Vishwabhanu 8

7/31/2019 Vishwabhanu 8

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June-July 2012 Volume 2 Issue 2Vishwa Bhanu

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTHSHIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTHSHIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTHSHIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTHS

JUNEJUNEJUNEJUNE----JULY 2012JULY 2012JULY 2012JULY 2012Reopening of Sandeepani

Sishuvihar.

Follow up camp

Yoga camp for JNV students.

Gurupoornima celebration

Ramayana parayanam

Sri Girishkumarjis Visit.

Yoga-pranayama Classes

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Reopening of Sishuvihar 3

Follow up camp 3

Yoga camp for JNV 4

Gurupoornima 5

Ramayana Parayanam 6

Girishjis Class 7

Yoga-Pranayama Classes 8

Didis Article 9

From the Editors penFrom the Editors penFrom the Editors penFrom the Editors penMeditation on Rama

Karkitakam (Adi), also known as Ra-mayana month is notorious for its torrentialSouth West Monsoon which floods Keralacausing havoc to humans and the land. Thefarmers have already harvested their paddy

crop and set aside the grain for sale/use and they find time for restand rejuvenation. It is interesting to note that both the mind and thebody are rejuvenated in this period. The body is cleansed by thepopular Karkataka Medicinal Kanji (rice gruel mixed with medici-nal herbs) and mind by remembering the heroic deeds of Sri Rama.Ramayana also symbolizes the struggle of the ego, mind and senseswith the Self. The inner struggle is strengthened by reading Rama-yana every day, thus bringing an all-round cleansing and strength-ening of the mind and body.

Now, what benefit can weaccrue through reading Ra-mayana? If we are assured that wewill get something now in readingRamayana, then we will read Ra-mayana. Well, Swami Vivekanan-da says, that even if almost thewhole of the Hindu populationdwindles, God forbid such a hap-pening, if there were only a handfulof Hindus, speaking a far cousinpatios of its classic languages, eventhen, there will be a version of Ra-

mayana current amongst them. Thestory of Rama has entered the veryveins of Hindus. It courses throughour body and soul. Ramayana isinside us, as part and parcel of ourvery being. But we are unaware ofit dont make use of it or dontknow how to make use of it. In


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what way can Ramayana bless us ordinarymortals?

Firstly, we get Ramakatha. Ramayana isthe narration of Sri Ramas doings. The incidentsin Ramayana will come useful to us when wecome across similar situations in our daily lives.

We will get tips from Ramayana on how to han-dle our situations, here, now. Secondly, we cancontemplate the immaculate beauty of Sri Ram-arupam. By reading the story of Rama we candraw our lessons and use them to handle ourpersonal problems. Is that all? No. We have tocontemplate more and go deeper. To help us inthat we need the beautiful form of Rama. If wemeditate on the form of Rama together with Si-ta, then we get specially energized. What are theforms of Rama that we can meditate on? There isthe form of Ramlala, the bala Rama. We haveheard much of bala Krishna, Unni Krishna, theChild Krishna, but in South we have not heardmuch of child Rama. There have been greatpeople who have meditated on child Rama andhave had visions of Bala Rama. We first meetRama in Ayodhya as Bala Rama. We find in SriRamakrishnas life, incidents where Ramalalamoved and played with him. The form of BalaRama is ideal for meditation. We think of Rama,we meditate on Rama, and very soon He be-comes our very own Rama. So meditation leadsus to identify withRama as our own self.

So this much about Ramakatha andRamarupam. Then comes Rama Namam. Thehighest gift we get from Ramayana is the power-ful name of Rama. The name of Rama is TarakaMantram, the Mantra repetition of which liber-ates the soul and takes it across the ocean ofsamsara. One has to practise Rama Nama Japa.

We dont know if Mahatma Gandhi readthe story of Rama frequently but we know, that

he repeated the name of Rama incessantly. Letus try repeating the Name of Rama. After read-ing the Ramayana, applying the lessons welearn to handle situations in our present times,meditating on the form of Rama and after re-peating the Name of Rama, it is still possiblethat, we are tortured with doubts, whether weare progressing in the right direction. We wantsome proof that things will work out all right.

At this juncture we get the fourth benefit from Rama-yana. That is from the adorable examples ofRamabhaktas, a grand succession of devotees of Ramastarting with Hanuman to Ramakrishna, Vivekanan-da and a host of other. Shivaji who was a devotee ofDurga was also a Rama Bhakta. There would hardly

be anyone who have done great good to our countryand have not been inspired by the example of Sri Ra-ma in their childhood or youth. Every one of them hadheard the story of Rama either from their mother orfather or grandmother or grandfather. When Gandhijiwas a small boy he was once afraid of darkness and aservant told him to chant the name of Rama to wardoff that fear. He started repeating Ramanama andfound it highly beneficial. He went on to repeat it tillthe very last moment of his life when he faced death.We have to read the lives of the great devotees of Ra-ma and draw inspiration from their lives.

Now comes the last word, the bottom-line.Why do we do all this? We hear Ramas Story, wethink of his Form, we repeat his Name, we familiarizewith his devotees; where do we go after all these?Now we are here and we must see Rama. We have tomeet Rama face to face. We may be enjoying the storyof Rama and all the worlds poetry on that, we may bepundits knowing minutest details of the Story of Ra-ma, but the real experience is to see Him. To see Himas you see me, as you see each other, or even moredirectly, as Sri Ramakrishna told Naren, when heanswered his question about tangibly seeing God. Youthink of him and try to call him and establish contactthrough telephone, or you may try to Google searchfor him and contact him, or you may search for him inFacebook. Somehow or other, you have to get Himface-to-face. And, once you get the touch of Rama onyour shoulder, then that very moment you realise thisis the real Rama, the living Rama who is with you allthe time. Your life becomes fulfilled, Sampurnam.Thus the Last Word is the vision of Sri Rama and forthat we have to plead with Hanuman to show us the

way. That is what Tulasi Das did. Or you beseech Sitato do this favour for us, or to put in a word on ourbehalf

May Mother Sita shower Her grace on us; MayHanuman grant us all the strength; May we all get theVision of Rama.

This is our Prayer.Om Shanti Shanti Shanti


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On the 28th of June, Sri Sudhakarji visited SaraswathiVidyaniketan, Myannur to talk to the children of classes I toIV on Swami Vivekananda. Though the school is only upto theprimary level, a unique feature about this school is the daily

performance of havan by the youngest child of the schoolguided by the senior students, before their assembly. Thewhole hall vibrates with Gayatri mantra, rastraya swaha andidam na mama. On the birthday of a child he/or she ismade to sit on a chair, all the children chant a janmadina man-

tra for him or her and then all of them including her classmates, juniors, seniors and the teachersgreet and bless the child with flowers. It was interesting to see such samskaras being given to chil-dren in some remote schools of Kerala which are meant for the rural children.

Y O G A C A M P

From the 25th of June to the 1st of July, aYoga camp was conducted at Jawahar Na-vodaya Vidyalaya Thrissur campus for thestudents residing in the campus. About 600students, both girls and boys attended thecamp. Apart from the theory and practiceof yoga, introduction to the life of Swamijithrough film show and talks were also partof the camp curriculum. Children werevery enthusiastic about learning yoga. ThePrincipal of the school Shri Ambujakshan

and also the teaching staff showed keeninterest and extended full cooperation. Itwas a good opportunity for introducing tothe students and staff about Swamiji andaim and object of Vivekananda Kendra.

Education is the manifestation of theEducation is the manifestation of theEducation is the manifestation of theEducation is the manifestation of the

perfection already in manperfection already in manperfection already in manperfection already in man

Swami VivekanandaSwami VivekanandaSwami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda

Jawaharlal Navodaya Vidyalaya Students ofThrissur district assembled for the inaugural ses-sion of a seven days yoga camp conducted byAdaraniya Sudhakarji, in their school campus.

Evening Yoga practice sessions for Girls and earlymorning sessions for boys.

SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT


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In the evening Revered SwamiVeerabhadrananda of Ramakrishna Mission,Harippad delivered a thought provoking talkon the significance of Gurpurnima and the con-cept of Guru and the relation between guruand sishya. After the speech an hour long medi-tation session based on Swami Vivekanandawas conducted by Swamiji himself which wassomething new to the people of Kodungallur.100 people attended the programme. Distribu-tion of prasad followed.

3rd July 2012 was Gurupurnima. In the morning hours there was

Ganapathi homam and Sri Chakra puja, attended by the inmates ofAnanda dham. Two hour long puja ended with group chanting ofSri Lalitha Sahasranama. This was followed by the regular ganapathipuja at the Viveka Ganapathi temple in the compound of Anandadham. .

GURUPURNIMA CELEBRATION

Concentration of the mind is the source of all knowledge.The concentrated mind is a lamp that shows us every corner of the soul.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Veerabhadrananda conducting meditation

Ganapathi Homa in progress

Swami Veerabhadrananda lighting the lamp, on

Gurupurnima day


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Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man. Religion is a question of being and be-Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man. Religion is a question of being and be-Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man. Religion is a question of being and be-Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man. Religion is a question of being and be-

coming, not of believing. Religion is the tie, unity of humanity.coming, not of believing. Religion is the tie, unity of humanity.coming, not of believing. Religion is the tie, unity of humanity.coming, not of believing. Religion is the tie, unity of humanity. Sw.VivekanandaSw.VivekanandaSw.VivekanandaSw.Vivekananda

KARKATIKAM

RAMYANAM PARAYANAM

16th of July was the first day of the Mal-ayalam month Karkatikam, which is alsoknown as Ramayana month. In all the orthodoxhouses of Kerala, regular reading of theAdhyatma Ramayana of Ezhuthachan is donein groups or individually throughout themonth. Since the last three years, Vedic VisionFoundation has taken it up as a project to popu-larize this practice through house to house vis-its and parayana followed by Sri Rama Astot-

tara archana. Su. Bindu with her group of stu-dents from Samskar varga and also from thestudent inmates of Anandadham goes to differ-ent houses each day for parayana. Families whohave no Ramayana book are presented with Ra-mayana book after the parayana. This projecthas been highly appreciated by the neighbours.On the first day it was in the house of Smt Pad-ma Adigal. She is seen in the above photographperforming the asttora archana of Sri Rama af-ter the parayanam.


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0n 23rd and 24th of June and again on

the 28th and 29th of July the (last Saturday,Sunday) were reserved as usual for SriGirishjis regular classes on Lalitha SahasraNamam. 40 participants came in spite of theheavy rains. His unique method of explainingeach and every name of the Mother LalithaTripura Sundari, with references from manydifferent religious texts has gained tremen-dous popularity.

The starting and ending of the sessions

is always with a simple meditative exercise onconcentration of the mind on TripuraSundariDevi. There is a question answersession on the second day of each sessionwhere seekers could ask any questionsand get their doubts cleared. At present hedeals in detail with the 54th sloka elaboratingthe name Mahayogeshswareshswari.

. Each soul is potentially divine. Thegoal in life is to manifest this divinity

within, by controlling nature externaland internal


An In-depth study of Lalitha Sahasranama

The Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two encyclopedias

of the ancient Aryan life and wisdom portraying an idealcivilization which humanity has yet to aspire after.The drama, in India, was a very holy thing. Drama and musicare themselves held to be religion. Any song whether it be alove-song or otherwise if one's whole soul is in that song,one attains salvation, one has nothing else to do. They say it

leads to the same goal as meditation.


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On the 1st of every month, a new yogabatch for men and on the 15th of every monthfresh batch for women are being conducted.Saturdays and Sundays are for children in theearly morning and for working ladies, from11am to 12 noon. In the month of June 5 gents,7 ladies and 12 children regularly attended theyoga satras, whereas in July, 6 ladies for thefresh batch and 3children of ages 10 years to 15years were added taking the total to 15. Anhour of pranayama class each day from the

month of June onwards, went on suceefully for10 gents in the early morning and 8 ladies at10.15 am. All participants belonged to the yogasatra group. With the increasing number ofchildren for the weekly morning yoga classes,this will be ultimately converted to samskarvarga.

The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.


Gents yoga

Kids yoga

YOGA VARGA AND YOGA SATRA


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. . . . The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.The mind acts on the body and the body in its turn acts upon the mind.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.Harmony and peace and not dissension.


Motherhood means concernMotherhood means concernMotherhood means concernMotherhood means concernfor the whole creationfor the whole creationfor the whole creationfor the whole creation

Here comes a touching storyof motherliness from the ani-mal world. This story is toldby a devotee who visited a

temple in the midst of a forestnear Wynad, Kerala. After his temple visitwhen he came out he spotted a tiny squirrelsealed on the top of a lintel, which was squeak-ing with fear. Its mother obviously was awayand a snake was making its way to the littlesquirrel and was about to catch it. At that mo-ment from a nearby tree, a big owl flew in,pushed aside the snake and saved the littlesquirrel. The owl went back to its perch, but itsattention was riveted on the helpless little

squirrel. The devotee was fascinated by thetimely action of the owl. After some time therecame the snake again to snatch the squirrel. Lo!

there flew in the owlagain to save the helplesssquirrel. The snake re-treated and the squirrelwas saved. But the snakewas not in a mood to giveup. It came again after abrief interval. The owl got

really angry and this time flew in with the in-tention of doing away with the snake and sav-

ing the squirrel from its cruel fate.The devotee was overwhelmed seeing

this expression of universal motherliness be-tween two animals, even though the squirrelwas the natural prey of the owl. The danger tothe little squirrel in the absence of its mothertouched a deep chord in the heart of the owland it responded to it in the most touchingway. The devotee could not help comparing itwith what we find among humans, these days.

If only we keep our eyes open to thenatural relationships and concern ever preva-lent all around us, our minds can also expandand when it is filled with love and concern forall in the universe it raises us to the level of aUniversal Being and we become entitled forthe blessings of the Universe.

FOOD FOR MIND

Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari


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See the Divine Mother inSee the Divine Mother inSee the Divine Mother inSee the Divine Mother inyour own Motheryour own Motheryour own Motheryour own Mother

Here comes a storyabout a student

seeker. Once he ap-proached his teacherand asked.Gurudev, I am ea-ger to have dar-shan of Ma Para-shakti. I have heardso much about Her

glory. The teacher smiled and replied, Mychild, thats easy, you just have to keep youreyes open and look at the feet of women you

come across, specially anyone having thewrong footwear on. Take it for sure that is Pa-rashakti Herself.

The student with full faith in his guruswords, set out to look for Parashakti. Whenever he came across a lady, his concentrationwould be focussed at her feet to find outwhether she had worn slippers in the wrongway. Several years passed on. But he could notfind even a single lady as described by hisGuru. Exhausted, he at last decided to get

back home.

Completely worn out mentally andphysically, he returned to his home. Hispoor mother, on that day was working inher kitchen and accidently looking throughthe window she spotted her beloved son.As soon as she saw him, unable to con-

trol her emotions she ran out with wideopen arms to welcome her son. With tearsin her eyes she asked My son where wereyou?, I have been waiting for you, worriedas to what was keeping you away fromhome for so long. Instead of looking at herface, the son looked at her feet as was hishabit now and what did he see. The rightfoot was in the left slippers and vice versa.Unable to control himself he fell at her feetand asked to be forgiven for searching forthe Divine Mother all over when she wasright here in his own home!

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA VEDIC VISION FOUNDATION

ANANDADHAM, SRINGAPURAM KODUNGALLUR,

PIN 680664. KERALA

Ph. No : 0480-2803349, 2805780, 2812780

Email ID : [email protected]

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