8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

1/28

ISSUE No. 80

JAN - MAR 2014

RAMAKRISHNA MISSIONSINGAPORE

MCI (P) 017/09/2013

ISSN0218-7183

THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ISSUED COMMEMORATIVE

STAMPS IN HONOUR OF THE 150THBIRTH ANNIVERSARY

OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA.

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

2/28

In this issue...

State of Spiritual enlightenment or illumination. Nirvanareleases humans fromthe cycle of birth, suffering, death and all forms of worldly bondage.

Edited and Published by Swami Muktirupananda, President, Ramakrishna Mission,

179 Bartley Road, Singapore 539784 Tel: 6288 9077 Fax: 6288 5798.email: office@ramakrishna.org.sg, Website: www.ramakrishna.org.sgPrint Production: EAZI Printing Pte Ltd

Pearls of Wisdom 1

Editorial 2

Practical Vedanta of Vivekananda 3

Sita the ideal of Indian Womanhood 8

Sri Ramakrishna Through Western Eyes 14

Children's Variety Performance 22

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

3/28

Uddhava GitaTranslated by Swami Madhavananda

r bhagavn uvca

The Lord said:With a view to effecting the liberation of men I have incul-cated three Yogas or methods, viz. those of knowledge,work and devotion. There is no other means anywhere.

Of these the path of knowledge is for those who have gotdisgusted with work and have renounced it; for those whohave not been disgusted with it and desire its fruits, thereis the path of work; but for the man who somehow has gota veneration for tales about Me and such other things,and who is neither disgusted with nor grossly attached towork, the path of devotion is successful.

One should perform work until one has got disgusted with

it, or until one has developed a veneration for listening totales about Me and that kind of thing.

O Uddhava, a man discharging his own duties and perf-orming sacrifices without any desire for results, goesneither to heaven nor to hell, unless he practises evil.

(To be continued) Uddhava Gita, 1506 -10

WisdomPearls of

1

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

4/28

Editorial

Aversion

The play of feelings of likes and dislikes love and hate is common to allhuman beings and also to animals. One likes certain things and peopleand at the same time hates some objects and people. Most of us donot know why we behave like that and why are we tossed betweenthese two strong responses, love and aversion. It is not whimsical noris the result of swing of moods. There is no mystery behind this. Thewhole matter is based on the principle of pleasure and pain. We usuallymeasure everything in the world in terms of what is agreeable ordisagreeable, what gives enjoyment or causes suffering. Ourresponses follow these two basic emotions and so also our behaviour.Bitterness or resentment against something or someone does not arisesuddenly, it is built up in the course of time.

Hatred or antipathy is based on the past experience or past memory ofit. Without this previous memory of suffering the thought of hatred doesnot arise. Sage Patanjali points out aversion follows the remembrance

of misery and the source of it, dukhanushayi dveshah. No one hatesstrangers or harmless people or objects. People keep away from thosewho have hurt or harmed them because the past impressions of hurt orviolence generate dislike or intense aversion. Hatred is an unhealthyfeeling which binds a person and disturbs his peace of mind. The victimbecomes slave to it and his acts are coloured by it. It not only agitateshis mind but pulls him down to the state of meanness and forces him tocommit undesirable acts. We know the danger of hatred and anger;

within ones control they cannot spread poisonous effects, but out ofcontrol they become threatening and produce a lot of unnecessarymisery.

People do not know that they suffer caught under the spell of hatredand anger. Whenever a person remembers his animosity or repulsionand the cause of it his heart burns with the scorching flames ofvengeance. People often forget the good things done by others butseldom the pain or misery inflicted by them. Even after years theyrecollect their afflictions and pains with bitterness.

2

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

5/28

Practical Vedanta of VivekanandaSwami Muktirupananda

Vedanta means literally the

concluding portion of the Vedas.Upanishads are the books thatcontain this essence of spiritualwisdom. In other words Vedantameans Hinduism. The ideals ortruths of Vedanta originated notonly from seers who lived inhermitages but also from kings

who led intense active lifewearing the crown of thorns.Practical Vedanta means itsteachings must cover the wholdfield of life, spiritual and worldly,religious and secular or of life. Infact life cannot be divided likethat. There is no exclusivespiritual or worldly life.

Its ideals must cover forest tofactory, cave to city and temple tofarm. Their lies the fulfillment ofreligion or else it will remainintellectual gymnastics. Religionmust transform and lift the humanlife to higher stages.

India has produced, time andagain, many saints and socialreformers. Very impressivegalaxy of saints we have. Theyworked in a limited geographicalregions and their good work wasconfined to religion, devotion,

scriptures and renunciation andso on. This teaching was ratherotherworldly and did not concern

itself with this world, with the

sorrows and sufferings ofcommon people. Their emphasiswas on withdrawal and theunreality of this world. Thoughthese saints were respected,revered but their impact did notlast beyond their lifetime. Theydisappeared into the obscurity of

history. In south India people arenot aware of the north Indiansaints and in the north the southIndian saints like Alwars,Nayanmars and others are notknown. It is because ordinarypeople are interested in this worldand what happiness they can gethere. Hereafter or mystery ofMaya does not make any senseto them. Vivekananda is anexceptional saint, in India knownto all from the southern shores tothe northern hills of theHimalayas. His fame hasreached far corners of the world.What is his uniqueness that

people want to remember withgratitude and do not want toforget?

Lover of ManSwamiji was a great lover of man,human beings. The centre ofVivekanandas practical religion is

man and not God, it is man-centered religion. Instead ofplacing God on the seat of

3

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

6/28

worship, Vivekananda put man onthat pedestal. For the next fiftyyears, he said, let all other vain

gods disappear from our minds.All other gods are sleeping. Whyshould we vainly go after them,when we can worship the God wesee all around us, the Virat?Again he declared, A humanbeing is the greatest being. Mancan become like God. Man is

the epitome of all things and allknowledge is in him. Believe firstin yourself, then in God. He hadfaith in man and in his limitlesspotentialities. He saw in allhuman beings the same divinity,knowledge and power thatmanifested in him. In some it was

covered more and in some lessbut it was present in all.Wherever he went he respectedhuman beings and remindedthem of their innate power. Helived under the trees, in palaces,in mansions and in humblecottages of the poor with sameequanimity and joy. None wassuperior and none was inferior. Inone of his letters he wrote, Ibelieve in God, I believe in man. Ibelieve in going to hell to saveothers. (27th Oct1894). Hispractical religion paid equalattention to the life in the world, tothe removal of poverty, slavery,

sickness and sorrows and alsospiritual growth. His religionembraced, physical, mental and

spiritual welfare of all beings. Hesaid, It is an insult to a starvingpeople to offer them religion. (Vol

I-20) He worked day and nightand shed his blood for the good ofhuman beings and for thehappiness of the human society.

There is a touching incident in hislife. When Swamiji first went toAmerica while travelling southern

towns he faced many hardships.Because of his complexion hehad been taken for a negro andwas refused admissions in hotels.But he never said he was not anegro. He accepted quietly andgratefully the hospitality of thecoloured race. Later when he

became famous the wealthypeople vied with on another toinvite him to their mansions.When they learnt that he wasdenied admission in hotels, theyasked him why did not he tell thathe was not a negro. Swamiji shotback, What! rise at the expenseof another! I did not come toearth for that, (S.Nivedita, MyMaster as I saw him). He wasborn to do good to the entirehumanity.

Once he was given a rousingreception at a railway station inAmerica. As he got down from

the train, a negro porter wentforward to shake hands with himsaying: Congratulations! I am

4

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

7/28

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

8/28

their sins. Hearing this Swamijiflared up and sparks shot from hiseyes. He said, I have no

sympathy for men who allow theirown brothers to die of starvationand instead spend money forproviding birds and animals withfood. If it is for their karma mendie in famines, then it is uselessto try or struggle for any thing inthe world. That way, it may be

argued that cows also fall into thehands of butchers for theirkarma. The preacher was silent.After he left, Swamiji told hislisteners, Did you see to what amonstrous extreme the theory ofkarma is dragged? Are they menwho do not feel for man? Human

struggles, efforts will bemeaningless and purposeless ifeverything is predetermined byones karma. Religion, in fact,never encourages laziness,passivity, callousness andindifference. So the result waspoverty, helplessness and misery.So people looked to supernaturalbeings and to others to lift themfrom their miserable condition.Vivekananda, a warrior-monkcame and cleansed the oldreligion from its debilitating,weakening ideas. Nehru said,He came as a tonic to thedepressed and demoralized

Hindu mind and gave it self-reliance and some roots in thepast. (Discovery of India, p-197).

To Swamiji the world was realand he accepted the existence ofit with all its virtues and vices,

beauty and ugliness, good andbad. He was touched and movedby hunger, tears, agonies andpains of others. Like a whirlwindhe travelled in India from onecorner to another planting theseeds of positive and robustthoughts. Like a lion he roared to

rouse the soul of India, like athunderbolt he shook theslumbering spirit of man. Heasked everyone to work and workhard. Romain Rolland rightlysays, He was energy personifiedand action was his message tomen. He thundered to Indians,

We are responsible for what weare and whatever we wishourselves we have the power tomake ourselves. (Vol.I-p.31)We are the makers of our ownfate. None has the blame, nonehas the praise. (Vol.2-p.22).Take the whole responsibility onyour shoulders, and know you arethe creator of your destiny. Allthe strength and succour youwant is within yourselves. (Vol.2-p.225). It is man-making religionwe want. He was a unique saintwho talked about industrialization,manufacturing, export andmodern science and technology.

Work and WorshipIt is a common belief that religiouslife and daily work and toil are

6

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

9/28

different and they do not gotogether. People considermundane work and worship of

God are incompatible. Where oneis, the other is not there. So life isdivided into two compartments -secular and religious, worldly andsacred. During Swamijis time theorthodox Hindu monks andreligious leaders did not engagethemselves in worldly activities

thinking that they were inferior.

Many orthodox pundits evenraised the question, by what right,Vivekananda being a shudra,could accept sannyasa, orbecome a religious leader. Theytook umbrage that he crossed the

seas and went to the West. Eventhe proprietors of Dakshineswaratemple forbade him to enter thetemple!

Inspired and instructed bySwamiji, his two disciples went toKankhal, near Hardwar to takecare of helpless and ailing monksof that area. The condition ofthese monks was pathetic whenthey fell ill. In 1901 the work oflooking after and nursing sickmonks began in a very modestway in rented two rooms. Theydid not restrict their medicalservice to the monks only but

extended it to the poor low-castepeople. This infuriated theorthodox monks and they

ostracized these two swamis asuntouchables bhangis orsweepers. They were not invited

to any functions. Later theconservative monks changedtheir attitude and paid due respectto this selfless service. Swamijigave a sledge hammer blow tothis foolish belief. He showedthere was no division betweenmundane and the divine. If God

is omnipresent, He is everywhere,there is no place where He is not.If God has become everything,then everything is He. Being aBrahmajnani, a knower ofBrahman, Swamiji did not makeany distinction between ordinarywork and worship. He advised

people to turn every work intoworship of God. The idea is to doall our works big or small,pleasant or unpleasant withreverential attitude, withmindfulness and withoutgrumbling, complaining andcarelessness. Every little work isholy and an offering to God. Withthis change in attitude, we do notfind any difference betweenmeditation in a quiet place andworking in a busy factory or tillinga land or washing dishes orcleaning a toilet. SpeciallyIndians have to learn thisprecious lesson taught by Swami

Vivekananda.

7

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

10/28

Sita the ideal of Indian WomanhoodJayasekar

(From the previous issue)

Rama continued praising Sita forher ability to see clearly theintricate path of duty.

Sarvathsadam ste mamasvasya kulasya ca,Vyavasyam anukrntste tvamatiobhanam.My family is honoured by you;

likewise your family is honouredby you. You have done a thingand made me do a thing that isworthy alike of your house andmy house. (Ayodhya Kandam,Ch 30 verse 41)And he concluded, I have givenaway my possessions, you too do

the same. And the intelligentSita, happily and contentedlyremoved her ornaments and gavethem away.

Tatah prahparipra-mnasyaasvinbhartur avekyabhitam,Dhanni ratnni ca dtumaganpracakrame dharma-bhtm manasvin.Thereupon the intelligent Sita,wise in the ways of dharma,happy at the consent given byRama, gave away her wealth andjewels with a fully contented

mind. (Ayodhya Kandam, Ch 30verse 47).

Rama promising protection tothe Rishis of the forest

The next episode that we shalltake up to bring out the characterof Sita is a short incident from theAranya Kandam, which tookplace during the early period oftheir stay in the forest.

After Bharata left for Ayodhyataking Ramas sandals with him,Rama decided to leave Chitrakutaas it was too near to Ayodhya. Hewent south into the Dandakaforest, the present day Deccan. Inthose days it was a huge

impenetrable forest marking theboundary between north andsouth India. It was the abode ofwild beasts and jungle tribes,some of whom were cannibals.Such fierce tribes were called theRakshasas.

Some brave rishis had venturedinto the region to practice tapasas well as to spread the culture ofSanatana Dharma. But they methuge resistance from theseRakshasas, who harassed themand even killed them. When theyfound that a royal prince ofAyodhya had come to the forest,

a group of rishis met Rama andsought his protection from the

8

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

11/28

Rakshasas. And Rama, true tohis character, gave his pledgethat he would protect the rishis ofthe forest. In giving this promise

to those who sought refuge underhim, he did not discuss the matterwith either Lakshmana or Sita. Tohim it was his duty, his dharma.

When they had taken leave of thesages, Sita felt that she shouldraise this matter with Rama. Shewas uneasy at the promise givenand felt that Rama had perhapsbeen too hasty. Being in exile, didhe have the duty of givingprotection? And she had thecourage to speak out her mind she was no timid woman who isafraid to say what she thinks tobe right. Instead she felt that it

was her duty to so speak andpoint out the error in Ramas

judgement.

In this attitude she is correct. It isthe duty of all of us to advicethose close to us, to speak upwhen we think that he or she is

doing something wrong. This isespecially so in a family, acommunity, an organisation, evenin a country. We should notremain indifferent. It is a right aswell as a duty to voice ourconcerns. So Sita, true to hercharacter, voiced her concernsover the promise by Rama to thesages.

But how does she do it? Hereinlies the lesson to us. How shouldwe oppose someone? The dignityof the opposed person should

never be belittled.

Why should you andLakshmana, who have come tothe forest to lead an ascetic life,take upon yourselves the promiseof protection? The duty ofprotecting the rishis belongs tothe king who is actually ruling. Itis not for you who is engaged intapas. To kill anyone except inself defence is opposed to thevows of ascetic life.

Thus did Sita begin her argumentwhile they were leaving the sageSutikshnas hermitage. It was she

who had brought the weapons outand handed them over to the twobrothers. Usually this had beenLakshmanas duty. But becauseof Ramas promise she had feltimpelled to bring the weaponsherself, to better emphasize herpoint.

Bear with me for seeming tocounsel you, I speak but out oflove for you. You are noble andknow what is dharma, but a smalldefect by imperceptible degreesbecomes great.Tryeva vyavasannyatrakmajni bhavatyuta ,Mithyvkyam paramakamtasmd gurutarvubhau ,

9

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

12/28

Paradhrbhigamanam vinvairam ca raudrat.Men, it is said, are driven bydesire into three kinds of sin. The

first is the uttering of falsehood,but the other two are of graversignificance. They are associationwith anothers wife and acts ofviolence without provocation.(Aranya Kandam ch 9 verses3-4)

Now, I know that it is impossiblefor you to utter a falsehood, oreven in thought covet anotherswife. You are righteous, humbleand faithful to the commands ofyour sire; justice and integrityflower in you in their fullness. Allthis is possible only because youhave mastered your senses.

But I am afraid about the thirdevil, which now appears to rear itshead in you, for you havepromised to slay the rakshasaswithout mercy, they who haveshown no animosity to us.Entering the forest with weaponsin hand, it may well be that on

seeing the rakshasas you maydischarge your weapons withoutprovocation.

And then Sita gave an analogy,full of meaning and importance toall those pursuing a spiritual life.Katriym ca hi dhanurhutsasyendhanni caSampatasthitam tejobalamucchrayate bham.

As the proximity of fuel increasesthe violence of the fire, even sodo weapons provoke the warriorto an exhibition of his prowess.

(Aranya Kandam ch 9 verse 15).

A remarkable statement, very truein spiritual life. A soldier is trainedto fight. He will need very littleprovocation to exhibit hisstrength, for his whole frame ofmind is tuned to react instinctivelyto attack at the merest hint ofdanger. That is why only as a lastresort is the army used to quell acivil disobedience gathering. Thearmy is not as restrained as thepolice when face to face withopposition. Shoot first, talk later,is their method.

This is true in spiritual life. Thesenses are naturally inclinedtowards the sense objects. Thevery proximity of these objectsimpels the senses towards them,pulling the mind in their direction,

just as the uncontrolled horsespull the chariot towards the

attractive grass by the side of theroad (as in the simile given byYama to Nachiketa in theKathopanishad). This attractionsays Vedanta is due to an initialdefect in the senses, or to put itscientifically, they evolved torecognize the sense objects.

Says Yama in the Kathopanishad:

10

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

13/28

Parci khni vyatatsvayambhtasmt parpayatinntartman,

Kacid dhrapratyagtmnamaikadvtta-cakur amtatvam icchan.The self-existent Lord createdthe sense organs (including themind) with the defect of an out-going disposition; therefore manperceives the external world ofobjects but not the internal Self. Acertain heroic wise man, desirousof immortality, turned his senses(including the mind) inward andrealized the inner Self.(Kathopanishad 4-1)

As put bluntly by SriRamakrishna, You cannot live in

a room with soot and hope not toget your clothes blackened by

them. So a spiritual aspirant, asadhaka, has to be very careful.He should not mix freely with theopposite sex or with worldly

people. The way to overcome thenatural tendencies is to refrainfrom exposing the mind andsenses to their objects ofattraction.

And to illustrate this truth, Sitaproceeded to tell the story of anascetic who fell from his spiritualgoal on account of a weapon.In former times, in a sacredforest dwelt an ascetic, devoutand virtuous. The gods decided toobstruct his austerities. Indra, inthe guise of a hunter, went to hisashrama, bringing with him anexcellent sword, bright and shiny

and beautiful to look at. PleaseSir, take care of this sword till I

11

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

14/28

return, asked the hunter of therishi, who took upon himself thetrust. And so in order to take careof the sword he took it with him

wherever he went, whether togather fruits and roots or for otherpurposes. And by closeassociation with the sword, hismind began to be diverted fromhis spiritual practices. He beganto be attracted by the sword, hewould touch it with wonder,feeling its sharpness, its perfectbalance. The rishi whose mindhad once been intent on tapasbegan to contemplate on themerits of the sword. Howpowerful I have become onaccount of this sword. No wildbeast dares approach me, in thismanner his thoughts ran.

Nityam astram parivahankramea sa tapodhana,Cakra raudrm svm buddhimtyaktvtapasi nicayam.Constantly bearing this weaponand neglecting his austerities,that ascetic developed warlike

inclinations. His mind (instead ofbeing soft and gentle) began todevelop cruel tendencies. As aresult he was led astray and fellinto hell (i.e. fell from his goal).(Aranya Kandam ch 9 verse 21).

And Sita concluded, As contactwith fireworks change in a pieceof wood, so the carrying of armsalters the mind of one who carried

them. His gentle nature isoverpowered and violent natureasserts itself.

But she took away the sting of herwords by adding beautifully:

Snehc ca bahumnc casmraye tvm na ikaye.From affection and reverence doI draw your attention to thismatter. I do not venture to instructor order you. (Aranya Kandamchapter 9 verse 24). You knowthe truth of this matter, I only seekto remind you, says Sita.

When we give advice, it must begiven in such a gentle mannerthat the other person is notintimidated or put under pressure

to act immediately or shown to bea fool. This applies to allsituations, whether dealing withchildren or elders, with bosses orservants. Never destroy thedignity of another person.Mistakes should be pointed out ina gentle manner. I therefore ask

thee to renounce all thought ofstriking the titans of the forestwithout provocation. The worldwill look down on those who strikewithout cause. The bearing ofarms and retirement to the forestare opposed to each other.Having reflected carefully onwhat I have said, do what youconsider to be the best.

12

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

15/28

In this manner Sita drew Ramasattention to the thoughts andfeelings in her mind when Ramapromised the rishis of the forest

protection from the rakshasaswho harassed them.

And Rama responded in kind. Hedid not disregard her or wasdisrespectful towards her. Herecognised Sitas right to advicehim, to question him, nay, even tocorrect him. Instead his love andadmiration for her increased allthe more.

Indeed my love, you speak like atrue daughter of Janaka. Yourwords are most appropriate anddictated by your affection. Youhave every right to instruct me in

my duty.

Then Rama proceeded to justifyhis action of promising to protectthe rishis of the forest, that it wasthe duty of those with power toprotect those who were helplessor in need of protection, wherever

they be. It would be wrong tostandby and do nothing if one hasthe power to redress an injusticethat is happening before theireyes.True warriors bear weapons notto impose their will on others, butso that the word oppression maynot be heard on earth. It is myduty to protect those who seekrefuge in me.

Then comes a very famouspassage:Apyaham jvitam jahym tvm vste salakmam,

Na tu pratijm samrutyabrhmaebhyo vieata.There is no sacrifice I am notprepared to make to keep mypromise. I will sacrifice my life. Iam prepared to sacrifice even youtogether with Lakshmana, but Icannot be false to a promisemade to the rishis. (AranyaKandam chapter 10 verse 19).

And he concluded with thesebeautiful sentiments:I am pleased with thee O Sita,for one does not chide thosewhom one does not love. Thywords are worthy of thee O

beautiful one.

Sadharmacrime tvamprebhyopi garyas.You have acted as a true partnerin dharma. By pursuing the pathof dharma you have becomedearer to me than life itself.

(Aranya Kandam ch 10 verse 22).

We thus conclude this episodefrom the Ramayana, a beautifulstory full of lofty and sweetsentiments, which bring outclearly the greatness of thecharacter of Sita, the Ideal ofIndian Womanhood.

* * * * *

13

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

16/28

Sri Ramakrishna Through Western EyesSwami Vidyatmananda

Some fifteen years ago we

answered a telephone call askingif we would receive a man namedMr. Serge Beucler, who was theeditor of the Parisian magazine"Planete". We didn't know thisman, but we had seen copies of"Planete"; and its two directors,Mr. Louis Pouwels and Mr. Marc

de Smedt, were well known inFrance as journalists. Welearned from Mr. Beucler that"Planete" was preparing a specialnumber on Sri Ramakrishna. Thiswas to be launched at a spectacleto be held in the main auditoriumof the famous concert hall, theSalle Pleyel. Mr. Beucler asked forour participation.

Having been carrying on our workquietly at Gretz for many years,and thinking of ourselves asrepresenting a movement ratherobscure, we were amazed andintrigued. We had never made any

effort to attract publicity or lureadherents. We remembered SriRamakrishna's advice to GirishGhosh when a friend Girish hadbrought to Balaram Bose's houseto meet the Master had seemedunimpressed: "Never forceanyone here against his will.

Nothing occurs except at the righttime." Whatever people had cometo the Gretz Ashrama had come

either through hearing about us

from others or as a result ofreading Vedanta literature.

Of course we agreed toco-operate with "Planete'sproposal, and in due course thereappeared a special number of themagazine, lavishly illustrated with

Ramakrishna's portraits and withphotographs we had taken inIndia, and called Ramakrishna, lHomme et son Message("Ramakrishna, the Man and hisMessage"). On the evening of 11March, 1970, at the Salle Pleyeloccurred a gala event.

The auditorium, seating more thantwo thousand spectators, wasfilled to capacity. SwamiRitajananda spoke on SriRamakrishna, as did severalcelebrated French orators andpoets. For us who as alien voiceshad rendered homage to the

Master in such a relatively privateway for so long, this eveningproduced a peculiar sensation."Our" Ramakrishna had gonepublic! He had becomeeverybody's hero! Here were allthese well known people in such apublic fashion and before such an

assorted audience singing praisesto our Master! Copies of that"Planete seem to have been

14

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

17/28

widely distributed. For years afterits publication we receivedinquiries from people who had

read the number and wereinterested to learn more aboutVedanta and Sri Ramakrishna.

Of course the issue went out ofprint after a certain time. But aninteresting new development isthat just now the Paris publishing

house of Courrier du Livreis in theprocess of bringing out as a booka revised edition of that old"Planete", to be called"Ramakrishna, un Sage en Inde".

But this is only one individualexample of how Sri Ramakrishna's

name and influence are spreadingin the West. He is now quite wellknown. One remembers how in1896 Swami Vivekanandarejoiced to hear from ProfessorMax Muller of Oxford that Mullerhad written an article on SriRamakrishna for the "NineteenthCentury". This was, as we know,soon followed by an entire book onthe Master-Max Muller's"Ramakrishna: His Life andSayings", first issued inNovember, 1898. Subsequently,published in New York in 1926,there appeared "The Face ofSilence" by Dhan Gopal

Mukherjee. This was a poeticalrendering of the Ramakrishnastory by a Bengali, based on

interviews the author conductedwith surviving associates of theMaster: a popular book by a

popular author which broughtRamakrishna to a large westernaudience. Translations of "TheFace of Silence" were soonpublished in several Europeanlanguages.

It was Dhan Gopal Mukherjee's

enthusiasm for Ramakrishna, andthe enthusiasm of Tantine (MissJosephine MacLeod), whichmotivated Romain Rolland toundertake his studies of SriRamakrishna and SwamiVivekananda. The account of hismounting interest in what Romain

Rolland called "the living traditionof Indian mysticism" is set forth inRolland's published diaries. On 4October 1926, Rolland recordedthe first visit of Mukherjee to hishome in Switzerland and of hisawakening interest in SriRamakrishna. In the spring of1927 Tantine came to call onRolland and his sister severaltimes, and the conversation wasall on Sri Ramakrishna andSwamiji. In a June 1927 entry inhis journal Rolland wrote: "I wouldlike to consecrate a book toRamakrishna and Vivekanandawhich will make them known to the

vast public of the Occident." Thisbook, in two volumes, as we know,came out two years later' and

15

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

18/28

introduced Ramakrishna andVivekananda to a public whichnow heard of them for the first

time.

And so publications proliferatedwith the passing of the years, inmany countries and in manylanguages. One of the best andmost recent was "Ramakrishnaand his Disciples" by the world--

renowned writer, ChristopherIsherwood.

There are many other evidencesof the impact of Sri Ramakrishnain the Occident, of how westerneyes have become opened to him.For example, his sayings are

nowadays to be found quoted asimmortal utterances in books andmagazines. And the fact that manymodern Yoga movements someeven without a definite spiritualideal seem to regardRamakrishna as their patron saint;they may not follow him closely,but they have his portraitprominently displayed in thesalons where they meet. And thefact that in Holland, Germany,Italy, Portugal and Spain (and ofcourse in many places in Northand South America also)unorganized groups, without ateacher, without even any

connection with the Ramakrishnamovement, are to be foundmeeting under the inspiration of

the poor Brahmin of Kamarpukur.And the fact that students ofuniversities in the United States

and Europe are writing masters'and doctors' theses on variousfeatures of theRamakrishna-Vivekananda-Vedanta story.

We of the Centre VedantiqueRamakrishna at Gretz and those

in other centres in the West maytend to believe that we arespecially ordained to preach themessage of Sri Ramakrishna andVedanta. Agreed, we do ourbest, especially, it is hoped,through the example of our lives.The Ramakrishna Swamis, as

Vivekananda taught them to do,very rightly propound principles inpreference to personality. Theactual fact is that Ramakrishnapreaches himself-as in the case of"Planete" and the other evidencesthat I have mentioned. This seemsto me to be something totally newin the realm of divine messengers.In the case of Christ we hear ofchosen missionaries going fromvillage to village and from countryto country preaching their master.The same in the case of GautamaBuddha and his doctrine. Andcertainly vigorous proselytism wasthe case in the expansion of Islam.

But there has been little if anypropagandizing on the part ofdevotees of Sri Ramakrishna.

16

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

19/28

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

20/28

represented quite a sum ofmoney.

A few days later the man cameback. He not only paid for thebooks but explained that he couldsee that the Centre was in adifficult situation financially; hewould like to make a contributionfor its continuance, a contributionwhich should not be spent, but

instead should be invested insome security which wouldproduce a regular incomesufficient to sustain the basicneeds of the Swami and thedisciples who lived with him. Hewrote out a check; and after thevisitor's departure, when Swami

Prabhavananda examined thecheck he was impressed not onlyby the amount but by thesignature. This strange visitorwas Prince So-and-So -a memberof the Italian aristocracy. He hadappeared out of nowhere and wassoon to disappear.

The money was used to buy anorange grove, and the receiptsfrom the sale of the annual orangecrop gave the struggling VedantaSociety of Southern California abasic income for many years.One year it produced an especiallygood harvest, so that several

thousand dollars could be sent toIndia to help purchase theCossipore Garden House; and

some years later another goodharvest helped make up the sumneeded to acquire, when the time

came to organize a monastic orderfor women, the large house on theGanges opposite Belur Mathwhich became the originalheadquarters of the Sri SaradaMath.

Finally, when with the passing of

years the old orange grove was allsurrounded by subdivisions, andgrowing oranges was no longer aprofitable business in SouthernCalifornia, the property was sold;and it was the gift from this visitorwho had so miraculouslyappeared long before, which

helped produce the fundsnecessary to pay for the beautifulVedanta temple which in 1956was opened in Santa Barbara source from which manyindividuals have drawn inspirationfor the past thirty years.

I cite this incident to illustrate whywe say that we do nothing exceptbenefit; Ramakrishna does hisown work.

Now I shall give a third example ofRamakrishna's handiwork. Tocontemplate its scope is tobecome convinced that a

miraculous source of inspiration isoperating.

18

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

21/28

In its complete version, the NewYork edition of the Gospel of SriRamakrishna is a large volume

running to some eleven hundredpages. It was translated bySwami Nikhilananda from M.' soriginal five volumes in Bengali.This book is on its way to beingconsidered one of the mostimportant religious works of theworld.

Most devotees have read theGospel of Sri Ramakrishna frombeginning to end, probably severaltimes. Or they keep the volumeon the bedside table and study apage or two nearly every nightbefore going to sleep. Most

devotees are familiar with theincidents, with what Ramakrishnacounselled, with in a generalway the numerouscontemporaries who people theGospel, with the Master's proverbsand parables. But try to trackdown a particular reference!Among the hundreds of thousandsof words in this great book, findingwhat you want when you want it isnearly impossible.

True, there is a short index, aglossary of Vedantic terms, and anindex to first lines of songs, butthese are of little help in specific

cases.

Well, in the past few months

something has occurred to changeall that. Early in 1985 thereappeared the "Concordance to the

Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, NewYork Edition." This must be oneof the best and most completescriptural indexes ever devised. Itspublication is a major event in theRamakrishna chronicle. TheConcordance is a tool capable ofmaking the serious study of

Ramakrishna's life and teachingvery much easier and infinitelymore profound. Untold thousandsof future Ramakrishna enthusiastswill reverently thank its compiler.

The story of the development ofthis Concordance is one more

example of how Sri Ramakrishnadoes his own work. No Vedantacentre in India or the "West couldhave undertaken such vasteditorial effort. We rememberthat the first concordance to theBible, brought out in 1247, wasreputedly compiled by Hugo de St.Caro with the aid of five hundredmonks. And yet here is thisConcordance, issued barely fiftyyears after the completion of theGospel, wonderfully wellexecuted, all the work directedand the development costs borneby a devotee. Copies areavailable at fifty dollars each, not

so very much more than the actualcosts of paper and printing.

19

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

22/28

The Concordance is nearly 650pages long, its format that of thesize of typing paper. There are,

arranged in double columns,seventy to eighty subject entriesper page, making something likeforty or fifty thousand referencesand cross references. Every wordSri Ramakrishna uttered, everyteaching he gave, every examplehe used, every song he sang or

listened to, every person headdressed his remarks to mayquickly be found by page numberand position on the page of theNew York Gospel.

There follows an appendix ofRamakrishna's religious

experiences and ecstatic states,with indications as to where to finddescriptions of them.

Next comes a fifty-page appendixidentifying, with biographicalinformation and an explanation oftheir significance in theRamakrishna story, relatives,disciples, acquaintances, andother contemporaries of theMaster. I counted more than fourhundred, and the pages in theGospel where they are mentionedare all indicated. Having thisbiographical dictionary at hand willenormously aid those admirers of

Ramakrishna who, like me, cannever seem to keep in mindexactly who is who among the

many people he encountered.

There is then an appendix

containing the names of all thedeities, incarnations, and historicalpersonages mentioned in theGospel, with page numbers wherethey are mentioned.

Finally there is an appendixreferring to Sri Ramakrishna's

prayers, and finally an index to thesongs and authors of songs whichappear in the Gospel.

The name of the devotee whocarried through this project is MissKatharine Whitmarsh, orPrasanna. The name Whitmarsh

will be found in works pertaining toSwami Vivekananda, for herfamily was associated with andindeed connected by marriage toSwami Vivekananda's Americanfriends, the Leggetts. Tantinewas Prasanna's aunt. Prasannawas present, aged two years, atRidgely Manor during the "greatsummer" of 1899 when SwamiVivekananda was there. Prasannarecalls Vivekananda vaguely,remembers that he gave her apenny.

Prasanna's interest in SriRamakrishna increased with the

passage of years. She came tolive in Santa Barbara near theconvent of the Vedanta Society

20

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

23/28

and began in earnest at first forher own use, to index the Gospel.As she says in the Preface of the

Concordance: "It was natural,therefore, when I began my studyof the Gospel that I should beginmaking notes of phrases and keywords whose location I wanted toremember, keeping them in aspecial notebook. As this privateindex grew, it became more

comprehensive and elaborate andfinally had to be transferred first to5"x7" cards and then to 3"X5"cards (some 40,000 of them).Thus one might say theConcordance was born in the formof notebooks, from which it wentthrough several transitions: to

cards, to typewritten 11"xI7"sheets, and finally into acomputer, the total processoccurring over a period of somefifteen years." Further on in thePreface Prasanna gives thankfulcredit to the large staff of helpers(some paid workers and somedevotee aides who contributedtheir time) who helped her. Allexpenses were borne by her.

The work is done now and willremain for years as a monumentto the inspiration brought into thelife of one devoted person by SriRamakrishna, Prasanna

completes her Preface with thesewords: "The benefits of dealingwith Sri Ramakrishna's words and

teachings on a consistent basisare impossible to evaluate ordescribe, but the presence of his

thought in our lives can only be anasset of the most valuable kind.All of us who have had anopportunity to participate in thiswork have been blessed by it, andI am grateful to be able to offer thisConcordance to all users of theEnglish translation of the Gospel

of Sri Ramakrishna, whoever andwherever they may be." I havenot given any well-rounded surveyof the impact of Ramakrishna inthe West-only some anecdotalglimpses. University students arebusy working on intensive and welldocumented investigations, and

new books tracing the Master'sinfluence in the Occident are beingwritten. What I have done inthese lines has been to bearwitness to several examples of SriRamakrishna's growingsignificance that have passedbefore the bemused eyes of onewestern observer.

(Reprinted from Vedanta Kesari,November-December 1985)

21

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

24/28

Childrens Variety Performance

Feasting the eyes with colourfuldresses, filling the ears withmelodious music and engagingthe minds with their varietyperformance the children ofSarada Kindergarten stole the

hearts of 600 audience. Themajor event, Annual Graduationcum Concert was held on 28September to put to test the hardwork of teachers and unfolding ofthe talents of their young pupils.The variety of events includedsongs, dances, dramas and

other items. The dominant noteof all the events was to impart

some moral lessons, the cornerstone of human character.

The dance-drama, Let us talkwas inspired by Leo Lionnis sixcrows. The birds are destroying

the crops and the farmers placescarecrows to scare them away.Retaliating, the birds build hugeand fierce hawks to scare thefarmers. The frightened farmersremain indoors and the crops arewithering. Both farmers and birdsare suffering. The wise owls

intervene and persuade farmersto talk with birds. By talking they

22

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

25/28

find a compromise and learn to

live happily together.

Another dance-drama Swimmy isalso based on Leo LionnisSwimmy. It tells the story of threered fish who lose their families tohuge hungry tuna fish. Later theymake new friends. With their newfriends they work as a team toform the shape of an enormousfish that frightens the hungrytuna away. The little fish are safenow. The drama teaches byworking as a team, children canovercome obstacles that arebigger than themselves.

The dance Celebrating harmonyconveys the harmony thatprevails in a forest. Flowers andbirds, wind and rains depend onthe forest and forest alsodepends on them. There isharmony in inter-dependence.

Every year the permanent featureof the Concert is a Tamil drama.

Tamil as a second language is

taught here. This year, the themeof the humorous drama is quickcooking competition. Four teamsrepresent boys, girls, grandparents and a modern youth.Each team presents their skillsrecipes and cooking techniquesthrough witty dialogues.

At the end of the childrenstalents display, SwamiMuktirupananda, President of theRamakrishna Mission, brieflyinformed the audience of theachievements of the institutionduring the year 2012-2013. Itreceived the following awards

from Ministry of Education Association of Early ChildhoodEducators, Singapore.

1. Distinction award forinnovation setting ourgoals.

2. Merit award for outstanding

Kindergarten teacher.

23

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

26/28

He further said that Sarada was

awarded innovation grant of $4000.00 which was being used tocreate Tamil Readers for Nurseryto K2 children. Sarada continuedto work with community partnersAWWA (Asian Womens WelfareAssociation); Apple Singapore;The ascension KG and the Living

Sanctuary. Last year (2012)Sarada introduced ipads intolearning centres as a pilotproject. The institution held Foodand Fun fair on 1, June 2013 toraise funds to support theupgrading programme.

Pleased with the entertainingConcert put up by the children,Guest of Honour Ms. IndraneeRajah, Senior Minister of state,Minister of Law and Minister ofEducation said in her address,Sarada Kindergarten is knownfor its caring and professionalteachers who deliver quality

programmes. Their passion and

dedication in making a difference

in the lives of young childrenhave won their institution manyawards, for innovation, goodpractices and outstandingteachers. I urge Sarada tocontinue sharing good practicesso that other centres can learnand benefit from its experience.

She noted, We want to continueto support quality and affordablekindergartens such as Sarada sothat they can continue to servechildren in the community. TheEarly Childhood Agency (ECDA)jointly overseen by the Ministry ofEducation and the Ministry ofSocial and Family Development,has recently announced varioussupport schemes, to benefitkindergartens and child carecentres. They include Pre-schoolopportunity Fund for projectsassisting children from lessadvantaged backgrounds, as well

as grants to defray infrastructurecosts and fund Teaching and

24

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

27/28

Learning resources. This is partof our efforts to further expandthe provision of quality andaffordable pre-school services,and sustain a variety of operatorsto meet the different needs ofparents.

167 K2 happy children receivedtheir certificates from the Guestof Honour getting ready to enterprimary school next year.

25

8/10/2019 Nirvana-2014 Jan - Mar 2014

28/28

Ramakrishna Mission

Wishes all our Readers,Members and Devotees a

Happy, Peaceful and

Contented

New Year 2014