Swami Prabhavananda and Swami Nikhilananda

This post is about two of my beloved monks of the famed Ramakrishna Order. Online links to their biographies: Swami Nikhilananda (1 and 2) and Swami Prabhavananda (1 and 2).

Lives: The similarities in their lives simply cannot be missed. Swami Prabhavananda was born in 1893, while Swami Nikhilananda was born in 1895. Swami Prabhavananda was an initiated disciple of Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual son of Ramakrishna while Swami Nikhilananda was a initiated disciple of Sarada Devi, the spiritual wife of Ramakrishna. (It is interesting that both have the same Ramakrishna-number -- similar to Erdos number in Mathematics -- 2.) Both of the Swami's were sent at a very young age to USA to continue the work started by Swami Vivekananda.

Both of the Swamis established their Vedanta centres (as Ramakrishna Maths outside India are called) in the west at Los Angeles by Swami Prabhavananda and in the east at New York by Swami Nikhilananda. They both became famous in the modern world for their books and lectures mainly centering around Vedanta. Swami Nikhilananda was well known for his translations of Shankara's works while Swami Prabhavananda was well known for his collaborations and interactions with people like Aldous Huxley, Frederick Manchester and Christopher Isherwood (the latter two are his collaborators). They both continued to be the presidents of the centres they started till the day they left this world. Swami Nikhilananda left this world at 1973, while Swami Prabhavananda left this world in 1976.

Works: I think that Prabhavananda gives a simple from the heart commentary, while Nikhilananda gives a more scholarly translation (I wanted to, but did not use the phrase more-accurate for Swami Nikhilananda).

• Upanishads: Upanishads: Breath of the eternal by Swami Prabhavananda was simple, refreshing and introductory. Swami Nikhilananda wrote two translations of the Upanishads. One of them a 4-volume edition (amazon-link) is considered a master piece in itself and also has the commentary on the Upanishads by Adi Shankara. It also has a near 100 page introduction. So that lesser souls like us can read the Upanishads, The Swami has also written one volume abridged edition. Even the latter has a detailed introduction (mostly taken from the introduction to the former). Both of these introductions are a great introduction of the Vedanta to any serious student. A major portion of the introduction -- in both the 4 volume and 1 volume editions -- is aptly titled "Discussion of Brahman in the Upanishads".
  
  
• Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of the Lord Bhagavad Gita by Swami Prabhavananda was very simple and beautiful. The translation by Swami Nikhilananda included a translation of the commentary by the Great Adi Shankara. It also includes a great introduction.
  
  
• Biographies of their Parama Acharya: Swami Nikhilananda is well known for his translation for the excellent translation of Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (which I have not read) and its abridged version (which I have read). Swami Prabhavananda's disciple Christopher Isherwood has written Ramakrishna and his Disciples which is enchanting. I put it in the category of Swami Prabhavananda because of he is a disciple of Swami Prabhavananda. In the introduction of the book, he begins with the striking words: "this book is about Ramakrishna, the phenomenon".
  
  
• Other Works by Swami Nikhilananda: Swami Nikhilananda has translated Mandukya Upanishad including Gaudapada Karika (book not available online in USA. Only in RK mission book shops in India.), Drg-Drsya-Viveka and Adi Shankara's Self-Knowledge (Atma-Bodha). The latter book is commendable for its introduction that has a good introduction to Vedanta Philosophy, and its appendix that has a beautiful translation of many devotional hymns written by Adi Shankara.
  
  
• Other works by Swami Prabhavananda: The Swami has translated Adi Shankara's Viveka Chudamani Crest Jewel of Discrimination as well as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: How to Know God. Swami Prabhavananda's Sermon on the Mount according to Vedanta is a book I would recommend to any Christian for the simplicity with which the core of Christianity (the Lord's prayer) echoes Vedanta.
  

May you read the works of the great men and progress towards realizing Brahman within Your Self.

[This post is another in admiration of Ramakrishna Math in spreading Vedanta in the west. Previous one is here.

About spreading of Vedanta in India, there is a third monumental figure, Swami Ranganathanananda. Describing him would be attempted in another post. Until then, read these wiki-entry, quotations from Ranganathananda, his obituary (he passed away in 2005) review of his biography.] Read the rest of this entry >>

Drg-Drsya-Viveka available online

Thanks to a post on advaitin mailing-list, I discovered a complete online edition of Drig-Drsya-Viveka by Swami Nikhilananda.

This short work of 46 verses, whose title means "Wisdom of the Seer and the Seen" talks about the Self as Consciousness (pragyanam-brahma) and perceiver/witness of everything. That the translation has been done by Swami Nikhilananda, who is well known for his translation of many wonderful books (my favorites: Self-knowledge and Bhagavad Gita) adds credit to this book. Even Shri. Subrahmanya Iyer says in the introduction:

The Swami's great literary merits are already so well and so widely known that this work of his needs little introduction from laymen like me. It is a time-honoured belief, a belief as old as the oldest Upanishads, that Vedantic Truth is best taught by those that live it, not by those that merely talk about it. Bhagavan Sri Ramakrsna Paramahamsa, the 'Real Mahatman' of the late Prof. Max Muller, was one such rare and great teacher. And the Vedantic works that are published by the reverend Order of Sannyasins founded by such a Guru have so great a spiritual charm that they make these works most welcome to all earnst seekers after Truth.

Here are a couple of verses:

Verse 1: The form is perceived and the eye is the perceiver. It (eye) is perceived and the mind is the perceiver. The mind with its modifications is perceived and the Witness (the Self) is verily the perceiver. But It (the Witness) is not perceived (by any other).

Verse 2: The forms (objects of perception) appear as various on account of such distintions as blue, yellow, gross, subtle, short, long, etc. The eye, on the other hand, sees them, itself remaining one and the same.

Verse 3: Such characteristics of the eye as blindness, sharpness or dullness, the mind is able to cognize because it is a unity. This also applies to (whatever is perceived through) the ear, skin, etc.

Verse 4: Consciousness illuminates (such other mental states as) desire, determination and doubt, belief and non-belief and non-belief, constancy and its opposite, modesty, understanding, fear and others, because it (Consciousness) is a unity.

Verse 5. This Consciousness [eternal Witness of all changes] does not rise [meaning birth] nor set [death]. It does not increase; neither does it suffer decay. Being self-luminous, it illuminates everything else without any other aid.

In veses 13-15, the book talks about the two powers of Maya: avarna (one that viels/conceals Brahman) and vikshepa (one that projects something else as Brahman). The next verses describe the differences between Nirguna and Saguna Brahman and the modes of attaining each of these.

Note on Saguna Vs. Nirguna Brahman: It is perceived by many that the Upanishads are ambivalent about Saguna vs. Nirguna Brahman. They have case because MahaNarayana Upanishad seems to declare Brahman as Naarayana, Svesavatara Upanishad declares Rudra as Brahman and Ganesha Atharva Sirsha Upanishad declares Brahman as Ganapathi. On the other hand, Mandukya Upanishad and verses from BrihadAranyaka and Chandogya seem to declare Brahman as Nirguna. The learned Swami points out in his introduction to Upanishads that many Upanishads are very clear about which Brahman they are talking about by the use of pronoun "He" for Saguna Brahman and "It" for Nirguna Brahman.

A recommendation: I found that reading Ramana Maharshi's commentary on Drg-Drsya-Viveka helped in understanding it. His commentary is in the book "The Collected works of Ramana Maharshi" and also available online from the Ramana-Maharshi.org website under downloads.

[The original post at advaitin mailing-list also links a classic Advaita text: Yoga Vasistha. I am yet to read it.]

Read the ancient text (including the commentary by Swami Nikhilananda and Ramana Maharshi) and contemplate on the nature of the Self!

Postscript: The following link is also relevant. Read the rest of this entry >>

Shankara's Introduction to his Commentary on Gita

On Gita Jayanthi, by some strange coincidence, I happened to start the English translation of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita by Swami Nikhilananda. The learned Swami -- from an institution which I immensely respect -- has done an excellent English translation of the commentary of Shankara. Shankara, when he wanted to start, some can say reinstate, the philosophy of Advaita in the pavithra bhoomi (sacred land) of India, wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. This was a part of his commentary on each of the text of prasthana-traya, the other two being The Upanishads and The Brahmasutras. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of Mahabharata and technically should be considered a smriti (remembered) text. It is however considered a sruti (revelatory) text due to its source (Lord Krishna, an avatar) and the influence upon Indians of generations.

The Bhagavad Gita, being such a great source of daily-inspiration for millons of Indians spanning across centuries, has been called by some scholars as a book that is (1) not amenable to Advaitic interpretation and (2) has many inconsistent thoughts. The scholars -- including the great Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan himself -- had to go through great pains in writing translations of Gita. They had to use classifications like (1) the first six chapters (called karma-shatkam) talk about the concept of renunciation of the deeds of karma as a method of liberation, (2) the next six chapters (called bhakti-shatkam) talk about the love of the personal God as a method of liberation and (3) the last six chapters (called gyana-shatkam) talk about the way of knowledge as a method of liberation.

Another great scholar, Eliot Deutsch, the learned scholar who has written the books exposing the philosophical content on Advaita and source books on Advaita, himself had to use the terms "progressive teaching of Gita" for explaining the "inconsistency" of the Gita.

All this may confuse a spiritual-student -- including the author of this post -- to mistakenly conclude about the message of the Gita. This is particularly true when: (1) if the student is mature enough to search for message in the Gita, but not mature enough -- as the author of the post was -- to understand the message that was clear (hind sight is always 20/20). (2) Also, in students who have a reasonable amount of maturity and thirst for knowledge, the words "The gita is not considered an Advaitic Text" can lead one away from Gita, when it is known that Advaita is the crux of indian philosophical systems. If such a student searches for a message in Upanishads, he is bound to be more confused, as the Upanishads are too experiences of seers. The Upanishads themselves being experiences of different seers in different times and situations would surely confuse any such student.

The way out of that confusion is, as it always should have been, the well known axiom: "go to the source". Shankara, being a brilliant philosopher himself does not have an inch of confusion and dispels all confusions from any such students hearts. The commentary of Shankara on Gita, nay Shankara's introduction itself to the Gita itself, is enough to dispel any such doubts on any spiritual practitioner. Before beginning such a reading, let us begin an old prayer that explains the significance of each Gita in the context of Upanishads:

The Upanishads are as a herd of cows; Krishna the Son of a cowherd, is their Milker. Arjuna is the calf, the supreme ambrosia of the Gita the milk, and the wise man the drinker.

Here is the introduction:

Of the two kinds of dharma dealt with in the Vedas: the one characterized by activity and the other by renunciation. This twofold Dharma, the cause of the stability of the world order and also the direct means by which men attain prosperity and the Highest Good [Liberation], was followed by members of the different castes -- the brahmin, kshatriya, and the rest -- and of the different dharmas, desirous to secure their welfare.

People parctised the Vedic dharma for a long time. Then lust arose among them; discrimination and wisdom declined. Unrigheousnedd began to outweigh righteousness. Thus, when unrighteousness prevailed ine world, Vishnu [the all pervading one], the First Creator, also known as Narayana, wishing to ensure the continuance of the universe, incarnated Himself, in part, as Krishna. He was born to Devaki and Vasudeva for the protection of the brahmins on earth and their spiritual ideal. By the protection of the brahmin ideal, the dharma of the Vedas is preserved, since all different castes and ashramas are under its control.

The Lord, the eternal Possessor of Knowledge, Soveignty, Power, Strength, Energy, and Vigour, brings under His control maya -- belonging to Him as Vishnu -- the primordial Nature, characterized by the three gunas. And then, through the maya, He is seen as though born, as though endowded with a body, and as though showing compassion for men; for He is, in reality, unborn, unchanging, the Lord of all created beings, and by nature eternal, pure, illuminated, and free.

Though the Lord had nor purpose of His own to serve, yet, with the sole desire of bestowing favour on men, He taught this twofold Vedic dharma to Arjuna, who was deeply sunk in the ocean of grief and delusion; for a dharma spreads and grows when accepted by high-minded persons.

It is this dharma taught by the Lord that the omniscient and venerable Vyasa, the compiler of Vedas, embodied in seven hundred verses under the name of the Gita.

This scripture, the Gita, is a compendium of the essential teachings of the whole of the Vedas; its meaning is extremely difficult to grasp. Many commentators desiring to present a clear idea of that meaning, have explained the words, and the meaning of the words of the sentenses, and also the arguments. But, I find that, to the people of ordinary understanding, these explanations convey diverse and contradictory meanings. Therefore, I intend to write a brief commentary on the Gita, with a view to determining precisely what it signifies.

The ultimate aim of the Gita is, in a word, the attainment of the Highest Good, characterized by the complete cessation of relative existence and its cause. This is realized by means of that dharma whose essence is devotion to Self-knowledge attained through the renunciation of all action. With reference to this dharma laid down in the Gita, the Lord says in the Anugita:

"That dharma is quite sufficient for the attainment of Brahman." (Mahabharatha Chapter on Ahsvamedha, xvi 12)
In the same treatise it is said:
"He who is righetousness and without unrighteousness -- he who is absorbed in one Goal, silent and without thinking."
"Knowledge is characterized by renunciation."

In the concluding chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: "Abandon all dharmas and come to Me alone for shelter." (XVIII 66)

The dharma characterized by activity and prescribed for the different castes and ashramas is, no doubt, a means of securing worldly welfare and also of attaining the regions of the gods; but when it is practised in a spirit of self-surrender to the Lord, and without desire for fruit, it leads to the purification of the mind. A man of pure mind becomes fit to acquire devotion to the path of knowledge and attains Knowledge. Thus by means of the dharma of activity, one ultmately realizes the Highest Good. With this view in mind the Lord says in the Gita: "He who works without attachment, resigning his actions to Brahman." (V. 10) "The yogis act, without attachment, for the purification of the heart." (V. 11)

The purpose of the two fold dharma described in the Gita is the attainment of the Highest Good. The subject-matter is the Supreme-Reality known as Vasudeva, the Ultimate Brahman. It expounds both in a specific manner. Thus the Gita treats of a specific subject, with a specific end in view, and there is a specific relation between the subject-matter and the object.

Knowledge of the Gita enables one to attain the goal of all human aspiration. Hence my attempt to explain its teachings.

May we all mature enough to understand the real message in Gita.
Om Tat Sat! Read the rest of this entry >>

Two Jewels of books and others

Om Gam Ganapathaye Namah!: (from Ganapathi Atharva Sirsha Upanishad.)

Two Jewels: (1) Translation of Shankara's Self-Knowledge (Atmabodha) by Swami Nikhilananda. It also has a beautiful introduction to Vedanta philosophy with an appendix that includes English translations of many of Shankara's works. (2) Ramakrishna and His Disciples by Christopher Isherwood about Shri. Ramakrishna, the phenomenon.

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Some belated obituaries: The great indian novelist Raja Rao, the great musician Bismillah Khan (interview and anecdotes [Hat tip: Uma]) and a great entertainer Steve Irwing.

Other books: Zen mind, Beginners mind, Our Kind by Marvin Harris, [Hat tip: Atanu] and Devil's Chaplain by Richard Dawkins [Hat tip: SMS].

Other stuff: In his introduction to Bhagavad-Gita, Prof. Deutsch considers Chapters 12 and 13 to be the pinnacle of Bhagavad-Gita.

Hope everyone is doing fine. More later.

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Amar Read the rest of this entry >>