Editor: Prabuddha Bharata, the magazine from the Ramakrishna Mission came out with a special issue in January 2016 titled ‘Reflections on Tantra’. Esamskriti is uploading select articles from this masterpiece issue. If you like to download the entire issue (one with brown cover) Click here

Excerpts from article – There are two distinct but related streams in any discipline: theory and practice, the theoretical aspect and the applied aspect, the science and the technology. In Vedantic parlance, the first is called vidya and the second yoga. Vedanta itself is called brahma vidya and its application or practice which may be called applied vidya, and applied science is called yoga. Th ese two words, vidya and yoga, are very ancient and are found in the Upanishads as well as the Bhagavadgita. For example, the very last mantra of the Katha Upanishad says: ‘This vidya or science of Brahman or Atman along with yoga vidhi, or the technology of realisation was taught by the god of Death to Nachiketa, who having obtained this knowledge [the science and technology of Brahman realisation] attained Brahman and became absolutely pure and immortal. In the same way, anyone else who pursues the same spiritual discipline will attain the same goal.”

The article covers The Science and Technology of Religion, Shakti and Divine Incarnations, Naren, the Rishi of the Absolute Plane, accepts Kali, The Brahmo Naren Beseeching Lord’s Mercy, Naren Turned an Advaitin by Sri Ramakrishna, Naren accepts Sri Ramakrishna as the Embodiment of Kali, Brahma-Shakti, Swami Vivekananda’s Substantiation of this Divine Play and Ramakrishna Order’s Tradition of Kali worship vis-s-vis the Divine Play.

Author is the Vice-Chancellor of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Belur Math.

To read full article in PDF  format.

This article was first published in the Prabuddha Bharata, monthly journal of The Ramakrishna Order started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896. This article is courtesy and copyright Prabuddha Bharata (www.advaitaashrama.org ). I have been reading the Prabuddha Bharata for years and found it enlightening. You can subscribe online at www.advaitaashrama.org. Cost is Rs 100/ for one year, Rs 280/ for three years, Rs 1,200/ for twenty years and Rs 2,000 for twenty five years.