Dear All,

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Details of Retreat with Pujya Swami Brahmarupananda ji:

Retreat Topic: Narada Bhakti Sutras (Narada’s Devotional Aphorisms)
Retreat Dates: 13 November – 15 November, 2009
Location: Ramakrishna Universal Temple, Near Lemont Temple, Homer Glen, IL

Swami Brahmarupananda, Resident monk of Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Maryland, will be holding a weekend retreat on “Narada Bhakti Sutras” or “Narada’s Devotional Aphorisms” at Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple, HomerGlen, IL (Chicago area) from Friday November 13 – Sunday November 15.

The Retreat will start on evening of Friday, November 13 and conclude in the afternoon of Sunday, November 15. Those of you who are interested can click on the below link and register online for the retreat.

Click here to register online to this retreat.

Yours,
In Service of the Lord & Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear all,

Hari Om !

Hari and I wish you all a Very Happy Maha Sivaratri. May Lord Siva bless us all.

Yours, In the Service of the Lord,
Hari & Aparna

Dear All,

Hari Om!

Spiritual Enrichment Program (SEP) and Hindu Temple of Wisconsin (HTW) are jointly organizing a lecture series on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shiva Ratri, on Sunday 22nd February 2009. Recorded lectures of Pujya Swami Paramarthanandaji will be played on topics related to Shiva Ratri.

Maha ShivaRatri SEP Flyer Feb 2009

We heard Swamiji’s talks on Tattva Bodha several times and they were simply amazing. Looking forward to listening to these talks as well. More details can be found in the flyer here.

Yours In service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Hari and Aparna

Hari Om!
Om Namo Narayanaya!

After a long gap during which we also enjoyed a month long stay at Sivananda Ashram in India (more on this will be posted soon), here is a post to share a very inspiring talk given by Guru Maharaj Pujya Sri Swami Chidanandaji:-

“What is good fortune and what is misfortune? Who is our friend and who is our enemy?

Man is the only living being endowed with discrimination and who has inherited vast knowledge through scriptures – the Vedas, Puranas, Srimad Bhagavatam, Panchadasi, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Narada Bhakti Sutras, Sandilya Bhakti Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, BrahmaSutras, etc – which are filled with so much wisdom. Add to it the wisdom teachings of many, many sages down the centuries. In our own times, there are the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna Dev, Swami Ramdas, our own Gurudev, Ma Anandamyi, etc.

How much guidance we have got! If we don’t use this for our good, then who is to blame for it? Having all this and not utilizing it – it is our fault, not somebody else’s fault.

Vipado Naiva Vipadah, Sampado Naiva Sampadah !
Vipada Narayana Vismrutih, Sampat Smaranam Narayanasya !!

Misfortune is forgetting God – that is the real misfortune. Constantly remembering God and not to forget Him – what is greater fortune than this? This is indeed the greatest fortune. Other things are neither good fortune nor misfortune. These alone are the greatest good fortune and the greatest misfortune – Remembrance of God and forgetfulness of God.

Who is your friend? Who is your enemy?

He is your greatest friend, well-wisher, relative, companion, helper – who creates in you a taste for repetition of God’s name, even from your childhood. Srimad Bhagavata Maha Puran says that He is your father, mother, companion, best friend, helper, well wisher – who creates within you, a taste for the name of God even from your childhood. There cannot be a well-wisher greater than such a person, because in this Kaliyuga, repetition of God’s name is the greatest way.

Jaake Hruday na Ram Vaidehi !
Tyajiye Koti Vair sam Yadyapi Param Sanehi !!

That person, in whose heart God is not seated – here he mentions Lord Rama and Sita, the daughter of King Janaka Maharaj or Videha. That person who has not kept God and awareness of inner presence of God -even if he is your best friend, cast him away, leave him, renounce him, as though he is a million devils or enemies – who is intent upon doing you harm; who will destroy you, hurt you, harm you. Such a person, even if he happens to be your best friend, if he diverts your mind to miscellaneous enjoyments saying – lets go to the club or the cinemas, lets go and have a nice evening snack in the restaurant, etc. Any person who diverts you towards earthly activities, whose fruit is not attainment of God – discard, renounce, give up such a person as though he were a million enemies put together. Even if he happens to be your most intimate friend, because slowly he will color you in his own color. He will make you like himself.

This is a miniscule wisdom teaching out of many that we have received from various saintly sources. I think this one is from Sant Tulsidas.

Having provided you with these nuggets of spiritual teachings, gems of wisdom, I shall end the service of this morning, but Spiritual teachings are only useful when they are remembered; when they are kept in the heart and so remember them and benefit from them by applying them in your own life – subjective inner life as well as objective outer life in this world. Even if you have many lakhs of rupees in the bank and you do not make use of it, then you are as good as a poor person or a miser. A miser has money but he will not spend; a poor person has no money so he cannot spend. To either of them money is not of use in life. In the same way for spiritual teachings. Therefore, spiritual truths and guidance must be actively and constructively utilized. It is for living; you must apply it in your daily life by thought, word and deed.

Hari Om! Om… Om… Om!”

Yours in service of God and Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,

Hari Om !
Jai Sri Ram !

With inspiration from Lord Rama, we have made a bookler for writing Rama Koti. Writing the name of “Rama” and continuously engaging in Rama Nama Smaran is the easiest path to Happiness, Peace and Bliss.

This Rama Koti booklet that we are uploading here on our website can be a very good companion even in office. During Lunch break and other times, we can easily write the Divine Name and that’s why we created this so it can be a helping tool for many spiritual seekers.

You need to have a Double-Sided Printer for printing this booklet

1. Download Rama Koti Booklet

2. Go to File –> Print –> (Select the Printer which can print both sides) —> Properties –> Check the Box for “Flip Pages Up”

3. Since this is already in the booklet form, you need not select any booklet printing (Make sure that Booklet Printing is “Off” in the Printer options).

4. After the Rama Koti Booklet is printed, you can fold the entire printout into half, and in the middle, you can staple it with normal staple gun.

5. Your RAMA KOTI booklet is now ready for Likhita Japa.

We hope we write and remember His Name for our liberation.

Yours, In Service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,

Hari Om !

The third issue of DIVINE AMBROSIA which is named as ‘Re-wiring Ourselves Spiritually..” is uploaded. We are sorry that we could not maintain this as monthly journal as article contributions were low. We are planning to keeping it either a bi-monthly or tri-monthly E-Magazine. If you want to contribute any articles for publishing in this magazine, you are welcome. Please contact us and send us your articles.

We hope you like this issue.
You can read it in reading layout produced from http://issuu.com

Get your own – Open publication

Yours, In Service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,
Hari Om !

Swami Brahmarupananda ji is the Head Minister-In-Charge of the Vivekanda Vedanta Center in Greater Washington DC. Swamiji kindly accepted a humble request by Dr Anil Aggarwal ji on behalf of Spiritual Enrichment Program (SEP), Milwaukee to come here and give us an opportunity of three-day satsang of learning “Kathopanishad” under him. This will be from 26th September – 28th September, 2008 from 6:30-9:00 PM.

Personally, Hari and I have learnt three Upanishads – Kena, Kaivalya and Chandogya Upanishad, along with a Summary of All Upanishads under Pujya Swamiji. We are very fortunate to have come in contact with Swamiji, whos is very kind, humble, loving and eager for his students to learn and practise.

Swamiji also comes to Ganges twice in a year and conducts three day retreats there.

Please find the details about the three day-satsang at Milwaukee here:

Yours, In Service of Lord & Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,
Hari Om !

Yesterday we celebrated the 93rd Birth Anniversary of Holy Gurudev Swami Chidananda ji Maharaj at our house in Milwaukee. We recited Guru Stotra, Purusha Sukta, Santi Mantras along with 108 Names of Guruji. We then sang few kirtans and Bhajans in praise of Guru. We had a very wonderful Celebration at our house.

Guruji Maharaj has merged in the Absolute on 28th August 2008, but he in his Virat Swarup will guide each and everyone of us towards God-realization.

Yours, In Service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,

Hari Om !

I was looking through the interesting website of the organization Spiritual Research Foundation, which covers all the scientific aspects of spirituality, chanting, meditation, japa, kirtan etc and also gives step-by-step instructions in spiritual practice, spiritual healing etc.

While browsing through, I came across this very interesting image on Spirituality and Worldly relations. One cannot practise spirituality and intend to scale the heights to reach the Divine, while still being in the clutches of many binding worldly attachments. All saints have been mocked at by this so called world and their families. But God will sever the worldly bindings so one can give himself/herself completely unto Him. The following figure illustrates this point. Hope you like it !!

Yours, In Service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Aparna & Hari

Dear All,
Hari Om !

Chicago holds a special place in the field of spirituality because it is here that Swami Vivekananda gave his historical speech of “Dear Brothers and Sisters of America…” with the message that each and everyone is potentially Divine, in the World’s Parliament of Religions on 11th September, 1893.

The Vivekananda Vedanta Center was first established in Chicago by Swami Gnaneswarananda of the Ramakrishna Order in the year 1930, who was then succeeded by Swami Vishwananda. Swami Bhashyananda later succeeded him and it was he who bought the present quarters at 5423 South Hyde Park Boulevard in Chicago with the assistance of a staunch devotee from New York, Chester Carlson, the inventor of the Xerox. The new temple, which was located near the University of Chicago, was dedicated on September 7, 1966.

For over 40 years, the Ramakrishna Mission and Vivekananda Vedanta Society in South Hyde Park has been very active and dynamic in disseminating the gems of wisdom and pearls of Vedant and Upanisads. Swami Chidananda is now the current In-charge and Head of this Center.

Under his tireless work and guidance, the concept of Universal Temple has materialized. Land was bought in the Homer Glen village in IL, near Lemont’s Sri Rama temple and construction work had started three years ago. The Universal Temple is now ready to accommodate the gamut of activities of Ramakrishna Mission and it is being consecrated with the installation of the idols on September 21, 2008.

After 35 years of operations from the Hyde Park location, in order to accommodate the expanding activities and outreach programs to spread the message of the ancient Vedas, the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago will be moving to 14630 S. Lemont Road, Homer Glen, IL 60491 from September 21, 2008.

Event details on the opening of Universal Temple in Homer Glen, IL:

DATE: Sunday, September 21, 2008

TIME: 11:00 AM–2:00 PM

VENUE: Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple
14630 South Lemont Road
Homer Glen, IL 60491

The Vivekananda Vedanta Society will begin all services from the new temple from September 21, 2008.

Please try your best to attend this ceremony and get Sri Ramakrishna’s and Holy Mother’s blessings.

Yours, In Service of the Lord and Gurudev,
Aparna Hari