Gita Vani 2018

172 Pages·2017·17.76 MB·English

Gita Vani 2018
DBS-O-018-T18 [email protected] 1 26/2/18 6:39 pm
Editorial
In Sanat Sujatiya, a part of the Mahabharata, from Udyoga Parva (chapters 41–46), Dhritarashtra asks
Sanatsujata, the mental son (maanasa putra) of Brahma several questions. One of the questions is
regarding reasons why though the same spiritual practise is carried by two different persons, results can
be completely different. Sanatsujata replies that it is not just the actions that lead to results. When Tapas or
spiritual practises are carried out as per Upanishadic injunctions and with faith and attention and spiritual
wisdom (vidya), it leads to liberation. When spirituality is corrupted with impurities it leads the aspirant
astray. And he goes on to list the impurities of the mind that nullifies all spiritual efforts such as the 12
doshas (negative characteristics listed are Krodha, Kama, Lobha, Moha, Vivitsa, Akrupa, Asuya, Maana,
Shoka, Spriha, Irshya and Jugupsa.). On a similar note, in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahatmya (from Padma
Purana), Gokarna asks the Vishnu Parshadas why even though all heard the same Bhagavata Katha, only
Dhundhukari attained the Divine. Answer given is that the difference lies in the quality of their hearing.
Although it is true that everyone heard the katha, everyone did not meditate on it equally. Listening with
a completely stable (in wisdom) and attentive mind is required. One needs to listen attentively, with faith
in the words of the Guru, humility, and control of the mind’s defects. This a great caveat in any serious
spiritual endeavour - study of Srimad Bhagavd Gita too.
The message of Gita is of great importance today as at all times in the past. The perennial
wisdom of Gita that is eternal is one of action and wisdom and how to act in times of confusion and moral
dilemmas. Modern world is even more confused than ever, with very many distractions and new sources
of divisions amongst people as well as within oneself. The integrating message of Gita on how to act in
times of crisis has guided many great men of action as well as wisdom. It can guide all of us too. We
need to read, understand and practise the teachings of Gita to really liberate us. It is really heartening
to note that articles in this issue provide a wide variety of viewpoints and mental frames of reference.
Even current hot topics like Internet of Things (IOT), Industry 4.0, Gaia style vision of deep environmental
awareness etc have all been seen through Gita perspectives – in the manner that befits a contemporary
study of this great scripture. Being in Singapore, we are fortunate to get non-Indian perspectives too, that
truly enhances the appreciation of the integral and transcendental nature of the text. Articles in this issue
as well as rituals like Havan are all part of our own personal journeys of self-discovery and realization,
aided by Gita.
May a deep and attentive study of Gita lead to clarity of vision and deeper understanding of
ourselves and in the process integrate us as one people and one planet.
|| हरिः ॐ तत स् त |् | hariḥ om tat sat ||
Krishna Kumar M
PUBLICATION TEAM Gita Vani is a souvenir publication of the Gita
Jayanti 2018, organized by BIJHAR(Singapore),
Chairman: Sneh Kant Gupta along with other Hindu temples and
associations of Singapore under the auspices
Editor, Layout, Design: Krishnakumar M of the Hindu Endowments Board.
Members: www.gitajayanti.org.sg
H P Dayani
Disclaimer: Authors and contributors are
Arjan G Kripalani fully responsible for the contents. The
Chandru Budhrani editorial/publishing team and the Organizing
Kamal Kishore (Vice Chairman) Committee and sub-committees members of
Gita Jayanti 2018 Asuthosh Nair Gita Jayanti 2018 are not responsible directly
or indirectly for the contents whether in
Celebrating the birth of articles or advertisements, except as authors
Printed by
Srimad Bhagavad Gita - the spiritual for any factual errors, copyright or intellectual
Khalsa Printers Pte Ltd
property violations, or any other legal or non-
classic, “Song Celestial”
legal disputes or actions of any kind.
GGiittaa VVaannii 22001188 11

T
Regulars - Messages 167 Committee Report: Art Competitions 2017-18 by Mrs
A
Sandhya Ramaprasad, Chairperson, Visual Arts
5 Message by Guest of Honour, Mr Vikram Nair, Member of
Parliament, Sembawang GRC Regulars - General B
7 Message by His Excellency Mr Jawed Ashraf, High
Commissioner of India for Singapore 164 Gita Jayanti Competitions - List of Prize Winners (Chanting,L
Oratorical, Essay and Art)
9 Joint Message by Mr R Jayachandran, Chairman, Hindu
168 Acknowledgments E
Endowments Board and Mr Rajan Krishnan, Chairman,
Hindu Advisory Board In Pictures
11 Message by Chairman, Organising Committee, GJ 2018, Mr O
Suresh Agarwal, BIJHAR (Singapore)
97 International Gita Forum (Singapore) 2017 - 20 Aug 2017 &
13 Message by Sri Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji, Sri 22 Oct 2017. F
Puthige Mutt, Karnataka, India
98, 99 Gita Havan 2017
15 Messages by Ms Sundari Suppiah, President, Krishna
100,101 Krishna Manjari 2018 C
Our Guide, (Co-Lead Organization 1997) & Mr Sohan Lal
102 Chanting Competitions
Dhawn, President, Geeta Ashram (Co-Lead Organization
1999) 103 Art Competitions & Chanting Competitions (Cat 6 - Adults) O
105 Oratorical Competitions, Monthly Parayan
17 Messages by Dr N Varaprasad, President, Hindu Centre,
(Co-Lead Organization 1999) & by Mr Chandru Bharwani, 107 Art Competitions - Prize Winning Works N
President, Chinmaya Seva Centre (Lead Organization 2000)
Articles & Essays
19 Messages by Mr Rajan Menon, Chairman, Amriteswari
T
Society, Singapore, (Lead Organization 2003) & Mr G
35 “Gita in Our Times ” by H H Swami Chinmayananda
Srinivasan, President, Singapore Dakshina Bharatha
E
45 “Gita Meditations” by Sadhu T L Vaswani
Brahmana Sabha (Lead Organization 2008)
21 Messages by Mr Ajaykumar Nair, President, Singapore 49 “Wake Up !...To True Knowledge” by Swami TejomayanandaN
Malayalee Hindu Samajam, Singapore (Lead Organization 53 “Love’s labour can never be lost” by Swami
2004) and Mr Tushar Doshi, President, Singapore Gujarati Swaroopananda
T
Society (Lead Organization 2011)
57 “Adoration Of All-In-One” by Swami Vimokshananda,
23 Messages by Mr Sundar Ramchand, President, Sri Sathya President, Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Singapore S
Sai Society, Singapore (Lead Organization 2002) & Mr Koti
63 “Asanga - The Mightiest Weapon (Concepts Based On
Reddy, President, Singapore Telugu Cultural Society (Lead
Bhagavadgad Gita” by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Organization 2006)
73 “What Krishna Taught Us” by Swami Pranavamritananda
25 Messages by Mr Shashi Lal Kashyap, Sri Aurobindo Society,
Puri
(Lead Organization 2005) & Mr Kamal Kishore, President,
Marwari Mitra Mandal (Singapore) - (Lead Organization 79 “Mind Control” by Dada J P Vaswani
2009) 85 Dada J P Vaswani @ 100 - Gita Vani Salutes Dada Vaswani
27 Messages by Mr Shivshankar Pandey President, Shree
87 “The Divine Teacher” by Dr Ananda Reddy
Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Lead Organization 2010) &
115 “Meditations on Akshara Brahma Yoga” by Scott Teitsworth
Ms Asmita Tadwalkar, President, Maharashtra Mandal
(Singapore), (Lead Organization 2012) 121 “Sankhya and Yoga: Cosmic Wisdom and the Method of Its
29 Messages by Vijaya Ranga Prasad N S, President, Kannada Attainment” by Paramahansa Yogananda
Sangha (Singapore) - (Lead Organization 2007) & Mrs Jyoti 127 “Spiritual S¡dhan¡ in a Nutshell” by Swami Nirviseshananda
Mirchandani, President, Sadhu Vaswani Centre Singapore, Tirtha
(Lead Organization 2014) 135 “Greater Need for The Bhagavad Gita especially during
30 Messages by Mr D Retnam, Chairman, Sri Ruthra Industry 4.0” by Dr Charles Chow
Kaliamman Temple - (Lead Organization 2015) & Mr
139 “Dynamics of Devotion” ” by Prakash Kamanat
Vashdev Khialani, President, Singapore Sindhi Association -
144 “Gita Under Covers” by Jayan Warrier
(Lead Organization 2016)
31 Messages by Mr R Selvarajoo, Chairman, Muneeswaran 147 “In the Lap of Mother Nature” by Sneha Shashi Kumar
Temple Society - (Lead Organization 2016) & Mr Sambit 150 “Glories of the Gita” by Rajesh Anand
Mishra, President, Odia Society of Singapore - (Lead
152 “Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana…” by Sijuth Sivaram
Organization 2019 - Upcoming)
154 “Srimad Bhagavad Geeta Mahatmyam: The greatness of
Regulars - Team & Reports Chapter 12 - Bhakti And Mukti” - Submission by Anand
Chandrasekar
32 Gita Jayanti 2018 – Team Members
156 “A Chinese takes to Chanting!!!” by Dr Chitra Krishnakumar
33 Gita Jayanti 2018 - Organization Team Structure
160 Prize Winning Essay, Category 6, “The Challenge Of
165 Committee Report: International Gita Forum 2017 by Mr
Equanimity” by Kasula Sruti
Anand Chandrasekar (Chairperson, IGFS 2017-18)
166 Committee Report: Krishna Manjari 2018 by Dr Chitra
Krishnakumar, Chairperson, Krishna Manjari 2018 Visual Art
167 Committee Report: Chanting, Essay and Oratorical
125 Artwork by Rashmika Anand
Competitions 2017-18 by Mr Ajay Nair, Mr Anand
Chandrasekar, & Mr Manesh M, Competitions
Cover Page Credits: Based on a creation by Ashley Christudason, a digital artist. For the last 11 years, Ashley has been refining various
layering techniques associated with digital collage art – turning existing art and photography into reconfigured conceptualisations that he
sees both in dreams and visions. www.ashleychristudason.com.
Further details on Ashley as well as artist for the Gita Jayanti Calendar, Sarbani Bhattacharya, are given on page 166.
GGiittaa VVaannii 22001188 33
RADHESHYAM
M E S S A G E B Y G U E S T - O F - H O N O U R
The Gita Jayanti celebrates the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita, literally
the Song of the Lord. Set in the unique and unusual backdrop of the
Kurukshetra War, Arjuna asks his charioteer, friend and advisor, Krishna to
take him to the middle of the battlefield to see his opponents. Arjuna falls
despondent at seeing his most respected and loved elders, teachers,
cousins, friends and relatives whom he has to vanquish to win the
war. He wants none of the bloodshed. At this crucial juncture, Krishna
wakes him up from his despondency and stupor with his clarion call for
action, wrapped in eternal wisdom and a generous dose of motivational
psychology.
This text of 700 verses is of crucial importance and is considered a foundational text of
the philosophy of Hinduism. It has attracted attention from philosophers, thinkers, men of letters
and litterateurs from India for well over a thousand years and also from the West for over a few
hundred years. Modern Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and many others
considered the Gita as their primary scripture. Western intelligentsia deeply influenced by the Gita
include, Albert Einstein, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Herman Hesse, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aldous Huxley,
Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, Annie Besant, Robert Oppenheimer Sir Edwin Arnold and
others.
This form of celebrating the Gita in Singapore is now 20 years old, having started in 1997 in
a humble manner as a simple one-day event with about 100 devotees chanting the full Gita. It has
now evolved into a multi-dimensional programme of events for the whole year, such as the Havan,
International Gita Forum, Krishna Manjari cultural show, several competitions for children and youth
including oratorical, chanting, quiz, essay etc. the Gita Jayanti events cater to people of all ages -
children, youth, and adults. The unique feature of the Gita Jayanti celebrations is that each year,
a different participating organization takes the lead. It is a unifying event for the different ethnic
groups of diverse regional backgrounds and features a healthy participation from Singaporeans
and expat Indians. This is because of the central role that the Gita plays across the Indian ethnic
and linguistic backgrounds, with its timeless teachings that appeal to all. This is also a venue for the
various Indian/Hindu organizations to come closer through participation and unity of purpose in
the celebration of one of the fundamental scriptures of Hinduism.
I am very pleased to note that Gita Jayanti plays such a unique role to integrate the
Indian residents of Singapore, whether local or expat, from a diverse range of linguistic groups.
It is also interesting that some of our Chinese residents are taking an active interest in Gita with
one individual who chanted a full chapter of the Gita in an open competition, accurately and
without any mistakes. Also of importance is the religious integration aspect. The Gita Vani Souvenir
publication has featured articles on the Gita by many non-Hindus, including a Christian priest, Rev
Fr Sebastian Painadath SJ and a Catholic Management Consultant - Dr Charles Chow, who says
that Gita helps him become a better Catholic.
I sincerely hope that Gita Jayanti remains a fine example of the communal and religious
harmony and collaboration efforts of our nation which are valued dearly by all of us.
Vikram Nair
Member of Parliament, Sembawang GRC
GGiittaa VVaannii 22001188 55
Art of Living Foundation Ltd
Krishna is not a vyakti (person) but shakti (energy).
His life has all the nine rasas (flavors).
He was naughty as a child, a warrior,
joy personified and a source of knowledge.
Krishna was poorna kala avataran (a complete incarnation).
He was a perfect friend and guru.
There never was and never will be a friend like Krishna.
To awaken the Krishna in our consciousness is the right way.
‘Krishna is not far from me, not separate from me,
he is within me’: this feeling will fill your life with Krishna.
For more information, contact:
ART OF LIVING CENTER
433 Race Course Road, Singapore 218679
Tel (Off): ([phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.artofliving.org
It is a great pleasure to participate in the annual Gita Jayanti. Now in its twentieth
year, Gita Jayanti is already an integral part of Singapore's richly diverse cultural and
spiritual calendar. Gita Jayanti marks the culmination of a year-long series of events with
a Gita Havan.
Srimad Bhagwad Gita is at the core of the spiritual and philosophical belief of
hundreds of million people in India arid around the world. However, the message of Gita
is both timeless and universal. The power and sublime beauty of its language embodies
divine expression. It covers the full range of human character and choices. Its 18
chapters and 700 verses constitute a boundless ocean of wisdom. The journey through
the book is an evolutionary experience for an individual that leads to deeper
understanding of self and the higher truths; and, of thought, knowledge, motives and
action. The meaning that we derive from it also deepens with our own life experiences.
It, thus, serves as a constant guide as much for daily life as for spiritual pursuit. It is
even more relevant in this age of unprecedented change, uncertainties and turmoil in the
material world around us — for individuals, society and humanity at large. Gita Jayanti is,
therefore, a very useful platform to spread the message of Bhagwad Gita.
The Gita Vani, published on this occasion, is an invaluable repository of diverse
perspectives on the message and meaning of Gita and its relevance for our lives, as also a record
of the activities conducted round the year.
The Hindu Endowments Board, the city's temples and Indian organisations,
which take turns to organize the event, deserve the richest compliments for this
initiative. This is also a moment to appreciate Singapore's values and vision, which
have provided a nurturing environment for faiths and cultures to flourish.