A Micro-Blog from Swami Vimokshananda – earlier at Durban, Singapore and Dublin – now at Yelagiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, India – "A private diary for public consumption!"
Visiting Swami
It’s an honour for our Centre to receive one of our senior monks of the world-wide Ramakrishna Order today. The Saturday evening Satsang aptly provided an opportunity to extend our warm traditional welcome to the visiting Swami. The monk was Revered Swami Sarvatmanandaji Maharaj. The occasion was the Gita Jayanti celebration.
He has come on a 9-day visit to South Africa. He is presently the Minister-Incharge of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Vereniging Nederland (Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Netherlands). Earlier he visited Mauritius and from there he landed yesterday at 10 pm via Johannesburg in Durban airport where he was heartily welcomed by brother Saradaprabhananda, officials and Self. He is accompanied by Shivashankar Reddy, a devotee and research scholar doing his Ph.D in Netherlands. They are scheduled to return on the 17th by the evening flight.
The Gita Jayanti
Gita Jayanti tithi falls this year on the 23rd of this month. Since on that date, we have scheduled a day-long Vedanta Retreat, we felt that it would be beneficial for the devotees to listen to the visiting Swami on the Gita and seeing to his convenience, we celebrated Gita Jayanti in all its solemnity two-weeks earlier. The program included opening and closing prayers, singing of bhajans, meditation, chanting from Srimad Bhagavad Gita and a speech by Revered Sarvatmanandaji Maharaj. His Talks, well-put in simple language so that even a child could grasp, centred around on “Shri Krishna’s Assurance to Humanity”.
In his address, revered Maharaj pointed out that thinking of Lord is essential while carrying out all our activities. Struggles in life could be faced only when remembrance of God happens. Hence Shri Krishna’s prompting “maamanusmara yudhya cha”.
Maintain Secrecy
The Swami had spent 15 years in USA and before that another 15 years in Belur Math itself. I cannot but remember with nostalgia about his readiness in helping me out with the drafting of sannyasa application in 1981. He rendered ably his ‘boro babu‘ – Chief officer – duties to Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj at Belur Math General office for 9 years and to Swami Vandananandaji maharaj there for 6 years. His position was so pivotal that he knew almost everything about every monk and brahmachari. One day I asked him how could he maintain such a ‘secrecy’ of official matters; he replied that he was only a ‘postman’, delivering good and bad mails and a postman never gets attached to what he carries. I learnt that day if one sincerely performs his allotted duties, it could be possible to remain ‘unattached’ too.
Senior monk
Revered Maharaj joined the Ramakrishna Order in December 1964. He initially rendered seva as brahmachari at our Shillong Ashrama in Meghalaya. He was subsequently in Belur Math Headquarters Office from 1970 to 1985. Initiated by Swami Madhavanandaji maharaj, he received his sannyasa from Swami Vireshwaranandaji maharaj in 1974.
From 1985 to April 1997 he was stationed in Boston and Providence Centres in the USA as Assistant to Swami Sarvagatanandaji maharaj. He moved to Southern California and took charge of the San Diego Centre where he stayed until 2000.
Public Lectures
He is leaving tomorrow for host of other places where our branches are located such as Pietermaritzburg, Estcourt, Ladysmith, Dundee, Newcastle, Chatsworth and Phoenix. He is also pleased to make a visit to Sri Sarada Devi Ashram at Asherville in Durban on the penultimate day of his stay.
His public lectures have indeed interesting topics. A list is given below for your information and dear reader, if you are anywhere near the place of our branch centres, I encourage you to attend the program.
A Note of thanks!
Its all by the infinite grace of the Master, Mother and Swamiji that this blog has had more than 134,600 hits in such a short time. The very first Post appeared on 23rd January, 2008. Now this blog contains 122 Posts and 11 Pages with 1468 Comments. Though it has become highly popular among the devotees of the Holy Trio, yet I do find a lot of people from other faiths too frequent this blog. Many a reader prefer engaging in conversation by email rather than public commenting. Well, every one is welcome!
So long this blog was a free blog from WordPress and the only disadvantage that many readers have so kindly pointed out to me was the irritating and sometimes inappropriate adverts that WordPress places under the posts. Well, I had no choice in selecting suitable adverts and so it was beyond my control. Thanks to a devotee from SA, from today this blog is no more a free blog but has become a Paid Blog! And, I assure you, my dear readers, no more funny adverts!! Perhaps you would have noticed that the new internet address of this blog is https://vimokshananda.org/
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This is the famous Sri Jagaddhatri stotram in easily recitable twelve verses.
Today is the auspicious devi navami tithi when Sri Jagaddhatri, the Magnanimous Mother’s puja is performed among the devotees of Devi worshippers. Hardly I knew about this puja before I was posted to Ranchi Sanatorium centre in 1995. The Puja was an unforgettable experience as I had, year after year for long 12 years, the blessed opportunity to witness it and hence I remember today as devotion swells in my heart. The full details how this wonderful worship of Ma Jagaddhatri “mela” is performed can be seen here.
Last year, one devotee Kiran from Nottingham, UK read a post in this blog on the worship of Mother Jagaddhatri. It seemed that she was very inspired to read the account of how this puja started at Joyrambati. She then requested publishing of this hymn.
I am aware that many of our SA devotees who are not familiar with Sanskrit lipi (script) may find it difficult to read. Thats why I have added the English transliteration.
Hope on this holy day, devi bhaktas get the benefit of Her blessings by reciting this wonderful hymn. There is an audio too which I have placed below for the convenience of getting the pronunciation aright. Please click the below link and listen while you read through the transliterated version. For easy reading I have at some places broken the words…
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Jagaddhatri stotram (Aadhaarabhoote)
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- aadhaara bhoote chaadeye driti roope dhurandhare |
- dhruve dhruva pade dheere jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- shavaakaare shakti roope shaktisthe shakti vigrahe |
- shaaktaachaara priye devi jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- jayade jagadaa nande jagadeka pra poojite |
- jaye sarva gate durge jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- paramaanu swaroope cha dvayanu kaadi swaroopini |
- sookshmaati sookshma roope cha jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- sookshmaati sookshma roope cha praanaa paanaadi roopini |
- bhaavaa bhaava swaroope cha jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- kaalaadi roope kaaleshe kaalaa kaala vibhedini |
- sarvaswa roope sarvajnye jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- mahaa vighne mahot saahe mahaa maaye vara prade |
- prapancha saare saadhveeshe jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- agamye jagataam aadye maaheshwari varaan gane |
- ashesha roope roopasthe jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- dvisapta koti mantraanaam shakti roope sanaatani |
- sarva shakti swaroope cha jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- teertha yajnya tapo daana yoga saare jagan mayee |
- twameva sarva sarvasthe jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- dayaa roope dayaa drishte dayaar dre dukkha mochani |
- sarvaa pat taarike durge jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
- agamya dhaama dhaamasthe mahaa yogeesha hrit pure |
- ameya bhaava kootasthe jagad dhaatri namostu te ||
Vedanta in Practice 