An Ordeal with a Purpose

The Story of Thondaradippodi Aazhvaar

Meditation According To Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita deals elaborately with several aspects of meditation. This article presents these thoughts, especially from the sixth chapter.

The Order on the March

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Pariprasna

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers. Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

Book Reviews

Irish-born Margaret Noble, initiated into the service of India as Sister Nivedita by her guru Swami Vivekananda, left indelible footprints in her adopted country as a fearless crusader for the betterment of the nation groaning under the yoke of a tyrannical imperialist rule. Her speeches and writings, her innumerable proactive endeavours and her complete commitment to India need to be reiterated and reclaimed.

Gadadhar begins His Divine Play

A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Sri Ramakrishna.

Bhavanath Chattopadhyay

यमेिै्षिृणुते तेन लभययः It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23). This is the fifteenth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

The Honeycomb in the Mountain

A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda.

Questions & Answers

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers. Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

God and the world

God alone is the Master, and again, He is the Servant. This attitude indicates Perfect Knowledge. At first one discriminates, ‘Not this, not this’, and feels that God alone is real and all else is illusory. Afterwards the same person finds that it is God Himself who has become all this — the universe, maya, and the living beings. First negation and then affirmation. This is the view held by the Puranas.

The Blue Plaque in London

Blue Plaque is a scheme under which London keeps its history alive by marking out buildings and places associated with eminent people of the past. One such Blue Plaque building is associated with Swami Vivekananda. In 1896, on his second visit to England, Swamiji stayed here along with his brother-disciple Swami Saradananda, his disciple J.J.Goodwin, his younger brother Mahendranath Datta who was there to pursue higher studies, and an American friend. Dr Vayu Naidu who lives in London draws attention to this building sanctified by the two swamis’ stay. This article was commissioned by the Royal Literary Fund when the author was a Fellow at Royal Holloway University College London in 2019 and was originally an audio podcast broadcast by RLF VOX on social media.

Adhar Lal Sen DR. RUCHIRA MITRA ्मेत्वैष त्वृणयुते तेन लभ्ः It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23)

This is the fourteenth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

Mahasamadhi of Srimat Swami Shivamayananda Ji

Vice-president, Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission

Gurushakti in the Ramakrishna Order

Sri Sri Guru Purnima! It is the auspicious day when the guru – the teacher is adored and worshipped by his disciples. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the lunar month of Ashadha (roughly corresponding to July). The scriptures say, “Acharyadevo Bhava”, thereby exhorting us to regard the teacher as the veritable form of the Lord. And especially the spiritual teacher, by long tradition, is treated as ‘God in person!’ Guru Purnima is celebrated in temples, ashramas, and religious congregations all over India.

Girish Chandra Ghosh

This is the thirteenth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

Pariprasna

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers. Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

An Impromptu Speech

A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda.

The Journey From Distress To De-Stress

The current pandemic will prove to be a prominent historical event wherein the most powerful and dominant human species, considered to be the crown of creation has been humbled by an invisible parasitic germ that is merely a micro-organism, not belonging to either the plant or animal kingdom.

Yoga for ‘COVID 19'

QUESTION: COVID 19 is a disease of very recent origin, but the discipline of Yoga is more than 3000 years old. What is the link between these two which stand divided by thousands of years?

Pariprasna

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers. Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

On the Wings of Death

Birth and death Birth and death are the two unavoidable painful events in everyone’s life.

Nag Mahashay

This is the twelth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

Pariprasna

Srimat Swami Tapasyananda Ji (1904 – 1991) was one of the Vice- Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order. His deeply convincing answers to devotees’ questions raised in spiritual retreats and in personal letters have been published in book form as Spiritual Quest: Questions & Answers. Pariprasna is a selection from this book.

Akshay Kumar Sen

This is the eleventh story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna.

Lokamata Janaki

Sita Navami falls exactly a month after Rama Navami. While Rama Navami is celebrated with great devotional fervour, celebrating Sita Navami is not very common. But we cannot think of Rama without Sita. This year Sita Navami falls on the 21st of May. Let us celebrate Sita Navami contemplating Mother Sita’s life.

A Tale of Two Contests

A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Shivananda: A Living Light

(Continued from the previous issue...) In this article, Swami Shraddhanandaji reminiscences about his interaction with Swami Shivananda, one of the direct-disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and the 2nd President of the Ramakrishna Order. From 1957, Shraddhanandaji served in the American centres of San Francisco and Sacramento until his mahasamadhi in July 1996. This article was sent to The Vedanta Kesari by Lali Maly, a devotee of Vedanta Society of Sacramento, USA.

Shiva: Interval Between Enjoyment And Its Negation

Swami Nityabodhanandaji was a disciple of Swami Shivanandaji, the second President of the Ramakrishna Order. He was editor of The Vedanta Kesari, from 1942-1948 and later for three decades he was the head of Geneva centre of the Ramakrishna Order in Switzerland. This article is reproduced from the March 1968 issue of Prabuddha Bharata.

The Order on the March

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Reminiscences of Sargachhi

(Continued from previous issue. . .) Swami Premeshananda (1884 – 1967) was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. For over two decades he lived at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachhi, West Bengal. Under his inspiration countless people led a life of spirituality and service, and many young men and women entered into monastic life. His conversations – translated from Bengali and presented below – were noted by his attendant who is now Srimat Swami Suhitananda Ji, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order.