===============================================
Here is a slideshow giving a few snaps of the Sanskrita Shibeeram Photos Courtesy: SamskritaBharati FaceBook
===============================================
Here is a slideshow giving a few snaps of the Sanskrita Shibeeram Photos Courtesy: SamskritaBharati FaceBook
Vedanta in Practice 
Aum Namo Narayanaya
Dearest Swami Vimokshanandaji,
How inspired I am at reading this post, that I have picked up a book “Sanskrit Suman” once given to a Sanskrit scholar by his Guru at RKC- SA, Durban.
Congratulations! May this programme grow from strength to strength with Master’s Grace!
Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Keshri
Durban, South Africa
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Keshri
Thanks Keshri for your appreciative words!
How fortunate you are to take up that wonderful book “Sanskrit Suman”! It is easy reading and quickly one can learn Sanskrit. A rudimentary knowledge is essential when you come across vernacular words in day to day life. It throws some deeper light on the meaning.
May the blessings of Bhagawati Saraswati be with you and inspire you all to learn more and more is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Revered maharaj,
Very inspiring to see the effort to promulgate the world’s oldest language.
Let our next generation get acquainted with the depth and vastness of this language.
Swami Shubhavratananda
St. Petersburg, Russia
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Shubhavratananda
Thanks for taking time to give a comment! Yes, the next generation here seems to be keen in learning this ancient language – Sanskrit.
May the blessings of Bhagawati Saraswati be on them is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Pranam Maharaj
Swamiji insisted that Sanskrit is vital for knowing our scriptures.
Wonder how you are able to motivate our devotees and even people from other centres to get interest in the study.
Congratulations to tutors and students at Singapore Sanskrita Shibeeram!
Swami Tatpurushananda
Chennai, India
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Tatpurushananda
Thanks for your kind blessings to tutors and students.
Yes, indeed it is difficult to motivate. But strangely students from all walks of life have approached and enrolled for the class. I think the expats, like in any other foreign country really miss their own environment. A yearning to get connected to their roots is palpable. Hence learning Sanskrit perhaps fulfils that inherent desire.
May the blessings of Bhagawati Saraswati be on them is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Dear Maharaj
Such a thought provoking study!
Closeness to God must begin in understanding what we chant in Sanskrit. This inspired me to find a few translator apps on the smartphone relating to English to Sanskrit translation – and they were surprisingly quite a few!
So today’s word for me that I randomly put in, was ‘Bliss’ and came up with Ramanti (enjoy transcendental bliss).
Wonderful work Maharaj and thank you for still remaining connected to us!
Much love
Dr Shivani
Durban, South Africa
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Shivani
Yes, thanks for pointing out that not understanding the meaning of Sanskrit words does not do any good to the chanter! It is in this connexion that we should learn this ancient language. Our Conversational Camp was tuned to this purpose.
I remember one interesting incident told by one Judaism follower when I was in Durban. He found to his surprise that only older Jews have been attending the weekly community prayer services in his synagogue. What happened to the youngsters? He found out finally the youngsters were attending a nearby Christian Church. The reason he was told that there everything was done in English and hence easily comprehensible while they do not understand anything of the Hebrew and hence do not visit a synagogue.
Similar case with the Hindus. When a Hindu does not understand a word of Sanskrit, his interest wanes and he looks for religious programmes conducted in English elsewhere. He ends up in a Church! I always used English for my discourses. We may do prayers/sing hymns in Sanskrit or Tamil but meaning must also be given for clear understanding. Thus, I appreciated our SA Prayer Book that has translations to many hymns in English.
This Sanskrit weekly class aims to familiarise the students with our religious terms so that they can comprehend clearly. Is the Sanskrit Class in Durban Centre continuing?
May the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna be on every member of your family is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Dear Maharaj
Aum Namo Narayanaya Revered Maharaj
Pray that Maharaj is hale and hearty! Thank You Maharaj for sharing such inspiring happenings and hope that we can learn and follow in those footsteps, to grasp the beautiful Art of Sanskrit.
Jai Sri Ramakrishna!
Nisha
Chatsworth, South Africa
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Nisha
Indeed Sanskrit is a beautiful language. the very structure is so meticulous that it inspires one to chant. Kissoonbhai knows the Sanskrit alphabets and words and their derivatives. Ask the children to learn from him.
May the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna be on every member of your family is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Pranam Maharaj,
Aum Namo Narayanaya
Thank you for keeping us in touch with your inspiring work. The Sanskrita Shibeeram is critical aspect when teaching and learning about our religion and mythology.
May I humbly request a possible start of an e-dictionary with the most frequently used words so that we may also benefit from your initiatives.
Thank you once again for your correspondence.
South Africa misses you dearly Maharaj.
Dr Nuthan Maharaj
Durban, South Africa
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Nuthan
Thanks for your timely suggestion! Will revert back to you after due consultation!
In this connection I would advise you to go through this website and if you think feasible join the Correspondence Course.
SA misses me? Still?
Next month this day (30th) I shall complete one full year of absence. Is this time not enough for everyone who said “I will Miss you!” to have acclimatised? Don’t worry! Time is a great healer!
May the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna be on every member of your family is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Om Namo Narayanaya!
Each time the words “Om Namo Narayanaya!” flow from my tongue (or in this instance from my fingertips!), I am reminded of Maharaj who lovingly taught us to use these in greeting.
In Singapore, Maharaj is literally bringing the language of the Gods to the people! I am always happy to read about Maharaj’s activities as well as the travelogue. I marvel at how Maharaj can spiritualise a European tour.
Many thanks for the regular updates on the activities there.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Nirmala Balkaran
Ladysmith, South Africa
LikeLike
||AUM Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Nirmala
One of the fascinating things about the South African devotees is the way the greetings done amongst each other.
When I arrived in SA in 2007, I was taken by surprise that devotees used the term “aum name narayanaya!” when greeting another devotee or the monk.
Why surprise?
Because normally in Uttarakhand areas, the monks only greet each other in that fashion. Devotees or even any passing by house-holder would always greet either with “Pranam Maharaj!” or “Ram Ram!” etc. In India all along I used the epithet “Jai Sri Ramakrishna!”.
Here in Singapore no one says “aum name narayanaya!”. Not even “Jai Sri Ramakrishna!”.
So I have now started greeting devotees first with “Jai Sri Ramakrishna!” and asking them to repeat it to me!! Silently making pranam seems to be in vogue here!
Thanks Nirmala that you liked my travelogue. The very purpose of my undertaking the Europe tour was the Invite from Swamis staying in those countries. Then Swami Vivekananda visited these places which had long back kindled the desire to see. And how Master arranged the whole tour in spite of such a terrible cold winter! The inexplicable delay in getting my VISA for Singapore actually facilitated this tour! So, everything that happens is for good!
May the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna be on every member of your family is my earnest prayer!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike
Pranam Maharaj,
Good way to start Sanskrit language by enacting in skits.
very beautiful language just like Mathematics if you learn it. It’s perfection in every way!
Learning Sanskrit is only by learning grammar. If you learn the vibhaktis it is just as you solve some maths problem.
Thank you! Jai Shri Ramakrishna!
Samhita Prabhu
Mumbai, India
LikeLike
||Aum Sri Ramakrishna sharanam||
Dear Samhita
Thanks for visiting this blog!
Yes, Sanskrit though a tough language to master, has become saral only when learning techniques changed in the modern times. I remember to have started my learning with Pandit Satwalekar’s Sanskrit Self Teacher (Easy Way to the Study of Sanskrit).
It has 18 volumes but I got only first two volumes. These were presented to me by an inspired RSS member when I joined the Ramakrishna Mission in Kanpur. I was stunned how without bringing the hard part grammar, Satwalekar has made it easy taking the conversational style. I do not know the 18 volumes are available now.
How do we learn our own mother tongues? Definitely not with grammar! So conversation is the best method to learn quickly.
May Bhagawati Saraswati be with you!
Swami Vimokshananda
LikeLike