A Quarterly Publication of

RAMAKRISHNA MISSIONSINGAPORE

MITA (P) No. 034/09/2009 ISSUE No. 64ISSN0218-7183 JAN-MAR 2010

Holy Mother and Family Life 3

Universal Temple 13

KG Report 17

The Ramayana -15 22

State of spiritualenlightenment orillumination.Nirvana releaseshumans from thecycle of birth,suffering, deathand all forms ofworldly bondage.

in this issue ...Pearls of Wisdom 2

Editorial 3

Holy Mother and Family life 4

Universal Temple 13

KG Report 17

The Ramayana-15 22

Programme

Festival Calendar

Edited and Published by Swami Muktirupananda, President, Ramakrishna Mission,179 Bartley Road, Singapore 539784 Tel: 6288 9077 Fax: 6288 5798.Printer: Regional Press Pte Ltd & Production: Viga Graphics & Printing Services

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Nirvana is backTo save costs, we have slightly reduced the number ofpages and trimmed certain frills. But the basic quality ofthe contents will continue to be preserved and sought tobe improved.

We hope to have your continued cooperation and support.

Thank you.

We Wish You a Very Happy, Peaceful

and ContendedNew Year 2010

Swami MuktirupanandaEditor & Publisher

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earls ofearls ofearls ofearls ofearls ofPPPPP isdomisdomisdomisdomisdomWWWWWUddhava GitaUddhava GitaUddhava GitaUddhava GitaUddhava Gita

Translated by Swami Madhavananda

Òri bhagavÀn uvÀca

TÀvat karmÀni kurvÈta nirvidyeta yÀvatÀ Matkatha sravanÀdau vÀ sradhÀ yÀvanna jÀyate Svadhamastho yajanyajnair anÀÒÈ kÀma uddhava Na yÀti swaganarakau yadyannanna samÀcharet Asmin loke vartamÀnah svadharmastho’naghah Òucih JnÀnam visudhamÀpnoti madbhaktim vÀ yadrichayÀ

The Lord said:

One should perform work until one has got disgusted with it, oruntil one has developed a veneration for listening to talks aboutMe and that kind of thing.

O Uddhava, a man discharging his own duties and performingsacrifices without any desire for results, goes neither to heavennor to hell, unless he practises evil.

Such a man, becoming sinless and pure, attains to pureknowledge, or perchance devotion to Me, while remaining inthis very world.

(To be continued)Uddava Gita, XV, 9-11

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Hinduism speaks of four values of human life which encompassman’s natural tendency to seek enjoyment of worldly happinessand also his quest for the highest good, or liberation. They serve the

ends of human pursuit (purushartha). They are Dharma (righteousness),Artha (wealth), Kama (fulfilment of sense – pleasures) and Moksha (freedom).

1) Dharma : It is the basis for both material and spiritual life. Therefore allother values concerning man’s inner and external growth must follow the lawof righteousness (virtuous life). Those who seek worldly enjoyment and otherswho strive for liberation must hold on to the rule of Dharma. By ignoringdharma one debases oneself and invites suffering and misery. Dharmaincludes the observance of moral and ethical principles.

2) Artha : Wealth is necessary for the wellbeing of all. The prosperous societycan look after the welfare of its members. Therefore acquiring riches isconsidered a legitimate goal. But it must be acquired according to Dharma,otherwise it will foster greed, vanity, selfishness and violence. Instead ofbringing happiness it becomes the cause of misery. Wealth is only a meansand not an end. It sets one’s mind free from the constant struggle for survival.There its purpose ends.

3) Kama : Desire for sense pleasure is present in all beings, in animals asinstinct and in human beings in higher forms. But this fulfilment of enjoymentsshould not be unbridled. There must be some self-restraint otherwise pleasureturns into pain. Therefore satisfaction of desires must be guided by Dharma.If it is within the limits of virtuous life it leads to the higher dimensions.

4) Moksha : Freedom is the ultimate goal of life. Man learns that worldlyenjoyment does not bring lasting peace and happiness. The pleasure thatresults from the senses is temporary and not abiding. This thirst for pleasureand more pleasure remains insatiable and cannot be quenched. Thisrelentless pursuit of pleasures drives one to the state of perpetualrestlessness. It is slavery. A slave even if he lives in luxury is unhappy. Thisdependence ends when one transcends the pleasure-pain duality. In freedomlies everlasting peace and joy. So the above three values support the last –God-realization.

EDITORIAL

Four Values

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Holy Mother and Family LifeSwami Muktirupananda

A few days ago in a plane aco-passenger sitting withme was enquiring about Sri

Ramakrishna and RamakrishnaMission. Then he asked me whatwas the cardinal teaching of SriRamakrishna. I told him what SriRamakrishna said,”God is our veryown. He is not a stranger. Onecan see Him and talk to Him. Hewho wants Him finds Him.” NeitherSri Ramakrishna nor Holy Motherqualified the fitness of the seekers.They said,”He or she who wantsHim finds Him.” In this respect HolyMother has specially come to showthat God-realization is possible fora monk or a householder. Both areequally eligible.

Not all our great sages andsaints were ascetics or forestdwellers but many of them werehouseholders. They led a busyfamily life and at the same time,achieved lofty spiritual heights.Vyasa, Valmiki, Vasistha,Gautama, Uddalaka, Yajnavalkyaand many others. So also the greatwomen of the past. They areremembered and revered eventoday. What it shows is thatspiritual realization does not eithersolely depend on asceticism orexternal renunciation. External

renunciation is one of the aids. Ithelps a seeker of truth,undoubtedly. It is a means and notan end. So also a householder’slife, a means to God-realization.Enjoyment is only a passing phaseand not the goal of life. Often weget confused and go astray notknowing the difference between themeans and the end. Very often themeans is mistaken for the end. Forexample, food is necessary tosustain the body; therefore it is onlya means and not an end. If anascetic thinks that his self-mortification itself is the goal thenhe is making a mistake. So also ahouseholder who thinks that thesense pleasure or the worldlyenjoyment is the goal of life ismaking a serious mistake. It isputting the cart before the horse.

Buddha left his palace andall royal comforts in search of truth.He wanted to know from someonethe path to realize this truth orNirvana. First he met a group offamous Brahmanas or scholarswell-versed in scriptural knowledge.Buddha found that these punditswere busy in acquiring morephilosophical knowledge than torealize truth. Disappointed hewent to another group living in the

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jungle of Uruvilva. These hermitswere practising severe self-discipline. Buddha spentsometime with them but did not getany enlightenment. Because thegoal of these hermits was to performsevere austerities. Knowledge ofscriptures and tapas are the meansto the goal of enlightenment.

To realize God is itnecessary to retire from this worldand lead a hermit’s life? If yes,then what about those largemajority who live in the world andare busy with their worldly dutiesand burdens, will they not realizeGod? Our sages have not madeany such rigid classification. Everyhuman being wherever he is, be ina hermitage or in the tumultuousworld, can see God. Everythingdepends on one’s earnestness andyearning for the vision of God. Soa householder’s life is also anopportunity, a chance to marchtowards spiritual light, manifestone’s divinity. Divinity is already inus but lying dormant. We do nothave to ask any one to give it to us.It is inherent. We are born with it.No one needs either parents’,husband’s or wife’s permission toknow one’s divine nature. We haveseen many enlightened seers wholed fruitful householders’ life and leftnoble progeny.

Vedas do not lay anyspecial emphasis either on the

ascetic life or on the family life. Theessence of the teaching is humanlife is precious, holy do not wasteit in worthless and frivolousactivities. The sages declare thatthe Vedic dharma has two foldideology: Pravritti, active life in theworld and Nivritti, renunciation of theworld. The first Pravritti prepares aperson through gradual mentalpurification to embrace the latterstage of Nivritti. It is summed up ina Vaisheshika saying, Dharma orrighteousness means prosperityand spiritual freedom. These twoensure the welfare of the world.Both these forces are required forthe stability of the world. TheUpanishads exhort human beingsto enjoy life for a hundred years byperforming efficiently, intelligentlytheir works. To live happily a fullspan of hundred years, the povertyfree environment and peacefulsocio-political conditions arerequired. This is the externalenvironment. To bring this aboutself-control, meditation and spiritualinsight are required. So externalgrowth and internal growth have togo hand in hand. Mere affluencewithout spirituality is blind andspirituality without prosperity islame. Human holistic floweringneeds the blessings of efficientaction and calm withdrawal.

Mahabharata sheddinglight on the greatness of family lifeand its duties and also spiritual

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insight tells this story. A youngsannyasin in search of truth retiredto a forest and there he practisedmeditation and yoga for a long time.One day, after his meditation he wassitting quietly under a tree. Somedry leaves and twigs fell upon hishead. He looked up and saw a crowand a crane fighting on the top of atree, which made him very furious.He could not tolerate theimpudence of these birds. He shotan angry glance at them and as aresult the two birds were burnt toashes. Such yogic power heacquired. He was happy to see hispower. To beg his food he went toa village. There he stood at a doorof a house and said “Mother, giveme alms.” A voice came frominside, “Wait a little, my son.” Hewaited for sometime and nobodycame from inside. He got angry atthis delay and thought of his yogicpower. Immediately from the insidea voice came, “Young man, don’tthink too much of your power. Hereis neither crow nor crane.” He wasstruck with wonder to hear thesewords. At last the lady of the housecame out and he fell at her feet.He asked her how did she come toknow about the birds. She said shewas a simple house-wife and didnot know anything about yoga etc.She could not come early becauseshe was nursing her sick husband.She always tried to do her dutywholeheartedly and thus becameenlightened. She directed this

young mendicant to learn more froma butcher living in a certain town.

So the young sannyasinreached that town and found outthe butcher. The butcher was busywith his usual business. Afterfinishing his works he called thismonk and answered his questions.The butcher, Vyadha said that hewas a householder and looked afterhis aged parents and othermembers of the family. He did hisduty in unattached way and as aresult he became illumined. Thispart of Mahabharata which containsthese profound questions andanswers is called Vyadha-Gita.What it tries to tell us is this: To allhuman beings whether ahouseholder or a monk the doorsof the highest realization are open.None has to wait for favourablecircumstances, right time and placeand so on. Now is the right timeand the place where we are is thesuitable one. Jesus Christ said,“Knock it shall open, seek you shallfind.” What we want is within us.

Sri Ramakrishna and HolyMother have brought great hope totrouble-torn householders. Theyare the ideals for both monks aswell as married people. SpeciallyMother’s life is a sublime exampleof a housewife and a nun. In otherwords, attachment andrenunciation. We only knowattachment to many things and

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persons and the terrible misery itbrings. Mother came to teach usthe secret of detachment,dispassion and how to lead a lifefull of peace and joy. In family lifewe seldom get peace andhappiness. Why is it? There mustbe something wrong in our way ofliving. In life we do everything toincrease our happiness andminimize our misery but we do notsucceed. Can we learn somethingfrom Mother’s life? It is not possibleto rise to her heights, at least wecan to some extent follow thefootprints left behind by her. Shewanted every home should be fullof peace, contentment andhappiness. Among her initiateddisciples majority werehouseholders. She spent most ofher time and energy to encourageand inspire householders to lead apure life. She said, “I have donemuch more than is necessary tomake my life a model. One makesthe mould and many others makeimages from it.”

Some people may grumblethat it is not possible to follow thehigh example of Mother. They mayput forward the following excusesto wriggle out of the trouble.

1. She was born in a familywhere conditions were veryfavourable and everything was easyfor her. She had plenty of leisure.Now look at us we have to struggle

so much to maintain ourselves thathardly we get any time.2. Her relatives and siblingswere helpful, we do not have thatadvantage. Nobody helps us.3. In olden days, family lifewas simple but in modern age it hasbecome complicated. We have tomeet many challenges and satisfymany demands. We do not havefree time.4. Her spouse SriRamakrishna looked after her welland helped her in many ways. Inmodern times wife and husband donot have enough time to talk to eachother or care for each other.

But none of these things bear anytruth. On the contrary, we aremuch better off materially and in somany other respects than theMother’s time. We have noweverything at our fingertips.

Mother was born in a poorfamily. Every family member hadto work to earn their livelihood. Hardwork and very minimum comfortswas her fate. We now call herLakshmi and that GoddessLakshmi chose poverty in order toteach us. The village life was hardand everything was done manually.Being the eldest daughter sheshared the family burden. Thereforeher mother used to say, “May I getyou as my daughter in my next life”.She did not get the opportunity togo to school and get a little basic

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education.

We know she was marriedat a very young age according tothe old tradition. When she wasabout 18 years old, she came tolive with her husband. Every youngwife after marriage aspires to leada comfortable life at her husband’shome. She came to Dakshineswarto lead her married life in anextremely uncomfortable smallroom known as Nahabat. And thisroom belonged to the temple andnot to her husband. It was acramped room with no otherfacilities rather with allinconveniences. She could notstand because of low ceiling nor shecould sit and stretch her legs. Shemanaged to cook food for Sri

Ramakrishna and for otherdevotees. She lived here for 14years without any grumbling. Shewas busy from morning till night withthis or that chore. It was not easyto serve a God-intoxicated personlike Sri Ramakrishna. Manydevotees seeing her pitiablecondition would exclaim “Oh! OurSita is in vanavasa.” SriRamakrishna himself called thisroom, a cage. There were timeswhen she could not see him fordays. Here in this tiny room, shewent into Samadhi many times.

She became a widow in theworldly sense, when she was 33years old. Thirtythree is a quiteyoung age. In fact, life begins atthat age. As a widow, without any

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financial support from any quarters,no one to look after her she had toface an uncertain future. She didnot inherit any property nor anyincome from any source and shewas absolutely penniless. SriRamakrishna was a king ofrenunciation. Whatever little moneyhe was getting from the temple wasdiscontinued after his death. Herrelatives played their part to seethat little income was denied to her.For a time she really lived in abjectpoverty. Later hearing about her sadcondition the devotees of theMaster came forward and rescuedher.

What about her brothersand relatives? They were greedyand very troublesome. Her brothersthought she was a money-yieldingtree. They always came to her formoney, more money. She helpedthem in so many ways, still theynever felt satisfied. The burden ofsupporting and looking after herrelatives fell upon her. None couldremain sane and endure calmly allsuch hardships. But Mother did.Where can we get another exampleof the highest ideal of married life?To follow or not to follow herexample is left to us. It is ourmisfortune if we ignore it.

The corner stone of familylife is the relationship betweenhusband and wife. It is thefoundation on which children build

their character and life. Look at thechildren’s behaviour and you get thequality of their family life. Childrenare products of physical andpsychological atmosphere of home.They unknowingly absorbeverything good and bad. If parentsthemselves are ignorant of what isright or wrong, good or bad, whatvalue can they impart to theirchildren? Noble children are bornin noble families. Wealth, statusand skill are good but not enough.They are one physical aspect of life.Because they do not remove oursuffering. Life is much deeper thanthe physical well-being. Itsessence is spiritual, somethingabiding. Other external thingscome and go, diminish or multiplybut not our divinity. If we forget ourdivinity then life becomes arudderless boat drifting without anydirection. So family life is not blindpursuit of pleasure but is a trainingground. Training us to turn our gazeinward that which is eternal,immortal. That is the purpose ofthe Mother’s advent. That is whyshe jumped into the sea of troublesand agonies.

We may not understandthe spiritual relationship between SriRamakrishna and Mother. Eventhough with our mundane eyes wecan see their graceful, loving andunique relationship. SriRamakrishna had deep respect forMother. He taught her many things

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both temporal and spiritual. For hismistakes he apologized to herwithout any reservation. He salutedthe Mother after she had rubbed hisfeet with her hands. He was alwaysalert and watchful lest he shouldeven by mistake hurt her feelingsand paid serious thought regardingher wishes. Mother, theembodiment of divine grace and lovefelt fulfilled by doing the little theMaster wanted. There were timesshe could not get a glimpse of himas long as two months. Seeing thisonce a close devotee remarked,“Though they did not see eachother for months together, how deepindeed was their love for each other.”To the Master she was DivineMother herself and to her he wasGod himself. He was not husbandor mere man to her. The worship ofSri Ramakrishna was first startedby her in the small room ofNahabat. In them we find thehighest ideal of married life.

Mother had a very tendercorner, deep compassion for familypeople. She knew their struggle,hardships and difficulties. It wasnot unknown to her because sheherself had passed through theseordeals. She shared fully theirsorrows and worries, fortunes andmisfortunes. She rejoiced in theirlittle joys and also shed tears intheir grief. Mother was an oasis ofpeace and solace to the people whowere scorched by the heat of worldly

problems, anxieties and sorrows.Therefore they flocked to her inhundreds to get some peace,solace, some advice and guidance.She always tried to turn their mindstowards God by impressing uponthem the futility of finding joy andpeace in the world. Whenhouseholder devotees mentionedtheir suffering, Mother wouldconsole them and say, “There is nolimit to sufferings in the life of theworld. Look at me, what sort of lifeI am leading by the will of theMaster! How much I am sufferingbecause of my relatives!” Devoteesseeing her distress would say, “YesMother, your condition gives usconsolation and hope you yourselfknow the sufferings of the world;therefore we come to you seekingyour compassion.”

Mother did not forbidpeople to marry nor prevent peoplefrom entering family life. Those whowanted to marry, Mother permittedthem to marry and lead a good,virtuous householders’ life. Thosewho wanted to renounce shewholeheartedly blessed them andpraised renunciation. She alsogave sannyasa to some youngpeople. Some were unwilling tomarry and Mother asked them toremain unmarried. Whenever ayoung man came expressing hisdesire to renounce the world Motherenquired about his parents. Whenshe learnt he had aged parents at

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home she asked him to remain athome and serve his parents. Shecould understand the nature ofevery individual and according tothat she advised them. The sameformula cannot be applied to all.Each has to evolve according to hisstrength or weakness. She was thebest judge of the human mind.Therefore, she was Guru to all. Formonks she advised externalrenunciation and to householderinternal renunciation. She advisedhouseholders to renounce mentallyand that was enough for them. Shesaid, “The mind is everything. It isin the mind alone one feels pureand impure, bound and free.”

Mother did not like luxury.She detested waste andextravagance. Once a devoteecame to see her with plenty offruits, vegetables and sweets at aconsiderable cost. At this Motherscolded him saying, “Why did youspend so much money? You haveyour wife and children. You shouldlay something for them.” Thedevotee felt sad. Mother read hismind and said, “What you have toconsider, my son, is that if you putby something, there will be someprovision for your family and thefuture. Besides you will be able toserve the holy persons. If you havenothing how will you give to others?”She did not like devotees bringingto her expensive offerings and gifts.

She discouraged openly suchhabit. She herself led a very simplelife with minimum things andadvised others to be prudent inspending money. Aboutextravagance she used to say,“Mother Lakshmi gets angry.” Shedid not pay much attention tomoney. But as soon it came to herhands she touched it to her head.It was to her goddess.

Waste not, want not washer advice to all of us. There is nowa new breed of experts who arecalled neuro economists. Theytake the help of neuro science andeconomics. Through brain scanningMRI they study why people wantto spend more and why they wantto live beyond their means. Theseexperts counsel us how to spendour money wisely, how to save andhow to reduce our wants. In thiscredit card age Mother’s exampleis very relevant.

Mother many timesexpressed her sorrow seeing thestruggles of householders. Shesaid, “How many difficulties arethere in a householder’s life! But inthe midst of their busy lives, ifanybody can find time to call onGod, God is pleased with suchpeople. They will get him quickly.”

(The Mother’s birthday wascelebrated on 8 December 2009)

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Universal Temple in Ponnampet

Nestled amidst lush greenvalleys, evergreen forestsand coffee, pepper and

cardamom plantations in theKodagu (Coorg) region of Karnatakastate is the new Universal Templeof Sri Ramakrishna, a fulfillment ofyears of effort by the people there.

The consecration of the Temple bySwami Atmasthanandaji Majharaj,President of the Ramakrishna Mathand Ramakrishna Mission, on 27October 2009 was attended by alarge number of monks, delegatesand devotees from all over India and

abroad. Of great significance wasthe participation of almost the entirepopulation of the local town andsurrouinding areas lending a festiveatmosphere to the three-daycelebrations that included culturalprogrammes.

The completion of the temple, withits spacious prayer hall which canseat more than 300 devotees, willfulfil a long-felt need for the spiritualand devotional needs of the peopleof the region who have seen asteady improvement in the facilitiesoffered by the Sri Ramakrishna

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Puja

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Swami Atmasthanandaji with monks and devotees

Sharadashrama since its humbleinception n 1927.

It was in that year thatSwami Nirmalananda was offereda piece of land by a devotee inPonnamnpet. The Swami promptlyaccepted it and enthusiastic localdevotees had a temple erectedthere in six months.The people havenot looked back.

Apart from spiritual anddevotional matters, the Ashramahad been involved in the overalldevelopment of the region. An

attempt with beekeeping has nowdeveloped into a thriving CoorgHoney Producers’ Society.

A small Homeopathy clinicopened in 1942 became a full-fledged hospital in 1958. It is now a25-bed hospital equipped withsophisticated equipment such asECG, Xray, Ultra Scan etc. Itorganizes medical camps for Eye,ENT, Cardiology etc with expertsvisiting from different parts of thecountry. Liberal assistance frompublic-spirited organizations suchas the Infosys Foundation has

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helped this rapid development.

On the educational front,the Vivekananda Balaka Sangh(Youth group) organized by theAshrama helps education of thetribal and poor children. It providesan excellent array of books andconducts moral, cultural and

spiritual education classes.

Swami Jagadatmanandaji,the President of the Centre since2000, says the drive to improve thelife of the people in and aroundPonnampet would continue with fullvigour. The Swami headed theSingapore centre before moving toPonnampet.

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KG Report Marching On

N.Pusphavalli

The growing importance ofexposing our youngchildren to a holistic

development in pre-school dayswas stressed by Mr S. Iswaran,Senior Minister of State, Ministryof Trade and Industry and Ministryof Education.

He said this is bestachieved if preschools, besidesdeveloping them academically, alsoexpose them to other critical areasof learning such as aesthetics andcreative expression, environmentaland social awareness and motorskills development.

The Guest of Honour at the

17th Annual Graduation cumConcert of Ramakrishna Mission’sSarada Kindergarten noted withsatisfaction that Sarada wasfounded on the importance ofdeveloping each child holisticallywhile giving it time to enjoy itschildhood.

There is much emphasis inSarada, he said, on interactivelearning approaches involvingcatering to the children’s interestareas and engaging all their senseswith hands-on activities.

But the success of anysuch education programme woulddepend on the teachers whom he

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described as “important group ofpeople.”

“That is why the Ministryof Education believes that it iscrucial that we continue to upgradeour preschool teachers” throughraising minimum requirements andencouraging them to attain higherqualifications. This is sought to beachieved through scholarships,teaching awards and conductingseminars and workshops.

The importance of teachertraining was also underlined bySwami Muktirupananda, President

of the Ramakrishna Mission.“Teacher training and upgrading ishigh on our list of priorities. Regularin-house training programmes,teaching seminars and workshopsare part of our continuous trainingand development plan,” he said.

The steady growth ofSarada was the result of continuousimprovement in curriculum,pedagogy, qualifications andteacher training

Swami Muktirupanandapointed out that this year Saradareceived four types of awards from

Mr Iswaran

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the MOE, an acknowledgment ofits efforts. They are:1. One teacher was thefinalist of MOE Best Teacher Award2. Sarada was one of thefinalists for MOE Learning CentreAward3. Sarada was one of thefinalists also for MOE InnovationAward4. Three teachers receivedMOE Teaching Award for Bachelorin Early Child Education.

Another key component ofthe success of Sarada was thestrong home school partnership. Inorder to further enhance this,individual dialogue sessions werestarted with K2, K1 and Nurseryparents in 2009.

He appealed to parents tokeep a link with Sarada throughTapas (Teachers and ParentsAssociation of Sarada) even aftertheir children move on.

The positive environment,both speakers stressed, was verymuch evident in the performance ofthe concert in which all the 162graduating children took part.

The theme of the day’sperformance was “Around the Worldin 90 minutes,” a tremendousimprovement on the 80 days it tookfor Jules Verne.

The journey began in theWest with a melody of songs fromEurope and the United States. It

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Acrobatics

Cooking Competition

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moved with ease to the denseforests of Ayodhya in the Indianepic Ramayana. . The musicaldrama,set in Balinese dance style,depicted the kidnapping of Sita byRavana, the resulting war led byRama and her eventual release.

The favourite Singaporetheme of food was not forgotten.Replicating the popular Japanesereality show The Iron Chef, thechildren staged a “Global KitchenCompetition” with chefs from China,Singapore, France and Mexico.Never mind who cooked up thewinning dish, the audience had a

rolling time at this uniquepresentation.

Mr Iswaran had referredsomewhat nostalgically about hisassociation with Sarada during itsformative years and how Sarada’soffer of Tamil as a second languagewas appreciated by the Indiancommunity. The Tamil orientationwas enlivened when the childrenenacted the drama “MuthamilVizha”, recapitulating the boldefforts of the late Mr K.Sarangapani in starting a Tamilnewspaper and otherwise promotingthe Tamil language in Singapore.

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Sita listened to Rama’s wordswith disbelief, anger growingwithin her. It was

inconceivable that Rama shouldleave her to enjoy the comforts ofpalace life while he wanderedthrough the forests.

Sita explained to Ramathat she understood well thateveryone had to enjoy or suffer thepunya committed in a previous birth,but as his wife she had a right toshare the fate of her husband asthe rules of dharma dictated that awife’s role was always to be by herhusband’s side. If she wascompelled to stay behind she wouldprefer to die. Rama tried to convinceher that life in the forest was one ofgreat trials and tribulations. Wildcreatures, the discomforts and thevagaries of nature would make lifefor a young and tender princessunbearable.

Unconvinced and in tears,Sita countered that all the wildanimals would flee in Rama’spresence and no one, not evenIndra, would be bold enough toharm her. Furthermore, the

Bhramanas and astrologers hadpredicted that once during herlifetime she would have to live in aforest. Hence she was destined toaccompany Rama. Sita profferedher total love and devotion to Ramaand vowed to share all hismisfortunes. She would never be ahindrance.

Rama was deeply movedby the pathetic pleadings of his wifeand overcome by his love for her,he embraced her and acceded toher request to follow him. He theninstructed Sita to distribute all herwealth and belongings to theBrahmins and her attendants, andfeed the poor before departing forthe forest.

Meanwhile, Lakshmanawho was waiting for Rama at thedoorway had heard Rama’sdecision to take Sita with him. Hetoo then vowed to follow Rama,leading and clearing the way andserving Rama in every way. Failingto convince Lakshmana that hisduty was to remain behind to takecare of the king, Sumitra andKausalya, Rama welcomed

THE RAMAYANA-15

Tearful FarewellN.Narandran

(Continued from last issue)

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Lakshmana to join him and Sita.Rama then told Lakshmana to fetchthe two divine bows given byVaruna, the two unbreakable suitsof armour and the inexhaustiblequivers. After honouring Suganya,the son of Vasishtha, and hisdisciples, like Sita and Lakshmana,Rama gave away all his belongingsto the Brahmins and his attendants.The three of them then set off forthe palace to bid farewell to the king.In the streets and from thebuildings, the citizens of Ayodhyawatched with grief and anger as thetrio proceeded on foot like ordinarybeings. They wanted to desertAyodhya and follow Rama to theforest but Rama ignored such talk.

Upon reaching the palace,Rama requested Sumantra toannounce their arrival to the king.Sumantra entered the king’schamber only to find the miserableking lying outstretched on the floor,his face filled with anguish.Sumantra informed the king thatRama had come to get hisblessings before departing for theforest. When Rama entered theking’s chambers with palmsclasped, King Dasaratha rose andwent fast towards Rama with armsoutstretched to greet him, butcollapsed unconscious to theground. Rama and Lakshmanrushed to their father’s side and

when the king regainedconsciousness, Rama sought hisblessings.

The king pleaded with Rama not toleave immediately but to delay hisdeparture by another day, but Ramahad promised Kaikeyi that he wouldleave immediately and hence hecould not satisfy his father’s onedesire. Rama promised to returnafter 14 years and advised the kingto end his grief. He told his fatherto summon Bharata immediatelyand fulfill the promise given toKaikeyi.

The king, wanting to makeRama’s stay in the forest a littlemore pleasant, then instructedSumantra to get the commandersto get ready a convoy of elephants,horses, chariots, solders and cartsladen with all the necessary storesto accompany Rama. Hearing thisKaikeyi fumed and accused theking of emptying the kingdom of allits riches and people before handingit over to Bharata. The king and thecourtiers reacted angrily to thesewords. Rama then put an end tothe recriminations by saying thathe would not take anythingunsuitable for life in the forest. Hehad relinquished his kingdom andwould leave for the forest withnothing but bark garments, spadesand baskets for forest life.

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References:1. Ramayana by Kamala Subramaniam2. Ramayana by C. Rajagopalachari

Kaikleyi, glad to hear this,immediately produced barkgarments for Rama andLakshmana. Then Kaikeyi broughta bark garment for Sita, but notknowing how to wear it, Sita stoodthere bewildered. Rama draped itover her silk dress, a heart-breakingsight for the women of the king’sharem. Seeing this humiliation, theking fainted. Vasishtha was furiousand accused Kaikeyi ofunwomanliness. Sita was notrequired to go to the forest andtherefore should not suffer suchindignity. Her bark clothes shouldbe discarded and instead sheshould be given gems andornaments. The king who had nowregained consciousness agreedtoo, but Sita had on her own freewill chosen to follow Rama.

The time now came forRama to depart. Dasarathainstructed Sumantra to prepare hischariot with the best horses to takeRama, Sita and Lakshmana to theforest. Soon the chariot was

brought to the palace. The king andall his wives, in tears, stood readyto bid the three farewell. Kausalyaembraced Sita and praised her forbeing the perfect wife who wasprepared to stand by her husband’sside, both in good times and bad.

Rama made circumambu-lation to Kausalya and his othermothers. The women were openlycrying and their cries filled the halland the palace. Lakshmana soughtblessings from his mother. ThenRama, Sita and Lakshmana cameto Dasaratha and made apradakshina to him. Then they leftthe hall and ascended the chariot.As the horses pulled the chariotaway, Rama, his eyes filled withtears, could hear nothing but thewailing of the king’s wives and thenoise from the people.

King Dasaratha stoodleaning against the doorway, hissad eyes gazing in the direction ofthe chariot long after it disappearedfrom sight.

(to be continued)

TEMPLE PROGRAMMES & DISCOURSES

1. Daily6.00am Mangalarati9.00am Puja7.00pm Evening Arati & Bhajan

2. Ekadashi6.15pm Vishnu Sahasranamam7.00pm Arati followed by Rama-Nama Sankirtan

3. Saturdays5.00pm Bhajan, Cultural & Religious Classes for

Children (Temple hall – I level)6.00pm Discourse on “Guided Meditation and Spiritual

talks” by Swami Satyalokananda (Library)7.30pm Vedic Chanting & Bhajan Class (Temple)

4. Sundays9.30am Yoga Class (Sarada Hall)11.00am Chanting & Cultural Class for Children

(Temple hall – I level)4.00pm Sanskrit Language Classes (Library)

(a) Beginners, (b) for Advanced Students5.00pm Discourse on “Svetasvatara Upanishad”

by Swami Samachittananda(Temple hall – I level)

6.00pm Discourse on “Vishnu Sahasranama”by Swami Muktirupananda (Sarada Hall)

Discourses and classes are open to all

Registration required for Yoga class

FESTIVAL CALENDARJanuary - March 2010

January 2010

1 Friday Kalpataru Day06 Wednesday Birthday of Swami Vivekananda10 Sunday Ekadashi17 Sunday Birthday of Swami Brahmananda19 Tuesday Birthday of Swami Trigunatitananda26 Tuesday Ekadashi30 Saturday Birthday of Swami Adbhutananda

February 2010

09 Tuesday Ekadashi12 Friday Maha Shiva-Ratri16 Tuesday Birthday of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna25 Thursday Ekadashi28 Sunday Birthday of Sri Chaitanya Deva

March 2010

04 Thursday Birthday of Swami Yogananda11 Thursday Ekadashi24 Wednesday Ramnavami26 Friday Ekadashi