# On the Sacred Space The word itself carries weight—*শ্রীঅঙ্গন*, the blessed courtyard, the hallowed threshold. It is not merely an architectural fact, a clearing demarcated by walls or pillars. It is a breathing space where the profane world yields, if only briefly, to intimations of the sacred. In the old houses of Bengal, the courtyard was the heart. Not the parlor where guests were received with careful civility, nor the inner chambers where family secrets gestated in shadow. The courtyard was where light fell freely, where the rhythm of seasons became visible, where the boundary between inside and outside grew luminous and uncertain. It was here that the young girl could stand in the morning and feel the weight of the day settling upon her shoulders. It was here that the old woman could sit and recall, without bitterness, the shape of her own vanished youth. The *শ্রীঅঙ্গন* belonged to no single person and to everyone at once. The servant knew its corners as intimately as the mistress; the child learned its geography before learning the names of gods. It was a republic of sorts, though one ruled by the tyranny of custom and the quiet authority of those who had lived longest. To sanctify a space is to declare: here, something matters beyond utility. Here, time moves differently. Here, we are reminded that we are part of something larger than ourselves—the pulse of the household, the continuity of generations, the unspoken covenant between those who tend and those who are tended for. Perhaps this is why we lose such spaces and never quite recover from the loss. They were not decorated with intention; they simply *were*. And in their being, they made us.

Many have attempted to translate and interpret the scriptures, yet not all merit reading. Better to sleep than absorb mistaken meanings. Some commentaries are quite excellent, though rather forbidding. (Such as the writings of Durgacharan Chattopadhyay.) Some are excellent and quite accessible. (Such as the works of Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari.) Some are rather poor, and best avoided altogether. (Such as 'he whose name shall not be spoken.')

Speaking of good translations of the Gita, Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari would mention the work of Srijagatish Chandra Ghosh. His own *Gita-Dhyan* is an exceptionally lucid and authentic rendering of the Gita. (Among other fine Gita translations: Swami Ranganathananda's Gita in three volumes, the *Sadhak-Sanjivani*, Swami Amritvananda's Gita, Swami Jagadisvananda's Gita, Swami Apurvananda's Gita, and others.) Mahanambrata's *Upanishad-Bhavana*, *Brahmasutra* and various smaller works, lectures and essays are deeply cherished by those seeking spiritual knowledge and philosophic truth. Any book by the great minds—Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Aniruddhan, Anandamurti—can be purchased unread a second time with confidence. The same holds true for the works of Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari.

My cousin's entire family was initiated by the Lord Jagadbandhoo Sundar. It was from my cousin that I first heard of Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari. I was quite young then. Among the learned and scholarly people in our family, my cousin was among the most distinguished. I have known only three men with such profound command of the English language: my father, my cousin, and Harisadhan Sir. (Those interested in Sir may read my essay about him on the website.)

We all listened to my cousin with great attention. He would often speak about Mahanambrata Brahmachari, discussing his philosophical thought. I borrowed books from him and began reading Mahanambrata for the first time. From experience, I understood that he possessed boundless erudition. He presented the philosophy of Sanatana Dharma with perfect clarity and authenticity in a manner I have rarely encountered elsewhere.

If you have the opportunity to read Dr. Mahanambrata Brahmachari's works, seize it—your time will be spent in the finest pursuits. His contribution to reconstructing a ravaged Bengal after independence is particularly noteworthy. The *Sri Angnadhama*, situated in Faridpur, the spiritual home of the Master to whose grace Mahanambrata attained universal renown, is truly a place of profound peace. The *prasad* at the ashram is indeed nectar! (You must try it.) I once received the *ekadashi prasad*—a fragrant rice pilau of lava grain with several exquisite vegetable preparations. One must be truly fortunate to taste such delicious food.

The sincerity of the ashram's residents will enchant you! I have been blessed with *prasad* at the Master's ashram twice, including today's evening offering. The first time, my friend Elder Brother Kishore gifted me several books along with his own writings; today too I received gifts from Elder Brother Rudra.

I wish to share an amusing experience. When I addressed Elder Brother Kishore as 'Master' upon our first meeting, he humbly requested that I call him 'Elder Brother' instead. As his reason, he recited two verses from the ninth chapter of the Gita:

*Pitaham asya jagato mata dhata pitamahah.*
*Vedyam pavitram omkara rik sama yajur eva cha.* (17)

*Gatir bharta prabhuh sakshi nivas sharanam suhrit.*
*Prabhavah pralayah sthanam nidhanum bijam avyayam.* (18)

The meaning of the words: I am *aham* (the Self), *asya jagataḥ* (of this world) the father, mother, sustainer, grandfather, *vedyam* (the sole object of knowledge), the pure, *om* (the source of all sound), the *Rig*, *Sama*, and also the *Yajur* Veda. (17)

I am the path, the sustainer, the lord, the witness to all merit and demerit, the dwelling place, the refuge, the benefactor, the creator, the dissolver, the substratum, the dissolution, the imperishable seed. (18)

(18)

From the verse translation by Satyendranath Tagore, the accomplished elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore and the first Bengali civil servant, I find:

Grandfather of the world,
Father, Mother, Creator of all,
The Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas,
The supreme Person known through all scriptures, the sacred Om. (17)

Movement, sustenance, Lord, friend,
Universal witness, refuge, shelter,
The eternal seed, the repository,
Creation, preservation, and dissolution of the world. (18)

My elder friend Kishore, palms joined in greeting, laughed and said that day: “I cannot show you the way, nor can I rescue you, nor be your refuge—it is not even in my power to sustain or nurture you. Then by what logic am I your ‘Lord’? If you address me as ‘Lord’ and I accept that salutation, the sin falls upon me alone.”

(Of course, with the help of Shankara’s commentary on the Gita, one could construct another interpretation of these two verses; that discussion can wait for another day.)

When one goes to the established Sri Dham at Sri Angan, where the revered Jagadbandhu Sundar presides, time passes in great joy. I enjoy browsing the books at the bookstall, conversing with the elder brothers about spirituality and philosophy, they serve prasad with genuine care, and there are endless discussions about the subtle truths of the scriptures; yet I have never observed in anyone’s behavior or speech there anything that suggests—Listen, listen, we have come from heaven! Join us here, we will take you to heaven! You are on the wrong path! Come to our way, you will see, your whole life will transform! Just apply our salve, all other salves are counterfeit!

For those who, like Jagadbandhu Sundar, are rooted in the grace and compassion of the divine they revere, it is impossible to possess such pushy, narrow-minded, and obtuse traits!

There is no ostentation anywhere in Sri Angan, no needless extravagance, no false pretense. By the infinite grace of the Lord, Dr. Mahanamvrat Brahmacharya writes in his essay “Sanatana Dharma”:

“Nearly all rivers are born in mountains and flow to the ocean, yet each takes its own path. In the Mahimna Stotra:

Because of the variety of tastes, straight and winding
Many paths that rivers take—
You alone are the destination, O Lord,
Like the ocean for the waters.

Because of the diversity of inclinations, the ocean is the common destination of rivers that flow in straight and crooked paths, just as you, O Lord, are the ultimate destination of all doctrines.

Therefore, Sanatana Dharma is not a single doctrine. It is a sublime synthesis of countless doctrines.
What Sri Ramakrishna spoke of as the harmony of all paths is not a new thing—it is the inner truth of Sanatana Dharma itself.

This great message of synthesis resounded through the melodious voice of Swami Vivekananda and astonished the people of the West at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
In an age of endless conflict between religions, this message of synthesis from Sanatana Dharma deserves the attention of all.”

The great Mahanamvrat Brahmacharya, remembering Vivekananda, says:

“It is easy to initiate one person with a mantra and secure their passage to heaven. Nearly all saints and monks do that. But to awaken an entire nation with the mantra of awakening, to redirect them from seeking heavenly liberation to the service of humanity—that is far more difficult. Vivekananda did not come to increase the number of his disciples; he turned the nation from heaven-seeking to service-seeking. The nation heard this sublime call of the Swami. That is his great gift.”

From these two passages, it becomes utterly clear that in an age when the foolish masses have mistaken their faction-building activities for spiritual practice, to place oneself in the shade of someone like Dr. Mahanamvrat Brahmacharya—with his vast learning, his generosity of spirit, and his humanity—is an infinite comfort. First observation, then (if the heart desires) initiation. When I think of those luminaries—Ramakrishna, Nigamananda, Aurobindo, Anandamoorthi, and others—whose life-philosophy we know, those who did not impose themselves upon their disciples but rather, in silence and solitude, bid them to engage single-mindedly in their own practice as their sadhana—beside them, with the deepest reverence, I always place another name: the revered Jagadbandhu Sundar. Let me conclude by sharing with you five great teachings of the Master:

First. Do not become deluded and cause pain to your mother and father.

Second. He who finds no peace in family life will find no peace even if he abandons it.

Third. Do not remain ignorant. The ignorant will not be able to understand my words.

Devotion to Hari cannot flourish in ignorance.

Four. Do not allow gossip about others to enter your ear or your heart. Renounce idle talk and slander. Inscribe upon the wall of your home: Gossip is forbidden.

Five. Eternal bliss dwells within all living creatures. When you harm any life, you wound that eternal bliss.