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This website is devoted to Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality and Science. We bring in articles on teachings by Great Saints like Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, Adi Shankara, Swami Sivananda, Swami Krishnananda, Aurobindo, Mother of Auroville and others.
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Thoughts Chisel Your Countenance
Spiritual Message for the Day - Thoughts Chisel Your Countenance by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 3 October 2015 15.22 EST | New York Edition** |
Thoughts Chisel Your Countenance
Divine Life Society Publication: Thought Power by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
Your face is like a gramophone record or plate. Whatever you think is at once written on your face.
Every vicious thought serves as a chisel or needle to write down the thoughts on your countenance. Your faces are covered with the scars and wounds which are made by the vicious thoughts of hatred, anger, lust, jealousy, revenge, etc.
From the nature of the scar on your face, we can at once read your state of mind. We can at once diagnose the disease of your mind.
He who thinks that he can hide his thoughts is a dunce of the first water. His position is like that of the ostrich which, when chased by the hunters, hides its head underneath the sand and imagines that it cannot be seen by anyone.
Face is the index of the mind. Face is the mould of the mind. Every thought cuts a groove in the face. A divine thought brightens the face. An evil thought darkens the face. Continued divine thoughts increase the aura or halo.
Continued evil thoughts increase the depth of dark impressions, just as the continued striking of a vessel against the edge of a well while drawing water makes deeper and deeper hollow on the vessel. The facial expression truly advertises the inner state of the mind or the true contents of the mind.
The face is like an advertisement-board wherein is advertised what is going inside the mind. Your thoughts, sentiments, modes and emotions produce their strong impressions on the face.
In your face, you can hardly hide your thoughts. You may wrongly think that you have kept up your thoughts in secret. The thoughts of lust, greed, jealousy, anger, revenge, hatred, etc., at once produce their deep impressions on your face.
The face is a faithful recorder and a sensitive registering apparatus to register and record all the thoughts that are in your mind.
The face is a polished mirror to indicate the nature of the mind and its contents at a particular time.
Note: Pitripaksha 2015 – Sept 28-Oct 12 (Mahalaya Amavasya)
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Continue to read:
Excerpts from: Thoughts Chisel Your Countenance - Thought Power by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
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Gandhiji: His Mission and Message
Spiritual Message for the Day – Gandhiji: His Mission and Message by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 2 October 2015 15.22 EST | New York Edition** |
Gandhiji: His Mission and Message
Divine Life Society Publication: Gandhiji: His Mission and Message by Sri Swami Chidananda
Om! Om! Om!
Today is a day of great auspiciousness and great significance in that it is that memorable day on which the Lord gave to us more than eighty years ago a glorious gift in the form of a blessed and glorious son of His, a son, who was the embodiment of all the great divine virtues which flow forth from the seat of Godhead, the virtue of wonderful compassion, the virtue of absolute purity, the virtue of absolute truthfulness and loyalty and Dharma, all of which go to make a man almost divine. For, this is that day upon which Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi saw the light of the day in fortunate and proud Rajkot in Saurashtra.
We call it a blessed and glorious day, because through his advent into this world, he created a wave of a renascent Dharma, of a new view of things, a new and sublime sense of values, and a new attitude towards human life and man’s activities upon this physical, eternal world. Mahatmaji, the great soul as he came to be rightly revered in later years, became to India, and through the Indian context to the world at large, a symbol of the good, the glorious, the noble and the near-on-divine. This living symbol of loftiness, of Daivee-Sampat or divine Aiswaryas became the source and fountainhead of a new conception of life in the hearts of the peoples of Bharatavarsha. He gave to India a new pattern of individual as well as public, personal as well as collective, social, as well as political living. This pattern which Mahatma Gandhi gave was one based upon the Sanatana Dharma, upon the purest essence of all great religions. For he was a man endowed with a great breadth of vision and a great universality of vision, and this vision he worked into the pattern which he gave to India and to the world through his own glorious personal life.
This day, we recall with very deep gratitude the gift, which God bestowed upon us, and also the services which Mahatmaji, the Father of the Nation, himself lovingly and spontaneously gave to the last day of his life for the renaissance of Dharma and the regeneration of Bharatavarsha, and for the establishment of permanent peace in this world, through his great doctrine of Ahimsa in all spheres of human activity. The most effective way, in which we can express our gratitude and pay back at least a part of our indebtedness to any great soul, is by keeping the ideal set by him before us vividly before our mind’s eye and also by trying to the best of each one’s ability to conform to that pattern and to follow in his foot steps.
Therefore, by recalling upon this memorable day what Gandhiji stood for, lived for we shall be able to be inspired and filled with an inner strength and urge to strive a little more earnestly and with greater sincerity to make ourselves also a little model of the ideal, which he has placed before us. Though outwardly the activities of the great soul were in the sphere of the nation’s politics to a great extent, underneath it all this activity, his quest was after Truth. He was a great Karma Yogi, who regarded all activity as worship and thus through his worshipful activity he sought to realise the Truth enshrined in the heart of all, the lowly, the downtrodden, the oppressed, the depressed. Thus it was that his entire life’s activity constituted his Sadhana for the realisation of Truth, his Yoga for the realisation of the Truth immanent in the whole world.
Once we are able to realise this great fact of Mahatmaji’s life, we shall be able to understand the apparent paradox of his mixing such absolutely unpolitical elements as Ram-Nam, Gita, Prayer and such apparently spiritual and religious factors into his life. For the true Hindu, all life, whatever sphere it may occupy—social, political, business or anything else—was but a means to the eternal end. The entire genius of Hindu culture is that man’s life in this world is regarded as a means for the attainment of the spiritual goal, for which he has been given this rare human birth. This view was already there deep-rooted in the heart of Mahatmaji. Therefore, he knew his life was but a means of attaining the supreme Realisation. He chose politics as the special type of means for attaining this end. Therefore, we find that his entire life, personal as well as public, was based upon the bedrock of the fundamentals of Sanatana Dharma.
For, the guiding scripture of Mahatmaji’s life was the supreme universal scripture—The Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Basing his life upon the Gospel of the Gita throughout his life, he clung to that two-lettered Taraka Mantra, the Divine Ram-Nam. People were puzzled to know whether Mahatmaji was a politician, whether he was a doctor of the body, mind or soul, whether he was a social reformer, or moral reformer—what he was people did not understand. When they approached Gandhiji deeply, they found that he was a man-of-God. He was a seeker supreme; he was a devotee and a Yogi. For, his source of strength, of intuition and of his wondrous peace and sublime calmness, the tranquillity which he always created wherever he went, lay in Ram-Nam. To everyone he said: “If you are facing an insurmountable difficulty or problem, take recourse to Ram-Nam; and Ram-Nam will come to your rescue. That divine word will ultimately bestow upon you happiness and welfare”.
In addition to basing his life upon the Gospel of the Gita and clinging to the sacred Ram-Nam through the thick and thin of the struggle of life, sunshine and rain, through all troubles and difficulties throughout his life, another sublime mode of ever keeping contact with the Goal of Self-realisation, with the Indwelling Truth, he gave to man in the form of his daily prayer. Mahatmaji was a man of prayer and throughout his life, throughout the most stormy periods of his political career, wherever he might have been in jail or outside, travelling and in whatever condition or state of health, his body might have been, never for a single day did he miss his daily prayer. Food he might miss; rest he might miss; and all comforts of the physical body he might miss; but this nourishment to the soul, this fresh communion with the Eternal Reality, the Indwelling Truth, he never, missed even for a single day.
By this three-fold means he has given to the whole of Bharatavarsha as well as to the world, a true pattern of a seeker’s life. Thus, we see that under the surface of apparent activity the real fact of the Mahatma was the factor of his being a true seeker, a lover of God, a devotee, a man of prayer, a man of faith in the divine name and a man following in the footsteps of the great gospel of the Blessed Lord.
Throughout his life he was firm in his adherence to the three cosmic principles of perfect purity, perfect truthfulness and perfect harmlessness, even to the least of the Lord’s creatures. He was ever firm in his adherence to the universal laws which form the fundamental unifying basis of all the faiths, religions, all cults and creeds. To show these universal laws, he became a living embodiment, a perfect personification of these three fundamental virtues throughout his life; and ceaselessly, at every opportunity, he has been advocating a life based upon Ahimsa, Satyam and Brahmacharya. Thus we find that this is the pattern and this is the way of realisation through Ahimsa, Satyam and Brahmacharya; through prayer through the practice of the Divine Name and through following the religion of worshipful action—it is this pattern that Mahatmaji gave the world through his exemplary life. We are heirs to this great ideal, which he has bestowed in his turn as a boon to humanity.
Therefore, let us pray to the Lord as well as to Mahatmaji and the other saints and sages and the Prophets, who are eternal, that we may also prove worthy of this great heritage left to us by this great soul and that we may be able to live up to this sublime pattern and make ourselves also real seekers, devotees, remaining firm in the adherence to the universal virtues and ever devotedly practising the Divine Name and living a life of worshipful activity, and that we may also be fortunate enough to realise the Supreme purpose for which we have been born as human beings upon this earth.
Excerpts from: Gandhiji: His Mission and Message by Sri Swami Chidananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \\ Email to BT Digest Editor( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \** **Email to BT Digest Editor** **( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
“So Says Sivananda”
Spiritual Message for the Day – “So Says Sivananda” by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 1 October 2015 15.22 EST | New York Edition** |
“So Says Sivananda”
Divine Life Society Publication: “So Says Sivananda” by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
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This world is a pit of live coals, a vale of tears. You cannot expect lasting bliss here.
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What have you to do with wealth? What have you to do with relatives? How shall your wife bestead you? All should surely die. Seek the immortal Atma hidden in the cave within your heart.
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Continue your sadhana without any interruption. Sadhana is your best friend.
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Sadhana should be as much a part of your daily life as eating, drinking and breathing.
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Teach yourself the miseries that over-indulgence in sensual pleasures will bring to you.
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If you want God, you must turn your back to worldly enjoyments.
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Give up sensual life, if you do not want death.
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Wish good to all beings. This will enrich your life and make you happy and peaceful.
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Religion is living in God. It is not mere discussion about God.
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Religion consists in doing good to others, in the practice of love, mercy, truthfulness and purity in all walks of life.
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Be good. Do good. Serve, love, give, purify, meditate realise. This is the religion of Siva. This is the religion of the members of the Divine Life Society.
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Live in peace and harmony with your neighbours and fellowmen.
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Bear enmity to none. Do not vex others, and do not be vexed by others.
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Forget and forgive. You will have peace. You will become divine.
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If any one proves to be faithless to you, (even then) be faithful to him always.
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Love all. Be one with all. See the One in all.
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Greet everyone as the Lord Himself. Feel the presence of the Lord everywhere.
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Try your best to make others, as well as yourself, better, wise and happy.
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Spiritualise all your activities.
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If you are truthful and pure in your daily life, you will inherit the Kingdom of God.
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Soak your life with remembrance of Lord. Dedicate your all to Him. See Him in everyone.
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Do Japa. Sing Kirtan. Do charity. Practise meditation. Realise Atmic Bliss. May God bless you.
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All are manifestation of the Lord. It is a shameful slur (slur) on you if you bear a grudge or ill-will towards anybody.
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Do not hate the evil-hearted, the jealous and the selfish. It is they who promote your salvation.
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Disharmony of thought, word and deed is the cause for all troubles miseries and quarrels in this world.
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During illness, detach yourself from body. Connect the mind with the Budhi and Soul “As you think, so do you become.” Therefore, assert you are healthy. Disease will take to its heels.
Note: Pitripaksha 2015 – Sept 28-Oct 12 (Mahalaya Amavasya)
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: “So Says Sivananda” by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \\ Email to BT Digest Editor( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \** **Email to BT Digest Editor** **( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
Sri Swami Sivananda’s Favourite Formula
Spiritual Message for the Day – Sri Swami Sivananda’s Favourite Formula by Sri Swami Sadananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 30 September 2015 15.22 EST | New York Edition** |
Sri Swami Sivananda’s Favourite Formula
Divine Life Society Publication: Philosophy and Teachings of Swami Sivananda ** by Sri Swami Sadananda**
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
Swami Sivananda has been so kind as to condense all his teaching into a few words which constitute what may be called the Mantra, so that it might sink deep in our minds and enable us to meditate upon its meaning. I am referring to what he always says at the end of the Sat Sang, “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise, Be good, Do good, Be kind, Be compassionate, Enquire, ‘Who am I?’, Know the Self and Be free.” I consider that this is his favourite formula, the Mantras that he is giving as Upadesh not in the formal way, but in the really valuable way to all people. If we are to benefit ourselves by the Grace that God has shown to us by giving us this Guru, so that we may improve, the best way is to think about its meaning and act according to it in the best manner possible for us.
Just think about the meaning of these words, “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise.” Each one of these words has been specially chosen and the word coming after the previous one comes with a purpose. It is not placed without any thought. Even a person in the lowest stage of spiritual evolution can enter into the path of progress, or evolution, only by serving others. That is the first thing that we have to do. Serve everybody as much as you can in the manner in which you are fitted to serve. Now, spiritual service, is selfless service. When you remember that you are part of the universe, that you cannot live independently of the universe, that you partake of the blessing that God is conferring upon you only through others who are living in this universe, your sense of duty will tell you that you have to serve others. Otherwise you will be selfish. Nobody in this universe can live independently. He lives only because there are others who help him in some fashion or other. Therefore, service is only a return for the obligation that we have received and are continuing to receive from others in the world. So, that is the first thing. So, that is the first thing, Karma Yoga.
Naturally, when you have developed this feeling that you are part of this universe and it is your duty to do something for the universe, the next stage is reached that you should love the universe. Here also we are only returning the love that we are receiving from other people. If you love in the manner in which you ought to, you are loving the world, recognising that every person has got in him the all-pervading Atman and that every person functions on account of the presence of God in him. Unless we received love and give love there cannot be any happiness, and mind you, love is the life of Bhakti Yoga.
Then, ‘Give’. In the Upanishads there is a story that once thunder was heard as “Da Da Da” by Asuras, Devas and men. Those who heard the three words, Da Da Da, understood them in their own respective ways. Devas are known for their want of restraint (Dama), and therefore they felt, ‘We must have restraint. We are running towards the enjoyment of pleasures. We must have a little more control.’ And the advice was taken by men as Dana (charity). The tendency for human beings is to receive and not to give. Asuras have no Daya. Dana is very important for men. If you search your heart, you will find that out of necessity you will pay something, give something and even supposing you had given very willingly, you will be thinking about it and taking pride in your heart of hearts for having given something, though you may not show the pride you feel. When you have given charity, you have done something which is quite abnormal for an ordinary being. Therefore, the teaching that is given us is, “Remember you are a human being. Rise above the average human being. Become divine. Give.”
When you have done selfless service, have decided to rise above the average human being so that you can make your life divine, then you become fit to proceed further. Therefore, serve, love, give, purify. There you have to think of cleansing your mind. Swamiji has got another set of phrases: “Purify your mind, simplify your life and intensify your Sadhana.” Why should you purify your mind? So that later on you will not fall a victim to the temptations of your mind. Therefore, purification is for keeping the mind filled with good thoughts. They should stick themselves permanently to the mind, and when you have done that by the practice of Yama and Niyama, by controlling yourself completely, by not allowing yourself to be led away by temptations, by not taking advantage of the simplicity of others in business matters or other matters, when you are avoiding all these bad things you will have purified yourself.
Therefore, serve, love, give, purify. ‘Then you will be fit for meditation. Ordinary courtesy requires that you clean a room before you receive an honoured guest. Now, if you are inviting the most honoured guest, God, to take His seat in your mind, you cannot keep your mind dirty. He will sit only in a place which is clean. Therefore, purify. Then meditation will be possible. Meditation means that you will be able to keep God inside you. When once you have cleaned your mind in the way that it is fit for God to dwell in, then Realisation comes quickly. That is why Swamiji says, “Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise.”
When you have developed yourself into the position of some divine personality, then it becomes your duty to be positively good. Be good. Till then all the virtuous qualities are only to perfect yourself. Afterwards you are qualified not only to receive power-vibrations from God, but also to transfer your power and godliness to other people. Therefore, you are asked to be good. Perfect goodness is perfect ‘Godliness’. Therefore, “Be good, Do good, Be kind’. “Be compassionate” comes naturally.
Because, you are no longer selfish, you will begin to live only for others’ good. Then, “Be kind and Be compassionate.” Then you will be able to understand how other people are to be benefited by the level you have reached. Then enquire, ‘Who am I?’ Be conscious of your identity with the Paramatman, and “Be free”.
This is the Mantra which we are receiving every day from Swamiji. Even the person who is very low in the spiritual evolution can practise, “service”. The person who is a little advanced, can practise Bhakti Yoga. So, it is possible to practise all these virtues one after another. I would request you to keep this Mantra running in your mind always, concentrate on the meaning of it, when you have time, and work out the ideas, always. That is the way in which you can benefit from the thought vibrations that are always emanating from Swamiji. Now, I am not qualified to describe him to you, but still I can give you this secret that saints like our Swamiji can never be keeping quiet at any moment of their life without radiating vibrations of a spiritual nature. They are always there, and the result is that when we have attuned our mental radio to the appropriate meter to receive those vibrations by simplifying our life, by purifying our mind, by meditating on our inner Self, we shall be able to receive those vibrations and transform ourselves into divine beings, which we are called upon to become, having been born in the world and especially in India, where we have preserved the spiritual heritage of our ancestors. Let us become worthy of them.
Note: Pitripaksha 2015 – Sept 28-Oct 12 (Mahalaya Amavasya)
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: Sri Swami Sivananda’s Favourite Formula - Philosophy and Teachings of Swami Sivananda ** by Sri Swami Sadananda**
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \\ Email to BT Digest Editor( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
SEND FEED BACK ON THIS ARTICLE \** **Email to BT Digest Editor** **( dlsusa.org@gmail.com)
Metaphysics of the Inner Man
Spiritual Message for the Day – Metaphysics of the Inner Man by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 29 September 2015 17.02 EST | New York Edition** |
Metaphysics of the Inner Man
Divine Life Society Publication: Yoga in Daily Life by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
The physical body, the astral body, Prana, intellect or Buddhi, the instinctive mind, the spiritual mind and the spirit are the seven principles of man. Buddhi is pure reason. The seat of Buddhi is just below the crown of the head in the Pineal Gland of the brain. Buddhi is manifested only in those persons who have developed right intuitive discrimination or Viveka. The ordinary reason of the worldly people is termed practical reason, which is dense and has limitations.
Prana is the vital force, life-energy or Jiva Sakti. It is the eternal symbol of God. It is the link Hiranyagarbha or Golden son of God. It is the link between the astral and physical body. Prana is divided into physical Prana and psychic Prana. Breathing is external manifestation of physical Prana. All thoughts are due to the vibration of psychic Prana in the Chitta.
The causal body or Karana Sarira is the support for the astral and physical bodies. Will is Para Sakti. Get this Sakti—you will get Sat or Existence.
Chitta is the sub-conscious mind. It has two layers. One layer for emotion and the other for passive memory. The instinctive mind is the lower nature of human beings. It is the desire-mind or Kama Manas. The spiritual mind is the higher Manas. The seat of the mind is the heart. The mind connected to the Somachakra of the lowermost portion or under-surface of the brain is termed the organ of understanding. By Manonasa or annihilation of the mind is meant the destruction or dissolution of the lower nature, desire-mind. Sankhya Buddhi or Buddhi in the light of Sankhya philosophy is will and intellect combined. Mind is microcosm. Mind is Maya. Mind occupies an intermediate state between Prakriti and Purusha, matter and Spirit.
Note: Pitripaksha 2015 – Sept 28-Oct 12 (Mahalaya Amavasya)
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: Metaphysics of The Inner Man - Yoga in Daily Life by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at: generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org
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God’s Plan For You
Spiritual Message for the Day – God’s Plan For You by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 28 September 2015 21.04 EST | New York Edition** |
God’s Plan For You
Divine Life Society Publication: DLS of Maryland’s 1998 Newsletter by Sri Swami Chidananda Radiant Atman, beloved children of Light. Blessed children, you are part of that existence brought forth from the Unmanifest Universal Being. Therefore, you are part of that Being as children are part of their parents. You are part of that great manifestation that has come out of that supreme timeless, spaceless, transcendental, absolute Reality. You are part of this manifestation that is known as phenomenal existence, that is subject to the perception of the five senses, that is also a frame within which you are at this moment making your earth journey. It is a phase you have to pass through because you are there already, and you must pass through it with understanding. Then you will make it a gainful process, if you pass through it with a deeper understanding of why it has been given to you, to have been sent here, to be in this phenomenal appearance and to be made in it for sometime and go through it in it’s various phases. If pondering this, you come to understand that this is not only something that has come to you and cannot be avoided, not only that it is necessary, but rather you need to understand.
You have as your parent, Father/Mother God whose wealth is illimitable. Nothing can compare to it, inexhaustible, illimitable. Naturally He can afford to do anything in order to make you become a top person in His creation. That is God’s plan for each and every one of you. God is focusing upon you with all His love and grace and He wants to make out of you the supremest of human individuals on earth, on this planet earth, in this period.
The seat, support, of your life must take you to the winning point in a flash and you must come first and that is God’s plan for you. Know that you are people of destiny. For each and everyone of you God plans that you should, as you move towards the conclusion of your present earth incarnation, you must be at the very top. Each one must shine like a gem and God intends this. That is why God has brought you here. God has this plan for wherever you are. Right from your birth He has been working towards this.
Every scripture says it in different ways: ‘God created man in His image’. Divinity in His likeness, because He does not have a physical image, He is not a corporeal being, so ‘in His image’ means like Him, or like God. So, likeness of God is your real nature. His divine breath is within you. You are a spiritual being and all the saints, all the illumined teachers, all the great masters, all the scriptures have been giving this call to mankind: ‘Regain your lost status’.
This is your birthright. You’re meant for this. Let me tell you, you are made for perfection. Your presence here today proves positively that you are made for perfection. You are meant for the highest, no less than attaining God experience. Once again, regaining your status as part and parcel of God, one with God - Divinity. Become to merge in Him as a river when it reaches the ocean. As long as it has not reached the ocean, even at the point of entry when it has not attained the ocean, it is the river and the ocean is the ocean. Once it has reached and entered and merged into the ocean then its riverness is no longer there. It loses its riverness and there is only ocean. What greater good fortune can there be to the river than to become ocean?
What greater good fortune can there be to an individual soul to regain once again the supreme blessed experience of its spiritual divine oneness with the Universal Soul that is the source, origin, eternal abode as Father-Mother-Friend-Relative, Wealth, Wisdom, everything. No matter what your opinion about yourself at this moment may be, it does not alter the fact and the truth, you are meant for the highest. You are meant for the supremest experience. This experience is already inherent in you and each and everyone of you have got full potential, ability, capacity and full potential to attain this supernal experience. Shine like God, shine like Divinities on earth. Full potential is there. Put it first. See this full potential as part of your heritage, and put forth the necessary effort to bring out the divinity and shine within. You call it Sadhana, you call it Abhyasa, you call it Spiritual Practice, you call it Discipline, you call it Yoga, you call it Devotion, you call it Prayer, you call it Meditation, you call it Vedanta, and Upanishadic discourses. Call it what you will, these are all so many modes and methods of attaining to that great Divine Experience.
See,–what a great blessedness to be patient at the ways of life, so that you have this aspiration, have this superior knowledge. That is great! All this yearning, and you have the knowhow for it through various agencies. God bless you all to recognize this truth. God bless you all to live on the basis of this truth. God bless you all to realize that no matter what obstacles may come, what difficulties may arise, what complications, everything is necessary to overcome, to strengthen you, give you endurance, give you new sight, insight, and to tap into the inner resources to overcome and face all things, to attain victory. You are born to attain victory. In spite of all these, go straight to the goal. You have all the capacity to overcome the inner as well as the outer and victory is certain for you. Not in the distant past. Not in the distant future, or some other life after death. No, in this very life, in this very body, in this very incarnation. In this very time of existence, seek the Eternal. Unfold and put forth the divine perfection within you. That is the serious business of life. All other things are minor and secondary. Give top priority to this. Neglect not earthly affairs. Give them their due, but neglect not THIS! If you neglect THIS, everything is finished, there is nothing left for you. Only mere existing. THIS is Life. Other things are earthly existence. Making a living is necessary, but it is not the purpose, for you have incarnated here as divinities on earth, as parts of God.
God bless you all. Never, never forget a single word that has been uttered now. These words do not belong to me. They belong to you. They come from God. They come from the Holy Master. They come from all the prophets, sages, and saints from far away ancient times: Upanishadic sages, seers, the perfected Masters, from Zoroaster, from Moses, from Laotse, from Buddha, from Jesus, from Mohammed, and the ten Sikh Gurus. Whatever has been said and given, it comes from all of them. Not one single word, or letter of the alphabet belongs to this being through whom these have been uttered. They have been sent, and you have received it. No matter to whom it has been given, to have received it is your blessedness. Hold this treasure and crown yourself with eternal golden glory. Hari Om.
Excerpts from: God’s Plan For You - DLS of Maryland’s 1998 Newsletter by Sri Swami Chidananda
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Mahalaya Paksha
Spiritual Message for the Day – Mahalaya Paksha by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 27 September 2015 21.25 EST | New York Edition** |
Mahalaya Paksha & Mahalaya Amavasya
Divine Life Society Publication: Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
The dark fortnight of Aswayuja (September-October) is known as the Mahalaya Paksha or the fortnight especially sacred for offering oblations to the departed ancestors. The last day of this period, the new moon day, is considered as the most important day in the year for performing obsequies and rites.
The renowned hero of the Mahabharata, Karna, when he left the mortal coil, ascended to the higher worlds and the great charity he had done here was returned to him hundredfold. But, it was all gold and silver; there was no food, as he had not done any food-charity! He prayed to the god of death. So, he was sent back to earth for fourteen days, to make up for this deficiency.
For fourteen days, he fed Brahmins and the poor, and offered oblations of water. On his return to the higher regions, he had food in plenty. It is these fourteen days that are commemorated in the Mahalaya Paksha. Due to the grace of the god of death, it has been ordained that offerings made during this period benefit all the departed souls, whether they are connected to you or not.
Charity in the form of food is important during this observance. Life depends upon food. You cannot preach religion to empty stomachs. This human body is the most important vehicle for realising God. How precious must food be which keeps the body fit for Yoga! The gift of food is the greatest gift. Therefore, give food in plenty, not only during the Mahalaya fortnight but all through the year.
Note: Mahalaya Paksha 2015 – Sept 28-Oct 12 (Mahalaya Amavasya)
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: Mahalaya Paksha & Mahalaya Amavasya - Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
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Benefits of the Practice of Dharma
Spiritual Message for the Day – Benefits of the Practice of Dharma by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 26 September 2015 18.43 EST | New York Edition** |
Benefits of the Practice of Dharma
Divine Life Society Publication: All About Hinduism by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
Silent adorations to the Lord, the Embodiment of Dharma, the Controller and Protector of Dharma and the Fountain-head of Dharma.
Benefits Of The Practice Of Dharma
Of the four grand objects of human aspiration—Purusharthas—viz., Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, Dharma is given the foremost rank in the scriptures. Dharma alone is the gateway to Moksha, to immortality, infinite bliss, supreme peace and highest knowledge. Dharma alone is the primary Purushartha. Dharma is the first and foremost Purushartha. Through the practice of Dharma alone can you ever hope to achieve the crowning glory of all human endeavours, viz., Moksha which is the best and the highest of all desirable things.
Practice of Dharma leads to the perfect realisation of essential unity or the final end, the highest good, namely, Moksha. The practitioner experiences peace, joy, strength and tranquillity within himself. His life becomes thoroughly disciplined. His powers and capacities are exceedingly intensified. He realises that there is one underlying homogeneous essence, a living truth, behind these names and forms. He is transmuted into divinity. His whole nature gets transformed. He becomes one with the Eternal. He beholds Brahman above, Brahman below, Brahman to the right, Brahman to the left, Brahman in front, Brahman at the back, Brahman within, Brahman without and Brahman pervading the whole world.
Kinds Of Dharma
Dharma can be classified under two heads: (i) Samanya or the general, universal Dharma and (ii) Visesha or the specific, personal Dharma. Contentment, forgiveness, self-restraint, non-stealing, purity, control of senses, discrimination between right and wrong, between the real and the unreal, spiritual knowledge, truthfulness and absence of anger come under the general or universal Dharma. The rules of the castes and orders of life are specific Dharmas. These are the tenfold characteristics of Dharma according to Manu.
Dharma assumes various kinds: Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Law), Samanya Dharma (general duty), Visesha Dharma (special duty), Varnasrama Dharma (duties of Caste and Order), Svadharma (one’s own duty), Yuga Dharma (duty of the Age), Kula Dharma (duty of family), Manava Dharma (duty of man), Purusha Dharma (duty of male), Stri Dharma (duty of female), Raja Dharma (duty of king), Praja Dharma (duty of subjects), Pravritti Dharma (duty in worldly life) and Nivritti Dharma (duty in spiritual life).
Sanatana (Eternal Law) and Samanya Dharma (General Duty)
Sanatana Dharma means the Eternal Religion, the Ancient Law. This is based on the Vedas. This is the oldest of living religions. Hinduism is known by the name Sanatana Dharma. What the Vedas alone declare to be the means of attaining the summum bonum or the final emancipation, is the Sanatana Dharma or Hindu Dharma.
The foundation of Sanatana Dharma is Sruti; Smritis are the walls; the Itihasas and Purnas are the buttresses or supports. In ancient times, the Srutis were learnt by heart. The teacher sang them to his pupils and the pupils sang them after him. They were not written in book form. All the sects, all the philosophical systems, appeal to the Sruti as the final authority. The Smriti stands next in authority to the Sruti.
India is the home and abode of religions. It occupies the proud first place in religious devotion and godliness. It is famous for its Yogins and saints. The goal of India is Self-realisation or attainment of God-consciousness, through renunciation. The history of India is a history of religion. Its social code and regulations are founded upon religion. Minus its Yoga, religion and its regulations, India will not be what it has been for millennia. Some Hindus are still not aware of the distinguishing features of Sanatana Dharma. If every Hindu knew and understood what Hinduism is, the Hindus of today would all be gods on this earth.
Samanya Dharma is the general Dharma or law for all men. Varnasrama Dharmas are special Dharmas which are to be practised by particular castes and by men in particular stages of life. The Samanya Dharmas must be practised by all, irrespective of distinctions of Varna and Asrama, creed or colour. Goodness is not the property of any one class, creed, sect or community. Every man should possess this virtue.
May you all be endowed with the knowledge of Sanatana Dharma! May you all endeavour to protect the Eternal Dharma! May the secrets of Sanatana Dharma be revealed unto you all, like a fruit in the palm of your hand, through the Grace of the Lord! May the blessings of Rishis be upon you all! Glory to the Vedas and Sanatana Dharma! Glory to Brahman, the source for all Vedas and Sanatana Dharma!
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: Hindu Dharma - ** **All About Hinduism** **by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
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Hindu Dharma
Spiritual Message for the Day – Hindu Dharma by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 25 September 2015 14.37 EST | New York Edition** |
Hindu Dharma
Divine Life Society Publication: All About Hinduism by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah
Silent adorations to the Lord, the Embodiment of Dharma, the Controller and Protector of Dharma and the Fountain-head of Dharma.
The word Dharma is derived from the root Dhr—to hold—and its etymological meaning is ‘that which holds’ this world, or the people of the world, or the whole creation from the microcosm to the macrocosm. It is the eternal Divine Law of the Lord. The entire creation is held together and sustained by the All-powerful Law of God. Practice of Dharma, therefore, means recognition of this Law and abidance by it.
That which brings well-being to man is Dharma. Dharma supports this world. The people are upheld by Dharma. That which secures preservation of beings is Dharma. Dharma leads to eternal happiness and immortality.
That which is Dharma is verily the Truth. Therefore, whosoever speaks the truth is said to speak Dharma, and whosoever speaks Dharma is said to speak the truth. One and the same thing becomes both.
Dharma includes all external deeds, as well as thoughts and other mental practices which tend to elevate the character of man. Dharma comes from the Divine and leads you to the Divine.
Dharma is generally defined as ‘righteousness’ or ‘duty.’ Dharma is the principle of righteousness. It is the principle of holiness. It is also the principle of unity. Bhishma says in his instructions to Yudhishthira that whatever creates conflict is Adharma, and whatever puts an end to conflict and brings about unity and harmony is Dharma. Anything that helps to unite all and develop pure divine love and universal brotherhood, is Dharma. Anything that creates discord, split and disharmony and foments hatred, is Adharma. Dharma is the cementer and sustainer of social life. The rules of Dharma have been laid down for regulating the worldly affairs of men. Dharma brings as its consequence happiness, both in this world and in the next. Dharma is the means of preserving one’s self. If you transgress it, it will kill you. If you protect it, it will protect you. It is your sole companion after death. It is the sole refuge of humanity.
That which elevates one is Dharma. Dharma is that which leads you to the path of perfection and glory. Dharma is that which helps you to have direct communion with the Lord. Dharma is that which makes you divine. Dharma is the ascending stairway unto God. Self-realisation is the highest Dharma. Dharma is the heart of Hindu ethics. God is the centre of Dharma.
Dharma means Achara or the regulation of daily life. Achara is the supreme Dharma. It is the basis of Tapas or austerity. It leads to wealth, beauty, longevity and continuity of lineage. Evil conduct and immorality will lead to ill-fame, sorrow, disease and premature death. Dharma has its root in morality and the controller of Dharma is God Himself.
Maharshi Jaimini defines Dharma as that which is enjoined by the Vedas and is not ultimately productive of suffering.
Rishi Kanada, founder of the Vaiseshika system of philosophy, has given the best definition of Dharma, in his Vaiseshika Sutras: “Yato-bhyudayanihsreyasa-siddhih sa dharmah.” “That which leads to the attainment of Abhyudaya (prosperity in this world) and Nihsreyasa (total cessation of pain and attainment of eternal bliss hereafter) is Dharma.”
In the matter of Dharma, the Vedas are the ultimate authority. You cannot know the truth about Dharma through any source of knowledge other than the Vedas.
Just as a doctor prescribes different medicines for different people according to their constitution and the nature of their disease, so also Hinduism prescribes different duties for different people. Rules for women are different from the rules for men. The rules for different Varnas and Asramas vary. But, non-violence, truth, non-stealing, cleanliness and control of the senses, are the duties common to all men.
Dharma depends upon time, circumstances, age, degree of evolution and the community to which one belongs. The Dharma of this century is different from that of the tenth century.
There are conditions under which Dharma may change its usual course. Apad-Dharma is such a deviation from the usual practice. This is allowed only in times of extreme distress or calamity.
What is Dharma in one set of circumstances becomes Adharma in another set of circumstances. That is the reason why it is said that the secret of Dharma is extremely profound and subtle. Lord Krishna says in the Gita: “Let the scriptures be the authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done” (Ch. XVI, 24). The truth of Dharma lies hidden. Srutis and Smritis are many. The way of Dharma open to all is that which a great realised soul has traversed.
Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu
Excerpts from: Hindu Dharma - ** **All About Hinduism** **by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
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Birthday Message to You!
Spiritual Message for the Day – Birthday Message to You! by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 24 September 2015 15.14 EST | New York Edition** |
Birthday Message to You!
Divine Life Society Publication: Message of Swami Chidananda to Mankind by Sri Swami Chidananda
(Message given on Sept 24,1972)
Radiant Immortal Atman!
Om Tat Sat! Homage unto the Divine. It is an immense happiness to me to address these few words to you today. May they be engraved in your heart and be enshrined in your thoughts.
Live with understanding and wisdom. Understand the meaning and purpose of life. Understand your real nature and why you are here. Here on earth you are but a passing traveller. Your Real Abode is that realm from whence you came. Here all things are temporary. All things pass. Therefore seek the eternal. Your Real Nature is not earthly. It is spiritual and deathless. To realise your Reality, your eternal identity is the purpose of life. While you strive diligently for this inner Experience cultivate Ideal Relationship with this world around you. To all beings relate yourself with nobility, sympathy, kindness, love, selflessness and the desire to serve all. Serve humanity and seek Divinity. Compassion to all is the key to blessedness. Humility is the highest virtue. Truthfulness is the greatest treasure. Self-control is the supreme wealth to possess. Egoism is the worst blemish.
Be an ideal individual. Become a spiritually illumined soul. Thus crown your life with Wisdom, Peace and Blessedness. You will then become a blessing to all mankind. I wish you Joy and Peace.
Excerpts from: Birthday Message to you! - Message of Swami Chidananda to Mankind by Sri Swami Chidananda
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