Chinmaya-Tej January/February Vol. 24, No.1

Chinmaya mission san Jose PubliCaTion MISSION STATEMENT To provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become a positive contributor to the society.

Chinmaya Lahari

Become the Himalayas

In the heart of the Himalayas lies the sanctum of Reality. To discover and contact this sanctum you will have to become the Himalayas. The girth, the height, the width, the mass of the Himalayas are constituted of motionless vibrancy — life hushed in stone — every square inch of it is pulsating with life, and yet itself the sustainer of life; rock and soil tumbling one over the other, rises into the cloud and stands majestic in still inertia!

Sit down and become the Himalayas. Be an actionless mass, spreading all over, and completely motionless. Let life and its activities emanate from you, on your surface, and get re-absorbed into you —as the forest in the Himalayas. If you can stay thus for ten minutes, you become the Himalayas! And in your core then is the sanctum of the Self!

From the heart of the Himalayas flows the eternal Ganges, gushing perpetually in its sacred water. Realise the centre, this heart, and let activities for the welfare of all others flow out of you into the world all around you. CONTENTS Volume 24, No.1 January/February 2013

From The Editors Desk...... 2 Status of Building Project ...... 3 Chinmaya-Tej ...... 5 Finding the Way ...... 6 The Tenth Pearl ...... 9 Siva ...... 10 Self-Negation or Self-Expansion ...... 13 From Sri Aurobindo ...... 18 A Message ...... 20 Meditation with Talks on Vedanta ...... 22 Bala Vihar Locations & Choir ...... 24 Bhakti Rasamrutam ...... 25 Tapovan Prasad ...... 26 Scheme of Study for Chinmaya Study Groups ...... 27 BalViHar Magazine - Gita Chanting Classes for Children .... 28 Community Outreach program ...... 29 Vedanta Study Groups Adult Sessions ...... 30 Satsangs with Br. Prabodh Chaitanya ...... 30 Prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations ...... 31 Prabodhji's Classes at Sandeepany ...... 31 Swami Tejomayananada’s Itinerary...... 32

PAGE1 FROM THE EDITORS DESK

Tej, is a bi-monthly publication of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. CMSJ is in the process of getting the necessary permits to build the New Facility. The City of San Jose is studying the building drawings and when they are approved we shall begin the construction of our New Building. We are happy to show you some elevation drawings of the projects. We invite you to visit the site when you can. News and events update via e-newsletter on CMSJ web-site is serving our timely announcements. Please keep us updated with your e-mail addresses and send them to [email protected] If you do not hear from us e-mail or Chinmaya Tej, please forward your address and e-mail to me indicated on this page. Chinmaya Tej is also available for viewing on our website. Chinmaya-Tej will be mailed to all Sponsors and Members of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. Send your subscription marked, Chinmaya-Tej, CMSJ, 1050 Park Ave., San Jose, CA 95126.

CHINMAYA TEJ EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR Uma Jeyarasasingam / [email protected] CO-EDITOR Rohini Joshi ELECTRONIC EDITORIAL ADVISOR Satish Joshi CONTRIBUTORS Subbu, Venkatkrishnan, Swami Tapovan, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Swahananda, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Tejomayananda DESIGN & LAYOUT four waters media PRINTING PigMint Press, Redway, CA DATA BASE Kapil Vaish MAILING Autozip, Ukiah, CA CONTACT www.chinmaya.org Ph: (650) 969-4389 Fax: (650)428-1795 status new building

Hari Om and Salutations to the Chinmaya Family! This is an update on the progress of our New Facility over the last few months: With the old church building demolished, the debris cleared out and weather improving, the construction of our new Ashram is now proceeding in full swing.

The following are the key achievements to date: Completed initial grading operations for the first set of retaining walls along the north face and upper slope. Remediated contaminated soil from the site — this is a significant step forward because we did not encounter any other major soil contamination issues! As part of building the foundation, work on laying cement piers is progressing smoothly so far — when this is completed, we would have achieved another significant milestone, that of completing the majority of the underground work. Finally, a month ago, on February 8th, we had a wonderful “Ishti (bricks, precious gems, mantra japas) Sthapana” puja performed by Pt. Ravichandran. On a clear, sunny morning, following a small drizzle, bricks previously consecrated by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda along with other consecrated items were laid in the ground under the proposed location of the new shrine in the facility. The latest pictures

PAGE3 including those from the puja are uploaded for your viewing pleasure at https://plus.google.com/photos/102957925633544515340/ albums/5810906792106576481. In summary, with the Lord's Grace and Pujya Gurudev and Guruji's blessings, the construction phase of our project is progressing as per plan. None of this would have been possible without the wholehearted ongoing support from the entire Chinmaya Mission family. We look forward to your continued support to help us continue to fulfill our financial obligations with the bank. If you would like to make a pledge, please contact Meena Kapadia ([email protected]) or Sanjay Rao ([email protected]). Alternatively, you can donate online by doing the following: 1. Visit our home page at www.chinmaya-sanjose.org 2. Click on New Building Project->Donate->Online 3. Fill out the form and click “Submit”

Thanks a lot! CMSJ Board of Directors

4PAGE Chinmaya ~ Tej

Thank you for asking about Chinmaya Tej. Pujya Gurudev initiated and launched the CMSJ Newsletter in 1988. Later, finding the CMSJ Newsletter to be, in his words, “like a catalog”, i.e., woefully inadequate for the purposes he had in mind, he gave detailed guidelines to transform it into a formal, informative, useful, and high-quality publication. Thus Chinmaya-Tej was born.

The manifold purposes of Tej, as laid out by Gurudev, are as follows: 1. It is the voice of CMSJ. 2. Gurudev wanted CMSJ’s publication to be of high quality and comparable to CMW’s Mananam and other Chinmaya Mission Publications. 3. It is the official publication of CMSJ. When CMSJ was first registered as Non-Profit Organization, there were queries from various government agencies as to whether CMSJ had an official publication, from which they could learn about CMSJ, our history, mission, and values. Tej served that purpose. 4. Tej is CMSJ’s mode of outreach and communication to spiritual seekers beyond those who are able to attend CMSJ’s discourses in person. Extra copies of each issue of Tej are printed so as to be available for new seekers. 5. Gurudev also instructed us to cover Vedanta topics in the Tej. Accordingly, Tej has articles on Vedanta topics for beginners as well as advanced readers.

Other Details about Tej: 1. The annual cost to produce 6 issues of Chinmaya Tej is $21,000. It is paid for by CMSJ’s Annual Membership contributions, Bala Vihar revenues, and general donations. 2. Chinmaya Tej is also available online. Hard copies of Chinmaya Tej are distributed only to members of CMSJ who reside in California.

PAGE5 Finding the Way

While standing near Gomukh, under the high, dazzling snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas, watching nature all around with wonder-struck eyes, there can be no room for worldly thoughts, sorrows, or memories of the past. The mind reaches a state of concentration devoid of all distracting thoughts. It is then steeped in ineffable joy at the sight of the snow, divinely beautiful in its own right, arduous discipline. At Gomukh, one reaches this state without effort. The heavenly bliss that one comes to experience in the midst of natural

TranquiliTy

Tranquillity is truth; truth is beauty; beauty is bliss; and bliss is divinity — this seems to be the lesson preached by each particle of snow, each stone, each petal, and each blade of grass. It is my thirst for the nectar of tranquillity that drives me to wrestle with the difficulties of travel in these inaccessible regions to reach Gomukh every year. Tranquillity is the innate nature of all; it is a self-existent reality. Therefore, there need be no striving to produce it. Abolish agitation and tranquillity reveals itself. Effort is needed not to generate tranquillity, but to banish agitation. The mass of light, the sun’s disc, is concealed by clouds. The clouds need only move away and immediately the solar disc that appeared to be nonexistent reveals itself. Here there is no question of producing the solar disc and making it shine forth. In the same way, with the cessation of agitation, tranquillity rises forth. Tranquillity is experienced in dreamless sleep by everyone alike. Later, there is waking from that state; that is to say, “I” asserts itself for

6PAGE the first time as agent. Then desire begins to operate. Next, the sense organs like the eye and the ear awaken and operate in regard to their objects. Simultaneously crop up attitudes, affirmative or negative, and concepts such as happiness and unhappiness. This ego-sense and the activities engendered by it is known widely as distraction or, in other words, agitation. This transmigratory existence is nothing but the summation of these discrete masses and their operations. The physical organism, transmigratory existence, name, form, distraction, pain, agitation — these are but synonyms denoting one and the same thing. Likewise, tranquillity, truth, beauty, bliss, Self, God, Brahman are but different names of one and the same truth. The source of agitation is well known to be the inner organ that assumes such forms as “I,” “this,” “knower,” “known.” In brief, agitations are the various fabrications of the inner organ and tranquillity is their cessation. Let a tigress roar in front of a sage merged in profound meditation or let a bird sing sweetly before him, his tranquillity is unaffected. Although external objects still surround him, for him they are as good as nonexistent and thus no longer promote agitation. That is why certain teachers have laid it down as a rule that by liquidating not the world created by God, but the world created by man, that is, by undermining the fabrications of the mind of man, tranquillity is attained. The conclusion of all spiritual sciences and of all great sages is that agitation or transmigratory existence is the summation of all possible relations between subject and object; while liberation or tranquillity is the cessation of such relations. When the objective relationships disappear, like the sun with the disappearance of the clouds, the supreme Truth of tranquillity shines forth vividly. Though this ultimate Truth has been indicated in manifold ways by various philosophers, there is no doubt about Its unity. A real difference cannot result from differences in labels or processes of thought. What has been established thus far is that high-souled sages attain that unsurpassed tranquillity untainted by association with a variety of names and forms. Through discipline, they discard the distractions of the mind, sense organs, and body, and thus attain the state of mind that leads to tranquillity. Now arises the question: What is the state of the sages when the body, senses, and mind are functioning? Is theirs a plight of wretchedness full of agitation such as that of the ignorant? Never. In the midst of agitation, they experience, without a break, internal tranquillity. Since the principle of tranquillity always shines forth in their minds, never is tranquillity hidden from them. How can there be darkness

PAGE7 in light? How can there be agitations in tranquillity? Don’t ask how bliss can dwell in pain. When a man stands waist-deep in the cool water of a deep pond in summer when all around it is scorching heat, simultaneously half his body feels the heat while the other half enjoys by ogresses, is said to have experienced, at one and the same time, the torments of hell and, because of her constant recollection of her lord, the quintessence of bliss. Likewise, even sages, impelled by past actions, may not be able to avoid the activities of the sense organs and the mind, as well as the consequent sensations of pain and pleasure. But even in the midst of such deep distraction, the great souls who have firmly realized the essence of tranquillity will continue to experience it without a moments’s break. When we say that the supreme Truth manifests itself or that tranquillity is experienced, we sages remain without the experience of Brahman.” In other words, the minds of the sages take on the form of Brahman, which leaves them not even for the briefest time. To say that Brahman shines forth is the same as saying that the mind assumes the form of Brahman. In the midst of external activities, the mind, no doubt, assumes from moment to moment the forms of objects. Nevertheless, what is extremely difficult to accomplish for an ordinary type of knower is achieved by eminent sages, namely, to keep unaffected their mental grasp on the truth of Brahman. Just as the body-bound souls never miss the experience of the body even in the midst of severest distractions, so the shining forth of Brahman is experienced without any difficulty by the knowers of Brahman. The fact is, it is easier for them to do so. It becomes their very nature. For such sages, who are hardly less than God Himself, and who habitually find themselves on the summit of such experience, there is concentration of mind, both when the mind is restricted and when it operates towards objects. Although the states of concentration and of distraction are both alike to them, it is assumed, from the point of view of duality, that in one state there is apprehension of objects while in the other there is not.

BY SWAMI TAPOVAN (excerpted from Mananam Series, April 1985)

8PAGE The Tenth Pearl

MAKE THE BEST OF OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunity in life comes to everyone of us almost all the time. They come in streams, in hosts and knock at our doors: we are either “out”, or sleeping “in”. Be awake. Be alert. Be prepared to make use of them.

Many are not alert and awake to the opportunities. Some dare not use the opportunity because they imagine the probable difficulties that might arise! Some others start work and begin exploiting the opportunity, but leave it half done when they come face to face with some difficult obstacle. All such people fail in life.

The real men of achievement are people who have the heroism to feel more enthusiasm in their work when they face more and more difficulties.

Your are a sad unproductive person when you see difficulties in every opportunity. You are successful and creative only when you see an opportunity in every difficulty.

Let not the seeds in the grapes spoil your enjoyment; spit them out, one by one!

Swami Chinmayananda

PAGE9 Siva by Swami Chinmayananda Siva, one of the members of the Hindu Trinity, represents the supreme Reality in its aspect of Annihilator, the other two aspects being those of Maintainer (Vishnu) and Creator (Brahma). Siva symbolises constructive destruction in the continuous process of creation, preservation, destruction, and re-creation. The supreme Reality (Brahman) is described as the substratum upon which all creation, sustenance and destruction take place. This continuous chain of creation and destruction maintains the entire universe. The destruction of the morning is the creation of the afternoon; the destruction of the afternoon is the creation of the evening; the destruction of the evening is the creation of the night. As a result of this chain of destruction-creation, day and night is maintained. Siva is married to the goddess Uma, who represents perishable matter (prakriti). The power of destruction is always associated with destructible matter, since this power can manifest only when perishable matter is available. Siva is also known as the eternal Lord of Meditation. With a serenely peaceful countenance, He sits in deep meditation on the top of the world — on Mount Kailas in the Himalayas, facing south. In this aspect, He is known as Dakshinamurti, the dispenser of supreme Knowledge. The term dakshina means “that divine power of subtle perception generated in a fully integrated, pure intellect.” When this dakshina-power flows toward the vasana-conditioned hearts of the disciples, it is said to be “turned southward.” Siva thus assumes the form of a guru and, sitting on the peak of Kailas, turns southward to serve all seekers. The meditating Siva is seen against the background of the snowcapped Himalayas. The white snow represents the absolute purity of His mind. His posture symbolises the ideal of harmony and poise experienced by a realised person. In that state of perfection, He is in total harmony with the external environment and happenings. A seeker who wishes to meditate upon and reach the peak of human perfection must first endeavour to maintain purity of mind, symbolised by snow. An impure and agitated mind cannot concentrate and meditate upon the Truth. Purity of the mind is obtained by practicing a life of harmony in the face of the challenging situations of the world, and by steadily applying oneself thus until one gains subjective poise. The supreme Reality (Brahman) is described as the substratum upon which all creation, sustenance and destruction take place. This continuous chain of creation and destruction maintains the entire universe. The destruction of the morning is the creation of the afternoon; the destruction of the afternoon is the creation of the evening...

10PAGE A life of harmony is attained by rising above one’s limited egocentric view of life and expanding one’s mind so as to accommodate a constant awareness of the totality of the world, the entirety of humankind, and the vastness of the universal problems. A life of harmony brings to one’s heart an inward peace and poise. By consistently living in harmony with the outer world, one gains sufficient poise, and the problems and challenges of life do not affect one at all. Lord Siva sitting in meditation is a figurative representation of an ideal “man of poise” who remains ever unaffected by all surrounding disturbances. A “man of poise” is not to be construed as living a life of idle acceptance of unintelligent surrender to external challenges. On the contrary, such a person is dynamic and serves as the leader of all beings. Drawing inspiration from the dynamic silence within, such a person applies a steady mind in the din and roar of the marketplace. Siva’s eyes are half-closed — they view the outer world with inner wisdom. Closed eyes would represent one wholly introverted and oblivious to the world. Fully open eyes would signify total extrovertedness, Siva’s half-closed eyes, however, indicate that He is fully conscious of the within and the without. He understands the world outside to be only a reflection of the Self within. With this intuitive experience, His actions sing the song of the Self in all transactions in the world. A realised person is one who has conquered the ego and kept it under perfect control. In contrast to such a one, worldly persons are victimised by the demands of the ego. In such people, the ego gains the upper hand, and they become subservient to its whims and fancies. The glory of a “man of perfection” is, therefore, in transcending the ego. This transcendence is symbolised by Siva’s coiling a serpent around his neck as a decoration for His body. The serpent represents the ego. It is used for adorning His personality instead of destroying Him. Siva is said to have a third eye called the jnana caksu (eye of wisdom). With the help of this eye, Siva gains an intuitive vision of the Truth, which is denied to the two eyes of an ordinary mortal. This idea of the third eye is not to be taken literally to mean that a third fleshly organ exists. The intuitive wisdom of Truth is born with perfect integration of the mind and the intellect, that is, when devotion for the Lord blends with subtle contemplation upon the transcendental Truth. Devotion and contemplation are the two limbs which take one to the abode of Truth. When these two combine — that is, when, with an attitude of devotion, a seeker uses intellectual discrimination to penetrate the mysteries of the Truth — a subjective apprehension-experience of the Reality arises in the seeker’s bosom. This is symbolised by the opening of the third eye of wisdom.

PAGE11 When Siva, the arch-yogi among the gods, lays down His trident, He assumes the form of Nataraja, the king of the dancers. His divine dance is the thrilling expression of God realisation by one who has transcended the limitations of the material layers of the personality. It represents the finite exploding into Infinite stature. The three prongs of the trident stand for the three thought textures (gunas, namely sattva (pure and noble), rajas (passionate and agitated) and tamas (dull and inactive). Combinations of these three thought-textures in various permutation determine the different individual personalities. The noble, the ignoble or the indifferent traits in the human character are determined by the varying proportion in which these three constituents are mixed. When the thought-textures areeliminated, one loses one’s individuality and merges with the all-pervading Reality. The laying down of the trident indicates the transcendence of the gunas and the consequent merger of the individual with the Reality. Siva is also known as the God of Austerity (tapas). He is often pictured clad in a deer-skin, His body besmeared with holy ashes, and His long hair matted — all symbols of supreme renunciation. When, as Nataraja, He dances in triumphant frenzy His dance of realizaiton, the tresses loosen, suggesting that the state of realisation transcends austerities. Austerities are only a means — a path to the goal of God-realisation. When one has reached the goal, no need remains to adhere to the means. Siva is represented as carrying the Ganga (Ganges) in his locks. The Ganges stands for spiritual perfection. According to a mythological story, the origin of the Ganges is Akasa-Ganga “Ganges of space”; which was located in the heavens. King Bhagiratha prayed to the Akasa-Ganga to descend to the earth and bless humankind. The prayer was granted. So he implored Lord Siva to receive her torrential flow with His strength, for none else could bear the force of her descent. Siva, accordingly, received the water in His locks and disappeared into the jungle for meditation. The king once again prayed to Siva to release the waters of the holy Ganges for the benefit of the earth. The story goes that the flow of the present Ganges is made up of water trickling from Siva’s locks. Spiritual perfection is beyond intellectual comprehension, which is indicated by the Akasa-Ganga being located in the heavens. In order to obtain it, one must first develop self-control, which Siva proverbially stands for. After intellectually grasping the objective knowledge of the Truth, one has to retire to a quiet place for contemplation upon the knowledge so gained in order to bring about a subjective owning up of the Truth. Thereafter, spiritual Knowledge can be communicated to others only in gradual doses, since others’ power of understanding the abstract knowledge is limited. This idea is indicated by the fact that the Ganges water descends from Siva’s locks in a trickle. A dip in the sacred Ganges, therefore, is considered sacred, for it symbolises that the seeker has cleansed the ego and become one with the Supreme Reality. g

12PAGE SELF-

NEGATION or SELF- EXPANSION

by Swami Swahananda (Mananam Series, July 1988) How to sublimate the ego by negation or expansion is a question that perplexes many. Sri Ramakrishna said in various contexts that a devotee should practice humility. He should pray to the Lord that he has no spiritual virtues, that his only hope is divine grace. Swami Vivekananda, on the other hand, spoke of the glory of the human soul and said that self-confidence and positive thoughts should always be cultivated. He said that whoever does not believe in himself is an atheist. To quote Sri Ramakrishna: If you wish to thread a needle, make the thread pointed and remove all protruding fibers. Then it will easily pass through the eye of the needle. So, if you wish to concentrate your heart and soul on God, be meek, humble and poor in spirit and remove all the spreading filaments of desire. To become great one must be humble. The nest of the skylark is on the earth below, but it soars high into the sky. High ground is not fit for cultivation; low ground is necessary, so that the water may stand on it. Rainwater will never stand still on high ground, but will run down to the lowest level; even so the mercy of God remains in the heart of the lowly, but drains off from those of the vain and proud. Unless one becomes simple as a child, one cannot reach divine illumination. It is needful to have no egotistical feeling, such as the conceit of a preacher. The tree laden with fruit always bends low. So if you wish to be great, be lowly and meek. Be as free from vanity as the dead leaf carried on by the high wind. But this humility should not be for show.

PAGE13 Many a man with a show of humility says, “I am like an earthwork groveling in the dust.” In this way, thinking themselves always to be worms, in time they become weak in spirit like worms. Let not despondence ever enter into your heart. Despair is the greatest enemy in the path of progress. As a man thinks, so he becomes. Swami Vivekananda forcefully stressed that need for self-expansion by extending the ego to embrace the whole of creation. This can be done if we are aware of the all-powerful nature of the Self. So he said: The old religions said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is an atheist who does not believe in himself. Have faith that you are all born to do great things. Let not the barks of puppies frighten you, no not even the thunderbolts of heaven, but stand up and work. What makes you weep, my friend? In you is all power. Summon up your all-powerful nature, O mighty one, and this universe will lie at your feet. It is the Self alone that predominates, and no matter. It is those foolish people who identify themselves with their bodies that piteously cry: “We are weak.” Vedanta recognizes no sin, it only recognizes error; and the greatest error, says Vedanta, is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and cannot do this and that ... Manifest the divinity within you, and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it. Sri Ramakrishna too said: The faith-healers order their patients to repeat with full conviction the words: “There is no illness here at all.” The patients repeat them, and this mental suggestion helps to drive off the disease. So if you think yourself to be morally weak, you will actually become so in a short time. Know and believe that you are of immense power and the power will come to you at the last. He warns us that humility should not be confused with weakness or want of self-respect. a sense of self-respect. Others are men only in name. Sri Ramakrishna distinguishes between the two types of ego, saying: There are two types of ego, the “ripe” and the “unripe.” “Nothing is mine, whatever I see, or feel, or hear, nay even this body itself is not mine; I am always eternal, free and all-knowing.” Such ideas arise from the “ripe” ego. “This is my house, this is my child, this is my wife, this is my body.” thoughts of this kind are the manifestation of the “unripe” ego. Humility and Self-Confidence.

14PAGE While the unripe ego must be given up, the ripe ego can be retained. As for humility and pride, Sri Ramakrishna beautifully said: No pride is pride that expresses the glory of the soul. No humility is humility that humiliates the self. These two attitudes regarding the ego are practiced by followers of different yogas. The age-old method of the devotee is to control the ego by abasing himself, speaking disparagingly about his own qualities, and surrendering himself to God. The follower of the path glorious nature and tries to imbibe its qualities. He rejects the idea of defects in the soul and asserts they are only of the body and the mind. An interesting remark was made by Girish Chandra Ghosh, the great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. Commenting on the extreme humility of Nag Mahashay, another devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, he said that extreme humility, Nag Mahashay’s ego became so small, he slipped right through Her noose. Swami Vivekananda, on the other hand, was too big to be bound by the rope, for he identified himself with the infinite Self. The difference here is between two types of self, one with a small not different from Brahman and so is all-powerful. The bhakti yogis consider themselves as an individual self who is part of servant of the all powerful Lord. They never think that they are themselves all powerful, all their strength comes from complete dependence on the Lord. social value. People practicing this identification with the Self are apt to imbibe great confidence and courage, solace, and succor from it. As William James said after hearing Swami Vivekananda’s lecture An Absolute One, and I that One, surely we have here a religion which, emotionally considered, has a high pragmatic value; it imparts the sum total of security. There was an historical reason too for Swami Vivekananda to place so much stress on this idea. During the last few centuries the people of India had been weighed down by the feeling of their own utter

PAGE15 unworthiness. In the social field this had a very debasing effect. Swamiji tried to raise Indians from lethargy and the humiliation of considering themselves useless. But this idea is useful to many in other countries also. Such a positive attitude is psychologically very beneficial too. Many religious psychologists preach this idea nowadays. The practice of humility is an age-old method followed by devotees throughout the world. Repent and you will be pardoned is the method of this teaching. God is not realizable by any amount of spiritual practices. It is His grace that is all-powerful, and surrender is the best way to attain it. Moreover, who can claim that he has spiritual strength enough to get liberation ? An awareness of one’s weakness and failings is present in every man, and one who fully recognizes them surrenders to God. It is on this principle that the idea of confession grew in Christianity. The quality of humility has been stressed in all devotional schools. Some Western writers and holy men have praised it in the following words:

The doctrines of grace humble man without degrading, and exalt without inflating him ~ Charles Hodge

Let me truly feel that in myself I am nothing, and at once, through every inlet of my soul, God comes in, and is everything in me. ~ W. Mounford

Should you ask me, what is the first thing in religion? I should reply, the first, second, and third thing therein, nay, all is humility. ~ St. Augustine

God walks with the humble, he reveals himself to the lowly; he gives understanding to the little ones; he discloses his meaning to pure mind, but hides his grace from the envious and proud. ~ Thomas A. Kempis

Self-centeredness is a great bane in human life. Counteracting it with an attitude of humility is surely beneficial for people who suffer from pride. Positing the glories of the Self will be very useful for those who are burdened with a feeling of incompleteness and inferiority. Both attitudes are philosophically satisfying from the standpoints of nondualism and theism. Emotionally too, they are beneficial to different temperaments. Whichever method is followed will be a boon to the individual as well as to society.

16PAGE PAGE17 Hard is it to be in the world, free, yet living the life of ordinary men; but because it is hard, therefore it must be attempted and accomplished. The love of solitude is a sign of the disposition toward knowledge; but knowledge itself is only achieved when we have a settled perception of solitude in the crowd, in the battle, and in the mart. Asceticism is no doubt very healing, a cave very peaceful, and the hill-tops wonderfully pleasant; nevertheless do thou act in the world as God intended thee. You must remain and grow always more and more deeply quiet and still both in yourself and in your attitude to is likely to go on progressing and enlarging itself with a minimum of trouble and disturbance. You must gather yourself within more firmly. If you disperse yourself constantly and go out of the inner circle, you will constantly move about in the pettiness of the ordinary outer nature and under the influences to which it is open. Learn to live within, to act always from within, from a constant communion with [God]. You must persist and establish the habit of living in your inner being, which is your true being, and of looking at everything from there. There is no disturbance in the depths of the ocean, but above these is the joyous thunder of its shouting and its racing shoreward; so is it with the liberated soul in the midst of violent action. The soul does not act; it only breathes out from itself overwhelming action.

Sri Aurobindo

18PAGE SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA

PAGE19 Think Big! Act Wisely! Show Results! We are all faced with various problems in life. At the individual level, there may be problems related to health, emotions, relationships, marriage, children, career, coping with death, and so on. At the national level, there are problems of poverty, unemployment, social unrest, illiteracy, corruption, etc. These problems often bring us sorrow and pain. Yet, if we analyse them honestly we will find that their root cause is almost entirely a lack of proper thinking and acting. When not handled properly, our wrong thoughts lead to a defective vision of the world and a very chaotic relationship with it. As a result, we have false expectations and disappointments at every step. If we can only improve our thinking, we can mend our homes and make the world a better place to live in. But alas! Many choose to suffer rather than to think! They get caught up in the mesh of wrong thinking, often coloured by prejudices and narrow mindedness.

Think big! That which is needed foremost from modern youth is right thinking, leading to a clear vision of life. We should remove all the barriers of pettiness and THINK BIG! Big things are achieved in the world, first, by daring to conceive them in our mind. Man dared to think that he could fly like a bird -- and the first flying machine was invented! He dared to think that he could reach the moon, and lo! Man landed on the far away moon! Nothing is impossible for the one who thinks so. Our thoughts alone bind us and make us small, and thoughts alone can free us. Break this bondage of narrow, limiting thoughts and Think Big! To think big means not only to think as an individual but as a nation as well. Think what will be beneficial to the nation, what will bring about the national good. When Pujya Gurudev learnt the scriptures from his Teacher, he thought of how he could pass on this man-making Knowledge to all people of the nation and to the entire world. This is called “Thinking Big.” Swami Vivekananda used to spend restless nights in America thinking of the welfare of India and the world. Even as a child, Samarth Ramdas Swami was thinking of the Universal Good.

20PAGE Act Wisely! After “thinking big” through proper vision, one should then strive hard to ACT WISELY! As Pujya Gurudev said, “plan out your work and work out you plan”. To act wisely is to act with proper understanding and good attitude. This is presented very beautifully in the following famous serenity prayer by Reinhold Biebuhr: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” For example, Sri Rama knew which situation to accept as it was and which to take action against. Without complaint or mental agitation, he accepted his exile in the forest for fourteen years as the call of Dharma, but when Sitaji, his wife, was kidnapped by the wicked king, Ravana, Rama put forth effort to collect an army and attack Ravana in order to get her back.

Show Results! Keeping the head calm and balanced, one should act efficiently to SHOW RESULTS! Let the results be seen in the transformation of our personality. We should strive to become a better human being. Our purity, efficiency and wisdom should steadily grow. The result of our work should also be seen in our environment. The team of people with whom we work should become integrated and happy. The work should lead to harmony, beauty, and prosperity in the society. This year will give us an opportunity to harness our inner potential. This is an opportunity to learn to break all barriers in our thinking. THINKING BIG. This is an opportunity to learn the secret of right action. ACT WISELY. Finally, this is an opportunity to be inspired and achieve greatness in the world within and without. SHOW RESULTS. May the New Year bless you with all three. We can! WE Must! And we Will!

excerpted from message for the National CHYK 2000 Convention by Pujya Swamiji Tejomayananda

PAGE21 Chinmaya Mission San Jose — 2013 Class Schedule MEDITATION WITH TALKS ON VEDANTA

Saturday / 6:30-8:00am / Sandeepany Ashram Guided Meditation & Mandukya Upanishad Brahman is the only Reality. Nothing else is real. All the Universe, consisting of the evershining Sunday, moon and stars, is a dream - a long, long dream. How can this everlasting Universe perceived in the waking state be a dream? In the great Mandukya Karika, the illustrious Seer and Acharya, Sri Gaudapada tries to answer this question. The Karikas explain clearly and proves with various inferences and logic that this Universe is nothing but a dream.

Saturday / 1:30pm-3pm / Fremont BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 6, Yoga of Meditation The Lord teaches the path of meditation by which one can attain the highest possibilities in life. To a true seeker, a thorough study of this chapter is sufficient direction and guidance to attain the highest through meditation.

Saturday / 4:30pm-6pm / San Ramone BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 2, Yoga of Knowledge. Chapter two of the Gita titled Sankhya Yoga is essentially a summary of entire Bhagavad Gita wherein three main topics are covered: Knowledge of Self, Preparation required for gaining Self Knowledge and Characteristics of Man of Realization.

Sunday / 9am-10am / San Jose BV Location Bhagavad Gita - Ch. 16: Yoga of Divine and Devilish Qualities. This chapter elaborates on the two different types of personalities that covers all of beings: jivas with Daivi sampatti and jivas with Asuri and Rakshasi sampatti. The main theme of this chapter is to address the concerns of a seeker as to what qualities to adopt (divine) and what qualities to give up (devilish, or not so divine).

Sunday / 10:30-11:30am / San Jose BV Location Discourses on Atma Bodha. Bhagavan Shankaracharyaji expounds on the nature of the Self and the means to attain realiSaturdayion whereby one can be free from the cycle of birth and death.

Monday / 10am-11:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Discourses on Sri Ramacaritamanas of Sri Goswami Tulasidas. One of the most popular texts of Hindu Philosophy is the Ramayana wherein we learn about the life, trials and tribulations of the Lord, Sri Rama and His Beloved Consort Sita. Dive deep into the manasa lake of exploits of Lord Rama and discover your true Lord within.

22PAGE Wednesday / 10am-11:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Kathopanishad: Dialogue with Death revealing the Truth about the Self. Nachiketa deMondaystrates the qualifications of an ideal student and his dispassion for the world which makes him fit for the Self Knowledge. Lecture follow Wednesday by guided meditation.

Tuesday & Thursday / 6:30am-7:30am / Sandeepany Ashram Brahma Sutra: Brahma Sutras constitute the central text of Vedanta Philosophy. The Vedanta doctrines enshrined in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, etc. are summarized in the Brahma Sutras. These are also known as Vedanta Sutras, the Sutras that give exposition of Brahman as revealed by the Vedas.

Tuesday & Thursday / 7:30pm-8:30pm / Sandeepany Ashram The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is the greatest of the Upanishads by its size as well as substance. The six chapters are divided into three kandas which deal with upadesha, upapathi or exposition and meditation.

SANDEEPANY ASHRAM 1050 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126 SAN JOSE BV LOCATION Lincoln High School, 555 Dana Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126 FREMONT BV LOCATION Washington High School, 38442 Fremont Blvd.,Fremont, CA 94536 SAN RAMON BV LOCATION California High School, 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583

HOME SATSANG WITH BR. PRABODH CHAITANYA 1st Friday of each month / 8pm - 9pm TEXT: Sat Darshanam Kirtida and Kamlesh Ruparel’s Residence 20668 Seaton Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070 / Ph: 408-867-9550 2nd Friday of each month TEXT: Chandogya Upanishad, Ch 6 Geetha & Sanjay Rao’s Residence 22314 Cupertino Road, Cupertino, CA 95014 / Ph: 408-863-0595 3rd Friday of each month TEXT: Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2 Sweta & Jnana Dash’s Residence 6789 Glenview Drive, San Jose, CA 95120 / Ph: 408-268-5056

ALL CLASSES AND MEDITATION SESSIONS ARE FREE Please visit www.chinmaya-sanjose.org for more information.

PAGE23 BALA VIHAR LOCATIONS 20112012 FREMONT Washington High School 38442, Fremont Blvd. Saturdays: 1:30 pm CONTACT: Lakshmi Prakash / (510) 490-1266 SAN RAMON California High School 9870 Broadmoor Drive/San Ramon, CA 94583 Saturdays: 4:30 pm CONTACT: Meena Kapadia / (925) 680-7037 SAN JOSE Lincoln High School 555 Dana Avenue, San Jose Sunday: Session I-9:00am, Session II-10:30am, Session III-11:45 am CONTACT: Uma / (650) 969-4389

SHIVA ABHISHEKA & PUJA AT SANDEEPANY SAN JOSE CONDUCTED BY MISSION MEMBERS Time: 7:30-8:30 pm / Every 2nd Monday of the month

SWARANJALI YOUTH CHOIR SAN JOSE Choir sessions are held every alternate Sundays between 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. VENUE: Sandeepany / San Jose TEACHERS: Prema Sriram, Jaya Krishnan, and Jayashree Ramkumar CONTACT: Prema Sriram: [email protected] Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Prema at the address above.

SAN RAMON Choir sessions are held once every two weeks, Saturdays at 2:00pm - 3:00pm VENUE: California High School 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583 TEACHER: Shailaja Dixit / Contact: Shailaja at (925) 309-4837 Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Shailaja at the above number.

FREMONT Choir is held weekly on Saturdays, 12 noon - 1:00 pm VENUE: Washington High School / Fremont TEACHERS: Natana Valiveti and Rajashri Iyengar CONTACT: Natana at [email protected] Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or musicians may please contact Natana at the above address.

24PAGE Bhakti Rasamrutam (The sweet essence of Devotion)

Swaranjali, Chinmaya Youth Choir, has produced 10 CDs containing 100 Bhajans, glorifying the Lord in many Indian Languages. The Bhajans are rendered by 15 students of Swaranjali, with devotion, an offering to the Lord as their contribution to the New Building Project. Choir participants who sang on the Bhaktirasamrutam album were trained by Prema Sriram, Jaya Krishnan and Jayshree Ramkumar. The CD is entitled, Bhakti Rasamrutam, the sweet essence of Devotion. All details on this CD are posted on our web-site, chinmaya-sanjose.org. This is a rare gift which is very inspirational and uplifting. The proceeds from the CDs will add to our Fund-raising efforts. Thanks to all who contributed their time and talents to the production of the CD.

PAGE25 Our thanks to all our Sponsor families who have continued to support us for many years and to all Member families who have found our programs to benefit their children thereby supporting us. We have room for more Sponsors and Members. Please invite your friends to join the larger Chinmaya Family of the Bay Area.

CMSJ SPONSORSHIP ...... Annual Contribution $500 CMSJ MEMBERSHIP ...... Annual Contribution $200 Chinmaya - Tej...... Annual CT Sponsors $300 Chinmaya - Tej...... Annual Subscription $50 (Receive Chinmaya-Tej only)

TAPOVAN PRASAD

A MONTHLY SPIRITUAL OF CHINMAYA MISSION WORLDWIDE

Published by Chinmaya Chinmaya Mission Worldwide It is Internationally acclaimed Publication filled with articles and reports that are inspiring and educational. Hindus living all over the world keep in touch with their spiritual heritage through Tapovan Prasad. Annual Subscription by Airmail: US $25 (12 issues) Make checks payable to Tapovan Prasad, and mail to Chinmaya Mission No.2, 13th Ave., Harrington Rd, Chetput, Chennai, 600 031, India

26PAGE CHINMAYA STUDY GROUPS

1. Self Unfoldment 2. Tattva bodh 3. Bhaja Govindam 4. Atma bodh 5. Manah Shodhanam 6. Upadesa Saram 7. Narada Bhakti Sutra 8. Meditation and Life 9. Bhagavad Gita Introduction – Ch.1 & 2 10. Jnanasarah 11. Kenopanishad 12. Gita, Ch. 3 – 6 13. Dyanaswaroopam 14. Kaivalya Upanishad 15. Gita, Ch. 7 – 9 16. Isavasya Upanishad 17. Gita, Ch. 10 – 12 18. Bhakti Sudha 19. Gita, Ch. 13 – 15 20. Mundaka Upanishad 21. Gita, Ch. 16 – 18 22. Sat Darshan 23. Vivekachoodamani

Vedanta Study Groups held in the Bay Area are listed in this issue of Chinmaya Tej and you may contact them if you wish to join a Study Group.

PAGE27 Kids' Own Magazine... BalViHar

Parents... This is a monthly magazine published by Central Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai for Children. It is packed with stories, puzzles, arts and craft ideas, children’s contributions of essays, riddles, games, and much more. You can subscribe to it directly. The annual subscription is $30 and you will receive it monthly by air. We suggest that you subscribe in your child’s name so your child will have the pleasure of receiving his or her own magazine from India. Make your checks payable to Central Chinmaya Mission Trust and mail it to: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072, India

Gita ChantinG Classes for Children BY MALLIKA SUBRAMANIAN San Jose: Lincoln High School / Every Sunday Contact: (408) 245-4915 Fremont: Washington High School / Every Saturday Contact: (510) 490-1266 San Ramon: California High School Every Saturday (3:15pm - 4:15pm) Contact: (510) 490-1266

28PAGE Community Outreach Program Seva Opportunities

CHINMAYA MISSION SAN JOS E

SAN JOSE Are You Willing to Volunteer or Just Sponsor the Program? If yes, please call Krishna Bhamre: (408) 733-4612 or e-mail [email protected] We need VOLUNTEERS for preparing and serving Hot Meals for the Homeless. Lunch bags are prepared at Los Altos Community Center. All Youth volunteers are required to sign up with Krishna Bhamre. Meals For The Homeless Program: Served at San Jose’s Emergency Housing Consortium at Orchard Drive off Curtner Avenue (Adult & Youth Volunteers & Sponsors).

FREMONT Fremont BV sponsors Sandwiches For The Needy. On the 2nd Saturday/Washington High School in Fremont. Parents of Bala Vihar and the kids prepare 70 Sandwiches, bag them and provide chips, fruit and juice. The Sandwiches are delivered to the Tricity Homeless Coalition, where they are served to adults and children. The Shelter is located on 588 Brown Road, Fremont, CA In addition, last Christmas, Fremont Bala Vihar donated new blankets, sweaters, sweat shirts, and infant warm clothes etc. to the homeless at the shelter.

PAGE29 VEDANTA STUDY GR OUPS ADULT SESSIONS

Concord: Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 11 Sevak: Vipin Kapadia Contact: Meena Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

Cupertino: Kathopanishad Sevak: Sreeharsha Contact : Ram Mohan (408) 255-4431 Time: 7:30 pm (Thur.)

Fremont: Viveka Chudamani Sevika: Priya Batheja Contact: Priya Batheja (510) 490-1926 Time: 7:30 pm (Mon.)

Los Altos: Bhagavad Gita Ch. 3 Sevak: Uma Jeyarasasingam Contact: Ruchita Parat (650) 858-1209 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Mon.)

Milpitas Vivekachudamani Sevika: Uma Jeyarasasingam Contact: Suma Venkatesh (408) 263-2961 Time: 7:30 pm (Tue.)

Mountain House: Self-Unfoldment Sevika: Padmaja Joshi Contact: Padmaja Joshi (209) 830-1295 Time: 8:00p.m. (Wed.)

San Jose: Bhagawad Gita Ch. 4 Sevak: Jayaram Reddy Contact: Krishna Reddy (408) 257-9587 Time: 8:00 pm (Wed.)

Satsangs with Br. Prabodh Chaitanya All events are from: 8:00-9:00pm 1st Friday of each month: Kirtida & Kamalesh N. Ruparell Text: ABC’s of Vedanta U Ph: (408) 867-9550 2nd Friday of each month: Geetha & Sanjay Rao Text: Srimad Bhagavatam - Kapil Gita U Ph: (408) 863-0595 3rd Friday of each month: Sweta & Jnan Ranjan Dash, Almaden Text: Aparokshanubhooti U Ph: (408) 268-5056

30PAGE All classes held weekly unless otherwise stated

San Jose Clayton Facility Self Unfoldment Sevak: Ramana Vakkalagadda Contact: Ramana Vakkalagadda (408) 564-2749 Time: 8:00 pm (Fri.)

San Ramon Bhagavad Gita, Ch 9 Sevak: Bela Pandya Contact: Sireesha Balabadra (925) 804-6102 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Wed.)

San Ramon/Calif HS Bhagavad Gita, Ch 7 Sevak: Vipin Kapadia Contact: Vipin Kapadia (925) 680-7037 Time: 3:15 p.m. (Sat.)

Saratoga: Self-Unfoldment Sevak: Kalpana Jaswa Contact: Kalpana Jaswa (408) 741-4920 Time: 7:30pm (Thur.)

Redwood City: Bhagvad Gita, Ch. 6 Sevak: Sreeharsha Contact: Sunil Jeswani (650) 364-1074 Time: 7:30 pm (Fri.)

Walnut Creek: Kaivalya Upanishad Sevak: Vipin Kapadia Contact: Rakesh Bhutani (925) 933-2650 Time: 9:30 am (Sun.)

Prabodhji's Classes at Bala Vihar Locations Fremont: Session 1:30-3 pm Bhagavad Gita Ch 3 Danville: 4:30-6 pm Gitas from Tu l s i R a m a y a n a San Jose: Session 1: 9 am Bhagavad Gita Ch 11 Session 2: 10:30 am Gitas from Tulsi Ramayana

Prabodhji's Classes at Sandeepany Mondays: 10-11:30 am Sri Ramacaritamanas Wednesdays: 10-11:45 am Kenopanishad (followed by Sanskrit class) Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6:30-7:30 am Brahma Sutra Tuesdays & Thursdays: 7:30-8:30 pm Brhadaranyaka Upanishad Saturdays: 6:30-8:30 am. Guided Meditation and Mandukya Upanishad

PAGE31 Swami Tejomayananada ITINERARY SPRING 2013

DATE LOCATION / EVENT PHONE

16 Feb - 23 Feb Chinmaya Vibhooti (91) 901-100-4542 PO Kolwan, Taluka Mulashi Pune 412 108 Maharashtra, India BHAGAVAT SAPTAH

25 Feb - 1 Mar Rajan Nursing Home (91) 981-404-3214 Patiala 147 001 Punjab, India TULASI RAMAYANA (in Hindi)

02 Mar - 04 Mar Shri Rakesh Keshav (91) 981-402-0841 Ludhiana 141 002 Punjab, India Talks in Hindi

05 Mar - 05 Mar Ambala Cantt Convocatinal Address / SD College

06 Mar - 11 Mar Chinmaya Mission (91) 22 - 2857 8647 Mumbai Maharashtra Classes for Brahmacharis

32PAGE “In life, it has always been observed that to solve a problem is to rise above it Living the right values of life is like building a dam across a river” ~ Swami Chinmayananda

Join the Chinmaya Family as SPONSORS… We invite you to join our Sponsorship program so that you can help us to promote, sustain and continue to teach adults and children, alike, the Hindu Dharma which is our Heritage. Chinmaya Mission began its service to the Hindu Community some 20 years ago in the Bay Area.We are funded by public contributions. Your contribution, as a Sponsor, goes towards the operation of Sandeepany. Many families who are taking part in the various classes that we offer to adults and children, have enrolled themselves as Sponsors. They enjoy many benefits and become an integral part of the spiritual family at Sandeepany. Sponsorship is an annual contribution of $500 per family. The donation is tax deductible and can also be paid bi-annually, quarterly or monthly. What Do Our Sponsors Receive? UÊ/ iÞÊi˜œÞÊ>ÊÌ iÊV>ÃÃiÃʜvviÀi`Ê>ÌÊ->˜`ii«>˜ÞÊ-V œœÃÊvœÀÊ>`ՏÌÃÊ>˜`ÊV ˆ`Ài˜° UÊ/ iÞÊ܈ÊÀiViˆÛiÊÌ iʍœÕÀ˜>] MANANAM and the bi-monthly Newsletters: Chinmaya Tej and CMW Newsletter. UÊ-«œ˜ÃœÀÃÊ>Àiʈ˜ÛˆÌi`Ê̜Ê>ÌÌi˜`Ê7iiŽi˜`Ê,iÌÀi>ÌÃÊ i`Ê«iÀˆœ`ˆV>ÞÊ>ÌÊ->˜`ii«>˜Þ°

UNITED WAY CONTRIBUTIONS Your contributions to United Way can now be designated to Chinmaya Mission San Jose (United Way I.D. No 212100). The Mission is enrolled to receive such contributions with United Way Agency in Santa Clara. Chinmaya Family would like to thank you for your support. E If travelling South on 101 S Take Guadalupe Expressway Exit Then go past the airport about two (2) miles and get off at Park Ave. exit SAN JO

At the bottom of the ramp, and at the light, make a right turn

If travelling South on 280

EEPANY Take the Meridian North Exit

D Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn SAN

If travelling South on 880 Take the 280 exit to San Jose TO

Get off at the Meridian North Exit S Go to Park Ave. and make a right turn

TION If travelling South on 680

C Get off at Race Street Exit At the bottom of the ramp, at the light, make a right turn

DIRE Go to Park Ave. (3rd light) and make a right

Non-Profit Chinmaya Mission Organization San Jose U.S. Postage Sandeepany San Jose PAID Piercy, CA 1050 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126 Ph. (408) 998-2793 Fax (408) 998-2952 www.Chinmaya.org