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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 Spiritual Guide

Spiritual Message for the Day – The Spiritual Guide by Sri Swami Sivananda

**Baba Times Digest©

26 September 2014 14.40 EST

New York Edition**

The Spiritual Guide

Divine Life Society Publication: The Spiritual Guide by Sri Swami Sivananda

No one can deny the need for guidance in order to achieve proficiency in any aspect of life. From a rudimentary state one progresses to a state of unique achievement. A child begins with addition and multiplication and, later on, becomes a brilliant mathematician. He is able to do so only with the help of a succession of teachers.

Self-effort, of course, does play a dominant role. There is also the question of the presence of the seeds of an innate genius, in need of unfoldment and fruition. Yet, it is within the scope of everyone to attain the highest state in any field, if not today, then tomorrow, if not in this birth, then in the next.

If you want to climb a hill, you have to plod on yourself, but you also need the help of someone who knows the path, and who can lead you to the summit through the safest route. Similar is the role of the guru, the spiritual guide.

Life abounds with numerous teachers. Every object, every occurrence, everything has a lesson to teach. But there is also the basic need for a personal guide, with whom one could forge a sense of belonging, repose absolute trust and confidence, and hold him in high veneration, so as to prepare oneself psychologically to reap maximum benefit from his spiritual guidance.

Expansion is the sign of life. In nature there is nothing static. Everything in this universe is set on a pattern that conditions the evolutionary process, until a cycle of creation is completed and returns to the creator. Human life is a means through which numerous souls in bondage can find release, and return to their original source the supreme reality.

The life-principle in the mineral matter passes on to the life-form in the various strata of vegetation, mosses, plants and trees their life-form again evolving into and passing through the animal kingdom, until they are embodied as human beings. The law of Karma or action and reaction sets in as soon as the soul finds a human form, for it is only man who is endowed with the faculty of reasoning between right action and wrong action, and, therefore, is held responsible for his fate.

Then onward the momentum of man’s individual evolutionary process is in his hands. By leading a good life he can attain a better life, and by leading a bad life he brings upon himself a life of suffering. Since nobody wants to suffer, suffering being contrary to the inherent nature of the soul, man always wants to move forward, consciously or unconsciously, from a state of inadequacy and affliction to a state of fulfilment and eternal bliss.

Experience in life shows that material objects cannot give one a sense of adequacy and fulfilment. Hence spiritual quest is not something which is unnatural to life. The urge for it must generate within everyone, if not today, then tomorrow, if not in this life, then in the next.

It is the spiritual guide who quickens the evolutionary process of man. He opens up before the seeker the avenues through which the realisation of the divine can be attained. The guru guides the aspirant, not only on the path of Sadhana, but in shaping the pattern of his material life as well.

The relationship between the guru and the disciple is extremely sacred. On one side there are deep understanding, protective care and keen interest for the other’s betterment, and on the other side, sincerity of purpose, trust, obedience and assiduous application.

There is something predestined in forging a true relationship between the guru and the disciple. When there is an ardent longing for self-realisation, the grace of God automatically leads the disciple to the feet of the right guru. As in the case of every other relationship, there is also mutuality in this.

The response of the guru cannot but be commensurate to the devotion and sincerity of the disciple.

It is, indeed, very rare to find a guru of the highest realisation. Even if one is not able to benefit from the direct guidance of such a guru, one should practise the teachings he has given to humanity, while selecting a course of Sadhana in the light of one’s personal experience. Anyone, who has a greater degree of experience in the spiritual path, can be of help to the neophyte.

The foundational principles of spiritual life are common. In most of the scriptures they are uncontradictory. The ethical base is of primary importance. Be sincere, truthful, practical and resourceful. The weak and the lazy have no place in the spiritual path. You must build up the strength of character in order to achieve anything in life. Deserve before you desire. Do something practical, substantial. The guru’s help will automatically come.

May the grace of God, the supreme guru, be upon you all.

Excerpts from: The Spiritual Guide by Sri Swami Sivananda

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The Brahmana of Avanti

Spiritual (Story) Message for the Day – The Brahmana of Avanti by Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji

**Baba Times Digest©

25 September 2014 15.23 EST

New York Edition**

The Brahmana of Avanti

Divine Life Society Publication: The Brahmana of Avanti by Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji

Lord Krishna instructed Uddhava:

It is easier to bear physical injury than insult. A good man is deeply hurt by insults hurled at him by wicked people. There is a story to illustrate this:

There was a brahmana in Avanti. He was a very rich miser, hence his own close relations and even the gods, the ancestors, holy men, human beings and animals turned against him, as he failed to perform the five great daily sacrifices enjoined upon a householder. Hence, all his merits exhausted, the wealth (in the acquisition of which he had exerted so much) left him. His relations took a portion, robbers another and the rest was lost either by accident, taxation or by being corrupted by time.

Now a destitute, the brahmana grew despondent and cursed himself: “What a dreadful thing this wealth is! It is root-cause of all evil and of all sin and suffering in this world. Theft, cruelty, falsehood, pride, lust, anger, arrogance, hypocrisy, disharmony, hostility, mistrust, love of gambling and misery - these are all evils which arise directly from wealth. Hence one who aspires for final beatitude should never aspire for wealth (artha) which is truly evil (anartha). Wealth estranges friends and closes relations and transforms them into enemies. I have wasted my life and energy in amassing and hoarding this mortal enemy, while death is forever knocking at my door. Yet, I am sure I have the supreme grace of Sri Hari on account of which I have grown despondent and also wise, before it is too late. Whatever time is left for me on this earth I shall devote to the adoration of the Lord. It is not impossible for me to attain his feet: Khatvanga attained it within a short time by whole-hearted devotion.”

Immediately he took to the mendicant order of life. With mind and senses fully controlled, with the knots of egoism and mineness undone, he wandered about as a mendicant. People, however, did not understand him. Some took him for mad man, spat on him, caged him and tortured him. Whatever sufferings (natural, divine or physical) came to him, he cheerfully welcomed as his lot.

The BRAHMANA said to himself:

Neither these people, nor a god, nor the self, nor the stars and planets, nor karma, nor time is responsible for my pleasure or pain; mind alone is the cause, for it is the mind that keeps this wheel of birth and death revolving. The mind activates the three guna (qualities of nature) and from them proceeds different kinds of actions and their consequent reactions (involving one in repeated birth and death). The Lord who is seated in my heart is a pure witness of all this. He is my true friend; but I, the jiva (individual soul), get involved in the modifications that the mind undergoes and hence become bound. They extol virtues like charity - but if one’s mind is tranquil, what does he achieve by means of charity, and if his mind is uncontrolled, what does he gain from charity and so on? He who is unable to control his greatest enemy (his own mind) treats others as friends and enemies!

If another person is held responsible for my sorrow, does it not imply that one body is hurting another body; if the teeth bite the finger, which is to be blamed? Even so, if a god is held responsible for one’s sorrow, the god inflicts pain on himself (as he presides over the different organs of the body), not on the atman, which is distinct from the mind and the senses. If one’s own soul, the atman, is responsible for one’s sorrow, then where is the sense in rebelling against one’s own nature? The stars and planets can exert their beneficent and malefic influence only on the physical body, so why should I, the soul, get angry with them? Even so, karma affects only the body which the karma gave birth to. Body is material and the soul is pure consciousness. If karma means action (and its consequent reaction), such a thing possibly does not exist in reality, as neither a material substance nor pure consciousness can act. If time is held responsible for our sorrows it incurs no blame either, for the soul and time are identical with the Supreme Being. Hence, the atman which is omnipresent and therefore not limited, which is pure consciousness and therefore not subject to materiality, has nothing whatsoever to do with sorrow. He who has realised this truth is never afraid of any being. Firmly established in this realisation I shall shake off the illusion of samsara (cycle of birth and death), by the grace of the Lord Krishna.

Lord Krishna continued:

Even so, with your whole being focused on me, control your mind. This indeed is the highest yoga. He who contemplates this sublime and inspiring narrative of Avanti Brahmana is not affected by dualities like pleasure and pain, happiness and unhappiness.

Excerpts from: The Brahmana of Avanti by Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji

Note: The story of the Avanti Brahmana is narrated in the 23rd chapter of the 11th book of the Srimad Bhagavatam (Book of God). Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji has translated this book into English and has beautifully arranged it into a form for daily reading. The story of the Avanti Brahmana is reproduced here from his translation.

If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore

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Sat-Chit-Ananda or God-Consciousness

Spiritual Message for the Day – Sat-Chit-Ananda or God-Consciousness by Sri Swami Krishnananda

**Baba Times Digest©

24 September 2014 15.28 EST

New York Edition**

Sat-Chit-Ananda or God-Consciousness

Divine Life Society Publication: The Study and Practice of yoga by Sri Swami Krishnananda

What is action? It is nothing but the movement of the subject towards an object for a particular purpose. This movement is possible only when there is externality, spatiality and distance, etc. between the subject and object. This has been eliminated thoroughly, and therefore there is no movement of the mind towards an object. Therefore there is no desire for the object and there is also no possibility for any activity, because the very goal of activity has been achieved by the merger of all conditions of action into the very subjectivity of consciousness.

This is the state of sat-chit-ananda, as the Vedanta tells us – Pure Existence, Pure Knowledge, Pure Bliss. The existence of all things becomes one with the consciousness that knows. The satta or the Pure, All-Pervading Essential Being of everything becomes the universal content of the knowing consciousness which, to keep itself abreast with the extent of this content that is universal, also has to be universal, so that the consciousness that knows this universal object is also universal. It is not an individual’s mind or consciousness that cognises a universal object, because the subject and the object should be on a par. The individual object can be cognised or perceived by an individual subject, but the universal object or the universal content cannot enter into an individual’s consciousness. So here, the object is universal. Śruta anumāna prajñābhyām anyaviṣayā viśeṣārthatvāt (I.49). Here, this knowledge takes an infinite shape. This is called brahmakara-vritti in Vedantic language.

A vritti is a condition of the mind, a psychic state. This state which the mind assumes or reaches, where its content is infinity itself, is called brahmakara-vritti, apart from what is known as vishayakara-vritti or the psychic condition which projects itself towards an object outside. The vritti or the mental state which tends to move externally towards an object is vishayakara-vritti. It is motivated by desire, and further action to fulfil the desire. But brahmakara-vritti is the fulfillment of all other vrittis, as the ocean is the fulfillment of all rivers. Here the mental condition does not require the motion of itself towards any external existence; rather, there is an identity of the object with itself. This vritti destroys all other vrittis. As it is sometimes said, the clearing nut (called the kathaka nut), which when dissolved in water, allows all the dirt in the water to subside – and then itself subsides too. Though soap is applied to the cloth to remove dirt, the soap itself does not become dirt. It cleanses itself together with the process of its cleaning all dirt out of the substance. Likewise, this vritti, which is infinite in nature, which is the universal expansion of the mind, makes it impossible for all other vrittis to manifest, because it has taken into possession every existent feature. It compels all of the other vrittis to subside and destroy themselves in its own bosom, and then it itself subsides. Then there is a subsidence of all vrittis, a coming down of all features tending towards individuality and externality, etc. All impressions vanish in toto. The very seed of further rise into individuality is fried in the fire of knowledge.

The impression or sense of Being that we are referring to, pure asmita matra, is also no longer felt. Tasyāpi nirodhe sarvanirodhāt nirbījaḥ samādhiḥ (I.51). When even the brahmakara-vritti ceases; when even the consciousness of the universe as an object is not there any more; when the very question of objectivity loses its meaning; when consciousness does not know anything as an object, not even the universe itself in its completeness; when what is known by consciousness is its own Self and not somebody else, not even the cosmos - that is known as the resting of consciousness in its own Self.

Tada draṣṭuḥ svarūpe avasthānam (I.3). The Seer rests in its own Self. There is no longer a necessity to move towards an object outside for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, because knowledge does not mean acquaintance with an object. It is the entry of the subject into the being of the object. This is intuition, and this is equal to the resting of consciousness in its own Self. The knowing process no longer exists as a process – it becomes part of Being. The process of knowing, which was earlier valid in respect of objects outside, becomes a movement of the ocean of knowledge, and gets identified with the Being of the Knower.

This is the meaning of the term ‘sat-chit-ananda’ mentioned in our scriptures – the state of God-consciousness or Realisation.

Excerpts from: Sat-Chit-Ananda or God-Consciousness - The Study and Practice of yoga by Sri Swami Krishnananda

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Essentials of a Sadhak’s Daily Routine

Spiritual Message for the Day – Essentials of a Sadhak’s Daily Routine by Sri Swami Chidananda

**Baba Times Digest©

23 September 2014 13.28 EST

New York Edition**

Essentials of a Sadhak’s Daily Routine

Divine Life Society Publication: Light on The Yoga Way of Life by Sri Swami Chidananda

Question: What is the best daily routine for a neophyte in spiritual Sadhana?

Answer: Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj insists that from the very commencement of our Sadhana we should hold before the mind the ideal of integral development,—harmonious development of all the aspects of the personality. Gurudev does not like lop-sided development. Man is not a one-sided being. He has the head, heart and the hand; he has the body, mind and soul; he has the intellect, emotion and will, and Gurudev says that every Sadhaka should realise this truth and strive to develop his entire personality in a harmonious manner. You should have the heart of Buddha, the head of Sankara, and the hand of Janaka. You should cultivate good Bhavana, good Buddhi and possess a good body.

Therefore, the Sadhak’s daily routine must contain elements of all the four Yoga-Margas.

The main-stay of the daily routine should be the spiritualisation of the entire life of the Sadhaka. The goal of life should be ever remembered. This goal is the attainment of God-realisation. Whatever be the external form the Sadhak’s life, the aim of his life should be God-realisation.

A little Japa, a little Kirtan, should invariably find place in the daily routine. Gurudev has the greatest faith in the Lord’s Name. A little bit of Upasana of a Murti also should be there. Have a small altar; light a candle; offer a small flower; do a brief Puja. This is important.

Then come Asanas and Pranayama. A few minutes’ practice of Asanas and Pranayama will keep the body healthy. Study of religious books should not be neglected. And, a little bit of Dhyana, too. Dhyana is no doubt an advanced stage of Yoga, but it is never too early to begin Dhyana. However imperfect the Dhyana may be, be regular in the practice.

Another important item of the daily routine is Atma-Shodhana, self-analysis. The Sadhaka should take practical and effective steps to eradicate his vicious qualities and grow in virtue. He should aim at attaining perfection in the Yama-Niyamas. And he should daily search within himself for traces of lurking evil, and eradicate it.

A very big slice of the time of the Sadhaka should be devoted to Nishkamya Karma Yoga. The essential thing in this is the Bhavana. If you can selflessly serve the sick and the poor, it is very good. Or, keep up the Nishkamya Bhavana in all your daily activities. This is the “easy Sadhana” of Gurudev: think your house is a temple; feel the world is Viswa-Brindavana; feel that your office is a shrine of the Lord; do all your actions with the Bhavana that they are the Puja of the Lord; see God in all. This way, you can dedicate yourself to the work completely; you may plunge into the work; and yet you may be doing the highest Sadhana. Start the day with a prayer: “Lord, all this is your worship.” God is your Antaryamin: He knows with what Bhava you have commenced your work. During the day, whenever you get a little leisure, say: “Lord, it is all an offering unto You.” Keep a few coins in your pocket; give them to the poor and the needy. Never miss an opportunity to serve humanity.

This completely covers the field of the Sadhak’s daily routine; some items of the Bhakti-Marga to develop the heart, some items of Nishkamya Karma Yoga to purify the heart and root out selfishness, some items of Raja Yoga, and then some items of Jnana Marga, too, to lead to ultimate Self-realisation. One item must be chosen as the chief Sadhana, in accordance with the temperament of the Sadhaka. It may be Bhakti, Dhyana, Karma Yoga (selfless service), or Hatha Yoga (Pranayama). And other items of other Margas should also be included in the routine.

The Sadhaka should always feel that his real “home” is elsewhere—in God—and this world is a wayside inn, where he is staying for a short period. He should cultivate Vairagya or dispassion. He is always discriminate and chooses the path of the Good in preference to the path of the Pleasant.

Excerpts from: Essentials of a Sadhak’s Daily Routine - Light on The Yoga Way of Life by Sri Swami Chidananda

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Not Work But Sadhana For Self-Realisation

Spiritual Message for the Day – Not Work But Sadhana For Self-Realisation by Sri Swami Chidananda

**Baba Times Digest©

22 September 2014 21.28 EST

New York Edition**

Not Work But Sadhana For Self-Realisation

Divine Life Society Publication: Forest Academy Lectures on Yoga by Sri Swami Chidananda

By merely staying here on this holy spot on the banks of the Ganges one gets Eternal Bliss and perennial peace. In this great place we have the blessed good fortune to serve a God-realised sage. This work is equal in merit to the great Yajnas which the great Rishis in days of yore performed and the Tapas (austerities) they practised. Only the form and the name are different but the essential inner spirit is the same in the case of both. The seekers living in those ages were able to do a particular kind of Sadhana, Tapasya of a certain kind, Yajna of a certain kind. Such practices are not possible nowadays. The physical body of the average man of today is considerably weaker than that of the people who lived in the previous Yugas. Our great ancestors often lived for thousands of years. In this age even though the life-span is considered to be a hundred years, most people do not reach even half that age. The great Rishis, in their compassion, have prescribed a very easy Sadhana for us: we can easily realise God by doing a little bit of Japa and engaging ourselves in the ceaseless service of God-realised souls. During the period of our work, we should keep mentally repeating the Lord’s Name. Hath-me Kam Mukh-me Nam: the hands to work and the lips to the repetition of the Lord’s Name. “Work is worship” is the great ideal placed before us by Gurudev. If you have this Bhavana, the work that you do is not work but a great Sadhana for Self-realisation. It is Yajna. It is Tapasya.

Do not be bothered about the exterior form of the work. Try to understand the inner significance. The musician shakes his head and body in the process of singing. It is not as though he is sitting and shaking his body. His main object is to create sweet music. Similarly, even though from the external point of view you are composing, printing, binding or reading proofs, you are in reality doing a great Sadhana. The great man who does Puja in the Mandir the great Sevak who serves Swamiji personally in his Kutir, the great Yogi who meditates on the Ganges bank for four hours a day and the great worker who operates the printing machine or composes or binds the books—all of them are engaged in doing the same meritorious Sadhana that will yield the highest fruit of Self-realisation. The foremost thing here is the Bhava. If your Bhava is that you are doing every work for the purpose of attaining God then your work will be transformed into Sadhana. It may be that for the purpose of earning your livelihood you have taken up a job. But if you have this sublime Bhava, you will not only get your salary, but you will eventually attain Moksha, too!

People generally say that here we are engaged only in dynamic work: it is so only for the man whose eyes are open, but who does not really see. Arjuna was seeing Krishna everyday; but till Krishna gave him the Divya Chakshus, he did not realise that Krishna was all-pervading Divinity. Similarly, even though all that goes on here is dynamic work, with the proper inner Bhavana, we will see that it is all Sadhana for Self-realisation. If you go to a power-house you will see only dirt and grease everywhere and all the workers are dirty wearing clothes soiled with oil and grease. But the effect of all this is that for hundreds of miles around there is light and all kinds of wonderful comforts and conveniences due to the electricity produced at the powerhouse. Their work dispels darkness in thousands of homes for miles around. Similarly, through all the work that you are doing here, Gurudev’s message spreads far and wide, shedding light where there is darkness, bringing peace to where there is disharmony, ushering in happiness where misery reigned. These are Swamiji’s ideals and his mission in life and this is the work that you are doing as his instruments. This is the Lord’s work: the work of saving people from the clutches of Maya and of enabling them to realise their Self. And that is the work Gurudev is doing.

You have all done intense Tapasya in thousands of lives: it is only due to that you are enjoying the privilege of serving Gurudev. You are engaged in Vishwa-Kalyan Yajna or Lok-samgraha . You are all highly evolved souls. This great good fortune only one in millions can get. May you all enjoy the Highest Bliss.

Excerpts from: Not Work But Sadhana for Self-Realisation - Forest Academy Lectures on Yoga by Sri Swami Chidananda

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Brahman alone is Real

Spiritual Message for the Day – Brahman alone is Real by Sri Swami Sivananda

**Baba Times Digest©

21 September 2014 13.34 EST

New York Edition**

Brahman alone is Real

Divine Life Society Publication: God Exists by Sri Swami Sivananda

Brahman is attributeless without any limiting adjunct, independent, ever free and all-full.
Brahman is distinct from the three bodies and the five sheaths. He is the silent witness of the three states. He transcends the three Gunas and the pairs of the opposites. He is an embodiment of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss). He is the essence. He is the source or womb for the mind, Indriyas, body and this world.
Brahman is Ananda-Swaroopa (nature of bliss). He is Anandamaya (made up of great happiness). He is Ananda-Ghana (full of pure joy). He is Ananda-Murti (idol of happiness). He is Ananda-Vigraha (bliss personified). He is Ananda-Sagara (ocean of happiness). He is Niratisayananda (nothing can exceed this joy). He is Parama-Ananda (supreme bliss). He is Ananta-Sukha (infinite happiness). He is Nitya-Sukha (eternal bliss). He is Akhanda-Sukha (complete joy).
Brahman is within and without. He is above and below. He is in front and behind. He is in all sides. He is everywhere, like the all-pervading ether. He is Chidakasa. The five attributes: Existence (Sat), Consciousness (Chit), Bliss (Ananda), Eternal (Nitya), and Fullness (Paripoorna), express Brahman in the best possible manner. Meditate on these and realise Him.
Behind this world show, behind this physical phenomena, behind these names and forms, behind the feelings, thoughts, emotions, sentiments, there dwells the silent witness, thy immortal Friend and real Well-wisher, the Purusha or the World-teacher, the invisible Power or Consciousness.
Just as one thread penetrates all flowers in a garland, so also one Self penetrates all these living beings. He is hidden in all beings and forms, like oil in seed, butter in milk, mind in brain, Prana in the body, fetus in the womb, sun behind the clouds, fire in wood, vapour in the atmosphere, salt in water, scent in flowers, sound in the gramophone-records, gold in quartz, microbes in blood.
Just as the light is the same in bulbs of different colours, even so the bodies and mental Bhavanas (attitudes) are different, but Atma is one in all beings.
Just as the sun, reflected in various pots of water, appears to be many, so also the Atman appears to be many when reflected through various minds in various bodies.
Just as fire is the same and only one, though it enters the fuels of various sorts, so also the Lord of the universe, who has created the world and entered into all beings, appears different because of the different bodies in which He resides.
Just as fire blazes forth when the ash above it is removed, Brahman shines forth when the veil of ignorance, which conceals It, is removed. Just as butter is perceived when milk is converted into curd and churned, so also Brahman is perceived through the churning of meditation. Just as hunger, thirst, pain, taste, etc., have to be experienced, but cannot be seen by the fleshy eyes, even so Brahman has to be experienced through deep meditation and Samadhi. Just as the tiny bacilli that produce cholera, typhoid, etc. cannot be seen by the naked eye, but can be seen with the help of a microscope, so also Brahman cannot be seen by the physical eyes but can be seen through the eye of intuition.
He who sees all, but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, moon, stars and the whole universe, but whom they cannot illumine, is Brahman.
He sees without eyes, hears without ears, feels without skin, tastes without tongue, grasps without hand, walks without feet, smells without a nose, knows without a mind, because He is pure, all-pervading Consciousness.
He is formless (Nirakara), without Gunas (Nirguna), without any special characteristics (Nirvisesha), without parts (Nishkala), without limbs (Niravayava), without action (Nishkriya). He is eternal (Nitya), pure (Suddha), perfect (Siddha), free (Mukta).
Brahman is Truth (Satyam), Wisdom (Jnanam), Infinity (Anantam). He is Peace (Santam), Auspiciousness (Sivam), One without a second (Advaitam). He is without old age (Ajaram), immortal (Amritam), fearless (Abhayam), and the Highest (Param). He is the absolute (Kevala).
That place, where all speech stops, all thoughts cease, where the functions of the intellect and all organs stop, is Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.
Peace, God, Atma, Brahman, Freedom, Immortality, Emancipation are synonymous terms.
God is with form and without form, and He is above forms. He is actionless; He is the actor also. He is the manifest; He is the unmanifest. He is immanent; He is transcendent.
There is a living, unchanging, eternal Consciousness that underlies all names and forms, and that holds all together. That is God or Brahman.
Unseen He helps you with faithful hands. Unheard He hears your speech. Unknown He knows your thoughts. He is pure, all-pervading Consciousness, Sat-Chit-Ananda.
God’s Will expresses itself everywhere as law. The law of gravitation, cohesion, relativity, cause and effect, the laws of electricity, chemistry, physics, all the psychic laws, are expressions of God’s Will.
Brahman alone is real. Individual soul is identical with Brahman. Everything else is unreal. This is the fundamental tenet of Vedanta philosophy.
Brahman is not this; it is not that. The denial of attributes to Brahman does not reduce it to a void or nonentity. Brahman does not possess any attribute that belongs to Maya. It is an embodiment of Bliss and Wisdom.
Infinity, Eternity, Immortality and Absoluteness are the characteristics of the limitless Existence-Knowledge-Bliss.
The Absolute baffles the mind of even the greatest scholar. It eludes the grasp of even the mightiest intellect. It is experienced as Pure Consciousness, where intellect dies, scholarship perishes and the entire being itself is completely lost in it. All is lost, and all is found.
God is very close to you. He abides in your heart. Closer is He than breathing, nearer than hands and feet. He is your very Self or Atma.

Excerpts from: Brahman alone is Real - God Exists

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Am I The I?

Spiritual Message for the Day – Am I The I by Sri Swami Sivananda

**Baba Times Digest©

20 September 2014 14.12 EST

New York Edition**

Am I The I?

Divine Life Society Publication: Divine Life – Day-to-Day by Sri Swami Sivananda

You say, “This is my body” this indicates that you are different from the body and the body is your instrument. You are holding it just as you hold a walking stick in your hand.

In sleep you exist independent of the walking stick in your hand (body). In dreams you operate through the astral body without having any concern for the fleshy body. Through ignorance you have identified yourself with the physical body and mistaken it for the real ‘I’ which is ever pure, all-pervading, self existent, self luminous and self-contained, which has neither beginning nor end, which is changeless, beyond time, space and causation, and which exists in the past the present and the future.

Prana (vital force) is not ‘I’. It is the effect of rajas (energy). It is inert. It cannot welcome a man while you are asleep, though it is flowing. It increases and decreases. You say, “My prana” this shows you are different from prana. It is your instrument only. You can control the breath by pranayama. The controller is different from the controlled (prana). Prana is not ‘I’.

Mind also is not ‘I’. It gropes in darkness. It borrows light from a higher power. It gets puzzled and confused. During shock and fear it becomes insentient. It is the effect of satva. It is your instrument. You say, “my mind” therefore mind is different from ‘I’. It is full of changing ideas. It has a beginning and an end. You can control the mind and the thoughts the controller is different from the controlled (mind). It is as much your property, and outside of you, as your limbs etc., or dress, chair, etc. In sleep there is no mind yet you wake up with a feeling of continuity of consciousness. There is no mind in delirium or coma yet ‘I’ remains. Mind is a bundle of thoughts and all thoughts are centred around the false egoistic little ‘I’. The root thought of all these thoughts is the ‘I’ that is full of vanities.

Talking of myself, I always speak of ‘I’. The sheaths in which I am happy, old, black, a sanyasi (monk), etc., are incidents in the continuity of the ‘I’. They are ever changing and varying but the ‘I’ remains the same unchanging amid the changing.

Excerpts from: Am I The I? - Divine Life – Day-to-Day by Sri Swami Sivananda

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Cast Off This Ego

Spiritual Message for the Day – Cast Off This Ego by Sri Swami Sivananda

19 September 2014 15.38 EST

New York Edition**

Cast Off This Ego

Divine Life Society Publication: Yoga and Realisation by Sri Swami Sivananda

The so-called bewildered and tumultuous world with its never ending tale of toil and tears is in reality a majestic university of wisdom wherein everyone learns from the living book of life of their own as well as that of philosophers of realisation, of saints and sages, of divine teachers and holy masters. They that put forth their own ego shall learn nothing in this grand university and all that they have shall be taken and they shall be left forlorn. The man of ego loves his own ignorance; he glories in his own foolishness and attaches much importance to his perishable body and thereby he exposes himself to the winds of adversity, storms of woes and strokes of fate and affliction. He is filled with nescience and in his audacity, he disobeys the Law of Life; he shall have no admission into the portals of Eternal God and Supreme Felicity; he will be imprisoned in his own cocoon of misery and shall never be let out into boundless Empyrean Blessedness.

Looking through the wrapped perspective of his own ego, man has made this earth a hell of gloom and death, torture and frustrations. Looking through the medium of his own illusions and sensuous mind, he has made this temple of happiness, this world, into a den of anguish and grief, terror and forlornness. Laws of darkness and death rule him and not that of light and life. Staying in his own ego, man invites the invasion of sins and annihilation.

Wisdom appears to him as folly, purity as impurity, perfection as imperfection, humility as cowardice, meekness, weakness, service as attachment and passion, compassion as hypocrisy, and everything else appears just the opposite to the man’s perverted mind intoxicated with the wine of ego.

The man of ego is ruled by vanity, he is governed by utter pride; hatred grips him, folly sways him, delusion sits in his very intelligence, evils hover round him and his steps lead him into the realms of denser ignorance and ruin. But his understanding being clouded and his discrimination being obscured by his own prejudiced preconceptions, he is unaware of his own sorry state. On the contrary, he feels himself well off and all knowing and surveys the rest of humanity with condescending eye as unfortunate creatures toiling foolishly far below him in evolution’s scale. Such is the self delusion of the ego. Where the egotism is not, there is all blessedness, all goodness, all glory and there can one find God.

To the one devoid of ego, the whole world is a haven of rest, a realm of peace and kingdom of abounding all happiness. For him there is no more distress. He is purified, exalted and illumined. He sees no sin anywhere and no evil can come near him. Nothing is hidden from him; the Truth stands before him in all its splendour and radiance; the mysteries are revealed to him and all the secret workings of the universe are made known to him. He who has no ego and who has surrendered himself to God is the master of every power and force that there is, for all powers and forces are under God. Egoless man’s is the supreme freedom and perfection.

Too difficult is it to sacrifice the ego, but unless it is sacrificed, no vision of truth and no sight of God is possible of revelation. Sell away your lower self and purchase the Supreme Self. Withdraw your mind from justifying your position; serve your enemies; sacrifice all your rights if you wish to rule; love those who hate you; resist not if you wish to conquer; sacrifice all that you feel belongs to you. Seek nothing if you wish to have everything. Conquer yourself if you wish to have the Highest Freedom. Take no shelter under ego if you wish to be protected by the Supreme Power, the Almighty God.

Let one annul all forms of ego and he shall see the Divine Truth reflected in his own heart within; he shall be illumined with the Divine Knowledge forthwith. Let the ego be destroyed; lose yourself in the love of all; negate yourself and merge yourself in the service of all and thereby you shall see that you have become one with the Supreme Lord who is all in this vast universe.

Empty yourself of your egoism and all the impurity connected with it and you shall see the inexhaustible Abundance of Prosperity, of God filling you to the brim, nay, filling you so much that you cannot contain it any longer. Sacrifice a little of your ego, be it even so little a fraction of it, that in itself shall be sufficient pretext for God to inundate your being with His Delight, His Power and His Light. Such is His Divine Love and Compassion. Deny yourself a little and be indifferent towards the turmoil of outward happenings, towards the external surge of like and dislike, pathos and pleasantry, and the seemingly crushing stress of life and fall back upon the Lord, for you shall be let out into the Blessedness, Peace and Wisdom and eternal joy.

Excerpts from: Cast Off This Ego - Yoga and Realisation by** Sri Swami Sivananda**

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Aspire Fervently, Apply Tenaciously

Spiritual Message for the Day – Aspire Fervently, Apply Tenaciously by Sri Swami Sivananda

18 September 2014 18.01 EST

New York Edition**

Aspire Fervently, Apply Tenaciously

Divine Life Society Publication: Every Man’s Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda

Spiritual life is not an idle talk. It is actual living in God-consciousness. It is a transcendental experience. It is a life of fullness and perfection.

Be rooted in ethics. Be just. Know what is right. Keep your promise. Be noble and impartial. Be like the ocean in depth of devotion and like the Himalayas in firmness. Cultivate peace in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness and jealousy. Know and feel always that you are a child of the all-pervading, immortal consciousness, the Father in heaven, the Lord in your heart.

Rely on your own self. Be courageous, candid and modest. Respect your superiors. Be ever vigilant. Have perfect control over anger and lust. Act according to the words of sages and saints. Endure suffering patiently. Be patient and persevering. Be devoted to the Lord. Purify your mind through Japa. Sit in a solitary place for sometime daily. Withdraw the senses from the external objects. Bring the mind under your control. Turn it towards God.

Supply and Demand

God-realisation is a question of supply and demand. Do you really want God? Do you really thirst for His grace? Have you got real spiritual hunger? Only he who thirsts for God will develop real love. Unto him alone He will reveal his real nature.

Pray fervently like child Prahlada. Sing like Mira. Repeat His Name like Valmiki, Tukaram and Tulasi Das. Do Kirtan like Gauranga. God is love. Through the cultivation of pure love you can realise Him quickly. Have Satsanga with Sadhus, Sannyasins and devotees. This will give you Viveka, Vichara and Vairagya, as well as spiritual strength and peace of mind. By regular Satsanga your mind will be saturated with thoughts of God, with divine glory, with divine presence, with sublime, soul-awakening spiritual ideals. Thus, only will you be established in the divine consciousness.

Potent Remedy

The Name of the Lord is a potent, unfailing antidote for those who are bitten by the serpent of Samsara. It is the nectar that can confer immortality and perennial peace. Repeat the Name of the Lord always and attain the fearless state. You can repeat any divine Name you like. All names of the Lord are equally potent.

Sing the Lord’s glory. Worship the Lord with all your heart and with all your mind. Remember Him always. All your miseries will come to an end. Your heart will be purified. The Lord will soon reveal Himself to you. You will truly feel His presence everywhere. Pray fervently to the Lord for the descent of His light and grace. Crave for His mercy. Yearn for communion with Him. Melt the mind in divine love. Burn the lower nature in the fire of devotion.

Man is not a helpless being. He has a free will of his own. Self-effort ensures divine grace. Therefore, overcome all your unfavourable circumstances by right aspiration and application. Have courage. Be bold. Never despair. You will surely succeed. There is nothing in this world which cannot be achieved by a man of determination, perseverance and the right kind of effort.

Excerpts from: Aspire Fervently, Apply Tenaciously - Every Man’s Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda

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Doctrine of Prapatti

Spiritual Message for the Day – Doctrine of Prapatti by Sri Swami Sivananda

17 September 2014 12.53 EST

New York Edition**

Doctrine of Prapatti

Divine Life Society Publication: Doctrine of Prapatti by Sri Swami Sivananda

Self-sacrifice and renunciation will lead a person to nobler and higher spiritual pursuits and take him to the pinnacle of spiritual glory and to the ultimate goal of realisation of the Self.

The doctrine of Prapatti, or absolute self-surrender to the Lord, is also spoken of as Saranagati. God is the devotee’s sole refuge and only saviour. Six items are recognised as essentials in Prapatti: 1. the acquisition of virtues which would make one a fit offering to God; 2. avoidance of conduct not acceptable to God; 3. faith that the Lord will always protect him; 4. appeal to the Lord for protection and mercy; 5. a feeling of one’s own littleness; and 6. total surrender. The first five are the means to the attainment of absolute self-surrender.

Sadhana when done in the right spirit and with the right Bhava (attitude), cannot entertain even the slightest ego. It is meant for the annihilation of Ahankara or the ego. Even in the path of devotion, the aspirant has to do the act of self-surrender himself; the Bhakta (aspirant) takes the initiative, and only then does God take upon Himself the responsibility of protecting the Bhakta. The Lord Sri Krishna says: “Come unto Me for shelter, with all thy being. Surrender yourself to Me. Then alone will you obtain My Grace. Then alone will I liberate thee.”

Every individual can work out his own salvation by dedicating himself completely to the Lord. The surrender must be sincere, full and unreserved. This is the secret of success in the path of devotion. Personal contact with a fully developed sage or saint is necessary till the aspirant is established in devotion. This helps one to change one’s worldly nature and to overhaul thoroughly one’s old vicious Samskaras (impressions).

It is extremely difficult to say when, on whom, and how the Grace of God will descend. A mob once came out to stone Mary Magdalene, the Roman prostitute. The Lord Jesus, who was passing by, addressed the mob with these words: “He that is not without a sin amongst you, let him cast the first stone at her.” At the utterance of these words of the Lord, the mob was silenced and none dared to cast a stone at her. Mary Magdalene, from that moment, changed her entire outlook in life and became ultimately, through the Grace of the Lord, a saint. The Lord Sri Krishna says in the Gita: “They who take refuge in Me, O Partha, though of the womb of sin, women, Vaishyas, even Sudras,—they also tread the highest path.” What reason, then, is there for despair? On our part, we have to be up and doing; struggle, exert, practise hard and with unflinching courage do our spiritual Sadhana. The All-Merciful Lord will surely crown our efforts with success. Even the vilest and the lowest of the low can attain salvation. The Lord has given us the word of assurance.

The Lord knows what is good for you infinitely better than you do. To resign absolutely to His Will is even a higher form of worship than visiting holy places and performing all sorts of ritualistic ceremonies. The Lord is waiting with outstretched hands to welcome you with His sweet smiling face, full of love and mercy. Lift up your face and approach Him with childlike simplicity, innocence and frankness (Arjava). Speak out your heart to Him. Do unconditional, total self-surrender (Atma-Samarpana) or Saranagati. If you could do willing, unconditioned, unreserved, absolute surrender, then all your duties and responsibilities are over. From then on God will take care of you in all respects. God will do everything for you, and you will find that favourable conditions are created for leading a virtuous and higher life.

Unconditional surrender to His Grace in every act of your life seems to be the only hope. But when it is actually put into practice (Anubhava), your egoism tries to predominate. Self-assertion takes a prominent part, which we must endeavour to overcome.

Here are some Mantras or formulae for effecting ungrudging and total self-surrender. Repeat them daily several times with all earnestness: “O Lord, I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy will be done. Thou art everything. Thou doest everything.” Constant repetition of this will remove from the mind egoism, selfishness and also the idea of agency. A true devotee of the Lord says: “O Lord, I am Thine. Thou art everything. Thou workest everything. Thou art just. I am only an instrument in Thy hands. I am a non-entity. I can do nothing. I possess nothing.” And thus he destroys his egoism and is able to completely surrender himself to the Lord.

The ten senses, the mind, the intellect and the Pranas have no independent existence. They have no power of their own. They derive their power, energy and light from the Lord. Therefore give up your vanity and egoism. Do not for a moment think: “I have done this great work. My intellect is very sharp and powerful and I am very intelligent.” In reality God does everything. Bereft of His Grace you are incapable of doing anything. All things, animate and inanimate, are His instruments. If you remember these truths, you can free yourself from egoism and the bonds of Karma. You will be able to do perfect self-surrender unto the Lord.

Usually egoism develops through Karmas (actions), ideas of superiority of race, family and caste, possession of physical strength, wealth, intelligence, beauty, a few moral virtues, etc. If you practise introspection and discrimination, the egoism is gradually destroyed and true self-surrender to the Lord is rendered possible, which is a sure means to the attainment of everlasting Peace and Eternal Bliss.

Excerpts from: Doctrine of Prapatti by Sri Swami Sivananda

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