Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati - The founder of the Arya Samaj

Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati [February 12, 1824 – October 31, 1883] was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer and the founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement, founded in 1875. He was the first man who gave the call for Swarajya - "India for Indians" in 1876 which was later furthered by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent inHinduism at the time, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies, subsequently philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan, later called him one of "makers of Modern India" as did Sri Aurobindo.

One of his notable disciples was Shyamji Krishna Varma who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries. Others Who were influenced and fallowed him were Madam Cama, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Lala Hardyal Madan Lal Dhingra, Bhagat Singh and others. His other disciples were Swami Shraddhanand, Lala Lajpat Rai. His book Satyarth Prakash contributed to the Indian independence movementis one of his great contributions. He was a sanyasi (ascetic) from his boyhood, and a scholar, who believed in the infallible authorityof the Vedas.



Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma, skepticism in dogma, and emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya [celibacy and devotion to God]. The Theosophical Society and the Arya Samaj were united from 1878 to 1882, when the former adopted the name Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj.


Among Maharishi Dayananda's contributions are his promoting of the equal rights of women - such as the right to education and reading of Indian scriptures - and his translation of the Vedasfrom Sanskrit to Hindi so that the common person may be able to read the Vedas.

Early life

Dayananda was born on February 12 in 1824, in the village of Tankara near Morvi [Morbi] in theKathiawar region [present Rajkot district] of the princely state of Gujarat, into a affluent and devout Brahmin family of Krishna Lal Tiwari and Yashodabai. Since he was born under Mul Nakshatra, he was named Dayananda Mulshankar and led a very comfortable early life, studying Sanskrit, the Vedas and other religious books so as to prepare himself for a future as a Hindu priest.

A number of incidents resulted in Dayananda's life questioning traditional beliefs of Hinduism and inquiring about God [ Bhagwan] in early childhood. Still a young child on the night of Shivratri(literally: the night for God Shiva) when his family went to a temple for overnight worship, he stayed up waiting for God to appear to accept the offerings made to idol of God Shiva. While his family slept, Dayananda saw a mouse eating the offerings kept for the God. He was utterly surprised and wondered how a God, who cannot even protect his own "offerings," would protect humanity. He argued with his father that they should not be worshiping such a helpless God.

The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera caused Dayananda to ponder the meaning of life and death and he started asking questions, which worried his parents. He was to be married in his early teens [common in 19th century India], but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846.

Search for knowledge

Dayananda was disillusioned with classical Hinduism and became a wandering monk. He learned Panini's Grammar to understand Sanskrit texts, and learnt from them that GOD can be found. After wandering in search of GOD for over 2 decades, he found Swami Virjananda near Mathura who became his guru (gu: darkness; ru:light- i.e. one who makes you reach towards light from darkness]. Swami Virjananda told him to throw away all his books, as he wanted Dayananda to start from a clean slate and learn directly from the Vedas, the oldest and foundational books. Dayananda stayed under Swami Virjananda's tutelage for two and a half years. After finishing his education, Virjananda asked him to spread the knowledge of the Vedas in society as his gurudakshina [tuition-dues]. It is during his mission, Dayanand Saraswati gave the call.


Maharishi Dayanand's Mission

Dayananda set about the difficult task with dedication despite attempts on his life. He traveled the country challenging religious scholars and priests of the day to discussions and won repeatedly on the strength of his arguments. He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandisement. Hindu priests discouraged common folk from reading Vedic rituals (such as bathing in the Ganges and feeding of priests on anniversaries) which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions or self-serving.

Far from borrowing concepts from other religions, as Raja Ram Mohan Roy had done, Swami Dayananda was quite critical of Islam and Christianity and also of the other Indian faiths like Jainism, Buddhism and Idol Worshiping in Hinduism- as may be seen in his book Satyartha Prakash He was against what he considered to be the corruption of the pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the 6th principle of the Arya Samaj.

Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism.


Dayananda’s concept of Dharma is succinctly set forth in his Beliefs and Disbeliefs.

He said,


"I accept as Dharma whatever is in full conformity with impartial justice, truthfulness and the like; that which is not opposed to the teachings of God as Vedas. Whatever is not free from partiality and is unjust, partaking of untruth and the like, and opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas - that I hold as adharma"- Satyarth Prakash


He had also said


He, who after careful thinking, is ever ready to accept truth and reject falsehood; who counts the happiness of others as he does that of his own self, him I call just.-Satyarth Prakash


[*The Satyarth Prakash (English title: The Light of Truth) is a 1875 book written by Swami Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj, and is considered its central text.]

Dayananda's Vedic message was to emphasize respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual - divine because the body was the temple where the human essence [soul or "Atma"] could possibly interface with the creator ["ParamAtma"]. In the 10 principles of the Arya Samaj, he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefitting mankind" as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. In his own life, he interpreted Mokshato be a lower calling [due to its benefit to one individual] than the calling to emancipate others.

Dayananda's "back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers. Taking the cue from him, Sri Aurobindo decided to look for hidden psychological meanings in the Vedas. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1972.

Arya Samaj


Main article: Arya Samaj

Swami Dayananda's creation, the Arya Samaj, is a unique contribution in Hinduism. The Arya Samaj unequivocally condemns idol worship,animal sacrifice, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, child marriages and discrimination against women on the grounds that all these lacked Vedic sanction. The Arya Samaj discourages dogma and symbolism and encourages skepticism in beliefs that run contrary to common sense and logic. To many people, the Arya Samaj aims to be a "universal society" based on the authority of the Vedas.

Death

According to Indian History, in 1883 Dayananda was invited by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, to stay at his palace. The Maharaja was eager to become his disciple and learn his teachings. One day Dayananda went to the Maharaja's rest room and saw him with a dance girl. Maharaja loved this nautch girl. Dayananda boldly asked the Maharaja to forsake the girl & all unethical acts and follow Dharma like a true Aryan. Dayananda's suggestion offended the dance girl and she decided to take revenge. She bribed Dayananda's cook to poison him. At bedtime, the cook brought him a glass of milk containing poison & powdered glass. Dayananda drank the milk and went to sleep only to wake up later with a burning sensation. He immediately realized that he had been poisoned and attempted to purge his digestive system of the poisonous substance, but it was too late. The poison had already entered his blood stream. Dayananda was bedridden and suffered excruciating pain. Many doctors came to treat him but all was in vain. His body was covered all over with large bleeding sores. On seeing Dayananda's suffering the cook was overcome with unbearable guilt and remorse. He confessed his crime to Dayananda. On deathbed, Dayananda forgave him and gave him a bag of money and told him to flee the kingdom lest he be found out and executed by the Maharaja's men.


"A man of spirit has passed away from India. Pandit Dayananda Saraswati is gone, the irrepressible, energetic reformer, whose mighty voice and passionate eloquence foe the last few years raised thousands of people in India from, lethargic, indifference and stupor Into active patriotism is no more." - Col Henry Steel Olcott

"Swami Dayananda Saraswati is certainly one of the most powerful personalities who has shaped modem India and is responsible for its moral regeneration and religious revival". - Subhas Chandra Bose.


Works

Dayananda Saraswati wrote more than 60 works in all, including a 14 volume explanation of the six Vedangas, an incomplete commentary on the Ashtadhyayi [Panini's grammar], several small tracts on ethics and morality, Vedic rituals and sacraments and on criticism of rival doctrines [such as Advaita Vedanta, Islam and Christianity]. Some of his major works are Bhratnivaran, Sanskarvidhi, Ratnamala, Vedabhasya. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of Ajmer was founded by the Swami himself to publish and preach his works and Vedic texts.

• Satyarth Prakash [1875] [Light of Truth] - first English translation.[1908]
• Glorious Thoughts of Swami Dayananda. ed. New Book Society of India, 1966.
• An introduction to the commentary on the Vedas. Jan Gyan-Prakashan, 1973

MOTHER TERESA--The Messiah of Love and Peace

"We should learn how to give. But we should not regard giving as an obligation, but as a desire. I usually say to our co-workers: I do not need your surplus. I do not want you to give me your leftovers. Our poor do not need your condescending attitude nor your pity. The poor need your love and your kindness." There are inspirations in one's life, inspiration towards one's knowledge & wisdom, inspiration towards one's lifestyle & moral ethics, but mainly one should be inspired by those who lived their lives selflessly. Their main reason for being here was mainly spreading love, peace, happiness and compassion.



--- Mother Teresa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This inspiration for us is none other than MOTHER TERESA, the chosen one!


And ofcourse, it shall be a surprise indeed,  if one does not recognize this 'angel of love'.


She was a strong and  independent woman, who followed her own conscience.


Mother Teresa, in her life felt strongly the call of God. She knew she had to be missionary to spread the love of God.


The Missionaries of Charity started by Mother has acclaimed world-wide


Her concern all through her life was poorest of poor, sick and deprived.


"let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work".

Mother was a colossal personality of love and care. She was there for anyone irrespective of caste, creed or race, and everyone was there for her.


She always said " the biggest disease today is not tuberculosis or leprosy, it is the feeling of being unwanted" .


There were criticism also towards her philosophy and  implementation. But, Mother undeterred and unstoppable, she moved on and on till her sainthood.


Mother Teresa was one of the great servants of humanity. She was an Albanian Catholic nun who came to India and founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. Later on Mother Teresa attained Indian citizenship. Her selfless work among the poverty-stricken people of Kolkata [Calcutta] is an inspiration for people all over the world and she was honored with Nobel Prize for her work.

• Born: August 26, 1910
• Died: September 5, 1997
• Achievements: Started Missionaries of Charity in 1950; received Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979; received Bharat Ratna in 1980.

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, in the former Yugoslavia, she was the youngest of three children. In her teens, Agnes became a member of a youth group in her local pairsh called Sodality. Through her involvement with their activities guided by a Jesuit priest, Agnes became interested in missionaries. At age 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun.

She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loretto, a community known for their missionary work in India. When she took her vows as a Sister of Loretto, she chose the name Teresa after "Saint Theresa of Lisieux".After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin Mother Teresa came to India. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and catechism at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. However, the prevailing poverty in Calcutta had a deep impact on Mother Teresa's mind and in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, she returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. She started an open-air school for homeless children. Soon she was joined by voluntary helpers, and she received financial support from church organizations and the municipal authorities. On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Vatican to start her own order. Vatican originally labeled the order as the Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese, and it later came to known as the "Missionaries of Charity". The primary task of the Missionaries of Charity was to take care of those persons who nobody was prepared to look after.

The Missionaries of Charity, which began as a small Order with 12 members in Calcutta, today has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, charity centres worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless and victims of floods, epidemics and famine in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, Poland, and Australia. In 1965, by granting a Decree of Praise, Pope Paul VI granted Mother Teresa permission to expand her order to other countries. The order's first house outside India was in Venezuela. Presently, the "Missionaries of Charity" has presence in more than 100 countries.


Mother Teresa's work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she has received a number of awards and distinctions. These include the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize [1971], Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace & Understanding [1972], Balzan Prize [1978], Nobel Peace Prize [1979] and Bharat Ratna [1980].

On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday. Following Mother Teresa's death, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the second step towards possible canonization, or sainthood. This process requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In 2002, the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following the application of a locket containing Teresa's picture. Monica Besra said that a beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title "Blessed" Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle is required for her to proceed to *canonization.

*[Canonization or canonisation is the act by which the Catholic Church or another religious group declares a deceased person to be a saint and is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process.  Canonization, whether formal or informal, does not make someone a saint: it is only a declaration that the person is a saint and was a saint even before canonization.]Mother Teresa was a boon to us from the God directly. She will be remembered forever till eternity.





She is immortal, unexplained, unparalleled and unmatched.

Also See:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa.html


Quotes of Mother Teresa

*"Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet especially your family. Be holy – let us pray."

*"I once picked up a woman from a garbage dump and she was burning with fever; she was in her last days and her only lament was: ‘My son did this to me.’ I begged her: You must forgive your son. In a moment of madness, when he was not himself, he did a thing he regrets. Be a mother to him, forgive him. It took me a long time to make her say: ‘I forgive my son.’ Just before she died in my arms, she was able to say that with a real forgiveness. She was not concerned that she was dying. The breaking of the heart was that her son did not want her. This is something you and I can understand."

*"When once a chairman of a multinational company came to see me, to offer me a property in Bombay, he first asked: ‘Mother, how do you manage your budget?" I asked him who had sent him here. He replied: ‘I felt an urge inside me.’ I said: other people like you come to see me and say the same. It was clear God sent you, Mr. A, as He sends Mr. X, Mrs. Y, Miss Z, and they provide the material means we need for our work. The grace of God is what moved you. You are my budget. God sees to our needs, as Jesus promised. I accepted the property he gave and named it Asha Dan [Gift of Hope].


*"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."


*"Like Jesus we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength."

*"There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God. I’ve always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic. We believe our work should be our example to people. We have among us 475 souls - 30 families are Catholics and the rest are all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs—all different religions. But they all come to our prayers."




*"There are so many religions and each one has its different ways of following God. I follow Christ:
Jesus is my God,
Jesus is my Spouse,
Jesus is my Life,
Jesus is my only Love,
Jesus is my All in All;
Jesus is my Everything."


*Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.


*I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve Him among the poorest of the poor. It was an order.


*I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.


*When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.

*It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.


*You and I, we are the Church, no? We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.


*Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.


*Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me.


*Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world.


*If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.


*A clean heart is a free heart. A free heart can love Christ with an undivided love in chastity, convinced that nothing and nobody will separate it from his love. Purity, chastity, and virginity created a special beauty in Mary that attracted God’s attention. He showed his great love for the world by giving Jesus to her.

*There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family.
Find them.
Love them.


*Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.


*Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.

*Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.


*The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give. But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom. It is not mortification, a penance.


*It is joyful freedom. There is no television here, no this, no that. But we are perfectly happy.

*I pray that you will understand the words of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Ask yourself “How has he loved me? Do I really love others in the same way?” Unless this love is among us, we can kill ourselves with work and it will only be work, not love. Work without love is slavery.


*Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.


*A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.

Remembering Mother Teresa

Her passing away, moved the countries irrespective of their secular or religious stature.

#A rare and unique individual who lived long for higher purposes. Her life-long devotion to the care of the poor, the sick and the disadvantaged was one of the highest examples of service to humanity."
Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan

#The Chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize panel, Francis Sejersted, said Mother Teresa stood out "as an example of true self-sacrifice in humanitarian work." She was awarded the prize in 1979.

#"Mother Teresa marked the history of our century with courage. She served all human beings by promoting their dignity and respect, and made those who had been defeated by life feel the tenderness of God.''
- Pope John Paul II


#"It is a time of both sadness and joy for all our sisters. It is a time of sadness because we have lost a loved one who supported us in our desire to serve the Lord Jesus…We are joyful in the knowledge that Mother is with Our Heavenly Father." Sister Noreen, Superior at the Missionaries of Charity, Newark, NJ.

#``A heartfelt concern for the poor, the downtrodden and the rejected'' during a special Mass yesterday. ``She saw Jesus Christ in every single person,'' the cardinal said. ``We must carry on her work.'' Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archdiocese of Philadelphia


#"This evening, there is less love, less compassion, less light in the world. She leaves us a strong message, which has no borders and which goes beyond faith: helping, listening, solidarity."
French President Jacques Chirac

#"She helped the poorest of the poor, gave them courage to live and the feeling of their worth, Mother Teresa will remain unforgotten and be an example after her death."
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl

#"She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world."
Former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar

#"A loss to the entire humanity. She will be deeply missed in our efforts to build international peace, and a just, caring and equitable world order."
South African President Nelson Mandela's

You may click on the following Link for the latest on Mother Teresa:


The Hindu : Arts / History & Culture : U.S. releases stamp honouring Mother Teresa


Commemoration

Mother Teresa inspired a variety of commemorations. She has been memorialized through museums, been named patroness of various churches, and had various structures and roads named after her. Various tributes have been published in Indian newspapers and magazines authored by her biographer, Navin Chawla.[94][95][96][97][98][99][100] Indian Railways will introduce a new train, "Mother Express", named after Mother Teresa, on August 26, 2010 to mark her birth centenary.[101]

Film and literature


Mother Teresa is the subject of the 1969 documentary film and 1971 book Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge.


Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor is a 1997 film directed by Kevin Connor starring Geraldine Chaplin. It won an award at the 1998 Art Film Festival.


Mother Teresa's life was portrayed in the 2003 Italian television miniseries Madre Teresa starring Olivia Hussey as Mother Teresa. It was later released internationally as a television film Mother Teresa of Calcutta and received a CAMIE award in 2007.
[Courtesy:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa ]

Also See

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens'_critiques_of_public_figures#Mother_Teresa

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_female_Nobel_laureates
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_House_of_Mother_Teresa

Ashoka The Great

Ashoka was born in 304 BC, to Mauryan Emperor Bindusara and a relatively lower ranked queen, Dharma. The legend associated with the emperor goes that his birth had been predicted by Buddha, in the story of 'The Gift of Dust'. Buddhist Emperor Ashoka had only one younger sibling, Vitthashoka, but, several elder half-brothers. Right from his childhood days Ashoka showed great promise in the field of weaponry skills as well as academics.


Ashoka was one of the most powerful kings of the Indian Subcontinent. A ruler of the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka ruled over the country from 273 BC to 232 BC. The reign of Emperor Ashoka covered most of India, South Asia and beyond, stretching from present day Afghanistan and parts of Persia in the west, to Bengal and Assam in the east, and Mysore in the south. However, the Battle of Kalinga changed King Ashoka completely. From a power hungry emperor, he turned into a Buddhist follower and started preaching the principles of Buddhism throughout the world. Read on this biography to know more about the life history of 'Ashoka the Great':


Ashoka's Reign



Ashoka quickly grew into an excellent warrior general and an astute statesman. His command on the Mauryan army started growing day by day and because of this, his elder brothers became suspicious of him being favored by Bindusara as the next emperor. The eldest son of Bindusara, Prince Susima, convinced him to send Ashoka to Takshashila province (in Sindh) to control an uprising caused by the formation of different militias. However, the moment Ashoka reached the province, the militias welcomed him with open arms and the uprising came to an end without any fight. This particular success of Ashoka made his elder brothers, especially Susima, more insecure.


Susima started inciting Bindusara against Ashoka, who was then sent into exile by the emperor. Ashoka went to Kalinga, where he met a fisherwoman named Kaurwaki. He fell in love with her and later, made Kaurwaki his second or third wife. Soon, the province of Ujjain started witnessing a violent uprising. Emperor Bindusara called back Ashoka from the exile and sent him to Ujjain. The prince was injured in the ensuing battle and was treated by Buddhist monks and nuns. It was in Ujjain that Ashoka first came to know about the life and teachings of Buddha. In Ujjain, he also met Devi, his personal nurse, who later became his wife.


In the following year, Bindusura became seriously ill and was literally on his deathbed. A group of ministers, led by Radhagupta, called upon Ashoka to assume the crown. In the fight that followed his accession, Ashoka attacked Pataliputra, now Patna, and killed all his brothers, including Susima. After he became the King, Ashoka launched brutal assaults to expand his empire, which lasted for around eight years. Around this time, his Buddhist queen, Devi, gave birth to Prince Mahindra and Princess Sanghamitra.

The Kalinga Battle


The battle of Kalinga (now Orissa) became a turning point in the life of 'Ashoka the Great'. The exact reason for the battle is not known. However, it is believed that one of Ashoka's brothers took refuge at Kalinga and this enraged Ashoka, who launched a brutal assault on the province. The whole of the province was plundered and destroyed and thousands of people were killed.

Embracing & Spreading Buddhism

It is said that after the battle of Kalinga was over, King Ashoka went on a tour of the city. He could see nothing except burnt houses and scattered corpses. This was the first time in his life that Emperor Ashoka realized the consequences of wars and battles. It is said that even after he had returned to Patliputra, he was haunted by the scenes he saw in Kalinga. Even his queen, Devi, who was a Buddhist, left him after seeing the brutality at Kalinga.

It was during this time that he embraced Buddhism under the Brahmin Buddhist sages, Radhaswami and Manjushri. After adopting Buddhism, Ashoka started propagating its principles throughout the world, even as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. Infact, he can be credited with making the first serious attempt to develop a Buddhist policy.

Policy

Buddhist Emperor Ashoka built thousands of Stupas and Viharas for Buddhist followers. One of his stupas, the Great Sanchi Stupa, has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNECSO. The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath has a four-lion capital, which was later adopted as the national emblem of the modern Indian republic.

Throughout his life, 'Ashoka the Great' followed the policy of nonviolence or ahimsa. Even the slaughter or mutilation of animals was abolished in his kingdom. He promoted the concept of vegetarianism. The caste system ceased to exist in his eyes and he treated all his subjects as equals. At the same time, each and every person was given the rights to freedom, tolerance, and equality.

Missions to Spread Buddhism

The third council of Buddhism was held under the patronage of Emperor Ashoka. He also supported the Vibhajjavada sub-school of the Sthaviravada sect, now known as the Pali Theravada. He sent his missionaries to the following places:

• Kashmir - Gandhara Majjhantika
• Mahisamandala [Mysore] - Mahadeva
• Vanavasi [Tamil Nadu] - Rakkhita
• Aparantaka [Gujarat and Sindh] - Yona Dhammarakkhita
• Maharattha [Maharashtra] - Mahadhammarakkhita
• "Country of the Yona" [Bactria/ Seleucid Empire] - Maharakkhita
• Himavanta [Nepal] - Majjhima
• Suvannabhumi [Thailand/ Myanmar] - Sona and Uttara
• Lankadipa [Sri Lanka] - Mahamahinda

His missionaries also went to the below mentioned places:

• Seleucid Empire [Middle Asia]
• Egypt
• Macedonia
• Cyrene [Libya]
• Epirus [Greece and Albania]

Ashoka Chakra

Emperor Ashoka as a great ruler of India and as promoter of Buddhism holds an important role in the history of the world.

After ruling over the Indian subcontinent for a period of approximately 40 years, the Great Emperor Ashoka died in 232 BC. After his death, his empire lasted for just fifty more years. After doing a great deal of good for his kingdom and the world at large. His fame has spread far and wide. To commemorate his rule and its implications the Government of India has adopted the Ashoka Chakra as its national symbol, which can be seen till today on the national flag.

Lokmanya Keshav 'Bal' Gangadhar Tilak

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities infamously and derogatorily called the great leader as “Father of the Indian unrest”. He was also conferred upon the honorary title of Lokmanya, which literally means “Revered by the people (as their leader)”. Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of “Swaraj” (self-rule) in Indian consciousness. His famous quote, “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it !” is well-remembered in India even today.



He was a great scholar who authored many books on Gita and Vedas. In Gita Rahasya, his commentary on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, he established that Karma Yoga or the Yoa of selfless action is the main teaching of the Gita.

Although he was helpful to revolutionaries such as Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh and Chaphekar, he did not venture into it himself. Instead, he martialled the extremist wing of Indian National Congress. His movement was based on the principles of Swadeshi (Indigenous), Boycott and Education. It was he who, through his own example, gave prestige to imprisonment in freedom struggle. It is a tragedy that his work is not given the recognition due to it.


Tilak is often misinterpreted. Perhaps it is so because of his style of operation which raised bitter controversies and still more bitter opponenents even outside the beurocracy. Violent arguements characterized his relationship with social reformists such as Agarkar, Ranade and moderates like Ferozshah Mehta. Many blame him for opposing the Age of Consent Bill which raised the age limit for marriage of girls to 12 (from 10). But is fact that at the same time he had signed a counter-proposal where in one of the clauses was that the girls (boys) should not be married until they are 16 (20). He educated all of his daughters and did not marry them till they were over 16. There are instances when he privately paid for the education of women. Still it remains true that he was a reactionary and did not use his considerable influence to give a much-needed support to the social reformists. Probably, he did not want to offend the prevalent rigid system - he, himself, having been brought up in the culturally narrow surroundings of Pune. It seems as if his canvas presented him no room for active social reforms.

He had several discussions with Shankaracharya of Sankeshwar and asserted that like Swami Vivekananda, the modern Shankaracharya must be educated on modern lines. Tilak received Bachelor of Arts degree from The Deccan College, Pune in 1879 and L.L.B. from the Elphinston College, Mumbai in 1882. He was among the founders of the New English School, Pune (1881) of which Prof Chiplunkar became the Principal. He had a genius for organisation and with Agarkar, the then foremost social reformist, started the newspapers 'Kesari' and 'The Maratha' in 1881 and in 1890's started the annual celebration of 'ShivajiFestival' and 'Ganapati Festival' which served a platform for people to join in the nationalist movement against the British. Soon he came to be regarded as the undisputed leader of Maharashtra and was honored with the title 'Lokamanya' in 1893 which became synonymous with him in the 1900. As the nation fumed over the partition of Bengal (1905), Tilak assumed the national leadership with his extremist attitude and stated his position unequivocally as "Swarajya (self rule) is my birth right and I shall have it."

You may Click on the link below for a pdf presentation on this Great Leader:

http://www.mediafire.com/?emkzn2monvz

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - India's Most Well-known Devotee of the Goddess Kali

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is perhaps the best known saint of nineteenth century India. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in 1836, in a small town near Calcutta, West Bengal. As a young man, he was artistic and a popular storyteller and actor. His parents were religious, and prone to visions and spiritual dreams. Ramakrishna's father had a vision of the god Gadadhara (Vishnu) while on a religious pilgrimage. In the vision, the god told him that he would be born into the family as a son.

Rama Krishna Paramahamsa was an illiterate person. But be achieved world wide fame by his pursuit of truth and his realisation of the Divine. Self-realisation is the goal for every human being. This is the message of the Bhagavatha.

Rama Krishna and his wife Sharada Devi were totally illiterate. But Paramahamsa is treated as a Divine Phenomenon even today. What is the reason? He followed the path of Truth. He could realise that Truth alone could lead him to merge with the Divinity. That is what ‘Bhagavatha’ preached, "You should go to the place from where you have come". That is the main of object of life.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa devoted his entire time from sunrise to late in the night on the contemplation of the Divine form of the Lord. Before going to bed he would look here and there and feel that yet another day had gone by without his having the vision of the Lord. Thus every moment of every day he experienced the anguish of lacking the vision of the Divine. The ancient sages experienced similar anguish in their penance seeking realisation of the Divine.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to ecstatically enjoy himself in the worship of the Goddess in the temple built by Rani Rasamani. One night thieves broke into the temple and carried away all the jewels on the idol of Krishna in the temple. With a view to carrying on his regular priestly duties, he went to Rani Rasamani’s nephew, Mathuranath, and told him, "Sir, thieves have stollen all the jewels on the idol." Mathuranath was angry and proceeded with Ramakrishna to the temple. Losing his temper and balance of mind, he burst out anger, "Oh Krishna! Are you not ashamed of yourself? If you are not able to protect your jewels on your own idol, how are you going to protect the whole world? Were you paralysed when the thieves were carrying away the Jewels? Or were you asleep? This is a disgrace to you Divinity."

Hearing these words, Sri Ramakrishna said,

"Mathuranath! Shut your mouth! For the sake of your petty jewels and trinkets, is this the way you should berate God? When the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is the consort of the Lord, why do you get so agitated over the loss of a few trivial ornaments? The Lord can have no such petty feelings. You are feeling so much for the action of a few thieves who loved some jewels and came to the Lord to get them. It is because of your love for jewels that you are getting distressed so much. But the Lord has no desires. He is ready to give himself away. God is prepared to offer himself. Such a one, will He be worried about this petty loss? Hence, change your vision. Do not comment on God." At these words Mathuranath felt ashamed of himself.

Then Ramakrishna sat near the idol of Sri Krishna and prayed, "Krishna! As long as one is caught up in the coils of the world, he will speak like an intoxicated man. Only when he gets immersed in God will he oblivious to himself. Therefore, do not let ourself get intoxicated. Confer on me the boon of self forgetfulness." This is what is meant by the saying, "The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself." When one experiences the Divine, he sees the Divine in everything.

One day, while Ramakrishna was going to Kamarpukur, he was caught in heavy rain right in the center of a burial ground. Of course he was in such an ecstatic mood that the time, place or weather mattered little to him. When he awoke, Ramakrishna called upon God by various names - Rama, Siva, Krishna, Kali, Hanuman. Then he suddenly realised that the names all referred to the One, and he repeated within himself the verse from the Gita that reminded of Sharanagathi (absolute surrender) to the One.

At Dakshineshwar, when Ramakrishna was once asked to go to the temple office to receive his monthly salary, he was very much upset, for he never wanted any wages for being given the chance of worshipping his Mother.

At one point he became frustrated, feeling he could not live any longer without seeing Kali. He demanded that the goddess appear to him. He threatened to take his own life with a ritual dagger (normally held in the hand of the Kali statue). At this point, he explained how the goddess appeared to him as an ocean of light:


......When I jumped up like a madman and seized [a sword], suddenly the blessed Mother revealed herself. The buildings with their different parts, the temple, and everything vanished from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me up. I was caught in the rush and collapsed, unconscious … within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I felt the presence of the Divine Mother.

[Mahendranath Gupta, Ramakrsna Kathamrta translated by Swami Nikhilananda as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Mylapore: Sri Ramakrsna Math, 1952), Book 1, p. 15 ]


Yet another story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says, how he slapped Rani Rasamani on her face when she stood before the shrine at Dakshineshwar with folded hands and half closed eyes, to all appearing as if praying to the Mother. He knew that she was not praying, but actually involving herself with plans for a civil suit in a court of law and so he reminded her of the sanctity of the place and the need to pray for higher objectives, by a slap. The Rani acknowledged the act of service and prevented her servants from admonishing Paramahamsa. He had done her good, she said.

The scriptures convey a living message; the idols of God convey a living lesson. They are not wood or stone. That is why Sri Ramakrishna did not support those who directed that a broken idol be discarded. He asked whether Rani Rasamani would discard Mathur Babu, her son-in-law, if he happened to break his leg. He recommended that the idol be mended and used for worship.

With a view to test Ramakrishna, a disciple called Narendra or Vivekananda kept a few gold coins under the bed of Ramakrishna. Immediately Ramakrishna got up because he felt as if his body was burning. The inner meaning of this story is that Ramakrishna was still seeing the distinction between gold on the one hand and mind on the other hand. He kept on exchanging them from one hand to other hand, till he lost the sense of distinction between them. He then realised the quantity or the oneness of them.
Ramakrishna had the sense of total dedication. He was in great pain as a result of cancer, and his disciples asked him to pray to the Mother for the alleviation of the pain. Vivekananda was desperate when his master refused to ask this little favour from the Mother with whom he was literally on speaking terms. But Ramakrishna replied that as it was the Mother’s will that he must suffer, he was not going to pray for palliative. But his disciples were adamant. They bothered Ramakrishna so much that one day he prayed to the Mother that he may be helped to take a little food in spite of the cancer in his throat. Ramakrishna told his disciples that at that time he heard the mother admonishing him for his ignorance, "Are you not eating through all these billion throats? Why regret that one throat is incapable of taking down food?" This truth was brought home to the disciples by this revelation.

Thothapuri wanted that Ramakrishna must give up even his Ishtadevatha Kalimatha (Goddess Kali), when he sought the highest bliss. He helped Ramakrishna to overcome his deep-rooted attachment to that Name and Form. What then are we to say of the attachment to mere name of these yogis and rishis (sages), of the present time? They will not stir a finger, they will not give up a single desire or habit; they can not miss a meal or sit quiet for an hour; but they expect that God must grant them immortality and men must take them as their examples.

Disciples began to appear at this point in Ramakrishna's life. He embarked on a long period of teaching where he gathered a group of disciples around him. This period of his life is well documented by two sets of books written by his disciples. These references are listed below.

For those with a strong sense of Hindu nationalism, Ramakrishna's chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda, entered onto the world stage by doing a keynote address at the World Parliament of Religions meeting in Chicago in 1893, and he electrified his audience. Hindus for generations could point to their indigenous traditions with pride after his exemplary speech.


Vivekananda also promoted a more activist form of Hinduism, which focused on education, feeding the poor, and developing libraries and other institutions. His works were a way of showing Hindus that it was not only the Christian missionaries that could benefit society, but that Hindu religion was also valuable with respect to improving society and combating social ills.

Ramakrishna died of cancer of the throat in 1886, leaving his wife Sarada Devi who was considered a saint in her own right to take charge of his disciples and carry on his message.


Books for Reference:
Courtesy: http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/]

• THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA (KATHAMRITA) Slightly edited translation by Swami Nikhilananda published 1944
• THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA (KATHAMRITA) Word to word translation by Sri Dharm Pal Gupta
• THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
• VIVEKANANDA A BIOGRAPHY by Swami Nikhilananda (Published 1953)
• REMINISCENCES OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (Third Edition, Published 1983) and other sources.
• Short biographies of SRI RAMAKRISHNA (by Swami Tejasananda, published 1940), SRI MAA (by Swami Pavitrananda, published 1942) and SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (by Swami Tejasananda, published 1940).

Books on Ramakrishna:

• The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Mahendranath Gupta
• Ramakrishna the Great Master by Swami Saradanananda
• The Great Swan: Meeting with Ramakrishna by Lex Hixon
• Life of Ramakrishna by Romain Rolland
• Ramakrishna and His Disciples by Christopher Isherwood

Available from:

The Vedanta Press

[Courtesy: http://www.vedanta.com/store/Ramakrishna.php]

Swami Dayananda Saraswati - Founder of "Arsha Vidya Gurukalam"

Swami Dayananda Saraswati ... ascetic, philosopher and teacher.

Background

Natarajan was born in Manjakudi -Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu on August 15, 1930. He became interested in Vedanta after listening to the public talks of Swami Chinmayananda. He became involved with the Chinmaya Mission in various roles.



He was given sanyas by Swami Chinmayananda in 1962.

Teaching



Swami Dayananda has been teaching Vedanta in India for more than four decades, and around the world since 1976. His depth of understanding and nuanced appreciation of Western culture makes him a rare teacher who can communicate the vision of non-duality to modern listeners.


Swami Dayananda designed and taught six resident in-depth Vedanta courses, each spanning 30 to 36 months. Four were conducted in India, and two in the United States. Each course graduated about 60 qualified acharyas, teachers, who are now teaching around the world. More than one hundred are now swamis and are highly respected as scholars and teachers throughout India and abroad.

 

Institutions



Under Swami Dayananda’s guidance, numerous centers for Vedic teaching have been founded around the world. The two main centers in India are the Arsha Vidya Ashram in Rishikesh and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore.

In the United States., the main center is the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. At present there are at least sixty centers in India and abroad that carry on the same tradition of Vedantic teaching.


In 1986, Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, a Gurukula that has branches in India and the United States. Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is an institute for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish, Sanskrit and other classicalHindu studies. The word Arsha means that which is from the Rishis - the great seers of ancient India. The word Vidya means knowledge. Thus, Arsha Vidya means the knowledge flowing from the Rishis. The word Gurukulam, means "family of the teacher", referring to a residential center for learning with the Teacher. Arsha Vidya Gurukulam offers Indians and non-Indians, Hindus and non-Hindus alike an opportunity to study the profound spiritual knowledge of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahma sutras, and other classical Vedanta texts.


Other Organizations


In addition to teaching, Swami Dayananda has initiated and supported various philanthropic efforts. The All India Movement [AIM] for Seva, inaugurated in November, 2000, brings medical, educational, nutritional and infrastructure assistance to villagers in the remote areas of India. This movement enjoys the blessing of all traditional Hindu spiritual leaders who have united as a single body, the Acarya Sabha, through the coordinating efforts of Swami Dayananda. In November 2001, Swami Dayananda convened the first World Congress for the Preservation of Religious Diversity in Delhi, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama and the then Prime Minister Mr.A.B.Vajpayee. An important outcome of the Congress is the formation of a Global Commission for the Preservation of Religious Diversity, spearheaded by Swami Dayananda. The Commission had its inaugural meeting in Bangkok in June, 2002. Swami Dayananda was active in forming and participating in the Women’s Global Peace Initiative, which convened at the United Nations in Geneva in October 2002. He has also participated in the Millennium Peace Summit organized by the United Nations

Excerpts from one of Swamiji's interviews -  He talks about God, religion, rituals and spirituality:


Is the concept of God just one of faith?


Well, if you say that everything here is God then He is not one of faith but one to be understood. He is both the maker and material. Viewed from this angle, for us God is not a mere belief. He is a reality. Every thinking individual at one time or the other ponders on the question — Who am I? This is only a different way of asking — Who or what is God? To understand God is to understand the atma (the self). What is your position in the world? To understand your place in the scheme of things you first need to understand the scheme.


Can you comment on the practicality of religion?


If you realise that all that is here is God there is no question of impracticality. There is a hidden variable in every effort and this includes even mundane activities like making bread. Now, in life, one has to constantly reckon with this hidden factor. You cannot control it because it is hidden. Practical people try to deal with this factor through prayer.


The very word `prayer' means a religious appeal to control the hidden variable. In fact, I would describe prayer as the effort of a practical person.


Are ethics and morality inter-related to religion?


An ethical life need not necessarily be a religious one. Bertrand Russell championed the cause of various issues like nuclear non-proliferation and so on.


But he was not a religious person. In fact, he wrote a book — `Why I am not a Christian?' it is one that has to be read by everybody. I would stress that everybody has to be ethical.


What is the significance of rituals?


One should not undermine the importance of rituals. It is an individual's attempt to relate to the Lord. Rituals are emotions given a physical form. It is a form of prayer. Prayer can be classified into three types [a] kaayikam — by physical actions [b] vaachikam — of the form of words [c] maanasam — of the mind. Each form has its significance. Prayer is karma [action] and karma produces results. By that logic different forms of prayer give rise to different results. They [the elders] may not be able to explain the reasons behind the rituals but they are all relevant.


Is a study of philosophical books necessary for spiritual evolution?


We need to study and study properly. And then you realise there is so much to know. Every human being has the basic problem of being dissatisfied with what he/she is i.e. self-non-acceptance. We are the only species of life that is given the prerogative to evolve. We have to move from erroneous knowledge to knowledge. To that end, study of right books and sat-sangh [good company] help.


While on the one hand there does seem to be a revival of religion and spirituality — a case in point is the massive attendance at your lectures — on the other hand society continues to be strife ridden.


People who come to discourses are all those who are struggling to understand [the riddle of life]. If you look at the past, you realise that it has always been a struggle to conform to Dharma. We are passing through a phase where I perceive a condition that needs to change and at the same time a trend towards change. In a boiling pot some grains get cooked early and some later. But they are all in the process.


What is the goal of human life?


Discovery of the Self. In fact no self-judging human being will rest content unless he or she discovers the self. That is 100 per cent acceptance of oneself.


What is the value of Vedic education and the Sanskrit language?


Vedic heritage is a legacy we have inherited. A heritage is something you imbibe over generations down. Research has proven that it is important for a human child to be aware of its roots. We must be proud of our heritage, our ancestry and if that has meaning too then it is actually a privilege. Define a typical Hindu home and you have explained Vedic heritage.


The UNESCO has declared that Vedic recitation is the most ancient and they have also declared it human heritage. We are preserving monuments, fossils, old skeletons and so on. We say with pride — here is a million year old bone.


Shouldn't we preserve something that is profound, ancient and alive? The UNESCO has also declared Sanskrit as the most ancient of languages. It is a highly analysed language. It is the language of the Vedas. It is the key to a whole treasure-house of knowledge.


You have been quite vociferous against conversion...


Even political boundaries of countries are accepted as they are. The world is engaged in preserving cultures. When there is such an acceptance, I want acceptance of religious traditions too. Today there is a blatant destruction of ancient cultures with increasing money power. I feel it is humanity's duty to stop this crime.


What is your message for today's youth?


The youth of India should discover India. India is not to be taken for granted. Youngsters should discover India not by travelling but by understanding [its culture].


Why does one have a puja room? Why should one not step on a book or currency note? Why does a woman wear gold? In several respects we are unique — our temples, sculptures, inscriptions, our Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The youth need to discover their roots, trunks, branches, flowers et al.
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Books


Many of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's lectures, talks and discourses have been published in the form of books. These books deal with Vedantic teachings and its applicability to various situations in life.

A non-exhaustive list of his books include:

• The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita
• Dialogues with Swami Dayananda
• Vivekacudamani [Talks on 108 Selected Verses]
• Visnusahasranama with translation & commentary
• Talks on Sri Rudram
• Taittiriya Upanishad As Taught by Swami Dayananda Saraswati

To get the books from Chennai contact:

Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust
32/4 Srinidhi Apts
Desika Road, Mylpaore, Chennai 600 004
Tel: 044-2499 7131/ 2499 7023

To get the books from Coimbatore contact:

Address: Arsha Vidya Gurukulam,
Anaikatti Post,
Coimbatore - 641 108
Ph: 0422 265 7001
Mobile: 94422 42600.