Newsletter December 05, 2012

Newsletter Archives

 

Announcements

Swami Mahayogananda Visits - Fri. Dec. 07 - Sun. Dec. 09

Swami Mahayogananda, from Vedanta Center of Washington DC, will be delivering talks at Providence Vedanta this weekend. All are welcome. Details given below under 'Weekly Programs' Section.

 

Swami Yogatmananda visits INDIA – Thurs. Nov. 15 through Thurs. Dec. 20

All 'daily- meditation & prayer schedules' and 'weekly- classes schedules' will continue as usual, with several guest speakers. Please check monthly announcements and weekly newsletters for ongoing ‘lecture-titles & speakers’.

Click here for his itinerary.

 

Blessed & Holy Hanukkah (Chanukah) : Sat. Dec. 08 thru Sun. Dec. 16

 

Weekly Programs

Friday, Dec. 07	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on 'TAPAS (Austerity)' by Swami Mahayogananda
Saturday, Dec. 08	8:30 – 10:30AM:Karma Yoga/cleaning 11:00am – 12noon: Guided Meditation Program (overhead guided meditation CD while swami is away); and singing 7:00 – 8:00PM: Aarati (devotional singing), a short reading from Sri Sarada Devi The Great Wonder and meditation
Sunday, Dec. 09	5:00 – 6:00PM: Swami Mahayogananda (Vedanta Center, DC) will speak on ‘Be Always Expecting Me’ 6:00 – 7:00PM- Soup Supper 7:00 – 8:00PM – Aarati (music, a reading and meditation
Tuesday, Dec. 11	7:00 PM: Aarati (devotional music) & meditation 7:30 – 8:30 PM: Study class on 'Songs in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Songs of Ramprasad’, by Abhijit Sarcar

 

Daily Programs

Morning :	5:45 – 6:45 AM: Meditation 6:45 – 7:00 AM: Chanting followed by a short reading from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Evening :	7:00 – 7:15 PM: Aarti (devotional music), with a short reading from Swami Chetanananda's book: ‘Mahendra Nath Gupta ‘M’nn 7:15 – 8:15 PM: Meditation

 

Past Events

Guest speakers conducted weekly classes at the Vedanta Society, Providence.

Click here to see photos.

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

Sri Ramakrishna and Bhagavad Gita - a talk by Vrishali Pal - Nov. 30, Friday

Sri Ramakrishna says that Gita is the essence of all scriptures and the essence of Gita is renunciation for the sake of God. In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, at many places we find Sri Ramakrishna referring to the teachings of the Gita such as 'accepting what comes of its own accord' (Gita -Ch.4, verse 22) – the advice to the householder regarding money; Karma-yoga, selfless work done in the spirit of serving God and offering the results to Him (Gita -Ch 2 Verse 47); Yoga of Practice (Gita Ch 6 Verse 35)- citing the examples of a woman pounding the paddy with husking-machine, a horse-rider in a circus performing various feats, etc. Many of his teachings echo the teachings of Gita with apt parables, such as firmness of mind that leads to right understanding (Gita- Ch 2, verse 41) – the example of the magnetic needle pointing always to the North; Duties drop away with deepening of spiritual mood (Gita Ch. 3 Verse 17) – Sri Ramakrishna says -‘When the fruit appears the blossom drops off'; Concept of religious harmony - (Gita Ch. 7, verse 24) and yet the necessity of single-minded devotion to one’s chosen ideal, etc. The message of the Gita that God dwells in all beings is taken to another level by Sri Ramakrishna for this modern age, stating that helping the needy should be done not out of compassion (which is an attitude of condescension) but as a humble service to God - Shivabhave Jeevaseva. Sri Ramakrishna’s life exhibited the characteristics of a perfect yogi mentioned in the Gita (Ch 6 Verse 7, Ch 7 Verse 29). Some other verses from Gita and Sri Ramakrishna's teachings related to them, were discussed. 

 

To Drive or Be Driven - a talk by Swami Tyagananda – Dec. 02, Sunday

It is common experience that life gets driven by commitments, ambitions and responsibilities. Reclaiming one’s life although seems difficult, is not impossible and can be done through Karma Yoga, by living consciously. We have limited time and energy, and hence these resources should be used in a best possible way. What prevents us living consciously is the division of life into past, present and future. Undigested past experiences trouble us very much like undigested food. We need to find out a way to deal with them, as Swami Vivekananda suggests – ‘Face the brute’. Miseries teach us more than pleasant experiences and help us develop inner strength. We should learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes again and again. Future enters into our present in the form of fear and anxiety, due to lack of courage. Three sources of courage are – moral courage, that comes from leading a life of Dharma (rightful living based on truth) with the conviction that ultimately Truth alone triumphs; religious courage, that comes from the faith in God; spiritual courage, that comes by holding onto the Atman or our true Self.

When we integrate the past and future, by making peace with our past and overcoming fear and anxiety of future, then and then only we have the freedom to live in the present and learn from it. Swami Vivekananda says that for a Karma-Yogi, every moment must be an awakening. Then we become capable of driving the vehicle of our life and experience deep inner silence – the experience that gives us better understanding of who we are and how to use our life purposefully.

 

Songs in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Songs by Kamalakanta

- a talk by Sukalyan Sengupta – Dec. 04, Tuesday

One of the unique features of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is that it is replete with references to songs. After a general discussion of the broad categories into which these songs can be placed, the rest of the presentation focused on songs composed by Kamalakanta Bhattacharya as hymns to the Divine Mother Kali, called Shyama Sangeet. Divine attributes of Kali were discussed, followed by Sri Ramakrishna’s quotes on the various forms of Kali. Two of Kamalakanta’s songs were discussed in detail, along with the references to the songs in the Gospel. An interesting Q/A session followed the presentation.