By Dr. Tilak Verma (Continued from Passing Show 1...) I am ready to take the first-ever drag from my just-purchased, "Passing Show" cigarette!  And that’s when I spot him, or should I say, he spots me. Jindoo Ram! Our pot-bellied, rotund cook, maker of the choicest curries, renowned for his koftas with cashews embedded on the inside and for perfect, evenly cooked, puffed rotis. “Having fun and enjoying, I see.” He observes and moves on, disappearing into the crowd before I can think of an excuse, offer an explanation, or plead for secrecy. Oh boy! I fling the Passing Show aside a ..read more

By Dr. Tilak Verma Nachiketa, a young boy in search of knowledge and truth is in conversation with Yama, the god of death. When a person dies, there exists a doubt: “He still exists,” say some; “he doesn’t not," say others. I want you to teach me the truth. Swami Yogatmananda-ji is speaking on this over two carefully crafted talks entitled, "Much Ado about Nothing" and "Choosing Wisely." Yama is unmoved. “This doubt haunted even the gods of old,” he says, adding, "Ask me something else.” He offers, instead, immense wealth, longevity, and even a kingdom to rule over--and all the pleasures of ..read more

By Charles Feldman (Prana) I have been involved with the Vedanta Society for about 19 years now. But one thing I have never been able to feel confident about is: How do we know for sure that Sri Ramakrishna is an Avatar?  After all, he is not as well known as Krishna, Buddha, Shankaracharya, or Chaitanya, and some Gurus who are alive now are regarded by their followers as an Avatar. Once I asked someone from India if they had heard of Sri Ramakrishna, and they said they had not. I know that Sri Ramakrishna might in the future become as well known as these others, but I have always asked m ..read more

By Swapna Ray Oftentimes we have small furrows of conditioning that make us reluctant to accept what is desired of us. So, the gap remains – between what we know and what we follow! But God has His own little ways of making us do what He wants us to! The moment I completed my breakfast at Belur Math, a strange realization dawned upon me that unknowingly I had broken the convention that I had held on to for so many years – of not having any food prior to my visit to temple! But here I was, succumbing to His wishes without my knowledge! If my Thakur was smilin ..read more

By Swapna Ray I know you not; never before And yet, my soul seeks you. Within your infinite, I join my dots; We build our lives anew.  --Rabindranath Tagore The years 2021 and 2022 have been devastating for most of us. With horror in our eyes and unimaginable grief in our hearts, we have counted the deaths of our most near and dear ones succumbing to COVID! There is this thing about tragedy – that fine line between feeling it and experiencing it – up close, and personal! From miles and miles away, we could only grapple with the feeling of personal losses, with the lump of regret lodged in ..read more

By Swami Yogatmananda A correction to what has been stated in the first blog: The documented records painstakingly collected and sent to me show that I became acquainted with Father Paul in 2002; and his maiden speech here was on Sept 20, 2003, at our 75th Anniversary Celebration, alongside the late Rev. Swami Swahananda, the then head of our Hollywood Center and the Chief Guest of the 75 Anniversary Celebration.  Father Paul came to Providence Vedanta and stayed overnight so many times. On many such occasions he would take a train from Boston South Station and myself or someone else from ..read more

By Swami Yogatmananda Living Flame- This was part of his email name - Father (then Bishop) Paul livingflame03@yahoo.com.  If I remember right, it was sometime in 2005 (if not even before) that I got to meet him at the Boston center of Vedanta, introduced by a close devotee from Boston, Srinivas Gandhi. He knew Father Paul since 1999 and admired his sincere approach to religious practice that did not shy away from going beyond the cultish limitations. The most important point that struck a common chord between myself and Father Paul was the conviction that God can actually be seen/experien ..read more

By Brahmachari Aadi While working on our mind's discipline, the progress seems slow at times, but just look at the heights covered by that ideal of discipline! Ah, it's hard to see all the way up there. The mountain breaches the cloud's mist and extends onwards and upwards. An electrifying silence touches the onlooker. That Mount Meru (the mythical high mountain mentioned in Puranas) is difficult to measure. How to know if one will summit it in this life? We cannot know, but we can surely determine what the next steps are and proceed methodically. Then we will not lose our footing. Swami Brah ..read more

 By Br. Aadi Staying with Maharaj began to kindle a light in Harish's heart. Maharaj told Harish, "You will have a new life," and he began to feel that the spiritual realm was an open book. This is a wonderful idea that the meaning of the universe can be read. It is a poetry of Brahman. And we can also write it. If we cannot read the universe then we cannot read a book either, then words are empty and dry. By reading the universe we see the commonality of all ideas, events, and people, and we get to know the Writer of it all. Until then, our lives are made up of disconnected chapters, mor ..read more

By Br. Aadi Swami Satprakashananda was exposed to Ramakrishna Mission's ideals from a young age. Then he was called Harish, and the desire kindled in him to meet the living beings from whom these ideals emanated. He went to the field of the Lila and first saw Holy Mother and M. A day or two later, he went to Belur Math to see Maharaj, a.k.a. Swami Brahmananda. When Swamis Prabhavananda and Akhilananda first went to Belur Math, Maharaj was the very first person that they saw. Young Harish had the same luck but said that he would have taken this auspicious event as a mere coincidence if not for ..read more