Saturday, July 13, 2024

Guru Purnima in Ramakrishna Mission Colombo - 20-07-2024

 


Ramakrishna Mission
Ashrama -Colombo.


ॐ नमः शिवाय
ஓம் நமசிவாய


தன்னுயிர் தான்அறப் பெற்றானை ஏனைய
மன்னுயி ரெல்லாந் தொழும் 
 -  குறள் 268  தவம்
தனது உயிரைப் பற்றியும் கவலைப் படாமல், தனது உடமைகளைப் பற்றியும் கவலைப்படாமல் ஒரு பொது நோக்குக்காக வாழ்பவனை எல்லா உயிர்களும் தொழும்.


Religion as Sri Ramakrishna taught it was never vague or dismal. It went to the man where he was and lifted him up. It was not like an eagle which soars high in the air and calls to the tortoise, ‘Come up here.’ Can the tortoise ever hope to rise to the eagle? No, it can only say, ‘If you will come and lift me up, then I can go up there.’ So Sri Ramakrishna in his teaching came down and carried the man up by degrees. It gave him new hope and courage.

- Swami Ramakrishnananda (Sri Ramakrishna and his Disciples, Pg. 109)

The four ways of the ancient Hindu Scriptures
to help people to improve their lives.

Anna danam - charity of food. Feeding the hungry is a great thing. But the one fed feels hunger again and again later. Permanent solution is to teach a man how to feed himself for the rest of his life & enable him to stand on his own feet

Swarnadanam - Giving monetary help. Then, people can feed themselves and take care of other necessities for a short time.

Vidyadanam - the gift of knowledge. Man making education of Swami Vivekananda enables students to equip them with skills and abilities to face their future and solve their problems.

Jnanadanam - the gift of wisdom. The culmination of education is the knowledge of the Self and the dawning of wisdom. It gives peace, happiness, and prosperity in this life and beyond


Vidyadanam - the Gift of Knowledge




ஓம் சிவாய ஓம் சிவாய

வருவாரோ வரம் தருவாரோ
by Kameshweri Ganesan -Sridevi Nrithyalaya - 
Bharathanatyam Dance

வானில் பறக்கின்ற புள்ளெலாம் நான்,
மண்ணில் திரியும் விலங்கெலாம் நான்;
கானில் வளரும் மரமெலாம் நான்,
காற்றும் புனலும் கடலுமே நான்

விண்ணில் தெரிகின்ற மீனெலாம் நான்,
வெட்ட வெளியின் விரிவெலாம் நான்;
மண்ணில்கிடக்கும் புழுவெலாம் நான்,
வாரியினுள் உயிரெலாம் நான்,

கம்பனிசைத்த கவியெலாம் நான்,
காருகர் தீட்டும் உரவெலாம் நான்;
இம்பர் வியக்கின்ற மாட கூடம்
எழில்நகர் கோபுரம் யாவுமே நான்,

இன்னிசை மாதரிசையுளேன் நான்,
இன்பத்திரள்கள் அனைத்துமே நான்;
புன்னிலை மாந்தர்தம் பொய்யெலாம் நான்,
பொறையருந் துன்பப் புணர்ப்பெலாம் நான்.

மந்திரங்கோடி இயக்குவோன் நான்,
இயங்கு பொருளின் இயல்பெலாம் நான்;
தந்திரங் கோடி சமைத்துளோன் நான்.
சாத்திர வேதங்கள் சாற்றினோன் நான்.

அண்டங்கள் யாவையும் ஆக்கினோன் நான்,
அவை பிழையாமே சுழற்றுவோன் நான்,
கண்டல் சக்திக் கணமெலாம் நான்
காரணமாகிக் கதித்துளோன் நான்.

நானெனும் பொய்யை நடத்துவோன் நான்,
ஞானச் சுடர்வானில் செல்லுவோன் நான்;
ஆனபொருள்கள் அனைத்தினும் ஒன்றாய்
அறிவாய் விளங்குமுதற்சோதி நான்.


குரு வந்தனம்

தூய நற்குரு துணை அருளை நாடு நெஞ்சமே!
குரு மலரடிய தேடு நெஞ்சமே!

தேடிடும் கலை அன்பொடு
தெளிவித்த என் ஈசன்
பாடும் என் நாவில் இசையாய்
படிபவர் என் குருநாதார்

பூவென யான் மலரவும்
போற்ற மணம் தந்தவர்
திரியென இருந்த மதி
தீபமாய் ஒளிர வைத்தார்
விதையென தளிராய் இருந்தேன்
விதைத்திட தளிர்த்தேன் மலர்ந்தேன்
ஆதாரம் குருவே பணிந்தேன்
அனைத்தும் உனக்கு அர்பணித்தேன்

தூய நற்குரு துணை அருளை நாடு நெஞ்சமே!
குரு மலரடிய தேடு நெஞ்சமே - பாவன குரு...!

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இந்த பாடலை KJ யேசுதாஸ் பாடிட இங்கே கேட்கலாம்
















Thursday, July 4, 2024

Swami Vivekananda - Religious Diversity and Harmony


Swami Vivekananda's Idea of Religious Diversity and Harmony. 
Journal of Religious Culture / Journal für Religionskultur No. 49 (2001)
by Ali Ihsan Yitik:

*Dr. Ali Ihsan Yitik is teaching Comparative Religion at the
Theological Faculty of the D.E. University in Izmir (Turkey).


Swami Vivekananda's Concept of Universal Religion


















Monday, July 1, 2024

Sri Ramakrishna - the Symbol of Harmony of Religions




Harmony of Religions: Although the idea that ‘one Reality is known by different names’ (Vedas) and the idea that ‘different spiritual paths lead to the same goal’ (Gita) are found in the Hindu scriptures and in the teachings of several Hindu saints, Sri Ramakrishna was the first person in history to show through direct experience the transcendental unity of all religions. His message implies two kinds of religious harmony: harmony within Hinduism and harmony among world religions.


Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti
एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति



PARTIAL KNOWLEDGE BREEDS NARROWNESS

FOUR blind men went out to see an elephant. One touched the leg of the elephant and said, "The elephant is like a pillar." The second touched the trunk and said, "The elephant is like a thick club." The third touched the belly and said, "The elephant is like a big jar." The fourth touched the ears and said, "The elephant is like a big winnowing basket." Thus they began to dispute hotly amongst themselves as to the shape of the elephant. A passer-by, seeing them thus quarrelling, said, "What is it you are disputing about?" They told him everything and asked him to arbitrate. The man said: "None of you has seen the elephant. The elephant is not like a pillar, its legs are like pillars. It is not like a winnowing basket, its ears are like winnowing baskets. It is not like a stout club, its trunk is like a club. The elephant is the combination of all these — legs, ears, belly, trunk and so on."

In the same manner, those who quarrel (about the nature of God) have each seen only some one aspect of the Deity.

Sri Ramakrishna 

 When Sri Ramakrishna had attained perfection in all the sadhanas and had become firmly established in Bhava mukha, he came to certain conclusions regarding himself and spiritual matters in general. 

 Regarding himself he had the conviction that 

 1. He was an Incarnation of God, an Adhikarika Purusha all of whose spiritual strivings were for the sake of others 
2. As long as the work of Iswara’s doing good to jivas continues, he has to reincarnate himself from age to age and carry out that mission
 3. He knew the time of his passing away long before his mahasamadhi .

 Regarding spiritual matters in general he came to realize both by reason and through his yogic insight that

 1. All religions are true and the various faiths are but so many paths to The One Godhead 
2. His advent was to reveal this truth to the world and arrest the decline of religions and the quarrelling among themselves 
3. The doctrines of dualism, qualified monism and monism influenced each one according to his spiritual progress 
4. They are not contradictory, but complimentary to one another, depending on the evolution of the human mind 
5. the non-dual state of Consciousness which is beyond the range of thought and word, is the ultimate goal to be realized 
6. only the state up to qualified non-dualism can be grasped, by the mind and intellect and expressed in words, and in that state both the Absolute and the relative are equally eternal 
7. The Lord Himself, His Name and His Abode are all of pure Consciousness 
8. To the ordinary people attached to worldly enjoyments, the practice of dualism consisting in the disciplines of singing aloud the Lord’s name and form, His glory and powers, as presented in Narada Pancharatra, one of the devotional scriptures, is commendable
 9. Performing one’s duty with a spirit of resignation to the will of and solely depending on God, the constant singing of God’s name together with meditation of Him which is Karma Yoga in practice is befitting the people of this age 
10. The Mother of the Universe would found through him a new Movement to disseminate these universal doctrines illustrated in his own life 
11. She would send dedicated bands of workers who would accept him as their ideal and spread his liberal doctrines and spiritual teachings to the world.

 Ref: Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master: Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras 600004, 1952 edition; Pages: 302-4