1 TheVedanta Kesari November 2019 1 11 The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta The Dawn of a New India 1 A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly `15 November of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914 2019 2 Gurdwara Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib, Pakistan (birth place of Guru Nanak) Guru Nanak Jayanti Swami Vijnanananda and 12 November 2019 the Ramakrishna Order Swami Balabhadrananda ‘He who eats what he earns through his earnest labour and from his hand gives An Ancient Vedic Institution Dr. Chithra Madhavan something in charity; he alone, O Nanak, knows the true way of life.’ ‘When mind becomes polluted by sins, it is washed by colouring it with His name.’ ‘Man obtains the human body as a result of good deeds, but he reaches the gate of salvation with God’s kind grace.’ -- Guru Nanak Regd. Off. & Fact. : Plot No.88 & 89, Phase - II, Sipcot Industrial Complex, Ranipet - 632 403, Tamil Nadu. Phone : 04172 - 244820, 651507, PRIVATE LIMITED Editor: SWAMI MAHAMEDHANANDA (Manufacturers of Active Pharmaceutical Tele Fax : 04172 - 244820 Ingredients and Intermediates) E-mail : [email protected] Published by SWAMI VIMURTANANDA, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - 600 004 and Web Site : www.svisslabss.net Printed by B. Rajkumar, Chennai - 600 014 on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed at M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014. Website: www.chennaimath.org E-mail: [email protected] 3 106th THE VEDANTA KESARI YEAR OF PUBLICATION A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of The Ramakrishna Order NOVEMBER Vol. 106, No. 11 2019 CONTENTS ISSN 0042-2983 o y S e ov C r r 11t Swachh Mangaluru Abhiyan for Swachh Bharath Swami Ekagamyananda 35 15 Swami Vijnanananda and FEATURES Reminiscences of Sargachhi the Ramakrishna Order 7 Swami Suhitananda Swami Balabhadrananda 8 Yugavani 9 EditorialĀtmārpaṇastuti An Ancient Vedic Institution 27 Vivekananda Way 125th Anniversary of Dr. Chithra Madhavan 41 Book Reviews Chicago Addresses: 43 Pariprasna Concluding Programme 45 Topical Musings ve 48 What is Religion? s 53 The Order on the March N ti d ra e ar l l e 33 24 h s i C Poorva: Magic, Miracles Shiva’s Demon and the Mystical Twelve Gitanjali Murari Lakshmi Devnath P oc ke T l t e 31 25 a s Editor: SWAMI MAHAMEDHANANDA Published by SWAMI VIMURTANANDA, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed by B. Rajkumar, Chennai - 600 014 on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust, Chennai - 600 004 and Printed at M/s. Rasi Graphics Pvt. Limited, No.40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600014. Website: www.chennaimath.org E-mail: [email protected] TheVedanta Kesari The Vedanta Kesari Dear Readers, is one of the oldest cultural and spiritual magazines in the Brahmavadin Brahmavadin country. Started under the guidance and support of Swami Vivekananda, the first issue of the magazine, then called , came out on 14 Sept 1895. was run by one of Swamiji’s ardent followers Sri Alasinga Perumal. After his death in 1909 The Vedanta Kesari the magazine publication became irregular, and stopped in 1914 whereupon the Ramakrishna Order revived it as . ‘Now I am bent upon starting the journal.’ Swami Vivekananda’s concern for the magazine is seen in his letters to Alasinga ‘Herewith I send a hundred dollars…. Hope this will go just a little in Perumal where he writes: starting your paper.’ ‘I am determined to see the paper succeed.’ ‘The November 2019 Song of the Sannyasin is my first contribution for your journal.’ ‘I 4 learnt from your letter the bad financial state that Brahmavadin is in.’ ‘It must be supported by the Hindus if they have any sense of virtue or gratitude left in them.’ ‘I pledge myself to maintain the paper anyhow.’ ‘The Brahmavadin is a jewel—it must not perish. Of course, such a paper has to be kept up by private help always, and we will do it.’ The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta For the last 105 years, without missing a single issue, the magazine has been carrying the invigorating message of Vedanta with articles on spirituality, culture, philosophy, youth, personality development, science, holistic living, family and corporate values. Over the years, production and publication costs have gone up manifold. 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We need around 600 OUTREACH DONORS sponsors annually. Sponsorship for one page November 2019 in one issue: ` 1000/- A Devotee ` 10000 ` 600 5 , Chennai Viswanathan R, ChennaiVK FOR STUDENTS Outreach Gift A Devotee, Chennai ` 10000 To spread the message of Ramakrishna- Dharam Vir Seth, Dehradun ` 8500 Vivekananda-Vedanta, please gift The Vedanta Dr. Ramachandra R, Mysore ` 900 Kesari to academic/public libraries & influential personalities of your choice or reaching 2239 libraries.... Kesari The Vedanta those selected by us. Contact details for 4 Gift Subscriptions for 1 year: Rs 600/- Contributors: [email protected] Mob. 6374213070 Subscribers: [email protected] VK for Students Phone No. (044) 24621110 To encourage noble conduct, we are offering ECO-FRIENDLY Trees are the life-breath of a complimentary copy of VK to students (class our world. 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After any donation please e-mail transaction details to : [email protected] The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta a) In the e-mail / covering letter please mention purpose of payment: VK Subscription / VK Patron / VK Permanent Fund / VK Sponsor a Page / VK Outreach Gift / VK for Students. b) Kindly mention your postal address and contact number. c) Please give your PAN Number for donations `10,000 and above. d) All donations are exempt from Income Tax under section 80G of the [Indian] I.T.Act, 1961. You can subscribe to The Vedanta Kesari from any month. On your address slip, the number on the left of the first line is your subscription number. Always mention this in your correspondence. If you do not receive your copy by the 15th of a month, please intimate us. Complaints reaching us before this or after one month (two months for overseas subscriptions) of posting of the journal are not entertained. Only one complaint copy will be sent in a year. Subscribers facing irregular postal delivery can choose Registered Parcel by paying additional `36/- per issue or opt for digital copy (pdf). Ātmārpaṇastuti Sri Appayya Dikshitendra Sri Appayya Dikshitendra was one of the greatest exponents of advaita. He is said to have lived from 1520 to 1593 CE. One of his numerous works is Atmarpanastuti. It is a very moving work. The story is that once he wanted to test the intensity of his devotion. So, he consumed a datura seed which produces intoxication and asked his disciples to write down all that he spoke in that state. This turned out to be the beautiful Atmarpanastuti in praise of Lord Shiva. In this work he has praised Lord Shiva as the highest among the Trinity. This should not be understood to mean that he was a Shaivite with a bias against Vishnu. He was an advaitin and so madeविष्赁ि ्픾no शङ्करो distinction ि् �赁विवश betweenखरविर्मस Shivaि赁 ि्त㔪र and픾भूवम Vishnu.ः He expresses this November 2019 clearly in these words:न ्सम्कं ित्र ि्दः प्रसरवि वकमव㔪 स㔪ष्टम饍핈िभ्ज्म् । वकनति핀श饍핇षि्ढ्नलकवलिद्ं दुम픾ि핀न्ं दु셁啍酀 भ啍㔤ं 7 रतनो मम्रं न वि भिि赁 ििो विष्赁वि饍핇षशङ्क् ।। ‘Let Vishnu or Shankara be the purport of the words of the Upanishads. We advaitins have no dispute whatsoever on that point. My attempt is only to counter the biased statements of the evil-minded persons whose hearts are burning with the fire of PAGE SPONSOR : KUM.