October 2019 Words to Inspire “Brahman and Shakti Are Inseparable
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Vedanta Society of Toronto (Ramakrishna Mission) 120 Emmett Ave. Toronto, ON M6M 2E6 CANADA Tel.: 416-240-7262; Email: [email protected]; Website: www.vedantatoronto.ca Newsletter October 2019 Words to Inspire “Brahman and Shakti are inseparable. Unless you accept Shakti, you will find the whole universe unreal – ‘I’. ‘you’, house, buildings and family. The world stands solid because the Primordial Energy stands behind it. If there is no supporting pole, no framework can be made, and without the framework there can be no beautiful image of Durga.” --- Sri Ramakrishna Disciple: What ideal should we follow now? such as Kheâl and Tappâ for some time, the people are to Swamiji: You have now to make the character of Mahâvira be accustomed to hear the Dhrupad music. Through the your ideal. See how at the command of Râmachandra he thunder-roll of the dignified Vedic hymns, life is to be crossed the ocean. He had no care for life or death! He was brought back into the country. In everything the austere a perfect master of his senses and wonderfully sagacious. spirit of heroic manhood is to be revived. In following such You have now to build your life on this great ideal of an ideal lies the good of the people and the country. If you personal service. Through that, all other ideals will gradually can build your character after such an ideal, then a manifest in life. Obedience to the Guru without questioning, thousand others will follow. But take care that you do not and strict observance of Brahmacharya — this is the secret swerve an inch from the ideal. Never lose heart. In eating, of success. As on the one hand Hanumân represent the dressing, or lying, in singing or playing, in enjoyment or ideal of service, so on the other hand he represents leonine disease, always manifest the highest moral courage. Then courage, striking the whole world with awe. He has not the only will you attain the grace of Mahâshakti, the Divine least hesitation in sacrificing his life for the good of Rama. Mother. A supreme indifference to everything except the service of Disciple: Sir, at times I am overcome by low spirits, I don't Rama, even to the attainment of the status of Brahmâ and know how. Shiva, the great World-Gods! Only the carrying out of Shri Swamiji: Then think like this: "Whose child am I? I associate Rama's best is the one vow of this life! Such whole-hearted with him and shall I have such weak-mindedness and devotion is wanted. Playing on the Khol and Kartâl and lowness of spirits?" Stamping down such weakness of mind dancing in the frenzy of Kirtana has degenerated the whole and heart, stand up, saying, "I am possessed of heroism — people. They are, in the first place, a race of dyspeptics — I am possessed of a steady intellect — I am a knower of and if in addition to this they dance and jump in that way, Brahman, a man of illumination." Be fully conscious of your how can they bear the strain? In trying to imitate the highest dignity by remembering, "I am the disciple of such and such Sâdhana, the preliminary qualification for which is absolute who is the companion-in-life of Shri Ramakrishna, the purity, they have been swallowed in dire Tamas. In every conqueror of lust and wealth." This will produce a good district and village, you may visit, you will find only the sound effect. He who has not this pride has no awakening of of the Khol and Kartâl! Are not drums made in the country? Brahman within him. Haven't you heard Râmprasâd's song? Are not trumpets and kettle-drums available in India? Make He used to say, "Whom do I fear in the world, whose the boys hear the deep-toned sound of these instruments. sovereign is the Divine Mother!" Keep such a pride always The Damaru (An hour-glass-shaped drum, held in Shiva's awake in the mind. Then weakness of mind and heart will hand.) and horn have to be sounded, drums are to be no longer be able to approach you. Never allow weakness beaten so as to raise the deep and martial notes, and with to overtake your mind. Remember Mahavira, remember the "Mahavira, Mahavira" on your lips and shouting "Hara, Divine Mother! And you will see that all weakness, all Hara, Vyom, Vyom", the quarters are to be reverberated. cowardice will vanish at once. The music which awakens only the softer feelings of man is From the Diary of a Disciple Shri Sharat Chandra to be stopped now for some time. Stopping the light tunes Chakravarty – Place Belur Math, Year 1901. KARMA YOGA ACTIVITIES It is a great opportunity to provide your services to the Vedanta Society of Toronto. Kindly come forward and volunteer time towards maintaining and managing the facilities. If interested in volunteering, kindly contact Abhijit Bhattacharya on 416- 569-9401, indicating the Services that you are interested in and days you can be available for volunteering. THANK YOU!! God is Everything -Swami Sarvagatananda Sarvam khalvidam Brahma Divine Mother. His experiences help all of us to move One day, Hriday asked Sri Ramakrishna why he spoke up, step by step. Brahman is all-pervasive, in between only about God. The latter replied ‘Because there is and beyond. nothing else!’ On another occasion, Sri Ramakrishna As Sri Krishna explains [Gita XV.16-18], Brahman has said, “When one sees everything filled with God alone, two aspects – the conditioned and the unconditioned. It does one see anything else?” It may sound funny to us is the conditioned that appears to be created and because we see everything filled with nothing! God is destroyed. But Brahman, the Supreme Being, is beyond unknown to us. But for Sri Ramakrishna, God is more both these aspects. What It is cannot be communicated than known. For him, not only does God exist, but God in words. This, Sri Ramakrishna explained to is the only true existence. All other things were nothing Vidyasagar, “What Brahman is cannot be described. All for him, in the sense that they are changing and have a things in the world – the Vedas, the Purānas, the beginning and an ending. God is the eternal pure Tantras, the six systems of philosophy – have been substance. God is everything. It is a profound defiled, like food that has been touched by the tongue… awareness and not an external vision. Only one thing has not been defiled in this way, and that As long as we have the notion of internal and external, is Brahman. No one has ever been able to say what we have still retained some of our limited individuality Brahman is.” and so the experience cannot be the highest. We have What wonderful words! Vidyasagar was really thrilled to a beautiful illustration of this in the life of Sri hear them. What God is in reality, we do not know. What Ramakrishna. The form of the Divine Mother, which had we can know, however, is the revelation: Its given him so much wisdom and enlightenment, was still manifestation and expression. The highest expression seen by him as separate from himself. When Tota Puri is in the God-men like Krishna, Jesus, Moses and first arrived at Dakshineswar, he told Sri Ramakrishna others. that he would teach him about something beyond that. At the same time, this does not mean that God is Beyond does not mean something in the sky. Often we something separate from us. Knowing something tend to think in such terms. Here, beyond means implies a distinction between knower and known. We transcendental. After Tota Puri taught him cannot know God because, in essence, we are that contemplation on the Ātman, Sri Ramakrishna had to God. For example, Sri Krishna identifies himself with the remove the name and form of the Mother from his mind. Purushottama– Supreme Being [Gita XV.18]. The When he did that, he entered the pure spiritual realm saints have realized this, and all of us shall also realize and found something all-pervasive. Even when he it in time. We are all seeking That, knowingly or came down from that state to normal consciousness, he unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously. But we saw that Divine light in every soul – in himself and in all have to go through many experiences in this world persons, good, bad and indifferent. He saw something before reaching It. of that which is beyond and which is, at the same time, In the process of seeking, prayer is very effective, for it within and in between. reinforces our awareness. See how intensely Sri Sometimes we hear the objection that meditating on the Ramakrishna prayed to the Divine Mother! He would impersonal and formless aspect of God will hurt one’s say “Reveal Thyself to me. Thou must show Thyself to devotion. But Sri Ramakrishna beautifully reconciled his me; for why else hast Thou created me?” And “While devotion with the new experience. He said that That praying to the Divine Mother, I said ‘O Mother, I don’t which he experienced, and which had given him a wider seek anything else: give me only pure love for Thee’.” vision was the formless aspect of the formful Mother! These two things he used to repeat always – “give me What a masterly interpretation! This is the beauty of Sri pure love for Thee” and “reveal Thyself to me”. We Ramakrishna’s advent. There is no denial or exclusion should not try to imitate Sri Ramakrishna.