The Spiritual Genius of Swami Vivekananda

The Spiritual Genius of Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda is one of most admired spiritual leaders of India. The world knows him as an inspiring Hindu monk, his motherland regards him as the patriot saint of modern India, and Hindus consider him as a source of spiritual power, mental energy, strength-giving and open-mindedness.

Early Life:

Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863, in a middle-class Bengali family of Calcutta.

Narendranath Dutt, as he was called before sainthood, grew up to be a youth of great charm and intelligence. In a pre-independent India hidebound by communal disharmony and sectarianism, this blithe spirit soared above the rest to become the manifestation of freedom - the 'summum bonum' of human life.

Learnings and Travels:

An avid scholar of Western and Hindu philosophy and ever thirsty for the mystery of Creation and the law of Nature, Vivekananda found his guru in Sri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa. He toured across India to know his country and people, and found his spiritual alma mater at the Kanyakumari rock in Cape Comorin at the southern most tip of the Indian peninsula. The Vivekananda memorial is now a landmark for tourists and pilgrims, and a tribute to him by his country men.

Journey to America:

Swami Vivekananda rose to worldwide fame in 1893, when he visited America to attend the first Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. The uninvited young monk addressed this august assembly and electrified the audience.

His speech made him world famous overnight: "Sisters and Brothers of America, it fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu people …" (Read transcript of speech)

Vivekananda's Teachings:

Vivekananda's life and teachings are of inestimable value to the West for an understanding of the mind of Asia, says Swami Nikhilananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York. On the occasion of America's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., mounted a large portrait of Swami Vivekananda as part of its exhibition 'Abroad in America: Visitors to the New Nation', which paid tribute to the great personalities who visited America from abroad and made a deep impression on the American mind.

In Praise of the Swami:

William James called the Swami the "paragon of Vedantists." Max Muller and Paul Deussen, the famous Orientalists of the nineteenth century, held him in genuine respect and affection. "His words," writes Romain Rolland, "are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his…without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks…must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!''

An Immortal Soul:

An inspiring spiritual and social leader, Vivekananda has left an indelible mark in history with his teachings, which are studied everywhere in India and abroad. The immortal soul passed away on the 4th of July, 1902 at the young age of 39.

A Chronology of Important Events in Vivekananda's Life:

Jan 12, 1863 Born Narendranath Dutta in Kolkata, India

1880 Passed the Calcutta University Entrance Examination in first division

Aug 16, 1886 Death of Shri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa

May 31, 1893 Swami Vivekananda sails for America

1893 Attends Parliament of Religions

Feb 20, 1897 Returns to Kolkata

1897 Founds the Ramkrishna Mission

Dec 9, 1898 Inaugurates the first monastery at Belur

June 1899 Sails for the second time to the West

1901 Ramkrishna Mission receives legal status

July 4, 1902 Vivekananda passes away in meditation at Belur monastery at the age of 39

Lectures at the World Parliament of Religions, 1893, Chicago:

Sept 11 Welcome Speech at World Conference (Transcript)

Sept 15 Why We Disagree

Sept 19 Paper on Hinduism

Sept 20 Religion Not the Crying Need of India

Sept 26 Buddhism the Fulfilment of Hinduism

Sept 27 Address at the Final Session (Transcript)

The Sai Baba of Shirdi (c 1838 - 1918)

The Sai Baba of Shirdi (c 1838 - 1918)

Sai Baba of Shirdi holds a unique place in the rich tradition of saints in India. Baba, an embodiment of self-realization and perfection, did not come solely to preach but to awaken mankind through his messages of love and righteousness.

The early life of Sai Baba is still cloaked in mystery as there isn't any reliable record of the Baba's birth and parentage. It is believed that Baba was born somewhere between 1838 and 1842 AD in a place called Pathri in Marathwada in Central India.

Sai Baba arrived at Shirdi as a nameless entity at a young age tempered by the discipline of penance and austerity. At Shirdi, Baba stayed on the outskirts of the village in Babul forest and used to mediate under a neem tree for long hours. Some villagers revered the saintly figure and gave him the food for sustenance.

After wandering in the thorny woods for a long time, Baba moved to a dilapidated mosque, which he referred to as "Dwarkarmai" (named after the abode of Krishna, Dwarka).This mosque became the abode of Sai Baba till his last day.

Sai Baba would go out for alms every morning and shared what he got with his devotees who sought his help. The abode of Sai Baba, Dwarkamai, was open to all, irrespective of religion, caste and creed.

Sai Baba was at ease with both Hindu and Muslim scriptures. He used to sing the songs of Kabir and dance with ‘fakirs’. Baba was the lord of the common man and through his simple life, he worked for the spiritual metamorphosis and liberation of human beings.

Sai Baba's spiritual powers, simplicity and compassion created an aura of reverence in the villagers around him. He preached righteousness living in simple terms: "Even the learned are confused. Then what of us? Listen and be silent."

Initially, Baba dissuaded people to worship him, but gradually Baba’s divine energy touched the chord of common people far and wide. The congregational worship of Sai Baba began in 1909, and by 1910 the number of devotees grew manifold. The ‘shej arati’ (night worship) of Sai Baba began in February, 1910 and the following year the construction of Dikshitwada temple was completed.

Sai Baba attained ‘mahasamadhi’ on October 15, 1918. Before his death, he said, "Do not think I am dead and gone. You will hear me from my Samadhi and I shall guide you." The millions of devotees who keep his image in their homes, and the thousands who throng to Shridi every year, is a testimony to the greatness and continuing popularity of Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Baba Lokenath (1730-1890)

Baba Lokenath (1730-1890)

"Whenever you are in danger, whether in ocean or in war or in the wild, remember Me. I shall save you. You may not know Me. You may not realize who I am. Just pray to Me with a little touch of your heart and I shall free you from gripping sorrows and miseries."

Over two centuries after these words were uttered by a sage, they have become famous all over Bengal.

The Saint of Bengal:

Here is one sage who predicted that a century after his death, he would be greatly revered by one and all.

True enough, at present, his is a household name in Bengal. Nearly every Hindu Bengali home has his idol placed in the family altar, huge temples are being built in his honor, thousands of devotees bow before him and glorify him as their Guru and Lord. He is Baba Lokenath.

Baba is Born:

Baba Lokenath was born on Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, in 1730 (18th Bhadra, 1137) to a Brahmin family in the village of Chaurasi Chakla, a couple of miles away from Calcutta. His father, Ramnarayan Ghosal's sole wish in life was to dedicate one child to the path of renunciation to liberate the family. So when the fourth son was born to his wife Kamaladevi, he knew that the time had come for him to initiate his boy to the service of the Almighty.

Education & Training:

Accordingly, he ventured to a nearby village of Kochuya and pleaded with Pandit Bhagawan Ganguly to be his son's guru and teach him the Shastras rich in Vedic wisdom. At the age of 11, young Lokenath left home with his guru. His first sojourn was the Kalighat Temple, then for 25 years he lived in the forests, selflessly serving his master and practising the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali along with the most difficult Hatha Yoga.

Penance & Enlightenment:

Baba Lokenath was nearly seven feet tall with little flesh on him. Denying the needs of his physical self, he negated sleep, never closed his eyes or even blinked. He went about stark naked and in that state he braved the chill of the Himalayas and immersed himself in profound meditation or samadhi for nearly five decades. Finally, the light of self-realization dawned on him at the age of 90.

Baba's Travels on Foot:

After his enlightenment he traveled extensively on foot to Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia and Israel, making three pilgrimages to Mecca. When he came to the small town Baradi near Dhaka, a wealthy family built him a small hermitage, which became his ashram. He was then 136 years of age. There he put on a sacred thread and clothed himself in saffron robes. For the rest of his life he bestowed miracles and celestial wisdom on all who came to him to seek blessing.

Baba's Teachings:

His teachings were infused with simplicity that endeared the common man. He preached love and devotion and an unwavering faith in God and in one's deeper, immutable self. For him nothing is but Self. After attaining siddhi or enlightenment he said: "I have seen only Myself. I am bound by my own karma. The materialistic world is bound by the tongue and the sex organ. He who can restrain these two is fit to attain siddhi (enlightenment)."

Baba Leaves His Physical Body:

On the 19th day of Jyestha, 1297 (June 3, 1890), at 11:45 am, the Baba was seated in his usual Gomukh yoga asana. He went into a trance with his eyes open, and while still meditation, the Baba left his physical body forever. He was aged 160. He said, before death: "I am eternal, I am deathless. After this body falls, do not think that everything will come to an end. I will live in the hearts of all living beings in my subtle astral form. Whoever will seek my refuge, will always receive my grace".

"In Danger, Remember Me":

It is believed that Baba Lokenath appeared in a vision to Suddhananda Brahamachari in 1978, over 100 years after he died, commanding him to write his life story, and he wrote the Baba's biography entitled "In Danger, Remember Me". Today, Lokenath Brahmachari is the household deity of millions of Bengali families on both sides of the border.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya (788-820)

Shri Adi Shankaracharya (788-820)

Shri Adi Shankaracharya or the first Shankara with his remarkable reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures, especially on Upanishads or Vedanta, had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism at a time when chaos, superstition and bigotry was rampant. Shankara advocated the greatness of the Vedas and was the most famous Advaita philosopher who restored the Vedic Dharma and Advaita Vedanta to its pristine purity and glory.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya, known as Bhagavatpada Acharya (the guru at the feet of Lord), apart from refurbishing the scriptures, cleansed the Vedic religious practices of ritualistic excesses and ushered in the core teaching of Vedanta, which is Advaita or non-dualism for the mankind. Shankara restructured various forms of desultory religious practices into acceptable norms and stressed on the ways of worship as laid down in the Vedas.

Shankara’s Childhood

Shankara was born in a Brahmin family circa 788 AD in a village named Kaladi on the banks of the river Purna (now Periyar) in the Southern Indian coastal state Kerala. His parents, Sivaguru and Aryamba, had been childless for a long time and the birth of Shankara was a joyous and blessed occasion for the couple. Legend has it that Aryamba had a vision of Lord Shiva and promised her that he would incarnate in the form of her first-born child.

Shankara was a prodigious child and was hailed as ‘Eka-Sruti-Dara’, one who can retain anything that has been read just once.

Shankara mastered all the Vedas and the six Vedangas from the local gurukul and recited extensively from the epics and Puranas. Shankara also studied the philosophies of diverse sects and was a storehouse of philosophical knowledge.

Philosophy of Adi Shankara

Shankara spread the tenets of Advaita Vedanta, the supreme philosophy of monism to the four corners of India with his ‘digvijaya’ (the conquest of the quarters). The quintessence of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) is to reiterate the truth of reality of one’s essential divine identity and to reject one’s thought of being a finite human being with a name and form subject to earthly changes.

According to the Advaita maxim, the True Self is Brahman (Divine Creator). Brahman is the ‘I’ of ‘Who Am I?’ The Advaita doctrine propagated by Shankara views that the bodies are manifold but the separate bodies have the one Divine in them.

The phenomenal world of beings and non-beings is not apart from the Brahman but ultimately become one with Brahman. The crux of Advaita is that Brahman alone is real, and the phenomenal world is unreal or an illusion. Through intense practice of the concept of Advaita, ego and ideas of duality can be removed from the mind of man.

The comprehensive philosophy of Shankara is inimitable for the fact that the doctrine of Advaita includes both worldly and transcendental experience.

Shankara while stressing the sole reality of Brahman, did not undermine the phenomenal world or the multiplicity of Gods in the scriptures.

Shankara’s philosophy is based on three levels of reality, viz., paramarthika satta (Brahman), vyavaharika satta (empirical world of beings and non-beings) and pratibhashika satta (reality).

Shankara’s theology maintains that seeing the self where there is no self causes spiritual ignorance or avidya. One should learn to distinguish knowledge (jnana) from avidya to realize the True Self or Brahman. He taught the rules of bhakti, yoga and karma to enlighten the intellect and purify the heart as Advaita is the awareness of the ‘Divine’.

Shankara developed his philosophy through commentaries on the various scriptures. It is believed that the revered saint completed these works before the age of sixteen. His major works fall into three distinct categories - commentaries on the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavad Gita.

Shankaracharya's Seminal Works

The most important of Shankaracharya's works are his commentaries on the Brahmasutras - Brahmasutrabhashya - considered the core of Shankara's perspective on Advaita, and Bhaja Govindam written in praise of Govinda or Lord Krishna - a Sanskrit devotional poem that forms the center of the Bhakti movement and also epitomizes his Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

Read a review of 'Bhaja Govindam'

Shankaracharya's Monastic Centers

Shri Shankaracharya established four 'mutts' or monastic centers in four corners of India and put his four main disciples to head them and serve the spiritual needs of the ascetic community within the Vedantic tradition. He classified the wandering mendicants into 10 main groups to consolidate their spiritual strength.

Each mutt was assigned one Veda. The mutts are Jyothir Mutt at Badrinath in northern India with Atharva Veda; Sarada Mutt at Sringeri in southern India with Yajur Veda; Govardhan Mutt at Jaganath Puri in eastern India with Rig Veda and Kalika Mutt at Dwarka in western India with Sama Veda.

It is believed that Shankara attained heavenly abode in Kedarnath and was only 32 years old when he died.

Sage Valmiki

Sage Valmiki

Maharshi Valmiki, the author of the great Indian epic Ramayana, was a Hindu sage who lived around the beginning of the first millennium B.C. He is referred to as the 'adikavi', the original creator of the Hindu 'sloka' - a verse form in which most of the great epics such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and other works are composed.

How Valmiki Got His Name

He was a Brahman by birth belonging to the lineage of Bhrigu. Fate consigned him to a family of robbers which brought him up. Accidental contact with the Saptarsis - the Seven Sages and with the sage Narada changed his life. By the repetition of Ramanama or the name of Ram, he attained the supreme state of a 'maharshi' or great sage. Since a 'valmika' or an anthill had grown over his body during his long period of austerities and poised state of penance, he came to be known as Valmiki.

The Epic Vision

When the mythical sage Narada came to his hermitage, Valmiki who received him with due honor, posed a question - who was an ideal man? The reply came from Narada in the form of Samkshepa Ramayana which formed the foundation on which the magnificent 24,000 verse edifice was built by Valmiki. Then, immersed deep into this story, Valmiki left for the river Tamasa with his disciple Bharadwaj. The pleasant and placid river reminded the seer of the mature and modest quality of his hero. He visualized a pure and pious man's mind reflected in the deep waters.

In the next instant he witnessed a heartless hunter mercilessly killing a male bird that was in love with its mate. The piteous wailing of the distressed female moved the heart of the sage so much that he spontaneously uttered a curse on the hunter. However, this curse came out of his mouth in the form of a 'sloka', a perfectly metrical composition, which surprised the sage himself: "No - You shall not command any respect in society for a long time as you have shot dead an innocent bird engrossed in love". The sage had turned into a poet.

Lord Brahma's Command

His powerful emotions found equally powerful medium for their manifestation. It was a spontaneous outburst of his inner voice motivated by divine will. When he returned to his hermitage, Brahma (the fourfaced God, the creator), appeared to him and commanded him to compose an epic poem on the story of Ram as he had heard it from the great sage Narada, in his newly discovered metre. He also gave him the boon of the visions of all the incidents and the revelation of all the secrets connected with the story. Accordingly, Valmiki composed the epic, named it The Ramayana - the way or the conduct or the lifestory of Ram - the story of Ram's march in search of truth and righteousness.

A contemporary of the heroes of the Ramayana, Maharshi Valmiki gives very little information about himself since he was a sage who had completely dedicated his life to contemplation on God and service to humanity. History has no account of his life except that he figures briefly and modestly on two occasions in the course of the epic he wrote:

Valmiki's Cameo in Ramayana

He is one of the first sages whose hermitage Ram visits along with his wife and brother on his way to Chitrakoot after leaving Ayuodhya. Valmiki welcomes them with love, affection and reverence and utters just one word 'asyatam' (be seated). He feels honored when Ram accepts his request and sits a while.

The other occasion is when Ram banishes Sita, it is Valmiki that shelters her and rears up her twin sons Luv and Kush. When they recite the epic poem in his royal court, Ram invites Valmiki and requests him to bring Sita along so she can prove her chastity before the elders and sages. Valmiki is offended yet keeps his composure and says Sita would comply with Ram's wishes for he is her husband. While presenting Sita in the Mandapa (prayer hall) Valmiki utters words that highlight the penance and perseverance which Valmiki practiced his entire life.

In His Own Words

"I am the tenth son of the sage Prachetas. You belong to the great dynasty of Raghu. I do not remember to have uttered any lie so far in my life. I say that these two boys are your sons. I performed penance for thousands of years. I shall not accept the fruit of all my penance if there is any blemish in Maithili (Sita). I never entertained any ignoble thought, I never wronged any person, and I never spoke any vulgar word - I shall derive the benefit thereof only if Maithili is void of sin."

A True Sage

Valmiki was truly a Maharshi. I Panduranga Rao describes Valmiki in these words: "He was purity, penance, benevolence and meditation personified and the sole object of his dedication and contemplation was Man, a man leaves his selfish existence and lives for others identifying himself with the composite culture of the cosmic creation." The only work available of the great sage-poet, The Ramayana, has established the poet's timeless fame.

Auroville: The City of Dawn

Auroville: The City of Dawn

The year 2003 marks the 35th anniversary of the founding of Auroville, a unique 'model city' near Pondicherry, India. Inspired by the great Indian spiritual master Sri Aurobindo, Auroville has developed into a full-fledged city with an expanding community of nearly 2000 people from 40 countries.

Auroville, ‘the City of Dawn,’ is a manifestation of human unity in diversity inspired by the work and prescience of Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950) and his French spiritual collaborator, known as the Mother (1878 - 1973).

Auroville is built on the pedestal of Sri Aurobindo’s teaching at the behest of the Mother and epitomizes solidarity and unity, where people of all countries would be at home.

The General Assembly of UNESCO unanimously passed in 1966, 1968, 1970 and 1983 resolutions of support to Auroville, inviting "member states and international non-governmental organisations to participate in the development of Auroville as an international cultural township designed to bring together the values of different cultures and civilizations in a harmonious environment with integrated living standards which correspond to man's physical and spiritual needs."

Auroville is located on a low-lying plateau on the south east coast of India in Pondicherry and is planned for 50,000 inhabitants. This unique project was inaugurated on 28th February 1968 when young people representing 124 countries and all Indian states placed handfuls of earth on an urn as a symbol of human unity irrespective of nationality, caste or creed near the site of Matrimandir at the center of Auroville.

The Matrimandir

The Matrimandir, the Soul of Auroville with its central sphere of meditation is a place for silence and concentration and radiating out of Matimandir are four zones – the industrial (north), cultural (north east), residential (south/south west) and international (west) each depicting an important aspect of community’s activities. Silence, Cleanliness and Discipline cannot be dispensed with at Matrimandir.

Activities

The activities of the inhabitants are diverse and encompass cultural activities, educational research, health care, village development, technology and construction, small and medium scale business, afforestation, organic agriculture, town planning and community services. Auroville in an attempt to be self-sufficient in its energy needs has a policy of experimenting with and implementing renewable and non-polluting energy like solar, wind and biogas.

Organisation of Auroville

A flexible internal structure is set up by the community members keeping in mind the Mother’s advice that the experiment should not be hampered by too many rules and regulations. The day-to-day affairs are managed by various working groups covering areas like finance, health, community coordination and operate with a certain degree of autonomy. Major community decisions are taken in open meetings and the mode of decision-making is by consensus.

The Auroville Charter
1. Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
2. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
3. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards realizations.
4. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.
Auroville is meant to hasten the advent of the supramental reality upon earth. The help of all those who find that the world is not what it ought to be is welcome. Each one must know if they want to associate with an old world ready for death, or to work for a new and better world preparing to be born.

Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950)

Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950)

Every year on the 15th of August, which coincides with India's Independence Day, Hindus celebrate the birth anniversary of Rishi Aurobindo — the great Indian scholar, litterateur, philosopher, patriot, social reformer and visionary.

Sri Aurobindo was born in a Bengali family in Calcutta in 1872. His anglophile father Dr K D Ghose christened him Aurobindo Ackroyd Ghose at birth. When he was five years old, Aurobindo was admitted to the Loreto Convent School in Darjeeling.

At the age of seven, he was sent to St. Paul's School in London and then to King's College, Cambridge with a senior classical scholarship. Academically brilliant, he soon became proficient in English, Greek, Latin and French and became well acquainted with German, Italian and Spanish. He also qualified for the Indian Civil Service but was dismissed from the Service for not presenting himself at the riding examination upon completion of his two years of probation.

In 1893, at the age of 21, Aurobindo Ghose began working under the Maharaja of Baroda. He went on to become a part-time lecturer in French at Baroda College, and then a regular professor in English, and afterwards the Vice-Principal of the college. Here he studied Sanskrit, Indian history and several Indian languages.

The Patriot

In 1906, Aurobindo abandoned the position of the Principal of India's first National University in Calcutta, and plunged into active politics. He participated in India's struggle for freedom against the British, and soon became a prominent name with his patriotic editorials in Bande Mataram.

For the Indians, he became, as said C R Das, "the poet of patriotism, the prophet of nationalism and a lover of humanity", and in the words of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, "a name to conjure with". But to the Viceroy of India Lord Minto, he was "the most dangerous man we…have to reckon with".

Aurobindo championed the Leftists' idealism and was a dauntless promoter of independence. He opened the purblind Indians' eyes towards the dawn of freedom and instigated them to rise from their slavish stupor. The British soon took him under detention and imprisoned him from 1908 to 1909. However, this one year of seclusion turned out to be a blessing in disguise not only for Sri Aurobindo but for mankind as well. It was in prison that he first realized man should aspire and emerge into a completely New Being and try and create a divine life upon earth.

A Divine Life

This vision led Aurobindo to undergo a profound spiritual transformation, and it is believed that after one such meditative trance in jail, he rose up to proclaim that India would gain her freedom at midnight on 15th August, 1947 — Aurobindo's birthday. Indeed, it rang true!

In 1910, obeying an inner call, he arrived at Pondichery, which was then in French India, and established what is now known as the Auroville Ashram. He left politics entirely and dedicated himself wholly to an inner awakening, which would spiritually elevate mankind forever.

He spent tireless years on the path of "Internal Yoga", i.e. to acquire spiritual upliftment of the mind, will, heart, life, body, the conscious as well as the subconscious and the superconscious parts of ourselves, to gain what he called the "Supramental Consciousness".

Henceforth, Sri Aurobindo tussled inwardly with the dark forces within man and raised secret spiritual battles to establish truth, peace and perennial joy. He believed that only this would enable man to approach the divine.

Aurobindo's Aim

His object was not to develop any religion or establish a new faith or an order but to attempt an inner self-development by which each human being can perceive the oneness in all and procure an elevated consciousness that will externalize the god-like attributes in man.

A Great Litterateur

Rishi Aurobindo left behind a substantial body of enlightening literature. His major works include The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, Commentaries on the Isha Upanishad, Powers Within — all dealing with the intense knowledge that he had gained in the practice of Yoga. Many these appeared in his monthly philosophical publication, the Arya, which appeared regularly for 6 years until 1921.

His other books are The Foundations of Indian Culture, The Ideal of Human Unity, The Future Poetry, The Secret of the Veda, The Human Cycle. Among students of English literature, Aurobindo is mainly known for Savitri, a great epical work of 23,837 lines directing man towards the Supreme Being.

This great sage left his mortal body in 1950 at the age of 72. He left to the world a priceless heritage of spiritual glory that alone can free man from the troubles that beset it. His ultimate message to humanity, he summed up in these words:

"A divine life in a divine body is the formula of the ideal that we envisage."

Sri Aurobindo: Top 10 Quotations

Sri Aurobindo: Top 10 Quotations

 

 

Sri Aurobindo - the great Indian scholar, litterateur, philosopher, patriot, social reformer and visionary - was also a prominent religious guru, who left behind a substantial body of enlightening literature.

Although he was a Hindu scholar, Aurobindo's aim was not to develop any religion but to attempt an inner self-development by which each human being can perceive the oneness in all and procure an elevated consciousness that will externalize the god-like attributes in man.

His major works include The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita, Commentaries on the Isha Upanishad, Powers Within - all dealing with the intense knowledge that he had gained in the practice of Yoga.

Here is a selection of quotations from Sri Aurobindo's teachings:

On Indian Culture: "More high-reaching, subtle, many-sided, curious and profound than the Greek, more noble and humane than the Roman, more large and spiritual than the old Egyptian, more vast and original than any other Asiatic civilization, more intellectual than the European prior to the 18th century, possessing all that these had and more, it was the most powerful, self-possessed, stimulating and wide in influence of all past human cultures." ( A Defense of Indian Culture)

On Hinduism: "Hinduism ... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up no single narrow path or gate of salvation; it was less a creed or cult than a continuously enlarging tradition of the God ward endeavor of the human spirit.

An immense many-sided and many staged provision for a spiritual self-building and self-finding, it had some right to speak of itself by the only name it knew, the eternal religion, Santana Dharma..." (India's Rebirth)

On India's Religions: "India is the meeting place of the religions and among these Hinduism alone is by itself a vast and complex thing, not so much a religion as a great diversified and yet subtly unified mass of spiritual thought, realization and aspiration." ( The Renaissance in India)

On Hinduism as a Law of Life: "Hinduism, which is the most skeptical and the most believing of all, the most skeptical because it has questioned and experimented the most, the most believing because it has the deepest experience and the most varied and positive spiritual knowledge, that wider Hinduism which is not a dogma or combination of dogmas but a law of life, which is not a social framework but the spirit of a past and future social evolution, which rejects nothing but insists on testing and experiencing everything and when tested and experienced, turning in to the soul's uses, in this Hinduism, we find the basis of future world religion. This Sanatana Dharma has many scriptures: The Veda, the Vedanta, the Gita, the Upanishads, the Darshanas, the Puranas, the Tantras … but its real, the most authoritative scripture is in the heart in which the Eternal has his dwelling." (Karmayogin)

On Ancient India's Scientific Quest: "... the seers of ancient India had, in their experiments and efforts at spiritual training and the conquest of the body, perfected a discovery which in its importance to the future of human knowledge dwarfs the divinations of Newton and Galileo, even the discovery of the inductive and experimental method in Science was not more momentous..." ( The Upanishads - By Sri Aurobindo)

On India's Spiritual Mind: "Spirituality is the master key of the Indian mind. It is this dominant inclination of India which gives character to all the expressions of her culture. In fact, they have grown out of her inborn spiritual tendency of which her religion is a natural out flowering. The Indian mind has always realized that the Supreme is the Infinite and perceived that to the soul in Nature the Infinite must always present itself in an infinite variety of aspects." ( A Defense of Indian Culture)

On the Hindu Religion: "The Hindu religion appears ... as a cathedral temple, half in ruins, noble in the mass, often fantastic in detail but always fantastic with a significance - crumbling or badly outworn in places, but a cathedral temple in which service is still done to the Unseen and its real presence can be felt by those who enter with the right spirit ... That which we call the Hindu religion is really the Eternal religion because it embraces all others." (Aurobindo's Letters, Vol. II)

On Inner Strength: "The great are strongest when they stand alone, A God-given might of being is their force." ( Savitri )

On The Gita: "The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization." (The Message of the Bhagavad Gita)

On the Vedas: "When I approached God at that time, I hardly had a living faith in Him. The agnostic was in me, the atheist was in me, the sceptic was in me and I was not absolutely sure that there was a God at all. I did not feel His presence. Yet something drew me to the truth of the Vedas, the truth of the Gita, the truth of the Hindu religion. I felt there must be a mighty truth somewhere in this Yoga, a mighty truth in this religion based on the Vedanta."

 

Maharshi Veda Vyasa

 Maharshi Veda Vyasa

Vyasa is perhaps the greatest sage in the history of Hindu religion. He edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, the epic Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavatam and even taught Dattatreya, who is regarded as the ‘Guru of Gurus.’

Vyasa’s Luminary Lineage

Hindu mythology mentions as many as 28 Vyasas before Maharshi Veda Vyasa was born at the end of Dvapara Yuga. Also known as Krishna Dvaipayana, Vyasa was born of Sage Parashara and mother Satyavati Devi under wonderful circumstances.

Parashara was one of the supreme authorities on astrology and his book Parashara Hora is a textbook on astrology even in the modern age. He has also written a scripture known as Parashara Smriti which is held in such high esteem that it is quoted even by modern scholars on sociology and ethics.

How Vyasa was Born

Vyasa’s father, Parashara came to know that a child, conceived at a particular moment of time, would be born as the greatest man of the age as a part of Lord Vishnu himself. On that eventful day, Parashara was travelling in a boat and he spoke to the boatman about the nearing of that auspicious time. The boatman had a daughter who was awaiting marriage. He was impressed with the sanctity and greatness of the sage and offered his daughter in marriage to Parashara. Vyasa was born of this union and his birth is said to be due to the wish of Lord Shiva, who blessed the birth the sage of the highest order.

The Life and Works of Vyasa

At a very tender age Vyasa revealed to his parents the purpose of his life — that he should go to the forest and practice ‘Akhanda Tapas’ or continuous penance.

Study Krishna consciousness under the guidance of a bona fide guru.

 

At first, his mother did not agree but later approved on one important condition that he should appear before her whenever she wished for his presence. According to the Puranas, Vyasa took initiation from his guru sage Vasudeva. He studied the Shastras or scriptures under the sages Sanaka and Sanandana and others. He arranged the Vedas for the good of mankind and wrote the Brahma Sutras for the quick and easy understanding of the Shrutis; he also wrote the Mahabharata to enable common people to understand the highest knowledge in the easiest way. Vyasa wrote the 18 Puranas and established the system of teaching them through ‘Upakhyanas’ or discourses. In this way, he established the three paths of Karma, Upasana (devotion) and Jnana (knowledge). Vyasa’s last work was the Bhagavatam which he undertook at the instigation of Devarshi Narada, the celestial sage, who once came to him and advised him to write it, without which, his goal in life would not be reached.

Significance of Vyasa Purnima

In ancient times, our forefathers in India, went to the forest to meditate during the four months or ‘Chaturmasa’ following Vyasa Purnima—a particular and important day in the Hindu calendar. On this auspicious day, Vyasa began to write his Brahma Sutras. This day is also known as Guru Purnima when, according to the scriptures, Hindus should worship Vyasa and the Brahmavidya Gurus and begin the study of the Brahma Sutras and other ancient books on ‘wisdom’.

Vyasa, Author of the Brahma Sutras

The Brahma Sutras, also known as the Vedanta Sutras is believed to have been written by Vyasa along with Badarayana. They are divided into four chapters, each chapter being subdivided again into four sections. It is interesting to note that they begin and end with Sutras which read together mean "the inquiry into the real nature of Brahman has no return", pointing to "the way one reaches Immortality and no more returns to the world." About the authorship of these Sutras, tradition attributes it to Vyasa. Sankaracharya refers to Vyasa as the author of the Gita and the Mahabharata, and to Badarayana as the author of the Brahma Sutras. His followers—Vachaspathi, Anandagiri and others—identify the two as one and the same person, while Ramanuja and others attribute the authorship of all three to Vyasa himself.

The Everlasting Influence of Vyasa

Vyasa is considered by Hindus as Chiranjivi or immortal, one who is still living and walking the earth for the well-being of his devotees. It is said that he appears to the true and the faithful and that Adi Sankaracharya had his darshan as did many others as well. Vyasa’s life is a unique example of one born for the dissemination of spiritual knowledge. His writings inspire us and the whole world even to this day in innumerable ways.

Reference: This article is based on the writings of Swami Sivananda in the "Lives of Saints" (1941)

what is the power of “Om” ?

what is the power of “Om” ?

 

Om or Aum written in Devanāgari as ॐ and as ओम्, in Sanskrit known as praṇava प्रणव , Omkara, or Auṃkāra ओंकार (lit. “Auṃ form/syllable”), is a sacred/mystical syllable in the Dharma or Indian religions, i.e. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

Aum, pronounced as a long or over-long nasalized close-mid back rounded vowel, though there are other enunciation adhered to in received traditions. It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred incantation to be intoned at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or prior to any prayer or mantra. TheMāndukya Upanishad is entirely devoted to the explanation of the syllable. The syllable consists of three phonemes, a Vaishvanara, u Hiranyagarbha and m Iswara, which symbolize the beginning, duration, and dissolution of the universe and the associated gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, respectively.[2] Aum is pronounced in three sounds – A (aaa) , U (ooooo) and M (mmmmm) and signifies Right (A) and Left (U) Sympathetic Nervous Systems (SNS) and (M) Parasympathetic Nervous System.[citation needed] Right SNS (controlled by Left part of brain) looks after the actional aspect where as the left SNS looks after the emotional aspect of human beings.

The name Omkara is taken as a name of God in the Hindu revivalist Arya Samaj.

The Meaning of Om

Before the beginning, the Brahman (absolute reality) was one and non-dual. It thought, “I am only one — may I become many.” This caused a vibration which eventually became sound, and this sound was Om. Creation itself was set in motion by the vibration of Om. The closest approach to Brahman is that first sound, Om. Thus, this sacred symbol has become emblematic of Brahman just as images are emblematic of material objects.

The vibration produced by chanting Om in the physical universe corresponds to the original vibration that first arose at the time of creation. The sound of Om is also called Pranava, meaning that it sustains life and runs through Prana or breath. Om also represents the four states of the Supreme Being. The three sounds in Om (AUM) represent the waking, dream and deep sleep states and the silence which surrounds Om represents the “Turiya” state.

Because the first of the three states of consciousness is the waking state, it is represented by the sound “A” pronounced like “A” in accounting. Because the dream state of consciousness lies between the waking and the deep sleep states, it is represented by the letter “U” which lies between the “A” and “M”. This “U” is pronounced like the “U” in would. The last state of consciousness is the deep sleep state and is represented by “M” pronounced as in “sum.” This closes the pronunciation of Om just as deep sleep is the final stage of the mind at rest. Whenever Om is recited in succession there is an inevitable period of silence between two successive “Om”. This silence represents the “fourth state” known as “Turiya” which is the state of perfect bliss when the individual self recognizes his identity with the supreme.

The Symbol Om 

Just as the sound of Om represents the four states of Brahman, the symbol Om written in Sanskrit also represents everything. The material world of the waking state is symbolized by the large lower curve. The deep sleep state is represented by the upper left curve. The dream state, lying between the waking state below and the deep sleep state above, emanates from the confluence of the two. The point and semicircle are separate from the rest and rule the whole. The point represents the turiya state of absolute consciousness. The open semicircle is symbolic of the infinite and the fact that the meaning of the point cannot be grasped if one limits oneself to finite thinking.

Early Vedantic literature

The syllable is mentioned in all the Upanishads, specially elaborated upon in the Taittiriya, Chāndogya and Māndukya Upanishad set forth as the object of profound religious meditation, the highest spiritual efficacy being attributed not only to the whole word but also to the three sounds a (a-kāra), u (u-kāra), m (ma-kāra), of which it consists. A-kara means form or shape like earth, trees, or any other object. U-kāra means formless or shapeless like water, air or fire. Ma-kāra means neither shape nor shapeless (but still exists) like the dark energy content of the Universe. When we combine all three syllables we get AUM which is a combination of A-kāra, U-kāra, and Ma-kāra.

The Katha Upanishad has:

“The goal, which all Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which humans desire when they live a life of conscience, I will tell you briefly it is aum”

“The one syllable [evākṣara, viz. aum] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is the highest. Whosoever knows this one syllable obtains all that he desires.

“This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.” (1.2.15-17)
The Chāndogya Upanishad (1.1.1-1) states:
om ity-etad akṣaram udgītham upāsīta / aum iti hy udgāyati / tasyopavyākhyānam

“The udgi:tā [“the chanting”, that is, the syllable om] is the best of all essences, the highest, deserving the highest place, the eighth.”

The Bhagavad Gi:tā (8.13) states that:
Uttering the monosyllable Aum, the eternal world of Brahman, One who departs leaving the body (at death), he attains the Supereme Goal (i.e., he reaches God).

In Bhagavad Gi:tā (9.17): Lord Krishna says to Arjuna – “I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grand sire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable Oḿ. I am also the Ṛig, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.”

The Power of Chanting Om

1. The chanting of Om drives away all worldly thoughts and removes distraction and infuses new vigor in the body.

2. When you feel depressed, chant Om fifty times and you will be filled with new vigor and strength. The chanting of Om is a powerful tonic. When you chant Om, you feel you are the pure, all pervading light and consciousness.

3. Those who chant Om will have a powerful, sweet voice. Whenever you take a stroll, you can chant Om. You can also sing Om in a beautiful way. The rhythmic pronunciation of Om makes the mind serene and pointed, and infuses the spiritual qualifications which ensure self-realization.

4. Those who do meditation of Om daily will get tremendous power. They will have luster in their eyes and faces.

Meditation on Om

Retire to a quite place, sit down, close your eyes and completely relax your muscles and nerves. Concentrate on the space between your eyebrows and quieten and silence the conscious mind. Begin to repeat “Om” mentally while associating the ideas of infinity, eternity, immortality, etc.

You must repeat Om with the feeling that you are the infinite and all-pervading. Mere repetition of Om will not bring the desired result. Keep the meaning of Om always at heart. Feal Om. Feel that you are the pure, perfect, all-knowing, eternal, free, Brahman. Feel that you are absolute consciousness and the infinite, unchanging existence. Every part of your body should powerfully vibrate with these ideas. This feeling should be kept up all day long. Practice regularly and steadily with sincerity, faith, perseverance and enthusiasm in the morning, midday and evening.

Mantras

There are many mantras used in worship. The first is always the Moola Manthirum. This mantra forms the foundation which supports all the others. It was not written by a person but was given to us directly from Amma Herself in Her oracle. This mantra has enormous power. Some of the benefits conferred by reciting the Moola Mantra are:

1. The Divine energy freely flows from the feet of Amma to the different systems of the body. The holy vibrations penetrate all the cells and revitalize the entire system.

2. Eradication of one’s Karma.

3. Gives you what you rightfully deserve.

4. Helps solve ailments and genuine problems.

5. Confers blessings leading to prosperity and a happy life.

6. Helps one to reach the highest spiritual pedestal (Mukti).

7. Prevents fatal accidents.

Each type of pooja or velvi has specific mantras which are recited at a certain time during the ritual. The long mantras have either 108 or 1008 lines and are concluded with a short mantra of three lines and three om’s. The mantras recited during mandram pooja in America are shown below. Amma has given us permission to omit the 1008 line mantra which is normally recited because She says we are so busy and have little time. All mandrams in India, however, recite the 1008 as is normally required.

The number 108 has been considered sacred for thousands of years in India. The origin of this number probably lies in astronomy. The average distance from the sun and moon to the earth is 108 times each of their respective diameters. This is true to an accuracy of 0.5% for the Sun and 2% for the Moon. The thought that this was known so long ago is amazing. Like all tantric mantras each line is preceded by om and concluded with om. These characteristics give the mantras great potency.



The power of “OM” has been accepted by natives of every culture and religion, we Indians have known this since thousands of years but while the world is waking up to Indian Yoga and meditation Indians have been neglecting these great finding.

Do tell do you too think a syllable as simple as “Om” to be so powerful.!

What are the Vedas and who wrote them ?

What are the Vedas and who wrote them ?

Vedas the old ancient scripture and text have been stated at the world’s oldest piece of literature. They were complied at a time in India when rest of the world was still busy with hunting and hardly knew about even living nicely.

The Vedas (Sanskrit वेद véda, “knowledge”) , a large body of texts originated in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.

The class of “Vedic texts” is aggregated around the four canonical Saṃhitās, of which three are related to the performance of sacrifice (yajna) in historical Vedic (Iron Age ) religion:

• The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited by the hotṛ;
• The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating priest;
• The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the udgātṛ.
• The fourth is the Atharvaveda, a collection of spells and incantations, apotropaic charms and speculative hymns.

The Vedas are to believed as “un-authored” by any human or divine form and represents a form of self evident means of knowledge. These compilations were compiled around 1500–1000 BCE. The Vedas are treated as being eternal. So no one actually wrote it and this knowledge is said to be heard by rishis.

The Vedas consist of several kinds of texts, all of which date back to ancient times. The core is formed by the Mantras which represent hymns, prayers, incantations, magic and ritual formulas, charms etc. The hymns and prayers are addressed to a pantheon of gods and a few goddesses important members of which are Rudra, Varuna, Indra, Agni, etc. The mantras are supplemented by texts regarding the sacrificial rituals in which these mantras are used as well as texts exploring the philosophical aspects of the ritual tradition, narratives etc.

The Vedas were compiled around the time of Krishna (c. 3500 B.C.), and even at that time were hardly understood. Hence they are very ancient and only in recent times has their spiritual import, like that of the other mystery teachings of the ancient world, begun to be rediscovered or appreciated even in India. Like the Egyptian teachings they are veiled, symbolic and subtle and require a special vision to understand and use properly But the historians will not agree they gave a different view to the subject. They said that vedas are compilation of poetry and texts of various rishis.

RigVeda

RigVeda is the first and the oldest of all Vedas. I myself have had the opportunity to read a translated version of this huge compilation. RigVeda is more of a collection of mantras and texts from many different rishis and which at sometime won’t bear any similarity to the other parts. RigVeda gives a account of the life of that times and about the universe and Indra (the king of heaven ).

It is a collection of 1,028 Vedic Sanskrit hymns and 10,600 verses in all, organized into ten books (Sanskrit: mandalas).[36] The hymns are dedicated to Rigvedic deities.

Yajurveda

The Yajurveda Samhita consists of archaic prose mantras and also in part of verses borrowed and adapted from the Rigveda. Its purpose was practical, in that each mantra must accompany an action in sacrifice but, unlike the Samaveda, it was compiled to apply to all sacrificial rites, not merely the Somayajna. There are two major groups of recensions of this Veda, known as the “Black” (Krishna) and “White” (Shukla) Yajurveda (Krishna and Shukla Yajurveda respectively). While White Yajurveda separates the Samhita from its Brahmana (the Shatapatha Brahmana), the e Black Yajurveda intersperses the Samhita with Brahmana commentary. Of the

Black Yajurveda four major recensions survive .

Samaveda

The Samaveda Samhita consists of 1549 stanzas, taken almost entirely (except for 78 stanzas) from the Rigveda. Like the Rigvedic stanzas in the Yajurveda, the Samans have been changed and adapted for use in singing. Some of the Rigvedic verses are repeated more than once. Including repetitions, there are a total of 1875 verses numbered in the Samaveda recension translated by Griffith. Two major recensions remain today, the Kauthuma/Ranayaniya and the Jaiminiya. Its purpose was liturgical, as the repertoire of the udgātṛ or “singer” priests who took part in the sacrifice.

Atharvaveda

The Artharvaveda Samhita is the text ‘belonging to the Atharvan and Angirasa poets. It has 760 hymns, and about 160 of the hymns are in common with the Rigveda.Most of the verses are metrical, but some sections are in prose. It was compiled around 900 BCE, although some of its material may go back to the time of the Rigveda, and some parts of the Atharva-Veda are older than the Rig-Veda though not in linguistic form.

The Atharvaveda is preserved in two recensions, the Paippalāda and Śaunaka. According to Apte it had nine schools (shakhas). The Paippalada text, which exists in a Kashmir and an Orissa version, is longer than the Saunaka one; it is only partially printed in its two versions and remains largely untranslated.

Unlike the other three Vedas, the Atharvanaveda has less connection with sacrifice. Its first part consists chiefly of spells and incantations, concerned with protection against demons and disaster, spells for the healing of diseases, for long life and for various desires or aims in life.

The second part of the text contains speculative and philosophical hymns.

The Atharvaveda is a comparatively late extension of the “Three Vedas” connected to priestly sacrifice to a canon of “Four Vedas”. This may be connected to an extension of the sacrificial rite from involving three types of priest to the inclusion of the Brahman overseeing the ritual.

The Atharvaveda is concerned with the material world or world of man and in this respect differs from the other three vedas. Atharvaveda also sanctions the use of force, in particular circumstances and similarly this point is a departure from the three other vedas.

I hope now you would have learned why these vedas are great but how much you read about them you can still know nothing until you actually read the vedas.