Marmik Katha (Story that touches our hearts):

                                               Sannyas as Explained by Swami Vivekanand

One day a youth asked Swami Vivekanand, "Please initiate me with sannyas diksha and take me with you, I shall be a sannyasi."

"Do you know the meaning of sannyas and sannyasi?" smilingly asked Swamiji.

"Yes, Sir, thoroughly. sannyas is something that inspires for moksha or deliverance, and sannyasi is one who longs for mukti (freedom of the soul from the bondage of life and death)."

"Whose mukti?"

"Of self, of sadhak", he replied instantly.

Swamiji burst into laughter, and said, "This sannyas that you are talking about is not sannyas, it is escapism. Sannyas was never like that, nor will it be in future. Don’t think that this sacred ashram has such narrow implications. This is so great and powerful that when its soul wakes up, it will explode like a bomb. Then Bharat or India  will become again Bha-rat or full of brilliance. And then again the entire world will bow down to Bharat to beg for its message of peace. This is a firm determination. Nobody can stop it. It is bound to happen very soon. I can visualize that young Indian sannyasis honestly devoted to this task are getting ready and with all their might they are not leaving any stone unturned in realizing this dream. I am seeing the awakening of the soul of India through their efforts and also that spiritual resurgence that is long awaited."

After a little pause, he resumed, "This is the sannyas, the strength of which we have forgotten. It's meaning was never self-deliverance. It does not inspire us to lose our beings into the narrow confines of self; instead it preaches for expansion of this self to the whole existence. It is not another name of an individual’s mukti; it is synonymous with the deliverance of the society, world and entire human race. This great ashram carries with it two powerful traditions, that of Sadhu and Brahmin. Sadhu is one who has realized ‘self.’ Brahmin is one who worships the all-encompassing Brahma through the service of society and always thinks of deliverance of all. Your sannyas may be confined to caves and dens and lonely living, but my sannyas is the name of public awakening."

After a pause, again asked he, ‘Tell me! Which sannyas do you want - yours or mine?"

The young man touched Swamiji’s feet, and said, ‘No, no my attachment for self-deliverance is gone. I do not want this kind of sannyas. I shall work for deliverance of the whole world. In fact, without deliverance of all, self-deliverance is not possible.’

The Guru embraced him and said, ‘From today, you are not Sharat Chandra Gupta, you will be named Swami Sadanand.’ Both the Guru and disciple set out for onward journey.

(The group of young sannayasis visualized by Swamiji, with this resolve in heart to restore the divine glory of India is what Gayatri Pariwar is!)

Upakhyan (Anecdote):

Strong winds began to blow. Dust from the earth flew into the sky and covered the entire sky. When it arose to great heights in the sky, the dust was filled with pride.

It pronounced haughtily, “There is none greater than me today. Along with land, water and sky, I have conquered all the ten directions.”

Clouds heard this spiteful proclamation. They smiled gently at the dusts’ spite and opened up their streams of water. In no time all the dust returned from the sky and was seen on the earth mingled with water. All the directions became clear and no trace of dust was left anywhere.

The earth asked the dust that flowed with water, “O dust! What did you learn from this rise and fall of yours?” Dust replied, “Mother, I learned that one must never swell with pride on one’s achievement. One who is proud is sure to fall.”

SADVICHAR (Thought of the week):

Greatness does not lie in wealth, but in honesty and goodness.

SAMPARK (Contacts):
Yug Shakti Gayatri Kendra

16/2, 1st Floor, 3rd cross, 3rd Main Road,
Prakash Nagar, Bangalore 560021
Phone: 91-80-23526694
Mobile: 9844503818 / 9880679755

Please help us spread Pragya Sandesh as far wide as possible. Kindly encourage your friends to become members of http://groups.google.com/group/awgp_bangalore.

Please visit the All World Gayatri Pariwar site at http://www.awgp.org