WHERE THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES

Wonderfully perceptive, Meghnad Bose. Exposes the hypocrisy of the whole affair at different levels of self-promotion coupled with the profit-intent. Alas, this is the frustrating feature of the age when the dollar is the driving force and the masses the cattle driven to their doom as every selfish venture accelerates the vehicle of mass-destruction towards the horrendous end, now seemingly remote but ever-approaching with unfaltering steps. This worship of Mammon must, however, be resisted by right-thinking media-men who will refuse to be merchants of this order and will bring sanity to the discourse that is human life in so far as news coverage can cater to it.

HELP RAMAKRISHNA MISSION, VIVEKNAGAR, AALO

With so many of us yet alive and devoted to Thakur, how can Ramakrishna Mission, Viveknagar, Aalo be allowed to endure financial distress of the sort they are experiencing? They need basic infrastructural build-up and funds to serve the underprivileged people of the region well. The Infosys Foundation has come forward and has offered help for the cause, thanks to the inspirational leadership of Mrs. Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys founder, Narayana Murthy, and disciple of Swami Ranganathananda. But despite such help which has come as a welcome relief to the Mission at a time of acute financial difficulty, the need far outstrips the help offered. It is, thus, with a sense of urgency that I exhort all noble-minded and philanthropically disposed individuals and institutions to come forward and lend a helping hand towards the smooth functioning of this Mission centre.

AUSTERITY, THE CALL OF THE HOUR AND NOT SELF-BLAZONING IN THE NAME OF SPIRITUAL WORK ... 1

A new awakening is necessary, a new affirmation of the ancient truth. Austerity and asceticism are lacking and they must be brought back into the mainstream of spiritual living. A lax attitude towards the fulfilment of the fundamental principles of the life of the Spirit in the name of doing welfare activity has become the bane of whatever goes by the name of spirituality today and has set in a decadence that has made spirituality come closer to the material life in many a way. The references and allusions made by monks to the Wall Street and other business dealings while explaining spiritual texts seem so incongruous in the light of the one they purportedly represent and need a quick eschewing for firing up the discourse which now seems so insipid.

Austerity, austerity is the call of the hour. A meditative tranquillity rather than intellectual gymnastics, serenity rather than theatrics, chastity in reference and maintenance of spiritual altitude rather than playing to the gallery and lowering diction, these seem to be some of the features that need immediate addressing and a redressing thereof. Else, spiritual discourses will continue to be uninspiring and will fail to attract the best attention of the people.

The current scenario seems bleak in terms of future prospects from the crop of preachers who are today holding centre-stage and this has been going on for some time now, being the inertial baggage of the not-so-distant past of spiritual propagation. The decadence has been there for some time now and is fast accelerating the wrong way whereby the principles of the Sanatan Dharma are up for sale and merchants of the mantra are now masquerading as messiahs of mankind. So much for the worst of the lot, those who pose as god-men and gods, as gurus with miraculous powers, as babas with medicinal remedies to all the ills that afflict the body and why, no less the soul, as preachers with the purse to pursue and as politicians to mask their mischievous motives. The less hypocritical ones are, nonetheless, of firmer character but prone to the ills of seeking name and fame and the support of the rich and the powerful. There is one even more refined class of pure preachers in the shape of monks who are well-grounded in the scriptures and have a modicum of spiritual awareness as well but, sadly enough, they too have lost their spiritual moorings in the melee of work they reckon as being conducive to world-welfare when instead they are mere distractions from the fundamental discourse of the divine.

In all the aforesaid classes of pretenders to piety there is a common link, and that is the absence of austerity in their lives. Without spiritual practice of the highest order, character is not formed, and without the cementing of character, spirituality is not attained. How can the fire of the Spirit that alone can animate the soul of man be lit in others who are listening to your spiritual discourse, O preacher, if it has not been lit within you in the first place? And this explains the failure of the speakers from the pulpit in igniting the lamp of knowledge within the soul of the congregation, and its concomitant ills in the polity thereof, especially, the proliferation of charlatans in the fertile field of this 'spiritual' profession.

Austerity then is the call of the hour and a semblance of asceticism the least of the requirements before one is reasonably empowered in terms of spiritual perception and conceptual clarity to be able to successfully convey the life of the Spirit to the audience and inflame many a soul with the fire of renunciation and service.

VIVEKANANDA, THE WAY OUT

This giant of a man, this seminal personality, this saviour of mankind standing erect with arms locked as if emblematic of senses withdrawn and war declared on the forces that are arrayed in opposition to the advancement towards the goal, is the heroic figure, iconic in stance and stature, who we must listen to if we wish to yet avoid annihilation as a species and forge ahead into the territory of the Spirit where all is peaceful and harmonic divine. This is the challenge facing humanity, this the optional imperative if Spirit must prevail over Matter, which it must, and the course of civilisation veer toward a higher end where the sovereign Self reigns over shadowy earthly embodiments intent on self-destruction. Vivekananda stands in regal resplendence and beckons us from the dust of desire to ethereal ends. Shall we respond to his mighty call? Upon it depends our destiny.

FLASHES ... 1

1. Thakur, you are the infinite ocean of light in which sage-waves are rising and falling to keep up the saga of terrestrial existence.

2. Spirituality has nothing to do with miracles. God cannot be proved by matter nor do devotees need demonstration of magic.

3. Tagore failed to accept Ramakrishna as God-incarnate, although, he had immense reverence for him.

4. Vivekananda's perfect purity pulverised the West and won him friends and foes alike to set off the modern spiritual churn.

5. Beyond earthly dreams there is a realm that beckons man to ethereal flights. And that is the call of the Spirit.

6. Through the dark night flashes Thy lightning form, O Mother, I can scarce wait to see Thee.

7. The monk must be a fire of austerity without aught of earth tainting his self for him to have inspirational value for the laity.

8. Religion is the quest of the lost soul for the recovery of its roots.

9. Can imperfection in work be the path towards perfection of the Spirit?

10. Teach the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to children. Let their minds be impregnated with the glorious ideas vibrant in these epics.

11. The times are pregnant with possibilities of the descent of the Divine. All the symptoms are manifest. The Lord must be with us now.

12. Have faith in yourself. This is the constant refrain of the Vedanta. But exploration must be on to unravel the real Self, too.

13. Your life is not of two days, one of growth and the other of decay, but your life is everlasting, beyond this dual throng.

14. Give up this vain clinging to this little body of yours and a little mind attached to it and learn to assert your infinite Atman.

15. Let go of the phenomenal and the spiritual will shine through.

16. Unless Vivekananda's message is widely disseminated across the length and breadth of India, this nation will not rise.

17. Is there no end to worldliness masquerading as spirituality? Is there no end to effeminacy masquerading as culture?

18. Men preach without realisation. This is the problem. The words carry no weight for conviction there is none in the speaker himself.

19. Time is flying and death is ever approaching. Now is the hour to take His name and strive to see Him. The morrow may never be.

20. Save for the sake of 'Ramakrishna Mission, Viveknagar, Aalo'. This is our duty as devotees of Thakur-Ma-Swamiji.

21. Every child released into the world is one more temple of the divine that is to be consecrated, served and tended to fruition.

22. It is not good enough to live for oneself but one must incessantly strive to live for others as well. Help RKM, Vivekanagar, Aalo.

23. Of what use is life if it be not lived for others?

24. Do not give in to these fake Gurus by the galore who are preaching Hinduism, not even the ones with a great following. Fraudulent!

25. My blood boils when I see these fake 'Gurus' preaching their idiotic versions of the most stupendous philosophy on earth, Hinduism.

26. I am desisting from naming these fake 'Gurus', leaving it to your good sense and judgement to discover them. 

27. Stop wasting money and start saving to help the Ramakrishna Mission, Viveknagar, Aalo combat their acute financial distress.

28. Do not waste human thought and resources pursuing the wild geese of worldliness.

29. This network of Maya is impossible to extricate oneself from but for the grace of the Mother who binds and frees.

30. Life is a baffling dream, a nightmare of sorts which infatuates the befuddled soul till death destroys.

31. An effective way of raising consciousness is to seek the company of the holy. Their sattva uplifts by vibration-exchange our selves.

32. Spirituality has nothing to do with miracles or magic. Come off it if you wish to be spiritual. Seek refuge in the real God.

33. God is God not merely because He is 'Creator, Preserver, Destroyer' but because He is 'Existence, Consciousness, Bliss'.

34. How difficult it is for some to get past the baggage of miracles and magic that camouflages as spirituality!

35. Do you take Thakur as the embodiment of power or of love? Well, Swamiji had once said about him,''He is LOVE personified.''

36. Intellectual attainment is far removed from spiritual realisation. The two are qualitatively quite apart.

37. The man of wisdom is the one who has broken free from the meshes of Maya.

38. Maya is the universal set of things phenomenal, events, relations, links, et al. It is the vast deception.

39. He went to the Baranagar Math to learn Math from Shashi Maharaj but stayed on to emerge a Rishi. Virajanandaji.

40. Sargachhi knows none better than this son of Thakur, Akhandananda of unsurpassed feeling for the masses dying of starvation.

41. Khoka Maharaj. Reclining on the veranda of Swamiji's house in Belur Math, this soul sublime used to contemplate what?

42. Ah, the motherly Mahapurush Maharaj! Who can match his longing for devotees? What sweetness of spirituality suffused with love!

43. Raja Maharaj remains an enigma to me. His exalted spiritual status seems unfathomable. He is the mystic nonpareil.

44. Baburam Maharaj was indeed love incarnate. His divine presence permeates the whole Ramakrishna Movement.

45. The absolute honesty and sheer integrity of Vijnananandaji endears him to me. He would brook no nonsense.

46. Is Thakur residing in Belur Math? Then was it sanity to disturb him with the 'gun salute' in 'honour' of Atmasthanandaji?

47. Ramakrishna's renunciation was so complete that he has become the symbol of the unqualified Brahman in its human manifestation.

48. Brahman is, the world is not. Yet, this truth cannot be articulated. It is the residuum of the negation of all, or is it?

49. In spiritual life obedience is a primary virtue, an imperative that helps advance the soul rapidly.

50. Garhasthya Ashram must have the 'ashram' part to it. Otherwise, it is a mere mundane institution. Hence, live sublime, live divine.

51. The world today lacks character as Swamiji had then pointed out. A certain laxity of morals and virtue is engulfing all that is.

52. Anything that pollutes the environment must be avoided even if that means foregoing fire-ceremonies.

53. The earthly mother is none but the Divine Mother in assumed imperfection. So, behold the One within.

54. Do not dwell in the dark. Come ye into the light. The dark shall be thus dispelled.

55. Much of our miseries are self-inflicted. Live wisely to avoid such. Meditate daily to stay calm. Miseries will reduce.

56. Verily, verily, I say unto you, read 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' daily with loving care and you will realise God by Thakur's grace.

57. Those that are having problems with my writings may turn off notifications, unfriend me, block me, whatever, but need not suffer them.

58. Ultimately, the self, the Guru and God, all melt into an infinitude of nothingness, the harmony of the 'poorna' and the 'shoonya'.

59. Prayer :
      My birth, O Lord, has been here,
      Now grant that I may live abroad.

60. Was Swami Nirmalananda (Tulsi Maharaj) Sri Ramakrishna's 17th direct disciple? Your position on this, please.

61. How many farmers of the land fed me before I left my motherland to feed my desires! Alas, who cares for the teeming millions?

62. The day the poor people rise in rebellion against the offence of centuries of the rich and the powerful, that day will justice be.

63. It is shocking to see the level of commitment for Mother's cause by some of Mother's children who apparently live and die for her.

63. Become active devotees and not passive practitioners of piety as Ranganathanandaji famously said.

64. Bengal produced Vivekananda, Madras recognised him, America afforded him and the world accepted him.

65. Aurobindo was right in his assessment of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda initially. His writing on the spiritual duo is worth reading.

66. Netaji did much for the Singapore Ramakrishna Mission, a fact, sadly, not much in common knowledge now.

67. Our Guru is Sri Ramakrishna. In him is the source, course and estuary of our being.

68. Swami Brahmananda is simply unfathomable in his depth. A veritable dynamo of spiritual power, he remains the ultimate enigma.

69. Love incarnate was Baburam Maharaj, so pure that on contact with him Sri Ramakrishna was transported to ecstasy.

70. Annapurna will feed Her children, so, the dining hall in Holy Mother's House is being built. Come ye and help build it.

71. Wish for liberation in this life? Then die a million deaths for the living Lord in the suffering millions.

72. All energy must be gathered and given to the service of the living Lord. Thus shall salvation be.

73. Passive piety is the most civilised form of hypocrisy. It is selfishness wearing the garb of selflessness.

74. The fresh flower must be offered to the Lord. Offer your children to the study of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda.

75. Do not degrade the ideal to your level. Rather, raise yourself to the level of the ideal. The ideal must not be made to harmonise with life. Instead, life must be harmonised with the ideal.

76. When the going is easy build your base. Else, the edifice will crumble when the tide is rough.

77. Life is a unique opportunity to strike the gold. Here where the forces are balanced, the chances are high of reaching perfection.

78. You are free even this very moment. Just negate all preconception and witness the fetters fall.

79. He who has cast off his shadow is the sannyasi.

80. In the Atman there is no distinction of sex but short of the Self such distinction must ever be made to avoid the snares of Maya.

81. Dawn it is and dusk shall be when I must set aside all work and meditate on the Lord, for the elements then are harmonic.

82. Vivekananda went to the West to herald a new civilisation built on the foundation of the eternal Atman.

83. The scattered seeds of mustard must all be gathered ere the mind is fit for final dissolution and the Atman reveals.

84. Cultivate originality if you wish to be free. Slavery to men of merit or money will not remove bondage. Stand clear of all dross.

85. It is but a matter of time before the fetters fall and your divinity unfolds.

86. The living light within you is the highest God that witnesses all other shadowy features being worshipped.

87. Aseshanandaji's voice, deep and resonant, seemed to be coming as if from the depths of the sea.

88. Do not drag your children into the world of sensory pleasures. They deserve a better exposure to the infinitude of their Self.

89. Through good or through ill, He guides this vessel, this earthly carrier unto its spiritual end.

90. The door is open for men to flee this terrible dungeon of the world. Yet, men choose to hurl themselves headlong into this inferno.

91. Spoil thyself if thou wilt but, pray, spare the child.

92. Read 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' and find peace within yourself.

93. To follow Vivekananda requires courage and character. Not a trace of selfishness will allow filial adherence to him.

94. Chaos and confusion must always be avoided in life. Let the mind settle so that subtler perceptions are possible.

95. This life is not for wasteful spending on sense-gratification but is for the advancement towards the spiritual goal.

96. Work with dispassion with the ideal in mind and you will work wonders. Never mind the backbiters. They can do you no harm.

97. The riddle of this universe has its solution within me and that is the beauty of it all.

98. Determinism seems to be as flawed a concept as non-determinism. Maya is inexplicable as Shankaracharya succinctly put it.

99. Do not be duped by the dazzling displays of Maya. They are out there to distract you to your disaster, then death.

100. Rare comes the soul who can see through every trick of this old sorceress, Avidya Maya. Such a one is the Avatar. 

IN RESPONSE TO MANOJ SETHI'S, (Manoj Sethi) CORRECTION OF MY USAGE OF THE WORD 'LOST SOUL' WITH SLANTED UNDERSTANDING OF ITS USAGE

The word 'lost soul' is a linguistic variant of the phenomenal being caught in the mire of Maya and oblivious of its moorings. These are nuances of the language which will have to be understood. So far as the way you put it, I must say that even then it is the SELF that is never lost etc. and not the soul which, of course, in its deluded state, is always lost and is in the quest of its roots in the SELF, for the soul is a phenomenal projection, a shadowy being whose real essence is the SELF while the soul itself remains in the realm of relativity ever, even at its subtlest and sublimest level. This is the problem with bookish knowledge ill-digested without actual experience to authenticate assertion. The soul is not the SELF which is the transcendental Real Being. It is the refined version of the mind itself, dwelling in the sixth plane of consciousness where dualistic perception of the Divine takes place. However, the word 'lost soul' has been used as in common parlance and the way I have put it, there is perfect congruity in its linguistic sense and no incongruity in its philosophical sense, too, as I have elucidated. So, whither the necessity of course correction, dear friend?

Have you, dear friend, never heard of the terms 'bound soul', 'embodied soul', 'lost soul', 'realised soul', 'valiant soul' etc.? Ponder before you comment. The way you have picked up fault-lines faultily may further be expanded upon in terms of offence taken against the terms 'religion', 'recovery of roots' etc. as well. Well, well, my dear friend, I can go on deliberating on the use or misuse of these terms ad infinitum but that is not the purpose of literature or expressed thought as you very well must be knowing. The manifest purpose of language is to convey the intent of the idea and never the idea as such, for the latter ever eludes the effective grasp of the former, being itself subtler than the vehicle of its expression. Anyhow, these are abstruse matters that require the subtlest of spiritual intelligence to apprehend and is not for the common run of humanity to read up in the evening of life and pass quick comment on. These are the priceless possessions of our human heritage and they have had their habitat in this blessed motherland of ours to meditate on their real meaning instead of picking imaginary loopholes hither and thither which are expressive of one's ignorance rather than illumined knowledge. Hence, I rest the case here of the defence of my post and leave it to the good sense of the reader to dwell on and comprehend its real intent, purport and essence.

Curiously enough, I am reminded of an incident from the life of the great Swami Vivekananda when on his triumphant return from the West he was drawn into debate with some erudite Brahmins on some abstruse aspect of Sanskrit grammar. During the debate Swamiji inadvertently --- owing to lack of practice for years in conversation in Sanskrit for the four years of his American and European sojourn --- slipped once in speech, misusing one word for another, and the Sanskrit scholars all broke out into derisive laughter at this. With typical humility the Swami begged forgiveness for his linguistic slip and rectified stance thereon. Later, he recounted this episode to his disciple, Sarat Chandra Chakrabarty, and said, "Well, this is the problem with Indians. They are always scratching the surface of things and are quick to pounce on one in dialogue or debate at the least bit of opportunity afforded whereas in the West such a demeanour would be considered highly discourteous. They would rather look into the intent of the speech rather than on the surface slip and would be content to get along with the course of the dialogue.'' It is typical that we harbour such an inappropriate attitude still, proving once again the old adage, 'A little knowledge is dangerous.'

Thanking you all and expecting you to read this piece,
I remain yours In Thakur-Ma-Swamiji,
Sugata Bose

GANDHI --- STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS ... 1

That Gandhi allowed the British to practice violence on the Indian freedom fighters by way of philosophical compliance, was in itself an act of violent submission of a people to a brutal order and the perpetual weakening thereof of the said populace, already debilitated by a protracted period of alien rule, cultural subversion and colonial conspiracy.

CRITICISM OF THE ASHTAVAKRA SAMHITA VIDEO OF SARVAPRIYANANDAJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbH1chO7D-g&t=3710s

Sorry, Sarvapriyanandaji Maharaj. Hari Maharaj used to lift his mind from the operated part of the body when he was being operated on and, hence, felt no pain unlike what you have said in this video. It was his yogic way of self-administration of anaesthesia. Once when the doctor, knowing that Hari Maharaj used to undergo operation without the administration of anaesthesia, started the operation without intimating the Swami, the latter shrieked out in pain and said, "You should have told me before starting the operation. I could have then lifted my mind out of the affected zone." The doctor was stunned. So, Sarvapriyanandaji Maharaj, you are misquoting the incident and it must be corrected in future renditions. Again, you say that the sage's mind is serene in hope and in despair. But the sage transcends such dual throng and neither hopes nor despairs, for having transcended time, he abides free of such mental fluctuation centring in hope and despair. Likewise, the yogi sees the eternal life that transcends material birth and death. Hence, for him to be ascribed the duality of earthly life and death is a betrayal of his essential existence in the transcendent consciousness of existence absolute or even in the plane of the 'bhavamukha' (the plane of the junction of the absolute and the relative). These are some of the discrepancies that have crept in owing to the use of language as we understand it with their concomitant references. Again, you say that ''we are immortal''. But that is wrong again for we as 'we' are all mortal. Only where we cease to be 'we' and the Being is as it is, there immortality is, or rather, mortality is erased with all of phenomena in the singularity of absolute consciousness which is changeless and, hence, deathless. However, I am sure that you also know that you have put the principles across this way for your audience, untrained in more sophisticated terminology of the Vedanta, for them to get a glimpse of the abstruse idea of this extreme Vedantic text through the film of their own flawed understanding, their common everyday linguistic parlance fraught as they are with the very dual shades you so wish to avoid in the exposition of this austere scripture that admits of no duality whatsoever. However, the Hari Maharaj episode was wrongly stated by you and merits adjustment considerations in future discourses.

Foreword added by Sugata Bose

DIVERSE THOUGHTS

1. All our life's work is feeding the world outside which is full of contradictions. Hence, conflict is common.

2. Peace is not possible till we look within and discover our detached Self. All our human associations cause grief.

3. Monastic life must be built around meditation with work issuing from it. Lay life must follow the reverse pattern.

4. The question of high and low in the social order must be replaced by recognising the complementary relations of the 'varnas' in a sphere of cosmic consciousness.

5. China must modernise Tibet without attempting to obliterate its cultural identity, for that would be a counter-civilisation move. Some say that Tibet which was thus far an independent nation till China invaded and annexed it, will regain her independence in the future and I sincerely hope that such an event comes to pass but the emerging might of China might make such a happening impossible in the current scenario, although, the tortuous progress of history might deem otherwise in the long run as power equations alter radically.Sugata Bose Right, and if you read it rightly, that is what I have implied in the latter part of my comment. But then many a civilisation in the past have been wiped off the face of the earth for good by invasions which have forever changed the contours of history. A case in point is the extermination of aboriginals in the Americas and the wiping out of local cultures and religions in the Middle-East by the forces of aggression, namely, the colonising Europeans in the former case and the all-conquering Arabs in the latter.

6. Cultural invasion is a violence against which no international sanctions are ever imposed. Ponder please.

7. Intolerant religions will die their natural deaths with the spread of education. Conversions to their fold will not secure them their future.

8. The Trade Towers were terrible with US at the receiving end. What about Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the aggressor was US?

9. The asymmetrical nature of the flow of 'gunas' keeps the world in its dynamic equilibrium. Periodic adjustments are embedded in the system.

10. Hinduism is invincible for it is founded on the absolute truth of Reality.

11. One day of growth and one night of decay. This constitutes the rise and fall of civilisation exhibiting the sinusoidal wave.

12. Be frugal in habits and regal in charity.

PERENNIAL INDIA

Ancient India's philosophical grandeur baffles conception. So staggering was the attainment that replication seems impossible. And, yet, Swamiji says, future India will surpass it. The concept of the Advaita is so stupendous that relative to it everything else in the realm of thought seems kindergarten stuff. To conceive of the universe as but a bubble of the Self of man is rationality of the strictest rigour born out of realisation sublime. Matchless is the conception in mathematical merit for even physical laws break down there in the realm of the singularity of spiritual solitude, in the abode of absolute nothingness which is the nullified summation of all phenomenal events. For such a realisation to have dawned on the rishis of yore in times archaic as they were is proof of the authenticity of the spiritual principles that form the body of that vast work termed the 'Vedas' and is a pointer to the fact that truth, which is the substratum of surface evolution, stands independent of the degree of mass social consciousness attained at any point of time. A handful of people may quicken to the truth as an early episode of developing civilisation even as the rest of humanity trudges on for millenia to grasp mere elements of the truths apprehended so.

স্বদেশমন্ত্র

এই মানুষটির আত্মত্যাগের কথা ভেবে অনুপ্রাণীত হন, তাঁর বাণী ও রচনা নিত্য পাঠ করুন ও তাঁর স্বদেশমন্ত্রে দীক্ষিত হয়ে দেশের কল্যাণসাধনে ব্রতী হন | এতেই এখন পরমার্থসাধন নিহিত, পরিশেষে এতেই মুক্তি |

রচয়িতা : সুগত বোস (Sugata Bose)

' সত্যকথাই কলির তপস্যা '

সত্যস্বরূপ শ্রীরামকৃষ্ণ যদি আমাদের সত্যভাষণে অনুপ্রাণিত করতে অসমর্থ হন, তো দুর্ভাগ্য আমাদের, তাঁর নয় | তিনি তাঁর স্বীয় মহিমায় অধিষ্ঠিত থাকবেন স্বরূপে, আমরাই অসত্যের মায়াজালে আবদ্ধ হয়ে জর্জরিত জীবন যাপন করব ও অশেষ দুঃখ ভোগ করব | ঠাকুর বলতেন, "সত্য কথাই কলির তপস্যা | ... যে সত্যটি ধরে রয়েছে, সে ঈশ্বরের কোলে শুয়ে রয়েছে |" আসুন, আমরা ঠাকুরের সত্যমন্ত্রে দীক্ষিত হই ও আজ থেকে একটিও মিথ্যা কথা না বলি | আমাদের সঙ্কল্প সত্য হোক, আমাদের বচন সত্য হোক, আমাদের জীবন সত্যে স্হিত হোক ! জয় রামকৃষ্ণ !

রচয়িতা : সুগত বোস (Sugata Bose​)

SPIRITUAL IDEAS ... 7

1. I believe in man and in no God beyond man. But this man is not the apparent man but the Real Man.

2. Men of character must lead the country, not provincial crooks. A bunch of political pygmies are now ruling the roost.

3. We must sacrifice our self-interest in the larger cause of nation-building irrespective of the return. That is the martial spirit.

4. 'Patriots' would do well to renounce self-interest and serve the nation rather than raising the dust over issues alone.

5. A nation is made by the sacrifice of its citizens, not by the looting of its resources by an evil few.

6. Slaves, they try to impose their will on others while they themselves remain in bondage to their petty self-interest.

7. A current of strength is the call of the hour now, not debilitating dance and music that enervate men.

8. Is ingratitude a spiritual attribute or betrayal for that matter? When will disciples learn to be faithful to their Gurus?

9. The holiest of all relations, that between the disciple and the Guru, need not be tainted with aught of earth. Let holiness prevail.

10. Death is approaching, beware! Now is the time to cut the bonds of Maya and set yourself free. Tomorrow may never be. Arise! Awake!

11. Raise your children to be lions among men, full of the fire of renunciation and worshipful service of the divine in man.

12. Cowardice has covered the landmass as men immersed in sensory pleasures make a travesty of their manhood. Abhih! Abhih!

13. Hindus, learn the essentials of your dharma from the study of Swami Vivekananda's four yogas : Raj, Bhakti, Karma and Jnana.

14. When Swami Aseshananda speaks, it seems as if the voice is approaching you like a rumble from the depths of space and you feel enthralled.

15. Our country is holy, I simply feel it. Here the very air breathes purity, the fragrance spreading right to the soul.

16. I fail to fathom the spiritual personality of Swami Brahmananda. He remains an eternal enigma to me, a being of surpassing holiness.

हिन्दी रचना ... १

आप जिसकी सन्छान मे है, वो अपना भितर छुपा हुया है| वो हि है आत्मा, वो हि 'सदा जनानं हृदये सन्निविष्टः' ||

स्वदेशप्रेम एक दिव्य अनुभुति है, ऐक तपस्या का परिणाम जो हर ऐक का सौभाग्य नही होता प्राप्त करना |

सर्वोत्कृष्ट आध्यात्मीक प्रचार है ऐक तपस्यापूत जीवन जनसमुह के सामने स्थापन करना | रामकृष्ण परमहंस ईसकी पराकाष्ठा थे |

" करो सब निछावर, बनो सब षकिर " ... नेताजी

' बरसनं लागि बदरिया रुम झुम के ' --- कजरी, शुभमिता बेनर्जी
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7G_iTCq5_c

শুধু বুঝি তাঁর একটি রূপ আর এঁরা কেউ নন ?

এঁরা ঠাকুর নন? শুধু কি একটিমাত্র মূর্তিতেই আবদ্ধ হলেন তবে তিনি ? কি হল তাঁর বহুরূপে বিরাজিত রূপটির ? দরিদ্রনারারণে বিহার, সবই কি মিথ্যা তাহলে ? কেন বোঝেননা যে তিনি জীবে জীবে অধিষ্ঠত, অসহায়শরীরে অধিক প্রকাশিত ? মানুষের মাঝে সন্ধান করুন তাঁর, শুধু সুন্দর ছবিতে নয় |

রচয়িতা : সুগত বোস (Sugata Bose)

'I SHALL HAVE TO COME AGAIN'

Where lies hope except in the individual of inspiration and insight who can comprehend the current social complexities and has the will and the power to redress the malefic issues that afflict it? Such a one, armed in universal love and gifted with the genius to remedy life's ills en masse, must in the fullness of time arise out of the sea of humanity and step forth to lead his flock to safety. Such a mighty awakening is in the offing as the times are propitious for such a descent of the Divine in human clay and we must ready ourselves to welcome such an advent.

Long back Sri Ramakrishna had prophesied that he would reincarnate once more a century later and Swami Vivekananda in America had corroborated this statement of the Master, although, he differed regarding the date of the descent, maintaining that it would be two hundred years when the act would come to pass. Holy Mother had, however, categorically stated the date of reckoning to be a hundred years and had at length described the proceedings as they would then come to pass and this to many remains the clincher regarding the validity of the date of descent as being one hundred years. Swami Saradananda in his celebrated work, 'Sri Sri Ramakrishna Leelaprasanga' fixed the date as being two hundred years, though, and Girish Chandra Ghosh corroborated it but Swami Vijnanananda affirmed that Thakur would reincarnate in a hundred years' time and that the real work of the Master's mission would then begin, that the present work of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission was but the laying of the foundation for such a gigantic edifice of work for world regeneration that would come up in Thakur's latter incarnation. Even Thakur himself had said that many would get liberation in his latter incarnation and that those that would not, would have to wait for a very long time for liberation.

These conflicting dates may cause confusion in immature minds and, thus, it is best not to daydream about these things, but it is equally blameworthy to suppress information regarding Thakur's future arrival and misquote, text-torture or interpret wrongly the available data, for to misguide the common run of humanity with such misinformation so as to avoid mass-delusion is self-defeating in itself. Let truth see the light of day and let all the facts be there before the public without any attempt to fancifully interpret them. For us, though, merely waiting for Thakur's descent without fulfilling his wishes and expectations of us will be an exercise in ignorance and we must desist from such an aberration of devotion. Let us, therefore, be up and doing towards the fulfilment of Thakur's mission as we have thus far been handed down by Swamiji and let us pray that we may be fitting instruments in the hands of the Master to bringing to fruition his future mission on earth as well. Jai Ramakrishna!

MONEY-MAKING OR MASSACRE OF THE MASSES?

The plight of the people sinking daily into the vortex of destitution caused by an inhuman system of economic exploitation is so easily accepted by all even though it entails the greatest degree of violence directed by man against brother man. The process is slow and scientific and seemingly bloodless but its long-term retribution in the making may be very violent and plain catastrophic. The forces at work today which are camouflaging this silent and crushing decree of death on the masses by the surface glitter of economic empowerment in the form of declared programmes of social welfare, ever announced, never quite activated to fruition, must be themselves unaware as well as to the portentous developments brewing in the distillery of sociopolitical evolution. The consequence of this mass carnage in this meticulous and merciless way may not go well with the forces in opposition developing within human society and augur not too bright a prospect for the future of humanity. This is the ugly face of capitalism that is fraught with gain of gold at the cost of dripping human blood and can only bring forth uglier forces of retribution to end its gory life for good. There is little glory in this blazoned celebration of ill-begotten wealth and it is time that masses of well-thinking individuals start the counter-campaign to portray this blatant exhibition of Mammon-mongering for what it truly is.   

বাংলা লেখা ... ১

যতক্ষণ অপচয়, ততক্ষণ অভাব |

অর্থের সদ্ব্যবহার যাঁরা জানেন না, বৈভব থাকলেও তাঁদের সে বৈভব অচিরেই থাকেনা |

প্রথমে সমাজকে শোষণ, পরে পাপক্ষালণের প্রয়াস দানের দ্বারা | একেই কী শাত্রকার কর্মযোগ বলেছেন?

সমাজ, দেশ, জাতি রসাতলে যাক, আমার ক্ষুদ্র স্বার্থটি রক্ষা পাক | এর নামই কী আত্মজ্ঞান ?

কর্মফলও কাটে কৃপায়, অর্থাৎ, গুরু দীক্ষাপ্রদানকালে শিষ্যের পাপরাশি স্বীয়সম্বল করে আপনার পূতস্পর্শে শিষ্যকে পবিত্র করেন |

বৃথা শিক্ষালাভ যদি স্বদেশে শিক্ষিত হয়ে নিজস্বার্থ রক্ষণকল্পে ধনী দেশে পাকাপাকি বসবাস করে বিশ্বাসহন্তার পরিচয় দাও |

যদি সত্যই বোধ থাকত দরিদ্রজন সাক্ষাৎ ঈশ্বর, তাহলে কী আর একথা সাজত যে তাদের করব দান অথবা সাহায্য ? সেবা আপনা হতেই হত |

গুরু সাক্ষাৎ শিব, সহস্রারে অধিষ্ঠিত পথপ্রর্দশক, পরিশেষে ইষ্টে লীন, পরব্রহ্ম |

অনিত্যে যদি থাকে মন, তার কথামৃত মহৌষধি | প্রত্যহ পাঠ করুন শ্রী শ্রী ঠাকুরের এই বাণীরূপ মহাগ্রন্হটি |

সঙ্কীর্ণহৃদয় ব্যক্তির কী জীবনে উন্নতি হয় ? আধ্যাত্মিক উন্নতি তো সুদূরপরাহত, জাগতিক উন্নতিই হওয়া দূঃসাধ্য |

প্রস্তরবিগ্রহে ঠাকরকে দর্শন করা উত্তম কিন্ত মানবদেহে দর্শন সর্বোত্তম | जीव बृह्मैव ना परः ||

ঘরে ঘরে চরিত্রবান, চরিত্রবতী ছেলে মেয়ে চাই আজ, তবে এদেশ জাগবে|

বিজ্ঞানমনস্ক হন, ব্যক্তিমনস্ক নন |
Seek the principle, not the personality.

প্রার্থনা :
আমার এই দেশেতে জন্ম যেন,
বিদেশে বাস করি |

কথামৃত পড়ুন, শান্তি পান |

ঠাকুর-মা কে পেতে চান ? বাড়ীর বৃদ্ধ বৃদ্ধাদের সম্মান করুন, সেবা করুন | তাঁরাই ঠাকুর-মা ঘরে ঘরে|

আধ্যাত্মিকতা আর কিছু নয়, একত্বের অনুসন্ধান |

যে ব্যক্তি নিজেকে পৃথক করে ভাবেন, তিনি ভগ্নচিত | তাঁর আধ্যাত্মিক উপলব্ধি কোথায় ?

আজীবন সংযমের নাম ' ব্রহ্মচর্য ' |

যে দেশে বৃদ্ধের সম্মান নেই, সে দেশ প্রযুক্তিগতভাবে উন্নত হলেও, সভ্য নয় |

সবাই নাস্তিক, তাই 'আমি', 'আমি' করছেন | যেখানে আমি, সেখানে ঈশ্বর কোথায় ?

মরণসম ঘনায় রজনী,
জীবন বৃথা যায় |
লভিয়া মানবজনম
কী ফল লভিনু হায় !

এই অগণিত দরিদ্র জনসাধারন, এঁরাই তো সমাজের কাঠামো, এঁরাই ভিত্তিভূমি, এঁরাই তো যথার্থ দেবদেবী, আমাদের একমাত্র উপাস্য |

আহা ! কি সেবা ! মা স্বয়ং মায়ের সেবা করছেন |

অতিন্দ্রীয় সত্যের অনুভূতি মনের নাশের দ্বারা সম্ভব | আত্মা আত্মাকে প্রত্যক্ষ করেন | এরই নাম ' আত্মসাক্ষাৎকার ' |

দিবানিদ্রা ব্রহ্মচর্যবিরোধি |

ঠাকুরকে কে বা চায় ?

যে চায়, সে পায় |যারা হাসতে পারে না, তারা ভালো লোক না |

হাসতে তো কর দিতে হয় না, তাহলে হাসিখুশী থাকতে দোষ কি ?

টাকা হলে মানুষ আর মানুষ থাকে না | আকৃতিটা মানুষের, স্বভাব পশুর | ... শ্রীরামকৃষ্ণ (দ্রষ্টব্য : কথামৃত)

গর্ভধারিণী মাই যে জগন্মাতা একরূপে তা আমরা কতটুকু মনে রাখি ?

ও আমার জয় ঠাকুরের দল,
তোদের কি, আর কোনো নেই বুলি ?
শুধু এইটুখানি বল |

টাকা দেবে কিন্তু খাটিয়ে নেবে --- এইটি মহামন্ত্র |

নেতাজী সংক্রান্ত সব ভালো লেখা বহুল প্রচার করুন | এর দ্বারা তাঁর সেবা হবে ও মানুষের ইতিহাস সচেতনতা বাড়বে |

আসল সাধু নেতাজী | তাঁর মত সাধু তো আর ভূভারতে দেখলাম না |

গুরু ব্যক্তিমাত্র নন, গুরু সমষ্টিসত্তা |

রসিক হওয়া ভালো, লঘুচিত্ত হওয়া ভালো নয় |

এখন ভূতের সাধনা চলেছে | এরপর শুরু হবে ভগবানের সাধনা |

আত্মনির্ভরতাই আধ্যাত্মিকতা |

দানবিহীন অন্নগ্রহণ পাপান্ন ভক্ষন |

নিজেকে ভুললে নিজেকে পাওয়া যায় |

কাউকে অতিক্রম করা নয় | মনুষ্যত্বের উদ্বোধনের মধ্যেই ধর্ম আর তার উত্তরণে মোক্ষ |

যিনি উদারচিত্ত, তিনি তো ওমনই গুণগ্রাহী | তিনি তো দোষ ধরেন না নিজস্বার্থ রক্ষার্থে, সমালোচনা করেন মাত্র জনহিতার্থে |

দেশপ্রেম আধ্যাত্মিকতারই এক অপরূপ অভিব্যক্তি | তাই সশত্র বিপ্লবীরা প্রাতঃস্মরণীয়, প্রণম্য |

স্বামিজী ও নেতাজী উভয়ই বিশ্বকল্যাণরূপ কর্মে নিবেদিতপ্রাণ ছিলেন | তাই তাঁদের স্কন্ধে জগৎ-সংসারের ভার ছিল |

শুনেছেন কখন যে স্বাধীনতার সিপাহীদের দেশোদ্রোহী আখ্যা পেতে হয় ? তাও হয়েছে এদেশে আজাদ হিন্দ ফৌজের সাথে |

মানবিক সম্পর্কগুলি বানিজ্যিক বাধ্যতায় অধিকতর আবদ্ধ হচ্ছে | জীবনের ভয়াবহ পরিণাম ! সভ্যতার যথার্থ সঙ্কট !

আত্মজ্ঞানের আগে সর্বভূতে তুমি আর আত্মজ্ঞানের পর সর্বৃভূতে আমি | এতদিন যাকে তুমি বলে জেনেছি, আজ দেখছি সেই তুমিই আমি |

গুরুভক্তি হবে এমন যা স্বতঃস্ফুর্তভাবে হৃদয়কে আনন্দে পরিপ্লাবিত করবে |

সাধুসঙ্গে সত্ত্বগুণের স্ফুরণ হয়, তাই মাঝে মাঝে সাধুসঙ্গ করা কল্যাণকর |

সুভাষচন্দ্র কৈশোরেই বৈরাগ্যবান ছিলেন | অতএব, তাঁর জীবনালেখ্য সেই আলোকেই অনুধাবন করতে হবে |

বিপ্লবীদের আত্মত্যাগ তুলনাহীন | সেলুলার জেলের অত্যাচার তো অহিংসপন্হীদের সহন করতে হয় নি |

'আমি'কে ত্যাগ করতে পারলেই তাঁর কৃপালাভ | অতএব, সাধনা শুধু আমিত্বনাশের |

জাতি একটি সমষ্টিসত্তা | কোনো ব্যক্তিবিশেষ তার পিতা হতে পারেন না | অতএব, গান্ধীজী জাতির পিতা, একথা আমি মানি না |

আমার আদর্শপুরুষ স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ও নেতাজী সুভাষচন্দ্রের সমন্বিতব্যক্তিত্ব |

লোকমান্যের ইচ্ছা থাকলে দেশসেবা হয় না |

সংস্কৃতির প্রতি কোনো আগ্রহ দেখিনা মানুষের, শুধু ছবিতেই মুগ্ধ সব | মূর্তিপূজার জয় হোক !

বিদ্যার অহঙ্কার ভালো না, ওটি অবিদ্যার লক্ষণ |

আমার না | এই বিশ্বব্রহ্মান্ডে কোনো কিছুই আমার না, এমনকি আমিও আমার নই |

নেতাজীকে প্রচার না আত্মপ্রচার ? ভেবে দেখবেন |

যিনি ভগবানকে ভালোবাসেন, তিনি কী তাঁকে ভিন্ন তাঁর কাছে কিছু চাইতে পারেন ?

ভগবানের সাথেও জুয়াচুরি চলে, নিজের সাথে চলে না |

এই পৃথিবীতে কি ভালো থাকা যায়, মৃত্যু যেখানে সুনিশ্চিত ? একটি আদর্শের জন্য বাঁচাই ভালো |

বিষয়ী কি কখনো ত্যাগী হন ? সে তো বৈপরীত্যের সহাবস্হান |

শচীন্দ্রনাথ সান্যালই একমাত্র বিপ্লবী যিনি দুবার সেলুলার জেলে বন্দী হন |

অহিংসপন্হীদের মুখমন্ডলে অহিংসার প্রেমচিহ্ন বিন্দুমাত্র পরিলক্ষণ করলাম না | সে প্রেমের পূর্ণপ্রকাশ সশস্ত্র বিপ্লবীদের চোখেমুখে |

শচীন সান্যালের কারাবরণের অতুলনীয় ত্যাগ কি ভুলে গেলেন ? গান্ধীভক্তি ভূতলে পতিত হবে সে সংবাদ স্মরণে |

নেতাজীর প্রতি যথার্থ শ্রদ্ধা থাকলে কি কারো গান্ধীপ্রীতি সম্ভব ?

নেতাজীর প্রতি গান্ধীর অবিচার বাঙ্গালী কি করে ক্ষমা করেন ভাবতে অবাক লাগে |

'মহাত্মা' আক্ষা পেলেই মহাত্মা হওয়া যায় না | তার জন্য লাগে পবিত্রতা ও সমদর্শন |

নেতাজীর ন্যায় মহাপুরুষ ভারতের স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামের ইতিহাসে বিরল | কোন মহাত্মা তাঁর তুল্য ?

কি পেলেন শচীন সান্যাল ? বন্দীজীবন আর অহিংসার যূপকাষ্ঠে মাতৃভূমির বলিদান |

ক্ষুদিরাম, বসন্ত বিশ্বাস উভয়েই অপ্রাপ্তবয়স্ক ছিলেন | ইংরেজ মিথ্যাসাক্ষ প্রমাণের দ্বারা তাঁদের ফাঁসি দিলেন |

যে দেশে বীরের সম্মান নেই, যে দেশের মানুষ স্বীয় পরিত্রাতা সশস্ত্র স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামিদের প্রতি আগ্রহী নন, সে দেশের কল্যাণ হতে পারেনা |

তুমি আমার ব্রহ্মান্ডজননী, তুমি আমার দেশমাতৃকা, আজ এই পুণ্যলগ্নে আমায় নাও মা |

এই রাতেই আজ হতে কতকাল পূর্বে ঠাকুর মাকে দেবীজ্ঞানে পূজা করেছিলেন |

যদি বাসনা নিরুদ্ধ হয়ে থাকে, তবে জানবেন দীক্ষা সফল হয়েছে |

সন্ত্রাসবাদী কি সমর্থনযোগ্য ?

জয় রামকৃষ্ণ ! এই বজ্রনির্ঘোষে জেগে উঠুন | সকল কাপুরুষতা, দুর্বলতা দূর হোক |

পশ্চিম বঙ্গ ও বাংলাদেশ, এ আবার কি ? একটাই তো বাংলা, অবিভক্ত বাংলা | ভারতবিভাজন মানিনি, কোনোদিনও মানব না |

তুমি পবিত্র যদি হও, তবে তোমার মধ্যে প্রসন্নতা নেই কেন ?

মূল্যের মূল্য আছে, মানুষের মূল্য নেই | নাকি মূল্যেরও মূল্য নেই ?

ধর্ম কোথায় ? সর্বত্র অর্থলোলুপতা |

আমি বিত্তবান হব দেশবাসীকে নিঃস্ব করে --- এর নাম কি বানিজ্য ?

ধার্মিক, অর্থাৎ, যিনি কাম ও অর্থের ওপর প্রভুত্ব স্থাপন করেছেন | তিনি সংযতেন্দ্রীয় |

দেশসেবার মূল ভিত্তি চরিত্রগঠন |

বিপ্লবীর বংশধর বিপ্লবী | তার আর কোনো বংশধর হয় না যথার্থে |

অনুক্ষণ ঈশ্বরের প্রেমপূর্ণ স্মরণের নাম ভক্তি | ... শ্রীরামানুজাচার্য

শিল্পীর সাংগীতিক মন অন্তর্মুখীনতা ও বহির্মুখীনতার সঙ্গমস্থল | এই দ্বন্দই তাঁর সৃজনশীলতার প্রাণস্পন্দন |

হৃদয় মথিত করিয়া সুরনির্ঝরে যাহা প্রকাশিত হয়, তাহাই সংগীত |