J anuary 2011

VOL. 98, No. 1 ISSN 0042-2983

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

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

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

CONTENTS
January 2011

Vedic Prayers 1
Editorial
Sowing the Right Seeds 2
Articles
„ Bhuvaneshwari Devi: The Great and Noble
Mother of Swami Vivekananda 7
Swami Tathagatananda
„ Sri Ramakrishna, the Kalpataru 13
Swami Amareshananda
„ Understanding Maturity 19
Swami Sunirmalananda
„ Holy Mother’s Four Visits to Orissa 24
Swami Tannishthananda
„ An Approach to Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita 30
Dharitri Kumar Das Gupta
Reminiscences
„ Reminiscences of Master Mahashay 11
Mahendra Kumar Chaudhury
New Find
„ Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 17
The Order on the March 37
Book Reviews 40
Features
Simhâvalokanam (The Tenth Guru)—5, Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories—29

Cover Story: Page 4

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

The Vedanta Kesari

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T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 3 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Cover Story
Swami Vivekananda’s Statue at Chicago, USA
Installed in July 1998, this 10-foot bronze statue of Swami
Vivekananda is located at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in
Lemont, Illinois, USA. It was unveiled in an elaborate cer-
emony, by Swami Atmasthanandaji, the then Vice President
(and the present President) of the Ramakrishna Math and
Ramakrishna Mission, in the presence of over 2000 devotees
and admirers. The statue is installed on ‘Vivekananda Hill’, a
hillock in the temple compound, which overlooks the main
entrance. It may be mentioned here that during America's bi-
centennial celebrations in 1976, the National Portrait Gallery of
the Smithsonian Institution included Swami Vivekananda among
the 29 eminent foreign visitors described in its book, Abroad in
America. †

The Vedanta Kesari wishes

all its readers and well-wishers
A HAPPY AND AUSPICIOUS 2011

PATRONS Mr. Basavapatna Thandvewara,

607. Mr. Pralayesh Guha, W.B. Bangalore Rs. 10001
608. Mr. Venu Prasad Mr. Ramamoorthy Rajagopal,
609. Mrs. Y.G. Smitha, Hyderabad Mumbai Rs. 5000
DONORS Mr. Balabir Kumar Sharma, HP Rs. 1000
A Devote of Sri Ramakrishna,
Doddiganahalli Ramakrishnaiah
London Rs. 1000
Family, Bangalore Rs. 50000

The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme

SL.NO. NAMES OF SPONSORS AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS

4512. A Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Kamatchyammal Matriculation School, Cuddalore - 607 001
4513. -do- Sri Varantham Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Cuddalore, T.N. - 607 001
4514. -do- Besant Nagar Library, Mayiladuthurai - 609 001
4515. -do- Shyamala Girls High School, Sirkali - 609 110
4516. -do- Perunthalaivar Kamarajar College, Karaikkal - 609 602
4517. -do- Public Library, Narasinganpet P.O., Tanjore Dt., T.N. - 609 802
To be continued . . .
 VOL. 98, No. 1, JANUARY 2011 ISSN 0042-2983

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

Vedic Prayers
Tr. by Swami Sambuddhananda
A{ΩZd©•Ãm{U OîZX≤ –{dUÒ`w{d©n›``m &
g{_’Ö ewH´$ Amh˛VÖ &
—Agneya Parva—Ch. 1. 4.
The mantras of the Samaveda admit of two different interpretations, (1)
Adhiyajnik, that is, from the standpoint of sacrifice and (2) Adhyatmik, that is,
from the standpoint of Self.
I. Adhiyajnik: –{dUÒ`wÖ Desirous of granting different kinds of fruits to the
performers of sacrifice g{_’Ö fully blazed ewH´$Ö pure Amh˛VÖ fed with oblations
A{æÖ sacrificial fire {dn›``m being worshipped by manifold hymns d•Ãm{U disease
that precludes happiness OîZX≤> absolutely annihilate.
May the pure, fully blazed sacrificial fire which is fed with oblations and
worshipped by many a hymn and which gladly grants boons to the performers
of sacrifice totally annihilate all obstructions (disease, etc.) to happiness.
II. Adhyatmik: –{dUÒ`wÖ eager to grant (to the worshippers) spiritual strength
g{_’Ö revealed into the heart ewH´$Ö pure Amh˛VÖ fully meditated upon A{æÖ the
omniscient, Supreme Being {dn›``m praised by many a hymn d•Ãm{U the obstruc-
tions such as sins and ignorance on the way to the realisation of God OîZX≤>
annihilate.
May the Pure, Supreme Being, praised by manifold hymns, fully meditated
upon and revealed to the heart, be eager to grant spiritual strength to the wor-
shippers and totally annihilate, all obstructions to God-realisation.

I am the resultant of all my past, both good and evil. I have committed many
mistakes in my life; but mark you, I am sure of this that without every one of
those mistakes I should not be what I am today, and so am quite satisfied to
have made them. I do not mean that you are to go home and wilfully commit
mistakes; do not misunderstand me in that way. But do not mope because of the
mistakes you have committed, but know that in the end all will come out straight.
It cannot be otherwise, because goodness is our nature, purity is our nature, and
that Tnature
h e Vcan
e d never
a n t a beK destroyed.
e s a r i ~ Our
1 ~ essential
D E C Enature
M B E R always
2 0 0 9 remains the
same. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 2: 356
 Sowing the Right Seeds
The Field and the Knower
Every farmer knows this: in order to have
a good harvest, sowing good quality seeds at
the right time is vital. Seeds should be healthy
and in right quantity. They should have been
taken from a good quality crop. Sowing
requires fulfilment of some more conditions
as well. The soil should have been well plough-
ed and free from all weeds and unwanted mat-
erial. At the time of sowing, a certain amount
of moisture should be present in the soil. And
after the seeds have been sown, the place
should be not walked over or else the pros-
pective shoots will be crushed—and so on.
The human life too is like a field. The
Bhagavad Gita (13.2) compares human body-
mind to a field (kshetra), and the Self to the
‘Knower of the field’ (kshetrajna). Indeed, if
one understands this fact, one begins to
understand one’s life and personality better.
We reap what we have sown in our body-
mind. By sowing is meant our actions,
thoughts and feelings, or the sum total of our
lives’ work. As the well known saying goes:
We sow our thoughts and reap our actions.
We sow our actions and reap our habits.
We sow our habits and reap our character.
We sow our character, and we reap our destiny.
It all begins with sowing of thoughts. If
our thoughts are healthy and pure, our actions
too will be healthy and pure. If our thoughts
are impure and evil, our actions will be equally
so. And the rest of the series or chain of sowing
and reaping will take its course as mentioned
above—thoughts, actions, habits, character and
finally destiny.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
Inner Nourishment
According to Vedanta, man consists not
only of physical body (sthula sharira), which is
visible and tangible, but also a subtler and
deeper self called subtle body (sukshma sharira).
Just as the physical body derives its nourish-
ment from food, drinks and rest, so also the
subtle body derives its strength and nourish-
ment from thoughts. More precisely, as the
Shvetashvatara Upanishad says, we derive our
inner nourishment from our sankalpas. The
Upanishad says:1
The body of the individual self depends on food
and drink for its birth and growth. Similarly,
his thinking (sankalpa), physical contact (sparsha),
and looking (drishti) at things produce his
attachment (moha). This attachment determines
his behaviour, and his behavior ultimately results
in his assumption of various forms (male, female,
or eunuch).
As is clear, first one begins by thinking,
or making a sankalpa. The term sankalpa is a
special type of thinking. One not only thinks
of something, one thinks of something as
worthy of his attention and effort. A sankalpa
is also translated as a resolve to do something.
How, and why, will one resolve to do some-
thing unless one finds something good and
worthy of his efforts to do that? In another
sense, a sankalpa is a seed form of a desire.
When these desires come in contact (sparsha)
with material objects, one enjoys them (drishti)
—and from enjoyment comes attachment
(moha). And as it is difficult to give up
enjoyment, we become bound. This, in short,
is the story of human life.
~ 2 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Sankalpas, or resolves, are the beginn-
ing of the whole chain. A Mahabharata verse
says,
I know your origin, O desire; it is in sankalpa; I
will not do the sankalpa and then you will not
be born!
That is a good analysis. But is it possible
to give up all sankalpas at once! Life itself
depends on sankalpas. The human body is a
product of desires, and if all desires vanish,
the body cannot be kept; along with the giving
up of all desires, the human body comes to an
end; one realizes one’s true nature which is
ever-free and pure. But then how does one
explain the living of great saints and sages in
the human society? Sri Ramakrishna says that
such men of Self-realisation are able live and
carry on their work in the world by keeping
‘some desire’ such as ‘wanting to do good to
the world.’ To be sure, ‘doing good to others’
is also a sankalpa but a noble one which keeps
the blessings of such souls showered on us!
Seeing the whole issue from the other
end, from the view point of spiritual seekers,
one can begin, not by giving up all sankalpas,
which is anyway not feasible, but by cultiva-
ting good sankalpas and countering the bad
ones with them. Says Swami Vivekananda:2
Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts
continuously; that is the only way to suppress
base impressions. Never say any man is
hopeless, because he only represents a character,
a bundle of habits, which can be checked by
new and better ones. Character is repeated
habits, and repeated habits alone can reform
character.
In other words, one should ‘sow’ right
seeds called right thoughts. Since every action,
proceeds from a thought, we should take care
of what we think.
The Period of Struggle
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
7
While we should consciously try to sow
the right thoughts, we should also be aware
that there are already quite a number of deep-
rooted thoughts present in our mind. They
may not be visible but there is power latent in
them. If we look at an apparently unculti-
vated piece of land, we find just a few weeds
or unwanted undergrowth here and there. But
wait for the rain. Let it rain, and soon after we
will find the whole place covered up with a
green cover. A number of plants, big or small,
would have covered the place. Where were
they before? Did anyone plant them during
the rain? Well, these plants or weeds were
present in a latent form. Invisible to our eyes,
there were a number of seeds in the soil, and
as soon as they got the necessary conditions
for growth, they started growing.
The same can be said of the inner ‘seeds’,
good and bad, that are present within our
mind. Finding the conducive conditions, these
seeds start growing. Sometimes we wonder at
some people’s sudden change in life. Though
known for their good conduct and behaviour,
there seems a sudden change in them and they
seem to turn to bad ways. It comes like a big
shock to everyone known to them.
The simple reason for this unfortunate
change is that the presence of some conducive
factors would have hastened the sprouting of
those inner latent tendencies. This is one of
the vital reasons why all teachers of spirituality
advice and warn us to keep holy and good
company. A good company nourishes good
samskaras (seeds), and a bad company nouri-
shes bad samskaras. Not only they nourish
but also create fresh samskaras—good or
bad—and hence one should be careful about
one’s company.
No thought-seed sprouts immediately.
Like a physical seed, it too has a certain gesta-
tion period. Hence, having decided to ‘sow’
~ 3 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

good thoughts one should give it enough time
to sprout and become visible in the form of an
action.
Again, when we try to open ourselves to
creating good and holy samskaras, we should
know that they do not happen overnight. They
take time, their own time. Repetition is the
key to create any samskara—good or bad. Sri
Ramakrishna tells of an interesting story about
a devotee of Divine Mother Kali:
Is it an easy thing to destroy old tendencies?
Once there lived a very pious Hindu who always
worshipped the Divine Mother and chanted Her
name. When the Mussalmans conquered the
country, they forced him embrace Islam. They
said to him: ‘You are now a Mussalman. Say
“Allah”. From now on you must repeat only the
name of Allah.’ With great difficulty he repeated
the word ‘Allah’, but every now and then blurted
out ‘Jagadamba’. At that the Mussalmans were
about to beat him. Thereupon he said to them: ‘I
beseech you! Please do not kill me. I have been
trying my utmost to repeat the name of Allah,
but our Jagadamba has filled me up to the throat.
She pushes out your Allah.’3
The same holds true of all tendencies.
The mind resists anything new. We get used
to certain ways of thinking and action and
become deeply attached to them. And when
we wish to change ourselves, we find it tough.
As the Upanishadic verse quoted above points
out, sankalpa leads to moha or delusion.
Delusion here means the state of mind wherein
one holds something very dear to oneself.
Being deeply attached to it, the mind finds it
troublesome and threatening. Hence this inner
resistance of mind—and the beginning of a
prolonged struggle.
References
1. Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 5.11 2. CW, 1: 208
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
8
Reaching the Goal
The goal of spiritual life, however, is to
go beyond all samskaras. The Patanjali Yoga
Sutras speak of a state of mind where all the
seeds of desires lie burnt or roasted (dagdha
bija avastha), being exposed in the fire of
Knowledge. Just as roasted seeds cannot be
sowed nor, therefore, any crop be expected
from them, so also, freed from all resolves,
one becomes free from all fear and anxiety.
This is the one stage in one’s inner life which
is highly desirable and safe.4
Every now and then we are confronted
with problems in life. Some of these problems
have their origin in the external world, but
most of them originate within our mind.
Recognition of this fact is a source of great
solace and strength. For the mind is after all
our own! We can play a great role in changing
mind, and thus, our life.
There are many helpful means and
factors such as introspection, meditation, holy
company, scriptural study and so on, but they
are helpful to the extent we are able to push
away our inner resistance and open ourselves
to the new and better ways. One great thing
to remember is the goal of human life: to
realize our true Self or, what amounts to same,
God. Self-realisation is the ultimate goal of life.
This Self, says the Upanishads, is divine,
immortal and our true nature. There may be
layers and layers of good or bad samskaras,
and the resultant attachment to them, but
beyond these samskars lies the atman, our true
Self. Keeping the goal clear, let us begin the
sowing of the right seeds—consciously and
without delay. †
3. The Gospel, p.486 4. c.f Yogasutras, 1.47
~ 4 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Simhâvalokanam
From the Archives of THE VEDANTA KESARI
(January, 1920-21, pp. 285-287)

The Tenth Guru

By Sri Aurobindo Ghose

In the three corners of this triangular peninsula, have risen

three great cultures close towards the decline of the Mogul rule—Maharastra awakening of the
South, the Vaishnava revival of the East and the Sikh culture of the North-West. Each has its
distinctive feature and an element to add to the national store of spiritual culture. Vaishnavism
brought a flood of love which rolled like a sweet torrent of nectar over Bengal and penetrated
even beyond the Vindhyas into the South with Sri Chaitanya. Ramdas and Tukaram and a host
of other mighty spiritual giants created in Maharastra by their tapas a great self conscious
Hindu nation which it was given to Shivaji to organise and lead. In the Panchanad, the sacred
land of the five rivers, Guru Nanak cemented the hearts of the Hindus and Musulmans in the
name of Alakh Niranjan and thus laid another foundation stone to the mighty edifice of Indian
Nation-building. To count by the central figures, Chaitanya gave love, love and again love,
Ramdas gave calm knowledge and creative force, coupled with a ring of Bhakti, (Guru) Nanak
gave the pure knowledge of soul-unification. Punjab, ancient Brahmavarta where was first
sung the first Rik of our national hymnology, perhaps still conceals behind her sthul [gross]
skulls and strong bones a great potentiality of pure knowledge force, bequeathed by Sri
Nanak. Nanak was the worshipper of the Alakh and the Akal Purusha, the impersonal, eternity—
Niranjan, void of the tinge of quality. In fact, upper Hindusthan, minus Bengal, is the land of
Jnana and Karma, of predominant Knowledge and work, as Bengal is of Bhakti and Shakti, and
the Dakshinatya is of Bhakti and Jnana. Indeed, it is a beautiful ring of three-fold puissances
which run in twins round the three corners of the peninsula. Taken together, India herself is
pre-eminently the Deva-Bhumi—the land of divine sadhana.
Be that as it may, Punjab has great contribution to offer in the way of nation-building in
the life of the Ten Gurus. Each, a towering monument of fiery spirituality, has left a record of
sacrifice and suffering, ever memorable in the history of the land. Indeed at times we feel
confounded as which to place first in our estimation between the patriotic heroism of Rana
Pratab and the religious heroism of the Sikh Gurus. Really both are inestimable. Considered
on a collective scale, the reckless bravery of the Rajput men and women, shrinking not in the
least from fire and steel, pouring blood like pools of water for the honour of mother and
motherland,—admirable and wonderful as it undoubtedly is in its flaming brightness, must yet

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 5 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 10

be admitted to present a less constructive, when placed beside them as much deliberate self-
sacrifice of the Sikh leaders, who however when they bled, they bled to build a nation.
The greatest gift of the Sikhs to the nation is their firm-rooted Guru Bhava. In the midst of
the diadem of Sikh culture, like a ring of Kohinoors stands this cluster of mighty Gurus. Really,
the intense and solid line of spiritual power, which Guru Nanak founded in the heart of the
Sikh sub-nation is unexampled in any history of any nation. Sikh history rings throughout with
the glorious war cry—‘Shri Wahuguru ji ki Fateh.’ That history is a splendid record of the
heroic careers of the great Gurus. Nowhere else do we find or hear of any such brilliant record
of a whole nation, growing round one central chain of spiritual personalities, with unabated
faith and unfaltering consecration from its day of start up to the present day.
That which had its beginnings in Nanak and Angada, and flowered in Har Govinda and
Teg Bahadur, came to some sort of a crowning culmination in the Tenth Guru Govind Singh.
Nanak initiated the Sikhs in the fire of spirituality. Guru Teg Bahadur died with the name on
his lips—the very emblem of heroic leadership, but he died without resistance, a true Satyagrahin.
Guru Govind Singh, the militant churchman, clasped the sword himself and transformed a
race of udasies into a race of fiery Kshatriyas, whose sword-blades clashed more than once at
the gates of Delhi and shook the Masnad to its foundations. Here again is a burning truth of
history, which never wearies to be told. What exasperated the Sikhs, the Mahrattas, even the
loyal Rajputs whom Akbar had literally wedded to the throne? It was the ruthless soldier-
statesman Aurangazeb, whose blind and reckless policy sowed the seeds, which were left to
be reaped by Shivaji in the South and Guru Govind Singh in the West. Or else, there would
have been no necessity of the peace-loving children of that Indian province being turned, as if
by a miracle into a nation of armed soldiers. It is not always the people that were responsible.
That was a glorious chapter in our national history, when Guru Govind Singh called five
picked up souls from the multitude and breathed fire of faith into them. That was the beginning
of the Pants [panth]—the mighty solidiery, that became a power. That immortal flame never
left the Sikh heart. It grew mightily splendid when the Guru’s two heroic lads defied an
insulting Mogul officer and were sacrificed to his wrath, being inhumanly buried alive. They
died with not a single scar of fear in their countenance—young lions whose last words on the
lips were the national cry of faith,—the word of Guru Teg was once more immortalised in
another baptism of blood.
The Sikh-nation was made a solid rock over the suffocated corpses of the brave sons of
Guru Govind Singh. That was Govinda Guru’s undying gift to his people—the blood of
martyrdom of his dearer selves—dearer than his own self.
The birth-anniversary (16th January 1921) of this saviour of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Govinda
Singhaji, we are told, is drawing nigh. Young India, we hope, will not fail to worship one of
their great heroes in the silence of their hearts,—‘The Khalsa Advocate.’ †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 6 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Bhuvaneshwari Devi
The Great and Noble Mother of Swami Vivekananda
SWAMI TATHAGATANANDA

Her Husband, Vishwanath Datta Vishwanath grew up accepting the trend

Bhuvaneshwari Devi’s husband, Vishwa- of his times, namely, the blending of the
nath Datta (1835-1884) was born into the Datta Hindu, Islamic and Western cultures and
family of Simulia in northern Calcutta, a family developed into a man with a modern outlook.
well-known for its wealth, education and He acquired proficiency in many Indian lang-
charity. A few months after Viswanath was
born, his father Durgaprasad had a strong
desire to become a monk and renounced the
world in 1835. He did this with total mental
equipoise despite tremendous family pressure.
He paid only a brief visit to Calcutta after
twelve years of spiritual practices and that,
too, in obedience to scriptural injunctions.
Bhuvaneshwari Devi’s mother-in-law
also proved her mettle. She was deprived of
her share of property and had to raise Vishwa-
nath under very hostile circumstances, endu-
ring enmity, hostility and selfishness from
members of her husband’s family. One has to
imagine how difficult it was for her to raise
her son with great affection under such
conditions.
Vishwanath’s mother passed away when
he was nearly twelve years old. He grew up
Bhuvaneshwari Devi
as an orphan in the family of his uncle Kali-
prasad, who usurped much of Vishwanath’s uages as well as in English. He studied music,
rightful property. Despite his uncle’s heartless for which he had a great love, under an ustad
behaviour, he ‘reverenced and generously (teacher). People in Calcutta remem-
helped the uncle, though he was well aware bered his love for music and his generosity
that he was cheated by him at every step.’1 well after his death.

The author is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and the Head of Vedanta Society, New York. His books
include The Journey of Upanishads to the West, and Light from the Orient, among others. …

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 7 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Vishwanath enrolled himself as an
attorney-at-law in the High Court of Calcutta.
His eminence in legal practice took him to
many places in northern India. A man of
liberal temperament, he enjoyed the good
culture and literature of people belonging to
other religions. He not only read the Hindu
scriptures, he read the poems of Hafiz and
the Bible as well. He was very liberal-minded
and deviated a little from orthodox Hindu
traditions in his food and dress and other
personal habits. He was completely at home
with his Muslim and English friends. Once,
he presented a copy of the Bible to his son
Narendranath and remarked, ‘All of religion
is to be found in this one book.’2
Vishwanath was free of superstitions.
When Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
championed the marriage of young widows,
for example, Vishwanath supported it. Once,
in Lahore, he worshipped the Divine Mother
Durga in a picture and enjoyed her festival in
the company of many people by offering them
consecrated food. ‘But,’ according to Swami
Saradananda, ‘to earn money, live amply, and
make others happy by practicing charity as
far as possible—these constituted the highest
purpose of his life.’3 In fact, Vishwanath’s huge
earnings in the legal profession were spent
extravagantly to maintain a large retinue of
dependents. As one of his sons later wrote,
‘Extending charity to the poor and the
distressed was like a disease with him.’ Once,
when young Narendranath asked his father,
‘Father, what are you going to leave me?’
Viswanath answered, ‘Go, stand before your
mirror, and you will see what I leave you.’4
An Excellent Wife and Mother
Bhuvaneshwari Devi (1841-1911) was the
only child of her upper middle-class parents
who were very well known in northern
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
12
Calcutta. At age ten she was married to six-
teen-year-old Vishwanath Datta. He was very
fortunate to have Bhuvaneshwari as his wife.
Faithfully following the traditional Hindu life,
she became his beneficial and moral compa-
nion in every respect and shared the joys and
sorrows of her husband’s large joint family.
Vishwanath and Bhuvaneshwari Devi
had four sons and six daughters. Their first
child, a son, and their second, a daughter, died
in childhood. Their next three children were
daughters. According to ancient tradition, the
birth of a son is always welcome in a Hindu
family and Bhuvaneshwari Devi naturally
longed for a son. Hindu women down the ages
invoke the grace of God to deliver them from
their difficulties in life by making their wants
and grievances known to Him, practicing
various austerities and reading scriptures.
Swamiji said:
She was a saint to bring me into the world; she
kept her body pure, her food pure, her clothes
pure, her imagination pure, for years, because I
would be born. Because she did that, she
deserves worship.5
Bhuvaneshwari Devi observed somvara
vrata, fasted and prayed on Mondays and
prayed to Lord Shiva. She once fasted for four-
teen days at a stretch. An elderly aunt of the
family who was living in Varanasi was also
asked to ‘make the necessary offerings and
prayers to Vireshwar Shiva that a son might
be born to her.’6
Bhuvaneshwari Devi observed all the
injunctions meticulously. Her devotion to Lord
Shiva was fulfilled through his grace. One
night, she had a vivid dream: ‘She saw the
Lord Shiva rouse Himself from His meditation
and take the form of a male child who was to
be her son.’7 On Monday, 12 January 1863,
Makara Sankranti, their son Narendranath was
born at a very auspicious time.
~ 8 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

At birth, Swamiji’s features strongly
resembled those of his saintly paternal grand-
father, Durgaprasad, who had renounced
hearth and home for God. He also inherited
his mother’s melodious voice, taste for sacred
music and extraordinary memory. Swamiji
was the sixth child of his parents. Their seventh
and eighth children were both daughters. The
last two children were sons, Mahendranath
and Bhupendranath, both of whom lived long
lives. Swami Vivekananda had one elder sister,
Swarnamayee, who lived a long life.
Her Great Character
The most exalted law of motherhood is
the law of sacrifice, the lifeblood of a mother’s
existence. Bhuvaneshwari Devi raised her
prayer-born child with utmost care, infinite
patience and constant prayer. Her entire being
was absorbed with loving concern for her child
Narendranath. Reading about his early life,
we are struck by the deep impact of her
personality upon the formation of his
character.
It has been written of Bhuvaneshwari
Devi that:
Above all, Bhuvaneshwari Devi was deeply
religious in temperament, and used daily to
perform herself the worship of Shiva. She was
not given to much talking. Calm resignation to
the will of God in all circumstances, power, and
reserve characterized this noble Hindu woman.
The poor and the helpless were the special
objects of her solicitude. Like Vishwanath,
Bhuvaneshwari Devi had a very sweet voice and
could sing beautifully the songs on Sri Krishna,
as heard in religious dramas. When beggars
singing religious songs came to the house to beg,
she could learn their songs by listening only
once. She was, indeed, noted for her unusual
memory and knew by heart long passages from
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. More
important, she had absorbed the essence of these
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
13
timeless epics, and that essence, together with
the culture to which it was the key, she passed
on to her children as their great heritage.
It was, then, to these two, Vishwanath and
Bhuvaneshwari Devi, that the boy who was to
become the greatest man of his age, whose
influence was to shake the world, and who was
to lay the foundation of a new order of things,
was born.8
Sister Christine recalls her exceptional
memory:
[Swamiji said:] ‘After she hears the Ramayana
read, she can recite what she has heard.’ . . . He
[Swamiji] considered a good memory one of the
signs of spirituality. 9
Bhuvaneshwari Devi would read daily
from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Thanks to her prodigious memory, Narendra-
nath learned many stories from the epics and
the Puranas at her knee. He shared many of
these with Sister Nivedita, who revised them
and immortalized them with her own style in
her Cradle Tales of Hinduism.
Training Her Children
Bhuvaneshwari Devi told all her children
emphatically and often that in spite of hard-
ship and troubles they should never abandon
the moral principles. She always counseled
them to be truthful, chaste, dignified and
humane. She imprinted eternal values of
healthy living in their developing minds. There
is some truth to the familiar saying, ‘The hand
that rocks the cradle rules the world.’ On one
occasion when Narendra spoke to his mother
about being unfairly punished by his school-
teacher without justification, she consoled him
by saying:
‘If you are right, my boy, what does it matter? It
may be unjust and unpleasant, but do what you
think right, come what may.’ Many times he
suffered, many times he was misunderstood
~ 9 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

even by those nearest and dearest to him when
he adopted a course which to them seemed
strange, but which to him was inevitable
because, in his opinion, it was right. The maxim
he had learned, and which he followed always
in life was, ‘Stick to your guns, dead or alive!’10
Sister Christine recalls:
Many were the stories he told of his mother—
the proud, little woman who tried so hard to
hide her emotions and her pride in him. How
she was torn between her disapproval of the life
he had chosen and her pride in the name he had
made for himself.
Those of us who were privileged to see his
mother, know that from her he inherited his regal
bearing. This tiny woman carried herself like a
queen.11
Her Silent Forbearance and Fortitude
Except for a brief time, Bhuvaneshwari
Devi lived in the Datta family nearly her entire
long life, from her marriage at age ten until
her death in 1911. In spite of the harsh
injustices inflicted on her by her guardian
uncle-in-law and his wife—to the extent of not
providing her with more than one sari to
wear—she demonstrated a profound capacity
to silently endure all the wrongs they heaped
on her. This was eventually noticed by her
husband, who grumbled, ‘How is it that I who
References
1. His Eastern and Western Disciples, The Life of
Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama,
2000), p. 4. [Hereafter Life]
2. S. N. Dhar, A Comprehensive Biography of Swami
Vivekananda (Madras: Vivekananda Prakashan
Kendra, 1975), p. 6 [Hereafter Comp. Bio.,]
3. Ibid
4. Sister Christine in Reminiscences of Vivekananda
(Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2004), p. 184.
[Hereafter Reminiscences]
5. CW, 8: 60-1 passim.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
14
earn so much money see that my wife does
not get [a] bellyful to eat!’ Still, his anguish
had no effect at all on the aunt and uncle.12
After a particularly harsh family quarrel,
separation was forced on Vishwanath Datta,
and he moved to another place, where Naren-
dranath could study for his B.A. His brother
Bhupendranath wrote, ‘After separation, our
family removed temporarily from the ancestral
place and hired a house at 7, Bhairav Biswas
Lane, where Narendranath studied to prepare
himself for the B. A. Examination.’13 His father
returned to their ancestral home, much to the
uncle’s consternation.
After Vishwanath Datta’s death, his
family was sheltered by Swamiji’s grand-
mother Raghumani (c. 1825-1911) at her house
at 7 Ramtanu Basu Lane. Swamiji once
described it in a letter to the Raja of Khetri as
‘a hovel.’ Bhupendranath wrote, ‘We stayed
with her till 1903. She supported us and
suffered for us. She had to part with . . . rented
land . . . for conducting the law-suit brought
against us by our aunt.’ 14 The court case
started in 1877 and dragged on beyond the
year of Swamiji’s departure from life. Bhuvan-
eshwari Devi’s difficulties in a joint family
headed by an unscrupulous uncle, who, with
others foiled their every legitimate claim at
every opportunity, can only be imagined.
(To be continued. . .)
6. Life, p. 10
7. Ibid., p. 11
8. Life, 1: 8-9
9. Sister Christine in Reminiscences, p. 174
10. Life., 1: 34
11. Sister Christine in Reminiscences, pp. 174-5
12. Bhupendranath Datta, Swami Vivekananda, Patriot-
Prophet, A Study (Calcutta: Nababharat Publishers)
p. 107. [Hereafter Patriot-Prophet]
13. Ibid.
14. Patriot-Prophet, p. 111. See also Comp. Bio., 1. 10
~ 10 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Reminiscences of Master Mahashay
MAHENDRA KUMAR CHAUDHURY

Master Mahashay, Mahendranath Gupta, or ‘M’, was an eminent householder disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna. He recorded the conversations of Sri Ramakrishna in Bengali and published them later
as Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita (translated into English: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). The
following is the translation of reminiscences of ‘M’ from Srima Samipe, [In the Proximity of ‘M’], a
book in Bengali, edited by Swami Chetanananda (Udbodhan Office: Calcutta, 1996), pp.136-39. Swami
Chetanananda (the translator of the present article) is the Head of Vedanta Society of St. Louise, USA.
He has to his credit several notable books in Bengali and English, translations as well as original.

In 1921 I was staying at 47, Amherst
Street, which was very close to M.’s school,
the Morton Institution. I heard that the
recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna lived
there and that many devotees met with him
in the evenings. I was anxious to see him and
enjoy his holy company. One day I arrived at
twilight, and no devotees were there. M.
cordially received me and asked me to
meditate. I was impressed by his dignified
appearance and his overflowing beard.
Gradually other devotees arrived and M.
began to narrate to us the history and
teachings of the Gospel.
Here are some of M.’s sayings, as I
remember them:
Either keep company with the holy or
live alone like a lion. Pray to God in solitude,
secretly with a longing heart.
What will you gain by chatting with
others? One should spend that time practising
meditation and spiritual disciplines.
A human being has three bodies: gross,
subtle, and causal; or body, mind, and spirit.
The spiritual body does not care for worldly
enjoyment; it enjoys only divine ecstasy. When
a spiritual person hears about God, he or she
gets goose bumps and tears flow from the eyes.
The spiritual body merges into Brahman
through meditation and samadhi.
When someone asked the Master about
reincarnation, he replied that it is true and
one should not doubt it.
The goal of human life is to realize God.
One should adopt any means to attain Him.
Too much talking and planning are useless.
The Master said: ‘You have come to eat
mangoes. What is the need for counting the
trees and fruits?’ If you know God, He will
teach you everything. If you meet Jadu Mallick,
he will tell you how much money and how
many stocks and bonds he has. Some think
that one should first learn by reading books,
and then try to know God. First try to know
God and then He will make you know
everything.
Holy company is the best means to attain
God.
God incarnates in every age and makes
the difficult and inscrutable spiritual path
simple and easy. As a guru the avatar makes
the way to God-realization smooth. The Master

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 11 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 16

said that one could reach God by meditating
on him [meaning Ramakrishna].
It is better to follow the avatar’s teachings
than to talk about God. Jesus said: ‘Thou sayest
O God, God, God, but why dost thou not do
what I say unto you?’
A disciple should not have any worries
once he receives the guru’s grace. A magician
threw a string with many knots into a large
audience and asked someone to untie the
knots, but no one could loosen them. Finally,
he shook the string once or twice, and
immediately all the knots came undone.
Similarly all fetters fall off in a moment by the
grace of the guru.
Practise meditation and spiritual disci-
plines in solitude and study holy books.
Hearing is better than reading.
Do not disturb another’s faith; rather one
should help others on their own path. All paths
lead to God.
It is true that God can be reached through
many paths, but one cannot walk on many
paths at the same time. One should begin one’s
spiritual journey with faith and devotion. One
can climb to the roof by means of a staircase,
a ladder, a bamboo pole, or a rope. While
descending also one should adopt only one
means. Similarly, one should follow one path
for God-realization. †

The Master told us again and again that ultimately the

aspirant attaints nondual knowledge by realizing his identity
with the object of his worship, whether he treads the path of
devotion or knowledge. As proof of this, the Master’s sayings
are cited: ‘Pure devotion and pure knowledge are the same
thing.’ ‘There [in the ultimate state], all jackals howl alike
[all knowers of God speak of the same realization].’ Thus,
although he was of the opinion that nondual knowledge was
the Ultimate Truth, he always instructed people living in the
world on the teachings of qualified nondualism [which teaches
that all living creatures and matter are parts of Brahman],
and also how to love God in a dualistic way. He felt disgusted
with those people who had no high spiritual experience nor
intense love for God, and yet held forth, with high-sounding
words, on the philosophies of nondualism and qualified
nondualism. He did not hesitate to condemn such behaviour
in harsh words. One day the Master asked our friend
Vaikuntha Nath Sanyal whether he had read the Panchadashi
and other such books. Receiving a negative reply, the Master
said with relief: ‘It is good that you have not.
Some boys read those books and, giving
themselves airs, come here. They do not
practice anything. They simply come to argue. It is a torment
to me.’ —Ramakrishna As We Saw Him, p.167

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 12 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Sri Ramakrishna, the Kalpataru
SWAMI AMARESHANANDA
To the devotees and admirers of the
Ramakrishna Movement, first January has a
symbolic and special meaning. It was on this
day, on January first in 1886, that Sri Rama-
krishna bestowed his grace on devotees in a
remarkable manner. It is also a day of Sri
Ramakrishna’s self-revelation, and bestowal of
freedom from fear. Hence the day is called
the Kalpataru Day, or the day when Sri Rama-
krishna became a wish-fulfilling tree (an
allusion to the Kalpataru mentioned in the
Hindu scriptures). He did so by raising the
consciousness of some thirty devotees present
there, granted them freedom from fear and
blessed them.
Freedom from fear is the final fruit of
spiritual practices. In the Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad (4.2.4), when Janaka attains the
highest Knowledge, he is addressed as having
‘become free from fear.’
The Backdrop
Sri Ramakrishna came to public attention
when in 1875, the well-known Brahma Samaj
leader, Keshab Chandra Sen wrote about him
in the newspapers and spoke about him in
Brahma Samaj gatherings. This brought many
people from the elite circle of Calcutta to
Dakshineswar to see Sri Ramakrishna. Later,
Sri Ramakrishna too visited many devotees’
place as well as many eminent people, and
gradually came to be known in the spiritual
and cultural circle. Sri Ramakrishna’s intense
… A senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, the author lives at Ramakrishna Math, Kankhal, Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
renunciation, and selfless attitude and pure
love attracted a large number of youth and
devotees.
Towards the middle of 1885 Sri Rama-
krishna developed throat pain. Gradually it
became acute and besides difficulty in
speaking, Sri Ramakrishna could only take
milk with a little rice or boiled coarse flour of
wheat.
As time passed, at the request of some
devotees, Sri Ramakrishna agreed to come to
Calcutta for treatment as it was easier to attend
to him there. He first stayed at Balaram Bose’s
house. Well-known physicians of Calcutta,
such as Gangaprasad, Gopi Mohan, Dwarka-
nath and others, were called to examine the
Master. After examining Sri Ramakrishna one
of the doctors declared it to be ‘Rohini which
the western doctors call cancer.’ As too much
drugging never agreed with the Master’s
constitution, the devotees thought it desirable
to have him treated according to homoeo-
pathy.
At Shyampukur House
For better treatment and care, a house
on Shyampukur street, owned by Gokul
Chandra Bhattacharjee was rented in the
beginning of September 1885 and the Master
was shifted and placed under the care of Dr.
Mahendralal Sarkar. Dr. Sarkar on learning
that the expenses of the Master were met by
devotees’ contribution, after the payment of
~ 13 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

the first day, treated the Master freely as a
mark of respect.
At Shyampukur, one day the Master had
a wonderful vision. He saw that his subtle
body came out of his gross body as he was
strolling up and down in the room and he
observed that especially the region of the
throat of the subtle body was covered with
sores. As he wondered about it, the Divine
Mother explained to him that the people who
had committed various evil deeds had become
pure by touching him, and the burden of their
sins was thereby transferred to him. As a
consequence he had developed sores in his
subtle body.
As there was no visible improvement and
the house was small and congested, and the
Master wanted to have open space for walking
and fresh air, a search for better location
started.
Cossipore Garden House
Meanwhile, a garden house was found
in Cossipore, on the broad road that runs
through North Calcutta and connects Bagh
Cossipore Garden House
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
18
Bazar quarters with Baranagar. The garden
house belonged to late Gopal Chandra Ghosh,
son-in-law of famous Lal Babu.1 The Master
was shifted to this Garden House on the 11th
December 1885 and Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar
continued to treat him.
Hearing about the Master’s illness Dr.
Rajendranath Dutta belonging to the wealthy
family of Akrur Dutta of Boubazar, thoroughly
studied the literature on homoeopathy system
and found that, ‘Lycodium 200’ was the
medicine best suited for the Master and asked
Autul Ghosh (Advocate, Brother of Girish
Chandra Ghosh) to inform Doctor Mahendra
Lal Sarkar to administer this medicine to the
Master. Autul informed this to Dr. Mahen-
dralal Sarkar as well as all the devotees. None
raised any objection and Dr. Rajendra-
nath was invited to treat the Master and the
Master, derived much benefit from this for
more than a fortnight.
The Cossipore Garden House had an area
of 4.66 acres. Besides the main two-storied
building, it had a row of rooms and one of
them was used as kitchen. The main building
had two rooms upstairs and 4
rooms down stairs. One in the
middle was a spacious hall. To
the north of it there were two
rooms smaller in size, side by
side. From the west of the
rooms a flight of steps lead to
the first floor. The room on the
eastern side was occupied by
the Holy Mother during her
stay there. The hall on the first
floor, immediately above the
hall below, served as the
Master’s sick room.
It was the first day of
January 1886. As the Master
felt better, he expressed his
~ 14 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 19

desire to have a stroll in the garden. He came

down around 3 pm. There were some devotees
(some thirty of them) engaged in conversation
under trees. Only ten names have been
mentioned—Girish, Atul, Ram, Navagopal,
Harmohan, Baikuntha, Kishori (Roy), Haran,
Ramlal, Akshay and Mahendranath Gupta.
When the devotees saw him coming, they
stood up in reverence and bowed down to
him. He slowly proceeded on the garden path
leading to the main gate.
As he came closer to Girish and others,
they too came closer to him joyfully. Then,
suddenly, addressing Girish, he said, ‘Girish,
I find, you say to one and all so many things
about this (about himself). But what have you
seen and understood about me to make you
do so?’ Grish was completely unnerved.
Kneeling down on the ground near the
Master’s feet, he said in a choked voice with Sri Ramakrishna’s room at Cossipore Garden House
folded hands and face turned upwards, ‘What
more I can say of Him, Whose greatness He now began touching each one of the
Valmiki and Vyasa could not find words to devotees in that divine mode. This divine
express?’ The Master was pleased at this touch brought about remarkable spiritual
fervent utterance of Girish and blessed him experiences in each one of them. Some had
and through him all devotees assembled there, vision of their ishta-devata and some experien-
‘What more shall I say to you? May you all be ced an indescribable inner joy. Some wor-
blessed with spiritual awakening!’ shiped him with flowers. Soon, however, that
Beside himself with love and compassion mood of the Master came to an end and
for the devotees, hardly had he said these everyone gained his normal composure again.
words than Sri Ramakrishna entered into a The happenings of the day are often
deep spiritual mood (bhavasamadhi). The described by the devotees as the Master
devotees were inspired to see him in this turning into a Wish-fulfilling Tree (Kalpataru)
mood, and seemed to forget their earlier as mentioned in Puranas. But it seems more
resolve to not to touch him as it might appropriate to call this event ‘the self-reve-
aggravate his illness. They found in him a lation of the Master’ or ‘the bestowal of free-
loving mother, a saviour, a divine being who dom from fear on all devotees by revealing
had come down to help them to go across the himself’. The Kalpataru is believed to give
ocean of relative existence. Overcome by his whatever good or bad is asked for. But the
compassion and sympathy, they eagerly bent Master did much more than that and bestowed
down to touch his feet and filled the place protection against all evil and fear to one and
with the shouts of ‘Victory to Ramakrishna’. all. Interestingly, none of the future monastic

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 15 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

disciples were present among the devotees
blessed on that day.
As to what the nature of experience
which devotees experienced was, let us cite
here two of them. Ramlal Chattopadhayay
(Ramlal Dada), a nephew of the Master who
was present on the occasion, also received the
Master’s grace. Asked about it, he said,
I could formerly see a part only of the holy
Person of my Chosen Ideal [ishta devata] with
my mind’s eye at the time of meditation - when
I saw the lotus feet, I could not see the face;
again perhaps I saw the Person from the face to
the waist, but could not see the holy feet; and
whatever I saw never seemed to be alive. But no
sooner had the Master touched me that day than
the form of my chosen Ideal appeared suddenly
from head to foot in the lotus of my heart and
moved and looked benign and effulgent.2
Another devotee, Vaikuntha Nath
Sanyal, was also present on that occasion. Sri
Ramakrishna the Great Master, describes his
experiences thus3:
Vaikuntha was present on the spot at the time
of this day’s occurrence. As soon as the Master
had blessed two or three of the devotees by his
potent touch, Vaikuntha came before him, bowed
down to him with devotion and said, ‘Sir, please
bestow your grace on me!’ The Master said, ‘But
you have been given everything.’ ‘When you
say,’ said Vaikuntha, ‘everything has been given,
it is certainly so; but kindly do so, that I too can
understand it.’ Saying, ‘So be it’, the Master
References
1. It is said that Lal (or Lala) Babu, a Zamindar,
while going in a palanquin, overheard a washe-
rman’s daughter asking her father as to when was
he going to charge the vessel the cloth for
cleaning since the sun was setting soon. Bengali
word used by the young girl basana has two
meanings—desire (basana) as well as the ashes
made of banana stem used as washing agent.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
20
touched his chest only for a moment in the
ordinary way. ‘But,’ said Vaikuntha, ‘as the result
of it, a great revolution took place in my mind. I
saw the figure of the Master lit up with a
gracious smile in the sky, in the houses, trees,
plants, men and in whatever else I looked at. . . .
That mental attitude and vision of mine
continued for some days throughout my waking
state. I became amazed and charmed with the
holy vision of the Master in all things. It
continued to be so wherever I went, to the office
or elsewhere on any business. . .
I could not attend to the work on hand and it
suffered. On finding that my work was suffering,
I tried to forget that vision for sometime, but
failed in my attempt to do so. . . . I then prayed
to the Master again with fear, ‘O lord, I am not
able to contain this mental state; please ordain
that it may come to an end.’ I now think,
‘. . . Why did I pray so? Why did I not keep my
faith firm in him? And why did I not wait
patiently to see its ultimate developments? . . .’
For as soon as I prayed in that manner, the said
vision and mental state came to an end one day.
My firm conviction is that they were removed
by the same extraordinary Being from whom I
had got them. But he preserved compassionately
a partial capacity of the mind to recapture it,
perhaps because there arose no prayer in my
mind for its complete removal. I felt blessed and
amazed at the sudden appearance of this vision
a few times daily—the vision of the gracious
figure of the Master made effulgent by the divine
mood.’ †
Endowed with a spiritual bent of mind, Lal Babu
took the second meaning: since he is becoming
old (evening of life)—when is he going to give up
desires (basana) and seek spiritual emancipation!
He forthwith renounced the world.
2. Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master, Swami Sarada-
nanda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, p.1025
3. Ibid, Pp.1026-27
~ 16 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda1
August 10th 1899
Math. Belur. Howrah.
India.
My dear Mrs.Bull,2
I am in Calcutta today at 57 Ramkanta Bose’s St. though I give the address of the Math
above. Perhaps there is a letter from you waiting for me at the Math. You will understand
by this if my letter is not to the point.
A great mishap has taken place. The youngest brother of Srimati Sarada Devi has died
of Cholera about ten days ago. I undertook the nursing with another young man of the
Math. This brother was twenty one years old, newly married, a student of the Calcutta
Medical School and perhaps the most promising of all the members of the family. It has
given a rude blow to the Mother, for she brought him up as her own child from the very
day of his birth.
Every thing else is going on as usual here & in the Math. The R.K.Mission meetings are
going on & I have already given two talks, which have been appreciated. My subject is Raja
Yoga this time, though I am treating it in a little different way.
The papers have published the telegram intimating that the S.S.Golconda has reached
London on the 31st July. But perhaps this is no news to you.
On second thoughts, I made up my mind not to answer that letter of the Swami, but to
write him just a general letter. I do not think it necessary to send you his letter too. I can see
his course plain, for I have passed through that phase. He will come round in a short time.
Serious problems are sometimes presenting themselves regarding my family. The time
is nearing when they shall have to close the business & sell the house etc. In the meantime
they are being harassed with little law suits in the court for little debts. My father & mother
will come to Calcutta for a short time in October. I am glad I have sent my brother to the
West; he might come back a man and better late than never.
Kindly tender my regards to Mrs.Briggs, Miss O’neill, Dr.James, Jojo & all friends.
With very kind regards to yourself and wishing to be remembered to Mrs.Vaughan &
the Shapleighs & your brother.
Yours Sincerely
Saradananda
On the cover::
Mrs.Sara C. Bull
The Studio House, 168 Brattle Street
Cambridge, Mass.
U.S.America

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 17 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 22

August 1899
My dear Mrs.Briggs,3
Your kind letter of Aug. 16th was most welcome. I am sorry you are still feeling ill. Step
by step, I have been led to regard you as one of the few who are very near to my heart, and I
do not know how I will feel myself, if you are taken away. But surely we will meet sometime,
somewhere even if it were not in India. The union with my friends in Sri R., even as Jesus
said, ‘I in you and you in me’—is complete and can never be broken. May God bless you
always and may you ever be at rest in the full love the Master!
I am sorry I forgot to give you the Sanskrit of Gouri. It is thus—Jm°pa—in Bengali thus—
ëKï[¹.
I live many a times in my thought over the Greenacre days, and everyday almost on
Jan 8th, the latter having a peculiar sanctity of its own, as of the partaking of the sacrament!
One has to prepare oneself for it and there are but very few such days, in one’s whole life.
My toil here has but just begun & I always remember, I shall have to work for two at
least, if not more.
I went to Srimati Sarada Devi, only yesterday and told her, how there is one Santi,
way across the waters, who has desired to be remembered with love and regards—and she
requested me to send Santi her love and blessings, and also to Jojo (Miss MacLeod) and Sàrà
(Mrs.Bull).
It gives me great pleasure to think & place you, in such company in September. Write
me all about these days—every little detail—if you do not feel ill, as you have been doing.
Remember me kindly to your mother, Harry and all friends, not forgetting Mr.Briggs.
You have been bearing your cross bravely for Sri R. and I am sure you will never lose
heart. Mother wishes me to tell you, how very near she feels of your presence, and sends
her heart’s love.
With very kind regards to you always, and best wishes, I am
Faithfully yours,
Saradananda
P.S. I am going to have a bon fire again of my belongings by the side of the Ganges &
in the lawn on the 12th Oct. This [is] the third since granny did the first for me. We are to
meditate the whole night that day – it being the day we worship the Divine Mother.

References

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

Courtesy: Ramakrishna Museum, Belur Math

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 18 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Understanding Maturity
SWAMI SUNIRMALANANDA
Facets of Maturity
Many people talk about maturity. To
some, the whole world is childish and
immature, and they alone are mature people.
To some others, the more number of university
degrees an individual has, the more mature
he or she is. To still others, maturity and
money are two faces of the same coin. To many
others, maturity and social status go hand in
hand. However, when we deal with such
‘mature’ people in our day-to-day lives, we
come face-to face with the harsh reality. We
realise to our dismay that such people are far
from being mature individuals.
What is this apparently strange quality
called maturity?
First, it is not true that the whole world
is childish and immature. Had it been so, there
was no hope at all for anyone. From time to
time, society has had mature individuals who
have brought us hope.
Second, it is ignorance to think that with
university degrees, we become more mature.
Nowadays every locality has many post-
graduates and several doctorates. And about
exams, the less said the better. What is more,
they say certificates are being sold for money.
We have doctors and engineers, doctorates and
post-graduates—almost in every family. Of
course there are definitely many hard-
working and sincere students and they greatly
contribute to others’ well being. But the fact
remains that many modern qualified indivi-
A monk of the Ramakrishna Order, the author is former editor of Prabuddha Bharata, a monthly journal of the
Ramakrishna Order. …
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
duals are not really as qualified as their
degrees show. And so the world remains what
it is. Despite having so many qualified indivi-
duals, perhaps we hardly get an opportunity
of dealing with mature people in our lives.
The tragedy of the whole thing is, such imma-
ture people think they are mature because of
their qualifications and pass indiscrete com-
ments on really mature people—the flower of
the earth. The misery of the world is largely
due to our not respecting those who are to be
respected, and respecting those who are of the
common run.
Third, it is not at all true that money
brings maturity. On the contrary, getting
money, or to be more precise, excessive attach-
ment to money, brings immaturity.
Fourth, status in society cannot instil
maturity. It is not true that the higher the
position in society, the individual is naturally
more mature. There was a person, who was at
the topmost rung of the ladder in a particular
field. But he was seen weeping before a saint.
He wanted more. The saint asked him in
surprise: ‘My child, you are at the topmost
position. What else do you need?’ That man
wept because he was jealous of his juniors.
He wanted his juniors to be less competent
than himself. Is this maturity?
True Maturity
What is maturity? Maturity is samyag-
drishti—to use the words of the first of the
~ 19 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

eightfold paths of the Buddha. Samyag-drishti
means right vision of the world and of life—
this is maturity.
We must know what this world is, corre-
ctly, and what we are, correctly. The difference
between a fool and a mature individual lies in
this right vision.
Using Swami Vivekananda’s singular
explanation of maya in his Jnana Yoga lectures,
maturity is to understand the ‘simple state-
ment of facts—what we are and what we see
around us.’
What We See Around Us
What is this right vision and this ‘state-
ment of facts’? Right vision or the ‘statement
of facts’ is to know of things as they are. Most
of us colour things before even looking at
them. We look at things through ‘our angle’
of vision—that is, we paint them using such
colours as our ego, desires, ambitions, and so
on. Since birth, rather, since many lives, we
have conditioned ourselves to look at the
world as we wish it to be—as our desires want
it to be. We have lost the faculty of objective
vision. A mature individual never makes a
mistake in this regard.
An example may explain this better: A
certain educated man, and a big shot in society,
was driving along a lonely path. It was a forest,
it was dark, and it was almost midnight. He
was eager to reach home. On the way, his car
broke down. Unfortunately for him, there was
no human habitation anywhere or so he
thought. He wanted help. Fortunately for him,
it appeared that a little light shone at a
distance. Perhaps a house? Perhaps a human
being? He started walking towards that light.
As he walked, he thought: ‘Well, will that man,
whoever he is, entertain me? He may think I
am a robber. He may not even open the door.
These days people are very selfish and do not
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
24
care about others’ difficulties at all.’ As such
thoughts agitated his mind, he became angry.
Walking further, he thought: ‘If this man does
not open the door, I shall bang it till he does. I
shall break his door. What is this? Are not we
human beings? Does this man think he is so
pious as to sleep in his cosy bed while another
has his car broken on the street and is helpless?
Is there no such a thing called compassion in
this world?’ As he thought more and more, he
became angry all the more.
And he reached the place. It was indeed
a house. There was indeed an old gentleman.
A very poor and unlettered farmer lived there,
who was known to help others as much as he
could. He too definitely had had his share of
suffering because of the situation of his
house—robbers, drunkards, and so on knoc-
ked often. So, in his old age, he was a bit
cautious. And so he heard a loud bang. He
was startled. Someone drunk, perhaps, was
almost breaking his door. He began to pray to
God for safety, and never opened the door.
So we need to have right vision of things,
an objective vision, and that is maturity. Now,
what is the correct vision about this world?
Reading Vivekananda’s ‘statement of facts’
definition of things, we understand that this
world, as it is, is neither pleasure-producing
nor pain-giving. It is matter—just dead matter.
This is the mature view of the world. Dead
matter cannot bring joy or happiness. Beeth-
oven brings immense joy to my heart—
whenever I listen to him. But when there is a
death in my house, when I am in deep sorrow,
I become angry if someone plays Beethoven.
So to know that pleasure and pain are sub-
jective and to understand that this world can
neither bring happiness or bliss, is the correct
view of life.
The objective world is neither good nor
bad, neither desirable nor undesirable. It is
~ 20 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

there, that is all. We must work constantly in
such a world, without getting attached to it,
because it is dead matter. This is maturity.
Then why should we work? To overcome the
influence of the world. All of Vedanta exhausts
itself in teaching us this simple truth. The
world is there—neither good nor bad, neither
wonderful nor miserable—it is just there till
we know who we are. But, there is one more
thing: the world is not there permanently, for
all time to come, without changing. It is
impermanent, as all saints repeatedly warn us.
It is anitya, impermanent. That which is
impermanent is also unreal—anitya is asatya.
So, though we may have money, degrees and
position, if we think this world is real and
permanent, and get deeply involved in it, and
seek happiness from it—we are having wrong
vision of things, and therefore, are immature.
Hence Vivekananda’s advice is that education
is not the number of degrees you have. True
education is to have the right understanding
of things.
No university teaches us this. Viveka-
nanda said that the education that we receive
is all negative. Why did he say so? He said so
because the education we receive in univer-
sities is adding more and more locks to the
doors of our prison. We are getting more
involved in this objective world, assuming it
to be real, assuming that we shall reform it,
modify it, better it, derive more happiness from
it, and so on. We need positive education, and
colleges cannot give us that. Vedanta can give
us that education. Vedanta opens our eyes by
giving us the ‘statement of facts’. It tells us
the truth, shows us that we are being deceived
by others, and leaves us to choose for ourselves
what we think is best for us.
To be mature means to know that the
world is impermanent, and its so-called joys
and pleasures too are impermanent. Why are
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
25
we here then? We are here because we made
the terrible mistakes in the past. We thought
this world was permanent, got deeply in-
volved in it, got attached to it like mad, wanted
more and more of the world, and the results
are showing now. This involvement, called
tanha, trishna, vasana and so on in the scrip-
tures, has thrown us into the prison. They call
this karma. So we are here due to karma. Some
people say we are lost for ever. We are
damned, they say. But Vedanta, and all Indian
schools of thought, says that we shall definitely
come out of the prison once we have the
correct vision of things. Vedanta is always
positive. The very karma that brought us to
this fate where we see darkness as light,
stupidity as brilliance, and misery as perfect
bliss will once again take us to the correct
vision of things. So we are here to work—to
undo what we did through attachment in the
past and redo things correctly, without attach-
ment. This is living a mature life.
What We Are
We said that right vision of the world
and of ourselves is called maturity. We saw
that the correct vision of the world is that it is
neither good nor bad, real or unreal—it is
there. Why is it there? The interesting point
comes here. It is there so that we can be
released from the prison in which we have
thrown ourselves. There was a time when due
to our immaturity we thought the world was
everything for us—colourful, beautiful, the
source of all joy, etc. Repeated blows showed
us that perhaps it was not so. But we continue
getting attached to it because we are helpless,
and think that this is the only way to survive
and to live in happiness.
But Vedanta says that is not true. So
something must be wrong with us—with
ourselves. What is it?
~ 21 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

This brings us to the second aspect of
maturity: right vision of ourselves. We saw
that what we see around us is not what we
think we see around us. Similarly, what we
are is not what we think we are.
When we say that the world is a produ-
cer of joy or sorrow, we are confused. We saw
the Beethoven example already. Happiness is
not outside. Further, we forget that our body
too is a part of this world. And Vedanta tells
us that our mind and intellect too are parts of
the world. So we are ignorant about ourselves,
and yet we think we are learned. We are
hypnotizing ourselves with the foolish thought
that we are wise and perfectly all right, while
we are foolish and sick in mind.
This is the height of immaturity. May be
we are the managers and directors of big
companies, may be we are big inventors; but
we are immature all the same until we know
something about ourselves. So maturity does
not come with position in society. Maturity is
in knowing who we are. If we think we are
this personality called body, or the mind, or
the ego, we are ignorant. Imagine the horror
of living with totally wrong ideas! It is like
sitting on a sleeping snake and thinking we
are perfectly safe.
To get out of the prison in which we
have placed ourselves due to wrong inter-
pretations of the world and of ourselves, we
must know what this world is, and who we
are. The great Vedanta teachers, full of sym-
pathy and compassion for us ignorant people,
have lessened the problem by saying that it is
sufficient if we know who we are. They seem
to say: ‘Do not worry about the world. Let it
be as it is. Just try to find out who you are.
Know who you are, and you shall be free.’
They also say that the microcosm and the
macrocosm are the same—knowing the
microcosm, us, is sufficient to be released from
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
26
the self-imposed imprisonment. The saints also
say: ‘Study yourself constantly. The moment
you begin to ask yourself who you are, you
are becoming more and more mature.’
We try to impose ourselves on the world
thereby, thinking that we can modify or better
it. We try to impose ourselves on others, saying
that ‘I am a qualified person’ and want the
world to know and respect us. Not only that.
we try to have more and more—money,
power, enjoyments, respect from others, etc.
When we do not have what we crave for, we
become miserable. We are immature, because
we consider our body-mind complex as
permanent, and the world in which this body-
mind complex is, as permanent.
Our saints say: ‘Imagine your situation!
You are using impermanent tools, your body
and mind, to get joy from the impermanent
world—a tiny soap bubble trying to attach
itself to a huge soap bubble so as to be happy.’
So there is no end to misery and sorrow. No
person—though having huge qualifications or
being in the biggest positions of the world, is
truly peaceful and happy. Money, power,
degrees, and such other things do not bring
inner peace, and seeking peace and happiness
in this way is immaturity pure and simple.
Maturity does not demand university
degrees, or money, or social power. Rama-
krishna, Holy Mother, Swami Adbhutananda,
Jesus Christ, St Francis of Assisi, Kabir, Nanak,
Rabia, All Hallaj, Rumi—and an army of such
extraordinary children of Light were neither
university masters, nor rich, nor powerful in
society. Many of the saints could hardly read
and write, hardly possessed a hut, hardly got
the meal of the day, or a place to sleep. Some
served as servants of rich people, some
mended shoes. Yet, they were mature indivi-
duals—they had attained inner peace and
supreme happiness. They knew the world as
~ 22 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 27

it is, and they knew themselves. And, more
importantly, they contributed immensely for
the good of the world. The world remembers
all these great ones with reverence.
For us common people to attain to matu-
rity, Sri Ramakrishna has given a simple for-
mula, which says it all. Attachment to worldly
enjoyments, symbolically kamini¸ and attach-
ment to one’s false ego, symbolically kanchana
—‘me and mine’—is ignorance, is immaturity.
Those who are trying to be free from the
influence of these are mature individuals.
Maturity and Decision-Making
We speak of the contributions made by
highly qualified people and socially important
individuals. But no contribution is greater than
the contribution made by truly mature indivi-
duals. While ego-battered, sense-bound power
lovers think that they are ‘benefiting society’
by their intelligence and maturity, they are
actually not benefiting much at all. With every
change in society they disappear with their
contributions into oblivion. True and lasting
contribution can be made only by really
mature people, who never think they have
contributed anything, who influence society
positively through their words and actions,
which sing in unison. With all the power and
position people may hold in society, it is the
voice of the mature individual alone that the
t t society listens to. †

He [Swami Subodhananda] very often narrated to those who came to him for
guidance the following story of Shridhara Swami, the great Vaishnava saint and a
commentator on the Gita: Spurred by a spirit of renunciation, Shridhara Swami was
thinking of giving up the world when his wife died giving birth to a child. Shridhara felt
worried about the baby and was seriously thinking about how to provide for the child
before retiring from the world. One day as he was sitting deeply absorbed with these
thoughts, the egg of a lizard dropped from the roof in front of him. The egg broke as a
result of the fall and a young lizard came out. Just then a small fly came and stood near
the young lizard, which it caught and swallowed in a moment. At this the thought
flashed in the mind of Shridhara that there is a divine plan behind creation and that
every creature is provided for beforehand by God. At once all his anxiety for his own
child vanished, and he immediately renounced the world. Of course, the baby was taken
care of by his relatives. —God Lived with Them, p.552

India’s Timeless Wisdom

gÂ`Àgw _hVmß {MŒmß ^dÀ`wÀnbH$mo_b_≤&
AmnÀgw M _hme°b{ebmgL≤>KmVH$H©$e_≤&&
At the time of prosperity, the heart of great people is as soft as a lotus
flower and during difficult and trying times, as hard as the rocks of a mighty
mountain.

—Neeti Shatakam, 66

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 23 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Holy Mother’s Four Visits to Orissa
SWAMI TANNISHTHANANDA

Orissa (or Odisha), an Indian state, earlier nanda*1 as also Yogin-Ma, Golap-Ma, Yogin-
known as Utkal and also known as Kalinga in Ma’s mother and Laxmidevi started with her.
ancient days, is hallowed by two temple cities As the coastal railroad had not yet been
of Bhuvaneshwar and Puri. Orissa, steeped in constructed, they went by steamer from
a deep religious culture, had been sanctified Calcutta to Chandbali on 7th November 1888
by the visits of spiritual luminaries such as from where they proceeded by a launch to
Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya, Cuttack*2, and by cart to Puri. Immediately on
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Holy Mother Sri arriving at Puri, they visited the temple of Lord
Sarada Devi and many direct disciples of Sri
Ramakrishna.
In this article we shall try to describe
Holy Mother’s visits to Orissa which she
visited four times. Her first visit to Orissa was
in 1888, second was in 1904, the third and the
fourth were while on her pilgrimage towards
South India and while returning from there in
the year 1910 and 1911.

Holy Mother’s First Visit

Towards the end of his life, the Master
had one day said to the Holy Mother, ‘You
visit all those places which it was not possible
for this (meaning himself) to visit.’ It is difficult
to understand what Sri Ramakrishna meant
by this but possibly he meant that she should
visit the holy places in India which he could
not visit. It is a notable coincidence that just
Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi
two weeks after the Master’s demise, the Holy
Mother started on a pilgrimage of Upper India Jagannath as an inauspicious period as per the
(as north India was generally called then).1 temple-tradition was to commence from the
The proposal for pilgrimage to Puri next day.
attracted quite a number of devotees, and thus After the darshan, the Holy Mother and
Swamis Brahmananda, Yogananda, Sarada- the women devotees went to live in a house

… The author is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order at its Nagpur Centre.

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 24 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 29

of Balaram Basu, called the Kshetra-

basir Math or a ‘monastery for the
dwellers in the holy place’. The monks
had their own separate place. The
Mother stayed here for a little more
than two months, returning to
Calcutta in the middle of January next
year (1889).
As the Master had never been to
Puri, the Mother carried his picture
under her cloth so as to show him the
image of the Lord Jagannath by
showing his picture to the deity; for
she believed that ‘the picture and its
prototype were the same.’ About
Jagannath she said, ‘I saw Jagannath Shashi Niketan
as the best of all persons sitting on an
altar of gems with myself serving him as a who have no worldly desire will be freed.’
handmaid.’ At another time she said that she When she shared her thought with Yogin-Ma,
saw the god (Jagannath) as Shiva. On her visit the latter, too, concurred.
At Puri the Mother’s characteristic humi-
lity was revealed in bold relief. Govinda
Shingari, the Panda of Balaram Basu’s family,
thought that in keeping with honour of that
family a palanquin should be arranged for
carrying their guru’s wife to the temple. When
he placed this proposal before the Mother, she
said, ‘No, Govinda, you will walk in front as a
guide and I shall follow you as a poor humble
woman to visit Jagannath.’ It was thus that
she visited the temple. She also visited all the
noted places at Puri, and she spent long hours
regularly in meditation at the temple of
Mahalaxmi.
An archival picture of Kshetra-basir Math
From Puri she returned to Calcutta on
the 12th January 1889; and next day, she
to the temple she was delighted to see the bathed in the Ganges at Nimtola.2
great concourse of pilgrims; and with tears of
joy she thought within herself, ‘Hey-day! Good Mother’s Second Visit
luck! So many people will be freed (through At the end of November 1904 the
this vision of the Lord)!’ But the next moment proposal for her going to Puri took shape. The
it occurred to her, ‘No, only those rare few Bengal Nagpur railway had by this time been

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 25 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 30

completed. The Mother travelled in a reserved trice, she heartily blessed her sons despite their
second-class compartment with her uncle dare devilry.
Nilmadhav, Surabala (the mad aunt), Golap- A few days after this, the Mother wanted
Ma, Sister Laxmi, Radhu, Master Mahashaya’s to bring her mother and a brother to Puri to
wife, Chunilalbabu’s wife and Kusumkumari.
Swami Premananda and two devotees got into
an inter class compartment. The train reached
Puri in the morning and the Mother with her
relatives and women companions took up
residence in Kshetra-basir Math of the Basus,
while Swami Premananda and others went to
their second house near the sea called Shashi
Niketan. The Mother’s first duty at Puri was
to go to the Jagannath temple to have darshan
at the Lord. On subsequent days it was her
daily task to visit the temple with others early
morning and evening. One day a Katha by a
temple priest was arranged at her residence,
who narrated the story and glory of Jagannath
from the ancient books. On this occasion about
fifty temple priests were sumptuously fed. The
Holy Mother and others used to obtain, on
Shyamasundari
payment, the consecrated food from the temple
for their daily meals; the feast for the priests give them an opportunity to see the Lord. A
was also arranged similarly. devotee was accordingly sent to Jayrambati.
At Puri, the Mother had a boil on her This had to be done without the mad aunt’s
foot, which gave her intense pain, and yet she knowledge, for she was too envious to brook
did not allow it to be operated on. One day in anybody else sharing the Mother’s affection
the temple somebody’s foot touched the boil or money which were to be monopolized by
thereby causing excruciating pain to her. When or kept in reserve for herself and her daughter.
Swami Premananda heard this, he came on The devotee went via Vishnupur by train, the
the next day with a young doctor ostensibly railway line on that side having been laid a
to pay their obeisance to the Mother. She, as little earlier, and communicated the Mother’s
was her habit on such occasions, sat covering invitation to grandmother (Shyamasundari)
herself completely with a cotton sheet. The and uncle Kali who alone were expected to
doctor now brought out his knife and in the come. But at news of the pilgrimage the
act of saluting by touching the feet opened number swelled till a big party consisting of
the boil and then begged her pardon saying, grandmother, uncle Kali with his father-in-law,
‘Mother, please don’t be offended.’ This un- wife, and two sons, and a villager named
expected move irritated the Mother a little at Sitaram started by way of Garbeta. No sooner
first. But when through proper dressings the did they step into the Kshetra-basir Math than
pain subsided and the wound healed up in a Surabala got into frenzy, and went on casti-

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 26 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 31

gating the Mother by all kinds of gestures and

postures and doggerel verses.
It is an immemorial tradition at Puri that
no caste distinction is observed so far as the
prasad of Jagannath is concerned, so much so,
that prasad put into one’s mouth by even a
man of the lowest caste, at the Anandbazar
within temple precincts, may not be refused.
The Mother showed her respect for this hoary
custom by putting the prasad into the mouth
of the devotees and asking them to put into
hers. While this merry ceremony was going
on, Master Mahashay and uncle Varada came Images of Balaram, Subhadra and Lord Jagannath
there by coincidence from Calcutta, and they
too joined in it.
All those who came from Jayrambati
except grandmother, left again in December
1904. The Mother continued there for some
time more. Her foot was now cured of the
boil, the rheumatism too, was not acute, and
the body was healthy. Therefore she moved
about happily visiting the sacred places such
as kitchen of Jagannath, Gundicha Bari, Laxmi-
Jala, Narendra Sarovar, Govardhan Math, etc.
She also circumambulated the Jagannath
temple and bathed twice in the sea. As her
mind was cheerful at this time, she spoke of
many anecdotes of the Master’s life and of the
Dakshineshwar days. 3
One day Holy Mother wished to attend
the sandhyarti, shringar (ritual consisting of
adorning the deities) and other ceremonies late Jagannath temple
in the evening. Harivallabha Basu, elder cousin temple was opened, everybody present there
of Balaram Basu, was much respected by the entered the temple sanctum sanatorum. Then
Pandas (priests) of Jagannath Temple. When by applying sandal paste to all the three deities
he was informed about this, he made all and decorating them with clothes and
necessary arrangements. They all went to ornaments started the shringara ceremony.
temple. It was a very calm and serene Holy Mother joyfully observed everything and
environment. Holy Mother instructed every- told that this sight of shringara will calm down
one to do Japam of Ishtamantra. After sometime one’s mind. The arrangement was made for
Panda Govinda Shringari announced that the the shayana (ritual indicating ‘going to bed’)
temple would open soon. The moment the of the three deities. Accordingly three cots

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 27 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 32

were decorated and made ready. Here the
Holy Mother was so much engrossed in the
darshan that others had to remind her that
the temple was being closed. Hearing this,
Holy Mother returned to her residence.
Holy Mother and her party again came
to the temple in the early morning for
mangalarti. With the chanting of Suprabhatam,
the deities were requested to get up and take
their seat on the altar. Pandas sought the
deities’ forgiveness for waking them up. Then
MM
References
1. Sri Sarada Devi: The Holy Mother by Swami
Tapasyananda p.99
2. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi by Swami
Gambhirananda p.165
Footnotes
*1. According to Sri Sri Mayer Jiban Katha in Bengali
by Swami Bhumananda, Swami Niranjanananda
was a member of this party while Laxmididi’s
name did not appear. (Page-107)
*2. Holy Mother came to Cuttack by steamer and
alighted at the Mata Math Ghat probably on 10th
November 1888 where Vivekananda Ashram was
started later on. From the Mata Math Ghat, she
went to Harivallabha Basu’s House near
Chaudhari Bazar and stayed there for the night
and went to Puri by bullock cart next morning.
The first Girls’ School of Orissa was started in that
house which is now known as Ravenshaw Girls’
High school. The first Women’s College of Orissa
was also started at the same place. The college has
now been shifted to another place at Cantonment
the door was opened and party entered the
temple sanctum sanatorum. By seeing local
people praying in Oriya language, Holy
Mother was very much touched. Then the
mangalarti began. After mangalarti was over
the ornaments of deities were removed and
teeth were washed. At this Holy Mother
commented that this simple and sweet image
(vigraha) of the Lord is very good to meditate
upon.
(To be continued . . .)
3. Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi by Swami
Gambhirananda p. 200, Bengali Sri Ma by
Ashutosh Mitra p.26-31
Road now known as Shailabala Women’s College.
Vivekananda Ashram Cuttack occupied this place
on 12th January 1988 to bring out the procession
on National Youth Day. The land belonged to
Late K.K.Basu, who later donated it. It was
registered in the name of Sri Ramakrishna
Vivekananda Bhava Prachar Samiti, Vivekananda
Ashram Cuttack on 14th January 1993, the
birthday anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Construction of the temple started in 2000. Srimat
Swami Gahananandaji Maharaj consecrated it on
31st October 2006. At present the Ashrama has
Library and Book Sale, Health Service
departments and also Coaching Classes and
Vocational Training Centre.

Without the grace of Shakti nothing is to be accomplished.

What do I find in America and Europe?—the worship of Shakti,
the worship of Power. Yet they worship Her ignorantly through
sense-gratification. Imagine, then, what a lot of good they will
achieve, who will worship Her with all purity, in a Sattvika
spirit, looking upon Her as their Mother!
—Swami Vivekananda

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 28 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 Sri Ramakrishna was a master story teller. While he spoke of
profound spiritual truths and mystery of human life, he amply used
stories, anecdotes, examples and analogies to drive home his point. At
times, while narrating a story, he would even make gestures and change
the tone of his voice to bring in a lively element in his narrative. The
following stories, mainly culled from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
(published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai) are an
attempt to present before the readers Sri Ramakrishna’s rich store-
house of stories which are both illuminating and simple.
1
Mahut God mahut God forbade you to stay there. Since
Let me tell you a story. In a forest there all are manifestations of God, why didn’t you
lived a holy man who had many disciples. trust the mahut’s words? You should have
One day he taught them to see God in all heeded the words of the mahut God.’
beings and, knowing this, to bow low before (Pp. 84-85)
them all. A disciple went to the forest to gather
wood for the sacrificial fire. Suddenly he heard The Power of Faith
an outcry: ‘Get out of the way! A mad elephant A man was about to cross the sea from
is coming!’ All but the disciple of the holy Ceylon to India. Bibhishana said to him: ‘Tie
man took to their heels. He reasoned that the this thing in a corner of your wearing-cloth,
elephant was also God in another form. Then and you will cross the sea safely. You will be
why should he run away from it? He stood able to walk on the water. But be sure not to
still, bowed before the animal, and began to examine it, or you will sink.’ The man was
sing its praises. The mahut of the elephant walking easily on the water of the sea—such
was shouting: ‘Run away! Run away!’ But the is the strength of faith—when, having gone
disciple didn’t move. The animal seized him part of the way, he thought, ‘What is this
with its trunk, cast him to one side, and went wonderful thing Bibhishana has given me, that
on its way. Hurt and bruised, the disciple lay I can walk even on the water?’ He untied the
unconscious on the ground. Hearing what had knot and found only a leaf with the name of
happened, his teacher and his brother disciples Rama written on it. ‘Oh, just this!’ he thought,
came to him and carried him to the hermitage. and instantly he sank. (Pp. 106-107)
With the help of some medicine he soon
regained consciousness. Someone asked him, The Peacock and the Opium
‘You knew the elephant was coming—why [Presently the Master explained the cause of
didn’t you leave the place?’ ‘But’, he said, ‘our his laughter to the devotees, He said:] A man once
teacher has told us that God Himself has taken fed a peacock with a pill of opium at four
all these forms, of animals as well as men. o’clock in the afternoon. The next day, exactly
Therefore, thinking it was only the elephant at that time, the peacock came back. It had felt
God that was coming, I didn’t run away.’ At the intoxication of the drug and returned just
this the teacher said: ‘Yes, my child, it is true in time to have another dose.
that the elephant God was coming; but the (p.90)

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 29 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 An Approach to
Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita
DHARITRI KUMAR DAS GUPTA
Approaching the Kathamrita
A reader wishing to read the Sri Sri
Ramakrishna Kathamarita (The Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna in English) may intend to do so
for various reasons—an intellectual curiosity,
or finding a way out of worldly afflictions,
diseases and worries, or a genuine aspirant
seeking spiritual knowledge. But whatever
may be his motive, a few likely questions that
may arise in his mind are: Why should I read
it, what do I stand to gain? Does what is said
in the book stand to reason? Is the author of
the book competent enough?
Before we try to answer these questions,
let us presume certain facts about the reader
himself. The reader has perhaps some know-
ledge about the spiritual and humanitarian
ideas of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda world,
and appreciates them. May be he is also aware
of the paramount position of the Holy Mother
Sarada Devi in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda
world. She, the holiness personified, abides in
this ‘world’ as the Supreme Controller. While
she was physically present, her infallible
advice and blessings were sought on all occa-
sions—no matter whether it is Vivekananda’s
journeys within the country or abroad, or
establishment of the Ramakrishna Math and
Mission, or introduction of worshipping the
goddess Durga in the Math sans ritualistic
animal sacrifice, or even as trifling as reinstate-
Dharitri Kumar Das Gupta is a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna from Kolkata. He has to his credit the translation of
Kathamrita Prasanga of Swami Bhuteshanandaji into English.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
ment of a delinquent servant. The reader may
observe that the Kathamrita begins with a brief
letter of benediction (written to M, the
chronicler of the book) by the Holy Mother.
Holy Mother’s Letter of Benediction
Should we be able to realise the signifi-
cance of the Holy Mother’s letter of benedi-
ction, it shall act as the true guide to our
journey to study the Kathamrita; such reali-
sation shall enable us to understand why we
should study and practice whatever has been
said therein. Then our vision will be free from
distortions, our mind freed from anxiety. We
shall get answers to all our preliminary
inquiries and realise that this letter of
benediction is indeed the brief yet prophetic
evaluation of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita,
made at a time when the book was still in the
making. We firmly believe that without her
intervention it would have never seen the
‘blaze of daylight’. Let us now try to find out
its significance with an open mind.
M., the Chronicler and His Mindset
It will helpful to refresh ourselves with
some information on the chronicler of the book
[reader may kindly observe that we have used
the word ‘Chronicler’ instead of ‘Author’ on
purpose, the reasons shall be made known
later] and its publication.
…
~ 30 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Mahendranath Gupta—alias M., alias
Mani or Manimohan, alias Englishman, alias
a devotee, alias Master Mahashay—was in
deep trouble having fallen in the whirlwind
of family life and failed to make any way out
it. He felt so unhappy and wretched that he
thought of putting an end to his life. In such a
distressed state of mind and without the least
preparation, directed by chance, he reached
the divine presence of Thakur [as Sri Rama-
krishna is often addressed in the Ramakrishna
Order]. Thakur saw him, had a brief session
of discussions and argumentation. In M.’s own
words, ‘This was M.’s first attempt to argue a
point with the Master and happily the last.’
Enlightened with modern education, a learned
professor in eastern and western arts and
science, M. was literally swept away by the
force of Sri Ramakrishna’s words, and gave
up all his intent to argue and reasoning. Indeed
Thakur made him swear not to argue. In the
words of Swami Tapasyananada,
Literally, the man who went to die, remained to
pass through a spiritual ascension without
physical death. He now found the real vocation
of his life, the true purpose of his earthly
sojourn.1
He was filled with an inexplicable sense
of trust and confidence. A complete surrender!
It was as if Thakur, intent on retaining in-
valuable treasure for the welfare of the man-
kind, put in place a chalice after thoroughly
washing it with ‘Gobar and Gangajal’ [lit.
Ganga water mixed with a bit of cow-dung,
traditionally considered purifying and a
disinfectant]. Disinfectant for all the time! A
pure receptacle without the least chance of its
contents ever becoming tainted! Later we find
that Thakur often examined whether the things
were properly stored in right sequence and in
right context—what we say in modern term
‘stock-taking’. In this regard M. told later,
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
35
I developed the habit of writing diary right from
my boyhood days. Whenever at any place I
heard good lectures or discussions of God and
divinity, I would immediately note them down
in my diary. This habit of mine made me write
down whatever conversations I heard [at
Thakur’s place] including the precise day, Tithi,
Nakshtra and the date.
He further reflected,
Because of my worldly preoccupations I couldn’t
go to him as often as I wished. The apprehension
that the burden of worldly life might make me
forget or confuse whatever I had received from
him at Dakshineswar made me note down his
words and ideas. And before I would again visit
him I used to read those words of his and
reflected on them in my mind. Thus I started
noting down [his words and ideas] for my own
benefit so that I might be able to follow his advice
more effectively in my own life.2
Master’s Dispensation
Analysing M.’s above simple statement,
we come to appreciate his faculty of mental
reflection and his unerring belief of having
received some invaluable treasure which by
no means he could allow to lose or distort. He
wished to be enriched by sincere application
of the advices in his own life. Having regard
to the then state of M.’s mind, it can be said
that the matter could have ended there.
But Thakur’s dispensation was different.
The path of presentation of divine truths to
humanity is chequered one. And it takes
different courses, assumes varied forms at
different ages. Besides, M. is essentially a
Master Mahashay [teacher]. Thakur had al-
ready identified and trained him to act as an
instrument for educating the masses. So this
invaluable treasure can never be meant for the
limited spiritual elevation of an individual—
M. One and all, indeed everybody needs it,
~ 31 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

like one does the ever-purifying, invigorating
sunrays. Thus we find that on the eleventh
year after passing away of Thakur, and per-
haps, in a rather incomplete form and in instal-
ments it came out first in English periodicals
like Brahmavadin and later in Prabuddha Bharata.
Almost simultaneously it came out in pamph-
lets entitled The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
[according to M. a son of the Lord and dis-
ciple]’ from Madras. When Kathamrita or The
Gospel began to come out in parts in English
language, everybody wished that it should be
published in Thakur’s own language as well.
Then M. also had it published, in parts, in
Bengali through several periodicals like
Tattvamanjari, Udbodhan and Bangadarshan.
Thereafter after compiling and editing all
the parts, the first volume of Sri Sri Rama-
krishna Kathamrita came out in the year 1902,
sixteen years after the passing away of Thakur.
Four additional volumes followed, the last one
in the year 1932. But the legendary ‘M. a son
of the Lord and disciple’ joined his Master
leaving the mortal plane even before the last
one saw the light of the day. There are many
tales—documented, undocumented and oral—
behind this important historical event. But it
is not necessary to go into details of these in
the present context. We will do well to revert
to our original pursuit and try to understand
the true significance of Holy Mother’s letter of
benediction.
Holy Mother’s Divine Intervention
One day, while M. was still holding on
to the treasury of Thakur’s words all to himself
anxious, unsure and hesitant, reading, enjoying
and meditating, the Holy mother sent words
of blessings for him. At that time, very likely,
she stayed ‘in a rented house near the Ganges
on the Sarkar Bari Lane (Baghbazar).’ M. had
visited her with an anxious heart, read out
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
36
from his diary notes. Holy Mother heard him,
perceived his agony, blessed him and blotted
out his sense of fear and diffidence. Besides
oral blessings, the Holy Mother (at M’s
request) sent M. a letter of benediction from
Jayarambati, who probably thought of using
it as a gem of an introduction to his upcoming
book. We have reasons to believe that at the
hour of blessing M and his mission, she must
have been in a Supremely Divine state and
her divine intervention made the publication
of the book possible. Here is the text of
Mother’s letter.3
Jayarambati
21st Asha 1304 (4th July 1897)
Dear Child,
Whatever you had heard from Him [Thakur] is
nothing but the Truth. You need not feel any
diffidence about it. At one time it was He who
had placed those words in your custody. And it
is He who is now bringing them to the light of
the day according to the needs of the times.
Know it for certain that unless those words are
brought out, man will not have his consciousness
awakened. All the words of His that you have
with you—every one of them is true. One day
when you read them out to me I felt as if it was
He who was speaking.
The In-dwelling Mother knew every bit
of her child’s anxiety. So she bestowed her
blessings and boon of freedom from fear. We
have taken the liberty to translate the second
line of the letter literally—Ihâte tomar kona bhay
nai, ‘You need not feel any fear about it.’ (Here
the term fear is generic one that includes his
sense of anxiety, diffidence and reservations
et al.) Indeed the Holy Mother’s blessings and
boon of freedom from fear were greatest
treasures of M., who acknowledged it in no
uncertain terms. To quote from his words,
Ma, thirteen years ago when this inept child of
yours took up the arduous task of chronicling
~ 32 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Sri Sri Kathamrita, you showered your blessings
and the boon of freedom from fear. Sri Narendra
and other brother-disciples also encouraged me
utmost. Even today Sriyukta Baburam, Sashi,
Girish and other brothers are encouraging me
without end.
Ma, thy blessings and boon of freedom from
fear are the only treasures of Thy servant of
servants.4
Significances of Holy Mother’s Words
In our estimate, the letter of benediction
is extraordinary. It is most brief yet so com-
plete! Analysing the truths behind her words
we come to the following conclusions.
1. In a firm and determined tone so as to
create an unfailing trust, the Holy Mother says
that everything M. heard is true. Whatever is
thought to be extraneous or incidental, what
has so far been read and those that wait to be
brought to light—everything is true. Should
we wonder what the nature of truth is, the
Holy Mother assures that, ‘. . . It was He
[Thakur] who was speaking.’ True—‘every one
of them is true.’ A question may arise what is
meant by saying ‘every one is true’? Is it
possible that truth has relative validity? The
answer is both yes, and no. Realisation of truth
is dependent on individual’s state of mind,
one’s level of consciousness. Truth absolute is
Truth per se, and eternal. It is Truth at all times
under all circumstances and does not suffer
any change. But realisation of truth that is
reflected on an individual’s mind depends on
its state of consciousness. That is why different
people have different perceptions of truth. So
the Holy Mother exhorts us to shed all such
different perceptions and believe implicitly
that everything said therein is true. Whatever
is apparently thought to be extraneous or
incidental is also true. We may explain the
matter using Thakur’s own imagery,
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
37
Suppose you have separated the shell, the flesh
and seeds of a bel-fruit and someone asks you
the weight of the fruit. Will you leave aside the
shell and the seeds and weigh only the flesh?
Not at all. To know the real weight of the fruit,
you must weigh of the whole of it—the shell,
the flesh and the seeds. Only then can you tell
its real weight.5
This explains that to a reader ‘everything
is true.’ It does not contain anything that can
be discarded. On attainment of the Supreme
knowledge one realises the Truth.
Thus while studying Kathamrita we will be
guided by the belief that whatever it contains is
true, indeed nothing but truth.
2. Holy Mother says that its publication
is divinely ordained. ‘At one time it was He
who had placed those words in your custody.
And it is He who is now bringing them to the
light of the day according to the needs of the
times.’ M. is, thus, simply a trustee or custo-
dian of Sri Ramakrishna’s words. Incidentally,
the book documents as much Thakur’s own
words, advice, discussions with others, com-
ments of his associates and devotees as much
as the physical ambience and natural scenery
in which they were given. They are beautifully
painted with rare artistic skills and grace. This
is the fruit of M.’s power of observation and
his sense of creativity. But here is also some-
thing of a mystery. As he confided later, he
used to record Thakur’s words very briefly in
his diary, which were so cryptic that it had no
meaning to others. Before starting to write the
Gospel, he would meditate on the scene of the
day related to those words. While meditating,
the whole scene of each day under consi-
deration would appear clearly before him. He
would start writing only when the entire scene
would surface clearly before his mind. M.
firmly believed that Thakur’s words were not
merely to be heard; those were objects of
~ 33 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

meditation. Re-living the total scene is neces-
sary to help us meditate. It was Thakur himself
who credited M. with necessary artistic skill,
his thoughtfulness, and how best to make use
of the words and power to be able to do so.
Holy Mother says that Thakur had
placed those words in M.’s custody and it was
He who was bringing them to light according
to the needs of the time. Why? What is the
need to bring them to light? We have already
said that these are not meant for personal
benefit of any individual; the Holy Mother
emphatically says ‘unless those words are
brought out, man will not have his cons-
ciousness awakened’. Shall the words brought
to light necessarily awaken man’s conscious-
ness? In this regard Thakur’s advice is identical
with those of Lord Krishna’s advice in the Gita
where he says that a spiritual aspirant seeking
inner change should always practice (do
abhyasa). An aspirant must regularly practice
spiritual precepts, studying, reflecting on and
trying to emulate them in his own life. What
to practice? That is why there is need for
proper set of advice suited to modern days
conveyed in the language of the common man
—a new commentary on the Gita. So its publi-
cation is divinely ordained.
A regular study the Kathamrita, hence,
should be followed by a reflection over what we
read. We should try to practice what we reflect over.
3. Holy Mother’s benedictory letter also
contains a very significant statement where she
assured M. —‘You need not feel any fear about
it’. Fear! What to fear about? It is worth
remembering that M. was no ordinary person.
Besides, living in close quarter with the God
Incarnate, all his human weaknesses and sense
of fear must have left him. And his state of
consciousness must have been turned necta-
rean by the very touch of nectar. So here fear
does not refer to normal human attribute of
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
38
fright. But fear, rather diffidence and anxiety
must have sustained in his mind that stood in
the way of publication of Kathamrita. This
explains why Kathamrita took long eleven years
after the passing away of the Master to see
the light of the day.
M’s Sense of Fear
But why at all does such sense of fear come
from? If it does, then what is its nature? It
appears to us that his first and foremost
anxiety was as the receiver of these invaluable
treasures since entrusted on him. Of course as
the trustee or receiver he certainly took good
care and preserved them but he was uncertain,
rather anxious, as to how and to what extent
he should bring them to light. At first he
thought that he would use them for his own
personal benefit. It was more so because
Thakur gave different sets of advice to his
monastic disciples and associates who made
use of them. Perhaps, this may explain the
history of eleven long years of anxious
silence—
it remained with him, to read and go back on
the wings of imagination, to relive those old
ecstatic days and experiences he had during
Thakur’s lifetime.
We may draw some likeness of his anxi-
ety with those of Milton after he had become
blind. A vital question tormented Milton’s
mind—he was unable to make proper use of
the rare ‘talent lodged’ by the Lord that lay
‘useless’ for half of his life was spent in the
‘dark world and wide’. When returning to the
Lord, He might chide and ask Milton to
present ‘true account’. What should he
answer? At last realisation dawned on him—
. . . God doth not need either man’s work, or
His own gifts, who best bear His mild yoke,
they serve Him best; . . .They also serve who
only stand and wait.6
~ 34 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

But this realisation was not sufficient for
M., because he had yet another worldly duty
as a ‘Master Mahashay’ [teacher]. He had been
identified as an instrument—the ‘Master
Mahashay’—for awakening peoples’ cons-
ciousness. That is why he was anxious and
the thought ever tormented him as to how
and to what extent he would publish them.
M. was wary about yet another grave
matter, which is perhaps the most important
of all. Thakur’s unalloyed, stern advices were
placed in a rather soft way, using colloquial
lingo, but those were sharp-edged and unkind
at times—his talks reflected on many contem-
porary socio-religious beliefs, thoughts, habits
and practices, and touched upon many in-
fluential persons of the day. We should not
lose sight of the fact that Sri Ramakrishna did
not come to destroy anything; he came to
rejuvenate and reconstruct, not to set aside
anything. Whatever is untrue or malignant
shall automatically wither away, to use
Thakur’s own words, ‘One shouldn’t forcibly
tear off the green branch of a coconut tree.
That injures the tree.’7 It falls off when the
time is ripe.
Hence Thakur never criticised anything,
not even the meanest of the creatures, insects.
Well, whom to criticise? Does not the Thakur
comprise good and whatever is seemingly
bad? However, during the course of personal
discussions and having regard to the need of
explaining with reference to the context and
the specific circumstances, many things had
crept in which could not be avoided. Besides
the Master’s own words, the discussions also
contained words and comments of his asso-
ciates and devotees. M. was anxious that
disclosure of all these may raise a storm of
protests and slanders. That his anxiety had
been substantive was also corroborated later
as conveyed to him by Vivekananda himself,
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
39
. . .You will have many blessings on you and
many more curses. That is always the way of
the world, sir. This is the time.8
In this regard we may do well to remem-
ber that contemporary society was not at all
sympathetic towards the Ramakrishna-Viveka-
nanda world. Many pundits, social, religious
communities and many influential persona-
lities of the day were openly hostile towards
them. Worse, they also faced the frowning of
the then royalty and the police vigil with
harassments that followed at times. That
indeed may have made M. wary and anxious.
This explains why M. considered Holy
Mother’s blessings and her boon of freedom
from fear invaluable treasures.
Holy Mother’s Reflections on the Book
She reflected on the book many a time
later during her homely discussions. Indeed
Swami Ishanananda, one of Mother’s atten-
dants, later recalled:
In the evening, we would read the Gospel to
Mother. As she heard it she would say, ‘Oh, it is
as if the Master himself is speaking in our
presence. One’s hair stands on end!’ Once
Mother remarked, ‘How intelligent people are
these days—they have taken Thakur’s picture.
And M.—is he an ordinary person? He managed
to record everything Thakur said.’9
Besides this we refer to only two instan-
ces of her observations dating as late as July
and September 1918, or after lapse of twenty-
one years. In July 1918 Holy Mother spoke
about ‘M’s book’ as ‘good’. She said,
He has recorded Master’s own words. What
sweet words! I heard that there is so much mate-
rial that there could be four or five parts. He has
now become old, would he be able to do that?10
We know by Holy Mother’s grace he did
it! The September 1918 reflections are asso-
ciated with the Pravrajika Bharatiprana Mataji,
~ 35 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

the first President of the Sri Sarada Math. Holy
Mother said,
‘Sarala read about Sri Ramakrishna. How fine
his teachings were! How could we know then
that things would take this turn! …Often he
(Thakur) would tell me nice words of advice. If
I had known how to write I would have noted
them down. Well, Sarala, please read something
today.’ Sarala began to read from the Kathamrita
the Bengali original of the Gospel of Sri Rama-
krishna.11
Such unpretentious, simple discussions,
and more so, her sense of apparent wonder
(‘How could we know then that things would
take this turn’) make us believe that while bles-
sing M. way back in July 1897, Holy Mother
must have been in a spiritually high state and
facilitated a historical event divinely ordained.
Being in a high state of spiritual cons-
ciousness, as cited above, has many parallels
in our scriptures. In the Mahabharata (Ashva-
medha Parva, Chapter 16), for instance, it is
mentioned that before the Kurukreshtra War
Sri Krishna gave his immortal message of the
Gita. After the War, victorious Arjuna re-
quested Sri Krishna to re-state the teachings
References
1. The Condensed Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Ed.
Swami Tapasyananda. (3rd Ed. 12th
Impression.1993), pp. xiii -xiv
2. M’s statements as reported in Vivekananda O
Samakalin Bharatvarsa Vol II. (Third Reprint 1981)
Sankari Prasad Basu. p.254.
3. The text of the letter of benediction of the Holy
Mother is taken from The Condensed Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna [M.’s own English version] edited by
Swami Tapasyananda.
4. M’s submission in his Introductory Note to Vol.IV
(of Gospel in original Bengali) dated 10th Asvin
1317 BS [Sept.27.1910]
5. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Swami
Nikhilananda) p.328, hereafter Gospel
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
40
once again, as he had forgotten what Sri
Krishna told earlier. Lord Krishna then
expressed his inability to do so because while
speaking of the Gita he had been in the high
state of consciousness (yogayukta) and now he
was in a different state. Sri Krishna hence chose
to deliberate on the old history of the know-
ledge of Parambrahma. The high spiritual
state, in Sri Thakur’s own words, is:
Master…It is good to remain on the plane of the
Lila after reaching the Nitya.
M: You once said that one comes down to the
plane of Lila in order to enjoy the divine play.
Master: No, not exactly that. The Lila is real too.12
Conclusion
Come ye all—wise readers, devotees, af-
flicted and distressed people! Let us enrich
ourselves with the Holy Mother’s blessings
and set out to study the Kathamrita or the
Gospel. Ye, inquirers of truth! Let us move
ahead no matter how perilous the path is. We
shall reach the goal, because: ‘By knowing Him
alone one transcends death; there is no other
path to go by’ (tameva viditva atimrityumeti
nanyah pantha vidyateayanaya). †
6. The Golden Treasury. Ed. F.T.Palgrave. (Indian Ed.
Twelfth Impression.1991) p.62.
7. Gospel p. 487.
8. Swami Vivekananda’s letter to M. dated October
1897.
9 . The Way to God As Taught by Sri Ramakrishna, Swami
Lokeswarananda [RMIC] 1st Ed.1992. p.10.
10. The Gospel of the Holy Mother recorded by Her
Devotee-Children. Sri Ramakrishna Math,
Chennai (4th Impression 1996) p. 38.
11. Ibid. p. 56. It is also supported by her remini-
scences as incorporated in Matridarshan compiled
by Swami Chetanananda. Pub. Udbodhan (1st Ed.
9th Impression 2001) p.73.
12. The Gospel, p.238
~ 36 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Durga Puja Celebrations

Durga Puja was celebrated at Belur Math from 14 to 17 October 2010 with all solemnity. Though the
weather was cloudy, there was no rain during the main Puja hours. Thousands of devotees attended the Puja
on all the four days to receive the blessings of the Divine Mother. The Kumari Puja performed on 15
October drew huge crowds, and the Sandhi Puja on
that afternoon was also attended by many devotees.
Sri M K Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal, also
attended the Sandhi Puja. Kolkata Doordarshan telecast
live the Puja at different times on all the days. Cooked
Prasad was served to more than 47,000 devotees on
Ashtami day and to about one lakh devotees during
the four days.
Durga Puja (in image) was celebrated at the follow-
ing 24 centres in India: Antpur, Asansol, Barasat,
Contai, Cooch Behar, Dhaleswar (under Agartala),
Ghatshila, Guwahati, Jalpaiguri, Jamshedpur,
Jayrambati, Kamarpukur, Karimganj, Lucknow,
Malda, Medinipur, Mumbai, Patna, Port Blair, Rahara,
Shella (under Cherrapunji), Shillong, Silchar and
Varanasi Advaita Ashrama. Durga Puja Celebrations—Belur Math
Durga Puja (in image) was performed at Durban
(South Africa), Geneva (Switzerland), Mauritius and Toronto (Canada) Ashramas and the following nine
centres in Bangladesh: Baliati, Barisal, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Habiganj, Narayanganj and
Sylhet.
At Dhaka centre, Ms Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Ms Sahara Khatun, Minister of
Home Affairs; Mr Shah Jahan Miah, State Minister of Religion; Mr Shamsul Haq Tuku, State Minister of
Home Affairs; Mr Ahad Ali Sarkar, State Minister of Sports; Mr Abdur Razzaq, Chairman of the Parliamentary
Standing Committee for the Water Resources Ministry; Mr Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Dhaka City Corporation
Mayor; Mr Hossain Mohammad Ershad, former President of Bangladesh, and several other distinguished
persons attended the Durga Puja celebration. †

Kadapa Centre’s Written Quiz on Swami Vivekananda

As part of its Centenary Celebrations, the Kadapa centre of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission conducted
an All Andhra Pradesh Written Quiz based on a small book of the life and teachings of Swami Viveka-
nanda. Over 79,000 school and junior college students participated in the quiz. Prizes worth two lakh,
besides certificates to more than 2400 students, were awarded to the winning students. All the 759 educational
institutions which took part in the Quiz were presented a set of books. The prize distribution ceremony was
held on 21 November 2010. †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 37 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 42

Awards Presented

Y Swaraj Sansthan Sanchalanalaya, Ministry
of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh,
conferred Maharaja Agrasen Rashtriya
Samman on Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math,
in recognition of its outstanding service activities
and its efforts to achieve fraternity and equality
in society. Sri Laxmikanta Sharma, Minister of
Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh,
handed over the award comprising a citation
and a sum of Rupees two lakh to the General
Secretary on 8 October 2010 at Bharat Bhawan,
Bhopal. †
Y Indian National Congress conferred Indira
Gandhi Award for National Integration for the
year 2009 on Narainpur Ashrama. Smt Sonia Maharaja Agrasen Rashtriya Samman being presented
Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress,
handed over the award comprising a citation
and a sum of Rs. 2,50,000/- on 31 October
2010 in a function held at Teen Murti House
auditorium, New Delhi, in the presence of Dr
Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, and
several other dignitaries.
Y Bhilai Steel Plant conferred the Bhilai Mitra
Puraskar on our Narainpur centre on 14
November 2010 for the centre’s excellent welfare
activities for the poor and backward people.
The award carries a memento with citation. †
Y Sarada Kindergarten of our Singapore Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration being presented
centre has won the following prestigious MOE-
AECES 2010 awards: (1) ‘Distinction’ for Innovation, (2) ‘Merit’ for Outstanding Kindergarten Teacher,
and (3) ‘Merit’ for Good Practices. Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Education & Home Affairs,
Singapore, handed over the awards on 23 November. These awards are jointly presented by MOE (Ministry
of Education) and AECES (Association of Early Childhood Educators Singapore). †

Y Sri Anupam Ray, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, visited Vedanta
Society, New York, USA, on 28 November and released the book Celebrating Shri Ramakrishna authored
by Swami Tathagatananda. †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 38 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 43

Ponnampet Ashrama’s Temple Dedication Anniversary

The first Anniversary of the Consecration of its recently-built temple of Sri Ramakrishna at Ramakrishna
Sharadashrama, Ponnampet (Kodagu, Karnataka) was celebrated on 15 November 2010. The morning
programme consisted of special puja, homa, parayana, reading from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, and
bhajans. In the post-lunch session, there was a poetic presentation (in Kannada) on the glory of Indian
Culture and Traditions (called Jago Bharat) by Sri Sulebele
Chakravarthy and party. In the afternoon, a public meeting
was held. It was addressed by, among others, Swami
Suhitanandaji, Assistant Secretary of the Ramakrishna
Math and Mission, Belur Math and Padmashri Dr. Nalli
Kuppuswamy Chettiar. After the evening arati, a
Harikatha presentation was held.
On the previous day (14 November), a youth con-
vention has held at the Ashrama premises. It was attended
by 850 students and many teachers and invitees. A number
of monks and eminent people addressed the gathering.
The new office block at Ponnampet centre was
inaugurated on 15 September. †
Inauguration of office block at Ponnampet Ashrama
General News
Y Srimat Swami Atmasthanandaji, the revered President Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Order, released a
DVD containing the archives of 60 years of The Bulletin of the Institute of Culture, Kolkata, on 11 October.
Y The cardiology clinic at Thiruvananthapuram hospital was inaugurated on 1 October.
Y On 1 October, National Blood Donation Day, Viveknagar (Tripura) centre organized a workshop on
health awareness, which was inaugurated by Sri Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura. A blood donation
camp was held on the following day in which 47 persons donated blood.
Y Mr M O H Farook, Governor of Jharkhand, inaugurated a 20-bed primary health care unit at Ranchi
Sanatorium on 9 October.
Y Kozhikode centre organized an Eye Care Programme in which 3731 students of our school there
underwent eye check-up. Of these, 56 students with refractory errors were given free glasses. †

Relief News

Flood Relief: Our centres in North India continued relief operations among the flood victims. Details of
the operations are given below.
(a) Haryana: Chandigarh centre treated 300 flood-affected patients in Panipat district last month.
(b) Uttar Pradesh: (i) Kanpur centre distributed 803 saris, 800 lungis, 800 blankets, 800 mats, 4 plastic
buckets, 4 sets of steel utensils (each set containing 2 plates, 2 glasses and 3 cooking vessels), 2020 kg rice,
8 kg dal, 8 kg sugar, etc., to the victims of Ganga Katari area in Kanpur district last month.
(ii) Vrindaban centre distributed 1000 kg rice, 200 kg dal, 2,00,000 halogen tablets, 500 kg bleaching
powder, 478 saris and 400 blankets to 200 flood-affected families of Vrindaban Khadar area in Mathura
district.
(c) Uttarakhand: (i) Almora centre distributed 5000 blankets to 1674 families in Almora district.
(ii) Kankhal centre provided medical relief to 1200 flood-affected patients of 9 nearby villages.
Distress Relief: The following centres distributed various items, shown in brackets, to the needy:
Agartala (435 saris, 113 dhotis and 470 children’s garments), Garbeta (110 kg rice, 45 kg flour, 174 saris,
10 dhotis, 27 lungis, 25 vests, 337 children’s garments and 24 assorted garments), Jalpaiguri (500 saris),
Karimganj (355 saris and 65 dhotis), Taki (100 saris and 50 dhotis).
The following centres distributed various items, shown in brackets, to needy people: Belgharia (1573
saris, 157 dhotis, 374 lungis, 1358 pants, 1516 shirts and 2146 children’s garments), Cooch Behar (317
saris, 63 dhotis, 20 lungis and 102 pairs of socks). †

T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 39 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

UNDERSTANDING CONSCIOUSNESS—
RECENT ADVANCES
Published by Ramakrishna Mission
Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kol-
kata - 700 029. 2009, Hardback,
Pp. 469, Rs.175.
Ramakrishna Mission Insti-
tute of Culture, Kolkata, has been
organizing every year, for the past
few years, a seminar on topics of
contemporary interest, especially on Consciousness.
It has also been publishing the proceedings in the
form of books, for the benefit of the general public.
The present book, under review, is the latest in this
series.
The concept of Consciousness has intrigued
human beings since time immemorial. It has been
studied under various disciplines, with different
meanings and definitions. Hence, scholars from
diverse disciplines have used their own individual
definitions. This has led to a piquant situation, in
which scholars appear to think on parallel tracks,
without any indication of convergence.
Nevertheless, an interdisciplinary discussion
does serve a useful purpose. One can come to appre-
ciate the views of others, leading to an under-
standing of the spectrum of Consciousness.
The seminar, whose proceedings are reported
in this book, had seven academic sessions, along
with an inaugural session and a valedictory session.
The inaugural session was devoted to a compre-
hensive overview of the existing knowledge, so that
a meaningful discussion could take place.
Each academic session had two presentations,
except the last one (which had three), thus making
a total of fifteen papers. The topics covered ranged
from Neurosciences to Vedantic perspectives. The
first session was about the integration of Knowledge
and Consciousness, and about the role of Avidya.
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
For review in THE VEDANTA KESARI,
publishers need to send us
two copies of their latest publication.
The second session was about Meditation and Yogic
Integration. The third session was devoted to
Vedanta, with a presentation of basic issues like—
‘What is Consciousness?’ The fourth session
presented a viewpoint according to Buddhism.
The research methodology used in investi-
gations of Consciousness, as well as the relation of
Consciousness with Cognitive Science, has been
dealt with in the fifth session. The point of view of
Neurologists is the theme of the sixth session.
Consciousness and its relation to the Brain, Yoga
and its relation to the Unconscious are discussed in
the last session. The final paper throws up sugges-
tions for an interdisciplinary dialogue about Cons-
ciousness, which is needed for a proper under-
standing of Consciousness. All discussions about
these fifteen papers have been compiled and
presented after the texts of all the papers.
The papers thus represent a wide range of
opinions about Consciousness, indicating the com-
plexity of the study. No wonder that the last paper
by Prof. Mukunda talks of an interdisciplinary
dialogue! But, to reach a common ground may not
be so easy, unless one becomes aware that Con-
sciousness is a spectrum, and is clear as to which
part of the spectrum one is referring to. Otherwise
no meaningful discussion would be possible.
It is evident that serious thinkers on Consci-
ousness would benefit a great deal by a close study
of the papers. Ramakrishna Mission Institute of
Culture should be thanked for the excellent work
they have been doing organising these seminars.
The get-up of the book is, as usual, excellent. The
Institute should continue organizing such seminars
for the benefit of the scholars and the general public.
______________________________ NVC SWAMY, BANGALORE
RELICS OF THE BUDDHA
By John S. Strong.
~ 40 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 45
Published by Motilal Banarsidass
Publishers Private Limited, 41, UA
Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar,
Delhi - 110 007. 2007, Hardback,
pp. 290, Rs. 595.
The philosophy of Buddh-
ism remarkably centres on the
noble truth that the nature of the
universe is always in a state of
flux and this theory of imper-
manence forced the Buddhists to deny
the existence of a permanent self and an omniscient
Being called God. One may wonder as to how a
faith without a soul and God could attain global
popularity and everlasting prosperity. As a religion,
it insists that even an ordinary human being can be
elevated to the heights of perfection through
arduous discipline and assiduous practices. The best
example is the Prince-turned Enlightened Buddha.
The Sakhyamuni or the Tathagatha was adored as
the God among men since he preached and
practiced the truths promulgated by him leading
to the attainment of emancipation which is free from
an iota of pain without God’s grace and the
soul’s involvements as the theistic religions pro-
claim. Hence there is no wonder that his followers
not only venerated his whole physical structure as
an embodiment of divinity but also revered the
various limbs and organs of his body.
The author of this book under review has
endeavoured earnestly and enthusiastically in
explicitly elucidating and justifying as well the
respectful tributes paid by the devotees of the
Buddha to his relics. The pilgrims from overseas
countries had discovered the prevalence of the
physical remains of the Buddha, his personal
belongings, mostly associated with his preaching
or his community of followers. It was firmly
believed that King Asoka had enshrined the relics
of the Buddha in 94,000 places throughout his
domain and hence they gain significance. The
legendary and cultic traditions of the South and
the Southeast Asia enabled the author to
highlight the glory of the relics such as Buddha’s
footprints, his bowl, his robe, and his Bodhi tree.
The ‘exegetical exploration’ of the author involves
myths, legends, stories, of doctrines, the records of
inscriptions, reports of pilgrims, the comments of
modern scholars, etc., which helped the author to
narrate resourceful information about the relics. The
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i ~ 41 ~
author himself acknowledges that these will be
preposterous or absurd to some readers, but
others may view them as profound expressions of
religious devotion or experience.
A cursory glance of the contents shows the
architectonic pattern followed by the author who
has comprehensively presented the chosen theme
in a serious, sincere and systematic fashion. Right
from the introduction the work describes the relics
of the previous Buddhas, of the Bodhisaattvas, of
the still living Buddhas, Asoka and the Buddha
relics, stories of various traditions, relics and escha-
tology and an originally research oriented con-
clusion. The bibliography and the index are
worthwhile and have pragmatic value. The syntactic
and the semantic approaches with authentic source
and authoritative reference reveal the deep
erudition, appropriate acumen and elegant expres-
sions of the subject matter. The data collected about
the relics and the perfect description make the
readers wonderstruck. On the whole this book
will be a treasure trove to the inspiring followers
of the Buddha and a resourceful and fascinating
piece of information to the general reader.
__________________________ R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, CHENNAI
THE JAIN SAGA
By Kalikal Sarvagna Acharya
Hemchandrasuriswarji Maha-
raj. Parts -1, 2 and 3.
Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
Private Limited, 41, UA Bunga-
low Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi
- 110 007. 2009, Paperback
Pp.1800, Rs.1000 for one set .
This book is a translation of one of the most
important Jain epic Tri-sasti-Shalaka-Purnima-charitra,
whose literal translation would be ‘Biographies of
Sixty-three Illustrious Personalities.’ Although the
cover mentions it as the ‘Brief History of Jainism’,
it is more a mythological text rather than the history
of the origin and the growth of Jainism.
This great epic, comprising 34,000 stanzas was
written by the author at the request of King
Kumarpal, an able ruler and a devout lay Jain
devotee, in the 12th century AD. It is said that the
author prayed to the goddess Saraswati and with
her blessing, not only wrote this classic, but also
many more scriptures, comprising as many as 35
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

million verses. Acharya Hemchandra Suriswar has
been eulogized as ‘Kalikala-Sarvagna’, ‘omniscient
sage of the present Iron Age.’ Indeed, as one goes
through the pages of the book, one is amazed at
the inexhaustible knowledge of the author.
The present English translation is in three
parts, which are in fact three separate volumes of
more than five hundred pages each, totaling 1800
pages. It seems the first English edition was in six
volumes. In the present translation, the original
division into ten books or parvas has been given
up. Instead, the whole book is now divided into
twenty four chapters, each being the life of one
Tirthankara. While this division may appear sen-
sible, it has made some chapters very brief. The
present Part I contains the life of first ten tirthan-
karas. Of these, greater space has been allotted to
the life of Risabhaswami and Ajitanath. Part 2 deals
with the eleventh to twenty-first Tirthankaras, and
much space is allotted to the Jain Ramayana, i.e.
the story of Rama and Sita. Part 3 deals with the
remaining three Tirthankaras. While describing the
life of Neminath, the author has taken up the story
of Krishna and the Bhagavatam. The life of Maha-
virswami, forms the main bulk of this part.
An important task which the author had to
accomplish was to integrate the Jain society with
the much larger Hindu society—both of which
existed together. This, the author has done by
including and re-narrating the stories of such Hindu
heroes, like Rama-Lakshman, Sita, Krishna,
Balarama, Bhagiratha, Parashurama, Nala-Dama-
yanti, etc. Naturally, the killings of Kansa, Ravana,
Jarasandha, Bana, etc., are also included. However,
and naturally, these stories are very much different
from the Hindu versions. The Hindu heroes are
shown inferior to the Jain prophets and even as lay
followers of Jainism. Nonetheless, the noble values
like total dedication of Sita and Damayanti to their
husbands (pativratya) as well as dharma as practised
by Rama and other Hindu heroes are accepted and
extolled, since they are equally accepted in Hindu-
ism as well as Jainism. Yet, all through Jainism is
shown to be superior to other faiths. Damayanti is
described as a devout Jain lay woman. A Jain lay
devotee is considered even superior to a Vaishnava
ascetic and after death, the former is born as Indra
and latter as his vehicle airavata in one such story.
In India, from pre-historic times, two cultures
flourished almost simultaneously, the Vedic or the
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
46
Indus Valley culture, and the other the Shramana
or Magadhan culture. Both have characteristics
distinct from each other. As we read the lives of
Jain prophets side by side with the life of Hindu
prophets like Rama and Krishna, the distinction is
clearly visible. Jainism is pre-eminently a mona-
stically oriented religion laying great stress on
mendicancy, renunciation, austerity, restraint and
finally, total giving up of all physical, vocal and
mental activity. This is highlighted over and over
again in the book through stories.
The book abounds in much needed expla-
natory footnotes. The editor has also given a table
of meanings of certain ‘hard words’, marked by
italics in the text. However, it would have been
better if a glossary of Jain technical terms were
given. For, in spite of much pains taken by the
editor in explaining ‘hard words’, giving the English
names of the Indian plants, etc., the reader finds it
difficult to understand the technicalities of Jainism,
except a few concepts, which come up with great
force: austerity, mendicancy, standing or sitting still
in a specific posture (vyutsarga), fasting, Ahimsa or
non-violence and the theory of Karma which forms
the back bone of Jain philosophy. The previous
incarnations of all the Jain prophets and other
heroes have been described and it has been shown
due to which specific karma they took another
incarnation. The case most eloquent in this respect
is that of the only lady Tirthankara, Malli. In her
earlier birth, she was a male Jain ascetic who with
six of his friends had an agreement that they will
all do equal penance, of alternate day fasts, etc.
However, from a desire for superior results, Maha-
bala, the previous male incarnation of Malli,
deceived his friends, making certain excuses and
thus fasted even on the day of breaking fast. Because
of the penance mixed with deceit, he was born as a
woman in the next incarnation, named Malli.
The epic excels in literary classical descri-
ptions. Take for example, this passage:
Dharma is the highest happiness. Dharma bestows
heaven and emancipation. Dharma shows the road
for crossing the wilderness of samsara. Dharma
nourishes like a mother, protects like a father,
pleases like a friend, and is loving like a kinsman.
Dharma imparts very fine qualities like a guru.
Dharma confers a distinguished position like a
master. Dharma is a mansion of bliss. Dharma is a
shield in danger from enemies. Dharma is heat for
~ 42 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

the destruction of cold. Dharma knows the weak
points of sins. From Dharma a creature could
become a king, from Dharma a Rama, from Dharma
an ardhacakrin, from Dharma a cakrin, from
Dharma a god, and from Dharma an Indra. From
Dharma one attains Ahamindraship in the Gra-
veyaka and Anuttara heavens. From Dharma one
attains Arhatship. What is not accomplished by
Dharma? Dharma is so called from supporting
creatures who have fallen into a bad condition of
existence. It is fourfold with the divisions of offering
(dana), austerity (shila), penance (tapas), and state
of mind (bhava). (Part I, Pp 9-10)
It also abounds in illustrations and metaphors.
Look at this page from one of the most important
stories of conflict between Bharata chakravartin and
his younger brother Bahubali:
Lord of Bharata hurled the chakra at Bahubali,
throwing it with all his strength. (Bahubali thought)
‘Shall I break it quickly with the staff, like an old
dish? Or shall I strike it gently and then throw it
back like a ball? Or shall I throw it up in the sky as
easily as a knife? Or shall I put it in the ground like
an infant’s navel-cord? Or shall I catch it in my
hand like a young sparrow flying up? Or shall I
merely repel it to a distance immediately like a
criminal unworthy of slaughter? Or shall I speedily
crush the thousand Yaksas, its guardians, with my
staff like grain with a grindstone? Still, all this must
be considered later: first I must know the extent of
its power.’ While the king of Taksaasila was making
these reflections, the cakra approached and made
the pradaksina to him, like a pupil to his guru. The
Cakravartin’s cakra has no effect on even an
ordinary man belonging to the same family, and
especially such a man with the very best body. The
cakra returned to the cakravartin’s hand again, like
a bird to its resting-place, like a horse to its stable.’
(Part I page 202)
According to Swami Vivekananda, each reli-
gion has three aspects: rituals, mythology and
philosophy. Philosophy is like the kernel while the
other two are like the outer husk, which protects
the philosophy. In The Jain Saga, all three are
presented. While mythology forms the warp,
philosophy is inter-woven into it like woof, in the
form of numerous sermons which are scattered all
through. Jainism, being, in a way, a revolt against
the predominantly ritualistic Hinduism, has,
nonetheless, certain rituals, the best known among
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
47
them being the bath ritual of the new born prophet.
Besides, there are scores of enthralling stuties or
hymns of praise, chiefly by Indra, the king of gods,
expressing sublime sentiments, each surpassing the
other.
With the biography of Parswanath and
Mahavir, the 23rd and 24th Tirthankaras, we enter
from the realm of mythology into the period of
history, for, according to scholars these last two,
and also perhaps, the 22nd, Neninath, are historical
while the rest of the earlier prophets are mytho-
logical. The history of the post-Mahavir period is
also mentioned in short, especially the acharyas of
the future are mentioned in the form of Mahavir’s
prophecies. While one or more past incarnations of
all the Tirthankaras have been described in short,
many of Mahavirswami’s innumerable previous
incarnations are described in details. It is interesting
to note that in one of his previous births Maha-
virswami was one of the sons of the first Tirthan-
kara, Rishabhswami by the name Marichi. Maha-
virswami’s twelve years of austerity, the hardships
and attacks by sub-human creatures, human and
even by gods who tortured him to test his fortitude
and to force him to give up his resolve to remain
standing in a steady posture are described in details.
As one shudders to read the description of these
inhuman attacks described in a forceful and poetic
language by the scholarly author, one also develops
deep reverence for the Arhat and the message he
has to convey through his life.
No one could do such a superlative trans-
lation as has been done by Miss Helen without
profound knowledge of both Sanskrit and English,
and indeed only those who know both the
languages well, can appreciate the excellence of the
translation. One almost gets the feeling that one is
reading the original Sanskrit. After reading this
translation one gets a strong impetus to read the
original Sanskrit. The original is replete with
synonyms, especially the various names and epi-
thets of gods, like Indra, the Tirthankaras, etc., and
the translator has rightly kept them as such, rather
than attempting to give their meaning.
One can learn about an alien religion through
articles, describing its principles and practices.
Better is the study of the original scriptures. Still
better is the study of the mythological texts, if one
wants to learn about the way in which that religion
manifests in practice in society and individual
~ 43 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

adherents. On reading this book, a Jain will become
a better Jain: his faith and understanding will
deepen and he will be inspired to undertake rigo-
rous discipline. A non-Jain, as he goes through these
pages, will imbibe at least some of the Jain values.
Someone, not interested in religion can yet read
this Saga and enjoy hundreds of interesting stories.
The Jain Saga is a piece of finest poetic litera-
ture, of science and wisdom, of insights and instru-
ctions and an illustrator of intricacies of human
nature, and human destiny, leading finally to the
ultimate goal of illumination—moksha.
The Jain Saga, though printed in a readable
font on Bible paper, contains innumerable printing
mistakes, which have unfortunately, persisted even
after proof-reading. Such an invaluable book
deserves greater printing, proof-reading and
editorial attention. These drawbacks, however, do
not hinder the flow of reading and once picked up,
the reader does not like to leave it even though one
might at places skip over certain purely descriptive
portions. As has been said by the Editor, it is a
‘Must-Read’ for all.
The brochure released to introduce the book
contains a number of very beautiful pictures of Jain
paintings, together with a table of 63 illustrious
personalities, whose biographies are contained
herein. However, only few of these pictures are
printed on the covers of the volumes as miniatures
and the beautiful table is altogether missing. Their
inclusion into the book would have increased the
charm of the book many fold.
_______________ SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA, CHANDIGARH
SERENITY HERE AND NOW
By Susunaga Weeraperuma
Published by New Age Books,
A-44, Nariana Industrial Area
Phase –I, New Delhi -110 028.
2009, paperback, Pp.240+xviii,
Rs.350
This is a translation into
modern English of the last
47suttas of Sutta Nipata. Each Sutta is
a discourse of the Buddha in answer to a question
by an interlocutor. The Sutta Nipata is a division of
the oldest, Buddhist scriptures known as the
Tripitaka or the Pali Canon. Sri Weera Peruma is a
practicing Buddhist brought up in the Theravada
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i
48
tradition of Sri Lanka. The translation is inters-
persed with the translator’s explanations, which are
clear as crystal, without any metaphysical obs-
curities. The simplicity and directness of language
bring out the flavor of the Master’s original speech.
‘Within the mouth of man/ is born an axe at birth/
with which the fool /Destroys himself/By giving
expression/to ill-spoken words.’ (p86)
The story of the Buddha we encounter on
these pages is different from the Buddha of later
romanticized works. This is most conspicuous in
the third Sutta which describes Gotama’s conquest
of Mara. The allegory of a military confrontation is
implicit in the imagery used, but Mara is more
conciliatory than menacing. He sounds more like
the worldly wise man than a ferocious antagonist.
‘Whereas a thousand parts of you/Are owned by
death,/ Only one part of you is owned by life./
Venerable One , It is better to live your life./ By
living you can do meritorious deeds.’ By living a
holy life/And by feeding the sacrificial fire/You
will acquire much merit,/But by striving what will
you achieve?’ ‘The path of striving is difficult to
tread./ It is difficult to do and difficult to succeed’.
The Buddha chides the Evil One as friend of the
lazy and slothful, demolishes his arguments and
makes known his great determination, ‘This army
of yours, which neither gods nor men can crush to
death, I will crush it/With wisdom/As with a
stone/One would smash an unfired earthen pot.’
(Pp.16-17). Mara retreats with words of praise for
his victor.
Every sermon is placed in the context of a
narrative, which gives a touch of the drama to it.
For example ‘The Hidden Danger in Slander’ is
about a monk, Kokaliya, who became jealous of his
fellow monks for the respect people showed them
and started spreading tales about them. There are
profound sermons like ‘Dropping All Philosophical
Views’, ‘The Wisdom of Having no Views’, ‘There
is Only One Truth’, etc., which embody the pristine
philosophy of the great master. In short, the book
affords glimpses into the spiritual core of Buddhism
and its founder’s life. A lay reader will find it
pleasant reading and a valuable guide in his
spiritual life. It may also serve as a corrective to the
popular perception of this great religion as merely
a social reform movement aimed at correcting the
many evils engendered by the Vedic religion.
______________________M.C.RAMANARAYANAN, THIRUVALLA
~ 44 ~ J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 49 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

JOIN US IN SERVING GOD IN MAN

Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission,
Sikra Kulingram is a branch centre of Ramakrishna
Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, West Ben-
gal. Sikra Kulingram is a small village in West Bengal
about 60 km from Kolkata. It became a blessed ham-
let with the birth of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj
(1863-1922), the first President of the Ramakrishna
Order.
Since its very inception, the centre has been car-
rying on various welfare service schemes for the
upliftment of the poor and backward classes including
SC/ST/OBC and other minority communities living in
nearby villages. Services like free coaching, non-for-
mal schools, distress relief, child welfare, medical
services, and other need-based services are provided
in the remote Sunderbans area.
A few monks and the local devotees are carrying
out these services in a severely resource constrained
setup. To upgrade the present infrastructure we re-
quest you for liberal financial help to strengthen the
corpus fund. All donations are exempt from Income
tax under section 80G. Cheque or Demand Draft
favouring Ramakrishna Mission, Sikra may be sent to
the above mentioned address. For donations of more
than Rupees one lakh, suitable marble slabs shall be
put up in relevant places.
Construction of Office, Auditorium-cum-Library,
Computer Training Centre, Free Coaching centre,
Monks’ quarters, Dining Hall, Kitchen, and Staff
Quarters Rs.76.5 lakhs
Furniture and office accessories Rs.5 lakhs
Tube Well pumping Unit Rs. 7 lakhs
Corpus Fund for Rural
Development Services Rs.100 lakhs
General Fund for Ashrama Rs.7.5 lakhs

Yours in the Service of Lord

Swami Vitaragananda
Secretary
Ramakrishna Mission
Sikra-Kulingram, 24 Parganas (N)
West Bengal, India 743 428
Ph: 03217 - 249 980
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 50 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Swami Brahmananda (1863-1922)

was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
who regarded him as his spiritual son.
Also known as Raja Maharaj or simply
‘Maharaj’, Swami Brahmananda was the
first President of the Ramakrishna Or-
der. A man of deep meditative tem-
perament and down-to-earth wisdom and
humour, Maharaj quietly carried the
mantle of guiding the fledgling Rama-
krishna Order in its first 21 years and
also provided spiritual guidance to nu-
merous spiritual aspirants, monastic and
lay, who came in touch with him. This
book is a compilation of their reminis-
cences and personal accounts culled from various sources.
The book has six appendices, glossary, introductory notes about the
contributors and is illustrated with around 100 photographs.

Hardbound, Pages 588 + xii

Price: Rs. 200/- + Postage: Rs.35/- per copy
No request for VPP entertained
Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math,
Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004
For Online orders: www.sriramakrishnamath.org
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 51 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 52 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

Now available!
The DVD conta ining the
containing
Archiv es of
Archives

The Vedanta Kesari

Vedanta
The Vedanta Kesari, a spiritual and cultural monthly of the Ramakrishna
Order since 1914, has been effectively disseminating Indian Ethos and Values,
with uninterrupted publication for the last 96 years. The entire collection of
archival articles (1914-2009) contributed by scholars and thinkers, savants
and admirers, monks and practitioners of Vedanta is now available in one
DVD. The DVD has 14300 articles running into 48000 pages by 2400 au-
thors, with search facility indexed
author-wise, title-wise, year-wise and by
keywords, plus other features. A veritable
encyclopedia of Vedanta is now available
to you at the click of a button!
Price: Rs.500/-
Rs.500/-Packing and Posting
charges: Rs.60/- (within India)
For ordering your copy, draw your
DD in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math,
Chennai and send to: The Manager, Sri
Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai –
600 004, Email: mail@chennaimath.org

You can also order online at:

www.chennaimath.org/estore/96-years-of-the-vedanta-kesari-a-dvd-collection
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 53 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 54 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

New Release

Personality development is the key to all

progress and happiness. Swami Vivekananda said,
‘Men, men these are wanted; everything else will
be ready’. In other words, he wanted men with a
well-developed personality, full of all noble virtues
such as sincerity, unselfishness and purity of heart.
How to Shape the Personality describes
various aspects, methods and ways of Personality
Development. Contains 30 thought-provoking
articles by monks and lay writers, actively
involved in teaching and implementing different
aspects of Personality Development.

Paperback, Pages 352 + vii

Price: Rs. 70/- + Postage: Rs.25/- per copy
No request for VPP entertained
Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math,
Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004

SRI RAMAKRISHNA ADVAITA ASHRAMA

(Hqs.: Ramakrishna Math & Mission, Belur Math)
P.O. Kalady, Ernakulam-683574; Ph: 0484-2462345. E-mai1:srkaadv@dataone.in
The Ashrama has been running a free hostel for the poor, underprivileged and orphan
children from classes V to X since 1936. There is an urgent need for repair and renovation of
the old buildings and also creating a corpus fund for maintaining the hostel of 100 children,
providing them with food, uniform, accommodation and study materials free of cost.
We appeal to the generous public and well wishers to donate liberally for: 1) Hostel
Corpus Fund and/or 2) Hostel Renovation Fund, which are exempt 100% from Income Tax
under 35AC.
An Endowment of Rs.1 lakh and above may be created in memory of the loved ones.
Donations towards other activities of the Ashrama- Daily Puja, Charitable Dispensaries,
Celebrations, Maintenance etc. (General Fund) are exempt from I.T. under 80G.
Cheques/Bank Drafts/M.O. may be drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Advaita
Ashrama, Kalady and sent to the above address.
Donors from foreign countries can send their contributions online to our F.C. A/C No.
338602010005806 while the Indians can send to the I.C. A/C No.338602010009164 at Union
Bank of India, Kalady (IFSC Code: UBIN0533866). Swami Amaleshananda
Adhyaksha
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 55 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1

NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE

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

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

A Humble Request for Donation

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

Donor devotees can send their contributions by cheque/DD/MO to the above address on
the occasion of birthday, wedding day or any other special occasion and receive prasadam of Lord
Balaji Venkateswara of Tirupati as blessings.
Contributions to NAVAJEEVAN BLIND RELIEF CENTRE, Tirupati are eligible for Tax
Relief U/S 80G of Income Tax Act.
‘We can attain salvation through social work’
– Swami Vivekananda
K. Sridhar Acharya
Founder/ President
T h e V e d a n t a K e s a r i 56 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1
 The Vedanta Kesari Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India
under No.1084 / 57. Postal Registered No. TN / CH (C) / 190 / 09-11
Licenced to Post WPP No. 259 / 09-11
Date of publication: 26th of every month

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

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