'SECRET OF WORK-SWAMIJI'S CONTRIBUTION TO INDIA' BY PRIYA VAIDYAN 26.12.2020

 

Dr Priya Vaidyan , a professor in Philosophy in Mumbai University and dedicated to Swami Vivekananda was the speaker for the weekly swadhyaya on meditation on Swamiji. She expressed that in her attempts to explore some dimensions of Swami Vivekananda's thoughts of Karma Yoga, she started  with 5 questions along with answers too -  new dimensions with special relevance to modern age. 

1.what does helping others imply? 

Swamiji has tried to analyse this by focusing on all aspects of helping other including spiritual.Physical help is good but doesnot give , most imp is spiritual help .empowering through spiritual focus is to elavate them..  what is it to be spiritual?

One has to be spiritually empowered to help others .For doing that one has to find time to travel within that is awareness.One has to keep a log book to keep track of what happens when one travels within.Then one can develop clarity and becomes conflictless. In this world of technology one has to empower oneself , evolve oneself to empower others.

2. How to work but not be attached to work?

The answer  to the quest was that one should keep working  and the reward will be enriching.To forget what or who we are for some moments would help us to be unattached to work.Whenever one does that it reaches one towards excellence.

3. How can we work like a master  and not as a slave.

The answer to she found was that we should work with lot of love without expectation for the given work, giving one's beat, like a master is to be a giver, sharing of good thoughts and developing gratitude for others who have contributed towards our elevation.This will make one happy and energetic without worry and anxiety.

If one is to be a master what one can give? It is giving some sharing good thoughts, giving some body hopes, a new perspective towards life. Many people have contributed for our growth hence if any body approached one , one should be grateful to God .

4.Can we help anyone without asking questions?

One has to prepare oneself for this fact. So one has to strive towards selflessness. One should not expect gratitude for helping others and be thankful to the people who have .The speaker also shared experiences from her life.

5.what is the requirement of spreading Swami Vivekananda's thoughts?

It is because Swamiji tried to give a direction to all of us for developing a prosperous India.The speaker has carried on many experiments in all places of life in taking Swamiji's thoughts everywhere

BHAGAVATA SAPTAHA AND MANANEEYA DIDI'S SHATABHISHEKAM CELEBRATION

Bhagavata Saptaha Satram

This year preparations for the Saptah started almost a year back with fixing the Acharya. This time Brahmasri Nochur Venkataraman was chosen as the yagna Acharya.

Ramanacharanatirtha Brahmasri Nochur Venkataraman is an Acharya of Vedanta sampradāya. At a very young age, this sagely teacher started expounding on the age-old Vedic wisdom of the Upanishads, Gita, Bhagavatam and other texts on Vedanta. His discourses and writings are aflame with the power of Atmajñāna and the fragrance of bhakti that one gets on intimation of one’s spiritual essence instantaneously. Coming in the lineage of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Nochur Acharya’s talks and writings on Maharshi’s teachings are a great guiding force for Self-enquiry.

Hence it is was decided to contact him in person and invite him for the Satra. After hearing the significance of the event as Man. Lakshmi Didi would be completing 84 years he readily agreed to take part in the Sathabhishekam celebrations. She would have witnessed thousand full moons in her life time that is why this satra occupies a very important event in her life.

As the yagnacharya could not be present at all times st the yagna we changed the Saptah into a Saptah satra, giving an opportunity for several youngsters to participate and give discourses.

From December onwards the actual preparations started with notices and invitations and flex holdings etc. Cook and pandal and light and sound arrangements were all booked in advance. This being the first time the Acharya would be visiting Kodungallur we didn’t have any idea how many would be attending the satra and how many will be staying and what will be the requirement of water and other daily requirements. Things started becoming clear only by the end of January as Acharya clarified certain things like he would be taking the class only in the evening for couple of hours and he would be staying at Kochi etc.

With the help of two devotees Sri Biju and Sri Narayan who have offered their services totally free and could  arrange the other acharyas to speak during the Satram. Advocate.P. R. Ramanathanji a well-known Acharya of Bhagavatam was invited to inaugurate the Satram. Everything was in place by 25^th February.

At 6pm. on 26^th Sri Ramanathanji couldn’t come as he was held up elsewhere. Sri T. Gopalan Kutty Menon, well known poet and Prof. R.D. Iyer, Chairman of Navashakti Trust inaugurated the Satram. Man. Lakshmi Didi introduced the Acharyas to the audience. The atmosphere was charged with chantings. The Mahatmyam was chanted and the importance of Bhagavata Satram was narrated. Thus the first day of the Satram came to end with Shanti Mantra.

Daily programme was as follows

5 am. to 6am.                          Ganapathi Homam and Vishnu Sahasranama

6 am to 8.15 am                       Reading of Bhagavatam

9am. to 10.30 am                     Reading of Bhagavatam

10.30 am to 12.30 noon              Discourse

4.30 pm to 6 p.m                       Discourse

All who honoured us by their presence and discourses were

27^th and 28^th       Brahmasri Sreeraj Cheruvatta

29^th                   Brahmasri Perattupuram Krishnan Namboodiri

1^st March            Brahmasri Harigovind Malikappuram

2^nd March           Brahmasri Ranjit Moleri

3rd MARCH ON DIDI'S BIRTHDAY  - TRIBUTES FOR DIDI BY ALL

From 29^th February to 3^rd March every evening from 4 p.m. to 6.30p.m was the spiritual discourse by the renowned scholar Brahmasri Nochur Venkatraman.The topic chosen was chosen from the 11th Chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam  -the 24 gurus. 

He also spoke on the concluding day,4^th March bringing to finale the grand-Saptaha- Satra.                                           
  Mananeeya Didi's 84th Birthday was on 3rd March. In addition to the Bhagavata Satra, in the morning hours, Ganapati Homa followed by Mrityunjaya Homa was performed by  Rev.Dr Karumatra Vijayanji and his  students.
Office bearers of many Hindu organisations came to wish Didi and take her blessings. Some of them performed dance and sang bhajans, recited poems, as tribute to Ma.Didi. Vivekananda Kendra's All India Adhikaries ,from our headquarters in Kanyakumari- Ma.Bhanudasji, Ma.Hanumanthaji, Ma.Krishnamurtiji, Sri Ayyappanji and Sushri Radha Didi too were present on the occasion and took the blessings of Ma.Didi. Nearly 700 people were present on that day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Sanatana Dharma Parichayam

In our series of talks based on Sanatana Dharma on 16th June ( Sunday) the well known scholar, orator and sadhak and practising advocate   Sri T R Ramanathanji from Paravur, spoke about Satya and Dharma and their importance in Hinduism. He drew the attention of the listeners to the immaculate life of Sri Ramakrishna emphasising his sadhanas to realize the Ultimate Truth, how he realized from his childhood the uselessness of bread winning education and how his absolutely pure devotion to the Divine Mother , transformed  the idol, at Dakshineswar Temple into a living Truth which guided his life throughout.
He emphasised the old saying Shareeramadhyam khalu dharma sadhanam and how important it is to integrate body,mind and intellect to achieve the ultimate goal of God realization.He stressed the importance of acharas in upholding Dharma.In this connection he pointed out that Jitaasana, jitaswasa, jitendriya and jitasangha are of great relevance in achieving the goal.
India has upheld Satya and Dharma, the eternal values as the foundations of our culture and hence our country's civilization  has become as eternal as Truth. In no other country do we find such clinging to eternal values  and the result is all those civilizations have died a natural death while India still lives as a vibrant culture worthy of emulation by the whole world.40 participants attended

Satsangha on Devi Mahatmyam

From October 2017 onwards, Sri L. Girish Kumar, a well known scholar on Tantra Vidya  of http://www.shripuram.org started his second series of talks on Devi Mahatmyam. Earlier, we had in depth explanation of Lalitha Sahasranama for almost two long years. The beauty of his talks are how these lucid explanations could be put into daily practice of our our lives.

Traditionally the ‘Devi Mahatmyam’ is a portion of the Markandeya Mahapurana. The Devi Mahatmya is variously known as Sri Durga Saptashati, Sri Chandi or Saptashati. It is referred to as Saptashati as it comprises of seven hundred mantras. It is more popularly known as Chandi because it describes the glory of the Goddess as Chandika, the terrible. Like the god Rudra, the Goddess too has two forms- a malevolent form and another benevolent form. In Her terrible form She destroys the evil demons. Yet in Her destruction, one can see the light of a resplendent regeneration too. This resplendent and benevolent form is Her compassionate form as the Mother of the Universe. Among the sacred texts that laud the glory of the Mother, Lalita sahasranamam and Devi Mahatmyam are most popular. Both are considered to be extremely auspicious and powerful as tools of transformation. Both can be recited daily. Whilst Lalita sahasranamam describes the victory of the Goddess over Bhandasura, the Devi Mahatmyam describes the victory of the Goddess over the asuras Madhu-Kaitabha, Mahishasura and Shumbha-Nishumbha. 

This year on 19th and 20th January, Sri Girishiji addressed the seekers on the above subject. It was well received by the participants.

Satsanga Prabhashana Parampara

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Bhagavata Saptaham

There will be a Bhagavata Saptaham starting from 10th February to 17th February 2016. This is being done coinciding with Viveka Ganapathi's installation ceremony. For the last six years this Yajna is being organised  by the Foundation