THE LION OF VEDANTA

Sri Rama Krishna Parama Hamsa (1836-1886)

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

 When the British bragged about their empire as that on which the sun will never set, on the Indian firmament shone great stars which dazzled millions of eyes and made the British feel about their conquests too insignificant before these amazing world personalities. The conquered Indians conquered the entire world when Swami Vivekananda in his mellifluous tone addressed the Parliament of Religions at Chicago on  Sep.11, 1893.

The unique contribution of Vivekananda lies in interpreting philosophy as a practical way of life. He is the modern saint who recognized that the uplift of whole mankind is more important than personal salvation. He played the role of a humanist and enabled Indians to realize the greatness of  their heritage. He added a universal dimension by re-defining Hinduism as a way of life rather than a religion. He infused hope and courage in the hearts of youth by his inspiring speeches and showed by example that service to man is superior to service to God. As many people say, he served as a link between the East and the West. As a man of practical wisdom, he realized that it is useless to preach religion to hungry people. So he devoted his life for the uplift of the poor and established Rama Krishna Mission Centers for rendering  social service. His mastery of English and his scientific way of interpretation together with the message of universal love made him the right person to expound the greatness of Indian Yoga and Atma Vidya (Spiritual knowledge) to the West. Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa chose him as his successor knowing his capabilities and unswerving dedication to serve humanity. As such let us recall a few events of exemplary life to get ourselves inspired and be ready to follow his teachings at least to some extent.

 Swami Vivekananda was born on the 12th of January in 1863. His mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi was a pious lady and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. his father Viswanath Dutt was an eminent lawyer and was well-versed in Sanskrit, Persian, Bengali and English. Vivekanand's actual name is Narendranath Dutt. From boyhood he was active, precocious and playful. teachers were wonder-struck by his keen intellect and knowledge. After graduating with distinction he joined the course of law, but had to discontinue his studies due to the sudden death of his father. As a student Narendra took keen interest in music and sports. According to him "The world is a gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong." He was of the opinion that half of the misery in the world was due to physical disability. The quest to know God led him to see Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa who recognized in Narendra the proper man to understand and propogate the true spirit of India.

 After the demise of Sri Ramakrishana Paramahamsa in 1886, Vivekanada had to shoulder the responsibility of running the Ashram.  In fond memory of his Guru Vivekananda set up Rama Krishna Mutt at Belur in 1899. Rama Krishna Mission was set up in 1897 to serve society in various fields like health, tribal welfare, rural development, youth training camps, education and disaster-management. At present there are more than 170 branches in and outside India.

Belur Mutt

To understand India and meet the people face to face, he travelled throughout India. At Kanyakumari he had a prophetic vision about the glory of India and his duty to re-awaken the dormant spirit of   his motherland. In 1893 he went to America to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He held the audience spellbound by his majestic personality, wide knowledge and his message of universal love. He travelled through Europe and wherever he went, people could not resist applauding his message of love. As he said he set out for Europe not merely to preach Hinduism but to make man a better man.

In his view all religions are different ways to reach the same ultimate truth.  "Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true. "Desire, ignorance and inequality are the trinity of bondage." "Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards is evil." Weakness and selfishness obstruct our progress. "Strength is life. Weakness is death; expansion is life; contraction is death; love is life; hatred is death." "The greatest sin is to think yourself weak."  "We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate." "All power is within you..... Stand up and express the divinity within you.""Arise,awake, stop not till the goal is reached."


 Swami Vivekananda enthralled the audience by his simple, clear and inspiring speeches and his books on various philosophical topics. His style is expository marked with simplicity, clarity and rhythm with appropriate similes and analogies. His books touch our hearts and infuse in us a sense of hope, zeal and clear understanding. His books on "Raja Yoga", "JnanaYoga", "KarmaYoga and Bhakti Yoga", "Lectures from Colombo to Almora", "Letters of Swami Vivekanada",  "Inspired talks by Swami Vivekananda"are worth  reading to get a clear idea about Advaita Philosophy and the principles of Sanatana Dharma. 'The complete Works of Swami Vivekananda " was published in nine volumes by Advaith Ashram. As a poet and visionary he wrote nearly thirty poems in Bengali and English. As a forerunner to Tagore's poetry we find in his poems blending of Indian philosophy and universal love. Romain Rolland (1866-1944), the French biographer of Swami Vivekananda, says "His words are great music---- I cannot touch these sayings without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock." Sri K.V.Surynarayana Murty in his essay "The Poetry of Vivekananda" says " His poetry is a splendid blend of immense poetic sensibility and spiritual profundity, intellectual brilliance and indefatigable energy, unselfconscious universal love and the authentic voice of a prophet. Poems like " The Song of the Sanyasin", "A Hymn to Rama Krishna", "A Hymn to Divine Mother", "Quest for God", "Kali" etc are some of the poems which capture your attention by the sheer beauty of their language and noble feelings and thoughts. Of course he is not so emotional and romantic like Tagore or abstruse and obscure like Aurobindo. His style is straightforward and inspiring with lucid presentation of his spiritual thoughts and feelings.

 After his return to India Swami Vivekananda worked whole-heartedly for betterment of the poor and downtrodden. At the tender age of thirty-nine, the Master who saw Brahman in every creature, became merged with Brahman. To the present youth of India the life of Swami Vivekananda is a brilliant example to understand and put in to practice the true spirit of service and love with a sense of universal brotherhood. Thus only we can honor the great philosopher-saint, in whom Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa saw "the direct manifestation of Shiva." Let me conclude with the unforgettable and noble words of Swami Vivekananda spoken in Chicago.

  " I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration,  but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations on the earth."

                             ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

12th January, 2016                                                   Somaseshu Gutala

THE CITY IN DELUGE

Congested city 

Slum Area

 

 











                         1)     The city gained much fame for her glorious past
                                  The city for her monumental grandeur vast
                                  For her clear lakes, green parks and coastal strand
                                  Affluent with huge malls and restaurants grand
                                  The city proud of her many firms and commerce abroad
                                  Like lifeless machines men rushed and struggled hard.
                                                                .

                        2)      Spurred by development the city grew by leaps and bounds
                                 Ambition devoured every inch of ground              
                                 Sparing no lake or park wherever found
                                 Even temples lost their hereditary ground
                                 The lanes grew wild like poisonous weeds
                                 Uncontrollable like human greed.
 

Industrial Pollution

Dried up River

                       3)         The lakes displaced by residential flats
                                   The fields converted to commercial plots
                                   The dense green trees in thousands lost
                                   To build highways at fabulous cost
                                   Deprived of vast surrounding space
                                   Old monuments seen in their declining days.

                       4)        The city untamed like a forest spread
                                   Flouting all rules with no sense of dread
                                   With slums and gutters in spaces between
                                   The city lost her natural splendor and sheen
                                   Pledging her purity for material wealth
                                   Gripped in fangs of pollution, a gradual death.

Flooded Streets No.2

Flooded Streets No.1

   



                   



                                                                                           

Saviors of flood victims

Congrats ! Volunteers !

         

                  
     



               

                    5)           Caught in the continuous stormy blast
                                   The city shook like a ship in tempest caught
                                   For days and days floods rose like raging hell
                                   Neck-deep in waters houses fell
                                   The lakes leapt out of their constricted bounds
                                    Highways became lakes with no trace of ground.

                       6)         With all their household washed away
                                    People spent days with dreadful dismay
                                    Surrounded by water, yet not fit to drink
                                    Sans food and clothes, too dazed to think
                                    The city wore a deserted, dreary sight
                                    The authorities stood helpless, a pitiful plight.

                      7)           All shops shuttered, banks closed and power cut
                                    No means of transport and no one to protect
                                    Even rich folk levelled down to common lot
                                    Amidst a deluge of waters caught
                                    Looked up to the sky with hungry eyes
                                   To grab food packets air-dropped from skies.

                      8)          The law of jungle prevailed around and everywhere
                                   The thieves looted and none to care
                                   The selfish traders hiked prices sky-high
                                   Beyond the reach of poor and no supply
                                   Is this the goal of thriving cities great ?
                                   Built without vision and planning, a sordid state !
                                                                                                                                 
                       9)       Dirt covered city with tons of slush
                                 All things despoiled by stormy gush
                                 Who can compensate their losses huge ?
                                 A shocking disaster left by this deluge
                                 Yet charity came to rescue with humane touch
                                 Wiped tears and helped the sufferers much.

Green gardens and lakes

Blue hills and rivers

 
           






                    10)        Let us give space to resources of Nature
                                 On them depends our existence and future
                                 Let us fill our cities with trees and gardens green
                                 Let us save water and our lakes serene
                                 Let us curb pollution from every side
                                 Our future life only we have to decide.

                                     ************************
                             
   Note :  This poem ends on a note of warning to our prospering cities which overlook deliberately the dire consequences of  overindustrialization, overurbanization, and over-consumption of natural resources. This indiscriminate use and wastage of natural resources usher in a very dreadful state of human life in future where people have to die like dinosaurs due to lack or shortage of basic things like pure water, pure air and unadulterated food. Pollution and over-consumption are the twin evils of modern life. In the name of luxurious life we are pledging precious Nature to our selfish and short-sighted goals. A day will not be far off when Nature will boomerang on our disorderly ways and make us suffer for what we have done in a thoughtless and undisciplined manner. So let us at least curb our evil tendencies and contribute our mite to control pollution and develop proper risk and disaster- management strategies to face the perils in future. We should leave ample space for trees, lakes,parks,and historical monuments and temples to exist without being polluted. We should maintain proper roads and drainage system. We should reduce use of artificial products and chemicals.  Simple life in harmony with Nature is the only suitable solution for our modern city life.

                                             ????????????????????????????

  4th January, 2016                                                                                Somaseshu Gutala

   

                                 

                               

                                  

ON THE GHATS OF BANARAS

Narrow lanes

cattle and dogs seen on the way

           

Kashi Viswanath Temple

                                              














                          1)         The town appeared too quaint and old
                                      With moss-grown roofs and moldering walls
                                      With shaded casements and pillared halls
                                      Fringed with designs of faded gold
                                      With winding muddy streets not wide
                                      With foul odor coming from every side .

                          2)         The uneven paths and obstructing beasts
                                      Make you wonder at this sordid state
                                      The oldest city adored as heavenly great
                                      To sustain its fame none paid attention least
                                      The priestly class struggles to better their ways
                                      From whom we can't escape but have to pay.

                          3)         Through crowded lanes of temple-city
                                      Where vendors hail you to buy their ware
                                      Displaying flowers, fruits and idols rare
                                      Make you brood and look for true sanctity
                                      At every nook men trade and bargain for everything
                                      No touch of divinity in your bosom rings.

                         4)          A vast expanse of water, pure Ganges seems
                                      The cherished goal of so many devotees
                                      Flowing from snowy heights of purity
                                      Welcomes all to her sun-lit sparkling streams
                                      Her children to take their holy dip and pray
                                      For her motherly blessings in every way.

                        5)           A festive spirit with devotion combined
                                      Enthused pilgrims to chant her names aloud
                                      The mighty river drew a multitudinous crowd
                                      The broad-stepped ghats beside the river remind
                                      The gradual progress of men in course of time
                                      From selfish depths to noble heights sublime.

pilgrims on ghats

 Pilgrims taking holy bath

                  

Ganga Aarti

People sailing in boats

                         6)          A fitting backdrop to this Great Ganges indeed
                                      These lofty mansions looking from above
                                      Structured in ancient style, fit expressions of love
                                      Delivered from earthly snares of lust and greed
                                      And feel the holy touch of Ganges near
                                      Their feelings of devotion still we hear.

                        7)           This place gained fame as eternal house of Lord
                                      Sanctified by Ganges, since immemorial days
                                      The seat of salvation, purity and grace
                                      Where great sages and gods did penance hard
                                      And installed countless idols with reverence intense
                                      Where Death  delivers souls to eternal heavens.

                       8)            The Ganges thrills our hearts, a soul-elevating scene
                                       In fresh light of the blossoming dawn
                                       With fluttering flags the boats move smoothly on
                                       The ghats assume a pious view serene
                                       The rosy globe of sun worships the golden dome
                                       As pundits pour oblations chanting OM.

Panch Ganga Ghat

Manikarnika Ghat

                          









                      9)              In the dusky glow of twilight, ghats are filled
                                       With crowded pilgrims who eagerly wait
                                       To view Aarti to Mother Ganges Great
                                       A soul-inspiring sight as all are thrilled
                                       As priests holding huge lamps on ghats do stand
                                       Waving Aarti to sparkling Ganges Grand.
                                                                     
                                     
                      10)            The ghats look lively with devotees' throng
                                       As bathing pilgrims offer lamps afloat
                                       The priests recite prayers from moving boats
                                       Great Ganges flows like an epic-song
                                       The funeral pyres beside the ghats ablaze
                                       Death too a celebration at this sacred place.

Polluted waters

Drainage water flowing into the river

    


                     




                      
                      11)            Let cleanliness with our pious acts blend 
                                       Let us not fill her streams with tons of waste
                                       Befouling her Himalayan waters so chaste
                                       What use if authorities millions spend
                                       To clean this river of perennial fame ?
                                       Yet all is wasted and  who is to blame?

                     12)             So many dead bodies and refuse thrown
                                       Industries destroy life and poison her streams
                                       At every nook pollution reigns supreme
                                       Is this due reverence to pure Ganges shown
                                       Can we create a river in her pristine state ?
                                       Let us mend our ways before it is too late.
                                               
                                              
                                                  #######################

                26th December, 2015                                      Somaseshu Gutala
             
               


                   
                                             
                                   

                    

A Brief Note on Ghats of Banaras

 

Lord Vishwanath

   

Dharbhanga Ghat

Boats near Ghats

   Banaras or Kashi (Varanasi) reflects the soul of India. This pilgrimage center is venerated as a worth-visiting place at least once in one's life. This place is regarded as the eternal abode of Lord Shiva who informed gods and great rishis that he would like to stay there for ever. So this place is called "Avimukta Kshetra" (a place never abandoned by Lord) or Ananda Vana (a place where you find spiritual joy). At this place even death is welcomed with joy as it is believed that people who have the fortune of leaving their mortal bodies here will attain salvation. When Lord Shiva came here, all other gods came down to be in his blissful company and worship Lord Vishwanath ( god of all worlds). The presiding deities of eight directions and nine planets along with seven sacred rishis and gods did penance and installed innumerable idols (Shiva Lingas) to show their intense devotion. Lord Vishnu dug a lake with his holy discus (Sudarshan Chakra) and did penance to obtain the grace of Lord Shiva.

Banaras is said to be the most ancient city and has a history of nearly three thousand years. It  will exist even after the dissolution of the whole world. This is the place where Shiva manifested himself in the form of spiritual glow or Jyothirlinga. Only great devotees and gods can view that spiritual form. His consort Mother Parvathi manifested here in two forms: one as Shakti Peetha called Visalakshi and the second as Annapoorneshwari, the Goddess who satisfies her countlesschildren  by bestowing food and divine wisdom. Shiva's most powerful incarnation called Kala Bhairava guards this city in all four directions and no evil force is allowed to enter this city.

Ganga Aarti

Lord Kalbhairav

                   











Apart from this Kashi or Varanasi became more prominent by the presence of Goddess Ganga who flowed from the holy feet of Lord Vishnu and through the matted locks of Lord Shiva, who restrained her overwhelming speed so that she can flow down to earth without inundating the whole world. As the holy river flowed, many of her tributaries like Gomati, Gandaki, Kosi, Alaka Nanda, Mandakini, Sarayu and Yamuna joined her during her long journey covering about 2,525 kms. In Kashi two tributaries, Varuna and Asi  join Ganga from the Northern and Southern borders. Many famous ancient kingdoms and civilizations flourished on her banks. Ancient cities like Varanasi, Patna, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Allahabad and Ayodhya became holy pilgrimage spots. Kingdoms like Anga, Magadha, Kosala and  Kashi rose to prominence on the banks of Ganges. Great sages, scholars and philosophers came here to devote their lives in meditation and spiritual speculation. Lord Gautama gave his first sermon in Saranath ( just ten kms from Varanasi) in 589 B.C. In spite of facing many foreign invasions Banaras remained as the strong citadel of spiritual knowledge (Sanatana Dharama) preaching universal brotherhood and peace.  The present temple of Lord Vishwanath was built by the Queen of Indore, Rani Ahalyabhai in1776  and the 15.5 meter-high temple spire was  covered with gold by Ranjeet Singh, king of Lahore in 1835. It is said that there used to be  nearly 2000 temples in and around Kashi.  But in 1194 the soldiers of Qutubuddin Aibak destroyed one thousand temples and later during Shah Jahan's time nearly seventy-six temples were destroyed in Kashi.

Apart from the majestic Ganges the various ghats (nearly 87 in number) all along the bank of the river created a very impressive and eye-catching spectacle where one can see crowds of people taking their holy bath and worshiping Ganges with flowers and lighting lamps placed in leaf cups. The religious fervor of the people resonates everywhere near the ghats. Just perched above the top of the ghats many hermitages. shelters and temples were built lending a sense of grandeur and sacredness all around. Most of these ghats were built by Maratha kings in seventeenth century. Rajas of Jaipur, Scindia and Dharbanga built palatial mansions above the ghats to stay in Kashi and witness the Ganga celebrations.  The famous ghats are Manikarnika ghat, Panchaganga Ghat, Dasawamedha Ghat, Harischandra Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Dharbhanga Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Shivala Ghat and Assi Ghat. In the evening the Ganga Aarti given at Dasawamedh Ghat is a grand spectacle to see. In the twilight the glowing lamps and torches along with chanting of hymns fills everyone with a sense of devotion and pious delight.

Yet in spite of having deep reverence and intense devotion for this perennial river, Indians paradoxically have made this holy river of purity the fifth most polluted river in the world. Industrial wastes, dead bodies, garbage and plastic material madethis heaven-born river polluted for many decades. Though 40% of India's population gets water from this river, nearly 2,900 million tons of sewage is let out into this river every day. A very sad and stunning fact which questions the true sense of our devotion to this deified flowing river. Though Ganga Action Plan was started in 1980's it has not produced any tangible results. Many people sat on indefinite strike demanding purification of this river. In 2014 Namami Ganga Project was started by our beloved Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi who was an ardent advocate of Swachchata Movement. Let us hope that under his able guidance this mega-Project will create awareness in the society to keep all rivers clean on which our survival depends. After all, without cleanliness how can we expect to feel true Godliness ? Our ancestors knew the vital role of water in existence and so in Sanskrit, the word "Jiva" means not only "life"  but also "Water". What a meaningful coincidence !

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  20th December, 2015                                                              Somaseshu Gutala

On Mt.Titlis

Glacier Park

Snow Tubing on Ice

   







   In the glacier park we saw huge mounds of snow with deep slopes of undulating ice. Many people were gliding down the slopes seated on inflated rubber tubes to feel the thrill of skiing on the smooth ice and experiencing the sudden jerks as they moved up and down the ice mounds. As I glided down, the rapid downward movement with sudden twists and turns made me a little bit nervous and I tightened my grip due to the fear of being thrown out like a feather in the air from my gliding tube. Luckily I held on to my tube till it came to an abrupt stop. I had to climb up to the ground dragging the rubber tube behind me. This proved very difficult as the ice beneath my feet is very smooth and sagging.I lost my foothold and slipped many times.The assistant standing above saw my predicament. He held out his hand and pulled me up along with the rubber tube. Some others also faced this problem and got up at last with the help of others. This experience of snow-tubing taught me a lesson to understand the problems of mountaineering, and the hardships of treading on slippery ice. How much fortitude and grit are required for the heroic mountaineers who dared to climb the steep icy slopes in the most inclement weather exposing their lives to utmost perils ? Really they may be called true conquerors of Nature.

Suspension bridge over the glacier

  Later we tried to walk on the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe on Titlis cliff. This bridge was opened in December, 2012 to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the Engelberg Gershinalp Cable Way. This bridge is just one meter wide and one hundred meters long hanging over the ice-covered glacier at a height of 500 meters off the ground. The swinging movement of the bridge made our gait unsteady and so we had not gone up to the other end which leads you to the ice-chair lift station.

Glacier Cave

Glacier Cave 

    

      
  After collecting our photos we entered the 150 meter-long glacier cave which branches out in several directions and descends twenty meters below the surface of the glacier. The whole cave is brightly illuminated and is kept at freezing sub-zero temperature (-1.5 degrees centigrade). The cave looks hazy and bluish due to refraction of light on its icy walls. The walk through this cave is another thrilling experience. Of course, a spine-chilling one too, revealing the wonders of Nature's creative skills. 

Swiss Chocolate Shop

300 varieties of toffees

                               







            

Swiss Lion Watch Store

                   
                










 On the third floor of the mountain station, there is Chocolate Shop with nearly three hundred varieties of colorful chocolates heaped in trays or neatly  packed in boxes.  Our journey remains incomplete without tasting these delicious toffees made of pure Swiss cream and milk and blended with other tasty ingredients. If you wish to wear branded wrist watches, there is Swiss Lion Shop offering best quality watches which you can wear to show your sophisticated style. After buying some chocolate boxes, we went straight to the coffee shop to warm our frozen bodies. But our hearts remained warm with admiration of these pure and breath-taking views of this snowy mountain.

Mt. Titlis Map

View of Alpine glaciers from Stotzig  Egg

    

Biking Tourists

Skiing persons

 Our trip to Mount Titlis gave us a novel experience of entering a new world of ice where Nature looms large in pure white like a massive cloud in the sky with scattered patches of green grass and blue lakes below. We saw some people trekking up the hills and others riding on bikes with agile shouts and laughter. One has to hike from Titlis to Stotzig Egg to get a clear view of the surrounding glaciers. The spirit of freedom free from worldly worries and bustle is really felt in places like this. So even sages and saints prefer such peaceful spots to experience a sense of divinity and spiritual elevation. No wonder then if poets call Nature as holy as a temple or the outer garment of God. 

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8th December, 2015                                                         Somaseshu Gutala