ETERNAL LIGHT SANATAN JYOTI

Transcription

ETERNAL LIGHT ♦ SANATAN JYOTI ♦ 2013
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BHARAT SEVASHRAM SANGHA OF NORTH AMERICA, CHICAGO
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Eternal Light
Annual Magazine
of
BHARAT SEVASHRAM SANGHA
of NORTH AMERICA
CHICAGO
Swami Purnatmananda and Swami Parameshananda
18th Annual Foundation Day
November 23, 2013
Sanatan Jyoti
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Bharat Sevashram Sangha
of North America
A Tax-exempt Spiritual, Cultural, Educational & Philanthropic Organization
522 Garfield Av. Aurora, Illinois 60506 ♦ Ph. 630-301-6039
H. H. Swami Purnatmanandaji Maharaj
Welcome Message
November 23, 2013
Dear Friends and Devotees,
It is a great pleasure to extend my greetings to all of you on the occasion of
the annual Fund-raising event on behalf of our organization. This year, we are
celebrating the eighteenth anniversary of Bharat Sevashram Sangha of North
America in Chicago. I take this opportunity to thank all of you and other members of
our community who have helped us immensely in building this temple at Aurora. We
now have a good opportunity to fulfill our spiritual and cultural needs, and work
together for the peace and happiness of our children and future generations.
Importantly, we can also now focus in a better way to expand our various
philanthropic and humanitarian efforts here in the US as well as in India.
During the last several years, our community has grown steadily and our
Ashram has become an important melting pot where all members meet to share
their ideas in helping our community and experience spiritual diversity of the Hindu
Culture. Let us all strive hard and work together to fulfill many key visions of Acharya
Srimat Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj. We can enrich our own personal lives and
also strengthen our society through unity by realizing the spiritual principles taught
by him, He had emphasized the importance of selfless service (Seva) to the cause
of mankind, and to the needy in general, irrespective of one’s religion, caste and
color. I request you all to join us in increasing our efforts in this area by paying
attention to two of his key messages. In explaining what religion is, he emphasized
the importance of “self-sacrifice”. Similarly, in describing what our real sins are, he
stressed the word “selfishness”. In this area, I am very glad to mention that with the
help from all of you and many other devotees in several countries, including India,
Bharat Sevashram Sangha has established a 500 bed full-fledged hospital in
Kolkata during 2010.
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During 2013, we have continued to expand our programs in organizing key
religious festivals including Saraswati Puja, Maghi Purnima, Shivaratri, Dol Purnima
(Holi), Basanti Puja, Guru Purnima, Buddha Purnima, Shri Krishna Janmashthami,
Durga Puja (Navaratri), Lakshmi Puja, and Kali Puja (Diwali). We had also arranged
our annual program for a Summer Camp for our youth. Our guest house, which is
adjacent to this Ashram, has also been fully activated since 2008; this year, we had
over 75 guests from the US, Canada and India. Our other centers and branches in
the US, including those in New York, New Jersey, Minnesota and California are also
functioning very well. I also conducted several prayer meetings at the homes of
several devotees all over US.
The Bharat Sevashram Sangha continues to organize humanitarian services
amongst the victims of flood in Uttarkhand and other calamities in India, Fiji Island
and Guyana (British) in South America. Several centers of the Sangha continue to
spread the teachings of the Great Acharya Srimat Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj in
many other countries including Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, New
Zealand, Africa, West Indies and Fiji Islands. Let us all work together to make this
world very peaceful, harmonious and prosperous. I again express my deep gratitude
to all of you and our well wishers who contributed to the success of this dynamic
organization. We look forward to receiving your continuous support. May Lord Guru
Pranavanandaji continue to bless you and your families.
With divine love and best wishes,
Sincerely,
Swami Purnatmananda,
(Chairman and Principan coordinator of
Bharat Sevashram Sangha Centers outside India)
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Message from the Acting President of Executive
Committee of BSSNA
November 23, 2013
Dear Fellow Devotees,
It’s amazing how far Bharat Sevashram Sanghas’ Chicago branch came in short
period of time. It all started in 1992 in the basement of a devotee’s home in Chicago.
That was the time when Swami Purnatmananda-ji just came to this country. With the
cooperation of devotees and his hard work and dedication, within few years in 1997
Swami Purnatmananda-ji was able to acquire Chicago Ashram’s first own building.
Soon after that Ashram purchased a bigger building in Elgin, Illinois and from there
in 2007 Ashram moved to even bigger building in the historic city of Aurora, Illinois.
Aurora Ashram’s building is 16,000 sq. ft. of floor space with high ceiling and
auditorium in the basement. It also has 60 car capacity parking lot. These are some
things none of the previous Chicago Ashram buildings had.
Purchasing a big building is one thing, maintaining a building of this size is even
bigger challenge. Being in Midwest, during coldest months of the year heating bill for
the Ashram alone goes as high as $3,000/month. Then of course there are other
utility bills and cost of building maintenance, lawn maintenance etc. These are not
only expenses for the Ashram. There are many other legal and compliance related
expenses.
With Gods grace, with generous donations received from all devotees like you,
Ashram somehow able to manage such huge expenses. Apart from monitory
donations, many devotees give their countless hours to do Ashram’s work that
otherwise Ashram had to pay someone to hire to get that work done. Devotees’
selfless work not only does good to their heart and soul, but also sets great example
for future generation.
Annual fundraiser is the only event which Ashram holds for the purpose of collecting
donations. Other times devotees willingly donate when they come for Pujas and
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celebrations at the Ashram throughout the year. We all are fortunate that in spite of
being so far from India, we have such a big Ashram where we can come and
celebrate Indian cultural events. This brings us happiness, peace and provides our
soul spiritual food. Our kids, our future generation, get opportunity to learn Indian
culture. Once a year Ashram conducts full day youth summer camp to bring kids
even closer to Indian culture. At camp kids are taught many moral lessons with the
hope they will become good citizens.
On behalf of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Chicago I would like to thank each and
everyone those volunteered, sponsored, donated and even just participated in
events. Without your continuous support Chicago Ashram couldn’t have came so far.
Ashram sincerely hopes you will continue to provide even more support in coming
years.
With best wishes,
Sincerely,
Debabrata Sadhukhan,
(Acting President of Executive Committee
Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Chicago)
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Addition of Swami Parameshananda
I have been enjoying the center in Chicago, (Aurora) since my recent arrival on
September 30, 2013. Selected to serve the Ashram members; I find myself busy
learning about various departments and types of duties in order to operate the
facility properly. Most of you know the building was a 'Christan Science' church quite
a liberal delegation. It is quite well known they had quoted from the Baghavad Gita in
the sermons and works of the founder 'Mary Baker Eddy'.
It is my great privilege to welcome readers to Sanatan Jyoti 2014. I appreciate the
editorial staff working tirelessly behind the scenes to produce the comprehensive
annual jounal. I urge all members likewise to help out with seva projects about the
ashram and benefit yourselves in so doing.
A few words on the Bhagavad Gita Ch. six.
This is no intellectual exercise but a simple approach to a great subject. Mahatma
Gandhi is quoted as saying, “the Gita is My Mother, whenever I am facing difficulties
and problems arrise. I simply open the book and it immediately soothes my aching
heart and mind”.
Verse 2.
Yam samnyasam iti prahur/ yogam tam viddhi pandava/ nahy asamnyastasam/
kalpo/ yogi bhavati kascana.
It says that disciplined yoga is just as good as renunciation. No one can become a
Yogin who has not tried to remove sankalpa (subtle hankerings). Strive to become
more silent and thereby meditation practice will lead us to higher truths. A meditative
mind is a state of mind at it's best.
Verse 5.
Uddhared atmana tmanam/ na tmanam avasadayet/ atmai va hy atmano bandhur/
atmai va ripuratmanah.
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Let a man lift himself by himself; let him not degrade himself; for the self alone is the
friend of the self and the self alone is the enemy of the self.
Just as in the practice of soccer or dance the more exercise or study is given the
better result will be. Strength thus gets into our muscles and nerves enabling us
resist temptation for (excessive) enjoyments. Our body and mind strengthened is a
time to dive deeper within and become free from confusion caused by a mixture of
joy /sorrow/ pleasure /pain / victory/ defeat / darkness / light the pairs of opposites.
I close the article with a prayer for strength: Our day should begin with and also end
with a prayer. Every morning when you get up pray to the Lord to grant you the
necessary strength and courage for the day and rest, peace and harmony at night.
Finally, Let Us Be United in our prayer for others unselfishly, who have somehow
lost their way,
SAMGACCHADVAM
~~~
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Free dispensary for
Amarnath pilgrims
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Bharat Sevashram provided shelter and food during Uttarkhand disaster.
One Ashram owned 7 story school was damaged in this disaster. Ashram
now rebuilding that school.
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To Be Happy or Not To Be
Indrani Mondal
It is thrilling to realize that all the great philosophies of the world have tried to
deal with a basic question that perplexes lay people like you & me, what is
happiness? It is equally interesting to see the disparity in their views on figuring out
what happiness is. In this context Hinduism & Buddhism have always intrigued me.
The quest for happiness begins because the starting point of all our
questioning is the pain & suffering in human life & the world around us. As ordinary
mortals going through the trials & tribulations of life this philosophic quest easily
resonates with us. But even though the two great schools of thought, Hinduism &
Buddhism, don’t ignore pain & try to seek a way out of it their approach is very
different.
In Buddhism the 1st of its 4 Noble Truths is ‘Sarvam Dukham’, everywhere
there is pain & suffering. In fact as we all know, Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
was really Prince Siddharta who renounced the lavish lifestyle of the heir apparent to
the throne, so moved was he by the sight of disease, old age & death. However
‘Sarvam Dukham’ in Buddhism is not a negative view of the world leading to
depression & withdrawal but is an empirical fact which requires realistic acceptance,
empathic sensitivity & will to overcome. It is a pragmatic world view. The goal of
human life is thus to attain a state where there is no further suffering or pain.
Buddhists call it Nirvana. In order to realize Nirvana humans should get to the root
cause of pain. This is explained in the 2nd Noble Truth. The de raison et re for pain
is desire or craving for all kinds of material satisfaction, even fame, success & glory.
The goal thus is to overcome desire in all its layers through the Noble 8 fold Path &
attain salvation in Nirvana where all craving & hence pain ceases.
Hinduism explains pain, destruction & death as Maya or illusion. In the face
of pain we ordinary humans are ignorant & easy to panic as when someone cries in
terror mistaking a rope for a snake. So the goal of our lives is to disentangle
ourselves from this misconception, realize that pain is unreal by understanding the
real truth about ourselves. We are in essence connected with the Cosmic energy
which is Sat, Chit, Ananda -- Pure Existence, Consciousness & Bliss. This
realization is Moksha, the goal of human existence. It is unadulterated happiness
which is a positive state of attaining Truth.
Now if we think of Happiness as Light, it is easy to see that when we enter a
room which actually has the light on, it is a different experience than when we step
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into the same room when it is not dark but doesn’t have the light on either. This may
be a rough way of understanding the difference between Moksha & Nirvana.
In our modern world & contemporary living we cannot but agree with
Buddhism’s direct take on pain & beyond. As Buddhism continues to explore the
cause of ‘Sarvam Dukham’ and finds it to be our endless hankering for what we
don’t have or cannot possess, this analysis too turns out to be such an honest
admission of a basic human folly that we can instantly connect with it. How we can
deal with, control & overcome our errant desires by Right Speech, Right Hearing &
Right Vision is then elaborated in the Noble 8 fold path & is understandable also.
Hinduism delivers the same message in a roundabout, more suggestive or
even more poetic way, (though critics have often called it an attempt at escapism or
denial) when it says that most of life’s problems are created by ourselves due to
Maya or the possessiveness we develop for animate & inanimate things around us.
Control of body & mind (through Yoga & meditation) are thus advocated as ways of
freeing ourselves from this predicament. If & when we are able to get to that stage
of understanding Hinduism talks of pursuing the path of self realization leading to
Moksha or complete unadulterated Bliss, Anandam.
If Moksha & Nirvana are both ideals to be pursued & possibly attained & if the
purpose of philosophy is not only to explain how & why but also to provide a viable
answer to what if in human existence, then which concept delivers a more feasible &
comprehensible answer? Is it the one that we can relate to with our contemporary
logicality or the one that requires a lot of intellectual skill & some imagination? This
is a dilemma that has always haunted me.
As my friend put it in a slightly different way, can we be happy going through
life constantly challenging ourselves, ever struggling towards a Super Positive state
where nothing is absent or does happiness lie in being realistic about the limits of
our thought & reach & still aiming for the best, knowing that that in itself is perhaps
the only Perfection?
~~~
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By the grace of Acharya Srimat Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj, Bharat Sevashram
Sangha opened Sangha's first state-of-the-art multispecialty hospital in Joka,
Kolkata, India on 4th April, 2010. This made modern treatment available to the poor
and weaker section of the society. The hospital was inaugurated by Honorable Sri
Pranab Mukherjee, Union Finance Minister of India.
This hospital has more than 500 beds with MRI, ECG, Ultrasonograph, CT scan
facilities. It also owns 29 ambulances.
Major portion of this hospital development was funded by Dr. Nihar Ranjan and Gita
Dutta memorial trust in New York, USA.
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Swamiji from Bharat
Sevashram Sangha
distributing food to
poor people in India
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Maghi Purnima
Sucheta Sadhukhan
There are primarily three reasons Bharat Sevashram Sangha celebrates Maghi
Purnima in month of February every year. Yugacharya Swami Pranavanandaji
Maharaj is the founder of Bharat Sevashram Sangha. He was born on the
auspicious Maghi purnima day in 1896 at Faridpur District, now it is in Bangladesh. It
was also Maghi purnima when Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj attained Divine
illumination in 1916 and one year later in 1917 on the very same Maghi Purnima day
he founded Bharat Sevashram Sangha.
The Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a socio-religious organization which takes interest
not only in spiritual enhancement of people; it takes care of social, economical,
medical and other problems of society.
The Bharat Sevashram Sangha is a group of spiritual brotherhood of monks and
selfless workers dedicated to the service of humanity.
It is mentioned earlier, Srimat Pranavanandaji Maharaj was born on the auspicious
Maghi purnima day. His father’s name was Shree Bishnu Charana Das and mother’s
name was Mother Sarada Devi. Before his birth his mother had a miraculous dream
that Great-God Sankara was incarnating Himself as her son. Eventually the dream
came true. When he was born, the neighbors were charmed to see the newborn
baby. They said Oh! It is not a human baby, it is a perfect and smooth figure of the
Lord Shiva engraved in stone. Since his childhood he was quiet, serious, unattached
to the worldly affairs. As the boy grew, attributes of the great lord Shiva gradually
became apparent in him. The boy had a pleasant look and his speech was full of
nectar. He had a great physical strength. Acharyadeva used to do lots of exercise to
build his muscles. He gave the proof of his strength many times and on many
occasions. But his diet was only boiled potato and rice. One day on of his friend
asked him you eat only rice and potato, I eat fish, meat but you are lot stronger than
mine. How it is possible? He said we need to practice self-discipline. Friend asked,
how do you practice self-discipline? He said I practice self-discipline for perfect self
control. Through diet- control, hearing control, speech control the mind and five
sense-organs can be controlled and the Almighty power can be attained.
In 1913, he was initiated in yoga by great yogi Baba Gambhiranathji. Then he spent
3 consecutive years in divine meditation in his village. Eventually his success came
and he attained the divine illumination. Since then a great divine power purified by
vigorous austerity manifested in his body.
After the break of his divine Samadhi, he announced his massage for the people of
the world-“This age is the age of great awakening. This age is the age of great unity.
This age is the age of great adjustment. This age is the age of great salvation.
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At that time India was under the British rule. India was passing through a phase of
disrespect and irreverence. Social disturbance was going on everywhere. Indian’s
were losing there self consciousness. Srimat Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj said it
is impossible for youths who are aimless, idealess, how they can sacrifice there lives
for the country? My firm determination is to build up first the moral character through
practice of self control. First let them organize, and then they can go for movement.
He said I want to bring back the ancient vedic Indian family and social ideals and
responsibilities to the age so that social life again be healthy, disciplined and
peaceful.
At the age of 28 he was initiated in sannyasa and came to be known by the name
Acharya Swami Pranavananda. Before that people used to call him Vinoda.
Acharyadeva started building a group of young people who renounced there life for
the sake of good of others. This army of salvation after being initiated to
monasticism jumped into the whirlpool of social service. In 1917 on this auspicious
Maghi Purnimatithi, he along with his young followers established the welfare
organization Bharat Sevashram Sangha. He started his work of humanitarian
activities, service to the victims of flood, earthquake, building up of character of
youths, encouragement and assistance to house-holders to develop discipline and
ideal lives. Motivated by the grace and power of preceptor they started begging from
door to door and collected money, clothing and rice and started providing relief to
the people who were suffering from these disaster. The work of sangha started to
progress very rapidly. For collecting money for the sangha, the acharya formed a
group of singers. A moral atmosphere started to be created in the whole country
through kirtana. People used to enjoy heavenly bliss as long as they used to be
engaged in kirtana. Devotional sentiments used to play so strongly in them that none
could resist the temptation of coming to kirtana. Millions of Hindu men and women
started appreciating the activities of the sangha. To uplift Hindu families and society
Acharyadeva established Hindu Milan Mandir. Realization of self and service to
humanity were the twin motto of the Acharya and motto of the sangha.
In 1913 on the same tithi in the presence of 20, 000 people the Acharyadeva
accepted the offering as the preceptor of the world, the great master of the age.
Since that time every year 108 dishes is being offered to him on this Maghi Purnima.
Bharat Sevashram Sangha has been devoting significant human and financial
resources including relief work during natural disasters, administration of charitable
hospitals, mobile medical care, leprosy treatment centers, orphans and students
homes. Bharat Sevashram Sangha also takes keen interest for welfare of tribal
segments of the society. The Sangha is running 30 charitable dispensaries at the
head office and in different branches covering more than half a million patients. It is
running 3 hospitals and 55 clinics for the leprosy patients in Singhbhum district in
Bihar. To restore ancient spiritual atmosphere of the holy places of pilgrimages and
to give accommodation as well as all possible help to the pilgrims, Acharyadeva
established pilgrims welfare centers.
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Bharat Sevashram Sangha has 80 Ashrams across 16 states in India and 41 Milan
Mandirs.
The Sangha has its branches all over the world including in UK, Canada, USA,
South America, Fiji, Nepal, Bangladesh.
The department of Posts in India issued a postage stamp in honor of Swami
Pranavanandaji Maharaj on November 3rd, 2002.
Three monthly magazines and also a good number of religious books in different
languages are being published to keep Hindus aware of Vedic ideals. In vedic view,
there is no one God for all humanity, but there is one Reality for all beings.
~~~
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Free First
Session
All students in grades 1-12 have the opportunity to get involved in the following
Enrichment Activities in Naperville.
Math Olympiad – Grade 4 - 8
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Promoting critical
thinking
Learning Problem
Solving Strategies
Solving
challenging math word
problems.
Stimulate
enthusiasm for Math
Foster
Mathematical creativity
Jr. First Lego Leauge – Grade 1-3


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Themed Lego
Building
Building Lego
Simple Machines
Building Lego
Moving Model
Build to Express
Project work –
Trifold
Team Participates
in Jr. FLL Event
SAT/ACT Test Prep
 English
 Math
 Science
Science League – Grade 2-12
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
Extend science
knowledge and skills on
many topics through fun,
hands-on, innovative
activities
Explore science
through inquiry based
learning.
Prepare children
for participating
in National Science
League Contest
First Lego Leauge – Grade 5-8

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Build & Design
Robots
Programming
Lego CAD
Project Work –
Solving real world
Problems
Team Participates
in FLL Competition
Contact Us
Archana Sharma
630-995-9799
630-445-5406
[email protected]
Sponsoring:
Math Olympiad, Science League and Lego Robotics
www.cybershala.com
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Youth Summer Camp at Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Chicago
Every year Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Chicago conducts full day Youth Summer
Camp for 10 days. Theme of the camp usually based on Ramayana. Camp teaches
kids each kanda of Ramayana every day and how they can apply its lessons even
today in their daily life. In order to make sure kids able to learned what’s been
taught, camp organizers provides a set of question answer sheet on the kanda
taught on that day and kids practiced those to make sure all the kids are able to
absorb what they learn in spite of various age differences. In addition to Ramayan
kids learnes and practices yoga and meditation under the supervision of Swamiji or
instructors comes from yoga center. In 2012, kids were taken to Scitech museum for
field trip. In 2012, volunteers came from Fermilab to show presentation on electricity,
magnetism and another day volunteer from Fermilab showed kids Cryogenic show.
Kids and volunteers enjoyed the show very much. Apart from these kids learned
about vegetarianism, devotional song, drawing and painting. On final day of the
camp kids participates in a quiz competition to prove how much they have learned
about Ramayana and also got attractive prizes. Apart from religious teaching kids
got ample play time every day. All kids get prizes at the end of the camp. Lunch,
snack, art materials are provided by the Ashram. In 2011 Hanuman chalisa specially
made for children with its meaning were distributed to all kids. In the graduation
ceremony kids performs a drama and dance based on Ramayana. Bharat
Sevashram Sangha is very much thankful to all the volunteers and to all the people
who sponsored food and other thing. Without there help it would not have been so
successful. May God bless them all.
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Kids performing during 2012 Summer Camp graduation
Fermilab presentation on electricity and
magnetism during 2012 Summer Camp
Craft work by camp participants
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Senior Swamijis from head office Kolkata, India visited Chicago branch in 2012
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Kids performing in cultural program on the occasion of Saraswati Puja
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Tulsi and It’s Family
Amar Chowdhury
(Republish from Sanatan Jyoti 2007)
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~~~
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WHAT IS LIFE?
from Bhagbat Gita
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Bharat Sevashram Around the World
By the blessings of Guru Maharaj, Bharat Sevashram Sangha now has branches in
following places.
 North America – 11 Ashrams
o Chicago
o Minneapolis
o New York – 3 Ashrams
o New Jersey
o California -2 Ashrams, including Ashram near LA on 54 acre land
o Canada - 2 Ashrams
 South America – 15 Ashrams, including one Hindu collage on 35 acre land
with more than 2,000 students
 Trinidad, West Indies – 4 Ashrams
 India – more than 100 large Ashrams and more than 300 small Ashrams
(Milan Mandir)
o Offering Scholarship for several thousand students
o Many hostels where students can stay and study, some are free for
students
o Sangha running 37 schools and many primary schools
o Owns 20 hospitals, including newest 500 beds hospital in Joka,
Kolkata
o 6 leprosy hospitals in Jharkhand
o 300 charitable dispensaries to serve poor and needy through the Hindu
milan mandir
o Providing shelter for thousands and thousands homeless
o Helping in many village developments in West Bengal, Orissa,
Andaban, Jharkhand, Gujrat, Chenni, Assam, Nagaland, Andra
Pradesh
o Countless relief effort during natural calamities such as earth queck,
flood, famin
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The Objective and Necessity of Religion
by Swami Purnatmananda Maharaj
translated by Bakul Banerjee
Religion is the entity that enhances human life and leads to salvation.
Although different religious organizations may have differences in forms, the
fundamental goal of all religion is take humans to a higher level and to expose
the hidden divinity in them. The true meaning of civilization is to conquer the
animal aspect of the nature. The entire human history teaches us this lesson
through earliest stories of wars between gods and demons as well as the
stories of modern day invasions by Greeks, Muslims, Shakas, Huns,
Pahlavas, Bahliks, Mughals, Pathans and Britishers. After years of
domination by foreign powers, the soul of India is yearning for uplift. Most
countries seek their ideals in politics, economics, social justice, etc, but India
always sought its national ideal in religion and spirituality. This spirituality is
the backbone of our society and nationality. Our national revival can only
happen if we follow the path of spirituality. From the ages of Vedas to modern
times, we hoped for peace, the escape from the cycle of birth and death, and
self-realization. These are the ultimate goals and wishes for all mankind.
We must remember that if we do not follow the path of truth, we will not be
able to realize that ultimate truth. Truth can only be achieved through truth
itself. Only way to free ourselves from the difficulties of human life is to realize
our own true self.
At the dawn of human civilization, Hindu sages realized that knowledge of the
ultimate one leads us to the eternal peace and sang the great hymn to the
denizens of the world, not to any special group of people:
“Srinantu biswe aryam amritsa putra …”
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“O denizens of the world and the gods residing in the luminous heaven listen
carefully. I found the ultimate one, adorned by the color of sun, who exists
behind everything in the entire universe. With the knowledge of his existence
we can win over death. There is no other way to become deathless.”
Like animals, the human body is made of organic materials. Consequently, a
human being without culture, acts and thinks like an animal. Animal wishes
keep him arrested in the cycle of life and death, making them return to the
world again and again. An ordinary man identifies his body with the soul or “I”
and believes that the soul is different from the “I”. However, concealed
beneath the animal body, every human possesses the divine. The only way to
extricate ourselves from this cycle is to bring to light that hidden divinity to
establish the sovereignty of the soul, as the soul is eternal and does not get
birth or death. Continuously performing the task of exposing the soul or the
lotus-like divinity from the cover of the animal instincts should be the duty of
all mankind.
Evil actions are leading human civilization toward destruction. However, good
deeds of enlightened people provide natural protections from that destruction.
The collection of rules that guides humans to conduct protective duties is
defined to be religion. Consequently, the religion is the holder of the world.
Nothing stronger exists. To reach the top of the mountain, we need to climb
many steps following many techniques. However, the mandatory series of
steps to climb are guided by good Achar or rules, good Acharan or actions,
and good Charitra or characters. Achar means the collection of rules of living.
Personal characters are molded by the rules. Good rules are essential for the
enhancement of characters. There are significant differences of opinions
among religious groups regarding definitions of good rules. If ordinary people
feel conflicted with different rules, they should follow the steps followed by
great man. That is why one of the tenets of Hindu religion is to follow the
examples set by great sages.
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To purify our soul by winning over the animal nature, there are four essential
rules. First, self-control and self-discipline as achieved by controlling senses
by focused mental practice. The second is being truthful. The third rule is to
practice selfless love and the fourth rule is to perform selfless duties.
Performance of good deeds in association with good characters and good
rules of living leads humans to enhanced wisdom which in turn leads them to
self-knowledge. As the saying goes, “Conquer habit by counter habit.”
When humans are animal-like, they are extremely selfish, bound by desires,
inclined toward fulfilling their senses, and becoming slaves of sins. At this
stage, they lose the desire for purity, truth and morality. Fulfilling bodily
desires becomes their primary goal of life. They shun spiritual ideals and
believe that spending time and energy on religious discussions is fruitless.
Carnal desire, ego, anger, greed, infatuation, envy, and disgust are the
natural outcomes of such attitudes. The thirst for desire is a true disease.
Those who practice restraining their minds from desire and anger can
become truly happy and peaceful by achieving the knowledge of Brhman. Self
control is easy for those who can test their minds to discover their own
weaknesses and attempt at correcting their faults. It is easy for them to
achieve peace. The true objective of religion is to help us to achieve peace
through the knowledge of Brhman. The goal of human life is to focus our
scattered thoughts toward our inner soul to gain self-realization.
Ideas and experiences about religion and its ideals in occidental countries are
very different. The religion to men and women of these countries is defined by
the practice of narrow rules and customs. Since these practices are
conflicting
to
each
other,
arguments
and
infractions
are
created.
Consequently, as a result of these conservatisms, one religious group tries to
destroy another group so that the winner can impose their own religion on the
losing group.
37
However, the images and ideals of Hinduism are completely different.
According to the ancient sage Manu, there are ten characteristics of the
universal religion: 1. Contentment, 2.Forgiveness, 3.Self-restraint, 4. NonStealing, 5. Purity, 6. Control of Senses, 7. Discrimination between right and
wrong, as also between the real and the unreal, 8. Spiritual knowledge, 9.
Truthfulness and 10. Absence of anger. Is there a place for narrow sectarian
reasoning in this broad-minded ideal of religion? In other words, is there any
doubt that these ideals of religion are for everybody, for everywhere, and for
eternity. Hindu religion of India is the symbol of the religion of mankind. It was
the only religion before the establishment of other religions.
This religion was the only religion followed by entire humanity. The original
source of this religion is Veda. On that count, it is an eternal and priceless
treasure for humanity.
India, created by God as a land exquisitely graced by beautiful seasons, is
the center of earliest flowering of human civilization. That is why we note that
humans with highest knowledge, intellect, and talent are born in India to
achieve the greatness. That is why sages like Vyas, Bashishtha, Manu,
Gautam, Sankhya, Parashara, Kapil, Kanad, Atri, Bharadwaj, Yagyabalka,
Swetaketu, Agastya, and Vishwamitra were born here, as did prophets like Sri
Ram, Sri Krishna, Buddha, Shankaracharya, Mahavira, Ramanuja, Madhava,
and Sri Chaitanya. The trend that they established is still continuing. India is
still the land of choice for sages and prophets. India adorned by its beautiful
rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri, Godavari,
Krishna, etc.; lofty mountains like Girimar, Bindhya, and Himalaya, and deep,
green forests with mild weather; is most suitable for spiritual realization. To
remind us this aspect, an Indian poet wrote, “Dhana Dhanye Pushpeh Bhora
Amader Ei Basundhara …”
We note that in these days of decline of national life, there is temporary loss
of collective memory and we are straying from ideals. Sometimes, the general
38
tolerance of other opinions by Arya Hindus goes beyond limits. It is
dangerous to religion and society. This is reason of hardship for Hindus. In
ancient times, sages and monks led the societal, political and personal lives.
The famed Ramarajya remained memorable through ages because it was led
by the great sage Bashishtha. Maurya dynasty was established under the
guidance of the penniless Brahmin Kautilya who helped Chandragupta to
enormous wealth and accomplishments. Shivaji, the king of Maharashtra,
followed instructions of Swami Ramadasa to lead his life and kingdom. Since
monarchs and public rejected the leaderships of sages and monks with pure
hearts and minds, India has become cursed by sadness. The black cloud of
overall decline is still covering Indian sky. The society is being punished by
the all-consuming, unethical politics. Mankind, distracted by the degraded,
wanton animal power, is standing by the blood-red ocean of destruction.
Deliberating on the need of religion for nation building, Mahatma Gandhi, the
great political leader of India said, “Politics without religious basis is a
dangerous thing.” Its impact on the nation is very grave. “We must spiritualize
politics and economics.” He used to say. This statement is equally true for
our personal and societal life. From the time of Raja Rammohan Roy until
now, every great man who began movements for public welfare pointed his
finger to the founder Swami Pranavananda of Bharat Sevasram Sangha. He
announced in his divine voice, “This epoch is the epoch of holy awakenings,
of holy union, and equality; this epoch is about holy salvation.” India will wake
up and stand up again. Based on ancient tradition of knowledge, it will take its
hallowed seat, blessed by God. As he said “Religion is renunciation, control,
truth, and chastity.”
Today, I offer my heartfelt prayer to the lotus feet of Jagateshwar Thakur. Let
Him clarify our outlook; make our intellect pure and our mind self-content. Let
Him lead our existence and actions toward him. Let us be capable and
successful in fulfilling the duties assigned to us with perfection, eternal
39
patience and determination – like an instrument in His glorious hand. Please
accept and acknowledge our lives as an offering to your worship and service.
Om sahanA vavatu sahanau bhunaktu saha veeryam karavAvahe
TejasvinA vadheetha mastu mA vid vishavAhai
May he protect and nourish us both. May we acquire the capacity to
understand the scriptures. May we be brilliant in studies. May we not have
disputes.
~~~
Five day long Patanjali Yoga Camp held in July 2010 at Chicago Ashram
40
Philanthropy in Shri Jagannath Culture
by Nilamadhab Nanda
Lord Jagannath is supreme godhead, known as “Purusottam” means a man of
highest degree, the supreme soul. Each individual soul is part of the supreme soul.
The culture followed with the supreme soul is the mass culture based on “Sanatan
dharma “. The Social, Cultural, Religious, and spiritual values of Odisha are highly
influenced by the culture of Shri Purusottam khetra. This has been continuing since
time immemorial. The culture has evolved over time with the assimilation of different
religious and cultural values originated from great religious minds in centuries over
centuries. The world has taken a quantum leap in all most all directions including
socio-cultural, science, environment, and even in outer space. Old dogmas are
replaced by new discoveries and inventions. These significant changes have major
influences and transformations in the human behavior and society. But the impact of
these changes is none or minimum to Sri Jagannath culture, the reason is, it is
based on the basic values of peaceful survival and progression. It is the root of life
tree, as more and more people know and realize its value, it becomes stronger and
superior. The adaptive nature of the culture has made it world famous and attractive
for masses over time. For the people of Odisha Lord Jagannath has become the true
identity in and outside of India. People may not know Odisha but they know Lord
Jagannath and Puri dham, one of the four sacred places in India for Hindus.
It is important for us to keep up with this great culture and pass on to our next
generation through practicing, promoting, and realizing the true value of the culture.
Shri Jagannath culture is not about only worshiping in ritualistic way, it includes
charitable services for uplifting the poor and needy people in the society.
Sometimes question arises on including philanthropy with ritualistic culture of Lord
Jagannath. But looking back the old scriptures like “Puranas “ and legends on Lord
Jagannath it is very obvious that Lord has always supported and helped the poor
and downtrodden people in the society. One such compelling story is around the
socially backward and lower caste woman “Sriya Chandaluni”. When the upper
casts Brahmins were taking it as their exclusive privilege to worship Gods and
Goddesses and celebrate festivals, a lowest caste woman with great devotion dared
to worship Goddess Lakshmi. This attempt of untouchable Sriya was completely
unacceptable to the egoistic priest community. They created all kinds of hindrance
to stop her worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and punished her. Sriya got the
punishment but the pain was felt by Lord Jagannath. The lord of the universe could
not tolerate this discrimination in the society and suffering of poor lower caste
people. He sent HIS concert goddess Maha Lakshmi to Sriya’s house in guise to
help complete her worship and celebrate the festival with utmost devotion. This act
of sending Maha Lakshmi to a Chandaluni’s (lowest caste) house caused lots of
trouble to Lord Jagannath, HIS elder brother with great anger ordered Maha
Lakshmi to get out of the temple. Being insulted and kicked out of HER own temple,
the goddess of wealth, Mahalakshmi left the temple with all the wealth with her
leaving nothing for the two brothers. The brother duo, Lord Balabhadra and Lord
41
Jagannath with empty stomach roamed house to house begging for food. Finally
they reached the Chandaluni’s house who offered water. The thirsty and hungry
brothers forgot their social status and accepted water from the hand of Chandaluni.
Being tired and weak in looking for food, both the brothers arrived in a house of a
Chandaluni again. The poor woman offered food, with lots of reluctance Balabhadra
and Jagannath decided to accept it to survive. Later on they found the Chandaluni
was none but Maha Lakshmi herself in guise to teach them a lesson on
discriminating people in society. Lord Balabhadra realized HIS mistake and
accepted Maha Laksmi in the temple and removed all differences and
discriminations in the society. This whole act was designed and played by Lord
Jagannath to help the socially oppressed and disadvantaged people.
This is not the only example in Shri Jgagannath culture that establishes charitable
deeds to support the poor in the society. The story of Bandhu Mohanty is another
case of helping poor devotees. Bandhu Mohanty was a poor man but a great
devotee of Lord Jagannath. He believed Lord as his close friend. One day when he
had nothing to feed his family, his wife suggested him to ask his great friend for help.
With no other means on hand Bandhu Mohanty agreed and headed to Puri with his
family. It was quite late in the night by the time they arrived Puri. He asked everyone
in the family to go to sleep. Everyone went to deep sleep except his wife. After a
while someone came to them with plenty of food and left with them. His wife was
surprised to see the stranger. In the morning when she told this to Bandhu Mohanty,
he was taken aback and realized that the stranger was no one but his great friend
Lord Jagannath.
How much the Lord is hurt when his devotees are oppressed by society is very well
revealed by the story of HIS renowned devotee Balaram Das. The great poet
Balaram Das had written Dandi Ramayana in Oriya language. But he was in love
with a prostitute called Jamuna Bai and was disliked by the society for this act. One
day when he was with the prostitute found that it was the famous Ratha Yatra (Car
festival) day and the chariots were about to be pulled by devotees. He immediately
ran to the chariot of Lord Jagannath and started climbing it. The priests found him
coming from the prostitute’s house with signs of turmeric and lipsticks on his body
and resisted him touching the chariot and beat him. Poor Balaram returned crying
and went to the sea shore. He made three chariots on sand for Lord Jagannath, lord
Balabhadra and sister Subhadra. With tears and anger he silently prayed his Lord
saying to stop the chariot and come to his sand made chariots. Lord Jagannath
could feel the pain of his devotee, suddenly all the three chariots stopped moving. All
effort to pull the chariot failed, priest and Gajapati got worried and started praying
Lord Jagannath. In dreams Lord appeared to Gajapati and told about the incident
and expressed his dissatisfaction on the insult of his devotee. Realizing the mistake,
priests and king went to meet Balaram Das, begged pardon and brought him to the
chariot with full respect. After that, all the chariots started rolling.
These are few stories that illustrate how Lord HIMSELF was involved in helping the
poor and weaker section of people in society and teach other people to follow the
path. This is clearly visible in present time inside the temple where everyone is equal
42
in front of Lord. Lord is always behind someone in true danger to help and protect.
Helping and serving socially disadvantaged and unfortunates are part of Shri
Jagannath culture. Charitable service is another way of worshiping the lord.
~~~
43
Significance of Shivaratri
by Sucheta Sadhukhan
Sivaratri is celebrated on the moonless night of the month of Phalguna in
Hindu calendar, which is the fourteenth day in the krishnapaksha. On this day
spiritual practices are considered to be especially auspicious and beneficial.
It is mentioned in Puranas that Shiva himself tells Parvati that this day is
particularly dear to him. Those who perform the prescribed austerities on this
day will be freed from all sins. One popular story from the Puranas goes like
this: There was once a poor hunter from Varanasi. He lived with his wife and
a child in a small hut. He would go to the forest and hunt to feed his family.
One particular day, he caught many small animals and birds, which he put
into a sack. Encouraged by the catch, he wandered deeper into the forest in
search of more animals. Soon darkness set in and he turned to go home. He
was a little worried as the forest was full with dangerous animals. He did not
like the idea of spending the night there. Soon it became very dark. Unable to
find his way back, the hunter climbed a tree to be safe from the wild animals.
Attracted by his scent, animals gathered under the tree. Throughout the night
the animals kept prowling beneath the tree. The hunter kept crying and
praying throughout the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, which
happened to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the ground. Unknown to
him, there was a Shivalinga at the foot of the tree; and so, although he was
unaware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves, he was making a sacred
offering to the Shivalinga. His tears also fell on the Shivalinga. That night
happened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had unknowingly kept a night-long
vigil and worshipped Shiva.
The story above is a metaphor. It has a great meaning. It is a story of our
consciousness rising from Muladhara chakra which is our lowest chakra to
Agya chakra. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild animals, the spiritual
seeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed, jealousy and hatred. The jungle
44
is the mind where all these negativities roam about. A spiritual person must
kill these "animals" to be free.
The hunter was born in Varanasi. Vara refers to the forehead while nasi is the
nose. The point where both meet is Varanasi, in other words, the point
midway between the eyebrows. This point is also called the ajna chakra and
is regarded as a triveni of the three naris (nerves): ida, pingala and sushumna
These naris are called Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati. So ajna chakra is called
triveni. Where women put bindi on forehead is called triveni of three naris
ganga, jamuna and saraswati. A spiritual person who concentrates his or her
mind on this point, gains concentration and gradual control over his senses.
The killing of the animals thus indicates control over one's desire.
The bilva tree corresponds to the spinal cord. The tree's leaves are special:
each stalk has three leaflets. The three leaflets represent the three
nerves(Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati). The climbing of the tree represents rising
the kundalini shakti from the muladhara to the ajna chakra. Keeping awake is
symbolic of the kind of awareness and oneness of purpose that a spiritual
aspirant needs to reach the goal. He cannot afford to be slack even for a
moment. Shiva is the Supreme Consciousness that illuminates the three
states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Offering the threefold bilva leaves
to the Shivalinga takes us to the level of consciousness beyond the three
states, the fourth state, turiya. If you see the symbol of
, the symbol of
AUM consists of three curves (curves 1, 2, and 3), one semicircle (curve4),
and a dot.
The large lower curve 1 symbolizes the waking state (jagrat), conscious state.
The upper curve 2 denotes the state of deep sleep (sushupti) or the
unconscious state. This is a state where the sleeper desires nothing nor
beholds any dream.
45
The middle curve 3 (which lies between deep sleep and the waking state)
signifies the dream state (swapna).
These are the three states of an individual's consciousness, The dot signifies
the fourth state of consciousness, known in Sanskrit as turiya.
Finally, the semi circle symbolizes maya and separates the dot from the other
three curves. Thus it is the illusion of maya that prevents us from the
realization of this highest state of bliss. The semi circle is open at the top, and
does not touch the dot. This means that this highest state is not affected by
maya. Maya only affects the manifested phenomenon. We all the famous
shiva mantra Om Namah Shivaya, it is Panchakshara,"having five syllables.
Our body and whole universe is also made of 5 elements. Earth, fire, water,
air and akash tatwa. In Namah Sivaya, Na is earth, Ma is water, Śi is fire, Vā
is air, and Ya is
Ākāśa. Namah shiva is preceded by syllable AUM.
Whenever we are afraid, worried we should chant Aum Namah shivay. That
takes all of our negative energies away from us.
~~~
46

ETERNAL LIGHT SANATAN JYOTI

Transcription

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