Reading Gurudev's biography

Sri Chinmaya SadGuruve Namaha.
Hari Om.
Recently I have started reading a biography of Guruji Swami Chinmayananda. The book is written by Nancy Patchen and published by Chinmaya Mission Trust. I bought the book during the Chinmaya camp I attended in Dallas in Dec 09.

The book elucidates wonderfully the life of Guruji and how he came to this chosen path of Vedanta. The author has very clearly attempted to describe the life of Rishis and the way of Gurukul education of those days. What inspired me in the reading is the dedication and effort demanded of the students through their rough and tough life in the Gurukulam (Guru’s Ashram) in the Himalayan ranges. The daily regimen for Swami Chinmayananda when he was the disciple of Swami Tapovanam consisted of getting up by 4 AM, bath in the freezing Ganga river, meditations, day long education, discussions with the Guru and other disciples outside among the nature and contemplation during evening hours. They managed life there in the most minimal of conveniences and just enough food to keep them going. This kind of life is not to stave or deny themselves, but to transcend the pulls of BMI (Body, Mind and Intellect) away from the transient sensual pleasures and instead focus them pointedly on the path towards Self-Realization. Gurudev (Swami Chinmayananda) studied under the able and highly knowledgeable masters Swami Tapovanam and Swami Sivananda.

In the first few pages of he book, he author Nancy Patchen explains four prerequisite qualities demanded of a student, in order to be successful in the learning, understanding the Vedantic scriptures and to experience the ultimate Truth of Brahman. They are:
Viveka: The capacity to discriminate the Real from the un-real, the Permanent from impermanent, the Changeless from the changing.
Vairagya : Detachment from the un-real through logic and intellectual discrimination.
Satkasampatti: This consists of six moral and mental qualities: 1) Sama - Control of mind and ability to remain focused on one's objective; (2)Dana - Control of organs of perception and organs of action; (3) Uparati – the ability to cease all activities; (4) Thithiksha – endurance; (5) Shraddha – faith based on intellectual appreciation of the truths of the scriptures and (6) Samadana – A tranquil, calm mind born out of contemplation on the Truth – the Brahman.
Mumukshutva: The compelling desire to leave the limitations of the mortal world to reach the final divine goal of freedom from all bondage.

I believe the above qualities are a must in order to attain the highest levels in any field of knowledge, and the last quality – Mumukhutva being the final step to attain Moksha - the Infinite Brahman.

Resilence of kids in Haiti - A Vedantic view

Hari Om. Today morning in the NBC 'Today' program I was listening to the story of the resilience of kids in Haiti. Inspite of the terrible tragedy of earthquake, with thousands of deaths, no homes and no basic utilities, etc. it is amazing to know that the young kids there have been the first to regain their normalcy (whatever normalcy they could get !) and bring their life back to fun and smiles ! News reporters are seeing kids playing with kites and soccer balls among the ravages of the earthquake - even those who are seriously hurt have been seen smiling and trying to enjoy.

What is it that brings kids into this state of mind ? We all have heard infants are considered to be in a Godly state of mind in their initial years. They are said to be pure and innocent in their thoughts and actions . What is the reason for this and why do we change as we grow up ?

Here is my take on it. As we learn from the concepts of Vedanta, BMI and the Pancha Kosas, it is the association of our self with the grosser layers of Body, Mind and Intellect that is the cause of all emotions including the ego. Our Self or Atman is always pure. When we are born, each of us come with certain inherent Vasanas within us - that is the reason for our rebirth as per Hindu Shastras. As we grow up, these hidden Vasanas exert as thoughts in our intellect and as emotions in our mind. In addition to these inherent Vasanas, we accumulate our own share (a big share !!) of Vasanas through our senses and actions from the outer world. All these form the thick layer of Ego within us and form a veil covering the Pure Inner Self . It is this ego in the form of various mental emotions (sadness, worrries, desire, hatred, anger, lust, etc.) that prevents us from coming back to our own self - our real nature which we are born with.

Infants and kids have purer mind and intellect and lesser vasanas. They do not have any vasanas driven ego and emotions in them. So any sadness or desires they have is momentary ! It goes away as soon as their attention is diverted and they do not keep those emotions botteld up. We have seen numerous examples of crying babies smiling or laughing the very next moment their attention is diverted !

We tend to say kids are not matured, so they have this tendency to take it lightly, but looking in from a philosophical angle, I have to ask are we as adults moving from maturity to immaturity as we age ??

Adi Shankara says in Bhaja Govindam .

'Viddhi Vyadhyabhimanagrastam; Lokam Sokhatam cha Samastham; Bhaja Govindam.."
The Very world is consumed by disease and conceit; riddled with pangs, so Seek Govinda...

As Gurudev says, pleasures and pains come and go away, not knowing that we as adults are sad, upset and angry for situations where we have no contol (like earthquake). Kids in Haiti let it pass and look for the next best chance to return to normal. So who is more matured ??

Hari Om.
- KVR

Significance of Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthihi.

In Hinduism, all sacred, auspicious and significant events in life are supposed to start with invocation of a God to seek His blessings in the successful conduct and completion of the activity without hindrance. Nowadays, this is normally done through prayers to Ganesha who is considered as ‘gate keeper’ to prevent any ‘vignams’ (hindrances), thus Ganesha is also called Vigneshwara.

All the Hindu mantras end with the invocation of peace through the chanting of ‘Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthihi..’. The word Shanthi means ‘peace’ and is repeated 3 times. Swami Chinmayananda Guruji has explained the significance of repeating this word ‘Shanthi’ three times as below:
The first ‘Shanthi’ is for preventing God-Sent (Aadhi-Daivika) obstacles which come unexpected and unpredictable, such as asteroids hitting the earth, earthquakes, Tsunami’s etc.; The second ‘Shanthi ‘is for preventing worldly phenomenon (Aadhi-Bhoutika) obstacles such as floods, fires etc. which are known to mankind, but not controllable. The third ‘Shanthi’ is for preventing subjective inner obstacles in each of us such as worries, anger etc. It is prayed that the ‘Vignams’ from all these three are prevented till the function or event is completed successfully.

When reciting the prayers, Guruji suggests that the first ‘Shanthi’ should be loud and clear, the second time it should be of moderate sound and the third time it should be a whisper since it is for subjective mind and intellect.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthihi. Hari Om.

Fundementals of Vedanta-Part 1

In one of my previous postings, I talked about Advaita Vedanta being a science in itself to improve the life of humans in this planet. The Vedantic principles transcend religious beliefs, cultural practices and national boundaries. I keep repeating this because there is a general thinking that Vedas are scriptures only for Hindus. Saying so would be unfortunately limiting this wonderful philosophical work to only a section of people in this world. Hinduism is considered as ‘Sanathana Dharma’ which means ‘Eternal Righteous Way of life’ so the principles of Hinduism is applicable for all other religious beliefs. Vedas are given to us for the welfare of the entire humanity. All human beings are same in terms of body composition, mind and intellectual thoughts. Vedanta delves into the working of these three aspects – Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI) in an individual and how the control of the BMI could bring about the ultimate contentment and resulting happiness in an individual.

The ultimate motive of all human beings is happiness. Happiness comes from contentment – a feeling that you have all you need and that you are ‘complete’ and satisfied in life!! All our cravings for materialistic comforts and personal relationships are for achieving this contentment and happiness. Unfortunately, in spite of all advances in science and technology, material comforts, unlimited money etc. we are yet to find peace and happiness in this world. The reason for this, as per Swami Chinmayananda, is because we are searching for answers (to happiness and peace) in the wrong place to begin with!

The scientists and engineers of our modern day world do research and development in the external world, among materials, objects and even nature. We are led to believe that rearranging or changing our external interfaces (bigger house, faster cars, cell phones etc.) will result in more comforts and thereby more happiness and contentment. Because of this theory, the present day generation accumulates more and more materialistic comforts and spends their BMI in the sensory pleasures from these external interfaces! Alas! The more a person gets, the more he/she desires and demands, so there is no end to this accumulation!

According to Swami Chinmayananda, the ancient Rishis (sage) of India who were the Vedantic scientists of that time, went in search of answers for contentment and happiness internally – they were convinced the happiness and bliss is inward in an individual and not external. Through appropriate structuring and control of the Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI) and their sensory interfaces to the outside world, an individual could alter his or her outlook on the stimulations received from outer world and ensure that only that is noble, relevant and needed information could be absorbed by his/her senses ! This is intelligent detachment of our senses from the external happenings in this world. This detachment brings about an amazing level of tranquility and peace within the mind. A peaceful mind results in better concentration, dexterity and equipoise (balance), there by improving our skills and decision making capabilities in this world !

Let me provide a normal life situation example of this detachment: In the US, of late we have been hearing about interest rate (APR) increases and fees increases from credit card companies. I have a couple of credit cards myself, so I totally understand the impact these may have on the consumers. I feel, the ideal solution for these actions from the credit card companies is not to depend on them!! If people could learn to use the credit card only as a ‘convenience plastic card’ and spend only what they can afford to pay fully in the next statement, it would insulate them from these whims and fancies of the card companies. I spend on my card only those which I could afford to pay fully in the next statement, so no worries on interest rates ! Nowadays I use debit cards more often!

So intelligent detachment on day to day work activities is the solution for worry free life. Work honestly and sincerely without expecting anything for self in return. This is selfless activity which is Karma Yoga in Vedanta.

More on BMI and Karma Yoga in my next posting.

Om Sri Chinmaya Sadguruve Namaha.
Hari Om.

Chinmaya Famiy Camp

Hari Om. Last week, me and my family attended a week long Chinmaya Camp in Dallas,TX organized by the local (Dallas, TX) Chinmaya Mission centre - Chinmaya Saaket. Several CM Acharyas and Swamijis including the Head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide - Swami Tejomayananda (Guruji) participated in the event. Hundreds of Chinmaya devotees from different parts of the country (US) and some from Hong Kong and Tokyo also attended.

The goal of the camp was ‘The Journey from Change to Changeless’. Our Supreme Consciousness, the Brahman is the only changeless substratum of this universe. Everything else happens ‘on and because’ of this substratum. Change is relative; for a change to happen, there needs to be a changeless base which supports it. Attaining this ultimate base, which is the Atman within us, through knowledge and thereby reaching a state of changeless-ness within ourselves was the goal of this camp. Anyone who attains this Self-Realization is freed from all the sensuous afflictions of mind, body and intellect (BMI). This is the knowledge embedded in the priceless texts of Vedas and Bhagavad Gita.

It was a week spent in complete spiritual thoughts and alignment. Just as we do tuning up of our automobiles, just as we revitalize our physical bodies through massages, our inner Indriyas also need to be tuned up and revitalized frequently with doses of spirituality. Spirituality is contemplating on the One Supreme Power (OSP) which pervades all life and inert objects in this cosmos and aligning our Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI) to this eternal power. It transcends religion, rituals and other cultural practices - hence this exercise is applicable for all humans for improving their efficiency and productivity in their life.

The camp provided a great opportunity for all Chinmaya devotees and Vedantic students to listen to Swamiji’s and Acharyas of CM on several aspects of Advaita Vedanta. Our daily regimen in the camp started with Meditation early in the morning followed by discourses on Kaivalyo Upanishad, Gopika Geetam, Satsangs on Karma Yoga as applicable to different situations in life (Workplace, Parenting and other everyday life), Bhagavad Gita Ch. 17 and various cultural activities. Kids had activities appropriate to their age groups including Yoga and stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Sri Aadi Shankara in his Bhaja Govindam has advised the following:

Trijagati Sajjanasangathireka; Bhavathi Bhavarnavatharane Nouka

In the three worlds, it is the association with good people alone that can serve as a boat to cross the sea of change (of birth and death)

Attending Satsangs and camps helps us forge our association with like minded people interested in Vedantic science and having ambitions to reach the plane of higher consciousness. Importantly it is indeed a blessing to talk, discuss and contemplate with senior Acharyas of Chinmaya Mission who have themselves been fortunate to have talked, walked and worked with Swami Chinmayananda for many years.

Aadi Shankara in another stanza of Bhaja Govindam also says :

Satsangatve Nissangatvam
Nissangatve Nirmohatvam
Nirmohatve Nischallatvam
Nischallatve Geevan Mukthi.

Through the company of good, there arises non-attachment; when there is non-attachment, there are no delusions; when there is freedom from delusions, there is the Immutable Reality; when there is the experience of Immutable Reality, there comes the state of liberation of life!

Seeking company of good like minded people is important in any profession of life - all the more in spirituality. In our present day world, most of us have enrolled into associations and groups for many of the career based professions – both online and otherwise. In the same way, it is important to devote time and effort to improve our inner conditioning in a spiritual way through Chinmaya Mission and other centers.

Vedanta is science and art !

The term 'Vedanta' in Sanskrit means 'the ending (summary) of the Vedas' . The Vedas are probably the oldest and the most exhaustive philosophical writings known to mankind, dating to more than 3000 years old. There are 4 texts of Vedas written - Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, and all the four proclaim the universality of the One Supreme Power (OSP) driving this entire cosmos, variously known as 'Brahman' or 'Atman' in Vedanta. This concept of OSP is the USP (unique spiritual point !) of Vedas !! I have not known of any other faith or religion in this world which profess such equality in all living beings .

The Vedas and their summaries (Vedanta or Upanishads) if understood and practiced properly provide a clear and ideal path for improving the standard of life of all humans, applicable to people from all nationalities and cultures irrespective of the differences in religious faiths followed. It does not preach dedication and surrender to any particular God or Prophet. This is what makes it a science and probably an art too of the highest levels of philosophical thoughts in this planet. I would tend to call it an 'artistic science' of philosophy. It is a science as it provides clear principles and paths to attaining self realization. It is an art too as there are many paths defined depending on the nature of the individual. I would provide reasons on why I see it as an artistic-science in my postings later.

Of course, Vedas are part of the scriptures of the ancient and still vibrant and active religion of 'Sanathana Dharma' also popularly called Hinduism. People may have questions on the pantheon of Gods represented in Hinduism and how Vedas do not preach dedication to any particular religious belief or God. My answer is that Vedanta is a set of spiritual theories whereas Hindu religion (as other religions) is philosophy combined with rituals and practices.

More on religion in my next posting.
Hari Om.