J une 2011

VOL. 98, No. 6 ISSN 0042-2983

A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL M O N T H L Y O F T H E R A M A K R I S H N A O R D E R

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

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

CONTENTS
June 2011
Vedic Prayers 205
Editorial
‘Nishtha’ or Steadiness of Purpose 206
Articles
„ Seeing Through A Living Legend 223
Swami Umeshwarananda
„ Swami Vivekananda’s Special Relationship with Raja Ajit Singh 230
Swami Tathagatananda
„ Direct Disciples in Their Lighter Moments 233
H Mukherjee
Compilation
„ Kathopanishad: In the words of Swami Vivekananda 213
Reminiscences
„ Reminiscences of Master Mahashay 216
Shanti Kumar Mitra
New Find
„ Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 221
The Order on the March 238
Book Reviews 240
Features
Simhâvalokanam (The Gospel of Hope)—210,
Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories—229

Cover Story: Page 4

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 2 J U N E 2 0 1 1

The Vedanta Kesari

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T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 3 J U N E 2 0 1 1
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Cover Story
Ramakrishna Math, Muthiganj, Allahabad
Situated on the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mytho-
logical river Saraswati, Allahabad is held to be ‘the King among
places of pilgrimage’ (tirtharaj prayag). Ramakrishna Math at
Allahabad owes its origin to Ramakrishna Samiti and Brahmavadin
Club started by a few close devotees of Swami Vivekananda in
1897. In 1900 Swami Vijnanananda, a direct disciple of Sri Rama-
krishna, came to Allahabad to start a permanent centre of the
Ramakrishna Math. The formal starting of the Ramakrishna Math,
however, took place in 1910. Blessed by the visits of Swami
Brahmananda and other direct disciples (and 30-year long stay of
Swami Vijnanananda), the Allahabad Ramakrishna Math conducts
a number of religious, cultural and medical activities. The Math
also organizes a camp in the annual Magh Mela and Kumbha Mela held at Triveni Sangam.
The Math’s Temple (seen on the cover) was renovated in January 2010. †

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PATRONS
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The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme

SL.NO. NAMES OF SPONSORS AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

4558. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Hindu Nadar Hr. Sec. School, Kattunaicken Patti, T.N. - 627 712
4559. -do- Sardar Raja College of Engg., Alangulam, T.N. - 627 808
4560. -do- Hindu Hr. Sec. School, Mayamankurichi, Tirunelveli Dt., T.N. - 627 851
4561. -do- S. Veerasamy Chettiar College, Tirunelveli, T.N. - 627 855
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4563. -do- Mookambika College of Nursing, Kanyakumari Dt., T.N. - 629 161
4564. -do- Mookambika College of Physiotherapy, Kanyakumari Dt., T.N. - 629 161
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To be continued . . .
 VOL. 98, No. 6, JUNE 2011 ISSN 0042-2983

E ACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE. T HE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN.

Vedic Prayers
Tr. by Swami Sambuddhananda

lwîQ²>ç¾o Zdñ` _o ñVmo_ñ` dra {dœnVo &&

{Z_m{`ZñVngm ajgmo Xh &&
—Sama Veda, Agneya Parva, Ch. 1. 106.
dra the Mighty {dœnVo O the Lord of the
universe A¾o Agni, the dispeller of gloom _o my
Zdñ` ñVmo_ñ` according to hymns and prayers
chanted just now lw{ï> at once _m{`Z… illusive
ajg… demons Vngm by Thy own power {Z-Xh
destroy.
According to prayers said to Thee just
now, O Mighty One, the Lord of the universe,
the Dispeller of darkness, destroy the illusory
demons by Thy own power at once.

Tell it to men who are weak and persist in telling it. You are the Pure
One; awake and arise, O mighty one, this sleep does not become you. Awake
and arise, it does not befit you. Think not that you are weak and miserable.
Almighty, arise and awake, and manifest your own nature. It is not fitting
that you think yourself a sinner. It is not fitting that you think yourself weak.
Say that to the world, say it to yourselves, and see what a practical result
comes, see how with an electric flash everything is manifested, how everything
is changed. Tell that to mankind, and show them their power. Then we shall
learn how to apply it in our daily lives.
—Swami Vivekananda, CW, 2: 304
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 205 ~ D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9
 ‘Nishtha’ or Steadiness of Purpose
‘Google It’
Everyone knows what it means to
‘Google it’. Internet has increasingly become a
part of life. We cannot help it—nay, we are
happy about it. If we are searching for the
information for something (the list of that
‘something’ could be as vast as human life
itself!), the best thing is to go to Internet, type
in the search box of Google (or any other
search engine) and there you have (or do not
have, for sometime) what you have been
searching for. No wonder someone aptly re-
classified human history from BCE (Before
Christian/Current Era) and AD (Anno Domini,
in Latin, ‘in the year of the Lord’) to BG and
AG—i.e., ‘Before Google’ and ‘After Google’!
While Internet is a great means for collec-
ting or exchanging information, it has also
many inherent problems. It opens up a whole
world of good or dreadful possibilities. This
is particularly pertinent in matters spiritual.
There is a whole lot of information, nay, infor-
mation explosion, about spiritual teachings.
Articles, books, videos, lecture recordings,
bhajans—you have to just ask for it and it is
there. If it is not there, soon it will be. This is a
wonderful situation where every information
is available to all. No distinctions, no restric-
tions and no issues! Anyone can access any-
thing on the Web. That is the world of spiri-
tuality on the Internet.
The problem comes when we try to
follow what we have got on the Net. Unless
we know how to assimilate the Net-infor-
mation, we will be jack of everything and
master of none. We read something here and
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
listen to something there. We are attracted by
some and repelled by others. We are elevated
by some and disheartened by others. We are
free—to get confused or to place something in
right perspective and benefit from it. It is
flowing with the river of our likes and dislikes.
This orientation-less spirituality is like a plant
without roots. It soon dries up, leaving behind
intellectual confusions and at times a faithless,
cynical outlook towards spiritual life.
Orientation Needed
What is needed is an orientation. In
Vedanta tradition, this orientation is called
nishtha. In other words, Nishtha means steadi-
ness of purpose. It means following one’s
purpose of life with zeal and steadiness, with-
out losing faith and interest. It means not
changing one’s tracks. Steadiness of purpose
means being devoted to one’s chosen spiritual
ideal. One should stick to the chosen ideal
under all circumstances. A seeker of spiri-
tuality, however, need not become fanatical
and one-sided. Says Swami Vivekananda,
He must know that all the various sects of the
various religions are the various manifestations
of the glory of the same Lord. ‘They call You by
so many names; they divide You, as it were, by
different names, yet in each one of these is to be
found Your omnipotence. . . . You reach the
worshipper through all of these; neither is there
any special time so long as the soul has intense
love for You. You are so easy of approach; it is
my misfortune that I cannot love You.’ . . . .
[One] must take care not to hate, nor even to
criticise those radiant sons of light who are the
~ 206 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

founders of various sects; he must not even hear
them spoken ill of. Very few indeed are those
who are at once the possessors of an extensive
sympathy and power of appreciation, as well as
an intensity of love. We find, as a rule, that liberal
and sympathetic sects lose the intensity of
religious feeling, and in their hands, religion is
apt to degenerate into a kind of politico-social
club life. On the other hand, intensely narrow
sectaries, whilst displaying a very commendable
love of their own ideals, are seen to have
acquired every particle of that love by hating
every one who is not of exactly the same opin-
ions as themselves. Would to God that this world
was full of men who were as intense in their
love as worldwide in their sympathies! But such
are only few and far between. Yet we know that
it is practicable to educate large numbers of
human beings into the ideal of a wonderful
blending of both the width and the intensity of
love; and the way to do that is by this path of
the Ishta-Nishtha or ‘steadfast devotion to the
chosen ideal’. Every sect of every religion
presents only one ideal of its own to mankind,
but the eternal Vedantic religion opens to
mankind an infinite number of doors for ingress
into the inner shrine of divinity, and places
before humanity an almost inexhaustible array
of ideals, there being in each of them a mani-
festation of the Eternal One.1
This, then, is what is needed—one should
be inclusive and exclusive simultaneously. One
should be devoted to a spiritual ideal and yet
not hate or criticize others who may be
following other ideals. It may be difficult to
practice but if one wants spiritual progress,
there is no other alternative.
Swamiji narrates a story to illustrate this
point:
There is a story of Hanuman, who was a great
worshipper of Rama. Just as the Christians
worship Christ as the incarnation of God, so the
Hindus worship many incarnations of God.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
7
According to them, God came nine times in India
and will come once more. When he came as
Rama, this Hanuman was his great worshipper.
Hanuman lived very long and was a great Yogi.
During his lifetime, Rama came again as Krishna;
and Hanuman, being a great Yogi, knew that
the same God had come back again as Krishna.
He came and served Krishna, but he said to him,
‘I want to see that Rama form of yours.’
Krishna said, ‘Is not this form enough? I am this
Krishna; I am this Rama. All these forms are
mine.’
Hanuman said, ‘I know that, but the Rama form
is for me. The Lord of Jânaki [Rama] and the
Lord of Shri [Radha] are the same. They are both
the incarnations of the Supreme Self. Yet the
lotus eyed Rama is my all in all.’*
This is Nishtha—knowing that all these different
forms of worship are right, yet sticking to one
and rejecting the others. We must not worship
the others at all; we must not hate or criticize
them, but respect them.2
There is a Hindi verse of Tulasidas which
Sri Ramakrishna was fond of quoting. The
verse says:
g~go ~{g`o g~go a{g`o g~H$m [b{O`o Zm_&
hm±Or hm±Or H$aVo a{h`o ~¡{R>`o AnZo R>m_&&
Swami Vivekananda’s translation of the
verse goes thus:
As was said by the sage Tulasidasa, he must
say, ‘Take the sweetness of all, sit with all, take
the name of all, say yea, yea, but keep your seat
firm.’3
Hedging Around
One should have one-pointedness, for
then alone there is a possibility of inner pro-
* lrZmWo OmZH$sZmWo A^oX… na_mË_{Z&
VWm{n __ gd©ñd§ am_… H$_ccmoMZ…&&
~ 207 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

gress. It is a protection which is absolutely
essential for growth and development. Swamiji
further says,
The growing plant must be hedged round to
protect it until it has grown into a tree. The
tender plant of spirituality will die if exposed
too early to the action of a constant change of
ideas and ideals.
Many people, in the name of what may be called
religious liberalism, may be seen feeding their
idle curiosity with a continuous succession of
different ideals. With them, hearing new things
grows into a kind of disease, a sort of religious
drink-mania. They want to hear new things just
by way of getting a temporary nervous excite-
ment, and when one such exciting influence has
had its effect on them, they are ready for another.
Religion is with these people a sort of intellectual
opium-eating, and there it ends. ‘There is another
sort of man’, says Bhagavan Ramakrishna, ‘who
is like the pearl-oyster of the story. The pearl-
oyster leaves its bed at the bottom of the sea,
and comes up to the surface to catch the rain-
water when the star Svati is in the ascendant. It
floats about on the surface of the sea with its
shell wide open, until it has succeeded in catch-
ing a drop of the rain-water, and then it dives
deep down to its sea-bed, and there rests until it
has succeeded in fashioning a beautiful pearl
out of that rain-drop.’4
The point is one will have to have right
orientation. Without this orientation or steady
devotion to a spiritual ideal or nishtha, gather-
ing a lot of information from books, lectures
or Internet can lead to much confusion which
makes all efforts futile. Nishtha means a
patient, steady following of a set spiritual path.
The ideal of nishtha, in another sense,
also means each one has his path, just as
everyone his own unique physical and mental
features. It is well-known that finger-prints of
one person are not identical with anyone else’s.
Just as one has his shirt-size, one’s mental and
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
8
spiritual needs also vary. There is no need to
force one’s idea of spirituality on others. Let
each one stand unique—for everyone is, uni-
que. Let us respect and adhere to the ideal of
‘an infinite number of doors for ingress into
the inner shrine of divinity.’
Nishtha also means being honest and free
from all hypocrisy. One who has nishtha does
not need a supervisor over his work, be it
mundane or spiritual. He is willing to ‘slog-
out’ for the sake of his ideal. He does not
change his mind. One should have nishtha not
only in spiritual matters but also in matters
related to other aspects of life. One can, thus,
do his duties with nishtha, cook a meal with
nishtha, look after a garden with nishtha, be
full of nishtha in one’s dealings with others,
and so on. Nishtha is a way of life.
Extolling the need for nishtha Sri Rama-
krishna gives the example of two types of
farmers—the hereditary famer and the other
who has taken to farming as an additional
work. He says,
New farmers give up cultivating if their fields
do not yield any crops. But hereditary farmers
will continue to cultivate their fields whether
they get a crop or not. Their fathers and grand-
fathers were farmers; they know that they too
must accept farming as their means of liveli-
hood.5
In another place, Sri Ramakrishna gives
one more example illustrating how concerted
and focused efforts help one realize the highest
goal of life. He said,
Worldly people have no grit. If they succeed in
an undertaking, it is all right, but if they don’t
succeed, it scarcely bothers them at all. When
they need water they begin to dig a well. But as
soon as they strike a stone they give up digging
there and begin at another place. Perhaps they
come to a bed of sand. Finding nothing but sand,
they give that place up too. How can they
~ 208 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 9

succeed in getting water unless they continue to
dig persistently where they started?6
Everything Has a Place
There is an insightful incident from the
life of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi which will
add to our understanding the idea of nishtha:
A few women devotees were in the adjacent
room. Two of them wore ochre robes. They
prostrated themselves before the Mother. They
brought some sweets for offering. We came to
know they were the disciples of Siva-Narayan
Paramahamsa of Kalighat. Their teacher was just
then engaged in performing a grand sacrifice.
One of the nuns asked, ‘Is there any truth in
image worship? Our teacher does not approve
of it. He instructs people in the worship of the
fire and the sun.’
Mother: ‘You should not doubt the words of
your own teacher. Why do you ask me about it,
when you have heard the opinion of your Guru
in the matter?’
The nun: ‘We want to know your opinion.’
The Mother refused to give any opinion. But the
nun was stubborn and began to press for a reply.
The Mother said at last, ‘If your teacher were an
illumined soul—you have forced me to say—
then he would not have made such a statement.
From time immemorial innumerable people have
worshipped images and thereby attained spiri-
tual knowledge. Do you want to deny this fact?
Sri Ramakrishna never cherished any such
parochial and one-sided view. Brahman exists
everywhere. The prophets and incarnations are
born to show the way to a benighted humanity.
They give different instructions suited to differ-
ent temperaments. There are many ways to rea-
lize the Truth. Therefore all these instructions
have their relative value. Take, for instance, a
tree. There are birds perched on its branches.
They have different colours, white, black, yellow,
red, etc. Their sounds are also different. But we
say that these are the sounds of the birds. We
never designate a particular sound as that of
birds and refuse to acknowledge other sounds
as such.’7
Conclusion
Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of
Sri Ramakrishna, gave a remarkably practical
advice which harmonises openness to learn
and the need to be steady and unchanging in
one’s efforts. He said,
In matters of opinion swim with the current; in
matters of principle stand firm as a rock.8
In other words, one should be steady and
persistent in one’s efforts. Learning without a
perspective is like undigested food that leads
to all kinds of troubles. One needs to be steady,
broad and devoted, and at the same time, keep
the doors of his mind open and welcome to
anything that would be condusive to his inner
growth. This is true Nishtha. †

DD
References
1. CW, 3: 62-63 2. CW, 9: 224 3. CW, 3: 62-64 4. CW, 3: 62-64 5. Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna, p.659 6. Gospel p.208 7. Gospel of Holy Mother, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p.20
8. Swami Turiyananda Life and Teachings by Swami Ritajananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p.82

Be steadfast in your ideal even when the mind is restless. Keep up the regularity of
your practices under all conditions. —Swami Brahmananda

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 209 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 Simhâvalokanam
From the Archives of THE VEDANTA KESARI
(June, 1921-22, Pp. 53-57)

The Gospel of Hope

By Swami Shuddhananda

From time to time God-men make their advent to give out

their message of love and hope:
‘Hear! Oh children of Immortal Bliss—Ye, that live in heavenly spheres!—all hear! I have
known that Effulgent Supreme Being, beyond all darkness, all ignorance. Knowing Him the
Jiva overcomes death. There is no other way for liberation.’
Bhagavan Buddha, attaining Nirvana, proclaimed the message of Abhaya to a world
writhing in sin and suffering, sickness and death. ‘If you can cross over this ocean of samsara
and attain Nirvana in this very life, then no more fright, no more restlessness for you.’
Addressing the Jiva thus, Bhagavan Shankara said: ‘You are not Jiva, you are Shiva.
Because of Avidya, of Maya, you have forgotten your real nature, and are in trouble. Gain the
knowledge of your Self. Hear from the blessed lips of your Guru, the Mahavakya of the
Vedanta “Tattwam Asi;” meditate on it; realise it. Then will you gain the vision universal; then
will you attain shanti.’
A little over four hundred years back, Sri Krishna Chaitanya of Nadia proclaimed again to
the Jiva the same message of transcending the sorrows and sufferings of life. Even now His
Bhaktas and disciples overwhelmed with emotion in singing His Sankeertanas (the holy names
of the Lord) in the exultation of joy,—forget the travails of samsara at least for a moment.
Setting aside the story of a by-gone age, let us at present look at the present era. Only the
other day we witnessed at Dakshineswar, on the banks of the Ganges, the extraordinary
manifestation of a Divine leela. Let us examine the blessed lives of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna,
the very synthesis of Jnana and Prema, and that of his spiritual son and sannyasin disciple
Swami Vivekananda. They have soothed many a weary soul and again they have proclaimed
that immortality and bliss eternal are our birthright:
‘You are the children of Mother.—Whom do you fear? Lion that thou art, why bemean
yourself and behave like a jackal?’ This is their message of fearlessness, this is their gospel of
life. Sri Swamiji [Vivekananda] says,
‘Sinners? It is a sin to call a man so. It is a standing libel on human nature. Come up, O
Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are sheep;—you are spirits free, blessed and
immortal. Matter is your servant, not you the servant of matter.’
Let us at present leave out of consideration the life of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna. Any
attempt to correctly estimate him always falls short of the mark; we can almost say, it transcends
all ordinary understanding. Swami Vivekananda we have seen, his holy contact we were

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 210 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 11

privileged to share. We had the blessings of his advice, his chastisement and above all, his
love. Only a short while back he gave up his body, after mixing freely with the joys and
sufferings of life. Even amidst the stress and strain of difficulties, amidst duties and responsibilities
of a myriad order, we have seen him as the very personification of Love and Hope. He taught
us our Gita for only one day. I remember how his face glowed with inspiration and enthusiasm
as he went on expounding the meaning of the verse, ‘Yield not to unmanliness, O Son of
Pritha! Ill doth it become thee. Cast off this mean faint-heartedness, O Scorcher of thine
enemies!’ . . .
O Man! will you not recognise yet your own men? Whether you are rich or poor, learned
or illiterate, exalted or fallen remember that each of you has a problem to solve, each of you
harbours a restless soul. How long will you be camouflaged with the false pretences of social
conventions? Give up all theft in the chamber of your thought. Let your words tally with your
convictions; then, no more of sadhanas, no more penances. Then will you hear the inspired
sayings of the Great Ones. That gospel was once uttered on the banks of the Saraswati; has
overflowed the four corners of the world surging out from Magadha; was delivered at a crucial
moment to Arjuna in the field of Kurukshetra; has merged the whole of Bharata Varsha arising
from Kerala; has intoxicated India from its centre at Nadia; was trumpeted again from Nazareth.
The self-same Gospel has again been uttered. Again the door has been opened. Whoever
wishes, come! enter into the Kingdom of Light!
‘Arise, awake—stop not, till the goal is reached.’ Social problems have only a two days’
existence. The din and turmoil of politics are fleeting. Bundle up your likes and dislikes, short-
sightedness and lowliness and throw them overboard. This is the kingdom of heaven, the
region of Love. Here only Anandam! Anandam!. . .
Spoken in different tongues and different tones and expressed in different ways, the
Gospel of the Mahapurushas breathe the same spirit. It is the scholars who find delight in the
forms of expression and hair-splitting distinctions, but the Great Ones do not mind outward
forms or symbols. Their words go direct and their communion is from heart to heart. They
might have throughout their life time remained only in the solitude of mountain recesses, yet
the hidden note of their golden teachings strike the gamut of our hearts and produce a silent
symphony far more euphonious than the studied words of skilful orators or the facility and
grace of elegant stylists. All our passions and attachments vanish for ever. Every body thinks
them as his own. Man, immersed in worldly attachments cannot understand the truth they
embody in their teachings. So we cannot grasp the full significance of their message which
comes to us at times with the unexpected dart and pierciveness of a javelin, at other times
with the sweet and tender touch of soft flower petals. But there is not the least shadow of
doubt that under all circumstances and moods their hearts throb only with idea of the welfare
of humanity.
Why was Sri Ramanuja seized with restlessness and mounted the heights of a Gopuram
to proclaim to the masses at large the holy mantram ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’? Why Jesus, the
Christ, welcomed all: ‘Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give
you rest’?

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 211 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 12

What again prompted Bhagavan Sri Krishna to declare: ‘Relinquishing all Dharmas take
refuge in Me alone; I will liberate thee from all sins; grieve not’? Why Lord Buddha willingly
invoked on him all the sins and sufferings of humanity and in joyous rhapsody prayed out,
‘May the world be healthy, cured of all ailments, free from all sins!’
The Mahapurushas have one particular note in the music of their lives. If we cannot
understand this, their lives appear as full of contradictions. Whoever that attempts to understand
them, let him make an earnest endeavour to catch that particular burden of their song. Then
the whole secret of their blessed lives would dawn upon him as clearly as pure day light. And
what difficulty is there to recognise or understand them? What is the problem of your life? You
are lost in confusion, you are a victim of unfortunate circumstances. In the words of the poet
Wordsworth, you have forgotten your divine nature, you are enshrouded in sleep.
Life is a sleep and a forgetting;
The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar.
The Mahapurushas come to cure you of your mad fit and you are awakened to life from
deep sleep. Wherever you may go, the mist of confusion melts away. You are freed from the
bondage of duality. You become a Mukta, transcend all obstacles and roam about in joy and
peace. O Man! make an attempt, blessed as you are, being endowed with a human body.
Shake off the grasp of desires, control your outgoing senses, and strive sincerely with all
earnestness of heart to tread unswervingly along the path of Truth. . . we hear the voice of the
Great Ones. What are you after? Why do you roam about as a beggar for the hidden treasure?
Leaving aside your own kingdom, why do you think yourself an exile and create infinite
miseries? You have nothing more to do—only to understand yourself, recognise your own self.
The moralist remains content with mending a fault or acquiring a virtue. But in his
attempt at deliverance from one failing, hundred others crop up around him. If you go to react,
if you war with them, you only become all the more helpless. If desires are surpassed, anger
claims a part of your heart. If anger is done away with, avarice takes its place and if you are
fortunate to evade its clutch then the vanity and the conceit ‘I am a Sadhu,’ ‘I am a pious man’
take possession of you. How far can you succeed in keeping these enemies within bounds?
Therefore I say, recognising the sacred utterances of the Great Ones, elevate your heart to a
higher plane. Then will you see your mean tendencies and passions are flying away from you
once for all.
Realise that we have become blessed by getting this body, this instrument wherewith to
realise Him. This is no poet’s vision. It is a fact of experience.
Faith, Faith, burning faith! Never stray from this path although beset with many difficulties.
It is truth that triumphs. This maxim is too true. If at any moment doubt arises over all the
Sadhus, all Bhaktas, all Mahatmas, never lose confidence in the greatness of your own Self
from whence proceeds all devotion, all greatness, all purity. . . †




T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 212 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 COMPILATION

The following compilation from the nine-volume Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
attempts to present Swamiji’s thoughts in relation with the verses from the Kathopanishad. Of all the
Upanishads, Swami Vivekananda loved the Kathopanishad most. He once told [CW, 6: 456] his
disciple, Sharat Chandra Chakravarty, to memorize the Kathopanishad. In many of his lectures,
Swamiji quoted from the Kathopanishad.
This compilation juxtaposes what Swamiji said in different contexts (references to the CW, are
given in brackets) with the original verses. The Kathopanishad consists of two chapters, sub-
divided into 2 and 3 sections, and in all having 120 verses. Swamiji has referred to some 86 verses
from different sections of the Upanishad. In this compilation only those verses which could be related
to Swamiji’s words have been given; uncommented verses have been omitted. This compilation has
been done by V. Radhakrishnan, a retired teacher of mathematics from Pune, Maharashtra.

(Continued from the April 2011 issue . . .)

Death praises Nachiketas: ∆æCVvhv <—≈C≥hv <—∏Úf≥

¥ Á—Ò <≈±¸Zi˘ <≈±¸e“≈ZÒº N“ZVZi˘
‚<¬¿¸Z¸i˘ i<fNv“hZv&Á¸¥±ZR≥: $
i_hZÒ ¥ƒä“ZÒ <—‘V¸≥V—ZuZv
¸˚¸ZÒ VÉ–wh TÓ—Zv Vi¯©¸Z: $$ 3 $$
‘I praise you, Nachiketas; you have not
asked for desire. In various ways I tempted
you towards the path of enjoyment; you
resisted them all, you have known that
knowledge is much higher than a life of enjoy-
ment.’ (2.408) ‘O Nachiketas, having thought
upon the things which are only apparently
desirable, thou hast wisely abandoned them.’
(2.161)
‘Neither through wealth, nor through
progeny, but by giving up alone that immor-
tality is to be reached.’ That is the dictate of
the Indian books. (3.343)
Death then proceeded to teach Nachi-
ketas. (2.161)
Knowledge and Ignorance:
‚<—®Z ¸Z f <—®v<h dZhZ $
<—®Z¬≥–ˆ¥iÒ i<fNv“h¥Ò Vw¸v
i Á—Z N“ZVZ TÓ—Zv&◊Zv◊≈¯ wh $$ 4 $$
. . .there is a sect who advises us to follow
God and the world together. They are not
sincere, they do not express what they feel in
their hearts. What is the teaching of the Great
Ones?—‘Where there is Rama, there is no
Kama; where there is Kama, there Rama is
not. Night and day can never exist together.’
The voice of the ancient sages proclaims to us,
‘If you desire to attain God, you will have to
renounce Kama-Kanchana (lust and posse-
ssion). The Samsara is unreal, hollow, void of
substance. Unless you give it up, you can never
reach God, try however you may. If you
cannot do that, own that you are weak, but by
no means lower the Ideal. Do not cover the
corrupting corpse with leaves of gold!’ So
according to them, if you want to gain spiri-

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 213 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 14

tuality, to attain God, the first thing that you ‚¸Ò ◊ZvN“Zv iZ–˚h ≈C H<h VZi≥
have to do is to give up this playing ‘hide- ≈¯i: ≈¯i—`{VZ≈®hv Vv $$ 6 $$
and-seek with your ideas’, this dishonesty, this
Yama said, ‘That which is beyond never
‘theft within the chamber of thought’ (3.451)
rises before the mind of a thoughtless child
deluded by the folly of riches. “This world
Course of the Ignorant: exists, the other does not”, thinking thus they
‚<—®Z¸ZVwhCv —h`VZiZ: come again and again under my power.’
˚—¸Ò π≥CZ: ≈–m∂>hÒ Vw¸VZiZ: $ (2.162)
Very few men ask for the truth, fewer
∆wj˸VZLZ: ≈»C¸–wh VÚfi>Z:
dare to learn the truth, and fewest of all dare
‚wπvi—_ i≥¸VZiZ ¸sZwπZ: $$ 5 $$
to follow it in all its practical bearings. (2.248)
You have understood that the man who
lives in ignorance and enjoys, is not different Self-Knowledge: Very Difficult to Attain:
from the brute beast. Yet there are many who,
though steeped in ignorance, in the pride of √—LZ¸Z<≈ TÓ¨<¬¸Zv̀ i ◊θ:
their hearts, think that they are great sages xZƒm—whZv&<≈ TÓ—Zv ¸Ò i <—®¯: $
and go round and round in many crooked ‚Zº¸Zv̀ —G“Z N¯“{◊Zv&˚¸ ◊gπZ
ways, like the blind led by the blind.(2.408) ‚Zº¸Zv` dZhZ N¯“{◊Zi¯<{˝>: $$ 7 $$
Shrotriya, he who knows the secret of
Many have not even the opportunity to
the Shrutis, Avrijina, the sinless, and Aka-
hear about it; and many, though hearing,
mahata, unpierced by desire—he who does not
cannot know it, because the teacher must be
want to make money by teaching you—he is
wonderful; so must he be wonderful too unto
the Shanta, the Sadhu, who comes as the
whom the knowledge is carried.(2.408) The
spring which brings the leaves and blossoms
teacher must be wonderful, so must be the
to various plants but does not ask anything
taught. (2.162)
from the plant, for its very nature is to do
To understand this truth is very difficult.
good. It does good and there it is.
(2.162) Learn not the truth of the Self save
Such is the Guru, ‘Who has himself
from one who has realised it; in all others it is
crossed this terrible ocean of life, and without
mere talk. Realisation is beyond virtue and
any idea of gain to himself, helps others also
vice, beyond future and past; beyond all the
to cross the ocean.’2
pairs of opposites. ‘The stainless one sees the
This is the Guru, and mark that none
Self, and an eternal calm comes in the Soul.’3
else can be a Guru, for themselves steeped in
Talking, arguing, and reading books, the
darkness, but in the pride of their hearts,
highest flights of the intellect, the Vedas them-
thinking they know everything, the fools want
selves, all these cannot give knowledge of the
to help others, and they go round and round
Self. (7.70)
in many crooked ways, staggering to and fro,
The Guru is the conveyance in which the
and thus like the blind leading the blind, both
spiritual influence is brought to you. Anyone
fall into the ditch. (3.346)
can teach, but the spirit must be passed on by
i ¥ZË≈CZ¸: ≈±<h¬Z<h TZ◊Ò the Guru to the Shishya (disciple), and that
≈±VZ®whÒ <—‘VZvÓiv VÚfi>V˘ $ will fructify. The relation between Shishyas is

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 214 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

that of brotherhood, and this is actually
accepted by law in India. The Guru passes the
thought power, the Mantra, that he has
received from those before him; and nothing
can be done without a Guru. (7.63)
Need of a Spiritual Teacher:
i iCvLZ—CvL ≈±ZGv “ A∏ ¥¯<—dv¸Zv TÓ¨πZ <fwÁ¸VZi: $
‚iw¸≈±ZvGv“ ›<hC¶ iZ–˚h ‚L≥¸Zi˘ |h´¸`VL¯≈±VZLZh˘ $$
If the speaker is a man who is not highly
advanced, then even a hundred times heard,
and a hundred times taught, the truth never
illumines the soul. (2.408)
Now in intellectual development we can
get much help from books, but in spiritual
development, almost nothing. In studying
books, sometimes we are deluded into think-
ing that we are being spiritually helped; but if
we analyse ourselves, we shall find that only
our intellect has been helped, and not the
spirit. That is the reason why almost everyone
of us can speak most wonderfully on spiritual
subjects, but when the time of action comes,
we find ourselves so woefully deficient. It is
because books cannot give us that impulse
from outside. To quicken the spirit, that
impulse must come from another soul. (4.22)
. . .That is the coming in direct contact
with the Mahapurushas, and thus moulding
our lives in accordance with those of the great-
souled ones who have reached the Goal. Even
disgust for the world and a burning desire for
God are not sufficient. Initiation by the Guru
is necessary. Why? Because it is the bringing
of yourself into connection with that great
source of power which has been handed down
References
2. lmo{Ì`mo@d¥{OZmo@H$m_hVmo `mo ~«÷{dÎm_…& ~«÷Ê`wnaV… emÝVmo {Z[aÝYZ BdmZb…&
Ah¡VwH$X`m{gÝYw~©ÝYwamZ_Vm§ gVm_²&& Vivekachudamani by Acharya Sri Shankara, Verse 33
3. Kathopanishad, 1.2.20
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
15
through generations from one Guru to another,
in uninterrupted succession. The devotee must
seek and accept the Guru or spiritual preceptor
as his counsellor, philosopher, friend, and
guide. In short, the Guru is the sine qua non of
progress in the path of spirituality. Whom then
shall I accept as my Guru? ‘He who is versed
in the Vedas, without taint, unhurt by desire,
he who is the best of the knowers of Brahman.’
Shrotriya—he who is not only learned in the
Shastras, but who knows their subtle secrets,
who has realised their true import in his life.
(3.452)
That soul from which this impulse comes
is called the Guru, the teacher; and the soul to
which the impulse is conveyed is called the
disciple, the student. In order to convey this
impulse, in the first place, the soul from which
it comes must possess the power of transmi-
tting it, as it were, to another; and in the second
place, the object to which it is transmitted must
be fit to receive it. The seed must be a living
seed, and the field must be ready ploughed;
and when both these conditions are fulfilled,
a wonderful growth of religion takes place.
The speaker of religion must be wonderful, so
must the hearer be; and when both of these
are really wonderful, extraordinary, then alone
will splendid spiritual growth come, and not
otherwise. These are real teachers, and these
are the real students. Besides these, the others
are playing with spirituality—just having a
little intellectual struggle, just satisfying a little
curiosity—but are standing only on the
outward fringes of the horizon of religion.
(4.22)
(To be continued. . .)
~ 215 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 Reminiscences of Master Mahashay
SHANTI KUMAR MITRA

Master Mahashay, Mahendranath Gupta, or ‘M’, was an eminent householder disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna. He recorded the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna in Bengali and published them later
as Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (translated into English: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). The
following is the translation of reminiscences of ‘M’ from Srima Samipe, edited by Swami Chetanananda
(Udbodhan Office: Calcutta, 1996), Pp. 148-64. Swami Chetanananda (the translator of the present
article) is the Head of Vedanta Society of St. Louis, USA. He has to his credit several notable books in
Bengali and English, translations as well as original.

Morton Institution, fourth floor, March-
April 1925, 7:00 p.m.
M. said: ‘Today is an auspicious day, the
Holy Mother’s temple in Jayrambati was
dedicated on this day [two years earlier]. Thus,
many memories of the Mother are coming to
my mind. I had the Master’s company for only
5 years, but Holy Mother protected me from
all dangers over a period of 35 years. She was
the Mother of the Universe. Once just before I
returned home from Jayrambati, she served
me my meal. She pressed a large quantity of
rice onto my plate so that it looked like a small
amount. I said, “Mother, shall I be able to eat
so much rice?” She replied: “My son, it is not
much. Please eat. You don’t know when you
will get your next meal.” He who has received
the Mother’s affection even once will never
forget her. I observed that the Master could
not control his bhava samadhi, although he
tried. But Holy Mother was the embodiment
of great power. She served food to the
devotees, cooked in the kitchen, and looked
after her niece Radhu; and yet she went into
samadhi seated on the veranda. She was like
the Phalgu River: there is sand above, and no
one knows that water flows beneath it. Who
can understand Holy Mother?’
A young devotee was staying with some
relatives while he was going to school, but he
was ill-treated because of his association with
the monastery. He said to M.: ‘Please tell me
how I can get peace. Perhaps it is because I
committed great sins in my past life that I am
undergoing this humiliation.’
M. said: ‘Whomever you stay with, give
some service to them and try to satisfy them.
But if they obstruct your spiritual practices or
keep you from visiting the monastery, do not
listen to them. Just keep quiet and forbear.
The Master said: “He who forbears, survives;
and he who does not forbear, perishes.” The
nature of worldly people is strange: if their
sons are immoral, they joyfully accept that;
but if their sons want to be monks, that is
unpardonable. You see, human character is
formed through sufferings and obstacles. The
more you face those obstacles, the more your
mind will long for God. The great devotee
Prahlada went through so much suffering for

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 216 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

God. Look at how the gopis suffered. They
knew no one but Krishna. There is an English
proverb: “Good comes from evil.”
‘It is true that your suffering is due to
either bad karma from a past life or some other
reason, but yet you have the holy company of
the Master’s disciples. The Lord is showing
you the true nature of worldly life and then
leading you to his disciples. Just see how suf-
fering is pushing you towards God, the source
of infinite bliss. Let pain and suffering come.
Focus your mind on the Master and depend
on him. Be content with whatever condition
he keeps you in. The mother spanks the child
and it cries, but it still holds onto its mother.
You talk about peace: the more you go towards
God, the more you will get peace. Complete
peace comes when you attain God. Monks in
the western part of India ask other monks,
“Have you attained peace?” In other words,
have you attained God? Pain and suffering
are all in the mind. There is a blissful state
where worldly suffering cannot reach.’
M. told Jiten Babu: ‘You see, the body
needs food to function. One needs air to
breathe. God keeps us dependant in such a
way that a man still feels that he is the doer.’
Dr. Kartik Bakshi said: ‘Breathing and
the heartbeat do not stop until death.’
M. responded: ‘Yes, they can stop when
one is alive. When the Master was in deep
samadhi, doctors examined his lungs and heart
and found that their functions had halted. That
is why, the day the Master passed away in
samadhi, we did not recognize it at first. He
quite often went into deep samadhi, so we
did not realize that he had left his body.’
As M. said this, tears trickled from his
eyes and his voice became hoarse. He could
no longer speak. His attendant Ramlal brought
his supper. It was 9:30 p.m. when the devotees
left.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
17
Morton Institution, 1925, 5:00 p.m.
A devotee said: ‘There is no escape from
the results of bad karma. Shall we have to
experience the results of all karma?’
M. replied: ‘You are studying to pass an
examination, and when you pass, you get the
result. A thief steals, and then he goes to jail.
There are also some actions that were done in
a previous life but did not produce any result
then, so they remain in the storehouse. Some
of those actions bear results in this life and
give you misery. But if you follow your guru’s
instructions, and practise japa and meditation,
your suffering will be reduced. For example,
you are walking through the scorching sun.
You have no umbrella and your head is burn-
ing; you are perspiring profusely; your chest
feels as if it is splitting with thirst; and your
feet are covered with blisters. At that time a
man comes forward and gives you an um-
brella, a pair of shoes, a glass of cold water,
and a hand fan. You cool yourself with the
fan, drink the water, put on the shoes, and
hold the umbrella over your head. When you
begin to walk, the heat of the sun remains the
same, but you do not feel so much pain. Holy
Mother used to say, “Japa and meditation
destroy the results of bad karma. Providence
changes His writing with His own pen.” She
further said, “Suppose you are destined to lose
a leg; you will get a scratch instead.” Don’t
worry about all these things. Just take refuge
in Him. Krishna said in the Gita (18:66): “I
will deliver you from all sins; do not grieve.”’
Another devotee asked: ‘What can I do
if my mind does not like to repeat the mantra?’
‘In the beginning japa seems to be dry,’
M. said. ‘But one should continue to repeat
the mantra even if the mind does not like it.
Japât siddhi—perfection comes through japa.
The mind does not become concentrated in
one day. One should pray to the Master
~ 217 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

wholeheartedly. Then by his grace the mind
becomes calm automatically. Once this
happens it is hard to stop japa and leave your
seat.
‘A dog bites a bone and its mouth bleeds,
yet it does not give up biting it. If it can break
the bone and get to the marrow, it forgets all
pain. Anyone who gets the taste of japa does
not like anything else. He or she becomes
irritated if someone disturbs the chanting. God
and His name are not separate—they are one.
The wheel of the mantra destroys all worldly
bondages, all bad impressions of past lives,
and all kinds of sins. The mantra purifies the
body and the mind. The Lord’s name removes
the fear of death and one experiences only
bliss.’
A devotee said: ‘We get peace when we
come to you. At least for the time being we
are free of our pain and suffering. But you are
now old and your health is not good. I
sometimes wonder how this vast Ramakrishna
Order will continue. What will happen to us,
who are burning in this world, when you
people depart?’
‘Why? The Master is the goal.’ M. said.
‘As long as a genuine monk exists in this
Order, the Master will remain in the Order
and guide it. Some of his disciples are still
living. Have their company as much as you
can. This will change the samskaras of your
past lives. The Master lived in Dakshineswar
for 30 years, and Swamiji gave up his body in
Belur Math. So many monks have practised
sadhana in those places, so they are truly holy.
One’s mind moves easily towards God in those
places. The bodies of the avatar and his asso-
ciates are not everything: their gross bodies
may disappear, yet they help humanity
through their subtle bodies.’
Three monks arrived from Belur Math,
two of whom were from Kerala. One of them
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
18
asked: ‘The Master said that Bhakti Yoga was
the zeitgeist of this age, whereas Swamiji
emphasized Karma Yoga. Which one should
we follow?’
M. replied: ‘You have read Swamiji’s
Karma Yoga. He also wrote Bhakti Yoga. If you
read Bhakti Yoga, you will understand what
he meant. When he talked about Karma Yoga,
he emphasized that. In other words, he taught
according to his audience. The activities of the
Ramakrishna Mission are pursued to purify
the mind. If one performs action in the spirit
of service to God, one will develop devotion.
If one works unselfishly in the hospital and
dispensary, these altruistic actions help one to
attain liberation.’
Another devotee said: ‘Sir, we find all
the teachings of the avatars in the Gita and
other scriptures. Then why do they come again
and again and undergo all these troubles?’
‘Sugar and sand are mixed in the scrip-
tures,’ M. replied. ‘Commentators put their
own ideas into the words of God. When the
avatar departs, his messages get jumbled and
lead to confusion within a short time. If the
avatar does not come, who will explain the
scriptures? Krishna said in the Gita (4:7):
“Whenever there is a decline of dharma, and
a rise of adharma, I incarnate Myself.” Who is
the avatar? He is the highest manifestation of
Divinity among human beings. Philip said to
Jesus, “Rabbi, show me the Father.” Jesus
immediately replied: “Philip, hast thou seen
me and not seen the Father? I and my Father
are one.” The Master also said: “Now I am
not finding myself within me. Sometimes I
think ‘I am He, and He is I.’” The Master told
us: “If anyone cries with a longing heart, God
cannot stay still. He hurriedly reveals Himself
to that person.” Jesus also said: “Seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you.”’
~ 218 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

A devotee asked: ‘Sir, is there any hope
for a married man?’
M. said: ‘Why not? If a householder
moves one step towards God, He comes for-
ward walking ten steps. He knows that he has
put 20 maunds1 weight on their heads [mean-
ing heavy responsibility]. Suppose a dandy is
walking with a stick in hand and on his way
he bows down to Mother Kali at Thanthania.
And a porter, carrying a two-maund weight
on his head, puts it down with great effort
with both hands and then bows down to the
Mother with devotion. The Mother accepts the
porter’s salutation before the dandy’s. Can
everyone renounce? Jesus also had monastic
disciples and householder devotees. He did
not ask everybody to renounce. He said to
some people: “Some are eunuchs for the sake
of God.” And again he said to others: “Thou
art in the world but not of the world.”
‘If one does not renounce externally, one
should practise nonattachment mentally. This
is the worldly disease: We think that some-
thing that is impermanent, is permanent. That
is the problem. It is extremely important for a
householder to associate with holy people and
the guru. They help us to understand our
real condition. They show us our duties and
point the way to the goal. It is like using a
correct watch to adjust a watch with the wrong
time.
‘You see, although the highest ideal is
renunciation, the guru knows our path. Does
the doctor give the same medicine to every-
one? The prescription differs from disease to
disease. “The same coat does not fit Henry,
Jim, and John alike.” The guru guides some to
the path of renunciation and some to the path
of family life according to their tendencies.
Finally, he accepts all and removes their
impurities. The guru is the helmsman in this
ocean of maya.’
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
19
Morton Institution
A monk and a brahmachari arrived from
Gadadhar Ashrama.
‘Welcome, welcome, please come in,’ M.
said. ‘When monks come here it indicates that
the Master has not forgotten us.’
The monk said: ‘Today on the bank of
the Ganges I saw a holy man who looked like
the Master, but he was observing the vow of
silence. Then a desire came to see you and
listen to the words of the Master.’
M. said: ‘That happened to me once also.
It was a long time ago, but after the Master’s
passing away. I was near the Howrah Bridge
when I met a monk who looked like the
Master. I unfolded my umbrella to protect his
face from the scorching sun. He smiled a little.
Then I asked, “Can I do anything for you?”
That monk replied, “I will be happy if I can
get a ticket to Varanasi.” I took him to the
railway station, bought him a ticket to Vara-
nasi, and escorted him to the train. Pleased,
the monk gave me a special rudraksha bead
and said, “Please keep this; it will do you
good.”
I humbly accepted his loving gift. But
afterwards, while crossing the Howrah Bridge,
I thought about how the Master had taken on
all of my responsibilities, my good and bad
[actions], my fortune and misfortune, my life
and death, and this life and the next life. Why
then did I accept that rudraksha bead? What
kind of faith do I have in the Master? I threw
that rudraksha bead into the Ganges. When
the Master is looking after me and protecting
me day and night, why would I depend on
those things?
‘When I first met the Master, it seemed
to me that he was an ordinary man. As time
passed, I realized that he was the indivisible
Satchidananda covered with a veil of maya,
beyond our comprehension.
~ 219 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 20

‘The Master is beyond the injunctions of
the Vedas. In his mercy, he gave me shelter at
his feet. He left so many years ago, but
amazingly it seems those incidents happened
yesterday. The Master is our all in all. When
the trolley pole of the tram car is connected
with the overhead electric wire, the tram runs,
gives light, and the fan moves; but everything
stops if the trolley pole is down. Now I see
the Master is walking with me and holding
my hand. I believe he will be with me till the
end.’
In the evening M. waved the lamp in
front of the pictures of gods and goddesses.
Coming to the picture of the mother bird
hatching her egg, M. said: ‘Let the work
continue, but the mind should be on God. Look
at this bird: her whole mind is on hatching
her egg; her eyes are open but she sees nothing


Note: 1. One maund is equal to 82 pounds.
external. One finds fulfilment in life if, by His
grace, one can keep one’s mind on God. The
goal of japa and meditation, austerity and
sadhana, discrimination and renunciation is
to attain God. But He does not reveal Himself
if one does not have intense longing for,
concentration on, and absorption in Him.’
Everyone present began to practise japa
and meditation. After a while, the brahmachari
sang a song: ‘Sing the name of Ramakrishna.
Victory to Ramakrishna.‘ M. listened to the
song with folded hands. Then the brahmachari
sang another song: ‘O my mind, see no
difference in Ramakrishna, Krishna, Kali, and
Shiva.’ As M. listened to this song, tears
trickled from his eyes. He wiped them, and
then calmly said: ‘The Master is the embodi-
ment of all gods and goddesses. By thinking
of him one thinks of all of them.’ †

Inspiring Anecdote. . .

No One Can Hurt Us Without Our Consent

On his first day in office as President Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural
address, one man stood up; he was a rich aristocrat. He said,
‘Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my
family’. And the whole senate laughed; they thought they had made a fool of Lincoln.
But certain people are made of a totally different mettle. Lincoln looked at the man
directly in the eyes and said,
‘Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes for your family, and there will be
many others here, because he made shoes the way nobody else can. He was a creator.
His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into them. I want to ask you,
have you any complaint?? Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any
complaint I can make you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever
complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud
of my father.’
The whole senate was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man
Abraham Lincoln was. He was proud because his father did his job so well that not even
a single complaint had ever been heard. . . —Cyberspace

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 220 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1

January 18th 1900

Math. Belur. Howrah. India.
My dear Mrs.Brown,
Your very kind letter was waiting for me as I returned here
on Jan 12th after a month’s lecture tour in the East Bengal. I am so
glad to have it and thankful to learn that my words have been of
help to you. Yes that is the way for you & I felt it so strongly to tell
it [to] you. Our God visions begin from our closest relations, as
soon as we feel the sanctity of such relations & then spread out & Swami Saradananda
out till the whole universe becomes a symbol to manifest Him
alone, an image of Him all living & throbbing with unbounded Love & Knowledge. After
that comes the last step which no words can describe. ‘Whence speech falls back baffled
with the mind’ as the Vedas say. The little bits that you are seeing will become all united in
the end. I would have had such poor opinion of you, had you given up the source whence
began your first realisation. Steady, persevering love alone can reach the goal, no matter
where or how it begins. At the same time we must ever remember love does not mean any
kind of selfishness – Watch & find out if there is any grain of selfish dross mixed up with
the pure gold, cleanse it out & then as I told you before you will be able to help that source
really & permanently & the source of your first realisation & yourself will be connected
from birth to birth & advance hand in hand till the goal is reached.
I am so glad to hear of your dear son. There might come a time when we would know
each other. Let it come about naturally as you say. My love & blessings to him in the mean
time. Bring your boys & girls up in an unbounded confidence in the God within & they
cannot but be better men & women.
I thank you for the little bit of thought in verse. I liked it much. I am going to send it to
the paper.
My very kind regards to yourself as ever & if you ever think I can help you in any
way, please write & you will have my service.
Remember me kindly to all Montclair friends. I heard my dear friend Mrs.Wheeler’s
daughter Beatrice was ill. I hope she has become herself again. Write of her kindly when
next you write.
Faithfully yours
Saradananda

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 221 ~ JM UA NR EC H2 021011 1
 22

Feb. 22nd 1900

Math. Belur. Howrah. India
My dear Mrs.Bull2
Your kind letter of Jan. 23rd was more than welcome. My thanks to you for the same.
Your decision to ‘take a new step in personal freedom’, is wise. The secret of giving
liberty of thought and action to those we love and of reserving the same for us in all
circumstances, looking upon love as a perpetual harmonious cooperation for the growth of
the parties to infinite power & freedom, hold true in all human relations, even in the
relation of a mother to her daughter. I am glad you have always held this real love to Olea
& ever gave her freedom. I cannot tell how much I have learnt from you, while at America
to regulate my conduct towards my friends, seeing your example. Yes the best step now for
you and all of us is to hold quietly to our centre of realisation with a firm faith that every-
thing needed will come to us sure. It gives me such pleasure to think that faithful Santi is
with you in these moments.
I cannot feel that this [is] the moment for the Swamiji to come back here. He will be
dragged down again by all these family dissensions, unless he is perfectly self-adjusted. I
believe your idea of his ‘getting to a full adjustment to his Guru’, is perfectly true. He will
be a tower of strength than ever, as soon as he is that. We do not mind the sorrow or the
disgrace if in the end, we find him perfectly established in that.
So you are sailing for Paris by the 21st of March. I hope your voyage & stay there will
be perfect.
I thank you for your suggestion regarding the use of the Famine Fund & your
contribution. You are right & I will act accordingly. I have received the acknowledgement of
the Bank for £143-10S. I will draw $100 more from our joint accounts, if I think best, before
you send Mrs.Wheeler’s second contribution.
I have not been well for the last fortnight. I believe I caught a little cold. But do you not
be anxious Granny I am quite well again.
Everything is going on as usual here. I will think of you so much during the Birthday
(March 11th). I hope you are keeping well & not looking yet as my brother wrote me.
I had a nice little note from Santi last mail & enclose a few lines to her, in yours.
Remember me kindly to Dr. & Mrs.Janes. I am glad the conferences are successful.
With deep regards to you & heartfelt prayers,
Faithfully yours,
Saradananda
P.S. I thank you for sending the letters of Mrs.Wheeler. I am so glad she thinks so
highly of you.

References
1. A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna 2. Mrs. Sara Bull, an American disciple of Swami Vivekananda

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 222 ~ JM UA NR EC H2 0 21 01 1 1
 Seeing Through A Living Legend
An Overview of Ramakrishna Movement in
Haridwar vis-à-vis Kumbha Mela
SWAMI UMESHWARANANDA

(Continued from the previous issue. . .)

Kumbha Mela Down the Decades Hence new blocks for treatment of Tuber-
Now let us look at how the activities and culosis and Cholera were constructed in 1911
facilities in the Sevashrama grew along with and 1915 respectively. This was needed to keep
various Kumbha Melas held in the last 100 the patients in quarantine and provide them
years. It is a fascinating study in itself, leaving better care. Again, for the comfort of the
many inspiring lessons for every person inte- patients, a large hall with high ceiling
rested in service and spirituality. had been constructed above T.B.
block (presently Ashrama’s
The 1903 and 1915 Kumbha main office building). This
The Kankhal Sevashrama prints its
annual report every year. But the printed
Annual Reports of the Sevashrama are avail-
able only from 1904 onward. Hence, we do
not have much information about early years,
and especially of how the Kumbha Mela of
1903 was celebrated.
The reports of later years are available
and they are a mine of information.
Annual Report of 1912 reveals that by
1912, additional six bigas [2.5 acres] of land
were added to build a Cholera Ward. But there
are other interesting facts too.
In those days, during the Mela, sudden
outbreak of Cholera or gastroenteritis was An archival photo of Hari-ki-pauri, Haridwar
common. It is recorded that this happened on
Mahavaruni day in April in 1905 (as also in was done to give a cool and cosy ambience
Purna Kumbha mela of 1998). for the terminally ill patients. The poor
In the Haridwar region killer diseases patients—deserted by their families for the fear
such as Cholera and T.B. have been rampant. of infection—were accommodated in these two
… The author is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order at Ramakrishna Math, Kankhal, Uttarakhand.

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 223 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

buildings. The patients were given all the care
needed and when they would die, their bodies
were immersed in the Ganges, as was the
custom then, by the Sevashrama monks.
The drug for T.B. treatment had not been
invented then and hence the T.B. patients were
discarded by the society. The Sevashrama
monks would wholeheartedly serve these
patients until the last.
In those trying times, Swami Nischaya-
nanda would go to Rishikesh daily, early in
the morning, and return in the evening,
walking a distance of nearly 30 miles (48 km).
Braving inclement weather and difficult jungle
terrain, he will pass through the area called
Chila forest (now called Rajaji National Park),
carrying a medicine-box and a package of food
for the patients. At noon, he will go for madhu-
kari bhiksha [begging for food from houses like
a honey bee collects honey from different flow-
ers] in some alms-house in Rishikesh. In the
evening, he would at times bring the patients
from Rishikesh to Sevashrama—if the patient’s
condition was serious and needed constant
nursing. This he did year after year, without
any fanfare. A real lesson in dedication.
Though poorly equipped, the Sevashrama
could serve a large number of patients during
the 1915 Kumbha Mela—thanks to the inspi-
ring presence of Swamis Nischayananda and
Kalyanananda. Here are some figures: 825 pati-
ents in the Mela Camps, 53 indoor, 1835 in
OPD and 20 in Mobile unit. The Sevashrama
also treated 28 Cholera cases. Swami Nischa-
yananda also organised a four-member funeral
-group, to consign the dead bodies to the holy
flame (the group cremated nine bodies during
the Mela). One Babu Bhajan Lall Lohia of
Calcutta supplied medicines and foodstuffs
and bore the entire cost of the Cholera ward.
Incidentally, Gandhiji visited the Sevash-
rama during the Mela days.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
24
The 1927 Kumbha
By 1922, the construction of four general
wards was completed. This enabled the Seva-
shrama to accommodate and treat a larger
number of patients most of whom were poor.
Further, in 1925, another land, measuring four
bighas was purchased for constructing wor-
kers’ quarters, a rest house, a guest house and
so on.
These additions equipped the Sevash-
rama to conduct an extensive relief for the fire
victims in 1914 and to floor victims in 1924.
Both these tragedies had violently shaken the
Haridwar region. The Sevashrama organized
a camp for pilgrims and monks in Purna
Kumbha Mela in 1927. Twenty new beds were
added to the existing 40-bed strength of the
hospital. In this Mela, about 8400 pilgrim-
patients were treated by the Sevashrama.
The 1938 Kumbha
As is known, India was under the British
rule then. To suit their administrative control,
the British government constructed network
of motorable roads in the Himalayan areas,
making the Himalayan shrines accessible to
the common man. The government, however,
was quite indifferent to making arrangements
for the Kumbha Melas. They would just take
care of law and order, that too in a slipshod
way. The police personnel walked with
(leather) shoes on the areas considered sacred.
Finally a strong public protest against this dis-
respect to the Hindu sentiment was expressed
through an agitation in 1927 Kumbha, Mela
by the eminent national leader Pandit Madan
Mohan Malviya.
In 1938, Panchayati Nirvani Akhara
gifted 2 bighas of land to the Sevashrama. This
helped expand the medical work of the Sevash-
rama, treating more than 24000 patients during
that year.
~ 224 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

During Purna Kumbha Mela of 1938,
many temporary huts and shops with dry
grass had been erected on the other bank
of Ganga. Unfortunately they caught fire
and panic-stricken people ran helter-skelter,
causing a stampede in which many people
were killed. Besides, Haridwar city was
struck by a Cholera epidemic. Undaunted
by these calamities, the Sevashrama rose
to the occasion and helped to assuage the
suffering victims.
During the Mela, the Sevashrama
accommodated around 600 pilgrims.
The 1950 Kumbha
The British government wanted to ban
the Ardha Kumbha Mela of 1944 citing the
ongoing Second World War. But a strong
public outcry by leaders like KC Neogi and
others led to their dropping the ban.
After India’s independence, the national
government took special interest in organising
the Kumbha Mela. They took care to avoid
stampede which often took place due to Naga
Sadhus trying to take lead over others in taking
the holy dip in Ganga on the appointed aus-
picious timings. The Mela authorities started
calling advance meetings of various Akharas
to arrive at general consensus with regard to
following fair and well thought-out bathing
procedures. Slowly things began to change.
The 1950 Kumbha was the first Kumbha
Mela after Independence. At that time, Harid-
war was still a small city with a population of
80,000. As it was estimated that about 15 lakh
pilgrims were likely to take part in the Mela,
massive arrangements were made to meet this
situation. In 1949, with a financial grant from
the government of Uttar Pradesh, the Sevash-
rama constructed an overhead water tank and
an underground drainage system in the Seva-
shrama. Also, a temporary indoor hospital of
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
25
A recent photo of Sevashrama Main Building (female OPD)
40 beds was added to the Sevashrama’s
permanent indoor hospital of 50 beds. This
temporary set up was housed in tents. Thus,
during the protracted Mela celebration from
February to April 1950, about 430 patients
were treated. Besides, two temporary dispen-
saries were run by the Sevashrama in the
crowded parts of Mela complex at Bhimgoda
and Bhupatwala where several thousand
pilgrims were treated.
Arrangements for accommodating about
1,000 Sadhus and pilgrims in thatched huts
and tents were made in the Sevashrama.
Prominent dignitaries like Sri Govind Vallabh
Pant, the Chief Minister of U.P., Sri C.B. Gupta,
the health minister of U.P., Swami Yatiswara-
nanda of Vedanta Society of Philadelphia
(USA) and Swami Devatmananda of Vedanta
Society of Portland (USA), visited the Sevash-
rama during the Mela.
Despite all precautions, an iron road
barrier collapsed due to the pressure of the
onrushing crowd, leading to a stampede and
many deaths. It is only after this mishap, the
government instituted a traffic control tower
to monitor and control the surging crowds
during the Melas.
The 1962 Kumbha
~ 225 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

The Sevashrama continued to expand its
activities. In 1952, it acquired the adjacent 2.7
acres to construct doctors’ quarters, kitchen
Swamiji’s marble image at the Sevashrama, installed in
block and a cowshed. In 1955, the General
Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and
Mission laid the foundation stone of the
doctors’ quarters and in April 1956, the Chief
Minister of U.P. inaugurated it. In 1957, Dr
Sampurnananda, the Chief Minister of U.P.,
opened the X-Ray block (with an operation
theatre). These developments point to the
Sevashrama’s commitment to provide better
medical care to sadhus and pilgrims.
As part of the arrangement for the
Kumbha Mela of 1962, about 50 temporary
beds (in tents) were added. Arrangements
were also made for accommodation in the
thatched huts along with arrangements for
washrooms and other facilities. 450 pilgrims
and 130 sadhus were accommodated and fed
during the period. Cultural programmes took
place from 1 to 15 April, in a well-decorated
special pandal. The Sevashrama doctors
treated several thousand pilgrims and sadhus.
The 1974 Kumbha
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
26
In April 1968, the governor of U.P., Sri
B. Gopala Reddy opened the Sevashrama’s
newly constructed three-storeyed Swami
Vivekananda Centenary Hospital building.
This enabled the Sevashrama to accom-
modate all the hospital beds and wards,
scattered in different blocks, in this new
three-storeyed building. In 1971, the
Sevashrama acquired about 1 1/4 acres land
from Panchayati Nirvani Akhara and cons-
tructed hostel for nurses and many other
buildings. Sir Ness Wadia and Hinduja
Foundation and Swami Ram of the Hima-
layan Hospital, Jollygrant, donated for
many of the projects.
The Kumbha Mela in 1974 was held
from 20 February to 14 April. On the last
day of the Mela, approximately 40 lakh
1963 people took bath. The Sevashrama orga-
nised medical relief camp hospital of 50 beds.
It also ran first aid unit and the mobile
dispensary at the Mela grounds. The Sevash-
rama accommodated 800 sadhus, devotees and
pilgrims. A Vedanta Sammelan (conference)
was held from 10 to 12 April.
The 1986 Kumbha
In the year 1980, for legal and admini-
strative purposes, the Sevashrama was re-
named as Ramakrishna Math and Rama-
krishna Mission Sevashrama.
In 1978 the Sevashrama took a long
stride, when an adjacent land, measuring 1.26
acres, belonging to Madhab Ashrama was
acquired. In 1979, Swami Vireswarananda, the
10th President of the Ramakrishna Order, laid
foundation for the new Out Patient building
for women. It was opened in 1998 by Swami
Ranganathananda, the then Vice President of
the Ramakrishna Order. As monks had been
directly handling nursing work, there was no
place and possibility to accommodate women
~ 226 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

patients. The new five-storeyed block met this
need by increasing the beds from 67 to its
present 150 bed and by appointing female
nurses to look after the female and child
patients.
The Purna Kumbha Snan Parva in 1986
was held from 13 February to 24 April. On 14
April, the main bathing day, 50 lakh pilgrims
took bath in Brahmakunda at the Hari-ki-
pauri.The Sevashrama made provision to
accommodate more than 2200 pilgrims in the
new NOPD building, which was in finishing
stage but still unoccupied. Besides the Mela
Camp organised discourses and cultural
events.
The 1998 Kumbha
The Kumbha of 1998 was held from
January to April. An estimated one crore
people from all parts of India and abroad took
part in the Mela. The Sevashrama provided
medical relief and also organized cultural
programmes and religious discourses. Devo-
tees and monks were accommodated for seven
days (9 to 15 April).
The 2010 Kumbha
The Maha Kumbha of 2010 was not only
the first Purna Kumbha of the present millen-
nium; it was also the first one after the for-
mation of the new State of Uttarakhand.
Therefore, the newly formed state made
excellent arrangements on an unprecedented
scale. (For a detailed article, see ‘The World
Largest Act of Faith’, The Vedanta Kesari, May
to July 2010)
Here are some interesting facts and
figures about this Mela:
The main bathing Ghat of Hari-ki-pauri,
where every pilgrim/monk wants to take holy
dip, can accommodate approximately 30 to 40
thousand bathers at a time. Therefore, in order
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
27
to disperse the crowd to other places, the
Government constructed many new perma-
nent Ghats within an area of 4.75 km. on the
Ganga canal and the diversion channel flowing
by the side of Sati Ghat and Daksha Mandir.
Many temporary Ghats within an area
of 22 km. were also built. In these Ghats about
one crore pilgrims could take bath in 24 hours.
The Mela area was spread over 132 sq. km
demarcated region, under sector officers, all
under the Chief Mela Officer. Two new perma-
nent bridges were constructed over the Ganga
Canal. The central government released Rs.550
crore to the State for conducting the Mela.
Arrangements were made for parking
about one lakh vehicles in an area covering
300 hectare spread over 45 places. The camping
area was spread over 140 hectares.
The Sevashrama had been periodically
upgrading its medical facilities. It added
twenty-five beds in a temporary shed during
the four month long Mela period, when about
75,000 medical cases were handled.
The Maha Kumbha began with all fanfare
on January 14 and concluded on the 28 April.
It is estimated that about eight crore pilgrims
from India and 140 countries took holy bath
in the Ganges. A sea of humanity of different
hues and nationality converged at Haridwar
for this mega religious event. On the last day,
on 14 April, as per the reading of the Satellite
Remote Sensing system, about 1.63 crore
people took holy bath. Unfortunately, in two
separate accidents, nine people lost their
precious lives to mar the otherwise tragedy-
free Mahakumbha. Seven people were killed
in stampede.
However, in this long and highly popular
event, one noticeable thing was that this time,
more than in the earlier one, the stay of the
pilgrims at Haridwar was for a shorter period.
Mostly on the important auspicious snan days,
~ 227 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

they came in hordes, took bath and went away
at the earliest, instead of staying here in the
Mela camps months together, doing act of
penance intensively and continuously. The
reason for this perceptible change is not far to
seek. In poverty, whether it is acquired or self-
inflicted, there is a sense of leisure and
abundance of time to spare for doing spiritual
practices for months. Earlier, they had, in their
heart, more faith and they were more cons-
cious of the impermanence of world. The
number of such simple, God-fearing pilgrims
and monks who delved into the real meaning
and purpose of life is slowly coming down.
Now, the pilgrims come in fits and starts,
preferably in their own vehicles (that is why
parking space had to be increased), mostly just
to peep in and then go away, enjoying a few
days stay in this fairyland. In blooming eco-
nomy, they have less time for contempla-
tive life let alone for austerity. It is only this
year the Helicopter services were introduced
so that pilgrims could come here through
aerial route on selected snan days, enjoy a
bird’s eye-view of the Mela city and go back,
without staying here for a longer period. They
no longer stay in the makeshift Pandals/camps
on the river bed but prefer staying with all
creature comforts in the costly hotels which
have been mushrooming in the city.
Further, this time, while those who had
resources and influence took bath in the Hari-
ki-pauri, pilgrims were asked to take bath in
Bibliography
1. Himalayan Pilgrimages and the New Tourism by
Jagdish Kaur (Himalayan Book)
2 . A Ganges of the Mind by Steven Darian (Ratna
Sagar, New Delhi)
3. Mahakumbha Parva (in Bengali) by Sabyasachi
Sinha, Sarvamangala Press, Bankura
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
28
the newly built Ghats near the bus stand (on
the Ganga canal) and leave the city as early as
possible. Naturally, the whole thing is becom-
ing so costly, ‘modernised’ and the sense of
austerity is waning. Although the number of
pilgrims is increasing, they no longer live
under the sky in groups, far less for so many
days, making their own arrangement for food
and lodging.
Epilogue
In conclusion, let us quote Swami Sarva-
gatananda who lived with Swami Kalyana-
nanda for some years. He wrote,
The Swami [Swami Kalyanananda] met us on
the way and said, ‘You see, there is a temple.
You go there with fruits, flowers, and offer them
with prayers and hymns. There, on the other
side, you see the hospital. You go there to the
patients with medicines, food, and some kind
and comforting words. These two deeds are not
different, they are the same. If you think they
are contradictory, you may go home and do
whatever you like. To me, both are spiritual acts
leading to the same goal.’
Indeed, the growth of the Sevashrama
and the Kumbha Melas in the last hundred
years is intertwined. The Sevashrama is a fine
example of how to combine spiritual practices
and service activities in one. In the process, it
benefits both the person who serves, and the
person who is served.
(Concluded.)
4. Hindu Mythology and Religion by John Dowson
(Rupa & Co., N.Delhi)
5 . Uttaranchal Darshan (in Hindi) dt. Feb 2010 by the
State Government
6. Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal, through
the Ages by Swami Kirtidananda
~ 228 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 Sri Ramakrishna was a master-story teller. While he spoke of
profound spiritual truths and mystery of human life, he amply used
stories, anecdotes, examples and analogies to drive home his point. At
times, while narrating a story, he would even make gestures and change
the tone of his voice to bring in a lively element in his narrative. The
following stories, mainly culled from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
(published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai) are an
attempt to present before the readers Sri Ramakrishna’s rich store-
house of stories which are both illuminating and simple.
6
The Mystery of Maya met a brahmachari. The holy man said to him,
There is a greater manifestation of God ‘My good man, go forward.’ On returning
in man. You may ask, ‘How is it possible for home the wood-cutter asked himself, ‘Why did
God to be incarnated as a man who suffers the brahmachari tell me to go forward?’ Some
from hunger, thirst, and the other traits of an time passed. One day he remembered the
embodied being, and perhaps also from brahmachari’s words. He said to himself,
disease and grief?’ The reply is, ‘Even Brahman ‘Today I shall go deeper into the forest.’ Going
weeps, entrapped in the snare of the five deep into the forest, he discovered innumera-
elements.’ ble sandal-wood trees. He was very happy and
Don’t you know how Rama had to weep, returned with cart-loads of sandal-wood. He
stricken with grief for Sita? Further, it is said sold them in the market and became very rich.
that the Lord incarnated Himself as a sow in A few days later he again remembered
order to kill the demon Hiranyaksha. Hiran- the words of the holy man to go forward. He
yaksha was eventually killed, but God would went deeper into the forest and discovered a
not go back to His abode in heaven. He silver-mine near a river. This was even beyond
enjoyed His sow’s life. He had given birth to his dreams. He dug out silver from the mine
several young ones and was rather happy with and sold it in the market. He got so much
them. The gods said among themselves: ‘What money that he didn’t even know how much
does this mean? The Lord doesn’t care to he had.
return to heaven!’ They all went to Siva and A few more days passed. One day he
laid the matter before him. Siva came down thought: ‘The brahmachari didn’t ask me to
and urged the Lord to leave the sow body stop at the silver-mine; he told me to go
and return to heaven. But the sow only suckled forward.’ This time he went to the other side
her young ones. Then Siva destroyed the sow of the river and found a gold-mine. Then he
body with his trident, and the Lord came out exclaimed: ‘Ah, just see! This is why he asked
laughing aloud and went back to His own me to go forward.’
abode. (Pp.415-416) Again, a few days afterwards, he went
still deeper into the forest and found heaps of
Parable of the Wood-Cutter diamonds and other precious gems. He took
Once upon a time a wood-cutter went these also and became as rich as the god of
into a forest to chop wood. There suddenly he wealth himself. (Pp. 453-454)

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 229 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 Swami Vivekananda’s Special
Relationship with Raja Ajit Singh
SWAMI TATHAGATANANDA

‘Certain men are born in certain periods to perform certain actions in combination. Ajit
Singh and myself are two souls born to help each other in a big work for the good of mankind. . . .
We are as supplement and complement.’ —Swami Vivekananda1

Swami Vivekananda’s friendship with
Maharaja Ajit Singh of Khetri was enacted
against the backdrop of Khetri,
a sanctified town in Northern
Rajasthan, characterized by its
long heroic history and inde-
pendent spirit. Destiny brought
Swamiji and Ajit Singh together
on 4 June 1891 at Mount Abu,
where their friendship gradually
developed through their mutual
interest in significant spiritual
and secular topics. The friend-
ship intensified when they tra-
velled to Khetri and it became
clear that theirs was the most
sacred friendship, that of a Guru
and his disciple.
Maharaja Ajit Singh
A Cherished Bond
Swami Vivekananda and Maharaja Ajit
Singh were held together by two mysterious
hands of Providence, as it were. In 1890,
Maharaja Ajit Singh visited Calcutta. While he
was there, he organized a conference of
Sanskrit scholars. It has been suggested that
during this visit, the Maharaja heard about
The author is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and the Head of Vedanta Society, New York. His books
include The Journey of Upanishads to the West, and Light from the Orient, among others.
Shri Ramakrishna from these scholars. How-
ever, there is another possible explanation of
the Maharaja’s having heard
about Shri Ramakrishna. Pandit
Narayan Shastri first met Sri
Ramakrishna and was initiated
into sannyasa by the Master.
This great scholar spread the
holy name of Shri Ramakrishna
in the area of Khetri years before
the Master passed away in 1886.
When the Maharaja was infor-
med by his Minister that a
Bengali Sadhu had appeared at
Mount Abu, where he was also
staying, he had a great desire to
meet him.
On June 4, 1891, in the
Khetri House at Mount Abu,
Raja Ajit Singh and Swami
Vivekananda met for the first time. They were
nearly of the same age, barely two years apart
(Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January
1863 and Raja Ajit Singh was born on 16
October 1861). Swamiji understood from their
first conversation that the Maharaja was truth-
ful and interested in spiritual matters, and was
…

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 230 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

a deep thinker with a sincere concern
for others. The Maharaja respectfully
asked Swamiji about religion and
education. His first question to
Swamiji was, ‘What is life?’ Swami
Vivekananda replied, ‘Life is the
unfoldment and develop-
ment of a being under circumstances
tending to press it down.’ His reply
describes the circumstances into
which Swamiji was born and within
which he developed into manhood.
He laboured under oppressive condi-
tions during his entire life.
The Joys of Their Treasured Fateh Bilas—Raja’s Palace (now a centre of Ramakrishna Math) in Khetri
Friendship
Swami Vivekananda and Ajit Singh
shared a passionate interest in philosophy,
poetry, music, and science. They discussed all
these topics in depth with mutual enthu-
siasm. Religion and India’s social conditions
interested them the most. They recognized
each other as kindred souls. The Maharaja’s
sincere quest for truth was genuine. His spiri-
tual fervour compelled Swamiji to become Ajit
Singh’s spiritual guru as well as his friend.
They felt a unique joy and cordiality in
each other’s presence and their friendship
ripened quickly. Overall, according to the
Waqayat Register,2 they were in almost conti-
nuous association with each other for a period
of nearly four-and-a-half months. Their first
stay together, which began at Mount Abu on
June 4 lasted until 24 July, 1891. They often
met for their evening meal, and on two
occasions (June 15 and June 22), they spent
eight hours together discussing religion and
culture. Their mutual talent and love for music
brought them especial joy on June 27. That
day, Swamiji sang devotional hymns accom-
panied by the Maharaja on the harmonium.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
31
Ajit Singh’s skill on the Vina was notable. It
has been written that, ‘The Raja was an expert
Vina-player. His recital would charm music
connoisseurs. Once Swami Vivekananda was
present at the Raja’s Vina recital and showed
his appreciation by nodding his head. Later
on he addressed the Raja: “What an enchanting
spell you cast with your Vina!”’3 One talented
musician of Swamiji’s calibre was very pleased
with Ajit Singh’s recitals on the Vina.
With deepening mutual enthusiasm and
friendship, they left Mount Abu together on
July 24 for Khetri. They arrived at the Maha-
raja’s palace in Khetri on 7 August, 1891. A
few days later, Swamiji bestowed his special
grace to the Maharaja by initiating him. He
also initiated Munshi Jagmohanlal and many
others from the Maharaja’s court. The Maha-
raja became Swamiji’s loyal friend and one of
his most devoted disciples; Swamiji regarded
him with utmost affection.
Swamiji thoroughly enjoyed this visit and
used every opportunity to enhance his know-
ledge. There were many philosophers in
Maharaja Ajit Singh’s court. Swamiji met the
~ 231 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 32

eminent grammarian Pandit Nara-

yan Das, under whose guidance he
studied the Mahabhashya, Patanjali’s
great commentary on Panini’s Sans-
krit Grammar, the Astadhyayi, which
led him to a deeper understanding
of the Vedas. He thus satisfied a
desire he had been nurturing since
his days at the Baranagore Math. He
also studied the Yajurveda under the
tutelage of Pandit Sunderlaji Ojha.
Poets and musicians also filled
the court of the Maharaja. The famed
maestro Musraf Khan performed on
the Vina before Swamiji on 21 The room (in Fateh Bilas) on the top is where Swamiji and the
October 1891. The Meastro sub- Raja used to study the night sky with the help of a telescope
sequently performed at the World
Music Conference in Paris, having been sent the world of nature. Ajit Singh was largely a
there by the Maharaja’s legal advisor, Pandit self-educated man with a great thirst for know-
Motilal Nehru. In passing, it may be remem- ledge. Swamiji found him to be an excellent
bered that as per Motilal’s request, Jawaharlal and receptive student; he spent a great deal of
Nehru’s horoscope was eventually prepared their time together teaching the Maharaja
by the court astrologer of Khetri in 1899 and lessons in physics, chemistry and astronomy.
sent to him. The Maharaja and his wife, Queen
The friendship of Swamiji and Ajit Singh Champabatji, had two daughters but no male
was exhilarating on every level of their being children. Although sixteen years of marriage
and the days passed quickly. Nothing of mu- had passed, his wife had not given birth to
tual interest escaped their investigation. The sons. During this first visit at Khetri, he confi-
Maharaja had provided a room for Swamiji ded his longing for an heir and asked for
above the roof of his palace. Swamiji and Ajit Swamiji’s blessing. His heart moved to compa-
Singh set up a rudimentary laboratory on the ssion, Swamiji gave his blessing for a male
roof from which they observed the celestial child. The purity of Ajit Singh’s character is
spheres through a telescope. Elsewhere in the revealed in the fact that he never took a second
palace, they set up a lab of physics and chemi- wife but continued to rely on his sincere pray-
stry and spent hours peering through a micro- ers for a son and had full faith in Swamiji.
scope to satisfy their insatiable curiosity about (To be continued. . .)

References
1. Swami Vivekananda in a letter to Munshi Co., 1963), p. 118. [Hereafter Forgotten Chapter]
Jagmohanlal on 11 October 1897, Benishankar 2. According to Benishankar Shankar in Forgotten
Sharma, Swami Vivekananda—A Forgotten Chapter Chapter.
of His Life (Calcutta: Oxford Book & Stationery 3. Jhabarmal Sharma, Adarsha Naresh (1940), p. 380.

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 232 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
Direct Disciples in Their Lighter Moments
H MUKHERJEE

The great direct disciples of Sri Rama- had, however, made up their minds to eat it.
krishna were spiritually liberated men. To In the words of Mrs. Mary C. Funke, a lady
them, affairs of this mundane world were a attending the discourses, ‘I made up my mind
source of amusement, unlike worldly men and
women who take them seriously and respond
accordingly. Such illumined souls radiated joy
and happiness and shared them with all. In
order to bring down their ever pure and medi-
tative mind down to the worldly plane, they
would often have fun and frolic with the
disciples and devotees. They exemplified the
idea that religion is not a gloomy affair but a
joyful and blissful living ‘for religion is the
best thing in the world’. We will narrate here
some of these lighter moments related to some
of the direct disciples.

Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda’s fun-making was
of the merry type. While in Thousand Island
Park, U.S.A, where Swamiji held informal
spiritual classes, he would sometimes say,
‘Now I am going to cook for you, brethren.’
To this, Landsberg, a devotee, would cry out Swami Vivekananda
in an aside, ‘Heaven save us!’ By way of
explanation he said that in New York when to eat it even if it strangled me, which it nearly
Swamiji cooked, he (Landsberg) would tear did. If a Vivekananda can cook for me, I guess
his hairs, because it meant that every dish in the least I can do is to eat it. Bless him. At
the house required washing as these would such times we will have whirlwind of fun.’
get mixed with hot Indian spice. The food Swamiji would stand in the door with a white
Swamiji would cook would be delicious but napkin draped over his arm like the waiters
too hot for the Western palate. The students in dining cars and say like a typical waiter,

A retired officer from the Ministry of Industry in the Central Government, the author is associated with
Ramakrishna Math, Nagpur, Maharashtra. …

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 233 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 34

‘Last call for the dining cab.

Dinner served.’ and the students
would respond with hearty
laughter.
Dr. Wright of Cambridge
was also attending the discourse
at Thousand Island Park. Absorb-
ed in the lectures he would say
invariably at the end, ‘Well Swami,
it all amounts to this in the end,
does not it? I am Brahman, I am
the Absolute.’ Swamiji would
smile and say gently, ‘Yes Dokie,
you are Brahman; you are the Ab-
solute, in the real essence of your
being.’ Later, when the learned
doctor would come a trifle late to
the dining table, Swamiji would
say with utmost gravity but with An archival photo of Belur Math
a merry twinkle in his eyes, ‘Here comes disciples. Swami Akhandananda had once
Brahman’ or ‘Here is the Absolute.’1 fallen seriously ill at Sargachi Ashrama. Raja
During his stay in West, Swamiji had to Maharaj sent some monks to Sargachi to nurse
work under trying circumstances and yet he him. As his health did not improve, he had to
would have his moments of fun and humour. be brought to Balaram Mandir at Kolkata.
Often he would read comic papers like Punch After treatment and nursing, which continued
and would laugh at the jokes therein heartily. for about seven months, he felt much better
He loved to tell the story of a Christian and was keen to return to Sargachi. Raja
missionary who was sent to preach to an island Maharaj was also at that time staying at Bala-
peopled by cannibals. The freshly arrived ram Bhavan. He would try to postpone Swami
missionary went to meet the Chief of the tribe Akhandananda’s departure on some pretext
and asked him, ‘Well, how did you like my or the other. Sometimes, he would show the
predecessor?’ The cannibal chief replied, picture of a scorpion or some such inaus-
smacking his lips, ‘Simply de-li-cious!’2 picious picture (Swami Akhandananda beli-
eved in such bad omens) on the day of his
Swami Brahmananda departure to postpone his visit. One day he
Sri Ramakrishna himself loved to have arranged with someone to look at Swami
fun and frolic and this trait he had passed on Akhandananda with one eye (which is consi-
to his disciples. They would often tease each dered very inauspicious) when he got up from
other that would indirectly throw light on the bed, which again resulted in postponement of
deep bond among each other. his departure to Sargachi. All were charmed
Swami Brahmananda or Raja Maharaj to see this affectionate game between the two
would often pull the leg of his brother brother disciples.3

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 234 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 35

But the funniest trick played on Ganga-

dhar Maharaj was on another occasion.
Maharaj was residing at Kothar, Orissa, in the
parental home of Balaram Babu. At his
invitation, Swami Akhandananda or Ganga-
dhar Maharaj had come to stay there for a few
days. On the day before he wanted to leave,
Gangadhar Maharaj told Raja Maharaj of his
impending departure. Raja Maharaj was happy
in the company of his brother monk and
repeatedly requested him to stay longer; but
Gangadhar Maharaj was determined to leave.
On the appointed date, Gangadhar Maharaj
took leave from Maharaj and sat inside the
palanquin. It was night. The railway station at
Bhadrak was several miles away from Kothar.
The bearers of the palanquin set out. After
some time Gangadhar Maharaj fell asleep.
Maharaj had told the bearers beforehand to
come back with the palanquin to the house in
Kothar once Gangadhar Maharaj fell asleep.
Accordingly, they came back. When the Swami Brahmananda
palanquin stopped, Gangadhar Maharaj
thought they had reached the station. As he approached Swami Brahmananda, President
was getting out of the palanquin, he saw of the Belur Math, for initiation on Sri Thakur’s
Maharaj standing there. With utter astonish- Tithi Puja day. When he went to Swami
ment on his face, Maharaj asked, ‘Why have Brahmananda, he was sitting in an easy chair
you returned, brother?’ Gangadhar Maharaj on the porch overlooking the Ganges at Belur
realised that it was Maharaj’s ploy to keep Math and was chatting with some young
him from going on that day. There are many monks in a relaxed manner. After listening to
such incidents. 4 young Kiran’s request, Raja Maharaj remained
Again, a story is told by Swami Asesha- quiet for sometime. Then he said, ‘Yes, I will,
nanda, who headed the Vedanta Society of but there is one condition. You will have to
Portland, USA for many years, about the pay me rupees one hundred and eight in
bonhomie between Swami Brahmananda and advance as Gurudakshina (honorarium for the
Swami Saradananda. They would conspire to Guru); otherwise I will not initiate you.’
tease young monks. Br Kiran (as Swami When Br. Kiran expressed his inability
Aseshananda was known then) was serving to pay the same, Raja Maharaj said gravely, ‘I
as an attendant to Swami Saradananda. As per have a suggestion that will solve your pro-
the rules of the Math, it was time for Br. Kiran blem. Swami Saradananda is very rich. He has
to get initiated into brahmacharya vows. He all the money from Udbodhan. You are his
took permission from Swami Saradananda and attendant. Go to Swami Saradananda and

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 235 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

request him to pay that amount for you.’ While
young Kiran was standing speechless, Maharaj
called another candidate and said, ‘Gobinda,
you come from Midnapore. You will have to
dance, after the fashion that Orissa people are
fond of, for me. If you do it well I will give
brahmacharya to you. Without hesitation,
Gobinda performed the dance with suitable
gestures that the form of dance required and
Maharaj was delighted and laughed heartily.
Nonplussed, Kiran returned to Udbo-
dhan and told Swami Saradananda of the
happenings at Belur Math with a dejected
mind. Swami Saradananda heard Kiran grav-
ely and advised him to return to Belur Math
and tell Raja Maharaj that ‘I am his and
everything in Udbodhan belongs to him as
well. What he asks for will be given.’ Relieved,
Kiran rushed back to Belur Math and after
prostrating before Raja Maharaj repeated
Swami Saradananda’s message. But to Kiran’s
dismay, Raja Maharaj shouted at him and said,
‘Empty words! How I am to know if he will
do as he promises with nothing in writing?
You are his secretary. Prepare something for
him to sign. When I have his signature, then I
will believe it.’
Kiran returned to Udbodhan. He found
that Swami Saradananda was in deep medi-
tation. After his meditation was over, Kiran
appraised him with all that was said by Raja
Maharaj. After hearing him, Swami Sarada-
nanda, ‘Very well. I will come with you to
Belur Math.’ Next day, Swami Saradananda
accompanied by Br. Kiran went to Belur Math
and met Swami Brahmananda. After a few
minutes together with Raja Maharaj, Swami
Saradananda asked Kiran to wait outside.
After sometime Swami Saradananda came out
of Maharaja’s room and said without any
emotion, ‘It has been arranged. You will have
your Brahmacharya with the others.’ Swami
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
36
Aseshananda was to write fifty years later, ’I
can only speculate about what transpired
between the two brother monks as they
discussed “my case” and finally brought it to
conclusion.’ Today we may conjecture that
whatever might have been discussed on ‘this
case’ between the two great saints, it would
have been preceded by a hearty laugh from
both.5
Another similar amusing story is told by
Swami Visuddhananda, later the 8th President
of the Ramakrishna Order. He was at that time
in Madras Math under Swami Ramakrishna-
nanda (Shashi Maharaj) and was known as
Br. Jiten Maharaj. Here is the story in first
person:
One day Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda) sat
down for playing cards with us in Madras Math.
While Nirode Maharaj was playing as a partner
to Maharaj—in the opposite party, Shashi
Maharaj was being partnered by me. I was play-
ing very seriously from the start—I was very
keen to defeat Maharaj in card play. The play
was going on. I could see that Maharaj was
repeatedly winning because of mistakes by
Shashi Maharaj. Seeing me disturbed, Maharaj
was getting mirthful. On seeing this, I became
more determined to win and told Shashi Maharaj
to play carefully so that we can at least win one
hand. Useless was my appeal—a lot of good
cards were wasted because of Shashi Maharaj—
finally we suffered a heavy loss. Maharaj was in
very cheerful mood—especially because of my
futile efforts to win. I also became very angry
and told him, ‘What can I do alone Maharaj! I
did not get any support from Shashi Maharaj.’
After the game was over, Shashi Maharaj took
me aside and scolded me severely and said, ‘You
fool, I can see that you have become a profes-
sional player! You thought that I was sitting with
Maharaj to play a serious game? Did you not
see his face lighted with heavenly glow every
time he won a hand? Even on seeing repeatedly
~ 236 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 37

his beatific smile like that of a divine child, my
longings for seeing it were not fulfilled. Foolish
fellow, I was discarding the good cards delibe-
rately. My main aim was to keep him in cheerful
mood. Is he an ordinary man like us? He has
taken birth for welfare of mankind. How would
you know about his grace and compassion?’
Naturally, I was flabbergasted on hearing Swami
Ramakrishnananda. How could I ever imagine
that there was such a deep meaning in playing
of cards between great souls? My goodness! How
deep was Shashi Maharaj’s love and reverence
for Maharaj! There was no place for anger and
jealousy in their heart!6
Swami Kashishwarananda narrates ano-
ther amusing story. Once he and his friend
went to see Maharaj at Balaram Mandir. A
little before evening, Maharaj called them and
said, ‘You boys, will you be able to carry some
cauliflowers to the [Belur] Math?’ They readily
agreed to his proposal. Maharaj gave them
some money for the porter and towards boat
fare. He pointed towards a big basket
containing cauliflowers and said, ‘Give it to
Mahapurush Maharaj’ and tell him: ‘Maharaj
has sent you these few cauliflowers. He had a
mind to send you a boatful of cauliflowers
but it was not possible; please do not mind
and accept it. You are a sadhu (monk) and
can see an ocean in a drop; that is why he has
ventured to send a few of them’ and ‘repeat
to him exactly these words in the same way I
am telling you.’
After reaching Belur Math, they gave the
basket containing cauliflowers to Mahapurush
Maharaj and conveyed to him Raja Maharaj’s
message word by word, in the manner they
were asked to. Mahapurush Maharaj respon-
ded by laughing wholeheartedly like a child
and asked about the welfare of Maharaj. He
asked them to take prasad before returning.7
Though a simple anecdote, it speaks how
simple dealings of life can be made joyful and
graceful.
(To be continued . . .)

References
1. Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Swami Atmashraddhananda, Sri Ramakrishna
Ashrama, Kolkata. p. 253 Math, Chennai, p.168-170)
2. Vivekananda A Biography, Swami Nikhilananda, 5. Glimpses of a Great Soul, Swami Aseshananda, Sri
Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, p.210 Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, Pp.72-73
3. Brahmanandacharit (Bengali), Swami 6. Swami Brahmanander Smritikatha (Bengali), Edited
Prabhananda, p.26 by Swami Chetanananda, Udbodhan, Kolkata, p.27
4. Swami Brahmananda As We Saw Him, Edited by 7. Swami Brahmananda As We Saw Him, , Pp.404-405

India’s Timeless Wisdom

A{VXmZmV² ~{b~©Õmo ø{VXnm©V² gw`moYZ…&
{dZï>mo amdUmo bmo^mX²-A{V gd©Ì dO©`Vo &² &
By being too much charitable, the demon-king Bali fell into
bondage; by being too much proud of himself, Duryodhana was
destroyed; by being too much lustful, Ravana met his ill-fated
end. Hence one should avoid being too much immoderate in
every way. —Traditional sayings

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 237 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

Sri Tyagabrahma Aradhana at Chennai Math

Tyagaraja (1767-1847) was one of the greatest musician-saints of Indian
classical tradition. He was born in the village of Tiruvayyaru in today’s Thanjavur
district of Tamilnadu. His original name was Kakarla Tyagabrahmam but was
more popularly known as Tyagaraja. He, along with his contemporaries
Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, form the Trinity of Carnatic music.
He was a prolific composer and highly influential in the development of the
South Indian classical music tradition. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional
compositions, most of them in praise of Lord Rama—most of which remain very
popular even today. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the
Pancharatna Kritis (‘five gems’), which are often sung in programmes in his
honour.
Tyagaraja Aradhana, the commemorative music festival is held every year at
Thiruvayyaru, on the banks of river Kaveri, in the months of January to February
in Tyagaraja’s honour. This is a week-long festival of music where various
Carnatic musicians from all over the world converge at his resting place. On this Saint-poet Tyagaraja
occasion thousands of people and hundreds of Carnatic musicians sing the five
Pancharatna Kritis in unison, to the accom-
paniment of a large bank of accompanists
on violins, flutes, nadasvarams, mridangams
and ghatams.
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore,
Chennai, organized a Sri Sadguru Tyaga-
brahma Aradhana at Chennai Math on
Sunday, the 17 April 2011 in Swami Rama-
krishnananda Hall at its premises. The
programme included a short introduction,
brief puja, followed by rendering of Pancha-
ratna Kritis and compositions of Tyagaraja
by the teachers of Sarada Vidyalaya (a girls’
school of Ramakrishna Mission) at T. Nagar
in Chennai. † Tyagabrahma Aradhana at Chennai Math

Commemoration of the 175th Birth Anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna

The following centres of the Ramakrishna Order celebrated the 175th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna.
The main programmes are given in parentheses.
Baghbazar (in Kolkata)—procession, discourses, drama, musical performance, and seminar on Inter
Religious Harmony and Peace

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 238 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
 39

Kalady (in Kerala)—public meetings, bhajans and cultural programme on 16 April,

Malda (in West Bengal)—discourses, devotional music and drama on 9 and 10 April,
Sarisha (in West Bengal)—procession, drama, discourses and musical performance from 25 to 27 March,
Vadodara (in Gujarat)—public meetings, devotional musical and film shows from 28 March to 17 April.

Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda

On the initiative taken by Hyderabad Math, 57 educational institutions in and around Hyderabad have
started Vivekananda Centres of Human Excellence. The faculty of Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence
of our Hyderabad centre will be visiting these places regularly and conduct classes on Swamiji’s message,
personality development, etc., for the students of those institutions.
The following centres organized various programmes, the main ones shown in brackets, to commemorate
the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda:
Kanpur (devotees’ convention on 10 April), Port Blair (youth conference on 23 April), Salem (two
dramas on the life and message of Swamiji on 12 and 26 January). †

Y On 23 March, the birthday of Swami Yogananda,

a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Revered President
Maharaj inaugurated the newly constructed office
building, near the Ramakrishna Mission headquarters
office, to be used for Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth
anniversary celebrations.†

Relief News

1. Earthquake & Tsunami Relief: Japan: In wake
of the devastating earthquake and the ensuing tsunami
that hit the northeast coast of Japan on 11 March, our
Japan centre distributed the following items to the
victims: 101 blankets, 14 packets of milk powder, 38
water bottles, 75 soap bars, 1550 cotton masks, 183
New office building at Belur Math

towels, various sanitary materials and 500 postcards.

The centre also purchased different kinds of green
vegetables and dispatched them on 24 April to the
shelters set up in the worst-affected areas in Tohoku.
2.Distress Relief: The following centres distri-
buted various items, shown below, to needy people:
Y Baghbazar: 2300 saris, 200 lungis, 106 shirts,
118 children's garments
Y Chapra: 236 blankets
Y Guwahati:100 blankets, 30 steel plates, 6 tatsals
(weaving machines) and 6 sewing machines
Y Kankurgachhi: 250 saris
Y Malda: 10 bicycles, 150 school bags, 150
umbrellas, 150 packets of Horlicks, 150 tooth-
brushes, 150 tubes of toothpaste
Y Swamiji's House: 2115 children's garments and

Distribution of relief material in West Bengal

505 woollen chaddars
Y Sikra Kulingram: 250 blankets. †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 239 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

PRIMER OF VEDANTA
By Swami Tyagisananda
Published by Sri Rama-
krishna Math, 31, R.K.Math
Road, Mylapore, Chennai-
600 004. 2010, paperback,
pp.82, Rs.20.
A primer is an intro-
ductory book and Vedanta
deals with the highest know-
ledge. It is that knowledge which on being known
there remains nothing else to be known. In that
sense, a primer of Vedanta is likely to be perceived
as a hard-to-understand book.
However, Swami Tyagisananda, a deeply
revered profound scholar with the ability to com-
municate with ease, has brought together the
essential qualifications for attaining the highest
knowledge in a lucid and attractive style. The
Foreword points out that the scriptural classes of
the learned Swami at the Vedanta College [now
defunct] at Bangalore demanded close attention and
one couldn’t afford to miss one sentence. In the
same way, a reader will find that not one sentence
in this primer is redundant.
The opening chapter on Definition of Terms
is a very useful beginning, to know for instance,
the difference between dhyanam and nididhyasanam
or prama and pramana. Upanishads, the author
points out, are unique as they ‘record the common
experiences of many sages’ unlike other faiths
where the scriptures are the experiences of one
person. Therefore, there is greater reliability in the
former.
While every topic in the primer is important,
a few may be mentioned by way of illustration.
The relative levels of reliability and limitations of
the means of pramana, viz. pratyaksha, anumana and
agama, explained in the primer are impressive.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
For review in THE VEDANTA KESARI,
publishers need to send us
two copies of their latest publication.
Knowledge acquired through agama pramana suffers
many inadequacies such as the language used and
its interpretations. As the author quotes another,
‘Language is not a means of communication of
thoughts but it is a means of concealing thoughts’.
Reason and faith coexist in the field of
religion. A disciple should not be a mere sceptic
but ‘have a working faith’ in his guru. But it is up
to him to make sure that the ‘guru deserves such
faith and confidence’. One may recall that Sri
Ramakrishna favoured freedom for disciples to put
the guru to such reliability test.
Vedanta is ‘not only a philosophy but a
science and religion as well’. Although Vedanta
requires deep study, the Primer of Vedanta will
encourage seekers of the highest knowledge to
pursue the subject in earnest. This publication now
available at a nominal cost of Rs.20/- will remove
any misconception that Vedanta cannot be assimi-
lated by common folk.
______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM, CHENNAI
PARAMAHAMSA A VEDANTIC
TALE
By R.Subramony
Published by D.K.Printworld
(P) Sri Kunj, F-52, Bali Nagar,
Ramesh Nagar Metro Station,
New Delhi - 110 015. 2011,
paperback, Pp.202 + xiv.
Rs.295. $14.75
This book is a tale cen-
tred on the theme of philosophic ideals and
teachings of Vedanta. It begins with the narrator’s
decision to spend the Vanaprastha stage of his life
in Madurai and his subsequent efforts to study
Advaita philosophy as propounded by Adi Sankara
and Acharya Abhinavagupta. The imaginary
~ 240 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

narrator of this novel comes to Madurai in the last
decade of the twentieth century, drawn to spiri-
tuality after certain mishaps in his family life, to
study the works of Acharya Shankara and Ramana
Maharshi; the first fifteen chapters cover this aspect
of the narrative.
In this novel, Ganapathy Sastry, an ancestor
of the narrator, finding his son Subbiah spiritually
inclined, advises him to seek guidance from
Paramahamsa Sivahari, a realized soul who has
come from the North and is living in a nearby
village. Sivahari accepts Subbiah as his disciple and
the next twenty-five chapters cover the entire
philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and spirituality in
daily life through the discourse of Sivahari to
Subbiah and the people who gather to listen to him
as the two travel to different places of pilgrimage
in South India. In the last five chapters the narrator
gives his experiences in pursuit of spirituality in
his life.
Paramahamsa, as per the author, is essentially
a metaphysical novel in which the emphasis is more
on the eternal values and not on the characters or
the descriptions. In this book, while the author seeks
to focus on the relevance of the teachings of the
Upanishads and the several spiritual texts in Tamil
literature to modern times through extensive quota-
tions, the purpose could have been achieved better
had the same been presented in some logical order.
It would then have been easier to follow and also
be of much use to spiritual seekers who are inte-
rested in Advaita, as the work pertains to the teach-
ings of great acharyas like Shankara, Abhinava-
gupta, Ramana Maharshi and saints like Sadashiva
Brahmendra.
The uniqueness of Kashmir Saivisim is
extensively dealt with through the discourse of the
imaginary character Paramahamsa Sivahari. This
book also throws light on the teachings of Bhagavan
Ramana Maharishi and the contributions of Sanskrit
scholars and philosophers like Nilakanta Dikshitar,
Appayya Dikshitar, and the Mystic poet Sadashiva
Brahmendra. Contributions of Tamil poets and
philosophers like Muruganar, Kumaraguruparar,
Manikkavacakar, Ramalingaswamy, Thayumanavar
and Tirumular to philosophy and spirituality are
also extensively quoted and the common trend in
their teachings well brought out.
Unfortunately, fictitious characters and real
life personalities are inextricably mixed up in the
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
41
narrative causing some confusion to the readers.
The author could well have introduced the charac-
ters at the outset to avoid this confusion. Also, there
are some chronological inconsistencies in the narra-
tives. In the extensive quotations given from several
works, had the author given due references as well,
it would have been of much help to the readers;
these certainly could be done in the subsequent
editions. But for these shortcomings, this is a very
commendable effort of the author as he has
ventured into writing a novel on a philosophical
theme, a domain others fear to tread.
__________________________ H. SUBRAMANIAN, BANGALORE
UNIVERSAL HINDUISM
By David Frawley (Vama-
deva Shastri).
Published by Voice of India,
2/8, Ansari Road, New Delhi-
110 002. 2010, paperback,
Pp.213 + xxiii, Rs.200.
Hinduism as a way of
life has been practised and
promulgated by millions of
people all over the globe. The
reason for this is its tolerance, flexibility, rich
philosophical treatises and richer mystical expo-
sitions. It avoids the extremes of blind observances
and dogmatism; superstitions and dry intellec-
tualism. It is an intellectual faith having a balance
between metaphysical doctrines and religious
practices. Only such religions which have univer-
salistic outlook and catholicity will withstand the
ordeals of time and the test of disaster. Scholars
from different parts of the world have not only
embraced this Sanatana Dharma, but have written
comprehensively about its basic tenets and funda-
mental principles as well.
David Frawley has written an excellent book
which highlights the new vision about the global
perspective of Hinduism. With an Indian name, viz..
Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, the author has written
several works on Hinduism for the past three
decades bringing to light its salient features such
as yoga, Vedanta, Tantra, Vedic astrology, and
ayurvedic medicine. The present work is a presen-
tation of the significant elements of Sanatana
Dharma. He communicates its ideals effectively and
spreads its message efficiently not only for the
~ 241 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

people of India, but also for the scholars abroad.
Besides the tradition of promoting universal truth,
the Sanatana Dharma’s wisdom and consciousness
encompass all life and is vibrantly relevant to all
living beings on earth.
In the preface, the author maintains that his
work ‘examines the relationship of Hinduism with
other religions: the similarities and differences,
including the issues of interfaith and conversion. It
highlights Hinduism’s connection with native and
pagan traditions, which are considerable.’ Since
Sanatana Dharma is the unique and systematized
spiritual tradition of Hinduism, undoubtedly, it
accommodates and accomplishes the distinctive
sense of spiritual and cultural identity: history and
purpose. The contents of this glorious work have
three parts. The first part exclusively deals with
the elaborate definition and distinctive features of
universal Hinduism especially its present condition
in India and the world today. Part two examines
the current world issues in the context of Hindu
faith. Bio-diversity, ecology, evolution, conscious-
ness, social paganism and yoga are some of the
ideologies that have been elucidated along with the
lines of Hinduism and in comparison with
Christianity. Part three is seriously concerned with
universal Hinduism and social order which is really
critical and innovative in the sense that it analyses
all the contemporary issues which are confronting
Hindu faith such as varna system, caste problem,
information technology, adharma of politics, etc.
On the whole, this work is a comprehensive
compendium on Hindu Dharma comprising of all
the renowned axioms and assertions recognized all
over the world. In his own words: ‘May that
Universal Dharma arise once more in its full glory
throughout the world, both as a way of knowledge
and a spiritual culture, carrying the millennial
experience and vast inspiration of the ancient Vedic
seers for all to embrace!’
__________________________ R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, CHENNAI
THE IMMORTAL TALES
By A.D. Bhattacharya.
Published by Srikunj Sadbhavana Manch, , F-52,
Bali Nagar, Ramesh Nagar Metro Station, New
Delhi - 110 015. 2010, paperback, Pp131. Rs.120.
One of the better methods to understand an-
cient Indian tradition and culture is to read puranic
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
42
tales retold in a style that
suits the modern age. These
books particularly when
read during adolescence
encourages the readers to
cultivate ethical practices
and evolve in the path of
devotion.
‘The Immortal Tales’
is a welcome addition.
Indian puranic tales under-
go minor variations at the
hands of authors. However, they convey their
essence or morals, and variety adds flavour.
Meghnad’s funeral and Kaikayi’s absence at the
welcome ceremony to Sri Rama are instances of
such variations in presentation (stories 14 and 15).
Bhattacharya’s book has 48 tales and these
are, by and large very well written. There is scope
for further refinement in some of them. The
‘freedom’ sought by the convict (focus of the story)
is freedom to indulge in mundane matters and not
for ‘emancipation from this world of births and
deaths’ (page 118). ‘Divinity sees no sin in man’
concerning Sri Ramakrishna has serious lessons. The
episode concerning Alexander Fleming (not part of
puranic tales) is rarely remembered and therefore
a useful addition to the collection.
Authors and publishers have to bear in mind
that the readership of such books is worldwide.
Some of them outside India may not have a suitable
background to appreciate the spirit of these tales.
Their special needs should therefore be addressed.
To understand terms such as ‘brahman’ or ‘brahma-
jnani’ (page 124 in the book) an Indian background
is necessary. A Glossary is therefore a special need
in such books explaining the terms in detail.
______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM, CHENNAI
HOW TO EMBRACE PAIN
By Prabha Sampath and
Krishna Kumari
Published by Sterling Publi-
shers (P) Ltd. A-59, Okla
Industrial Area, Phase II,
New Delhi - 110 020. 2010,
Paperback, Pp.143, Rs.195.
(Available at Gita Publishing
House, 10, Sadhu Vaswani
Path, Pune - 411 001)
~ 242 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

Today the sight of a smiling face at work is
newsworthy. A friendly smile is becoming a rare
sight. But we have in our midst venerable persons
who serve humanity with a smile. Being positivists
their sermons form a ‘Gospel of strength’.
Pain, physical or mental, can destroy morale
and the sufferer loses self-confidence. The mental
agony persists despite the best medical attention.
However the agony vanishes when the patient hears
or reads sagely wisdom and also by observing how
venerable persons conduct themselves when faced
with extreme suffering that would have paralyzed
ordinary people. Their lessons are not merely on
the technique of facing such misfortunes but also
in understanding the need for their suffering.
Dada Vaswani whose name is synonymous
with service suffered multiple fractures while in
America at the age of 92. Recovery was further
complicated as, after bone surgery, he suffered a
mild stroke causing concern to his devotees and
hospital staff. The authors of the book under review
have narrated all that happened from the time he
was taken to hospital. It focuses on Dada’s remark-
able faith in God that gave him such fortitude and
positive outlook.
Dada Vaswani accepted the pain and dis-
comfort with his beaming smile and even during
times of extreme unbearable pain he would only
say ‘Hey Ram’. He believed that God cures through
the patient’s ‘silent acceptance,…therapy of cheer-
fulness and the constant expression of gratitude to
God…’ His period of convalescence turned into a
satsang in the hospital room at which even doctors
and medical staff merrily joined. At every oppor-
tunity he explained why and how the body suffered
but not ‘He’. There was never a complaint about
his state.
Devotees of Sri Ramakrishna will recall why
and how he underwent extreme suffering with no
regret or complaint and the sermons of Sri Sarada
Devi on ways of promoting happiness. Dada refers
to the experiences of Sri Ramakrishna and of Sri
Ramana Maharshi.
Anyone undergoing suffering should have the
conviction to express gratitude to God treating the
state as a gift. If you complain that God has been
unkind or unfair, even a slight pain or discomfort
would seem unbearable. Therefore, ‘change your
attitude’. Dada Vaswani was compassionate, under-
standing and had the gift of quick wit. His guru
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
43
Sadhu Vaswani had also undergone severe illness
and was sleepless due to pain but never complained
as he treated it as a gift of God.
The satsang that Dada Vaswani held at his
bedside has lessons for the afflicted.
This book will be valuable to the healthy as
well as sick and the medical profession. The obser-
vations of the hospital staff are worth noting. About
the patient they treated, one of them says, ’There
are many things that could make him sad, angry. .
. but he. . . embraces this physical challenge. . .
These factors have been the foundation for his
recovery.’ He revealed a zest for life and was full
of energy.
______________________________ P. S. SUNDARAM, CHENNAI
AMUKTAMALYADA OF SRI KRISHNA DEVA RAYA
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
By Srinivas Sistla
Both books Published by author, Drusya Kala
Deepika, 4-61-7, Lawson’s Bay Colony, Vishakha-
patnam - 530 017. 2010, paperback, Pp.473,
Rs.495 (US$26).
BHEEMANNA’S SUMATI SATKAMU.
English translation by Srinivas Sistla
2008, paperback, Pp. 151+l, Rs.200 (US$20).
Sistla Srinivas, the translator, has already
made a mark by his original and pioneering work
in the field of art, literature and culture. He is on
the faculty of Fine Arts in Andhra University and
teaches history and aesthetics.
He has now chosen to translate Amuktya
Malyada and Sumati Sataka, both classics in their
areas. Amuktya Malyada is by Sri Krishnadevaraya,
~ 243 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1

the most celebrated king of the Vijayanagar Empire.
He is a ‘household’ word in the glorious history of
Telugu literature, culture and architecture. He was
also an illustrious patron of all arts and the unique
Ashtadiggajas of Telugu literature adorned his court.
And, above all, he was a poet himself giving to
Telugu classical poetry the imperishable Kabya,
Amukta Malyada.
Amuktya Malyada is the narrative of Andal or
Goda Devi, the most celebrated woman saint of Sri
Vaishnavism. Her entire being radiated her
devotion to Lord Ranganatha.
Amuktya Malyada is an exceptionally difficult
text (or so they say) and combines as Velcheri Nara-
yana Rao and David Shulman say, ‘seemingly dis-
parate domains—meticulous realism, doctrinal eru-
dition and precision and baroque imagination,’ all
merging ‘into a coherent whole organized by the
narrative frame’. (Anthology of Classical Poetry, OUP,
2002, p.55). This rich complex text now appears in
translation by Sistle Srinivas giving it a wide range
of reception. There are also, virtually on every page,
visuals meticulously and painstakingly placed
so that the visual and the verbal create a rich
intertext.
The real issue is translation: the paradox is: if
one knows the original, one is tempted to compare
for accuracy and the ability to evoke the nuances,
the majesty of the original. This seems to me largely
a futile exercise. For, if I know the original, why
should I bother about the translation? If I don’t, the
translated text is itself original to me. Here I felt
there is another and related dimension. The original
text, Amuktya Malyada is, in itself, a somewhat
tough text. Even the most determined often despair.
Hence the significance of English translation. If it
has an inwardness with Telugu, it will show in
English. Therefore, a reader like me can possibly
go back to the English version for comprehension,
if not indefensible comparison. On both these
counts, Srinivas’ translation does a remarkable job.
Both prose and poetry are juxtaposed in the
text. A feature which comes with a refreshing breath
of novelty to those who are unfamiliar (there are
Note: 1. March 2011 issue page 117 : please read—around 1875, he met Sri Ramakrishna, instead of around
1857…
2. April 2011 issue page 155: please read—Ramabhai was a lady coming from a higher caste (not
lower caste, as mentioned)…
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
44
many) with this genre. Similarly, few of us are
aware that there are no exclusively religious texts
in classical literature. They integrate environ-
mentally ornamental structure (descriptions of
seasons, flora, fauna, etc.) and surprisingly we have
Sri Krishnadevaraya’s views on governance. One
is struck by their relevance. The king ‘should rule
to the best of his genius, as per the law, / With the
help of a strong army and a full treasury! / If he
relies on a minister who is devoid of virtues / He
would prove to be a source of trouble! / If a king
wears a pearl of the size of an ash gourd / Will it
not cause trouble to his heart?’
Timely (for corporates) is another verse: ‘No
business can be accomplished by money alone and
/ Without the cooperation of many high-ranking
officers! / To keep them in due subordination,
absence of greed and cruelty / And the presence of
truthfulness is very essential!’ (p.316, Raja Neethi)
I cite these as a link to the contents of the
second book, Sumati Satakamu. This is a manual of
ethical axioms, a genre very popular in both the
vernacular and the classical languages. This
collection of hundred verses is presumably by
Baddena (assigned to the whole period spanning
12th to 15th century) and has quatrains on all values
generally crystallized in Purusharthas: dharma, artha,
kama and moksha or ethics, economics, erotics and
equanimity. Srinivas has written a comprehensive
introduction. The Telugu original also is provided
along with the English translation. Many of these
verses are on the lips of most Telugus but to find
them in English is quite a novelty.
Reading the two books for this review made
me realize the truth which Sumati Sataka expresses:
‘To recite poetry / suffused with the meaningful
Nava Rasas / And melodious songs / Before one
who lacks judgment, / would be like blowing a
conch before the deaf! / That’s for sure! O Sumati!’
Amuktya Malyada and Sumati Sataka as
translated by Srinivas run no such risk. They are
valuable contributions to the expanding genre of
English translations from the vernacular.
______________________ M. SIVARAMKRISHNA, HYDERABAD
~ 244 ~ J U N E 2 0 1 1
T h e V heed aVn et ad a Kn teas aKr ie s a r i
T 45 45 J U N E J 2U0N1 E1 2 0 1 1

RAMAKRISHNA KUTIR
Bright End Corner, Almora—263 601, Uttarakhand
Phone: 05962-254417, E-mail: rkutir@gmail.com, rkutir@yahoo.in

Appeal for Restoration

Ramakrishna Kutir (Ashrama) at Almora, Uttarakhand, was founded in
1916 by Swami Turiyananda and Swami Shivananda (two direct disciples of
Sri Ramakrishna) at the behest of the Swami Vivekananda. The Almora Ashrama
is a retreat centre where monks and devotees of Sri Ramakrishna come to live
in its spiritual atmosphere and get peace of mind. The place is imbued with the
spiritual vibrations of Swami Turiyananda’s holy and austere life. The Ashrama
also conducts welfare activities for the poor hill people and needy students.
Last year we distributed 5000 woollen blankets to the victims of devastating
rain that hit Almora district.
Unprecedented rains and cloud burst in September 2010 in Almora resulted
in tremendous landslide, gorges, cracks and land-sinking of the Ashrama
premises. The changed land contour has damaged the temple and other
buildings. Our engineers have suggested abandoning of an old building and
rebuilding of other damaged ones.
Hence we appeal to all devotees and general public to extend their helping
hands to restore the Ashrama buildings. The restoration of land, at least,
should be completed before the next rainy season in 2011. After that we
shall have to start the construction of the damaged buildings. For this entire
restoration and reconstruction work, we need more than 2 Crore rupees.
Cheque/Draft may please be drawn in favour of ‘Ramakrishna Kutir, Almora’
and sent to: Ramakrishna Kutir, Bright End Corner, Almora, Pin - 263 601
(Uttarakhand). The name of the donors of 2 Lakh rupees and above will be
displayed in prominent place, if he or she wishes.
All donations to Ramakrishna Math are exempt from the Income Tax U/S.
80G of the I.T. Act.

Swami Somadevananda
Adhyaksha
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 46 J U N E 2 0 1 1

RAMAKRISHNA MATH, NATTARAMPALLI

Vellore District, Tamil Nadu – 635 852
LET RURAL INDIA BECOME ROARING INDIA
This Math is one of the unique branches of the Ramakrishna Math & Mission, H.Q. Belur Maht,
Howrah, WB. Though we serve the RURAL POOR in multifarious ways, our main focus is on
education including college studies and health care.
For the new academic year starts from June 2011, we need to attend the following immediately:
1.To provide financial help to the RURAL POOR STUDENTS who have completed their higher
secondary school education, to enter into colleges for Higher Studies.
2. To provide free school uniforms to about 4000 children in 70 village primary schools.
3. To provide free school note books and geometry box to another 3000 students studying in
rural higher secondary schools around Nattarampalli.
For this noble cause, we need rupees 20 lakhs. We earnestly appeal to you to donate liberally
and let us make our Rural India as Vibrant Roaring India.
Your contribution may be sent through Cheque / DD or M.O. favouring ‘Ramakrishna Math,
Nattarampalli’. Or through electronic mode of transfer in our A/C No.31502956578 in S.B.I., Branch
Code – 14619. After transferring the amount, kindly intimate us immediately without fail by e-
mailing us at : mail@srkmnattarampalli.org.in or over phone to 0417-242227 or 9629812221.
All donations are exempt from the Income tax under Sec.80G of the Income Tax Act.
Swami Tyagarajananda
(Adhyaksha)

SRI RAMAKRISHNA ADVAITA ASHRAMA

(HQS: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math)
P.O. Kalady, Ernakulam - 683574, Kerala
Phone:0484-2462345, Cell:9447051231 E-mail:srkaadv@dataone.in
An Appeal
The Ashrama has been running a free hostel for the poor, underprivileged and
orphan children from classes V to X since 1936. They are provided with food,
uniform, accommodation and education up to Xth Std. absolutely free of cost. They
are admitted in the school managed by the Ashrama within its campus.
There is an urgent need for repair and renovation of the old hostel buildings and
for creating a ‘Hostel Corpus Fund’ of Rs. 2 Crores for maintaining the hostel with
100 boys smoothly in the years to come.
We appeal to the generous public and well wishers to donate liberally for this
most essential educational project.
Donations towards the activities of the Ashrama are exempt from Income Tax
under 80G. Cheques or Bank Drafts may be drawn in favour of ‘Sri Ramakrishna
Advaita Ashrama, Kalady’ and sent to the above address. Donations also can be
sent directly through RTGS/NEFT to our A/c No. 3386010009164 at Union Bank of
India, Kalady (IFSC Code: UBIN0533866). Swami Amaleshananda
Adhyaksha
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 47 J U N E 2 0 1 1

Duration: 2 Hours and 56 minutes Duration: 1 Hour and 12 minutes Duration: 2 Hours and 20 minutes
Price : Rs. 150 [US $8] Price : Rs.150 [US $8] Price: Rs.150 [US $8]

Also A vailable as a 3 CD Gift pack collection

Available
Price: Rs.400 [US $20] This CD Collection contains the lectures and writings of Swami
Vivekananda on Education, Hinduism and Bold Message for
World Peace narrated in a MP3 audio book format spoken with
neutral English accent understood universally. A complete
electronic version of the book is also included in standard
eBook format as a “Read Along” with the audio book.
Audio Book Formats and Supported Devices: MP3 and iTunes®
AudioBook format supported on PC/Mac, MP3 Players, Apple
iPod®/iPad®/iPhone® and all Mobile Phones. Also works on MP3 CD
Player.eBook Formats and Supported Devices: ePub and Mobi
support on PC/Mac®, Apple iPod®/iPad®/iPhone®, Amazon Kindle®,
B&N Nook®, Android® Smartphone, Blackberry® Mobile and Nokia®
Smartphones.Supported Platforms: Windows XP®/Vista®/7® and
Mac® OS with iTunes Software
To order this CD Collection online, please visit our eStore shopping page @
http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/cds/collections
To avoid shipping fees, you can download a digital version online @
http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/audio-downloads/audio-books
For more info about ordering the CDs, please contact:

Sri Ramakrishna Math, 31, Ramakrishna

Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 600004
Ph: 2462 1110 Fax : 2493 4589
email: mail@chennaimath.org website: www.chennaimath.org
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 48 J U N E 2 0 1 1

India’s Heritage: Vedas to Sri Ramakrishna

India is a unique country with mind-boggling diversity in food, language, customs
and so on. Despite several foreign aggressions for centuries, the flame of Indian culture
and religions continues to glow. What makes India so? Its continued tradition. This
splendid heritage has been kept up by great men and women with a higher vision of life
and love for mankind.
A number of paintings depicting this legacy have
been part of the Swami Vivekananda and Indian
Cultural Heritage Exhibition at the Vivekanandar Illam
at Chennai. India’s Heritage: Vedas to Sri Rama-
krishna contains the pictures of these paintings, with
an explanatory text by the author, G.V. Reddy, who
is a well-known architect, scholar and gifted narrator.
Printed on art paper, book size 8 ½” x 11”

Published by
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004

Pages iv + 96 Price: Rs. 100/- + Postage: Rs. 30/- for single copy.
No request for VPP entertained

11th YEAR OF PUBLICATION

FREE BOOK "Of the Splendid, I am the Splendour" - Gita X: 36

A Monthly Publication
Splendour is a unique monthly digest publication meant for Sadhakas. It contains
articles of enduring significance collated from different sources and reprinted with
permission.
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NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE

(FREE HOME FOR THE BLIND, ORPHAN AND AGED)
TIRUCHANOOR, TIRUPATI - 517503. Ph : 0877-2239992, 9908537528 [Mob.]
E-mail: navajeevan@sancharnet.in Website: www.navajeevan.org

An Appeal
31 Years of Service to Humanity 1979 - 2009
1. Navajeevan School & Hostel for Blind Children – Tirupati & Orissa
2. Navajeevan Free Eye Hospital – Tirupati
3. Navajeevan Free Home for Aged – Tirupati & Rishikesh
4. Navajeevan Harijan Sewa Ashram – Kothapeta
5. Navajeevan Sharanagati Vridhashram – Tirupati
6. Navajeevan Orphanage – Parlaki Mudi [Orissa]
7. Navajeevan Rural Medical Centres - Berhampur [Orissa]
8. Navajeevan Eye Care Centres - Serango [Orissa]

A Humble Request for Donation

1. Sponsor one day Annadan to Blind Children and aged – Rs. 5000/-
2. Sponsor 5 IOL Cataract Eye Operations – Rs. 7000/-
3. Sponsor one blind child or Orphan child for one year – Rs. 6000/-
4. Sponsor one poor aged person for one year – Rs. 5000/-
5. Sponsor one free eye camp at Rural/Tribal area – Rs. 50000/-
6. Vidyadan—Educational aid for one Child – Rs. 2000/-

Donor devotees can send their contributions by cheque/DD/MO to the above address on
the occasion of birthday, wedding day or any other special occasion and receive prasadam of Lord
Balaji Venkateswara of Tirupati as blessings.
Contributions to NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE, Tirupati are eligible for Tax
Relief U/S 80G of Income Tax Act.
‘We can attain salvation through social work’
– Swami Vivekananda
K. Sridhar Acharya
Founder/ President
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 The Vedanta Kesari Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India
under No.1084 / 57. Postal Registered No. TN / CH (C) / 190 / 09-11
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Date of publication: 26th of every month

Teach yourselves, teach everyone his/her real nature, call upon the
sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will
come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that
is excellent will come, when this sleeping soul is roused to self-
conscious activity.
—Swami Vivekananda

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Contact: Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Website: www.chennaimath.org