Matruvani English Edition

Contents Vol. 27, No. 8 The Hindu Faith — 3 4 Om Vidya-avidya Svarupinyai Namah 8 Swami Amritageetananda Puri Vow of Silence 15 Padma (Corinne Laveissière), France Omkara Divya Porule 22 Swami Tureeyamritananda Puri Anointed with Love 24 Sharadamani, India Her Unseen Feet 29 Vickram, India Some articles use the masculine pronoun when referring to God, in keeping with convention and to avoid the clumsiness of constructions such as ‘He or She’ or ‘Him or Her.’ Printed and Published by Swami Jnanamritananda Puri on behalf of M.A. Mission Trust, Amritapuri P.O., Kollam, Kerala 690 546, India. Printed at Amrita Offset Printers, Amritapuri P.O., Kollam, Kerala 690 546, India. Published at M.A. Math, Amritapuri P.O., Kollam, Kerala 690 546, India. Phone: (0476) 289 6278/7578/6399. Matruvani Office Phone: 08589003341 | Editor: Br. Brahmamrita Chaitanya Subscription (Indian): 1 year: `50 | 3 years: `125 | 5 years: `200 | 15 years: `500 Subscription (overseas): 1 year: US$15 | Life (15 years): US$150 Letters and Submissions: [email protected] March 2016 3 AMMA’S MESSAGE The Hindu Faith—3 he principles of Sanatana Dharma are the imperishable Twealth the selfless rishis1 compassionately bequeathed the whole world. Just as air and water are necessary for survival, these principles are vital for every seeker of peace. Sanatana Dharma does not ask anyone to believe in a God seated in the sky. “Believe in yourself. Everything is in you” — this is what it teaches. The power of an atom bomb, which can destroy the whole globe, lies in the tiny atom. A sprawling banyan tree sprouts from a small seed. Likewise, divine consciousness inheres in every one of us. We can understand this through logic or experience it through sad- hana (spiritual practices). It is enough if we sincerely and faithfully follow the path to awakening this power. Sanatana Dharma teaches shraddha, bhakti and vishwas — alertness, devotion and faith . It does not ask us to believe anything blindly. Before one operates an appliance, one must first know how to operate it. If not, we might damage the appliance. Jnana is correct knowledge of how to work. Shraddha is being armed with that knowledge and working with awareness. A man pours water into a tank. 1 Seers to whom mantras were revealed in deep meditation. 4 Matruvani He continues doing so the in life is to take us closer to whole day until evening, but the God. We must act without self- tank does not get filled. Failing interest and without the sense to realize the fruits of his ardu- of ‘I,’ i.e. doer-ship. We must ous labour, the man investigates cultivate the awareness that we into the cause. He discovers are able to work with God’s that one of the outlets in the grace and power. This is jnana tank has not been closed. Jnana in karma. Working with jnana is the understanding that if the and shraddha is karma yoga. outlet is not plugged, the tank If we can do every action with will never get filled, no matter utmost shraddha, we will be how much water one pours. able to forget ourselves. The Making efforts with this under- mind will become one-pointed standing is shraddha. Only if and we will experience bliss. one works with shraddha will This is where bhakti takes one reap the desired results. birth. In this way, if one works Five people were entrusted with shraddha and bhakti, one to do some agricultural work. will be able to reap the full One dug a hole. Another put fruit of action. When we get fertilizer in it. Another poured the fruit, faith is born. Such water. Another covered the faith is unshakeable. None will hole with soil. Even after many be able to disturb it. Shraddha, days, there was no sprout. In- bhakti, vishwas — work done vestigation revealed that the with shraddha increases one’s person who was supposed to devotion, which leads to faith. sow the seed did not do so. Most of the sacred texts in This is how action done with- Sanatana Dharma are in the out shraddha is. It will not give form of dialogs — the Guru’s the desired results. answers to the disciple’s doubts. In a similar way, the real The disciple has the freedom to intention behind every action keep asking until the doubt is 6 Matruvani wholly cleared. Thus, the dis- is blissful for one who lives in ciple’s shraddha2 increases. accordance with spiritual prin- Hindu dharma is not an- ciples. For him, life is a festival, tagonistic to anyone. It does not a celebration. What we need is ask anyone to renounce his or a path that will give us the her religion or faith. In fact, it experience of joy while living, considers undermining anoth- not after death. Just as one er’s faith unrighteous. Hindu needs to learn about business dharma regards all religions as management in order to do different paths leading to the business, one must know how same goal. It does not negate to manage life in order to make any path but embraces them all. it joyful. Sanatana Dharma is In short, for a Hindu, there is nothing other than the science no such thing as another reli- of holistic life management. gion. Such thinking prevailed Scriptures such as the Upan- in India. Adherents of any re- ishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmas- ligion could remain in their utras, Ramayana and Mahab- own faith and move ahead. harata embody eternal truths Doing so helped them reach that man in any age should their goal. Karma yoga, bhakti understand. They are not sec- yoga and jnana yoga are all as tarian, rather texts predicated relevant in this day and age, on reason and logic that is and can be practised by adher- practicable in life for anyone. ents of any religion. For one Therefore, just like medicine, who doesn’t know how to swim, psychology or sociology, any- the ocean and its waves are a one can understand the scrip- nightmare, whereas one who tures of Sanatana Dharma. knows swimming revels in the Doing so will pave the way for sea waves. In the same way, life the spiritual uplift and mate- rial prosperity of the entire 2 Here, shraddha also means faith. human race. March 2016 7 SATSANG Om vidya- avidya svaupinyai namah by swami amritageetananda puri uring a recent meditation session, Amma Dasked, “Children, what is the meaning of ‘vidya avidya swarupini?’1 How can Devi be of the form of knowledge and ignorance?” This was yet another one of Amma’s lilas (divine sport) to guide us deep into the nature of Devi, the Goddess, i.e. Amma’s real 1 Mantra 402 of the Lalita Sahasranama, a sacred litany of 1,000 names of the Divine Mother. ‘Om vidya-avidya swaru- pinyai namah’ = Salutations to the Divine Mother, who is of the form of both knowledge and ignorance. 8 Matruvani nature. If we could truly understanding, revelation and answer the question, we conviction, or, in other words, would realize Amma as the vidya. substratum of the entire cre- The three levels of experi- ation. Most of us know Am- ence we are familiar with are ma’s rupam, Her outer form, the waking state (in which we which we see in front of us. experience the outer world of But to know Amma’s swaru- forms), the dream state (in pam, Her essential cosmic, which we experience an inner imperishable nature, the only world created by our own way is to surrender to Her mind), and the deep sleep or totally. She will then reveal dreamless sleep state (wherein to us Her real nature. one experiences blissful noth- Knowledge and ignorance ingness, an absence of every- are opposed to each other, like thing). We express our experi- light and darkness. Where ence of this last state by saying, there is light, there cannot be “I didn’t know anything!” or “I darkness; where there is was aware of nothing!” The knowledge, ignorance cannot technical name for this state of exist. How then can Amma or ignorance is tamas. Devi is Devi be both knowledge (vidya) trigunatmika, i.e. one who and ignorance (avidya)? How wields three types of power or can both be Her swarupam? forms, viz. sattwa, rajas and Let us pray to Amma to en- tamas. Tamas is associated lighten us. When Amma asked with lethargy, indolence or us this question, we did not inactivity; rajas, with passion know the answer; i.e. we expe- and activity; and sattwa, with rienced ignorance (avidya) in light and understanding. We our minds. And when we get helplessly shunt back and forth the right answer, our ignorance from sattwa to rajas and tamas, will be replaced by knowledge, and back again to rajas and March 2016 9 sattwa. We have only three hails Devi as the one, all- levels of experiences — wak- pervading reality appearing ing, dream and deep sleep. But as the entire creation with its there is another state: countless forms of living and vedaahametam purusham non-living beings. When mahaantam Devi appears before the de- aaditya varnam tamasah vas (gods) in Her Divine parastaat form, they are unable to un- I have known that Su- derstand Her. They ask, “Kaa preme Being, glorious like asi tvam?” — “Who are you, the sun and beyond all O effulgent being?” darkness. (Purusha Suktam, Devi explains Her true re- 2) ality to the devas. aham brahmaswarupini Beyond the ignorance of deep mattah prakriti sleep is the real awakening, purushaatmakam jagat which is as splendorous as the I am the all-pervading sun.

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