rd 1 103 Price: ` 10 YEAR OF PUBLICATION The Vedanta Kesari THE LION OF VEDANTA A Cultural and Spiritual Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order since 1914 Swami Vivekananda’s statue, RKM, Garbeta, West Bengal May 2016 2 India’s Timeless Wisdom When I was, Hari was not. Now Hari is, but not I. All darkness was dispelled when I beheld the Light within. Editor: SWAMI ATMASHRADDHANANDA Managing Editor: SWAMI GAUTAMANANDA Printed and published by Swami Vimurtananda on behalf of Sri Ramakrishna Math Trust fromThe No.31, RamakrishnaV edanta KMathesari Road, ~ 2 Mylapore, ~ MAY Chennai2016 - 4 and Printed at Sri Ramakrishna Printing Press, No.31 Ramakrishna Math Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4. Ph: 044 - 24621110 3 The Vedanta Kesari 103rd YEAR OF PUBLICATION VOL. 103, No. 5 ISSN 0042-2983 A CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MONTHLY OF THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER Started at the instance of Swami Vivekananda in 1895 as Brahmavâdin, it assumed the name The Vedanta Kesari in 1914. For free edition on the Web, please visit: www.chennaimath.org CONTENTS MAY 2016 Gita Verse for Reflection 165 Editorial Selfless Service 166 Articles Sri Ramakrishna’s Two Vyasas 171 Pravrajika Virajaprana Rama’s Brother Lakshmana, a Great Yogi 180 S. Seshadri Memories of Swami Parameshwarananda: A Disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi 188 A.K. Dey Education—the Panacea For Social Evils 193 Lekshmi.R and Thara Jane Paul Reminiscences Reminiscences of Sargachhi 175 Swami Suhitananda Review Article The Complete Works of Sister Nivedita—‘Khoki’ of Holy Mother and the ‘Most Rebellious Disciple’ of Swami Vivekananda 184 P.S. Sundaram New Find Unpublished Letters of Swami Saradananda 191 The Order on the March 197 Book Reviews 200 Feature Simhâvalokanam (Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) 170 Cover Story: Page 6 The V edanta K esari 4 MAY 2016 The Vedanta Kesari Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 h (044) 2462 1110 (4 lines) Website : www.chennaimath.org For all authors and contributors : [email protected] For all subscription related inquiries: [email protected] TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS You can subscribe to The Vedanta reaching us before this or after one Kesari from any month. month (for overseas subscriptions, On your address slip, the number two months) of posting of the jour- on the left of the first line of add- nal are not entertained. ress is your subscription number. To ensure continuity, please renew your Always mention this in your corres- subscription well in advance. pondence. For fresh subscriptions, renewals, plac- Your initiative in promoting this scheme will help a noble cause. If you do not receive your ing advertisements in The Vedanta And the cause awaits your involvement. copy by 2nd week of a month, Kesari, please write to The Manager, please intimate us. Complaints The Vedanta Kesari Office. Vedanta Kesari Subscription Annual 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Rates (inclusive of postage) India Rs.100 Rs.290 Rs.475 Rs.1000 Other Countries All overseas dispatch by Air Mail. Rs.2000 Rs.6000 Rs.10000 --- Please send your subscription to The Manager, The Vedanta Kesari by DD/MO drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Payments / donations can be made Online using your Master or Visa Cards. For Online subscription rates, please visit our Website. We invite our readers to liberally contribute to the Vedanta Kesari Permanent Fund. This will go a long way in placing this 100 years old magazine on firm financial footing to continue its service to the cause of a holistic and meaning- ful life. Your contributions (minimum of Rs.1000/- or US$ 25) by Cheque/DD/ MO should be sent to Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai, along with a covering note stating that it is meant for Vedanta Kesari Permanent Fund. Every contribution will be gratefully acknowledged and the donor’s name will be pub- lished in the Vedanta Kesari. All donations to Sri Ramakrishna Math are exempt from Income Tax under section 80G of the [Indian] I.T. Act, 1961. We accept online donations also. The V edanta K esari 5 MAY 2016 Vedanta Kesari Library Fund Scheme Do you wish to join in spreading the message of Vedanta and of Ramakrishna- Vivekananda to larger number of people? Do you feel that India’s timeless heritage You are welcome to of spirituality, values and culture need to join us in these efforts reach a wider section of youth? by contributing to our Library Fund Scheme. Your initiative in promoting this scheme will help a noble cause. And the cause awaits your involvement. The Vedanta Kesari Library Fund Scheme aims at a wider reach among the youth, especially in high schools, colleges / universities and other institutions of learning in India. Sponsorship for one library is Rs.1000/-. Under this scheme, donors can sponsor libraries, including public libraries, which would receive The Vedanta Kesari for ten years. The sponsors can mention the libraries which they wish to enroll, or The Vedanta Kesari would select the libraries on their behalf. The name of the sponsors, along with the libraries enrolled, will be published in The Vedanta Kesari. This scheme is valid for libraries in India. We invite you to join hands with us in this valuable scheme. You can send your sponsorship by cash or through a DD drawn in favour of ‘Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai’ and send it with a covering note to The Manager, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004 Email : [email protected] Website : www.chennaimath.org ‘Doing is very good, but that comes from thinking. Fill the brain, therefore, with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work.’ —Swami Vivekananda The V edanta K esari 6 MAY 2016 N Cover Story N Swami Vivekananda’s Statue at Garbeta Ashrama Located some 160 km away from Kolkata, Garbeta is a town in Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal. Having an ancient history, the town is situated on the bank of the river Shilaba. A Centre of the Ramakrishna Math at Garbeta was started in 1915 and that of the Ramakrishna Mission in 1951. Activities of the Math centre include daily worship, bhajans, fortnightly Ramnam Sankirtan, and religious classes in and outside the Ashrama premises, observance of the birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and other spiritual luminaries; festivals like Kali Puja and Shivaratri, besides welfare work by way of giving pecuniary help, food, clothing, etc., to the needy. The activities of the Mission centre include a junior basic school, a library and a book bank. It also runs several free coaching centres for poor children, a charitable dispensary with homoeopathy and eye sections, a mobile medical unit and welfare work such as free distribution of food, medicines, etc., to the poor and needy. Swamiji’s statue mounted on a pedestal is located in the Ashrama premises, near the Junior School. THE VEDANTA KESARI PATRONS’ SCHEME We invite our readers to join as patrons of the magazine. They can do so by sending Rs.2000/- or more. Names of the patrons will be announced in the journal under the Patrons' Scheme and they will receive the magazine for 20 years. Please send your contribution to The Manager, The Vedanta Kesari by DD/MO drawn in favour of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai with a note that the enclosed amount is for the Patrons' Scheme. (This scheme is valid in India only). DONORS PATRON Ms. L. Umayal, Chennai Rs. 1000 723. Bankura Christian College, Mr. Roshan Gopalakrishna, Bengaluru Rs.10,000 West Bengal The Vedanta Kesari Library Scheme SL.NO. NAMES OF SPONSORS AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS 5926. Prof. Gopal Chandra Bhar, W.B. Govt. Post Graduate College, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand - 249 193 5927. -do- ISPAT College, Rourkela, Orissa - 769 016 5928. -do- Janta College, Biolnda Dhenkanal, Orissa - 759 127 5929. -do- Branch Library, Arani, T.N. - 632 301 5930. -do- A.N.S. College, Barh, Patna, 803 213 5931. -do- A.Q. Ansari College, Jehanabad - 804 408 5932. -do- Allama Ekbal College, Bihar Sharif - 803 101 (continued on page 47) The Vedanta Kesari VOL. 103, No. 5, MAY 2016 ISSN 0042-2983 EACH SOUL IS POTENTIALLY DIVINE. T HE GOAL IS TO MANIFEST THE DIVINITY WITHIN. 7 Gita Verse for Reflection Tr. by Swami Tapasyananda —Bhagavad Gita, 15. 1 The Blessed Lord said: The scriptures speak of the eternal Ashvattha, the World Tree, whose roots are in the Most High, branches in the lower regions, and leaves in Vedic hymns. He who knows it, understands the Veda really. God alone is eternal, everything else is transitory. Everything dies; the angels die, men die, animals die, earths die, sun, moon, and stars, all die; everything undergoes constant change. The mountains of today were the oceans of yesterday and will be oceans tomorrow. Everything is in a state of flux. The whole universe is a mass of change. But there is One who never changes, and that is God; and the nearer we get to Him, the less will be the change for us, the less will nature be able to work on us; and when we reach Him, and stand with Him, we shall conquer nature, we shall be masters of phenomena of nature, and they will have no effect on us. —Swami Vivekananda, CW, 1:411 The V edanta K esari ~ 165 ~ MAY 2016 8 6021. -do- Branch Library, Mallipudur, Virudhunagar Dist., T.N. - 626 111 Editorial 6022. -do- Branch Library, Mangalam, Virudhunagar Dist., T.N. - 626 124 6023. -do- Branch Library, Sattur Taluk, Virudhunagar Dist., T.N. - 626 140 6024. -do- Branch Library, Chozhapuram, Virudhunagar Dist., T.N. - 626 713 6025.