Swami Chinmayananda Life & Work

Life and work of Swami Chinmayananda

There are many saints and sages in the history of India. There are also many gurus. But visionaries are only a few. Sri Swami Chinmayananda was not only the sage of modern times, not only a guru but also a great visionary, whose work touched not only India but the whole world. From time to time, the world witnesses birth of a Yuga Purusha who comes for the purpose of leading the suffering humanity to the path of Dharma. And we are the blessed ones who have had the great fortune of being under the direct

guidance of this Guru Sri Chinmayananda, a great Gnani who carved for us the ideal model of Karma Yogi sweetened with endless Bhakti. Those who met him will never forget the glow of Chinmaya (Pure consciousness) that He carried around everywhere at all times.

SRI GURUBHYO NAMAHA! Early days Balakrishna Menon, the future Swami Chinmayananda was born on May 8, 1916 as the son of Parakutti and Kuttan Menon in Ernakulam, Kerala in the noble aristocratic family that strictly followed the Kerala traditions. Saints and sages often visited the house they all paid lots attention to Bala, predicting that he will have a great future. At an age of 5 Balan lost his mother; his father later remarried. Balan, as he was fondly called, spent his early childhood amidst a lot of love and attention amongst large extended family of cousins, uncles and aunts. He grew up as a charming and mischievous boy adored by all. Brilliant and intelligent student as he was, he used to complete his lessons easily without any effort. He loved reading, swimming and badminton. Ever ready for mischief and play, full of brilliant ideas and jokes, and great at mimicking everyone with great wit and humor, he never missed an opportunity to tease his sisters. Since early childhood he was an excellent actor ever full of dynamism a never ending source of new ideas for family and friends. Balan attended English Modern school where he also learned Malyalam and Sanskrit. Even later on as a Swami he often used to make comments and jokes in Malyalam.

It was the family tradition that the whole family gathered together for daily satsang and puja at sunset. Children also had to participate in it daily. Swamiji used to tell us: "As I was sitting there in the pooja room waiting for the Arathi which meant the end of satsang, I used to gaze at the pictures of Gods right in front of me. The one I liked the most was Lord Siva. To pass time I developed my own private game. I used

to look at Lord Siva with Ganga flowing out from his matted hair, with the serpent for a head band and the crescent moon lighting his smiling compassionate eyes. Then I would shut my eyes to see whether I could see Him in my own mind, then open the eyes again and compare the picture I would do that again and again, till I got it right to the smallest detail, With practice I was able to picture Shankara with closed eyes, exactly as He was on the altar and later the picture would came readily as ordered. I used to look forward to the satsang for I enjoyed my game." This game gave him a job so sweet and pleasant that it became a habit to call upon Lord's form even later on in his life. "At the time thousands of questions used to come to my mind as to \why' and \whereof' of the whole \show' - and I had no answers till years later", adds Swamiji.

Involvement in the independence movement In 1940 young Balan joined the Luknow university were he studied English literature and law. He was very active in the life on the campus appeared in several dramas in the theater, and became a member of the literary club, the debating club, and was on the university tennis team. Balakrishnan Menon was an attractive young man and in demand in social circles. But it wasn't all he did. Sensitive to the life around him in 1942 Menon joined the Indian independence movement, for independence of his Country was an issue very dear to his heart. He was involved in writing and distributing leaflets, organizing public strikes and giving speeches. Menon's rare leadership qualities made him visible in the movement and soon a warrant was issued in his name. He had to go into hiding, but soon after returning he was caught and put in prison. He spent several months in the overcrowded prison in terrible conditions. Terror, near-starvation diet, lack of hygiene and lack of ventilation invited disease.

In prison he had plenty of time to reflect on his own life, as well as on life in general. He had seen lifeless bodies carried out daily - the reality of death could not be ignored. Questions such as: "What is the meaning of this life? Is there something more permanent and if so what is it?" occupied his mind. Weakened by months in jail he fell ill with typhus fever. There was little hope for his recovery. Consequently, he was carried out into the night and tossed on the side of the road on the outskirts of the city.

Swamiji reports the event saying:

"The British officer threw me out when he realized I had contracted typhus in his prison. He did not want another body on his record ! but luckily for me, a kindly Christian-Indian lady took me into her home and cared for me like a Son. Later she told me that my nose reminded her on her son who was with the army. Suppose you can say I was......... 'saved by the nose'."

However, Swamiji was not predestined to die then, for his great mission in life had not yet started. After several difficult weeks and months he slowly regained strength and got well.

As soon as Menon regained health he was eager to get on with his life. He finished the university studies, graduated from law and English literature and chose the journalists career. In 1945 he moved to Delhi, the center of political activities, where he joined the editorial staff of the national newspaper of the Indians, The National Herald. Menon's passion for self-expression, the need to participate in the nation's revival gained him reputation of an extremely dynamic and controversial reporter. He was loudly voicing his opinion on every aspect of Indian life history, culture and of course the current topics, such as inevitability of independence, and the social issues. His innate compassion for man was evident through all the writings. His sympathies were with the poor, but at the same time he actively participated in life of the privileged class.

His eloquence, brilliant intelligence, and the unique ability to come up with a joke on any occasion made him a popular member of a local Club where he was a loud voice in controversial discussions on social and political issues. But even though young and ambitious, Menon soon discovered for himself the emptiness of the so called "good life". Underneath the noisy parties, the expensive clothes and jewelry and empty talk he sensed dissatisfaction, agitation and often despair. The selfishness and insensitivity of the ruling class were striking.

This made him discover again the topic left behind some fifteen year back - the Hindu religion. The old memories of childhood; the joy of falling asleep with the mantra on his lips, the loving and reassuring picture of an old grandmother who dedicated her last years to chanting the name of Lord Krishna.

Turning Point Japa came back to Menon. He took Up the practice again, with the refreshing realization that perhaps there was more to life than political and social struggle, parties and intellectual discussions - though he still did not know what it was. "This feeling" as Swamiji recalls it later, was soon followed by an intense study of philosophy, both Indian and European. Secretly, before going to sleep he was doing the OM NAMAA SIVAYA mantra chanting.

It was at this crucial moment in his life that he came across books of Swami Sivananda, Vivekananda, Ram Tirtha, Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and others He began studying philosophy' both Indian and European. The most profound influence made on Menon writings of Swami Sivananda, who stressed: "Be good. Do good." "Serve, Love, Purify, Meditate, Realize, and be free". Menon was impressed,

but doubts still lingered in the mind of this self-acclaimed agnostic. He decided to explore it right where the action was - in the Himalayas - the center of spiritual life in India. Thus in the summer of 1947 the radical young journalist arrives at Swami Sivananda's ashram with the intention to find out "What is the true meaning of spirituality? Does it make any sense in life?" It would be a good subject for his new article, he thought.

However, already the first meeting with Swami Sivananda blew away Menon's preconceived ideas about spirituality. The master's dignity, his brilliant intelligence, the special aura of divinity captured him. Further more, the ashram was not at all what he expected. It was a dynamic place where numerous spiritual and social projects were continuously going on, and yet there was a very special peace and tranquility felt in the mist of all the activity. It brought about the fascination in the doubting mind of the young journalist Swami Sivananda, who right away saw a great spiritual potential in Menon paid him special attention and used to tease him: "God gave you such intelligence! Why don't you use it for Him?! You can join us and become a swami ! "

A month later Menon returned to Delhi as a changed man and, a year later moved to Rishikesh, but for some time he was still going back and forth to Delhi continuing his Career of a journalist.

Spiritual path Finally he permanently joined Sivananda ashram, and on the 25th of February 1949, the auspicious day of Sivaratri Swami Sivananda initiated Menon to the order of sanyas. His name become now SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA SARASWATI, the one who revels in the bliss of pure consciousness.

Swamiji studied and worked in the ashram for some time. But for him the only path was GNANA YOGA, therefore Swami Sivananda told him: "You need to master the scriptures! Go to Uttarkashi to study under the renown vedantic master, Swami Tapovan!"

Thus Swamiji spent 8 years studying the scriptures at the feet of Sri Swami Tapovan in the high Himalayas in Uttarkashi. It was not easy, for Swami Tapovan was a great disciplinarian and a very demanding teacher. He never repeated his lesson twice. Swamiji lived in the cowshed with the stone for a pillow. However, Chinmaya was the uttama adhikari (the best Student), his burning desire for Self-knowledge knew no obstacles. He was often seen sitting all night in meditation in a quiet forest or on the Ganges banks. days he spent on studies and contemplation and guru seva (service to the guru).

After finishing studying the Bhagavad Geeta, Upanishads and Brahma Sutras Swamiji says to his guru: "I feel the immense urge to go down to the plains and share the wealth of the holy scriptures with my fellow countrymen. I want to run down like the a Ganga which nourishes and inspires with its refreshing waves."

Swami Tapovanam did not share the enthusiasm of his disciple He told him: "People are not ready yet, they will not understand you!" The guru suggested instead: "Take a trip down to plains wandering around as a enunciate, living as a beggar among those you had once known. Swamiji traveled on foot Some six months living on bhiksha; sleeping in ashrams, temples, and under wayside trees."

In November of 1951, Swami Chinmayananda completed his tour of India and returned to Tapovan Kutir in Uttarkasi But he came back even more convinced that his mission in life was to bring the rich and forgotten Vedantic philosophy to every corner of the world. He had witnessed the spiritual and economic degradation throughout his homeland, and was resolved to do series of Geeta Gnana Yagnas in all of the big Cities of India and abroad.

But Swamiji was not going to disobey his Guru, and would not leave without guru's blessings. Again he asked Swami Tapovan for permission, and this time Swami Tapovan said, all right, go and start your gnana yagnas but on one condition - you must have at least four people in the audience including the speaker, And Guru's words were fulfilled. Truly enough the first gnana yagna in Poona started with four people.

Spiritual renaissance begins Thus Swami Chinmayananda came down from the high Himalayan peaks to bring the knowledge of the rishis and with it the revival of moral and spiritual values in the whole nation. The need for such a direction in India's recently won independence was urgent for the nation was falling down from the philosophical level of the old principles of Vedanta. His primary aim was: " To convert Hindus to Hinduism".

This hasn't been an easy task. From the very beginning Swamiji had to face lots of opposition, it seemed that he had everyone against him. Never before was studying of the scriptures in India open to everyone. Up till then the sacred spiritual knowledge was kept secret, being a privilege of the learned priest class. So when Swami Chinmayananda came thundering down with the message of the scriptures, tradition bound India was shocked. The priest class, the guardians of the scriptures hearing that the young radical swami invaded their closely guarded territory, were outraged and criticized him strongly. Not only was he taking the secret knowledge to the streets by holding public lectures, but he was teaching it in English, the language

of the foreigners! The priests and preachers called him a rebel and swore that God himself would tear out Swamiji's tongue for such sacrilege."

Even the educated class would not support the renaissance of spiritual culture that Swamiji was initiating. The English educated intelligencia was not ready to receive his message. Trying to imitate the ways of the West, materialistic and skeptical, they were oblivious of the traditional Aryan spiritual culture of Hinduism.

But Swamiji did not give up. He used to tell us that Success is our birthright, and he has proven it with his life, He knew that given time he will win the hearts and minds of the nation Undefeated, He traveled through the country urging that all national activities be should be organized around higher spiritual ideals, proving, that spirituality is not a hindrance to progress, but enriches life and gives it new meaning Swamiji, the greatest missionary of our times Swamiji tirelessly worked for 42 years in spite of His ill health traveling throughout India and the whole world with no holidays, no breaks. He used to say: "When I rest, I rust". His joyous presence brought inspiration and strength around. Easily approachable He clarified doubts and anxieties, and offered guidance at the satsangs and discussions to men and women across the globe. Swamiji always found time for an honest seeker, regardless whether he was a child or the distinguished scholar or politician. Ever punctual, never complaining, full of enthusiasm, ready to help and guide, never missed an appointment, even when sick. He taught the importance of spiritual knowledge in every day life. His style was new, somehow shocking but irresistible. He explained philosophy of ancient scriptures with logic of science and at the same time with dynamism and humor the methods suitable to the modern youth. His charming smile cheered hearts, and magnet of his clear strong voice soon started drawing hundreds then thousands to the lectures.

At the lectures Swamiji demanded that everyone had the Upanishad and Geeta text in hand, and that everyone participated in the chanting of the Sanskrit texts.

Apart from lecturing Swami Chinmayananda wrote commentaries to major Vedantic texts as well as many of His own books that dealt with different aspects of true religion, including books for children. His approach is unique. By the use of scientific logic and simplicity of style He made the profound scriptural knowledge easy to understand and brought it closer to us by illustrating it with examples from our own life. Written in modern language they perfectly serve the needs of the modern people.

Once a child asked Him, Swamiji where do you live? Swamiji answered: "at the airports and the train Stations". And it is true this great saint did not have a home of His own, a matter of fact He owned nothing. Upto the end of His life He never

stayed in one place more than a week. With "Hari Om" He used to arrive and with "Hari Om" He would leave one place for another, taking with Him but the love and the satisfaction that more hearts were inspired to live Vedantic way of life, the life of spiritual knowledge and the noble values. He used to say: "Vedanta makes you a better Hindu, better Christian better Muslim as it makes you a better human being."

Chinmaya Mission

Already in the 60s the results of Swami Chinmayananda's work were striking. The Chinmaya movement touched every corner of India and it was the time for Swamiji to take the principles of Vedanta out into the world. He started lecturing abroad. Year by year Mission centers were growing in numbers everywhere around the world. Mission motto is: "Give maximum happiness to the maximum of people for the maximum of time.

But Swamiji knew that simply attending the lectures and reading the books our lives will not be changed. That is why He introduced the weekly study groups and classes where newly learned ideas could be reinforced and assimilated in the mutual discussions.

Swamiji gave special attention and affection to children, for He saw them as the builders of the future. For them He organized the Bala Vihar and Yuva Kendra classes, which He called children's clubs. Those classes teach the principles of Hindu religion and culture helping the youngsters to unfold their hidden potential in the light of dynamic spirituality. Many of them have grown up as the most successful and highly cultured members of society To see them prosper Swamiji remarked, was the best Gurudakshina he ever received.

Chinmaya Mission sponsors 62 schools in India where apart from the normal school curriculum children learn the Vedic heritage. There are also nursing and management schools to provide higher education. The spreading; of the Vedantic knowledge is assured by continuous publishing and distributing Swamiji's books all over the world.

In order to have the Vedantic knowledge brought to every corner of the world and every avenue of life Swamiji started ashrams in India and America where the new teachers, brahmacharies and Swamis: of the Mission were trained according to the old guru-kula tradition. The main ashram in India are in Bombay, and in Himalayas in Siddhabari. In America ashrams are in Piercy, San Jose, Washington, Chicago, Flint, New York state, and Florida. In His great compassion Swamiji wanted to help poor, sick and the old, that is why He started free clinics, hospitals, vocational Hari Har schools, orphanages, and old peoples homes.

Life long Achievements of Swamji In 1992 Swami Chinmayananda gave an address in the United Nations titled "Planet in Crisis". Just before the Mahasamadhi Swamiji was recognized as a world-renown teacher of Vedanta and Hindu religious leader. He was selected as a President of Hindu religion for the Centennial Conference of the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, where Swami Vivekananda gave His address a hundred years ago. He was also honored in Washington, DC, at "World Vision 2000", a conference of religious leaders sponsored by Hindu Vishwa Parishad on August 6-8, 1993. The award was to be presented to Swamiji for His selfless service to humanity and as his extraordinary achievement in creating a renaissance of spiritual and cultural values in the country of His birth, India.

Unfortunately, Swamiji was not able to appear for the last two functions as He attained Mahasamadhi on August 3rd.

Swami Chinmayananda, the greatest Missionary and the visionary of our times left His bodily form in San Diego on August 3rd but His mission will continue, carried out by all of us with the zeal and love that He taught us for years. His body was taken to India and buried in Siddhabari ashram, but His teachings and His achievements will live for ever.

Mission and Vision by

Swami Chinmayananda

God alone does nothing. He is aboktha. Man must strive to improve the world. Man alone, also, would not be able to do anything. He needs the blessings of things which are called God - the blessings of nature.

Though spirituality and religion should not be organized, it can be unfolded; spiritual vitality can be unfolded within the heart of a human being, only in perfect liberty and freedom. The world today has moved to a situation wherein nothing can be done without organization. Even to bless the society, to spread values of life, organization has become very important and necessary. Organization is not in the Hindu tradition. In Vedic days, such organizations were not there. So, if you look for sanction of organized religion or the sanction of Vedic books, you will find none. But as the number of people in the society increased, the problems of the community multiplied, then religion could no longer sustain the needs or answer the needs of the community.

And thus the Puranic days came when religion first started conforming itself as an organization, centered in the various temples in India. But even at that time, there was only a minimum number of them--Badrinath, Benaras, Rameshwaram and Dwarka. Then, five hundred years B.C., organization became more urgently needed and the first Hindu who brought organization in the religion was Lord Buddha. Buddha had to organize his team of workers, unified as bikus, through centers called Buddha Vihars. Within another six or seven hundred years, Buddhism flourished and decayed and became very decadent. And thus, the Indian spiritual atmosphere became very chaotic. Hinduism also decayed. Buddhism also decayed. Spiritual values decayed.

It was at that time that Adi Shankara appeared on the horizon and brought about a certain amount of swift organization into Hinduism. More and more temples were built and as temples became prominent in society, they became the source of inspiration for the community. The temples became the center from where spiritual ideas and thought were spread into the community. But in time even these temples could no longer inspire the members of the community and they also reached a point of decadence.

Again, in the nineteenth century, Vivekananda tried to organize Hinduism and the Ramakrishna Mission came into being. These Missions are nuclei for developing, perpetuating and spreading spiritual and ethical values, religious and moral ideals. There are Christian Missions, Islamic Missions, Buddhist Missions, Hindu Missions, and World Missions. We view them as organizations wherein inspired people come together to work and serve in the society for spreading spiritual values and to improve the moral quality of life in the community. After Ramakrishna and Vivekananda's time, whenever the great acharyas appeared, they got a number of followers who organized themselves for the purpose of their own self-development. Many missions came about. Each acharya was, in his lifetime, able to inspire a large number of people to organize themselves so that they were more effective in their work. These missions were established as a result of a lot of human effort. Many social and material sacrifices went into creating temples, schools, hospitals and colleges. After all that, as soon as the Master leaves, the Mission collapses; because our loyalty is to the individual personalities and not to the ideal. The Mission's members do not have the vision, but only the membership of the Mission. The members are not inspired by the ideal that the teachers stood for.

We need a fundamental change of attitude. Otherwise we will never be able to organize ourselves for the development of society. We need to understand that an old vision may not suit changing times. We must adapt the vision to the new requirements of modern life. If that elasticity is not there in the vision, that mission becomes redundant. It is not that the vision was wrong, but societies are constantly changing and if the mission and its vision is not elastic enough to accommodate new demands of the community, the mission again fails.

Adaptability has always been the quality of Hinduism. Hinduism has constantly changed, has always embraced the new dimensions and demands of society. When cultural revolutions lose this elasticity, religion becomes a dead carcass also been lost. They think it is only another organization with vested interests. Learn to keep a vision. Learn to have an ideal. Discover it in yourself. No one else can give it to you. True heroism is in living uncompromisingly up to your ideal. The world may threaten you. The community will not easily leave you free. But he is the hero who defiantly stands, firmly rooted, in his own conviction. That one, even a single individual who inspires the entire population, is the true hero, inspiring generations and generations thereafter. This uncompromising heroism of living up to the ideal is the very core of our avatars.

Whether it is Krishna or Rama, what is it that we glorify in them? They had heroism in their life. Otherwise they were like other human beings. We worship them, we revere them because they had heroism to live up to their ideals. Living up to their ideals was not easy. Jesus was crucified. Mahatma Gandhi was shot. But what does it

matter? One day everyone has to die. You have not taken a contract that you will die in a hospital bed, surrounded by wife and children. Once you have found the joy and glory, why not die living up to your ideal? That consciousness can arise in you when the vision is clear. He who has a vision rises to the highest. That vision is not a contract; it is not written on paper. It must be enshrined in the hearts and minds of everyone. And where there is a vision, when even a single member has developed and cultivated this courage, this heroism to live up to the vision, then that mission cannot die. It is such a vision that can serve the society, the community and the world at large.

PLANET IN CRISIS

Talk given by swamiji

This talk was given by H.H. Swami Chinmayananda, world renowned authority on the scriptures of India. It was recorded live on December 2, 1992 at the United Nations by Source Productions. In a vivid and humorous style, he not only eloquently defines the current problems facing us today, but also offers practical long-term solutions for the individual, the community and the world at large. Video cassette of live recording of this event is available from any Chinmaya Mission centers.

PROBLEMS FACING US TODAY

Why is it that we are not able to find a solution to all the problems in the world? What is it we do not have? Organizations like the United Nations have never before in world history, joined together for the purpose of bringing peace to the world.

Technology has brought about global communication. Knowledge and science have developed tremendously. We are not in the caveman's state of utter ignorance and development. We have conquered the world and outer space, yet with all these achievements, people are suffering and unhappy. There are problems after problems. Never before has the world been in this condition.

Take the map of the world, close your eyes and put your finger anywhere you like. Is not that area disturbed, having mutual killing and famine? If food reaches there, they do not want to distribute it. Think of it? Then the army comes. But is the army the answer? Is providing food for the hungry the solution? Think, what is the solution? For years you have been struggling in this great Institution. But what is the sum total of your results? You have tried politics, changed the constitutions and changed sonic laws. What is it that you have not done? Diplomacy? It is all right to say that we have progressed. What is this progress? Progressed to what? Progress in the arrangement of the outer world? Expecting from this a great individual satisfaction and fulfillment? This is what we have expected. Did we get it? When we look back in history, was not the caveman much happier?

We have everything. Better housing, better clothing and food . Yet with the luxurious plenty of the outer world, you and I sit on cushions and weep. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, powerful or powerless. No community or race is happy. In fact no part of the world seems to be happy. Why? Why? We never ask this question! All we do is find out what the problem is. Then they find out how to mitigate it and cure it for the time being. But we do not inquire into the fundamental source of all these disturbances.

It is something like a doctor who does not know the diagnosis and starts treating the various complications he has seen and observed. If it is a fever, he gives him medicine for a fever. If he has a sore throat, treats him for that, etc. But what is the source from which all these diseases are coming? He is not able to understand it. Therefore he starts treating according to what he knows. Are we not doing that? Millions have been doing it. Due to technological knowledge and development, we have started new methods of mitigating the sufferings of the world. Yet have we brought about any peace and tranquility? By the time you have solved one problem in one part of the world, ten different ones have erupted in another part of the world.

How long are you going to treat the world with this same technique? We tried economics, revolutions, political changes, art and literature. We tried different religions, churches, mosques and temples. They themselves have become sources of mutual animosity. I am trying to make you realize what a sad condition we are in . Are you satisfied with the world condition? It is all right in journals and newspapers to congratulate you and me. But are we happy?

When you start thinking, you must think deeper. -What is the source of these eruptions? Think! This is what Vedanta does. It is a subjective science. It is not an objective science. We do not recommend a solution for problem after problem, individual, communal , national or international. Vedanta goes into the depths and tries to find out the source of all these troubles.

CHANGE

As a result of this, the subjective scientists, called rishis, saints and sages, from the Vedic period onward, with one voice, they are all crying out that it is time to move on to a new realm and level of consciousness. I am saying it in one word, but I will try to explain.

This is the pain of a new birth. No new birth is possible when the mother is smiling and the child is laughing and giggling. No! When both cry, it is a new birth. Is not the world in pangs of pain and agony? We refuse to move forward in a new direction. We are not able to recognize what has to be done because it is easier to

follow what has been done in the past. There are periods in history when the world progresses forward and we must learn to adapt to the new conditions around us. If we are not able to adapt, Nature's Laws have no compassion. It will wipe us clean.

Many birds, plants and animals have become extinct in nature because they were not able to adapt themselves to the surrounding environment. The same will be the fate if man is not smart enough, conscious or intelligent enough to understand the nature of the situation around and try to change himself and adapt himself to the new environment. Change yourself means adapt yourself to the new environment. How sad it is that Nature's Laws work to help things become extinct?

Has not the Roman Empire died and disappeared? Mesopotamia is gone. All were great cultures and great people. The greatest literature and heroes lived at that time. What happened? Where did they go? Why were they wiped out? They were not able to adapt themselves. A new system was arising at that time.

Don't you think we have arrived at a point where the old methods can no longer be a remedy for the sufferings of mankind? Think! Why? Because the source is something different. It is not physical, emotional or intellectual. But with these levels the objective scientists are trying to find out all the remedies Sit back and think, "Why do we have the problems of AIDS?" Why do we have various sorrows of the world, economic upsets, poverty, disease and mutual killing?

MENTAL ATTITUDE

No two countries can look at each other without anger. Why? When you thus analyze the cause of things, hunting for cause of effects, this is called an intellectual method of analyzing and understanding the world around us. Causation hunting is the preoccupation of the human intellect. This is how all sciences develop. Inquiring into the cause of things. Why is it we are suffering in spite of our continuous efforts? Our goal is clear. We put forth all our effort, more than we have ever done in the history of mankind. Yet by the time we have solved one problem, ten different problems arise. Why is this? What is the spring from which all these problems and sorrows arise? When we analyze it, a wondrous new truth which the ordinary materialist and scientist may not accept immediately. The outside world is an echo and a reflection of our minds. Think!

One Swami is talking. You are all intelligent people listening. Can I say that all of you understand in the same way? It cannot be. You receive the idea and interpret it according to your own mind. He understands it with his mind. So your world outside is ordered by, governed by, controlled by your mental attitude. Haven't you heard people say that this world is a Hell? Haven't you heard people say this world is a

Heaven? Successful people say that this world is wonderful. Unsuccessful people say, "I want to die." Why? It is the same situation, the same sun, moon and stars. The same atmosphere and elements. Yet one feels it is wonderful and the other is miserable. When mommy and daddy are home, the elder son thinks it is heaven. The younger son thinks, "I am waiting to become 18 years old so that I can get away from these wretched people." His parents love him fully and completely, yet his interpretation is that he is in Hell. These undisciplined mental disturbances prompt us to live on instincts and impulses of the mind. They are utterly selfish, heartlessly desiring everything in the exterior world, wanting to acquire, possess, embrace, indulge and enjoy. They are like any cattle and we live only at the mental level at this moment.

All of us have intelligence to analyze and realize that what I am doing is wrong, but you do not have the strength to live up to it. There is no one who does not know that he is immoral, drinking is bad, and smoking is ruinous. And yet we ask them, "Why are you drinking?" It is not that I don't know it. I know it, but I can't give it up. Everyone! Cheating, telling a lie, becoming angry, cruel and criminal in nature. It is not that you do not know it is wrong. But you say, "I am sorry, I cannot be away from it. I am compelled to do things." Think!

Now friends, each individual is a unit in this universe. All individuals put together is called a community, nation or world. Apart from the individuals, there is no world. Without distinction, all your minds put together is the world outside. If the majority of the minds are egocentric, utterly selfish, arrogant, vulgar, without character, that society, that community will be of the same character. That nation is no nation, it is only a country where a population lives. There is no integrity between themselves and no understanding internationally. . . Through individual perfection alone can world perfection be aspired.

In all world scriptures, this is the conclusion of our great thinkers of the past. I am not talking about Vedanta or Indian textbooks. Is not the Bible saying the same? Is not the Koran saying the same? The Dhammapada of the Buddhists saying the same? Every great Master who has given thought to it has understood that the cause for the sorrows of the world, is the imperfection and disturbances of your own mind.

ECOLOGY

Ecology has been a new science for the past fourteen years. Suddenly they have realized that the world is Divine. You have to look after it and not reject it disrespectfully. Your greed should not destroy the world. Your plundering in the world outside must stop. You must reverence and respect nature. Ohhhhh, in only fourteen years?!

In the Vedic period, Purushasookta, the Great Chant expresses that the whole universe of things and beings is One Divine Person, One Divine living organism. Not a dead carcass. It is pulsating and living, revere it and love it. There is no limit. The sky is the limit that nature can supply you. Environmental peace and quietude is the right field for us to function, strive, achieve and aspire to. But this environment is all broken down. Think!

Recently the government of India decided to clean the Ganges. A lot of money was spent cleaning the river. Do you know that every river is clean at all times. You and I sitting on the banks of the river are dirtying it. The dirtying is not stopped, but we are purifying the river. Stop dirtying and poisoning it and the river will purify itself. Why? Fresh waters are coming in. It pushes out all the poisonous matter and the river becomes pure. We are the ones who made it poisonous and dirty. Whether it is environmental or political disturbances, or economical thralldom all these raise from endless greed and negative tendencies of the human mind, therefore life is miserable.

Once two brothers were living in the same home, eating from the same table and the sister-in-law cooking the food as in India. At 2 a.m. the younger brother woke up and vomited up the food. This happened for two or three days. His wife thought that the sister-in-law poisoned the food and suggested to exchange the food plates the next day. So the younger brother exchanged plates as his elder brother looked on. He smiled and said to his younger brother, "You are still childish, what is the difference?" Again the next morning he vomited up the food. So they went to see their family doctor. This doctor suggested that he go to a dentist. After the dentist looked in his mouth, he asked him if he was still living. "Your teeth are in very bad condition with a lot of pus," he said. He x-rayed and pulled all his teeth. The dentist explained that the food was not poisoned but that he himself poisoned the food with his bad teeth.

SECRET OF ACTION

Even today the world is a pure divine thing. When it passes through our mind by "My terms and my experiences", we poison it with our own false thinking, false ideas and false values. Think, all living organisms are responding and reacting to the world around us. This is called Life. There is not a single moment when you are not responding and reacting to the world. These responses and reactions at the body level in the world are called "work" or "action".

We are all active, dynamic people because we are alive. But your actions are totally different from another individual even when the conditions are the same. Under the same circumstances, threats or joys, the environment remains the same and each

individual responds differently. Why? Responses to the world are ordered by, determined by, guided by my thoughts. It is subjective.

All actions are expressions of our minds. If we smile, that is your thought. If you growl, it is your thought. If you punch his nose flat, that is a thought. Good, bad or indifferent, all actions are expressions of our minds, our thoughts.

You say, "Swamiji, this is funny, it is God who gives thoughts to me and I am angry." "I have no objection when I succeed in action. Is it God that succeeded or myself that succeeded? Oh! no, no, I did it!" What are you talking about?" When you do something wrong and the police are after you, then you say that the Lord gave you this idea and I am now punished. Absurd! This is escapism. When you scientifically analyze it, the quality and quantity of thoughts that I entertain in my mind determines the very contours of my expression in the world, my behavior and responses to the world.

"If that is true, Swamiji, tell me why I always have a dirty mind and thoughts? I shamelessly express it. Everyone laughs at me because I am a dirty fellow. My brother's thoughts are beautiful, his actions are perfect and everyone applauds and congratulates him. Everyone loves him. Why? My thoughts are negative and his positive. This is really a serious problem."

Think of yourself. Why am I lustful, greedy, passionate, jealous and have all these negative thoughts? These thoughts create trouble for myself and sorrow to others. Other people are loving, tender, compassionate, ready to make sacrifices for others. Why these differences? If these are all thoughts and the quality of thoughts are the cause for it, now the question is, "Why do I constantly have negative thoughts? Why does my brother have good thoughts? Why?"

This was a serious question and those great Subjective Masters that scientifically observed, analyzed and collected all the data, came to the conclusion that the quality and types of thoughts. that arise in you are ordered by your own intellectual convictions.

If I am convinced from childhood that money is all I want. If I have money and am a billionaire, I am a happy man. All I want is money, money, money. I am introduced to Swami and shake his hand. What are his thoughts? "Can I get something from him? Has he got enough? Are there any methods to get that money?" Suppose you are constantly dreaming about women. No matter how strong in character and behavior you are, the moment you shake hands you start thinking, "Not bad". I am not joking. The quality of thoughts are determined by each individual's intellectual convictions that this is my goal.

My purpose in life is the same, whether it is women or drinking. Do not all alcoholics advise you that drinking is the only way to live comfortably in life? Minus drinking, life is empty and miserable. You are not living, that is why you are not drinking. He is convinced that living means drinking. Then you say that you do not drink at all. Another man feels that power is the thing. He wants power by whatever means, fair or foul. Even if millions have to die, he must have power. It does not matter if it is political power, power in a company or in a board meeting, anywhere!

VALUES

Each one of us is convinced of a goal in life and every thought in him is ordered by and colored by that intellectual decision and conviction. All these thoughts are being expressed through you and me. These are called values of life. Values have become very popular in America the last few years. Value based management, value based economics, value based politics, and value based family life . . . hmmm. At election time, all these things come out, afterwards they are forgotten.

Value based conferences and symposiums are held at many universities. In the past several years, I have been invited to these lectures at several universities. Professors carry many books and files and embrace the knowledge outside. There is no knowledge inside. Professors speak as if they were lawyers with law books on both sides of them. They talk from morning to evening, one after another. What enormous patience the Americans have to sit and listen all day. But they do not understand it at the end of the day. After 18 hours, how can you understand? You are tired, but they go on talking. At the end of the day, sometimes they ask me to come and say a few words.

I went to the platform and said, "My learned erudite scholars, in your presence, what can I say? You have been talking the past three days on values. What is a value? Value is a price? Value means what? In order to make you believe it, I am telling you honestly that in all six universities, I was shocked. I felt that somewhere an attempt should have been made to at least define what a value is. All of them just looked at each other and said, "What a funny question you are asking. Why? Why do you want to know what a value is, it is a symposium on values." You see they are not thinking of values.

A thing by itself has no value. Think of it, a piece of wood at the road side has no value. If someone takes it and carves a doll and gives it to a poor man's child, it has value. A piece of iron rusting away on the road side has no value. But let a man heat up the iron and beat it to make a vegetable knife with a wooden handle, then it has value. A thing by itself has no value. The thing plus your effort in it gives it a value. Raw material taken from the world has no value by itself. We use our

technological knowledge, put effort into it and it becomes a thing that has value and use to society. You cannot get values from a symposium by merely listening or reading. After reading and listening, you have to start thinking, then you have to work on yourself to create the right values.

MENTAL RENAISSANCE

This can be helped to a great extent if the environment for the growing child is healthy. Children understand not by words, but by demonstration. If parents have values and are educated, their behavior must be a declaration of these higher values. Children are then living in that atmosphere.

Not only parents, teachers and the school atmosphere, but the whole thing has to be changed. We have neglected it for thousands of years. The whole system of thinking in the universe has changed into a calamitous tragedy and it has created more and more problems and situations.

Change! "But Swamiji, changing is difficult." I mentioned earlier that the plants that refused to change and adapt themselves became extinct. Animals that could not adapt to the environment became extinct. The great cultures and civilizations of Rome and Greece, Mesopotamia and even the Chinese, the culture is gone, almost gone. Why? They are not emphasizing the necessary discipline. There is a method, no doubt there is a totality of the method. "No Swamiji, it is not possible." OK, that job is not mine but you have to start rethinking the whole system by which we are trying to solve today's problems.

Any intelligent man will say that it 's ineffectual, a waste of human effort, human lives, and army fatalities and through the army, other people die. That is not the solution. You have to change the mental attitude. If the mental attitude had changed in South Africa, would so many people have died there? I am just giving an example.

Whether it is Lebanon, Iraq or Iran, when there is a change of values through which quality of thoughts are purified, the actions become so beautiful and the community is healthy. I am not talking in terms of economic development, more money in the country. This is not necessary! All our saints and sages searched and attained bliss and maximum happiness. It is not true that all of them were voluntarily poor. It is a superficial observation to say that poverty is the cause for sorrows.

I can also say that the sorrows are there because of the wealth of the country. Sorrows are not caused by wealth or by poverty. It is your own clinging attachment. Have higher values in life where minimum is sufficient. Jesus never had a pope's palace. He was living under a bridge. He wore a torn frock, a broken chappal

(sandal) and in the daytime he and his disciples sat on the public park bench. Do you mean to say that he was not happy? Did he not contribute anything to the world? He never had a United Nations Organization, a counsel or committees. What sheer beauty of thought! Think!

Friends, this mental renaissance must come. A greater awareness must come. We are being pushed towards the search for a higher state of consciousness. Just as when the fetus in the mother's womb is fully developed, does not every muscle in that loving mother push the child out? The child also wants to come out. If he does not come, a c-section is performed. In the same way, does not Nature from all sides squeeze the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, whether you are a developed nation or an under developing nation? A developed nation or a never developing nation, it does not matter. Is not everyone in the whole world being squeezed? Why? The pain and agony of a new birth. We have to move from materialistic prosperity and from running after objects into a better and larger awareness, a greater state of consciousness.

REAWAKENING THE HUMAN SPIRIT

We have to move into a process of reaching out to that greater state of consciousness. Or call it God-state consciousness, I have no objection. A larger state of consciousness. A broader shoulder to take the responsibility of the sorrows of the world upon your own shoulders. "I am the cause for the sorrows of the world". You change and the world will change. What we want is for the world to change so that "I" may be happy! This is called a materialistic point of view. We have lived this way for thousands of years. We have been struggling to beautify the world, not to beautify yourself. You are left to rot and the rotten people live in a beautiful world. We make the world rot.

If pigs are brought into your living room and allowed to stay over night, what will be the condition of this room the next day? It will become a pig sty. Where pigs live, it will be dirty. People live in this world and complain that something is wrong with the world. There is nothing wrong with the world. The sun, moon, stars, plants, animals and birds have no problem with the world. The problem arises only with the intelligently stupid man. Man is not able to live up to the Laws of Nature.

He does not want to have any controls put on himself and he lives as he likes. It is here where troubles come from. So then how can we bring about change?

By changing the educational system! One man, one Swami cannot do it. It must be international organizations like the United Nations and others. The educational system needs changing, but when I say change, I do not mean writing new books

written by rascals about the greatness of . . . Ah! Don't do this. It is not the books, it is the atmosphere. Think! It must be an atmosphere of serenity and beauty. Teach them how to enjoy beauty. Let parents take the children to museums and show them. They are genuinely born. Children are just growing and themselves do not know what beauty is. Parents must be able to point out beauty, show them the beauty of sunrise and sunset. Train them to see beauty and love. Parents must manifest that love to children. In that way an atmosphere is created. Then alone can children develop new values and a system of values in life.

It cannot be done by the gun. Communists have tried it for 55 years. Now everyone has a gun. Change cannot come by the gun. Change can come by a method of slowly educating them. It is not a five year plan or a ten year plan. It is long term plan to bring back the world that has gone mad and astray. We must bring them back again to the line of right thinking and right living. It takes time. The entire system and the logical reasoning on why it should be done is elaborately given in the Vedas. That alone can satisfy modern man.

Modern man is not like our grandfathers. Grandfather said that it is sufficient to pray. The Bible said it is sufficient. In Hinduism, the Ramayana and Bhagavata said that it is sufficient. No questions were asked.

Today this is not sufficient. If you tell your son, "My dear, you must pray everyday," they ask "Why?" You have no answer because your father told you to pray. Children ask "What is prayer? Pray to whom? Where is God? Who is God? What is God?" You say that this is a terrible generation and you tell them to go away and drop it. This is your own ignorance. If you had only explained to him why he should go to church. The son asked, "Mommy, you say that God is all pervading, is He not also in this house? If God is in this house, is He not in my bedroom? If He is in my bedroom, is He not also under the blanket?" You answer him that God is everywhere. He is in this house, in your bedroom and under your blanket. The son asks, "Then why should I get up and go to church? God is everywhere , so then God is within me?" When children talk this way, the mother says, "Nowadays children are terrible monsters. They talk to me as if I were....... and I cannot answer them."

My dear child, is not the milk the essence of the cow? "Yes" Is not that essence everywhere in the cow? "True" When you want to get some milk, can you milk the cow's ear, nose or tail? If you milk the tail, milk will not come out. You have to go to the udder to get milk. In the same way, though God is all pervading, it is evidently more clear only in the church, mosque and temple where there is a mental atmosphere of quietude and contemplation. This atmosphere can take you to a higher state of consciousness.

If you explain it in this way, will your youngster not accept it? Think! Remember, we are not able to answer them. It is not their fault. We as a generation seem to have forgotten all about it.

Study your own scriptures. I am not saying you must study Vedanta only. In case your intellect is of a questioning type and would like to get more and more logic and argument of why and how, where and when of these ideas, Vedanta is an exhaustive science expounding it in a scientific way. All scriptures point out this great Truth in yourselves. There is no distinction. Any scripture can take you to the highest, but you have to work on yourself. It is a subjective science.

Just because my father is a great and famous musician does not mean that he can give me music. Music is not a cup of tea you can pass around. In a good atmosphere he can teach you. But you have to sit down and practice it. Music is subjective. In the same way, spiritual unfoldment will have to be developed in each individual. But we can give our children the necessary atmosphere and information. Slowly feed them from childhood onwards to the logic behind it and once they have understood it, they are dynamically marching into the spiritual unfoldment. You will be surprised at how they take to it as a duck does to water.

It is not true to say that the modern youngster is a lost soul. He is lost because of your confusion, your inability to guide him. Vedanta gives you the necessary knowledge. I am not telling you this as an idealism. I have been practicing it on the junior children, senior children and Yuva Kendra of our approximately 62 schools. In all these schools, there is an insistence upon the study of philosophy. Not philosophy in the sense of the western philosophy. Western philosophy is discussed only at the intellectual level and they do not go beyond. Children really respond beautifully. The books being prescribed and created were beneficial to many and thus we went on.

I cannot give you the whole science of Vedanta in one hour. Three years ago at MIT, I was invited to a tea and was introduced to Professor Charles. They told me that Professor Charles was an authority on nuclear science. I have not studied nuclear science and wanted to know what nuclear science was about. I asked Professor Charles, "What is this nuclear science?" He looked at me from top to bottom two times and turned his whole body to the fellow on his right and went on talking to him. He looked at me like something a cat had brought in. I cannot blame him. How can he explain all his nuclear science knowledge in a short time? Similarly when you ask me to explain Vedanta in one hour at United Nations, it is not possible. But I can give you some ideas on how it can be beneficial to mankind especially in this period of time.

The whole world is sorrowful and miserable. Joy and happiness is not in more money or in one more wife. The present wife turned him away and he is miserable. Now he wants the other man's wife. Why? For happiness. This is not permanent happiness. The first week may be all right, but after this you feel, "Oh Lord, I made a mistake, I have to change again." So it is my fourth and her fifth. It goes on. No, it is an understanding of the mind. An awakening in yourself, an unfoldment, a growth in ourselves to the higher. Naturally you leave these petty, paltry temptations of the toys of life and start living for a higher purpose in life. There is a great satisfaction when man lives for a higher purpose in life. There is a great satisfaction to man when he lives in this way, pursuing a higher life. Thank you very much.

Our Children - Our Future

[A talk given by H.H. Swami Chinmayananda on Nov. 1.,1987 at the Jamnabai Narsee School as a part of Narsee Monjee Birth Centenary Celebrations. ]

The present, added on to some period of time-becomes future. The present plus time is the future. So our present work plus the time in which we do and achieve things together becomes the future world. The future is not a continuity of the present world - it can never be. The present world is being handled, dandled, destroyed and created through this given period of time, and what remains will be the future world - good or bad, created or destroyed.

When we say that today's world is to be the future world, what we mean is, today's people and their contribution is that which is going to mold the world, its ways, and its life for the future. Today's people may not remain and survive in the future, but the expectation is, today's children will survive. Naturally, therefore, if the present children are molded in their attitudes, in their values, in their ideas, and in their ideals, we can expect a better and more organized world of tomorrow and achieve the design for the world that we hope for at this moment.

This future design may not come in our own life time, as it needs a long period of time for the changes to come. Change it will, but what kind of change is determined by the growing generation. Therefore, when we say that today's children are our future, we mean that we must strive now to mold the children to think correctly, to judge rightly, and to have the heroism to live up to those convictions.

Today, India is in this sad condition because in the past the children seem to been neglected. In the past I feel they must have been neglected because of the texture of the people I see around today. There seems to be no intellectuals in our country, and a country without intellectuals has no future. All the progressive countries in the world are such because their progress is guided by, decided by, thought of, and planned by the intellectuals of the generation. In our country today, however, wherever I look, I only see animal human-beings, extremely selfish, never caring for other people or having a vision for the country, a love for the nation or a love for the people. These higher ideals have all been dried up. We seem to be like cattle - each one wanting to fill up his own belly, and perhaps breed vigorously! So the population increases and all the consequent problems arise.

So, whether in the political field, social field, economical field or even science field, India's contribution has been almost zero. We cannot be proud of our present times. How is it that we have fallen so low? Is it not because we have neglected to tend the present generation when they were young? That neglect of the past is shadowing us today and making today's world an ugly one - a very miserable and sad situation. Do you want in the future also, the country to be under a cloud of stupidity and selfishness or do you want a brighter world for our children to grow in?

We only suffer. We cannot come out of it immediately now; it is not overnight that things happen. It is not revolution that we are thinking of - but it is the evolution of a country's culture, its social status, its individual character. It is a slow process. So if the future is to be bright, we have to mold our children to think, not in our pattern which is disastrous - we have understood, but in a new pattern with a new inspiration, and with a new vision in their minds. Can we do it?

Everybody will accept the idea that our children are our future. True. But the implication of the idea, we have not realized or started thinking about. This understanding cannot happen just because some textbooks have been changed or because a lot of blabbering is going on in the newspapers and televisions - that there is going to be 'value-based' educational systems started around the country! Mere talk is not sufficient - it will not help.

We, the parents, must change. Children learn not from books. These higher values cannot be imparted to the students by institutions, by a society or a community, or even a committee. They imitate their parents. Unfortunately! Therefore, if their parents are vulgar...! In Ravana's kingdom every child will want to strive to become as vulgar as Ravana! In Hiranyakashipu's land everybody is another chhota Hiranyakashipu!

So it is said when Hiranyakashipu went to do tapas in the in the forest, Indra took the opportunity to do an experiment. He felt that if even one Hiranyakashipu was to great a threat to the good values of life, what would happen if every child growing up in that land wanted to be another Hiranyakashipu. Therefore, he collected all the pregnant ladies and took them to heaven where in that new atmosphere the children could be molded to become better people; the genes had gotten so bad that they had to be revitalized.

At that time, Devarishi Narada came along and in order to try his own experiment he requested to be given only one specimen - one pregnant lady - the queen of Hiranyakashipu. Narada took the queen to Vasistha's ashram where she was allowed to listen, day and night, to the discourses of Vedanta. In this way, though she herself may have understood very little, she was exposed to Vedantic ideas from the seventh

to the tenth month of her pregnancy, and thus the child within her was remolded, not outside, but in the mother's womb - a pre-natal education.

It is that child who, as soon as he was born and brought back to the palace, became the great Prahlada! Though nobody taught him in this world, he was convinced of the higher values of life. His father was only anxious that he should become another Hiranyakashipu, but because of the pre-natal spiritual training, that one solitary little baby stood against the entire materialistic culture that was developing in the country at that time. He brought the country back again to the healthier and eternal values of the Upanishads.

But what is pre-natal education that mothers are giving their children today? Cinema, Video, those stupid big books, Hotel, Airport! These are the ideals you are feeding the children and when they come out as rakshasas you say, the children have gone astray! We don't understand what has happened to the world! It is our mistake. Let us have the square shoulders to accept that we are responsible for this terrible, monstrous age in which we are living at this moment.

So one little child can change the entire history of the country. That is how all the great men of the past were made - a Shivaji, an Einstein, a Tagore, and a Mahatma Gandhi. From childhood onwards some ideas were inculcated into them and all of them, invariably, declare and shamelessly insist in their autobiographies and biographies, that for the greatness they achieved or for whatever good they were able to do, they were indebted to their mothers.

It is always the mother at home who gives the values and ideals to the child, who molds the mental thinking of the child. And when the mothers have left home and started wearing pants...! What do you expect? Your children are the future and the mothers are the molders of the children; if the mothers are monsters, what is the future going to be?

You may not like what I am saying, but I am on a platform where truth is to be brought out. Nobody else will do it because they all want a vote! I don't want a vote! I don't want anything from you.

So then friends, when we sit down and try to analyze how to remold and recast our future, we see that it is certainly through the children of today who are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. And we must supply them with a vision. But when the parents have neglected the child look at the vigorous dynamism of a Hitler, how crooked and ugly it became, and how through him the entire moral caliber of the whole of mankind has been brought down a few notches since the second world war:

One solitary individual with a unhappy childhood, the neglected child of a cobbler - how he brought about disaster in the world outside.

Only when a plant is young and we are sincerely watching it, we can train the plant to grow straight. A plant can be trained but not a tree. If the tree has got a bend, it has got a bend - full stop! Then we can only trim the branches but not the trunk. Similarly, training of our children can only be done between the ages of 6 to 12, between ages 12 to 18 also can be done to an extent, but after 18 the tree has become set and one will have to go through fire in order to become hot and plastic enough to change. Once we have gone beyond the younger ages, it is not so easy to change our pattern of thoughts, our angle of vision, our attitude to things and beings. So early childhood is the time for training and mothers are mainly responsible.

The father can only come into the house like a storm in the evening, beaten out and wounded, angry with the world. He wants to explode somewhere or other but he dare not at the office; so if the children are in front of him they are the victims. But the mother cautions them saying " Get out and play It is coming!". She herself receives his anger with a smile or just stands silently, two tears running down her cheeks. Then perhaps a neighbor comes to borrow sugar, the father is in bad temper and yells "What do you want!" The mother, however, slips to the back door and secretly gives the lady the up of sugar she needs.

You see, for the child who is watching all this, his whole moral education is over with these two incidents. It is not many incidents that are necessary. Even if the father does sit down with the child for 10 minutes, what will he talk? Not the soft things of morality. He can only pump into the child the ideals of ambition, greatness, success "Beta, you must grow up and become a doctor, an engineer, you must earn a lot of money and have your own place, etc."

It is the mother alone who imparts the soft values, who gives to you the ideals of charity, goodness, tenderness, affection and forgiveness. She never imparts by giving you a discourse, but in her life the mother demonstrates these ideals and the child sees it, the idea becomes embedded in him.

But when the mothers themselves want to grow mustaches and fight with man, the poor children are left - the soft touch gone. When the mothers have lost touch with the spiritual values of the country and the adult's lives have become loose and unethical, all the children also will be lowered down.

When the same children become youngsters they start looking around and they find that the values that have been given to them are all hollow, empty. They don't feel satisfied, but they dare not fight with the system around them. They want to escape.

And how do they escape? Through drink, drugs. Are you not, then directly responsible for driving the youngsters to these self - ruinous, suicidal escapism? You think.

I am not accusing you though. I can't accuse because you never meant it. There is no motive behind it. But thoughtlessness has created this aberration in our society.

It is time now, therefore, that the ladies start learning the cultural values of the country - for the sake of the children and the future. Or, the only other alternative is to stop producing children - let the young girls become nuns. Just as when we have got a disease and so refuse to marry and beget children because they to would suffer; similarly, we are not psychologically prepared the responsibilities of motherhood. However, this is very difficult. Therefore, the other obvious choice is to learn the scriptures.

Don't you think that the television program of Ramayana has changed the color of thinking in this country to a large extent? In Delhi, where I was just now, at that time on Sunday morning there was not even any traffic on the road. Everyone seeing Ramayana.! They didn't want to miss it. Why? In that old story you see the greater and nobler values being demonstrated which you are silently and expectantly hoping for in the youth of today. And you are charmed by it, because it belongs to the very genius of the country!

So, it is not so difficult to impart these ideas to the children. But we need workers - mainly girls. For it is only the motherliness of the lady that can impart these things to growing children.

So all schools must start a program, a period during the week to give special training to the teachers in how they may, whenever possible in their classrooms, make the children understand that there is an unseen hand which molds the affairs of the entire universe.

Why are you afraid to have such programs? Christian churches can do it, Islam is doing it in their schools; how is it that the Hindus alone cannot do it? And if the Hindus have no morality, India has no morality because in this country 82% are Hindus, the vast majority. However great the minority is, the country is what the majority are. Is it not?

Nowadays, however, children grow up as an unnecessary byproduct and the parents don't know what to do with them in the course of living. Between the father, the mother, and child, there is no inter- relationship. Breast-feeding has stopped - and that is the time when the mother intensively contemplates, looking into the eyes of

the child, and they become intimate at the mental level. The infant also, while suckling, looks into the face of the mother. They feel extremely devoted to each other. But now that entire system is gone. We have to bring back the system which is healthy, which in our neglect we have thrown away.

Lastly, it is not sufficient only that the children be trained in the higher values of life. We must teach them to have the courage and heroism to live unto their convictions. That is another very important thing in India today. It is not that we actually have no intellectuals - we do; but unfortunately they are all impotent. Impotent intellectuals and congenital idiots are equally useful to the society. Meaning, they are not useful at all. Nobody has got the guts to think independently and to declare to the government what they are thinking. They are very eloquent in the coffee-houses, restaurants, etc., but will they tell the government? Never! Why? Because they are afraid that if they stand against the direction in which the world is going round and declare with logical reasoning how the present policies are wrong, their security will be in jeopardy. Think. When you are afraid, that intellectualism is no intellectualism at all.

In a country like Russia where we know that if you say one word against the government you will be prosecuted mercilessly - yet, how many dissidents are rising there? They are called honest intellectuals. A real intellectual cannot keep quiet when he sees an injustice, and he doesn't care what the consequences are!

Therefore, we must teach the children not only to have right values and convictions of their own but also the heroism to live unto them. If that kind of training we can impart to them - even to one child - we have proved that today's children are our future.

We are neglecting the children unconsciously. I don't say that Hindus or Indians are brutes, that they are deliberately destroying the children. No. But in your thoughtlessness, lack of correctly viewing things, you have become only machines to produce children. You expect the government to feed them and feel that you have nothing more to do than to bring out another child next year. Think. That is not motherhood or fatherhood. We have to take responsibility for molding and beautifying the child, prepare him to face the world of tomorrow and to lead and guide the world of the future. It is a tremendous responsibility. Once you realize the responsibility you will be handling the children more intelligently.

Even animals and birds train their children properly! Is there a bird that has neglected its young and not taught them how to be balanced on their wings! The mother spends time for it. It is only among intelligent human beings that the parents neglect their children.

Don't point out that it is a political situation. Political and economic situations are lived by whom? By people. So it is the people who create the good or bad destiny for the society or the country. And the people were once children: but when not molded carefully they become ugly in their character, in their attitude, in their behavior, and as a result the chaos comes.

The remedy is us. We are not giving enough respect, reverence, true love or affection to our children. Nature herself will guide every mother in how to train the children.

WHY SERVE? By

Swami Chinmayananda

Address At Leslie Shawnee Anniversary Function

On 15th May, 1983

We live. in a society. If each one of us were to live on a solitary island, this problem and this discussion would not be necessary. It is only when we live in a society that this question arises. Society is not merely individuals put together; there must a cohesiveness between the individuals. This orchestration of individuals, living an integrated life, makes a. perfect community or a society, and such societies and communities put together, become a nation. So, national integration, you may call it, (social integration, you may call it, or common strength, you may call it) is in each individual learning - to live -by depending upon all of the others. This larger viewpoint is generally lost sight of, and the entire orchestration in the social living pattern breaks down. When it gets shattered, it creates discordant, noisy living in the state, and many calamities attack that weak society. History has again and again proved that as long as a community is integrated and united, as long as this mental harmony in society is maintained, that community will remain undefeated, living in unity, and with great courage, easily prepared to face any great challenge from outside. When there is no integration, there may be billions in number, yet there is no strength, determination, or accepted policy in the community.

Now the question arises : Integration of what? It is not the similarity of color, the uniformity in dress or food, or use of some national language that brings about this integration. The integration that we are talking of now is in our mental and intellectual discipline and beauty.

Physically we cannot be one. You are not me even size or shape or color. Physically we are all separate individuals. When I am hungry, if you, eat for me, my hunger is not being sated. Physically we are separate units, but a harmony can be brought about at our mental and intellectual levels. was to bring about this mental harmony that the great thin and masters of yore spent many, many years, nay, and generation on experiments. All the great scriptures, especially the Upanishads, indicate the amount of study that they have undertake to find out how they can tune up or tame this wild, intelligent animal called man. These Riches were students of life and they wanted to know how best life can be organized, so that out o each one of us the best

can come out, and life can be enriched Those were the days when they were not anxious to raise "the standard of living". but what they strove for was to raise "the standard of life" in each individual.

These experiments were undertaken by those great masters of yore, at a time when modern science and its rational procedure were not even born. Even in those distant days, every subject of enquiry studied by them was exhaustive and deep. They thoroughly investigated, experimented with, and drew their convincing conclusions regarding the limited fields of the human mind. They reached out into realms beyond the mind. They found that members of a given community can be disciplined to uphold healthier values only in the field of community action. When men share the same values a gracious melody is created in the lifestyle of the people. As long as every one of us lives in our own indulgence, this harmony can never arise in our living. To a large extent, it is true and we have demonstrated this on two occasions in this country: when Pakistan threatened, there was such a great sense of integration, so suddenly, that it that it was unbelievable! When China threatened our country, again, overnight, this integration became visible. Why? A great national threat. And therefore, everybody talked action, they worked together for a single common goal and got themselves uplifted into a great, ' unconscious harmony between themselves. In the field of action alone we can learn to live wit others. So long as we are not entering into some common field of action, where we can put our shoulders together and work with a single inspiring great aspiration to achieve a common great goal, there can arise. no harmony between individuals.

Therefore, our scriptures were always insisting that each one of us has to fulfill his duties - to do our duty towards on neighbors, our family, our community, our nation. Even a the international field we have got certain responsibilities. To fulfill our individual duties is a must, a criterion, a religious responsibility, according to the great rishies of yore.

All those who are working, sweating and laboring, all physically Endeavour; but this cannot be termed as "work". Physical labor, functioning under the impulses of the moment, is the life of an animal, not the glory of man. Though the animals in their functions also act, it is not called work, even though their work is generally beautiful, often even splendid the weaving of the spider, the beehives that the bees construct. We don't say that the bees are structural engineers or architects, because they are all doing it instinctively; they are not intelligently acting. There can be no creativeness in their work. They are merely acting. But man, on the other hand, with his intelligence, can analyze the problem that is in front of him, study the problem exhaustively, and can try to intelligently act upon the present problem to reshape it into a more covetable beauty for the future.

Intelligent action is called "work". It is through work that we have progressed from the cave-man of the stone-age to the modern citizen. All these achievements are built with work and not with impulsive actions. Animals act, and they have been acting, but there is no progress about them. In the past there were beehives, and even today they are but the same beehives. Never have the bees ever thought of putting a porch so that they can come and dry themselves under the porch in the rainy season. They have never thought about it and they will never think about it. They can make only the same beehive even today. Intelligently they cannot initiate any new program or independent action. Man alone can do this : hence his achievements.

"Intelligent action" in the outer field is called "work?". When individuals are working, blindly prompted by selfishness and goaded by selfish desires, the great masters encourage them; for at least they are men alive, and are doing their best to achieve, though perhaps towards wrong ends. All work continuously all people sweat and toil. Yet, there is a contradiction we watch in the human society. When we look around, we see that when A, B and C are functioning in the same field with equal sincerity, yet only C spectacularly achieves, while A and B exert laboriously, but nothing appears to come out of it all. Somehow or the other, great results do not come from all efforts. When we watch this, we act confounded at the palpable injustice in nature. Why should A, B and C, three persons, work equally hard in the same field outside, when only one individual succeeds, while all others are marked as failures? We think it is a question of luck, it is a question of fate, a lack of God's grace: so many vague notions are accepted, in order to explain this repeated paradox in life.

The scientific thinkers are not satisfied by these kinds of unintelligent conclusions. They, the Rishies, analyzed and reached some beautiful conclusions with which today, surprisingly enough, our modern psychologists also have fully concurred.

Why is it that even ten people are not able to work together? That harmony between them gets broken, the pleasing orchestration in their coordinated work fails. Why does this happen? Think. Four brothers together work in a firm. So long as their father is alive, we find all the four brothers are together and the father is the head, and they form a beautiful team. Then et the father die. In a short time, that beautiful cohesiveness gets lost and the firm becomes four little shops ! Where has the earlier integration in the family gone? Each individual develops in himself more selfishness, and the harmony gets broken. Where selfishness is not, integration automatically comes.

Today, in the modern Science of "Management", they indicate the same harmony in work with a new term, "the dynamism of togetherness". Where this harmony is

broken, this orchestration has failed, the common spring of inspiration gets dried up, and each individual in the group becomes selfish.

They say that two factors in our bosom bring about either in their maladjustment, disintegration, or in their healthy working, the capacity to blend ourselves together with others in any work - are our ego and egocentric (selfish) desires. Therefore, many a time it is said that the only sorrow of the Lord in the heart of-all is that we block Him by our selfishness and our selfish, personal desires. When the scriptures declare that to act without selfishness is to flood our life with unbelievable dynamism, we generally jump to the conclusion that this philosophy is impractical and that it is stupid. "Who can live in this world without ego? Whenever my ego is not functioning, I am either asleep or I am under chloroform. When a whole nation is without ego, then, number one, the nation must become completely poor, undynamic, idle, and weak. No national programs will be possible. "Number two: who can work without desire ? When there is no desire, where is the motivation?" It is this philosophy that loses; it is the people of our generation who stand to lose.

Many are the people in our society or community, even living people, who have shown that whenever they work together without any egocentric desires, the society, the community, is most benefited. They become dumbfounded, in wonder, because a sense of reverence grows towards such a person of dedication to service. Did Jesus talk of selfishness? Did Buddha undertake his work because he wanted respect and reverence from people? What was their motivation? And without motivation, out of the sheer love of it, has any one of you ever made any sacrifice, as these masters have done all their life-time ? In case you observe even casually, you will find that those people who had made a mark upon their era are all people who had risen above their petty selfishness and their empty personal desires, and had worked for one program or the other, keeping one inspiring and great Vision in front of them.

Then does the philosophy of work mean to say that the human intellect (,Which alone can have desires), which the Lord has so lavishly given to us, is a liability upon man'? Only unintelligent animals appear to have no desires. They don't know how to plan and keep a given desire steadily in front of them, and pour out their efforts in order to reach their fulfillment. It is true. Animals have not the capacity to work consistently towards a fixed goal. Man alone has that capacity. And you say that you should not have any desire when you are working. Think! Others argue : "Must be the karma yoga of the Geeta is a false philosophy! Seva is not proper! No one should do any Seva for anyone! Each one is to be arrogantly egoistic, and act on vigorously. Then the country will progress, as the western countries today!"

This is A typical example. All our millions have become utterly selfish. Here we are : after some thirty-six years of planning and working, yet nothing moves forward.

Some do work, and all others undo the same accomplished work. Thus, every community and national program gets self-cancelled. A lot of effort is certainly being made. I am not saying that my country is sleeping. There is a lot of work undertaken, but no result comes of it! Why? Self-cancellation of our own endeavors with our own selfishness.

Out of this chaos, how can we bring about the harmony in life and the musical melody of disciplined existence ? The great Rishies point out the "karma yoga spirit" in the fields of work. That is exactly why I suggested that "Why Serve" can be our topic for today. Whenever I ask the youngsters, the teenagers, or the officers and others : "Why don't you serve the society?" very often they have asked me this plain question: "Why serve ? What has society done to me, except to pull me down ? And 1, in spite of society, have somehow climbed up, and today I am, let us saying, at the peak. And now you crowd round me, telling me to serve the society. Why should I serve it ? What has it done for me? How does it deserve my service?" Please recognize that it is not for the sake of society we appeal to you to serve. It is solely in your own interest that you must serve.

Never think that you can change the world. You cannot. Yet, you must try to serve the world as best as you can, for your own inner growth and mental satisfaction.

When a problem confronts us, there are two stages of our response. One, the stage of planning. At this stage, I examine the problem very carefully in the light of my past experiences; I collect all the data regarding the problem, study the problem completely, and then with my knowledge and ability, I plan for a future reward, for which I direct my entire energy. At the planning stage, let us use all our past. experiences, and our ability to visualize the future factors. After having planned, we shall roll up our sleeves and tuck in our shirts, tighten our belts and enter into our field of action. It is then that the Geeta says: now let both our ego and our anxiety and expectation of the fruit be eliminated from our concern. This is one of the greatest scientific truths that the teachers have taught us.

What is the ego ? Everybody says, "Ego is necessary and it cannot be eliminated." Admitted; everything you say is accepted. But what is the ego? Very rarely have we thought of it. Suppose you are in a train compartment and there is nobody else but you and a solitary co-passenger. For some time both of you keep quiet. But you are an Indian, and you cannot keep quiet for long without chattering. So, slowly, say after two or three stations, you get tired of the artificial physical silence and, therefore, you ask him,' "Aap kahan se? (Where are you from? I don't think we have met before.)" This is a request to explain to me who he is.

When a man then asks you, "Please explain to me who you are," meaning, your ego, your individuality, what things will you tell him? "I am the son of so and so, I was born in such and such a village. I had my early education there and then my uncle took me to Bangalore, and there I had my college education. And, in the college, I stood first class first in my final. Then, I did a course in a commerce school. My uncle himself helped me to get a job. And then the company appreciated my work and gave me my first raise. At that time my uncle suggested that I marry his daughter. So I married her. And we were living together. The company started more and more to depend upon me, as I was honestly and sincerely working for them .........

And you, the listener, get more and more enthusiastic and encourage him. He spills out his remembered experiences of his life until this date. So "I" means all lived and remembered experiences of the past. Whenever one of you says "I", it means what? It means all your memories bundled together. This total memory of the past constitutes the ego.

Desire is our ardent expectation to enjoy the fruit of our action (karma phala): To give up this anxiety (karma phala tyaga) is one of the cardinal instructions for discovering dynamism in our activities. One may ask, "without thirst for karma phala, where is the motivation to act ?" Karma phala is the result of an action. Does the result of an action come before the action, or at the time of the action, or after the action? Do you pass the exam before the exam, or in the examination hall, or days and months after the exam? Do you harvest before sowing, or at the time of the sowing, or some months after sowing? The "result of an action" can come only after the action!

We are great people, no doubt, but we cannot now act in the past, nor can we now act in the future. I have to wait until yesterday becomes today, then only can I act! We can act only in the present. The "result of an action" will come only afterwards, and therefore belongs to future periods of time. When I am working and functioning today, if I waste my mental vitality and intelligence in becoming anxious over the fruits of my actions (which means the unknown future), I am dissipating my mental vitality. My present action becomes incompetent, in every way confused, and an incompetent, slip-shod work of today can never yield great results tomorrow !

What is wrong then when the Geeta teaches us that when we are acting in the present, lift our minds from all fields of its dissipation. Dissipation in the mind over the past is called "ego". Dissipation in the mind about the future is called "desire ' for the fruit". Without dissipating the mind's vitality, either with memories of the past or anxieties for the future, plunge yourself into the present field of action with all your

dynamism, then the action cannot ever fail. Think. Man is made to win and succeed, not to lose and fail.

But when the selfishness is fattened, the ego gets bloated and everyone becomes anxious to get greater profit than all others, without putting forth any effort. The result is, not only you get disintegrated in your personality and your efficiency grows low, but that the team spirit in the community is broken. To detach myself from the past (the ego) and the future (the anxiety for the selfish self), and to bring my mind into the present and apply it vigorously to the piece of work at hand, is the answer given by those masters who discovered, lived, and were alive - to the mechanics of work. When your work is centered in the present, you outshine your own abilities. When the mind is not wandering into the past or the future, but is where your hands are working, you are at a new level of consciousness, in which work becomes "inspired activity".

Masterpieces are never repeated. No artist can repeat his masterpiece. Such splendid work comes through the artist, he cannot produce a similar one again. The artist will have to confess: "I did it; but I cannot do the same again; it came through me at that time when I was in a special mood."

He was then not himself. He was not himself - his ego. He was not wasting himself remembering the past, nor anxious of the future. He became, as it were, one with the beauty of the theme, and in that inspired mood he accomplished it.

Every one of us, at some inspired moments, does our work joyously. Many of us would like to admit in ourselves that that piece of work "came through me, I did not do it" because it was not an egocentric action; the action bubbled out of him. This is what happens when you live and work in inspired moods. Not only does such a piece of work outshine our own ability, but it is supremely rewarding to the performer. You feel already rewarded by the work itself, the sheer joy that floods through your bosom transcends all imagination. A majority of us do not realize this, and, therefore, we work "for wages". Wages, however much you may get, do not and cannot satisfy us. We feel no satisfaction, because there is no inner sense of fulfillment arising out of all our effort.

The selfless work you do becomes spectacularly beautiful and rewarding to the community and society. Thus, you are rewarded, your work becomes splendid, and the society and the community, nay, the world around really gets benefited by such truly selfless work. This is the reason why every prophet's work blesses people for generations. They, in their own times, seem to have done almost very little, but as centuries roll by, they gather a strange and mysterious momentum of their own. Compare it with the work of a Stalin, or a Hitler or a Mao. All of them also worked.

But when they died, the world immediately rejected them. Their graves were opened up! The very monuments built upon their tombs were pulled down in anger and hatred !

Prophets were people who worked without organizations or modern methods of communication, and with no sophisticated propaganda machinery. These mighty prophets, true "masters of work", even 2500 years after their death, are still moving people, shaping the hearts of people. Why? I am not trying to tell you that they worked at a spiritual level; but we can understand at our own intellectual level that their minds and intellects had not a trace of ego. They wanted nothing, expected nothing, demanded nothing, and desired nothing but the sheer joy of serving. They did it all in Love. And you see the secret dynamism in such work of pure, selfless love.

And in our life, we live just the opposite. At all levels, in all professions, we have become the most notorious people in the world, extremely selfish, totally unconcerned for others. When you have this kind of citizen, there is neither a city nor citizen. This is not the way to live. This way we are only bringing about disintegration again and again. Our communal vitality is lost; we are becoming a population that is all.

A geographical area where a population lives is called a country. A geographical area where a people live is called a nation. By merely mentioning the work "national", as in national integration, national progress, or national program, we. do not become a nation. An area becomes a nation when a people come to live and strive therein; a land where a population survives is not a nation. How are we to turn a population into a people? This is nation-building, and thereafter we can accomplish all economic and political plans most effectively for the development of our society.

But where is the nation today? It is a geographical area no doubt, where a confused society or a population is living. To bring about that harmony, not at the physical level, but a harmony of thought, harmony of goal, harmony of inspiration, is to build a nation. This is based on scientific truths, rational and consistent. The nation-building should necessarily have a goal for the whole nation, with which each one can get himself inspired. It is only with such a devoted goal in life that we can surrender our ego and our selfish desires, rise above them and come to live like angels upon the earth; in such a community, in the highest spirit of inspired joy, everyone can work and grow in mutual happiness.

Why serve? It is for you to realize now.

Interview with Swami Chinmayananda By

David Snow, Associate Features Editor, The UCSD Guardian,

University of San Diego, San Diego, CA.

During Swamiji's University Tour in 1992, when he was speaking at the University of California, San Diego, he was interviewed by the university newspaper, The UCSD Guardian. The following are excerpts from his interview.

David Snow: May I record this conversation ?

Swami Chinmayananda: I say nothing in secret.

DS: Your literature says that your teachings will lead to a greater appreciation of all religions of the world. How could this be ?

SW: Because the difference is only in the ritual or the shape of your house of God. A temple is not like a church; a church is not like a mosque. A Mullah looks totally different from a Father, and both of them are totally different from the pundit. The rituals, the altar, these are all different. But all have an altar. And all go there to try to quiet their minds in devotion and reverence.

DS: Do you think that doctrinal differences are important ?

Swathes are only important because of the different types of students. The prophets were not interested in immortalizing their own words or books. They were anxious to care for the students who were in front of them. They toned down their explanations to suit the acceptance of the students. Thus, when Jesus was talking, it was not that he never understood . . . the higher principles of life, but it so happened that his audience consisted of poor, humble, simple fishermen of Galilee. So his audience was so elementary that he tried to explain his message in an elementary way. Just as

in the classroom, the teacher may know higher physics, but he will not use it in order to come down to the level of the students....

In the case of Buddhism, Buddha was addressing the highest type of intelligent (student), and therefore Buddhism is of a much higher order. So each master, when his time comes, addresses the community in front of him. And therefore the scriptures and the approaches appear to be different.

DS: And Vedanta is the one principle of truth encompassing all other religions?

SW: Exactly.

DS: As the world becomes more complicated, are people becoming more interested or less interested in your message ?

SW: The world is not complicated. It is man who is complicated. The world and the sun and the moon and the stars are not complicated. The plant kingdom and the animal kingdom are not complicated. What is changing is that man is a stupid man. All the sorrows that you are seeing in the world, including the disturbances in ecology, are not because the world is bad, but because our minds are impure. Too much lawlessness, covetousness, hatred, jealousy, greed, passion, and lust are in our minds. And therefore we disturb the equilibrium and balance of nature around us.

DS: But do you think that as this condition worsens, people are turning to religion or away from it ?

SW: Nature is trying to give you more and more doses of sorrow, hoping that your rational intellect will make you pause for a moment and study. You know that in the 80's and in the 70's animal lust was rampant in this country. Boy and girl, girl and boy--you know that sort of thing. Man could not have corrected it. Rules could not have corrected it.... Who do you think made us have AIDS? Nature aided mankind. Once AIDS came, suddenly the whole country became morally strong. It is one of the greatest sorrows of this country, of the younger generation. Once that has come, morality, though artificial, has suddenly come to the country. Nobody is confident of the other. The boy is suspicious of the girl; the girl is equally suspicious of the boy.

DS: What popular philosophies today do you find most damaging to humans ?

SW: The practice of whipping up your desires. Each individual trying to fulfill all his desires-- his selfish desires. And there is no society. Each individual is separate from all the others.... The father wants his satisfaction; the mother equally wants it as well as the child. Selfless love is the remedy.

DS: Do you find this selfishness particularly intense in the United States?

SW: No. It is universal today ... Because nobody is telling anybody - in your University, did they ever tell you ? - that you must rise above selfishness and be human ? They will never say it, because it is not in the textbook. So all we have are institutes where instructors come and give you some data and information [about] ... [But] how do they feed the inner nature of man to bring him the better and higher values--[to have] the higher possibilities come out of him ? You are only told that you need a job by which you then get your own livelihood. No morality, no ethics, no principles.

So the world has become lawless. No compassion, no tenderness, no mercy. We are taught that might is right, that if you have a gun, it doesn't matter what happens to other human beings. That sort of a civilization of muggers is not really one that can bring about peace and prosperity. Today, open the world map, close your eyes, and put your finger anywhere. In any of the areas [you touch], you will find there is a war going on. To bring about . . . peace and tranquility, the values of life must be changed. [We must study] the mighty men who have formed society. How did they live ? In what spirit of sacrifice did they live so that they could serve others ? Life's goal should not be to acquire and possess and keep and enjoy for yourself but [to see] how much you're giving to society....

DS: Do you find Americans to be very spiritual people ?

SW: They are potentially very spiritual. But at this moment ...

[laughter] they are never given a chance.

DS: Are they spiritual compared to the Europeans ?

SW: Americans are very bright. They have a hunger to know these things. When you explain it, they give all their attention and grasp the idea. But alas, even if they got the idea, they don't have the ability to live it. Why ? Temptations.

DS: Where are temptations the strongest? The United States ?

SW: All developed nations. I won't say in America only. What about Germany ? What about Paris ? What about London ? All developed, nations have these temptations all lain out. These temptations are also coming to the developing nations in Asia, to India and to Arabia also. But they have a spiritual background already and a large majority of people are still living the ancient values.

DS: If you could give one piece of advice to a frustrated and unhappy student, what would it be ?

SW: Tell the students, whatever they are doing, please bring their minds where their hands are working. You don't put your minds with your hands, and so economically America is going down. Attention is always wandering. You do one thing, but your mind is at least 10 kilometers away. So you are an automatic and mindless creature.

DS: Is that the secret of success--bringing your mind to your hands ?

SW: Not only to success, but to genius. Why it is that Einstein was such a genius? When he was in the laboratory, his mind was totally there; therefore his excellence in performance... When the mind of an individual is distracted, his efficiency goes down, and he is marked for failure in life. If such people constitute a community, that community cannot [have] pride. If it is a nation ... [laughter], it is doomed to disaster.

Message to the World's Parliament of Religions Swami Chinmayananda

To build a new edifice with fresh materials is comparatively easier than to repair an old, neglected palace, ruined by time and disuse. The mother of all religions, Hinduism, has a very firm foundation and a strong edifice, built with an extreme sense of beauty with many artistically built-in surprises. But for more than 1,500 years it has been neglected, abused, and misused, so that in spite of its heavily built charms and artistic proportions, today it stands as an ugly dilapidated Temple of Truth. To repair and rebuild the fallen columns is the work that is now facing the Hindu community.

In this ugly edifice, living together packed in its limited living space, the occupants feel no more any pride in their sacred home, nor do they feel any comfort and satisfaction to be under its leaking roofs. It is commodious enough to house all spiritually minded religious people in the whole world when once it is fully repaired and rebuilt. This should demand the cooperation and the involvement of every Hindu family. Can we inspire the necessary heroism in the hearts of all and the necessary muscle in the Hindu body politic? No doubt, we cannot. But all that we need now is only small groups of inspired Hindu youth working in every district of the country, with vigor and determination, demonstrating to all onlookers the great vision of a united, awakened, Hindu community, determined to discover a total Hindu renaissance.

The tradition of the world is that people come together in a spirit of cooperation only in the political and economic fields, but never in the fields of social revival, nurtured by a purely selfless sense of reverence to the past. If we can thus bring about such pockets of inspired activities, the millions of Hindus in India will draw a new inspiration and start their own seva independently, in their own individual environments.

Will the Hindu youth come forward to suffer and strive for rebuilding their own community, and therefore their own nation?

Just because you have accepted me as your President, you cannot sit back and hope that this sick, old man will accomplish any spectacular magic. Every community will have to lift itself by itself. The necessary inspiration is to bloom forth in the heart of

each sincere worker. They must draw their inspiration from their clear understanding of the goal towards which they are all putting forth their efforts.

This we must achieve! We can achieve it! No doubt, we will achieve!

With Prem and Om,

Thy Own Self

Letters - Q & A

People from all walks of life wrote letters to Swamiji, asking various questions about vedanta and spirituality. He would promptly answer each and every letter with great precision and minor details. One wonders, from where did he find time out of his busy schedule to reply to everyone? Not only did he reply, but he also understood and answered each of the questions seriously, according to the quest of the seekers, with a love of divine mother and Guru. Swamiji's letters are like a book on vedanta which he, the Master, preached relentlessly for over 44 years. The Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT) has compiled some letters in book form called "Vedanta Through Letters" Vol. I and II.

Here we have presented three randomly selected letters of general interest from the book. Periodically we will change them. It is our earnest hope that after reviewing them you will find swamiji's approach and vedanta appealing enough to induce you to take up further studies of spirituality and vedanta. You will find Swamiji's books and video very helpful to guide you in this endeavor. You can order your copy of "Vedanta Through letters" from Chinmaya Publications. Phone# (215) 396-0390

Questions:

Should Sanyasin go back to his kutia in Himalayas?

Why should I make a second mistake?

Does religion have answer for abject poverty in India?

Q: A SANYASI'S only work is to be in SAMADHI. He must remain in his humble KUTIA! Why do you come to the towns and cities? Go back to your KUTIA in the Himalayas. Meditate and pray for us, the SAMSARINS, and for the world, the SAMSARA. (Writes Sri Chandramohan Sen from Calcutta.)

A:

Priya Atman, Immortal Self!

Black flags cannot frighten a Sadhu; rather he welcomes every black flag waving, every curse, and every insult! To a true Sanyasin respect, adoration, worship, prostrations -- these are terrible trials; for, these are nourishments to the never-dying

Ego. The rebirth of Ego within is the fall of the Sanyasin. So then, wave thy black flag aloft; cry down the efforts of the Sadhus. But to send them back to their Kutias there is only one method; be thyself perfect. Get out of the Samsaric mire. Wipe your face clean. Spread cheerful smiles of joy where today there are ugly tears of sorrow! And the Mahatma goes back to the Kutia; but not till then!!

Now to your letter in more details. Not even the Sruti has dared to lay down rules for the Sanyasins of realization. To say that a Sanyasi aught to do this or that, and to declare certain don'ts for a saint is like promulgating state-ordinance for the convenience of a handful of law-makers!! A Sanyasi knows no law; he is beyond all laws; he has so completely renounced his "I-ness" that what he does is the expression of the Divine Will. Perfected Saints alone are the Executive Officers of the Absolute Will.

Yet, sympathetically understanding the general import of your letter, Chinmaya answers your doubt. It would appear that you are against Sanyasins crowding the cities and towns, and thus falling off from the traditional grand mummy-description of the Jatadhari saints in the Himalayas doing Tapas or sitting in Samadhi.

Great indeed is the loss -- it is true. A Sanyasi among the masses trying to bless the generation through Seva is doing only a fraction of what he could bring about by the spiritual waves of Divine influence generated during his hours of meditation. Yet -- Priya Sowmya, the Sadhu in meditation is only one part of the whole; the other part is a receptive world of Samsarins.

The world today has become gross. People have so completely turned materialistic that they in their preoccupations with the hourly tussle in life -- in their sweating strife to earn and maddening hurry to spend -- in their extraordinary lust and bloated greed -- in their vulgar selfishness and colossal vanities -- in their stupid values and thoughtless pursuits, they have come to find neither the leisure nor the capacity to wait for, tune in and receive the subtle Divine Waves that the Himalayas beam out perpetually upon them!! If Chinmaya comes to you in the city the "Himagiri Station" is not off from the air; it is a 24-hour relay broadcast station.

Probably your radio knowledge will make this idea more clear to you. The Delhi Broadcasting Station is everyday on the air; if Chinmaya cannot receive it here in his Kutia it is because he has not the radio receiving-set with him. But, because of his not hearing the music, to deny radio waves in the ether above his Kutia is but a colossal stupidity and a lamentable ignorance!! Have a radio-set, tune in to the required wave-length, and thus intercept the ether waves. Similarly, the Mahatmas in Samadhi are even to-day sending out, day and night, Spiritual Waves of Light, Power, Wisdom and Grace; but the gross generation is not receiving them. To teach

them to become receivers so as to tune themselves at will to the various required wavelengths is the urgent need of the times, if we are to avert the imminent catastrophe to the rational animal called Man.

The ulcerated world has to be taught as to how to expose their seriously affected head and heart to the curative spiritual rays of the Himalayas. This is the exclusive job of the specialists -- the Sanyasins. They alone can do it; they alone have the knowledge and experience in this Religion of Real Living. Chinmaya is down amidst you, only to help you, to serve you, to save you.

Once you have learned the art of living the Inner Life of Perfection you shall become the powerful receiver that you really are. Then Chinmaya shall go back to meditate and pray for the Samsarins and the Samsar. Now the Sadhus' prayers of "Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu" are futile. Honestly, you have become worse than the rock that forms the wars of the Sadhu's cave. For, even the rock, bearing the cave in which Vasishta in his time lived and meditated is famous today. Vasishta Guha, 18 miles higher up from Rishikesh, is attracting pilgrims -- because that rock had the Sat-sang of the Mahatma in Samadhi, and gained in its glory. People have become grosser than the Vasishta Guha stones! Now allow Chinmaya to serve you please!

Hope the letter is clear. The theme is so grave that it refuses to be treated in a mere letter form. These are ideas --merely suggested. You must ponder over them, analyze, scrutinize and dive deeper into their bottomless treasure- house of rich significance.

Q: Swamiji, I am 38 now. If what you say be true I have made a terrible mistake in that I depended upon relations, husband, children, money, home, friends and sense objects, and “the outer world" as you say, for my happiness. Now your call is to "detach" from these and take to God. Yes, I shall. But how am I to know that the Swami, who is preaching the New Values now is right and the world that taught me the false values is wrong? Don't you see, Swamiji, I can't afford to make yet another mistake. (Requests Sreemati Manorama from Muzzafarnagar, U.P.)

A:

Priya Atman! Om Namasivaya!

Your marvelous question. Chinmaya admires your intelligence and courage. The aspirant in you has with the questions, proved herself, to be a worthy student. How few have your honesty to open up their sincere doubts. Bravo! Never, never hesitate to approach a Mahatma with all your doubts. Doubts are the various milestones on pilgrim's path to Truth, and once all of them are covered he has reached the Truth.

Dear mother, you have slightly hastened to conclude that you have this doubt! Had you yet an unshaken faith in `the world that taught me the false values' you would not have cared at all to pen this letter. Your own experiences have proved to you that at the moment of your great trials the `false values' did not protect you. They deserted you and you found yourself helpless in your despairs!

So then, the world and its values are not reliable. This, you know from your own bitter experiences. The Swami is offering you another set of values, and declares that all these that we perceive through our senses, mind and intellect constitute the Great Grand Game of the Lord who is seated in our own hearts. It is admirable of you to ask so candidly, `how am I to know you are right!'

Certainly you "can't afford to make yet another mistake" and you should not. That is the anxiety of the Srutis and the Smritis when they with loving insistence force us to detach ourselves from the false changing values of life and command us to accept the True Eternal Values of LIFE.

The Life Divine is today an unknown thing to you. It is a distant Land and a life that looks strange and bewildering when compared to the present dreamland of the Samsara. Now, how to ascertain whether the life in that unexplored, little-known world of Godliness, is more perfect than the painful existence here, now?

The recent war would be the best analogy for you. You know that there was a war in Europe some years ago, don't you? You know that the Germans fixed their flags all over the continent and half through Poland. You know that they were at last defeated by the Allies. You know of the great discovery, the atom bomb, and how maliciously inhuman it is, to use it in war. You know that the world's Gold is cornered now in America; that.....and so on. You have known all these, haven't you?

Yet, you have seen nothing of these: You have experienced nothing of the pains of the defeat or the joys of the victory. Yet you know it all-HOW?

"From newspaper reports; and, the entire community of people around me believed it, talked of it, discussed daily upon its implications. I had seen wounded soldiers and heard their stories. Moreover we are even today experiencing its distant shocks in our day-to-day financial, social and political life." -- Is this not your answer?

If this be your answer, you have correctly enumerated the usual sources of all knowledge as (1) personal experience or personal contact of people who had the experience, (2) reports of experiences lived by others, (3) company of believers and their daily discussions.

In the Life Divine too the sources of proof and knowledge cannot but be the same.

Sat-Sang is the company of believers and listening and reacting to their daily discourses.

Saints and Sages have given their reports to us in every scripture and religion of the world -- some rare giants of heroism had, at intervals in the History of Man, visited the thick of the Experience and had come back to report to the world of what they saw, heard, lived and experienced in the Land of the Beyond.

You sought the wounded soldiers; similarly, seek and you shall find, even around you some who face their daily life, with a smile and a mysteriously charming courage. Talk to them with as much sympathy and true sincerity as you did when you warmed yourself into the confidences of the disabled soldiers. You will then hear from these rejuvenated champions of the Life Divine, their own experiences in the new world of Devotion to God, unknown to you.

Along with these (Sat-Sang, study of scriptures, listening to the true messages of devotees and their experiences) if you start yourself living the Divine Life, then yours shall be the daily experience of the blessings of the Lord even in your simple domestic life.

The abuses of others would then be but a rare music -- Divine Sweetness to your ears!

The pains of life automatically turn into the Joy of Existence in the Devotees' hearts!

Despairs turn into fulfillment of hopes at the magic touch of selfless love of God.

Bereavement and losses might blow wild, blasting and wrecking everything around you; but, you would be ever living quietly in a safe island, undisturbed by these storms, You will Rediscover yourself as even enjoying the scenes of life's captivating strength and ferocity.

In short, a Divine Lifer lives in the world; but he is not of it.

A true "Divine-Lifer" is a holiday maker upon this planet; he merely looks on and observes the life and its joys and sorrows as lived by the Natives. In himself he lives, rarely identifying him self with his surroundings. The joys of the world are not his -- the sorrows of the world he knows not.

He, the Divine Lifer, knows that his is only a pleasure trip to this strange globe of impermanence where a mad Emperor, His Majesty Ego, runs wild among the fantasies of his own deranged brain and laughs and weeps alternatively!

Now that you are here, won’t you like to enjoy the sights of this magic-land? You sought a mental identity with H. M. Ego, and you are now as much mad as the mad Emperor. Take some rest. Regain your breath. At the refreshing waters of devotion comfort yourself. Om Shanthi! Shanthi!! Shanthi!!!

As you cool down you will realize for yourself what a sad, tragic, stupendous mistake you had made. To be again the holiday maker is to love the Real LIFE . . . The life of a Jivan Muktha. To dance in the embrace of the Mad Ego is to sigh and weep the days of life! . . . the Life of a Samsarin. Make your choice. Now, here.

You must be in a position to know whether you are actually living a mistake, or would be living a mistake if you accept the Swami and his "New Values."

Please give yourself a chance. Don't condemn yourself to remain in the wretched dung-ridden, back-yard of life.

Start Japa Kirtan and Mantra-writing as already advised and come up the ladder of perfection to enter the Hall of joy -- LIFE. Om Namasivaya. Om. Om. Om. Om. Om.

Q: What is religion's answer to abject poverty in this country (India)?

A:

Jai Jai Jagadeeswara! Salutations!!

Recently, due to a terrible stomach pain, I got into a taxi to reach Dr. Rama Rao to consult with him. The taxi man assured me that he knows Rama Rao well and took me to his house. While the taxi was madly rushing through the gate, I did look out and read the board of 'Rama Rao. With full confidence, I entered the house. The secretary informed me that Rs. 25 is the consultation fee. I paid the money. She guided me to his room. When she left, I elaborately explained my problem, and Rama Rao patiently listened to it all. Then he got up from his seat and held the door open. I walked out and he followed me. I was sure that he was taking me to the porch and, with a pleasant smile on his face, with his long, pointed fingers he stretched out his arm and showed me the opposite house across the road and said, "Swami, that is Dr. Rama Rao. I am Lawyer Rama Rao."

I lost my Rs. 25, but I was grateful to him, because had he prescribed the medicine, I would have faithfully followed him, and perhaps would have come to a great tragedy.

My dear Latha, why are you bringing economic, social, and political problems to the doors of religion? What can Mother Sruti do, except stretch out her wrinkled arm and show to you the politician and the economist, and say that, "'I am in charge of values, but they are responsible for the arrangement of things and beings in the world"?

I know that you are completely despaired of the politician and the economist, that you have no faith in them, that you are convinced that they are useless. But they are not available for the discussion, while this poor Swami is available. Therefore, you are sending out your kicks meant for them, care of me. My answer is that, "I am out . of station, address "Not known."

With Prem and Om

Thy Own Self,

Swami Chinmayananda.

YOU, ME & GOD

"Swamiji, I don't believe in God"…….

It was a young man, modern, tight pants, tobacco pipe stuck at waist, trim thin moustache. He spoke English with an Americanized drawl, and was evidently one of our university products, with higher education abroad. Sophisticated, to the points of his pointed toes.

Swamiji beamed. "Excellent!" With a broad welcoming smile, nodding his head slowly, Swamiji continued: "That's fine. I like you. You are the man I have wanted to meet. I like your outspokenness. You are intelligent and you think independently. You have the courage to speak out your conviction, straight from the shoulder, as they say. Now come, WHAT KIND of GOD is it that you don't believe in?"

The young man, who had made his statement about his non-believing, with a little hesitation, probably at his own audacity at denying GOD before a God-man, was pleasantly surprised at Swamiji's cordial tone and benign smile, and, feeling encouraged, went on:

"This God, who sits above the clouds, and judges men, and dispenses favors and punishments by remote-control, at his own sweet will, don't you think Swamiji, it is all hocus pocus?"

Swamiji laughed. "Shake hands, young man. I am entirely with you. Now, we are two, together. I too, don't believe in THAT KIND OF GOD. But........hmm, did you have breakfast before coming?"

"Yes, Swamiji."

"Well, What did you have for breakfast?"

"The usual things, porridge, toast, scrambled eggs, coffee...."

"Eggs. That's nice. Eggs! Now, where did the eggs come from Ram, that's your name isn't it?"

Ram, with his brows raised, feeling that Swamiji was leading upto something, said: " I don't exactly know, probably one of those new poultry farms near

Poona".

Swamiji: "I don't mean that. How are eggs made? Do they grow in fields, or are they made in factories?"

"Simple. I think you are trying to pull my legs, but all the same I'll answer you. Hens, of course. Hens lay eggs, you know!" Ram said with an air of flippancy. Nodding his head, up and down, thoughtfully, Swamiji Continued: " I see, I see, so the eggs come from hens. Now where do the hens come from?"

Ram, an intelligent man, could see the trap he was being led into. He started saying: "Of course from.....". Then wide eyed, looked at Swamiji silently. Swamiji smiled: "So, eggs come from hens, hens come from eggs, which again come from other hens, and so on, ad-infinitum. Can you, Ram, say with any certainty, which was the first cause? Egg or hen? How and why?

Swamiji, now addressing all the devotees present, went on: "You see, God is not just a person or individual, sitting in a palace above the clouds, dispensing favors. It stands to reason that every effect must have had a cause prior to it. The watch that you are wearing did not make itself. Your breakfast did not cook itself. There was a cause, in each case. The cause must have emerged from a previous cause. GOD is now the first cause. The sole cause. The UNCAUSED CAUSE. There was no cause before Him. He is the oldest, the most ancient, He was before TIME. The Sanaatanah, the Puraanah. This `Causation hunting' is the favorite pastime of the evolving human intellect -- trying to trace everything to its ultimate origin. That which is beyond the point at which the intellect gets stalled, is G-O-D. The intellect cannot come to a conclusion as to the ultimate cause as in the age - old example of the hen and the egg. `Thus far -- not farther' is the limitation of the capacity of the human intellect."

Ram was flushed with excitement. He was thrilled. In a faltering voice he asked " There does seem to be something in what you say, Swamiji. Am I to understand that THAT is God?"

"That, which you now speak of as GOD, my boy, the Muslim calls Allah; the Christian refers to as "My father in Heaven"; the Parsee as Ahura Mazda. These are a few of the different ways in which HE or IT is referred to, but all are referring to the SAME SUPREME PRINCIPLE. The cause behind all causes. The source of all that was, now is, and ever will be. The Vedas refer to it as BRAHMAN, the Absolute, and the infinite. THE TRUTH IS ONE. THE WISE SPEAK OF IT VARIOUSLY."

" But, Swamiji, the description does not seem to be complete. Is that all that God is? How can one come to know Him?"

"Now, you are really getting somewhere. I have not `described' God. He cannot be described. To define is Him is to defile Him. What I pointed out only constitutes one way, one manner, of approaching the Truth. It is just one aspect. Now, Your second question asks `How can one come to know Him?'

`Know him!' He cannot be `known' as you know this table or this chair or your wife or your pipe. He is not an object of the intellect. He is the VERY SUBJECT. Have you heard of the great disciple of the Kenopanishad who approached the Master and enquired :"Revered Sir, What is IT, directed by which the mind cognizes objects, the eyes see, the ears hear and so on?' The master cryptically answered :"It is the eye of the eye; the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind'. In fact It is the VERY Subject that enables the eyes to see, the ear to hear etc. It is not an object of the senses or the Mind or the Intellect. Hence, to answer your question, I have to tell you that you cannot make God an object of Knowledge. An example will elucidate the idea. You are walking along a dark country road at night, occasionally illuminating

your path with the aid of a battery torch; you want to know how the torch gives light; you unscrew the torch, you will not be able to see the battery cells, as the bulb will not emit light unless powered by the battery of cells. Similarly, the eyes, the ears, the mind and the intellect, all of which get

their own power to function from the LIFE PRINCIPLE, cannot understand IT as an object. God is thus conceived of as the life principle, in every one."

The audience sat spell bound listening to Swamiji, exposition of a difficult vedantic truth in easy lucid style.

"Then Swamiji, you say that God or Truth is something abstract that cannot be seen or heard or touched -- or even thought of. Am I right?"

" You are very much right. In fact, God is all this and much more. The Bhagawad Geeta says: `Weapons cleave It not; fire burns It not; water wets It not; wind dries It not. This self cannot be cut, nor burnt nor wetted nor dried.' It is not material; It is not matter, understand."

"Why did you `Self'?"

"The Supreme, Life Principle, is also the SELF in you, in me and in everybody. It is the innermost core of your personality. The popular misconception is that `man is a

body, with a soul'. That it is not correct. The Truth is that `Man is THE SOUL, in a body'. He is eternal. The role of the body is likened to a worn out garment that is discarded by the wearer at

his will." Now, the other members of the audience who had been listening with awe and reverence, took the opportunity to clear their doubts.

"Swamiji, if God cannot be seen or thought of, is an abstraction, is there any significance to idol worship?"

"Of course there is a lot. When your dear son is in America, and you cannot see him whenever you want, do you or do you not get solace by looking at his photograph? You do know that the photo IS NOT YOUR SON, but only a piece of paper with various tones of grey, but it reminds you of your beloved boy and his great love for you. So also the idols in temples are to remind the devotees of the ideal, the Supreme. Since the human mind cannot conceive of a formless Supreme, God is conceived of in the form as represented by an idol. To the earnest devotee, the idol appears as a living embodiment of his Lord, and he goes into ecstasy at its sight. It is, however, necessary to remember that the idol is NOT God, but represents God."

" Why is it, Swamiji, that as in Christianity or Islam, a particular day of the week is not earmarked in Hinduism for temple worship?"

At this question, Swamiji drew himself up, straightened and roared at the top of His voice; " HINDUISM IS NOT A PART TIME RELIGION." He then explained at length that aspiration to associate with divinity cannot be restricted to any particular time." Have you heard of the school boy who said that `the earth is round on Sundays and flat on other days'? So also, a man cannot be made to be divine on Sundays and devilish on all other days. (Maybe, most of us are that way!)

So constant practice, frequent association with the good etc., are needed. The temple visits and worship should elevate the mind of the seeker and help him to keep his mind in a higher plane. He should also take other steps to continue the purification of the mind at all times of the day, at home, in the office, at the market place."

"What is a pure mind, Swamiji?"

"A pure mind is one which is calm, free from agitations. Agitations are caused mainly by our likes and dislikes and desires. Desires spell disaster, fulfilled or frustrated. Mahatma Gnadhi was very fond of the `Sthitha Pragna' portion of the second chapter of the Bhagawad Geeta, in which the causes and consequences of desire are most graphically described. It is the ladder of fall:

"When a man thinks of objects, attachments for them arises; from attachment, desire is born; from desire (unfulfilled) arises anger; from anger comes

delusion; from delusion loss of memory, the destruction of discrimination; from destruction of discrimination he perishes."

Swamiji added: " The Lord also points out then the three great entrances to hell are lust, anger and greed."

One in the audience asked: "I have read a good deal Swamiji, I also have convictions. Yet, to put these values in practice is my problem."

Swamiji "This was exactly Arjuna's problem. The Lord advised him, Recognize your real enemies. They are desire and anger, born of passionate nature, all devouring and sinful'. Knowing your enemies will enable you to destroy them. Knowing your weaknesses, you will make efforts to discard them. Once you locate a dead rat in your wardrobe, that was emitting foul odor, you will promptly pick it up by the tail and throw it as far away as possible."

"Our sastras have laid down a clear-cut procedure. The three - fold practice consists of Sravana, Manana and Nidhidhyasana - Hearing is not in one-ear-out-the other, `It is attentive listening to discourses on our great scriptures (including reading them), contemplating on the ideas contained therein, and lastly meditation. Many people come and tell me that they have gone through the Geeta many times. I tell them `Let the Geeta go through you once at least. It will do you more good.' Not just hearing or reading but absorption of the great ideas contained therein, assimilating them, and living those values will alone produce a radiance in the life of an individual. Proper understanding, and correct attitudes are important. For example, we often meet the allegation that Hinduism is an `out-of-the world religion' meant only for the recluse. The spirit of Hinduism is not understood by those who say this. Wealth is not taboo for the seeker, but the constant craving for wealth IS. Property is not prohibited, but one is enjoined to use it in the service of society.

The vedantic concept of renunciation has nothing to do with have or have-not, in a physical sense; it means the attitude of non-attachment. The classical example of our ancient lore is that of Emperor Janaka, living in the luxury of a palace, but still considered such a great saint and sage that great aspirants went to him for guidance.

If you ask me `how to start', my answer is `Just start'. when? Now~

Today is the best day. A better day will not come.

The greatest master who lived and worked for the cause of religion in India, Adi Sankara, has laid down the prescription:

"Bhagawad Geeta and Vishnu Sahasranama are to be chanted; always the form of the Lord of Lakshmi is to be meditated upon. The mind is to be led towards the company of the good. wealth is to be shared with the needy.

Now, many people wait for retirement to take to religion. They will never take to it, because they will have new problems in the way.

"There goes the lunch time bell. All of you please have prasad at the annakshetra before you go."

Hari om! Hari Om!! Hari Om!!!

Chinmay Activity for people

Balvihar (Play groups for Children for their cultural growth)

"The purpose of Balavihar is to impart values to the children and art of right thinking among the youth."

The greatest boon given by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda to the younger generation is Balavihar. Balavihar provides a spiritual and cultural orientation to the children of the modern age. The rationale of the Balavihars as elucidated by Pujya Gurudev in the "March of the future" talk is summarized below:

• To train the children and inculcate in them the reverence for our ancient

culture, and inspire them to live up to it with correct understanding.

• To create self-confidence to serve and act cheerfully.

• To generate a true affection in all contacts, inculcate personal discipline and a

true spirit of leadership.

• To mould their capacity to express and assert their individuality.

• To bring out their dormant faculties and detect defects; cultivate and improve

their creative abilities.

• To help children to develop a healthy resistance against temptations in the

atmosphere in which they grow.

• To provide an atmosphere to grow with noble ideals, healthy emotions and

physical discipline.

Adult Study Groups

The most important follow-up measure of the Gnana Yagnas is the Study Group program. The basic concept of the Study Group is to study the scriptures by those who have curiosity/thirst to benefit from the perennial wisdom of the Rishis.

A group of 1O- 15 like minded people get together at a place, time and day mutually agreed upon for 90 minutes a week for a systematic study of the scriptural texts prescribed in the Study Group Scheme by Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda after testing its validity over several years.

What is read or heard, in order to take root, must be thought over (tat chintanam). The test of clear thinking is in the ability to express our thoughts clearly (tat kathanam). Again, whether our understanding is right and proper, is brought out in the rational and mutual discussion of the Study Group members (anyonya prabodhanam) Thus, to the sincere and diligent student, the Study Group technique provides an opportunity and a forum for gaining a deep and quick perspective of our scriptures. The forum, in the Sat Sangh atmosphere, also fosters and develops brotherly understanding amongst the members and strengthens the "One Family" concept.

Each Study Group member will be allotted a portion in the text. During the subsequent class the Sevak would summarize briefly the proceedings of the last class and request the allotted member to offer his contributions. After the member has finished his contributions/raised questions, the Sevak would request other members for their supplementary contributions on the topic under discussion as also answers to questions raised. Repetition of stanzas and word meanings given in the text under study is essential to become familiar with Sanskrit verses. After the contributions are over, the Sevak, as a member of the class could also make his contributions. Repetitions are to be avoided. After the 90 minutes of class time, the Sevak should punctually close the class with the recitation of the Pledge by all and quietly disperse with "Hari Om". By following the procedure with sincerity and enthusiasm, members would get the cream of wisdom of the text under study by the technique of cooperative thinking.

More than a thousand Study Groups function under the guidance of Chinmaya Mission Centers around the world.

Scheme of Studies Outlined below is a three year "Study Scheme", half an hour a day, listing the order in which the books should be studied. This play systematically builds up, step by step, the fundamentals of Vedanta and provides a firm foundation for the student.

Book First reading per day

Kindle Life 10 pages

Manual of Self-Unfoldment 10 pages

Baja Govindam 4 stanzas

Atma Bodh 3 stanzas

Art of Man-Making (Geeta Talks) 12 pages

Vivekachudamani (1-200 stanzas) 4 stanzas

Meditation and Life 1 chapter

Narada Bhakti Sutras 5 sutras

Geeta Introduction 10 pages

We Must 10 pages

Kenopanishad 2 mantras

Geeta Chapters 1,2,&3 3-5 stanzas

Vivekachudamani (201-300 stanzas) 4 stanzas

Kathopanishad 2 mantras

Dakshinamoorthi Stotram 2 mantras

Geeta Chapters 4,5,&6 3-5 stanzas

Isavasyopanishad 3 mantras

Geeta Chapters 7,8,&9 3-5 stanzas

Mundakopanishad 2 mantras

Geeta Chapters 10 & 11 3-5 stanzas

Kaivalyopanishad 2 mantras

Vivekachudamani (301-583) 4 stanzas

Purusha Sooktam 4 sooktas

Geeta Chapter 12 3-5 stanzas

Taittiriyopanishad 2 mantras

Hymn to Badrinath 5 stanzas

Geeta Chapters 13,14,&15 3-5 stanzas

Aitareyopanishad 2 mantras

Book First reading per day

Geeta Chapters 16&17 3-5 stanzas

Prashnopanishad 2 mantras

Geeta Chapter 18 3-5 stanzas

Iswara Darshan (Tapovanam) 1 chapter

All Geeta Chapters 1-18 5-10 stanzas

Ashtavakra Geeta 3 verses

Mandukya and Karika 2 mantras and read times as you can

Note: All books are available at Chinmaya Mission Centre all over world.

LECTURE IN MEMORY OF

SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA By H.H. Swami Chidananda

President of Divine Life Society

at

Chinmaya Mission Chicago

August 30, 1993

Worshipful homage to the supreme, eternal, universal Spirit Divine, beginning less, endless, cosmic being, whom the ancient vedic Seers and Sages realize in the deepest depths of transcendental meditation. Due to which reason with in Tattwa betas, Brahmagyanis, Jivatunuktas, Mahapurushas after thousands of years, millennia, we still remember the great Vyasa, Vashistha, Yagnavalkya, Parasara in the lineage of Brahma Gyanis, the eternal benefactors of the whole human race, for the good they have done to us with adoration and gratitude.

They are the Adiguru descending from the great Dakshina Moorthy onwards up to Sri Bhagavan Shankarachaya have manifested to keep alive the spiritual living experience of the reality that transcends mind, intellect and speech. That intuitive experience of the Reality, Aparokshanubhuti is the panacea to all worldly afflictions. Alas, without pursuing it, man is destroying man, destroying the earth and making life more and more difficult.

Descending to this planet of ours in that unbroken succession of Guru-sishya-Parampara, down the corridors of century's of revelation after revelation, of this great illustrious luminous lineage, your beloved Guru Bhagavan, Pratah Smaraniya, His Holiness, Sri Swami Chinmayananda Maharaja was illustriously representing this atomic age of ours, keeping it in the same vein of Gyana Yagni which burns to ashes the karma's of countless births and makes a person liberated. Not only did he fill himself with that light and wisdom , but he wanted to share it with everyone.

He preached incessantly for over 44 years doing the greatest dhana (charity). Among the danas however, laudable or praiseworthy they may be in the context of socio-

economic fields and in human life, yet Gyana dhana is the highest as it liberates them forever from any necessity of other kinds of dhanas or fame by making the Paripoorna (complete) and destroys the ever recurring wheels of birth, death, rebirth and death again. That's why Gyanadana is far superior to Anna dhana (food), vastradana (clothes) for or pitridhana (oblation to forefathers). Apara vidya dhana is taktalik (limited utility), not nityaprayogana.. But paravidya dhana is of eternal use. It takes one beyond the scope of time and change.

After gaining which, there is no return. That is what Swamiji Maharaj Chinmayanandaji was doing until his last breath. Giving, giving, giving only. Going in all the directions of the globe, east, west, north, south, orient and occident, both hemispheres. He himself a vast source of Anugraha and Ashirbada, due to the great experience of the pure knowledge. You are the most fortunate recipients of his bounty (krita). He lived a full life and in every respect completed his mission. He left nothing undone. It is for you who have been blessed by being his followers to carry on his mission. May he give you all the necessary strength, peace, inspiration, humility and unity. If all of you live the mission pledge given, you will feel the oneness of a family and united in sharing tasks and carrying out his work. That is the greatest Gurudakshina. That is the greatest practical demonstration of Guru bhakti. May his vision flourish and make him immortal.

We saw that even though the Being whom he loved and the One who loved him, called him back to His heavenly abode, yet he will live through you, work through you and His mission will go onward and onward, progressing by leaps and bounds through you. Just as a son makes a father immortal, tradition makes the Guru immortal. You know Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa attained Mahasamadhi in 1886. Hundreds and thousands herald him. Even today more than a century ago, there is a craze because he has become immortalized by his line of Sanyasis in the Ramakrishna Mission. They bring his message to people and he continues to be a living force through them in Guru-shisya-Parampara. That is your privilege that in your heart there is blessedness.

I have come here not only as his Gurubhai, but also as his friend, I cherish a great love for him. We were together for almost two years with one wall separating two rooms, side by side, in the Shivananda Ashram in 1945 and 46. We are grateful for this privilege. He was a man of great humor. He liked to laugh and make others laugh also. He endeared himself to everyone because he cherished affectionate love for everyone.

Bhagavan declares in the Geeta to Arjuna "That devotee is extremely dear to Me". Though for Lord there is nothing of the sort "dear" or "not dear", nevertheless that devotee is very dear to the Lord who propagates the nectarine words of wisdom, as

told by the Lord, among the masses and brings them to the fold of spirituality. From this we can clearly understand how extremely dear Swami Chinmayanandajii Maharaj is to his Ishta Devata. As a sanyasin, he worshipped Lord Shiva. But in the heart of hearts, he is a Krishna Bhakta. He himself is Balakrishna and Balakrishna Bhakta.

So he extremely endeared himself to the Lord in propagating the message of Bhagavad Geeta, Krishna Bhakti, Bhagavad Bhakti, living a life of Bhagavad prapti. Therefore, when one becomes very dear to someone, that someone does not want that individual to remain far away for a long time sweating, toiling or playing. So the Lord said, "It is enough. You have done a wonderful work in such a wonderful way in bringing people from Preyas to Seyas." Therefore, the Parampita wanted him back to the eternal Goloka where the Lord is sporting with His devotees.

Generally, devoid of abidance in our real swarup, which is Bliss, we identify ourselves with body and mind and slip to the lower states of joy and sorrow. How much the teacher may tell us to raise the consciousness to the higher spiritual level, into the swarupavastha through Upanishads and Geetagyana or upadesha of identification of Jiva-Brahma, yet the power of Maya is such that, while listening to it is OK, but after sometime, man slips back to his old habits of sorrow and misery. So it is the prime duty of the sadhak to lift himself again and again.

It is Maya's job to pull us to the world of joys and sorrows. Teacher's duty is to, instruct the disciple how to go beyond it. Swami Chinmayanandiji has already done his duty so it is only your role to obey and proceed. No secular, educational, power or position will help you in this regard. Swami Vivekananada's Guru, Sri Ramakrishna Pararnaharnsa had not gone to any school. He is from a very small, unknown village in Bengal, had not studied anything. But when his devotion to Mother Kali increased , he became a very powerful instrument in Her hands. By Her grace he became a great spiritual man.

Then he shared his spiritual wisdom in the ordinary village language. The examples he was using were of cows, bullocks, rivers, trees, village ladies going with earthen pitchers on their heads to get drinking water, etc. The village ponds were generally covered with moss. But below that, water is very clean and cool. So to bring water, one had to remove slowly the moss to a distance. After sometimes, the moss again covers the water. Similarly our mind gets veiled by Maya. So by constant and alert Sat vichar that veiling is to be removed till one's mind is completely purified.

Negating the perishable physical body, the restless mind and imperfect intellect, one has to constantly identify with the inner Self which is eternal, pure, non-dual and free from all agitations. This is called Mananam or reflection. If it is done for a period of

time, one gets established in that knowledge. After that, for him there is no birth or death, no joy or sorrow. He becomes ever liberated. After that state is reached, however calamitous may be the situation outside, it cannot have any effect on that individual within.

Due to Swami Chinmayananda Maharaja's incessant love for you and mankind, he was trying to elevate you again and again through his discourses on Bhagavad Geeta, the Upanishads and by conducting yagnas. But due to our habitual error of considering ourselves as human beings, we deliberately keep ourselves away from our true nature. How so ever much the teacher may advise, we slip into that old habit due to lack of personal sadhana and become a victim of sorrows and tribulations. So it is the prime duty of the disciples to strive hard to live the Guru's teachings and become his worthy disciples.

H.H. Swami Chinmayanadiji is a Vedanta kesari, the Geetacharya. He has done a lot for posterity. He is the great revivalist. He had the good fortune of reviving the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya in South India. It is the duty of all his foreign devotees to contribute to that great cause.

Who is born will die one day. Now where is Bhagavan Buddha and Bhagavan Shankara? Even Avataras have to leave the form. Where is Rama or Krishna Avatara? So never be discouraged by the seeming death of the great master. He is always with you. His presence is always there. Fearlessly, all of you go on the path he has shown you. Now the mission is in the hands of worthy disciples. It will prosper manifold.

Let Lord grant you courage and peace. Hari Om, Tat, Sat!

(Compiled)