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The Vedanta Society of St. Louis Swami Chetanananda – Minister and Spiritual Teacher RAMAKRISHNA ORDER OF INDIA July-August 2019 Sunday Services 10:30 a.m. July 7 Early Years of St. Louis Vedanta (video) By First Vedanta Students (1939-1957) 14 Reminiscences of Holy Mother and Swami Brahmananda (video) Swami Bhuteshananda 21 Teachings of Ramakrishna Swami Nirakarananda 28 The Message of the Bhagavad Gita (video) Swami Swananda August 4 Reminiscences of Ramakrishna’s Monastic Disciples (video) Swami Bhuteshananda 11 Satsang Swami Nishpapananda and Swami Nirakarananda 18 How to Cope with Dryness in Spiritual Life (video) Swami Prabuddhananda 25 Reminiscences of Swamis Shivananda and Vijnanananda (video) Swami Lokeswarananda Special Event 10:30 a.m. July 4, Thurs. Vivekananda Festival (205 S. Skinker) Chanting, meditation, symposium, music. Lunch 12:45 p.m No Classes Tuesday or Thursday (Summer Break) Membership in the Society is open to all who accept Vedantic teachings. The Society maintains a rental library for members and stocks books for sale. www.vedantastl.org YouTube: VedantaSTL ALL ARE WELCOME More Than Anyone Else Mother always wanted to feed her children with good items. The first devotee to arrive got the best things, the next got the best of what remained during his turn and so on. Every one was happy and felt that Mother ‘loved him more than anyone else.’ The same love and unbounded affection of Mother to every devotee would sometimes reveal a unique experience in their minds. Nalini Babu tells: “I went one day with Shyamdas Goswami of Beldihar to see Mother. The moment we saw her, she said, ‘Oh, how much distance you have walked! How many difficulties you have faced! First, take some water!’ Keeping both of us near her, she fed us with puffed rice and sandesh. In the noon, fifteen of us sat together for our meal. Mother herself served food and I felt she was feeding me with special items. Though I was happy about the partiality, I was a little embarassed. After food, when I discussed my feeling with others, I found that every one was having the same experience — every one felt that Mother had taken special care of them!” — The Compassionate Mother Sri Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Tanmayananda, p. 171 .

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Conversations with Swami Turiyananda
CONVERSATIONS WITH SWAMI TURIYANANDA Recorded by Swami Raghavananda and translated by Swami Prabhavananda (This month's reading is from the Jan.-Feb., 1957 issue of Vedanta and the West.) The spiritual talks published below took place at Almora in the Himalayas during the summer of 1915 in the ashrama which Swami Turiyananda had established in cooperation with his brother-disciple, Swami Shivananda. During the course of these conversations, Swami Turiyananda describes the early days at Dakshineswar with his master, Sri Ramakrishna, leaving a fascinating record of the training of an illumined soul by this God-man of India. His memories of life with his brother-disciples at Baranagore, under Swami Vivekananda’s leadership, give a glimpse of the disciplines and struggles that formed the basis of the young Ramakrishna Order. Above all, Swami Turiyananada’s teachings in the pages that follow contain practical counsel on many aspects of religious life of interest to every spiritual seeker. Swami Turiyananda spent most of his life in austere spiritual practices. In 1899, he came to the United States where he taught Vedanta for three years, first in New York, later on the West Coast. By the example of his spirituality he greatly influenced the lives of many spiritual aspirants both in America and India. He was regarded by Sri Ramakrishna as the perfect embodiment of that renunciation which is taught in the Bhagavad Gita Swami Shivananda, some of whose talks are included below, was also a man of the highest spiritual realizations. He later became the second President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
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Christian and Hindu Swami Ranganathananda Moulding Our
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Sri Ramakrishna & His Disciples in Orissa
Preface Pilgrimage places like Varanasi, Prayag, Haridwar and Vrindavan have always got prominent place in any pilgrimage of the devotees and its importance is well known. Many mythological stories are associated to these places. Though Orissa had many temples, historical places and natural scenic beauty spot, but it did not get so much prominence. This may be due to the lack of connectivity. Buddhism and Jainism flourished there followed by Shaivaism and Vainavism. After reading the lives of Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and direct disciples we come to know the importance and spiritual significance of these places. Holy Mother and many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had great time in Orissa. Many are blessed here by the vision of Lord Jagannath or the Master. The lives of these great souls had shown us a way to visit these places with spiritual consciousness and devotion. Unless we read the life of Sri Chaitanya we will not understand the life of Sri Ramakrishna properly. Similarly unless we study the chapter in the lives of these great souls in Orissa we will not be able to understand and appreciate the significance of these places. If we go on pilgrimage to Orissa with same spirit and devotion as shown by these great souls, we are sure to be benefited spiritually. This collection will put the light on the Orissa chapter in the lives of these great souls and will inspire the devotees to read more about their lives in details. This will also help the devotees to go to pilgrimage in Orissa and strengthen their devotion.
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Why I Became a Hindu
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2021 2020 2021
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