Random Acts of Brahman, Part 2 of 3

By Chet

Our carpool group arrived at Slater Mill a few minutes later than the other cars.

The timing, the traffic, a detour around some road work, and a glitch in the car’s GPS --everything seemed to have conspired to make us late for the tour.

Yet, those seemingly independent random events would completely change the course of our day.

The tour was fully booked; there was simply no room for any more visitors.

Gathering our group, we went back to the car and set the GPS for the waterfront at India Point Park.

We left Pawtucket behind in an upbeat mood, filled with enthusiasm and anticipation rather than disappointment.

Random Acts of Brahman, Part 1 of 3

By Chet

This post describes a sequence of incidents which occurred during a field trip to Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The field trip (or excursion) was part of the curriculum for the Vedanta Society’s annual residential children’s summer camp.

Is it possible to observe subtle connections among the events which form our days—connections which are deeper than simply a sequence of seemingly unrelated incidents?

Who actually is the designer of each day, with its strange itinerary of events that momentarily pass through our consciousness? Let us investigate.

We in the West are taught from a young age to plan everything. We map out our careers, schedule our weekends, and budget our time to the hour.

But if we look back to the best moments of our lives, how many of them were actually on our calendars? The truth is, true magic rarely follows a schedule.

Purity of Food and Purity of Mind

By Tilak Verma

The meal was elaborate: tamarind rice, sambar dal, Chettinad paneer, masala aloo and baingan. The occasion was a satsangha, a gathering of spiritual seekers in the company of a monk. Naturally, the conversation turned to food, though not merely its flavors or taste, but its deeper spiritual significance.

After the meal, we gathered around the Swami in a serene setting overlooking the bay. He began by reciting a celebrated verse from the Chhāndogya Upanishad:

Āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhiḥ;
sattva-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtiḥ;
smṛti-lambhe sarva-granthīnām vipramokṣaḥ.

"When food is pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure, awareness becomes steady, and all bonds are loosened, leading to liberation."

The Parable of the Pizza

By Dr. Tilak Verma 

We were at a retreat with Swami C, as we affectionately call him, an American monk of the Ramakrishna Order.

The topic that morning was living in the present moment. After a brief meditation, Swami C shared a story from his early days as a monk, a story that unexpectedly featured a slice of pizza.

Freshly ordained and overflowing with the joy of monastic life, he stepped out of the monastery in San Francisco for a walk. His mind was calm. He felt complete in himself, needing nothing.

Then it happened:

The aroma of freshly baked pizza drifted from a nearby restaurant.

The Mild Hindu

By Br. Aadi, Probationers’ Training Center, Belur Math

In Swamiji's epic lecture tour across India recorded in "Lectures from Colombo to Almora," delivered after returning from his momentous trip to America, he broadcast his discerning insights about India’s national character, her place and purpose in the world order, and the correct line of her future development. In the first public lecture he delivered in the East, in Colombo, he mentions the term “the mild Hindu” which Westerners of that time used as a subtle insult. To the modern Western world this trait may appear as a weakness, but Swamiji here states that “if ever a reproach concealed a wonderful truth, it is in the term, ‘the mild Hindu’.”

While other nations have advanced their ideas in the sphere of human thought “with the blast of war trumpets and with the march of embattled cohorts,” we find India’s wonderful spiritual thought more deeply pervading sphere of human thought thanks only to its sheer endurance over time and to its fascinating nature. For both of these qualities, the principal cause is peace or mildness. Swamiji says that this harmonizing spiritual peace of the Indian nation is like the gentle dew that silently brings into bloom masses of roses. This divine peace or mildness is at the core of the message which India must give to the world, and this of course must be done without hypocrisy, for peace is the only firmament upon which an enduring and fascinating religion can be practiced and preached.

Happy to be Unhappy

By Rajeswari Balasubramanium

This is FIFA World Cup season. Once an old grey-haired lady sat with her grandchildren to watch a FIFA crunch match between two equally high-rated football (Soccer) teams. She had zero understanding of the game, nor any real interest in it. After a few minutes, she could not take it anymore. ‘Just rank stupid; 22 young boys are scrambling for passion of one ball! Can we not stop this non-sense by buying 22 balls and giving one to each?’ she asked.

How many of us enjoy the thrill of watching two powerful teams battle it out on the field? In fact, almost every sport is built on the same principle: two or more competitors striving for something limited—a ball, a trophy, or victory itself. Imagine a soccer match where every player is given their own ball. Would anyone watch it? The excitement disappears when there is nothing to compete for. The fun begins precisely because there is a challenge or a struggle.

The paradox of fun in suffering becomes even more evident in the smallest events of our daily lives. How many of us willingly pay money to shed tears watching sad films, scream on amusement park rides, or shiver inside a sleeping bag while camping in the wilderness?

Watering the Root

By Dr. Tilak Verma

Recently, we were sitting with Swami Yogatmananda at the kitchen table—one of those informal gatherings over tea where conversations naturally flow from everyday matters to profound spiritual questions.

On this occasion, in response to a devotee's question, Maharaj quoted a well-known doha by Abdur Rahim:

एकै साधे सब सधै, सब साधे सब जाय।
रहिमन मूलहिं सींचिबो, फूलै फलै अघाय॥

A single thing rightly pursued accomplishes all;
Pursue everything, and everything is lost.
Water the root, says Rahim, and the tree will abundantly bear flowers and fruit.

On the practical level, this verse teaches the value of focus. If we concentrate on one essential skill or one important task, many other things naturally fall into place. When our attention is scattered among countless pursuits, our efforts get distracted, weak and little is truly accomplished.