Newsdesk

Dear friends,
As a matter of our constant endeavor to improve the experience of the readers we are including albums containing photographs of Bhagavan in His different moods.Some of the photographs are published for the first time ever.I would also like the opportunity to appeal to our readers and members that if they have any photographs relating to Bhagavan and I.V.S., they may please send them to us at bhaktichaitanya@gmail.com or swamiprobuddhananda@yahoo.com and we will be happy to publish them in our blog and other publications.
With love and wishes,
In the service of Bhagavan,
Brahmachari Bhakti Chaitanya

A Letter From The Archives of I.V.S.

Dear friends,
hope all of you are fine and in the best of your spirits. I am sending you one letter from the records of I.V.S. For protecting privacy the names in the letter have been hidden. Happy reading...

Dear M,
Received your letter. Though things aren't fine with you as you think, its normal for me. This world is not the same again as you put your first step into the world of spirituality. The simple reason is, till now you had known that you have friends, brothers, people who care about you and love you. But, the truth is-- you are and have been alone in this venture called 'life'. We don't have any friends dear brother, nor do we have anybody to care about, because everything that we see is just Maya or illusion. Who is M? Who is F? where is M? Is it a name or a form or a body? Or he a manifestation of pure consciousness? Which is the one whom you call "I"?The more you go deep into this, you find no one, not even the one whom you have known as "I" or M. These are all but a product of ignorance. We are made to think that we are such and such and we believe and so we become. But as one approaches a Master who is true to His heart and firm on the divine knowledge, He tells you , you are not what you had actually known of yourself, you are truth, knowledge and bliss. Thou art that, my brother. Try to get yourself stand firm on this knowledge, you will find nobody had ever betrayed you, nobody had ever loved you. No body ever existed other than you.That's the Knowledge. Know this and be free from all the prejudices of your own mind. The truth which comes to you is a result of the truth which is in your mind. It might not be true, you see it because its in you. Clear yourself, clean yourself, you will find a new M and off course a loving F within you.If you want peace, just watch yourself. Don't blame others, blame yourself rather. That's the only way to be perfect. I know this is not easy to realize in a day. In the walks of life, we do come across many such things which disturbs us, hurts us. For those moments, I can say a sentence which my Master had once said to me and which had become the pole star of my life," Forgive everyone, Understand ! Forgive everyone, Become an Atman, become the Self."
I have every possible reasons to believe that you will be fine and understand my words in its true spirits. If not, you still have Swami Probuddhananda at your service! NOW, JUST SMILE.I love you and everybody else does the same.cheer up!
With love,
Swamiji
Date:21st December,2006
Kolkata

Dear Friends,

Its my pleasure to bring to your notice a recorded copy of My Master's speech on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Thakur Shri RamaKrishna. I hope that these words of His will provide a light to all of us in this transcendental journey.

Love and light,

Swamiji

Today, the 16th of March 05, in the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Thakur Shri Ramkrishna, Shri Bhagavan spoke to His devotees thus,Shri Bhagavan," I had started with Thakur Shri Ramkrishna. In the year 1971, Thakur first came to my life. He appeared before me saying, Everything will happen to you. But, I didn't understand whatit meant. Now, everything happened to me, but how? I haveput everything in my life.Inspite of being a house holder, I had practiced this knowledge. That is why this movement had spread worldwide. It has become an International movement. Now if you want to establishVedanta Society, you have to be qualified. You have tobecome. Becoming is religion. This becoming is necessary for everybody. Who have excelled in that, will be evident to him. Because Knowledge is known by itself. Knowledge has to be tested; you have to seethe following things,

a) Have I become truly fearless? When the SelfKnowledge is firm, one becomes fearless.

b) Have I become truly selfless? If the Self Knowledgebecomes firm, one becomes selfless.

c) Have I become a true lover of mankind?

With a firmSelf Knowledge, one becomes a lover of mankind.

(Bhagavan- the founder and core of IVS)

To make the knowledge firm, Shri Bhagavan gave the following directives:-

a) Our austerity (Sadhana) is the Self or the Atman, so as the sayings of the Upanishads goes: Know that Atman or the Self, stop talking of others ; He is the bridge to immortality.

b) To know thy Self, Shri Bhagavan gave this path,Think of your thoughts.

c) If any work is left after the Self Knowledge,its only one, Spread the message of Vedanta to each and every house."

Shri Bhagavan said that after these many years ofexperience the knowledge which came to Him is that ,envy will remain, ego and anger will remain, we haveto accept these. Poison will be there but thereshould be the strength to digest it. Every work ofShri Bhagavan has been accomplished. Now its time forthe devotees to start working. But this work should beperformed by the strength of spirituality. The strength of the Knowledge, love and truth is needed.We have to tell the world about religion in a new way.

Newsdesk:

Dear Friends,
The blog has been updated with some of the beautiful letters from our brothers and sisters from different parts of the world.We have more such experiences in store for you which will be subsequently updated.
The setup and look of the blog has also been modified which I am sure you are going to like.
We invite you to freely convey your views and suggestions so that we can serve humanity better.
In the service of Bhagavan,
Bhakti Chaitanya
Joint General Secretary,I.V.S.
bhaktichaitanya@gmail.com

General Secretary writes:

Dear Everybody,
As I travel all around and correspond with people of various backgrounds, both spiritual and general , I find, globally there is a dire necessity to educate people about the basics and fundamentals of spirituality so that everybody gains a very clear idea about what spirituality is all about. Till now, we have been working as an organization, I thought of creating a forum which will be independent of any organizational lines, forms, where people will come to know what exactly spirituality is without thinking of the compulsion to visit such and such Ashram or organization. This forum will dedicate itself solely for the new spiritual aspirants, giving them an idea about the basics and letting them to choose which way they are to follow. After coming back from Gujrat, I have been working on this project with Bhakti Chaitanya and Swami Sadananda. I request you all to present us some writings which can be published in the blog if thought relevant.
Lets all work for this world, for this complete human race. Whoever wants to know the truth is our own brother irrespective to any faith he/she belongs.
With regards and love, Its Swamiji from Varanasi.

www.koji.squarespace.com
www.ivs.blogspot.com

Swami Probuddhananda..
General - Secretary
International Vedanta Society.

Swami Probuddhananda writes:

Dear Everybody,
I have a request to you all. We have been saying that you have to live the life of Bhagavan, create a character like Him within us etc, but we have to know what are the works that He had done all His life. We have to know that character fully. He has worked in so many fields, among so many people, right from the factory worker to the king of Varanasi, from remote villages of India to Barcelona and many other places, from slums to the Elite class. He had done a very important work among women, transforming several into a true spiritual giant. I am sure, everybody of us has a separate and special relationship with Bhagavan,everybody has an idea of Bhagavan in his/her own mind, lets share this. For people living outside India,what is that that always kept you attached to Bhagavan's love. You had very little days with Bhagavan compared to the Indian devotees who are fortunate enough to have many long years of association with Him. Lets all discover this, why we are here with Bhagavan, why are we trying to propagate His message to everybody, why do we live for Him? I want His life, character and teachings very very clear to everybody,let us not run after the doctrine of Incarnations, let us run after this man called Bhagavan and know Him more and more. If somebody comes to IVS or to see Bhagavan, He should know why is he/she here.
As IVS is increasing, we also will have a potential danger. With quantity, quality degrades. We will have ample chance to talk to people, and with time people will start to believe whatever we say, we have to be careful that we should always speak the truth. We should say only those what we have experienced and realized. I have seen a very subtle tendency of ours to create stories about Bhagavan. Let us not make Bhagavan as an idol, our Lord Bhagavan is living, in our heart and soul. He is with everybody, everywhere irrespective of any form. Our Lord is a human being first, a perfect man, a lover of mankind. He is the one who represents the complete human race. Our whole life will be spent on this research.
I am very happy that some of you have started writing on your own and thus share your views on spirituality. Lets all do this. It creates a consciousness, helps people to have faith in themselves, inspires. Writing makes our knowledge clearer. It helps us in many ways. We have to be prepared for the future. Our goal is to create such a civilization which will be called a family, a family of mankind. For your information,the IVS blog publishes some of your best letters. Its a very good online forum visited by many now a days and it also features in the google search, thanks to the efforts of Swami Bhakti Chaitanya, the joint General Secretary of IVS. I send you the link of this blog,please have a look.
http://www.ivs.blogspot.com/
In my childhood days, I used to love a hindi song, the first line of that song was - when we, the hardworkers, ask our share from this world,we will ask not a garden, nor a field, we will ask the whole world............ lets do this.
With love and service to Lord Bhagavan,
Its Swamiji




Swami Probuddhananda..
General - Secretary
International Vedanta Society.

Swami Probuddhananda, General Secretary , I.V.S. writes the Secretarial report about Bhagavan's Varanasi visit.

Dear Everybody,

Varanasi, the place that has given IVS immortality because this is the place where Bhagavan got the boon of immortality from none other then Lord Shiva. Since then, Varanasi had offered many important and significant hand in the growth and development of IVS. But nothing was so brilliant and enlightening then this visit of Bhagavan from the 17th to the 27th of Feb'08. I have been in Varanasi almost from the very inception of IVS here, but never did I see so much effect of Bhagavan's visit. Neither did I see Bhagaavn so ensured as He was this time. My sincere regards to all the Swamijis and the members and among them specially the IVS girls here who had made this possible.

This time many things had happened but among them the most pleasant development I saw was great combition of the east and the west working hand in hand to make things possible in every sphere. Everybody seemed to know exactly what each one of us had to do, everybody knew what was best for Bhagavan and everybody seemed to be totally knowing what was best for the world as well. The health of Bhagavan was not 100% but as days progressed, we found Him more and more live and pleasant.

Bhagavan didn't speak much as He normally does, but the effect was phenomenal. It was very good that everybody realised that its now time for us to take up the work of Bhagavan. Its not in His body, its Him and everybody seemed to be fully ready to carry Bhagavan with them in their hearts back to their places. Everybody realized the need to carry on a disciplined spiritual life if we have to carry on our work and to take legacy of Bhagavan beyond time and space. We can create this same enviornment back in our places, the only way is to beleive that we can. We can do the same work that Bhagavan has been doing, the only thing required is the sincerity and genuinity He puts on in His efforts. His mere presence makes a difference because all through His life He has been the epitome of truth, a living manifestation of originality. We have to live His life in ourselves. We have not to intimidate but to become one like Him. And this phenomenon has started and as we march on, we will see all His devotees carry the flame of His in their hearts and thats the greatest work that He could do. He had illuminated the light of Knowledge and love to so many people all over the world and as time goes on, I see that all His devotees rise up from their own plane and scatter everywhere in this world showering the glory of humanity and transforming our world into a eternal blissfulness. Just imagine for what a grand work we have been chosen for, what a fortune we have. Jai Bhagavan, Jai Bhagavan Jai Bhagavan.

Now to come to what we are going to do within the next few years. As you all know that 2008 is dedicated to the publicity of IVS, we will stretch it into two more years. That is from 2008 to 2010, we will work in such a way that the message of Bhagavan reaches to the people everywhere. The plan for the immediate next six months is that some of the Swamijis will be visiting places in Spain, England, France , Argentina, Chile and Paraguay and propagate the message of Bhagavan and Vedanata. I urge each and everyone of us to make this effort a mass movement wherever the Swamijis go. Start work from now on. Lets take the full advantage of this. This is the first step.

Once this is complete, some more doors will be open to IVS worldwide. Chances and demand will grow. I will ask everybody of us to be prepared to serve Bhagavan whenever they are required in any part of the world. We should be in the position to make us available whenever and wherever we are needed. Prepare yourself to work globally. IVS is a spiritual organization and out whole life will be spent to distribute spirituality amongst the masses in the way Bhagavan had done, with love. Prepare yourself for this grand finale. Its time, its to come, What I see, it will come soon.
With love and in the service of Bhagavan,

Swamiji

( I request some of you who know the IDs of the new people who had just arrived in the IVS family to send a copy of this to them as well.)

Swami Probuddhananda
General - Secretary
International Vedanta Society.

Letter from Swami Probuddhananda, General Secretary, I.V.S

Dear Everybody,

At the very outset, I wish you all the best in the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Shri Guruma. On this occasion, all the branches of IVS celebrated this day with a full day spiritual programme. I hope you too have celebrated this day wherever you have been.

Here in Guwahati, we are planning for the next step of the organization as a whole. One of the important aspect of this discussion is the celebration of the 20th convention in Guwahati. During the last year convention in Kolkata, we had decided not to celebrate in the manner in which it was been done. We had taken a resolution that only the members will be allowed to attend this convention. But now we have to think differently. We will have this year’s convention in Guwahati on the 19^th of Nov.’08 and we will invite the whole world to attend this. For this, the work has already been started. We will have a spiritual camp for 7 to 10 days where all the spiritual aspects will be discussed, we will have a daily spiritual routine and we will have the opportunity to see, hear and be near Bhagavan. The process will be started from the respective branches in India and abroad from now.

During the convention in Varanasi in the year 2006, we were determined to make this organization into a truly International organization. We did it. I am thankful to everybody from the core of my heart. Each one of us had a role to play during that convention. Now, this time too, we have a determination. We aim to spread the message of Bhagavan, His teachings to the world. As we could do it then, I believe, we will do this again. Today, during a conversation with the Vice President of IVS, it came out, “ We will take the message of Bhagavan to the whole world this time.” As it came out, Maharajji, Ramananda and myself went to the Brahmaputra river and prayed so that this becomes a reality. Ironically, we were the same three persons who worked during the convention in Varanasi. If the message of Bhagavan has to be propagated, it has to be now .Moreover there was a declation of Swami Vivekananda that a new Sun is going to rise in the far east besides the river Brahmaputra. Lets all work for this. Goals are the milestones in our lives. This is our goal now.

During this convention, I intend to bring out 10 books of International quality on the teachings and life of Bhagavan. Most of them will be in English, Hindi and Spanish. I urge everybody to work for this. Write down all you have of Bhagavan’s words, His teachings or events from now. Take your time. We have 4 months to do the base work. Compile it into a book and send it to me. Some of the books will be on the teachings and words of Bhagavan, some of them will be on the experiences of ours with Him. I have a plan to publish to book with a title “ Those who lived with God”.. Lets all work for this. I am sure we will have the divine grace of Bhagavan in this endeavor.

Until next time, Its Swamiji with love from IVS HQs, Assam

AN APPEAL

For twenty-five years now, Bhagavan has been dedicating all his efforts to the spreading of spiritual love to all that would hearThe Vedanta philosophy and the Hare Krishna mantra, which Bhagavan received not from his guru, but from divine revelation, honesty and sincerity are to be the vehicles for carrying out his cherished plan. The life of IVS began in a Guwahati railway colony in 1989 with Bhagavan and a small group of raw young boys. By the grace of Bhagavan’s profound spiritual realisations and enthusiasm, a group of deeply realised sages and highly devoted workers has arisen not just in India, but also abroad, and the society now has ashrams in Guwahati and Varanasi. Bhagavan himself now lives in Kolkata.

The world is now racked by all kinds of injustices and sufferings which man is inflicting onto his fellow man, and hence the world is teetering on the brink of disaster. Politics has not found any lasting answer, and charities, alas, too, cannot. What is required is a spiritual solution, for that is the only solution permanent for a soul and lasting for nations. The history of India, and indeed of the whole world, shows us that whenever society degrades into materialism, the one who steps forth to lead us out of the darkness is always a saint. A spiritual solution always strikes at the root cause of a problem – that is selfishness. A journalist once asked Bhagavan what the most dangerous threat to the world is today. Bhagavan replied that it is not cancer, it is not AIDS, it is not nuclear bombs, rather it is a lack of love. Oh, if we could only comprehend what it really means to love, to feel another’s pain, to have an utterly selfless heart! If but a few strong souls could realise this, the world would be transformed. Bhagavan is one who, in my mind, is without doubt an incarnation of Love itself, capable of delivering the world unto a new and better age, based on wisdom and love alone. This I have realised time and again over so many years. Bhagavan has made the sages. The workers are prepared. The spiritual power is ready to burst forth.

Though we are very well-prepared in a spiritual sense, this has necessarily meant that, to keep the spirituality pure, our society has had to desist from involving itself in material dealings. For this reason, we must rely solely on the pure in heart among those householder devotees and well-wishers that are capable of supporting our works. If our story, if our ideal touches a chord in your heart, we would be delighted if you would join us, but if this is not possible, you would indeed still be doing a great service if you could offer us some financial or any other assistance, not for us, nay, not for our sakes, but for the sake of the downtrodden, the struggling multitude and the spiritually bereft in all strata of society at home and abroad. Our first priority now is to procure an ashram for Bhagavan in Kolkata. His home is in a village called Birati not far from Kolkata, but at present He is living in a rented house in Kolkata itself to make Himself more accessible to His Kolkata devotees. The majority of the devotees come from poor families that are unable to offer any substantial assistance, and as there are always new devotees coming, there is no longer space in the house to accommodate all. Also, there is insufficient space to accommodate devotees that visit from other parts of India and foreign countries, so the access they have to Bhagavan is limited, and therefore so is their immersion in the spiritual environment, thus constricting the quality of what we have to offer. Thereafter, we hope to go from strength to strength.

Cheques/drafts may be sent in favour of the INTERNATIONAL VEDANTA SOCIETY.
Donations are exempt from Income-tax under section 80 G of IT ACT ,1961.

Hoping, too, that you will be with us,

Yours faithfully,

In the service of the Lord

Swami Probuddhananda
General Secretary
International Vedanta Society