Good morning.

This morning, our subject of discussion is our real nature.

You might think that's always your subject of discussion. But the angle I'm going to take

today is a part of a new initiative. I'm going to be reflecting upon the Vedantic teachings

of Swami Vivek Anandha in a series of lectures starting today. How I came upon this is, when I was reading the bylaws of our Vedanta society,

the first thing it says is the purpose of this institution is to study and teach Vedantah as taught by Vivek Anandah and the early swamis.

These bylaws were formulated during the time of Swami Abedananda a few years after

Vivekananda.

You see, we do study Vedanta here, the classical texts.

We are studying the Upanishads. Right now we are

studying Mandukyu Upanishad. We study the Bhagavad Gita. These are the canonical texts of Adwaita

Veyrathe. We study the early masters, Shankara. Vidyaranya, the author of Panchadashi. We are

studying texts like Aparok Shanubhuti and Drik-Drisya Vivek and so on.

And we must, that is true.

But Vivek Ananda is of special relevance to us.

In this center, of course, because this was where Swami Vivek Anandha first started his work,

his organizational work in the West, the first Vedantah society. This was where his classics, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Gyani Yoga also,

were in fact first published from this center. I was reflecting upon that and I was thinking,

notice why Vivekhananda, when you're studying Vedantah, what's the speciality?

Why should we focus on Vivekananda?

Vivekananda restated in our modern context, the ancient teachings of Vedantha.

He gave new insights.

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