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SaUKTaa Sūktā Summer 2012

arsha vijnana gurukulam

Inside this IssueArticle by Pujya SwamijiArticle by Swaminiji

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Gurupūrṇimā

By Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati1

As we have Father’s Day and Mothers Day, Gurus also have their own day. This day is Gurupūrṇima and it marks the anniversary of Veda Vyāsa, who occupies an exalted place in the hierarchy of teachers. Although there were also gurus for Veda Vyāsa, we look upon Vyāsa as the one who forms a link between the teachers that we know and the teachers that we don’t know. On this particular day, Gurupūrṇima, the sannyāsins make a vrata, a vow, to stay in one place and teach for two months. Gurupūrṇima occurs at the beginning of the rainy season in India, during which time one finds many small insects and other tiny creatures on the ground. Although sannyāsins usually wander from place to place, during the rainy season they remain in one place. At the time of taking sannyāsa, they took a vow of ahimsā, or non-injury to any living being, thus, the sannyāsins do not travel during the rainy season, in order to avoid killing any of the small creatures that might be in their path. For two months, beginning on Gurupūrṇima day, they stay in one place and teach. Traditionally, the one

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place in which the sannyāsins stay is located on land between two bodies of water—streams, rivers, or canals. If they need to walk, they confine their movement to that area.

The vow is called the “four-month vow”, cāturmāsya-vrata. How does four months become two? There is a version of this vow that requires remaining stationary only for two lunar months, because the month is defined as a fortnight (pakṣa), the fifteen-day period of waxing or waning of the moon—pakṣo vai māsaḥ iti cāturmāsyam, “A month is indeed a pakṣa, thus, a four-month [vow].” For the two months of August and September the sannyāsins stay in one place and teach.

At the beginning of these two months, on this particular day called Gurupūrṇima, they invoke the lineage of teachers, guruparaṃparā. All the gurus in the tradition, paraṃparā, especially in maṭhas, traditional monastic places of learning, are invoked. There are many maṭhas, including the Saṅkara maṭhas. The head of each maṭha is like a pontiff, and has a certain following. Each one of these heads performs a daily pūjā to invoke the gurus in the hierarchy. There are at least 16 gurus in the paraṃparā, and the grace of each is invoked in a water vessel. That is the ritual aspect of it. Just as we have Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, this day is Guru’s Day.

The word ‘guru’ has a number of meanings. The one who teaches is a guru; the one who helps somebody out of trouble is also a guru. These days, the word ‘guru’ is also used in the English language. In the American press we find ‘guru’ being used very widely by journalists. They say, for instance, “He is an automobile guru”, or “He is a stock market guru.” Even in India, it is used in that way. When I was a boy, I wanted to learn a very complex form of martial arts in which a stick is used. It is an excellent discipline that teaches coordination and other skills. One of our family’s agricultural workers was a teacher of this art. When I asked him to teach me, he said that first I had to give him the traditional offering to the teacher (gurudakṣiṇā). So I gave him a coconut, fruits, flowers, and a small

amount of money. Only then would he begin teaching. His respect for his art was so great that he called himself a guru, and I respected him as such. When a person thinks of himself as a guru, the one who learns from him also feels that is true—he evokes in you the feeling of a disciple. In addition to martial arts teachers, classical dance masters and musicians also insist on being called gurus. Many teachers of art forms that must be taught directly are considered gurus.

While I have nothing against that, the word ‘guru’ really can be used only for a person who teaches spiritual knowledge. A guru is one who unfolds the knowledge that you are the whole, not separate from the Lord. A guru is the upadeśa-kartā—the one who is the teacher of the mahākvākya, the equation revealing that you are the whole. The wholeness which you are seeking basically is not separate from you. The very fact that you are seeking that is because it is you—you want to be yourself. And the one who teaches that is called a guru. That is the final definition: mahākvākya-upadeśa-kartā, the one who teaches the statement revealing the identity of the individual and the Lord, the whole.

The guru is a human being. When the guru is praised, however, gurur brahma gurur viṣṇuḥ gurur devo maheśvaraḥ, “The guru is Brahma, the guru is Viṣṇu, the guru is Śiva,” the human element is not taken into account. Only the truth element is taken into account because the guru teaches that you are brahman, you are limitless. When he teaches that you are limitless, he doesn’t mean, “I am limited; you are limitless.” You are limitless and he is limitless. And the limitless is brahman; the limitless is Viṣṇu; the limitless is Rudra, or Śiva, the limitless is you. Everything is this limitlessness. So, when we praise the guru, the human element is just completely absorbed in the total element. You relegate the human element to the background, or you absorb it into the total. It is the total that is worshipped. In that way, the guru, the person with a human body who teaches, becomes a kind of an altar of worship. But what is being invoked is the Lord. Just as when you worship the form (mūrti) of Dakṣiṇāmūrti in the temple, it is not the mūrti you are worshipping, but the Lord. You invoke and

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worship the Lord in a particular form. Similarly, when you praise the person who teaches you and for whom you have sraddhā, it is not the individual person you praise, but the teaching itself, for what he teaches is not separate from him.

gururbrahma gurur viṣṇuḥ gururdevo maheśvaraḥ guruḥ sākṣāt paraṃbrahma tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ The guru is Brahma, the guru is Viṣṇuḥ the guru is Maheśvara (Śiva) the guru is the immediate limitless brahman. Salutations to that revered guru.

Praise of the guru is praise for the truth of the teaching. akaṇḍamandalākāram vyāptam yena carācaram tatpadaṃ darśitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ yena- by whom; darśitaṃ - was shown; tat-padaṃ - that end; yena- by whom; vyāptam – is pervaded; akaṇḍa-mandala-ākāram - this entire universe; cara-acaram – of living beings and inert things; tasmai

śrīgurave - unto that guru namaḥ - my salutations. By whom was shown that end by whom this entire universe of living beings and inert things is pervaded, unto that guru my salutations.

Tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ —unto that guru, my namaskāra, my salutation; tadpadaṃ darśitaṃ yena, by whom that padam, that end, that abode, was shown very clearly, darśitaṃ. And what is that padam? yena padena carācaram vyāptam. Here, pada is brahman. By which (yena) brahman, by which reality, this entire universe (akaṇḍamandalākāram) of living beings and inert things (carācaram) are pervaded (vyāptam). To that teacher (tasmai śrīgurave), by whom (yena) that Lord, that vastu, that reality (tatpadaṃ), who is in the form of this great universe, was shown (darśitaṃ), my namaskāra (namaḥ).

The gaining of any knowledge is the greatest miracle. How is the mind able to grasp a totally new fact or concept? If you are ignorant by nature, you cannot know. If you are knowing by nature, you need not know. And you cannot see more than you know, yet you keep increasing your existing knowledge; you keep on shedding ignorance. That is because under certain conditions you are able to see. The teacher is the one who creates those conditions. He has to create the necessary inner conditions for knowledge to take place, and he does so by using reason and by citing your own experiences. In that way, he helps you see. In fact, the teacher creates a condition from where you cannot but see. That’s what teaching is about. And it’s a miracle, an impossibility that happens. You cannot see more than you already know, yet you always do. That’s how you keep knowing more and more. How can that happen? The answer is very simple: you are all- knowing.

Your essence is pure knowledge. We say that the Lord is all-knowing, that all knowledge is in the Lord. Yet who is this Lord? If the Lord were to say, “I am the Lord,” that “I am” is not going to be any different from the meaning of the statement “I am” that you make. When you say, “I am,” that is exactly the same as the “I am” of the

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Lord. There is one limitless consciousness. Consciousness cannot be limited because it is one, and it is

formless. The Lord is a conscious being, and the limitless consciousness is the same for the Lord and for you. I am limited only with reference to my body, mind and sense organs. As consciousness I am limitless. The Lord ‘also’ is limitless consciousness, for being limitless, there is only one consciousness. If the Lord is all-knowing, that all-knowledge rests in that consciousness. Which consciousness? The

consciousness that is one, that is limitless, that is you. And that means all knowledge rests in you.

If all knowledge rests in me, why don’t I know everything? With reference to the individual, the knowledge is inhibited. With reference to the Lord, it is uninhibited. This inhibiting factor is what we call āvaraṇa, something that covers knowledge. When we create the conditions for knowledge to take place, the āvaraṇa goes. That āvaraṇa, that ignorance, that veiling power goes, so that knowledge is unveiled. Interestingly, the English word that refers to any new finding is ‘dis-covery’—dispelling the cover, dismissing the cover. Whether intentionally coined in that way or not, the word is amazingly apt. The cover is the veil— āvaraṇa. Knowledge need only be uncovered, discovered, because it is already there. You don’t really know anything on your own. All knowledge is only from the Lord, whether it is knowledge of how to make an enchilada or knowledge of physics. Every form of knowledge is in the all-knowledge. And the removal of the inhibiting factor is what we call knowing. Like a surgeon who removes cataracts so that you can see the world, the guru creates the conditions for ignorance to be dispelled, so that you can see the truth of yourself and the world.

There are two types of blindness. One is not repairable; the other is. This second type of blindness is pointed out in the following verse as an example.

ajñānatimirāṇḍhasya jñānāñjanaśalākhayā cakṣurūnmilitaṃ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ – to that guru my salutations. yena – by whom; cakṣuḥ – the eye ( of knowledge); unmilitaṃ - is opened; ajñāna-timira-aṇḍhasya- for the one who is blind due to ignorance; jnāña-añjana-śalākhayā – by applying the ointment of knowledge. My salutations to that guru by whom the eye ( of knowledge) is opened for the one who is blind due to ignorance by applying the ointment of knowledge.

Here the example is a blind person, andha. What is the cause of the blindness? Timira—cataracts. Due to cataracts, the person is not able to see; he is timira-aṇḍha. What is to be done? The surgeon removes the cataracts. In India, in the days in which this verse was composed, they seem to have had a remedy in the form of an ointment

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to remove cataracts. Añjāna means ointment. Añjana-śalākhayā—by applying this ointment, the malady was removed. So too, here, even though you are a knowing person, essentially an all-knowing person, that knowledge is covered by ignorance. But, like a cataract, the ignorance can be removed. Therefore, everybody is ajñāna-timira-aṇḍha, blind due to the cataract of ignorance. Ignorance alone is the cataract; because of that cataract, one becomes blind, ajñānam eva timiraṃ timireṇa andhaḥ bhavati. This ignorance alone is the timira, the cataract, because of which, knowledge is inhibited. That inhibiting factor is removed by whom? To that one (tasmai) by whom (yena) the inner eye of knowledge (cakṣuḥ) is opened (unmilitaṃ), my namaskāra (namaḥ). Therefore, the guru does not really ‘deliver’ anything. He is the one who removes; he is the surgeon who removes that inhibiting factor and helps you see. It is a highly responsible job and it can only be done by one who knows the truth and the method of teaching. If the teacher doesn’t know, he will only confuse others with his words.

A teaching method is required because the problem is a very peculiar one. In one book it is said that the guru must be a person with a little extra compassion. Ordinary compassion is not enough. An ordinarily compassionate human being will feel empathy when he sees a person who is really suffering, and may begin helping that person in whichever way he can. That is natural human compassion. But if he sees someone suffering for no reason at all, empathy-born compassion will not be evoked. It is through the gate of empathy that compassion

and the desire to help are evoked. Since a person who suffers for no reason may not evoke empathy, it takes someone with extra compassion to choose to help that person. You can help a person who suffers for a reason by taking measures to remove the cause of the suffering, but how can you help a person who suffers for no reason?

He is like the ajñāna-sarpadaṣṭa, the person who mistakenly believes he has been bitten by a snake. If he were really bitten by a snake, you could help him by taking him to the hospital for an anti-venom injection. And perhaps you could administer first aid by tying a piece of cloth above the bite and making an opening for the poisoned blood to escape. These are the practical steps that you could take, all of which are induced by your empathy. But what can you do for the ajñāna-sarpadaṣṭa when he screams, “Help! Help! I’ve been bitten by a snake!” When asked where he was bitten, he points in the direction of his foot, saying, “There!” He refuses to even look in the direction of what he feels to be a deadly wound. But when you look at his foot, you see only a thorn lodged there, which you remove. “Do you feel better now?” you ask. “No, no!” he cries. “I was bitten by a snake!” In fact, what had happened was that he stepped on a thorn and at the same time, he looked down near his foot and saw a water hose. In his panic, the hose became a snake, and the thorn became its deadly fangs. Now the fellow is showing all the effects of fear—he really is sweating, his heart is really pounding—and he may even die of fright, all due to his belief, “I was bitten by the snake!” True or not, since he thinks so, it is true for him. Yet knowing that he is not in danger, you can’t help but feel some amusement, rather than empathy. So, how will you help this person? Since there is no danger, you could walk away, but still, you see how he is suffering. That’s why an extra

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ounce of compassion is required. That compassion comes from the realization, “I was once like that; I went through that experience, too.” If I had gone through the same blessed thing, I can easily appreciate the person’s lot and I can be of help. That is why the guru is described as ahetuka dayasindhuh—an ocean of daya, compassion, without any reason. There is no reason. The student may ask, “Why you are so compassionate? Why should you teach me at all? What have I done?” Nothing. “What do you expect of me?” Nothing. You ask why I teach you. Why should I not teach you? You need to be taught, so I teach.

This knowledge is not like a discrete academic subject that you can learn simply by reading a textbook. It is a complete unfoldment and the teacher-student connection is necessary in order to make the knowledge work for the student. It is similar to a relationship with a therapist in which trust and a certain amount of time are necessary. The guru is more like a super-therapist. He must re-orient the student over a period of time, directly or indirectly, so the student sees through ingrained self-beliefs. But what makes the extraordinary difference is that the guru is also the one who opens up your heart and gives you an insight about yourself, a self that is totally acceptable. There is no other relationship that will do that.

In experiential love, you are given that kind of feeling, because when somebody says “I love you,” you feel totally, unconditionally accepted. Everything about you is accepted—your height, your nose, your mind. That experience gives you an inner opening to see that you are acceptable, at

least to one other person. But that is not real self- acceptance because it is based on the other’s approval of you. You think you are okay because the other person says, “I love you.” The approval does not come

through your own eyes but from the eyes of the other. And later on, you both discover a lot of things about each other that are not acceptable at all. Then you find you are adding clauses to “I love you.” “I love you…even though”. “I’d be happy loving you if you could…get up a little earlier…if you stopped snoring…if you could think a little differently…if you were not a Republican.” Afterwards, we tack on conditions, and thus, the unconditional acceptance that I need is not gained through the eyes of others. Yet, since I do not feel totally acceptable in my own eyes, I go on seeking it in the eyes of others.

That is why it is so very important to have an insight about yourself as totally lovable and acceptable. That is what the guru does—he helps you see yourself as lovable. He frees you. Then that vision is yours, and you become a source of love to everyone else. That’s why the guru-śiṣya relationship is entirely different from an ordinary relationship and why the guru is given so much praise in the śāstra and in the tradition.

So, Gurupūrṇima is a very important day for all seekers. On this Guru’s Day we seek the blessings of all the gurus in the paraṃparā, in the tradition, remembering that the final guru is

Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the source of all knowledge. And so, we praise him. We worship him, seeking the grace of the guru. 1

Published in the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam 15th

Anniversary Souvenir, 2001

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Keynote  Address  Delivered  at  the  First  Hindu  Priests'  Conference

Pittsburgh,  PA,  28th  April  2012by  Swamini  Svatmavidyananda

It is said that Hinduism is a view and a way of life conducive to achieving the view. The vision is best expressed in the sentence, "Iśavasyam idam sarvam," all that is here is pervaded by Iśvara, by the Lord, and is non separate from the Lord. When we use the word "all," we must not forget to include ourselves. All that is here, including one's body, mind, and senses, is a manifestation of Bhagavān and is therefore sacred. Assimilating this vision of oneness is called mokṣa, the ultimate puruṣārtha, and is the primary purpose of human birth. For this, one has to seek this knowledge and study Vedanta, the knowledge of oneself as the whole, with a qualified teacher. One is already free, but due to ignorance, one does not know it. To illustrate this, we use the story of the tenth man, who went on a picnic with nine other friends. Upon returning from the outing, he counted everyone except himself and mourned the loss of the tenth man. A passing sage enlightened him that he indeed was

the tenth man. In this manner, one is ignorant of the truth oneself, and due to this ignorance one is subject to saṁsāra, characterised by notions of bondage and sorrow.

Assimilating this knowledge requires preparation. It requires, śraddhā and bhakti in Īśvara and the Veda, it requires developing surrender, spiritual discipline and emotional maturity. There is no better way to gain this preparation than by following the way of life prescribed by the Vedas --a committed lifestyle that is conducive to gaining the preparedness for self-knowledge. Here is where we have been given the wealth of the priests, a class of people whose purpose is to embody the Vedic lifestyle, and whose sole role is to to assist humankind to develop the requisite śraddhā, bhakti, and the maturity for gaining the ultimate puruṣārtha. This lifestyle recommended by the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gītā can be best described as one of desire-management. Learning to manage one's desires is an important goal in the Hindu dharma, and is achieved in a unique way. The entire karma kānḍa, first portion of the Vedas is dedicated to specific prayers, designed to fulfill the gamut of one's desires in the here and the hereafter. Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji says

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that while every tradition has general prayers, best called "sprayers," ours is the only tradition that has "prayers," highly sophisticated means dedicated to achieving specific ends. The whole idea is for one to grow emotionally by channelling one's desires through prayer. One leaves the desires at the feet of the Lord, one dedicates the actions taken to fulfill the desires at the feet of the Lord. Finally, one learns to accept the outcome as prasāda coming from the Lord. In this way, one grows spiritually from a person who prays to being a prayerful person. In the former, the prayer is a discrete action, in the latter, it is an attitude with which one greets everything in life. The role of the priests in our culture is invaluable in accomplishing this transformation. The Vedic vision and the lifestyle, the spirit and form are inextricably linked. They are married like Śiva and Pārvatī. Therefore, to uphold one, without the other, does not make sense. Upholding the spirit without the form is too abstract, whereas protecting the form, without understanding the spirit and purpose behind it is like protecting a dead body of know-hows and techniques, without understanding their purpose.

The priests, generally speaking, especially those that work in the North American context, are an endangered species. Although every priest is still the son of a priest, these days, the son of every priest may not want to become a priest. There are few occupations in the world that are more of a calling, and are seva-oriented. Such occupations cannot be considered as "professions," and their beneficiaries are not "clients" or "customers." Doctors and healers, for example, cannot say that they have clients, and neither can teachers. Likewise, priests also do not have customers. Themselves being in service of Īśvara, they serve other devotees. The priests do not have a

9-5 job. Even when they are not doing pūja, they do not stop being a priest, because priesthood is their very being. The essence of priesthood is devotion, and the priest is essentially a devotee.

During the course of one's life, one plays many roles. One is son or daughter, brother or sister. One is a student, and then, based on one's profession, one is an engineer, lawyer, etc. If one gets married, one is a spouse, and then mother or father. Again, during the course of a single day, one might be an employer or employee, a friend, a co-worker, etc.

Often these roles overlap, and one plays multiple roles at once, without any problems. For example, one may be simultaneously with one's parents, siblings, and children at a family gathering. This is possible only because one is not the role. There is a basic person who plays these roles in the same manner as a single actor who dons various costumes. This basic person is a devotee. The devotee is the individual who is connected to Īśvara, the total. If I were asked to spell out the primary role of the priests, I would say that it is to reflect the basic person, the devotee. Only when this devotee is present in the priest, as the priest, there can be worship. In this way, it is important for us to not lose sight of this

basic person, the devotee. The temple attendee is a devotee, the mandir executive is a devotee, and the priest is also, basically, devotee. All are devoted to Īśvara, and the focus of every temple is to help one develop and live this life of devotion. It is only through this lived practice of invoking the devotee within oneself that one learns to not be affected by the challenges that one faces in life. When we look deeply into this, we can see that the problems and challenges in life belong to the role, and not to the person. In other words, while the role is person, the person is

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not the role. The person is a devotee related to Īśvara. This is the rahasya, the secret, of transcending saṁsāra.

The role of the priest is wonderful, because this is the only occupation, where one reflects the devotee that one seeks to discover within oneself. One is in the unique position of being able to embody this for oneself, and also reflect it for others. For this reason, among many others, the institution of priesthood deserves protection, and the priests deserve to be respected. These days, we often talk about the need to protect Hindu dharma. Dharma is an abstract concept. We cannot protect the dharma without protecting the dharmin, the one who practices the dharma. One of the best ways to protect the dharma is to sustain those who practice the lifestyle enjoined by the Vedas, and thereby inspire others to do the same.

In the North American context, the priests face certain unique challenges of negotiating linguistic and cultural barriers. Additionally, they have the responsibility of explaining the basics of Hindu dharma to people who might not know much about it, and to act as guides, counselors and chaplains. We have already heard about some of these challenges from the earlier presentations made today. To address these issues, my guru, Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji has planned a priests' training course at the Hindu University of America in Orlando, Florida, with the help of Sri Brahma Aggarwal. Since he is not in attendance, I request Sri Asthana to follow up on this program and help it to take off. This program will help the priests to be prepared for their manifold duties, and also to network with other priests. It is through networking alone that we grow; we stand tall like the redwood trees by connecting to one another, by holding on to one another.

I congratulate the organizers for hosting a successful and a landmark conference of Hindu pandits, and I pray that this meeting will inspire everyone to continue to probe common ground, and ways to address common concerns. Thank you.

Venue: Oregon House www.oregonhouse.com

Boarding and Lodging: $ 250 per adult and 125 per child --includes all lodging, 3 meals per day, tea and snacksTuition Cost: Free of Charge (You will have oppor tun i t y to o f fe r gurudakṣinā)

For More Information:Phone 541 345 4952arshagurukulam@yahoo.com

Description: In this retreat, Swaminiji will unfold the essence of the entire Bhagavad G ī t a , whe re Lo rd Kṛṣṇa taught Arjuna how to be free from the sense of doership even while being engaged in action. This is the secret of f r e e d o m f r o m saṁsāra, a l i fe of becoming. The Gīta’s message that one is t h e w h o l e i s t h e

ultimate solution to the u n i v e r s a l h u m a n struggle for freedom from being a wanting person. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa presents us with a unique vision, and a way of life that is in k e e p i n g w i t h t h e vision.

In this retreat, the participants will gain an insight into the message of the Gīta along with practical

strategies to live these teachings to the fullest in their day to day lives. There will also be separate classes for children between the ages of 5-15.

Past Retreat Photos: Go towww.oregonhouse.com/slides/minishowcase and click on“Group Events” to the left

RSVP by Emailing arshagurukulam@yahoo.com

FREEDOM IN ACTIONFAMILY VEDANTA RETREAT

WITH SRI SWAMINI SV!TMAVIDY!NAND!JI

Thanksgiving Weekend, November 22-25, 2012

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Aham Brahmāsmi: Report on the Weekend Retreat in Atlanta Retreat

by V.N. RamakrishnanIntroductionThrough Īśvara’s grace and blessings of gurus, the sādhakas from Georgia, Washington DC and Florida areas assembled for a weekend retreat with Swaminiji near Atlanta. Srimati Vidya Patel and her family extended a very warm hospitality by offering the facilities at Hilltop Garden Inn in Forsyth, Georgia and taking care of all the meals for all the attendees. We had about 45 attendees including about 8 children. On a Friday evening in May 2012,we welcomed Swaminiji with pūrṇa kumbha and pāda pūja and started the program. The next two and a half days were filled with the teachings. Swaminiji went straight to the point by making the statement that “self-doubt” in the form of the questions like, “who am I?” is what brings us here. If we knew the “I”, we would not have come to a retreat. To address this question we need to look at the two classes of objects – “I” or aham and not I or non-aham. But, where do we draw the line? Everything around us that is not I parades as I like the I in iPad, iPhone, iMac etc., and in

the process, the “ I” gets confused for the not-I. This is due to avidyā, ignorance.The Nature of IgnoranceThe human being cannot brook ignorance. Whether the ignorance is centered around the I or the not-I, it has to be removed. The not-I ignorance is regularly being dropped but one has to choose to remove self-ignorance by understanding the I or aham as limitless. The I that

we know as finite and limited is the cause of anxiety, fear and distress. So, we try to “fix up”everything starting with the the body to everyone around us in search of this limitlessness. . Because I don’t know who I am, I commit the mistake of thinking myself to be what I am not, which is is a costly mistake. Doubt or ignorance is not a problem unless it causes fear. Not knowing the I is not the problem, but mistaking the I for something else is the problem. We want to be

happy forever, but we look in the wrong places for this “forever.” Looking for the infinite in finite places makes one an infinite seeker. Whereas, seeking the infinite makes one into a sādhaka.Seeking the infinite is an anomaly of sorts. The infinite being limitless cannot be away from the “I.” Then again, the limitless cannot have a location --if the limitless were bound by space or time, it would no

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longer be limitless. Therefore, the gain of the limitless self is an “as though” gain. The “aham” is separated from the limitless not by space or time, but by ignorance. Understanding this, we transition from realm of karma, or action to the realm of knowing. Karma is finite and therefore results of karma are finite and if we are seeking the infinite through karma we are seeking in the wrong manner. With the help of the śāstra handled by a qualified teacher alone, the self-ignorance is removed and the I is revealed to be Īśvara, the cause of the universe.In addition to the blessing of a qualified teacher, one needs to equip oneself with a certain infrastructure capable of assimilating the teachings. This includes the burning desire for knowledge, the ability to let go of dead-end pursuits, a resolved and non-reactive mind, and single-minded

focus. The antaḥkaraṇa has to freed from various pet peeves, and notions by developing bhakti and śraddhā so that the mirror in the form of Upaniṣad handled by a teacher clearly reveals the truth of the self. The Upaniṣads have ekavākyata, singleness of purport, and reveal the truth of the self as the jagatkāraṇa brahma --the one non-dual conscious being, which is the source of everything that is, is indeed the self. A sentence that reveals the identity between the jīva and Īśvara is known as a mahāvākya. Due to the shared subjectivity of self-ignorance, one always sees many in place of the one. Even philosophers analyzing the same Upaniṣads came to drastically different conclusions about their tātparya, purport. From the cārvāka, who is convinced that there is no self other than the body to the kṣaṇikavijñānavādi, who concludes that the self is nothing but a series of flickers of consciousness, many mistakes can be made in understanding the truth of the self, thereby underscoring the need for the combined blessing of a qualified teacher and a student qualified to receive the teaching.

Mahāvākya VicāraThe Upaniṣads reveal that is here is one consciousness manifest, as it were, in many forms. For, example if there is a tray of different types of chocolates – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate etc., the chocolate-jñānī knows that all are

chocolates. Once this is understood, there is neither the need to melt the chocolates into a fondu pot to make them “one,” nor the lament that the milk chocolate is not chocolatey enough. Knowing that all is one, one can just enjoy the differences. Similarly, through the teaching, one discovers an appreciative non-demanding being as oneself that is capable of rejoicing in the differences in Īśvara sṛṣṭi (creation), much like enjoying a sunset, knowing full well that the sun neither sets nor rises, and it is in fact the movement of the earth that creates the apparent sunset.The mahāvākya has to be understood as an equation. An equation is an expression of an identity between two entities that are the same, but

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appear different. An equation is a matter for cognitive understanding; it is not a matter for belief. Likewise, the equation aham brahmāsmi --I am brahman-- is also not something to be believed or practiced, but to be understood. If a fourth grader is told by the math teacher, (5 + 4 ) = (20 – 11), the child may wonder in the beginning as to how the two sides of this equation be same? On one side there is a plus sign with single digits and on the other side, there is a minus sign with double digits. The child has to make the effort to understand this. He or she cannot simply say, “I believe in what you say, Teacher!” Likewise, the student of Vedanta also has to see the truth of the mahāvākya. The teaching of this truth is likened to the teacher applying the Upaniṣad ointment to the eye of the student afflicted with cataract of ignorance.The mahāvākya aham brahmāsmi is an equation that equates the jīva to brahman. On one side we have the jīva, the individual who is full of problems, and bound by a sense of being finite, and on the other side of the equation, we have the brahman, the total , which is infinite. brahman is that which is limitless time-wise, space-wise and object-wise. The Taittirīya Upaniṣad defines brahman as satyam, jñānam, anantam – satyam means that which “is”, the existence that pervades everything, without limitation jñānam means all knowledge that is free of subject and object divisions. Anantam means that which is free of any kind of limitations. This definition also applies to the self. When one says “I am,” the “I” is immediately understood as self-existent, and one does not have to check up to find out whether one exists or not. The expression “I am” is nothing but knowledge; even when one says “I don’t know,” what one actually says is “I know that I do not know.” This existent, conscious entity, “I” is limitless, as it is the truth of the waking, dream, and deep sleep states, obtaining as the ever-present witness, anantam. Aham is therefore brahman, which is satyam, jñānam, anantam.This analysis is not sufficient, because the mahāvākya does not the equate the jīva with brahman. The jīva is brahman. Instead, the equation is of the jīva with brahman as Īśvara, the cause of all there is. The jagat is an “as though” manifestation of brahman, effortlessly projected like even one’s dream. Brahman as the cause of jagat gets the status of Īśvara

or Bhagavān --the one who is almighty, all pervasive, and all knowing, and the one from whom everything as it were came, the one who sustains everything, and unto whom everything resolves. The mahāvākya has to be understood at this level.

The Jīva and ĪśvaraIf we take the vācyārtha (literal or direct meaning) of aham brahmāsmi, it yields nothing other than a headache. The finite can never “become” the infinite; in fact the infinite is that which is never subject to any kind of “becoming.”. Then, where is identity between jīva and Īśvara? The identity is underlying the apparent differences. We have to look at the lakṣyārtha (implied or indirect meaning). The implied meaning of the mahāvākya reveals an identity that transcends the obvious dualities between the jīva and Īśvara. The differences being apparent are transcended. In the expression “touchwood,” one touches a chair, table, or any object that is at hand. In so doing, one transcends the different names and forms in which the wood appears, i.e. chair, table, etc., and goes straight to that which is the all truth of all objects --wood. Māyā śakti, the as-though power that endows brahman with the status of being all-powerful all-knowing and all-pervasive, is also responsible for veiling the truth of the jīva as it were with self-ignorance. This same

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māyā which make brahman all-knowing, makes the jīva ignorant. Māyā śakti is not a parallel reality to brahman. It is an apparent power which is non-separate from brahman, because of which brahman gains the ability to create, sustain, and resolve the jagat unto itself. Therefore we cannot say that māyā is self-existent, for it is dependent on brahman. We cannot also categorically say that māyā is non-existent, for its effects are felt. Māyā śakti is that which is neither existent nor non-existent, but which is an as-though power. In its covering capacity, māyā covers the truth of the oneness of everything, and in its projective capacity, māyā is responsible for manifesting the one as it were into many. The projective power of māyā is also called Īśvara sṛṣṭi. It cannot be retracted by the jīva; it need not be retracted by the jīva. It can be appreciated for what it is. Just as the chocolate jñānī enjoys the various chocolates on a tray, the one can also

enjoy the jagat, provided one knows that Īśvara is all there is. Doing this means ceasing to identify as a jīva, as a finite entity. This becomes difficult because jīva has its own sṛṣṭi, projection caused by self-ignorance. Because one does not know oneself, one projects one’s own

conclusions of being finite and bound as the truth. Resolving the jīva sṛṣṭi is the only way to overcome māyā. This cannot happen without recourse to the Guru and the śāstra. Understanding the lakṣyārtha of the mahāvākya aham brahmāsmi means going beyond the apparent differences. For this something is retained, and something has to be transcended or given up on both sides of the equation. From the jīva side, the complaining individual or the jīvatvam has to be given up and from the Īśvara side, the status of being all-knowing, all-powerful and all-pervasiveness, or the Īśvaratvam is given up. All that remains is satyam, jñānam, anantam, which is retained on both sides, thereby revealing the non-difference between jīva and Īśvara.

The Wave and the OceanSwaminiji then narrated a nice story told by Pujya Swamiji to illustrate this point. Once upon a time, there was a sad wave that happened to meet a small happy wave. The happy wave asked the sad one, “why are you so sad?” The sad wave responded, “have you not heard of the huge tsunami that wiped out many villages a few years ago. I was that famous one who did that and got praised by newspapers all over the world for more than year and look at me today, a useless, miserable old wave - don’t even have the energy to reach the shore whereas everyone else is enjoying going to the beach. why did this happen to me?” The happy wave then said, “you are not the wave at all, you are the ocean”. The sad wave said, “what? how can that be, the ocean is the Cause, and I am just because, the Ocean is All and I am small; the Ocean is God and I am at just odd!. How can I and ocean be same?” Then the happy wave asked, “Tell me what are you made of?” The sad wave, “what else, water only”, the happy wave then asked, “what is the ocean made of?” The sad wave was slowly realizing and said after a pause, “….Waaater”. The happy wave said, “if anyone wants to touch the ocean, can they touch you?” The sad wave’s face lit up, “yes, yes!!!” Wave is nothing but water with a name and form and ocean is also water with a name and form. This is Vedanta. In fact, we can call it “wave-danta!” Knowing this one thing (brahman) everything is as well known, terminating the sense of sorrow and bondage.

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Īśvarārpaṇa Buddhi: Surrendering to ĪśvaraKnowing oneself as brahman ends notions of bondage, but Swaminiji cautioned that in the process, one cannot bypass Īśvara. In fact the mainstay of self-ignorance is alienation from the whole. In the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (manomaya vicāra) the sentence – na bibheti kadācaneti means discovering a relative security by discovering one’s slot in the total, by consciously forging a connection to the whole. Unless this relative security is present, it is impossible to understand the truth of oneself as the source of absolute security. The absolute freedom from fear that culminates in the understanding, na bibheti kutaścaneti, that there is no “second” thing other than myself is dependent upon settling

accounts with Īśvara; resolving one’s issues with the total. Sarvam khalu idam brahma --all that is here is brahman alone, and this includes everything from one’s body-mind-sense complex to the galaxies and stars. This means that all that is here ranging from things that one likes to things that one does not like is Īśvara. The in-law is Īśvara; the outlaw is also Īśvara. Through karmayoga, a life-style dedicated to understanding this truth, one lays down the cudgels, the defensive and offensive mechanisms, and grows to a person who is at peace with everything, and who is then prepared for knowledge. Karmayoga cannot happen without bringing Īśvara into the picture, without seeing Īśvara as an altar of surrender. One invokes Īśvara as an altar that has the power to alter

one’s issues, problems, and erroneous notions. When the one suffering from notions of limitations surrenders to the one that is limitless, all limitations dissapear; they resolve into the limitless. Only the limitless remains. Seeing this through acceptance and surrender is discovering relative security. Only for one equipped with this relative security can the possibility of the absolute security, with the help of Guru and śāstra, shine.

ConclusionSwaminji concluded the retreat by offering practical tips for karmayoga that everyone could easily apply in their lives. Then, Swaminiji sang a beautiful chant from Sāmaveda – duṣṭarān, sethuṁstara – Cross the bridge that is difficult to cross. On one side is dharma, and on the other side is the individual who has trouble conforming to dharma. How to overcome this? By conforming to what is correct, what is right. One fakes it and makes it, to put it in Pujya Swamiji’s words. Dānena adānam tara – how to overcome the tendency of not to give? By giving. Although initially painful, acting in accordance with what is correct builds a bridge to spiritual growth and emotional maturity through which one can overcome the tendencies such as anger, untruth, and lack of śraddhā. Only then is one well on one’s way to gaining this knowledge, to assimilating the truth of the mahāvākyas such as ahambrahmāsmi.Finally, Swaminiji said that we all could make it to a Retreat like this only due to the power of good karma and the gift of knowledge is one of the greatest that one could give oneself and that we should continue to find opportunities to see this knowledge and be with this knowledge.In the concluding ceremony, everyone shared their thoughts on what they were taking back from the Retreat. Swaminji distributed the jñāna yajña prasāda of a CD containing talks on Gurupādukā Stotram by Swaminiji.

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Memorial Day Retreat, Eugene: Freedom From AlienationBy Shin Shin Tang

In Eugene, we are extremely fortunate that the blessings fall upon us as abundantly as the rain. Over the Memorial Day weekend, our dear teacher, Swaminiji, graced us with a two-day retreat titled, “Freedom from Alienation”.

Who is this “I”?Swaminiji opened the retreat with a brief, yet poignant meditation of discovering the self as the observer of our bodies, minds, and senses. Afterward, she began the lecture with a humorous story of how she once received a U.S. green card that contained the label, “resident alien.” She observed how our society, replete with its exclusive clubs and organizations, is paradoxically oriented toward creating alienation. Rather than assuaging our sense of alienation from each other, our desire for membership into these clubs, the protection of that privilege, and the exclusion of others only leads to more loneliness and suffering.

Swaminiji provided a compelling explanation on why alienation inevitably results from these attempts to connect: essentially, the limitless “I,” not being understood or known, is often mistaken for limited things that are not-I. When something is not known, it is mistaken for something else, like an apple could be mistaken for a banana. But knowing an apple from a banana is not-I ignorance and is easily dropped as one learns new facts about the world. However, dropping I-ignorance requires a conscious choice. Due to I-ignorance, one takes for granted that one is the kartṛ (doer) and the bhoktṛ (recipient of others' doings). In this scenario, one feels one is either the villain or victim, or both. Swaminiji emphasized more than once that mistakenly defining oneself by belonging and not-belonging leads to results that are at once comical and tragic.“The master's tools cannot dismantle the master's house” ~ Audre LordeSwaminji used the profound metaphor in this quote to illustrate the necessity of śraddhā in dropping I-ignorance. One must have śraddhā, an attitude of reverence toward the teaching, since we cannot dismantle our own ignorance using our own limited tools. To illustrate lack of

śraddhā, Swaminiji told a comical story of a woman who underwent cataract surgery but refused to open her eyes, despite her children and doctor begging her to do so. “What if I'm disappointed?” she feared. Having śraddhā means to suspend doubt and conclusions about the I and trust in a qualified teacher. With śraddhā, the seeking will bear fruit, she promised.

AlienationSwaminiji then returned to the topic of alienation. From childhood, she observed, one wants to be different. Simultaneously, one wants to be included and part of the whole. However, one is already whole. Likewise, I is already unique. I is the subject that objectifies everything. Everything depends upon it and everything is an object of your awareness. “There is nothing like this I! You are already unique. There is nothing like you, there is nothing unlike you,” Swaminiji explained. “There is only one subject, though there are many objects. One I, one awareness “is”. Therefore, I is both included and unique.” As in the meditation, when one realizes, “I pervade the body, I pervade the mind, I pervade the senses,” There is a provisional (mistaken) conclusion that awareness is confined to the mind-body-sense complex.

Swaminiji continued to unfold the meaning of sat, or “is.” At the beginning of time, all that was, is. All that is, is. All that will be, is. Nothing is not. “Is” cannot be erased. When something is described as absent, it is in relation to time and space. Swaminiji provided a concrete example in the form of an apple. For example, when we eat an apple and say it is gone, we actually mean that it was there before. As she said, “Cognition of absence is cognition, which is!” Is, is nothing but am. All of the jagat is filled with word and meaning, and all depends on is. Is qualifies the apple. Therefore, there is nothing new - including “every invention being really a discovery.”

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Swaminiji opened the second day of the retreat by launching directly into the place we had left off the day before, continuing to explain the nature of I and sat. She asserted two truths:1. If there is such a thing as infinite limitlessness, I must be a part of it.2. Sat, being infinite, cannot be a product of action (since actions are limited).

She clarified that one is not “part of the whole” instead, one is the whole. She then introduced the concept of cit. Cit means cognition, and does not exist without sat. Sat, likewise, does exist without cit. There is a common Sanskrit word used to describe brahman, satcitānanda.

Ānanda means free of limitations. (Swaminiji clarified that it does not mean joy or happiness as it is often translated.)

She also introduced the mahāvākya, or universal truth, tat tvam asi (you are that). There are two parts to this equation, the “you” and the “that.” Inquiry into “you” is called tvam padavicāra, which is essentially an inquiry into the meaning of "I". The second part, tat, begs the question, "what is sat?" Sat is Īśvara and tat (that) refers to jagat kāraṇa brahman, the cause of the manifest universe. Therefore, tat tvam asi is equating I with Īśvara.

Swaminiji noted that authority issues come in the way of the spiritual quest, and she expounded more on this topic later. It is important to

interrogate these issues in order to have śraddhā. She joked that since everyone has had a alienating childhood, everyone has an Īśvara allergy!

That which is infallible is ĪśvaraSwaminiji provided an important clarification that in Vedanta, one does not say God is infallible; rather, one says that which is infallible is Īśvara. Universal laws, patterns, karmic order, the law of dharma are all examples. The manifestor is not outside manifestation; the manifestor is the manifestation. Effect is cause. This question of what is fallible and infallible led to the issue of karma, which Swaminiji patiently addressed in detail since she knew many of us had questions about karma in our minds! One common question is why harmful things happen to people, sometimes to an extreme degree, such as bullying of children or abuse of animals. She explained that although the one committing these acts is responsible, and not the victim, the abuse of free will by the perpetrator and karmic residue of the victim can come together to create a particular situation.

She continued to explain that karma lasts as long as one identifies as kartṛ, the doer and provided a most compassionate view of karma. See karma as something that is helping you, like scaffolding, to promote spiritual growth. She joked that we could make bumper stickers that say, “Have you hugged your karma today?” These would sell well in Eugene!

The Unconscious as Psychological OrderSwaminiji then addressed the personal issues that she alluded to earlier. Disconnections are “as though” there because of a powerful order, the psychological order. These are the issues that someone is likely to have to deal with. It always has to do with the fact that one is born helpless. This complete helplessness as a baby is compensated by complete trust, śraddhā, in the caregiver. One needs to make peace with one's background. The ignorance of what is not-I goes on its own, but dropping I-ignorance, that is the ignorance of who I am, one must choose; choose to put the inner child to bed, Swaminiji urged. Otherwise, the child splits itself and there is a loss of śraddha in the

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teacher. In the garden variety split, she explained, we tell ourselves, “this did not happen”. When one is angry at one's partner and says, “You're always like this!”, the “always” comes from a past “always” and that is projected onto one's partner. One has to keep separating from the world and this leads to anxiety and pain. The inner child is a powerful big ball of abandonment, and gets projected onto Īśvara, the teacher, friends, and partners.

Practical adviceAs promised in response to students’ requests, Swaminiji offered practical tips for cultivating this knowledge in our daily lives. To begin

with, she suggested a one-day fast from so-called connecting devices. This includes the Internet, iphones, smart phones, computers, and other gadgets that promise connection but actually leave one feeling more alienated.

She also recommended examining the nature of one's own inner child in order to answer the question, “What is it that makes me go away from what I know is good for me?” and to integrate the inner child into the adult. She outlined a few steps in this process:

1. Recognize what the inner child is. When one doesn't know where a [negative] feeling is coming from, when one wants to blame the outside, it is just a trigger for what is inside. People who trigger you are the signposts for what needs to be healed. 2. Make a commitment to the inner child that “I will be there for you. I

will spend some time with you, feeling feelings and acknowledging you exist.”

3. Surrender to the psychological order and acknowledge that I am helpless in the face of this inner child and I need help. One needs to

make peace with the order. Admitting one needs help decreases isolation. Īśvara, she declared, is the super-therapist!

Finally, she advocated having a devotional practice. As she noted, altars are personal places of surrender to the total. Hinduism is not a collective, congregational worship; rather, each person has an individual connection to Īśvara. Disconnection is healed by connecting with that which is infallible. One relives the connection. It appeared that Swaminiji's ultimate response to an “as though” sense of alienation is “Tat tvam asi.”

The retreat concluded with a number of earnest questions from both online and off-line participants, each of which Swaminiji addressed with her usual patience and acuity. I often have the experience that she understands what I want to ask even though I have difficulty saying it. The retreat closed with a celebratory group meal and enjoyment of each others company. Swaminiji observed that everyone was glowing and happy.

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Two Year Anniversary at Mūkāmbikā and Mahādeva Shrine, Eugene

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From Loneliness to Only-ness: Swaminiji’s Pravachans on the Kaivalyopanishad and the Bhagavad Gītā

by Dr. L. K. Bharadwaj

Swaminiji is not a stranger to Milwaukee anymore! Prior to her recent saṅnyāsa in India, Pujya Sadhviji Chaitanya, a distinguished disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, had already been enlightening the Milwaukee Hindu community over the past two years with her pravacans, and with her participation as an esteemed speaker at our Interfaith Conferences as well as a Keynote Speaker at the Annual Fund Raiser for the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin. As a Hindu renunciate, currently serving as the Director-Preceptor (ācārya) of the Ārṣa Vijñāna Gurukulam in Oregon, she is now known by the most fitting name of Swamini Svatmavidyananda (the one who delights as the knowledge of the self). The Hindu community of Milwaukee was once again the beneficiary of Swaminiji’s absolutely wonderful and inspiring pravacans, this time on the Kaivalyopaniṣad and the Bhagavad Gītā, from June 5-10, 2012. Over a span of six classes, it was fascinating to see how beautifully Swaminiji navigated the course as she moved to weave together the beads of wisdom to reveal the sacred rudrākṣa of the vision of oneness.

The goal of the Vedas is liberation from saṁsāra. Vedanta makes the bold claim that the knower of brahman is brahman. In her pravacans on the Kaivalyopaniṣad, Swaminiji spoke of the need to be “a seeker of the Infinite rather than being an infinite seeker!” My search for the infinite is coeval with my desire to feel whole, limitless, and to be free. But, as Swaminiji emphasized, the fundamental understanding that the “that which is to be gained is already gained” and that “I am already that which I seek” does not spring from nowhere like Athena from the head of Zeus! Tossed hither and thither by rāga-dveṣa, my ignorance (ajñānam) distorts the understating of myself as finite and time bound. Since this bondage is more notional than real, one needs a perfect guide to help traverse the stormy perilous ocean of saṁsāra.

So, in a very essential way, the Kaivalyopaniṣad provides the archetypal model of the Guru- śiṣya relationship, a point Swaminiji drove home during the course of her pravacans. It is only with the right frame of mind and after (atha) having acquired the four proper qualifications of viveka, vairāgya, śatsaṁpatti (the six qualities that ensure command over thinking, acting, and feeling), and mumukṣutva in full measure that the student is really ready and fit to approach the teacher. Seeking to know the infinite self, the Lord who is kevala, the One without a second, but desiring freedom from the ‘tyranny of seeking’, it is with total śraddhā, trust, and a natural humility that Ṛṣi Āśvalāyana, the ideal student in the perfect learning mode and one already having all the essential qualities of a true mumukṣu, thus approaches and takes refuge in Lord Brahma, the grandsire and the perfect Preceptor. The All-Knowing Divine Guru prescribes faith, devotion, and the yoga of meditation as the sole path to mokṣa, for “not by action, not by progeny, not by wealth, but by renunciation alone does one experience the immortal”. Vairāgya (renunciation) that follows the insight that all belongs to Īśvara and I do not own and am not attached to anything, is necessary to clear the subjective vision and develop the ability to see things in their proper proportion for what they are. And having attained the freedom from desiring, one becomes, as Swaminiji put it, a “ḍhoonḍer”, a true seeker! Sustaining him along the way is the varadahasta of the teacher “who is what she or he teaches”. Swaminiji quipped that while the teacher is like a God, one should be wary of falling in the trap of a false prophet, of a Godfather instead of God the Father! But having come across a Guru of impeccable lineage and right understanding, one who is also the embodiment of sanātana dharma, true śraddhā on the part of the sincere seeker always involves a Kierkegärdian “leap of faith”, for if the trust is lacking and the fear of the Guru is not “outgrown,” to put it in Swaminiji's words, “one would only keep on groaning!” Seva, she said, is the “weed-killer that clears the inner jungle of rāga-dveṣa, thereby making room for the knowledge to abide in the heart."Our vision is defective because we see reality reflected in a mirror clouded by the apparent differences of name and form which are

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mithyā when treated as real. As Swaminiji said in a lighter vein, it is like saying that the man and his shadow both came for tea! As “nightmares of the sleep of ignorance,” the pāpas too are mithyā born of the misunderstanding that I am the doer and therefore the taster of the fruits of action and the victim of my own and other people’s doings.

Vedanta, the crystal-clear deeper mirror, boldly teaches the doctrine of non-duality and oneness, and unlike any other body of knowledge, it is this Brahmvidyā alone that dissolves the ‘triple separations’ and makes for peace between the jīva and jīva, jīva and the jagat, and jīva and the Īśvara. We remove the blocks through the appropriate means of knowledge, which are the words of Vedanta (śabdapramāṇa) by the primary means of active listening (śravaṇam). The teacher is there only to show the way. Since there is no other knower of I than myself, this knowledge does not happen without me, for it can happen only within me, and as Swaminiji pointed out, nine-tenths of this pursuit is preparation. For one to be in a place of listening, the cultivation of proper attitudes and values such as śraddhā, bhakti, and dhyānam is essential. Śraddhā is cultivating the attitude of trust in the teacher and the teaching. Bhakti is devotion, the reverential attitude that all that is here including objects or people that one finds troublesome is nothing but a manifestation of Īśvara. Dhyānam is. meditation, inner sādhana, where one gradually learns to have say over the ways of the mind, rather than be "swayed" by it.

The teacher, as Swaminiji pointed out, transforms one’s

whole way of thinking and looking upon the jīva, jagat, and Īśvara, effecting a total turning around in one’s seat of consciousness (paravṛtti) to a point where there is neither the knower nor the known, but the knowing alone is. The teacher enables one to see what she or he sees by transcending this jagat of name and form, to see the clay behind the pot and the gold behind the ornament. That undifferentiated knowingness is indeed the boundless ātmā as brahman. The question, “How do I become brahman?” is therefore born of ignorance, for I am already one and free, because I am already the whole.With the mind-body-sense complex properly harnessed, the apparent differences become a joy if their level is properly understood and their underlying unity and essence is not forgotten. Embarking on the journey from ignorance to understanding with the proper attitude and the right qualifications, and seeking to know that one thing knowing which all becomes known, ṛṣi Āshvalāyana, the ideal student thus approaches the Seer Brahma: “Revered Sir, kindly remember (for my sake), the supreme wisdom of brahman,” and teach me the way you were taught; please teach me the truth of brahman, this most precious and exalted (variṣṭha) but deeply hidden (nigūḍha) knowledge of my true self that lies buried in the heart’s cave (guha). Brahmaji’s response, as Swaminiji pointed out, implies that some work still needs to be done, and Āshvalāyana has to let this knowledge grow (rather than let it go!).

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One prepares for the spiritual quest by bhakti (devotion) and by letting this knowledge operate on oneself without distrust (and that is what śraddhā is) and by acknowledging that above all one is essentially a devotee, and through mental discipline through dhyāna or mediation. The knowledge of oneself as brahman removes saṁsāra, the notion that one is separate from everything. By assimilating this knowledge, one becomes a jīvanmukta here and now within one’s own life time. Having understood that ”I am brahman, the one without a second, the witness of the three states of waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep, the already-liberated, Āshvalāyana thus gets liberated from the bondage of self-ignorance and is ready to proclaim: “I am the witnessing awareness that is distinct from the enjoyed, the enjoyer, and the enjoyment. I am the ever-auspicious Lord!”

Swaminiji began her pravacan on the Bhagavad Gītā by sharing the magisterial claim: “What use are all the scriptures if Gītā has not been studied?” Calling the Bhagavad Gītā the “total scripture,” she disabused the listeners of the common notion that the central theme of the Lord’s Song is fighting or action. She emphasized that in reality the whole focus of the Bhagavad Gītā is on how to free oneself of this doing and its fruits! As a result, the central theme of the whole scripture is the nature of the I, and its subject matter, the happiness that naturally and invariably accompany the knowledge of the self (Svatmavidyananda!). Swaminiji emphasized that, properly understood, the Bhagavad Gītā is therefore a mokṣaśāstra and not a karmaśāstra; its whole teaching from the third to the eighteenth chapter is aimed at removing the obstacles of rāgas and dveṣas that stand in the way of the quest for this knowledge of our true self. She also made the important point that the Bhagavad Gītā is not against desires as such but requires that we manage them and always see them through the prism of dharma. The transition therefore is from being a bhogi to a yogi!

The desire for desirelessness, Swaminiji said, comes naturally from the knowledge that we are whole, when we are fulfilled and no longer wanting. Only then would we be able to dress our heart in orange! Above all, we need to become an instrument of the Lord by divesting ourselves of any claims to authorship over our actions or its results. The Lord is the only doer and, as Swaminiji put it, Lord Kṛṣṇa is claiming our actions under His “property rights”. The teaching of the Bhagavad Gītā is therefore to abide in the Lord, our refuge: “My devotees dwell within Me always... O son of Kunti, of this be certain: The man that loves Me, harbors no ill-will toward

any living being, he shall not perish.” Once again, the Bhagavad Gītā is not a treatise on karma but a living testimony to the truth that all that is, is Bhagavān. Dharma itself is a manifestation of Bhagavān. Yoga is therefore not merely skill in any action but the demand that all my actions be in conformity with dharma to the point that following the dharma becomes my very own nature. We are asked by Lord Kṛṣṇa to “Lay down all duties in Me, your refuge. Fear no longer, for I will redeem you from pāpas and from bondage,” along with the guarantee that ”Whosoever works for me alone, makes me his only goal, and is devoted to me, free from attachment and passion ….. that man, O Arjuna, shall enter into me.”Swaminiji’s pravacan on the Bhagavad Gītā brought the series to a most fitting close. But, like the truth-seeker Śvetaketu, who even after nine times never got tired of asking, “Please, tell me again,” the small

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group of devoted listeners assembled in the Lecture Hall of the Jain Temple thirsted to hear of the divine message again, and again. Whatever comes, comes from Bhagavān, said Swaminiji. So, after joining Swaminiji in the concluding prayers and receiving her choicest blessings, the devotees lined up joyfully to express their gratitude and receive the Lord’s prasāda in a truly thankful and reverential mode!

From Loneliness to Only-nessby Aparna Nittala and Hari Raghavacharlu

Milwaukee devotees had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a six-day retreat with Swamini Svatmavidyanandaji from June 5-10. Sri Swaminiji conveyed the profound vision of Vedanta through the Kaivalyopaniṣad. We wish to share with you some of the gems of wisdom we have learnt at the feet of Sri Swaminiji during this retreat.

The Sanskrit word “kevala” means that which is without a second. Kevalasya bhāva, the abstract noun is kaivalya, and can be understood as total self-acceptance and contentment with oneself. In our lives, we keep seeking for many things – objects, relationships, and other sources

of security due to the mistaken vision that there is a sense of lack centered on the self. Therefore, there is great pressure to seek things external to us to fill this lack. However, since the lack is centered on I rather than not-I, nothing external can fill the I that is already whole and free of discontentment. Not understanding this makes one remain as a seeker forever. How does one correct the vision and transform oneself from being an “infinite seeker” to “a seeker of the Infinite”? The first step is to understand that the nature of the self needs to be discovered through the study of Vedanta under the hands of a competent master. Secondly, one has to sit at the feet of the teacher with the readiness to suspend and, eventually, drop all mistaken notions of the self lodged in the mind. We have to cultivate trust in the hypothesis that, “perhaps I am already what I seek.”

Kaivalyopaniṣad is teaching on self-knowledge imparted by the great teacher, Prajāpati to the eligible student, Āśvalāyana. The eligibility and preparedness of the student seeking self knowledge is demonstrated by the word “atha,” which means, “thereafter” at the

beginning of the text. This word indicates that the student needs to gain emotional maturity through viveka (discrimination), vairāgya (objectivity), and the six-fold virtues (śama, dama uparati, titikṣā, śraddhā and samādhanam). Once this maturity is gained, self knowledge will be as effortless as swallowing butter! The teacher corrects the mistaken vision of the student and helps the student see that he or she is already free. The teacher himself or herself is the embodiment of the teaching, and it is only through this teaching that the student him or herself discovers that which is taught - I already am what I have been seeking. This is unlike other disciplines of knowledge, where one does not become what is learned - a microbiologist, for example, does not become a microbe after attaining knowledge of microbes! Here, the one who knows brahman, knows oneself as brahman.

Vedanta is a mirror --not only is one inclined to see one’s reflection in a mirror, but provided that all obstructions have been removed, one cannot but see the truth of oneself. The

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Kaivalyopaniṣad prescribes three secondary sādhanas as told by Prajāpati to Āśvalāyana - śraddhā, bhakti and dhyāna – that help the student clean the “mirror” for a clear understanding of his or her own self. If one’s understanding is immature and covered with mistaken notions, the reflection will also be sullied with wrong ideas about the self. Hence, the prescribed secondary means are helpful in removing these erroneous

notions, and therefore, it is in the interest of every seeker to cultivate them. Śraddhā is developing trust in the teaching, that the teaching does reveal the truth of myself. Śraddhā is like an inner anaestheologist that suspends judgments and opinions for the operation of the pramāṇa, the knowledge to take place through words of the teacher and the text. Bhakti, devotion, is understanding all that is here as Īśvara, and settling one’s accounts with the whole. This is done through cultivating the practice of glad acceptance (prasāda buddhi) of things that cannot be altered, and through the reduction of all rāga-dveṣa through surrender to the total. Dhyāna is meditation. Through the regular practice of making the time to be with oneself, one gains inner space, and a say over the ways of the mind. By discovering the meditator, the devotee in oneself, one is secure in one’s connection to Īśvara, the total, and is therefore unswayed by the ups and downs in

life. We were exposed to the grandeur of the vision of Vedanta encapsulated just within the first two verses of Kaivalyopaniṣad through Sri Swaminiji’s classes in Milwaukee. Each word of Upaniṣad, Swaminiji told us, is rich in its meaning and cannot be easily dealt in just few hours of classes.

The last day, Sri Swaminiji focused on the concept of “yoga” in Bhagavad Gītā. In Swaminiji’s words, “connecting with certain attitudes and values is yoga”. She further explained that it is a committed way of life so that the teaching about oneself sinks in. It is also a conscious disassociation from association with sorrow. Swamini presented some valuable instructions to cultivate a way of living a life of yoga by following dharma. One does this by putting one’s desires through the sieve of dharma so that one grows into a mature person by learning liking what one does, rather than trying always to only do what one likes. This marks the beginning of one’s spiritual journey from a “bhogi” to a “yogi,” from loneliness to abiding in the grandeur of the “only-ness” that is the truth of the self.

Interreligious Dialogue: A Friendship. Another Milestone in Interfaith Relations!

by Dr. L. K. Bharadwaj

The following statement by Dr. Hans Kung underlines the urgency for engaging in interfaith dialogue: “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions." By co-sponsoring another successful interreligious program with the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee on Sunday, June 10, 2012, the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin covered another significant milestone in its sustained efforts to promote friendly relations with the other faith communities in the area. With a singleness of purpose we set about to identify an excellent keynote speaker and to assemble a slate of distinguished panelists to address the critical need for interfaith dialogue from their own particular faith perspectives.

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HTW President Anand Adavi extended a warm welcome to the panelists and the audience and briefly summarized the various initiatives taken by the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin to build bridges across the wider community. We were very gratified that Dr. Anantananda Rambachan, the Chair and Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College, Minnesota had acceded to our request to be the Keynote Speaker for the event. An eminent and well-respected Hindu scholar and a much sought-out speaker, Dr. Rambachan has been actively involved in the dialogue programs of the World Parliament of Religions and the World Council of Churches. His Keynote address centered on the theme of friendships that cut across major religious differences. His powerpoint presentation highlighted one such enduring paradigmatic friendship between Mahatma Gandhi, a staunch Hindu, and Deenbandhu C. F. Andrews, an equally staunch Christian. Dr. Rambachan approvingly quoted Gandhiji’s famous statement to the effect that “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.” Thus rooted firmly in their own traditions, the lifelong friendship of Mahatma Gandhi and C.F. Andrews was based on a genuine openness and receptivity toward the other and the firm conviction that a genuine reciprocity lay at the very heart of true dialogue.

Dwelling on the possibility of interfaith dialogue, Rabbi Noah Cherkoff from Mequon emphasized the fact that actions speak louder than words and that the golden rule applies to all our relationships

without exception. He characterized Judaism as a religion of “Creed over Deed”, so that “The best among you is the one who is beneficial to others”. He also highlighted the golden rule by pointing out that the whole substance of the Torah is contained in the single injunction, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to others”. The Rabbi was followed by Dr. Zulfikar Ali Shah from the Islamic Center, who emphasized the virtues of peace and submission to God’s will. In support of friendly interfaith relations, Dr. Shah quoted from the Qur’an to justify the existence of different peoples, nations, cultures,

and religions in the eyes of the God Almighty.

Judith Longdin, the Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Concerns for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, began by pointing out that contrary to all appearances, Christianity itself is a most diverse religion. At one extreme stand those who oppose diversity and are out to convert and Christianize the world according to the formula: “I go out and make you me” as the only way to save you from perdition. On the other side are the forward-looking moves within the Catholic Church that now embrace diversity and are aimed at actively

promoting dialogue with other faith traditions for, as Judith pointed out, “God Himself is in dialogue with Humanity”. Judith shared a useful typology of the different forms and levels of dialogues with the audience: the dialogue of life, which involves learning to live together; the dialogue of action to promote the common good; the dialogue of theological exchange in humility and open receptivity; and the dialogue of religious experience, whose deeper mode is silence.

Swamini Svatmavidyananda, the distinguished Director-Preceptor (āchārya) of Ārṣa Vijñāna Gurukulam in Oregon, addressed the

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obstacles and the prospects of interreligious dialogue from the Hindu perspective. Known earlier as Sadhviji Chaitanya before she embraced sannyāsa, she had received a rousing reception at our 2010 Interfaith Conference. Swaminiji spoke with passion and conviction against conversion and the fiction of one god or multiple gods in Hinduism, two of the many obstacles that stand in the way of mutual understanding among different faiths. She was quick to assert that the fundamental insight that “There is not one god or many gods; there is only god. All that is here is God. This is the very essence and cornerstone of the Hindu tradition.

In this connection, she made it clear that in stark contrast to the ‘commandments’ of other faith traditions, Dharma in Hinduism is not a mandate but the very manifestation of Īśvara. She therefore wisely observed that since all is Īśvara, it naturally follows that everything, including all sentient and insentient beings, is sacred and in such an ambience, respect for others and living harmoniously with others becomes a part and parcel of the universal matrix of laws governing our individual (svadharma) and communal dharmas. Hearing her speak, Dr. Bharadwaj could not resist commenting that as a renunciate, she certainly lives up to her new name of Swamini Svatmavidyananda as “The one limitlessly delights as the knowledge of the self.

With Rev. Tonen O’Connor, former Resident Priest of the Milwaukee Zen Center, pointing the future directions and recapitulating the history of the Milwaukee Interfaith Association, the program concluded with an animated question and answer period and a sincere vote of thanks to the keynote speaker, the panelists, and the 180-strong participants, and to Anand Adavi, Dr. Manohar Ahuja, Venkat Kodali, Mohan Swamy, and Satya Karri, who gave it their all to organize the interfaith event. The event also owed much of its success to the untiring efforts of Tom Heinen and his staff at the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, and to Hoko at the Zen Center who designed the beautiful flyer to publicize the event. An Indian dinner with much general bonhomie amongst the people of different faiths brought the much appreciated event to a cheerful and fitting close!

Celebration of Gurupūrṇimaby Harinder Kaur Khalsa

I started studying Vedanta with Swaminiji Svatmavidyananda a few

years ago. The title of the first lecture series that I attended was “Freedom from Guilt and Hurt”. I was at a point in my life where I was beginning to see that I was often getting caught in this cycle of guilt and hurt in all my relationships, including the way I related to myself. There was a sense of fear, a certain kind of separation anxiety that pushed me to react to people I was in relationship with. I could see there was something wrong and even if I was trying to do all I could, including a rigorous practice of yoga and meditation, I was not able to fully break free from it. This is not to say that the practice did not help but the result was only a temporary relief and the problems kept recurring with an increasing sense of self-disappointment especially when I reacted to situations. I clearly was stuck. Everything started to change though the moment I walked in class and heard the words

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Swaminiji unfolded so carefully with an impeccable methodology. I basically fell on my knees and am still on my knees in reverence and gratitude to the teaching and the teacher who imparts it with great clarity.

The discovery of the truth of oneself as free of all limitations is a process. The teacher is there as a guiding light to the student whose

ignorance drops as he or she assimilates the knowledge in time. In this process of discovery the student gradually begins to see that there is indeed no separation between the teacher and the student herself. Every being, including all situations that arise from the relationships between all those beings, is indeed one and the same consciousness. The one who imparts the knowledge is non-separate from the knowledge itself, the one who is in the process of

understanding this and the process itself are all one and the same. This is how the ignorance, the sense of separation begins to disappear, the fear that keeps one from living his or her life to its full without any sorrow or regrets, without the cycle of guilt and hurt starts evaporating.

Nowadays, as the knowledge is understood and is assimilated at deeper levels, I can observe the layers of ignorance dropping one after another on their own as one understands that one’s nature is already free. Every cycle of ignorance that drops feels like a rebirth where I am freer than before because I can accept things as they are. Even if things seem like an anomaly or a mistake from the point of view of the experiencer, the one who observes it sees that it is all in the order of Īśvara and is perfect as is. Furthermore one understands that what is observed, the observing and the observer itself are one and the same. No need to manipulate or label anything or anyone, I can live my life with respect and compassion for all beings. I used to have a lot if OMG (“Oh my

gosh!” in teenage language) moments when I realized another level of ignorance was gone but now I begin to accept even that more calmly, always in admiration of the calmness and equanimity that my teacher embodies. I see gradually that this calmness is my true nature to begin with. I also see that the self does not need to gain anything and nothing can be taken away from the self. When that feeling of transaction departs, the tension goes away on its own. This is not something that can be bought or be experienced for a period of time. It is the way to live life. Seeing my teacher dwell only in this knowledge and knowing that I am non separate from her shows me what is possible for the human being and I stay at her feet in gurupranām at all times even if I am not in her presence physically. When one is blessed to discover one's own nature studying at the feet of a teacher who has been so well taught by his or her own teacher and who has assimilated the knowledge completely, not just one day but every breath is a celebration of that guru, every moment is like the special day of Gurupūrṇima.

In Eugene, Oregon we have celebrated Gurupūrṇima on July 3, 2012 at Lord Medha Dakṣiṇāmūrti Guru Shrine, at the feet of the guru of all gurus with an abhiṣeka. After the abhiṣeka, everybody was delighted to see the Lord in his new bright orange clothes the same color our teachers carry, who were also present at the altar set up next to Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti.

May the light of the Guru always guide us to the understanding of our true nature as the whole at all times, in all situations.

Om tat sat.

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Gurupūrṇima at the Mūkāmbikā and Mahādeva Shrine: A Report

by Bidyut Prabha DasMy humble Salutation to my Sadguru Amma.

The word Guru is a very powerful word. When we are drowning in water we need something to hold us up, something to lift us up. In the same way when we are sincerely praying to God to take us across bhavasagara, the ocean of transmigration (or the ocean of māyā and illusion), God appears in a form of a Sadguru to help us cross this ocean. A child need a mother, a shrine needs a pūjāri, a garden needs a gardener... Similarly, a sincere disciple needs a Guru to groom him or her to become a siddhapuruṣa (perfect being) and thus merge in the divine. A Guru takes away the darkness of ignorance and shows us the light. It may take several life times but when a Guru accepts a disciple by giving him or her a dīkṣā (initiation), he or she makes that commitment. If we take one step toward God and Guru, Guru and God take 99 steps toward us.

On a warm, cloudy Saturday afternoon, on June 30th, we celebrated Gurupūrṇima (Vyāsa Pūrṇima) in our Mūkāmbikā and Mahādeva Shrine. All the deities looked very beautiful in their new matching clothes stitched by Swaminiji.

There were so many Indian families with children that I even forgot I was in Eugene, Oregon. The children sang many chants, ślokas and bhajans to praise the Guru and propitiate the other deities. We also honored our gurus with Gurupādukā Stotram, Gurvaṣṭakam, a few other bhajans in several Indian languages.

We concluded the late afternoon gathering by offering prasāda dishes prepared by the many families present at the celebration, and a very beautiful ārati and closing prayers in which almost everybody participated. After bhajans came the bhojan-- the partaking of the

sweet prasāda. We are very fortunate to have our Hindu shrine in Eugene, so we can celebrate all the Indian festivals like the

Gurupūrṇima to honor and celebrate the spiritual anchors in life, and thus help make a meaningful progress on the spiritual path toward the goal of human birth.

Independence Day Retreat, July 4th 2012Eugene, OR

by Faith LaCross

Verse 34 of Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad GĪtā:त"#ि% &िणपा*न प"र&-.न /वया

उप34ि5त * 6ान7 6ा"नम9त:वद<शन:

tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayāupadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñānimastattvadarśinaḥ

Understand that (which is to be known) by prostrating (to the wise), by asking

questions, (and) by service (to them). Those wise persons, who have the vision

of the truth, will teach you (this) knowledge.

If this one verse is understood, the whole Bhagavad Gītā unfolds herself. This is how Swaminiji began the retreat

and set the tone for this day of independence. If one is to

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understand the message of the Gītā one will be free, and this verse serves as a master key to unlock the Gītā, which reveals the master, the ātmā (I), as oneself. Self-mastery lies in not confusing the person (atma) for the role. One has many roles in society and relationships with people and one’s own body, but the I is not affected. The “independence” that we are seeking

is unfolded in the Gītā by showing that the same I that is the person is also the cause of the universe – jagat kāraṇam brahma. By knowing this, one is free from all the roles and notions of bondage. To understand the vision that is unfolded by Bhagavān Kṛṣna in the Gītā, one needs a teacher that has her or himself been taught by and teacher and who can explain the knowledge in a way that the student cannot-but-see the truth. Yet another issue, though, in the human predicament, is the “guru allergy.” This verse in the Gītā serves to de-sensitize one to this allergy by

clearly showing what to study, why the teacher is needed and what kind of relationship to have with the teacher. This is all for the sake of one’s own growth.

Swaminiji went on to beautifully unpack the meaning of the verse. Tat – that, jagat kāraṇam brahma (brahman as the cause of the universe –Īśvara - that witness, the conscious being that is I). Viddhi – know. The whole manifest universe (including the infallible order) is projected effortlessly just like one projects a dream and then the dream resolves back to the dreamer. Wherever there is order, there is Íśvara. That presence here is called tat. One must understand that it is non-separate from you.How is one to understand this vision of oneness, that what one is seeking (to always be whole and happy) is already what one is – not apart or away from oneself. Like a mirror, the Gītā teaches what cannot be known in any other manner – this knowledge of the whole (that you

are the master of everything). The student asks the teacher to teach that one thing that is the subject of everything, in which everything else is as good as known. It is not one more thing to know, it is because of which everything else is known. This verse provides a formula in which one knows what there is to know, the correct place and correct manner. It is a way to understand the teaching once one recognizes there is something to know (tad viddhi) – which will free me from the notion of bondage that comes and goes (like when one sleeps). One must know I as un-afflicted with the roles and equate this I with the cause of the universe knowing which I will be free from the notion of bondage. One must also know that reading a book will not work to know this, because one is imprisoned by the infrastructure of the one reading. It is important to look for someone that can teach this knowledge.The common resistance to a teacher or “guru-allergy” comes in the way of knowing oneself as whole (in the here and now). One seems to have no trouble asking for help from a dance or music teacher, but from a teacher of brahmavidyā there is fear and difficulty trusting. One must see that help is needed to remove the inner debris (ignorance) so one sees the whole person that one is. The guru teaches through a specific methodology, thereby dislodging the knower (which is different for all other knowledge that is gained) and retaining oneself as the whole. One’s participation is in submitting to the methodology. Room is made to understand oneself as all-knowledge rather than the knower of any discreet thing. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says that there are certain attitudes to assimilate the knowledge. It is important that one trusts the source of the knowledge, the method, and the operation of the method. A three-fold formula is clearly given in this verse.First, pranipāta is discussed. Pat – to fall, ni – definite, pra – forcefully. To fall at the feet of the teacher is a beautiful metaphor for surrender. The teacher becomes an altar of surrender. A true teacher must not require this surrender. The surrender is needed so that one can transcend one’s own personality just as the teacher has. One is not

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surrendering to the person, but instead to the knowledge because the teacher and the knowledge are non-separate. Through making this surrender a physical action, one is practicing this attitude again and again. Second, paripraśna is brought up. Pari- proper, praśna – questions; asking the proper questions. Once one surrenders to the teacher, to the knowledge, then the proper questioning can take place. This knowledge is not belief based. It is given in a dialogue between the teacher and a student to solve the equation in which oneself is equated with the whole. The apparent difference, with which one identifies, between jīva and Íśvara is shown to not be real. It is indeed the same I on both sides of the equation. This is a matter for understanding, not belief. Proper questioning (content, timing and manner) is permitted and encouraged. Throughout the Bhagavad Gītā Arjuna shows us many examples of proper questioning. Saṁvāda, a respectful dialogue between teacher and student, for the sake of clarifications around the knowledge is essential. Mistakes in understanding are seen and corrected, making this the most special conversation that can take place.Śraddhā (complete trust and reverential devotion until I understand the truth of myself) is really the basis, the foundation, for both pranipāta and paripraśna. The trust that was lost as a child has to be re-claimed by daring to trust an individual (stand-in for the mother and father of the universe) as the source of this knowledge. When surrender is complete the person disappears. And, when one is ready, the teacher disappears into the student. All of the apparent differences/divisions (God, guru, atma-I) are gone and the oneness is retained.

The third step in the formula outlined in this verse is seva. Seva is loosely translated as service. When one is performing action, the I as the doer, comes along and often loudly exclaims, “I did that.” In seva,

action is done fully for one’s self-growth. When one learns to give, one grows into a compassionate person. One respects the pursuit of the teacher who has walked this path, renounced everything, and is a role model. Seva is for one’s own growth, not for enslavement, and is freely and joyfully given. Self-growth happens with seva because one forgets to identify with the smallness. In seva to the teacher, one carefully observes what needs to be done and does it reverentially. Again, practicing the attitude of surrender through seva is a physical way to practice the attitude that is needed to assimilate the knowledge. One must remember that through seva to the teacher one is really helping oneself with ego-management and gaining humility, and not really helping the teacher (as the teacher needs nothing from the

student). Seva, done with the proper attitude, enables one to internalize this knowledge on a deeper level. The verse goes on to say what will happen if the three-fold formula is done. Upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ - the teacher will teach this knowledge to you. When the qualifications are there (adhikāritvam) the teacher will take the time to teach. Lastly, the verse mentions the qualifications of the teacher. Jñānimastattvadarśinaḥ - jñāni here means a śrotriya (one who has listened and been taught by a proper lineage in which the words of the Veda have not been distorted into any duality). Tattvadarśinaḥ - the teacher does not have other irons in the fire, the only commitment is to living and understanding this knowledge.

As students blessed to study with Swaminiji, we are gifted with a model of everything in this verse. To watch Swaminiji with Pujya Swamiji is to see exactly how one is to be with the teacher, and thereby assimilate this knowledge of oneself as whole and free.

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An Update from the Three-Year Course at AVG Anaikatti, Indiaby Julie Carpenter

The three-year course in progress at AVG, Anaikatti is quickly approaching the end of its second year. The student base has seen very little attrition – it may even have quietly increased in number. The large number of students in this batch can, and must, be attributed to Pujya Swamiji being recognized as the greatest of Vedanta teachers alive today. There are many reasons for such recognition, not least of which the caliber of the teachers that have graduated from previous three-year courses. The current students are reminded of this every day as they benefit from Swami Sakshatkrtanandaji’s ongoing support of each one of the 80 plus full-time students living here in ashram. Swami Sakshatji quietly attends to all the details that make it possible for us to remain focused on our studies. Whether it be assisting in our understanding of a particular line of inquiry in bhāṣya, or explaining how a challenging Panini sūtra is applied, or the need for a medical referral or special dietary requirement, or someone to turn to for guidance and reassurance, Swami Sakshatji is there. It is also Swami Sakshatji who teaches the daily Sanskrit classes and takes the Vedanta classes when Pujya Swamiji is not in residence.

We have been studying Taittirīya Upaniṣad bhāṣya in the morning Vedanta class with Pujya Swamiji. Having completed the Śīkṣāvallī, we are now in the Brahmānandavallī looking at the five loci of error for placing the I notion. Pujya Swamiji guides us through bhāṣya, clearly pointing out the connections that help one to discover the full purport of the words, and expanding bhāṣyakāra’s explanations so that

one is gently guided to a place where there is no other option but to recognize the truth. This detailed analysis and attention to syntax of the Sanskrit sentences reflects the increase in of Sanskrit now being used in classes as the students become more familiar with vocabulary and grammar. For many it is an additional blessing that we are able to record and listen to the classes a second time allowing us not only to review grammar points that are highlighted, but most importantly clarify our understanding so that our level of Sanskrit does not inhibit the teaching that is being given.

Ever alert to the objective that the students themselves are links in the paraṁpara, with the potential of teaching in the future, Pujya

Swamiji’s classes also teach the student how to teach. No unnecessary words are used. Each metaphor, many times in the form of an anecdote, or joke, carries a clear explanation of even the subtlest inquiry to be found in the bhāṣya. Constantly alert to the students’ level of understanding, Pujya Swamiji expands and gives further clarification when needed, explaining the reason

for such detail; no matter where students are from, what background they have, what obstacles they face, each one is reassured that they will understand what is needed, and is thus able to relax and let the pramāṇa do its job. The one whose mind has been clinging to the mistaken identities sees the truth shining in the very being of the guru – and the compassion of that truth manifest in Pujya Swamiji knows no bounds as the student begins to humbly acknowledge the mistakes one by one.

The afternoon Vedanta class, is dedicated to the study of Bhagavad Gītā alongside Śaṅkarācārya’s bhāṣya. Anyone who has read the Gītā

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Home Study course books, that are available in several different languages, has an idea of how it is to listen to Pujya Swamiji unfold the Bhagavad Gītā. Pujya Swamiji’s extensive knowledge of both the Gītā and Upaniṣads coalesces in each and every class. We are currently studying the

Fourth Chapter. Having covered in detail the discussion of avatāra – Gītā being the only place where avatāra is discussed so elaborately by the śruti – we have started our inquiry into the main topic of this chapter, the nature of action. Pujya Swamiji leaves nothing to chance with regards to understanding the tātparya of the Gītā. Even topics, such as the varṇa system, that have been so misunderstood and thus challenged, when handled by Pujya Swamiji become yet another source of appreciation for the attention to detail and intelligence in the Order of Īśvara.

The study of Pāṇini sūtras during Sanskrit classes continues. We are following Laghu Siddhanta Kaumudī, which contains approximately 1300 of Pāṇini’s nearly 4000 sūtras. Pāṇini’s brilliance cannot be overstated. As we sit taking notes, trying to remember the sūtra that

was learned last week – or yesterday – because it is plays an important role in arriving at the final form of the word we are currently looking at, one can only marvel at the fact that Pāṇini didn’t have paper, and books to assist him. As Pujya Swamiji has said on occasion – perhaps the diet

then was rich in something that we are not getting nowadays.

Each day ends with satsang. These days, even though Pujya Swamiji still answers any doubts that have arisen or clarifies any confusions, by the end of the hour one or two students have also taken the microphone and, standing in front of the class, told the story of how he or she came to Vedanta and met Pujya Swamiji. The stories are as varied as the students here. Not only is there a wide range of family backgrounds, but a wide range of cultural backgrounds too, with students coming from all over India, as well as Malaysia, Japan, Brazil, Taiwan, Russia, New Zealand, Italy, England, Canada, and the U.S. Student participation in satsang doesn’t stop with these stories – we are now taking it in turn to chant some of Taittirīya in front of everyone as well. When one has not yet assimilated that there is no second thing, and thus nothing to fear, looking out at approximately 100 shining faces with a microphone no more than 6 inches from one’s face can be a little unnerving.

As minutes turn into hours, and hours in to days, days to weeks, weeks to months and months to years, appreciation grows for the grace that manifests in the form of the contributors who give time, money, and energy so that each three-year course can take place. What to say then of the contributor of contributors, Pujya Swamiji, who with boundless compassion, tirelessly and enthusiastically repeating what must have been said by him thousands of times before, assists each student in addressing a problem that when fully understood, does not even exist.

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Satsang with Swaminiji

Is a child's primary narcissm (a now unfortunate term used by Freud), in which there is un-self conscious love of self, and openness to the newness and freshness of everything, along with free exploration and manipulation of it, like the self uncovered when ignorance is removed?

A human being is born with two kinds of ignorance: ignorance of ātmā, the self, and ignorance of anātmā: everything else that is not the ātmā. As one grows, one sheds anātmā ignorance --pertaining to the world of colors and forms, pertaining to the world of experiences, emotions, and identification (this is my mother, my father, my toy etc). But unless one chooses the knowledge of ātmā, one does not get it. To choose self knowledge, and to drop the first kind of ignorance, one has to seek a teacher, who knows the proper methodology of dispelling self ignorance --herself or himself having been exposed to the method as a student. In fact, a jīva, an individual is born because of ignorance of not knowing that one is whole, one is limitless, and that one is not a doer. So it would not be correct to say that as a baby one is knowledgeable, and after that one has a "fall from grace" or is somehow "corrupted" due to socialisation and life's influences. This said, there are a number of similarities that the ancient texts draw between a baby and an enlightened being: the baby is innocent and trusting, and so is the enlightened being free of suspicion. The baby's innocence comes from helplessness, and the other's from knowledge; the baby is loving due to trust, and the enlightened one is loving due to the natural and overflowing sense of compassion that one derives from abiding in the knowledge of oneself as all. In both the case of the baby and the wise person, there is very little I ness or ego. The baby is yet to develop the ego, and is working hard to develop it, while the wise person has dis-identified ego, shedding it like the skin of a snake.

Swamini’s Teaching and Travel Schedule

All classes unless specified otherwise are in Pacific Time. Classes marked with an asterisk * are available for live streaming via www.arshavm.org. To access the live broadcast, go to the website and click on the Online Classroom tab on the left. Once there, sign in with your name under "sign in as a guest"

All classes will meet at 835 E 36th Pl, Eugene, OR.

Please note that we have a separate summer schedule for the month of August 2012

Thursday August 2 to Tuesday August 28

* Selections from PañcadashiDaily: 11:30 am-12:30 pm, 4-5 pm

Beginning Sanskrit with Julie Carpenter Daily Monday to Thursday 5-6 pm

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On-going classes that will continue to meet in the month of August:

*Vedantadindima Saturday August 4: 9:30 am-12:30 pm

*Vivekachudamani Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 7:15-8:30 pm

Fall Classes Schedule in Eugene, OR Starting September 2012

*Vedantadindima meets once a month from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on the following days:Monday, September 3rd; Saturdays, October 6th, November 17th, and December 1st

*Taittirīya Upaniṣad meets 4 times a month from 1:15-2:30 pm on the following days:September 10th, 12th, 13th and 14thOctober 8th 10th, 11th and 12thDecember 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th

*Kathopanishad meets once a week every Wednesday evening from 6-7:15 pm

*Vivekachudamani Every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday: 7:15-8:30 pm

Beginning Sanskrit with Harinder Khalsa every Tuesday from 6-7 pm, starting September 6th

Chanting class with Faith LaCross the first and third Wednesday of each month from 1-2 pm

Other EventsThanksgiving Retreat at the Oregon Coast on the Bhagavad Gītā, Freedom in Action, November 22-25.

Travel ScheduleSan Jose, CAAugust 16-19 Guest Speaker at the Hindu Mandir Executive Conference: the Role of Temples in Promoting Dharma

Washington DC*Monthly Seminar Upadeśa Saram, at SSVT Lanham, MD. Saturday and Sunday 9 am-12:00 pm Eastern Time on the following days:September 22nd & 23rdOctober 20th and 21stContact Sri Krishnamurthy nck@att.net

Evening Meditation September 24th Contact andrew@interfaithinitiative.org

Evening Program on Hinduism for the Wesley Seminary October 22ndContact Sri Krisnamurthy nck@att.net

Atlanta, GeorgiaSelections from the Bhagavad Gita September 15th and 16th Contact VN Ramakrishnan vn_ramakrishnan@yahoo.com

Ahmedabad, India Acharya Sabha Meeting, November 2-7

Sūktā Editorial Board Julie Carpenter, Mayaskari Rothbart, Kanchan Deshpande and Harinder Kaur Khalsa.