Indian Civilisation – Spiritual Core
1 TheVedanta Kesari October 2018
1 The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta
1 A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly `15 October of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914 2018 TheTheVedanta Kesari Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 h(044) 2462 1110 e-mail: [email protected] Website : www.chennaimath.org
Dear ReaReaders,ders, ThThee VeVedantadanta KeKesarisa is one of the oldest cultural and spiritual magazines iinn the countcountry.ry. StStarteda under the guidance and support of Swami Vivekananda, the fifirst issue of the magazine, then called Brahmavadin, ccameame out on 14 SeptS 1895. Brahmavadin was run by one of Swamiji’s aardentrdent followersfollowers Sri Alasinga Perumal. After his death in 1909 the mmagazineagazine publicationpub became irregular, and stopped in 1914 wwhereuponhereupon the Ramakrishna Order revived it as The Vedanta KeKesarisari. SSwamiw Vivekananda’s concern for the magazine is seen iinn hhisis lletters to Alasinga Perumal where he writes: ‘Now I am October 2018 bbentent uupon starting the journal.’ ‘Herewith I send a hundred 4 ddollars….olla Hope this will go just a little in starting your paper.’pap ‘I am determined to see the paper succeed.’ ‘The SoSongn of the Sannyasin is my first contribution for your jjournal.’ourn ‘I learnt from your letter the bad financial state that BBrahmavadinrahm is in.’ ‘It must be supported by the Hindus if theythey havehave any sense of virtue or gratitude left in them.’ ‘I pledge myselfmys to maintain the paper anyhow.’ ‘The Brahmavadin isis a jewel—it must not perish. Of course, such a paper The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta hasha to be kept up by private help always, and we will do it.’ For the last 104 years, without missing a singleingle issue, the magazine has been carrying the invigorating message of Vedanta with articles on spirituality,r culture,, philosophy,, youth, personalityy development, science, holistic living, family and corporate values. Over the years, production and publication PERMANENT FUND costs have gone up manifold. A non-commercial To become self-supporting magazine like this can continue its good work only with the generous financial support and To establish the magazine on firm financial active assistance of well-wishers. footing we need ONE CRORE RUPEES for Hence, we appeal to our readers and the Permanent Fund. admirers of Swamiji to support us by donating to Please contribute generously. Names of the the following schemes: donors will appear in the magazine. SPONSOR A PAGE GIFT TO LIBRARIES To enhance production quality To reach wider readership
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Series 3: Exploring the Indian Civilization
ISSUEISSUE 1010 ISSUE 10 Exploring the Spiritual Core of our Civilization
ISSUE 11 Exploring the Knowledge Traditions of our Civilization
ISSUE 12 Exploring the Assimilative Power of our Civilization
focus in this issue:
Exploring the Spiritual Core of Our Civilization October 2018
27 innovation in a vast mosaic of multiple sciences cultural products & traditions several knowledge traditions PAGE SPONSOR : PROF. VENKATARAMANAN K., CHENNAI K., VENKATARAMANAN PROF. : SPONSOR PAGE several systems Kesari The Vedanta of philosophy unique ideals of our civilization
SPIRITUAL CORE OF OUR CIVILIZATION 5000 years of spiritual striving by millions across ages
> Explore further.. Exploring the spiritual core of our civilization
India’s spiritual core has been continuously developed through 5000 years of striving. Here are four key aspects that uniquely define our spiritual core:
1 Multiple religious streams co-exist since time immemorial
Indian civilization Indian civilization allows for India has been the is characterized birthplace of several multiple spiritual pathways (or by the multitude great religions of the ways to reach the divine). of religious world, like Hinduism, Swami Vivekananda refers to Buddhism, Jainism the concept of the 'Ishta' – the streams, with & Sikhism, each with personal God, so that every the aim of its own system of individual is free to follow his/her creating as many thought. pathway to God. It allows for both approaches to theistic and atheistic pathways. the divine as the varied nature of There are multiple Sampradayas, each one with its own tradition &
October 2018 human beings. religious system. It relates to a succession of masters and disciples, which serves as a spiritual channel, and provides a delicate network 28 of relationships that lends stability to a religious identity. E.g. The Dashanami Sampradaya, Vaishnava Sampradaya, Shaktas, etc. To explore further, see the article on Sampradaya on Wikipedia
2 Spiritualization of the individual’s life journey
A core model on which people build their lives...
In the Indian civilization, CHENNAI N., V. VISWANATHAN SRI : SPONSOR PAGE The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta PHASE 4 the journey of life is not Sanyasa or the devotional life seen just as a journey Embracing a life of renunciation & immersion of accumulation of in higher truths wealth and power. The PHASE 3 whole of life is seen PHASE 2 Vanaprastha or the retired life as a journey towards Grihastha or the Letting go off the duties of the world and householder’s life turning one’s mind towards higher truths ultimate spiritualization Fulfilling the duties & Even today, the of the individual. responsibilities to live tradition continues. one’s dharma E.g. Here is a group of elders being welcomed
[source:patrika.com] on their return from ‘chardham yatra’
PHASE 1 Brahmacharya or the student life Single-minded focus on learning & all-round self-development Do you see this model in action around you? 3 A long lineage of spiritual personalities over the centuries
In India, the sannyasi is regarded as the highest – higher than emperor, scholar, warrior. Throughout the ages, India Guru Gobind Agastya Ramanuja Adi (12th century) Singh (18th (vedic has produced hundreds Chaitanya Shankara sage) Mahaprabhu (8th century) century, Sikh of ascetic and saintly (15th century, warrior saint) Bengal) figures whose thoughts have guided and shaped the lives and destinies of millions of people. Even some of our greatest Basavanna kings have been strongly (12th century, Kabir Meerabai Ramana Dnyaneshwar influenced by spiritual (15th century Karnataka) (15th century, Maharshi (13th century, mystic, poet, mystic, poet, (20th century) Marathi saint) leaders. Given here are sufi saint) bhakti saint) some examples of such Can you think of more? spiritual personalities. October 2018
4 The idea of Dharma pervades the ‘way of life’ 29 Dharma is a foundational Indian idea that provides a Different religions have their own versions of dharma system of social and personal - In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviours that are ethics that is in complete considered to be in accord with Rta, the order that makes . harmony with a cosmic order. life and universe possible,and includes duties, rights, laws,
PAGE SPONSOR : SMT. NELLUTLA LEELA, CHENNAI LEELA, NELLUTLA SMT. : SPONSOR PAGE conduct, virtues and “right way of living” According to the book, The Kesari The Vedanta - In Buddhism, dharma means “cosmic law and order”, Cultural Heritage of India - and is also applied to the teachings of the Buddha. In 'Dharma, as a concept, is very Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/dharma is also the term for wide and comprehensive. It “phenomena”. stands for the self-sufficient - For Sikhs, the word dharm means the path of righteousness principle of ordering harmony and proper religious practice. Source: Wikipedia - the great rationalizer. ...It is
saturated with the notion of Ashoka, after his remorse in the aftermath of truth and righteousness. By the Kalinga war, declared that 'the greatest reason of its integrating civil, conquest is that which is won by dharma'. moral and spiritual values, it ... 'and then he asks: Wherein does dharma consist? His answer is: piety, many good supplies the basic impetus deeds, compassion,liberality, truthfulness, The Indian flag carries the 'Ashoka for human development purity (Vol. 5. pg. 391) Chakra' (wheel of dharma) showing towards higher and higher its centrality in our To explore the idea of Dharma further, lives possibilities.' (Vol. 5, pg. 72) read The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol. V This is the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the Parliament of Religions, in Chicago (11th September, 1893). This excerpt from the speech helps us appreciate India's spiritual core better:
“... I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.
I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: “As the different streams having their sources in different places October 2018 all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take 30 through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.” PAGE SPONSOR : SRI AMARESH CHANDRA DEY, KOLKATA DEY, CHANDRA AMARESH SRI : SPONSOR PAGE The Vedanta Kesari The Vedanta
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Share examples of your experiences of trying out these practices, on www.vivekanandaway.org. Any questions that come up in your mind while doing so, can also be discussed here.