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Printed & Published by P. Vasundhara, owned byNachiketa Tapovan Trust and printed at Kala JyothiProcess Pvt. Limited, Suburban Press, S. No. 185,Kondapur, R.R. District. 500 081 A.P. and publishedat Nachiketa Tapovan, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur,Serilingampally, Ranga Reddy District. A.P.Editor: Subhadra K.

Editor-in-Chief: Subhadra K.Executive Editor: Annapurna R.Deputy Editor: Harini N.

Contents Page No.Editorial 2Speechless Speech... 3Nitya Karmas - Puja Vidhi 4Amrita Dhara 6I have fallen in love 7Parameshwara- Parvathi’s Inner Vision 8How much can I influence? 9Yuvanjali 10Shiva’s Abhaya Hastha 10Maa tujhe Salaam 11Om Namah Shivaya 12Shivananda Lahari 14Spiritual Purity - Shiva 14Sri Chaitanya 16Nataraja-The Cosmic dancer 18Shiva, the human 20Smile to be happy 21Ardhanareeshvara 22Living with a Divine Soul 23Travelling to Kedarnath & Badrinath 24Srisaila Shikhara 25Samskrit - Lesson Twelve 26Child Marriage - A social evil 27Mahanandi 28Greenouncement! 29Celebrations at Tapovan 30Sponsor Options 32An Appeal 33Invitation 34Subscriptions 35

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- Subhadra K.

Shivoham... ShivohamShivoham... ShivohamShivoham... ShivohamShivoham... ShivohamShivoham... ShivohamAs India celebrates Mahashivaratri on March 2nd

2011, we were keen on dedicating this issue ofNachiketanjali- the umbilical cord of NachiketaTapovan, to the Lord of the Universe, Maheshwara.The sastras and festivals of our country help us tounderstand Divinity. India is unique in this field. Itis one composite culture composed of a variety oflanguages, spiritual disciplines, valuable teachings,goals and paths, to suit the various types of peopleand various stages of development. Each iswholesome and useful, in its place, at the propertime.

When I decided to feature one of the Shaivakshetras, it proved to be a difficult choice, for thereare numerous Shaiva kshetras, each having its ownreverential significance. As I pondered, my thoughtswere fixed on Nandi. Yes, it is Nandi, the so-calledbovine vehicle of Shiva from mythology. It is Nandi,who has the opportunity to gaze at Him, at alltimes, everywhere and be with Him. We find Nandistraight in front of the Shiva idol in every Shivatemple, looking at Him with unwavering attentionand devotion. So, ‘Mahanandi’ the famouspunyakshetra near Nandyala turned out to be mychoice. Let us be blessed like Nandi- at all timesfocused on the Lord.

Our hearts should always be filled with only onesentiment that we should be with Him forever andbask in His love. Let us install Him in our everythought, word and deed. Let us become Him. Asyou flip through every page of this issue, getdrenched in His love… with His love… by His love.Until the Universal Absolute is attained, thisadoration of the Lord has to be continued.

HARA HARA MAHADEV!!!

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- Swami Nachiketananda3

A confident and graceful young graduate wasaddressing the gathering. He was pouring hisheart out about many people who have shapedhis life. He recalls his childhood days- the teacherwho nurtured and patted his soul. How sweether words and compassionate her acts were!Then he reminisces on his schooling and theteachers who have made a tremendous impacton his life. He, with tears in his eyes looks at theaudience and with a choked voice says that hiswas the poorest family, run by his mother’smeager earnings; studying in a school called‘Moving school for underprivileged children’,surviving with whatever little food mother givesor sometimes going without food… He recallshow they had no home but for constructionsites. He had to sleep sometimes without hismother and sometimes without shelter, atdifferent places.

The audience is captivated and attentive,listening to the young graduate, who toppedthe civil service examination and got a goodoffer from a big company. He says, “My earlylife was not easy and mother was not able totake care of but at later stages with the help ofpeople like you I was able to manage. Strugglewas the mantra and study was the sole purposeof life. Therefore, thank you for your supportand before concluding let me call everyone whohas shaped my life and nurtured my soul on tothe stage.

The lady, who was part of the audience butnot the stage, recollects her journey. How shestarved and fed her child, how she made herlap a bed and used a torn sari as a cover andfan. She remembers how with great difficultyshe took care of his hostel expenditure andfees… She even recollects how she used to hughim in the severe winter cold giving him thewarmth of her soul. She murmurs, “He createdand very well crafted his own destiny. Who amI to take credit for it? Let Mother bless hisbeautiful journey and give him strength to facethe difficulties in life.” She mumbles, “They sayidol is hidden in the stone. We only have to

chisel out the excess part from the stone andthe deity is right in front of us.”

Just before stepping out from the auditorium,she once again looks at the stage which wasfilled with people greeting him, cheering him,applauding his work, giving thunderous clapping,appreciating his hard and sincere work... tearsroll on her cheeks, everything becomes blurred…throat gets choked… the first time in her lifewithout lifting anything she feels that her legsare heavy; body is trembling like a small tree inheavy wind… she feels that she is all alone…never a part of this gathering and the stage.She feels as if her world has changed forever…somewhere she feels emptiness but not silence,within. She feels darkness but not Ma Kali,within. The speechless speech within becomesso loud and strong that she hardly hearsanything…

Now there is no chaos within and without…she is back to the construction site… waiting forher loving child… keeps food ready to serve…hot water and new towel for him… she feels asif she is dreaming… she sits down… waits forlong hours for her child and while thinking sheenters into sleep only to be woken up by thehustle in the neighborhood. She opens her eyes.It is morning; the Sun is bright in the sky… shelooks around… food is as it is at the same place,water is cold, towel is not used… she gets up…gets ready to go to work… once again to liftsand, bricks, and cement bags on her head…now there is no reason to work but for herself…she realizes that now, for the first time in herlife, she works for herself… no husband and noson… she is all alone…

Speechless Speech…

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What is Puja and why should one do it?

Karmakanda is meant for the people ofPravrutti marga (who always dwell in thematerial world). Puja vidhi is one of the Nityakarmas for householders that helps in turningtheir senses inwards. Puja vidhi is a systematicpath given by our Sages to householders toattain Self-realization. Self-realization is onlypossible when all the senses turn inward. It is asystematic way of realizing the Lord within andit is a bridge between Shiva and Jiva- the Godand the human being. It is one of the traditionalrituals introduced by our sages and seers ofyore. Puja vidhi is classified into three categoriesPanchopachara (5 steps), Shodashopachara (16steps) and Chatushashtiupachara (64 steps).According to SanatanaDharma, puja vidhi isnot a mechanicalexercise of somepractices but there is ascience behind eachritual. If we delve deepand try to understandthe science behind it, we will certainly beastonished.

Do you really think that God wants us toperform puja to Him?

God is the creator of the universe. He createdthe nature and us. When He is the owner of theuniverse, He certainly doesn’t need any pujafrom us. It is solely for our benefit that we dopuja. Puja when performed with the rightattitude is a process of evolution where thedevotee will experience levels of higherconsciousness.

To earn the grace and love of God, neitherdoes one need to perform Puja in a prescribedor pompous manner nor does he need tointellectually understand the meaning of theslokas. All we need is to experience the bhavaand the deeper meaning in it.

In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says,

“Patram Pushpam Phalam ToyamYo Me Bhaktya Prayacchati; Tadaham Bhaktyupahritam

asanami Prayatatmanah” “Whoever offers a leaf, a flower, a fruit or

even water with devotion, that I accept, offeredas it is with a loving heart”.

Many of us do not know why and how toperform puja in a systematic way. People ofdifferent mentalities and differenttemperaments follow various paths. So pujavidhi is a specific path for house holders andcommon man. There is a preparation for pujavidhi. We always keep our house clean and

neat. So it is necessary to take care ofphysical and mental cleanliness. In pujavidhi we invite our beloved God into thehouse as well as into the abode of ourheart. If we get a call saying that someguests are going to come to our house…what will we do? We try to clean thehouse and keep it neat and tidy. We planto serve them delicious food. We preparephysically and mentally for the prospective

guests. Similarly when we invite God, we needto take utmost care. God is not somewhere elseand we need to invoke Him. He is very muchresiding in us but due to impurities of mind andactions, we do not realize Him. Here cleanlinessmeans purification of physical and mentaltendencies. Puja vidhi is a process of purification.When all impurities are washed away bycleansing, then the divinity emerges in us andthat is going to be a wonderful event in lifewhen we have darshan of God within ourself.This entire process of Puja vidhi is in Sanskrit. Itis ideal if we haveknowledge of Sanskrit,if not, try to understandthe meaning of all theslokas.

Nitya karmas - Puja Vidhi

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- Swami Shivanandamayi

Panchopachara Puja vidhi involves:

Bhu shuddhi & Deha shuddhi: Purification of place andone’s own body

Vignesha stuti: Praying to Lord Ganesha

Deeparadhana : Lighting the lamp (to remove externaland internal darkness)

Achamanam : Purification of inner body

Pranayama : Purification of nervous system

Sankalpam : Taking oath, declaring the reason forperforming puja

Kalasha puja : Kalasha is considered as Ma Lakshmi andthe deity is invited into it

Then the 16 step Shodasa puja vidhi commences:

Vigneshwara puja or Istha devata puja

1. Dhyanam: Visualizing the beloved God in the heart

2. Avahanam: Inviting the Lord

3. Asanam: Asking God to be seated in the heart

4. Padyam: Washing His feet

5. Arghyam: Washing His hands

6. Suddha achamanam: Offering water to Him

7. Panchamruta snanam: Giving Him bath with Milk, Honey, Sugar, Curd and Ghee

8. Suddhodaka snanam: Bathing God with plain water

9. Vastram : Offering Him cloth or dress

10. Yagnopaveetam: Offering Him the sacred thread

11. Gandham: Offering sandalwood paste

12. Kumkuma : Offering kumkum

13. Pushpam: Offering flower

14. Dhupam: Offering incense sticks

15. Naivedyam: Offering prasadam

16. Neerajanam: Offering arati

Benefits of Puja vidhi.

God does not get benefited orimpressed by puja vidhi. It is onlyfor our evolution that weperform puja vidhi. By doing pujaregularly, one unconsciouslyacquires many attributes.

1. Asana siddhi: Maintainingone posture for a period of time

2. One-pointedness of mind:Mind has a tendency to wander,puja helps in training mindsteadily

3. Purity of thoughts: Onedevelops positive thoughts andthe sense of gratitude

4. Tuning with the Divine:From childhood we always try tolearn about the world outside usthan within us. Puja is one toolwhere we try to make anattempt to know our Self.

5. Discovering the relationbetween the Self and God: Theworld where we reside is not atrue world and all relations wehave in the world are likereflections in the water. But pujais one great instrument thathelps us discover the eternalrelationship. There are manyother benefits that are goingto be discussed in theforthcoming issues. Start doingPuja to discover your eternalrelationship with the almighty.

The road to the Good is the roughest andsteepest in the universe. It is a wonder that somany succeed and no wonder that so manyfall. Character has to be established through athousand stumbles.

-Swami Vivekananda

- Compiled by Geetha K.

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Direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna - Swami AkhandanandaSri Ramakrishna’s Amrita Dhara

Swami Akhandananda or Gangadhar Ghatak wasborn on 30th September, 1864 in Calcutta. Sincehis boyhood he was of a religious turn of mind,and had extremely orthodox habits.

He met the Master in the year 1883 atDakshineshwar, and went on to develop a deepattachment for Him. He felt the silent transforminginfluence of the Master’s love and receivedpractical instructions from Him on spirituality.Under His influence Gangadhargradually dropped his over-orthodox observances, which theMaster described as ‘oldish’. Hewould often refer to Narendra whowas not adhering to any ritualsyet his mind would be deeplyintrospective. Gangadhar sawNarendra at the instance of theMaster ’s advice and at onceunderstood the truth of Hisremarks. Thus developed theintense love and abiding devotionto Swamiji, the hero of his life.

He along with his brother devoteesserved the Master at Cossipore and though he didnot join them at Barangore Math, he kept closecontact with them. He started his days as awandering monk in February 1887, and went on along pilgrimage to the Himalayas and Tibet andcrossed over to Tibet thrice and finally returnedto India in 1890.

He realized the real motive for Swami Vivekanandato depart to America in May 1893 was to findbread for the hungry masses of India. This madelittle impression on him. Then he fell ill and wentfor a change to Khetri, where he had anopportunity to interact with all the sections of thepeople. Then he himself felt the need for serviceto the poor and needy. He started his mission byopening up schools in and around Khetri. He wasthe first to arrive whenever there would be anoutbreak of cholera and serve the people withoutregard for his personal safety. In 1897, he startednorthwards on foot and came to the district of

Mushirabad where he had his first contact withfamine. He resolved not to move from the placeuntil he had relieved the famine- stricken people,and so wrote to the Alambazaar math asking forhelp. Swami Vivekananda, who had returned toIndia, dispatched two of the monks with somemoney to the scene. And so on 15 May 1897, thefirst famine relief work of the Ramakrishna Missionwas inaugurated with Mahula and Panchgaon ascentres, and it lasted for a year. In the course of

his work there he had to takecharge of two orphans and thusthe foundation of an orphanage atSargachi was laid. The Swami,from the foundation of thisinstitution to the last day of hislife, bestowed his best attentionon its improvement, and it saveda good number of orphan boysfrom starvation, illiteracy, anddegradation.

Swami Akhandananda was madeVice president of the RamakrishnaMission in 1922, and became thethird President in March, 1934.

He had a prodigious memory, and was a keenobserver of life which made him a first rateconversationalist. He had a flair for languagesand was an authority in Tibetan. He was loved byall and was affectionately addressed by SwamiVivekananda as ‘Ganges’.

About a year before his death he had a premonitionof the approaching end and arranged a recital ofthe Ramayana and Mahabharata in his presence.He entered Mahasamadhi at the age of 72, at BelurMath on 7th February 1937.

To him all human beings in distress were divinebeings and he found joy in serving them. In this heliterally carried out Swami Vivekananda’s behest:“The poor, the illiterate, the ignorant, the afflicted-let these be your God. Know that the service ofthese alone is the highest religion.”

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I have fallen in love

I have fallen in love, O mother with theBeautiful One, who knows no death,

knows no decay and has no form;

I have fallen in love, O mother with theBeautiful One, who has no middle, has

no end, has no parts and has no features;

I have fallen in love, O mother with theBeautiful One, who knows no birth and

knows no fear.

I have fallen in love, O mother with the

Beautiful One, who is without any family,without any country and

without any peer;Chenna Mallikarjuna,

the Beautiful,is my husband.

Fling into the fire thehusbands who are subject to

death and decay.

Written by Akka Maha Devi

Edited by Swami Ghanananda

Jagatjanani Parvathi bestowsauspiciousness on the entirecreation. She is Sarvamangala.Mahakavi Pothana has writtenkavyas on the Universal Motherand Her compassion for theuniverse. He describes howParvathi adored Lord Shiva. Hesays that though She knew thatShiva was about to swallow‘Garalam’, which is nothing butpoison, the all-compassionateMother, permitted Him to do so,keeping in mind the sankshema(wellbeing) of the people. Shehad tremendous faith in Her husband’s prowess.

In Her avatar as Sati, unable to bear the insultto Her husband by Her father Daksha, Shesacrificed Herself in the Yogagni. She took rebirthas Himavanta’s daughter Parvathi. She sacrificedHer life for the sake of Her husband and tookrebirth to reclaim the same Shiva as Her husband.She performed severe penance to marry LordShiva. She took the Pasupatha diksha with Herfather’s permission. Initially she ate only leaves

which She later gave up. Thisgave Her the name Aparna whichmeans, one who does not eateven a leaf. She discarded Herornaments and slept on the bareground, using Her hands as apillow. She remained exposedto all the harsh elements ofnature and in the later half ofHer diksha, She stood on one legand did severe penance. Shewas absorbed in Eternal trance.The heat generated, shook thewhole universe. Shiva wasalerted and asked to intervene

and He decided to test Her. He came in theform of a brahmin and said, He was abrahmachari and would marry Her if She willed.He even offered to give Her the fruits of Hispenance. When She denied His offer, He startedabusing Shiva, in order to test Her further. Hetaunted Her about Shiva’s appearance. Parvathibecame furious on hearing His abuses and itwas then, Shiva showed Her, His true form. Hewas touched by Her devotion. Through Herpenance, She gained the credit of winning overAdideva.

Parvathi became the true ardhangi ofParameshwara. She had the great fortune tobecome the first audience to listen to all Hisspiritual and Yogic secrets. She was also Hispriya shishya. In all the puranas it is evidentthat apart from revealing to Her, ‘SRIVIDYA’, theeternal secret, Shiva also told Her about thedifferent puja and vrata vidhis and also variousRaksha and Divya kavachas. He was the orator,She was the audience.

In the true sense there is no limitation forParvathi’s love and adoration for Lord Shiva.She was the true ardhangi in every sense as isevident in the following sloka of MahakaviKalidasa.

VAGARDHA VIVA SAMPRUKTAUVAGARDHA PRATIPATTAYEJAGATAH PITARAU VANDE

PARVATHI PARAMESHWARAU

- Subhadra K.

PARAMESHWARA – PARVATHI’S INNER VISION

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The other day, my 9 year old son asked me somequestions about some scenes in Star Wars and itgot me thinking about all the different influenceshe has in his life right now. I am starting torealize that these years (ages 6 to about 20)now are probably the most formative ones forhim in terms of building his character. I alsorealized that the time he spent with us (hisparents) has just about begun to grow lesserand lesser. Quantitatively thinking, here is howthe 24 hours of his day break down:

1. Wake up and get ready to school – 1 hr(6 to 7)

2. School time – 9 hrs (7 – 4)

3. Homework, relax, activities, family time–5 hrs (4 to 9)

4. Sleep – 9 hrs (9 to 6)

Now, if you add some activities, school projectsinto number 3, the 5 hours are cut down evenfurther. Just for fun, I googled ‘Parental influenceon kids’ and found the this graph which issomewhat true I think, but not all that motivatingfor parents like us. There are research studiesbeing done and have some conflicting reports…saying parental influence is verystrong vs. not much. I wonderwhat the ideal graph would looklike where we have all the rightpercentage of influences from theright sources.

Anyway, I like to believe that itcan be as strong as we can makeit to be. Many a time when I amfaced with a tough situation, Ithink about how my parentswould react to it and somehowcarve my reaction based on it. Idon’t think they built thisinfluence by spending hours and

How much can I influence?

hours with us during our growing up years. Ithink it’s more from their actions that theygained our trust and respect… it’s “TeachingBy Example”. They just lived their life andshowed us what was right vs. wrong and helpedus develop our own views and morals. So, toall the parents out there and to myself, let’sjust live our lives the way we want our kids toand that alone will teach them much morethan they can learn from hours and hours ofstudying or lecturing.

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- Vasantha Gullapalli

YuvanjaliShiva Puja

It is in love that religion existsand not in ceremony, in thepure and sincere love in theheart. He who sees Shiva inthe poor, in the weak, and inthe diseased, really worshipsShiva; and if he sees Shiva onlyin the image, his worship isbut preliminary. He who has

served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva inhim, without thinking of his caste, or creed, orrace, or anything, with him Shiva is morepleased than with the man who sees Him onlyin temples.

He who wants to serve Shiva must serve Hischildren — must serve all creatures in thisworld first. It is said in the Shastra that thosewho serve the servants of God are His greatestservants. So you will bear this in mind. Let metell you again that you must be pure and helpanyone who comes to you, as much as lies inyour power. And this is good Karma. By thepower of this, the heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then Shiva who is residing inevery one will become manifest. He is always inthe heart of every one.

If there is dirt and dust on a mirror, we cannotsee our image. So ignorance and wickednessare the dirt and dust that are on the mirror ofour hearts. Selfishness is the chief sin, thinkingof ourselves first. He who thinks, “I will eat first,I will have more money than others, and I willpossess everything”, he who thinks, “I will getto heaven before others, I will get Mukti beforeothers” is the selfish man. The unselfish mansays, “I will be last, I do not care to go toheaven, I will even go to hell if by doing so I canhelp my brothers.”This unselfishness is the testof religion. He who has more of this unselfishnessis more spiritual and nearer to Shiva. Whetherhe is learned or ignorant, he is nearer to Shivathan anybody else, whether he knows it or not.

- Swami Vivekananda

A young boy staying in a remote village, nearVaranasi, once set out on a task. He went inone direction and while returning he took adifferent path. The river Ganga was in full flowand there was no way he could cross the river.He had to return home but was helpless. Heprayed to God to help him cross the river. Hewas happy when he saw a Yogi with mattedhair coming in his direction. With his eyes filledwith compassion, the Yogi asked the little boy“Son, are you thinking of crossing this river? Itis very wide. How can you cross it without thehelp of a boat?” The little boy looked at hisface waiting for him to give a solution.

The Yogi asked him to place both his handsnear him and wrote ‘SHI’ on the boy’s rightpalm and ‘VA’ on his left palm. “Now you cancross the river. Just keep looking at the letterson your palms and keep moving.” The boy didas he was told and started crossing the river.He felt it was as easy as walking on the ground.Just as he was nearing the other bank, he lostconcentration on his hands. His thoughts wentberserk. ‘How can the mere ‘SHI’, ‘VA’ lettershelp me cross the river? What is there in thisname? Definitely the Yogi is playing some trickson me…’ The moment these thoughts came tohis mind, the boy started drowning. He calledout to the Lord to come and help him.

The Yogi who was on the other bank heard himand shouted back, “Why are you calling anotherShiva when He is there with you on your palms.Ask Him for help by meditating on Him.”Hearing this, the boy regained his faith andcrossed the river. Suddenly it dawned on himthat the Yogi was none other than Shiva. Withtears flowing down his cheeks and his bodyshivering with excitement, he looked back inthe other direction, but the Yogi haddisappeared. The boy ran home to reveal allthat had happened to his parents. Faith canmake us cross this ocean of samsara.

- Subhadra K.

SHIVA’S ABHAYA HASTHA

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I have been told by Swamiji time and again towrite something for Nachiketanjali, but being abelow-average writer, I couldn’t bring myself todo any writing. I guess it was the lack ofinspiration more than anything else.

However, last week, I witnessed an act of truepatriotism that moved me so much that I nowfind myself with a pen and paper despite mywriting phobia. This instance showed me thatthe battlefield is not the only place to proveone’s love for the motherland. There is anopportunity that presents itself every day,without any forewarning or premonition. Andthat is what the true test is.

This short story is about a very dear lady whoworks tirelessly and smilingly, helping everyperson in our very own Tapovan Ashram. Onthis Republic Day, 26th January 2011, thehighlight of the Annual Day Program was asmall child with a shaven head, clad in a singledhoti and wielding a stick. He was playing therole of Mahatma Gandhi and gave a small speechon stage. Later, when I asked him his mother’sname, I came to know he was Lata amma’s son.I went and asked Lata amma the reason for his

MAA TUJHE SALAAMshaved head and her answer left medumbstruck.

Lata amma had shaved off her son’s hair just aday before, for a 60 second appearance onstage. I couldn’t hide my surprise from her andasked her why she needed to do such a thing,when Gandhi wigs were available in plenty. Tothis, she replied, “Who knows when my son willever get a chance to play Gandhiji again?” Hereyes filled with tears of love and pride and Istood there looking in her direction long aftershe had turned and gone away. Her simplewords and innocent answer had won me over.

I salute this mother and bow down to herpatriotism. It was the spirit of selflessness andpure love for her motherland that she couldthink of making such a sacrifice withouthesitation. Later, I also came to know that Lataamma’s daughter was playing the role of MotherIndia that day. Really, a proud mother of twogreat children!

As I was leaving Tapovan that day, my lastmemory was that of all the child-Gandhiji’sfriends clamoring around him to get their photosclicked with their very own ‘Bapu’! And besidethe young Bapu, smiling proudly was his mother,with a trace of a tear still sparkling in her eye.

Oh, how I enjoyed the whole program with theNachiketa Tapovan children that day!

To all the participants of that wonderful AnnualDay Celebration, to the child Gandhiji, andespecially to the mother of the ‘Gandhi’, I say,JAI HIND! May this spirit of love and patriotismblossom in every child’s heart.

- A volunteer

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Shiva Panchakshara is a Maha Mantra which iscomposed of five letters Na-Mah-Si-Va-Ya. Aum is themoola mantra from where all other mantras evolve. Thefive letters denote the five actions or Pancha krityam ofthe Lord viz, Srishti (creation), Stithi (preservation),Samhara (destruction), Tirodhana (veiling) and Anugraha(blessing), the five elements and all creations throughthe combination of the five elements.

Panchakshara is the best among seven crores ofMantras. There are seven skandhas in Yajurveda. Thereis Rudradhyayi in the centre of the middle skandha. Inthis Rudradhyayi there are one thousand Rudra Mantras.Shiva Panchakshari Mantra shines in the centre of theseone thousand Rudra Mantras. He who does Japa of thisPanchakshara is freed from births and deaths and attainseternal bliss. This is the emphatic declaration of theVedas.

SHIVA PANCHAKSHARI STOTRAMNagendraharaya Trilochanaya

Bhasmangaragaya Maheshvaraya

Nityaya Shuddhaya Digambaraya

Tasmai Nakaraya Namah Shivaya

Meaning:

Salutations to Lord Shiva, who wears the king of snakesas a garland, the three-eyed God, whose body is smearedwith ashes, the great Lord, the eternal and pure one,who wears the directions as His garment and who isrepresented by the syllable ‘Na’.

Mandakini Salila Chandana Charchitaya

Nandishvara Pramathanatha Maheshvaraya

Mandarapushpa Bahupushpa Supujitaya

Tasmai Makaraya Namah Shivaya

Meaning:

I bow to Shiva, who has been worshipped with waterfrom the Ganga (Mandakini) and anointed withsandalwood paste, the lord of Nandi, the great lord, whois worshipped with Mandara and many other kinds offlowers and who is represented by the syllable ‘Ma’.

Shivaya Gauri Vadanabjavrunda

Suryaya Dakshadhvara Nashakaya

Srinilakantaya Vrushadhvajaya

Tasmai Shikaraya Namah Shivaya

Om Namah Shivaya

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Meaning:

Salutations to Shiva, who is all-auspiciousness, who is the sun thatcauses the lotus face of Gauri (Parvati) to blossom, who is the destroyerof the yajna of Daksha, whose throat is blue (nilakanta), whose flagbears the emblem of the bull and who is represented by the syllable ‘Shi’.

Vasishta kumbodbhava Gautamarya

Munindra Devarchita Shekaraya

Chandrarka Vaishvanara lochanaya

Tasmai Vakaraya Namah Shivaya

Meaning:

Vasishta, Agastya, Gautama and other venerable sages and Indra andother Gods have worshipped the head of Shiva’s Linga. I bow down to that Shiva whose three eyesare the moon, sun and fire and who is represented by the syllable ‘Va’.

Yakshasvarupaya Jatadaraya

Pinakahastaya Sanatanaya

Divyaya Devaya Digambaraya

Tasmai Yakaraya Namah Shivaya

Meaning:

Salutations to Shiva, who bears the form of a yaksha, who has matted hair on His head, who bearsthe Pinaka bow in His hand, the primeval Lord, the brilliant God, who is digambara (naked) and who

is represented by the syllable ‘Ya’.

Phalastuti:

Panchaksharamidam Punyam

Yahpateth Shivasannidhau

Shivalokamavapnoti

Shivena Sahamodate

Meaning:

Anyone reciting this sacred moola mantra, sittingin a sacred place or in a Shiva temple merges backinto the Shiva (Sat Chit Ananda).

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Do you know who ‘God’ is? God is not Vishnu or Shiva or Brahma;not the wind, the sun nor the moon; nor the brahmana or the king;not I or you; not Lakshmi or the mind. God is without form andundivided (not in the objects); that splendor which is not madeand which has neither beginning nor end is known as God, or LordShiva, which is pure consciousness. That alone is fit to beworshipped; that alone is all.

Sage Vasishtha

SHIVANANDA LAHARIGabheeram kaasare vimsathi vijane ghora vapine

Vishale shaile cha brahmathi kusumartha jadamathi

Samarpaikam chetha sarasijamumanatha bhavathe

Sukhenawasthathum jana iha na janathi kimaho

Meaning:

Searches and hunts the dim witted one

In the deep dark lake

In the lonely dangerous forest

And in the broad high mountains

For a flower to worship thee

It is a wonder

That these people do not know

To offer to you the single lotus

From the lake of one’s own mind

Oh God! Who is the consort of Uma

And be happy at one’s own place

A sloka from Sankaracharya virachitaShivananda Lahari

Source: Vedanta Spiritual Library

According to Hindu mythology the HolyTrinity viz. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva guidethe entire universe. Lord Brahma is forcreation and He is the Lord who writes ourfate. Lord Vishnu looks after the well beingof human kind. Lord Shiva is for liberationwherein the seeker has no rebirth and wouldfind place in the abode of the almighty everafter. Lord Brahma though not worshippedin the form of idol in Temples, is rememberedthe most during times of adversity andhardships when day-to-day life becomestough. Lord Vishnu is the most sought after,across this world, as He is the caretaker ofthis universe and the one who worships Himis blessed with prosperity. Lord Shiva is thepersonification of severe austerity. He isthe Lord in the form of a simple human andmost of the times is mistaken for an asceticwith no spiritual powers. It was provedtime and again that Lord Shiva is worshippedby both, the virtuous (suras) and the vice(asuras). He is the most liberal God amongthe Trinity who showers His grace on Hisdevotees in no time. Thus He is called asBhola Shankar (innocent). There areinstances of Bhasmasura and RavanaBrahma wherein He gave boons as soughtby them and landed Himself in trouble. It isquite astonishing to learn about the Lordgetting entangled in such a situation wherethe others’ intervention was inevitable forHim to come out unscathed. We would beawestruck to know that all this is nothingbut Daiva Leela i.e. Act of God, not tocorrect Himself but us, the human beingswho err in distinguishing good and bad. Thegenerosity He shows in gracing His devoteesis unfathomable. He knows the trouble ofpenance. Living in this world and renouncingthe same, both physically and spiritually isnot that easy. Thus, He is gracious enoughto bless His devotees. The appearance ofLord Shiva wearing snakes around His neck,ash all over His body and poison in His

Spiritual Purity - Shiva

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throat does send a message of divinepower for those who wish to progressspiritually. Lord Shiva is the embodimentof Spirituality and through His staturepreaches everything a Spiritual Sadhakarequires. Simplicity is the first step inthe line of spiritual path. Wearingsnakes is nothing but controlling theevil thoughts that are bound to come inour lives. Ash spread all over the bodysymbolizes the maya of this world andtells us how important it is to be awakealways. Poison in his throat signifies tohold on to the toughest moments andnot to swallow them. The presence ofthe third eye is for the wisdom to feelbetter and assimilate the circumstancesthat escaped from the purview ofnormal eyes. Roaming in graveyardsymbolizes the final place where themortal body reaches and soul getsliberated. For a Spiritual Seeker LordShiva had bestowed what is requiredand what not is required. In the spiritualpath the bondage is always a hindranceand hampers one’s growth. Theausterities play a significant role inrealizing the true self. Shivoham i.e., I am Shivawhich means ‘I am pure’ can be attained throughspiritual progress. It is the grace of Lord thatis permanent and not the material world that islike an artificial flower with no fragrance of itsown. For a Spiritual Sadhaka, the Lord appearsmore attractive than the worldly matters.Though He is the Lord, why does He appear sosimple and ordinary among different forms? Insimplicity lies the real contentment. The stageof liberation is the final stage where everymaterial appears immaterial and certainty liesat the lotus feet of the Lord. Even life looksmost uncertain. He is therefore considered asthe Lord who provides liberation to the humanbeings. The incarnation of Shiva depicts andconveys the importance of keeping the mostcomplicated, as simple. Lord Shiva has takenthe present form not for Himself but for the

humans who in the name of happiness andliberation are getting bonded to materialobjects that fetch nothing but repentance. Theworld of maya envelopes our lives so stronglythat reality is veiled. As Swami Vivekanandahad said, “Happiness presents itself wearingthe crown of sorrow on its head, one whoaccepts happiness has to accept sorrow also.”Similarly in the quest of joy we are erasing thedistinction between real and unreal. For aSpiritual Soul the goal is to attain liberty frombondage and to reach the abode of the almightywhich is possible only through perseverance,patience and deep faith.

- M. Koti Rajasekhar

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One night as his wife lay sleeping, a veryhandsome, golden hued Nimai, in the prime ofhis youth renouncing his householder’s life lefthome. He approached a monk named KesavaBharati of Dasanami tradition in Katwa andprayed to him to initiate him into the order.Not knowing much about Nimai other than hisrenown as a great scholar of Sanskrit, KesavaBharati wanted to test his fitness to embracethe life of renunciation as a sannyasi. Kesava’stest was very unique. It is said that one whocan control his palate can control other

cravings moreeasily. So KesavaBharati put somegrains of sugaron his tongue.For someonewho has nocontrol over hissenses the sugarwould immediately melt and he would enjoy thesweetness. In Nimai’s case, the granules of sugardid not dissolve at all, showing complete controlover this sense. Kesava Bharati initiated him asSri Krishna Chaitanya.

Just around the time when real spirituality hadnearly been lost; religion had been replaced byritualism, when caste discrimination was rampantin society and when under Muslim rule there wasa lot of religious persecution, answering theprayers of His sincere devotees and fulfilling manyprophecies, the Lord incarnated as Sri Chaitanyato demonstrate how devotional service shouldbe performed. He was born on February 27,1486 in Navadvipa on the bank of the Ganga inBengal to Jagannath Mishra and Sachi Devi, intoa very pious family. His mother called him Nimaisince he was born under a nima tree. He is alsoreferred to as Sri Gauranga derived from Gaurwhich was another name for Bengal.

Nimai, from his childhood, demonstrated greatmental brilliance and devotion to Vishnu. Ongrowing up he became a great scholar of Sanskritand opened a Sanskrit school where he taught.Nimai would often invite Sanskrit scholars of thearea to engage in scriptural arguments and defeatthem. After he came in contact with a reputedVaishnava saint, Ishvara Puri, his devotion toVishnu and Krishna became thousand-fold. Nimai’stime was spent in either teaching at his school orin singing or chanting the name of Krishna. Nimainot only sang alone, he also loved singing andchanting and dancing in the name of Krishna inthe company of growing numbers of devoteesaccompanied by instruments.

Sri Chaitanya

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The Muslim ruler of the area, who did not likethis group singing found it as a disturbance. Heordered a ban against such public singingdeclaring, it disturbed the public peace. Whenthis news reached Nimai’s ears he said hewould not obey such an order. He organized aKirtan party of hundreds of devotees joining inpublic singing, chanting and dancing andapproached the residence of that Muslim rulerwho became very fearful. Rather than comeout and confront the crowd, he stayed hiddenwithin. Nimai persisted till the ruler gatheredthe courage to meet with him. Nimai said thatthey were chanting the name of God andthere shouldn’t be a ban against that. Theruler understood and lifted the ban.

Sri Chaitanya went to Puri in the state ofOrissa where he passed his days visiting thetemple and praying and chanting to the Lord.The pang of anguish and separation from theLord he felt, would generate such heat thatthe leaves of the tree under which he satwould smolder. After an interlude of travel toSouth, Benares and Vrindavan, he returned to Puri and passed his last days there. Some say thathe entered into the shrine and merged into the image of Jagannath while others say that in a stateof Divine ecstasy, he drowned in the Bay of Bengal in 1533.

The three primary teachings of Sri Chaitanya’s teaching were to grow love for the Lord, becompassionate to creatures and lead a moral life. Growing pure, ecstatic love for Sri Krishna canbe done by continuous chanting and remembrance of God. Sri Chaitanya emphasized on Sankirtana,group chanting by doing which firstly, the heart is purified and then love for God grows. Besides,a holy vibration is created in the environment.

Hare, Krishna, Hare, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, HareHare, Rama, Hare, Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare.

Adapted from The Life and Teachings of Sri Chaitanya Deva, A Talk by Swami Medhasananda.

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Whatever is done lovingly, with righteous purity andwith peace of mind, is a good action. Everythingwhich is done with the stain of desire and withagitation filling the mind is classified as a badaction.

Sri Ramana Maharshi

“Angikam bhuvanam yasyaVachikam sarva vangmayamAharyam chandra taradiTam vande satvikam shivam.”

We bow to Him the benevolent One, Whoselimbs are the world, Whose song and poetryare the essence of all language, Whosecostume is the moon and the stars…

As the Lord of Dance, Nataraja, Shiva performsthe tandava, the dance in which the universeis created, maintained and resolved.The snake swirling around His waistis Kundalini- Cosmic Energy inherent in allmatter.

Creation- Nataraja dances with a smalldrum called damarukam in one of His righthands. Eshvara is nada brahmam. He is theorigin of all sounds. This is the seed fromwhich the tree of the Universe emanated.The surrounding flames representthe manifest universe.

Nataraja-The Cosmic Dancer

Protection- (Operation) - In another of the righthands, He has the Abhaya mudra, symbolizingthe blessing the Lord bestows on people, so thatthey can discern good from evil. The foot whichis planted shows the act of hiding. The raisedfoot shows the act of bestowing. The stoic face ofShiva represents His neutrality, thus being inbalance.

Destruction- He has fire in one of His left hands,symbolizing destruction. The other lefthand is lifted above to symbolize upliftment orsalvation. When everything is destroyed by fire,only the ash will remain which the Lord has

smeared on His body. Shiva’s long, mattedtresses, usually piled up in a knot, loosenduring the dance and crash into the heavenlybodies, knocking them off course or destroyingthem utterly. The Lord dances on the demonApasmara, symbolizing the victory overignorance and evil nature.

Nataraja Stotram

Krupasamudhram, Sumukham , Trinethram,Jatha dharma, Parvathi vama bhagam,Sada shivam, Rudram anantha roopam,Chidambaresam hrudhi bhavayami.

I salute with all my heart, to the Lord ofChidambara, Who is the ocean of mercy, Whois always pleasant, Who has three eyes, Whowears a tuft of hair, Who has Parvathi as Hisleft half, Who is always peaceful, Who is full ofanger and Who has an endless form.

1918

Avinash Agarwal is a student of St. Xaviers College, Mumbai and has adeep flair for writing. He has written many thought provoking essays.

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In a country which is thebirthplace of Hinduism, oneof the world’s oldestreligions, we are a peoplewho ‘believe’ in 330,000,000deities. Then there is theSupreme Trinity- Brahma theCreator, Vishnu the Protectorand Shiva the Destroyer. Andwe have grown up listeningto epic tales of battle, ofgood vs. evil, of omnipotentGods commanding supremepower.

But think about this. These stories, charactersand battles have been passed down forcenturies, by word of mouth, on parchments ofpapyrus and through rendering of Sanskritchants. Whether these incidents really happened,whether these ‘Gods’ actually walked the earthin flesh and blood, and whether there is afigment of truth in these words is a differentmatter altogether, but one fact remainsindisputable- the power of faith, belief and theinvisible living force running this world.

I recently read a book titled ‘The Immortals ofMeluha’ and can truthfully say that it was oneof the most gripping, life-transforming booksI’ve ever gotten my hands on. This story is basedon the fundamental concept that all Gods wereonce human beings. It was their deeds andkarmas in their human life that immortalizedthem as living Gods. It is the story of Shiva, theHuman.

Bestowed with the sobriquet ‘Mahadev’, longhair about His shoulders, the powerfullymuscular physique of a Yogi, clad in a tigerskin, clasping a trishul and a kamandal, radiatingwith a magnetic attraction, Shiva the Human isthe very embodiment of power. And that powerlies latent inside us, waiting to be invoked. It isthe power to be a God.

Shiva, the HumanHave you ever thought why those childhoodstories, rendered dramatically by Grandma beforetucking us into bed every night, left such a deepimpression on our souls?

That timeless, epic story is the absolute Truth-the past, the present and the future. Light anddarkness, angel and demon, good and evil- thisis a battle raging inside us right now, and hasbeen fought ever since we gained consciousawareness. These two sides are cryptic symbolsof our own Self, of a battle we can choose to fightor not to.

Shiva was one such man who lived in flesh andblood, walked the earth on His bare feet andtouched the very air that you and I breathe now.I do not know when, where or how. But ithappened.

Shiva was a mortal who, just like us, facedinsurmountable challenges every day, uncertaintyand doubt about every fight He would fight andsaw an impenetrable darkness just like we dotoday. He had the same two eyes, ears, nose,mouth, mind, heart and soul that we do. He hadthe same potential. But He made His choice. Hefought. He won. And He became a Mahadev.

So it doesn’t really matter if the story is truth orfiction, if you visit a temple or a mosque, if youlive in 2011 AD or 200 BC. The battle horn hassounded. The weapons are ready. And the warchant is echoing all around- ‘Har Har Mahadev!Har ek hai Mahadev!’ -‘Victory be to the GodAlmighty! Each one of us IS the God Almighty!’

Your very life, every day of it, isthe symbol of this eternal battle.And knowingly or unknowingly,you make a choice every moment.You can put down your weaponsand run away. Or you can fight,win and be a Mahadev. What doyou choose?

Ramya Manasa Kandala, 1st Year Undergraduate StudentUniversity of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

I love writing poems, stories and songs; compose them and sing. All I can write isabout life because that is all I can experience.

Till sometime ago, each day that I started, Istarted with a smile and in course of day,situations changed the mood and the smilegrew narrower with time. Eventually, Ithought, if this continued every day, it ispossible that I can transform into one of thosedepression-affected people. I decided that Ishould not let situations take over me. So, Istarted thinking about how not to getdepressed and realized that it is easy to bedepressed than to keep myself away fromdepression. The great white north looked verypleasant when I was in India. However,gradually I found the snow and the whitenesseverywhere really difficult to stand because nocolours in life make it all melancholic. Myloneliness added to the cold and bleakenvironment drawing the depression closer.Through all this, I realized it is all in my choice,whether to be sad and depressed or to behappy and content. The ball was in the courtof my mind.

Then, when I looked through the city sitting onthe bench near the central LRT station, I sawsomething new that I could hardly see before.To my surprise, the white north which seemedto have lost glamour for me, once againseemed fascinating. That moment I realizedthat the view was in my eyes and it was myeyes that deceived me all this time but not theplace itself. Therefore, did my mind deceiveme of my status? I realized that depressionwas in my mind and not in my life. It was mewho chose to be sad. If my mind wished todeceive me, I wasn’t willing to be deceivedanymore. I decided to look at my life sitting onthe positive bench like I looked at the city fromthe city bench. The positive bench changed

things. Days are the same and so are thesituations. However, the view I looked at itfrom changed and so did my perception. Now,I start my day with a smile, smile through itand end the day with a smile.

Thus, life is all about where you look at itfrom; the city bench or from the closedstreets. Is it easy to be depressed? Yes, it iseasy to be depressed. Hard is to be happythrough hardships. Like a candle spreadslight even as it melts, coffee beans add theirflavour to water while fading themselves andthe sun adds beauty to the horizon when heis about to set, live with the smile that neverfades and that is true to you. Smiling to behappy is better than smiling when happy.Smiling when happy is what everybody doesbut smiling to be happy is what the brave do.Are you brave? It is but natural to cry whenin pain but let me remind you, pain comes notfrom suffering but from your mind. If youcan, stay calm and take things in stride evenwhen adversity hits you. If you can do so,then it is hard for you to be depressed. I havetried being depressed after being happy butthe happiness in me does not allow me to bedepressed anymore. Depression and happinessare both in my mind but truth is in my life.

Smile To Be Happy

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Ardhanareeshvara

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-Annapurna R.

Half Male and Half Female Aspect of CreationA very broad classification of Gods into Brahmathe Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva theDestroyer is of common knowledge. At a closerlook these functional attributes mean more thanthat. According to Hindu philosophy, creation isnot linear but is cyclical, there is no final destructionor total annihilation; there is only change of formsfrom gross to subtle. Shiva, represented as theGod who is into deep meditation, changes thegross universe into the subtle universe. The wholecreation was manifested from the primordialsound Om, the Naada Brahman generated by thebeat of the dhamaru in Shiva’shand. Anandatandava, the danceof bliss in His Nataraja form is apictorial allegory of the fiveprinciple manifestations ofeternal energy- creation,preservation, illusion,destruction, and liberation. ThusHe is the universal creativeforce. The concept of creation hastwo components- material factorand the intelligence factor whichgo together. That is, creation isnot a random event. Someintelligence is guiding the matter. Shiva representsthe intelligence factor and Shakti represents thematerial factor. Only when these two cometogether creation takes place. TheArdhanareeshvara form of Shiva depicts this unionof Shiva (male) and Shakti (female), sharing onebody causing the phenomenon of eternal creation.

This is not restricted to only Shiva and Shakti. Thisapplies to the entire creation. Each one of us hasShiva and Shakti within us. When a man likes awoman, he actually sees his own female imagereflected in her and the same way when a womanlikes a man, she also finds an expression to theman’s image hidden within her. Each one of us hasboth the aspects- the masculine and feminineaspects in several ways. Intellect is the maleaspect and emotion is the feminine aspect. Proseis the male aspect while poetry is feminine.Introvert nature is feminine and extrovert nature

is masculine. Organization skill is male and goinginto minute details is feminine. Depending on thephysiology, need and context, each aspect ismanifested- one may be a man but sometimes hemay have feminine aspect dominant and the sameway a woman may have male aspect dominant intheir personality. Ardhanareeshvara represents adeep inner balance, respect and harmony betweenthese two aspects within an individual and amongindividuals, which is a part of the spiritual journey.

Ardhanareeshvara form is the representation ofthe inseparable Shiva-Shakti in one way and aperfect communion of Shiva and Shakti in theother that gives a very sacred perspective ofcreation. According to this, a couple is consideredas a sacred whole, split into two halves bound by

deep mutual respect. What needs to benoted here is that there is differencebut no ranking. They are two halves, sothere is no question of inequality. Properunderstanding and application of thisconcept would help in erasing the socalled notions- ‘man’s work’ and‘woman’s work’. A man can take asmuch dignity in doing detailed householdwork as does a woman in accomplishingthe organizational office work.Expressing the aspect neededdemonstrates that one is rising to theoccasion but not stooping below dignity.

This is another way of transcending the limitationsof physical attributes and reach for that which isbeyond gender, mind and body.

chAMpeyagaurArdha sharIrakAyaikarpUragaurArdha sharIrakAya |dhammillakAyai cha jaTAdharAya namaHshivAyai cha namaH shivAya ||

(Sloka1 of Ardhanareesvara ashtakam by SriSankaracharya)

One half shines like the golden yellow champeyaflower; the other shines bright white like karpuram.

One side of the head is ornate with braided hair;the other sports the unkempt crest.

I bow to this ShivaParvati and Shiva, in the formof ArdhanaarIshvara.

Nachiketa Tapovanreverberates with themantra of ‘Om NamahShivaya’ on everyShivaratri. Each Shivaratrispent in the Divinepresence of Swamiji wasa memorable one for me.Devotees and children ofVidya mandir from higherclasses assemble in the

Dhyana mandir at 10pm. The Dhyana mandir isbeautifully decorated with flowers and diyas. Weplace the Shivalinga covered with an orange cloth inthe midst of the hall. It ’s a wonderful sight tobehold as the Shiva linga surrounded by diyas isindescribable. The programme starts with bhajanand satsang followed by lingodbhava at 12pm. Laterpooja and abhishekam to Lord shiva is performed byMa Shivanandamayi.

The Shivaratri which I am narrating was a specialand significant one. Whoever witnessed thehappenings on that eventful night was blessedindeed! After the bhajans, Swamiji spoke about thesignificance of Shivaratri and towards the end Hemade a declaration that Mataji would henceforth bethe Adhyatmik Praneta of our organization. He calledMataji and removed the rudrakshamala around Hisneck and placed it around hers and blessed her.Mataji then prostrated before Him and went on toperform the abhishekam to Lord Shiva. In the dimdiya lit hall, we all witnessed the intensity of herdevotion while performing the abhishekam. She wastotally absorbed and tears were flowing down hercheeks like the Ganga. We all felt that she wasexperiencing Lord Shiva. We also offered abhishekamand offered bhilva leaves and performed arati to theLord.

Living with a Divine SoulMataji explained about Lord shiva and fewdevotees asked her questions and she answeredthem. Again the bhajan session started andwhile singing Mataji entered into a trance.Initially none of us noticed her until Swamijigestured towards her and made us aware of herstate. Her face was slightly tilted to her rightand from her nose and mouth there was acontinuous discharge. Her garments were wetwith her saliva. She was in a deep trance. Thiswas the first time we all were in direct contactwith someone who wasin a trance. We had onlyread about it but neverwere witness to thisphenomenal event. Wewere thrilled andeveryone was rushing tocapture the moment byphotographing or videographing her. All of usin our excitement werebadgering Swamiji withquestions and He waspatiently answering them. All this did notdisturb her concentration. She was in bliss andexperiencing Lord Shiva in all His glory. Aftershe came back from her state, Mataji explainedwhat she experienced in trance.

I returned at dawn from Tapovan with my heartfilled with joy because God had given me theopportunity to witness something so unique. Iwill cherish it in my heart throughout my lifeand wish to experience it before I leave thisearth.

- Vasundhara P.

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”Bhajan is a feast for the soul, while chanting bhajans I entered into bhava, as if there is no oneelse other than God... After having a delicious sweet, it is impossible to express the taste of it.Similarly, it is very hard to describe the state of trance but I will try to make an attempt to explain. In the process, the energy rises like a snake in different psychic centers and goes to the crown.Everything gets ceased and body loses its external consciousness; all the senses turn inward andmind becomes calm and one pointed. Here you experience the perfect awareness. The trance is amagnificent journey which makes you to drop whatever is false and takes you to the true abode ofthe self. In this splendid state you are beyond this material world and experience the eternalrelationship of the self with the supreme self. The state of trance is such a wonderful state whereyou find Divine nectar and true world of bliss. The ultimate experience of this state is that youmerge with God and you become one with Him. Here I experienced the mahavakya of Sri AdiShankaracharya of Aham Brahmasmi, and then there is no separation between you and God. Youexperience only supreme consciousness”. - Swami Shivaanandamayi

Trance

We had had the good fortune of visitingKedarnath and Badrinath during the Pujas.When we had planned our trip, most of thepeople I met, said that such places ofpilgrimage should be visited at old age andnot at a young age. This kind of commentreally surprises me. To me such beautifulplaces are the abode of Gods and anyonewho loves nature will find the Lord in theseheavenly places. It does not have to benecessarily a pilgrimage but any noble questwith a truly seeking eye will eventually findGod. It is not possible to admire somethingas beautiful as the Himalayas withoutthinking about God.

We had commenced our journey fromKolkata to our destination, Hardwar. On ourway to Hardwar, we halted at Hrishikeshwhere we spent a couple of days. Onreaching Hrishikesh we saw that, on all sidesof the Ganges whose waters were flowingby as calm as ever, were the river bankssurrounded by the foothills of the Himalayas.Disciples and little children of ParmarthAshram were singing songs in praise of theLord at Ram Jhula Ghat. The whole ambiencewas beyond words to describe. All the peoplewho had gathered at the Ghat includingmany foreigners were singing with them. Iexperienced the feeling of oneness pervadethe whole place. All worries and thoughtshad disappeared. What mattered was thepresent.

Travelling to Kedarnath and Badrinath

From Hrishikesh we had left for Gaurikund viaChamba, as the road through Rudraprayag wasclosed due to continuous landslides. We reachedGaurikund quite late at around 10.00 pm. To oursurprise we found the Swamiji of Bharat Sevashramwaiting for us and he was quite worried as wewere late. He welcomed us and urged us to havea hot dinner which was being served to all theguests. We were so tired and hungry and thesimple hot food gave us so much of warmth andhappiness. The hospitality at the Ashram to somany hungry and exhausted tourists was reallyvery touching. Even the drinking water was hotand suitable to drink in that cold climate.

The next day we left for Kedarnath. The climb wassteep but the scenery was serene and wonderful.While climbing up, I remembered the journey ofthe five Pandavas to Heaven. When we nearlyreached Kedarnath, we could see the temple froma distance and the very sight brought tears ofhappiness to my eyes. The pain of walking easedout, on seeing Shivji. We conducted Puja and prayedfor all. But what was beautiful was the eveningAarti. So high up, in the cold weather, the Aarti tothe Lord was astounding. So many people hadhuddled to watch the Aarti and seek blessingsfrom Shivji. Here, one more time, we had the goodfortune of witnessing the hospitality of BharatSevashram. I was truly grateful to and appreciativeof the humanitarian service that they were

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rendering relentlessly to so many tourists. Theywere indeed doing a great deed.

The next day, early in the morning, we left forUkhimath. At Ukhimath the temple whereAniruddha and Usha got married is worth seeing.One can see the construction of the pyre aroundwhich they were married and also the throne ofShivji, when He leaves Kedarnath and stays atUkhimath for nearly six winter months. FromUkhimath we left for Badrinath.

We reached Badrinath in the late afternoon andfound it to be bitterly cold. We visited the Mandirand watched the Aarti. After Aarti we cameback to Bharat Sevashram where they had startedtheir evening prayer and songs. At so high up inthe hills and so cold a climate, if people could singand praise the Lord, I felt that if God is anywhere,He was certainly here. I felt there has never beensuch a perfect, happy moment in my life. I wastruly lost in that atmosphere. The next day, weleft for Rudraprayag. At Rudraprayag, I met aMataji who stays at the temple of Lord Rudraand has dedicated her life for serving the Lord.She did not speak as she was chanting mantracontinuously. But she asked me to pray to theLord with all my heart. Her bright face still lingersin front of my eyes. The trip has made me sohappy that I have left my heart behind. I shallagain plan to have a similar trip as soon aspossible.

My whole purpose of writing this itinerary is toconvey that God exists in all things and beings-animate and inanimate. Life is a journey andshould be lived to the fullest. I have often metpeople who believe that they are too ill to travelor too old to travel to such remote destinations.But I can assure you that if you take one steptowards it, the journey will lead you one step ata time. It is only in human birth that by utilizingour senses the way they should be, we can witnesswhat we can. Life has no rigid boundary that wehave to limit ourselves within. It is an open spacewhere we can travel as much as we can, realizemuch and treasure most. Life is a gift from theAlmighty and should be lived to the fullest.

- Sukanya Ghosh

SRISAILA SHIKHARA

How many of us know that Srisaila Shikharais decorated with a cloth turban on the festiveoccasion of Shivaratri? But this is true. Thisis an important ritual that is being performedsince ages. In Prakasam district there are afew weaver families who are given this goldenopportunity. Everyday these weavers keepaside a yard of woven cloth. In this way eachmember collects 365 yards of woven fabricwhich they carry with them to Srisailam. Onthe day of Shivaratri, one among the weavershas to climb to the top of the shikhara of theGarbha gruha and decorate the shikhara withthe fabric. As he has to perform this ritualnaked, the lights on the shikhara are dimmedso that he is not visible. In the morning whenyou look at the shikhara it appears as thoughSri Mallikarjuna swamy is wearing a turban.

- A Devotee

25

- Krupalu Ogeti, Secretary, Samskrit Bharati, Hyderabad.email:okrupalu@samskritam.net

Let us look at a short story in Samskrit. Look at the usage of the various verbs which are quite

useful in our day-to-day work. Try to understand the meaning without using English translation

which I provided. (Again my apologies for the ugly English sentences. It would be good to literally

translate the English part into the Indian language you know and then interpret Samskrit using

your own mother tongue.) Try to read the story aloud repeatedly until you develop comfort with

the construction of the sentences.

Note that ‘Present tense’ in Samskrit also encompasses ‘Present continuous tense’ of English.That way ‘xÉÈ aÉcNûÌiÉ’ can mean ‘he goes’ or ‘he is going’. If you are particular about indicating

that the action is currently happening, then you could say ‘xÉÈ CSÉlÉÏÇ aÉcNûÌiÉ’ meaning ‘he goes

now’. Let us begin the story.

LMüÈ ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ AÎxiÉ|AÎxiÉ|AÎxiÉ|AÎxiÉ|AÎxiÉ| xÉÈ aÉ×WÇû aÉ×WÇû aÉcNûÌiÉ|aÉcNûÌiÉ|aÉcNûÌiÉ|aÉcNûÌiÉ|aÉcNûÌiÉ| iÉ§É 'Wåû qÉÉiÉÈ! ÍpɤÉÉÇ SåÌWû!' CÌiÉ EŠæÈ AÉÀûrÉÌiÉ|AÉÀûrÉÌiÉ|AÉÀûrÉÌiÉ|AÉÀûrÉÌiÉ|AÉÀûrÉÌiÉ|aÉ×WûxuÉÉÍqÉlÉÏ LiÉÇ zÉ×hÉÉåÌiÉ,zÉ×hÉÉåÌiÉ,zÉ×hÉÉåÌiÉ,zÉ×hÉÉåÌiÉ,zÉ×hÉÉåÌiÉ, oÉÌWûÈ AÉaÉcNûÌiÉ,AÉaÉcNûÌiÉ,AÉaÉcNûÌiÉ,AÉaÉcNûÌiÉ,AÉaÉcNûÌiÉ, ÌMüqÉÌmÉ SSÉÌiÉ|SSÉÌiÉ|SSÉÌiÉ|SSÉÌiÉ|SSÉÌiÉ| LuÉÇ xÉÈ ÍpɤÉÉOûlÉÇ MüUÉåÌiÉ|MüUÉåÌiÉ|MüUÉåÌiÉ|MüUÉåÌiÉ|MüUÉåÌiÉ| LMüÉ qÉÉiÉÉA³ÉÇ SSÉÌiÉ| ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ A³ÉÇ ZÉÉSÌiÉ|ZÉÉSÌiÉ|ZÉÉSÌiÉ|ZÉÉSÌiÉ|ZÉÉSÌiÉ| mÉÑlÉÈ AlrÉaÉ×WÇû aÉcNûÌiÉ| iÉ§É xuÉÉÍqÉlÉÏ uÉx§ÉÇ SSÉÌiÉ| ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ uÉx§ÉÇxuÉÏMüUÉåÌiÉ|xuÉÏMüUÉåÌiÉ|xuÉÏMüUÉåÌiÉ|xuÉÏMüUÉåÌiÉ|xuÉÏMüUÉåÌiÉ| xÉÈ uÉx§ÉÇ kÉUÌiÉ|kÉUÌiÉ|kÉUÌiÉ|kÉUÌiÉ|kÉUÌiÉ| mÉÑlÉÈ lÉÔiÉlÉaÉ×WÇû aÉcNûÌiÉ| iÉ§É qÉÉiÉÉ ÍpɤÉÑMüxrÉ M×üiÉå kÉlÉÇ SSÉÌiÉ| ÍpɤÉÑMüÈkÉlÉÇ ZÉÉiÉÌiÉ ÌMüqÉç? lÉ ZÉsÉÑ! ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ kÉlÉÇ kÉUÌiÉ uÉÉ? lÉ| ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ aÉ×WÇû aÉcNûÌiÉ| aÉ×Wåû iÉÉqÉëmÉɧÉqÉç AÎxiÉ|ÍpɤÉÑMüÈ iÉÉqÉëmÉɧÉå kÉlÉÇ xjÉÉmÉrÉÌiÉ|xjÉÉmÉrÉÌiÉ|xjÉÉmÉrÉÌiÉ|xjÉÉmÉrÉÌiÉ|xjÉÉmÉrÉÌiÉ|

(There) is a beggar. He goes to every house. There he calls aloud ‘O mother! Give (me) alms!’.Houseowner (woman) listens him, comes out and gives something. This way he does ‘goingaround for alms’. One mother gives food. The beggar eats the food. Again he goes to anotherhouse. There the owner-woman gives a cloth. The beggar takes the cloth. He wears the cloth.Again he goes to a new house. There the mother gives money to the beggar. Does beggar eatthe money? No. (lÉWûÏÇ Wæû lÉ|) Does he wear the money? No. Beggar goes home. In the house(there) is a copper vessel. The beggar keeps the money in the copper vessel.

(to be continued in next issue)

Samskrit Lesson - Twelve

26

The essence of all beings is the earth. The essence of the earth is water. The essence of water is the plant. The essence of the plant is man.

The essence of man is speech. The essence of speech is the Rigveda.

The essence of Rigveda is the Samveda. The essence of Samveda is OM.

(Chandogya Upanishad)

“Rita was married off by her family at age 12,became a mother at age 14, and was divorced atage 16. Although hardly cognizant of her firstmarriage, Rita is considered undesirable and willmost likely remain alone and unmarried, having toraise her child completely on her own.”

This is a part of the newspaper report titled‘Child Marriages Persist in Rural India’ whichappeared on the 29th of August, 2006 in the AsianTribune.

Marriage is the basis of socialorganization and thefoundation of important legalrights and obligations. It isresponsible for fostering theimportant institution in society,family. Family is the firstinstitution an individual isclosely associated with. UnderHindu law, marriage is seen asa sacrament or a holy sanskar.The importance attached to thisinstitution is very high in the life of a Hindu asit is important for fulfilling spiritual goals apartfrom biological needs. The age that law has fixedfor marriage is eighteen years for girls andtwenty one years for boys. Yet the law is defied.

The National Family Health Survey of 1998-1999found that 65% of girls are married by the timethey are eighteen.1Child marriages are solemnizedduring times of festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya,Akha Teej, Ram Navami, Basant Panchami andKarma Jayanti. Despite commonly held views, itis not easy to find references in Indian literatureto child marriage. The most popular form ofmarriage in Indian literature is Swayamvara,where the bride selected her spouse from groomsassembled in her home. Examples of Swayamvaracan be found in the epics of Ramayana andMahabharatha. The Rigveda argues that a girlcan be married only when she is fully mature,both physically and mentally. The Manusmriti,Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana decreedthat the man should be three times older thanthe girl, thus a man marrying a ten year old

CHILD MARRIAGE – A SOCIAL EVILshould be thirty, an eight year old girl shouldmarry a man of twenty-four and so on.2

The present legislation regarding child marriagesis the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006which prescribes higher punishments than theHindu Marriage Act, 1955. A child marriagesolemnized in contravention of the former Act isavoidable at the option of the party who was aminor at the time of marriage.

“I am one of those unfortunateHindu women whose hard lot is tosuffer the unnamable miseriesentailed by the custom of earlymarriage. This wicked practice ofchild marriage has destroyed thehappiness of my life. It comesbetween me and the things which Iprize above all others - study andmental cultivation. Without the leastfault of mine I am doomed toseclusion; every aspiration of mineto rise above my ignorant sisters is

looked down upon with suspicion and is interpretedin the most uncharitable manner.”This is an extract of the letter that Rukhmabai, avictim of child marriage had written to the Timesof India on June 26, 1885. She opposed the practiceand later on became the first woman doctor of thenation. What we need is more Rukhmabais in oursociety. This is possible with education and seeingall as children of God, whom He created withequal love. May all be given or at least allowed toexplore a platform for individual growth, withoutany discrimination.

1 Child Marriages and the Law in India, Human RightsLaw Network, June 2005.2 Sharma, Mani Ram, (1993).Marriage in Ancient India, Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan

Neetika Gogula, 3rd year B.A.L.L.B. student has passion forwriting articles on social issues.

27

Mahanandi is one of the swayambhukshetras of Lord Shiva. The highmountain peaks surrounding thetemple, add to its pristine beauty.Sri Mahanandishwara in the sanctumsanctorum is a swayambhu Linga.Adjacent to this temple, there isanother temple of GoddessKameshwari, Lord Shiva’s consort.This punyakshetra is situated closeto Nandyala in Kurnool district.

Historical facts reveal that thistemple came into existence during the rule ofKing Nandana. The present Gopavaram villagewas earlier called ‘Gopithavaram’. A cowherdfrom this village noticed that one of his cowswas letting her milk flow into an anthill. Oneday when he was watching, to his amazement,he saw a boy coming out of the anthill anddrinking the milk shed by the cow. The newsspread like wild fire among the villagers andwas brought to the King’s notice. He personallywent to supervise along with his bodyguard. Hewas surprised to see the cow feeding the boywith milk and went forward to have a closerlook. The cow heard the sound and stepped onthe anthill in fright. The boy disappeared andthe perplexed king returned to his palace,wondering who that boy was. The same night,King Nandana had a dream in which Lord Shivaappeared and said, “It was Me, who was drinkingthe cow’s milk. Perform puja near the anthilland construct a temple in that place. I willcome in the form of Linga. I will take the nameof Mahanandishwara with Navanandisestablished in the surrounding area. GoddessGanga will serve me in this kshetra. You willgain name and fame.” The king was very happywith the dream.

He went with his troop to the specified place,the next day and was astonished to see theanthill had already transformed into a Shivalinga.He constructed a temple according to the

MAHANANDI

instructions he had received in the dream andnamed the Linga, Mahanandishwara. The placewhere the cow’s hoof left its mark is visible eventoday on the swayambhu linga. Ganga flows atthe base of the Shivalinga in the Rudrakunda. Apeculiarity of the water is that it has a constantflow irrespective of the change of seasons. Thewater is so crystal clear that even a needledropped into the water is clearly visible. Outsidethe main temple, two more kundas are built andnamed Vishnukunda and Brahmakunda and theGanga water from Rudrakunda is diverted intothese kundas.

Behind the main shrine there are three smallshrines with a Shivalinga in each shrine. It isstated that if these are worshipped they willtake one beyond the sthoola, sukshma and karanashariras to the turiya stage. The nine nandis are,Prathamanandi, Mahanandi, Vinayaka-nandi,Vishnunandi, Rudranandi, Naganandi,Garudanandi, Suryanandi, Krishnanandi andSomanandi. Pilgrims visit all the navanandis andcomplete their tour of this Mahanandipunyakshetra.

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- Subhadra K.

“She is three, possibly four. Her gentle

eyes dilate somewhat as the doctor

benumbs her with anesthesia. He then

makes a small incision on her back, cuts

open her stomach to pull out a 50 paisecoin, a rubber balloon, a metal Ganesha,

a rubber stamp, a couple of iron nails, a

bottle cork and plastic — reams and reams of plastic. At the end of the operation which lasts nearly

an hour and a half, seven doctors have, between them, pulled out 55 kgs of plastic from the cow’s

stomach.”-a piece of news from 2007 news paper. But things have only gotten worse since.

The ever enthusiastic students of Vidya

Mandir, Nachiketa Tapovan teamed

with some volunteers and teachersand are getting ready to start an

Environmental Awareness Club. The

club’s agenda is simple to begin with-

practicing and campaigning on cutting down waste especially plastic.

Natural pesticide for plantsIngredients: Fresh neem leaves- 250 gms; Camphor tablets- 2 pieces; Water- 4 liters

Method: Boil neem leaves with camphor tablets until half the quantity of water remains and thenstrain. Sprinkle the neem water on the leaves of the plants. Water the plants well that day andalso for the next 2-3 days. Put the leaves in the soil. This can be done every 20 days to keep theplants healthy and away from pests, ants etc.

Greenouncement!

LET’S ACT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE...

29

- Mamta Agarwal

Ideas, participation, information,

involvement, expert consultation,

alternate methods to reduce waste

are invited eagerly.

E-mail: nachiketanjali1@gmail.com

Reduce Reuse and Recycle!

The students, volunteers and teachersat Nachiketa Tapovan, demonstratedthe best of their zeal, diligence,creativity and improvisation in puttingtogether a display of working models,drawings and experiments in their firstever Science Fair on the 25th January2011. The Chief Guests, Retd.Scientist, Sri Nagabhushan Rao garuand Dr Rohini, US returned Oncologistlighted the lamp and graced theoccasion. Sri Nagabhushan Rao garuadvised the students to take thisopportunity of scholarship 'to read,read and read' and question and learn.Dr Rohini reminded the young girlsand boys to pay attention to whatthey eat and to take care of their body because'Health is wealth'.

The exhibits were simple, low or even no costmodels, very eagerly and clearly explained bythe students. The Janata Fridge, a working modelof practically no cost and requires no power asan alternative for refrigerator was of perfecttiming when the hot weather is just around thecorner. Each and every exhibit echoed the efforts

Vignana Vikasini 2011Tapovan's Maiden Science Fair

of the zealous spirits, the curious minds and thenaive little hands that carved it making it difficultfor the judges- Dr Rohini and Annapurna R. tochoose. To name a few that deserve mentionwere Rain Water Harvesting model, self-sufficient Nachiketa Tapovan's model, Watercycle and Tejaswini's presentation of Holy Basil.Last but not least the prize winning model ofTraffic Signals prepared and presented by Sravaniof 6th class was unequivocally the impeccable ofall.

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Every year we get to enjoy a double scoop offun at Nachiketa Tapovan on the 26th Januaryand this year was no different. After the flagwas hoisted by the Chief guest Dr ShivanandaReddy garu, U.S. returned Radiologist, andsalutation to Ma Bharathi was proudlyrendered, the gathering proceeded to DhyanaMandir to continue with the celebrations.Children presented dances and skits and songsto the delight of audience taking them on aroller coaster of emotions. The fisherman’sdance cheered up the audience with rhythmand gaiety while the skit on national leadersevoked inspiration and patriotism.

The students were awarded cash prizes foracademic proficiency in the year 2009-10 inMath, Science, English and Arts and Crafts. Thecash prizes would go into the proficient student’sfixed deposit account to mature after 5 years.

Annual Day - Republic Day Celebrations

Shiva of class VII stole the limelight by winningmost of the prizes in his class. The winners are:

Jyothi - Class II

Sunitha - Class III

Gurubrahmayya - Class IV

Anand - Class VI

Nagamani - Class VI

Shiva - Class VII

We congratulate them all for their hardworkand perseverance.

Parents who were also invited to the celebrationwere very elated to witness their children’sachievements, talents, confidence and well-rounded development. They were also thrilledto know that their Nachiketa Tapovan DailyBanking Account Savings have accumulated toRs 84,000.

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SPONSOR OPTIONSAnna daanam maha daanam; vidya daanam mahattaram.

Annena kshanika trupthihi yaavajjeevanthu vidyaya.Vidya Mandir at Nachiketa Tapovan is currently able to accommodate a family ofabout 170 children who receive all-round nourishment from man-makingeducation to milk-n-meals and basic health-aid in an atmosphere of genuinelove. Kind-hearted Well wishers have been the unseen force behind this offeringto God. We thank you for your continued support.

Vidya Daanam (Education) ` 4500/year/childAnna Daanam (Mid-day Meals) ` 3500/dayKsheera Daanam (Morning Milk) ` 700/dayAlpa Aharam (Snacks) ` 500/dayVastra Daanam (Uniforms) ` 600/2 pairsDinnerware (Steel Plates & Glasses) ` 5000/ 50 setsStationery Supplies (Copier Paper) ` 5000/termFestivals Celebration ` 1500/festivalOushadhi (Medical Supplies) ` 5000/month

Celebrate your Special Days with the Children at Nachiketa Tapovan!

32

Samskrita Bharati4-2-72, Badi Chowdi, Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad – 500 195

Phones: 040-2475 0111, 2475 0333, samskritabharatihyd@gmail.comAt this time, we have the following Samskrit learning centres in the Twin Cities (Hyderabad/ Secunderabad), which are planned to be run on a steady basis for the coming one year.1. Padmaraonagar – Kowtha Swarajya Vihar, Near Park/Gharoanda Super Bazar Gita Sikshana Kendram – Tue, Wed and Thu – 6:30pm to 8:30pm2. Madhapur – Nachiketa Tapovan, # 70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur, Hyderabad Balakendram – Thu only – 2.00pm to 3.00pm Saptahikam – Thu only – 3.00pm to 4:30pm Saptahikam – Sat & Sun – 10am to 12noon & 1.00pm to 3.00pm (Gita Sikshana)3. Yousufguda – Vivekananda Kendra, Near Sarathi Studios Saptahikam – Thu only – 11.00am to 1.00pm4. AS Rao Nagar – Tentatively at Sri VS Raju’s House, Near Poulomi Hospital Saptahikam – Thu only – 6:30am to 8:30am

Learn Samskrit

"My life is my work" is a pictorial biography that leads the readerthrough different dimensions of Srimat Swami RanganathanandajiMaharaj's life providing a glimpse of his oneness with the naturethrough His teachings. First edition of this book was released on1st March 2006 followed by the second edition on 11th July 2006and 3rd edition on 22nd November 2007. The Books are available atNachiketa Tapovan at Kavuri Hills and Ramakrishna Math,Hyderabad for a subsidized price of Rs. 250/-.

PUB

LICATIO

N

Dear Atman“When a person really desires something, all the

universe conspires to help that person to realize hisdream.” This is truer when a selfless desire is pursuedby a group of ardent seekers. This was proven by themultifarious growth of Nachiketa Tapovan from a humblehut into a 3-storeyed building in Kavuri Hills and ontoa 40 acre spiritual haven in Gairan Tanda in Jadcherlawith His blessings and your good wishes. The smallgroup has now multiplied into a big joint family ofKarma yogis.

Imparting literacy, combined with love, care andcultural values to children from impoverished familieswas in the fore front ever since the inception ofNachiketa Tapovan. Whether this objective has beenaccomplished or not, can be well illustrated by theprogress being made by the children of Vidya Mandirwho are winning accolades in all areas from academicsto vocational skills to arts to yoga and chanting Vedas.The Vidya Mandir at Nachiketa Tapovan, Hyderabadis not satisfied with giving just breadwinning educationbut is striving to create a learning platform for eachchild to receive a man-making education. Thanks tothe donors, well wishers, volunteers and teachers whoare making this endeavor successful.

Nachiketa Tapovan’s efforts to extend the sameeducation to children from the rural areas of GairanTanda in Jadcherla, Mahaboobnagar are in full swing,with plans to start classes from June 2011. If NachiketaTapovan, located in the heart of HiTec city known forits sprawling growth, is benefiting 170 children, it isneedless to mention how many will be benefited byanother such Vidya Mandir in the rural areas farplaced from technology, comfort and convenience.

AN APPEAL

33

The Vidya Mandir being constructed is planned to coveran area of 50,000 sq.ft. around an extensive central playground. The building will have two floors, the ground floorconsisting of spacious classrooms (750 sq ft) and the entiretop floor rooms devoted to laboratories like math Lab,Science lab, language lab etc. and a library. The two floorswill enclose a copious 10 ft. verandah. The facility has beenplanned to provide character building education up to Xclass (progressively) under the S.S.C. board. However,materialization of this progressive project into a realityrequires additional monetary and human resources.

In this time and age when people are far removed fromtruth and true spiritual values, the way to build a happy andhealthy society lies in strengthening the spiritual base of thecountry and Nachiketa Tapovan has been trying to achievethis by exposing the children of Vidya Mandir to our greatheritage contained in Upanishads, Epics and Puranas. Wehereby fervently appeal for generous donations. Pleaseparticipate in this Vidya Dana Yaga being performed tobenefit the underprivileged children and thereby strengthenthe cultural and spiritual values of our nation.

It may kindly be noted that donations to Nachiketa Tapovanare exempted from IncomeTax U/S 80 G of IT Act, 1961 ofGovt. of India. Donations in the form of Cheques/Demanddrafts may please be drawn in favour of Nachiketa Tapovan.We acknowledge the generous contributions made bydonors.

Estimated cost of this project is ` 3.8 crores

Yours in the service of Motherland

Swami Nachiketananda

34

You are not in the body, the body is in you!

HoliDate: 20th March 2011

Time: 4.00 pm

ShivaratriVenue:

NACHIKETA TAPOVAN

Invitation

Date: 2nd March 2011Time: 10.00 p.m. onwards

35

a) You can send articles by email tonachiketanjali1@gmail.com or by post toNachiketanjali, Nachiketa Tapovan, PlotNo.70, Phase I, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur,Guttlabegumpet, Serilingampally, RangaReddy District. A.P., with your full name,address and contact details.

b) Unpublished articles are not returned.c) Your article should be reader friendly with

a positive view point.d) No controversial or political issues are

published.e) Word limit for an article varies from 300

(one column) to 600 words (two columns).Writers can contact the editorial team forfurther details.

f) The styles of references should be as perthe ‘Documentation of Sources’ given atthe end of the Merriam Webster’s CollegiateDictionary.

g) Editor reserves the right to accept/ rejectarticles and edit the selected articles.

h) Unsolicited articles are not acknowledged.i) The Editor does not accept responsibility

for the author’s views.j) Articles received will be published in one

of the forthcoming issues.

A NOTE TOWRITERS:

BOOK REVIEWWe request Publishers to send two copiesof their Spiritual, Philosophical andReligious books for publishing a BookReview in our “Nachiketanjali” - monthlyMagazine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTNachiketa Tapovan is indebted to all thewell-wishers, donors, patrons and advisorswhose immense help and cooperation inmultiple ways has helped us accomplishour goals.

SUBSCRIPTIONS INDIA GIFT

Single copy ` 10 ` 10

1 year ` 100 ` 100

3 years ` 280 ` 280

5 years ` 450 ` 450Subscriptions can be sent by MO/DD/Cheque/Cash in favor of ‘Nachiketa Tapovan’.(Plus ` 30 for outstation cheques)

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

WELL-WISHERS:1. K. Vijay Kumar 2. P. S. Reddy3. Y.V.S.S. Prasad 4. Rama Devi K.5. Intelligroup 6. Maa TV7. Matrix Labs 8. Gautham Vir

Page Size Multi Black colour & white

Fourth Cover 15cm x 19cm `̀̀̀̀ 12,000 N.A.Third Cover 15cm x 19cm `̀̀̀̀ 10,000 N.A.Inside Page 15cm x 19cm N. A. `̀̀̀̀ 5,000Inside Strip 4cm x 15cm N. A. `̀̀̀̀ 2,500

Ashraydatas are encouraged to become patrons ofthe magazine by joining Nachiketanjali’s Patron’sScheme. You can become patrons by donating` 5000/- which will be deposited in the magazine’scorpus fund. We express our thanks by announcingtheir names in the following issue of the Magazineand the patron will also receive a 5 year subscriptionof the same.

AN APPEAL TO PATRONS & SPONSORS

ADVERTISEMENT TARIFF

We thank our patrons for joiningNachiketanjali’s Patron Scheme:

S. Dasaratharama Reddi - `̀̀̀̀ 5,000 (Retd. Justice)

To know yourself, be yourself.

35