Yoga Vedanta Magazine #1

PURNA YOGA AN INTEGRAL MOVEMENT

by RAMAKRISHNANANDA SWAMI SHAKTIPADA 9

H.D.G. BHAGAVAN MASTARAMA BABAJI MAHARAJA

by SWAMI RAMANANDA 22

$3.00

2 YOGA VEDANTA MAGAZINE

Ramakrishnananda Swami ShaktipadaFounder-Acharya of the Vishwa Dharma Mandalam

3YOGA VEDANTA MAGAZINE

Vishwa Dharma Mandalam96 Ave. B. (between 6th and 7th St.)New York, NY 10009, USATel. (646)436 7010www.vishwadharmamandalam.comwww.ramakrishnananda.cominfo@[email protected]@yogavedantamagazine.com

Front Cover: Lord Vishnu, the preserving aspect of the Divine, member of the sacred Hindu trinity. Painted by Prema Devi Dasi.

CONTENTSAbout the Founder 4Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

Purna Yoga - An Integral Movement 9by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

Disabled 14Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada answers Walter’s question

Blessed Stupidity 16An analysis of Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada’s writings by Gopala Das

H.D.G. Bhagavan Mastarama Babaji Maharaja 22by Swami Ramananda

A Divine Wink 24Poem by Swami Krishnananda

Testimonials by Hindu Religious Authorities 25

Shaktipad Hatha Yoga 28by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

An Ancient Eastern Story 31by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

Swami Yogananda’s Vedic Kitchen 33Vegetable Rice - Pulav

Dear readers,

Please accept my humble reverences. Glory to Guru Maharaja, glory to Bhagavan Babaji Maharaja.

With great pleasure I have the honor of presenting the first issue of the “Yoga Vedanta Magazine”, and with it, my hopes you will find it enjoyable.

This publication is another instrument to spread the ancient message of light and universal love, which is extremely needed in our days, and consists of the essence of Hinduism.

In this humble publication we attempt to portray the rich wisdom of Sanätana—dharma along with its different aspects. Topics such as yoga, relaxation, Vedic cooking, pranayama, meditation, sacred scriptures, the Guru, and other diverse subjects, which the tradition of Hinduism embraces, are covered in this magazine.

I wish to express my hearty thanks to Swami Atmananda, Swami Ramananda, Swami Krishnananda, Swami Yogananda, Gopala Das, Siva Das, and to everyone who contributed from their energy and time to make this dream a reality.

Your ever well wisher, Swami Ramakrishnananda


RAMAKRISHNANANDA SWAMI SHAKTIPADAHis Holiness Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada is the disciple of His Divine Grace Çri Çrimad Bäbä Brahmänanda Mahäräja, one of the most important disciples of His Divine Grace Çri Çrimad Bäbä Mastaräma Bäbäjâ Mahäräja.

Ramakrishnananda Swami, or as his disciples call him with affection, Shaktipada, is one of the most respected spiritual masters of our time. He is a sannyäsâ, an orthodox monk that has accepted the renounced order of life within Hinduism. Over the years, his message and work made him a unique exponent of the Smärta sampradäya in the West. Shaktipada is a yogâ, a mystic, a philosopher, a spiritual master, and for his disciples and followers, without a doubt, he is a completely enlightened being who has dedicated his life to the service of God and Humanity.

Swami Ramakrishnananda is an American citizen who was born in Chile on March 21st, 1958. At the age of eight, a spontaneous and profound transcendental experience led Swami Ramakrishnananda to a life of passionate search for God and the Truth. His efforts to come back to that experience made him travel to and reside in the most remote and diverse countries, cultures, and nations far from the South American culture in which he was educated. This inquiry has brought him to associate with great devotees, mystics, guides, and masters of different lineages, paths, faiths, and spiritual schools.

His first encounter with an established religion was in 1977 with the Gauòâya Vaiôëava religious current, which follows the tradition of Lord Çrâ Caitanya, in the Puente Alto temple, Chile. There he began his studies of bhakti-yoga directly with His Holiness Çrâ Çrâmad Atulänanda Äcärya, studies that would later continue with His Holiness Çrâ Çrâmad Bhakti Äloka Paramädvaitâ Swami Mahäräja, who granted him the titles Bhakti Çästrâ and Tridaëòâ Bhikôu. These two outstanding masters of bhakti-yoga, founders of the organization Vrinda, are direct disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedänta Swami Prabhupäda.

Gradually, in his heart, an incredible and inexplicable love for India and all things related to the Vedic culture developed, which he attributes to previous lifetimes.

His Holiness Çrâ Çrâmad Swami Viôëu Devänanda, a direct disciple of Çrâ Swami Çivänanda Sarasvatâ and the founder of the Çivänanda centers of Yoga Vedanta, granted him first initiation, or dâkôä, into

the mahä-mantra with the name Rämakåôëa. From that first initiation, the mahä-mantra has never left Shaktipada. Swami Viôëu Devänanda would be a guide and a source of inspiration in the first years of Swami Ramakrishnananda’s studies of integral yoga, in all of its varied aspects.

In 1988, Swami Viôëu Devänanda, in recognition of Shaktipada’s erudition, love, and devotion for Their Lordships Çrâ Çrâ Rädhä and Kåôëa, and of his wisdom and authority in the field of bhakti-yoga, honored him with the special title — Kåôëa Bhakta. This was the first and only time that Swami Viôëu Devänanda, by the spiritual authority granted to him by his own spiritual master, Çrâ Çrâ Swami Çivänanda, had ever bestowed this rare title. Finally, Swami Ramakrishnananda reached the highest degree of Yoga Äcärya or Master Äcärya of Yoga, a title he received personally in 1989 from Swami Viôëu Devänanda in the Çivänanda Ashram of Canada.

Shaktipada received the certificate of Yoga Teacher from Brahmänanda Sarasvatâ of Änanda Ashram. Years later, the same title of Yoga Äcärya was granted to him by the prestigious Çrâ Ça¼karänanda Yoga Ashram of Mysore, India, as well as the title Yoga Pravâëa, which he received from Çrâ Vivekänanda Yoga Pratiôöhän.

YOGA VEDANTA MAGAZINE 5

Shaktipada continued to deepen his studies of Hinduism, Vedic philosophy, and yoga directly from some of the most renowned masters of his time and received their instruction, guidance, and benediction. He received many diplomas and certificates from masters such as His Holiness Çrâ Çrâ Swami Saccidänanda, His Holiness Çrâ Çrâ Swami Jyotirmayänanda, His Holiness Çrâ Çrâ Swami Brahmänanda, His Holiness Swami Kåôëänanda, and His Holiness Brahmänanda Sarasvatâ, among others.

In 1990, Swami Jyotirmayänanda, founder of the Yoga Research Foundation, granted him the title Yoga Ratna, or The Jewel of Yoga. In August of 1991, he was honored by being officially initiated into the sacred thread and ordained as a brahmana within the Sanätana-dharma by Kârtanänanda Swami.

He met His Holiness Swami Kåôëänanda of the Divine Life Society in India, a disciple of Swami Çivänanda, with whom he had the great opportunity to delve deeper into the knowledge of haöha-yoga.

In 1995 His Holiness Çrâ Çrâ Swami Jyotirmayänanda Sarasvatâ requested that Shaktipada initiate disciples in the sacred Vedic mantras and granted him the order of renounced life, or sannyäsâ, within the Sarasvatâ order, under the name of Swami Ramakrishnananda. Swami Jyotirmayänanda himself recommended to sincere seekers, that they see Shaktipada as their spiritual master.

During that same year, Swami Ramakrishnananda met and received formal initiation from His Divine Grace Çrâ Bäbä Brahmänanda Mahäräja, who was born in ãçanagar, India, in 1931 and a disciple of the great siddha saint His Divine Grace Bhagavän Mastaräma Bäbäjâ Mahäräja. In 1996, His Holindess Çrâ Çrâmad Tamal Kåôëa Goswami formally accepted him as a çikôä disciple and gave him important instructions in bhakti, according to the Gauòâya Vaiôëava school.

In one of his journeys to India, in the sacred city of Våndävana, Shaktipada met the one who would later become one of his most important instructing masters, or çikôä-gurus, His Divine Grace Çrâla Narahari Däsa Bäbäjâ Mahäräja, a Vaiôëava saint of the Gauòâya tradition, a pure devotee of Kåôëa, and disciple of His Divine Grace Çrâla Nityänanda Däsa Bäbäjâ. This saintly Bäbäjâ gave valuable instructions and important guidance to the restless seeker in the path of bhakti-yoga. Shaktipada’s love for bhakti and his devotion to Their Lordships Çrâ Çrâ Rädhä and Kåôëa, pushed him to ask for confirmation of his sannyäsâ, renounced monk vows, from a Vaiôëava sannyäsâ in the line of Kåôëa bhakti, in a traditional Vedic ceremony in the Ashram of Vrinda.

His Divine Grace B.A. Paramädvaiti Swami Mahäräja confirmed his vows of sannyäsâ and granted him the title Bhaktivedänta.

In the year 2000, he decided to leave the Middle East where he studied Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He was especially interested in Hassidism, and Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah. He arrived to the United States where the religious freedom and tolerance of the American people moved him to dedicate himself completely to sharing his message and the experience in his heart. In the year 2003, he decided, for the first time, following a request by his guru maharaja and many of his friends, to create the Ramakrishnananda Yoga Vedanta Mission, in order to spread his message and officially accept disciples in the ancient Vedic tradition. In 2001, he was initiated in the mantra of Durgä Devâ Mätä personally by Her Holiness Mä Yoga Çakti. In 2007, he met another one of his instructing spiritual masters, or çikôä-gurus, His Holiness Swami Svahänanda, of the Rämakåôëa order, disciple of Swami Vijñänanda. The respected swami officially initiated him, and granted him valuable guidance in meditation.

His vision and realization of Hinduism, the Vishwa Dharma, is expressed in his message; it is particularly suited to modern society.

The life of Swamijâ is an example of perseverance in the search for the Truth, surrender, respect, and service toward his gurus and his masters, a life of incomparable passion for God.

In 2008, he decided to name his mission “Vishwa Dharma Mandalam” as the proper frame to spread at a large scale the Vishwa Dharma religion. It is an invitation for humanity to live every moment in totality and to the fullest, with complete watchfulness. For him, the ancient message of yoga, Hinduism and the past spiritual masters, is the realization of the unconditional truth as the true and authentic nature of every being.

His devotion or bhakti and his constant experience of the Self or Vedänta, makes him a faithful representative of his title, Bhaktivedänta, and of Hinduism.

Vishwa Dharma Ashram was founded, with Shaktipada’s Vision for an ideal society, where the values of the Vishwa Dharma religion come into practice. His works, lectures, workshops, and activities, imbued with his wisdom, seriousness, and devotion, inspire the affection, appreciation, and support that he receives from both the Hindu community, as well as from his disciples, friends, and the public at large.

His Holiness Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada is a true source of inspiration for those who know him.



Vishwa Dharma Mandalam is an orthodox Hindu church and a recognized Vedic nonprofit religious organization, founded by His Holiness Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada under the inspiration of His Divine Grace Bhagavän Mastaräma Bäbäjâ Mahäräja and the blessings of His Divine Grace Çrâ Çrâmad Bäbä Brahmänanda Mahäräja of Rishikesh and His Divine Grace Çrâla Narahari Däsa Bäbäjâ Mahäräja of Vrindavana.

The objective of the mission is to preserve and spread the message of the ancient Sanätana-dharma religion, Hinduism, according to Gurudev’s original vision, known as Vishwa Dharma—the universal religion.

The organization has the respect, affection, recognition, and broad support of the Hindu community worldwide.

ABOUT THE MISSION



PURËA-YOGAAN INTEGRAL MOVEMENT

We are a walk, a process from and toward the Divine, a distancing, a return to the place that was never really abandoned, a forgetfulness of what was never known….

You are an adventure that begins and ends in you....The human being is much more than a body and a

soul; he is an infinite number of different aspects, which, when lacking coherence, confront each other, and create inevitable conflicts.

In an integrative process, these different aspects become harmonized simultaneously in the plane of action through karma-yoga, at the level of feelings by bhakti-yoga, in the mental aspect with räja-yoga, and, last but not least, jñäna-yoga invites us to self-inquiry.

The human being can be viewed as a violin or a guitar. If one of its strings is out of tune no melody will sound right, even if it is the most beautiful sonata played by the greatest virtuoso. By incorporating yoga into our lives, we are actually undertaking a process of “self-tuning”.

We can describe it as an integral awakening because it is happening in all aspects of the human being, on each level of his reality.

For it is not a matter of striving to get the sun inside our dark chamber, or fighting against obscurity but of opening innumerable windows toward the infinite in order to allow the golden rays of the sun to enter.

Our imbalance is due to a neglect of one of our aspects. Just as a bird requires its wings to be in perfect harmony to fly, the harmonization of all our aspects is essential if

we wish to create a situation in which yoga can occur. We should also overcome our physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual blocks and repressions. Unfortunately, most of the people in our modern society pay no heed to and ignore many of these factors.

This message can be defined as säkôi-pürëa-yoga, or “the integral yoga of observation”. In Hinduism’s glorious past, great spiritual masters and äcäryas, such as His Divine Grace Çrâ Aurubindo or His Divine Grace Çrâ Swami Çivänanda, presented their own realizations under the title “integral yoga”. However, one of the great differences between these marvelous visions and this message is that säkôi-pürëa-yoga does not intend to be one and the same for all, for it addresses the individual rather than the mass.

It is absolutely essential that each disciple adopt a personal sädhanä consisting of the appropriate dose of each of the different yogas, according to his specific needs. Ideally, the best situation is to have the spiritual master create a specially designed sädhanä for each disciple, which is one of the main reasons why a bona fide guru is necessary. Sädhanä to the disciple should be as medicine to the patient, and the master is none other than the authentic, duly trained, expert physician.

The personality is the ego, a product of society. It originates from others. It is mechanical, while individuality blossoms organically from life itself, from the depths of existence — the difference is a radical one.

Yoga — Union with Reality

by RAMAKRISHNANANDA SWAMI SHAKTIPADA

Yoga is to tear down walls, to cut wire fences, to eliminate everything that isolates us from existence. It is to unite, to harmonize, to get in-tune. It is the communion with the Whole. It is the communion with God...


Religion and society are not necessarily compatible. The individual level is real, unlike the public, which is composed of persons, an assembly of egos. Enlightenment happens on the individual level; the masses only react, organizationally, against this individual awakening in an act of self-protection.

Religion as a collective phenomenon, “church-hood”, “temple-hood”, or “blind religiosity” is but the collective reaction to the authentic phenomenon of religion, which manifests itself in the heart of the enlightened.

Hinduism is composed of an infinite number of Iôöa-devatäs, which are different aspects of the Divinity: Çiva, Viôëu, Kåôëa, Gaëeça, Durgä, and Kälâ and different approaches, Vaiôëavism, Çaivism, Çäktism, and Smärtism. An infinite number of windows open to observe the same sky. Because, as individuals, we are not all the same; we are life, and life is not repetitive. We are diverse flowers within the same garden, a diversity of branches, leaves, and flowers of the same tree. Plurality in unity because creativity is existence’s motto.

Even if we observe ourselves across an interval of several hours, we would realize that we do not stay the same. In the morning, we will be one way, in the afternoon, another, and by nightfall — totally different.

Our predisposition will not be the same in public or in private. By observing yourself you will discover the variety in you....

A person can allow himself to develop his devotion toward Viôëu, Kåôëa, Çiva, or the Divine Mother. This is only possible in a religion of an inclusive character; its pluralism, breadth, and acceptance offers marvelous possibilities to pray and chant in public according to

Vaiôëavism, while at the same time to worship as an authentic Çaiva with our closest friends, and unimpeded by this, to meditate in privacy and perceive our Divine Mother according to Çäktism.

Disharmonious Development

The world of the primitive man was nothing more than a cave, while his boundaries were traced by the forest and the river. Today, society is modern and advanced. In its great efforts to conquer and dominate nature and all of creation, its frontiers have expanded to the stars. Unfortunately, together with his technological development, man has become distanced from his essence and has forgotten his own nature. Man has advanced to undreamed-of heights in the scientific realm, yet in terms of his spirituality, he is blocked. Thus, humanity’s development is out of balance. Today we are so developed that a man can reach the moon, but we cannot make that man happy....

For example, let us imagine a scientist who last touched the Bible at his first communion or bar-mitzvah. He studied and then was trained at a university for many years until he became an expert physician or chemist. As a scientist, he amassed many years of knowledge, but in the spiritual aspect he remained a child. Such imbalanced development is the cause of the ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, the chemical and biological weapons that are in the hands of internally underdeveloped men, men who are completely immature regarding the soul and who lack compassion and love. These men, who in the Stone Age would have used a stone or a spear, are now capable of exterminating hundreds of thousands of people with the push of a button. An electric handsaw can be the expression of a wonderful advancement, yet in the hands of a monkey, it is hazardous. The marvelous outcome of scientific progress can be dangerous if humanity remains deep in ignorance and does not mature to the level of consciousness.

Yoga is Coherence

The meaning of the word yoga is “union”. We, as an ego, belong to the relative duality. We are a division, a disharmony between our acts, thoughts, and feelings. Totality is harmony — in it opposites complement each other. Only when we begin to work on an individual level toward our coherence and harmony, will there be hope for our chaotic humanity….

The sacred Åg Veda (10.191.2) advises coherence, both on the individual and the universal levels.

Yoga is allowing existence to penetrate us, to deluge us so that life touches the most intimate in us. Then we shall realize the true communion with the flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the union with the rain, the trees, and the

clouds... we shall discover the true flavor of life, its magic,

and its nectar...


saà gacchadhvaà saà vadadhvaàsaà vo manämsi jänatämdevä bhägaà yathä pürve

sañjänänä upäsate

“May we walk together, talk together and understand one another. As the wise ones unite in correct thought, let us share our reward.”

And later in the same Åg Veda (10.191.4):

samänâ va äkütiù samänä hådayäni vaù

samänam astu vo mano yathä vaù susahäsati

“May our actions be consistent, may our hearts be harmonious, and may our opinions be similar. In this way we shall prosper and be truly blissful.”

Though we live in the attempt to satisfy innumerable desires, we get nothing but loneliness, pain, misery, and discomfort; we feel that things are not going in our lives as they should.

We live with the pain created by the conflict; our egoistic desires divide us. We become such beings who object to bullfights and the mistreatment of animals but who consume meat. We are pacifists who oppose the war, but who, at the same time, fight with our neighbors. We act differently from the way we feel. We feel differently from the way we think, and we think differently from the way we behave.... In other words, we live in a totally incoherent manner.

Yoga is integral in the sense that it searches for harmony. For example, we should not try to understand the yamas, or restrictions and niyamas, or observances, with a calculative approach, viewing them as a group of laws, such that, by disobeying them, we are irrevocably condemned to an eternal purgatory while their fulfillment makes us worthy of reward in the form of a private spot in paradise. Such an attitude will lead us to that commercialized air of misunderstood religion, of “religiosity”, of trying to buy God with a currency of “good deeds”, which is a symptom of

humanity’s infantile stagnation. Yamas and niyamas should be incorporated within the call for coherence of our emotions, thoughts, and actions....

To understand yoga, it is important to follow the meaning of this word, “union”. Yoga is allowing existence to penetrate us, to deluge us so that life touches the most intimate in us. Then we shall realize the true communion with the flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the union with the rain, the trees, and the clouds... we shall discover the true flavor of life, its magic, and its nectar... while there is still an infinitesimal distance between you and life, you cannot go boasting that you have really lived....

Yoga is to tear down walls, to cut wire fences, to eliminate everything that isolates us from existence. It is to unite, to harmonize, to get in-tune. It is communion with the Whole. It is communion with God... ätmavat sarva-bhüteôu....

You will recognize eternity in every moment, the Whole in every place; you will see behind every name and form the same Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss that beats in the deepest of you. You will love and serve everyone and be taken by tremendous joy....

Question: “Can you tell me what is obtained by the practice of yoga?”

Answer: I can tell you, with all honesty, nothing....

Yoga is not a method to obtain or reach something; it is not intended to add something to your personality that you did not have before.... When we talk about yoga, we are talking about a cleansing, a process of purification, stripping down, not acquiring more....

The practice of true religion does not try to reach where we are not or to be what we have yet to become. Better said, it attempts to be that which we can only truly be. The true spiritual process consists in being conscious that for happiness, nothing is needed, and the only problem is that which is in excess....


Our hatha-yoga classes are taught according to the teachings of Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada. It is a non-competitive form of practice that rejuvenates the body, improves health, and prepares the practitioner for dhyana or meditation. The main emphasis during the practice is awareness of the body here and now. As Shaktipada explains it:

“…to develop an awareness of the body is to sense the aroma when sipping tea, to feel the warmth over our lips and tongue, and to feel our body on the chair.... In other words, being in the body is situating ourselves in this marvelous experience of reality, rather than submerging ourselves in a world of dreams, memories, imagination, and illusion, until we finally come to live like zombies. Consciously living in the body is the beginning of the awakening, a release from our programmed sleepwalking, and a transformation into beings of observation. For this reason, we are offered this incredible and miraculous psycho-physical system of äsanas or yogic postures….”

The ninety minute sessions consist of deep relaxation, physical postures (äsana), and breathing techniques (präëäyäma). The classes are open to practitioners of all levels.

Weekdays & weekends at 10 A.M., 12 P.M. & 6 P.M. First two classes are free.

Keshava dasMon. - Sat. at 10 A.M. & 12 P.M.Mon. - Wed. at 6 P.M.

Radha devi dasiSunday at 6 P.M.

Siva dasThu. & Sat. at 6 P.M.

Swami YoganandaSunday at 10 A.M.

Gopala dasFriday at 6 P.M.

Swami MahadevanandaSunday at 12 P.M.

SCHEDULE:


The recitation and proper pronunciation of Vedic mantras is an essential part of the worship in Hinduism. It has a purifying affect on both the listener and the person who chants. These Vedic hymns are taken from the pages of the Vedas, our holy scriptures, and consist of various prayers and invocations to the Devas. After every recitation, when the mind is focused and purified, the conditions are appropriate for silent meditation.

Daily at 8:45 P.M.

Free Admission

Bharatanatyam is the most ancient and classic Vedic dance, originally performed in temples as an offering to the deities. The class is open to all ages and all levels.

Registration in advance is required

BHARATANATYAM VEDIC DANCE CLASS

Live meditative music that springs from the moment, music that is an expression of devotion to the Divine. The concert is performed as a traditional kirtan with eastern and western instruments, chanting of Vedic mantras and devotional bhajans.

Every Saturday at 9:00 P.M.

Free Admission

VEDIC MUSIC CONCERT

VEDIC MANTRA RECITATION

Satsang is a Sanskrit word that means “to associate with the Truth... with Divinity”. It is a gathering of spiritual aspirants, featuring devotional chanting (kirtan) and silent meditation (dhyana). The satsangs are given by Gurudev, Swami Ramakrishnananda, or by his senior disciples.

Daily at 9:00 P.M.

Free Admission

SATSANG


DISABLED

Question:

Dear Master, I would like to know your opinion about people who are born disabled. You are probably asking yourself why I am asking this.... Well, I have a daughter that was born disabled. I am always asking myself, why? I don’t accept it. I don’t understand why. Everyone is telling me that I’m wrong.... I don’t know. Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not. That is why I would like to know your opinion about the subject; it is very difficult for me. Do you have children, dear Master?

Peace and spiritual harmony to you, Master of life.

Thank you, Walter

Answer:

We have created a utilitarian society, where a human being is nothing more than merchandise to be sold by the hour.... What we call “work” is nothing more than selling hours of our lives in order to fill our bellies. We teach and train ourselves to develop more desirable qualities that will bring us a better price on society’s market. Schools and universities, with their certificates and diplomas, are like price tags that designate our worth. We wander around communicating not with human beings but with products. We determine a price for everything.... In a world where the only importance is usefulness, it is difficult to love... our prices are set according to our beauty, intelligence, and skills... according to our ability to be useful... to be utilized.... We put canaries and nightingales in cages, and we charge a price according to their usefulness.... Fortunately, they do not understand our illness... our disability.... If they understood, the sadness in their hearts would stop them from singing....

Walter, for me there is only one disability... the inability to love.... Our disability is being unable to open our hearts and appreciate others, not only in relation to their usefulness.... Disability is viewing people as merchandise, objects that give us pleasure and comfort.

Children are not born disabled.... It is we, trained by this utilitarian society, who have lost the natural ability to accept and appreciate ourselves, to honor beings not as objects valued according to their deemed necessity.

I have three children and one memory.... I say memory, because a few years ago, when I still had

a family (before accepting the renounced order of life), a tender and sweet flower was born to me, with little usefulness perhaps and with a lot of health problems.... She lived for two years and then passed away.... In that short time spent between hospitals and suffering, that girl allowed me to shed my disability.... She expanded my ability to love.

That child took me out of my paralysis… because the heart also can suffer paralysis….

Walter, believe me, being enlightened is not a matter of knowledge or mystic experience. It is about loving more and more, day after day.

I send you my humble blessings that your daughter will overcome each and every problem, but first of all my blessing is to you, to enable you to stop seeing life, your daughter, yourself , and others in terms of their utility, the way you would cigarettes, a beer can, or a T.V. set.

Humanity, this society with its vision of man, does not allow us to manifest our ability to love. It does not allow for the appropriate situation to be created....

I know that it is difficult... difficult not because of you, Walter, but because we are trained only to buy and sell, borrow and rent... to determine value and to categorize others according to the going rate.... We walk through the world with a label gun, pasting prices on others....



We call these “human relations”. How sad it is that we feel threatened when another

product, another object with a higher price, is put on display next to us.... We feel the fear of losing the customer... the fear that our value will drop.

Always remember... love is not a commodity. Love is not a utility. I don’t love you because you are convenient. No! No! No! Loving you can be a huge inconvenience.... I don’t love you because you are useful... No! No! No!

We love, because love is our natural song. It is the essence of existence, of life…. Didn’t you notice it yourself, the moment you loved, how alive you were?

You think that life is difficult and unfair.... No, Walter, it is wonderful, a miracle.... But it doesn’t always understand our illusory foolishness.

I admire Mother Teresa. Do you know why? Not because she helped disabled children. No! She helped parents, she helped us — a sick humanity — she helped thousands of parents and a society that is unable to love.

It is written in the Bible, “Love your neighbor as yourself”... but I say to you, be careful... because you will be able to perceive the other only as you perceive yourself... If you see yourself as cheap merchandise, it will be impossible for you to love.

Products fight, they compete to be sold.... It is sad, but we are also thrown away... to the retirement home, or to an institute for delinquent children.... Products might have value, but they have no soul. They have no heart.... They do not cry…. They do not suffer. They do not feel…. They can be stored in a warehouse… their value is given according to their usefulness and our egoistic necessity. As much as you serve, that is your value.

Do you know why humanity never accepts spiritual masters? Because spiritual masters refuse to see humanity as consumer goods. Masters do not accept this game in which we are products. In this market of ambitions, wars, exploitation, competitions, we are inconvenient... inconvenient to man and his society....

An enlightened being is the sound of a bubbling brook.... The sunset, or the sound of the river does not join political parties; it cannot be sent to war.... In short, what can this poor society do with spiritual masters? They are not useful.

What do they teach? Only the art of smiling... the profession of flying... the skill of listening to the wind... the mastery of ingenuousness... a doctorate in star gazing while strolling on the seashore... only these professions.

Now tell me why would they not want to kill you? To crucify you?

A Master is one of those things like the full moon that lights up the night; the moon that helps so much but at the same time is so useless...

Your daughter is a star, a sunset who is able to help you even if she is not useful….

A huge, huge hug my friend.... I call you a friend even though I find no real use in you... and if I did find it, I would have doubted if our friendship was true....

Only by getting close to someone who has no use to us, someone who gives us nothing but inconvenience, can one learn true love.

This daughter is a star! A flower! Disabled? No my dear Walter... we are the disabled, the handicapped, the limited…. We are the society in which tears are nothing more than weakness.

Farewell, and remember that what make us into true humans are the things we love, respect, and accept, regardless of their use... or our necessity….


BLESSED STUPIDITYA commentary of Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada’s writings

By GOPÄLA DÄS A disciple of Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

The attempt to grasp and digest the message of my spiritual master, Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada, should begin by clarifying certain terms that surface in his texts. Some have meanings distinct from the common usage, while other terms are combined to create a new meaning. For example, in his book Yoga – Union with Reality a passage appears near the end of the introduction that reads as follows:

Although the jump from the instinctive to the Divine is essential and indispensable, and it is the true evolution, it will necessarily bring about human stupidity and foolishness. This jump, however, is not an indication of development, but a symptom of having distanced ourselves from the animal…. Moving further away from the instinct does not only make us humans, but also fools. That blessed stupidity is nothing but the astonishment of finding ourselves suspended between the Divine and the animal… between beast and God.

The first term of Swami Ramakrishnananda’s is “essential jump”. What does he mean by that? As in any analysis of Shaktipada’s texts, to better understand his writings, it is important to interpret this paragraph within the context of his other teachings. According to this paragraph, he views life not as a state, but as a transition, a movement from one place to another. On one side is our animal state, the body. Even if one considers the human being to be the most advanced, sophisticated animal, we are still almost entirely animals. On the other shore is the Divine. From other writings we learn that the Divine is not a destination or a goal. It is not something that can be achieved as the result of practice or activity.

Gurudev does not call the jump “essential” because it is the most important goal in life, because in Gurudev’s view, the Divine is not a goal, but the completion of a movement.

Institutional religion claims that it is vital that you

believe in God and follow the laws of the religion. Refusing to follow the teachings will result in eternal damnation of some sort or a dismal reincarnation. We can see this phenomenon in spirituality, and particularly in Eastern spirituality, where the state of enlightenment can be perceived as the end of the spiritual path. Those striving toward enlightenment, that desired luminous state, consider the jump toward the Divine important.

The jump is essential, but not because it is important to reach that other side. Its essentiality is derived from the point of view. In other words, if one considers the jump essential, it is because he sees the human being half-way across the river.

Shaktipada is presenting us a choice; we decide how to view this jump. Either we view the jump as an important goal or as a process, a process already in motion. It is the difference between seeing the human being as a complete entity that is trying to achieve something additional to itself, or the next stage in a long and natural process of evolution.

It is essential just as the stage of the chrysalis is essential for the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly. The butterfly is not the goal of the caterpillar, but its only true evolution.

Therefore, we are the jump, the human being, the

We are the jump, the human being, the

unfinished process. It is evolution, but it is only the start, and as with anything incomplete,

it carries inherent imperfections.


unfinished process. It is evolution, but it is only the start, and with anything incomplete, it carries inherent imperfections.

Here we come to the second term that Gurudev uses — stupidity — and again we need to view this term apart from the common usage. Shaktipada defines blessed stupidity as, “…nothing but the astonishment of finding ourselves suspended between the Divine and the animal”.

To define blessed stupidity, we must examine the words “finding ourselves”, which implies an awareness of our current state. This awareness is accompanied by a feeling of astonishment, even of shock, and it is this state that Gurudev defines as a blessed stupidity. However, the phrase “blessed stupidity” suggests that there is another kind of stupidity too, one that is not blessed. The difference between the two is found in the reaction to the discovery, that feeling of astonishment. Stupidity that is not blessed leads to further darkness and ignorance, while stupidity that is blessed might, in due course, lead to a higher state.

When Swami Ramakrishnananda discusses stupidity, in my opinion, he does not mean a lack of intelligence, or low intellectual ability, but something else. When we say that someone is acting stupid, we really mean that he is acting inappropriately in relation to his situation. Or we might say that we feel stupid when we face a situation in which we do not know how to act. Neither of these examples reflects our mental ability. For example, if we suddenly find ourselves with people of a different culture with foreign customs and behaviors, we would probably feel stupid, because we would not know what to do, how to act, but that does not mean we are of diminished capacities. Having said that, for Gurudev, this feeling of being somewhat astonished, of finding ourselves in a place that is not familiar to us, can be considered a kind of stupidity. As human beings we are thrown into this world, and if we have enough awareness, we soon discover ourselves “suspended” between two states and do not really know what to do.

What are we to do? Should we follow the instincts of our body to their fullest or should we aspire to become divine? What is the right thing to do? How can we know or judge? What is our true nature? Which we should follow? While in this state, man has no clear answers to these questions, and, therefore, he suffers from this stupidity. It is sufficient to look around us to see how great our folly is. The destruction of our environment, the continuous arms and race, the misuse of science, are but a few examples of this stupidity.

The jump is, as we said, a fact. It is essential. If we become aware of it, and do not let it pass out of

ignorance, we will still suffer stupidity, but a blessed one, the kind of stupidity that reveals its reasons and origin to us, and by studying this stupidity, we learn about ourselves.

When we see ourselves suspended between the animal and the Divine. It is like standing in a valley between two mountains. Both sides are familiar to us and the incompatible place is the middle, where we are suspended. The person who jumps from one side of a steep valley to the other side is not

like the explorer who sails in search of new land. The first knows that solid rock awaits him on the other side while the explorer heads into the unknown.

If we had no knowledge of either side, if we could not see them, we would know that we are suspended

between them. The animal side is familiar to us; it is in our body, instincts, fear, anger, aggression, possessiveness, envy, self-esteem, and competitiveness. It is close to us, but it is still separated by a thin layer of evolution that we cannot undo or shake off. For instance, clothing marks our separation from something that is complete and of its own nature.

The Divine side is the awareness that underlies the whole process. The Divine side

is also, in a way, familiar to us. Without its existence within us, there would be no awareness of our position, our suspension between beast and God…. This is the awareness that makes the whole discovery possible, and makes this stupidity blessed.

We will still suffer stupidity, but a blessed

one, the kind of stupidity that reveals its reasons and origin to us, and by studying this stupidity, we learn

about ourselves.




SRI SRI RADHE - SHYAM

TEMPLECALENDAR OF WORSHIP

October 2008

Wed. 1st Temple Anniversary & Durgä Puja 6:30 P.M.Thu. - Sat. 2nd- 4th Devi Navaratri - Lakshmi Puja 8:15 P.M. Sun. - Tue. 5th- 7th Devi Navaratri - Saraswati Puja 8:15 P.M.Wed. 8th Durgä, Lakshmi & Saraswati Puja 8:15 P.M.Tue. 14th Damodara begins - Radha-Kåôëa Puja 8:15 P.M.Tue. 21st Hanuman Puja 8:15 P.M. Tue. 28th Diwali - Lakshmi & Gaëeça Puja 7:00 P.M.Wed. 29th Govardhan Puja 8:15 P.M.

November 2008

Mon. 3rd Çiva Puja 8:15 P.M.Tue. 11th Kälâ Puja 8:15 P.M.Sun. 16th Gaëeça Puja 8:15 P.M.Wed. 26th Saraswati Puja 8:15 P.M.

December 2008

Sat. 6th Hanuman Puja 8:15 P.M.Fri. 12th Lakshmi Puja 8:15 P.M.Tue. 16th Durgä Puja 8:15 P.M.Mon. 22nd Radha-Kåôëa Puja 8:15 P.M. Wed. 31st Gaëeça Puja 8:15 P.M.


Join us for the celebration of the various Hindu holidays. Program includes: puja (deity worship), abhishek (deity bathing ceremony), chanting (mantras), and prasadam (blessed food).

Free Admission

Deity worship (arcana) is a meditative practice performed strictly in accordance with the principles and standards of the ancient Vedic religion. In these ceremonies, we perform a traditional Vedic puja — an offering of different items such as incense, light, water, and flowers to the deities. It is performed by one devotee, a pujari, while the other participants chant mantras and ancient spiritual songs. Our deity worship ceremonies take place daily at 7:30 A.M. & 8:00 P.M. You are cordially invited to attend.

Free Admission

DEITY WORSHIP

HINDU HOLIDAYS

Our temple activities, services, and ceremonies are free of charge and depend on the voluntary contributions of our visitors, followers and community.

Your donations are welcome!

SUPPORT OUR TEMPLE


HIS DIVINE GRACE BHAGAVAN MASTARAMA BABAJI MAHARAJA

by SWAMI RÄMÄNANDA

His Divine Grace Bhagavan Mastarama Babaji Maharaj lived and taught in the foothills of the Himalayas, alongside the sandy banks of the Ganges River in a small cave amidst rocks and boulders.

Bhagavan Babaji had no mark on his forehead (tilaka) or any specific clothing. In winter and summer he wore the same single cloth. Sitting

at his cave Babaji Maharaj just was, as he is, a living expression of Divine love, a soul that merged itself totally in Brahman; the one reality beyond this world of names and forms.

Bhagavan Babaji kept an old sadhu tradition, of not speaking of one’s past. No one knows when he was born, where he came from, or his birth name. Everything we know

is collected from stories that he used in his teachings.

Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj was born into a brahmin family that served the local king. His mother left her body a few days after his birth, leaving him to be raised by his father and uncle who educated him in a strict and traditional way. When he grew up, he was sent to a Sanskrit school and studied there for a few years. Around the age of fourteen, Babaji Maharaj went with a few of his friends to a kumba, a sadhu gathering near his village, and never returned.

When Bhagavan Mastaramji decided that he wanted to dedicate his life to God, to be totally dependent on his grace, he wrote to his father a letter containing few words: “From now on — renunciation”. He had no contact with his family after that.

For the next 30 years, he traveled India by foot. Seven times he went from Ga¼gotri, at the top of the Himalayas, to Gangoshada, by the seaside, and visited all the holy places of Mother India.

When Bhagavan Babaji saw that water was available everywhere, he threw away his pot and said: “Why should one carry weight?” Then, without possessions, he continued to walk barefoot, with his only property, his cloth.

One day, in the early days as a sadhu, Babaji Maharaj decided to go for a bhiksha to a nearby village. Bhiksha is when sadhus go from house to house to beg for food. On his way another sadhu saw him and offered to share the food he received with him, as he had collected too much. After the meal, Babaji threw


away a special cloth that he made for begging. Babaji understood that the Divine was supplying him with everything, even without asking. He just needed to accept whatever God offered. This realization remained with Bhagavan Babaji for the rest of his life, and from that day onwards, Babaji never asked anything from anybody. Whatever he received, he accepted...

Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj often

remained many days without food. In some Temples he used to eat the prasadam that fell to the floor from devotees’ hands, and in holy places like Rishikesh and Haridwär, he used to eat the prasadam of sweets that was offered to Mother Ganga in floating cups on the sacred river.

Barefoot, without possessions, home, and family, Babaji travelled from one holy place to another, asking for nothing, needing

nothing but the will of his Beloved Bhagavan.

After 30 years of wanderings, Bhagavan Babaji finally stayed at the holy city of Rishikesh. He never explained what made him settle there, but the feeling of those who met him was that it was his time to share.

Not long after his arrival to Rishikesh, people started to recognize Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj

In 1996, Gurudev, Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada, was walking on the banks of the Ganges near the holy city of Rishikesh where, attracted by a melodious silence, he sat on the bright sand to meditate. Something in this place captivated him, but he did not know what it was. When he opened his eyes after a long and deep meditation, he noticed a nearby cave. He could not resist entering the cave and, once there, he felt an even more mysterious power, and he submerged into a deeper meditation.

There was something different in this place, different from any other place he had ever been, as if the sand, the stones, and the waters were bringing him closer to himself.

The next day, still excited from what he experienced in the cave, Gurudev noticed a sadhu standing next to the Çiva Temple. His shining white clothing and his noble movements separated him from the rest of the sadhus. Gurudev approached the sadhu, and asked him for his name.

“This has no name,” answered the sadhu pointing to his heart.

“Where do you live?” The sadhu silently pointed his finger towards the

Çiva Temple. “May I learn from you?” Although he never accepted any disciples before,

the sadhu agreed.In the following days, Gurudev spent many hours

with the sadhu, learning the mysteries of yoga and meditation. The sadhu, who is known by the name Baba Brahmananda, became Gurudev’s beloved diksha-guru.

When Baba Brhamananda took Gurudev to the Ashram of his spiritual master, Gurudev recognized that the guru of Baba Brahmananda was Mastramji Babaji Maharaj, the same powerful sadhu that used to live in the magical cave. Then Gurudev understood

that through Babaji’s presence, which lives on in the cave, he had experienced this most amazing meditation, and that by his grace he was receiving the wisdom of the Vedas from Baba Brahmananda.

Even today, while chanting “Jaya Bhagavan” to his beloved Bhagavan Mastramji Babaji, Gurudev is going back to the same cave, enjoying the nectar of Babaji that still inhabits the empty cave in his heart... and touches the hearts that listen to his sweet voice chanting in ecstatic devotion to the great soul His Holiness Mastaram Babaji Mahraj.

Shaktipada at the entry to Babaji’s cave


as a holy man and began to gather around him. Several years later, some of Bhagavan Babaji’s followers found a cave where he could live. Gradually, disciples began to join him, and live in nearby caves.

Babaji never said “I”, but referred to himself as “Babaji” — as did his disciples. When people knew Babaji better, they named him “Mastram”, which means “somebody who enjoys with Divine intoxication” or “intoxicated with Divinity”.

Bhagavan Babaji’s disciples followed his simple way of living with total dependence on God’s grace. No one at Bhagavan Babaji’s ashram was allowed to ask for anything from anyone, even if it meant going without food.

Babaji encouraged his disciples to follow the rules and regulations of Sanätana-dharma, to keep all the rules of purity, and to take the vows of all the holidays.

Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj saw the one God in all the Devas, and was a devotee of them all. He had a

deep love for Bhagavan Kåôëa and expressed his devotion to Srimati Radharani in his hymns to Radha. Babaji loved Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman. He was a devotee of Çiva and had special love for Mother Durgä. Babaji was a bhakta, but at the same time he was a jnani and expressed his view of the Absolute Self in the twenty one slokas of his Atmachintanam.

Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj was a bhakta, a jnani, he was what the people present with him needed him to be.

After two decades as a spiritual master of many disciples from all over the world, Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj started to say that he was not needed any longer and that it was time for him to go. Gradually he took less food. No amount of pleading by the disciples helped. Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj decided to leave his material body. Slowly, he became thinner until his body was emaciated, yet he was still physically strong, fixed in God, and situated

in the Self. He was so full of shaktithat it took eight months before he finally left his body in the summer of 1986.

Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj left his physical body, but if you go to the feet of the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganges, you will find there a small cave. And if you sit there to meditate, as our Beloved Gurudev did, you will find that Bhagavan Babaji Maharaj still lives….

Swami Rämänanda, a disciple of Ramakrishnananda Swami

Shaktipada

A DIVINE WINKby SWAMI KÅSËÄNANDA

It’s amazing how every time is like the first time…like the only time…like never before…as it will never be…still remaining the most perfect time ever…I saw You yesterday… and it didn’t matter…because You saw me…I smiled at You yesterday… and it was meaningless…because You smiled at me…I loved You so much yesterday… and still it was worthless…because Your boundless love is simply majesty…Happiness and sadness were united then… and there was no difference between them… because they were ecstasy…I believe my lord this is so because where You are found there is need for nothing more… Your presence lights up any moment with sheer love and divinity….


Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad, being a traditional monk in the line of Sanätana-dharma, is appreciated for his religious activities of preaching and teaching the Sanätana-dharma, the Eternal Religion of India. May God bless Swamiji and his mission.

H.H. Swami Yogeshwarananda Giri Sadhusabhapati & President, Karar Ashram, Kriya Yoga center. Swargadwar, Puri, India

TESTIMONIALSby HINDU RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES

We rejoice that yoga is popular today, with yoga studios popping up everywhere. Regrettably though, it is usually presented as only a system of physical exercises that promotes health and reduces stress. This is certainly one of its valuable facets but, as Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

makes clear in Yoga - Union with Reality … ‘yoga is much more than its physical aspect and influences each and every aspect of the human being’. It is heartening and refreshing to note that Swamiji is not shy to relate yoga to Hinduism. Yoga being so vast and deep, it is quite a challenge to encompass it all within a few words. We feel Swamiji has succeeded with this superb statement: ‘...any conscious intention to shift from the animal toward the Divine, from the beast toward the transcendental in you, is yoga....’

Yoga - Union with Reality is a remarkable book, effective in clarifying many misconceptions about yoga, in delineating its broadness of perspective, and in sharing the precious insights of one who has practiced yoga in its fullness.

His Holiness Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami163rd preceptor of the Nandinatha Sampradaya’sKailasa Parampara

Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad is doing an appreciable work promoting the Hindu philosophy, religion, art, and culture.

I wish him and his mission success.

His Divine Grace Jagadguru Shankaracharya of BhanpuraSwami Divyananda Teerth

Accordingly to the Holy Scriptures the Lord sent his messengers to earth for the establishment and safeguard of the Vedic Sanatan Dharma. Sri Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad is such a gem of jewel in the series of great saints of recent times. With the establishment of Vishwa Dharma Mandalam, Swamiji is showering the nectar of pure devotion and Yoga on the enlightened minds and distracted souls in the western countries. Sri Swamiji has exceptionally mastered all streams of Yoga, by which he is able to spread peace and happiness to the minds of people coming in his association. In this book, Yoga - Union with reality, Swamiji has shown mankind the yogic way of attaining completion in respect to the material and spiritual aspects of one’s life. The book will be a guideline to the devotion seekers in the time to come and shall establish itself as a milestone on the spiritual path. We give our complements to Sri Swamiji for this book and for all things done and to be done for the betterment of mankind.

Acharya Pandit Mridul Kant ShastriAcharya Pandit Sri Narottama Lala Seva Sansthan.Patthar Pura, Vrindavan, India


Om Sri Sad Guru Paramatmane Namah.

The book Yoga — Union with Reality by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad is a very good comprehensive work covering the different yogas of the Indian philosophy. The author explains

the different yogas, and provides examples from many Indian scriptures: Vedas, Srimad Bhagavadgita, Patanjali Yoga Sutras and many others. This book is very useful for spiritual aspirants.

Swami Divyajeevanananda Sivananda Ashram Rishikesh, India

We should all be very grateful to Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipadji for his great efforts in presenting the Sanätana-dharma. May God bless him, his mission, and his disciples for doing such a great service for society.

Swami Pranavananda TeerthVedanta Kutir, Aditya NagarSolampur, Maharashtra, India

I greatly support Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad and his mission of presenting our beautiful religion to the Western World as it is, a divine religion that breaks divisions, and sees beyond all of the differences and shapes in this world, one nature — Divine nature.

“Gitacharya” Swami Uttamananda SaraswatiDirect disciple of Swami ChinmayanandaAvadhuta bada Ashram, Purani ShishamMuni ki Reti, Rishikesh, India

It is a great pleasure to know that Swamiji is spreading all the modes of the Vedic Sanatan parampara with extreme devotion in the Western World and working to provide the light of yoga-vedanta to those people who are sunk in the darkness of materialism. May God

accomplish all of his work.

Madhav Vaishnavacharya H.H. Goswami Brijendra Mohan ‘Vyas-Vanshi’Shree Yugal Biharijee Ka Mandir’Vyas-Ghera, Vankhandi MahadevVrindaban – (Mathura) India

Since his early life, Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipad has been a devoted seeker of the Truth. His search brought him in touch with many well-known, traditionally-accepted Hindu religious organizations and their saints and sages. His thirsty soul found rich nourishment

and soon blossomed forth in great joy and love. Today he is recognized as a religious master by established Indian religious institutions. His book Yoga — Union with Reality brings out the best teachings and covers all of the aspects and the science of yoga. His other books are equally respected and recognized. The orthodox Hindu religion tradition accepts him as a representative and exponent of the time-honored teaching of Sanatana-dharma.

Swami DharmanandaSri Ved Niketan DhamSwargashram, Rishikesh, India

I was indeed really happy to go through the book Yoga — Union with Reality by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipadji. The book provides in-depth information and knowledge regarding various branches of yoga giving ample references from the Vedas, Upanishads and the Gita.

I wish and pray that Shaktipadji’s mission will remain a great milestone on the path of Sanätana-dharma and yoga.

Sannyasi Vishnuswaroop(Thakur Krishna Uprety)Satyananda Yoga CenterKathmandu, Nepal

It will be an honor to us Hindus if we could support Swamiji in his sizeable work of spreading Sanätana or Vaidic culture especially in the West and America. I appeal all to make some sacred oblations in this auspicious Yajna of Swamiji.

Dr. P.K. Acharya Swami MarkandeyaDisciple of Paramahamsa NiranjanandajiBihar School of YogaBhubaneshwar, Orissa, India


Sri Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada has benefited the distribution of the divine message of Sanätana-dharma or Hinduism. The knowledge exhibited by this religious leader is authentic and uniquely displayed in modern language and is the spiritual equivalent of that which has been told by the great saints and sages of India.

Hanumantha Rao Kotikalapudi VedaTirumala Tirupathi DevastanamVeda Patasala, India

Swamiji Ramakrishnananda’s Yoga — Union with Reality appears to be a creation of multifaceted dimensions. The author has the rare credit of holding the flag of the Indian culture and tradition aloft in foreign countries and the homeland as well. Yoga — Union with Reality is a translation of Yoga — Union con la Realidad which was originally in Spanish. In a way, Swamiji has rendered a global perspective to the Indian Yoga philosophy.

It is noteworthy that certain loopholes do creep in when it comes to translation in foreign language. The possible cause for the same can be the support of colonial powers by the foreign laureates or the lack credible knowledge about the culture and tradition of

Swami Ramakrishnananda’s way of teaching yoga is according to the Hindu tradition - not just as fitness exercises but as a part of spiritual - religious sadhana on the way to God and self realization. His writings are very clear and inspiring, referring to the Sastras and shading light on them. This book, as the rest of Swamiji’s work of preaching yoga and Vedic religion, are a very important service to Humanity and to the Hindu tradition as well.

H.H. Yogacharya Braja Kishor Lenka Om Yoga Centre Puri, Orissa, India

Ramakrishnananda Swamiji is doing very good work in the Western countries. He is spreading Hinduism in its real color, and he should be supported by all the Indians.

Swami Medhananda PuriKailash AshramRishikesh, India

Sri Ramakrishnananda Swami is doing a great job in preserving and spreading the light of Sanatana-dharma in a place far-away from its origin. We have reviewed his book ‘Yoga — Union with Reality’, and found it to be very good. We appreciate these noble efforts and I, Baba

Rabinarayan, as a disciple of Achyutananda Mahapurusha, the earlier torch-bearer of Sanatana-dharma, promise to extend any help to him in his endeavor to spread the essence of Sanätana-dharma, as and when is required.

May Mahapurusha Acyuta bless him and his mission.His Holiness Baba Rabinarayan AcharyaSri Sri Mahapurusha Achyutananda Siddha AshramSri Ram Nagar, Puri, Orissa, India

India. this might come as a surprise to many, that even noted indologist Max Mueller, without highlighting the Indian mythology’s (Deva Shastra in Indian context) moral, social and cultural insights, has referred to it as a false basis for the description of origin of something. (William G Doty, Mythography, page- 05, University of Alabama, Alabama, 1995).

However we cannot afford to negate indologist Keith’s remarks that we need to understand Indian Shaktphilosophy to know the traditional Indian ethos and ethics in a better way.

Swamiji Ramakrishnananda’s book gains paramount significance, as it appears from his writings that he has led the same life as mentioned in the Indian cultural ethos. He has attempted to understand the Indo-alien culture and this book gives a complete picture of Indian traditional values vis-a-vis the global human understanding. The book in itself presents a new flavor with an innovative concept of Yoga philosophy.

For the enrichment of the Indian heritage, a need for a Hindi translation of this book is also felt, as this authentic piece of writing would benefit readers from various backgrounds in India.

Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra, President Awardee of “Maharshi Vadarayana Vyash Samman”National award for the sake of development of Sanskrit language and literature through “tradition with modernity” approach. Government of India. Academic Staff- Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan Deemed University Under HRD Ministry Government of India


SARVÄÌGÄSANATHE SHOULDER STAND by RAMAKRISHNANANDA SWAMI SHAKTIPADA

Energy flows through the astral body. Präëa is the energy that flows upwards, just as apäna flows downwards. During the stay in this posture, the energy flow reverses direction. Through the soles of the feet, which usually absorb energy only from the ground, we receive energy from above. We obtain präëa from the sky, the sun, and the stars.

Technique

1. Lie in çaväsana (photo 1).Inhale deeply and exhale and bring the legs gently together while placing the arms at your sides with palms facing downwards.

Awareness NotesBe aware of the contact the body makes with the • ground. Keep your shoulders well apart, low on the ground and • far from the ears.Bring your chin down to the throat, while keeping the• nape spread wide on the ground.

2. While inhaling, flex your feet and toes upwards, but keep your legs on the ground (photo 2).

3. While exhaling, lift your straight legs together and upwards, until they are perpendicular to the ground (photo 3).

photo 1

photo 2

photo 3


4. Continue exhaling and bring the legs as far as you can over the head without strain. The straight arms and open palms are pushing the ground, and the spinal column is lifted from the ground, from the sacrum to the base of the neck, vertebra by vertebra, until your chest is attached to your chin (photo 4).

Awareness Notes

Be aware of the elongation of the hamstrings • and the back of the legs. Increase your awareness of your back as it lies on and leaves the ground, vertebra by vertebra.While lifting the legs up and over the head, it • is important to exhale incessantly. Halting the breath will cause tension and strain and block the flow of präëa.Watch the body carefully as the posture transforms • from a supine to an inverted pose. Observe the sensation on different levels: energetic, physical, mental, and emotional.

5. While inhaling, slowly broaden your shoulders, bring your elbows as close as possible to each other, then bend them and place your hands as a support on your back, at the rear side of your ribs. Bend the knees fully and place them on the forehead, then bring the heels to the buttocks. The feet are now facing upwards (photo 5).

Awareness notesBe aware of the foundation of the posture. The • nape and shoulders carry most of the body’s weight, which lightens the weight from the elbows and the hands.Feel the expansion of the cervical and the dorsal • areas of your spinal column.

6. As you exhale, keep your heels close to your buttocks and bend your knees fully. Lift your thighs and knees upwards, until the thighs align with the trunk. Towards the end of this movement, you may relocate your hands to the lower back to improve support. The lower your hands reach on the back, without separating the elbows, the straighter and longer your posture will be (photo 6).

photo 4

photo 5

photo 6


7. Inhale and straighten the legs up. This is the final posture, sarvä¼gäsana (photo 7).

Awareness notesKeep your ankles, shins, and thighs relaxed. • Relax your facial muscles. Keep your eyes closed. • Keep the legs together, straight, and completely• loose.Try to reduce the weight from your hands and divide • the weight between your shoulders and nape. The hands should support the back lightly and help to elongate the back, but they should not support the full weight of the back, pelvis, and legs.In this posture, with ribs pressed and closed by the • body’s weight, we are forced to use our diaphragm to breath and to develop abdominal breathing. The abdominal muscles and the diaphragm are fully open and available. Breathe deeply, slowly, and relax. Be aware of the full movement of your abdomen as you breathe. As you inhale, the abdomen inflates. As you exhale, the abdomen pulls away, all the way inward, until the lungs are completely empty.Sarvä¼gäsana• inverts the flow of präëa through the body. Try to feel the flow of vital energy from the feet towards the head downwards.Concentrate on the • vishuddha chakra, located in the base of the throat. You can find the approximate location of this energy center by feeling the place where the air caresses the throat during inhalation and exhalation. Maintaining • sarvä¼gäsana requires relatively very little muscular effort and is therefore useful in developing watchfulness and relaxation. Repeatedly go through the body and relax each part, as much as possible. While staying in the posture, pay attention to the entire body as one whole and try to relax it totally. When the body is observed, you become unidentified from the body and create distance between you, the observer, and the object — your body.

DurationStay in this posture effortlessly for 30 seconds. Gradually increase your stay until you can maintain the posture for 15 minutes in watchfulness.

BenefitsSarvä¼gäsana• neutralizes the negative effects of çârôäsana on the areas of the neck and nape.This posture is nicknamed “the posture of all the • limbs” because it positively influences all of the body parts and bodily functions on all levels. Sarvä¼gäsana• strengthens the function of the thyroid gland, which has an important role in metabolism, growth, nourishment, and rejuvenation. When this gland functions properly, it aids in the healthy operation of different bodily systems including the respiratory, nervous, digestive, urinary, and sexual systems. Orderly functioning of the thyroid gland is directly connected to the function of other glands including the brain, the area above the kidneys, the liver, the spleen and testicles.Sarvä¼gäsana• has a strengthening effect over the area of the throat. It is beneficial for all throat and voice related issues such as sore throat, dryness, infection, or pain.From the psycho-energy perspective, the posture has • a positive effect on expression and communication skills. It may also help release a blocked need to cry, as well as assist in the ability to express oneself. Like with çârôäsana, this posture enables the legs, which are connected to the energy of the ground all along the day, to rest. When the legs are elongated upwards, the feet absorb energy from the sky while the head and shoulders are placed on the ground. This is important for the balance of vital energy in the body. Thus, sarvä¼gäsana is a mudrä that reverses the präëa-apänaflow and awakens kuëòalinâ çakti.

ReleaseRelease your body from the äsana gently and in reverse order. First bring your knees to your forehead. Then place your hands on the ground and use them as breaks as you place the back on the ground slowly, vertebra by vertebra, with much awareness and care.

When the entire spine reaches the ground, bend your knees, place your feet close to your buttocks on the ground and carefully slide the feet forward until the legs are straight and separate. Rest in çaväsana for a few breaths before continuing your practice.

CautionThis posture should not be practiced by women during menstruation. People with neck and back injuries should not attempt this posture without the permission of a physician and with expert guidance. If you feel excessive and painful pressure on your neck, reduce the weight from the nape and increase the weight on your hands.

CautionThis posture should not be practiced by women during menstruation. People with neck and back injuries should not attempt this posture without the permission of a physician and with expert guidance. If you feel excessive and painful pressure on your neck, reduce the weight from the nape and increase the weight on your hands.


Sarvä¼gäsana - the Shoulder Stand

“When assumed in tremendous watchfulness,

each posture invites us to be here and now, to be conscious of this eternal union and harmony with Reality... because when

we follow the wake of the physical, we caress the soul... we discover the

body as a path that leads to the spirit...”

From Yoga — Union with Reality by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada

photo 7


Mr. Slumber was a rather old man who spent all his time sleeping on the sidewalk of a small village. One day, the local villagers gathered and talked about the matter. Some said that he had been sleeping there for over fifty years. They wondered about the reason for so great a sleep, but however hard they tried, none could find it.... Finally the eldest of the elders stood up and said: Gentlemen! I know the reason for this long sleep, and a simple reason it is. He does not awake because - in his sleep Mr. Slumber dreams that he is awake...

AN ANCIENT EASTERN STORY


Designed and instructed by Gurudev

Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada and

based on his book Yoga - Union with Reality.

A unique opportunity to delve into yourself, and

come in contact with what you really are...

A weekend of spiritual life, with the full range of

Yogic paths, doors and teachings, rooted deeply

in the ancient Vedic Scriptures and Hinduism,

as taught by Swami Ramakrishnananda.


Serves 2 to 4In this vegetable rice, the vegetables and the rice are being prepared separately.

Ingredients

For the preparation of the rice• 1 cup basmati or long grain rice• 2 cups water• 2 tablespoons oil• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds• 2 bay leaves• 1 teaspoon salt

For the preparations of the vegetables3 tablespoons oil• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds• 1 medium sized potato, chopped into 1/2” cubes• 1 carrot, chopped• 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces• 1 cup frozen green peas• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped• 2 long sliced green peppers – (optional) • 1 teaspoon grated ginger• 1 teaspoon salt• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala• 1 tablespoon lemon juice• Fresh cilantro for garnish •

Preparing the rice

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Make sure the oil is hot before adding the bay leaves and stir for a few seconds. Then add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes or until white. Add the water and salt, bring to boil, and turn the heat to low. Cover the pan. Cook about 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. Let the rice sit for a while.

Preparing the vegetables

Add oil to frying pan and heat. Add the vegetables separately, starting with the ones that need the most time to cook.

Add cumin seeds and wait until cumin seeds pop, then add potatoes, stir-fry them for about 2 minutes, next add cauliflower and carrots let them cook for about another 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Next add the green peas, the bell peppers, ginger, (and green chilies optional).

Let the vegetables cook for a few minutes just until tender. Turn off the heat. Add garam masala and lemon juice.

Serving

Fold the rice gently into the vegetables. Be careful not to break the rice.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Can be served as spiced rice in addition to a meal, or as one dish meal. You can also use different kinds of vegetables (any you have in your kitchen).

SWAMI YOGÄNANDA’S VEDIC KITCHEN

VEGETABLE RICE - PULAV

Visit our Web Site

The Vishwa Dharma Mandalam website is our site of pilgrimage where the vast knowledge of Hinduism is expressed in all of its ancient glory.

Media LibraryThe library includes numerous online videos, lectures and photo galleries that covers a wide variety of subjects such as various deity worship ceremonies, a large collection of lectures by Ramakrishnananda Swami Shaktipada, classes about the Sanskrit language and even Vedic cooking lessons, Vedic musical concerts, and traditional Bharatanatyam and Vedic dance.

Vedic LibraryOne of the website’s jewels is the online translation and publication of books and articles written by Ramakrishnananda Swami. It is an on-going endeavor to shed light on the ancient scriptures and timeless wisdom of Yoga and the traditional Vedas.

Temple Activities and AnnouncementsVisit the website for current updates on our on-going daily ashram activities, daily puja ceremonies, the schedule for the celebration of numerous Vedic and Hindu holidays and many other special events we hold at the our New York City temple.

A Source of InspirationMore than anything else, the Vishwa Dharma Mandalam web site is a gathering place for spiritual seekers and a constant source of inspiration, including thousands of photos, videos, and articles about the grandeur of yoga and the Vedic culture. There is also a constantly growing video library of lectures, conferences and talks given by Ramakrishnananda Swami and his disciples. It is a way for seekers world-wide to get in touch with that they have been looking for — a path for the Divine.

www.vishwadharmamandalam.com

Documents

Yoga Vedanta Magazine #1