Voice of the Worldwide Vedanta Movement Non-Profit Org. US Postage Paid Seattle, WA 2716 broadway east Permit #2419 seattle wa 98102-3909 Spring 2010 Vol. XV, No. 2 Address Service Requested The expiring issue of your subscription is printed at the top of the mailing label In this Issue: • Sri Ramakrishna’s Comforting Assurance • Pythagoras and the Great Theorem • Training of the Heart • The Investment Gita and more… Editor-in-chief Swami Bhaskarananda Editors Allen R. Freedman Stafford Smith spring 2010 Vol. xV, No. 2 Editorial Assistant Devra Freedman Production/Design/Artwork Charles Mathias Brahmachari David Kathleen Teague Scott Wirth Advertising/Business Assistant Swami Avikarananda This Issue Editorial and Business Offices 2 Sri Ramakrishna’s Comforting Assurance 2716 Broadway East Seattle, WA 98102-3909 4 Training of the Heart Phone: 206-323-1228 Fax: 206-329-1791 6 Honey E-mail: [email protected] 8 Pythagoras and the Great Theorem Global Vedanta, Issue #56 (ISSN 1089-6902) 12 The Investment Gita ©2010 Viveka Press. All rights reserved. Repro- duction of any portion of Global Vedanta without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed by the contribu- tors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Global Departments Vedanta is published quarterly for us $12.00/year in the U.S.A.; us $14.00/year in Canada & Mexico; 1 Letters us $18.00/year in all other countries. 7 Poets’ Corner 11 Humor—The Spice of Life Viveka Press, the publisher of Global Vedanta, is the publishing arm of the Vedanta Society of Western 13 Vedanta News from Around the World Washington, a non-profit corporation founded in 16 In Memoriam 1941. The Society gratefully accepts tax-deductible contributions and bequests to assist its efforts to 16 About the Contributors publicize various aspects of Vedanta with special emphasis on its teaching of the harmony of all religions. All editorial and pre-press work on Global Vedanta is provided on a voluntary basis. Cover: Photography: Ashwani Sharma; Artwork: Brahmachari David President Swami Bhaskarananda Board of Directors Chairman Mr. Stafford Smith Vice-Chairman Dr. Anadijiban Das Treasurer Dr. Allen R. Freedman Secretary Mr. Charles S. Wirth Directors Swami Avikarananda, Swami Brahmatmananda, Mrs. Rita Das, Mr. John E. Flynn, Swami Manishananda, Mr. Charles Mathias, Dr. Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Usha Sankrithi Emeriti Dr. Santosh Kumar, Dr. Darbari Lal Sharma LETTERS Loved Volume 15, number one, es- to the Bishop for his candid writing. Global Vedanta—the magazine, I love, pecially Selfishness and Dharma, Genuine The article Selfishness and Dharma is like and cherish more than anything else. Love of Your Neighbors, Ask the Swami, and also good and the review of the book on Nani Banerjee The Silent Power. Oh, I guess I’ve named Girish Ghosh is also written well. Sunnyvale, CA the whole thing! Thanks much for this Swami Gautamananda, Sri Ramakrishna lovely issue. Math, Mylapore, Chennai, India I truly appreciate receiving Global Sonjia Nikolay Vedanta. Cambridge, WI We enjoy reading each and every issue Padma Somasundaran of Global Vedanta. We wait eagerly for the New Hyde Park, NY The latestGlobal Vedanta (Vol. XV, No. next issue right after finishing reading 1), was excellent. The write-up Genuine one issue. Love of Your Neighbors by Bishop Ka- Nandita and Dipak Bagchi zuhiro Mori is extraordinary. …Hats off Ontario, CA Vol. xV, No. 2 GLOBAl VEDANTA 1 SRI RAMAKRISHNA’s COmFORTING ASSURANCe by swami sambuddhananda (Swami Sambuddhananda was a disciple great love and devotion. outburst of grief and sensing that the of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. At the In the same neighborhood where worst must have happened to Kusum, invitation of the Vedanta Society of Hawaii, Kusum lived with her parents, lived a both Mr. and Mrs. Mukherjee ran up to he visited Honolulu twice nearly fifty years certain Mukherjee family. They lived the balcony of the second floor of their ago. The following article, edited by Swami very close to Kusum’s home. Both house from where they could see what Bhaskarananda, is one of his talks given in Mr. Mukherjee and his wife were also was happening at Kusum’s home. After Honolulu.—Ed.) devoted to Swami Subodhananda. When- a little while Mr. Mukherjee saw Khoka nce Sri Ramakrishna said, Maharaj walking out of that house “Those who will come ‘here’ holding Kusum’s hand. Then both will not be born again.” In Kusum and Khoka Maharaj slowly Oother words, those who will come ‘here’ moved out of sight walking down the will attain liberation; they will be free street. from the cycle of repeated births and Mr. Mukherjee wondered whether deaths. he had been seeing some kind of illu- When I first read this saying of Sri sion. So he asked Mrs. Mukherjee, “Did Ramakrishna, it appeared to be a little you see Khoka Maharaj walk out of enigmatic to me. I couldn’t clearly un- that house holding Kusum’s hand? Or, derstand what Sri Ramakrishna had is it that I have been seeing things?” meant by “here.” By the word “here” did Mrs. Mukherjee replied, “No, it’s not Sri Ramakrishna mean his own divine an illusion! I also have seen the same Self, or did he mean something else? thing. But I don’t know how it could So I asked several spiritually exalted be possible!” disciples of Sri Ramakrishna to know Both of them wondered: “How how they had understood it. I had the and when did Khoka Maharaj arrive privilege of asking Swami Saradananda, here? We are always informed when he Swami Shivananda and a few others. comes to Ranchi for a visit. And every Unfortunately, their replies didn’t quite time he visits Kusum’s home he visits satisfy me. our home as well.” But, when I was not yet a monk of Later they inquired of Kusum’s the Ramakrishna Order, I had the good parents if Swami Subodhananda had fortune of living for a while with an- come to their home the day Kusum other great disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. passed away. And they were told that He was my honored guest, and spent he hadn’t come. The Mukherjees were about two or three months with me. extremely surprised to hear that, but He was Swami Subodhananda, better Sri Ramakrishna kept silent. They didn’t tell anyone else known in the Ramakrishna Order as 1836–1886 about what both of them had seen on Khoka Maharaj. To him I referred the the day Kusum passed away. matter. And, in reply, he narrated one ever Swami Subodhananda would visit After a few months Swami Subod- incident of his life, which helped me to Kusum’s home he would also visit the hananda came for a visit to Ranchi. Then understand the real significance of this Mukherjees. as usual he came to Kusum’s parents’ utterance of Sri Ramakrishna. After a few years, Kusum became quite home to meet all the members of that Swami Subodhananda had many dis- ill. Her parents, siblings and all others large family. His words of consolation ciples. He had a number of disciples who who loved her were very sad. During helped ease the grief of that bereaved lived in Ranchi, a town in Bihar. It so hap- the period of Kusum’s illness, Mr. and family considerably. pened that all those disciples of Swami Mrs. Mukherjee would come and see her After visiting that home, Swami Subodhananda in Ranchi were Bengalees. frequently. Eventually the doctors, under Subodhananda came to see the Mukher- And one of them was a very good-natured, whose treatment she was, gave up all jees. The Mukherjees were overjoyed, widowed girl named Kusum. Kusum had hopes about her recovery. Then came the and they went on talking happily with no children and lived with her parents and sad day when Kusum breathed her last. the swami for quite a while, and listen- siblings. She was very much devoted to her As soon as she passed away, her par- ing to his spiritually inspiring words. In guru, Swami Subodhananda. Whenever ents, overwhelmed with the unbearable course of their conversation they also the swami visited their home in Ranchi, pain of losing their dear daughter, started talked about what both of them had seen she had the opportunity to serve him with weeping and crying aloud. Hearing that immediately after the death of Kusum. 2 GLOBAl VEDANTA spring 2010 Referring to that strange incident, they During this illness in Varanasi, one day life she was leading in the Ramakrishna asked Swami Subodhananda, “Although he felt very thirsty. He got up from his Loka4— the spiritual realm of Sri Ra- you hadn’t actually come to Kusum’s home bed with great effort and made an attempt makrishna. that day, immediately after Kusum’s death to drink water. The drinking water was in Kusum said that she was leading a very we saw you walking out of that home his kamandulu2 away from his bed. After peaceful life there, free from all kinds of holding her hand. Will you please tell us drinking a little water, while coming back worry and anxiety. Only peace reigns in why we saw that?” to his bed, he fainted and collapsed on the Ramakrishna Loka. It is hard to describe Swami Subodhananda said to them floor. He remained in that state for some through words the actual condition of that he was unable to answer their ques- time. Then regaining consciousness, he that realm. tion at that time, but he assured them that went to his bed and tried his best to have Then Swami Subodhananda asked her, he would tell them when he would be able a nap.