Aug 2019 – Sep 2019

Volume 8 Issue 3
Bulletin of Vivekananda Kendra Vedic Vision Foundation

In this Issue

• Editorial
• Rakshabandhan for Sandeepani Children
• Sri Krishna Jayanti
• Samapan Of Ramayana Month
• Onam Celebrations
• Ek Bharatam Vijayi Bharatam Meetings
• Samskarvarga Prashikshan Workshop
• Universal Brotherhood Day Celebration
• Regular Activities
• Article By Ma. Lakshmi Didi
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-2- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

EDITORIAL
YOGA of LOVE

The charisma of yoga is spreading far and wide and more and more people are getting
attracted to it. There is yoga for health and beauty, yoga for young and old and yoga for
sportsmen and spacemen too, in addition to the supreme yoga which links man to God.
What we need most today, however, is a Yoga of LOVE which can build bridges of
understanding, a Yoga of synthesis which would remove the sting of separateness,
integrate the Nation and join us all in one fraternity as children of one Mother.
It is easy to divide the ‘whole’ into tiny bits. But to recreate the ‘whole’ out of the
pulverized fragments is most difficult unless one knows how to carry the analytical
splitting to such ultimate perfection that truth emerges out and unites all into One. But
that demands superhuman intellect and skill. Such a unique synthesis was what the great
Sankara achieved centuries ago when he condensed out of many cults and sects certain
clearly distinguishable thought currents and then further synthesized them into the
ADVAITA, thus unifying the country and her religions as never before.
For us the lesser mortals, who cannot go beyond the mundane body-mind –intellect
level and who yet crave for unity and harmony, there should be some simple synthetic
process which, instead of highlighting out differences, would teach us to sink them all and
enjoy the unity in diversity. It is for this that we need a yoga of love which would goad us
to exercise our will to love and be loved at all costs.
We should either learn to exercise the chords of love in the innermost recesses of our
heart out of which are created the beautiful melody of true human life or alternately,
must learn to capture the ethereal vibrations of the Universal Self through acquisition of
knowledge and then realise that there is no ‘otherness ‘and all are truly ONE. Our
ignorance and our hesitation to give selfless love lay behind all the confusion and chaos.
Through the practice of the yoga of LOVE, Not only can we redeem ourselves but also
create peace and harmony around.
We have to compose a new symphony in India, with two basic notes – love of
Motherland and love for fellow human beings. With these notes should be merged the age
old tolerance of Hinduism, the great surrender and service of Christianity, the
magnanimous love and brotherhood of Islam and so on. All different notes should then be
harmonized into one melody through the accompaniments of secularism and democracy.
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-3- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

Today our homeland is burning of a fire created out of ignorant fissiparous tendencies
of her own children. Should we wait for others to come and put off the flames? Is it not
the duty of each one of us to stop the national conflagration? Through conscientiously
practicing a new yoga of Love, understanding and synthesis, we can all contribute our
mite , wherever we are and in whatever capacities we may be, not only to restore sanity
and peace in the country but more important , to protect the unity an freedom of our
Motherland.

Rakshabandhan For Sandeepani Children

The tiny tots celebrated Raksha Bandhan on 19th August, the day their school reopened after the
floods.

Ma Didi explained to them about the significance of the celebrating Rakshabandhan. Didi explained
to them that in order to
understand the great
concepts of our rishis
eg.'Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam' or the whole
universe is one family, in
our Indian culture several
celebrations are there.

Raksha Bandhan is one

such celebration.

All the 26 children,

their parents teachers and
inmates of Anandadham
were present. Didi and Sri
Sudhakarji in turns tied
rakhis round the children’s wrists. The children were thrilled!
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-4- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

Sri Krishna Jayanti

On 23rd August on the occasion of Shri Krishna Jayanthi, the Campus of Anandadham was crowded
with tiny tots of Sishuvihar and slightly bigger children, and even toddlers from around the
neighbourhood. Some were dressed as Radhas, some as Gopikas and the rest as Sri Krishnas. The stage
was full with the tableaux of these children posing in different ways. Judges were there to spot the good,
better and best poses and prizes were there for everyone who participated. There were Krishna bhajans
by budding singers. The whole atmosphere Anandadham was filled with 'Ananda'.

51 children in all participated and parents of each of them, along with teachers, inmates of
Anandadham were all present to witness the grand show.

Samapan Of Ramayana Month

As a part of the concluding celebration of Ramayana month (which was delayed because of the flood
in August), a Ramayana quiz was conducted for the Samskara Varga children of Edavilangu, Karumatra,
Vinayakapuram and VKVVF’s Anandadham. Only selected children from all the areas who had already
appeared in their own areas for the Ramayana written test and succeeded, participated in the Quiz
competition held on 1st September.

Edavilangu group topped, Karumatra group was in the second position and Anandadham group got
the 3rd position. Smt Rema Shali was adjudged as the best mother trainer of Ramayana for her children.
All the groups were presented with tokens of appreciation by Ma. Lakshmi Didi.
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-5- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

Onam Celebration
7th September it was Onam celebration for the tiny tots of Sishuvihar, their parents, the (older) ex-
students of Sandeepani Sishuvihar with their parents, the YCC and YIC students
who come for regular weekend classes, Yogavarga
members totaling 200 of them. All the mothers
together created a beautiful design with flowers (poo
kolam) followed by Ma. Didi's talk on the significance
of Onam. After this there were songs of Onam, Thiruvathira
dance by mothers and children's' bhajans all together creating a spiritual yet festive
atmosphere. Adding to the enjoyment, there was the Onam sadya or feast. A sense of
togetherness was created when they took food together. All of them thoroughly
enjoyed. Pranta Sanghatak, Sushree Radha Didi was also present on the day and took
part in the celebration.

Ek Bharatam Vijayi Bharatam Meetings

On 7th September from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm, first Eka Bharatam Vijayi Bharatam meeting with 40
people mostly yoga students and well-wishers was held. The purpose of the Samparka Abhiyan was
explained in details by Su.Radha Didi. Queries were cleared by Sri Sudhakarji. Sri P.N Joshiji was selected
as Samparka Pramukh.

The Group (Toli) formation took place on 21st September in presence of Sri Raghuji (Jeevanvrati)
from Kanyakumari. Ten groups of three people were formed from the 35 people who attended. The Rock
Memorial story was read, discussed and clarified by Sri Raghuji.

Samskarvarga Prashikshan Workshop

Three days SamskarVarga Prashikshan workshop daily from morning 9.30 am to 12.3o noon, was
conducted from 13th September to 15th September, for the children of Valsalayam, Methala and
Sringapuram. 12 children and elders attended. Sushree Bindu SamskarVarga pramukh along with varga
shikshaks Kum Sreelakshmi, Kum Anushree and Akshay, conducted the workshop. Yoga, games,
storytelling, lectures, chanting and songs, agnyas were introduced to the children.
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-6- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

Universal Brotherhood Day Celebration

Universal Brotherhood Day celebrations started with competitions of
various types for school students of classes II to XII from in and around
Kodungallur. 202 students participated

On the 23rd, Art and Painting competition

was conducted for the L.P, U.P and High
School students, i.e. from class II to class X.
72 students from eight different schools
were present.

On 24th elocution (getting by heart and delivering the Speech of Swamiji)

competition in English and Malayalam based on Speech of Swamiji's for

the students of Junior (classes VI-VII) and Senior ( Class VIII to X) sections.
48 students participated for the English
elocution whereas 58 of them in Malayalam
from 12 different schools participated in toto.

On 25th September a quiz contest was

conducted in which 5 schools with 5 students in a group, participated.

On 26th September morning from 10.30 to 12.30noon, was the concluding

function. Dr Smt Sumathy Achuthan, Director of the Shantiniketan International School, was the Chief
Guest. Mrs Sumathy in her lecture cautioned the students against misuse of mobile which could even be
fatal.Swamijis messages were a power house of beauty and energy. This time Gurushree Public School
Chapara, bagged the first prize in Quiz and also won the rolling shields for highest points in English and
Malayalam
elocutions.
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-7- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

REGUL AR ACTIVITIES
Yoga Satras
6 gents and 9 ladies were trained in regular monthly yoga satra classes during August and September.

Yoga Vargas
15 yoga Vargas are regularly conducted at 9 places. Around 180 members regularly attend the Yoga Vargas.

Anandadham 2 yoga Vargas Average 10 ladies and 25 gents regularly

Thrissur - 1 Varga 9 Members

Valsalayam - 1 Varga 14 Members
Smt Suja Edavilangu - 1 Varga 12 Members
Edavilangu - 1 Varga 12 Members
Kara - 1 Varga 10 Members (ladies)

Kara - 1 Varga 9 Members

Kadukachodu - 1 Varga 10 Members
Sri Joshi
Kadukachodu - 1 Varga 13 Members
Methala - 1 Varga 7 Members
15 Members
Smt Mani Elthuruthu - 2 Varga
4 Members
Smt. Seeba & Preetha Puthenchira - 1 Varga 13 Members

Sri Nandakumarji Keleswaram - 1 Varga 15 Members

Ganapathi Homam & Srichakra Puja
Regular Ganapathi Homam and Sri Cakra puja were conducted by the scholars of Gurupadam, on purnima (Full
Moon) days which fell on 15th August and 14th September and was followed by chanting of Sri Lalitha
Sahasranama during puja and Sri Vishnu Sahasranama in the evenings by the inmates of Anandadham.

Prabhashanam Parampara
Acharya Sethumadhavanji conducted a class on Jyotish Sastra on 8th September. He spoke on the significance of
Onam and the spiritual lessons and benefits we achieve by following the rituals. He explained in detail each and
every norm followed during Onam.

YCC and YIC coaching classes

17 students, 10 of them for YCC (Yoga Certificate Course- Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari) and 7 of them for
the YIC (Yoga Instructor Course- SVYASA Bengaluru) come for classes regularly on every Saturday and Sunday.

Samskarvarga
Due to floods, only 3 regular Samskarvarga classes one each at Edavilangu, Karumatra and Anandadham were
possible with an average total of 10 children in each Varga. This time the yoga Varga participants especially the
mothers of Valsalayam and Kindi bazar area expressed their wish to start a Samskarvarga for their children. Hence
on 9th September nearly 25 children and some of the mothers gathered on the terrace of Smt Laya's (yoga varga
member) house to formally start Sanskar Varga there. It was decided that every Sunday evening they would gather
at the same place and participate in the Samskarvarga under Smt Suja's guidance.
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-8- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

THE 'ONE' BEFORE THE ZERO

Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari
(In this issue we are bringing Ma. Lakshmi Didi’s interesting articles on Bhagavad Gita which she had penned in ‘Yuva Bharati’
as it’s editor in the eighties of last century )

Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'The digit one may be raised to a figure of any value by adding zeros
after it but if that one is omitted, zeros by themselves have no value.'

In his own monkeyish way Hanuman illustrated this truth when he chewed every pearl in the
priceless jewel that Sita presented to him and proved that the One, Rama his Master, was not in them
and therefore they were all worthless as zeros.

Lord Yama tempted the child Nachiketa with wealth and prosperity. But the latter found it a zero
and insisted on the knowledge of the One.

The great sage Yagnavalkya offered all his wealth to his wife Maitreyi. She rejected this offer of
zeros and asked for the Immortal one.

When Meera was young she used to ask her mother, "Whom shall I marry?" and her mother would
tell her, "Giridhara Gopal". Little Meera thus caught the 'One' from her very childhood, rejected the zeros
of the world and immortalised herself. So did Prahlada, Dhruva, Markandeya, Sankara and all the great
souls all over the world. What little light there is in the world of darkness around us has been emitted by
these great souls. Each one of them has said in his own unique way that whenever we forget the 'One'
and get attached to the zeros, our lives surely and certainly turn worthless. On the contrary, establishing
contact with the 'One', deep in our consciousness, we would enjoy a rare bliss within and joy and peace
without.

An illustration of this is what we find in the opening sequence of the Gita where Arjuna wrongly
identifying with the 'zeros' - the necessarily transient and temporary material effects- is, as a result,
thrown into an abyss of dejection and delusion. At that moment of great psychological crisis in his
friend, Lord Krishna instead of consoling and cajoling him, as we in our ignorance would normally
expect a friend to do, goes on unraveling the glories of the Supreme Self - immutable, infinite,
omniscient and so on in an attempt to get back his friend lost equilibrium. For a man who has lost his
mental balance, when faced with a crisis, how can this knowledge, and that too in the battlefield where in
a moment the terrible holocaust was to begin, be of any practical help?

Bringing to Arjuna the knowledge of the One, the Self, we find that Krishna succeeds in shaking him
out of his depression and all that temporarily upset him. A new vision and understanding came to him
restoring his faith and confidence, including physical strength. Arjuna stands reborn in spirit, released
from the clutches of his self-centered sorrow-delusion complex. Fear and anxiety drop away. He enjoys
a new freedom of action and taking up his Gandeeva once again, becomes the master of his destiny and
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-9- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

fights the decisive battle to re-establish dharma.

Who is there who doesn't want to proudly stand up and be a master of one's destiny? But our
attempts are invariably short-lived, lacking the sustaining power, as they derive their propped up
strength from the 'zeros' and not the 'One' - the SELF. Without the correct knowledge and the effective
technical know-how, we miserably fail in our efforts.

Krishna reveals to Arjuna the most accurate technique of self-development, beginning with the
knowledge of the Self. He not only teaches him all about the 'One' within him, present as his own life
principle but also about the Life Eternal pervading the entire creation and also about everything in
between. In the life's mysteries thus unfolded by Krishna we discover that in the realisation of the Self
lies hidden, true knowledge, true love, true success in action and true victory in life. Thus does the Gita
become a complete manual for understanding life with all its complexities and perplexities. As one
learns to touch the 'One' within all that which dwarf, diminish and impoverish the human mind - the
villains that mar the beauty of human life - vanish as darkness in the presence of light. Loneliness and
our sense of isolation, insecurity and inadequacy which make life miserable, get lost forever. Slowly and
steadily, one acquires control over one's entire being. To do the right thing at the right time and in the
right way becomes his habit. And then a new life begins, nay, it is only then that Life begins. Without
this knowledge it is only existence and not life that one leads.

We are unaware that true vitality, dynamism and equanimity which attract us to a person lie not in
his exterior but are the outward expressions of his inner strength. Ignorance of the true nature of the
'One' within us is the root cause of our misinterpretation of life, its varied actions and interactions.
Having no knowledge of the 'Real', we take 'unreal' as real and allow ourselves to be dragged into
sorrows and delusions of varying kinds. In the establishment of a positive dynamic mental equilibrium
which is the bedrock of a strong personality, the starting point has to be the transformation of our
consciousness. Once this is achieved, all other faculties which derive their strength and direction from
this 'One' fall in line as obedient soldiers at the command of their captain. Knowing this great
psychological truth, we in India, have devised ways and means of reaching out to this inner Self through
all that we do - be it work, worship, self-control or knowledge - and thus have we created the wonderful
science of self-development.

We cannot always change the environment to suit our needs. But we can definitely change and
accommodate ourselves to suit the environment. We cannot always do only that work which we like or
prefer. Great is the one who can turn every work into one that he likes and learn to derive joy from that.
Similar are all our experiences in life. Difficulties cannot be eliminated but we can change our attitude
towards difficulties. To be subjected only to pleasing experiences, to be ever out of reach for sorrows
and unhappiness is an impossible dream and will not contribute to the making of a strong personality.
But for one who is permeated with the knowledge of the 'Self' and gets nourished by that, each and
 Volume 8 Issue 3
-10- Aug 2019 - Sep 2019

every experience, be it sorrow or pleasure, is a stepping stone, a directive, taking him to the citadel of
Truth. Obstacles, difficulties and challenges pale into insignificance in front of one who is in touch with
the 'One'.

Such an elevation in our state of mental equilibrium makes us understand our problems clearly and
in full perspective and we are then able to deal with them effectively. This would naturally free us from
tension, worry, distraction and waste of energy which are the cause for the usual disharmonious notes in
our lives. Released from their clutches, our truly creative spiritual potentialities find natural expression
outside. This is the miracle of true positive living.

Krishna did not in any way change the conditions of the war to suit the mental condition of his
beloved friend, even though he had the power to do so. On the other hand, He changed Arjuna, by
transforming his consciousness into one of dynamic positive assertion of its oneness with the Supreme
and thus released him from all tensions, sorrows and delusion.

Therein lies the hope for man to become the master of his destiny. Identification with the 'One' in
us is the one sure way in which we can add glory and dignity to our lives which otherwise is nothing but
a zero.

Today, when all over the world, human life is getting devalued at a fast rate owing to man's
ignorance of his own worth and potentialities when the human soul is crying out for help and solace,
when all efforts through education, training or cultural developments are failing to upgrade the quality
of human lives, where shall we turn to restore our moral equilibrium and bring peace and harmony into
the world? The Gita provides us with that appropriate technology by which we can redeem our lost faith,
confidence and courage and push forward in life.