We are now one year old or rather one year young. We are one year old because during the past one year we have worked hard to bring out a definite individuality of Vedanta Sandesh, and we are happy to say that even though we started from scratch with no experience of writing or publishing we have been successful in our endeavors. Today VS is read all over the world, and people look forward to it, take out its printouts, file it for deeper reflection and also share it with friends. Like any other Vedanta Mission activity VS too has been very punctual, almost every month it was released dot on the 1st. However we still love to look upon ourself as one year young. This is because Internet has great potential and we can make our magazine all the more effective. We are continuosly learning, continuosly adding new features and hope to add many more in the times to come. We are growing - qualitatively and also quantitatively.

Last year on the eve of Guru Poornima we e-mailed the first issue of VS to about 50 people. Today we have four times more regular members, and we send Photocopies of VS to another three hundred. That makes it ten times the original figure last year. After about three months of our first issue we came to know about things called Mailing Lists and then started our own Lists - the Vedantamission List (with One List people) and the Guru Prasad List (with eGroup people). This made our work very easy. We did not have to maintain the details of members, neither we had to post the Newsletter individually to everyone. The Lists handled all this for us. People could subscribe or unsubscribe automatically just with an e-mail to the managers of Lists. There was no possibility of sending any unsolicited mails too.

In India Internet is spreading very fast, but still it will take years to reach a common man, so VS was facing some problems reaching out to all the members of Vedanta Mission. From this year onwards a group of devotees have come forward and they propose to collect advertisements for taking care of expenses for bringing out a regular printed copy of the magazine. We hope in the coming year the message of Vedanta will reach to more & more people in & outside the country.

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Param Pujya Guruji,

Hari Om ! We are regular readers of Vedanta Sandesh - the e-zine of Vedanta Mission, Its the most wonderful thing that has happened in the cyber space. Every issue of VS opens up new vistas leading us to the Glorious path of Ultimate clarity.

Please accept our best wishes for the July Anniversary issue of Vedanta Sandesh.

Hari Om !

Vinod Rajni Arora (Indore, India)

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Pujya Swamiji,

Pranams.
I am regularly getting your Monthly Journal and other literature from your Mission for the past one month. I am getting benefitted by the same. I wish that your message reaches wider audience across the globe. Some of my close friends and relatives may be interested to read the vedantic literature. I venture to suggest that you kindly send your Mission's literature to the e-mail addresses mentioned above.

VR Rao (New Delhi)

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Pujya Swamiji,

With blessing of your Holiness myself and Chandra have been part of Vedanta Mission and had the good fortune to hear your enlightening discourses on Srimad Bhagwad Geeta and other Vedantic texts. Truely these discourses have been enlivening and have changed the course of our lives. We have in fact been able to see our day to day problems in a holistic way.

Vedanta Sandesh, a monthly magazine taken out by your Holiness is equally stimulating and gives us still deeper insight into the philosophy of Vedanta. This magazine completes one year a publication started by your Holiness and we are indeed indebted to you for it. May we pray that through this magazine apart from your discourses, your Holiness will continue to guide us towards more and more enlightened life.

MOHAN LALA (President, VM-Bombay)

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Pujya Swamiji,

We have heard your discourses practically on all the chapters of Geeta and Upanisads. They were incisive and erudite giving us new direction to our lives in every possible ways. Most importantly, we could talk to your Holiness on a personal level to clear our doubts and came away with happy feelings. Vedanta Sandesh, a publication started by your Holiness gives a new dimension in our quest for knowledge. Reaching it every month we truely feel that knowledge as contained in our scriptures is nector of life. Yours exposition of these subjects is enlightening and we trust that through this publication you will continue to guide us.

Hari Om,

K.N. DALAL (Bombay)

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Pujya Swamiji,

It gives me great pleasure to write to you on the occassion when Vedanta Sandesh, a publication started by your Holiness will be completing one year.

In our association with your Holiness, through your discourses and otherwise, myself and Kusum have gained deep insight into our scriptures which has helped us in looking at our problems holistically and with detachment. I am sure your blessing will be always with us wherever we are. Hari Om.

JAIKISHAN SANGTANI (Bombay)

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Dear Swamiji!

Hari Om. I enjoy reading every issue of Vedanta Sandesh. Since reading e-mails and using internet are two separate activities for me, I got hold on the last issue only now. It would be nice to have some list of resources for people who become more interested in particular topic - like reference to a book; or even have a short feature presentation of the most valuable sources, something like from a ‘must-read’ list.

Lilia Stepanova (USA)

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Dear Swamiji,

Hari Om ! Though i have problems expressing myself i will try. For someone like this lowly one who is uneducated in the Vedas , Vedanta Sandesh is a wonderful instrument of learning.i am certain those who are learned in Vedanta can appreciate it even more.
But beyond everything else it is an extension of our beloved Teacher .When one of His learning and stature gives such an instrument to the world this instrument becomes an outward manifestation of His love and compassion and therefore to be revered just as He is to be revered . Apologizing once again for my ignorance lack of communication skills.
With all my sincerest love,
Gurcharan (USA)

A man of knowledge does not have to be all, but discover himself to be all. During the time of his sadhana he does aligns & integrates all his faculties to facilitate the realisation of this one non-dual reality, but later just discovers himself to be all, even at the level of creation outside. He discovers himself to be in the chirping birds, in the smiling flowers, in the rising sun, in the wafting winds or in the flowing waters of streams. All are manifestation of one eternal life - which he knows to be his real essence. The thrust of his sadhana is only to rectify the errors which were erroneously brought about at the various levels of his personality. As ignorance also has pervaded at all our levels so a concerted effort is called for to tackle the problem in a holistic way.

Strangely enough a fallacious idea about sadhana is prevelent that there are different paths to the realisation of truth. The so called Gyana Marg, Bhakti Marg, the path of Karma, Raja Yoga etc. All sadhanas have a role to play. All of them are directed at completely different levels of our personlity. Physical well being and intelligent mind are not alternates to choose from. Both are important. We have balanced food, multifaceted education so also has to be the approach in ones sadhana. There has to be very clear viveka between end & means. Just as before undertaking any journey we are firstly clear about the nature of our goal and the available means to attain it, so also before undertaking any sadhana it is extremely necessary that we are clear about some fundamentals.

Like a specialist one should first discern the real problem and the means to handle that problem. There is something called the real means and secondary means. That which is the real means eliminates the real problem, while that which is the secondary means helps us to get prepared for eliminating the real problem. What is our real problem ? It is a sense of limitation, conditionings of time & space. As this is not natural to us there is an intrinsic motivation to be free from this limitation. The pangs of finitude are eliminated only by awakening to the infinite. The posibility and the methodology of this awakening is revealed in the Upanishads. They provide us the whole map of this unique journey. Luckily infinite is something which unlike finite things is present at all places and times. It is right here & now. It pervades everything, every pore, every cell, every gene, every thought and every emotion. It is our very being. Just as water pervades all waves & ripples so also everything is already pervaded by this eternal truth. That which is already present but is just not known needs no action for its attainment. It just has to be known. Action is a means to attain something unattained or maybe change that which is attained. None of this is applicable here. Knowledge alone brings about its so called attainment. There can be no other paths than this. Self-realisation is the only way to God-realisation. But in order to bring about this realisation we have to prepare our mind. We need a particular kind of mind for every kind of knowledge. For Self-knowledge we need a mind which is highly intelligent, at peace with itself, fully integrated, sensitive, simple yet very dynamic, daring & fearless. To bring about such a mind we have to use various sadhanas. There has to be an integral approach to sadhana.

Bhakti plays an important role to make a person sensitive, selfless & loving. Such a person doesnt have any ego-centric problems. He is at peace with himself, and has various good divine qualities. The role of karma is to help purge various vasanas. They are lingering impressions of our various past experiences prompting their repeatition. The role of Yoga is to help bring about a physical well-being, equanimity, concentration & integration in the mind. It gives us the ability to switch off the mind and turn intensely in any direction you like. The role of gyana is to understand the truth of oneself. Who am I ? What is this world ? How has it come about ? etc. Vratas help bring about greater will-power etc. Every sadhana has a definite role to play, and all are directed at a different level all together. None of them is an alternate for the other. So the ideal plan should be to give time for some studies, practice Yoga, invoke devotion and also learn to actively & positively do your karmas. Texts like Bhagwad Gita are no super markets which have different stalls for different sadhakas. It offers a holistic approach to sadhana to help bring about the integration of all our faculties at the earliest. Thereafter it is just the realisation of the infinite truth. Aham Brahmasmi.

At 15000ft, they can’t move with ease. In Batalik, there are no tracks. Climb. Clamber. Crawl. A soldier carries a week’s ration, ammunition, a 5.56mm assault rifle or a mortar or a rocket launcher. He carries over 20 KGs on his back as he pulls himself up on this rugged, cruel terrain.

He doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t have time to eat. Life is not what it is. Life is a hell. It is the terror of death. It is the courage of facing it. It is fear, raw, unalloyed, unrelenting....the enemy is up there, somewhere hidden. It can see you, can track you down like a rat, can pick you out so effortlessly...and yet these men move, slowly but with determination to fight for the nation. To die for the nation.

You know how it feels to be up there in the cold, cold mountains, carrying a heavy backpack with a gnawing fear that you will never see your eight-year-old daughter. That sweet little thing with a ponytail and a smile that lights up your world. You may not hear her giggles, see her climb your shoulder, run around, throw her dolls in anger, paint the walls in doodles....You will not be there for her.

You know what fear is. That is the fear. Not being there. Death is not what matters. What matters is that you will not matter anymore. And yet the soldiers go up the hills, like the charge of the light brigade, never asking questions, never expecting an answer. They know they have a duty, they have a pledge, they have a promise to keep. Their tryst with destiny.

It is not easy to imagine a soldier, an infantry man’s life up there in Batalik, where the wind can sear your windpipe, chill your brains, make your eyes weep with pain and lungs cry out in sheer exhaustion. Brave. That is what these soldiers are. Brave in the face of death. Brave in the face of fear. Facing bullets.

Forty-six of them are dead. Many more will die. Let not their death go waste, unacknowledged. Let us have a silent memorial day for these Unknown Soldiers.

WE BOW DOWN TO THOSE UNSUNG WARRIORS OF THE NATION

Some figures that may shock you : An Indian Air Force Flight Lt is paid Rs. 1200 flying allowance per month and he is supposed to make 40 sorties in aging Migs. That is about Rs. 25 per sortie after taxes. If he dies his family gets paid Rs. 2 lakh.

The man of the match in any World Cup team gets 3000 pounds, about Rs.2.1 lakhs. When flying over Kargil at 18000 ft he is just 1000 ft above intruders armed with American Stinger Missiles and can easily be shot down. Yet, they do it. Nachiketa who returned from Pakistan captivity will be back for action this week. And they do this for whom ?

A person in Bihar has offered 111 coconuts and intends to offer 10001, yes ten thousand one more. A large corporate and BJP local unit offered prayer at Sidhivinayak temple and distributed prasad. A youth in Gujarat is on fast. No, none of the above is for Indian soldiers, its for India’s win in World Cup.

You, I am sure are aware as to how important is life of a US marine. If 5 of them lose lives, all newspapers in US cry as if world war has started. There are stories of their families and how they curse US government.

Fl.Lt. Ahuja was killed in cold blood and he was cremated by his four year old son. The head line next day in Times was about India’s win over England. And our team can not make 4 runs in 7 balls against Zimbabwe. And people in India or Indian people across the world still worry about their performance.

We, the intelligent educated elite have failed this country. The least Indian cricket team can do is win the game against Pakistan and send all the reward and match fee to Army Relief Fund. The least you can do is forward this mail to every Indian.

I along with all the members of Vedanta Mission salute you all. We pray for you, and plan to conduct a special ritual for your well being and success. That is our way of saying thank you, and that we really love you all.

Namaskar & Blessings !

The Fourth Interactive Youth Meet was organised at the Hinduja Hall grounds on the afternoon of 6th June. There were about 70 boys & girls who participated in the session. There were interesting discussions on methodology of discernment of right & wrong, handling of grey areas, karma & destiny, basis of claims of the existence of earlier & future lives. Poojya Guruji also answered some general questions of the participants. Later all had tea & snacks together.

The first Gita Gyana Yagna was very nicely & successfully organised by the newly constituted Vedanta Mission-Lucknow at the Air-conditioned Rai Umanath Bali Preksha Grah from 10th to 15^th June. The Yagna was inaugurated by Col. SN & Smt Krishna Misra, the parents of Poojya Guruji, who gave enlightening discourses on the 12th Chapter of Bhagwad Gita. Beautiful Bhajans were organised daily by various local Bhajan Groups. The Press of the home town of Poojya Guruji responded very well and gave wide coverage to the program.

The 1999 Summer Camp was organised by Vedanta Mission-Ahmedabad at their usual place of Kayavarohan Tirtha - a lovely quiet place with sylvan surrounding on the outskirts of Baroda city. The early monsoons however converted the Summer camp into a Monsoon Camp. The weather became very beautiful. Most of the delegates were from various parts of Gujarat, with some representatives from Mumbai, Indore & New Delhi. Guruji gave discourses were Upadesha Sar of Ramana Maharshi and the 16th Chapter of Gita, while Swaminiji conducted her pravachans on the Narada Moha Section of Ramcharitmanasa. After the Camp an outing was organised to the famous & scenic Devi Temple at Pavagadh.

The following new publications were released on the Internet during the month :

This year the auspicious occasion of Guru Poornima - the Jayanti of Bhagwan Veda Vyasa, which is traditionally celebrated as the Spiritual Teachers Day falls on the 28th July 1999. This year Poojya Guruji will be at Vedanta Ashram, Indore at the time of Guru Poornima. On the day of Guru Poornima there will be Pooja of Bhagwan Sri Adi Sankara, Mantra Deeksha to various devotees and special discourses & bhajans.