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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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The True Significance of Christmas
Spiritual Message for the Day – The True Significance of Christmas by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 25 December 2014 15.27 EST | New York Edition** |
The True Significance of Christmas
Divine Life Society Publication: Lord Jesus by Sri Swami Sivananda
Christmas is named after Christ. This is the birthday of Lord Jesus, the Saviour Christ, the Yogi of the East. He was born in a stable at Bethlehem, of Mary and Joseph, the obscure village carpenter. Mary and Joseph made the stable a home for Christ, the King, the Prince of Peace. The birth of Jesus is celebrated all over the world as the sacred Christmas.
Lord Jesus was an embodiment of mercy, love and humility. He was an apostle of non-violence and peace. His body was crucified, but his voice has been speaking through the centuries.
The message of Christmas is the message of universal love. It is the message of ineffable divine glory and splendour. The message of Christmas is the message of peace and goodwill among all nations.
Christmas is more than a day of rejoicing and festivity. It is a day for realizing the Christ-consciousness or cosmic consciousness. It is a day for remembering the noble deeds of Lord Jesus and his sacred life of pristine purity. Christmas comes and Christmas goes, but let the spirit of Christmas be ever with you all.
Merry-making is not Christmas at all. Christmas does not consist in ringing bells and singing songs, exchanging mutual gifts and sending Christmas cards, and in enjoying rich repasts and heavy dinners and eating cakes.
Christmas is a state of spiritual awakening. To realize the Kingdom of Heaven within yourself, to hold communion with the Lord in the chambers of your heart, to regain your lost divinity, to attain Christ-consciousness or cosmic consciousness, to love all, to include all in the warm embrace of your love is real Christmas.
Realize the spirit of Christ. Walk in the footprints of Christ. Dive deep into the heart of Jesus. Ever seek to express, in your daily life, love, joy and peace. Imbibe Christ’s message of love and sacrifice. Manifest the latent Christ within you. Follow the Sermon on the Mount. Attain God-consciousness. Live in the spirit of Christ’s teachings. Annihilate this little self-arrogating personality and melt yourself in Christ or the Universal Soul. This is real Christmas.
All wish to enter the Kingdom of God. But how many of you possess the real spirit of Christ? How many of you are real Christians? How many of you follow the teachings, precepts and doctrines of Christ? How many of you love your neighbours as your own self? Those who are endowed with purity of heart, humility, universal love, generosity and nobility - they only can attain the Kingdom of God or supreme peace and immortality.
The spirit or heart of Christ is seriously lacking in the vast majority of persons. The love of Christ is badly wanted. What is Christmas without love, mercy and purity? Everybody wants to exploit his neighbour. One nation wants to destroy another nation. Is this Christmas? Is this the teaching of Christ?
Real Christmas never comes and goes. It is eternal. Feel the spirit of Christmas not only on one day, but throughout the year. Every day is a Christmas day for a real follower of Christ, for a thirsting aspirant. May you all walk the path that Jesus laid out! May you all be living embodiments of the Sermon on the Mount! May you realize the Kingdom of God within you here and now!
Excerpts from: The True Significance of Christmas – Lord Jesus by 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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Supreme Peace is Your Goal
Spiritual Message for the Day – Supreme Peace is Your Goal by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 24 December 2014 13.37 EST | New York Edition** |
Supreme Peace is Your Goal
Divine Life Society Publication: Inspiration by Sri Swami Sivananda
Every man in the world is restless and is striving after something. What it is he does not know. In the accomplishment of ambitious projects he seeks the rest that he feels he is in need of - but he finds that worldly greatness, when secured, is a snare and a delusion. He does not find any real happiness or peace in it. He gets degrees, titles, honour, power, name, and fame. He marries, he begets children, he gets all he had supposed would give him happiness. But he finds no rest. Pious men, saints, sages declare that this restlessness of every man, this state of discontent, dissatisfaction and uncomfortableness, of being ill at ease with himself and his surroundings, is solely due to the loss of the companionship of the partner of his soul, God.
Peace is absolute serenity and tranquility, wherein all the mental modifications, thoughts, imagination, whims, fancies, moods, impulses and emotions, instincts etc., cease entirely and the individual soul rests in his own native, pristine glory, in an unruffled state. It is not, of course, the temporary condition of mental quietude which worldly people speak of in common parlance, when they retire for a short time to a solitary bungalow in a forest for a short rest. Peace is the fourth state of superconsciousness. It is the realm of supreme bliss, eternal life and eternal sunshine, where cares, worries, anxieties and fears which torment the soul here, dare not enter; where all distinctions of caste, creed and colour vanish altogether in the one embrace of the divine love and where desires and cravings find their full satiety.
Peace is within. Search for it in the chambers of your heart through one-pointed concentration and meditation. If you do not find peace there, you will not find it anywhere else. Remember, dear friends, that the goal of life is attainment of peace and not the achievement of power, fame and wealth.
Desire is the greatest enemy of peace. There is no peace for him who has no concentration. There can be no happiness for the unpeaceful. In that supreme peace all pains, all sorrows, miseries, tribulations vanish forever.
The peace of the eternal lies near those who know themselves, who are disjoined from desire and passion, subdued in nature and of subdued thoughts. The man who is endowed with supreme faith and who has mastery over his senses, quickly gets supreme peace.
Excerpts from:** Supreme Peace is Your Goal –**Inspiration**by Sri Swami Sivananda**
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Depression and Devotion
Spiritual Message for the Day – Depression and Devotion by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 23 December 2014 15.20 EST | New York Edition** |
Depression and Devotion
Divine Life Society Publication: Staying Positive by Sri Swami Sivananda
Every aspirant in the spiritual path becomes a victim to the mood of depression in the beginning. You have to overcome this mood through discrimination, reflection, singing God’s name, prayer, etc. This mood is like a passing cloud. It will pass off if you are vigilant. Do not mistake emotion for devotion.
Whenever you get into a mood of depression, sing God’s name vigorously; sitting alone in your room, sing with a melting heart. You may sing silently if you wish. This is an easy way to drive away this undesirable mood.
Try to control all wild outbursts of weeping. This is a weakness, a negative state. But do allow the pearl drops of divine love or ecstasy to trickle down your face occasionally, when you are in a profoundly prayerful or meditative mood.
Shed the tears of pure, divine love when you are alone, when you are in communion with the Lord. Do not weep in the presence of others. The rare pearl-drops of divine love are the outcome of the melting of the heart by the fire of devotion and the fire of painful separation from the Lord.
Devotion is a very rare gift from God. Weeping itself is not a criterion by which to judge the devotional nature of a man or a woman. Do not mistake the crocodile tears of a hypocrite bhakta (devotee) for the genuine pearl drops of divine love which inspire and elevate bystanders. One may not weep outwardly and yet he may be a genuine, silent devotee.
Identify yourself with the emotionless state or Brahman, and rest peacefully for ever.
Satvic (peaceful) emotion is quiet. Rajasic (passionate) emotion is terrible. Tamasic (dull) emotion is confused. Rajasic and tamasic emotions are of a turbid nature and therefore cannot receive a reflection of the blissful nature of atman. Rajasic and tamasic emotions present a reflection of intelligence but not of bliss. Satvic emotions present a reflection of both blissfulness and intelligence.
Excerpts from: Depression and Devotion - Staying Positive by Sri Swami Sivananda
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Strive
Spiritual Message for the Day – Strive by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 22 December 2014 12.45 EST | New York Edition** |
Strive
Divine Life Society Publication: Staying Positive by Sri Swami Sivananda
Strive. Strive to realise God. This is the purpose of human birth. The perfection of the realisation of absolute knowledge, supreme bliss and immortality is the one and only goal in human life. Release from the round of births and life in eternity is the goal of man. Till self-realisation is attained, man is subject to the law of karma and rebirth. Finish your task — Godrealisation in this life itself; do not postpone it. Just as food is necessary for the body so also daily meditation and prayer are necessary for the soul.
O man! Wake up from this slumber of ignorance. Why do you waste your life building castles in the air? Turn your gaze within. Stop all this hurry and worry. Sit down and relax. Dive deep within. Discover the pearl of atman. You will be freed from birth and death here and now.
Remember the goal every moment of this life. Strive incessantly to realize it by living a life of detachment, dispassion, devotion, deep meditation and samadhi (self-knowledge).
O man! Nothing is permanent. All things change. All things pass away. Seek the permanent, changeless, immortal atman and be free. He is truly wise who lives in the eternal and who is endowed with discrimination and dispassion.
Life is a transforming process by which attachment, fear, anger, hatred and lust are transformed by steady and rigorous discipline and meditation into joy, bliss, peace and love.
In simplicity is the secret of real beauty. Simplify your life. Be humble, pure, straight forward and true to yourself and others. Be good and do good so that each tomorrow will find you farther than today. Be humble, be meek, be pure, be holy, be godly and peaceful. Be charitable. Be moral. Be humble. Be courageous. Be pure. Meditate. Become wise. Whoever does anything with enthusiasm, patience and perseverance, never fails to achieve his object. Annihilate desires.
Seek the company of saints and devotees. Control the mind. Control anger. Be charitable. Help the needy. Kill the ego. Be grateful. Respect the great. Be truthful. Indulge not in gossip. You will attain the supreme blessedness.
Excerpts from: Strive - Staying Positive by Sri Swami Sivananda
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Hanuman Jayanti
Spiritual Message for the Day – Hanuman Jayanti by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 21 December 2014 18.02 EST | New York Edition** |
Hanuman Jayanti
Divine Life Society Publication: Hindu Fasts and Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda
Om Sri Hanumate Namah
SRI HANUMAN is worshipped all over India—either alone or together with Sri Rama. Every temple of Sri Rama has the murti or idol of Sri Hanuman. Hanuman was the Avatara of Lord Siva. He was born of the Wind-God and Anjani Devi. He is also called by the names Pavanasuta, Marutsuta, Mahavira, Bajrangabali and Pavankumar.
Hanuman was the living embodiment of the power of Ram-Nam. He was an ideal selfless worker, a true Karma Yogi who worked desirelessly. He was a great devotee and an exceptional Brahmachari or celibate. He served Sri Rama with pure love and devotion, without expecting any fruit in return. He lived only to serve Sri Rama. He was humble, brave and wise. He possessed all the divine virtues. He did what others could not do—crossing the ocean simply by uttering Ram-Nam, burning the demon-king’s city of Lanka, and bringing the sanjeevini herb to restore the life of Lakshmana. He brought Sri Rama and Lakshmana from the nether world after killing Ahiravana.
Hanuman possessed devotion, knowledge, spirit of selfless service, power of celibacy, and desirelessness. He never boasted of his bravery and intelligence.
He said to Ravana, “I am a humble messenger of Sri Rama. I have come here to serve Sri Rama, to do His work. By the command of Sri Rama, I have come here. I am fearless by the Grace of Sri Rama. I am not afraid of death. I welcome it if it comes while serving Sri Rama.”
See how humble Hanuman was! How deep was his devotion to Sri Rama! He never said, “I am the brave Hanuman. I can do anything and everything.”
Sri Rama Himself said to Hanuman, “I am greatly indebted to you, O mighty hero. You did marvellous, superhuman deeds. You do not want anything in return. Sugriva has his kingdom restored to him. Angada has been made the crown prince. Vibhishana has become king of Lanka. But you have not asked for anything at any time. You threw away the precious garland of pearls given to you by Sita. How can I repay My debt of gratitude to you? I will always remain deeply indebted to you. I give you the boon of everlasting life. All will honour and worship you like Myself. Your idol will be placed at the door of My temple and you will be worshipped and honoured first. Whenever My stories are recited or glories sung, your glory will be sung before Mine. You will be able to do anything, even that which I will not be able to!”
Thus did Sri Rama praise Hanuman when the latter returned to Him after finding Sita in Lanka. Hanuman was not a bit elated. He fell in prostration at the holy feet of Sri Rama.
Sri Rama asked him, “O mighty hero, how did you cross the ocean?”
Hanuman humbly replied, “By the power and glory of Thy Name, my Lord.”
Again Sri Rama asked, “How did you burn Lanka? How did you save yourself?”
And Hanuman replied, “By Thy Grace, my Lord.”
What profound humility Hanuman embodied in himself!
There are many who want wealth in return for their services. Some do not want wealth, but they cannot resist name and fame. Others do not want any of these, but they want approbation. Still others want nothing, but they boast of their deeds. Hanuman was above all these. That is why he is recognised as an ideal Karma Yogi and an unsurpassed adept in Bhakti. His life is full of object lessons. Everyone should try his best to follow the noble example of Hanuman.
His birthday falls on Chaitra Shukla Purnima—the March-April full moon day.
On this holy day worship Sri Hanuman. Fast on this day. Read the Sri Hanuman Chalisa. Spend the whole day in the Japa of Ram-Nam. Hanuman will be highly pleased and will bless you with success in all your undertakings.
Glory to Hanuman! Glory to his Lord, Sri Rama!
Excerpts from: Hanuman Jayanti - Hindu Fasts and Festivals by 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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The Spiritual Path
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Spiritual Path by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 20 December 2014 17.34 EST | New York Edition** |
The Spiritual Path
Divine Life Society Publication: Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
Sadhana is spiritual movement consciously systematized. Sadhana is the purpose for which we have come to this place.
Abhyasa and Sadhana are synonymous terms. The object of Sadhana is to release life from the limitations with which it is bound.
Sadhana is a lifelong process. Every day, every hour, every minute, is an onward march. Obstacles are innumerable in this great voyage. But, so long as you hold God as thy guide, there is nothing to worry about. You are sure to reach the other shore.
Some people have curiosity for the spiritual line. They have no real thirsting for liberation. They think that they will get certain powers or Siddhis (psychic powers) if they do some Yogic practices. When they do not attain the powers, they lose patience and give up the practices, abandon the spiritual path.
Mere curiosity will not help you to attain any spiritual progress. Introspect. Analyze your thoughts and find out whether you have real spiritual hunger or mere curiosity-mongering. Transmute curiosity-mongering into real thirsting for salvation by constant Satsang (association with the wise), study of good religious books, prayer, Japa, and meditation.
You must have interest and liking in your Sadhana. You must understand well the technique and benefits of Sadhana. You must select a Sadhana that is suitable for you. You must have the ability and capacity to do Sadhana. Then alone you will have joy in do ing the Sadhana and full success in it.
Good intentions alone will not do. They must be backed up by good actions. You must enter the spiritual path with the best intention of attaining Atma-Jnana (Self-knowledge), but unless you are vigilant and diligent, unless you do intense and rigorous Sadhana, unless you guard yourself against lust, anger and egoism and selfishness, the good intentions alone will not enable you to achieve success.
Moral purity and spiritual aspiration are the first steps in the seeker’s path. Without a strong conviction in moral values, there can surely be no spiritual life, or even a good life.
Stern self-discipline is absolutely essential. Self-discipline does not mean suppression, but taming the brute within. It means humanization of the animal and spiritualization of the human.
You will have to break the virgin soil before you sow the seed. The seed breaks itself before it sprouts out as a plant. Destruction precedes construction. This is the immutable law of nature. You will have to destroy your brutal nature first before you develop divine nature.
During the period of Sadhana, do not mix much; do not talk much; do not walk much; do not eat much; do not sleep much. Observe carefully the five ‘do-not’s’. Mixing will cause disturbances in the mind. Talking much will cause distraction of the mind. Walking much causes exhaustion and weakness. Eating much induces laziness and sleepiness.
THE SPIRITUAL PATH
The spiritual path may, in the beginning, appear to be very hard, thorny, precipitous and slippery. Renunciation of objects gives pain at the outset. If you struggle hard to tread the path, if you once make a strong determination and firm resolve, then it becomes very easy. You get interest and new joy. Your heart expands. You have a broad outlook of life. You have a new, wide vision. You feel the help from the invisible hands of the Indweller of your heart. Your doubts are cleared by themselves by getting answers from within. You can hear the shrill, sweet voice of God. There is an indescribable thrill of divine ecstasy from within. There is deep, abiding, everlasting joy and unruffled peace. There is ineffable, unabating, undiminishing, undecaying spiritual bliss. This gives new strength. The footing in the path becomes firmer and firmer. The Jivanmuktas, Yogins, Nitya-siddhas, Amara-purushas, and Chiranjivis lend their helping hands to the struggling aspirants. The aspirants feel this actually. The feeling of loneliness and of being neglected and forsaken vanishes entirely.
You are backed up at all times by a mighty power that works everywhere in the cosmos. Therefore you have nothing to fear. Take care of the details in Sadhana. The major factor will take care of itself.
Some aspirants leave Sadhana after some time. They expect great fruits quickly. They expect many Siddhis within a short time. When they do not get some, they give up the Sadhana. There are several ranges of consciousness between the ordinary human consciousness and the supra-consciousness of Brahman. Different veils have to be torn down on the way; many lower centres have to be opened up; many hurdles have to be crossed before the final goal is reached.
SPIRITUAL PROGRESS IS LIKE A SPIRAL
Self-realization is not like a six-year post-graduate course. It is the result of intense protracted Sadhana.
There is no short-cut in the spiritual path. There is no royal road to the kingdom of immortal bliss. There is no half-measure in the divine path. Strict, hard discipline is wanted. Then alone you can conquer Maya. Only then can you control the mind.
Spiritual progress is slow, as the spiritual Sadhana is difficult and laborious. It is like the spiral. In the beginning, great striving is needed. Gradually, the circle becomes smaller and smaller. So also, the striving becomes less and less. Therefore, be patient; be persevering; be steady.
Excerpts from: Signs of Spiritual Progress - Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
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Signs of Spiritual Progress
Spiritual Message for the Day – Signs of Spiritual Progress by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 19 December 2014 17.09 EST | New York Edition** |
Signs of Spiritual Progress
Divine Life Society Publication: Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
The gradual inward progress is mostly silent and unseen, like the quiet unfolding of a bud into a flower in the hours of the night. Therefore, do not be dejected. Do not depress yourself with the idea that you are not progressing. Real spiritual progress is really and accurately measured by the peacefulness, serenity, and calmness that you manifest in waking state. You will have a healthy body and mind, the voice will be sweet, the face will be brilliant, the eyes will be lustrous. You will be ever calm, tranquil, and poised; you will be ever cheerful, fearless, and contented. You will be dispassionate and discriminative. There will be no attraction for the world. Things that used to upset you before will not upset you now. You will have an unruffled mind. You will have introversion. Things that used to give you pleasure produce disgust or a reverse effect now. You will have a one-pointed, sharp, subtle mind. You will be longing to have more meditation. You will experience lights, visions, divine smell, divine taste. The idea that all forms are forms of the Lord will get stronger and stronger in you. You will feel everywhere the presence of God. You will experience the nearness of God. You will have a very steady Asana. You will develop a burning desire for selfless service.
Watch whether you are stationary in the spiritual path, retrogressing, or advancing. If your Japa, meditation or Vedantic Vichara thickens your veil and fattens your egoism, it is not then a spiritual Sadhana. Remember this point well. It is only a kind of occult practice. Watch, introspect. Practice self-analysis and kill ruthlessly this formidable egoism. This is important Sadhana. Egoism will lurk like a thief and assume various forms like a chameleon or a Bahurupi (a dramatic actor).
Do not stop the Sadhana when you get a few glimpses of realization. Continue practice till you are fully established in Bhuma, the unconditioned Brahman. This is important. If you stop practice and move about in the world, there is every likelihood of a downfall. The reaction will be tremendous. Examples are not lacking. Numerous persons have been so ruined. A glimpse cannot give you perfect safety. Do not be carried away by name and fame. You can renounce your wife, children, parents, house, friends, and relatives. It is very, very difficult to renounce the intellectual pleasure, the pleasure from name and fame. I seriously warn you. A man who can draw happiness from the Atman within, will never care a jot for this trivial, paltry affair. The world is a mighty big thing for a worldly man. It is a straw for the Knower of Brahman. It is a mustard, a pin’s point, a dot, a bubble, an airy nothing for a Brahma-jnani (Knower of Brahman). Be circumspective. Ignore all these trivial things. Be steady with your practice. Never stop the practice till the final beatitude is reached. Never cease Sadhana till you can constantly dwell in full Brahmic consciousness.
Do not let failures discourage you, but go on doing your best. Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures, as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in future. Be cautious. Just think of the causes which led to your failures and try to remove them in future. Strengthen yourself with new vigour and virtues. Develop slowly your will-power.
Every temptation that is resisted, every evil thought that is curbed, every desire that is subdued, every bitter word that is withheld, every noble aspiration that is encouraged, every sublime thought that is cultivated, adds to the development of will-force, good character, and attainment of eternal bliss and immortality.
Every bit of Sadhana done is surely recorded without fail in your hidden consciousness. No Sadhana ever goes in vain. Every bit of it is credited immediately towards your evolution. This is the law. Think not negative thoughts, but calmly go on with the Sadhana. Be regular at it. Without missing a single day, proceed onward with your spiritual practices. Little by little, the power accumulates and it will grow. Ultimately, the cumulative force of all the continuous earnest Sadhana done perseveringly and patiently over a long period of life has its inevitable grand consummation at the supreme moment when it bears fruit in the form of blissful Realization.
Let the Sadhana be regular, continuous, unbroken, and earnest. Not only regularity, but also continuity in Sadhana and meditation is necessary if you want to attain Self-realization quickly. A spiritual stream once set going does not dry up, unless the channel-bed is locked, unless there is stagnation. Be vigilant eternally. Meditate regularly. Annihilate the under-current of Vasanas.
Excerpts from: Signs of Spiritual Progress - Sadhana by 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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Guide to Sadhakas
Spiritual Message for the Day – Guide to Sadhakas by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 18 December 2014 15.33 EST | New York Edition** |
Guide to Sadhakas
Divine Life Society Publication: Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
The first thing a spiritual aspirant has to acquire is mastery over the mind. Like a blind man - look at the objects. Like a deaf man - hear sounds. Do not allow the sense experiences to penetrate within. The mind gets fattened on account of its being fed by sense objects. Restrain the senses by the process of pratyahara (abstraction).
Why should you struggle to curb the mind? Its power is far greater than any other power, but it will become your slave if you surrender to the Lord and allow his divine power to work through you. The control of prana (life force) should be the natural and unfailing duty of all spiritually minded persons. It is the control of prana which paves the way for the non-cogitation of all the externals and the conquest of death.
Firmness of practice in the stainless non-dual principle, control of prana and the subjugation of the mind - these three are the paths to realise the meaning of moksa. Out of these three, one should be mastered thoroughly. Then the effects of all three will be obtained as all three are inseparably related to one another.
If the mind and prana cease to exist then thoughts will cease to arise - both of these are one only like the flower and its fragrance, or a seed and the oil in it. Prana and mind stand to one another in the relationship of supporter and supported. If either of them is slain then the other also will cease to exist. The destruction of both will confer moksa.
Spiritual life begins with repentance. Spiritual life begins with aspiration. Genuine aspiration is the pre-condition of success in leading a spiritual life. Aspiration is indeed the fruit of good actions of the past. Guard your spiritual aspirations very carefully. Increase them through viveka (wisdom), sadvicara (pure enquiry) and satsanga (holy company).
Devotion to God and guru, practice of discipline, regular meditation - these will quickly lead to self-realisation. Selfless work is for the purification of the mind. Self-realisation is brought about by discrimination, dispassion, determination and meditation. He who is faithful to truth and who diligently practises meditation, turning inwards in meditation, is put upon the ultimate path which leads to self-realisation.
Excerpts from: Guide to Sadhakas - Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
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Pranayama
Spiritual Message for the Day – Pranayama by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 17 December 2014 16.54 EST | New York Edition** |
The Practice of Pranayama
Divine Life Society Publication: The Importance of Asana and Pranayama by Sri Swami Krishnananda
If one has activities of a distracting nature, if one is a busybody, if one is always compelled to move about or if one has no time to sit - one cannot practice pranayama in that case because the agitation of the physical body will tell upon the pranas. It would be very dangerous and unwise to meddle with the pranas, even in the interest of bringing harmony to them, if the body is restless or exhausted, or is unwilling to yield. If the body is not amenable, the pranas will not be amenable. Thus, from our daily physical conduct, social behaviour and emotional moods, we can have an indication of the extent to which we can sit for pranayama. Tensions are quite the contrary, or the opposite, of the requisites in pranayama.
After having gained a sufficient mastery in asana one should take to a serious practice of pranayama. One should not take to alternate breathing, etc., in the beginning. What is advised in the beginning is only deep inhalation and deep exhalation, which itself is a great achievement.
Most people do not breathe in or breathe out in a systematic or harmonious manner on account of distractions in the mind. The distraction of the prana is an indication of the agitation of the mind. The more are the desires in the mind, the more is the restlessness of the prana. There is an arrhythmic flow of the prana with heaves of wave emotions, which has to be brought down by calm and quiet pondering. Deep breathing is the only possibility for a beginner – not sideways and alternate breathing.
In fact, the breathing practice should not be done after any kind of exhausting work. For example, it should not be combined with physical exercises because these physical exercises – or vyayama, as they are called are exercises which extrovert the prana, drive the prana out of the system, whereas pranayama is the opposite process which drives the prana inside. Therefore, we should not do two contrary activities. It is said that even yoga asanas should not be combined with physical exercises, for the same reason – because the purpose of yoga asanas is to tend the prana inwards for toning the system, whereas the purpose of physical exercises is to drive the prana out. We feel relaxed and do not feel tired after we practise asanas.
The purpose of this system called pranayama is to cleanse the nervous system through which the prana flows. Generally, when the prana flows in the usual manner, there is a so-called normalcy maintained, but the system is not cleansed due to a peculiar reason. We have, for instance, water flowing through a pipe. If water flows through a pipe in one direction only, and we allow the water to flow in the same direction for months, it can be seen that some sand or silt becomes deposited inside the bottom of the pipe, and this silt is not disturbed by the flow of the water due to its getting accustomed to the intensity of the flow. We can clean the pipe by running the water back and forth, again and again, repeatedly, with force.
Likewise, this alternate system of breathing called pranayama is something like driving water back and forth through the pipe for the purpose of cleansing the pipe – called the nerves or the nadis. Usually this alternate breathing is not practised. People breathe only in a single, linear fashion. Hence, though there is a flow of prana, the silt is there; the nerves are not cleansed. There is some kind of deposit which is not observed and which is the cause of various kinds of difficulties in the physiological system. The purpose of the bringing about of this cleansing through pranayama is, of course, obvious. It needs no mention that it should keep the body flexible and malleable, so that there will be no ache or feeling of fatigue in the body.
The quick feeling of exhaustion and fatigue in the system is due to the presence of some dross in the body. It may be due to continuous overeating or eating at wrong times; or, it may be due to eating the wrong food, which is not required by the system, and so on. It may be due to constipation, etc. There are umpteen causes for the toxic matter getting deposited in the system. Thus, there is always a feeling of unhappiness in the body. Always people complain something is wrong. It is quite understandable.
The prescription given here is to avoid these feelings by various means of purification. In this process of purification called asana and pranayama, the implication of the canons of yama and niyama is already there. As we go higher and higher, as we take further steps, at every step there should be a simhavalokanam, as they call it – a retrospection of the previous stages that we have passed through so that there cannot be, or need not be, or should not be a forgetfulness of what has happened in the past. This is to be remembered always. We are going to effect a greater purification with a greater intensity and tenacity of practice and not entirely newer types of purification.
In the earliest of stages there should be only deep inhalation and deep exhalation. The next higher stage is where we breathe alternately, and simultaneously try to hold the breath until a point of suffocation is reached, and do not go beyond that. But, the main or central purpose is to stop the breath in kumbhaka. The ultimate aim of pranayama is to stop the breathing. Alternate breathing is not the end, or aim; it is only a beginning. What is the intention behind stopping this breath? What do we gain out of it? This is a very great subject which is not only biological and psychological, but also philosophical.
The breathing process is a great obstacle to concentration of mind. The svasa and prasvasa processes, what we call respiration – inhalation and exhalation – are constant goads that keep the mind restless. The mind is trying to keep quiet and focus itself in what is called meditation, the aim of yoga. But these pranas push it from behind as well as from the front. They are like two brothers. One pushes from the front, the other from behind; one pulls from the top, another pulls from below. They are the prana and apana, as they are called. They cannot allow the mind to keep quiet. We cannot concentrate. No meditation is possible – no focusing, no attention, nothing of the kind – as long as this breathing process continues, because the constant pushing of the pranas hampers our attempt at concentration. That the retention of the breath is simultaneous with focusing, or concentration of mind, can be seen in daily practice where we are sometimes able to stop the breath spontaneously, without knowing it, when we are gazing at an object intently. Suppose there is a snake charmer, and he brings a snake with its hood raised. We stare at it and our breath stops – not because we are deliberately stopping the breath but because our mind is so much concentrated on what is happening there.
When we are compelled to concentrate the mind on a given objective, function or task that we are doing, the breath stops. It is very clear that the breath must stop if the mind is to concentrate; otherwise, there is no concentration.
Inasmuch as the intention of yoga is deep meditation – the absorption of the subject with the object, the embracing of the subject and the object together in a fraternal embrace of union – inasmuch as such a tremendous concentration is called for, we can imagine why the yoga shastras lay so much emphasis upon the regulation of the breath. When the pranas do not cooperate with the intentions and aspirations of the mind, the intentions and aspirations fail.
Hence, these two should go together. The attempt at the concentration of the mind and the subdual of the movement of the pranas – both these should go together harmoniously, so that the rajas in the mind as well as the rajas in the prana are put down in order that the level of sattva be raised, which is the same as concentration of mind.
Excerpts from: Pranayama - The Importance of Asana and Pranayama by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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Spiritual Sadhana
Spiritual Message for the Day – Spiritual Sadhana by Sri Swami Chidananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 16 December 2014 18.44 EST | New York Edition** |
Spiritual Sadhana
Divine Life Society Publication: Sadhana and The Divine Life Society by Sri Swami Chidananda
Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine, Jijnasus and mumukshus! A jijnasu is one who is in quest of knowledge, jnana. A mumukshu is one who is desirous of liberation or moksha. It is with a quest, a desire for knowledge, a seeking for knowledge—knowledge of the purpose of life, how to live it effectively, what is dharma, what is adhyatma (spirituality)—that you have come here. Through sravana (listening), through satsanga, you wish to imbibe knowledge that may help you to live your life in a more effective manner. Therefore you are a Jijnasu.
You want this knowledge because you have been told and you have believed that such knowledge may help you to attain liberation from pain, sorrow, suffering, fear, anxiety—all the unpleasant, negative experiences a person is subjected to in this earth plane. During this life span, one is subjected to sorrow as well as joy, pain as well as pleasure, misery as well as happiness. And whereas the latter is desirable—joy, pleasure, happiness—everyone wants it, strives for it, no one wants the former, namely sorrow, pain, misery. So the human quest is for liberation from these undesirable, painful experiences, which make one suffer. Simultaneously, the human quest is also for the attainment of all the positive, pleasurable experiences, sukha, ananda, santi, tripti, santosha, comfort, convenience, joy, happiness, pleasure. And due to the belief that knowledge gained here may help you in fulfilling this central quest—liberation from all that is painful and undesirable you have come here for instruction, guidance, inspiration, study and reflection that will be helpful to you. Therefore, you are mumukshus. You are sadhakas actively engaged in spiritual sadhana and you want to know how to improve your sadhana, better your concentration, overcome vikshepa (tossing) of the mind.
Sadhana is directing all your activities towards the ultimate experience of the great Reality, sad-darshana. The ultimate objective of sadhana is sad-darshana for which we always pray asato ma sad gamaya. We know that here we have to live amidst passing unrealities, and that passing unrealities are the only thing that we know. Since birth we have lived only amidst passing unrealities, this changing phenomenal appearance. That is our only knowledge, our only experience. But we have been told that there is something higher than this, something that does not pass, which is nitya, permanent. Because it is nitya, it is satya. Therefore, we want darsan of the sat. The ancient prayer, therefore, is: Lead us from unrealities to the great Eternal Reality, the Cosmic Reality.
It is very difficult to believe that what we perceive, what we live right in the middle of, what we experience day after day is not the reality; whereas, that which you have never perceived, about which you have no knowledge, that which you have never experienced is the reality.
Therefore, faith, sraddha, is required in the apta vakya (words of a trustworthy person), in the sruti vakya (words of the Vedas), in the guru vakya (words of the Guru). The srutis proclaim that which is beneficial to you, conducive to your highest welfare. They proclaim it without any motivation, without any purpose except to benefit you. Therefore, believe in the apta vakya, believe in the sruti vakya, believe in the guru vakya. If you wish to listen to the exposition of Vedantic truths, one of the virtues you must equip yourself with is sraddha, faith, belief.
Go through the Essence of Yoga devoutly. With faith and devotion, sincerely make an attempt to earnestly study the wisdom teachings of Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji. Sadhana was the keynote and central theme of all of worshipful Gurudev’s teachings and writings. Sadhana was the thing that he wanted you to actively live in your daily life; he wanted you to give it a central place.
Ponder well and see whether you have acquired all the qualifications of a sadhaka, whether day by day you are improving these qualifications and becoming a true mumukshu, a true jijnasu, becoming one established in yama and niyama, one established in viveka, in vairagya, in the shat-sampada, in mumukshutva, becoming one well established in all these important aspects of the preparatory sadhanas. Constantly keep analysing your life. Be so much absorbed in it that you have no time for miscellaneous thinking and activities. This is because you are earnest, you are sincere, you are focused upon your most important vocation, your spiritual sadhana.
It is such an attitude of earnestness, sincerity, seriousness, that pay dividends. Ultimately it will take you to supreme blessedness, crown your life with the glorious attainment of peace, bliss, fearlessness and freedom. That is the purpose, that is the objective of sadhana. Therefore, be a sincere, practical sadhaka. Improve day by day. Move towards perfection.
May Gurudev’s choicest blessing be with you in this great adventure! May the divine grace of God grant you steady, unhampered progress and grant you fulfilment, all success, in your sadhana!
Excerpts from: Spiritual Sadhana - Sadhana and The Divine Life Society 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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