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Arsha VidyaNewsletter


Vol. 13 September 2012 Issue 9

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Arsha Vidya Newsletter - September 2012 1

Arsha Vidya PithamSwami Dayananda AshramSri Gangadhareswar TrustPurani Jhadi, RishikeshPin 249 201, UttarakhandaPh.0135-2431769Fax: 0135 2430769Website: www.dayananda.orgEmail: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:

Chairman:

Swami DayanandaSaraswati

Managing Trustee:

Swami Suddhananda

Trustees:

Swami Santatmananda

Swami Hamsananda

Sri Rajni Kant

Sri M.G. Srinivasan

Col. Kamal Kumar

Sri M. Rajalingam

Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam72, Bharat NagarAmaravathi Road, NagpurMaharashtra 410 033Phone: 91-0712-2523768Emai: [email protected]

Board of Trustees

Paramount Trustee:

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

President

Rajashree Shrikant Jichkar,

Secretary

Madhav Babasaheb Solao,

Trustees:

Ramesh Bhaurao Girde

Avinash Narayanprasad Pande

Madhav Chintaman Kinkhede

Ramesh alias Nana PandurangGawande

Rajendra Wamanrao Korde

Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta and SanskritSruti Seva TrustAnaikatti P.O.Coimbatore 641 108Tel. 0422-2657001,Fax 91-0422-2657002

Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.in"

Email: [email protected]

Board of Trustees:

Paramount Trustee:

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Chairman:

R. Santharam

Trustees:

C. Soundar Raj

P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajhah

Ravi Sam

N.K. Kejriwal

T.A. Kandasamy Pillai

Ravi Gupta

M. Krishnan

Secretary:V. Sivaprasad

Arsha Vidya GurukulamInstitute of Vedanta andSanskritP.O. Box No.1059Saylorsburg, PA, 18353, USATel: 570-992-2339Fax: 570-992-7150

570-992-9617

Web Site : "http://www.arshavidya.org"

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Board of Directors:

President:Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Vice Presidents:Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati

Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati

Secretary:Anand Gupta

Treasurer:Piyush and Avantika Shah

Asst. Secretary:Dr. Carol Whitfield

Directors:

Drs.N.Balasubramaniam (Bala) & Arul

Ajay & Bharati Chanchani

Dr.Urmila Gujarathi

Sharad & Lata Pimplaskar

Dr.V.B. Prathikanti & Sakubai

Dr.Sundar Ramaswamy(Dhira) & Usha

Dr.L.Mohan & Vinita Rao

V.B.Somasundaram and Dr.Anasuya

Bhagubhai and Janaki Tailor

Dr.Ashok Chhabra & Martha Doherty

Vijay and Pammi Kapoor

Associate Board of Directors:Dr.Soma & Nagaveni Avva

Dr.Ravindra Bathina

Dr.Mahesh & Maheswari Desai

Dr.Pramod & Lata Deshmukh

Dr.T.A.Gopal & Lata

Dr.Kamlesh & Smita Gosai

Dr.Haren Joshi & Pratima Tolat

Dr.Arun & Mangala Puranik

G.S. Raman & Gita

Dr.Bhagabat & Pushpalakshmi Sahu

Rakesh Sharma


Arsha Vidya

Newsletter

In fearless voice maywe proclaim

The Rishi's message from all house-tops

And bring the menof different claim

To a fold of Lovewhere oneness lasts!

Arsha Vidya Newsletter - September 20122

Muëòakopaniñad

If Brahman became many and continued to remain, but was separated from allthe created things and beings, then also the opening statement is untenable.Again, if Brahman becomes many, like rice becoming many by taking variousforms such as rice sticks and so on, then it is inert. It also becomes dual. ButBrahman is taught as jïänam brahma1, so it definitely cannot be inert. SinceBrahman is a conscious entity, it amounts to saying that the cetana-brahmanhas become this manifold world.

The only option open to us is: everything here is Brahman and that Brahmanis available for my knowledge as the only reality. Brahman happens to be satyaand everything else is an effect of that Brahman, and hence mithyä. Therefore,it is possible to gain all knowledge by knowing one thing, Brahman. It is likeknowing the world of pots by knowing its vcause, that is, clay.

The pot is something different from the original form of the clay, in a way. Butthen, the clay has no particular form. It can be in any form, including a potform. Therefore, the pot form is but clay form. And pot form is not just a form.It is a form that has a certain meaning, a certain purpose, and therefore, is adeliberate creation.

Now, if the pot is something that is a deliberate creation, then there is someknowledge involved, like what is a pot. The word ‘pot’ has its own meaning.Between the word ‘pot’ and its meaning there is a certain relationship which isalways there. Once you know the pot, the word ‘pot’ and its meaning cannotbe separated. For the word ‘pot’ there is an object ‘pot’. In that word is lockedthe knowledge of the pot, and that object is always going to be referred to bythat word. There is a permanent relationship between abhidhäna, a word, andabhidheya, the object indicated by that word. The moment I utter the word‘pot’, the one who knows that word is able to recognise the object. The onewho does not know can be taught – ‘This is pot’. Thereafter, wherever he seesa pot, he is going to recognise, ‘This is a pot’. This relationship between theword and its meaning is something constant. Therefore, communication ispossible.

1 Taittiriyopanishad 2.1


The clay, retaining its nature, has deliberately assumed the form of pot to servea purpose. In this creation there is a certain knowledge of pot involved, andan act of creation involved. This pot is a creation from clay, and for that creationwe have to find a cause which is ‘more than what we see’. Clay is ‘what wesee’ in a clay pot. But the clay itself is not the pot. Nor can clay itself becomethe pot. Being a deliberate craeation, there is something ‘more than what yousee’ here. That ‘more than what you see’, makes you always wonder, who canbe the maker of this pot? The knowledge and skill involved here do not belongto the clay. Clay is inert. It cannot make itself into a meeaningful pot, big orsmall. That ‘more than what you see’ in this creation is the jïäna, the knowledgeand çakti, skill. Both of them are required in any creation. One who sees thatis called a vivekin. Only a human being can see that. A cow cannot. A cowis not able to see ‘more than what meets the eyes’. Therefore, we cannot makethis too simplistic.

There must be a maker because of whose knowledege and skill alone, whoseefforts alone, a pot can come into exisztence. There must be a nimitta käraëa,an efficient cause. We now have two different causes for the pot. One is theclay, the other is the pot-maker. A pot is not a complex creation. If the creationis a clock, you are able to see how complex a thing it is. It has got to be aneffect, and it is an effect in which there is definitely’more than what you see’.It is intelligently put together.

The expression ‘intelligently put togther’ implies the knowledge and skill necessaryfor that production. They have to abide in a conscious being. The cause is notinert material here. A clay head cannot think about creating a clock. The clockis a cetana kärya, born of conscious activityy. Therefore, there must be a cetanavastu, conscious entity as the cause. The bhüta yoni, cause of all things is thecetana vastu. Consciousness, and it is vibhu, pervading all effects. Vibhu isthe upädäna käraëa, material cause, like clay that has become many in theform of pots, lids and so on. The word bhüta yoni can be taken as nimittakäraëa, the efficient cause where knowledge and skill abide. Thus vibhu indicatesthe cause that has become ‘many’, and bhüta yoni indicates the cause that hasmade the ‘many’. These two causes are discussed here in this mantra.

That which has made this manifold jagat is one form of cause, and that whichhas become the jagat is another. Generally these two causes are located in twoplaces. One is a cetana, conscious, and the other is acetana, inert. The consciousbeing is the pot-maker, and clay is inert. Using the inert clay, the pot-maker


makes the pot. In the hands of the pot-maker, the inert clay is shapedinto many forms.

When we look into this jagat, naturally we are trying to find out the ultimatecause. As a human being you see more than what the eyes can see. Theeyes see only a tree, but you see everything that the tree has, the schemeof every part in the tree, the purpose that each one serves, and so on. Theroots, the trunk, the bark, the foliage, the flower, the seed – every one ofthem is important, everytrhing has got its place. This is ‘seeing more thanwhat the eyes can see’. This becomes the basis for research and speculation.

When we look into this human body, it is so complex. Each limb has itsown place in the scheme of thingts. There are certain things that keepcertain changes dormant, that maintain the sytem without any change Thisis a homeostasis, keeping things exactly the same. Temperature is maintainedin the same form, at 37 degree C, water is maintained in the same form ata frixed volume, the salts are maintained in the swame form in a frixedratio, and each factor helps the other. We have an an airconditioning systemin the human body. It is an amazing system. The body temperature is alwaysmaintained at 37 deg. C. If it increases even slightly, immediately there isgreat activity inside the body to bring that temperature down. This capacityis not an ordinary thing. This homeostatic system implies so muchknowledge. Even to keep one room at the same temperature all the time,you require a thermostat system. This whole thing is too mind-boggling,and therefore, so much jïäna, knowledge, is involved.

There is knowledge in the creation. It is not chaotic and therefore, you canknow it. If a system is chaotic, then you cannot understand it. There issuch a thing as anatomy, pathology, physiology, biology and so on—all theseare possible because there is so much knowledge manifest in the variouslife forms. So, the human mind that is able to see all these things is goingto imagine a cause, and that cause is, cetana. Since we are talking aboutnot one body or one thing, but about all that is here, therefore you canstretch your thinking further to infer that cetana to be all-knowledge andalmighty, whom we call God. But we keep him safely away. We alwayssee the material cause as different from the efficient cause in the world.Therefore, this jagat is going to be looked at as a piece of art or work doneby God who is not available anywhere here. He has initiated the wholething and has kept it going.


He is looked upon as another conscious being, who handles thisalmighty work. Therefore, two hands are not enough. So, in our imagesof this God, we add two more hands. We imagine him to be possessedof four hands or a thousand hands, and so on. We stretch ourimagination to give him a special body with some special power andknowledge, and keep him somewhere beyond the world, because locallywe do not see him;. We call that place heaven and give it different namessuch as Vaikuëöha, Kailäsa, and so on. Each one has his or her ownimage of heaven. In keeping with this belief he or she can claim thatGod is not in others’ concept of heaven, but in his or her heaven alone.There is nothing to prove that anyone’s claim is true. Anything canbe accepted as a revelation as long as it is beyond reason. If one’sthinking is against reason, then definitely it is wishful thinking.

Let us look at what the upaniñad has to say about God whom wecall Éçvara. What it has to say is also revealation. But it is a revelationthat has a sampradäya, a tradition of handing down that revealation,and further, what is revealed is sensible. Anyone can initiate asampradäya. That does not mean it becomes a tradition making sense.What is said and maintained by this sampradäya makes sense.

Here the opening statement is: ‘What is that, knowing which everythingis as well known’. If the two causes discussed above are separate, thenby knowing one thing, you are not going to kmow the other. Here,however, knowing one thing, you know everything. That means thatone thing must be everythoing. Thus both the causes must be one andthe same. The words bhüta yoni and vibhu reveal Brahman to be thematerial as well as the efficient cause.

If that Brahmanis to be known, what is its lakñaëa? The upaniñadgives lakñaëa as adreçyam, agrähyam, acakñuçrotram, apäëipädam, andso on. From this it is very clear that Brahman is talked about only asätman, which is conscious. If Brahman being the cause is negatedthrough the cause-effect analysis, what remains is Brahman as caitanya,pure consciousness. That caitanya is the material cause for the world,so that alone has become ‘as though’ many.

Dhéräù paripaçyanti: those people who are qualified and who have thisknowledge recognise Brahman as themselves alone. They see very clearlythat Brahman does not exist in any other way except as the self. The


self is self-revealing, and everything else is revealed. Therefore, for the wiseperson there is no ignorance about the self being Brahman.

For gainin this knowledge a two-fold preparation is reqjuired. Onerequirement is cognitive skill, and the other is maturity. One who has thistwo-fold preparatoion is also called dhéra. A dhéra is a complete person.For him, the ‘child’ within is integrated with the ‘adult’. Such a person iscompassionate. Compassion stands for all the qualities like dispassioin,non-hurting etc. I use the word ‘compassion’ because that is what Iappreciate in sannyäsa. Sannyäsa is meant for the pursuit of mokña. Soahimsä, non hurting, and bhüta dayä, compassion, which are emphasisedwhen you take to the life of sannyäsa, are to be understood as the primequalification for gaining this knowledge. They are two sides of the samecoin. Ahimsä is expressed in the form of compassion. So, compassioncharacterises the humaneness of the person. To be a human being is toenjoy humaneness. If yuou have that completely, then you are a completehuman being. Any other qualification that the çästra talks about amountsonly to cognitive skill and maturity. A dhéra has these two qualifications.Naturally, when he is taught by the çästra, he sees what is taught. Brahmanis not something that cannot be recognised, something totally unknowable.When the mantra describes Brahman as adreçya, agrähya, and so on, itlooks as though it is not available for knowing. But it is not so. Brahmanis available for knowing because it happens to be you. Therefore, the wisepeople clearly see.

Now the words vibhu and bhüta yoni can be analysed further. Vibhumeans that which becomes many. Becoming many can occur in many ways.How Brahman has become many has to be understood. Everyone is bornsingle. By the time this man leaves this world he has quite a few peoplearound him. He is the cause for all of them. This is one way of becomingmany. But afterwards he is gone. Similarly, did Brahman become manyand disappear. Is Brahman bhüta yoni in this way? If it is so, the openingstatement ‘by knowing which, everything is as well known’ will becomeuntenable. By understanding the man who multiplied himself into many,I am not going to understand all his children, grandchildre n and greatgrandchildren! Similarly, if Brahman has become many, then one has tounderstand everything to understand Bfrahman. Every object in the creationis going to be something unique, so it is neither humanly possible norcelestially possible to understgand the entire jagat.


Çré Rudram

nmae/ raeih?tay Sw/pt?ye v&/]a[a</ pt?ye/ nm>?.9.namoÞ rohi×täya sthaÞpata×ye våÞkñäëäàÞ pata×yeÞ namaù× ||9||

namaù - salutation; rohitäya - to the one who is of redcolour; sthapataye - who remaining everywhere is theprotector of all; våkñäëäm - of all trees; pataye - who isthe Lord; namaù - salutation

Salutation to the one who is of red colour, who remainingeverywhere is the protector of all, and who is the Lord ofall trees.

Namaù rohitäya - Here, rohita means the one who has lohita varëa, redcolour. Salutation to him who is in the form of rohita, blood, and whosustains everything. Therefore he is sthapati1 - one who sustains and onewho protects in the form of nourishment. He is the sustainer and protector.

Våkñäëäà pataye namaù – Salutations unto him, the Lord of trees. As inother living beings, in trees also he is the sap, rohita, by implication.Staying in trees as sap, he protects them. So he is the sthätä and he isthe protector, pätä. Unto him, (my) salutation.

nmae miÙ[e vai[jay k]a[a< ptye nm>. 10.namo mantriëe väëijäya kakñäëäà pataye namaù || 10 |

namaù - salutation; mantriëe - to the Lord of all secrets;väëijäya - to the one who is revealed by the words (of theVedas); kakñäëäà - of inaccessible places; pataye - to theLord; namaù – salutation

Salutation to the Lord of all secrets, who is revealed by thewords (of the Vedas) and who is the Lord of inaccessibleplaces.

1 sthätä ca asau pätä ca prañodarädiù -

One who is sustainer and protector. This word falls under the group termed as prañodarädi by Päëini


A mantra is a Vedic hymn or a chant for repetition and contemplation.Besides the Veda-mantras there are crores of mantras in the mantra-çästräs. It is said that there are sapta-koti, seven crores mahamantras.A mantra is always kept as a secret, gupta. All the gupta-vadas, secretstatements, including the upaniñads are called mantras since they aresecret. The Guptas in India were accountants, as they are supposed tokeep the details of others’ accounts to themselves. The place where aserious and secret discussion takes place is called manträëa. A ministeris also called a mantri because he keeps to himself the secrets of thekingdom, manträëam gupta viñayaëam svämi iti mantré.

So the Lord of all mantras is also called a mantré. Every mantra invokesa deity. The one in whom all these deities are also included is devänamsvämi. Therefore, he is sarveñäm manträëam svämi. Not only is he theLord of all mantras, he is revealed by the same mantras. He is the giverof the mantras chanted repeatedly in japa or used in rituals. Therefore,he is manträëam patiù.

He is vaëijaù - väëyä abhivyaktaù 2, revealed by the väëi, speech. He isrevealed by the words. Tasmai väëijäya namaù, - salutation to him whois revealed by the words of Vedas.

Kakñäëäà pataye namaù - - Unto the Lord of inaccessible places, mysalutation. Kakñä is a hidden place. All mantras are secret, but for whom?For the one who cannot understand. For the Lord there is no secret ashe knows every hidden place and therefore kakñäëäà pati means sarvajïa,omniscient and sarva säkñé, witness of everything. The unconscious, inparticular, is hidden for us who are conscious. To the Lord theunconscious is not hidden. He is thus the Lord of the unconscious too.For whom there is no secret and from whom one cannot hide anythingis the Lord. Because of his grace, all secrets can be unlocked. Untohim, who is the Lord of kakñä, my salutation.

2 väëi väg väcakädi svarüpä| tasyäm väcyädi svarüpeëa jataù vänijaùhrasvatvam chändasam


The 26th Anniversary of the Gurukulamwas held in Saylorsburg PA on August 19,2012.

Approximately one thousand peoplegathered to celebrate this function, whichtook place under beautiful, sunny skies.

Two huge tents were erected, one for theceremony and the other for dinning.Parking was regulated carefully on thepremises. Outside the tents, tables werearranged for snacks and drinks availableduring the function. A banquet lunchprepared by the Gurukulam Kitchen wasserved on well-arranged tables in the tent.Programs and games for children wereprovided on the Gurukulam grounds andbabysitting was also available. There wereoutdoor stalls for books, souvenirs andgifts.

The program started at 9:30 AM. Dr.Vandana Pradeep anchored the programas Master of Ceremonies.

Arsha Kula Bhushanam SriMaharajapuram S. Ramchandranjiinaugurated the ceremony with a Ganesaprayer followed by Pujya Swamiji’scomposition.

Pandit Mukesh Desaiji followed with anIndian Classical Music concert. He wasaccompanied by Aditya Narayan Banerjeeon tabla and Jai Gandhi on flute. Panditjisang beautiful bhajans and a compositionof Pujya Swamiji. The audience joined himwith the Har Har Govinda bhajan.

Arsh Vidya Gurukulam Celebrates Its

26th Anniversary Day

Vandanaji announced the ongoingprograms at the Gurukulam that includedthe yoga, music, Astrology Ayurvedicclasses and Vedanta Retreats.

Mr. Deven Sharma, the chief guest and theformer president of Standards and Poor’sdelivered the guest address. In his speechhe said that he took over the Standard andPoor’s organization in the year 2007. Mr.Sharma said it was easier to do thingswith courage than with fear. There wereconflicting choices. A choice may not be


in the best interest of one individual butit should be in the best interest of all. Theaim should focus on what you can do forothers, and then it becomes easy to makedecisions. “Therefore, do something thatbrings more freedom and happiness to al”,he saidl.

Mr. Sharma was followed by New JerseyAssemblyman Upendra Chivakula. In hisaddress Mr. Chivakula said that he hadbeen a legislator for the last ten years andthat meant being in a position where youcacould bring about a change.

The following books were released duringthe functions:

“Seeking Enlightenment” by CatherineMorrison

“Vivekananda: His Gospel of Man-making” by Swami Jyotirmayananda

“Yoga Sadhana” by Stanford Melanconand Susan Lalji

“Indian Origin of Ancient Civilization” byNiranjan Shah

“Vaidika Sukta Manjari” by SwamiTattvavidananda Saraswati

“Tattvabodha” by Pujya Swami DayanandSarawati

Pujya Swamiji commended the books andhonored the writers.

Mr. Piyush Shah, the treasurer of theGurukalam, addressed the gathering. Mr.Shah said that the main purpose of theGurukulam was to teach ‘Self Knowledge’to all. He further said that severalbuildings were repaired and renovatedand a new Auditorium was likely to be

built with community support. He saidthat the major donation to the Gurukulamcame from the book store and the YogaStudio.

State Representative Ms. Lorna O’Farrellalong with Representatives Rosemary M.


Brown and Mario M Scavelloacknowledged Arsha Vidya Gurukulam asa Center of Vedantic Teaching.

The following persons were acknowledged:

All Members of the Board of theGurukulam

Suzanne McCool, County Commissioner ofthe Monroe County

Swamy Jyotirmayananda

Keshavananda

Bava Jain

Rajayashri Khandelwal

Dr. Ron Harris

Mani Shankar

Raghu Nandan

Mrs. Anjeli Sharma

Vandanaji then spoke about PujyaSwamiji, as a foremost authority onVedanta, and requested him to addressthe gathering.

Pujya Swamiji in his speech said he neverasked questions such as: what is God? orwhere is God? The Vedic vision of God isthat He is in everything and everywhere.The creator and the creation are notseparate. This is not a belief. Belief issubject to correction and change. Thismeans belief can be wrong. There isnothing like one God or many Gods. Allthat is here is only God. It is all ‘IdamSarvam’. It is an equation. The equationis Jagat is Iswara. You see the Jagat, themanifest universe. It is not a matter of

belief. The jagat is a manifestation ofIswara. Everything is given to us. TheUniverse is given. The human being whichincludes the body, the mind and senses isgiven. The biological order, thepsychological order and every emotion aremanifestation of Iswara. You are given tobe a human being. Dharma is also amanifestation of Iswara. It is given. Music,dance, the languages are all given to you.

Therefore all creation is the creator. Theyare not separate. Pujya Swamiji concludedhis talk by saying “this is the knowledgethat the Gurukulam teaches you”.

It may be noted that the Gurukulam willmake available a full transcript of PujyaSwamiji’s speech.

Vandana Pradeep thanked all the staff andspecifically the visitors for theirparticipation. She thanked the volunteercoordinator, Mr. Raj Kuppuswamy, and allother volunteers who tirelessly helped tomake the 26 th Anniversary a grandsuccess.

Pujya Swamiji acknowledged M.C.Vandana for her eloquence in conductingthe proceedings of the ceremony.

Satsang with Pujya Swamiji followed.Pujya Swamiji answered all the questionsfrom the gathering in a span of two anda half hours, once again showing PujyaSwamiji’s love for students and devotees.

The program ended at 5:30 PM.

"Report byArvind Bagat"


Bhashyam Vedanta Retreat 2012 Report

The BhashyamVedanta Retreatwas conductedfrom July 15 toJuly 21 at ArshVidya Gurukulamin SaylorsburgP A .A p p r o x i m a t e l y

sixty adults and four children attended thecamp. Swami Viditatmananda Sarawatitaught Brahadaranyaka Upanisad Passage1-4-7 with Sankarabhasya. Swamiji heldsatsang sessions in the evenings. SavithriManiji arranged a children program. Yogaclasses were conducted by Mark Hertal.

The registration was complete on the 15th

of July and Suddatmaji held an orientationin the evening. He explained the courseschedule and the facilities available at theGurukulam.

Swamiji taught this Bhashya mantra bymantra explaining the meaning andimplications. The Bhashya is in the formof discourse and objections. It is essentiallya discussion in which Sankara refutes theobjections and the teachings of duality.Swamiji explained the concepts of theundifferentiated and the differentiated self.There were significant objections to theproposition that the supreme self enteredinto the universe. The argument was thata thing cannot enter itself. Sankaraestablishes advaita (non-duality) giving

various illustrations and supportingarguments. The whole presentation is ascholarly discussion on the Self and howit pervades the Universe. There was anelaborate discussion on prana and it’scharacteristic.

This is a brilliant work of Sankara and itis enjoyable when an accomplished teacherlike Swamiji explains step by step theknowledge imparted by Sankara. Thestudents attending this class have beentaking courses at the Gurukulam for manyyears. At the end of the class, the studentswere pleased at the way Swamijiconducted the class and answered thequestions. Many students expressed awish that in future more courses based onthis Upanisad will be taught at theGurukulam.

Savithriji had very little time and a fewstudents to put together a children’scultural program. She presented a smallprogram.

The kitchen staff provided good food andserved it on time. The priests SriRavichandran and Sri Ganesa performedthe Pujas regularly.

Suddhatmaji and the Gurukulam staff, theteachers and the volunteers worked hardto make the camp a success.

The camp ended on July 21, 2012.

You are limitless. The limitless is Iswara. The projection of samsara on atma creates the wrong

perception of being limited. The self knowledge is the means to remove this perception.


Family Vedanta Retreat III

for the year 2012

Capacity to conform to Dharma is a

big satisfaction.

It is freedom from conflicts. It is

Purushartha.

Behind every desire there is a judgment

that I am incomplete.

A total acceptance of yourself and a total acceptance of what

is, is necessary. You are complete as you are.

The Final of the Family retreats, the FamilyRetreat III for the year 2012 was held atthe Arsha Vidya Gurukulam inSaylorsburg PA from August 5 to August12. Almost 70 participants and 60 childrenattended this camp.

Pujya Swami Dayanandaji taught Verses10-12 from Kathopanisad 1.3 and SwamiViditatmananda Sarswati continued theIsavasyopanisad he was teaching duringthe Family Vedanta Retreat II. SavithriManiji and Lance Daniels held the childrencamp. The children were groupedaccording to their ages as juniors, seniorsand teens. Suddhatmaji taught chantingthe Shanti Mantras and Pandit MukeshDesaiji taught the music classes. Yogaclasses were also available during thecamp.

Registration was completed on August 5.Orientation was held in the evening.Suddhatmaji explained the course scheduleand the facilities at the Gurukulam.

Orientation was followed by a satsang andbhajan with Swami Viditatmanandaji.

Pujya Swamiji was to at the Gurukulamin the morning on the August 8. However,the plane he was travelling in arrived late.Pujya Swamiji came to the temple in theafternoon. Many students were waitingto see Swamiji at the temple. Swamijicame to the temple; he prayed to LoardDakshinamurti, talked to the students andthen conducted a satsang. Swamijianswered questions; he talked about someof his experiences in India and told thestory about Niciketas and the three boonsLord Yama gave him.

Pujya Swamiji taught two classes andconducted a session of satsang every dayduring the camp.

Swami Viditatmandaji continued teachingIsa Upanisad teaching one class every day.Swamiji explained the shanti mantra andthe fullness and completeness concept of


the self. He elaborated on the concept ofrenunciation and Karma and the choice ofperforming good karma.

Suddhatmaji conducted chanting classesduring the camp on alternate days. Heexplained the significance the aksharshudhi, the matra shudhi and the swarashudhi. Suddhatmaji also answeredquestions from the student.

Pandit Mukesh Desaiji taught music onalternate days during the morning andpresented classical music in the eveningsevery day. The campers were pleased withPunditji’s melelodious renderings.

Three significant programs took placeduring this retreat as follows:

On August 7 th the Nakshatra Puja wasperformed for Pujya Swamiji in the HomaBuilding. Priests from various placesparticipated in chanting stotras. Theceremony lasted almost for five hours.

On August 9 th the Sri Krishna’sJanmastami celebrated. Children andadults gathered in the evening at the YogaStudio for a delightful evening. Childrenchanted the Krishna Ashtothram. Childrenand adults danced the garba and thedandia. The program lasted till eleven PM.

On August 12th Pujya Swamiji’s Birthdaywas celebrated at the temple. It was a biggathering. Swami Viditatmananda gave akey note speech. Pujya Swamiji in hisspeech said that a birthday reminds youof one more year of growth.Everyexperience in life adds to inner growth.

The Cultural evening was presented bySavithriji on August 11th. Pandit MukeshDesai’s students presented Ganesa’sbhajan in Raga Kedar. Junior and seniorchildren chanted mantras. A dancesequence Navarasa was presented. Thiswas followed by a junior children tableauon Lord Rama’s life entitled BalaRamayana. Finally the teens presented aplay tittled Navarasa Ramayana.

The kitchen staff worked hard to servegood food on time. Priests SriRavichandran and Sri Ganesa were verybusy during this camp. They performedwell. Yoga classes were well attended.

This was a very busy camp for everyone.Suddhatmaji and the staff, teachers andvolunteers worked hard to make it asuccess. Pujya Swamiji’s return wasawaited for and everyone was happy tosee him back.

The camp ended on August 12th 2012.

"Report by Arvind Bagat"

Page sponsored by:

A Well Wisher


ARSHA VIDYA RESEARCH &ANDPUBLICATION TRUST

Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust is very happyand proud to present you a set of three books that wereawarded certificates for Excellence in Book Production by theFederation of Indian Publishers, New Delhi, for threeconsecutive years.

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2011 - Yoga of Objectivity

2012 - Swami Dayananda Saraswati - Contribution andWritings - by Sheela Balaji. The award function was heldat Auditorium, Hall No. 8, Pragati Maidan on 7th September,2012.

Shri Jawhar Sircar, Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharatiwas the Chief Guest.

Smt. Rita Menon, Chairperson & Managing Director, IndiaTrade Promotion Organisation was the Guest of Honour.

Mr. Narasimhan of AIM for Seva received the award onbehalf of AVR & PT.

The Federation of Indian Publishers, an apex body of IndianPublishers, is affiliated to the International PublishersAssociation with its Head Office in Geneva. The selection ofawards has been done by a Jury comprising of eminentspecialists in the field of book publishing, editing, designingand printing.

On an average more than 1000 published works are submittedfor selection every year and we are among the top 100awardees for the third consecutive year. Titles are classifiedin 13 categories, awards are instituted in each category.


suÉai;tm!Subhäñitam

mnsa iciNtt< kay¡ vaca nEv àkazyet!,mÙe[ r]yedœ gUF< kayeR ca=ip inyaejyet!.manasä cintitaà käryaà väcä naiva prakäçayet |mantreëa rakñayed güòhaà kärye cä’pi niyojayet ||

What plan you have thought of in your mind should not come on your tongue.Contemplate and rethink over it, keeping it guarded. Put the idea or plan intoaction without voicing.

n ivñset! k…imÇe c imÇe ca=ip n ivñset!,kdaict! k…ipt< imÇ< svR guý< àkazyet!.na viçvaset kumitre ca mitre cä’pi na viçvaset |kadäcit kupitaà mitraà sarva guhyaà prakäçayet ||A friend who is no good, should not be trusted and a friend who is not provenbad should also be not trusted with your secrets because he might reveal themwhen he is not on good terms with you.

ndItIre c v&]a> prgehe;u kaimnI,miÙhInaí rajan> zIˆº< nZyNTys<zym!.nadétére ca våkñäù parageheñu käminé |mantrihénäçca räjänaù çéúhraà naçyantyasaàçayam ||The following take no time to perish: the trees growing on a river bank, awoman who lives in other man’s house and a king who has bad ministers.

bl< ivXya c ivàa[a< ra}a< sENy< bl< twa,bl< ivÄ< c vEZyana< zUÔa[a< pircyRkm!.balaà vidhyä ca vipräëäà räjïäà sainyaà balaà tathä |balaà vittaà ca vaiçyänäà çüdräëäà paricaryakam ||

The power of Brahmins is their knowledge, the power of kings is their armies,the power of traders is their money and the power of the lower classes is theirservice.

zEle zEle n mai[Ky< maEi´k< n gje gje,saxvae n ih svRÇ cNdn< n vne vne.çaile çaile na mäëikyaà mauktikaà na gaje gaje |sädhavo na hi sarvatra candanaà na vane vane ||Every hill does not contain gems, every elephant has no mani—pearl in itsforehead, every place is no home of nobles and every forest does not growsandalwood trees.


kò< c olu mUoTv kò< c olu yaEvnm!,kòatUk:tqr< cEv prgehinvasnm!.kañöaà ca khalu mükhatvam kañöaà ca khalu yauvanam |kañöätükañtaöaraà caiva paragehaniväsanam ||Supidity is a woe, the youthful days are woleful, but living on other’smercy is woe extreme.

kaNtaivyaeg> Svjnapman> \[Sy ze;> k…n&pSy seva,dirÔÉavae iv;ma sÉa c ivnai¶nEte àdhiNt kaym!.käntäviyogaù svajanäpamänaù åëasya çeñaù kunåpasya sevä |daridrabhävo viñamä sabhä ca vinägninaite pradahanti käyam ||The following things burn a man without fire and silently eat him; theseparation from wife, contempt by kith and kin, serrving an evil master,indebtedness, poverty and living amongst selfish and rogue people.

prae]e kayRhNtar< àTy]e iàyvaidnm!,vjRyeÄa†z< imÇ< iv;k…MÉ< pyaemuom!.parokñe käryahantäraà pratyakñe priyavädinam |varjayettädåçaà mitraà viñakumbhaà payomukham ||A friend who talks flatteringly sweet things overtly but covertly triesto harm should be gotten rid of without any delay. He is like a potthat is filled with poison but is topped with cream to deceive.

te puÇa ye iptuÉR´a> s ipta yStu pae;k>,tiNmÇ< ySy ivñas> sa ÉayaR yÇ inv&Rit>.te puträ ye piturbhaktäù sa pitä yastu poñakaù |tanmitraà yasya viçväsaù sä bhäryä yatra nirvåtiù |The true son is one who is obedient to his father, a true father is onewho looks after his sons, similarly true friend is one who is trustworthyand true wife is one who makes her husband happy.

ÉaeJy< Éaejnzi´í ritzi´vRra¼na,ivÉvae danzi´í na=LpSy tps> )lm!.bhojyaà bhojanaçaktiçca ratiçaktirvaräìganä |vibhavo dänaçaktiçca nä’lpasya tapasaù phalam ||Only great penance can earn one: the rich food to eat, a good digestivepower to dispose it, a beautiful woman for wife and virility to ravishher and riches with charitable disposition to use the money for goodcauses.

kaEiqLySy ny>kauöilyasya nayaù


Report Labor Day Patrons’

Vedanta Retreat II 2012

The Labor DayPatrons’ VedantaRetreat II washeld atSaylorsburg PAfrom August 31st

to September 3rd.It was a large gathering. Approximately500 adults and 120 children participatedin this camp. Pujya Swami DayanandSaraswati expounded the fifteenth versefrom Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15. PujyaSwamiji held satsang sessions every day.Swami Tattvavidananda continued hisdiscourse on Ayodhyakandam fromValmikiramayanam. Suddhatmaji taughtchanting. Pandit Mukesh Desaijiconducted music classes. MaharajapuramSri Ramachandranji presented a concertand Savithri Auntie presented a children’scultural program. Yoga classes wereavailable during the camp.

Registration was complete during the dayon August 31st. In the evening Suddhatmajiheld the orientation. Suddhatmaji explainedthe schedule for the camp and the facilitiesavailable at the Gurukulam.

Pujya Swamiji taught verse 15 of Chapter15 from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. It is onPurusottamayoga. Lord Krishna says he isin the heart of every being. A person feelshe is limited because he is ignorant of thisknowledge. There is a total order ineverything in the universe. There is anorder in Dharma. The Lord is manifestedin everything as the Knowledge. So

Krishna who isIswara says I amthe knower ofeverything, I knowall Vedas, I am theauthor of Vedas, Iam the knower ofthe knowledge and I am that knowledge.The knowledge is that every being islimitless. Pujya Swamiji explained LordKrishna’s this teaching with variousillustrations with a profound clarity.

Pujya Swamiji held satasang everyday andanswered questions from the students.

Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswaticontinued the Valmikiramayanam fromlast camp, the Patrons’ Vedanta Retreat I.Swamiji taught the Ayodhyakandamwhich is about Bharata’s visit to LordRama. Lord Rama is in exile. The versesare in the form of questions to Bharatafrom Lord Rama but they are intended toadvice Bharata about the qualities of agood king. Lord Rama advices Bharatahow a king should act, perform his dutiesand have good relationship with hissubjects. Swamiji said Ramayana was amajestic epic, a poem and an expressionof love. Swamiji said that Ramayanaglorifies the dharma and that life is asimple truth but it is difficult to live. Hesaid that one should ask questions andthink. One finds his own answers. It isknowledge. The advice Lord Rama isgiving to Bharata is not necessarily for theking, it is for all of us.


Swamiji conducted guided meditationevery day.

On September 1st Ramchandranjipresented a delightful Carnatic MusicConcert enthralled the campers. Everyoneappreciated the presentation.

It was a large gathering of children. Thechildren were divided according to theirages as juniors, seniors and teens groups,for the purpose of teaching. TeachersLance Daniels, Rajana Deshmukh, Angie.Shreya, Jayanthy, Janani and SwamiVilasananda taught various classes.

On September 2nd Savithri Auntiepresented a children’s cultural program.About 60 children participated. In theJunior group the children performed atableau depicting how so much can belearned from the nature. The seniorchildren presented a new approach to‘Dasavataras’ as suggested by PujyaSwamiji. The teen group presented a shortplay carrying the message ‘God is ourconstant companion’. A dance was alsopresented by girls based on the AIM forSeva Anthem ‘Bharat Desa Hitaya’. It wasa delightful evening. Everyone enjoyed theprogram.

Suddhamtmaji taught the chanting onDurga Suktam.

Pandit Mukesh Desaiji taught the IndianClassical Music. For this camp Panditjipresented Raga Kedar, a beautiful eveningraga in teen (3) taal and sixteen beats.Kedar is an enchanting raga and it wasa pleasure to learn and hear it fromPanditji.

The kitchen staff works hard to servegood food to the large gathering and mealswere served on time.

Pujaris Sri Ravichandran and Sri Ganesaperformed the pujas regularly.Suddhatmaji and the staff, the teachers,and volunteers worked hard during thecamp and to make it an enjoyable event.

This was the last long weekend of thesummer. The Gurukulam was full ofcampers, children and visitors. All hadgathered to be entertained by renownedartists and to learn from Pujya Swamijiand Swami Tattvavidanandaji. It was allachieved so very well during this camp.

Suddhatmaji thanked all Patrons for theircontinuous support to the Gurukulam forlast twenty Six Years.

The camp ended on September 3rd 2012.



Purna Vidya Teachers’Training Camp and

Carnatic Vocal Music Workshop 2012

This camp was held at Saylorsburg PA from August 12 to August 17 2012.Approximately forty adults and twenty children attended the camp. Pujya Swamijiheld satsang everyday, Savithriji Mani organized the Purna Vidya teacher’s camp andMaharajapuram Sri Ramachandran conducted the Carnatic Music Workshop.Suddhatmaji taught chanting. Yoga facilities were available during the camp. Meditationwas conducted by Janani and Bhajans were presented by Jayanthy

The Purna Vidya Teacher’s Training program was conceived by Pujya Swamiji forchildren and youth growing in the modern world. The native forms of culture andreligion are challenged by other forms reaching the children through global media. Theyhave to choose. This program provides knowledge and insight into the vision of Vedas,the literature and religious culture of India. In this retreat the adult students were taughthow to offer this program to their own communities.

Savithri Auntie administered this program. During the orientation on the first daySavithriji spoke about her long association with The Gurukulam and Pujya Swamiji.She has been organizing the cultural programs for the Gurukulam for last twenty oneyears. She talked about her early days and Pujya Swamij’s invitation to be part of theGurukulam. She told the students about her anxieties and worries about the programsand how she eventually overcomed the problems. Today she is a very confident andexperienced person thanks to her years of experience and Pujya Swamiji’s continuoussupport.

The goal of the camp was to teach the students a method to organize programs especiallyfor children and expose them to the Vedic culture and knowledge. Savithriji decidedto put together a play based on one of the Mahabharata sequences. She selected theactors from the students who would play various roles in this play. Almost all the


students had some role to play. Theteaching progressed in exposing thestudents to various aspects of this culturalevent including planning, arranging thescenes, props, acting, directing, music andother techniques involved. The studentswere practicing several hours every day.

Because of the lack of time the actual playwas not presented on the stage but thepurpose to teach the students was wellaccomplished. All students were veryhappy at the end of this program.

The Carnatic Vocal Music Workshop wasdesigned to facilitate the understandingand appreciation of Carnatic Music. SriMaharajapuram S. Ramachandran is arenowned Carnatic Vocal Musician.Ramachandranji explained raga, bhava andtala aspects of the music with practicaldemonstrations. He answered severalquestions from the students during thecamp.

Sri Ramachandranji presented a programbased on music he taught during thecamp. A group of children sangcompositions they have been practicingduring the camp including Pujya Swamiji’scompositions. The children were very wellprepared and performed nicely.

Suddhatmajji taught the chanting of theShanti Mantras, Guru Vandanam, SriHanuman Calisa and the KshamaParthian. The teaching was intense andstressed the technique as well as themeaning of the mantras. Suddhatmajianswered several questions from thestudents. The Chanting classes are very

much liked by the students and thestudents expressed hopes that the classeswill continue at the Gurukulam for a longtime in future.

The Kitchen Staff worked hard to servegood food. The food was served on time.Priests Sri Ravichandran and Sri Ganesaperformed the pujas regularly.

It was a busy camp with variety ofprograms offered within a shortframework of time. All the goals set for theprograms were achieved. The generalimpression of the campers was that suchcamps should continue in future.

Pujya Swamiji answered all questions fromthe students during the camp. Thesatasangs with Pujya Swamiji wereinformative and enjoyable.

The retreat ended on August 17th 2012.



The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epicattributed to the poet Valmiki and animportant part of the Hindu canon. Oneof the most important literary works ofancient India, the Ramayana consists of 7chapters (Kanda), and narrates the storyof Rama’s wife Sita being abducted byRavana, the demon (Rakshasa) king ofLanka.

According to the Ramayana, King Ravanabrought Sita Devi from India in a“Pushpaka Vimana” which is widelyknown in Sri Lanka as the “DanduMonara Yanthranaya,” or Large PeacockMachine in Sinhala.

The Ramayana has fascinated manygenerations, and had a profound impacton art and culture in the Indiansubcontinent and Southeast Asia.

For over thousands of years, theRamayana, epic of Asia, has had anunshakeable hold on the beliefs of vastmultitudes of Asia’s teeming millions. Asdiverse span of humanity as Kashmiripandits and Cambodian fishermen, it isthe universal heritage of all humanity.

A rich legacy of sites and temples in thecountry where the most significant eventsof this epic took place - Lankapura - SriLanka. Though some people do not believethat the present Sri Lanka is the onementioned in the Ramayana, when weinvestigate the area, there is still muchconvincing tradition therein and manysites identified with the Ramayana.

Sri Lanka is the proud custodian of morethan 50 Ramayana sites from the place ofSita Devi’s captivity to the battlefieldswhere vast armies clashed, to the grovesof exotic herbs dropped by Hanuman, tothe ultimate theater of war where LordRama slew Ravana, the ten-headeddemon-king.

People living in the areas where greatevents took place remember to this day theconnection of their soil to the great epic.An oath taken at the spot where Sita Deviundertook “Agni Pariksha” is stillconsidered valid in village courts or grama

Ramayana Sites in Sri Lanka

By Stephen Knapp


sabhas. The color of the soil of the ancientbattlefield is still red today, and is stillsurrounded by lighter colored earth. Oneof the airports of Ravana, torched byHanuman when he came looking for SitaDevi, still has a scorched-earth look. Apatch of darker soil surrounded by brownearth. Exotic alpine Himalayan species arefound suddenly amidst tropical Sri Lankanvegetation, the legacy of Hanuman’s heroicvoyage carrying a mountain with life-restoring herbs.

Incredibly, the names of places have comedown to modern times unchanged.Though great social, cultural and religiouschanges have taken place in Sri Lankasince.

Sri Lanka shares a special bond with Indiageographically, historically, culturally andspiritually. The Ramayana begins withAyodhya in India and climaxes atLankapura.

People in Sri Lanka through generationsbelieved that king Ravana ruled thiscountry. There are many sites in Sri Lankawhich are connected to the Ramayana.Below is a list of places which have beenidentified as connected to the Ramayanaand listed in sequential order.

The Kidnapping of Sita by Ravana

Ravana was the king of Lanka andanother 9 kingdoms. He was known asDasis (or Dasa Shirsha) meaning 10heads, because he had ten crowns, oneeach for his ten kingdoms.

His sister Surpanakha went toJambudweepa for some business.Surpanakha chanced upon Rama at hishermitage and became enamored with thehandsome prince. Rama being faithful tohis wife, Sita, did not respond and askedSurpanakha to approach Lakshmana who

was unmarried. Surpanakha, who felthumiliated by this, tried to attack Sita inanger saying Sita was the cause of themen’s contempt for her. Lakshmana thenintervened and cut off Surpanakha’s nose.

Surpanakha, terrified and in pain, flew atonce to Lanka to seek the protection ofRavana. When Ravana asked his sister forthe cause, Surpanakha said that she hadseen Sita, a lady of incomparable beauty,and wanted to bring her for Ravana.Ravana resolved to take revenge for theinsult his sister had suffered, as well asto get lovely Sita for him self, and set outto abduct Sita and bring her to Lanka.

Ravana, using a golden deer as a decoy,visited Sita when she was alone. In theguise of an old sage, he abducted andbrought her to Weragantota in Lanka inhis plane, the Pushpaka vimana.

Weragantota means the “place of aircraftlanding” in Sinhala. This is the first placeSita Devi was brought to Lankapura(capita city of king Ravana). These junglesare the place where the city of Lankapuraonce stood. The city had a beautiful palacefor Queen Mandothari surrounded bywaterfalls, streams and varieties of floraand fauna. Sita Devi was kept at QueenMandothari’s palace at Lankapura. Theplace Sita was held captive is called SitaKotuwa, which means “Sita’s Fort” inSinhala. It is believed Ravana had anaircraft repair center at Gurulupotha closeto Sita Kotuwa. Sita devi was kept inqueen Mandothari’s palace until she wasmoved to Sita Kotuwa and then on toAshoka Vatika. The remains that arefound here are the remnants of latercivilizations. In Valmiki’s depiction, KingRavana’s vimana resembled a hugepeacock. The vimana in Sinhala languagemeans “Dhandu Monara” which is knownas “flying peacock,” and hence the name


Gurulupotha, which means “parts ofbirds” in Sinhala. This is also calledGavagala.

Sita Taken from Sita Kotuwa to AshokVatika (also known as Ashoka / AsokaVanam)

Ravana moved Sita from Sita Kotuwa toAshok Vatika the salubrious garden in themountains. The route too was said to bespectacularly beautiful, as Ravana wantedto show Sita the beauty of his kingdom.The barren land atop the mountain rangeis believed to be the route in which KingRavana took Sita devi from his capital cityLankapura to Ashoka Vatika, which wasa paradise on earth. The Chariot Pathatop the mountain range is still visible. Tilldate no vegetation grows on this passageexcept grass. King Ravana is believed tohave taken this passage on top of thesehills to show Sita devi the beauty of hiskingdom.

Ashok Vatika is the garden where Ravanaheld Sita captive. This is in the area of SitaEliya, close to the city of Nuwara Eliya.The stream that runs from the hill cateredto the needs of Sita devi during her stayat Ashok Vatika. She is said to havebathed in this stream. The HakgalaGardens located at the base of the HakgalaRock forms part of the famed AshokVatika. The Sita Pokuna is a barren areaatop the Hakgala Rock Jungle where Sitawas kept captive. The Sita AmmanTemple is located at this spot. It isinteresting to note that foot prints akin toHanuman’s are found by this river andsome are of small size and some are oflarge size, which tells us of the immensepowers of Hanuman transforming himselfinto any size.

About a century ago three images werediscovered in the stream, one of whichwas that of Sita. It is believed that the

deities have been worshipped at this spotfor centuries. Now there is temple for LordRama, Sitadevi, Lakshmana, and Hanumanby the side of this stream.

The summit of the mountain next to themountain range overlooking Frotoft Estatein Pussallawa is the place whereHanuman first set his foot on mainlandLanka. This mountain known as PawalaMalai is visible from this mountain range.These hills stand tall in-between KingRavana’s capital city and Ashoka Vatika.

The Sita tear pond is found en route bythe chariot route, and is believed to havebeen formed by the tears of Sita devi. Ithas not dried up since, even during severedroughts when the adjoining rivers dry up.Visitors could also see the famed SitaFlowers which are endemic to this area.In this area there are many large treeswhose bright red blooms add color to thescenery. These flowers are called Sitaflowers. The peculiarity of these flowersis the configuration of the petal’s, stamenand pistils, which resemble a humanfigure carrying a bow, and is said torepresent Lord Rama. These flowers areunique only to this area in the whole ofSri Lanka.

Search for Sita

Sugriva, ruler of the Vanara or specialmonkey kingdom, ordered his monkeyarmies to search for Sita in all four cornersof the earth. Hanuman, Angada, Jambavanand other heroes traveled southwards.Hanuman was the only one strong enoughto cross the ocean to reach Lanka. Whilstcrossing the ocean, Hanuman was testedby Surasa Devi, the Naga maiden en-routeto Lanka. This place is now calledNagadipa.

Hanuman meets Sita at Ashok Vatika andis Captured by Ravana


Hanuman after meeting Sita at AshokVatika, decided to test the strength of KingRavana and his army of Rakshasas. Heinvited battle by uprooting trees anddestroying the garden. Upon beingcaptured by the Rakshasa guards,Hanuman was brought in the presence ofRavana. As a punishment, Hanuman’s tailwas set on fire. Hanuman in turn set fireto the houses in the city. Ussangoda is onesuch torched area.

On the way back to India Hanuman restedat Mani Kattuthar. The hilltop whereHanuman is believed to have rested aftermeeting Sita devi is known as ManiKattuthar. This is a rock in the Labookelleestate. Hanuman met Sita devi and on hisway to announce this happy informationto Lord Rama, rested on this hilltop.Today an open temple with statues of LordRama, Sita devi, Lakshmana, andHanuman stands on top of it. Locals visitthe temple often.

Near by is the village of Kondagala,known as Kondakalai in Tamil, where Sitais said to have deranged her hair whilstpassing the place. Kondakalai(Kondagala), like many other cities andvillages in Sri Lanka, also derives its namefrom the Ramayana. When King Ravanatook Sita devi in a chariot to AshokaVatika, her hairs got deranged because ofthe speed of the chariot. “Konda kalai” inTamil means “deranging of hair.” Till datethe villagers live with the legacy of thisevent.

The village also contains Sita Gooli whichare rice balls offered by Ravana to Sita;which she refused and threw away. WhenKing Ravana carried Sita devi on hischariot to Ashoka Vatika, he provided herwith vitaminized rice balls for refreshment.But Sita devi who did not want to

consume anything provided by KingRavana, scattered the rice balls all over theplace during her journey, and they arefound till date along the chariot track. Thelocal people call these rice balls Sita Gooliand they prescribe them for their childrenas a cure for stomach disorders andheadaches. The farmers too keep them intheir cash boxes or grain pots forprosperity. It is claimed that carbon datedtesting has been done in Tokyo and Delhion these rice balls and ascertained themto be more than five thousand years old.

Sita is Hidden after the visit of

Hanuman

Upon hearing Hanuman’s threat andseeing his capabilities, King Ravanadecided to hide Sita at various secretlocations as a precautionary measure.Ravanagoda, which means Ravana’s placein the Kotmale area, is one such complexof tunnels and caves.

Istripura is another ingenious network ofpaths which are interconnected with allmajor areas of king Ravana’s city. Istripurameans “Area of Women” in Sinhala. Thisrefers to the retinue of ladies Ravana madeavailable to look after Sita.

Konda Kattu Gala refers to the manyintruding tunnels and caves in this area.This seems to be a part of a greatingenious network of paths, which isinterconnected to all the major areas ofKing Ravana’s city. Sita devi took bath inthis very stream and had dried her hairsitting on a rock and put clips to her hair,hence this rock is known as Konda KattuGala. This is situated in the WelimadaArea.

Tunnel Network

This tunnel network proves beyond doubtthe architectural brilliance of King Ravana.


These tunnels served as a quick means oftransport through the hills and also as asecret passage and networked all theimportant cities, airports and dairy farms.A close look at these tunnels indicates thatthey are man-made and not naturalformations. The Buddhist shrine atKalutara was once where King Ravana’spalace and a tunnel existed. Additionalexisting tunnel mouths are situated atWelimada, Ravana cave at Bandarawela,Senapitiya at Halagala, Ramboda,Labookelle, Wariyapola/Matale, andSitakotuwa/Hasalaka, along with manymore tunnels. Some have also said thatRavana had a tunnel that went all the wayto South America, in which he had storedmuch of his gold and treasury.

Preparing for Battle

Gayathri Peedum is believed to be the placefrom where King Ravana’s son Meghanathpropitiated Lord Shiva with penance andpujas, and in turn was granted supernatural powers by Lord Shiva prior to thebattle. Neelawari is located in the Northof the country in the Jaffna peninsula andis where Lord Rama shot an arrow to theground to obtain water for his army uponarriving at Lanka.

Dondra, Seenigama & Hikkaduwa areplaces in the South of Lanka whereSugriva (king of Vanaras, the specialspecies of monkeys) prepared for hisonslaught on King Ravana’s forces fromthe Southern flank.

War Breaks Out

During the height of the battle Indrajit,elder son of Ravana beheaded a lookalikeof Sita Devi in front of Hanuman to breakhis spirit. This place is known as Sitawakain the Avissawella area.

Yudhaganawa, meaning battlefield inSinhala, is a place in Wasgamuwa wherethe major battles took place.

Upon being hit by Indrajit’s Brahmastra,both Rama, Lakshmana and the monkeyarmy lay unconscious on the battle field.To cure them, Jambavan the veteranmonkey instructed Hanuman to go toSanjeevani Parvatha, the hill of herbsbetween Rishhaba and Kilasa peaks in theHimalayas and bring the necessarymedicinal herbs. As he could not identifywhich herbs to select, Hanuman uprootedthe entire peak with all the herbs growingthere from the mountain and returned toLanka.

Parts of the hill fell on five places in SriLanka; namely Rumassala in Galle,Dolukanda in Hiripitiya, Ritigala close toHabarana on the Habarana Anuradhapuraroad, Talladi in Mannar, andKatchchathivu in the north.

Lord Karthikaya Subramaniyam wasrequested to go to battle by Lord Indra toprotect Lord Rama from king Ravana’sBrahmastra. This was at Kataragama,which is now a very popular place forworship among Sri Lankans.

The Fall of Ravana

Dunuvila lake is a place from which LordRama fired the Brahmastra arrow at kingRavana who was directing the war fromLaggala. It is here that King Ravana waskilled by Lord Rama’s brahmastharam. Thetop of Laggala is flat and is believed tohave been affected by the power of thebrahmastharam. “Dhunu” means “arrow”and “Vila” means “Lake,” so it gets itsname from this pastime.

The name Laggala is derived from theSinhala term “Elakke Gala”, which meansTarget Rock. Laggala served as a sentrypoint to observe Lord Rama’s army. The


cartels behind the Dunuvila lake are calledLaggala. It was from this rock the firstglimpse of Lord Rama’s army was sightedand informed to King Ravana. This hill isgeographically the highest part of thenorthern region of King Ravana’s city andon a clear day the north east side that isThiru Koneshwaran and north west sidethat is Talai Mannar can be seen eventoday. King Ravana is believed to havedone meditation on this rock and prayedto Lord Shiva at Thiru Koneshwaran fromthis point.

After Ravana’s death, his body was keptat Yahangala, meaning “Bed Rock” inSinhala. This is situated along theMahiyanganaya - Wasgamuwa road. KingRavana’s body was kept upon this rock sohis countrymen could pay their lastrespects to their dear departed king.Geographically this rock is visible frommiles away on its 3 sides.

After the War

Sita met Rama after the war, andDivurumpola is the place she under wentthe “Agni” test of fire where she provedher innocence and purity to Rama.Divurumpola means the “Place of Oath”in Sinhala. She came out unscathed andproved her innocence and purity.

The message of Rama’s victory overRavana was sent to Sita. After a bath andadorned with jewels she was taken on apalanquin before Rama. Meeting herhusband after such a long time she wasovercome with emotion, but Rama seemedlost in thought. At length he spoke, “Ihave killed my enemy. I have done myduty as a true king. But you have lived fora year in the enemy’s abode. It is notproper I take you back now.”

Sita was shocked. “You have broken myheart” she said, “only the uncultured

speak like this. Have you forgotten thenoble family I come from? Is it my faultRavana carried me off by force? All thetime, my mind, my heart, and soul werefixed on you alone, my lord!”

She turned to Lakshmana and said withtears streaming from her eyes, “prepare forme a fire. That is the only remedy for thissorrow of mine.” Lakshmana, insuppressed anger, looked at Rama’s face,but there was no softening, he lighted abig fire. Sita reverently went round herhusband and approached the blazing fire.Joining her palms in salutation, she said,“if I am pure, O fire, protect me.” Withthese words she jumped into the flames.Then arose from out of the flames, Agnithe fire-god, whom she had invoked. Helifted Sita from the flames unharmed, andpresented her to Rama. “Don’t I know thatshe is spotless and pure at heart?” criedRama, standing up to receive her. “It’s forthe sake of the world that I made her gothrough this ordeal of fire, so that the truthmay be known to all.”

The spot was initially fenced and walledto protect it from the surroundingwilderness. Then a sapling of theAnuradhapura bodhi tree (one of the 30original saplings) was planted as a markof respect for the place. A small pagodawas built subsequently under the Bodhitree. The temple depicts paintings of theRamayana epic.

Today the temple is revered for the oathtaken by Sita devi and even the legalsystem permits and accepts the swearingdone at this temple while settling disputesbetween parties.

Vantharamulai is a place that Lord Rama,Sita Devi, Lakshmana, and Hanumanrested after the turmoil of the war.Amaranthakali is believed to be the place


where they had the first meal after thewar.

When returning to India in one of KingRavana’s vimanas, Rama felt he wasfollowed by a Brahmahasti Dhosham, amalevolent black shadow or dark cloudcapable of taking His life, as He had killedRavana, a Brahmin. When the vimana waspassing over Munneswaram, He felt thevimana vibrating, and at Muneswaramrealized the “Brahmaasthi Dosham” wasnot following him at this particular point.So Rama felt safe from the “BrahmahastiDhosham” at Munneswaram. So LordRama stopped the vimana at this junctureand asked Lord Shiva for a remedy. Thisis the place where Lord Rama prayed toLord Shiva and where Shiva blessed LordRama and advised installing and prayingto four lingams to get rid of the Dhosham.The first Lingam was installed atManavari about 5 Km from here, near thebanks of Deduru Oya. This was followedby the lingams at Thiru Koheneshwaram,Thiru Ketheshwaram, and Rameshwaramin India.

It is believed that Munneswaram predatesthe Ramayana and a temple dedicated toLord Shiva was located here.Munneswaram means the first temple forShiva (Munnu + Easwaran). A ShivaLingam was already here when lord Ramavisited the place.

After King Ravana’s death, Ravana’sbrother Vibhishana was coroneted as aking of Lanka by Lakshmana at Kelaniya.Kelaniya is the closest site to Colomboconnected to the Ramayana.

There exists a Buddhist temple, theKelaniya Buddhist Temple and shrine forKing Vibishana. There are muralsenshrined outside the Buddhist templedepicting the crowning of Vibishana.Vibishana is considered one of the four

guardian deities of Sri Lanka, and templesfor Vibishana are found throughout SriLanka. A painting of King Vibishana alsoadorns the new Parliament of Sri Lanka.In fact, there are no temples dedicated forRavana, but many exist for Vibishana; thisgoes to prove that his stand towards VedicDharma & justice made people to reverehim as a god in Sri Lanka.

The Kelani River is mentioned in theValmiki Ramayana and Vibishana’s palacewas said to be on the banks of this river.The reason Lakshmana crownedVibishana was because Lord Rama had toreturn to India to continue his self-exile of14 years to honor the commitment to Hisfather, King Dasarath of Ayodhya. KingVibishana was considered a fair king, ashe supported Rama against his ownbrother’s injustice. Many devotees thatvisit King Vibishana’s shrine pray to himasking his intervention to a fair recourseto their problems.

Other Places of Interests Connected to theRamayana in Sri Lanka1. Kanniya - The place where King Ravanacarried out the last rites for his mother.2. Gavagala or Ghoushala - King Ravana’sdairy farm.3. Airports of King Ravana:Thotupolakanda (means “Mountain Port”in Sinhala) at Horton plainsWeragantota (means “Place of Aircraft”landing in Sinhala) in MahiyanganaUssangoda (means “Area of Lift” inSinhala) in the Southern coastWariapola (means “Aircraft Port” inSinhala) in Matale and Kurunagala.4. Neelawari — A place where Lord Ramaaimed an arrow to obtain water.5. Panchamukha Anjanaya Temple,Kalubowila – This is the first AnjaneyarTemple in Sri Lanka and also the only


Panchamukha (five faced) AnjaneyarTemple in Sri Lanka. It is the only templein the world to have a chariot for Ajanyar.The chariot festival is held annually at endof December to the beginning of January.Hanuman’s mother is Anjan. Hanuman isknown as Anjan + Aiyar = Anjaneyar inSouth India (Hamuman in North India).6. Rama Temple at Rattota — One of thefew Rama’s temple in Sri Lanka.7. Maha Ravanagoda / Kuda Ravanagoda— Ravana’s places in the south.8. Veedurupola - Buddhist templededicated to research on Ramayana.9. Sri Baktha Hanuman Temple — on thehills of Ramboda is a place whereHanuman was searching for Sita Devi. Thename is also associated with Rama’sarmy. Rampadai means Rama’s force inTamil. The Chinmaya mission of Sri Lankabuilt a temple with Hanuman as thepresiding deity. On every full moon dayspecial pujas are conducted and witnessedby thousands of devotees.10. Manavari Temple is the first lingaminstalled and prayed to Lord Rama and tilldate this lingam is called as RamalingaShivan. Rameshwaram is the only otherlingam in the world named after LordRama.11. Rama Temple - Rattota. There are afew Rama temples in Sri Lanka, this is oneof them. This is the only Rama temple inthis area. This is a privately managedtemple. This is one of the most scenicroutes to travel from Matale to visitLaggala (on the northern side of Knuckles).12. Kataragama Temple – This is thetemple of Lord Karthikeya Subramaniamat Kataragama. Lord Karthikeya wasrequested to go to the battlefield by LordIndra on the last day of war. This wasdone to protect Lord Rama from the wrathof the Brahmastra aimed by King Ravana

which otherwise would have weakenedLord Rama. The benefit was that the mostpowerful brahmasthra weapon aimed atLord Rama for the second time wasrendered useless by the presence of LordKarthikeya.13. Ussangoda – According to theRamayana, after meeting Sita devi,Hanuman dedicated to test the strength ofthe mighty King Ravana and his army ofRakshasas. In the events that unfolded,Hanuman’s tail was set on fire by theRakshasas, who in turn went on to torchsome parts of King Ravana’s empire.Ussangoda is one of the torched areas,which is said to have been an airport usedby King Ravana.14. Vishnu Devala, Dondra – These are theplaces from where King Sugriva of theVanara’s started his onslaught on KingRavana’s force.15. Ravana Goda – This is a place whereSita devi stayed during her transit. Thisarea is also linked with tunnels and caves,which runs through to other parts of KingRavana’s kingdom. This is situated in theKotmala area opposite to Ramboda rock.The main cave entrance was closed by anearth-slip in 1947. Locals believe this partof the complex was used as a prison byRavana. The cave complex has not beenfully explored.

16. Ravana’s mummy – An additional siteconnected to local belief, but yet to bediscovered is the place where localsbelieve Ravana’s mummified body ishidden within the mountain range ofHarasbatha, Ragala and Walapane.

References

http://www.sltda.gov.lk/ramayana andhttp://www.tourslanka.com/ramayana-sri-lanka/tours/ramayana-site-tours-excursions.php


The 93rd Chatralaya of AIM for Seva was inaugurated on the 18th of July 2012at Kottur in Bellary District, Karnataka.

Smt. Vanith G. Harish and Dr. G. Harish from Virginia, USA had come tocomplete the formalities on the 18th of July 2012.

We had organized the inaugural function at the AIM for Seva Chatralayacampus.

The Chatralaya’s built up area is about 3000 sq. Ft. And vacat land is 8000sq.ft. There are 10 spacious rooms and we have built four extra toilets andbath. Right now it can accommodate 25 students.

Swamini Swatmabodhananda Saraswati from Bangalore had graced thefunction and spoke on the early days of AIM for Seva organization, how itstarted and who all had worked for the development, AIM for Seva hadreached the 93rd chatralaya today and how Pujya Swami Dayanandaji wentaround the world and running 93 chatralayas and schools, hospitals etc.

Our Chief Guest Sri Sridhar Setty who is the Director of Sri Gurudeva Schoolhad promised to help us in future under RTE Act in Karnataka/

Dr. Harish Gorli had spoken how the days were during his student time.His parents helped a lot of students to continue their education. One suchcitizen Sri Swaroopananda who is now a leading Advocate who was presentand spoke about the generosity of Dr. Harish’s parents.

The Chatralaya is named after Dr. Harish’s mother late Smt. Rudramma Gorli.

Swamini Swatmanishtananda, a regional coordinator, spoke about howchatralaya has come up and spoke about the donors.

Lunch was served to one and all. The students of Chikkamagalore and Bellarychatralaya added colour to the Kottur function.

Aim for Seva Chatralaya at Kottur


Swami Paripoornananda conducts mammoth

Hindu Sammelana - Sep 21, 2012

Swami Paripoornananda assembled a massivecongregation of people in the city ofKakinada to bring awareness among allHindus about the greatness of Hinduismand need to preserve and protect it byworking together. The whole city was madeinto a sea of saffron flags. As many as 35,000 people assembled to hear the messageof peace, truth, dharma, tolerance, love,accommodation, adaptation, nonviolence,freedom and independence – the uniquecharacteristics of Hindu religion. The spiritualclimate pervaded the entire city asthousands and thousands of Hindusascended the scene from many parts of theState.

Swami Paripoornananda delivered athundering message of Swami Vivekanandaand others who spoke eloquently about theimportance of our culture across the globeand asked the assembled people to followin his footsteps. Due to negligence SanatanaDharma is not being adhered to. One doesnot have to think too much to give anexample of the negligence and indifferenceto Vakulamata Temple. The VakulamataTemple is in dilapidated condition due toour apathy. The saffron philosophy has neveradvocated the extreme position; it onlypromotes truthfulness. Only if Hinduism issafeguarded, all the religions can take shelterunder it’s umbrella without discrimination.Conversion is creating dissention and hurtingthe sentiments of Hindus and creatingmental havoc in the community. Hereminded the people that Hinduism is knownfor its tolerance and non-violence and neverinvolved in conversion tactics. Heremembered Swami Chinmayananda’sexperience in USA. When an Americanapproached Swami Chinmayananda tochange his religion to Hinduism, he politely

declined and advised him to do the serviceto community.

He also announced that he would organizea project called “AMMA VODI” (Mother’sLap) that will invite all the convertedHindus back to the lap of their mother. Noreligion should take advantage of theconditions of the people and convert themwith bribes and allurements.

Swami Paripoornananda said that Hindusrespect other religions, respect the peoplewho do namaz three times a day as well aspeople, who go to churches every week.Hinduism has been generous and invitedother religions such as Christianity, Islam,Buddhism and even atheists with open handsto India. Similarly it is should be theresponsibility of other religions to respectthe people who worship their deities everyday. He even challenged other religiouspeople to have a dialogue on the ancientscriptures of Hinduism. In order to preserveand propagate, he is going to undertakeRatha Yatra starting on November 1,crisscrossing the State. He also announcedthat in 2013 he would organize a hugeGlobal Hindu Sammelana in Hyderabadwith 11 lakh people attending the function.Efforts will be made to unite all Hindus andorganize groups in each district. He exhortedall the Hindu leaders to fight for the survivaland protection of Hinduism.

Dr. Ghazal Srinivas, the Honorary BrandAmbassador of Save Temples organization,thrilled the audience with his powerfulspeech, and highly patriotic and emotionalghazals extoling the virtues of Hindu culture.He said that the mountain whereVakulamata Temple is located is beingmined illegally and nearly three-fourths ofthe mountain has already been mined with


no action from any one. Hindus mustdevelop self-pride and self-respect; honourand practise their religion. He enchanted theaudience with his ghazals titled “Gudi EdiAa gudi edi.” The song describes the agonyof an NRI, who goes to his village aftermany years, after seeing the temple indilapidated condition.

Dr. Ghazal Srinivas expressed hisdisappointment at the situation whereHindus are fearful of declaring themselvesas Hindus while other religious people takepride in announcing the religious identity.These days Hindus are afraid to take theBhagavad Gita to their offices or any publicplace while other religious people carry theirscriptures with pride. Hindus cover theirscriptures either with some cloth ornewspapers to avoid the condemnation byothers as being Hindu fundamentalist. Heurged all Hindus to practise their religion,wear their traditional costumes, apply tilakon their forehead and be proud of theirheritage. If we fail to recognize the onslaughtof other religions, Hindus may end up inmuseums. He also exhorted all Hindus todonate ten percent of their income for thepreservation of their faith like the otherreligions.

Sri Aravinda Rao also spoke about theimportance of preserving the roots ofSanatana Dharma. He said that the Hinduswere failing in establishing their identitywith their religion. Other religious peoplesay with pride that they were either Muslimsor Christians while Hindus identify withtheir caste instead of identifying with theirHindu faith.

On this occasion all the assembled Hinduswere soaked in the appreciation of thediverse talents unique and distinctive to theregion. Ladies performed Kolatam(a versionof Rasa Lila). Colorful dances wereconducted highlighting the kirtans ofTyagaraja, Annamayya and others.Haridasas attracted the crowd with theirchanting and singing of Lord Hari. Songs,inviting people to come and extolling themto preserve our rich and glorious culture, had

drenched them in emotions. Numeroussongs were sung as the procession movedfrom Balaji Cheruvu Center toAnand BharatiGrounds.

Swamijis and Matajis, who spoke on thisoccasion, include Tridanda SrirangaRaamanujaJeeyar Swami (Kakinada),Ashtakshare Jeeyar Swami (Vijayawada),Shiva Chaitanyananda Maataji (Guntur),Jyotirmayaananda Maataji(Palakollu),Paravidyananda Maataji (Tenali),Sthiryaanand Saraswati Swamiji (Gudivada),Sampoornanada Swamiji (Hyderabad),Maarkendeyaanandagiri Swamiji (WestGodavari District), Skanda Devananda(Guntur), and Sivanand Swamiji ofSatyavada. Many of them talked about theimportance of preserving Hindu faith and theneed to concentrate in the Dalit communityto avert illegal conversions.

Sri Narendra Chowdary of NTV, addressedthe gathering. He said this movement shouldcontinue further to highlight the importanceof Hinduism.

Also in attendance were SriKuranalaKannababu, MLA; Sri KudipatiChittibabu, YSR Congress Party; Sri SomuVeeraRaju, BJP; Sri Enimireddy MalaKondaiah; Sri Kadali Ramapandu fromAmalapuram;and many others.

From Digest No.2651 ofFHRS-USA.

Arsha Vidya NewsletterAnnual Subscription: Rs.180/-

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Vol. 13 September 2012 Issue 9

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"An aerial view of AVG, Saylorsburg"

"A view of AVG Saylorsburg"

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