APRIL 2020
Dear friends,
namaste! Here is AUPA No. 58, the e-newsletter of April 2020, for your reading pleasure.
We first wish you well, at a time when the whole global atmosphere is highly disturbed by the spreading of Covid-19. Stay home, stay safe!
This issue reaches your screen with its regular features. In the ‘guest column’, we present an article by Swāmi Bodhamayānanda of Hyderabad, whose words can especially motivate the youth to gather their energy towards some meaningful goals.
The coming 30 days have several special days, festivals and birthdays of spiritual luminaries of yesteryears. AUPA seeks the grace of divine figures and salutes the mahatmas on behalf of all.
Story Time, ‘Learn a Word’ and other columns continue.
We once more hope everyone of you will find the material in this issue useful and interesting.
With regards,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
MAY 2020
Dear friends,
namaste! All of us are trying to handle the continuing challenge of the Corona Virus to the best of our ability. Among many things, we are striving to make the best use of the time at home, as we are made to “stay home and stay safe”. One way in the context is surely applying our minds to the lofty teachings of the Upanishads.
This issue brings to you a few more selected mantras from the Vedānta – in the form of something to ponder, something that becomes tips for saner living and something quoted in the editorial and so on.
Young Ishwarya Chaitanya, who received the blessings of Swāmi Dayānanda Saraswati from her childhood days, has contributed to this issue’s “guest column” with insightful remarks on sādhus. A story from the Mahābhārata – The faith of a sparrow – can strengthen our faith in God and His ways.
Online Satsangs are going on everywhere during these days of “lock down” and we have reported how Advaita Academy and Madras Management Association (MMA) engaged Swami Chidananda for some lectures.
We hope, as always, that the material will be pleasing (priyam) and beneficial (hitam) to you, our esteemed reader.
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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JUNE 2020
Dear friends,
namaste! Here is issue #60 of AUPA, which has completed 5 years!
As the Covid crisis continues, there is an increase in ONLINE SATSANGS, which this issue also is reporting. A series of 7 talks on Geetā, delivered online, has been especially reported.
Selected quotes from Chinmaya and Ramana continue to bring charm to our e-newsletter. David Godman’s guest articletoo is some more of Ramana wisdom for us.
The story of a diligent farmer can be inspiring to all of us, to keep working even when apparently there is no hope in the future!
As always, please feel free to send to us some feedback.
Regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
July 2020
Dear friends,
namaste!
This issue is reaching your hands on the eve of the auspicious day – Guru Purnimā. It heralds Volume 6 too, of AUPA.
Mindfulness has been widely accepted in the West, and the pioneer in popularizing it with medical and scientific evidence of its efficacy is John Kabat Zinn. We have drawn from one of his articles to feature under Guest Column this time. Please take a look.
Five online lectures on Emotional Intelligence, showing its connections with Geetā, were received very well towards the end of June, and we have given a brief report of the event.
Maharshi Ramana and Swami Chinmaya continue to inspire all our readers and their quotes form an important part of this e-newsletter.
We are sure you will appreciate the clarity we are trying to bring to you with regards to technical terms under LEARN THIS WORD; ‘karma’ is our choice this time.
As always, please feel free to send to us some feedback.
Regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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August 2020
Dear friends,
namaste!
Everybody everywhere is going online, and we too at AUPA / FOWAI have launched several classes on a regular basis over the Internet. Weekly classes on Geetā and Upanishads are the main ones that need to be specially mentioned. The issue in your hands (on your screen, we mean) gives you the details of these.
Under the ‘guest column’ this time we have Swāmi Dayānanda Saraswati, the teacher of many eminent teachers, sharing his valuable insights into how our heart and head need to come together, to move towards the liberating wisdom of the Vedānta. You will find great clarity of thinking and felicity of communication in his writings.
We trust that you will again find the regular features like “Learn this Word,” “Tips from Upanishads,” “Story Time” and, of course, the uplifting quotes from Ramana and Chinmaya interesting and inspiring.
We wish you total well-being as the pandemic Covid-19 is not relenting. We hope we will soon see light at the end of the tunnel.
Best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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September 2020
Dear friends,
Namaste, this 63rd issue comes to your hands (to your screen) on the auspicious day of ‘Teachers’ Day’ (in India), with our hearty best wishes to you in ably facing the pandemic and other challenges in your life.
Please find a real-life anecdote that late Dr Sid Gautam shares with us under “Dr G writes”. It brings home powerfully the message that we should not ‘overdo’ anything.
We are happy to present Mr Ishwar Puri, who has been spreading spiritual awareness for many years now in the Western world, after he gained a lot of administrative experience in various capacities in India and abroad. Please read his article under “Guest Column”.
Regular columns like ‘Learn a Word,’ ‘Self-inquiry,’ and ‘Story Time’ etc. are sure to keep you rising on the learning curve.
With best regards,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
AUPA No 63, Sept 2020 Vol 6, issue 3
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October 2020
This issue brings to you an astounding article by Prof. Subhash Kak, who claims that The Buddha made a second revelation just before dying that the Self indeed was the truth. Buddhism is otherwise believed to have dismissed the Self, and that is often cited as the main difference between Vedānta and Buddhism.
November 2020
Dear friends,
The solution to most of our psychological limitations seems to be nothing else than ‘expanded awareness’. Think about the ‘quote of the issue’ where Dr Deepak Chopra illuminates the matter of impulse control.
Please read in this issue a summary of Sikhism by Prof. Huston Smith, who is one of the Western scholars who respected Hinduism and in fact practised some of its teachings.
I have tried to show, in my editorial, how human excellence and spiritual practices can and should go hand in hand.
Wishing you HAPPY DIWALI, we place this new issue of AUPA in your hands (on your screen to be more precise)!
Harih Om,
Swami Chidananda
December 2020
Dear friends,
As the year 2020 is drawing to a close, after making us go through these unprecedented times of the Pandemic, we are set to welcome the New Year with optimism in our hearts. In this issue of AUPA, we have two writers – Smt Indira Gautam from USA and Ms Ishwarya Chaitanya from Bengaluru – striking a note of hope in their contributions. Both of them have highlighted the good that Covid-19 brought to our lives, without denying all the adversity that the virus caused all over the world.
In addition to the regular guest article by Ishwarya, we have a young student of Indraprastha University contributing a nice, thought-provoking poem. Please do read “The Old Man” by Advait Srivastav.
I have attempted, in my editorial, to dwell on the remark of many a wise soul, “Success in life is in learning to enjoy the ride, and not in reaching a destination!” The truth that the mystics reveal has a lot of psychological and spiritual significance.
We trust that you will enjoy all the contents of this issue too as you did before. Feel free to give us your feedback.
Wishing you HAPPY NEW YEAR, we join you in hoping for early arrival of effective vaccine against Corona, and for ending of the pandemic as early as possible.
Harih Om,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
January 2021
Dear friends,
With lots of best wishes to you for a Happy New Year 2021, we present here the issue of AUPA of January.
You will enjoy the insights of a corporate executive into the Geetā’s teachings, with a lot of real life examples and practical observations. Mr Atul Vohra’s article on NKK (nish-kām-karma) is a must-read, under ‘Words from Guest Writers’.
Please take a look at the 8 ways that Prof. Michael Maddus of the University of Minnesota recommends for us to enhance our “Resilience Bank Account”. They are shown under my editorial.
Late Dr Gautam shares with us, in this issue, a real life example of an entrepreneur. Though a short piece, from his book, it can give any of us new enthusiasm to do something in our own field.
Regular features like “Learn this word,” “Quote of the issue,” etc. are also intended to give you increased appreciation of the science of living that the Upanishads bring to us.
Enjoy the festivals Lohri, Makara-Sankrānti / Pongal in the coming days!
Wishing you total safety all through the year,
Swami Chidananda
February 2021
Dear friends,
‖ namaste ‖
68 issues of AUPA have been released and, despite the pandemic, this little work has been going on unhindered. I compliment all of you, the readers, along with everyone who helps in making each issue ready.
“Earnest efforts never fail,” assures Shri Ramana Maharshi, whose quotes have been a regular feature in this e-newsletter. Maharshi is indeed one of the greatest morale-boosters for students of Advaita Vedānta, who appeared in flesh and blood on the same earth on which we live. He provided all the required testimony to the truth declared by Ādi Shankarāchārya in his bhāshyas.
I recently met an inspired teacher of advaita Vedānta in Bengaluru. Some 15 of us in fact had a 2 hour satsang at his residence during which he and I shared our thoughts on Self-realization with others in the hall and with many more over Internet, live. We have a quote from Shri Narasimha Prabhu in this issue and we will hopefully share an article of his with all of you in a future issue.
In a bid to avoid the severe cold in the North of India, I came to Suvarnamukhi Samskriti Dhāma in (the outskirts of) Bengaluru in late December. It has been great to be at this serene campus, in the august company of Dr M Nagaraju, the President of the Āshram. You will see the mention of several activities / events under NEWS in this issue.
We trust that all the regular features of this collection also will interest and benefit you as before.
With best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda
March 2021
‖ namaste ‖
With a few days to go for the great festival Mahāshivarātri, we are pleased to bring to your screen this issue of our e-newsletter AUPA. Shiva represents the Light of Self-knowledge, which destroys avidyā – spiritual ignorance! May Shiva bless every one of you!
Swāmi Abhedānanda was one of the twelve illustrious direct disciples of Shri Rāmakrishna. We are happy to feature him under the “Guest Article” column this time. He throws precious, scholarly light on Yoga.
As the Western hemisphere goes again for ‘Daylight Saving’, and as we keep the time of our weekly lectures on Geetā and Upanishads the same for those of you living in the West, others in the East may please note the change of time, by an hour, of these classes over YouTube Live. Please see the relevant annountments.
The importance of honesty and self-respect is brought out effectively in “Story Time” in this issue. Human values are indeed the ground of spiritual illumination.
We are sure you will enjoy reading all the regular columns this time too.
Wishing you Happy Holi,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
April 2021
‖ namaste ‖
A professor who addresses corporate executives and a lot of people of the Western world without compromising with the depth of Eastern wisdom (like Vedanta) is Dr Srikumar Rao, who features in this issue’s Guest Column. Please do read how he narrates the famous Janaka-Astāvakra story.
This issue brings to you all the good features that you have liked all these years. That we are open to good thoughts from anywhere becomes once more clear at the “quote of the issue” where we have Nietzsche who makes a rather unorthodox statement about the struggle between power and truth.
In my editorial, I have tried to give to you a quick glimpse of Vidura Neeti. Lord Yamadharmarāja was born as Vidura, who knew the subtleties of dharma so well that his advice to King Dhritarāshtra has become immortal in the name of Vidura Neeti.
As always, we have shared the wisdom of Ramana Maharshi and Gurudev Chinmaya in these pages.
A new ‘samvatsara’ begins on April 13, and we wish all of you Happy New Year on this day of Ugādi.
Swāmi Chidānanda
May 2021
‖ namaste ‖
Continuing our effort to show that Upanishads touch a wide spectrum of human endeavours, and are thus not limited to metaphysics only, we have pointed out in this issue, right in the beginning, how the vision of the Vedanta has a place for everything but everything in its place.
We are truly happy to share with all of you, the readers, an excellent piece on “jealousy and violence” by Swami Atmashraddhanandaji of the Ramakrishna Mission. His insights can help all to understand better their own mind’s working.
We have announced with much pleasure the names (with pictures) of two new webinar presenters – Dr Sunder Ellur and Dr Ranjini Manian. We will have completed 200 webinars when these two present their webinars.
When it comes to learning about life, we need not do that through only spiritual teachers. Under ‘Quote of the Issue’, we have drawn this time from Audrey Hepburn, an English film actor of yesteryears. She was the heroine of the famous movie Roman Holiday!
We trust you will enjoy all our regular features including the pieces of wisdom shared by Late Dr Sid Gautam and by Smt Indira Gautam.
Wishing everyone of you total safety,
Swami Chidananda and the AUPA Team
JUNE 2021
Dear friends,
We are happy to let you know this e-newsletter AUPA has completed 6 years and we will begin our 7th volume next month, in July.
In this last issue of volume 6, we are delighted to share with you a piece of excellent writing by renowned author Michael Singer. He guides his readers on how to handle thought with spiritual maturity. The majority of students of life, despite exposure to much literature, fail miserably when negative thoughts rise in them. They fall prey to the vicious games that their own mind plays. Please read Singer to know how, with a little will and with a lot of skillful watching, you may escape the traps of your own thoughts and emotions.
For ‘the quote of the issue,’ we have none else than Eckhart Tolle, who does not mince words when he says we look for peace but it is already within us!
The International Yoga Day (IYD) is approaching and we appeal to all of you to get back to the yoga mat, more regularly and more sincerely.
We trust you will like all the regular features in this issue too, as you did before.
With best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
July 2021
Dear friends,
Namaste.
Another month has passed with Covid-19 not relenting, especially in parts of the world like India. Accordingly, our activities have been mostly online.
More than three decades ago, I had met Dr Devi Shetty at a function in Bengaluru. I distinctly remember how he acknowledged the impact the lectures on Karmayoga by Swami Chinmayanandaji had upon him, inspiring him to serve the society with enthusiasm without depending on rewards or recognition. Dr Shetty has come a long way since then and the services he (and his institutions) has been rendering are immensely commendable. We are glad to have some sharing from him, in this issue, under the column of “Words from Guest Writers”.
We hope every one of the regular features of this online magazine, which has entered its 7th year, is both valuable and interesting to our readers, in this issue too.
We pray Lord Almighty to save humanity from more suffering by bringing the virus, along with its new variants, under complete control pretty soon.
With lots of best wishes to all,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
August 2021
Dear friends,
Namaste.
We present a newly designed AUPA, the e-newsletter, before you and we trust this issue in your hands is more appealing than before and has greater ease of use.
We have also added two new columns – ‘Health is You’ and ‘AUPA Yuva’. We are sure you will appreciate both these features, which address certain popular demands.
Shikha Puri Arora has joined our bunch of contributors and, in her first piece for AUPA, she makes a convincing proposition: our posture, while doing anything anywhere, can affect our mood. Right postures, which means right ways of standing, right ways of sitting at our work table and right ways of positioning ourselves while enjoying an entertainment program, can fill more happiness into our days. See Shikha’s article under Health is You.
We are happy to introduce Mother Meera, whose impact on people, for some decades now, has been noteworthy.
May you enjoy this issue in all respects.
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
September 2021
Dear friends,
Namaste.
Here we are, again, with the September 2021 issue of AUPA.
The two new columns – ‘Health is You’ and ‘AUPA Yuva’, which we introduced in the last issue have received good responses. A new contributor – Sapna Priyadarshini – has shared her thoughts on the ‘Art of Self-healing,’ which will surely interest you. Shalini Keshavan has, this time, supplied something that is sure to awaken a certain receptivity in young people towards divine grace. Story Time in this issue has a new contributor – young engineer Antarang Kumar – who has re-narrated a tale, which was previously shared by the very popular motivational speaker Sandeep Maheshwari in one of his Hindi videos.
We are sure you will appreciate both these features, which address certain popular demands.
We are happy to introduce Papaji of Lucknow, also known as H W L Poonja, whose spiritual journey is truly fascinating. Read about him under the column – GuestSpeak.
Within a few days after this reaches your screen, you will celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, a very popular festival. We wish you lots and lots of Lord Ganesh’s grace.
May you enjoy this issue in all respects.
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
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AUPA No 75, Sept 2021, Vol 7, Issue 3
October 2021
Dear friends,
Namaste.
With major festivals like Navarātri/Dussehra, Vijayadashami and Diwāli (Deepāvali) coming soon, the air is charged with the celebration mood. There is no holiday, however, for learning and growing. AUPA is meant for continuous learning and enrichment.
We hope all of you are happy with the new design that this e-newsletter got, beginning two months ago. We do believe that the contents need to be presented in as aesthetic a way as is possible within the constraints of our budget and available skills.
We have a new, young contributor this time. Sukriti Dugal from New Delhi is a highly qualified, working woman, who gives us a positive message that serendipity may knock at our doors and unleash the destiny we desire. In order that this will happen, we must be passionate about the purpose of our life and our work. Please see AUPA YUVA.
Times are changing at a faster rate than ever. We have reported, in this issue, an event that was held using the software ‘Clubhouse’, which facilitates groups of people from around the world, getting together and having educative events; tens of thousands of people can form a Clubhouse Hall for free, and have audio lectures and interactions.
We are confident that you will enjoy the stories that are appearing in this issue: of the elephant sculptor (Guest Column) and of the Missing Third Goat (Storytime).
May you enjoy this issue in all respects.
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
November 2021
Dear friends,
Namaste.
Diwāli (Deepāvali), we hope, brought happiness and cheer to all of you, while also blessing you with a better understanding of yourself.
Kavitā Rāju and Norbu Negi have joined us in this issue as new contributors. Their sharing on yoga and habits will surely interest a lot of you and, if not give you new insights, strengthen your will to live rightly.
There are special days in the coming month also. Guru Nanak Jayanti is a major day of celebration.
Indira ji this time praises the power of devotion in her column, emphasizing the need for purity of heart above all in spirituality.
Shweta Arya was a new webinar presenter and our online participants expressed much appreciation of her inputs on Emotional Intelligence from the perspectives of Yoga Sutras.
May you enjoy this issue in all respects.
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
http://aupa.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/AUPA-No-77-Nov-2021-Vol-7-Issue-5.pdf
December 2021
Dear friends,
Can you believe, Geetā has remained the most popular scripture of our country for 5158 years and is going strong as ever? It was and is the best restatement of the life-giving message of the Upanishads. May we drink this nectarine milk, from the cows that are no other than the Upanishads, and receive all the spiritual nourishment we need. Geetā Jayanti falls on December 14.
Sukriti Dugal, our young contributor from the nation’s capital, comes out with more of practical tips in this issue with her insightful remarks on how many of us waste our mental energy in negative thoughts. She writes how we need to avoid envying others; we should rather focus on ourselves and move on. Please see AUPA YUVA.
Anurādha Guruprasād is a new contributor to AUPA, making her debut in this issue with a wonderful article on how we may beat different kinds of stress with the time-tested yoga exercises. Take a look at Health is You.
Our regular features like ‘Learn this Word’ or ‘Story Time’ will, we trust, surely interest you.
As always, we welcome your feedback.
Regards and best wishes for a Happy New Year,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
AUPA No 78, Dec 2021, Vol 7, Issue 6
January 2022
Dear friends,
New faces bring a fresh breeze to this current issue of AUPA. Suryaputry Rashmi Malhotra from the nation’s capital and Rhea Bhandāri from Ahmedabād have become our new contributors, under the featured columns Guest Speak and AUPA Yuva respectively.
I discovered a place or remarkable peace and serenity when Hamsa Ᾱshrama in Tamil Nādu, located in a village that is not far from Bengaluru in Karnātaka, had me over for a whole week to conduct classes on Shri Ramana Maharshi’s ‘Saddarshanam’. This spiritual centre, founded by Pujya Swāmi Virājeshwarānandaji, has the vibrations of simplicity and austerity. This issue has a few words on the āshram and a couple of pictures too.
Rashmi Hande has been designing the front cover of Inner Flame, our magazine that is printed and published once in two months. She set up an exhibition of numerous paintings of hers – Peace, no matter what – on December 11, 2021. The artist displayed her works, with the medium of acrylic and clay on canvas. A photograph of some of us who went and were delighted at the event is given in this issue.
Kavitā Rāju completes her article under ‘Health is You’ with several tips on how we may live a vibrant life, in the light of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
We present this issue of AUPA with lots of hearty greetings for the festive occasions of Lohri, Sankrānti and Pongal.
Harih Om,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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February 2022
Dear friends,
We have begun a new column, “Introducing an Upanishad,” where we will give an outline of one Upanishad in every issue. There has been a demand for such introductions, which will help many students in deciding what they would like to study next. We have begun with the Ishavasya Upanishad.
We are once more attempting, in this issue, to cover global voices in the matter of human values. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s words on the importance of truth and that of keeping away from lies, we are sure, will have an impact on all our readers.
Writing under the column ‘AUPA Yuva’, Sukriti Dugal touches upon wisdom of gratitude towards all who came in our life – heroes, villains and the ones that were neutral. Such a message can sow the seeds of broadmindedness in any youngster that reads it, leading to precious purification of her / his heart.
Shikha Puri Arora is back with us in this issue, raising questions on whether we have a clear purpose to life, if our life is meaningful in our own eyes and whether our ikigai (purpose of life as the Japanese put it) has been adding to our happiness. Shikha’s words truly enrich our column ‘Happiness is You’.
We trust you find all our regular features interesting. Please do not hesitate to give us your feedback.
Harih Om,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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March 2022
Dear friends,
Continuing under the feature, ‘Introducing an Upanishad,’ we present the salient teachings of Kenopanishad this time.
Indirāji from North Carolina expresses her concern about the situation in Ukraine and makes an appeal for reducing rajas and increasing sattva in our personalities.
We trust that the contents of this issue will win your appreciation. Please send to us your feedback.
Please do note the change of timings for the online classes, following the ‘Daylight Saving’ that begins on March 13.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
April 2022
Dear friends,
Under the feature ‘Mantra to Ponder’, we have tried to highlight a line or two from the Upanishads, where the ancient meets the modern and the teachings on high plateau shake hands with our practical needs on a daily basis. You will see, in this issue, the emphasis on getting rid of egoism, which is an eternal value.
‘Introducing an Upanishad’, the new column that we started three months back, has received encouraging feedback. As the third piece, we have ‘Kathopanishad’ for you in this issue.
Ms Ranjini Manian appears at the GuestSpeak for the second time in our e-newsletter, and has something to share with us that especially has relevance to ‘women empowerment’. You will surely be delighted to know two acronyms FOPO and FOMO, two kinds of fear that haunt most of us.
Lakshmi Chandrasekharan is a new face at AUPA. She had joined us recently at the Lonavala Retreat and we have found in her a resourceful young woman, who can contribute to our work in many ways. Please read her poem under AUPA YUVA.
Please do write to us and let us know your valuable feedback.
With best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
May 2022
Dear friends,
नमस्ते । We have introduced ‘devanāgari’ font (देवनागरी लिपि), starting with this issue (See pages 1, 6 and 9). There was a request from many friends to do so. Hope you too welcome this.
We have a new contributor in Dr K Sindhuja, a young physician from Chennai, who has shared some interesting thoughts on ‘Medicine and Spirituality’ under the column HEALTH IS YOU. We trust her article will stimulate you to ponder more on the theme.
We are happy to place this 83rd issue on your screen on the auspicious day of Chinmaya Jayanti (May 8), though it is 3 days late if we go by our usual schedule.
Many religious leaders in India say, even today, that women had better stay home and not go out on paid work. They argue that children need to get the ‘motherly love’ and that is above everything else. The famed corporate figure Ms Indra Nooyi differs in her opinion. Please read her strong position in favour of women entering all professions and enjoying financial freedom. (GuestSpeak)
We once more hope you will appreciate the pages of this e-newsletter and will also let us know if you have some constructive criticism.
Best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
June 2022
Dear friends,
Namaste.
The last issue of Volume 7 reaches you here with all the regular features in place. Ms Renu Paul from Varanasi has joined as a contributor, through her poem under AUPA YUVA.
“How do we teach spirituality to young children?” has been a question on the minds of young parents for a long time. Swāmi Sarvapriyānandaji ably addressed this issue in one of his talks and, with help from a volunteer from Chennai, we have transcribed and edited the talk to form a valuable article on the topic. Please see Guest Speak.
Continuing our recently begun series, ‘Introducing an Upanishad,’ we have tried to show the highlights of the first Valli of Taittiriya Upanishad in this issue. It is the 5th in this series.
Under ‘Health is You’, this time, we have shared some precious inputs from a famous book of olden days, which touch upon ‘time management’ that certainly is related to our emotional health.
On the whole, we trust that this issue 84 (12th of Volume 7) will be of interest to all of you, as previous issues were.
With lots of regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
July 2022
Dear friends,
Namaste.
We are happy to step into our 8th year of publication of this e-newsletter AUPA. We thank you for all the encouragement that we have received from you.
We present a new contributor, Vivek Asrani, under the feature GuestSpeak. He shares such wonderful thoughts that are so relevant to modern living and in perfect alignment with the ancient wisdom of Vedānta!
My editorial tries to highlight the significance of silence, mauna, and explain how it can help us live better. Let me know what you feel about this piece of writing. (Do not be silent.)
The last month was filled with programs, in Bengaluru, at several venues. Please take a look at the varied events where the fragrance of the wisdom of the Upanishads made its way into diverse audiences.
With best wishes to all of you for a spiritually elevating Guru Purnimā,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
Transliteration to Devanāgari in this issue.
Mantra to Ponder
बध्यते भोक्तृ-भावात् ज्ञात्वा देवं मुच्यते । श्वेताश्वतर उपनिषत् 1.8
Editorial
मौनं चैवास्मि गुह्यानाम् – गीता 10.38
मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः गीता 17.16
ಮಾತು ಬೆಳ್ಳಿಯಾದರೆ, ಮೌನ ಬ೦ಗಾರ (Footnote 3)
Tips from Upanishads
लघुत्वम् आरोग्यम् अलोलुप्त्वम् , वर्णप्रसादं स्वर-सौष्ठवं च , योगप्रवृत्तिं प्रथमां वदन्ति ।
Indira Gautam’s Column
उद्धरेत् आत्मना आत्मानम् । गीता 6.5
एतत् त्रयं त्यजेत् ..कामः क्रोधश्च लोभश्च । गीता 17.21
August 2022
Dear friends,
Harih Om, here is this month’s issue with all the regular features of this e-newsletter AUPA, which you have encouraged us to bring to you on the 5th of every month.
This is the month of August in which major festivals like Shri Krishna Janmāstami and Ganesh Chaturthi occur. We wish you happy times during these special days.
Those of you who can make a trip to Bengaluru in the second weekend of September may please join us the two-day event on the grounds of the beautiful venue THE SCHOOL OF ANCIENT WISDOM, as the announcement on page 13 lets you know.
We are glad to insert a quote from Papaji of Lucknow this time on the ‘No Mind State’.
We began providing you short outlines of major Upanishads and this issue covers the third chapter of Taittiriya Upanishad.
We trust you will enjoy every piece here. Please feel free to send us your feedback.
Regards and best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
September 2022
Dear friends,
Harih Om, this issue is a little abridged, running into a smaller number of pages. This is in response to the feedback we have received from several readers who said that most people are unable to read 15 to 20 pages of matter, though the contents do interest them.
Under ‘Introducing an Upanishad,’ we have this time some glimpses of the Brihadāranyaka Upanishad. You will perhaps be surprised that some very well-known mantras like ‘asato mā sad-gamaya’ and ‘poornamadah poornamidam’ are from this bulky scripture.
Shri Nisargadatta Maharaj, the enlightened soul of Mumbai, appears under ‘Quote of the Issue’ with his truly profound remarks.
The good old Sanskrit verses – from numerous sources – compiled into a work called ‘subhāshita-sangraha’ becomes the special focus of Smt Indira Gautam as she shares with us a simple but thought-provoking subhāshita in this issue.
We have plans to make the e-newsletter even more crisp, with some of the features going on our website. As a consequence, the pages in the publications will get further reduced in number.
Let us know how you see these changes.
With lots of regards and best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
october 2022
Dear friends,
Harih Om. Wish you Happy Vijayadashami!
Continuing the format of a little abridged e-newsletter, which we began in the last issue, we present here stuff that you will surely enjoy, taking less time to read.
The complexity of human psyche was depicted in a dramatic way by R L Stevenson in his novella Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; my editorial tries to connect Self-knowledge to the issue and suggests that it has the capacity to resolve this problem, which is at the level of the mind.
We continue brief summaries of Upanishads, and this issue has a second article on Brihadāranyaka Upanishad.
Please do not miss our announcement of ‘bhoomi poojā’ on Sunday, October 30, at the site of our āshram project.
As always, we request you to let us know your constructive feedback.
Regards and best wishes,
Swami Chidananda (and team AUPA
November 2022
AUPA No 89, Nov 2022, Vol 8, Issue 5Dear friends,
Harih Om. Here is the new issue of AUPA, the e-newsletter, with a little more than just news to make your reading more rewarding.
We have given a summary report of the bhumi-poojā that was held on October 30. After this important milestone, we are now getting set to begin the construction of the āshram – Jnāna Shakti.
The quote of the issue this time can help many to set right their values of life. The Dalai Lama remarks that there are other things more important than mere success in our enterprises. It is heart above head once more.
Smt Indira Gautam, as always, helps us recognize the place of self-effort in order to blossom on our path, be it mundane or spiritual. She draws from the age-old sayings in Sanskrit called Subhāshita.
A new contributor appears at the column – Health is You – and that is a young Homoeopathy doctor in Bengaluru. Please read the short article by Dr Rachana R, who lets us know the basics of her medical science and highlights its merits.
Overall, we hope our endeavour will leave you with a sense of being enriched after you browse these pages.
With best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
December 2022
January 2023
Dear friends,
Harih Om!
Though large numbers of people hear about Upanishads, many have no idea what they are all about. Our column – Introducing an Upanishad – began in February 2022 and we have so far given brief outlines of six major Upanishads in eleven articles. We are happy to present this time the first of the 4-part series on Chāndogya Upanishad from the Sāma Veda. We have also continued with selected mantras from various Upanishads under MANTRA TO PONDER, where you find this time a new Upanishad, namely Akshi Upanishad.
Kavita Raju, the yoga instructor from Bengaluru, is with us again in this issue with her brief article on ‘pratyāhāra’, the fifth limb of the Yoga of Patanjali. Featured under the column HEALTH IS YOU, the points made here can go a long way to bless us with robust physical and mental health, if we practise the action-points.
Under AUPA YUVA, we have a fascinating article by Shalini Keshavan, who makes very interesting observations on ‘time.’ Young people will surely benefit from the better understanding of this mysterious aspect of the universe and can better manage the precious resource known as time.
Hope all of you are taking note of the slow and steady progress of our Jnāna-Shakti project.
We trust you will find all the above and the regular columns beneficial in your inner journey.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi
February 2023
Dear friends,
Harih Om!
During the two years of Covid-19, all of us went online; lectures were over Zoom, Google Meet etc.; now offline public lectures are picking up momentum. This issue covers, under News, a couple of events held in Mumbai where people joined us face to face, though in small numbers.
‘Health and Spirituality’ is an emerging topic of great relevance to modern times. Despite unbelievable advancements in Western Medicine (allopathy, surgery etc.), a spiritual approach to maintaining good health has been promoted through alternative systems, which focus on right living that includes right food, exercises like yoga and prānāyāma and, of course, meditation. Can meditation fully replace medication? Please see the article under Health is You.
The section AUPA YUVA this time offers an interesting story of a classroom, where a teacher helps the students realize how people around the world are quick to find faults in others and are generally hesitant to appreciate the merit in them.
We once more hope you will find this little e-newsletter helpful to you in your spiritual explorations.
Best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
March 203
AUPA No 93, March 2023, Vol 8, Issue 9Dear friends,
Harih Om!
The scintillating dialogue between the erudite Rishi Nārada and the ever-young Sage Sanat-Kumāra is summarized in the 14th piece under the column, “Introducing an Upanishad,” in this issue. True happiness, Sanat-Kumāra says, is ours when duality in our perception ends.
The little quote from Pujya Swāmi Paramārthānandaji deserves to be deeply thought over. Regular and sustained study of Vedānta is emphasized by the reputed teacher in Chennai.
Take a look at ‘Health is You,’ where you will find the many benefits of yoga listed. If you are not regular with your yoga poses and breathing exercises, please know that your losses will be huge.
May AUPA, this e-newsletter, be of help to you in your spiritual journey.
Best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
~
April 2023
AUPA No 94, April 2023, Vol 8, Issue 10Dear friends,
Harih Om!
We are happy to conclude, in this issue, the 4 part series of summary of the Chāndogya Upanishad, quite a voluminous one among the Upanishads. More pieces will follow, of course, in the column, ‘Introducing an Upanishad’.
Our offline interaction with academic institutions resumed with an event at a college in New Mumbai. The students of SIES College in Nerul were the energetic audience at a seminar on Holistic Excellence. Please see under DHIMAHI, on page 12.
Under ‘webinars’, we will begin on April 9 a series on Understanding Hinduism, which is a topic of worldwide interest nowadays with vast numbers of Hindus, spread all over the globe, not knowing their religion properly while being quite qualified and accomplished otherwise.
We hope you will enjoy going through this slim version of AUPA, and some of you may come forward to contribute articles too.
Best wishes,
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
May 2023
Harih Om!
We are happy to cover yet another Upanishad, in this issue, under the feature ‘Introducing an Upanishad’ and that is Kaivalya Upanishad, which is very popular among spiritual seekers.
We continue to strive to show the wide range of themes that the Upanishads cover. Both the relative realities and the transcendental truth are held in high regard at appropriate contexts by this body of sacred works.
Under ‘Aupa Yuva’, we have a new contributor in Kanchi Dheer, whose sharing on Mindfulness should evoke much interest in all our readers.
While we are centred in the Vedānta, we are open to emerging literature in the West and the East, that touch upon excellence in living. My own editorial draws from a book by a psychology professor of USA, where we consider the two mindsets – one of growth and the second of rigidity.
May this issue bring joy of reading to all of you, while providing much food for thought also.
Best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
june 2023
Dear friends,
Harih Om!
Many have some idea about how to meditate on Vishnu or Shiva but the question people often ask is how the Pure Self, which is without any attributes, can be the object of meditation. The editorial in this issue addresses this matter.
The 17th piece under the series ‘Introducing an Upanishad’ covers Amrita Bindu Upanishad of the Atharva Veda. We trust that our readers will be delighted to get a quick glimpse of the popular text in this issue.
“The gem cannot be polished without friction,” Indiraji quotes from Confucius, “nor man perfected without trials.” All life is a movement in learning.
Please take a look at the upcoming events such as the online talks under the banners of International Relations Council (IRC) and Meditation and Study Circle (MSC) under the column ‘Upcoming Events’.
We wish all of you, our readers, happy reading and the joy of learning and growing.
Swami Chidananda and Team AUPA
July 2023
Dear friends,
Harih Om!
We are happy to present this 97th issue of AUPA. We have ensured, failing twice or thrice only, that this e-newsletter reaches your screen on the 5th of every month. Yes, there are three issues to go, for the milestone of the 100th issue to come out.
The greatest transformation possible in our life is when we cease to be a jiva and realize our oneness with Siva. The quote by Shri Ramana Maharshi points to this amazing possibility and weaves into the process, loving devotion to the Lord. Please see the ‘Self-enquiry Corner.’
In my editorial this time, I have attempted to share some of the teachings of the Geetā in plain English. This should especially suit those of the readers who get butterflies in their stomachs when they encounter Sanskrit words in articles on spirituality.
Older people also may find the piece under ‘AUPA YUVA’ inspiring, where mental barriers are talked about. All of us, many a time, do not perform because we imagine we cannot do something.
Hope this collection also, as before, will be of benefit to all of you.
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
August 2023
Harih Om, here is the 98th issue of AUPA, which is in the 9th year of its publication.
AUPA is the truncated form of AUPANISHADA, which means related to the Upanishads. Calling them a source of tremendous strength, Swāmi Vivekānanda urged us to study the Upanishads for all our spiritual needs.
The regular feature ‘mantra to ponder’ itself can be uplifting. The selection this time, for example, does some ‘out of box’ thinking, suggesting to us how we may get out of the quicksand of worldly life by ‘sitting quietly, not consuming the names and forms of this world.’
This month had the auspicious day – the mahā-samādhi day of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayānandaji. It was 30 years ago that the master dropped the physical body in California. His samādhi shrine shines in all glory at Sidhbāri in Himāchal Pradesh. We bow down before him, expressing our gratitude to him for all that he did for us and for humanity.
Wei Wu Wei was the pen name of Terence Gray, a Britisher, who expressed certain truths of Eastern Wisdom in a highly creative way. Please take a look at the Quote of the Issue, and reflect on it.
Swāmiji will join the Parliament of World’s Religions this month in Chicago. As all of you know, it was in 1893 that the first PoWR was held where the monk from India – Swāmi Vivekānanda – spoke, which created history, leading to the spreading of Vedānta far and wide.
May you enjoy going through this issue.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
~
September 2023
Harih Om!
Swāmiji flew to the USA and joined the Parliament of World’s Religions (August 14 thru 18) in Chicago. This was the 9th PoWR in the last 130 years. Please see a brief report under NEWS in this issue.
In his 42 days’ tour of America, Swāmiji covered several new places: Arunāchala Āshrama in New York City, Upstate New York etc.
This issue has a summary of Prashnopanishad, with which we come to a pause in the series. We have covered 12 Upanishads in 20 articles.
May you enjoy going through this issue.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
AUPA Sept 202_Again_compressed
october 2023
| namaste |
On your screen today is the 100th issue of AUPA, which began in July 2015 in the house of Pragati Sharma in New Jersey. Dr Sid Gautam, Pragati’s father, was the force behind this initiative. We fondly remember him as we cross this milestone.
We begin in this issue #100, a new series IMPERATIVES FROM THE UPANISHADS, where we cover the directions that the sacred lore gives us in the context of dharma or right living. We have started with ‘Speak the truth, live righteously’ (satyam vada, dharmam chara).
Under ‘Quote of the Issue,’ we have featured Amit Pagedar, a young writer who has impacted many youngsters, attracting them to the art of living in awareness.
Wish to go for a Retreat? Please consider joining us at Kudal, November 3 thru 9. Please see the section EVENTS COMING UP.
With lots of thanks to every one of you, for all the encouragement received, we wish you well in all respects in the months and years to come.
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
AUPA_100thIssue_October_compressed
November 2023
| namaste |
The quote of this issue is on high plateau of Vedānta. Swāmi Vivekānanda exhorts us that Self-realization requires negation of all that is false. We cannot cling to anything, holding it dear to us!
We have moved to the second piece in the new series ‘Imperatives from the Upanishads’ and the emphasis is on regular study of the scriptures.
With all the regular columns carrying material that, we trust, will inspire our readers, we place before you this fifth issue of the ninth volume.
Please feel free to give us your feedback.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
december 2023
namaste |
We had two spiritual retreats in the last month. The first one was at a beautiful place called Sarsoli-Dhām in Kudāl for six days and the second one was at another, smaller, elegant facility called Ritambharā in Bengaluru for two days. This issue of AUPA reports these events with pictures.
It seems we will very soon see light at the end of the tunnel in the matter of our āshram project Jnāna Shakti. The update in this issue however appeals to all to have some more patience.
Please note the ‘upcoming events’ – online and offline – in addition to ‘news’ that can help you know important happenings under the banner of FOWAI FORUM.
Hope the material under all the regular columns will interest you this time also, as it did before.
With best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
January 2024
| namaste |
Before this New Year 2024 began, we had announced a Retreat in Kāshi in the third week of February. Within a week of the announcement, all the available seats got booked. We are now accepting new registrations against cancellation of previous registrations.
Shri Ramana Maharshi’s exhortation in this issue is of great practical importance. We need to strengthen our minds, to ward off distractions and to focus on intense self-enquiry.
The series ‘Imperatives from the Upanishads’ has received good feedback. In this issue, we have a piece from Ishāvāsya Upanishad, which forbids obsession with making money.
Birthdays of Holy Mother Sāradā Devi and of the Lion of Vedānta Swāmi Vivekānanda fall in this month (Jan 3 and 12). We have featured these spiritual luminaries under ‘Quote of the Issue’ and ‘AUPA Yuva’ respectively.
We once more trust that you, the readers, will appreciate all the contents of this issue of AUPA. Please do feel free to give us your feedback.
With best wishes for the New Year 2024,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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AUPA No 103, Jan 2024, Vol 9, Issue 7
February 2024
| namaste |
For years, we have been hearing quite a bit against the consumption of milk and other dairy products. Under ‘Health is You,’ we have shared some strong views on the topic, where the authors make an appeal that we avoid milk totally. We think the piece of writing – from the Internet – can be very thought-provoking to our readers.
A bunch of us will be proceeding to Vārānasi in the middle of this month, to have a Vedānta Retreat in the outskirts of the most ancient living city of the world. We will also visit the Viswanāth temple, about which we have heard a lot, especially after its renovation and enhancement of facilities around it. Please see ‘Upcoming Events’.
India has seen a lot of elegant spaces for Senior Living in all her major cities, and Serene Urbana in Bengaluru is one of them. Swāmiji and Swāmi Advaitānandaji recently interacted with the residents of this wonderful place near the airport in Bengaluru. Please see a report and two pictures under NEWS.
We are confident that our readers will appreciate the contents under other columns in this issue also such as ‘Indirāji Writes’ and ‘Imperatives from the Upanishads’.
With regards and best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
March 2024
AUPA no 105, Mar 2024, Vol 9, Issue 9_compressedThe 27th Vedānta Retreat, held at an elegant venue in Kāshi (Vārānasi) between Feb 16 and 22, went off smoothly. Under News, you may see a couple of pictures and a brief report.
Under ‘Health is You,’ we draw some tips from Geetā-Bhāshya this time, which may interest you. The spiritual work makes a passing remark on right eating habits.
Quotes by Ramana, Chinmaya and Brahmānanda should once more help us check the direction of our spiritual practices and make mid-course corrections.
On the whole, we hope this issue will also be beneficial and delightful to read.
Please note the ‘change of time’ of the Online Classes, following ‘Daylight Saving’ kicking in (in the West) starting midnight of March 9.
Best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
APRIL 2024
May 2024
June 2024
| namaste |
Profound insights should never take a backseat; we should never get carried away by popular messages, though they may have value in daily life, and lose the intensity of contemplation on the deeper, liberating revelations of Upanishads. This time, under the column Self-enquiry (page 2), there is the exhortation by Shri Ramana Maharshi, where the Sage of Arunāchala asks us to question the idea of being a doer! We must ponder that.
We have a new face at Quote of the Issue, respected Daaji, who heads the fabulous spiritual center in Hyderabad called Kanha Shānti Vanam. Look for a video on it at YouTube.
We are confident that you, the reader, will find all the contents of this e-newsletter interesting and helpful.
With hearty best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
AUPA No 108, June 2024, Vol 9, Issue 12
July 2024
August 2024
| namaste |
We are glad to present before you this 110th release of AUPA, the e-newsletter centred in the teachings of the Upanishads.
Everyone knows spirituality encourages us to develop vairāgya, detachment, regarding pleasures of the world. Many misunderstand this true teaching to imply we must not have goals or dreams. The piece under the column, ‘Imperatives from the Upanishads’ this time shows how a major Upanishad urges us to have noble aspirations (āshā), which can fuel tremendous inner growth, personality development and preparation for eventual renunciation.
This issue reaches your screen two days after the Mahā-Samādhi anniversary of Pujya Swāmi Chinmayānandaji. He was a great master who blended high philosophy with practical tips on spirituality in daily life. In his quote under ‘Thus Spake Chinmaya,’ we see how he emphasizes true feelings of devotion and surrender in our prayers, and cautions us not to be content with mere high-sounding words.
We have featured Shri Ranjit Mahārāj, a less-known master who lived a very simple life in Mumbai but inspired many with his profound understanding of Advaita. Please read his words under ‘Quote of the Issue.’
With best regards,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
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september 2024
| namaste |
Shri Rāmakrishna is amazing in his utterances. The ‘quote of the issue’ (page 10) this time really shakes us up with the master’s comment on how money can make us arrogant. The several ways in which māyā imprisons us in samsāra are worth remembering repeatedly.
The site plan, to house various facilities and amenities at the upcoming Jnana Shakti project, is shown under ‘Update on Jnāna Shakti.’ Please see the eight blocks indicated there (page 7).
Under ‘Imperatives from the Upanishads’ (page 8), we have shown how ‘tapas’ can imply a certain way to go about our work – secular or spiritual – so that right results emerge. It is more than what words like focus, concentration etc. can mean.
Hope this issue will delight you along with providing fresh insights.
With best regards,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA
October 2024
Nov 2024
namaste |
Welcome to this issue #5 of the present volume #10, where ‘Mantra to Ponder’ has some simple extracts from the Upanishads, revealing that true happiness is within us. This truth deals a blow to our long-standing illusion of happiness residing in objects outside.
You will be happy to know that construction is in progress at the Jnāna Shakti site near Pāli in Mahārāshtra. We hope to throw the doors open by Diwali 2025, if not before, for all of you to come and participate in spiritual retreats at the āshram. Please see the update on page 7.
Science and spirituality can walk together, in the light of new discoveries in the world of scientists. Under ‘Quote of the Issue,’ we have Dr Dispenza talking about our changing for better (which is a major topic in spiritual discussions) in the language of neuroscience, of the brain and of genetic programs.
We once again hope you enjoy glancing at the pages of AUPA, and let us know any feedback.
With best wishes,
Swāmi Chidānanda and Team AUPA