’Home, Chennai; by Swami Atmasthanandaji;on 4 May. Revered Maharaj also declaredopen an English language laboratory at theTechnical Institute run by the centre.

Laid. Foundation for a new medical dispen-sary; at Ramakrishna Mission, Kamarpukur;by Srimat Swami Gitanandaji Maharaj, VicePresident, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakri-shna Mission; on 11 May.

Released. Sinhala version of the book Bud-dha and His Message, a compilation of SwamiVivekananda’s views on Buddha; by Mr W JM Lokubandara, Minister for Justice, LawReform and National Integration, Govern-ment of Sri Lanka; at Ramakrishna Mission,Colombo; on 13 May.

Inaugurated. The newly built teachers’ quar-ters; at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Che-

rrapunji; by Mr D D Lapang, Chief Ministerof Meghalaya; on 13 May.

Awarded. Certificates to participants of athree-day workshop on personality develop-ment; at Ramakrishna Ashrama, Kishanpur;by Sri Hira Singh Bisht, Minister for Techni-cal Education and Transport; on 17 May.

Conducted. A five-day spiritual retreat formonastic members of the Ramakrishna Or-der; by Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysore;from 19 to 23 May. 38 monks from 22 branchcentres participated in the retreat.

Visited. Ramakrishna Mission TB Sanato-rium; by Justice Sri Rama Jois, Governor ofJharkhand; on 20 May.

Distributed. 125 saris, 125 dhotis, 1000 as-sorted garments, 250 kg rice and 125 sets ofutensils among 125 families; by RamakrishnaMission, Patna; at Birol, Darbhanga; in May.The families had lost their homes to a devas-tating fire accident.

Provided. Fodder and water for 171 cows;by Vivekananda Ashrama, Ulsoor; at GulatiKaval and Muninagar villages of BangaloreRural district. Fodder for 480 cows; byRamakrishna Mission, Jaipur; in Osian tehsilof Jodhpur district; during May. Both dis-tricts are drought-affected.

Supplied. Building materials for house con-struction; by Ramakrishna Mission SaradaSevashrama, Jayrambati, and RamakrishnaMission Ashrama, Jalpaiguri; to people ren-dered homeless by the recent cyclone that hitWest Bengal. Besides, Jayrambati Sevashra-ma also sunk 5 tube-wells and distributedfood and clothing in Bankura district. �

PB-AUGUST 2003 56

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