Chicago Calling Falgu River, Gaya Panchavati , Dakshineshwar Ganges, Dakshineshwar Bodhi Tree, Bodh Gaya Spiritual and Cultural Quarterly eZine of the Vivekananda No. 17, 2018 Vedanta Society of Chicago Vishnu (Gadadhar) Sri Ramakrishna Temple, Temple, Gaya Belur Math Table of Contents Page EDITORIAL 3 HOW TO OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES 5 SWAMI SUNIRMALANANDA AN INTRODUCTION TO NARADA BHAKTI SUTRA 7 SWAMI KRIPAMAYANANDA ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT 9 SPIRITUAL RETREAT IN ANDAMAN ISLANDS 10 SWAMI ISHATMANANDA INTRODUCTION TO THE COVER PAGE 15 ADVERTISEMENTS 22 Editor: Swami Ishatmananda Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago 14630 Lemont Road, Homer Glen. 60491 email: [email protected] chicagovedanta.org ©Copyright: Swami-in-Charge Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago NO 17. 2018 Chicago Calling 2 E d i t o r i a l Vijnāni Sri Ramakrishna Sri Ramakrishna said that a true devotee does not need to practice harsh spiritual austerities. He Last February 17th millions of devotees and only needs to know two things: "Who I am (means followers of Sri Ramakrishna worshipped him— who is Sri Ramakrishna), and, secondly, who they lighted the lamps, burned incense, decorated the are and what is their relationship to me." (Gospel, photos and images with flowers, offered food, pg. 413). chanted the holy words, sang devotional songs, To explain this very important statement of his served the poor and needy, and meditated to guru, Swami Vivekananda said, "The eternal visualize God within their hearts. Who is this God? relationship between the eternal soul and the Thousands of years before, some enquiring eternal God." minds asked the same question—"Who is that Who is Sri Ramakrishna? Deity to whom we offer oblations? (Rig.veda.10) The students of the life of Sri Ramakrishna Sri Ramakrishna, himself, during his lifetime often wonder, thinking, "Who is this unique encouraged his intimate devotees to enquire before personality? Who lived on this earth as accepting any ideology or person. He used to ask Ramakrishna?" them now and then what they thought about him. Even before Sri Ramakrishna's birth, his father, In The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we find Sri a pious brahmin named Sri Khudiram Ramakrishna asking one of his close devotees, Sri Chattopadhyaya, had a dream at Gaya in Bihar, M, "Let me ask you something. What do you think India, a famous pilgrim center for the Hindus, in of me? How much knowledge of God have I?" which Lord Vishnu appeared before him and told Sri Ramakrishna used to ask this question to him that he would soon be born as his son. encourage his disciples to understand the principle In addition, Sri Ramakrishna's mother, Srimati or the person whom they accepted as the goal or Chandramani Devi, the kind-hearted lady, had a the spiritual master. wonderful spiritual experience at her native village The ignorant acceptance of a spiritual ideal is of Kamarpukur in West Bengal, India. One day not strong enough to help God seekers to reach the while standing before a temple of Lord Shiva, she goal. Only devotion based on knowledge can bring saw a flood of divine light coming out of the image successful spiritual realization. of Lord Shiva and entering her body, and she soon Devotees sometimes take a wrong step by began to feel that she was with child. attaching themselves to an ideology or person The guileless mother, Chandramani, also saw without proper verification and judgment. They Lord Brahma visiting her house. Now, it raises a presume that their emotional attachment to their very important question. Whose manifestation was chosen ideals will give them the ultimate spiritual Sri Ramakrishna — Brahmā, the Creator of the experience. Unfortunately, this presumption, universe; Vishnu, the Sustainer of the universe; or which is born of spiritual ignorance, not only Shiva, the power that ends the universe? blocks the path of truth but destroys their love for The true devotees, who sincerely meditate on seeking the Truth. Religious ignorance is Sri Ramakrishna, feel that he is all of those and dangerous for the individual and more so for the much beyond. As the Purusha Sukta (Rig Veda society. This ignorance about the Truth combined 10.90.3) described, "All this (universe) manifests with tremendous emotional attachment to the only one-fourth of the glory of the Purusha; the ideal may make a seeker of God a ruthless remaining three-fourths lies in the immortal murderer. celestial plane.' NO 17. 2018 Chicago Calling 3 A great Sanskrit scholar once said to Sri jnāna is based on analysis and negation. Vijnāna Ramakrishna, "You are that from whom all the is based on synthesis and affirmation. Sri Avataras have been born." Swami Vivekananda Ramakrishna is a vijnāni. saw in him the fulfillment of the highest ideal. A vijnāni must have three qualities: One, Swami Turiyananda saw him as Lord Jagannath in renunciation; Two, True Knowledge of Brahman; the sacred shrine at Puri. Swami Shivananda saw Three, Love and Compassion him as Shiva at Banares. Swami Abhedananda saw Regarding the renunciation of Sri Ramakrishna, all the incarnations and deities merging into the his disciple, Swami Vivekananda, after long and person of Sri Ramakrishna. thorough examination, declared, "He is tyāgishwara Sri Ramakrishna's life and experiences are not — Lord among Renouncers. The highest only unique and peerless but also beyond the level renunciation is the renunciation of the ego. Sri of ordinary sainthood. Sri Ramakrishna is not only Ramakrishna did not have an iota of ego. a jnāni but he is also a vijnāni. Regarding Self-knowledge, Sri Ramakrishna In the words of Sri Ramakrishna, "The jnāni was a veritable emperor. No other spiritual soul gives up his identification with worldly things, ever acquired such a wide and divergent discriminating, 'Not this, not this.' Only then can knowledge of Brahman. he realize Brahman...The vijnāni, who is more Regarding the third attribute, love and intimately acquainted with Brahman, realizes compassion for all people, Sri Ramakrishna's was something more...The vijnāni sees that the Reality superhuman. His love knew no barriers. which is nirguna, without attributes, is also saguna, with attributes." (Gospel, pg. 30.) We bow down to vijnāni Sri Ramakrishna. Wherein lies the originality of harmonise these. He took the best the Gita which distinguishes it from what all the sects then from all preceding scriptures? It existing had to offer and is this: Though before its advent, threaded them in the Gita. But Yoga, Jnana, Bhakti, etc. had even where Krishna failed to each its strong adherents, they show a complete reconciliation all quarrelled among themselves, (Samanvaya) among these each claiming superiority for his warring sects, it was fully own chosen path; no one ever accomplished by Ramakrishna tried to seek for reconciliation Paramahamsa in this nineteenth among these different paths. It century. was the author of the Gita who -- Swami Vivekananda for the first time tried to (CW 4, Lectures and Discourses) NO 17. 2018 Chicago Calling 4 HOW TO OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES SWAMI SUNIRMALANANDA Head, Vedanta Society of the Netherlands This article is based on the lecture delivered at the Spiritual Retreat in August 2017 in Vivekananda Retreat , Ganges, MI INTRODUCTION Difficulties have a source and the source is completely. The present moment opens new ourselves. That doesn’t mean that we should be doors for a glorious life. So, we can build up our depressed or think that we are worthless. The idea lives. Therefore, instead of brooding over the past is that we can always change for the better. Most of or imagining the future, we should begin building the time, we make ourselves miserable due to our our lives up. We should shake off melancholy and worrying over the past and imagining the future. begin to work hard. This is the positive way of life. The past is just a memory. One of the mistakes that As Swami Vivekananda repeatedly asserted, most of us do, owing to Semitic background, is to negative thoughts are harmful and they weaken think that we are sinners. It’s good in a way us. To think negative thoughts means also to brood because it brings humility. But, it suppresses all over the past and imagine negative things about our powers. It makes us weak. To think all the time the future. We can change the effects of past that I am sinner will not release the inner karma by doing good deeds now. potentialities and the grace of the God to flow. So So, the theory of Karma is to informs us that the past is just memory. There is no question of there is a bright and great future for every one of anyone being a sinner or bad. All of us make us. Whatever may be our present situation, mistakes. The example is of the dancer. A dancer everything can change. No rich man became rich may fall a hundred times. When she falls, she by luck. There is nothing called luck in this world. weeps. But when she becomes an expert dancer, We should remember that. “Oh! that man is a very it’s all different. If a TV person interviews her and lucky person, he won a lottery ticket”. There is asks her, “how many times did you fall,” she will nothing like that. Everything is based on the law of say “Oh, I don’t remember. Those are nothing. Cause and Effect. We can change our destiny. Now, I am a perfect dancer, and that’s what is DOES LIFE PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES? important.” That is called living the positive life. The first point is, we should not think negative We don’t know what were in the past.