Vedanta

One who has “discovered” one’s innermost Reality and identifies oneself with all that exists is called a “sthita-prajna” in Chapter Two of the Bhagavad Gita.

The service activities of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, inspired by the motto given by Swami Vivekananda—atmano mokshartham jagaddhitaya cha—have been steadily expanding, for the good of many, for the happiness of many. Besides the sannyasins and brahmacharins of the Order, a large number of devotees and admirers have dedicated themselves to this service, inspired by the ideology of “service to humans as worship of God”.

This morning’s topic is “Bodhisattva of Compassion.” During the month of May, on the full moon day, it is customary in our Vedanta Societies to celebrate Buddha Purnima. This immensely sacred day, known to Buddhists as Vaisak, is considered thrice-blessed, for it commemorates the birth of the Buddha, his enlightenment, and his departure from this world, three pivotal events in human history.

Girishchandra Ghosh, the noted Bengali playwright and prominent disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, brought his master to see many of his plays. And by doing so, Girish made him the patron saint of the Bengali stage. Through his plays, Girish carried Ramakrishna’s message to the red-light districts of Calcutta. Christopher Isherwood notes: ‘In those days, actresses in the Bengali theatre were regarded as no better than prostitutes—a prejudice which also persisted in England until at least the beginning of the nineteenth century.’

In this article, I would like to relate two touching incidents that I witnessed while I was serving at Jayrambati some years ago, and an anecdote that is told at the Jayrambati ashrama.