FRIEND 14

You write splendidly with clear diction and a clearer conception of the ideas you portray. I can scarce believe that you are so young in age when I go through your writings, mature as they are in philosophical depth, lucid as they are in expression. What an array of thoughts, pure and pristine, my friend, you pen so effortlessly that I sincerely believe you have a glorious future not merely as a thinker but also as a biographer of saints and sages. I harbour this hope that you will fulfil your promise. To such a day, my friend, I send these lines tonight. They'll waft through the starry skies to welcome you with the light.

OH, CITIZENS OF THE WORLD!

I am everywhere. If this be the consciousness or that my beloved Lord is all around in the myriad guises of distressed humanity, then I can scarce eat or drink or sleep till I have alleviated their misery. This problem of universal sorrow moved the Buddha and this again moved the leonine Swami Vivekananda. The fact that we worship Mammon and not God is amply testified by our day-to-day dealings with brother man which is what prompts a Karl Marx, an ardent student of life and the material forces that govern it, to hazard such a damaging statement as : Religion is the opium for mankind. Lenin further said : Government is the organ of class rule. Both these statements have held ground for a significant period of time over a vast section of humanity, not merely by force but by conviction in many as well. While it may be argued that these are statements in reaction to existing inequities in human society they merit our consideration nonetheless in terms of the human content they carry if not for the revolutionary powder they supply for always the status quo is what the privileged prefer. Existing philosophies are dubiously interpreted as always to suit the selfish ends of the mighty and the rich who squeeze their wealth out of the life-blood of the suffering mute millions. The clergy and the cleric, the monk and the man, on the average are all for status quo and quote the scriptures fractionally to support the stagnation thesis under the garb of pseudo-religiosity. This is in no way an aspersion cast on the heroic souls who give up home and hearth to serve God in the human form but is a statement of fact about the lethargy of the establishment in redressing the poverty situation of the country and the world at large, the sheer apathy for the poor children of God and the self-satisfaction of the privileged in doling out a pittance for the less fortunate ones, thereby feeling a false sense of spiritual security and ease of conscience. If religious philosophy comes to the aid of these in supporting their niggardly ideas of God and Truth and Service to sentience, then such quotations are rendered noxious when they are in exclusion of the opposite modes of philosophical thinking that abound as well in all of spiritual literature and more so in the bleeding hearts of a Christ or a Buddha, a Vivekananda or a Ramakrishna. It is because of this violent apathy to the prevailing human condition that the masses have been reduced to beasts of burden, eking out an existence barely worth the name while the rich roll in the lap of luxury though inexorably sinking in the morass of material 'necessities'. It is ignorance everywhere ! But falsifying philosophy will not do nor will tailoring it to suit one's dubious desires for there are the reactions coming, the Advaita gaining ground, seeking utterance from a soft whisper to the mighty roar of the lion and all will be swept away in a tidal wave of spirituality with oneness the enforcing principle if submission to it in time does not come. Aristocracy has dug its own grave and if the piteous calls of the bleeding gods and goddesses of the land do not melt the frozen hearts of the business barons of the day, theirs will be a worse festering death for the hour cometh when the Shudras ( proletariat ) of the world will rise in open rebellion against the existing order that has for ages ground them to dust and out of the dust shall they arise to reshape their destiny which no God or man ever did it for them. Revolution is a recurring phenomenon in human history and is ever the result of apathetic human inaction towards redressing the plight of the people, nay, it so often is the consequence of antipathy of the privileged towards the well-being of the dispossessed people whose very labour is the foundation of the material joys of life the rich hold dear, joys that never visit even casually the homes of the very makers of them, the teeming millions, the salt of the Earth. Thus did Swami Vivekananda forewarn the upper classes to take cognizance of this, the age-old exploitation of the masses and himself with a bleeding heart that escaped no pulsation of the poor and the hapless set to founding the Mother Organization for the Poor of the world, the RAMAKRISHNA MATH AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION. It is Swamiji's Trust for the poor and the helpless. Come ye all and sink your ploughshare in this desert-sand of life and transform it into an oasis by the water of your heart's love. Ramakrishna watches us ever. Shall we fail Him ? No, never.

APPEAL IN THE NAME OF RAMAKRISHNA-VIVEKANANDA

This universe is a layered structure. So is any monastic order. The difference lies in the reference point alone, the terminus being the same for both. In the universal case one starts from the grossest layer of dense matter where tamas prevails whereas in the case of a monastic order the reference point is in a far more subtle region of rajas and sattwa. The Order of the Master in a like manner is layered from the outermost fringes of the fumbling novice to the sanctum sanctorum where the Master is seated in His perennial grandeur, eternal resplendence. There the Order is one with Him with the Apostles in direct communion with their Lord. From the alpha to the omega of the Order is one constant progression of closer and closer identification with the Master till identity is realized. Swami Vivekananda had famously given utterance to the fact that the Order is the Master's vast body. So true it is for the Master represented the gamut of human spiritual aspirations and the Order is potentially the sum total of such aspirations. Right now it is the nucleus of the spiritual consciousness of the world and the disciples of Vivekananda testify that the Swami had said that it is to remain so for 1500 years since the advent of  the Master ( Ramakrishna ). Miss Josephine MacLeod  had said 900 years though. Be that as it may, the fact remains that the Order of the Master will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the spiritual consciousness of the world for a long long time to come.

This prophecy of Vivekananda must and will fulfil but it ought not to allow any to lapse into a false sense of security and its concomitant evil, a lack of spiritual commitment or missionary zeal. Things do not fulfil of themselves. They have to be fulfilled by hard labour, a labour of love, a love that wells up from the spiritual springs embedded in the heart of the devotee where the sovereign Lord dwells. It is the gravest injustice to the Master's Cause to lapse into spiritual passivity as this is completely in contradistinction to what the great Swami Vivekananda preached and practised throughout his life and what in consequence leonine monks like Ketaki Maharaj ( Swami Prabhananda Senior ), Swami Kalyanananda, Swami Nishchayananda and a galaxy of other illumined monks of the Order have followed and lived with their lives' blood. Atamano mokshartham jagaddhitayacha ( for the liberation of the Self and world-welfare )---this is the motto of the Ramakrishna Order as enunciated by Swami Vivekananda. In other words, for the perception of the eternally liberated state of the Self and for the spiritual regeneration of humankind the monks and lay devotees of the Order are enjoined to live their lives. But the catholic spirit of the Mission embraces all of humanity and it therefore is a spiritual imperative of the Order to look after the material well-being of the poor and the downtrodden teeming millions who barely suffer the terrestrial existence the privileged few enjoy as life. It will not do to philosophize their misery off for they are our very selves, our flesh and blood, our sisters and brothers, our objects of adoration, the very God we worship, the Master and the Mother incarnate. If any of us chooses to neglect them, to abandon them in their devastated physical states, then he makes the gravest error for he knows not that all around is the Master in His myriad guises seeking our service in His terrestrial play. To refuse help to these suffering millions while piling up millions in our coffers for our ''own ones'' is not only inhuman but is anti-human and augurs not well for the offending soul. For what you sow returns to you as the fruit of your action. The law of Karma is inviolable and it is therefore meet that one acts in accordance with humanistic impulses and not selfish propensities. The masses have suffered for ages and continue to suffer so not because Thakur wills it so but because we the privileged few choose in our conceited ' omniscience ' to devise false philosophy to convince our rotting conscience against adopting effective measures to stem the rot in human society whose worst symptom is the abject poverty of the multitude.

Time it is therefore that we stop quoting Ramakrishna-Vivekananda and the lot to suit our nefarious selfishness and read correctly into the meaning and significance of their lives. That Thakur's work never stops for money is the slogan of devotee dear. I wish that such devoted ones peruse through the life of Swamiji and his brothers in the Baranagar Math days and thereafter, Holy Mother's plight in getting two square meals a day and the Almora fainting of Swamiji from starvation for days when a Muslim fakir saved his life by feeding him a ' kankri '. All through Swamiji's life he was frustrated at the lack of charitable spirit both in the West as well as in his homeland India till he burst out saying, " So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance I hold every man a traitor who having been educated at their expense pays not the least heed to them." This was Vivekananda, a dynamic monk, a prophet, a patriot, a citizen of the world, nay, the entire universe, the flute in the hands of Ramakrishna with which He played His vesper song, the symphony of the Soul. Never for once did the Swami make such abject excuses for his inability to alleviate the misery of the masses as the Will of the Master. Rather his leonine heart bled with the bleeding hearts of the millions in sympathy with them, nay, out of love for these divinities who had none to look forward to for help, whom even it seemed that God had forsaken. Swamiji lived and died for them and we wish to live lives of ease and comfort by stealing the very basis of subsistence from our brothers ? Reflect dear devotees, these are our very selves who we let suffer, our own ones who we let die, our sisters and brothers !
.

RAMAKRISHNA...SNIPPETS 1

Sri Ramakrishna flooded the world with Sattva at a time when materialistic ideas were threatening to deluge the world. The Sanatana Dharma was reinvigorated by him through his unprecedented austerities. The fruition of it was the making of Vivekananda who like Paul, the Apostle, spread the message of his Master through the length and breadth of the world. Our salutations to the divine duo.

APPEAL TO ALL MY BRETHREN, CHILDREN OF LIGHT

Dear devotees,

It is high time we realize that Swamiji's dream of rebuilding India is getting heavily impeded due to lack of man-power and funds. It is therefore meet that we give up our passive piety and make our faith dynamic and socially productive. We must raise adequate funds for the many projects that are languishing for want of it by contributing our UTMOST and by galvanizing support for the Cause. It is blasphemous to call ourselves devotees if in Thakur's name we cater to our self-interest first and think of giving a pittance for the Cause thereafter and thereby feel selfishly secure about our dedication to the Master's Mission. Just contemplate these statements of Sri Ramakrishna :

1. AND TALKING OF CHARITY, WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER ALL ? FOR YOUR OWN DAUGHTER'S MARRIAGE, YOU SPEND SO MUCH. BUT THE NEIGHBOUR'S DAUGHTER IS STARVING AND FOR HER YOU SEND RICE AND THAT TOO, IN EXACT MEASURED AMOUNT ! SO MUCH FOR YOUR CHARITY.

2. HERE ( DAKSHINESWAR ) PEOPLE COME FOR THEY KNOW THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING.

3. WHO WOULD CALL UPON GOD HAD HE NOT BEEN RICH ?

Therefore, let us shed this stance of ours of not having enough for the Cause which is completely contrary to the tradition of charity in India and let us devote heart and soul for quick fulfilment of the various projects of the Mission that need immediate financial help.

MOTTO : MISSION FIRST, MYSELF LAST.

P.S. : It is unfortunately a selfish notion in some that The Mission's work never stops or slows down for want of funds. They who entertain such ideas are peripheral beings with no knowledge of the actual state of things. We who call ourselves devotees, more so, initiated devotees of the Order must practice total detachment towards our earthly possessions in the name of the Master who gave us the grand formulation : TAKA MATI, MATI TAKA ( MONEY IS MUD, MUD MONEY ). We must understand that we cannot keep the millions in physical distress by ourselves enjoying the possessions of life.

May Thakur bless them who truly love His children !

FRIEND 13

You are doing yoeman service to the Cause by helping embellish my varied writings with the felicity of your poetic articulations. Indeed, a true friend you are, noble, selfless and devoted to the higher principles of life and living that Mother, for sure, has blessed me with, a kinsman of the Spirit, a companion of the Soul, a fellow pilgrim in life's great journey to the Goal.

FRIEND 12

Your thoughts flow like the Ganga in the high Himalayas, swift and pure, fertilizing the plains where we, lesser mortals, dwell. This perennial fountain of joy that your soul suffuses us with in such torrent of words and images springing forth from the rhapsodic recesses of your heart is a veritable benediction unto humanity and the Lord be praised in you for it all. Dear illumined one, you are not merely a friend to me but are a friend to countless millions in the making as the New Age dawns.

FRIEND 11 : IN RESPONSE TO A QUERY ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING DUPED BY CHARLATANS MASQUERADING AS GURUS : (Reference : GURUDEV 5)

FRIEND : But one has to test whether the Guru is really worthy of being a Guru.These days we have innumerable stories of the lower consciousness-permeated self-proclaimed Gurus taking advantage of their disciples' complete surrender. .... is a recent example. I guess with time you have to modify the process although I totally agree with the objective you have in mind as the spiritual end of it all.

SUGATA BOSE : Perceptive dear friend is your observation and very pertinent too. Swamiji used to say, '' Let men think.'' Also, mark the words in this piece that by inverse implication will set the matter to rest : '' Unless you have this perception of your Guru ...''. In other words, a disciple must test his Guru to begin with before accepting him by putting to test his own perception of him. If this perception is that the Guru is untainted by lust, greed or any other material motivations, and has spiritually realized the essence of the scriptures ( The Vedas ), that is, he is a God-realized soul, then only the intelligent disciple will accept him as his Guru and once having accepted, he must follow his spiritual instructions, not material ones related to the vices of human nature if by misjudgment of the Guru such a predicament ever arises. However, should perchance such a catastrophe befall the Guru owing to faulty karma or surfacing of the camouflaged carnal real self, then the disciple is free to reject his so-called Guru. If he follows Swami Vivekananda's golden principle : '' Anything that weakens you, reject as poison at once ", then that will be his lifeline in such traumatic circumstance. But I fully agree and sympathize with the fact that obtains in the world at large that ordinary people of no great discernment will for the foreseeable future get cheated by quacks and charlatans openly flouting false spirituality and supported by many in the establishment, political and industrial, for their own nefarious ends. Hence, a rethink on this issue truly ought to be on the cards and for the while it is best to trust only time-honoured reputed spiritual organizations after making oneself highly ready for sound discernment by reading Swami Vivekananda extensively to avoid easy duping by fraudulent '' Gurus ''.

P.S. : Initiation is not a joke but is a life-governing, soul-transforming event, a spiritual rebirth. Therefore, people should not give in to any enticement regarding initiation or should not hazard to undergo initiation when beset by the troubles of life. Rather, they should bear the adversities with courage and fortitude and manfully tackle the problems of life instead of abjectly capitulating before some so-called messiah of men promising a quick and easy redemption. Education is tough and spirituality much tougher. Only when the inner urge comes into the heart that one must get initiated so as to progress spiritually must one seek a Sadguru ( not a self-proclaimed one but an authentic spiritual preceptor ). Remember Sri Ramakrishna, the Avatar of the Age used to virtually detest these names, Guru ( Spiritual Preceptor ), Karta ( The Master ) and Baba ( The Spiritual Father ) and would never tire of emphasizing the truth that Sacchidananda ( God ) is the only Guru. This however does not imply that the human Guru is totally dispensable. In every field of knowledge an aspirant acquires the knowledge from a teacher or a Guru. The aspirant being human, it stands to reason to aver that the Guru must be human too. But in the realm of spirituality since things are more shady for the novice and, traditionally, absolute obedience is demanded by many Gurus along with scriptural quotes to justify such subservience, it is meet that the ordinary person of little longing for the Lord sticks to the Lord as his divine Guru. The Lord will never cheat you and there you see you are safe. As the longing for the Lord intensifies there evolves in the aspirant's system greater discernment by means of which he can fairly judge and avoid being duped. He is now spiritually fit for initiation. And then, glory follows.

Jai Sri Guru Maharajji ki jai ! ( Victory to the Guru who is spiritually regal ! )

BRAHMANANDA 1

The first President of the Ramakrishna Order, Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna, was a gigantic spiritual powerhouse about whom it is said that he was 'KARMA-NAASHAA, FARAASH-DAANGAA'. KARMA-NAASHAA means one who can destroy karmic bonds and FARAASH-DAANGAA means colonial French Indian territory like Chandannagar and Pondicherry which was beyond British jurisdiction in pre-independence India. Indian freedom fighters would sometimes slip out of British Indian territory and seek temporary refuge here in these French territories to avoid arrest and execution by the British administration. Aurobindo Ghosh is the most striking case in point who sought permanent asylum in Pondicherry and remained out of British hands despite severe implications in seditious activity against the British Raj. Swami Brahmananda was a knower of Brahman, an Ishwarkoti ( an exalted spiritual personality at par with the Divine ) and an Aadhikaarik Purush ( a spiritual personality endowed with divine authority ) who could in a trice dissolve the karmic bonds of a person and free him instantly Taking refuge in him meant that the refugee was beyond the domain of Maya and was in the free zone of God irrespective of whatever the background of that person may have been for BRAHMANANDA himself was GOD. Thus, in such a sanctified place as Belur Math, illumined monks of the Order of Ramakrishna which included some of the direct disciples of the Master decided to build the BRAHMANANDA TEMPLE alongside the RAMAKRISHNA TEMPLE, HOLY MOTHER'S TEMPLE and the VIVEKANANDA TEMPLE. This was a certification of the fact that Swami Brahmananda was simply divine and the signatories to this unwritten document were luminaries like Swamis Shivananda, Saradananda, Subodhananda, Akhandananda and Vijnanananda, all of whom were the direct disciples of the Master. Swami Brahmananda used to remain so immersed in the thought of Sri Ramakrishna that his whole personality was coloured up with the being of the Master so much so that some fortunate ones were blessed with the vision of the Master in his form now transfigured. When Swami Brahmananda used to stroll in the lawns of Belur Math, many an onlooker form behind him mistook him to be the Master such was his identity with his spiritual father. What more can I say than to exhort you to meditate on this supremely effulgent soul and to seek refuge at his lotus feet for indeed his is the eternal playmate of the Lord, the cowherd boy of Vrindavan, the anklet-clad dance-mate of his Lotus Krishna ( Kamaley Krishna ) who knew nothing in life but the perpetual remembrance of his divine beloved ? May Swami Brahmananda bless all !

CONTEMPLATIVE ORDER OF THE MISSION ... 1

Dear friends and devotees of the Mission,

This is a group dedicated to contemplation of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and the sages and saints of the Order of Ramakrishna, contemplation of their teachings and message, their living ideals of God and godliness, and above all, contemplation for the fulfilment of the many projects of world-welfare undertaken by the Mission. It is our firm belief that Swamiji did not speak in vain when he said that few understood the power of thought, that thought travelled far and that powerful thought-currents released from inside cave-walls would in course of time penetrate the walls and permeate space, seeking self-expression in suitable conduits. In point of fact, it was the propagation of these human-consciousness-transforming thought-currents that constituted the life-work of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. Their superhuman austerities were directed towards this end and Swamiji aptly summed it up in the West when he said that he would be bursting a few thought-bombs on his audience at the lecture halls. He said that he would be raising tidal waves of spirituality in England and America. Such an inundation of spirituality the world would experience owing to the birth of Sri Ramakrishna that all material obstruction would be swept away and a new age of light and harmony would ensue the like of which had never before been seen. He said that since the birth of Sri Ramakrishna had started the Satya Yuga (The Age of Truth or Enlightenment) and that whosoever once bowed down before Ramakrishna would that very instant turn into pure gold.

End of Part 1....to be continued.

FRIEND 10

Dear friend, you are such an accomplished writer that I feel so enthused when I read your highly cultured comments as embellishments inevitably to my feeble prosaic attempts to uphold the glory of the great Swami in whose luminous Presence I have spent my earthly hours. Thank you for being such an inspiration to my literary endeavours to spread the Word of the great Swami.