Newsletter June 26, 2013

 

Newsletter Archives

Notice

 

1. Vedanta Society of Providence will close for summer break from June 23 to September 07. The Sunday Service and regular weekly classes will resume from September 08 onwards. A few special programs will be conducted during this hiatus – please click here for summer schedule.

 

2. Please return all library books and journals by this Sunday,  June 23, the last Sunday Service before the sumer break. Thank you. The library will be open only on Tuesdays July 09 – August 20.

 

3. During the Summer break, Newsletters will be posted once monthly-- July 31 and August 28.

Upcoming Events

Vedanta Study class -Tuesdays - July 09 thru Aug 20, 7:00 – 8:30PM
Prayer, Meditation, Study and Discussion on ‘Book of Splendor’ (a Kabbala Text). Open to All.
Class will be conducted in the  Lower-level /Basement room.

 

Swami Yogatmananda to Ganges MI & Homer Glen IL– June 27 - July 02
Swami Yogatmananda and devotees will travel to Ganges MI, where Swami will conduct a week-end retreat on ‘Purusha-Suktam’. On Sunday evening, at the Lemont Hindu Temple, IL, he will deliver a talk. They will return Tuesday, July 02.

 

'Independence Day' Program - Thurs. July 04
From 11:00 AM. – 2:00 PM, at Raj & Dhiraj Jhaveri residence, 39 Crest Rd Framingham MA
Short talks; music; readings and luncheon. Please  RSVP at the Vedanta Society

 

Get-Together of Devotees – Sat. July 20, 11:00AM – 2:00PM
Annual  ‘get-together to honor ‘M’ (Mahendra Nath Gupta) at the home of T K Roy, West Wareham MA, with readings on ‘M’, the chronicler of the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, reflections and music. Please RSVP at 508-748-9797 or troy(at)umassd.edu only.

Guru Poornima – Sunday, July 21
From 11:00AM – 1:30PM, at Vedanta Society Chapel, Guru Poornima (observed to honor all gurus) will be observed with short worship/puja, flower offering, devotional singing, a few readings, a short talk by Swami Yogatmananda and Prasad. All are welcome.

 

Special Service at Annisquam MA Village Church - Sun. July 28, 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM
As part of the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Swami Vivekananda, Vedanta Societies in Providence and Boston have arranged a Special Service at the Annisquam Village Church on Sunday July 28, 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM.

Carpooling will be arranged from the Vedanta Society of Providence.

Those who want a ride, please send an email to vedantaprov-AT-hotmail.com, giving details such as contact number & names of the people, or call Vedanta Society at 401-421-3960 on or before July 22, 2013.

The plan is to leave Vedanta Society parking lot by 12:00 Noon sharp.

Click here for more information.

Residential Vedanta Retreat at Rochester– Wed July 31 - Sun. Aug. 04
Swami Yogatmananda will conduct the annual ‘camp-style’ residential retreat at the Hindu Heritage Summer Camp Monroe New York (near Rochester) from Wed. July 31 thru Sun. Aug. 04.

Theme is: ‘Katho-upanishad’. 

For registration visit www.omhhsc.org or contact Vedanta Society.

Click here to download the flyer.

 

Past Events

Sabad-Kirtan – Sunday, June 23
Amritpal Singh, singing and playing harmonium; accompanied by Rajesh Pai on Tabla,  performed ‘Sabad-kirtan’ on Sunday, June 23 at Vedanta from 6:15 – 8:00PM, immediately after the Sunday Service Lecture, in the Lower Level Hall, to about forty-two music enthusiasts. Dinner followed.

Click here to see photos.

 

Synopses of Last Week's Classes

(All classes given by Swami Yogatmananda, unless otherwise stated.)

 

Bhagavad Gita class - June 21, Friday

Ch. 18, Verses 64-78- LAST CLASS :
Because all beings are dear to the Lord, Krishna is ready to give His love to all - if we have the capacity to withstand that love. When we begin to sincerely miss the presence of God in our lives, then there is the scope for the love of God to flow to us. In order to achieve the goal of life--to obtain peace and happiness--we must not seek happiness in the names and forms of the world. If we want happiness, we must go to God. By fixing our mind on God and holding on to God in all of our activities, our awareness of God becomes more and more predominant in life. We must give up all of the ideas that lead us away from this supreme goal of life, and take refuge in the Lord alone. Obtaining happiness from the things in the world is not just difficult; it is actually impossible. Realizing God is difficult, but not impossible. If we sincerely and methodically remove the blockages to the grace of God, we will receive God’s grace and obtain illumination. Lord Krishna explains that these truths should not be told to one who has no desire to control one’s life. These truths are for the devotees of God. By expounding these truths to the devotees of the Lord, we may obtain devotion to God. By studying the dialogue of the Gita with devotion, our ignorance will be burned by the fire of knowledge, and we will obtain liberation. At the end of the Gita, Arjuna explains that by the Lord’s grace his delusion has been destroyed, his memory of his intrinsic divinity has been awakened, and that he is now prepared to act according to Krishna’s dictates.

There were three how heard this conversation then – Arjuna, Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra: of these, Arjuna’s delusion was gone, and now he is ready to listen to the Lord. Sanjaya was tremendously wonderstruck by this great, lofty message, Dhritarashtra did not find anything interesting therein. One understands only according to the evolution of mind.

 

Thus ends this weekly study of Bhagavad Gita that began on Sept 14, 2007.

 

Going on a Vacation – June 23, Sunday

When we think of going on a vacation, our thoughts are filled with hopes of thrill and amusement.  The existing daily routine is felt confining, stressful and boring. Vacation brings relief from the routine. We have to go out somewhere, for a vacation; just being relaxed at home does not sound like a vacation. However, eventually vacations, if they become very long, become boring and irritating. Life does not change because the mind remains the same. Our mind and not a particular place, confines us. We all seek relaxation, but it is impossible not to work. It is not easy to sit quietly. Our idea is to get joy somewhere else. But if we take the same troublesome mind, we cannot get happiness we want. We need to work on our minds to find true happiness. We need to realize our true desire, the true purpose. When we realize the truth there is no Karmic baggage to carry. The work is all done. When one realizes the self, all-confusing “knots” are gone and doubts are resolved. Everything in life is filled with doubt until we realize the truth. When we experience the truth, all works are finished and we have lived an accomplished life. Then so, we have true relaxation and vacation. With relaxation comes immense bliss. Self is the source of all bliss. If we realize this Self then we can have a wonderful vacation at all times.