Dharma Sandesh kÉqÉïxÉlSåzÉ a quarterly newsletter of Bharatiya Mandir, Middletown, NY AÉ lÉÉå pÉSìÉÈ ¢üiÉuÉÉå rÉliÉÑ ÌuɵÉiÉÈ| Let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere. RigVeda 1.89.1 n lÉqÉxiÉå Namaste xÉÑpÉÉÌwÉiÉÉ Subhaashitaa Á – OM. With the blessings and grace of the In this section, we present a Sanskrit quotation and its Supreme Lord (mÉUqÉÉiqÉÉ), we are proud to present this interpretation/meaning. issue of Dharma Sandesh. xÉuÉïSìurÉåwÉÑ ÌuɱæuÉ SìurÉqÉÉWÒûUlÉѨÉqÉqÉç | This season, the winter has been very fierce so far. AWûÉrÉïiuÉÉSlÉbrÉïiuÉÉS¤ÉrÉiuÉÉŠ xÉuÉïSÉ || The snow has been relentless, and the brutal cold from the Arctic, including the breakdown of the polar vortex, has made people’s lives miserable for weeks at sarva-dravyeshu-vidyaiva-dravya-maahu-ranuttamam| a stretch. ahaaryatvaad-anarghyatvaad-akshayatvaacca-sarvada || In anticipation of Spring and good weather, we will be Among all assets education is the most supreme. It celebrating Holi, the festival of colors on March 16. cannot ever be stolen, it is always priceless, and it People will greet each other with a multitude of colors never perishes. – red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple, and pink, and the air will be filled with the mixture of all these Other assets and property, whether land, money, gold, colors. That is such a wonderful sight to behold!! grains, or other wealth, can always be stolen by other people. Property can decrease in value, and sometimes We will invite the New Year in the form of Yugadi, wealth and other property can be destroyed. Education Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Baisakhi, Vishu, Puthandu, and knowledge, on the other hand, never die. They are and Thapna. Following that, we will celebrate Sri always priceless, and can never be stolen by anyone. Rama Navami, the birthday of our Lord Sri Rama. One should always strive to earn this asset called Later on, in May we will be celebrating the 15th education. anniversary of Bharatiya Mandir. Contributed by Dr. Narasim Banavara In this issue, I write about Maryada Purushottama Sri Rama and about Yugadi. Dr. Padma Sundaram writes xÉÉD mÉëåUhÉÉ Baba’s Teachings about Lord Kubera, the Lord and guardian of wealth and treasure. Ms. Akshani Patel writes about the colorful festival of Holi. In this section, we present a teaching of Sri Sai Baba. We hope that readers will continue to enjoy reading Sri Satya Sai Baba spoke thus – “When your mind these articles and gain some insight into our Sanatana matures and attains fruition, it easily becomes free of Dharma. Let us all pray to the Paramaatma (mÉUqÉÉiqÉÉ) to all qualities. It becomes placid, calm, and pure. It shower His blessings upon all His children!! effortlessly merges in the one and only Atma. Each Sincerely, person has the unique chance to taste the inner peace Your Editorial Board that such a mind can grant, but, unfortunately, most Web: www.bharatiyamandir.org are strangers to the unshakeable joy and equanimity Email: [email protected] that is their birthright. Meditation is the only island of refuge in the ocean of life for all beings tossed on the Dharma Sandesh Volume 5 Issue 4 Mar2014-May2014 Page-1 waves of desire, doubt, dread, and despair. This vanquish the Rakshasas and establish Dharma on Vedantic truth must be present in the mind, even earth. To help Him in this venture, His three brothers while one is engaged in the mundane material were incarnated and born as well. They were world!” – Sathya Sai Vahini. Lakshmana (sɤqÉhÉ from the great serpent Adi Shesha AÉÌSzÉåwÉ on whom Lord Vishnu reclines), Bharata (pÉUiÉ Contributed by Dr. Vijaya Dasari from the Shankha zÉ„¡û or conch of Lord Vishnu) and Shatrughna (zÉiÉ×blÉ from the Chakra cÉ¢ü or discus of ¥ÉÉlÉÌuÉWûÉU JnanaVihara Lord Vishnu). Bharata was born to Queen Kaikeyi and Lakshmana and Shatrughna were born as twins to In this section, we present articles on Hinduism, Queen Sumitra. Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, and related philosophy. The children grew up in the royal household Maryada Purushottama Sri Rama filled with a mixture of qÉrÉÉïSÉ mÉÑÂwÉÉå¨ÉqÉ ´ÉÏ UÉqÉ love, happiness and discipline. They were Sri Rama (´ÉÏ UÉqÉ) is the seventh avatara of Lord trained by Guru Vishnu on this earth. He incarnated to rid the earth of Vashishta in all the Rakshasas such as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and Vedas, philosophies, the their associates and to establish Dharma in the world. sciences, religion, and The great epic Ramayana (UÉqÉÉrÉhÉ) composed by Sage military sciences and Valmiki (qÉWûÌwÉï uÉÉsqÉÏÌMü) in Sanskrit extols the life, arts. They grew up to be pursuits, adventures and virtues of Lord Rama. The experts in all the arts, same epic was recomposed in the Avadhi language as sciences and warfare, Sri Rama Charit Manas (´ÉÏ UÉqÉcÉËUiÉqÉÉlÉxÉ) by Sant especially in archery. Tulasidas. Another important composition in the Sanskrit language is Sri Adhyatma Ramayana (´ÉÏ Once Sage Vishwamitra arrived at the palace of King AkrÉÉiqÉ UÉqÉÉrÉhÉ) attributed to Sage Veda Vyasa. This Dasharatha and requested that the king send Rama with him in order to vanquish the Rakshasas who version is steeped more into philosophy than the were impeding the Yajnas (rituals sacrifices) that the previous two versions. Rishis in the forest were performing. King Dasharatha sent Rama and Lakshmana with the sage. In the Brief Story of Sri Rama: forest, Rama killed scores of the terrible Rakshasas who were killing the pious sages. After that, he Sri Rama was born as the eldest son of Queen AWûsrÉÉ Kausalya and King Dasharatha of Ayodhya in the revived Ahalya ( ) who had been cursed by her solar lineage (Surya Vamsha xÉÔrÉïuÉÇzÉ) of Ikshvaku. husband Sage Gautama to assume the form of a rock. He was born on Navami (ninth day) of Shukla Later, Sage Vishwamitra took the princes to Mithila, Paksha (bright half) of the Hindu month of Chaitra. the kingdom of King Janaka. The king was holding a That day is celebrated all over India (and the world) as Sri Rama Navami. Swayamvara (xuÉrÉÇuÉU) for his foster-daughter Sita, the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. The challenge was King Dasharatha performed the Putra Kameshti Yajna to string the bow of Lord Shiva, which only Sri Rama (mÉѧÉMüÉqÉå̹rÉ¥É). From the blazing sacrificial fire came a could perform. Sri Rama won the Swayamvara challenge and married Sita. God with Payasa (mÉÉrÉxÉ – porridge) and gave it to King Dasharatha. The king distributed the Payasa King Janaka happily performed the marriage of his among his three wives Kausalya, Sumitra and daughter Sita with Lord Rama. He also gave his other Kaikeyi, who bore him four sons. Lord Vishnu had daughter Urmila in marriage to Lakshmana. His ordained that He would be born as Sri Rama to brother’s daughters Mandavi and Shrutakeerti were Dharma Sandesh Volume 5 Issue 4 Mar2014-May2014 Page-2 given in marriage to Bharata and Shatrughna Bharata came to know of these events, he rushed respectively. King Janaka performed all the marriages home from his uncle’s kingdom where he was visiting according to scripture. at the time these events took place. He was mortified to find out that his mother had been the sole cause for On the way back to the misfortune that had befallen them all. After Ayodhya from Mithila, performing the last rites for his father King Lord Rama encountered Dasharatha, he rushed to the forest where Sri Rama Sage Parashurama, the was staying and implored Sri Rama to return to sixth incarnation of Lord Ayodhya and accept his rightful place as king. Sri Vishnu. Parashurama did Rama flatly refused Bharata’s request stating that he not recognize the new must fulfill the promise given to his father at all costs. incarnation and proceeded to insult Sri Sri Rama, accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, spent Rama and challenge him. several years in the forest visiting with sages and Instead, Sri Rama vanquishing Rakshasas who were troubling the sages. defeated Parashurama and proved his strength by stringing a new bow belonging to Lord Vishnu. The In the fourteenth year of exile, Sita was kidnapped by sage accepted defeat and offered all of his powers the Rakshasa king Ravana. He took her to Lanka and from his meditation to Sri Rama as he realized that Sri kept her in the Ashoka Vana (AzÉÉåMüuÉlÉ) garden. Sri Rama was the new incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Rama went searching for his wife, and in the process vanquished several Rakshasas. He also made new Lord Rama entered Ayodhya with his bride Sita and friends in Sugreeva, king of the monkeys and got a his family. They stayed there happily for some time. new prime devotee in Hanuman. When ordered by Meanwhile, King Dasharatha planned to install Sri Sugreeva to go and look for Sita, Hanuman crossed Rama as the crown prince (Yuvaraja rÉÑuÉUÉeÉ). The the sea at Rameshwaram and found Sita Devi. Sri entire population of the state was happy except Queen Rama led the monkey and bear armies into Lanka, Kaikeyi whose mind was poisoned by her maid where he defeated and killed the evil Ravana, Manthara. Queen Kaikeyi devised a plan to stop the Kumbhakarna and the coronation of Sri Rama as Yuvaraja. Rakshasas who were responsible for troubling King Dasharatha had once given Queen Kaikeyi two and killing pious people boons. The queen proceeded to encash those two and who were responsible boons. With the first boon she demanded that her son for impeding Dharma. He Bharata be made crown prince in Sri Rama’s place, then installed Ravana’s and with the second boon she demanded that Sri brother Vibheeshana as Rama be exiled for fourteen years. the king of Lanka.