HappyDiwaili

Chinmaya-Tejwww.chinmaya.org

Chinmaya Mission San Jose Publication

Vol.22, No.5September/October 2011

MiSSion StateMent

To provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become a positive contributor to the society.

Religion is not for the unworthy,

the unintelligent, and the abnormal.

Religion is only for the most level-

headed and balanced people — people who are sound

spiritually, psychologically, and physically.

Cowards cannot progress in spiritual life.

Spiritual life is meant for the person who enjoys good

health, who is alert in mind and intellect, and who has

a deep “craving of the soul.” Only such a thirsty, full-

blossomed human being, who has fully lived life,

can come to vairgya, or dispassion.

1

s Table of Contents s

From The Editors Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chinmaya Tej Editorial Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Groundbreaking Ceremony Invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chinmaya-Tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Deepavali Jyoti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Great Reveling —The Mahabharata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The True Meaning of Deepavalli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations: 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Balavihar Stories: Sahasranama — of 999 Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Bala Vihar Locations & Choir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The Second Pearl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

BalViHar Magazine - Gita Chanting Classes for Children . . . . . . . . 25

Bhakti Rasamrutam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Scheme of Study for Chinmaya Study Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Tapovan Prasad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Community Outreach program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Vedanta Study Groups Adult Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Satsangs with Br . Prabodh Chaitanya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Prabodhji's Classes at Sandeepany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Swami Tejomayananada’s Itinerary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Volume 22, No . 5September/October 2011

2

From The ediTors desk

Tej, is a bi-monthly publication of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. CMSJ is in the process of getting the necessary permits to build the New Facility.

The City of San Jose is studying the building drawings and when they are approved we shall begin the construction of our New Building.

We are happy to show you some elevation drawings of the projects. We invite you to visit the site when you can.

News and events update via e-newsletter on CMSJ web-site is serving our timely announcements. Please keep us updated with your e-mail addresses and send them to “Cmsj-news@chinmaya.org”

If you do not hear from us e-mail or Chinmaya Tej, please forward your address and e-mail to me indicated on this page.

Chinmaya Tej is also available for viewing on our website.

Chinmaya-Tej will be mailed to all Sponsors and Members of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. Send your subscription marked, Chinmaya-Tej, CMSJ, 1050 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95126.

Chinmaya Tej ediTorial sTaFF

Editor:Uma Jeyarasasingam (umakj@sbcglobal.net)

Co-editor:Rohini Joshi

Electronic Editorial Advisor:Satish Joshi

Contributors:Subbu Venkatkrishnan, Swami Chinmayananda, Swamini Saradhapriyananda, Swami Chidananda Saraswati

Design & Layout:four waters / four waters media

Printing:Bill Browning / PigMint Press, Redway, California

Data Base:Kapil Vaish

Mailing:Autozip, Ukiah, California

Contact us:http://www.chinmaya.org • Phone: (650) 969-4389 Fax: (650)428-1795

3

Ground Breaking Ceremony Invitation from the CMSJ Board

Hari Om!

The CMSJ Board of direCTorS Cordially requeSTS The honor of your preSenCe along with family at the Ground-Breaking Ceremonies of the CMSJ New Building Facility. We are indeed blessed since these ceremonies will take place in the auspicious presence of the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, our Beloved and Revered Param Pujya Guruji, Swami Tejomayanandaji, CMSJ Board of Directors President Swami Shantanandaji and our own Beloved Acharyas, Br. Prabodh Chaitanya and Smt. Uma Jeyarasasingam.

This event is the culmination of efforts that began in 2006 to secure a new property for the future CMSJ Building. Though the ground breaking ceremonies are the culmination of one phase of the project, this in many regards is the beginning of much more work to be done. To ensure that the future work is completed with out too many obstacles, we invoke the Grace and Blessings of God and our entire Guru Parampara with Poojas and ceremonies. Ceremonies will be conducted by Panditji Ravichandran.

As part of the ground breaking ceremonies, there will be a three day discourse series on the Shiva Mahimna Stotram given by Swami Shantanandaji. Discourses begin on July 22nd from 7:30pm-9:00pm, July 23rd and July 24th from 8:30am to Noon. Further details available at www.chinmaya-sanjose.org.

It goes without saying that we would not have reached this stage of the CMSJ New Building Project without the tireless and unwavering support of the entire CMSJ community. For this, we are ever grateful. We humbly seek your presence at these ceremonies. Please join us.

Thank You and Warm Regards, CMSJ Board of Directors

4

Chinmaya ~ TejThank you for asking about Chinmaya Tej. Pujya Gurudev initiated and launched the CMSJ Newsletter in 1988. Later, finding the CMSJ Newsletter to be, in his words, “like a catalog”, i.e., woefully inadequate for the purposes he had in mind, he gave detailed guidelines to transform it into a formal, informative, useful, and high-quality publication. Thus Chinmaya-Tej was born.

The manifold purposes of Tej, as laid out by Gurudev, are as follows:

1. It is the voice of CMSJ.

2. Gurudev wanted CMSJ’s publication to be of high quality and comparable to CMW’s Mananam and other Chinmaya Mission Publications.

3. It is the official publication of CMSJ. When CMSJ was first registered as Non-Profit Organization, there were queries from various government agencies as to whether CMSJ had an official publication, from which they could learn about CMSJ, our history, mission, and values. Tej served that purpose.

4. Tej is CMSJ’s mode of outreach and communication to spiritual seekers beyond those who are able to attend CMSJ’s discourses in person. Extra copies of each issue of Tej are printed so as to be available for new seekers.

5. Gurudev also instructed us to cover Vedanta topics in the Tej. Accordingly, Tej has articles on Vedanta topics for beginners as well as advanced readers.

Other Details about Tej:

1. The annual cost to produce 6 issues of Chinmaya Tej is $21,000. It is paid for by CMSJ’s Annual Membership contributions, Bala Vihar revenues, and general donations.

2. Chinmaya Tej is also available online. Hard copies of Chinmaya Tej are distributed only to members of CMSJ who reside in California.

5

In honour of the victorious return of Lord Krishna, after destroying the enemies, the joyous populace illumined the entire city once upon a time, on the banks of the Jamuna. The glorious day of victory over the enemies was called Diwali, which is the colloquial form of Deepavali, meaning ‘the array of lights.’

In Hinduism, the great saints and sages taught the subjective philosophy of true living in the form of stories in order to entertain the average man who, otherwise, would not be able to follow the exhaustive and deeply learned arguments of the Master.

Philosophy expounds the ultimate Reality and the Higher Consciousness. Such significant stories, which are in themselves complete and attractive, when they also signify something nobler and diviner, are called mystic stories.

Deepavali Jyoti

Swami Chinmayananda

6

Destroying the political enemies of a nation is not in itself an assurance of prosperity, peace and joy. No doubt, a nation must destroy its enemies and keep constant, alert vigilance to defend its freedom, and economic well-being and they must be trained and educated to live harmoniously, striving enthusiastically in all fields of productivity. This programme of prosperity in the political field is very well understood by the average man, and thus becomes a striking metaphor to indicate the spiritual unfoldment that must be subjectively gained by every seeker in his or her own inner personality.

The mighty divine individual in each one of us must, by constant effort and watchfulness, endeavour to destroy all the negative tendencies of lust, greed, selfishness, egoism, vanity etc., by the cultivation of the positive qualities of love, kindness, cheerfulness, understanding, mercy, compassion and other spiritual virtues. When the individual destroys in himself or herself all subjective enemies and cultivates the inner riches, then that personality becomes enriched and turns into a noble example that lights the path for others to travel through this world.

On this sacred day of Deepavali, all over India, at dusk, when darkness intensifies, homes are illuminated by lights in tiny mud-lamps with oil and wick. Although government houses and public buildings would be illuminated by flood lights and electric bulbs, private houses of even the wealthy would by decorated, from the gateway onwards, along the porches and even upon the roof, with these littles flames of hope and joy. This indicates a society wherein each member is a little lamp of piety, goodness, love and mutual understanding; in such a society alone does true goodwill and enduring prosperity come to stay victoriously.

7

To all my Hindu brothers everywhere, I appeal that this day be a day of prayer and expression of love. Get out of your homes in the evening and embrace every other individual in society, not just because they are Hindus, but because they too are small flames of the same Light Divine.

May this day be considered a day of peace and cheer, reassuring man that he is essentially divine. When the veiling vulgarities in us are cleansed, the pure divine light can impart a joyous sense of perfection in the ways of men and women.

Diwali is a day dedicated to inner purity and noble character. Cultivation of character is the promise for national resurgence. Political awakening, economic growth, social reforms and educational efforts are all wonderful programmes, but let us remember that all these depend upon the character of the people. Here is a happy day dedicated to the opening up of our hearts.

Let us meet our friends and neighbours at the same table. Let all misgivings be forgotten, all grievances forgiven. Let us remind ourselves, at least on this great day, that we can be victorious over our impulses and come to illumine the world around, as the lamps of wisdom from the land of spiritual light.

8

Thus begins the greatest of the epics, the Mahabharata. The reply of the maid may sound like the reply of a sophisticated girl in the International Year for Women but was given six thousand years ago in old fashioned India.

What followed was a masterpiece of suspense and thrill. The handsome youth and the lovely maid married and lived a dream of happiness. Until there came a jolt and a halt.

Soon a baby boy was born. Before the father could even so much as hold the baby boy, the mother threw the baby into the river, to be washed away and drowned. Another followed, and yet another, and four more. The same fate befell them. The horrified, grief stricken father could contain his chagrin no longer. When the eighth newly born baby was about to be thrown into the water, he stood in the way and stretched out his hands.

“That's enough. Give the baby to me; he is mine.” The mother handed the baby over and left without a word or look. All was over between them.

The Great Reveling[ The Mahabharata ]

By Swamini Saradapriyananda

“Will you be my charming wife?" whispered the handsome youth in the ears of the lovely maid. The maid smiled and nodded,

“Yes, but only if you promise not to interfere with my freedom…”

It was dusk time. The long shadows of the evening were creeping in to drape the world in a mystery of vagueness.

The youth and the maid were standing on the banks of a river.

9

The daring and outrageous manner in which the epic opens is so dramatic that it can rival any modern thriller. Much as it may seem hard to believe, the epic’s author, Sage Vyasa, was no author of sensational literature. He was a Philosopher with a vision and mission for posterity. Given that, what was this all about?

The Mahabharata is often called the Panchama Veda (the fifth Veda) — where the esoteric message of the four vedas is dissected and cooked for the ready consumption of the average spiritual seeker. The Vedas, the revelations by the Lord Himself, are so profound that it is difficult for most people to fully understand them. They declare how the Supreme Being alone is, how It becomes apparently the world as well as the indi-vidual, and how the individual can return to his own pristine glory, of unifying with the Supreme Being. This profundity of the Vedas is pictured and in the present life they sow the seeds of their future lives through their current actions. It is a story of dole, disease and despair, which the Mahabharata vividly paints.

Santanu was dead and gone. The two sons born to Satyavati were also dead. The mighty empire of Hastinapura remained with no one to sit on the throne, with Bhishma who would not occupy it, and three widows.

Somehow the old lady tries to get a heir to the throne by Niyoga and the result becomes fatal — a blind boy Dhritarashtra and an accursed one Pandu Raja were the only result.

Is there a way out from this mess?, enquires the anxious sadhak. For him is the background given it is only to show the way out.

The main story depicts the plight of a rajasic man, for whom alone philosophy is intended. While the tamasic man is not yet ready, and the sattvic man has gone beyond, it is the rajasic man who has the higher vision but the lower temptations that need guidance and help.

Thus the main story starts with the struggle between the children of Dhritarashtra and Pandu. A rajasic man has a fine vision which is often covered up and veiled by his own selfish low cravings. At that time his intellect is like the blind Dhritarashtra. The mind that is guided by the intellect also consequently becomes blind, like Gandhari. Born to these two blind ones are the hundred and one evil qualities, the Kauravas.

On the other hand, when selfishness does not veil wisdom, the intellect is pure sattvic, like Pandu, and the mind guided by such discriminating intellect will be full of devotion like Kunti capable of propitiating and getting boons from the gods. To such a couple are born five wonderful qualities, Dharmaraja, representing righteousness, Bhima, strength, Arjuna, softheartedness, Nakula, beauty of the personality, and Sahadeva, knowledge of scriptures. These are all wedded to one Draupadi. Draupadi means pertaining to Dru pada — quick progress in reaching the Goal (Dru+Pada).

10

From here the story takes a new turn — unveiled is a huge picture of the Raj Asuya sacrifice of the vedic Karma Kanda. Rajasuya is the sacrifice prescribed by the Satapatha Brahmana of the Sukla Yajurveda. This is a yaga performed by a Raja, in which, after the yaga is over, the Raja waits for thirteen months. Exactly at the end of the thirteen months, he performs a mock raid of the cows of his kinsmen. Then he sits down and plays a mock game of dice with his kinsmen, wherein, by arrangement, he wins. After this the holy bath is taken and the sacrifice is concluded.

The ritual sounds silly and meaningless outwardly. The Mahabharata explains the inner significance through the story. Raja, Soma, and Chandra are the terms used in vedas to indicate the Vasanas within. Rajasuya means pressing out (getting rid of) Vasanas. Vasanas cannot get automatically pressed out, but only by deliberate, concerted effort.

In the city of Hastinapura where the Kauravas reign supreme, the kingdom has to be partitioned and Dharmaraja has to be made the king of Indraprastha or the realm of the mind. In this Indraprastha, the drama of the Maya Sabha, or the hail of illusions, starts. The irresponsible and irrepressible Duryodhana wanders about in the Maya Sabha, getting knocks on his head and body, because he mistakes one thing for another. Draupadi — the spiritual aspect within man — mocks and laughs at him.

When the Supreme Lord Krishna is given the Agrapooja, the Vasana shedding begins. But it is a long hard struggle. In the day to day gamble of life, pitted against his own uncontrollable inferior tendencies, the sadhak in Dharmaraja remains incompetent and gets defeated at the hands of Sakuni. Incompetence in the material world hampers spiritual progress. As a result of which, Draupadi, the spiritual aspect within man, gets insulted in public.

11

A sadhak so chastised has to make a retreat to sacrifice for better control over himself. Thirteen months or 'Trayodasa Masa' is the period fixed by the Satapatha Brahmana for the completion of the sacrifice. 'Masa', is from the root 'to limit'. Limit the ten senses, mind, intellect, and the Vasanas - the thirteen limiting forces that are hostile to spiritual progress.

So the Pandavas go into Aranya for ‘Dwadasa Varsha’. Varsha means rain. The senses, mind and intellect rain down the Supreme Awareness within, eagerly into the world, to fight and kick for supremacy. This fighting has to be temporarily stopped and Aranya Vasa non-fighting should be resumed to get better wisdom and divine strength. Thus, Dharmaraja spends twelve years listening to the masters; Bhima and Arjuna spend the time getting divine weapons.

Here too, spiritual progress, Drapaudi, is in danger. Spiritual progress is a withdrawal of the mind, but the mind is a continuous flow of thoughts. So Saindhava (Sindhu meaning flow) tries to kidnap Draupadi.

Last, but not the least, is the entry into the Ajnata Vasa. The Vasanas are unmanifest tendencies about which we know nothing. The sadhak has to immerse within himself to sort out these shallow tendencies, Keechaka (the hollow noises of a bamboo) who is a great danger to Draupadi. She has to be protected by killing him.

When this is successfully accomplished, the rescue of cattle from the Kauravas comes. The Kauravas attack the cattle “Uttara” and “Dakshina” Gograhna it is called. ‘Go’ in sanskrit means knowledge. The material knowledge is Dakshina Go (Dakshina from Daksh = to increase). The spiritual knowledge is Uttara Go (Uttara = to transcend).

Then, when the knowledge is rescued from the clutches of the Kauravas, the real effort starts Udyoga Parva. Compromise talks begin.

But, in spiritual sadhana, there can be no compromise with evil. Thus, a fight is a must between good and evil, and the two armies meet on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which is converted to Dharmakshetra. The heart winces in pain and fear “Can I undertake this?” doubts the sadhak. Since there is a spirit of surrender in the sadhak, the guidance as the song celestial comes from the Lord Himself, and the fight is over in no time. Dharma is resurrected with no more opposition. Now the game of life is won, but the sadhak has to go further. He has yet to sacrifice his ego before he can find his oneness with the Self. The ego which is the voracious eater of all experiences is called Aswa. Its sacrifice is called Aswamedha.

As per the ritual the horse is allowed to roam about for a year under the watchful eyes of an army to protect it from being caught. When the horse returns, it is sacrificed.

12

So too the ego. It has to wander uncaught in the outer world under the watchful eyes of the sadhak. When the wanderings are successfully completed and it is no more caught in the snares of the attractive world, it is ready to be sacrificed.

The death of the ego heralds the birth of Parikshit, the tested one who is dead but revived by the grace of the Lord.

At this stage the Lord gives the Uttara Geeta the Song Transcendental. It is no longer a fight with the evil but a shedding of the Jeeva Bhava.

Thus the Great Revelling concludes with the ascent of the sadhak to Svarga. This Svarga is not the heaven of Indra with his gardens and damsels, but it is a journey towards one's self Svah ± ga merging in his own real nature.

In the last phase, it is not an effort, nor even a sadhana. Draupadi drops out, no haste any more. The twins and Bhima and Arjuna also drop out. The lingering traces of the dying ego, Dharmaraja, accompanied by his Dharma alone, ascends. It is a peeling off of the last traces of Vasanas, a bud blossoming into a flower.

Even here, he has to pass through good and bad experiences, a vision of loved ones suffering in hell and enemies enjoying heaven. This is only a passing illusion. With the final bath in the river of wisdom, the sadhak’s last covering is dropped. The ascent is over and the destination is reached!

x

13

14

Swami Chidananda Saraswati

(India Heritage Research Foundation, Rishikesh)

The time of Deepavali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. It is a time filled with light and love, a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. However, it is also a holiday that is widely misunderstood and misrepresented, especially in the West. I have heard that in the West, Deepavali is referred to as “the Indians’ Christmas” and that it is celebrated with frivolity and decadence. Let us talk about what Deepavali really means, about why we celebrate it and about why we worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day.

Celebration of LightThere are three main aspects of this holiday called Deepavali. The first is the celebration of light. We line our homes and streets with lanterns; we explode fireworks; children play with sparklers.

However, Deepavali is not a festival of light in order that we may burn candles, fireworks and sparklers. Sure, these are wonderful ways of expressing our gaiety. But, they are not the true meaning of “light”. Deepavali is a festival of the light which dispels the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life. The purpose is not to glorify the light of the candle, or the light of the firecracker. The purpose is to glorify the light of God. It is He who bestows that real light, the everlasting light upon the darkness of this mundane world. A candle burns out. A firework is a

T h e T r u e M e a n i n g o f

DeepavaLLi

15

momentary visual experience. But the candle of a still mind and the fireworks of a heart filled with bhakti are divine and eternal; these are what we should be celebrating.

We decorate our homes with lanterns; but why? What is the symbolism behind it? Lanterns signify God’s light, penetrating through the ignorance and sin of our daily lives. They signify the divine light, shining its way through this mundane world. A home bathed in light is a home in which anger, pain, and ignorance are being dispelled; it is a home that is calling to God. However, too many people turn this into a domestic beauty contest, spending days and a great deal of money to purchase the newest deepaks, the most beautiful candles. “We had 75 candles burning last night.” we gloat. This is only the light of God, and thus the true meaning of the holiday is lost...

The light of Deepavali should be for us, within. It should symbolise the personal relationship between God and our families. It should not be so we attract attention from passing cars, or so we are the envy of the neighbourhood. Let the light penetrate inward, for only there will it have lasting benefit. A piece of cotton soaked in ghee, lit with a pure heart, a conscious mind and an earnest desire to be freed from ignorance is far “brighter” than a hundred fashionable deepaks, lit in simple unconscious revelry.

a Fresh StartIn the joyous mood of this season, we clean our homes, our offices, our rooms, letting the light of Deepavali enter all the corners of our lives. We begin new chequebooks, diaries and calendars. It is a day of “starting fresh”.

On this day we clean every room of the house; we dust every corner of the garage, we sweep behind bookshelves, vacuum under beds and empty out cabinets. But, what about our hearts? When was the last time we swept our hearts; when did we last empty them of all the dirt and garbage that has accumulated throughout our lives?

That is the real cleaning we must do. That is the real meaning of “starting fresh”. We must clean out our hearts, ridding them of darkness and bitterness; we must make them clean and sparkling places for God to live in. We must be as thorough with ourselves as we are with our homes. Are there any dark corner in our hearts we have avoided for so long? Are we simply “sweeping all the dirt under the rug”? God sees all, knows all. He knows what is behind every wall of our hearts, what is swept into every corner, and hidden under

16

every rug. Let us truly clean out our hearts; let us rid ourselves of the grudges, pain, and anger that clutter our ability to love freely. Let us empty out every nook and cranny; so that His divine light can shine throughout.

Additionally, on Deepavali, we begin a new chequebook; we put last year’s accounts to rest. But, what about our own balance sheets? When was the last time we assessed our minuses and pluses, our strengths and our weaknesses, our good deeds and selfish deeds? How many years’ worth of grudges and bitterness and pain have we left unchecked?

A good businessman always checks his balance sheet -- how much he spent, how much he earned. A good teacher always checks the progress of her students -- how many are passing, how many are failing. And they know how many are failing. And they assess themselves accordingly “Am I a good businessman?” “Am I a good teacher?” In the same way we must assess the balance sheets of our lives. Look at the last year. Where do we stand? How many people did we hurt? How many did we heal? How many times did we lose our temper? How many times did we give more than we received? Then, just as we give our past chequebooks and the first checque of our new one to God, let us give all our minus and plus points to Him. He is the one responsible for all our good deeds. And our bad ones are due only to ignorance. So, let us turn everything over to Him, putting our strengths, our weaknesses, our wins and our losses at His holy feet. And then, let us start afresh, with a new book, unadulterated by old grudges and bitterness.

Maha LakshmiThe third, and perhaps the most important, aspect of Deepavali is the worship of Maha Lakshmi. Maha Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, bestowing these abundantly upon Her devotees. On Deepavali we pray to Her for prosperity; we ask Her to lavish us with Her blessings. However, what sort of prosperity are we praying for? All too often, we infer wealth to mean money, possessions, material pleasures. This is NOT the true wealth in life; this is not what makes us prosperous. There is almost no correlation between the amount of money we earn, the number of possessions we buy and our sense of inner bliss and prosperity.

It is only God’s presence in our lives which makes us rich. Look at India. People in small villages, in holy towns, in ancient cities, have very little in terms of material possessions. Most of them live

17

below the Western standards of poverty. Yet, if you tell them they are poor, they won’t believe you, for in their opinion they are not. This is because they have God as the centre of their lives. Their homes may not have TV sets, but they all have small mandirs; the children may not know the words to the latest rock and roll song, but they know the words to aarti; they may not have computers or fancy history text books, but they know the stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other holy Scriptures; they may not begin their days with newspapers, but they begin with prayer.

If you go to these villages you may see what looks like poverty to you. But, if you look a little closer, you will see that these people have a light shining in their eyes and a glow on their faces and a song in their hearts that money cannot buy.

On Deepavali, we must pray to Maha Lakshmi to bestow real pros-perity upon us, the prosperity that brings light to our lives and sparkle to our eyes. We must pray for an abundance of faith, not money, for success in our spiritual lives, not a promotion at work, for the love of God, not the love of the beautiful girl (or boy) in our science class.

There is another point about Maha Lakshmi that is impotant. We tend to worship only Her most prominent of aspects -- that of bestowing prosperity upon Her devotees. However, She is a multifaceted Goddess, filled with symbols of great importance. As we worship Her, let us look more deeply at Her divine aspects. First, according to our Scriptures, She is the divine partner of Lord Vishnu. In the Hindu tradition, there is almost always a pair -- a god and a goddess, and they play interdependent roles. It is this way, it is said that Maha Lakshmi provides Lord Vishnu with the wealth necessary in order to sustain life. He sustains it, but through the wealth She provides.

Therefore, in its highest meaning, Maha Lakshmi provides wealth for sustenance, not for indulgence. Our material wealth and prosperity should only sustain us, giving us that which is necessary to preserve our lives. All surplus should be used for humanitarian causes. She does not give wealth so that we may become fat and lazy; yet, that is what we tend to do with the wealth we receive. Let us remember that Maha Lakshmi’s material wealth is meant for sustenance and preservation, not for luxury and decadence.

Additionally, we worship Maha Lakshmi who is the divine symbol of purity and chastity. Yet, in our celebration of Her, we indulge in frivolity and decadence. How can we worship her while engaging

18

in the opposite of what She represents? We must re-assess how we pay tribute to this holy Goddess!

The last point I want to mention is that She is typically protrayed wearing red. What does this mean? Red is the colour of action, and She is the goddess of prosperity. This means that in order to obtain the true prosperity in life, we must engage in action. Most people think that in order to be spiritual, or to obtain “spiritual prosperity” one must be sitting in a lotus posture in the Himalayas. This is not the only way. In the Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna teaches about karma yoga, about serving God by doing your duty. We must engage ourselves in active, good service; that is truly the way to be with Him.

Let our inner world be filled with devotion to Him, and let our outer performance be filled with perfect work, perfect action. I once heard a story about a man who spent 40 years meditating so that he could walk on water. He thought that if he could walk on water, then he had truly attained spiritual perfection, that he was then truly “one” with god. When I heard this story, I thought, why not spend 40 dollars instead, buy a boat to cross the water and spend the 40 years giving something to the world? That is the real purpose of life.

So, on this holy day, let us fill our entire beings with the light of God. Let us clean out our minds and hearts, making a true “fresh start.” Let us pray to Maha Lakshmi to bestow the divine gifts of faith, purity and devotin upon us. With those, we will always be rich, always prosperous, and always fulfilled. Let us celebrate Deepavali this year as a true “holy day”, not merely as another frivolous “holiday”.

Swami Chidananda Saraswati

19

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrations2011

20

Balavihar StoriesSwami Chinmayananda

Sahasranama — of 999 NamesOnce upon a time there lived a poor Brahmin whose name was Devadatta. He would spend the entire day in chanting the Vishnu Saharanama -- “The thousand names of Lord Vishnu”. Very often, there would be nothing to eat in the house.

One morning, as he was going down to bathe in the Ganges, his wife said to him, “There is nothing today in the house to eat. The children are crying out for food. Go and beg some flour.”

A verse flashed through his mind, in which Lord Vishnu’s name appeared as Viswambhara: “Feeder of the entire Universe.” And he thought -- “No! Viswambhara is a wrong word! Vishnu is not Viswambhara. He shirks His responsibility of feeding His beings.” He went in immediately and fetched his Vishnu Saharanama text-book and crossed out the word Viswambhara with a piece of charcoal. Thus satisfied, he declared, “From today I shall chant only nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine names, instead of the full thousand.” He then went down to the Ganges for his bath.

At this time, the Lord of the Universe -- Vishnu -- and the Mother of the Universe -- Lakshmi -- were sitting together in Vaikunth. Suddenly Lakshmi looked at Vishnu and giggled. Vishnu was surprised at her strange behaviour. “Why are you laughing?” he asked her. But she just shook her head and doubled up with fits of laughter. But Vishnu would not rest till the cause of her irrepressible laughter had been told. So Mother Lakshmi said, “My Lord, as it is, you are fair, but today you are looking fairer still!” And she laughed again. Vishnu hastily passed a hand over his face. His hand was full of coal dust!

21

Sobering down, Lakshmi asked, “Is that some new type of sandal paste, your devotee has today offered you?” Vishnu said “He is very poor. He cannot even afford to feed his family.”

“Then why do you not give him wealth and abundance?” she asked, casting a sideways glance at Him. Vishnu looked at her thoughtfully and said, “I know your motive. If I endow him with wealth and prosperity, he will shift his devotion to you.” No, this is not the answer. But Lakshmi was persistent. “Poor fellow,” she said, “he has been suffering in poverty for a long time now. I will pester you, till you do something about it.”

At last, knowing that in the end he would lose in the argument with Her, Lord Vishnu agreed to disguise Himself as a muleteer and go down to earth.

And so it happened that later during the day a muleteer with a long line of loaded mules behind him approached Devadatt’s wife. Devadatta was on the Ganga -banks, absorbed in the nine-hundred-ninety-nine names of the Lord. So the muleteer went straight to the house and said to his wife, “Amma, are you the wife of Bhakta Devadatta? If so, good lady, please accept all these gifts. I passed your husband on the Ganga-banks, and lost a bet with him.”

The poor lady was bewildered, but she asked Him to come in and wait for her husband’s return. But the muleteer said, “I have no time now. I have to be on my way. But I have something to do before I go.” Within a flash he created a huge mansion with beautiful gardens and fountains. Servants were busily running here and there. Devadatta’s own wife and children were clad in rich silks. The muleteer then got up to leave. The dazed lady said to him, “I do not understand all this, Maharaj. Till a moment ago we were as poor as mice. Now, can all this wealth be ours? Will you not wait for my husband?” The muleteer shook his head.

Then she asked anxiously, “Is there at least a message for him?” The muleteer smiled. His white teeth flashed across His dark-face, and He said, “Yes. Please tell him to wipe off the special sandal paste he so generously applied to My face this morning.” Devadatta’s wife was perplexed, but she agreed to convey the message.

When Devadatta came home at noon. after his Anushthana and daily Sadhana, he saw the huge palace and courtyards and flower-beds, and thought he had missed his way and come to the wrong place. So he turned to retrace his steps. Just then his wife came running out, dressed in silks and jewels, and drew him inside.

He was bewildered. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was dreaming. She took him in, made him sit down and gave him refreshment. Then she

22

started pressing his feet and telling him the story of the muleteer. Last of all she gave him the cryptic message. Then she wrinkled her nose and said, “What do you think He meant by that? Can you make anything of it?” Devadatta understood at once what had happened during his absence. His mind was constantly on Lord Vishnu, so it took no time to guess that it was the Lord Himself who had paid a visit to his humble cottage.

He ran out of the house, crying in agony, “O Lord! You gave her darshan who would always scorn your blessed name. How could you? O, how could you?” Thus he ran a long distance into the jungle, calling out, “Narayana, Narayana....Viswambhara! Viswambhara!”

After many hours he felt completely exhausted and sat down to rest. Suddenly there was a dazzling light, and Lord Vishnu stood there, in front of him, smiling down at him in benign kindness. Devadatta, however, was too offended to enjoy this divine vision. He shut his eyes and turned his head away. Vishnu spoke to him and said, “I know why you are angry with Me. But do you not know that your wife, after all, merits a share of the Punya you acquire? I appeared to her as a Muleteer, to you I reveal in My true Divine-Form.”

Devadatta at once clasped the Lord’s feet, and tears of love rolled down his cheeks. In a choked voice he said, “Lord, do not forsake me now. Take me to Vaikuntha with you. Do not send me back into your world of Maya.”

Vishnu lovingly placed His hand on Devadatta’s head and said, “Always remember My-Form as you have seen it now. Go, my son, and live the life of ease and comfort you so richly deserve. Remembering Me always, do your work in the world. My Maya will not touch you.” And then He disappeared.

Devadatta went back with the Lord’s blessing and lived ever drunk with the Bliss of the Lord’s divine vision. No one did pester him any more to go and beg flour, or to get new clothes for the children. He was well provided for, and so he spent the rest of his days in blissful meditation upon the “Preserver of the Universe” — Lord Vishnu — the great Viswambhara.

23

Shiva abhiSheka & Puja at SandeePany San joSeConduCted by Mission MeMbers

time: 7:30-8:30 pm / every 2nd Monday of the month

bala vihar locationS 2010-2011

FreMont Washington High school 38442, Fremont Blvd. Saturdays: 1:30 pm CONTACT: Lakshmi Prakash / (510) 490-1266

danville/ California High school san raMon/ 9870 Broadmoor Drive/San Ramon, CA 94583 EAST BAY Saturdays: 4:30 pm ContaCt: Meena Kapadia / (925) 680-7037

san Jose lincoln High school 555 Dana Avenue, San Jose Sunday: Session I-9:00am, Session II-10:30am, Session III-11:45 am CONTACT: Uma / (650) 969-4389

San JoSeChoir sessions are held every alternate Sundays between 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. venue: Sandeepany / San Jose teaCHers: Prema Sriram, Jaya Krishnan, and Jayashree Ramkumar ContaCt: Prema Sriram: NANSUK@aol.com

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Prema at the address above.

Danville /San Ramon/eaSt bayChoir sessions are held once every two weeks, Saturdays at 2:00pm - 3:00pm venue: California High School 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583 teaCHer: Shailaja Dixit / Contact: Shailaja at (925) 309-4837

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Shailaja at the above number.

FRemontChoir is held weekly on Saturdays, 12 noon - 1:00 pm venue: Washington High School / Fremont teaCHers: Natana Valiveti and Rajashri Iyengar ContaCt: Natana at natana@yahoo.com

Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Natana at the above address.

Swaranjali youth choir

24

THE SECOND PEARL

Find Love, Not Fault

It takes two to make a quarrel. Also it takes two to make

up (patching up) after a quarrel. Without invoking love,

this can never be accomplished. Flood your mind with love,

look into the eyes of the other and embrace the person with

whom you had quarreled. Words are not necessary. Both will

have their eyes flooded and the joy-tears will wash away all

quarrels for the time being. Try this. Your will find this true

every time. This is the power of love, the strength of love.

Faults become thick when love is thin. When love rises to

swirl around us, and when we review in this clear light of

love, the very faults get transformed into the essential beauty

in them. This is the magic touch of love, the miracle played

by love. When our hearts are full of love life is a smiling

valley of beauty and joy, romantic and divine.

Swami Chinmayananda

T h e S e c o n d P e a r l

25

Kids' Own Magazine...BalViHar

Parents...This is a monthly magazine published by Central Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai for Children. It is packed with stories, puzzles, arts and craft ideas, children’s contributions of essays, riddles, games, and much more. You can subscribe to it directly. The annual subscription is

$30 and you will receive it monthly by air. We suggest that you subscribe in your child’s name so your child will have the pleasure of receiving his or her own magazine from India.

Make your checks payable to Central Chinmaya Mission Trust and mail it to: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072, India

Gita ChantinG Classes for Childrenby Mallika Subramanian

San Jose: lincoln High school / every sunday Contact: (408) 245-4915

Fremont: Washington High school / every saturday Contact: (510) 490-1266

San Ramon/east bay: California High school every saturday (3:15pm - 4:15pm)

Contact: (510) 490-1266

26

Swaranjali, Chinmaya Youth Choir, has produced 10 CDs containing 100 Bhajans, glorifying the Lord in many Indian Languages. The Bhajans

are rendered by 15 students of Swaranjali, with devotion, an offering to the Lord as their contribution to the New Building Project.

Choir participants who sang on the Bhaktirasamrutam album were trained by Prema Sriram, Jaya Krishnan and Jayshree Ramkumar. The CD

is entitled, Bhakti Rasamrutam, the sweet essence of Devotion. All details on this CD are posted on our web-site, chinmaya-sanjose.org.

This is a rare gift which is very inspirational and uplifting.

The proceeds from the CDs will add to our Fund-raising efforts. Thanks to all who contributed their time and talents to the production of the CD.

Bhakti Rasamrutam(The sweet essence of Devotion)

27

1. Self Unfoldment2. Tattva bodh3. Bhaja Govindam4. Atma bodh5. Manah Shodhanam6. Upadesa Saram7. Narada Bhakti Sutra8. Meditation and Life9. Bhagavad Gita Introduction – Ch.1 & 210. Jnanasarah11. Kenopanishad12. Gita, Ch. 3 – 613. Dyanaswaroopam14. Kaivalya Upanishad15. Gita, Ch. 7 – 916. Isavasya Upanishad17. Gita, Ch. 10 – 1218. Bhakti Sudha19. Gita, Ch. 13 – 1520. Mundaka Upanishad21. Gita, Ch. 16 – 1822. Sat Darshan23. Vivekachoodamani

Scheme of Study for chinmaya Study GroupS, uS

VeDANTA STUDy GroUpS heLD IN The BAy AreA Are LISTeD IN ThIS ISSUe of ChINMAyA TeJ AND yoU MAy CoNTACT

TheM If yoU wISh To JoIN A STUDy GroUp.

28

A Monthly SpirituAl of ChinMAyA MiSSion

WorldWide

Published by Chinmaya Chinmaya Mission Worldwide

It is Internationally acclaimed Publication filled with articles

and reports that are inspiring and educational.

Hindus living all over the world keep in touch with their spiritual

heritage through Tapovan Prasad.Annual Subscription by Airmail:

US $25 (12 issues)Make checks payable to

Tapovan Prasad, and mail to Chinmaya Mission

No.2, 13th Ave., Harrington Rd, Chetput, Chennai, 600 031, India

Our thanks to all our Sponsor families who have continued to support us for many years and to all Member

families who have found our programs to benefit their children thereby supporting us. We have room for more

Sponsors and Members. Please invite your friends to join the larger Chinmaya Family of the Bay Area.

CMSJ SPONSORSHIP . . . . . . . . . . Annual Contribution $500 CMSJ MEMBERSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . Annual Contribution $200 Chinmaya - Tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annual CT Sponsors $300 Chinmaya - Tej . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annual Subscription $50

(Receive Chinmaya-Tej only)

Tapovan prasad

29

SAN joSeAre You Willing to Volunteer or Just Sponsor the Program?

If yes, please call Krishna Bhamre: (408) 733-4612 or e-mail sbhamre@yahoo.com

We need VOLUNTEERS for preparing and serving Hot Meals for the Homeless. Lunch bags are prepared at

Los Altos Community Center. All Youth volunteers are required to sign up with Krishna Bhamre.

Meals For The Homeless Program: Served at San Jose’s Emergency Housing Consortium at Orchard Drive off

Curtner Avenue (Adult & Youth Volunteers & Sponsors).

FReMoNTFremont BV sponsors Sandwiches For The Needy.

On the 2nd Saturday/Washington High School in Fremont.Parents of Bala Vihar and the kids prepare 70 Sandwiches,

bag them and provide chips, fruit and juice. The Sandwiches are delivered to the Tricity Homeless

Coalition, where they are served to adults and children.The Shelter is located on 588 Brown Road, Fremont, CAIn addition, last Christmas, Fremont Bala Vihar donated new blankets, sweaters, sweat shirts, and infant warm

clothes etc. to the homeless at the shelter.

C h i n m a y a m i s s i o n s a n J o s e

Community Outreach Program

Seva Opportunities

30

Vedanta Study GroupSadult SeSSionS

Concord: Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 8 Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Meena Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

Cupertino: Kathopanishad Sevak: Sreeharsha Contact : Ram Mohan (408) 255-4431 Time: 7:30 pm (Thur.)

Fremont: Viveka Chudamani Sevika: Priya BathejaContact: Priya Batheja (510) 490-1926 Time: 7:30 pm (Mon.)

Los Altos: Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 Sevak: Uma JeyarasasingamContact: Ruchita Parat (650) 858-1209 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Mon.)

Milpitas Vivekachudamani Sevika: Uma JeyarasasingamContact: Suma Venkatesh (408) 263-2961 Time: 7:30 pm (Tue.)

Mountain House: Self-Unfoldment Sevika: Padmaja Joshi Contact: Padmaja Joshi (209) 830-1295 Time: 8:00p.m. (Wed.)

San Jose: Bhagawad Gita Ch. 4 Sevak: Jayaram ReddyContact: Krishna Reddy (408) 257-9587 Time: 8:00 pm (Wed.)

Satsangs with Br. Prabodh Chaitanyaall events are from: 8:00-9:00pm

1st Friday of each month: Kirtida & Kamalesh n. ruparell

text: ABC’s of Vedanta • Ph: (408) 867-9550

2nd Friday of each month: Geetha & sanjay rao

text: Srimad Bhagavatam - Kapil Gita • Ph: (408) 863-0595

3rd Friday of each month: sweta & Jnan ranjan dash, almaden

text: Aparokshanubhooti • Ph: (408) 268-5056

31

San Jose Clayton Facility Self Unfoldment Sevak: Ramana VakkalagaddaContact: Ramana Vakkalagadda (408) 564-2749 Time: 8:00 pm (Fri.)

San Ramon Bhagavad Gita, Ch 6 Sevak: Bela PandyaContact: Sireesha Balabadra (925) 804-6102 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

San Ramon/Calif HS Bhagavad Gita, Ch 7 Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Vipin Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 3:15 p.m. (Sat.)

Saratoga: Self-Unfoldment Sevak: Kalpana JaswaContact: Kalpana Jaswa (408) 741-4920 Time: 7:30pm (Thur.)

Redwood City: Bhagvad Gita, Ch. 6 Sevak: SreeharshaContact: Sunil Jeswani (650) 364-1074 Time: 7:30 pm (Fri.)

Walnut Creek: Bhagavad Gita Ch. 4 Sevak: Vipin KapadiaContact: Rakesh Bhutani (925) 933-2650 Time: 9:30 am (Sun.)

All classes held weekly unless otherwise stated

Prabodhji's Classes at SandeepanyMondays: 10-11:30 am Sri Ramacaritamanas

Wednesdays: 10-11:45 am Kenopanishad (followed by Sanskrit class)

tuesdays & thursdays: 6:30-7:30 am Brahma Sutra tuesdays & thursdays: 7:30-8:30 pm Brhadaranyaka Upanishad

Saturdays: 6:30-8:30 am. Guided Meditation and Mandukya Upanishad

Prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations Fremont: session 1:30-3 pm Bhagavad Gita Ch 3

danville: 4:30-6 pm Gitas from Tulsi Ramayana

san Jose: session 1: 9 am Bhagavad Gita Ch 11 session 2: 10:30 am Gitas from Tulsi Ramayana

32

Date Location/Event Phone

Sept 18 - Oct 15 Reserved: Vijaya Dashmi

Oct 18 - Oct 22 Smt Parvathy Sankar (91-474) 279-2439, Kerala, India (91) 938-704-4053

Oct 23 - Oct 25 K K Nair (91-471) 272-8960, Kerala, India (91) 944-706-2208

Oct 26 - Oct 30 Dr G Mukundan (91-487) 233-2566 Chinmaya Mission Neeranjali Tamil Nadu, India

1 Nov - 5 Nov Laxmikant Kapsikar (91-422) 261-5446 Manohar Aurangabad 431 005 Maharashtra, India

7 Nov - 12 Nov Rajabhau Deshmukh (91-20) 2765-5989 Pune 411 044 Maharashtra, India

Itinerary for Swami Tejomayananada

Fall 2011

“To love truly is to add to one's life.

One who is in love expands to function from

two points — from oneself and from one's beloved.

To love the whole universe is to

experience the All.”

~ Swami Chinmayananda

Join the Chinmaya Family as SPONSORS… We invite you to join our Sponsorship program so that you can help us to promote, sustain and continue to teach adults and children, alike, the Hindu Dharma which is our Heritage. Chinmaya Mission began its service to the Hindu Community some 20 years ago in the Bay Area.We are funded by public contributions. Your contribution, as a Sponsor, goes towards the operation of Sandeepany. Many families who are taking part in the various classes that we offer to adults and children, have enrolled themselves as Sponsors. They enjoy many benefits and become an integral part of the spiritual family at Sandeepany. Sponsorship is an annual contribution of $500 per family. The donation is tax deductible and can also be paid bi-annually, quarterly or monthly.

What Do Our Sponsors Receive?

• They enjoy all the classes offered at Sandeepany Schools for adults and children.

• They will receive the journal, MANANAM and the bi-monthly Newsletters: Chinmaya Tej and CMW Newsletter.

• Sponsors are invited to attend Weekend Retreats held periodically at Sandeepany.

UNiTeD Way CONTRibUTiONS

Your contributions to United Way can now be designated to Chinmaya Mission San Jose (United Way I.D. No 212100). The Mission is enrolled to receive such contributions with

United Way Agency in Santa Clara.

Chinmaya Family would like to thank you for your support.

1050 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126

Ph. (408) 998-2793 Fax (408) 998-2952

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Piercy, CA

Chinmaya Mission San JoseSandeepany San Jose

If travelling South on 101 Take Guadalupe Expressway Exit Then go past the airport about two (2) miles and get off at Park Ave. exit

At the bottom of the ramp, and at the light, make a right turn

If travelling South on 280 Take the Meridian North Exit Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn

If travelling South on 880 Take the 280 exit to San Jose Get off at the Meridian North Exit Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn

If travelling South on 680 Get off at Race Street Exit At the bottom of the ramp, at the light, make a right turn Go to Park Ave. (3rd light) and make a rightD

ire

Ct

ion

S t

o S

an

De

ep

an

y S

an

Jo

Se