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Your Window to the World of Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality!
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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The Real Cause of Suffering
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Real Cause of Suffering by Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 6 March 2015 13.25 EST | New York Edition** |
The Sense of Spiritual Direction
Divine Life Society Publication: Early Morning Meditation Talks by Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda
Om! Om! Om!
As human beings, we all want to be happy. And one of the ways to be happy is to feel that everything is okay. The world is okay, and I am okay. But the trouble is, the world doesn’t seem to be okay, nor do we seem to be okay. Therefore, in order to be happy, most people live in some form of state of denial or escape.
This was not the teaching of the Eastern sages, at least on this level. They declared that this life is fundamentally suffering, and, therefore, if you want to be happy, you have to find another solution. Sometimes that solution was to get to heaven or to have a better birth.
But that’s in the future. We want to deal with our situation right now. And if we do, we have to try to understand one fundamental fact. Suffering could be said to have two aspects—one that we can’t do much about, and one that we can do something about. For example, if we have chest pains, those pains are suffering. But the real suffering is not the pain; the real suffering is worrying that we are having a heart attack. In other words, suffering is caused by our interpretation of our situation.
The same applies to almost everything around us. Suffering is caused by birth, death, sickness, old age and pain according to the philosophers, but the real suffering is caused by our attitude. If we see birth, death, sickness, old age and pain as natural phenomena, there is a minimum of suffering. If we have a different attitude, it can cause great suffering.
Fundamentally if we look at our inner self, we will discover that it is what we think about ourselves that determines how much suffering we’re undergoing. That frequently causes a state of anxiety; perhaps anger is always there, perhaps jealousy, perhaps greed, perhaps sadness. Something is there that is our real suffering and determines how we meet life. It is not the outer things that are the cause of our suffering, but how we react to them. What is left over when there is no outer stimulus is what is important.
The key to solving the problem is to recognise that these inner negative states, which seem to be at the core of our being, really are not at the core. There is something within us that is more fundamental, that is aware of all these states. It has the ability, not necessarily to get rid of these states, but to objectify them rather than identify with them.
Normally we do this by offering everything to God, by surrendering, by repeating God’s name or through introspection. The objective is to not tackle these things directly, but rather to identify with that which is aware of them. This is the purpose of all our spiritual practices. And the more we go to this deeper depth of ourselves, the less power these negative states will have over us.
So, we can say that life is fundamentally suffering, but at a deeper level it is all divine. And the scriptures tell us that not only is Divinity beyond all suffering, but that That is what we are. So our solution is not so much at the physical and mental level as it is at the level of our identity: Believe the scriptures and the gurus when they tell us that we are That. Recognise that we are the witness of all these states, and allow the healing to take place.
Excerpts from: The Real Cause of Suffering - Early Morning Meditation Talks by Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda
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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The Sense of Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Sense of Spiritual Direction by Sri.N.Ananthanarayanan
| **Baba Times Digest© | 5 March 2015 13.35 EST | New York Edition** |
The Sense of Spiritual Direction
Divine Life Society Publication: What The River Has Taught Me by Sri N.Ananthanarayanan
Om! Om! Om!
To profess a faith is easy. To live by the professed faith is difficult. To prattle is easy, to practise is much more difficult. Saying is easy. Doing is difficult. What is expected, what is required, of the spiritual seeker is not merely doing, but doing rightly, doing wisely and doing incessantly. The Upanishads give the clarion call: “Arise! Awake! And stop not till the Goal is reached”. At no stage should the seeker slacken his efforts. “Stop not!” are the words. He should be at it, he should be doing Sadhana all the time. Till when? Well, till the Goal is reached. When will it be reached? God only knows. It may be reached in six days or six million births. This is where the virtue of patience comes in. A spiritual seeker is expected to have that infinite patience of the bird which started to empty the ocean, drop by drop, with its beak.
You must have Viveka. Viveka is spiritual wisdom. It is the wisdom which asserts that the Spirit alone is real and that matter is unreal. It is the knowledge that lasting bliss can be had only in God and not in the transient things of this world. It is the right understanding which leads you to the conviction that life in this world, this phenomenal existence, is fraught with endless misery, that this world is a valley of tears, a temple of misery. It is the power of discrimination which enables you to understand, to grasp, the full import of Sri Krishna’s unequivocal, unqualified and emphatic declaration in the Bhagavad Gita that this world is “impermanent and a place of unhappiness”. Once you have this Viveka, and only when you have this Viveka, will your spiritual life have a comparatively smooth run. Only then will your progress be safe and steady. If you proceed in your Sadhana without the backing of Viveka, you may trip, or you may get confused and befuddled and break. It will be like building a structure without a foundation. Not only should you have Viveka, but it should be lasting. You cannot afford to lose it, part company with it, even for a second. It is so important. You see, when the seeker launches on his spiritual journey, it is like entering a path in darkness. A torch is necessary. Viveka provides the torch. Sadhana or spiritual practice is the actual walking.
The settled conviction that this world holds only misery and that God only is the true source of blessedness is very necessary for one very important reason. As a spiritual seeker, you will find yourself cut off or isolated from the rest of the world. True it is that lots and lots of people profess faith in God and religion, but few practise the tenets of religion. Few people practise spirituality. Even among those who practise, many do so out of a desire to gain something or the other and not for the sake of God alone. True spiritual seekers who strive in the spiritual direction for the sake of God and only God are few and far between, and except for those few, you will find the rest of the world walking in one direction and yourself walking in the opposite direction. When you are faced with this spectacle, doubts will slowly begin to creep in your mind—and this, despite all your book-learning, all your theoretical knowledge, all the instructions of your Guru. And you will begin to falter. You will begin to wonder: “Am I right? Or, are they right?”. In its more explicit form, the question will assume somewhat the following shape: “Am I making a fool of myself? If only I struggled in the worldly direction, how much more prosperous, more talented, more powerful, will I be than most of these people? Oh! What all have I sacrificed! Ah! To think of all the possibilities of success in various directions I might have achieved!”. In truth, to think on these lines is an exercise in foolishness.
It is a trick of the mind. Mind deludes. It is in the nature of the mind to imitate. Mind is the handmaid of Maya. Maya has her seat in the human being in the shape of the mind. You have to gain conquest over this lower mind, over this deluding mind, by the power of your higher mind, the discriminating mind, the mind which possesses Viveka. You should never once lose the sense of direction in spiritual life. The sense of spiritual direction is very, very important. The distinction between the Sreyo Marga (path of ultimate good) and the Preyo Marga (path of immediate pleasure) should never be lost sight of. There should be no turning back in spiritual life. If you have once turned your back on the world, never again retrace your steps. If you have once felt, and felt for sufficient reason, that worldly pleasures are worthless, never again be deluded, be fooled into thinking that they are worthwhile. Do not try to eat vomited food. Do not try to grasp things which you have rejected. Do not walk to and fro. Do not pace back and forth. You will never reach your destination. Learn to walk in one direction. You will reach somewhere.
If worldly pleasures hold too strong an attraction for you, have legitimate enjoyment. You will soon realise the worthlessness of those mundane pleasures, and with this realisation, spiritual wisdom will dawn on you. The spiritual spark will be lighted in you. Only then will you be able to take firm steps and purposeful steps on the spiritual path. Only then will you be entitled to the name of spiritual seeker or Sadhak.
Excerpts from: The Sense of Spiritual Direction - What The River Has Taught Me by Sri N.Ananthanarayanan
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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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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Guru Seva
Spiritual Message for the Day – Guru Seva by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 4 March 2015 17.27 EST | New York Edition** |
Guru Seva
Divine Life Society Publication: Swami Sivananda, Our Loving Awakener by Sri Swami Chidananda
Om! Om! Om!
The glorious promise given by the Lord in the Gita Sloka:
Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya glaanir bhavati bhaarata;
Abhyutthaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srijaamyaham.
is once again being fulfilled right before our eyes. This promise was given by the Lord at the end of Dwapara Yuga when Kali was about to come.
As Divine Knowledge was being lost, God has come to give it to man again. He has come to us in His aspect of Vidya Shakti. This is the Vibhuti of Gurudev who has made Jnana Yajna the lofty spiritual mission of his life. But for Gurudev, it is difficult to imagine where Viveka, Vedanta and spirituality would be in this fearful age of Adharma. Through the instrumentality of Gurudev, God is not only protecting our spirituality, but positively building up our spirituality. I may say that all those with Gurudev’s grace are not in Kali Yuga. The power of the various modes of Sadhana which he has opened up for us enables us to overcome the power of Samsara to drown us. Gurudev is thus creating and keeping alive a current of Satya Yuga in Kali Yuga. In this atomic age, he is radiating Divine Light far and wide.
How can we repay him? Will it ever be possible for us to repay him for the great service he has rendered to us and is continuing to render? What is the Guru-Seva which we can do to please Him? In this case, the greatest Guru-Seva would be in the form of Jnana Yajna.
The glorious culture of Bharatavarsha has taught us to deify everything. The Srutis repeatedly proclaim this eternal truth: ‘Isavasyam idam sarvam!’ – ‘Sarvam khalvidam Brahma!’ This is the glorious discovery of our ancients, this unique conception of seeing God in everything, in the speck of dust, in the insect, in the sky, in everything. We particularly adore anything wherein Divinity is especially manifest, wherein there is an exceptionally dense manifestation of any aspect of Divinity. The Vibhuti Yoga of Lord Krishna enumerates these manifestations in detail. The Lord is also manifest in an exceptionally dense form in the Guru, in the Spiritual Preceptor who enlightens the disciple. That is why we are asked to worship the Guru as visible God. In Swami Sivananda, we have a universal Guru, a person who deserves to be worshipped by the entire universe.
Practice of Jnana Yajna as Guru-Seva to such a universal preceptor implies two things: (i) the dissemination of the universal teachings of Gurudev as far and wide as possible and (ii) the practice of those teachings in our daily lives. For both these purposes, we must know what the main tenets of Gurudev’s Gospel are. The fundamental points that Gurudev is trying to propagate may be summed up as:
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There is a higher and nobler purpose in life than mere eating and drinking.
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That higher purpose is Self-realisation.
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Self-realisation can come about only through renunciation.
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Renunciation does not mean going away from home or taking Sannyasa. Real renunciation consists in renunciation of Ahamkara (Ego) and Trishna (craving for objects of sense enjoyment).
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Real renunciation as explained above is possible for everyone and must be practised by everyone.
The second aspect of Jnana Yajna, viz. the practice in one’s life of Gurudev’s teachings is really the more important. Knowing the teachings of Gurudev thoroughly and putting them to practice is the practical way of doing Jnana Yajna. Towards this end, I would suggest that everyone should get by heart Gurudev’s Universal Prayer, Twenty Spiritual Instructions and Sadhana Tattwa. Everyone should know at least the bare outlines of the four principal Yogas. I would particularly recommend the book ‘Essence of Yoga’ by Gurudev. It contains all his teachings in a nut-shell. Every disciple of Gurudev should also know the important Asanas and some essential Kirtans and Bhajans.
Excerpts from: Guru Seva - Swami Sivananda, Our Loving Awakener 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
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Philosophy and Teachings of Sivananda
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Practice of Meditation by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 3 March 2015 16.43 EST | New York Edition** |
Philosophy and Teachings of Sivananda
Divine Life Society Publication: Essays in Philosophy by Sri Swami Satchidananda
There is an innate urge in everyone to attain Immortality, higher Knowledge and eternal Bliss. This gives the clue that Brahman exists.
In dream you are distinct from the physical body. In deep sleep you are distinct from the body and mind; and yet you enjoy peace independent of objects. This gives the clue that you are in essence Atma or the Imperishable, Immortal Self.
The Supreme Reality is Self-luminous, Self-contained. It is Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is all-full. It is Perfect. By realising this Brahman alone you can attain Liberation.
The impure mind is the cause of bondage and the pure mind is the cause of liberation. It is the mind that creates the world. There is no world in deep sleep when there is no mind.
Sorrow has the body as its cause. The body has Karma for its cause. Karma proceeds from the notion of “I”. The idea of “I” has ignorance for its cause. The erroneous notion that “I am the body” is called Avidya or ignorance. It binds the man. “I am not this body, but blissful, all-pervading Atman”—this is called Knowledge. This will liberate you.
A life of right conduct is a necessary factor in the enquiry into and discovery of Atman or Brahman, the source and basis for this world, body and mind.
Righteousness forms the bedrock of all religions. Righteousness is the divine path. Dharma is the perfect pattern of life.
Serve, love, sing, give, purify, meditate, realise. Be good. Do good. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be honest. Be sincere. Be truthful. Be bold. Be pure. Be virtuous. Develop the Four Means. Enquire “Who am I?” Know the Self and be free. This is the essence of Sadhana.
Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga are the means to Jnana. Karma removes the impurities of the mind. Bhakti Yoga removes the oscillation of the mind and softens the heart. Raja Yoga steadies the mind. Karma, Bhakti, Yoga and Jnana do not mutually exclude each other. Bhakti is not divorced from Jnana; on the contrary Jnana intensifies Bhakti. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one.
Moksha or Liberation is not a thing to be attained. It is already there. You will have to know that you are identical with the Supreme Reality through intuition.
Samadhi is an experience in which the aspirant feels his oneness with Brahman or the Supreme Reality. Samadhi is intense awareness of the Reality. It is the Highest intuition. It is an experience of fullness. It transcends duality of all kinds. He who has experienced Samadhi becomes wise and illumined.
May you be established in Samadhi through discrimination, dispassion, serenity, intense yearning for liberation and the Grace of the Lord!
Excerpts from: Philosophy and Teachings of Sivananda - Essays in Philosophy by Sri Swami Satchidananda
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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The Practice of Meditation
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Practice of Meditation by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 2 March 2015 17.03 EST | New York Edition** |
The Practice of Meditation
Divine Life Society Publication: Dhyana Yoga by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
Dhyana or meditation is in the keeping up of the flow of one idea with a continuity as unbroken as the flow of oil. Meditation is of two kinds, viz., concrete and abstract. If you meditate on any picture or concrete object it is concrete meditation. If you meditate on an abstract idea, on any quality such as mercy, tolerance, it is abstract meditation. A beginner should practise concrete meditation. For some aspirants, abstract meditation is more easy than concrete meditation.
The practice of meditation must start only after one is well established in Pratyahara or abstraction of the senses and concentration. If the senses are turbulent, if the mind cannot be fixed on one point, no meditation is possible even within hundreds of years. One should go stage by stage, step by step. The mind should be withdrawn again and again and fixed upon the object of meditation. Its tendency to run and roam must be checked. One should reduce one’s wants and renounce all sorts of wild, vain desires from the mind. A desireless man alone can sit quiet and practise meditation. Sattvic and light diet and Brahmacharya are the prerequisites for the practice of meditation.
Consciousness is of two kinds, viz., focussing consciousness and marginal consciousness. When you concentrate on Trikuti, the space midway between the eyebrows, your focussing consciousness is on the Trikuti. When some flies sit on your left hand during meditation, you drive them with your right hand. When you become conscious of the flies it is called marginal consciousness. A seed which has remained in the fire for a second will not undoubtedly sprout into leaves even though sown in a fertile soil. Even so a mind that does meditation for some time but runs towards sensual objects on account of unsteadiness will not bring in the full fruits of Yoga.
Beginners on the spiritual path should remember again and again some important and inspiring Vedantic statements, every day. Only then can their doubts be removed and they would find themselves established on the path. Some of these statements are: “Being alone was in the beginning, one without a second” Chhandogya Upanishad VI-2-1; “In the beginning all this was the one Self alone” Aitareya Upanishad VI-2-1; “This is the Brahman, without cause and without effect; this Self is Brahman perceiving everything” Brihadaranyaka Upanishad II-5-19; “That immortal Brahman alone is” Mandukya Upanishad, II-2-7. This immortal Atman cannot be attained without constant practice of meditation. Therefore he who wishes to attain immortality and freedom should meditate on the Self or the Brahman, for a long time.
The Self or the Atman is the fountain-source of all energy. Thinking on Atman as the Source of all Energy, is a dynamic method for augmenting one’s own energy, strength and power. If you think even for a single second, of the all-pervading pure, immortal Satchidananda Atman or Brahman, it would be tantamount to taking thousand and eight dips in the sacred Triveni—the junction of holy rivers at Prayag. This is the real mental sacred bath. Physical bath is nothing when compared to this internal bath of wisdom or knowledge.
Worship the Self or the Atman with the flowers of Jnana or wisdom, contentment, peace, joy and equal vision. This will constitute real worship. Offerings of rose, jasmine, sandal paste, incense, sweetmeats and fruits are nothing when compared to the offerings of Jnana, contentment, peace, equal vision. These are the offerings given by the ignorant persons. Try to identify yourself with the eternal, immortal, ever-pure Atman or Soul that resides in the chambers of your heart. Think and feel always: “I am the very pure Atman. This one thought will remove all troubles and fanciful thoughts. The mind wants to delude you when it detracts you from the central purpose of your life, viz., meditation on the Atman. Therefore start an anti-current of thought against the tendencies of the mind. Then, mind will lurk like a thief and become submissive.
In the Yoga-Vasishtha you will find: “The right course to be adopted by one who is a novitiate is this: Two parts of the mind must be filled with the objects of enjoyments, one part with philosophy and the remaining part with devotion to the teacher. Having advanced a little, he should fill one part of the mind with the object of enjoyment, two parts with devotion to the teacher and the remaining one with getting an insight into the meaning of philosophy. When one has attained proficiency, he should every day fill two parts of his mind with philosophy and supreme Renunciation, and the remaining two parts with meditation and devoted service to the Guru.” This will eventually lead you on to meditation for twenty-four hours. Meditate ceaselessly upon that Satchidananda Brahman and attain the Supreme immaculate seat in this very life.
Excerpts from: The Practice of Meditation - Dhyana Yoga 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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Swami Sivananda’s Philosophy
Spiritual Message for the Day – Swami Sivananda’s Philosophy by Sri B.S.Mathur
| **Baba Times Digest© | 1 March 2015 13.44 EST | New York Edition** |
Swami Sivananda’s Philosophy
Divine Life Society Publication: Philosophy and Teachings of Swami Sivananda by Sri B.S.Mathur
Swami Sivananda Maharaj of Rishikesh is a great Sage. He lives in the company of God incessantly. More than that he is a teacher, a world-teacher, keen on elevating mankind. But how does he do all this? He lives in Rishikesh and has disciples all round him. He does not leave Rishikesh and yet he is a treasure house of comfort and instruction to millions of people, all over the world. One might think that he is living far from the world. But that is not true. He is getting nearer and nearer to God so that he might uplift and comfort humanity by his illumination. He is freeing himself to free others; he is delivering himself to deliver others. There is no ignorance about him; instead, he has light and illumination. He is now spreading that light. But how? That question remains to be answered.
Swami Sivanandaji has written so many books; they are all a world of knowledge and experience. They are leading people and they will continue to lead. Then, he is responsible for a number of first rate magazines: “The Divine Life,” “The Forest University Weekly,” and “Wisdom Light.” In all these journals, words of his wisdom, hence words of universal and eternal wisdom, appear ceaselessly. And the purpose is the same to illumine and lead.
This is right education that the Swami is imparting and how delightfully? His books and magazines are so good that you have a true and lasting glimpse of the reality behind all these appearances, so deceptive and so killing.
Now think of the way. What has he prescribed to achieve all this? Here are his words. Write them in gold; they are for All Time and they are for All.
“Do not be credulous. Do not give your ear to every saying or suggestion, or news or rumour. Weigh them very carefully. Ponder well, cogitate. Then come to a definite conclusion. If anything does not tally with Sruti, Yukti, Shastras, reasoning, and your own experience, reject it ruthlessly, even though it comes from the mouth of Brahma. It agrees with the above, accept it as gospel truth even though it comes from the mouth of a child.”
What is all this that the Swami is talking about? You might, if you don’t think deeply, doubt his religiousness. But that is not the thing. The Swami is a true religious sage. He is not taken up by the show of religion. He has gone deeper; he has pierced through the apparent deception of religion, from religion to reason.
Look at the method. You are not to take anything for granted anything may come down to you as a tradition. Cogitate over it and accept or reject it as your reason allows you to do. Try your reason and step out of darkness to come to light and greatness. That is the advice. That is the philosophy I get from Swamiji’s life and teachings. That is the philosophy I am trying to practise in life.
The world round us, is full of deceptive suggestions and sayings. Why not scrutinise them? There is misery in the world. You are here to dismiss it. Do so by working under the guidance of thought and reason. Even if things don’t agree with accepted principles and contents of religious literature, you are to reject them.
Here you can think of Swamiji as a scientific thinker keen on truth and experiments for verification. Swamiji is for the glorification of reason and truth. There is God in all of us. There is God residing in the child. God might speak through his mouth. This is common experience. Whenever we do an evil thing, there is a protest from inside. It might be feeble but it is there. That is the Voice of God. Why not listen to it? What is feeble today will assume strength in due course if you are on the right path, following God and His wishes all your life. This feeble voice you have to perfect by your thoughts, dreams and deeds. This we fail to do and thus become endless witnesses of misery and war.
“Turn to the pages of the Great book of Nature and study them carefully.” Again this is Swamiji. The Book of Nature is our true teacher. There are times in which you live and there are times when you don’t live, when you simply exist. Your times of living should be continuous. So turn to the great pages of the Great Book of Nature.
Let the light of Reason be our guide, friend and teacher. This is the philosophy of Swami Sivanandaji.
Excerpts from: Swami Sivananda’s Philosophy - Philosophy and Teachings of Swami Sivananda by Sri B.S.Mathur
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
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Abide in Peace and Happiness
Spiritual Message for the Day – Abide in Peace and Happiness by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 28 February 2015 13.09 EST | New York Edition** |
Abide in Peace and Happiness
Divine Life Society Publication: Easy Steps to Yoga by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
There is restlessness everywhere. Selfishness, greed, wrath, lust are havocking. Fights, skirmishes, petty quarrels are polluting the atmosphere and creating discord, disharmony and unrest. Bugle is blown and soldiers are marching in the battlefield to kill their enemies. One nation is waging war against another nation for acquiring more dominions and more powers. Side by side peace-movement is working silently for bringing concord, harmony and peace, for eradicating the dire ignorance, the root cause for human sufferings and disseminating Divine Knowledge or knowledge of the Self and infusing devotion into the hearts of people. Mysterious is the universe, still more mysterious is the silent workings of the unseen God, who prompts Rajasic people on one side to wage war and the Sattvic people on the other side to start Peace Centres for the dissemination of spiritual knowledge and for bringing peace to the suffering humanity at large.
The Goal of life is the attainment of Self-realisation or God-consciousness. There is one supreme undying intelligent principle or Essence or Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self who dwells in the chambers of your heart. He exists in the past, present and future. He is existence absolute, knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. Ignorant man vainly searches for his happiness and peace in perishable external objects, that are conditioned in time, space and causation. He has no peace of mind. His desires are not gratified. He amasses wealth, begets children, gets titles, honours, name, fame and yet his mind is restless. He has no abiding joy and lasting happiness. He is still in want of something. He has no feeling of fullness. This feeling of fullness and eternal satisfaction can be obtained by realising one’s own Self through spiritual Sadhana, self-restraint, purity and meditation, and by attaining the highest rung in the Yogic ladder.
Peace and happiness can be found only within. You cannot certainly find it in external objects. Wealth, women, children, property, palatial buildings cannot give you the everlasting Peace. Look within. Realise your oneness with that One Supreme Self, who lives in the chambers of your heart. When you are established in That, which is an ocean of Peace and Happiness, you will not be shaken even by heavy sorrow, loss or failures, inharmonious and disagreeable vibrations. You will tide over all difficulties or crises of life very easily and will come back with triumph in all experiences. Mysterious is this Peace! Marvellous is this Peace! Realise this Peace that passeth all understanding through Yoga Sadhana and be free. Float in this ocean of Peace and rejoice in the Peace of your own Self.
Why do you, O friend, cling to this material life of disappointments, failures, diseases, afflictions, sorrows and uncertainties? Penetrate into the hidden depths of the vast ocean of eternal life within. The real Kailas and Manasasarovar are within you. The fountain of Joy, the spring of the sacred water of immortality, the vast lake of ambrosial nectar, the celestial jewel that bestows on you whatever you want, are within you. What is this ephemeral existence with all sorts of mundane troubles, this evanescent life like a mushroom or a bubble when compared to the sweet eternal life in the soul within? Will you not start now on a spiritual expedition with determination and an iron resolve to explore the infinite realms of peace and bliss within?
May Peace and Happiness abide in you all!
Excerpts from: Abide in Peace and Happiness - Easy Steps to Yoga by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
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How to Free Ourselves from Karma
Spiritual Message for the Day – How to Free Ourselves from Karma by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 27 February 2015 15.00 EST | New York Edition** |
How to Free Ourselves from Karma
Divine Life Society Publication: Frequently Asked Questions on Spirituality by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
What is Karma?
Karma is a Sanskrit term. It means action or deed. Any physical or mental action is Karma. Thinking is mental Karma. Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in the present life and in the preceding births.
Karma means not only action, but also the result of an action. There is a hidden power in Karma or action termed ‘Adrishta’ which brings in fruits of Karmas for the individual. The consequence of an action is really not a separate thing. It is a part of the action and cannot be divided from it.
According to the Gita, any action done with Nishkamya Bhava (selflessness) is Karma. Lord Krishna says: “Work incessantly. Your duty is to work but not to expect the fruits thereof.” The central teaching of the Gita is non-attachment to work. Breathing, eating, seeing, hearing, thinking, etc., are all Karmas. Thinking is real Karma. Raga-dvesha (likes and dislikes) constitute real karma.
A man doing a wrong thing argues that he is doing it because of his Karma; and he does not even try not to do it, because it gives him immediate happiness. How to impress upon him not to do it?
Karma does not compel a man to do wrong actions. Samskara (impressions) does, to a certain extent. But God has bestowed free will on man, with which to make or mar his career. Man has no Bhoga-Svatantrata (freedom to enjoy or suffer), which factor is governed by Karma. But, he has got Karma-Svatantrata (freedom to do good or evil). He can substitute good Samskaras in place of the old vicious Samskaras by Vichara-sakti (power of enquiry), will-power and continued practice of good actions.
That evil seems to give immediate happiness is the greatest temptation and the greatest obstacle to the cultivation of virtues; and it can be removed only by discrimination and experience. Contemplation over the ultimate and permanent damage done to the very soul of man by the evil actions, and the harm he is causing to the entire society itself by his evil, ought to compel a man to desist from evil action - however pleasant it might appear superficially. There is no short-cut to this really serious problem; the wicked heart will not yield easily. And therefore our ancients have exalted Satsang (association with the wise). Constant association with the wise and spiritually evolved persons alone can remove these wrong notions from the mind of the wicked one.
How to free ourselves from Karma, Swamiji?
Feel, as you do your daily duties, that you are only a witness of all that goes on around you, of even your own actions. This is called Sakshi Bhav. You should inwardly realize that you are different from the active principle in you. This is the method of Vedanta.
There is the other - easier, but equally potent - method of Nimitta Bhav. Feel that the Lord alone is the real doer of all actions and that you are an instrument in His hands. Your actions will be transformed into worship of the Lord, and you will not be bound to them. Work without expectation of any reward and without egoism. Root out the idea of agency; feel, “I am not the doer”. You will be freed from the shackles of Karma. You will not accumulate new Karma. Allow your Prarabdha Karma (fructifying works) to work out; and you will attain liberation.
Excerpts from: How to Free Ourselves from Karma - Frequently Asked Questions on Spirituality by Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda
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Unattached, Enjoy!
Spiritual Message for the Day – Unattached, Enjoy! by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 26 February 2015 13.49 EST | New York Edition** |
Unattached, Enjoy!
Divine Life Society Publication: Commentary on the Isavasya Upanishad by Sri Swami Krishnananda
The greatest arrangement is God’s existence. Whoever moves in the direction of this perfect arrangement, which is universal in its nature, also becomes comparatively happy in larger and larger dimensions. A spiritual seeker is happy in himself, in herself, in itself. The confidence has to be there that the perfection that we seek does not come to us by our contact with external things, because externality and perfection are contraries. Perfection is an inwardness of comprehension, and not an externality of contact. A spiritual seeker, a yoga student, should always be aware and be confident of this great truth, and keep it before one’s mind’s eye that the more we grow spiritually, the less we would need external appurtenances for our existence. The less we require friends, the less we require money, the less we have the desire to live in a house, the less we wish to own anything by way of land, etc., the larger we become in our inward dimension and the narrower becomes our contact with external objects. The narrower we become in our inner dimension, the larger seems to be our need to come in contact with external objects. The poorer we are inside, the richer we are outside; and the richer we are inside, the poorer we may appear to outside eyes.
The poorest man is God Himself. One of the qualities of God is utter dispassion. God is known as Bhagavan, one who is qualified with bhaga, dispassion. Many qualities are mentioned. One of them is total dispassion, unconnectedness, unrelatedness to anything, non-possession. ‘Bhole Baba’ is Lord Siva, as people say. Bhole Baba means like a fakir, as God sometimes is portrayed. In a poetic fashion, saints and sages sometimes portray God like a beggar in order to depict this truth of total freedom from the sense of possession and utter disconnection from externality of any kind of space-time objects. Can we believe that such a Being is the happiest of all beings? And can we believe that we also would be equally happy, if we move in the direction of that Perfect Being?
Confidence is lacking. Perseverance is lacking. Power of will is lacking. The powerful senses drag the mind again and again to old ruts of thinking in the direction of old, old habits. “Indriyani pramathini haranti prasabhaṁ manah” (Gita 2.60): A wild tempest may throw a boat on the sea hither and thither by the powerful winds of sensory desire. Covet not; remember this truth. The universe is animated, controlled, directed and sustained by an invisible element, totally unknown to any sensory perception, which is that which makes us feel happy that we are alive. Can we imagine that finally we want nothing in this world except the permission to exist and live? Larger and larger dimensions of this harmony have to be achieved. The physical body is a harmony. Larger societies have been mentioned as organisations. The largest dimension is Universal Existence. The happiness that we can derive by merely being aware of our unitedness with that completeness is unimaginable, unthinkable, beyond the conception of the intellect. It passeth all understanding.
So much magnificent treasure is hidden in a few words of the first mantra of the Isavasya Upanishad. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam yat kiṁ ca jagatyāṁ jagat, tena tyaktena bhuñjitha: unattached, enjoy. Unattached, enjoy – that is what the Upanishad says. It does not say, get attached to things and then enjoy. No, tyaktena, by renunciation, by abandonment of the greed to possess things, be happy. Ma gṛdhaḥ kasyasvid dhanam: covet not the wealth of anyone, because the wealth of the world is nobody’s, and no one has the right to posses it. Possession is a misnomer. There is no such thing as property, finally; and one does not want it, also. What we want is a harmony of our life-principle, which appears to falsely get increased in its dimension by contact with external possessions – falsely, not really, because what we can possess can also be taken away from us. When we can be possessed of something today, we can be dispossessed of it tomorrow. What is the guarantee that we will possess the whole world every day? We will be dispossessed of even this body itself. Where is the guarantee of possession?
Concentrate on this great truth, meditate on the great reality of utter perfection, completeness, knowledge and bliss in this universe, inside and outside flooding you through every vein of your body, every cell of your personality, every breath that you breathe. The joy of your life is actually the joy of God that is permeating through you. Reach it with effort, with daily meditation and wanting only That – wanting nothing else.
Excerpts from: Unattached, Enjoy! - Commentary on the Isavasya Upanishad by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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Bliss of the Consciousness of Existence
Spiritual Message for the Day – Bliss of the Consciousness of Existence by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 25 February 2015 15.37 EST | New York Edition** |
Bliss of the Consciousness of Existence
(Sat-Chit-Ananda)
Divine Life Society Publication: Commentary on the Isavasya Upanishad by Sri Swami Krishnananda
Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: a ruling principle pervades the whole Cosmos. ‘Isa’ is the word used in the Upanishad. A controlling, restraining, determining, harmonising, and satisfying principle is Isa, or Isvara. All these aspects are present in it. It gives life to all things. To be alive is the greatest satisfaction, and minus life, nothing can be called satisfaction. Merely to exist is a joy. Sat is chit, as they say; existence is consciousness. Consciousness itself is joy, as it is told us. The gesture of conscious participation in this working of a cosmic content is itself a joy unknown to the sense organs.
The joy of living is not a sensory happiness. Suppose we are sick for some days and suddenly we regain health; don’t we feel a satisfaction? The regaining of health is felt as a kind of jubilation, “Oh, I am happy today. My disease has gone.” A new life has entered into us when we are healthy. That new life is joy. That joy has not come from contact with sense objects. The joy of healthy existence is not a sensory joy. It is super-sensory in the sense that it arises from the totality that we are, the organism that we are, and not the contact that we have. Mostly we think that we can be happy only if we come in contact with things. Where is the contact in being alive? Minus all contacts, a healthy man is happy. A strong man is happy, a powerful man is happy, in spite of the absence of any kind of external contact. This joy, this satisfaction, this delight, arises not because of the limbs which constitute the organism, but because of a life that is present in the organism.
This life, the so-called ‘I’ or ‘me’ that we speak of in our own selves, is not any of the parts of the body. No limb of the body has the right to say ‘I’. “I am coming.” When we make a statement like this, no limb of the body is making the statement. It is a principle that is making this expression. That is what we are! We are a principle rather than a person, an operation rather than a solid existence, a force rather than a material content, an invisible thing rather than a visible thing.
We will be wondering that, are we really an invisible thing. This so-called person sitting here, apparently visible to the eyes, is really an invisible something, making itself felt through the so-called physical body. Such a thing pervades the whole cosmos. It does not pervade merely living bodies. Even the so-called inanimate elements are sustained in their existence by the operation of this force. It is inactive in some forms, active in some other forms, and merely equilibrating in certain other conditions. These three states are called sattva, rajas and tamas.
A mere participation in existence, as in the case of a stone or any inanimate matter, is tamas predominating. Yet the aspect of existence is present there, which is the characteristic of that connecting link pervading the universe. It is existence. The stone exists. At least to that extent, it participates in the Cosmic Reality. But it does not know. In the higher species, the aspect of understanding manifests itself gradually; dimly in plants and animals, and more perspicaciously in the human being. Human beings like us exist like a stone, but we also know that we exist. The stone exists without knowing that it exists. A human being exists with knowledge that there is such an existence. I am aware that I exist. Now, mere knowledge of the existence of something also is not adequate to the purpose. We cannot survive for a long time merely by being aware that we exist. We should also be happy, delighted, composed, satisfied, and feel a sense of freedom inside. If the sense of freedom and satisfaction is absent, but we are simply aware that we exist, it is not sufficient.
So the whole Reality is not manifest in existence such as a stone or a rock, though some part of it is manifest there. But in us, a larger degree of Reality is manifest, because it is known that it is. There is rajas – intellect and rational activity. We may be full of education, knowledge, information, academic qualification, but we may be incomplete persons nevertheless, due to absence of peace inside the mind. An educated person may be bankrupt in inward peace because while the tamasic element of existence and the rajasic element of understanding are there – the fact of this individualised existence is there – the sattvic quality of joy is absent.
The ananda aspect of Reality, the bliss aspect of Truth, has also to manifest itself in order that this consciousness of existence can fulfil itself and become complete. So we have to exist. We also have to know that we exist, and we also have to be happy that we know that we exist. This happiness of knowing that we exist is the bliss of the consciousness of existence. Here we are face to face with the great dictum, Reality being sat-chit-ananda.
Such a thing is pervading the whole Cosmos: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam yat kiṁ ca jagatyāṁ jagat. Living or non-living, known or unknown, visible or invisible, potential or manifest, whatever be the nature of existence, everything is linked together by this unknown content, the supreme organisational principle, call Him God, Isvara, the Supreme Absolute, or the Universal Atman.
Be happy by knowing this.
Excerpts from: Bliss of the Consciousness of Existence - Commentary on the Isavasya Upanishad by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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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