CHINMAYA Prabhat CMTC • VOLUME 1 Issue 1 MARCH 2011 Calendar of Events 2011

March 28th - April 1st Hari Om On this auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, Narada Bhakti Sutra with Lord’s grace and Pujya Gurudev and Guruji’s blessings, we are bringing to you by Swami Shantananda ji the inaugural issue of CMTC e-newsletter ‘Chinmaya Prabhat’. All contributions are from our Balvihar children. April 16th Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda, says that the best Sadhana, or practice, Geeta Chanting Competition for any seeker irrespective of age, means, time, and place is ‘Ishwara Naam Smarnam’, i.e. constant remembrance of Lord’s name. And Shivji our ‘Bhole Baba’ is easy to please and quick to say ‘Tathaastu’ April 17-21 in granting our wishes. As our mind turns easily towards that Shivji, the most Gyana Yagna famous and auspicious Mantra ‘OM NAMAH SHIVAAY’ comes to our lips. Swami Sharananda ji ‘OM’ – the Pranav encompasses the entire existence, ‘NAMAH’ – is to offer prostrations in love, respect and faith and May 1st ‘SHIVAAY’ – means the auspicious. Thus when we chant this Mantra, we can imagine the most beautiful, serene, Mother’s Day celebrations auspicious ‘SHIVJI’ and strengthen the faith that ‘All is ’; ‘All is Auspicious’, ‘All is Well’. May 8th Our own Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda, began his spiritual Gurudev's Jayanti celebration sadhana with this and mental upasana, or meditation, of creating Shivji’s form in his mind. Lord Sri in Bhagvad Gita says May 15th “Among the yogas I am the Japa Yoga”. Therefore may our children’s contributions inspire us to fill our hearts and minds Graduation Day & Annual Day with constant Japa of ‘OM NAMAH SHIVAAY’

May 22nd Hari Om — Chinmaya Prabhat Sevaks and Sevikas Annual Banquet

July 11-15th CMTC Summer Camp

July 29-Aug 3rd Chinmaya Mahasamadhi Family Camp CHICAGO MAHA SHIVRATRI Balvihar Students Share - THE NIGHT OF AUSPICIOUSNESS their Thoughts , Ideas & Creativity Swami Chinmayananda Lord Shiva: Favorites The Supreme State experienced by the Sreeram Satish (Grade 2) mystics, pointed out in all the great scriptures of the world, is the state When the Chinmaya newsletter was announced I started thinking about my favorite things about Lord Shiva to that has been indicated by a most write an article for the newsletter. But then I also wondered about others’ opinion about Lord Shiva. So I went popular term in Hinduism, 'Shivaratri'. around Chinmaya Balvihar asking my friends and teachers different kinds of questions on Lord Shiva. Shiva means auspiciousness, that state of I asked them four different kinds of questions. They were: supreme auspiciousness, the state of perfection and beautitude, is a state an individual experiences when all other 1. What is your favorite story on Lord Shiva? usual fields of perception are transcended. 2. What is your favorite quality of Lord Shiva? 3. What is something that Lord Shiva has that you like a lot? 4. What is your favorite song/slokha on Lord Shiva? Just as in the night, when the darkness closes, every object becomes imperceptible to the human eye, a time when the usual Almost everybody had different answers to these questions. Very few people gave the same answers. world of plurality is blanketed away from our awareness, • Favorite Story: Couple of people said they liked the story of Shiva and Basmasura, where Shiva granted Basmasura a boon and Lord Shiva had to run away from Basmasura. Some people said they liked the such moments of pure infinite story of Daksha and his yagnya (sacrifice) where Shiva gets insulted by Daksha. One person said they liked the subjective experience are that story where Shiva tested His two sons for the mango. Two people liked the story of Shiva meets where which is indicated as Shivaratri. He comes as a fisherman to catch the shark (which is Nandi). Birth of Ganesha story was someone’s favorite where Shiva accidentally had to fight His son and bring him back to life. Some liked the part where Lord Shiva In order that it may come to drinks the Halahala poison during the Churning of the Ocean. My favorite is where Shiva tested be - fore giving him the Pashupatastra to be used to destroy his arch rival Karna. the masses and the average • Favorite Quality: When asked “What do you like about Lord Shiva? What is something that He man may spend time in lifting does?”, the most common answer was Peaceful (saatvik) or Meditative state, His quiet state of mind, and that He his mind, turning his mind's represents peace and serenity. Couple of people said that their favorite quality of Shiva was that He Destroys attention to the Lord, it has evil. Some people said that they liked that He gave us river goddess Ganga. Lord Shiva’s Truthful nature was been brought into a very some people’s favorite. A few people liked His ability to Dance (Tandava) as Lord Nataraja. I like that He plays the Damaru (the drum) when dancing. significant ritual, dedicating • Favorite Possession: “What is something that Lord Shiva has that you like a lot?” Lot of people this day to Lord Shiva. loved the crescent Chandra (Moon) on His head. Couple of people said that they liked the Ganga flowing from On this auspicious day, seekers His hair. Another favorite was that He holds a Damaru (drum) in His hand. The snake around His neck was rededicate themselves to the another favorite. The Third Eye on His forehead was liked by a few. My own favorite is His weapon Trishul subjective science and (Trident) that He used to fight. • Favorite Song/Slokha: When asked what their favorite song/slokha on Lord Shiva was, the Bhajan the pursuit of excellence in “dhim dhim dhimitaka” was the top choice. The next favorite answer was the Lingashtakam (Stotram) their daily lives." “brahma murari”. Other favorite mentioned were Shiva Panchashara (Stotram), Gangastotram (Stotram), and ‘Shivaya Parameshvaraya’ (Bhajan). I like to listen to Rudram chanting. Jagdeeshwara Temple in Powai - MUMBAI I enjoyed asking people about their opinions. I understood from this activity that Lord Shiva does and has photograph by Suchit Nanda many different qualities, and there are various stories on Him from Hindu scriptures and he has a lot of unique things that people like a lot. The Glory of Lord Shiva observed through the compositions Hari Om of Nadha Jyothi: Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Ganesh Raman (Grade 12) What does Lord Shiva Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar along with Sri Syama Sastri and Sri Thyagaraja form the trinity of Carnatic music composers whose mean to me? compositions still enthrall audiences to this day. The sheer breadth of compositions addressing various issues, philosophical topics, and descriptions of deities provide a crash course into Indian culture and Hindu philosophy. Of the trinity Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar came to be known as the Nadha Jyothi or “the light of music.” Sri Dikshitar was born on March 24th 1775. After learning the and other sacred texts as were required by tradition for Brahmin children at that time, travelled India with the wandering mystic, Chidambaranatha Lord Shiva Yogi who attained Samadhi in Varanasi, having presented Dikshitar a unique veena. Dikshitar then following the advice of his guru went to Tirutanni where he meditated and was blessed by goddess Saraswathi, after which he burst into his first composition “Sri Nathadi symbolizes Guruguho Jayati.” With what little I know and the tremendous passion I have for this subject I will try now to give a glimpse of Dikshi - the following: tar’s genius through analysis of some of his masterpieces on Lord Shiva. Let us first take a look at Dikshitar’s composition “Anandeshvarena Samrakshitoham” in the ragam Anandhabhairavi. This S — SERENE composition is part of his set of five krithis praising the five linga sthalas around the Tiruvarur region in Tamil Nadu. In the pallavi or H — HOLY first stanza of the song Dikshitar states: Anandesvarena Samrakshitoham Nityananda Ruposmi Brahmananda Ruposmi || I — INFINITE Translation: I am protected by Anandesvara and hence, I am of the nature of eternal joy and of the form of supreme bliss Brahman. V — VIRTUOUS Furthermore in the Anupallavi/second stanza Dikshitar describes Lord Shiva as “Cidananda Natha Svarupa Prakasena” or A — ALMIGHTY “the knowledge which is eternal bliss and is self-luminous.” In the charanam/third stanza of the song Dikshitar further states that Lord Shiva is “beyond the three stages of the bodies and eternal existence: gross, subtle, and causal…he transcends the five Kosas constituting the world…is of the form Satchitananda-existence, knowledge, and bliss”. As can be seen from above, Dikshitar’s descriptions of Lord Shiva entwined with references to Advaitic philosophy provide the audience insight in the two worlds of both passionate bhakti and transcendental gyana. As we offer our bhakti to Lord Shiva through bhajans, keerthans, pujas, and good works we come closer to Rishabh Bhattacharya (Grade 2) Janani Raman (Grade 6) acquiring Lord Shiva’s trademark qualities; a serene calmness, a tranquil state of mine, and supreme radiance and brilliance. Santatam Akhanda Sacchitanandam Samrajya Prada Caranaravindam || Om Namah Shivayah Translation: He is eternal. He is uninterrupted knowledge, bliss, and radiance. He has the lotus feet capable Arunima Bhattacharya (Grade 6) of bestowing entire kingdoms to devotees. Dikshitar further gives a beautiful description of Lord Shiva as “having a body that surpasses the splendor of the cupid” and as There are so many forms of Shiva. One commonly known form is the Shiva Lingam. having “kundha radanam” or “teeth like jasmine buds.” Sri Dikshitar’s travels in Northern India helped him infuse some of his composi - The top half represents the manifest, or the form of Shiva. The bottom half represents the unmanifest tions with the beauty of Hindustani raga systems as well. His second Pancha Bhoota krithi “Jamboopathe Mam Pahi” is a magnum opus in the raag Yaman Kalyan or ragam Yamuna Kalyani, on the element of water located in thiruvanaikkaval. In the first stanza he states, or the formless part of Shiva. His consort is Parvati and his sons are Karthikeya and Ganesh. Jamboopathe Mam Pahi Nijananda Amrita Bodham Dehi || His vehicle is the great bull Nandi. His two eyes symbolize love and justice. His third eye Translation: O Jamboopathi!! Protect me! Give me the knowledge of the nectar or true supreme bliss! symbolizes removal of ignorance and light of knowledge. Anirvacaniya Nada Bindo Nitya Mauli Vidhruta Gangendo || Nirvikalpaka Samadhi Nishta Siva Kalpakataro|| The crescent moon in his locks represents the mind. Shiva is the one who has controlled his mind. Nirvisesha Chaitanya Niranjana Guruguha Guro|| We should all try and gain control over our mind and remain calm. Translation: He is the indescribable form of Nada Bindu (derived from the Pranava Mantra OM). He holds the Ganga The poison in his throat represents the difficulties in life. Lord Shiva does not get embittered by and moon on his head. He is the Kalpaka tree and is engaged in the desire less Samadhi or supreme consciousness. these difficulties and does not let it affect his head or the heart. Though he has good and bad things, He is the father of the pure, faultless knowledge of the form of Guruguha. In his third piece on lord Arunachaleswara on Tiruvannamalai in the form of fire, “Arunachala Natham Smarami” he states, he remains calm, and in a peaceful state. This shows balance of the opposites. Svapradipa Mauli Vidhruta Gangam Svaprakasa jita Soma Agni Patangam || The snake around his neck represents that even things that cause fear and revulsion, Translation: He wears Ganga on his glorious head and has conquered the moon, the sun, and the fire by his natural brilliance. when they come in contact with him, become his glory. It also shows that the Lord is all accepting. Sadhu Jana Chitta Sarasijodayam Sakalam Brahmamayam Asraye || Translation: You are the sun who makes the lotus like heart of virtuous people blossom. Everything is you. The snake around his neck stays clam. A usual snake would continually slither around. In further stanzas Dikshitar states, “ You are consciousness, devoid of dualities, you are the personification of intelligence, purity, Why is this one calm? This represents that all the agitations coming from the world eternal, and immutable.” He further expounds in the third stanza by saying Lord Shiva is “With and without form and foremost in can be calmed by turning towards the Lord. existence, knowledge, bliss, and who is perceptible as quality full and quality less; the cure for the afflictions of the illusory world and the driving force behind the illusory world… attainable by the knowledge originating from within himself, sweet and without There are 3 states of the mind. They are Tamas, Rajas, and Sattvic. Shiva’s trident represents dualities… beyond the intellect.” these 3 states of mind. The Ganga flowing out of his hair represents the flow of knowledge. Reading and analyzing such beautiful words and meanings, I have developed calmness in me without having even heard some of The Damaru in his hand represents the sound of creation. these compositions. May this Siva Rathri bring us a new sense of purpose to achieve infinite and permanent happiness. Let Mahadeva, the lord of lords destroy our ignorance and help us cross the ocean of samsara. Let us imbibe the eternal message of Adi Shankara and Is his only name Shiva? Definitely not. Some of his other names include Trinetra, Neelakantha, Advaitic philosophy “Tat Tvam Asi” or “That I am.” As Dikshitar says in his composition in Ragam Purvi, “Guruguhasya Dasoham Nocet Naagabhushana, and Gangajathadara. This is just the beginning of the long list of names he has. Cidguruguha Evaham” or in other words “I am the humble servant of Guruguha, or I, myself, am of the form of Guruguha himself.” Swami Mitrananda Holi is the festival in which we celebrate the killing of Hiranyakashyap's sister Holika. The story goes like this.

Miracle on the Mountain Holika wanted to kill Prahlad after the death Arista Jhanjee (Grade 9) of Hiranayakashyap. She had been granted a boon that fire would never hurt her. So she Rounding the steep, brown bend after an hour of traveling on narrow mountain roads at dizzying heights to suddenly discover a gate decided to test her might against the bhakti of carved, seemingly, directly from the cavernous mountain was like something out of a fairy tale. The gate theatrically slid back, as if to prepare Prahlad. A huge bonfire was made and, taking us for an extraordinary experience among the serene mountains in Kolwan, Pune. It was a foreshadowing of what was to be an indescribable the young child in her lap, she sat down right in experience at Nrtya-Sura-Bharati family camp in Chinmaya Vibhooti . the middle. But so strong was Prahlad's devotion for Although Chinmaya Vibhooti was the first large human landmark in at least an hour of traveling in any direction, it seemed to be the Lord that when he chanted Om Namo Narayanaya entirely self-sufficient, with modern facilities and comfortable lodgings, while also maintaining an effortless harmony with its natural with a fervent heart, Vishnu was touched and He, in His infi - surroundings. The complex itself was huge and sprawling, with an intricate network of footpaths connecting the various dormitories. Besides the residential buildings, there was a large dining hall, a spacious office facility, and a vast auditorium. The camp itself nite compassion, reversed the boon granted to Holika. She was burnt in the fire was a mixture of study and entertainment. In the morning, Pujya Guruji gave lectures on the Vedantic text entitled Yoga Vashishtha, which while Prahlad emerged unscathed. chronicles the journey to enlightenment. There were also optional intensive music workshops that gave lessons the violin and cello, classical and devotional Indian music, and classical Indian dance. Camp attendees were given the opportunity to visit the awe-inspiring museum called Much later, even Krishna celebrated Holi in a grand way. This is just to remind Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan that depicted Pujya Gurudev’s life with beautifully painted, life-size murals and accompanying audio explanation us that the demoniac forces should be killed both within and without us. Kill sets. The Hanuman Mandir was another great attraction. In the midst of a serene landscape reposed the statue of Lord Hanuman, head the ugly and start anew with great abandon and celebrate the event by playing uplifted and mace in hand, looking fierce and yet humble. One had the strange feeling that Lord Hanuman might suddenly lower His face and with colors. smile at the devotees who came for the evening aarti at the Mandir. Late afternoon and the hours after dinner were filled with almost non-stop music performances given by masters of various forms of art. They ranged from impressive vocalists who astounded the audience with their beautiful repertories to dancers whose skillful movements Holi also points out the season of spring where everything is fresh and new. kept the audience spellbound on the edges of their seats to instrumentalists whose nimble fingers brought the shimmering notes to life. The No matter what LIFE has to offer, one can always have a delightful attitude. scope and diversity of the artists’ talent was breathtaking, especially as many of them came from the heart of Chinmaya Mission. Just as the May HIS grace be upon you and may your life become a HOLI festival, beginning of our journey was like something out of a fairy tale, the end of it was something of a miracle. On the day we were to leave, we full of colors. This alone is HOLY life. packed or bags and loaded them in the car. As we rattled along the internal roads of Chinmaya Vibhooti toward the gate, we gazed out the window at the mountains, seeking to imprint them in our memories. When we reached the gate, we saw that there were two young CHYKs, a boy and a girl, waiting there. They had been waiting there two hours for a bus that had yet to arrive. They asked us if they could ride in our RECIPE FOR HOLI car, as they both had destinations they had to reach and could not afford to wait any longer for the bus. At first, we were reluctant to accommodate them, thinking that the car would become too crowded. Eventually though, we decided to help them out. With all six of us Wake up, brush, put on your clothes packed into the car, we continued along the bumpy mountain roads. and go outside We are now convinced that there is something in the air of Vibhooti that allows for miracles. While the driver of the car had no idea how to reach the ashram that we were traveling to, the CHYKS that were traveling with us did. The girl knew only how to reach the city of Use colors to play, Kolwan, where the ashram was located. She directed us through the tangle of roads to Kolwan, where she went on her way. At that point, we we all have fun! still didn’t know where exactly the ashram was located. Interestingly, the boy, who hadn’t known the way into the city but who knew the way to the ashram, was able to show us the way. After we were safely settled at the ashram, we marveled at our luck. If we hadn’t picked up the Put colors on people's faces and their two CHYKs at the gate, we could still be wandering around the city, totally lost. It was, as we thought of it, Chinmaya Vibhooti’s parting message to us: help others, and the kindness will return to you. clothes, whoever you know

Just make sure you have fun!

The point of putting colors on people is to show them we are all one

Now people know that we are all the same!

Yuvraj (Grade 3) & Anirudh Rao (Grade 2) Have you ever wondered “Why do we touch feet of elders?” In Hindu culture, respect for elders is shown by prostrating to them or touching their feet. Elders in turn bless us. We not only touch the feet of our parents but other elder relatives such as older brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts, teachers, saints and other noble souls. We might do so on a daily basis and “We stand as one family, also on special occasions like birth - bound to each other with love and respect.” days, weddings, graduation, festivals, ANJALI MADHOK (Grade 9) etc. When we bow down and pros - trate we are showing respect to the We say these words on a weekly basis, but do we ever consider their age, maturity, wisdom, and divinity actual meaning? To me, the line is a reflection of how much I feel at home at that the elders stand for. It is a way of the center, and how Balvihar is, in fact, an extension of my family. Hopefully showing our gratitude to all that they the rest of you feel the same way. do for us, their selfless love and As an only child, I like to think of my siblings and cousins as the kindness towards us. The gesture of other kids who are a part of Chinmaya Mission. When I was younger, I had ‘touching feet’ signifies a strong family aunties and uncles of the Mission constantly looking out for me, and many of bond and has been a part of Hindu the adults here have had as much of an influence on me as my parents have. family tradition since ancient times. The words “bound to each other with love and respect” especially rings true You will hear references to it in to me. Swami Chinmayananda put this line in the pledge for a reason. He Ramayana and as well. wanted us to feel as though we are a tight-knit community, because if we (Swamini Vimalananda didn’t, how else would we accomplish anything? & RadhikaKrishnaKumar, 2008) I feel the most comfortable with kids at Balvihar because they are going through the same things as me. Whether it’s poking fun at our parents’ accents or gushing over our mutual love for matar paneer that no friend at school can share, my friends at Balvihar are some of the most relatable and easiest to talk to. We are truly bound to each other with love and respect, be - cause everyone at the center is so non-judgmental. We are all, more or less, in the same boat here. When I was told that I would be giving a speech on a quote by Swami Chinmayananda today, I hardly felt nervous at all, because speaking in front of you guys, to me, is the equivalent of speaking in front of my family. If you have any such burning So the next time you robotically recite the pledge at the closing of questions that you would like assembly, I challenge you to put a little life into it, and contemplate the to ask, send us the questions meaning of the words, because they illustrate what the Mission is really and we will try to explore one in each newsletter. made of: one big family.

Please email submissions & suggestions to the CMTCPrabhat Newsletter Team CMTCPRABHAT@ gmail.com CMTCPRABHAT is a bi-monthly publication

Hari Om from your Editorial Team: Tara Dev • Sayali Jahagirdar • Rajan Jhanjee • Manu Madhok WEBSITE: www.chinmaya-twincities.org