Pearls of Wise

25/02/2017. 9. Manifestations of Lakshmi in the Home- 5.2 5. Hospitality to the Atithi (unexpected guest)-Continued .. There are two more things which are peculiarly Hindu and in which Goddess Lakshmi manifests Herself. One is the sacred Tulasi (basil) plant. No home should ever be without the Tulasi. For this is one of the living forms in which Goddess Lakshmi is present upon earth. She is the direct Vibhuti (manifestaton) of the Divine Lord. I may say that the Maharashtrians are very particular about this; every home will have at least a small pot where the Tulasi plant grows. The moment you enter the house, you will see the Tulasi plant. The Mother blesses such families where She is worshipped in this form. No Maharashtian Grihalakshmi will ever take anything until she has at least offered a flower or burnt a little camphor or done one Pradakshina (circumambulation) and bowed her head in devout salutation to Tulasi-Devi. To be continued ...

25/02/2017. 3. Ideal Human Relationships : 3. I. As the story goes, after her brothers were killed, she went to Meghanatha and finally to Ravana, instigating them to avenge her dishonour. Ravana was a clever king and when he heard that the two brothers had been slain by Rama and Lakshmana, he could guess that they were no ordinary warriors. He therefore set a trap and sent a man Maricha, who could take any form, to go near Panchavati in the form of a golden deer, and beguile the brothers away. The plan worked and when Sita saw the golden deer she asked her husband to get it for her, Rama saw the game and told Sita that it was only a ruse and that she should not pay any attention to it, but cosmic plan had its influence and Sita became restless and compelled Rama to bring the golden deer for her. II. Rama instructed Lakshmana to look after Sita and started the chase. As planned, when Maricha was dying he shouted for Lakshmana. Sita suspected that Rama was in danger

25/02/2017. Hence, the immensity of the concept of the distance that man sees between himself and reality, and the total negation of its impact, is the problem. So the problem is where – in you, or in somebody else? You may give any answer to it from your own point of view. A total negation is the fact. A negation of whatever you think in your mind is the fact of life. Perhaps this is the reason why the Upanishad says neti neti: not, not. A negation only is the description of the nature of this situation, and we cannot explain it except by a negation. It is not anything that we can think of in our mind, and therefore, our notions of value in life are also negatived in the actualities of life. To be continued ..

25/02/2017. I. You see, for the child who is watching all this, his whole moral education is over with these two incidents. It is not many incidents that are necessary. Even if the father does sit down with the child for 10 minutes, what will he talk? Not the soft things of morality. He can only pump into the child the ideals of ambition, greatness, success “Beta, you must grow up and become a doctor, an engineer, you must earn a lot of money and have your own place, etc.” II. It is the mother alone who imparts the soft values, who gives to you the ideals of charity, goodness, tenderness, affection and forgiveness. She never imparts by giving you a discourse, but in her life the mother demonstrates these ideals and the child sees it, the idea becomes embedded in him. To be continued ...

25/02/2017. Speech delivered by Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj on the 26th December 1954, at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, for the celebration of the 34th birthday of Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji.     Jyotishaamapi tat jyotih tamasah paramuchyate     Jnaanan Jneyam Jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam     (That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.) 24.     One old man wants to take Sanyas. He is still postponing it. “You have got Moha for your son,” I said. “Yes, I have,” he says! Look at the force of Samskaras. He who is living with Sanyasins in this birth will gather sufficient Samskaras now to take Sanyas next birth. One girl has come here; she has taken Sanyas. I thought she won’t be able to pull on and, therefore, refused to give her Sanyas. The Sanyas-spirit sometimes comes and goes. She observed Satyagraha; she did not take food for three or four days.

25/02/2017 I The dead are fortunate. It is only those who are left behind who feel miserable. It is our constant concern to bear the burden of this body and look after its needs. Day in, day out, this is our occupation — bathing, eating, massaging our legs, and so on — no end to it. When we die it takes four persons to carry this body and yet we carry it about constantly without even stopping to think that we are doing so. We can easily lift a heavy stone under water, but as soon as we take it out we find how heavy it is, and in the same way we don’t feel the weight of the body as long as a chaitanya or life force permeates it. II. Deathlessness is our real nature, and we falsely ascribe it to the body, imagining that it will live for ever and losing sight of what is really immortal, simply because we identify ourselves with the body. It says in the 'Upanishads' that the jnani looks forward eagerly to the time when he can throw off the body, just as a l

25/02/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) But they all have to do these. And there is nothing occult about these things. The word "occult" has no bearing on them. Near the Ganga thousands and thousands of people may be seen daily sitting on its banks breathing and concentrating with closed eyes. There may be two reasons that make certain practices impracticable for the generality of mankind. One is, the teachers hold that the ordinary people are not fit for them. There may be some truth in this, but it is due more to pride. The second is the fear of persecution. A man, for instance, would not like to practice breathing publicly in this country, because he would be thought so queer; it is not the fashion here. On the other hand, in India. if a man prayed, "Give us this day our daily bread", people would laugh at him. Nothing could be more foolish to the Hindu mind than to say, "Our Father which art in Heaven." The

25/02/2017. Chapter-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS-27-7. August 13, 1882 7. Master's attitude toward women : I. Women are, all of them, the veritable images of Sakti. In northwest India the bride holds a knife in her hand at the time of marriage; in Bengal, a nut-cutter. The meaning is that the bridegroom, with the help of the bride, who is the embodiment of the Divine Power, will sever the bondage of illusion. This is the 'heroic' attitude. I never worshipped the Divine Mother that way. My attitude toward Her is that of a child toward its mother. II The bride is the very embodiment of Sakti. Haven't you noticed, at the marriage ceremony, how the groom sits behind like an idiot? But the bride - she is so bold! To be continued ..

25/02/2017. One central problem has vexed seekers from time immemorial; namely, how to shift the focus to the Divine and away from the outer life of desire, with its attendant joy, sorrow, struggle and disappointment. For most human beings, the issue boils down to one of three major lines of approach. There are those who believe that desire is the motive-force that drives human action and thus, it is essential and should be utilized as the force behind the enjoyment of life. There are again those who take the approach that in order to achieve spiritual realisation, desire must be denied and extirpated, to the extent possible, from the nature. These individuals resort to various forms of ascetism or practices that punish the body in order to “free the soul”. There are yet others who strive to achieve some kind of healthy balance between mind and body, the inner and the outer life, by keeping the fulfillment of desire within certain predefined limits and strictures, thus fulfilli

17/02/2017. 9. Manifestations of Lakshmi in the Home-4&5 4. Charity : Charity : - This is also an important manifestation of Mother Lakshmi in the Grihasthashrama. The Grihastha (householder) has the unique privilege of sharing what he has with others of the three Ashramas—the Brahmacharis who wish to carry on their studies, the wandering Sannyasin and also the Vanaprasthin who has renounced home and is living a holy life and preparing to qualify for the fourth order of Sannyasa. To give charity to these three classes of beings is a rare privilege of the second order, and to utilise this privilege is to manifest the power of Goddess Lakshmi. 5. Hospitality to the Atithi (unexpected guest)  : Hospitality to the Atithi (unexpected guest)  : - is an important aspect of Lakshmi. Where a stranger or a guest is turned away, there Lakshmi does not abide. But where there is a welcome for the beggar and the unexpected guest, there Lakshmi dwells in all Her radiance

17/02/2017. Chapter 1.4 Last para of the previous post-CH-1.3** ** (Note – Our minds are filled with fear of death. Time is symbolized by “KalaSarpam”. We do not know when we will be entering it’s horrible mouth. Fear of an uncertain future grips our minds. We are unaware that, actually, we are already living in the mouth of this snake (time) and we don’t know when it will gulp us down. Each and every one of us wants immortality, that is, liberation from the fear of death).** How can Bhagavatham help us to discover our eternal, true nature? When our mind which is stuck up in body consciousness is shifted to the Supreme Consciousness, we realize our true nature or the Self. This is called Self Realization or God Realization. Bhagavatham gives a scientific, systematic and transformative treatment to the weak mind to regain it’s true strength. Journey through Bhagavatham is the journey to Self Realization by celebrating every moment of life. Only the most fortunate wil

17/02/2017. 3. Ideal Human Relationships : 2. 1. To continue the story, Rama had been sent to the forest as an actor as it turned out to be—to fulfil a grand design and the troubles started very soon in Panchavati in Dandakaranya where they stayed. The sister of Ravana named Surpanakha heard of the two princes and a lady living in the forest and had the easy curiosity of having a look at them. She was a treacherous woman and visited Panchavati in her best attire. 2. Almost at first sight she fell in love with the handsome Rama and dared to woo him. Rama smiled and explained that he was accompanied by his wife and, in a lighter vein, suggested that she should approach his younger brother Lakshmana who was much fairer and equally handsome. Lakshmana lacked the sobriety and sanguinity of his elder brother. He also said that he was a married man and that she should leave him alone. But the woman was equally adamant and when she started making advances, Lakshmana was enraged and

17/02/2017. It is not merely this aspect of the difficulty that troubles us. There is a finer point about it. Extremely subtle is this relation between ourselves and God. Kshurasya dhara nishita duratyaya (Katha 1.3.14) is something that is said about it in the Upanishads: - Subtle as the invisible edge of a sword or a razor is the path to God. There cannot be a path to God because there is no distance between man and God. There is no problem before man except that he feels that there is a distance, while there is no distance. He feels a tremendous distance of millions of light years, as it were, and light years are a poor computational method here. Endless and incomprehensible is the distance between man and God in the highest heavens which the scriptures speak of, while really there is not one millimetre of distance between the two. To be continued ...

17/02/2017. 1. Only when a plant is young and we are sincerely watching it, we can train the plant to grow straight. A plant can be trained but not a tree. If the tree has got a bend, it has got a bend – full stop! Then we can only trim the branches but not the trunk. Similarly, training of our children can only be done between the ages of 6 to 12, between ages 12 to 18 also can be done to an extent, but after 18 the tree has become set and one will have to go through fire in order to become hot and plastic enough to change. Once we have gone beyond the younger ages, it is not so easy to change our pattern of thoughts, our angle of vision, our attitude to things and beings. So early childhood is the time for training and mothers are mainly responsible. 2. The father can only come into the house like a storm in the evening, beaten out and wounded, angry with the world. He wants to explode somewhere or other but he dare not at the office; so if the children are in front of

 Speech delivered by Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj on the 26th December 1954, at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, for the celebration of the 34th birthday of Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji.     Jyotishaamapi tat jyotih tamasah paramuchyate     Jnaanan Jneyam Jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam     (That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.) 17/02/2017. 23. If a man is lying down on the roadside, hungry and thirsty, you must run to him with a cup of milk. Otherwise your study of Brahma Sutras is useless. You should not bring in Vedantic arguments to support your Vedantic indifference here! One man said to the other: “My house is on fire; please come and help.” The latter replied: ‘Well, friend, this world is unreal. Where is house, where is fire?’ This is sheer foolishness. The world is unreal . . . for whom? For a Jivanmukta. If sugar is a little less in coffee, you will know w

17/02/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) In 1400 B.C. a great sage made an attempt to arrange, analyse, and generalise upon certain psychological facts. He was followed by many others who took up parts of what he had discovered and made a special study of them The Hindus alone of all ancient races took up the study of this branch of knowledge in right earnest. I am teaching you now about it, but how many of you will practice it? How many days, how many months will it be before you give it up? You are impractical on this subject. In India, they will persevere for ages and ages. You will be astonished to hear that they have no churches, no Common Prayers, or anything of the kind; but they, every day, still practice the breathings and try to concentrate the mind; and that is the chief part of their devotion. These are the main points. Every Hindu must do these. It is the religion of the country. Only, each one may have a special method — a speci

17/02/2017. Each one seeks happiness but is misled into thinking pain associated pleasures as happiness. Such happiness is transient. His mistaken activity gives him short-lived pleasure. Pain and pleasure alternate with one another in the world. To discriminate between the pain-producing and pleasure-producing matters and to confine oneself to the happiness-producing pursuit only is vairagya. What is it that will not be followed by pain? He seeks it and engages in it. Otherwise, the man has one foot in the world and another foot in the spiritual pursuit (without progressing satisfactorily in either field). END.

17/02/2017. Chapter-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS-27-6. August 13, 1882  6.Worship of the Divine Mother- The Master continued: "One must propitiate the Divine Mother, the Primal Energy, in order to obtain God's grace.  God Himself is Mahamaya, who deludes the world with Her illusion and conjures up the magic of creation, preservation, and destruction.  She has spread this veil of ignorance before our eyes.  We can go into the inner chamber only when She lets us pass through the door.  Living outside, we see only outer objects, but not that Eternal Being, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.  Therefore it is stated in the purna that deities like Brahma praised Mahamaya for the destruction of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. "Sakti alone is the root of the universe.  That Primal Energy has two aspects: vidya and avidya.  Avidya deludes.  Avidya conjures up 'woman and gold', which casts the spell.  Vidya begets devotion, kindness, wisdom, and love, which lead

17/02/2017. As long as the human individual remains locked into the mentality, the powers of knowledge and will and the implementation of action in the vital and physical world are limited, obscured and under the control of the mechanism of Nature. The issue then arises for the seeker as to whether there is any poise or standpoint that brings about the complete mastery and control over the nature, and if so, how to attain that poise. Sri Aurobindo observes: “Nevertheless, there is somewhere an absolute control, a real Ishwara. He is aware of it and knows that if he can find it, he will enter into control, become not only the passive sanctioning witness and upholding soul of her will, but the free powerful user and determiner of her movements.” What is required is a shift of the standpoint outside the frame of the mentality into a divine standpoint that exists independently of the mental consciousness. There are experiences along the way which validate this idea. “Sometimes

10/02/2017. 5. Seeing God everywhere "But why should God make us run about?" thought M. Immediately Sri Ramakrishna said: "It is His will that we should run about a little.  Then it is great fun.  God has created the world in play, as it were.  This is called Mahamaya, the Great Illusion.  Therefore one must take refuge in the Divine Mother, the Cosmic Power Itself.  It is She who has bound us with the shackles of illusion.  The realization of God is possible only when those shackles are severed." Next : 6.Worship of the Divine Mother- To be continued ...

10/02/2017. [A visiting Pandit] asked, “Life itself becomes extremely hard in some places. How is one to perform sadhana (spiritual practice) in such places?” Maharishi  replied, “The place is within you; you are not in the place. When you are in all places, where is the question of difficulties in some places, and not in others? All are within yourself. How can they cause you difficulties?” “But we get no peace of mind at all in some places,” he protested and Bhagavan replied, “That which always exists is peace. That is your natural state. You are not able to recognise your natural state. You get deluded by aberrations which are unreal and feel sorry that there is no peace. If you realise your self, all places will become equally suitable for sadhana.” To be continued ...

10/02/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) 10.1 For practical purposes, let us talk in the language of modern science. But I must ask you to bear in mind that, as there is religious superstition, so also there is a superstition in the matter of science. 10.2 There are priests who take up religious work as their speciality; so also there are priests of physical law, scientists. As soon as a great scientist's name, like Darwin or Huxley, is cited, we follow blindly. It is the fashion of the day. 10.3 Ninety-nine per cent of what we call scientific knowledge is mere theories. And many of them are no better than the old superstitions of ghosts with many heads and hands, but with this difference that the latter differentiated man a little from stocks and stones. 10.4 True science asks us to be cautious. Just as we should be careful with the priests, so we should be with the scientists. 10.5 Begin with disbelief. Analyse, test,

10/02/2017. 22.1 There are three kinds of impurities in the mind. 1. One is Mala (dirt) which is removed by the practice of Karma Yoga. 2. The other is Vikshepa (tossing of the mind) which is removed by Bhakti, 3. and the third is Avarana (veil of ignorance) which is removed by Jnana Yoga. 22.2 Thinking, willing, feeling all these must be developed harmoniously; then only will there be integral development. That is your duty. 22.3  You should not merely study the scriptures and deliver lectures; but you should also discipline the mind. Whatever the Gita teaches, you should put into practice. Simply lecturing on Brahma Sutras will not do. If you are not given due respect and honour, you will lose your balance of mind. 22.4 Not only study and lecturing; you should introspect, analyse and find out what virtues you should develop and what defects you should get rid of. That leads to Brahma Jnana,—not mere study. Develop humility. Cultivate the

10/02/2017. 8.1 You may not like what I am saying, but I am on a platform where truth is to be brought out. Nobody else will do it because they all want a vote! I don’t want a vote! I don’t want anything from you. 8.2 So then friends, when we sit down and try to analyze how to remold and recast our future, we see that it is certainly through the children of today who are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. And we must supply them with a vision. But when the parents have neglected the child look at the vigorous dynamism of a Hitler, how crooked and ugly it became, and how through him the entire moral calibre of the whole of mankind has been brought down a few natches since the second world war: One solitary individual with a unhappy childhood, the neglected child of a cobbler – how he brought about disaster in the world outside. To be continued ..

10/02/2017. 14.1 So what I am trying to drive into your minds is that this is not a conceptual difficulty that is before us; it is a down-to-earth, real problem before us. And all disappointments to which people are many a time subject in their struggles for existence and success in life are the stumblings which they suffer from due to not seeing the path to this relation clearly with open eyes. They slip and fall, and repent for the mistake they have committed. 14.2 The path to the reality of life is strewn over with umpteen difficulties.  It is as if we are biting our cheeks and wrenching our fists to catch our enemy, but finding not where he is. 14.3 All our occupations in life, the whole activity of historical mankind, is a struggle with God, an encounter with nature, a fight with reality. This is the epic of the Mahabharata, the Ramayana,  whatever we may call it, before us. 14.4 Thus, life is neither religious nor secular. It need not be called by these na

10/02/2017. 9. Manifestations of Lakshmi in the Home-1,2,3. 1. Cleanliness : Coming from the person of the Grihalakshmi to the surroundings of the house, cleanliness is the one important way in which Lakshmi is present. Dust and dirt about the house is Alakshmi (inauspiciousness). 2. Then, lamps : The moment the time of twilight and sunset comes, we will find that in every Hindu home a lamp is lit and saluted and thus brightness and illumination will come before darkness sets in. 3. Worship of the Gods : This is of paramount importance. Where the Gods are not worshipped, there Lakshmi does not stay. She may of course come and take Her abode in Her extreme Avidya aspect. Money may be accumulated, but ultimately prosperity will go from the home, and grief, suffering and sorrow will be the ultimate fate of those homes. This is a very important factor which people of this sacred land, who have come to be increasingly influenced by occidental thought and Western

10/02/2017. 3. Ideal Human Relationships : 1. Ramayana is an epic which delineates with remarkable clarity and the precision of a surgeon’s knife, how to conduct human relationships of all types. To my mind it appears to be an authentic interpretation in sociology, a comprehensive directory of human relations. There is no end to this variety of relations between man and man, man and woman and it may be surprising that the ideal behaviour of almost every human relationship has been depicted in this epic. To name a few : - 1. the relationship between father and son as represented by Dasaratha and Rama; 2. son and stepmother—Rama and Kaikeyi; 3. husband and wife—Lakshmana and Urmila; 4. king and his subjects—Rama and inhabitants of Ayodhya; 5. brother and brother—Rama, Bharata and Lakshmana; 6. married man and a wanton—Lakshmana and Surpanakha; 7. God and devotee—Rama and Sugreeva; 8. king and his army—Rama and the Vanaras; 9. master and servant—Rama and Ha

10/02/2017. Chapter 1.3 Here our great Masters were discussing solutions to common man’s problems. We must understand that even though they were beyond miseries of the world, their compassion was so great that they wanted to uplift ordinary people like us from our sufferings too. Sri Suta’s Answers to Saunaka Sage Saunaka’s remarkable devotion to the Lord and inquisitiveness to know more about the development of inner strength and happiness, pleased Sri Suta very much. He agreed to give him wisdom regarding THAT which is the essence of all theories, and which would destroy all kinds of fear, sorrows and weaknesses and increase devotion. This was none other than Srimad Bhagavatham, the nectar or the essence of all Knowledge that helps one to develop inner God feeling and strength. This, which has been glorified by Sri Suka (Suka Maharshi, the son of Veda Vyasa) and which is the essence of all the Vedas, is that which will surely destroy the sorrows from everyone’s mind

10/02/2017. I. Sri Aurobindo observes: “His way to perfection is not to involve himself in the outward or superficial existence, nor is it to place himself in the soul of life or the soul of body, but to insist on the three mental intuitions by which he can lift himself eventually above the physical, vital and mental levels.” II. This direction is followed by reliance on the three mental intuitions which separate the soul from the operations of mind, life and body, and provide a basis for shifting the standpoint to the divine, spiritual basis, from which the action of the universe proceeds, including the individual’s role in that action. III. Sri Aurobindo describes the two forms that this focus may take, as the seeker shifts his awareness away from the outer instrument to the status of the witness of Nature :- “It is quite possible for him to accentuate it in a direction away from existence in Nature, a detachment, a withdrawal from mind, life and body. He may try to li

04/02/2017. 7.1 So one little child can change the entire history of the country.  That is how all the great men of the past were made – a Shivaji, an Einstein, a Tagore, a Mahatma Gandhi. From childhood onward some ideas were inculcated into them and all of them, invariably, declare and shamelessly insist in their autobiographies and biographies, that for the greatness they achieved or for whatever good they were able to do, they were indebted to their mothers. 7.2 It is always the mother at home who gives the values and ideals to the child, who molds the mental thinking of the child.  And when the mothers have left home and started wearing pants…! What do you expect? Your children are the future and the mothers are the molders of the children; if the mothers are monsters, what is the future going to be? To be continued ...

04/02/2017. 4. Seeing God everywhere. 4.1 MASTER (with pleasure): "It is through God's grace that you understand that.  The doubts of the mind will not disappear without His grace.  Doubts do not disappear without Self-realization." 4.2. "But one need not fear anything if one has received the grace of God.  It is rather easy for a child to stumble if he holds his father's hand; but there can be no such fear if the father holds the child's hand.  A man does not have to suffer any more if God, in His grace, removes his doubts and reveals Himself to him.  But this grace descends upon him only after he has prayed to God with intense yearning of heart and practised spiritual discipline.  The mother feels compassion for her child when she sees him running about breathlessly.  She has been hiding herself; now she appears before the child." To be continued ....

04/02/2017. Devotee : “How did this Mountain get the name Annamalai?” Maharishin : “That which is not reachable by Brahma or Vishnu is Annamalai. That means it is the embodiment of the Jyoti (divine light) which is beyond word or mind. Anna means unreachable. That is the cause of the name.” Devotee : “But the mountain has a form and a shape.” Maharishi : “When Brahma and Vishnu saw it, it appeared as a pillar of Light enveloping the whole universe. It was only later that it appeared like a mountain. This is Ishwara’s sthula sariram (gross body). Jyothi itself is the sukshma sariram (subtle body). That which is beyond all these bodies is the Reality. Subtle means the Tejas (illumination which fills the whole universe).” To be coontinued

04/02/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) 9.1. It is very easy to believe that the Hindus, who have been declining for seven hundred years, were highly civilized in the past. We cannot prove that it is not so. 9.2 There is not one single instance of any civilization being spontaneous. There was not a race in the world which became civilized unless another civilized race came and mingled with that race. The origin of civilization must have belonged, so to say, to one or two races who went abroad, spread their ideas, and intermingled with other races and thus civilization spread. To be continued ...

                                                     Swami Sivananda with his disciples 04/02/2017. Do you get this knowledge in your Universities? You should exert yourself to acquire this Brahma Vidya. That alone can make you bold. The whole wealth of the Lord belongs to you. All divine Aiswaryas, all Siddhis and Riddhis roll under the feet of the sage of Self-realisation. That you should attempt to become. Repeat formulas like : - "Aham-atma Nirakarah Sarvavyapi Swabhavatah; Jnanamritam Suddham Atindriyoham." Even the mere repetition of these formulas makes you fearless and helps you to cross this ocean of Samsara. To be continued ..

04/02/2017. The whole world is a mass of difficulties. We have nothing else to say about the world. When we wake up in the morning and wipe our eyes of our sleep, we face an ogre, as it were, with which we have to grapple, and this grappling is manifest in our daily life right from the sweeping of the floor, the washing of our vessels, the ablutions that we perform, and our running to our offices and the various occupations in which we engage ourselves. These are the various avenues that we are seeking to use to escape from the clutches of this ogre that we call the problem of life. It is the problem not of any particular thing from the world outside you; it is the problem between this relation of you and what is outside you. You may call it society, you may call it your neighbour, you may call it nature, you may call it the Almighty; you may call it anything, but it is a single problem before you. To be continued ...

04/02/2017. VERY IMPORTANT. AT PRESENT IN BHARATHAM, IT IS NOT SO, Here Women are not respected, and treated very badly, Reason being all women except few are not LAKSHMI-S, All women, except few are not modest, do not care to maintain her modesty every where, Women are more intelligent, courageous and powerful than men, Women do not realize the inner hidden strength and do not use where occasion demands .. 8. GODDESS OF AUSPICIOUSNESS - 4 Goddess Lakshmi Herself is the greatest exemplar of this sublime Pati-Seva. For, the Vaishnavite concept of the great Mother is as an eternal Sevika (servant) of the Lord in Vaikuntha. She is ever at the feet of Bhagavan Vishnu, ever intent on the eternal service of the Lord. Next : 9. Manifestations of Lakshmi in the Home To be continued ..

04/02/2017. VERY IMPORTANT - MAJORITY OF BHARATIYA, DO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH OF RAMAYANAM, ESPECIALLY THE SO CALLED DRAVIDIAN POLITICS, PERIYAR STARTED INSULTING THE EPIC, BY HIS STAGE PLAY KEEMAYANAM, SOMETIMES, WONDER ABOUT THESE LUNATICS, WHO LIVE IN BHARATHAM, AND SPIT ABOVE LYING DOWN ON THE BACK .. NOW  FOLLOW THIS EDITION, CAREFULLY, AS RAMAYANAM IS OUR TREASURE OF TATTVAM 2.5 But Lakshmana, Rama’s brother, who had his young wife Urmila, did not allow the couple to go alone into the inhospitable forest infested with wild beasts and wilder tribals. A fire-brand and rather aggressive, he had his way and formed one of the trio who finally left their luxurious life and loveable surroundings for the hardships of the forest. Whereas Sita had the satisfaction of accompanying her husband and being by his side, Urmila, Lakshmana’s wife denied herself even that privilege and pleasure and stayed back to serve her in-laws. To be continued ..

04/02/2017. Chapter 1.2 He enquired : How to develop a balanced mind by developing devotion to the Lord, and the self-realization that is attained through devotion? • How does one escape from the illusion created by Maya? • What is the best way to get out of the problems that come with or without our knowledge or expectation? • Which is the Sadhana that can purify one’s mind and how can one develop strength? Sage Saunaka then goes on to glorify the real Guru or spiritual master. The precious stone Chintamani can give all material happiness one wants, Devendra can give every heavenly riches. But the Guru is the one that can give you the best reward – his valuable advice can give you even the Vaikunta Loka, that is rarely attained even by Yogis. This is the Grace of the Guru, the ONE who dispels the darkness of ignorance. Note – Bharatham was always blessed by our “Guru Shishya Parampara”. We encouraged questioning, criticising and debating on Knowledge. It was a sc

04/02/2017. I. The integral Yoga takes up the challenge of harmonizing Spirit and Nature, which are frequently seen as opposites by the dividing intellect. For the seeker of the integral Yoga, Spirit and Nature are unified. They can be seen as the “passive” and the “active” aspects of the divine manifestation. The seeker must therefore unify with Spirit while carrying out the divine intention in the world. The union sought by the Yogas of knowledge, works and devotion is an essential requirement of the integral Yoga. But in achieving this union, it is not at the expense of the manifested world, but with a recognition of the Oneness that exists between the Spirit and Matter. II. Sri Aurobindo notes: “But this unity will not be an inmost spiritual oneness qualified, so long as the human life lasts, by a separative existence in mind, life and body; the full perfection is a possession, through this spiritual unity, of unity too with the universal Mind, the universal Life, the uni