Newsletter April 2014

Words to Inspire

VEDANTA AND INDIAN LIFE - by Swami Vivekananda

Strength, strength is what the Upanishads speak

to me from every page. This is the one great

thing to remember, it has been the one great

lesson I have been taught in my life; strength, it

says, strength, O man, be not weak. Are there

no human weaknesses? - says man. There are,

say the Upanishads, but will more weakness

heal them, would you try to wash dirt with dirt?

Will sin cure sin, weakness cure weakness?

Strength, O man, strength, say the Upanishads,

stand up and be strong. Ay, it is the only

literature in the world where you find the word

“Abhih”, “fearless”, used again and again; in

no other scripture in the world is this adjective

applied either to God or to man. Abhih,

fearless! And in my mind rises from the past

the vision of the great Emperor of the West,

Alexander the Great, and I see, as it were in a

picture, the great monarch standing on the bank

of the Indus, talking to one of our Sannyasins

in the forest: the old man he was talking to,

perhaps naked, stark naked, sitting upon a

block of stone, and the Emperor, astonished at

his wisdom, tempting him with gold and

honour to come over to Greece. And this man

smiles at his gold, and smiles at his

temptations, and refuses; and then the Emperor

standing on his authority as an Emperor, says,

“I will kill if you do not come”, and the man

bursts into a laugh and says, “You never told

such a false-hood in your life, as you tell just

now. Who can kill me? Me you kill, Emperor

of the material world! Never! For I am Spirit

unborn and undecaying: never was I born and,

never do I die; I am the Infinite, the

Omnipresent, the Omniscient; and you kill me,

child that you are!” That is strength, that is

strength! And the more I read the Upanishads,

my friend, my countrymen, the more I weep for

you, for therein is the great practical

application. Strength, strength for us. What we

need is strength, who will give us strength?

There are thousands to weaken us, and of

stories we have had enough. Every one of our

Puranas, if you press it, gives out stories

enough to fill three-fourths of the libraries of

the world. Everything that can weaken us as a

race we have had for the last thousand years. It

seems as if during that period the national life

had this one end in view, viz how to make us

weaker and weaker till we have become real

earthworms, crawling at the feet of everyone

who dares to put his foot on us. Therefore, my

friends, as one of your blood, as one that lives

and dies with you, let me tell you that we want

strength, strength, and every time strength.

And the Upanishads are the great mine of

strength. Therein lies strength enough to

invigorate the whole world: the whole world

can be vivified, made strong, energized through

them.

Vedanta Society of Toronto (Ramakrishna Mission)

120 Emmett Ave. Toronto, ON M6M 2E6 CANADA

Tel: 416-240-7262

Email: society@vedantatoronto.ca

Website: www.vedantatoronto.ca

There is salvation for everyone. Everyone must sooner or later get rid of the bonds of Maya. --Swami Vivekananda

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‘The Power and Glory of the Gayatri Mantra’- Part 2 [Based on a lecture by Prof. Narendra Bakhshi at the Vedanta Society of Toronto on December8,2014]

Gayatri Mantra is a Universal prayer which asks for a

pure intellect or pure buddhi, so that the truth

(SATYAM, REALITY, BRAHMAN) may be

reflected therein, without distortion, that is, so that

buddhi is illumined or becomes enlightened.

Questions arise –

a) What exactly is Pure Buddhi or Pure Intellect?

b) What is enlightenment or illumination of Buddhi?

a) Buddhi –

Usually buddhi is translated as ‘intellect’. However, in

Vedanta, it has a much deeper meaning. Buddhi is the

faculty of discrimination between good and bad,

between right and wrong, between what ought to be

done and what ought not to be done, and the strength

(firmness of mind) to do what ought to be done. Thus,

without the intervention of the buddhi, none of our

problems can be solved. Pure buddhi implies practice of

Satya (truthfulness in thought, word and deed) of

Shraddha (earnest faith of scriptures and the preceptor –

Guru and a positive attitude), Yoga (discipline and

control of senses and mind) and practice of Dharma in

all actions.

What is Dharma?

“Yato abhyudaya nihshreyas siddhih sa dharma” –

That which is conducive to one’s well-being here and

hereafter, is Dharma.

Thus Dharma does not mean Religion (that is some

dogma). It signifies a way of life based on the practice

of eternal and universal human values. Living a life

according to these values is called a ‘Dharmic life’.

These values, as per Manu Smriti VI / 91, are:

Dhrti kshama dama asteyam shaucha indriya-nigraha,

Dhi vidya satyam akrodhah dashakam dharma

lakshanam.

These ten values are universal and eternal and should be

practiced in day-to-day life. Such a life then becomes a

dharmic life resulting in good health, integrity and

beauty of character and harmony in one’s life.

These eternal values can be translated as follows:

1) Dhrti: Firmness of resolutions, determination,

strength of will-power.

2) Kshama: Compassion and forgiveness

3) Dama: Discipline/control of the vagaries of the

mind

4) Asteyam: non-stealing, absence of theft

5) Shaucha: cleanliness of body and mind

6) Indriya-nigraha: Discipline / control of senses

7) Dhi: Buddhi

8) Vidya: Knowledge, education. (True knowledge

results in humility, discrimination and

detachment) – “Vidya dadati vinayam”

9) Satyam: Truthfulness in thought, word and deed

10) Akrodha: Absence of anger

Thus a dharmic life which is based on above values

is the foundation for the development of pure

buddhi.

As one sincerely practices dharma more and more in

one’s life, buddhi becomes more and more pure,

resulting in Chitta-suddhi or improvement in quality

of life. It takes a long time to reach the final goal of

pure buddhi. What is needed is continuous and

diligent practice until one reaches the goal. But

there is no need for discouragement. Even a little

effort in practicing dharma helps greatly. Bhagavan

tells us in the Gita (II / 40) :

Neha abhikramanaso asti pratyavayo na vidyate ;

Svalpam apyasya dhamasya trayate mahato bhyat

“In this there is no loss of attempt; nor is there any

adverse effect. The practice of even a little of this

dharma protects one from great fear.”

Thus the attainment of chitta suddhi is essential, not

only for our everyday life, but ultimately it helps us

in achieving the goal of life, illumination,

enlightenment, moksha, self-realization. In addition,

it makes us an independent thinker and that is of

tremendous benefit in our daily life. It greatly

improves our chances of making right and proper

decisions which make life happy, meaningful and

harmonious.

As we connect ourselves with the Self (Atman),

Buddhi becomes purer and purer and the self-

confidence develops which leads to self-satisfaction,

which over time leads to self-sacrifice (as we have

something to give) and which over time leads to

Self-realization.

b) Enlightenment or Illumination:

Remember the prayer of the Gayatri Mantra is “May

the Divine illumine or enlighten my Buddhi”.

Bhagavan tells us in the Gita (III / 42):

‘Indriyani paranyahur-indriyebhyah param manah;

mansastu para buddhir-yo buddheh paratastu sah’.

‘The sense organs are said to be superior or subtler

to the body, the mind is superior to the mind, and

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that which is superior to the Buddhi is He (the ever-

free Self or Atman).’

Thus what stops the glory of the Atman to shine

through the Buddhi is avidya or ignorance or ajnana

(consisting of lust, greed, desires, attachment, anger,

jealousy, egoism, pride, cruelty, etc.).

As one lives a disciplined life, or a dharmic life,

buddhi becomes sattwik (pure) and the avidya or

ignorance is removed and the glory of the Atman

shines automatically. One experiences one’s identity

with Brahman. It is as if one awakes to one’s Real

nature. That is what is meant by Enlightenment,

Illumination, Self-Realization or Moksha.

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to

say that there is no difference between Pure Buddhi

and the Atman. Thus Pure Buddhi fully reflects the

glory of the Atman (or Aham Brahma asmi is

experienced). We can describe this experience in

another interesting way. When Buddhi becomes

pure (or Sattwika), it develops the capacity to merge

in the consciousness (that is the bliss of Brahman is

experienced). This mergence is called ‘Bodha’.

After this experience one simply awakes to one’s

Real Nature, that is, now one is called a ‘Buddha’,

an ‘Awakened One’.

Thus enlightenment means that one has experienced

one’s own Divine nature.

Gayatri is considered as the mother of the Vedas –

‘Gayatri Chandasam Mata’. It is considered a

complete prayer, as all the three aspects of praise,

meditation and prayer in the adoration of Divine are

incorporated in the Mantra:

Praise : Om Bhur bhuvah svah, Tat savitur

varenyam,

Meditation : Bhargo devasya dheemahi

Prayer : Dhiyo yo nah pracodayat

Thus the Divine is first praised, then meditated upon

and then prayer is offered to the Divine to enlighten

our Buddhi. These powerful holy vibration will

create harmony all around.

Various profound reasons why the words of the

Gayatri Mantra are charged with great power

potential.

1. The language of the Mantra : It is in the Sanskrit

language. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,

perhaps the greatest spiritual scientist ever lived,

told his inner circle devotees that the Divine

Mother indeed has assumed the form of the fifty

letters of the Sanskrit language. Furthermore, it

is said that the origin of the Sanskrit language is

from the ‘Damaru’ (drum) of Lord Shiva. That

is why it is called ‘deva-bhasha’, or the

language of the gods.

2. Its Divine Origin : Vedic Mantras have a

powerful impact on the listeners when chanted

correctly. This power is derived from the source

of the Mantras. And what is the source of the

mantras, wherefrom did they originate?

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2 4.10) tells us,

Asya mahato bhutasya nisvasitam etad rgveda

yajur vedah – Vedas (Rg Veda and Yajur Veda

are the breath of the Divine, the Great Being,

Brahman Itself.

3. The word ‘OM’: ‘Om’ by itself carries

tremendous power behind it. This is the

‘sphota’. The whole creation (shristi) is the

product of its vibrations. Just imagine, as if the

power and purity of the Brahman (the Great

Being) breathing through this mantra into the

one who is chanting it with full concentration.

A very important condition is that the body and

mind of the chanter must be kept fit and pure in

order to absorb the Mantric power. The Gayatri

Mantra has an enormous potential and the

possibilities for the individual and all around good.

The possibilities are limitless. In other words, the

ultimate goal of the Gayatri Mantra is to transform

a person from a creature (who is a slave and has no

freedom), to Brahman (the Great Being) Itself. This

is the realization of the Upanishad- Amritasya

Putrah (one becomes a child of Immortality).

Those who work at a thing heart and soul not only achieve success in it but through

their absorption in that they also realize the supreme truth “Brahman”. Those who

work at a thing with their whole heart receive help from God.

- Swami Vivekananda

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SUMMARY OF PAST EVENT

Sri Ramakrishna birthday was celebrated on Sunday, 9

th March, 2014, around 320 devotees attended

SPECIAL EVENTS OF THE MONTH

RamNavami, the Birthday of Sri Rama, will

be observed on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 6:30

pm with Puja, singing of RamNam, Hanuman

Chalisa,devotional songs and Pushpanjali.

‘Bhajan for Bhakti’, a 90 minute

programme of devotional music by devotee-

singers will be held on Saturday, April 12 at

11am, followed by lunch. All are welcome

to attend.

REGULAR PROGRAMMES

SCRIPTURE CLASS: Every Friday at 7:30

pm, following the regular evening prayer at

6:00 pm.

VIGIL: A vigil consisting of japa and

meditation is observed from 6:00 am to 6:00

pm. For the date of this month’s vigil, please

see the ‘Calendar of Events’ on the next page.

To participate, please call the Centre.

RAM NAM: For the date and time of the

monthly Ramnam, please see the ‘Calendar of

Events’ on the next page.

INTERVIEWS/INSTRUCTION:

Swami Kripamayananda will be happy to give

interviews to those interested in knowing more

about Vedanta and meditation. Individual

interviews are also given for spiritual

instruction. Appointments for interviews

should be made in advance with the Swami at

416-240-7262.

DAILY MEDITATION: Meditation is

observed at the Centre every morning from

6:00 am to 7:00 am. Devotional singing and

meditation is held in the evenings from 6:00

pm to 8:00 pm.

DAILY BREAD FOOD BANK: Many less

fortunate families are dependent on the food

bank for their daily nutrition. Please help us by

contributing non-perishable food items that we

may pass along to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

SOUP KITCHEN: The Soup is cooked at the

Vedanta Society and offered serving meals at

Syme Woolner Neighbourhood & Family

Centre, 2468 Eglinton Ave W, Unit 3, Toronto,

ON, M6M 5E2. Please contact the Centre, if

you are interested in participating. Donations

for the Soup Kitchen will be highly

appreciated

BOOK STORE: The Book Store is open after

Sunday Services and special programmes, and

arrangements can be made by phone for

weekday and Saturday visits. We carry selected

titles from the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda

literature, as well as other Vedantic materials.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

VOLUNTARY SERVICE

Soup Kitchen is looking for volunteers to enable to continue its activities. Volunteers are required to work for 2 hours to prepare soup & salad. Please drop in on Tuesdays at 9:30 am & on Saturdays at 10:00 am.

Minister and Teacher - Swami Kripamayananda, Ramakrishna Order of India

TAX RECEIPTS

Please note that tax receipts for your last year’s donations have been mailed in February 2014. Please inform the Society immediately if you have not yet received the receipts.

Vedanta Society of Toronto

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April 2014 Sunday Mon Tuesday Wed Thu Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 7:30pm Scripture class: Vivekachudamani’

5 9:30am

Soup

Kitchen

6 11am:

Lecture:

‘Rama, the Ideal Person’

VVM 1:30 pm

7 8 9:30am

Soup Kitchen

9 10 9:30am

Soup

Kitchen

11 7:30pm

Scripture class:

‘Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna’

12 11am

‘Bhajan for

Bhakti’: a

program of

devotional

singing by

devotees

6:30 pm

RAM NAVAMI Puja & RamNam

13 11am

Lecture:

‘The Promise of God for

Devotees’

14

15 9:30am

Soup Kitchen

16 17 9:30am

Soup

Kitchen

18 7:30pm

Scripture class Vivekachudamani’

19 9:30am

6am-6pm

VIGIL

20 11am

Lecture:

‘Sermon on the Mount’

VVM 1:30 pm

21

22 9:30am

Soup Kitchen

23 24

25 7:30pm

Scripture class:

‘Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna’

26 9:30am

Soup

Kitchen

27 11am

Guest Lecture:

‘Peace in Restless World’

by

Swamini Shivapriyananda of Chinmaya Mission

28

29 9:30am

Soup Kitchen

30

“If you constantly think of the Atman, your mind will be purified and your ignorance will be uprooted along with the past tendencies, just as your ailments will completely disappear by your taking medicine daily. When the mind is pure, you will get unalloyed bliss.” -Sri Rama