Apr 2020 – May 2020

Volume 9 Issue 1
Bulletin of Vivekananda Kendra Vedic Vision Foundation

In this Issue

• Editorial
• How We Spent Our Time During Lock-
down
• Book Reviews
• Regular Activities
• Other Activities
• Article By Ma. Lakshmi Didi
 Volume 9 Issue 1
-2- Apr 2020 - May 2020

EDITORIAL
Be a living tissue

The world is going through an extraordinary crisis. Humanity is exposed to the danger
of total annihilation, thanks to a minute living unit of virus called Corona. The only way to
check its invasion into ourselves is to keep ourselves "living" to the best of our ability. Our
body, mind and intellect, besides the personal and inter personal reactions we engage in,
have to be kept at an extraordinarily pure state so that no infection can enter into us.
Many safety measures are suggested to keep ourselves alive, so that humanity as a whole
survives this catastrophe.

Let us, in true Indian tradition take the whole scenario into its spiritual dimension.
Years back when I was about to say tata to my career, most Revered late
Ranganathanandaji Maharaj advised me that the society is like a leper’s body with death
and decay playing havoc on it. But soon there will be a regeneration. Keep yourself ready,
keep yourself as a "healthy living" tissue amidst the decay and death, so that you can be a
part of that regeneration. Continue to serve wherever you are with fullness of spirit
surrendered to the Lord, holding to satya and dharma. Let your Karma get transformed
into karma yoga. Leave the rest to the mighty CARETAKER.

To be “living” one must discriminate between the living and dying in oneself. The entire
Indian scriptural literature teaches us about the essentially ‘living’ within us and urges us
not to be tantalized by the ‘dying ‘. The potential divinity which is housed in each and
every being is the eternally ‘living tissue’ within and to preserve it and emphasise its
presence in all our thoughts, words and actions is the sure way to propagate and
perpetuate it. This is what our Rishis have emphasized from time immemorial.
To keep up the flow of the life nourishing principles in our tissues, healthy body, healthy
mind and discriminating intellect are essential. They in turn are to be nourished by the
Eternal source of ultimate Truth, which is within us as also pervading the whole universe.
Our thoughts words and actions should glow with the power supplied-by the Truth within
us. Pursuit of Truth is to be the prime goal in one’s life, ‘Satyam param dheemahi’ as the
great rishis pointed out. They also cried out to the humanity at large that nothing else will
show you the path to immortal bliss. That alone can take you away from the death and
all the other miseries.
 Volume 9 Issue 1
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Today as the whole world is in the grip of an all-powerful death caused by that
particle of corona virus the only sure way to survive is to concentrate on the Immortal
Truth within and draw sustenance from that immortal never dying life principle. In a
decaying society where values of life are thrown overboard, lots and lots of well-meaning
men and women should regenerate within them the unassailable power of Truth and open
up a new pathway of hope, health and happiness for the entire mankind. And who else
can show the way to the world - none other than we the Indians, who love India and who
are proud of our heritage.

How We Spent Our Time During Lockdown

1. By Sri Sudhakarji
After a gala function of Ma. Lakshmi Didi’s Shatabhishekam celebrations, the atmosphere at
Anandadham was very vibrant. In between Ma. Lakshmi Didi got the invitation to inaugurate the Sister
Nivedita Heritage Museum & Knowledge Centre at Calcutta. The 16 Bosepara Lane building itself is of
great historical value. It’s the very house where Nivedita spent her first days in India. Though the
programme was for two days, news started coming in about the unexpected corona virus, of restrictions
taking shape, with the result, the final programme was cancelled and Didi’s movements were restricted
 Volume 9 Issue 1
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only to Sri Sarada Math, Calcutta. It was a blessing in disguise, Didi could spend her time usefully talking
to the inmates of the Math, sharing her experiences through the eyes of Swamiji. She was back to the
pavilion on 18th, by then the corona19 had started spreading its tentacles everywhere.

On 24 March 2020, the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a
nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion population of India as a
preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic in India. What to do now, couple of days physical
rest was the need after the Bhagavta Saptaha Satram and Shatabhishekam celebrations. When body
became fit the mind started thinking what to do next.

Then a thought passed in the mind to study something which I have never done, Gheranda Samhita
came to mind and I went through some pages, as i started reading and started sharing the audio clips in
Malayalam with our yoga teachers in whatsapp.

Immediately another thought that came to my mind to study something together. Initially the
thought let us to read the Yoga Vasistha. But then we found it was too difficult a text to comprehend,
and we abandoned it. Next the thought came, why not read the Rousing Call to Hindu Nation. Once we
started, we couldn't stop reading. But this time the reading was different. I used to imagine what would
have gone through the mind of Man. Eknathji while compiling the book. The pain he took over
compiling, oh it was stupendous, I could understand the task that was before him, how many times he
would have studied the Complete Works of Swamiji, what would have been the methodology used by
him to mark those paragraphs, and putting them in order as his vision of Swamiji's thoughts. It can
come only to a visionary. I don't know how many of you have been able to capture the message in the
introduction to Rousing Call to the Hindu Nation especially in between the words. I feel like reading it
again and again.

The thought that was lurking about Yoga Vasistha didn't go from mind, may be because my Istha
devata being Rama. What to do, then the thought flashed in my mind and started searching for the book
which Sri Raghunandanji had written. Alas, in the floods that destroyed many of our precious books, we
lost that too. Then I contacted him to send the book. He too didn't have the books. He had only his
personal copy. I requested him to read from that book and send the audio recordings. Wonderful, he
accepted the request and started sending. I shared it with couple of people. They all felt it should reach
more people who are real seekers. Word spread through whatsapp, and lo a group was formed and we
started sharing. The melodious voice of Raghuji and the content became more energizing. Initially it was
sharing from the Google drive. The file size being quite heavy it was choking the memory of mobile
devices. We started searching the alternatives of sharing. Finally found out sharing through YouTube. It
was raw editions of the file and I was finding it difficult to upload, being a novice of technology. Then I
Learnt the rudiments of editing in a software and started sharing the YouTube links reducing the burden
on seekers.
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Then a flash came about continuing of sharing the thoughts of Lakshmi Didi with the friends and well
-wishers. Sri Anilji had already initiated a group called "Satyameva Jayate" prior to Amma’s birthday
celebrations and he took pains of shooting the video and editing and uploading. After the function was
over, it continued for some time till 26th March.

Then another set of ideas came to my mind, sharing the thoughts of Swamiji from the book
"Incredible India" and requested Amma to help. She gave the permission, though reluctantly, to record.
Again the same problem, raw recording files which used to consume the mobiles’ memory. The
rudiments that were learnt while experimenting with Yoga Vasista came in handy. Started editing by
adding the title and background music etc. It was a double blessing to learn both technical and spiritual
knowhow.

One day call came from a close well-wisher and friend of ours Dr. M.V. Natesan who is the Head of
the Department of Vyakarana of Sri Sankara Sanskrit University of Kalady enquiring about our health and
other details. During the conversation I asked how about having a "e-class" on some yogic text which he
readily agreed. The text that was chosen was Shiva Samhita. He too started recording few slokas both in
English and Malayalam. We started uploading the same with the usual details on YouTube.

This is how we utilized our time during month of April and May.

2. Gift of Time by Sushree Sutapa

Words like Lockdown! Quarantine! Social distancing! …… and so on were completely unknown to
us even a few days before the attack by this
dangerous invader ‘ Novel Corona ‘which
started becoming a panic for the entire world!
For all of us this long period of unexpected ‘lock
down’ must have brought new experiences
which could help us a lot in our future work.Let
me share with you all my experiences during this
unusual period of ‘house arrest’!

Here at Anandadham too the regular routine

suddenly took a turn when we had to stop the
regular yoga classes, Balwadi, tailoring class, and
even ask the local welwishers who come for seva
in the office to stay at home. Just 6 of us inmates were left in the campus on our own.

So it was decided that we would start some swadhaya, gardening, listening to some good
prabhasanam of famous spiritual personalities and so on.We went on and on thinking how we could
equip ourselves and utilise this precious and valuable gift of ‘Time’ to the fullest.
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After pratahsmarana in the early morning ,there was a lot of time to improve my yogic practices,
performing the asanas and pranayama techniques with awareness,spending more time in maintainance
of each asana.Then at 7a.m. sharp Vishnusahasranam chanting was on with all the members together.
Ma.Didi explained the meaning of one sloka each day.Samuhika chair exercises( special for COVID 19) led
by Sri Sudhakarji followed. We all enjoyed it since Didi too took part in it. Each of us would share our
experience of the previous day, what new lessons we learnt from our personal readings, listening to
lectures or while working or while observing the nature around.This part too was very interesting, we
laughed , learnt from each other and had wonderful discussions. At 8a.m. sharp was the synchronised
universal 10 minute prayer framed by IYA to fight against COVID 19 and strenghten our immune system.
We practised together.This is how the early morning hours went by each day.

After breakfast followed our swadhaya. It was a blessing and previlige for me to be studying in the
presence of Didi and Sri Sudhakarji. Three of us , first took up ‘Rousing Call to the Hindu Nation’followed
by the book ‘Atmathirtham’( an independent Vedantic Epic) on the Life and teachings of Sri
Sankaracharya written by Sri Ramanacharana Tirtha
Nochur Venkatraman . Though we had studied the
Rousing Call during our training period and many a
time after that too, even then, studying it together this
time , I felt I was reading it for the first time. Sri
Nochurji’s book is simply marvellous. Such an elborate
description of each and every aspect of Sankaracharya’s
life and the detailed way of arranging the beautiful
Sanskrit slokas composed by the Great Acharya, were
just awe inspiring!It seemed as if the bhakta and the
Guru had become one while narrating about the Guru.

Pending works in the office like Account submission,submitting report etc. were all done on time!
DTP work for one of our project publications in English, was to be done. Since the press was closed and
our welwishers who helped us in the office could not come ,I got the opportunity to learn the technique
to some extent and complete some of the review works which were pending for months.I also had a
longing for studying thoroughly comparing the different commentaries of the Bhagavad Gita, the ‘Karma
yoga Sloka Samgraha’ in our padavali. During this blessed lockdown, in the calm and serene atmosphere
of our campus, this pending work was also done.Listentening to explanation of Gherenda Samhita in
Malayalam by Sri Sudhakaji which was meant for the YCC and YIC student seekers, I could refer the E-
book and try to understand the meaning of a sloka each day from the text. Listening to ‘Yoga Vasistha’
too by our ex-senior karyakarta Sri Raghunandanji was an extra bonus. His profound knowledge and
melodious voice made any novice like me enjoy each talk that he kept sending,which was shared as You-
Tube link after editing by Shri Sudhakarji.
 Volume 9 Issue 1
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Two more interesting topics were i) the commentary on each sloka of the yogic text ‘Shiva Samhita’ in
English and Malayalam, by Dr. M.V. Natesan Head of the Department of Vyakarana of Sri Sankara
Sanskrit University of Kalady and ii) Ma.Didi’s daily thought entitled ‘Love India’ which I listened through
You-tube, gave me a lot of unspeakable inputs. In fact 24 hours seemed less, for me during the period.
There was so much to do, so much to learn, to contemplate upon, so much to put into action.

Apart from that, for the first time I got an opportunity to take part in Webinars through Zoom. There
was a live session of Didi with 200 Balagokulam children and parents placed at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The
topic was Swami Vivekananda. Wow! It was great watching the children attentively listening to Didi and
at the end many of them came up with queries. The IYA live programmes conducted by Dr H.R
Nagendraji – (V.C of SVYASA Univ.Bangalore) President of IYA, held on the occasion on Sri Sankara
Jayanthi were worth watching. Eminent scholars and yoga gurus spoke on different topics. Almost every
Organisation had their LIVE sessions every day. It was a great opportunity to listen to many well-known
sadhakas during this lockdown period. In fact this lockdown period came as a boon for all those who
wanted to do some brushing up, am sure all of us will agree. May this Corona-fear slowly subside and
normal life come back as soon as possible. May a new Peace, Harmony and understanding prevail all
over the world. With this prayer we are looking forward to the shutdown of the lockdown! Om Peace!
Peace! Peace!

3. Expansion during Lockdown by P. K. Bindu (translated from original Malayalam)

It gives me great pleasure to narrate my experiences during the terrible Corona lockdown as I feel
they were very unique as far as I am concerned. Usually plays and laughter fill my days as I keep track of
the 25 children under my care in the Sandeepani Sishuvihar. I was afraid of the would be boredom I have
to go through during the lock down, but it was not to be so. Lord Almighty provided me an opportunity
to look deep into myself. Our daily ‘dishes’ (chores) were very tastefully prepared and hence my
body ,mind and soul, fed on those rich menu expanded as never before producing a wonderful
wholesome energizing effect.

Starting with the worship of the Thulsi plant early in the morning followed by the ritualistic worship of
Unni Ganapathy (in the Ganapathy temple in the campus) and Sri Ramakrishna in our prayer room, every
act of worship, prayer, cooking, human interactions during the day bore the stamp of peace, happiness
and deep inner satisfaction. There was nothing to disturb the peace and solitude.

We the inmates sat together from 7am onwards chanting Vishnusahasranama, Vedic slokas,
Mahamrityunjaya mantra, Gayathri mantra and so on. This was followed by a session of breathing
exercises and pranayama, ending with sharing of our previous day’s experiences and titbits of knowledge
and some inspiring thoughts. All of these together worked wonders on my system energizing it as never
before.
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were specially flavoured by ‘Amma touch’ and brought their share of
nourishment when taken slowly and relaxedly with no tension or hurry. In between I could find time for
gardening, the results of which have started showing. Varieties of green
leaves like Moringa, added flavour to the food and we were never
lacking in variety.

I could also interact with nature much more than words. Our visitors
included a mother cat and her 3 kittens which kept us all enthralled by
their inter family interactions. Then of course there were the usual bird
visitors who demanded food from us in one way or the other.
Fascinating were their behaviour from which we learned many lessons.

Post lunch, Amma and I read a few chapters of Srimad Devi

Bhagavatam, which was a new spiritual exercise and helped me to
enshrine Divine Mother in my heart. Off and on we used to watch
‘Mahabharata’ on the TV. Watching ‘Mahabharata’ after a long gap, I
could enrich myself with wonderful thoughts, specially uttered by none other than Sri Krishna. Our
evening prayers were further embellished by readings of Devikavacha which added to the strength and
feeling of security.

After dinner I listened to Amma’s talk on ‘Love India’ and to Su.Radha Didi’s story telling through my
mobile. Ramayana reading and chanting Hanuman Chalisa rounded up the day to a peaceful good night.

Thus did I Learn to expand within during the Corona lockdown.

4. Self Awareness and the World around by Vinod Ponoth

Let me start with a short story.

In the times immemorial lived the great Rishi (sage) Mrikandu and his dharmapatni(wife) Marudvati.
They longed for a son and prayed to Lord Shiva. The Lord appeared and said “I am
pleased with your prayers; however, you need to choose between ‘a long lived son
who will be dull- witted, and evil-natured’ or a ‘virtuous, wise and pious son who
will only live for 16 years’”. The rishi without any doubt or hesitation asked for the
short-lived son. In due course the rishipatni (wife of the rishi) conceived and they
were blessed with a son, who was named Markandeya. The small boy grew up
learning and mastering the Vedas and Shastras. He however noticed that his
parents were very sad and upon enquiring was informed of the boon of Shiva. The
boy in his early teens, confidently promised his parents not to worry and that he would defeat death.
Markandeya who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva was certain that he will overcome death. So as the
 Volume 9 Issue 1
-9- Apr 2020 - May 2020

16th birthday1 became close, Markandeya started a penance alongwith chanting the Mrityunjaya
Stotram2 composed by him. Each stanza invoked the different forms of Lord Shiva and ended with
powerful words “Namami sirsa devam, kim no mrutyu karishyathi” loosely translated as challenging Yama
the God of Death saying ‘What can death do to a devotee whose protector is God Shiva.’ It is said that
on the day of his 16th birthday when Yama came Shiva protected the boy from the clutches of death and
also blessed Markandeya with long life (Some say as long as 7 Kalpas. A Kalpa is about 4.32 billion years)
and he became a famous rishi and propagated the Mrityunjaya Mantra (a mantra, is considered powerful
than a stotram).
The Mrityunjaya Mantra is considered to be beneficial for mental, emotional and physical health of
the individual. The Japa (repeated chanting) develops concentration in the individual and improves
awareness of the self and around. It is also important to understand that this mantra is found in a hymn
of Rig Veda and attributed to Sage Vasishta. The hymn in turn talks about respecting the various forces
of nature. It is important to understand that energy in its purest form is not destructive, however when
we do not respect it then it becomes destructive, just like a knife in the hands of surgeon can work
miracles and the same knife can also work as a weapon in the hands of the wicked.

In the present what we are experiencing is nothing different. We have played with nature towards its
impending death in the same way that we have played with ourselves. Just as we put someone who is
deranged in chains, nature has put us under lockdown for good! Back to Basics everyone! It is time to
heal the self and this will ensure that the world is healed. Almost all the precautions suggested are what
our ancestors in India used to practice as part of their life.

I was born in Kerala, and grew up outside the state. My earliest memories of visiting Kerala are very
interesting. One would find a small pitcher called “kindi” (in Malayalam) filled with water, kept just
outside the front door. One had to wash their hands and feet with the water before entering the house.
The bathrooms and toilets were separate and generally at a distance from the main house. The kitchen
was also a separate complex. Now If a person had returned after travelling for quite a while then he
would grab a towel and go take a bath (in the pond), wash the clothes he or she was wearing and wear a
fresh set of cloths before entering the house. This practice was strictly followed especially if the person
had returned after visiting a house to pay respects to the dead. The whole-body bath was a strict regime.
It was considered in-auspicious to start the day without a bath. The women of the house would have
their morning bath (before sunrise), pray and then only cook food. The list goes on and on. But then all
of them were a part of life, a life considered precious, a life of purpose and a life of redemption. It is said
that one is fortunate to be born a human, even more in Jambu Dweepe(Asia), even better in Bharat
Khande(Indian subcontinent), and if it to the south of the Godavari in the land created by the great
Parashurama(Kerala), the ultimate!
This until a few months back sounded straight out of a fairy tale. However today this seems so
relevant; when the whole world is reeling under the pandemic here is a small beautiful state called
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Kerala, known as Gods Own Country which has managed to keep a tight control of the spread of the
disease. The complete lockdown practiced by the individual is what helped the authorities to bring in the
relief across the masses. Not only that, the lockdown brought in the very much required self-restrain for
the individuals, from the mundane rat race of seeking an everchanging goal. It brought in the
opportunity to look within and around, experience nature in its visible and non-visible forms. It brought
in a new perspective to age old traditions which we had discarded calling them mundane and
superstitious. The simplest form of hands pressed together, which for ages we practiced here in India as
a form of greeting, proved to be a life saver and suddenly got adopted the world over !

Here are couple of thoughts from amongst the writings of Swamiji on India :

— “History itself bears testimony to the fact. All the soul-elevating ideas and the different branches of
knowledge that exist in the world are found on proper investigation to have their roots in India.”
- The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 5/Conversations and Dialogues/VI

— “Many times have I been told that looking into the past only degenerates and leads to nothing, and that we
should look to the future. That is true. But out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can,
drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, march forward and make India
brighter, greater, much higher than she ever was. Our ancestors were great. We must first recall that. We must
learn the elements of our being, the blood that courses in our veins; we must have faith in that blood and what it
did in the past; and out of that faith and consciousness of past greatness, we must build an India yet greater than
what she has been.”
- The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 3/Lectures from Colombo to Almora

— “Nowadays everybody blames those who constantly look back to their past. It is said that so much looking
back to the past is the cause of all India's woes. To me, on the contrary, it seems that the opposite is true. So long
as they forgot the past, the Hindu nation remained in a state of stupor; and as soon as they have begun to look
into their past, there is on every side a fresh manifestation of life. It is out of this past that the future has to be
moulded; this past will become the future……….The degeneration of India came not because the laws and customs
of the ancients were bad, but because they were not allowed to be carried to their legitimate conclusions.”
- The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda by Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/ Writings: Prose

We always believed in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम ्) or the world a single family and we

always prayed for Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (लोकः समस्तः सुखिनो भवन््ु ) a prayer that

seeked Global wellbeing.

1
There are couple of sites which puts the age as 12 years, however 16 years is considered correct due to other aspects of sasthra’s.
2
Many sites state that Markandeya created the Mrityunjaya Mantra which is not correct as the mantra was already available in
the Rig Veda(7.59.12). The Mrityunjaya Stotram can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3erC7Mn (one of the many sites on the net)
 Volume 9 Issue 1
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The Gheranda Samhita is a text on ghatastha yoga, which literally

means "vessel yoga", wherein the body and mind are depicted as vessels
that carry and serve the soul. It is generally considered a Hath yoga text.
The text teaches a seven limbed yoga, in contrast to eight limbed yoga in
Patanjali's Yoga sutras, six limbed yoga taught in Goraksha Samhita, and
four limbed yoga discussed in Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It declares its goal to
be the perfection of an individual's body, mind and soul through a seven
step lifelong continuous self-development. The means of this goal include
self purification, thirty two Asanas it details for building body strength,
twenty five mudras to perfect body steadiness, five means to Pratyahara,
lessons on proper nutrition and lifestyle, ten types of breathing exercises,
three stages of meditation and six types of Samadhi. A text which every
yoga student should study to catch the spirit of Gathasta Yoga.

Yoga Vasishtha, an ancient and much admired scripture, details a

lesser known period of Sri Ram's youth not discussed in the traditional
Ramayana. We meet a young Ramachandra struggling to awaken from
the veil of maya, to pierce through the shrouded domain of intellectual
knowledge. He has seen the nature of Reality; he recognizes the false
perceptions and paltry attractions of conventional life, yet is unable to
abide in peace and freedom. Sobered and stultified, Ramachandra
turns to the great sage, Vasishtha, preceptor of his royal father's court,
who then plunges him and all present into a spell-binding transmission
of stories that continues for days, intent on exorcising the subtle layers
of illusion and confusion that inhabit the human minds.

The Shiva Samhita is one of the highly regarded texts on Hath Yoga; the other two being the Hatha
Yoga Pradipika and Gherand Samhita. The Sanskrit verses are a conversation between Lord Shiva and his
consort Parvati. The Shiva Samhita was believed to be written sometime between 15th-17th centuries.
The author of this text is unknown.

Below is an overview of each of the five chapters, based on the translation by Srisa Chanra Vasu. In its
five chapters the Shiva Samhita covers information regarding the following:

• Nadis, sushumna, ida, pingala

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• Prana, 10 types of prana

• How one can attain success in yoga

• Who is worthy of doing yoga

• The signs of someone who is worthy of doing yoga

• The signs of someone whose nadis (energy channels in the astral

body) have been purified by nadi shodhana (alternate nostril Pranayama)

• The obstacles in yoga

• How to attain success in yoga

• Mentions 84 asanas (poses) of which only 4 are described and men-

tioned as the most important

• mentions only one Pranayama which is nadi shodhana and the meth-
od of doing it, and how long it takes for the nadis to get purified

• Mantra yoga, shadow gazing, anahat sounds

REGUL AR ACTIVITIES

During the months of April and May, our usual Ganapathy Homam and Sri
Cakra puja on every full moon (Purnima) day were conducted in spite of the
lockdown. As usual, Sri Karumatra Vijayanji’s student disciples performed the
pujas with full vigor.

Other Activities
There was no new yoga satras during the month of February. Yoga Varga was possible only for first 2 weeks of
February after which there was total shutdown due to Covid 19 lockdown.

Everyday for 5 minutes, Ma. Didi spoke on the ‘Thoughts of Swamiji’ from the book "Incredible India”. The
thoughts were recorded both in Malayalam and English,under the title ‘Love India’ and was posted in the You-
Tube and the link was shared in the different whatsapp groups and interested friends.

2 webinars were conducted with Didi as the main speaker.The first one was for the parents and was conducted
by Sri Jayashankar of Bangalore , one of our close wellwishers. 80 parents and children attended .The second one
was conducted by a well-wisher from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the Balagokulam children and their parents. About
200participated.

70 Coupons worth Rs 510/-each, totaling Rs 33000/-, were given from VKVVF to the ward councilors for
distribution amongst the needy Corona affected people.
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SWADHARMA
Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari
(In this issue we are bringing Ma. Lakshmi Didi’s interesting articles on Bhagavad Gita which she had penned in ‘Yuva Bharati’
as it’s editor in the eighties of last century )

"Each soul is destined to be perfect and every being in the end will attain the state of perfection." -
Swami Vivekananda. "

Swadharma is the vehicle that can naturally and effortlessly take man to his destined goal of
perfection, in the hands of one who has the right knowledge. Acharya Vinoba Bhave lays great stress on
this aspect of swadharma as revealed in the opening discourse of Sri Krishna in the Gita Swadharma is
something into which we are born and like one's mother it cannot be thrust aside. To disown svadharma
is to disown oneself almost equivalent to committing suicide. In fact, our previous lives are for fulfilling
our swadharma so that we play our part effectively in the unfolding of the great mystery of this Universe.

Everything in this universe has its own ordained laws. The sun, the moon, planets, starts plants,
animals, all the varieties of universal forces all obey certain laws, have a code of conduct and behaviour,
thanks to which man is able to study them, make use of them with confidence to his advantage. All
science and technology have evolved out of this confidence and assurance that every movement in the
universe is planned and a knowledge of this can make man understand himself and the universe better,
so that he can fit himself in to it also better and reap the best results.

But man has erred on one point. This error or ignorance is not new or sudden, but perpetuated from
time immemorial. Ignorant of the fact that man also is very much part of this universal scheme, he must
also obey certain laws and adjust and adopt his behaviour in deference to the universal harmony. It is
only then that he can claim his rightful place. Unfortunately, man alone behaves as though he is a law
unto himself and comes to clash with everyone and everything, in the process owing and reaping
disharmony.

There are two reasons for his aberrant behaviour. Firstly, majority of us are ignorant of this great
truth. Secondly, even when awakened to this knowledge man would rather challenge it than transform
himself to fall in line with the universal rhythm and harmony. Very few indeed enquire into the truth of
existence and purpose of human life and show the courage to fit into the whole. They are the great
masterminds who visit this earth off and on whenever ignorance and unrighteousness have had their
day. They are the saviours of mankind.

What is this svadharma that can take us to our goal?

We have to understand swadharma in its totality, with all its ramifications and levels of manifestation
in our lives. We are born into our own dharma and there is no pushing it aside. In the most formative
form, it appears as our primary duties to parents and family. As one grows up and our interactions with
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the world outside start, it dons the robe of our duties top society, country and so on.

The most important aspect of swadharma however, is what concerns strictly with one's innermost self
- that is, duties to help the soul in its advancement towards perfection. That is the ultimate will or desire,
towards which all energies, actions and movements be directed. This should remain as the central-most
aspirations in human life which should be nursed and nurtured through swadharma. Then it is that
svadharma becomes a vehicle to bring fulfilment perfection and glory to manhood.

Everyone is free to have his desires, motivations and propensities. They all come under the category
of 'hita' - general well-being. But there is something higher - 'paramahita', which transcends the normal
hita and which while achieving one's ultimate good also contributes to the universal good. This is a
great lesson to learn in life - to fit in our svadharma as a hotline connection with the Supreme Universal
Dharma, so that we become channels of Its expression.

To make Arjuna understand this great principle, Sri Krishna reveals to him two great truths. (1) The
Spirit is deathless, indivisible, indestructible and all-pervading, and (2) the body on which we put all our
hopes is transient. This knowledge alone can give man the right understanding that he is part of a whole
and not an isolated entity. Unfortunately, ignorance of this law as to who he is and how he should
belong to this great universe family makes man behave aberrantly creating confusion around. To live life
harmoniously and effectively there is but one way, to get this true understanding as part of one's deep
consciousness through reflection and meditation.

As svadharma is something natural and inborn and also provides the path of least resistance for the
onward progress, to follow it is very easy and does not involve any strain or stress. One who has learned
to transform one's own dharma into a vehicle for his self-unfoldment that is, evolution, expansion and
reaching out on to the Higher, becomes a master in the art of living. In him science and art of living
combine. Such a life blossoms into beauty.

Another point in favour of svadharma is that, just as we are most natural and relaxed in front of our
mother, so are we most at home with it. The egoistic assertions are minimum, spontaneity and
selflessness become the rule. Actions and reactions bear the mark of simplicity, sincerity and
straightforwardness, qualities which we need most, but lack miserably.

In contrast, if one follows another's dharma or paradharma, his progress is restricted and restlessness
and misery would follow. Later in the Gita, Sri Krishna points this out to Arjuna in no unclear terms.
Swami Vivekananda also warned us of this danger on a national level when he said: "Imitation is not
civilization".

The question naturally arises, what prevents us from following svadharma? The root cause is with us
only. "Sariramadyam khaludharmasadhanam", say the learned. That is, the body is the primary
equipment for executing dharma. Very true. The body has to be kept in a fit condition, as a vehicle kept
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ready for a long journey by any of the techniques which are availabale in our shastras. This is necessary
because a sick body habitats a sick mind which is the starting point for the downfall of man.
Unfortunately, instead of keeping a healthy, effective and efficient working relationship with the body,
fully conscious that it is our vehicle for fulfilling svadharma we become overtly attached to it and spend
all the time and energy in catering to its comfort sand indulgences. The more we are involved with the
ever-changing transient bodily interests, the more we become isolated from the cosmic whole.
Consequently, our world gets smaller and restricted. Some build a very narrow wall - 'I, my family, my
interests', some build it slightly wider,' my society my community' and so on. Rare indeed are the noble
souls who build a wall, if at all with its circumference touching the entire creation.

Can one practicing svadharma still contribute to cosmic peace and harmony? Yes, that is the beauty
and mystery of creation.

The entire universe with all that it holds as matter, forces, vibrations and energy is in essence, subtly
interconnected, each vibration affecting the whole! Today's quantum physicist calls this all-pervading
principle as quantum foam and struggles to describe the existence of everything within it. But for us this
truth stood revealed centuries ago, when our rishis declared "Isavasyam idam sarvam yat kincit jagatyam
jagat" - everything in this universe is pervaded by the Divine. What is important is to be constantly
aware of this interconnectedness. 'Not an atom can move without taking the whole universe with it',
observed Swami Vivekananda long before quantum physics was even conceived of! Any individual
adding to the harmony and peace in his life, who works out his paramahita through right understanding
and execution of svadharma, contributes to the wholesome harmony and rhythm in the Universe. What
would be the result if everyone kept to his own track of svadharma?

As we grow in stature and in our understanding, our concept of svadharma should also grow
transcending the limitations kept on it by bodily attachments and narrow self-centered interests. It is
then that svadharma takes wings to carry us to Truth and Perfection. Then hita gets transformed into
paramahita and leads to paramakialyan - universal well-being.

Only those masterminds who could realise 'Tat twamasi’ and 'Aham Brahmasmi' could also have
discovered this simple straight path to Perfection. May their thoughts continue to inspire and guide us
forever.

"A journey of ten thousand li begins with but a single step". -----Lao - Tse