Emerson: The Boston Brahmin By Courtesy Prof. A. V. Narasimha Murthy,Former Head,Department of Ancient History & Archaeology,University of Mysore Sir William Jones (1746 – 1794), the father of Indology, brought to the Western gaze the rich cultural, philosophical and literary heritage of India. The Western scholars, who had considered vedas as a mad man’s utterances, began to read them and discovered sublime thought in them. Kalidasa’s Shakuntala, Bhagavadgita and Puranas were translated into English. All these indological developments began to reach America through England, particularly Boston, the most important town of New England area which played an important role in American Independence movement. Commercial City: Boston, the Capital of Massachusetts State, was not only a great commercial city but also a center of music, literature and culture. The world famous Harvard University and MIT are located here. This city had a group of intellectuals with liberal outlook and penchant for freedom. This group became famous as Bostonians or Bostonian Brahmins. At this juncture was born Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1803. His father was a clergyman, an enlightened person and founded a cultural club which published a monthly magazine called The Boston Review. Though a Christian padri, he had collected a large number of books on Indian Philosophy and religion. The young boy Emerson was attracted towards these books and began to read them. Fortunately, he got admission in Harvard University which had the richest collection of books on Indian philosophy and history. After obtaining a Master’s degree from Harvard, Emerson joined as a clergyman in one of the churches in Boston. He became a popular Minister (padri) and his church became famous. The people were greatly attracted by his novel and attractive way of preaching Bible. Thus his fame spread in Boston. However, Emerson felt that there was no creativity in his work. Hence he resigned his job and went to England. There he met Coleridge, Wordsworth, Carlyle and other stalwarts and this changed the nature of his thinking. He became a liberal thinker and evinced interest in the study of other religions. He was particularly impressed by Bhagavadgita translated by Wilkins, and Vishnupurana translated by Wilson. He also took to the study of Vedas and Upanishads. As he had an open mind, he saw universality in all religions. He came to the conclusion that all great men and all religious teachers spoke the same language. Gita & Emerson: The Bhagavadgita appealed to Emerson most. When he was asked to deliver a lecture on religion, he said God is not separate from creation: God manifests himself in this universe through creation. Thus there is no duality in religion or philosophy. Thus he hailed Advaita as the essence of the word. But he never criticised any other religion and hurt their feelings and asked the people to follow any religion of their choice which took them closer to God. These ideas were taken from Bhagavadgita. He was also a poet and wrote many poems. One of them is very significant because it is titled Brahma. This poem though short is a successful summary of Upanishads and Bhagavadgita. The influence of kenopanishad is easily seen in this poem. Emerson did not believe in the Saguna form of worship as practiced by most of the Hindus. He believed in Nirguna form of worship in which God is formless, nameless, colourless etc. In fact this is the peak of Indian metaphysical thought which portrays the concept of Brahman (not four – faced Brahma). Generally this poem is recommended to readers who cannot read the original Upanishad in Sanskrit, to understand the concept of Brahman. Emerson’s aunt Mary became an admirer of Emerson and she happened to read a poem “A hymn to Narayana” written by William Jones. She was greatly impressed by this poem and sent a copy of it to Emerson. Emerson copied this poem in his diary because he wanted to read it again and again whenever he opened his diary. He thanked his aunt profusely and wrote “that all books of knowledge and all the wisdom of Europe twice told lie hidden in the treasure of Brahmins.” Nobody either in India or abroad has paid a better tribute to Indian philosophy and metaphysics. Emerson believed in the transmigration of soul and the concept of rebirth. He asserted that body alone decays but not the soul. This idea is taken from the Upanishads and the Gita. Emerson had a good library of Indian classics and he used to lend them to his friends so that they could read these books and get acquainted with Indian philosophy. Due to an accident, a portion of his house was destroyed in fire and it was rebuilt by the spontaneous public donations of more than 18,000 dollars in 1872. A Writer:Emerson was not only an indologist but was also a writer. His works include Nature (1836), American scholar (1837), two anthologies collected in 1841 and 1844. He again went to England in 1847 – 48 and wrote a book called English Traits (1856), analyzing the character of English people. His next work was Representative Man (1862). Books which made him famous were Nature, The Conduct of Life, Self – Reliance, American Scholar and Over Soul. He condemned the practice of slavery and differentiation on the basis of colour, creed and race. Emerson died in 1882 at the age of 79 at Concord and unprecedented number of admires paid homage to this great friend, guide and philosopher. The church bell tolled 79 times to mark his 79th year. I had the good fortune of visiting both Boston and Concord about fifty years ago. Emerson is no longer with us today but he will remain in our minds for ever. A great historian has said: “Emerson had all the wisdom and spirituality of Brahmins and perhaps he was the best Brahmin outside India.” Most Brahmins are so by birth but Emerson was a true Brahmin by culture. Bhuvani now you can see Brahmins not only in Naganallur but in Boston also, you can go to a website called Brahmins university Boston and will know more about Brahmins of western world.
Nara-Narayana- Swamy Narayan Mandir Tools to know Truth By Sri,K.B.Devarajan Courtesy: The Hindu Lord Narayana’s foremost devotee is Adisesha, the serpent. Adisesha came along with the Lord, as He took avatars to save mankind. In the Rama avatar, Adisesha came as the Lord’s younger brother Lakshmana. In the Krishna avatar, he was the Lord’s elder brother Balarama. In the Kali Yuga, Adisesha appeared as the great Vaishnavite Acharya Ramanuja, who was born in Sriperumbudur. Why did Ramanuja take birth in this world? It was to show us that we can know happiness only if we know the Truth and that we can attain moksha only if we know the Truth. Now how does one know this Truth or Ultimate Reality? Only through ‘tattva gnana’ can we know the ultimate reality, We should know the ultimate reality to be saved from further births. All the Acharyas are agreed on this, whether it is Sankara, Ramanuja or Madhva. How does one reach this Truth? One must understand the Truth in the context of the Vedas. The religions that accept the primacy of the Vedas are known as the Vaidika mathas. Why do we need the Vedas to understand the Truth? Just as we need the microscope and telescope for scientific study, so also we need tools to understand the ultimate reality, and the tools that help here are the Vedas. We use our senses to make sense of the world. But when something is beyond our senses, how does one comprehend it? We need the help of the Vedas to understand that which is ‘ateendriyam’ – not comprehensible through our senses. So to understand God, we need someone to tell us about Him. Those who have seen Him do not talk to us about Him. Those who talk about Him are the ones who have not seen Him, says Thirumazhisai Azhvar in a verse. So the only way to know the ultimate reality is to see what the Vedas say in this regard, because the Vedas speak only the truth. Suppose you have not seen the Niagara Falls yourself, but you have a honest friend who has seen it. If he were to describe the Falls to you, you would believe him because he is trustworthy. Likewise, the Vedas that show us the Truth are to be trusted, and will help us know the ultimate reality.
A Hindu woman performing a religious ceremony around the tulsi plant Painting by D.V. Dhurandhar, Bombay, C.1890 (image source: V&A Museum, London) Once again this has reference to Seenu’s blog on Indian Monsoon In The Bhagavad Gita , sloka 20, Chapter 10, Lord Krishna says, “I am the Self seated in the heart of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the very end of all beings”. All beings have, therefore to be treated alike.” *** Our natural environment – comprising mountains and hills, rivers and dales, trees and plants – is considered auspicious enough to provide space for meditation. There are thousands of spots whose special sanctity is enhanced by the performance of daily rituals. Retreats in the Himalayas or on the river banks shelter sages who are credited with universal knowledge. Especially hallowed are the sources and confluence of rivers. Harmony with the natural world receives strong emphasis as a pervasive element in Indian spiritual beliefs and rituals. Evergreen trees were regarded as symbols of eternal life and to cut them down was to invite the wrath of the gods. Groves in forests were looked upon as habitations of the gods. It was under a banyan tree that the Hindu sages sat in a trance seeking enlightenment and it was here that they held discourses and conducted holy rituals. The ancient sacred literature of the Vedas enshrines a holistic and poetic cosmic vision. They represent the oldest, the most carefully nurtured, the most elaborately systematized and the most lovingly preserved oral tradition in the annals of the world. Unique in their perspective of time and space, their evocative poetry is a joyous and spontaneous affirmation of life and nature. The Vedic Hymn to the Earth, the Prithvi Sukta in Atharva Veda, is unquestionably the oldest and the most evocative environmental invocation. In it, the Vedic seer solemnly declares the enduring filial allegiance of humankind to Mother Earth: ‘Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah: Earth is my mother, I am her son.’ Mother Earth is celebrated for all her natural bounties and particularly for her gifts of herbs and vegetation. Her blessings are sought for prosperity in all endeavours and fulfilment of all righteous aspirations. A covenant is made that humankind shall secure the Earth against all environmental trespass and shall never let her be oppressed. A soul-stirring prayer is sung in one of the hymns for the preservation and conservation of hills, snow-clad mountains, and all brown, black and red earth, unhurt, unsmitten, unwounded, unbroken and well defended by Indra. (source: The East is green – ourplanet.com).
Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamy Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swaminah (born Srinivasa Sastri; 1917 – 1989 ) was the Jagadguru Shankaracharya (ecumenical pontiff) of one of the most important Hindu Advaita Mathas in India , the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham . A ” matha ” is a seminary and monastery for followers of the Hindu religion. Srinivasa Sastri was born in Basavanagudi , Bangalore to Venkatalakshamma and Rama Sastry on November 13 , 1917 . The family was an extremely pious Telugu -speaking smartha brahmin family belonging to the Mulukanadu subcaste. Even as a young boy, Srinivasa Sastri exhibited extreme dispassion, a hallmark of great ascetics . When offered the opportunity to stay in Sringeri and study the Hindu scriptures under the tutelage of the then Jagadguru, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati , he quickly accepted and settled without ado into a life of austerity and scholarship. Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati eventually announced that Sri Srinivasa Sastri would succeed him as the next Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri. The sacred initiation ceremony was held on May 22 1931 . The Acharya named his holy successor designate “Abhinava Vidyateertha”. Srinivasa Sastri was only thirteen years old at the time of his initiation into Sannyasa (Asceticism). From then until his mukti in 1989 , Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swaminah navigated the affairs of the Sringeri Matha with sagacity and immense dignity. Under his supervision, the activities of the Matha expanded all over India . Apart from offering spiritual guidance to the throngs of the faithful, he also expanded the charitable actions of the mutt, including the construction of a state-of-the-art medical facility , the “Sharada Dhanavantari Charitable Hospital”, to serve the population of Sringeri and surrounding areas. The Jivanmukta(One who is liberated while alive) Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Swaminah attained videhamukti on 21 September 1989 . His Adhishtana stands in the Narasimha Vanam at Sringeri Sri Abhinavatheertha swamigal’s biography is available in the following book named as Yoga Enlightenment And Perfection and the same book is named as Yogmum Gyanumum Jeevanamukthiyum in tamil The following is an exposition of Karma Yoga by Achryal, throug parables one of the many is given here as sample for you . A woman doted on her young son and took great care of him. One day ,she woke up with intense headache and nausea,neverthe less she attended to her child’s morning requirements without any laxity. That day,she found the rice prepared by her to be slightly over cooked.Promptly she started to cook some more rice , her husband noticed this and told her, You are sick and in pain why do you want to strain youself? The rice ready is quite eatable, for that she said I want to give my son the kind of rice he is used to and the over cooked rice I shall consume it. Out of deep love for her child the woman did her very best for hm. Likewise , a Karma-Yogin, by virtue of his devotion to GOD, performs his duties to the very best of his ability and refrain from adhrama . The lord has declared in the Bhagwat Gita, Perform your prescribed duties, for action is superior to inaction.Moreover, even the maintainance of your body will not be possible through inaction. Man becomes bound by all his action except those done by him of the sake of God. O son of Kunti, perform actions for God without being attached…..By performing his duty without attachment, a peron attains liberation.(through the purifiction of his mind).
” The Sage of Kanchi” is a biographical documentary in English on the life of Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi, the 68th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. It takes you on a spiritual journey and portrays the life and times of the Maha Periyaval of Kanchi, referred to as Paramacharya by his disciples and followers. The video captures the 100 years of life of this great spiritual head, his immense contribution to the national and spiritual fabric of India, and to the 2,500 year old institution established by Sri Adi Shankara at Kanchipuram. you may visit the following site to view the lovely video presentation of Parmacharya’s life history. http://www.indiadivine.org/articles/975/1/The-Sage-of-Kanchi-Life-of-Sri-Chandrashekarendra-Saraswati/Page1.html
