Prabhat C H INMAYA. Calendar of Events Hari Om. April 16th. April May 1st. May 8th. May 15th. May 22nd

Transcription

1 C H INMAYA Prabhat CMTC VOLUME 1 Issue 1 MARCH 2011 Calendar of Events 2011 March 28th - April 1st Narada Bhakti Sutra by Swami Shantananda ji April 16th Geeta Chanting Competition April Gyana Yagna Swami Sharananda ji May 1st Mother s Day celebrations May 8th Gurudev's Jayanti celebration May 15th Graduation Day & Annual Day May 22nd Annual Banquet July 11-15th CMTC Summer Camp July 29-Aug 3rd Chinmaya Mahasamadhi Family Camp CHICAGO Hari Om On this auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, with Lord s grace and Pujya Gurudev and Guruji s blessings, we are bringing to you the inaugural issue of CMTC e-newsletter Chinmaya Prabhat. All contributions are from our Balvihar children. Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda, says that the best Sadhana, or practice, for any seeker irrespective of age, means, time, and place is Ishwara Naam Smarnam, i.e. constant remembrance of Lord s name. And Shivji our Bhole Baba is easy to please and quick to say Tathaastu in granting our wishes. As our mind turns easily towards that Shivji, the most famous and auspicious Mantra OM NAMAH SHIVAAY comes to our lips. OM the Pranav encompasses the entire existence, NAMAH is to offer prostrations in love, respect and faith and SHIVAAY means the auspicious. Thus when we chant this Mantra, we can imagine the most beautiful, serene, auspicious SHIVJI and strengthen the faith that All is Shiva ; All is Auspicious, All is Well. Our own Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda, began his spiritual sadhana with this and mental upasana, or meditation, of creating Shivji s form in his mind. Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagvad Gita says Among the yogas I am the Japa Yoga. Therefore may our children s contributions inspire us to fill our hearts and minds with constant Japa of OM NAMAH SHIVAAY Hari Om Chinmaya Prabhat Sevaks and Sevikas

2 MAHA SHIVRATRI - THE NIGHT OF AUSPICIOUSNESS Swami Chinmayananda The Supreme State experienced by the mystics, pointed out in all the great scriptures of the world, is the state that has been indicated by a most popular term in Hinduism, 'Shivaratri'. Shiva means auspiciousness, that state of supreme auspiciousness, the state of perfection and beautitude, is a state an individual experiences when all other usual fields of perception are transcended. Just as in the night, when the darkness closes, every object becomes imperceptible to the human eye, a time when the usual world of plurality is blanketed away from our awareness, such moments of pure infinite subjective experience are that which is indicated as Shivaratri. In order that it may come to the masses and the average man may spend time in lifting his mind, turning his mind's attention to the Lord, it has been brought into a very significant ritual, dedicating this day to Lord Shiva. On this auspicious day, seekers rededicate themselves to the subjective science and the pursuit of excellence in their daily lives." Jagdeeshwara Temple in Powai - MUMBAI photograph by Suchit Nanda Balvihar Students Share their Thoughts, Ideas & Creativity Lord Shiva: Favorites Sreeram Satish (Grade 2) When the Chinmaya newsletter was announced I started thinking about my favorite things about Lord Shiva to write an article for the newsletter. But then I also wondered about others opinion about Lord Shiva. So I went around Chinmaya Balvihar asking my friends and teachers different kinds of questions on Lord Shiva. I asked them four different kinds of questions. They were: 1. What is your favorite story on Lord Shiva? 2. What is your favorite quality of Lord Shiva? 3. What is something that Lord Shiva has that you like a lot? 4. What is your favorite song/slokha on Lord Shiva? Almost everybody had different answers to these questions. Very few people gave the same answers. Favorite Story: Couple of people said they liked the story of Shiva and Basmasura, where Shiva granted Basmasura a boon and Lord Shiva had to run away from Basmasura. Some people said they liked the story of Daksha and his yagnya (sacrifice) where Shiva gets insulted by Daksha. One person said they liked the story where Shiva tested His two sons for the mango. Two people liked the story of Shiva meets Parvati where He comes as a fisherman to catch the shark (which is Nandi). Birth of Ganesha story was someone s favorite where Shiva accidentally had to fight His son and bring him back to life. Some liked the part where Lord Shiva drinks the Halahala poison during the Churning of the Ocean. My favorite is where Shiva tested Arjuna before giving him the Pashupatastra to be used to destroy his arch rival Karna. Favorite Quality: When asked What do you like about Lord Shiva? What is something that He does?, the most common answer was Peaceful (saatvik) or Meditative state, His quiet state of mind, and that He represents peace and serenity. Couple of people said that their favorite quality of Shiva was that He Destroys evil. Some people said that they liked that He gave us river goddess Ganga. Lord Shiva s Truthful nature was some people s favorite. A few people liked His ability to Dance (Tandava) as Lord Nataraja. I like that He plays the Damaru (the drum) when dancing. Favorite Possession: What is something that Lord Shiva has that you like a lot? Lot of people loved the crescent Chandra (Moon) on His head. Couple of people said that they liked the Ganga flowing from His hair. Another favorite was that He holds a Damaru (drum) in His hand. The snake around His neck was another favorite. The Third Eye on His forehead was liked by a few. My own favorite is His weapon Trishul (Trident) that He used to fight. Favorite Song/Slokha: When asked what their favorite song/slokha on Lord Shiva was, the Bhajan dhim dhim dhimitaka was the top choice. The next favorite answer was the Lingashtakam (Stotram) brahma murari. Other favorite mentioned were Shiva Panchashara (Stotram), Gangastotram (Stotram), and Shivaya Parameshvaraya (Bhajan). I like to listen to Rudram chanting. I enjoyed asking people about their opinions. I understood from this activity that Lord Shiva does and has many different qualities, and there are various stories on Him from Hindu scriptures and he has a lot of unique things that people like a lot.

3 Hari Om What does Lord Shiva mean to me? Lord Shiva symbolizes the following: S SERENE H HOLY I INFINITE V VIRTUOUS A ALMIGHTY Rishabh Bhattacharya (Grade 2) Janani Raman (Grade 6) Om Namah Shivayah Arunima Bhattacharya (Grade 6) There are so many forms of Shiva. One commonly known form is the Shiva Lingam. The top half represents the manifest, or the form of Shiva. The bottom half represents the unmanifest or the formless part of Shiva. His consort is Parvati and his sons are Karthikeya and Ganesh. His vehicle is the great bull Nandi. His two eyes symbolize love and justice. His third eye symbolizes removal of ignorance and light of knowledge. The crescent moon in his locks represents the mind. Shiva is the one who has controlled his mind. We should all try and gain control over our mind and remain calm. The poison in his throat represents the difficulties in life. Lord Shiva does not get embittered by these difficulties and does not let it affect his head or the heart. Though he has good and bad things, he remains calm, and in a peaceful state. This shows balance of the opposites. The snake around his neck represents that even things that cause fear and revulsion, when they come in contact with him, become his glory. It also shows that the Lord is all accepting. The snake around his neck stays clam. A usual snake would continually slither around. Why is this one calm? This represents that all the agitations coming from the world can be calmed by turning towards the Lord. There are 3 states of the mind. They are Tamas, Rajas, and Sattvic. Shiva s trident represents these 3 states of mind. The Ganga flowing out of his hair represents the flow of knowledge. The Damaru in his hand represents the sound of creation. Is his only name Shiva? Definitely not. Some of his other names include Trinetra, Neelakantha, Naagabhushana, and Gangajathadara. This is just the beginning of the long list of names he has. The Glory of Lord Shiva observed through the compositions of Nadha Jyothi: Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar Ganesh Raman (Grade 12) Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar along with Sri Syama Sastri and Sri Thyagaraja form the trinity of Carnatic music composers whose compositions still enthrall audiences to this day. The sheer breadth of compositions addressing various issues, philosophical topics, and descriptions of deities provide a crash course into Indian culture and Hindu philosophy. Of the trinity Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar came to be known as the Nadha Jyothi or the light of music. Sri Dikshitar was born on March 24th After learning the Vedas and other sacred texts as were required by tradition for Brahmin children at that time, travelled India with the wandering mystic, Chidambaranatha Yogi who attained Samadhi in Varanasi, having presented Dikshitar a unique veena. Dikshitar then following the advice of his guru went to Tirutanni where he meditated and was blessed by goddess Saraswathi, after which he burst into his first composition Sri Nathadi Guruguho Jayati. With what little I know and the tremendous passion I have for this subject I will try now to give a glimpse of Dikshitar s genius through analysis of some of his masterpieces on Lord Shiva. Let us first take a look at Dikshitar s composition Anandeshvarena Samrakshitoham in the ragam Anandhabhairavi. This composition is part of his set of five krithis praising the five linga sthalas around the Tiruvarur region in Tamil Nadu. In the pallavi or first stanza of the song Dikshitar states: Anandesvarena Samrakshitoham Nityananda Ruposmi Brahmananda Ruposmi Translation: I am protected by Anandesvara and hence, I am of the nature of eternal joy and of the form of supreme bliss Brahman. Furthermore in the Anupallavi/second stanza Dikshitar describes Lord Shiva as Cidananda Natha Svarupa Prakasena or the knowledge which is eternal bliss and is self-luminous. In the charanam/third stanza of the song Dikshitar further states that Lord Shiva is beyond the three stages of the bodies and eternal existence: gross, subtle, and causal he transcends the five Kosas constituting the world is of the form Satchitananda-existence, knowledge, and bliss. As can be seen from above, Dikshitar s descriptions of Lord Shiva entwined with references to Advaitic philosophy provide the audience insight in the two worlds of both passionate bhakti and transcendental gyana. As we offer our bhakti to Lord Shiva through bhajans, keerthans, pujas, and good works we come closer to acquiring Lord Shiva s trademark qualities; a serene calmness, a tranquil state of mine, and supreme radiance and brilliance. Santatam Akhanda Sacchitanandam Samrajya Prada Caranaravindam Translation: He is eternal. He is uninterrupted knowledge, bliss, and radiance. He has the lotus feet capable of bestowing entire kingdoms to devotees. Dikshitar further gives a beautiful description of Lord Shiva as having a body that surpasses the splendor of the cupid and as having kundha radanam or teeth like jasmine buds. Sri Dikshitar s travels in Northern India helped him infuse some of his compositions with the beauty of Hindustani raga systems as well. His second Pancha Bhoota krithi Jamboopathe Mam Pahi is a magnum opus in the raag Yaman Kalyan or ragam Yamuna Kalyani, on the element of water located in thiruvanaikkaval. In the first stanza he states, Jamboopathe Mam Pahi Nijananda Amrita Bodham Dehi Translation: O Jamboopathi!! Protect me! Give me the knowledge of the nectar or true supreme bliss! Anirvacaniya Nada Bindo Nitya Mauli Vidhruta Gangendo Nirvikalpaka Samadhi Nishta Siva Kalpakataro Nirvisesha Chaitanya Niranjana Guruguha Guro Translation: He is the indescribable form of Nada Bindu (derived from the Pranava Mantra OM). He holds the Ganga and moon on his head. He is the Kalpaka tree and is engaged in the desire less Samadhi or supreme consciousness. He is the father of the pure, faultless knowledge of the form of Guruguha. In his third piece on lord Arunachaleswara on Tiruvannamalai in the form of fire, Arunachala Natham Smarami he states, Svapradipa Mauli Vidhruta Gangam Svaprakasa jita Soma Agni Patangam Translation: He wears Ganga on his glorious head and has conquered the moon, the sun, and the fire by his natural brilliance. Sadhu Jana Chitta Sarasijodayam Sakalam Brahmamayam Asraye Translation: You are the sun who makes the lotus like heart of virtuous people blossom. Everything is you. In further stanzas Dikshitar states, You are consciousness, devoid of dualities, you are the personification of intelligence, purity, eternal, and immutable. He further expounds in the third stanza by saying Lord Shiva is With and without form and foremost in existence, knowledge, bliss, and who is perceptible as quality full and quality less; the cure for the afflictions of the illusory world and the driving force behind the illusory world attainable by the knowledge originating from within himself, sweet and without dualities beyond the intellect. Reading and analyzing such beautiful words and meanings, I have developed calmness in me without having even heard some of these compositions. May this Siva Rathri bring us a new sense of purpose to achieve infinite and permanent happiness. Let Mahadeva, the lord of lords destroy our ignorance and help us cross the ocean of samsara. Let us imbibe the eternal message of Adi Shankara and Advaitic philosophy Tat Tvam Asi or That I am. As Dikshitar says in his composition in Ragam Purvi, Guruguhasya Dasoham Nocet Cidguruguha Evaham or in other words I am the humble servant of Guruguha, or I, myself, am of the form of Guruguha himself.

4 Swami Mitrananda Holi is the festival in which we celebrate the killing of Hiranyakashyap's sister Holika. The story goes like this. Miracle on the Mountain Arista Jhanjee (Grade 9) Rounding the steep, brown bend after an hour of traveling on narrow mountain roads at dizzying heights to suddenly discover a gate carved, seemingly, directly from the cavernous mountain was like something out of a fairy tale. The gate theatrically slid back, as if to prepare us for an extraordinary experience among the serene mountains in Kolwan, Pune. It was a foreshadowing of what was to be an indescribable experience at Nrtya-Sura-Bharati family camp in Chinmaya Vibhooti. Although Chinmaya Vibhooti was the first large human landmark in at least an hour of traveling in any direction, it seemed to be entirely self-sufficient, with modern facilities and comfortable lodgings, while also maintaining an effortless harmony with its natural surroundings. The complex itself was huge and sprawling, with an intricate network of footpaths connecting the various dormitories. Besides the residential buildings, there was a large dining hall, a spacious office facility, and a vast auditorium. The camp itself was a mixture of study and entertainment. In the morning, Pujya Guruji gave lectures on the Vedantic text entitled Yoga Vashishtha, which chronicles the journey to enlightenment. There were also optional intensive music workshops that gave lessons the violin and cello, classical and devotional Indian music, and classical Indian dance. Camp attendees were given the opportunity to visit the awe-inspiring museum called Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan that depicted Pujya Gurudev s life with beautifully painted, life-size murals and accompanying audio explanation sets. The Hanuman Mandir was another great attraction. In the midst of a serene landscape reposed the statue of Lord Hanuman, head uplifted and mace in hand, looking fierce and yet humble. One had the strange feeling that Lord Hanuman might suddenly lower His face and smile at the devotees who came for the evening aarti at the Mandir. Late afternoon and the hours after dinner were filled with almost non-stop music performances given by masters of various forms of art. They ranged from impressive vocalists who astounded the audience with their beautiful repertories to dancers whose skillful movements kept the audience spellbound on the edges of their seats to instrumentalists whose nimble fingers brought the shimmering notes to life. The scope and diversity of the artists talent was breathtaking, especially as many of them came from the heart of Chinmaya Mission. Just as the beginning of our journey was like something out of a fairy tale, the end of it was something of a miracle. On the day we were to leave, we packed or bags and loaded them in the car. As we rattled along the internal roads of Chinmaya Vibhooti toward the gate, we gazed out the window at the mountains, seeking to imprint them in our memories. When we reached the gate, we saw that there were two young CHYKs, a boy and a girl, waiting there. They had been waiting there two hours for a bus that had yet to arrive. They asked us if they could ride in our car, as they both had destinations they had to reach and could not afford to wait any longer for the bus. At first, we were reluctant to accommodate them, thinking that the car would become too crowded. Eventually though, we decided to help them out. With all six of us packed into the car, we continued along the bumpy mountain roads. We are now convinced that there is something in the air of Vibhooti that allows for miracles. While the driver of the car had no idea how to reach the ashram that we were traveling to, the CHYKS that were traveling with us did. The girl knew only how to reach the city of Kolwan, where the ashram was located. She directed us through the tangle of roads to Kolwan, where she went on her way. At that point, we still didn t know where exactly the ashram was located. Interestingly, the boy, who hadn t known the way into the city but who knew the way to the ashram, was able to show us the way. After we were safely settled at the ashram, we marveled at our luck. If we hadn t picked up the two CHYKs at the gate, we could still be wandering around the city, totally lost. It was, as we thought of it, Chinmaya Vibhooti s parting message to us: help others, and the kindness will return to you. Holika wanted to kill Prahlad after the death of Hiranayakashyap. She had been granted a boon that fire would never hurt her. So she decided to test her might against the bhakti of Prahlad. A huge bonfire was made and, taking the young child in her lap, she sat down right in the middle. But so strong was Prahlad's devotion for the Lord that when he chanted Om Namo Narayanaya with a fervent heart, Vishnu was touched and He, in His infinite compassion, reversed the boon granted to Holika. She was burnt in the fire while Prahlad emerged unscathed. Much later, even Krishna celebrated Holi in a grand way. This is just to remind us that the demoniac forces should be killed both within and without us. Kill the ugly and start anew with great abandon and celebrate the event by playing with colors. Holi also points out the season of spring where everything is fresh and new. No matter what LIFE has to offer, one can always have a delightful attitude. May HIS grace be upon you and may your life become a HOLI festival, full of colors. This alone is HOLY life. RECIPE FOR HOLI Wake up, brush, put on your clothes and go outside Use colors to play, we all have fun! Put colors on people's faces and their clothes, whoever you know Just make sure you have fun! The point of putting colors on people is to show them we are all one Now people know that we are all the same! Yuvraj (Grade 3) & Anirudh Rao (Grade 2)

5 We stand as one family, bound to each other with love and respect. ANJALI MADHOK (Grade 9) We say these words on a weekly basis, but do we ever consider their actual meaning? To me, the line is a reflection of how much I feel at home at the center, and how Balvihar is, in fact, an extension of my family. Hopefully the rest of you feel the same way. As an only child, I like to think of my siblings and cousins as the other kids who are a part of Chinmaya Mission. When I was younger, I had aunties and uncles of the Mission constantly looking out for me, and many of the adults here have had as much of an influence on me as my parents have. The words bound to each other with love and respect especially rings true to me. Swami Chinmayananda put this line in the pledge for a reason. He wanted us to feel as though we are a tight-knit community, because if we didn t, how else would we accomplish anything? I feel the most comfortable with kids at Balvihar because they are going through the same things as me. Whether it s poking fun at our parents accents or gushing over our mutual love for matar paneer that no friend at school can share, my friends at Balvihar are some of the most relatable and easiest to talk to. We are truly bound to each other with love and respect, because everyone at the center is so non-judgmental. We are all, more or less, in the same boat here. When I was told that I would be giving a speech on a quote by Swami Chinmayananda today, I hardly felt nervous at all, because speaking in front of you guys, to me, is the equivalent of speaking in front of my family. So the next time you robotically recite the pledge at the closing of assembly, I challenge you to put a little life into it, and contemplate the meaning of the words, because they illustrate what the Mission is really made of: one big family. Have you ever wondered Why do we touch feet of elders? In Hindu culture, respect for elders is shown by prostrating to them or touching their feet. Elders in turn bless us. We not only touch the feet of our parents but other elder relatives such as older brothers and sisters, grandparents, uncles and aunts, teachers, saints and other noble souls. We might do so on a daily basis and also on special occasions like birthdays, weddings, graduation, festivals, etc. When we bow down and prostrate we are showing respect to the age, maturity, wisdom, and divinity that the elders stand for. It is a way of showing our gratitude to all that they do for us, their selfless love and kindness towards us. The gesture of touching feet signifies a strong family bond and has been a part of Hindu family tradition since ancient times. You will hear references to it in Ramayana and Mahabharata as well. (Swamini Vimalananda & RadhikaKrishnaKumar, 2008) If you have any such burning questions that you would like to ask, send us the questions and we will try to explore one in each newsletter. Please submissions & suggestions to the CMTCPrabhat Newsletter Team CMTCPRABHAT@ gmail.com CMTCPRABHAT is a bi-monthly publication Hari Om from your Editorial Team: Tara Dev Sayali Jahagirdar Rajan Jhanjee Manu Madhok WEBSITE: