THE VISION, November 2024, Vol 92, Issue 2:
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Beloved Readers,
Devotees often find it difficult to dedicate long hours to chanting the Divine Name due to various duties, challenges and commitments. This creates the impression that spiritual life is separate from daily life, which, in turn, hinders spiritual progress. Our revered Master, Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas, encouraged us to view the world as a school, where our observations and experiences offer opportunities for self-improvement. By embracing this practice, we can sustain an unbroken awareness of God even amidst our everyday activities.
Beloved Papa’s words indicate that there is no disconnect between spiritual and daily life, “We have the magnificent book of nature before us, a picture of unsurpassing beauty and charm — the spontaneous and blissful self-expression of the indwelling God. Let us look at it and read in it the glorious presentation and varied activities of the Beloved.” His teachings also remind us that the Lord constantly educates us through nature, objects, emotions and experiences. He watches over us closely and when we fail to learn, He repeats the lessons, sometimes in challenging ways. May we be able to integrate our spiritual discipline with our daily life, thereby accelerating our journey towards the Ultimate.
This month’s issue of THE VISION carries articles on this theme.
— EDITOR
AS WE SCROLL DOWN...
- ‘God — The Master Artist’ — says Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas, has painted the world-picture on the canvas of Himself. Praising Him is our prayer; adoring Him as all beings, our worship; and doing all acts as His service, our dedication.
- ‘Words Of Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas’ — reveal that life should be lived like a flower in full bloom, offered to the Lord, who brought it into existence. We should also remain receptive to the life-lessons from all objects, persons and situations.
- ‘Words Of Pujya Mataji Krishnabai’ — remind us that the Ashram is a school for learning Universal Love and Service, where we endeavour to see all beings as our own, and ensure that our actions are in line with the ideal as well.
- ‘Words Of Pujya Swami Satchidananda’ — make us aware that the world itself is a powerful teacher, offering lessons through observation.
- ‘Editor Answers’ — how the world is like a school, offering lessons through people, objects and situations to enrich our lives. Guided by wisdom, we learn from every experience, seeing life as an opportunity for growth and self-improvement.
- In ‘Learning From Flowers’ — Eckhart Tolle explains that flowers have long inspired artists and mystics to connect with their true nature, serving as a bridge between the physical and the Formless.
- In ‘Learning From The Sea’ — Krishna Kumar and Prabha Sampath explain how Dada JP Vaswani sought solitude on the sea shore, where he intently watched and deeply reflected on the sea, and learnt that true stillness lies beneath the turbulent surface, and life’s treasures also reside within, beyond external tumult.
- ‘Dear Children’ — this story illustrates that we frequently chase material concerns, only to leave them behind at the end of our life's journey, while our true treasure is our relationship with God.
- ‘Learning From The School Of Life’ — that wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it..
- ‘Inspiring Luminaries’ — who have attained the Eternal, live in the Eternal and have realised the Eternal. They inspire and awaken aspirants to a consciousness of their inherent Divinity.
- ‘Epistles Of Swami Ramdas’ — reminds us that spiritualising life is recognising the Divine in all beings and things.
- ‘Anandashram News’:
- ‘Book In Focus’: ‘The Gospel Of Swami Ramdas (3 Vols).’
- ‘Thought For The Month’
- ‘Download THE VISION’ in PDF format and the Audio Book.
GOD — THE MASTER ARTIST
By Swami Ramdas
My soul sings the song of eternity. Its vision is of infinity. My being is not merely individual, it is universal — one with God, the Supreme Master of all spheres. So nectar is spilling everywhere.
I see the bright but cool morning sun shining on the flowers, trees and all nature, lighting all things with his golden radiance. O God, all praise to Thee! This is my morning prayer. My heart adores Thee as all beings, encompassing them in my ecstatic embrace. O God, all praise to Thee! This is my morning worship. Every movement of mine, from the blinking of the eyes to walking, talking and working, is an act of my day’s service to Thee. This is my dedication.
God, the Master Artist, has painted the world-picture on the canvas of Himself — the infinite expanse of His splendorus Spirit. What a wonderful masterpiece! What variety in shapes and colours it unfolds and presents before our love-struck eyes! Verily, God is the picture, brush, paint and artist Himself.
WORDS OF BELOVED PAPA SWAMI RAMDAS
Let life be like the flower — born in full bloom and given away utterly — petals, scent and all — to the gardener who brought it into existence. The joy of the flower lies in its self-offering to its loving maker. So our life be a dedicated flower at the feet of our Divine Maker. Life thus lived alone is filled with real blessedness, peace and joy.
***
Guru Dattatreya learnt a lesson in concentration from an arrow-maker who was absorbed in the task of sharpening and straightening an arrow. So great was his concentration that he did not notice the King’s procession passing before his shop. Datttreya saw that and told the artisan, “You are my Guru”. From twenty-three others he learnt twenty-three lessons which helped him in his spiritual progress.
***
For some people it is easier when they look upon Nature as the expression of God and tune themselves with Nature. By doing so they go beyond into the realm of the Spirit and feel one with the Spirit.
WORDS OF PUJYA MATAJI KRISHNABAI
The Ashram is Papa’s school. You come here to learn Universal Love and Service.
***
What can you learn coming to the Ashram? What you have to learn is that all the forms you see around you are your own, see them all in the same light as you see your kith and kin. Now, in your own body, you have so many organs, each with a function all its own. No one organ can exchange its function with that of another, just as the eyes cannot hear or the ears cannot see. Do you differentiate between them? You don’t. Likewise, you have to look upon all the people around you as your very own.
***
Now, why are we here? We have been given this human birth by Papa to learn and practise Vishwa Prem and Vishwa Seva (Universal Love and Service), which only means that we have to carry out every task given to us with all love and attention. It means little to me whether I go and work in the fields or not. This is also a field for Vishwa Prem and Vishwa Seva and to tend the crops is to practise the ideals that Papa has taught us.
WORDS OF PUJYA SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA
They (the Youth) must have by now understood that besides what they learn from the books and teachers, the world is a greater teacher and, if only they are vigilant, they can learn a lot by observing what is going on in front of them...
In addition to what the books and teachers can teach, they must be observant to what is happening in the world and learn many things from it. They are all budding blossoms in the garden of God. They must blossom into fragrant and beautiful flowers and become sweet fruits so that their presence itself will radiate the fragrance and sweetness of love emanating from them and thus become a blessing to humanity.
***
Man who is endowed with intelligence and discriminative power can surely learn a lot from daily life. By observation and inference he should be able to understand what contributes to his ultimate good.
EDITOR ANSWERS
Question: What do we mean when we say that the world itself is a school?
Answer: From one perspective, the world comprises persons, objects and situations. At first, we may engage with them superficially, but under the guidance of our Masters, we come to realise that they are here to teach us how to enrich our lives.
For instance, consider someone who remains calm in all circumstances, even in the face of provocation; who accepts objects for what they are — appreciating the sweetness of sugarcane, the spiciness of chilies, or the bitterness of bitter gourd; and who views every situation as an opportunity for self-improvement. Such a person approaches the world with the understanding that world is a school, offering lessons of wisdom at every turn.
As a Mahatma once said, “Mother Nature and Father Life, day in and day out, teach us wise tuitions through varied experiences.” By adopting this perspective, we see that every person, object, and situation is a teacher in our journey of life.
LEARNING FROM FLOWERS
By Eckhart Tolle
As the consciousness of human beings developed, flowers were most likely the first things they came to value that had no utilitarian purpose for them, that is to say, was not linked in some way to survival. They provided inspiration to countless artists, poets, and mystics. Jesus tells us to contemplate the flowers and learn from them how to live.
Seeing beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is an essential part of their own innermost being, their true nature. The first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The feelings of joy and love are intrinsically connected to that recognition. Without our fully realizing it, flowers would become for us an expression in form of that which is most high, most sacred, and ultimately formless within ourselves. Flowers, more fleeting, more ethereal and more delicate than the plants out of which they emerged, would become like messengers from another realm, like a bridge between the world of physical forms and the formless.
Source: A New Earth
LEARNING FROM THE SEA
By Krishna Kumar & Prabha Sampath
Even as a teenager, Jashan (Dada JP Vaswani) loved to spend time alone. The need for solitude often sent him in search of peaceful and quiet communion with nature. The Clifton Beach in Karachi was his favourite haunt — where he spent long hours. On weekends, he would go out to the Manora Islands (small islands to the south of Karachi), where he would watch the rolling waves of the deep blue sea crash against the shore tumultuously. As he gazed at the waves, sometimes for hours together, he also realized that the tumult and turbulence was only on the surface. He knew that deep within the sea, the waters were still, clear and silent. He knew that deep inside him too, there was stillness and silence. The question was: how could he touch the point of stillness? Life is like the sea, he thought to himself; its treasures are deep within, not on the tempestuous surface. The entire day seemed insufficient to look at the sea and reflect on its depths. He would spend the whole day on the deserted island. If at all he felt hungry, there would always be the simple Prasad of Dodo (flat bread like a Paratha) and Chutney offered at midday at the little temple on the island. This he ate, gratefully, still wrapped in contemplative silence.
Source: Dada JP Vaswani — His Life And Teachings
DEAR CHILDREN
One Sunday morning, a man sat on his balcony when a little ant caught his eye; going from one side to the other side, carrying a big leaf several times more than its size. He saw that the ant faced many impediments during its journey, yet continued towards its destination. At one point the tiny creature came across a crack in the floor. It paused, analysed and then laid the huge leaf over the crack, walked over the leaf, picked the leaf on the other side and then continued its journey. Before his very eyes was this tiny creature of God, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to analyse, contemplate, reason, explore, discover and overcome. Along with all these capabilities, the man also noticed that this tiny creature shared some human shortcomings. An hour later the creature had reached its destination — a tiny hole in the floor, which was the entrance to its underground dwelling. So, the tiny creature just left behind the large leaf and went home empty-handed.
The man learned a great lesson that day. We worry about our family, our job, how to earn more money, what kind of vehicle to buy? We worry about all sorts of things, only to abandon all these things when we reach the entrance to our destination — the grave. The only treasure that lasts forever is our relationship with our Creator: God.
LEARNING FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
Unveiling The Inherent Human Values From Frequently Used Articles
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” — Albert Einstein
Here are a couple of examples:
INSPIRING LUMINARIES
A saint is he who has attained the Eternal, lives in the Eternal and has realised the Eternal. Such a saint is a veritable blessing upon this earth. He lives what he preaches and preaches what he lives. He exerts a wonderful influence and creates in the hearts of ignorant men a consciousness of their inherent Divinity. He awakens the sleeping soul to the awareness of its immortal and all-blissful nature. Hence, this month we pay our reverential homage to Sadhu TL Vaswani and Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
t Acharya Vinoba Bhave:
EPISTLES OF SWAMI RAMDAS
Beloved Ram,
…Real beauty in art lies in its intimate relation to the Divine. In fact, everything is stale and insipid, when the God-idea is absent from it. To spiritualise life means to divinise the whole world. To see the Divine at work and in manifestation in all beings and things is to realise the supreme charm and glory of existence. The entire face of nature then presents to the vision a beautiful and lovable picture, teeming with blissful activity….
ANANDASHRAM NEWS
15500-CRORE NAMA JAPA YAGNA FOR WORLD PEACE:
The total Japa received in the fourth round of the 15500-Crore Nama Japa Yagna for World Peace in the month of September 2024 is 220 crores, chanted by 197784 devotees. The grand total of the Japa done so far in this round now stands at 3290 crores.
***
SESSIONS WITH CHILDREN AT ANAND KUTIR IN ANANDASHRAM:
In the month of September 2024, 6 interactive sessions were held with children at Anand Kutir, in which 233 students participated. As the sessions are free from teaching and preaching, they help the children to bring out their own learnings:
- Devika shared: “Today, I realised that even the smallest actions can have a profound impact. It is essential to make an effort to create space for happiness and aspire to become extraordinary.”
- Farhana reflected: “From now on, I will dedicate part of my time solely to self-understanding.”
- Someone expressed: “I came here searching for answers, but now I feel redefined, rejuvenated, and transformed by this session. I return home with a heart and mind at peace.”
- Prajosh Kumar said: “This session helped me relax my mind and reflect on my own shortcomings.”
- Muneerul Hasan shared: “I have understood the importance of self-reflection and giving back to society.”
- Mariyanath Afsa remarked: “We have learnt so much about how to live a peaceful life.”
- Shari stated: “The session has given me some valuable insights on how to discover happiness and find my true purpose.”
PUJYA SWAMIJI’S VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA:
Revered Swami Shivshankaranandaji Maharaj of Sri Adi Shankara Ashram in Johannesburg arranged Pujya Swami Muktanandaji’s visit to South Africa from the 4th to the 24th of September 2024. Sri Datta Prasad accompanied Pujya Swamiji during the Yatra.
Swami Shivshankaranandaji meticulously planned and coordinated with other Ashrams in four major cities — Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pietermaritzburg — to host various programmes. All the centres draw their inspiration from Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.
On the way back from South Africa, Pujya Swamiji also visited Divine Life Society in Mauritius for a day and had Satsang.
Various aspects of spirituality were shared in all Satsang sessions. A link to some of the talks is shared herewith: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcYGp76ZWBBvF_x4rvgha2n2cI8JODeBi&feature=shared
UPCOMING PROGRAMMES IN NOVEMBER:
In the month of November Beloved Papa has blessed us to have the following sessions:
- 10th Nov 2024: Day-long Mouna Sadhana.
- 12th Nov 2024: 105th Jayanti of Pujya Swamiji Satchidanandaji.
Devotees interested in participating in the above programmes, may kindly inform by email (pms.anandashram@gmail.com) or through a WhatsApp message (9037466744) latest by the 5th of November 2024.
PUJYA SWAMIJI TO VISIT HYDERABAD:
From the 19th to the 25th of November 2024, Pujya Swamiji will be in Hyderabad. The details of the programmes are as follows:
- 21st Nov 2024: Akhand Ram Nam from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Contact: Shishir Agarwal (9885287003).
- 22nd Nov 2024: Satsang from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Contact: Srinath Pasunuri — 9440622125.
- 23rd Nov 2024: Visit to Harsha Music School. Contact: Harsha – 82150553
- 23rd & 24th Nov 2024: Satsang and Mouna Sadhana at Sri Sivanandashram Contact: Janardhan Reddy, DLS — 9868147729 and CH Lakshminarayana — 9908765323.
BOOK IN FOCUS
‘The Gospel Of Swami Ramdas (3 Vols)’
This collection presents conversations between Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas, Pujya Mataji Krishnabai and devotees during various events at Anandashram from 1953 to 1957, meticulously recorded by Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji. These exchanges vividly reflect the profound and personal connection between Beloved Papa and the devotees. The book transports readers back to the Ashram in the 1950s, offering an immersive experience of its serene, spiritual atmosphere.
Available in English, Tamil and Kannada.
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
“God, the Master Artist, has painted the world-picture on the canvas of Himself — the infinite expanse of His splendorous Spirit. What a wonderful masterpiece! What variety in shapes and colours it unfolds and presents before our love-struck eyes! Verily, God is the picture, brush, paint and artist Himself.”
— Swami Ramdas
DOWNLOAD THE VISION
Devotees can download the PDF version or the audio book this issue of THE VISION by clicking on the relevant links.
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