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Brahman-Upadesa
Spiritual Message for the Day – Brahman-Upadesa by Swami Krishnananda** **
| **Baba Times Digest© | 6 September 2014 16.32 EST | New York Edition** |
Brahman-Upadesa
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 11 The Moksha Gita by Swami Sivananda Commentary by Swami Krishnananda
1. The Guru said: Thou art not this perishable body. Thou art not the wavering mind. Thou art not the Indriyas. Thou art not the intellect. Thou art not the causal body. Thou art the All-pervading, Immortal Brahman. Realise this and be free.
You are the Infinite Brahman in essence. You are the supreme bliss. You are solely of the nature of divine wisdom. You are the sole supreme, the sole peace, the sole consciousness. Your real nature is indescribable. You are beyond speech and mind. Your nature is beyond form. You are the All in yourself. You are replete with consciousness. You are beyond the three periods of time. There is nothing which is not yourself. You are shining in your own Self. You are Brahman that is truth, bliss, ancient. You are the partless and the non-dual essence. Realise this and be free.
2. Thou art the Prajnana Ghana Atma (embodiment of wisdom). Thou art Chidghana Brahman (mass of consciousness). Thou art Vijnana Ghana Purusha (mass of knowledge). Thou art Ananda-Ghana Soul (mass of Bliss). Realise this and be free.
You are the secondless bliss. You are the illuminator of all things. You are the ocean of knowledge and power. You are both being and non-being. You are this whole universe. You are the supreme, birthless, deathless, immortal consciousness. You are the mass of joy. You are the mass of light. You are the mass of power. You are the mass of knowledge. You have no hands, feet or eyes. You have no body. You are the One Satchidananda! You are all-pervading. Be happy! You are Anandaghana! You are merged in bliss. Move on happily! You are the perfect, the everlasting, the Absolute! You are the mass of intelligence and delight. You are Perfect. Realise this and be free.
3. Thou art Akhandaikarasa Brahman (one homogeneous essence). Thou art Chinmatra Purusha (pure consciousness). Thou art spotless; passionless, genderless and bodiless soul. Realise this and be free.
You are the one undivided essence. You are eternally homogeneous in nature. You are the taintless Self. You are the fully contented, the All. Nothing can harm you. Nothing can touch you. You are the source and the root of everything. You are neither man nor woman, neither father, nor mother, nor son, nor daughter. You exist for ever. You were never born. You will never die. You are the Infinite Whole. Realise this and be free.
4. Thou art timeless, spaceless, deathless, changeless, endless, beginningless, motionless, desireless, faultless and actionless Brahman. Realise this and be free.
You are beyond the operation of time and space. Nothing of the relative world is your real nature. You are the Atman. You are the Brahman. You are without internal or external differences. You are the experiencer of everything. Realise this and be free.
5. Thou art indivisible, partless, and infinite. Thou art birthless and deathless. Thou art immutable and self-luminous. Thou art eternal, perpetual and self-contained. Realise this and be free.
You are immutable and self-existent. You are fearless, for you are Brahman which is fearless. You have no desires, for you are full. You are without differences of body, for you are infinite consciousness. Time and space limit absoluteness and you are not these. You are divisionless and partless, for you are spaceless. You cannot change and perish, for you exist at all places and times. You cannot come to an end, for there is nothing beyond you. You have no source, for nothing existed before you. You have no faults and sins, for you exist as the secondless purity of oneness. You shine by your own light, and even the sun has no lustre before you. You are self-contained, for you are both the existence and the content. Realise this and be free.
6. Thou art Anandamaya-Purusha. Thou art Chin-maya-Brahman. Thou art Jyotirmaya-Atma. Realise this and be free.
You are Anandamaya, the mass of bliss, all other sources of happiness are your own reflections. You are a mass of Chit which is objectless and is free from thought. You are a mass of effulgence. Who can show a light to you? You are ever satisfied. Who can feed you and guide you? You are the Imperishable Purusha, exalted above Maya! Realise this and be free.
7. Thou art distinct from the three bodies and five Koshas. Thou art the witness of the three states. Realise this and be free.
You are not the five Koshas, for they perish on the dawn of Knowledge. They are a mere product of imagination. You are the eternal witness of these bodies. They come and go. But you exist for ever. You are alone existent. Realise this and be free.
8. Thou art without blemish and without decay. Thou art without disease and without difference. Thou art without old age and without modification. Realise this and be free.
You cannot have blemishes, for it is a convention of relative rules. You cannot decay like other objects, for you are unchangeable. You cannot be transformed into another state, for yours is the uncontradicted state of supreme perfection. No disease can afflict you, you are the origin of health and peace, of calmness and satisfaction. Disease is only a straying away of thought from the Self. You have no differences, for differences are mere thought-constructions. You can never become old, for you were never born. You exist since eternity. You have no modification, for you are Apta-Kama. Realise this and be free.
9. That supreme Brahman which is the immortal Self of all, which is the beginningless entity, which is immutable and infinite, which is beyond the reach of mind and speech…that Brahman art thou. Meditate on this. Realise this and be free.
You are Brahman which is Satya, Jnana, Ananta, Akhanda, Saswata, Amrita, Abhaya, Avangmanogochara, Ekarasa, Nitya, Suddha, Siddha, Buddha, Mukta, Prajnana-Ghana, Swayam-Prakasha, Adwaya, Nirguna, Nirakara, Paripurna – that Brahman you are! You are That Ekam Sat; Fear not! You are the most blessed Supreme Being! Realise this and be free.
Excerpts from: Brahman-Upadesa - Chapter 11 The Moksha Gita by Swami Sivananda Commentary by Swami Krishnananda
If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
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The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 5 September 2014 12.09 EST | New York Edition** |
The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha
Divine Life Society Publication: Vedanta for Beginners by Sri Swami Sivananda
Raga and Dvesha (likes and dislikes) only constitute this Samsara or this world of phenomena. It can be totally destroyed by knowledge of Brahman.
Raga-Dvesha is a Vasana. It has four states. Raga-Dvesha, Vasanas, Samskaras and Gunas are intertwined. They co-exist. The seat of Raga-Dvesha is the mind and the senses. Destruction of one will lead to the destruction of others. But the destruction of the source, Avidya or Ajnana, the seed of Samsara, through Brahma-Jnana will destroy everything to the very root.
The cultivation of virtues like Maitri (friendship), Karuna, (mercy), Mudita (complacency) and Upeksha (indifference) can thin out or attenuate Raga-Dvesha. This is the Pratipaksha-Bhavana method or cultivation of the opposite positive qualities, of the Raja Yogins.
Destruction of Avidya will lead to the destruction of Raga-Dvesha. Raga and Dvesha are the modifications or effects of Avidya or ignorance.
The fire of devotion also can burn in toto Raga-Dvesha.
The practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga or disinterested selfless service can thin out Raga-Dvesha to a very great extent.
Kill Raga (attachment) by the sword of Vairagya (non-attachment or dispassion or indifference to sensual objects) and Dvesha by developing cosmic love.
Raga-Dvesha assumes various forms. You like certain foods and dislike certain other foods. You like certain clothing and dislike certain other clothing. You like certain persons and dislike certain other persons. You like certain places and dislike certain other places. You like certain sounds and dislike certain other sounds. You like certain colours and dislike certain other colours. You like soft things and dislike hard things. You like praise, respect, honour, and dislike censure, disregard, dishonour. You like a religion, view, opinion and dislike other religions, views and opinions. You like comforts, pleasures, and dislike discomforts and pain. Thus there is no peace of mind for you as the mind is ever restless and agitated. The waves of Raga-Dvesha are ever disturbing the mind. One wave of Raga-Dvesha arises in the mind and subsides after some time. Again another wave rises, and so on. There is no balance of mind. There is no peace. He who has destroyed Raga-Dvesha will be ever happy, peaceful, joyful, strong and healthy. Only he who is free from Raga-Dvesha will have a long life. Raga-Dvesha is the real cause for all diseases (Adhi and Vyadhi).
Wherever there is pleasure, there is Raga; wherever there is pain, there is Dvesha. Man wants to remain in close contact with those objects which give him pleasure. He shuns those objects which give him pain.
Though the objects that give pain are far away from you, the memory of the objects will give you pain. It is only the removal of the currents of Dvesha that will give you happiness. It is the Vritti or thought-wave that gives pain but not the objects. Hence try to destroy the current of Dvesha by developing cosmic love and Brahma-bhavana or Isvara-bhavana in all objects. Then the whole world will appear to you as the Lord in manifestation. The world or the worldly object is neither good nor bad, but it is your lower instinctive mind that makes it good or bad. Remember this point well, always. Do not find fault with the world or the objects. Find fault with your own mind.
Destruction of Raga-Dvesha means destruction of ignorance or mind and the idea of the world.
No meditation, no peace, no Samadhi is possible for a man who has not removed these two currents two foes of peace, knowledge and devotion. He who says “I enter into deep meditation; I have attained Self-realisation and Samadhi; I can also help you to enter into Samadhi” is a confirmed hypocrite. If you find in him Raga-Dvesha, attachment, hatred, prejudice, intolerance, anger, irritability, know him to be a Mithyachari. Shun his company. Beware. Be cautious, friends!
Excerpts from: The Philosophy of Raga-Dvesha - Vedanta for Beginners 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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Vedantic Sadhana
Spiritual Message for the Day – Vedantic Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 4 September 2014 13.45 EST | New York Edition** |
Vedantic Sadhana
Divine Life Society Publication: Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta by Sri Swami Sivananda
O FRIEND! Why dost thou weep? Thou hast neither birth nor old age nor death. Thou hast neither passion nor craving. Thou hast neither gross nor subtle body. Thou hast neither mind nor Prana. Thou art the eternal, unchanging, all-pervading Self. Feel this and be free.
O friend! Why dost thou grieve? Thou hast neither name nor form. Thou hast neither caste nor age. Thou hast neither gender nor Indriyas. Thou art neither strong nor weak. Thou hast neither father nor mother. Thou art ever free, pure, eternal immortal. Realise this and be free.
Find out the real inner man. The real man is bodiless and formless. Do not identify the man with the outer food-sheath—Annamaya Kosha—or the physical body. The gross physical body is like the shell of a cocoanut. The real man is the Immortal Spirit, which cannot be annihilated. Man in essence is the Imperishable Atman. He is the silent witness of the three states, viz., Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states).
Just as a rope is mistaken for a snake in the darkness, a post for a man, so also this impure body is mistaken for the pure Self through Avidya or ignorance. If you bring a light, the illusory snake in the rope will disappear. Even so, if you attain knowledge of the Self, the illusory identification with the body will vanish. The essential qualities of the man are not actually transferred to the post, nor the essential qualities of the post actually transferred to the man. Even so, consciousness does not belong to the body and the attributes of the body, such as decay and death, pleasure and pain, do not belong to the Self or Consciousness.
If you have direct knowledge of the Supreme Self or Brahman through meditation, you will attain Immortality. There is no other way to reach the goal. If you know the Self you have gained the true end of life. You will be afraid of nothing.
That Vastu or something which has neither beginning nor end is the Imperishable Brahman (Akshara). Akshara only is unchanging, infinite, eternal, self-luminous, indivisible, pure, perfect, ever free and independent. Akshara is your Immortal Soul.
The fields or bodies are different but the knower of the field is one. Jivatmas are different but Paramatman is one. Wherever there is mind, there are Prana, egoism and Jiva-Chaitanya or reflected intelligence or Abhasa Chaitanya side by side. He who has the sense of duality (Dvaita Bhava) will take births again and again. This delusion of duality (Bheda Bhranti) can only be removed by the knowledge of identity of Jiva and Brahman. ‘Aham Sukhi—I am happy’, ‘Aham Duhkhi—I am miserable’, ‘Aham Karta—I am the doer’, ‘Aham Bhokta—I am the enjoyer’ is the experience of all human beings. Therefore the Jivatma is a Samsarin and is subject to pleasure and pain. Jivatmas are different in different bodies, whereas Paramatman is free from pleasure and pain. He is Asamsarin. He is eternally free. He is one.
Jivatma in essence is identical with Para-Brahman. Fields are different, bodies are different, minds are different and Jivatmas or individual souls are different. But the knower or Paramatman in all these fields or bodies is one.
The Self is not affected by pleasure and pain, virtue and vice. He is the silent witness only. Pleasure and pain are the Dharmas of the mind only. They are ascribed to the Self through Avidya or ignorance. The ignorant man only regards the physical body as the Self. He is swayed by the two currents of Raga Dvesha and does virtuous and vicious actions, reaps the fruits of these actions, viz., pleasure and pain and takes births again and again. But the sage who knows that the Self is distinct from the body is not swayed by Raga Dvesha. He identifies himself with the pure eternal Brahman and is always happy and actionless, though he performs actions for the welfare of the humanity.
The disease Timira which causes perception of what is contrary to truth pertains to the eye but not to the man who perceives. If the Timira is removed by proper treatment, he perceives things in their true light. Even so, ignorance, doubt, pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, Raga Dvesha, false perception, non-perception of truth as well as their cause belong to the instrument, viz., mind, but not to the silent witness.
The wheel of Samsara or the world’s process rotates on account of Avidya. It exists only for the ignorant man who perceives the world as it appears to him. There is no Samsara for a liberated sage. Any disease of the eye cannot in any way affect the sun. The breaking of the pot will not in any way affect the pot-ether. The water in the mirage cannot render the earth moist. Even so, Avidya and its effects cannot in the least affect the pure, subtle, attributeless, formless, limbless, partless and self-luminous Self. Avidya can do nothing to the Self.
Avidya or ignorance born of Tamas acts as a veil and prevents man from knowing his essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature. It causes perception of what is quite the contrary of truth, or causes doubt or non-perception of truth. As soon as knowledge of the Self dawns, the three forms of Avidya vanish in toto. Therefore the three forms of Avidya are not attributes of the Self. They belong to the mind, the organ or the instrument. Mind is only an effect or product of Avidya.
In the state of liberation wherein there is annihilation of mind (Manonasa) there is no Avidya, there is no play of the two currents, Raga Dvesha. If false perception, ignorance, pleasure, pain, doubt, bondage, delusion, sorrow, etc., were essential properties of the Self, just as heat is an essential property of fire, they cannot be got rid of at any time. But there had been liberated sages in the past like Sankara, Dattatreya, Jada Bharata, Yajnavalkya, who possessed extraordinary super-sensual or intuitional knowledge, who were free from false perception, doubt, fear, delusion, sorrow, etc. They were not conscious of Samsara but they had perfect awareness of their own Svaroopa or essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature.
Therefore we will have to conclude that the Self is free, pure, perfect, eternal and the Avidya inheres in the mind-instrument but not in the Self.
The liberated sage who is freed from selfishness, egoism, anger and fear roams about happily. He has shaken off everything. Avidya and its modifications cannot affect him. He is the Yati. He is the Sannyasin. He is the Yogi. He is the Paramahamsa. He is the Avadhuta. He is Brahman himself. He is the Lord of lords. He is the Emperor of emperors. He is fit to be worshipped.
May his blessings be upon you all! May you all attain liberation in this very birth!
Excerpts from: Vedantic Sadhana - Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta 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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If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit: The Divine Life Society E-Bookstore
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Soul Power
Spiritual Message for the Day – Soul Power by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 3 September 2014 16.14 EST | New York Edition** |
Soul Power
Divine Life Society Publication: Staying Positive by Sri Swami Sivananda
O man! Do not be discouraged when sorrows, difficulties and tribulations manifest in the daily battle of life. Thou art the master of thy destiny. Thou art divine. Live up to it, feel it, realise it. Draw up spiritual strength and courage from within. Learn the ways to tap the source. Dive deep within. Sink down. Plunge into the sacred waters of immortality. You will be refreshed, renovated and vivified.
Understand the laws of the universe. Move tactfully in this world. Learn the secrets of nature. Learn the best ways to control the mind. Conquer the mind. Conquest of the mind is really conquest of nature and the world.
Do not murmur or grumble when troubles and sorrows descend upon you. Difficulties strengthen your will, augment your power of endurance and turn your mind towards God. Face them with a smile. In your weakness lies your real strength. Conquer the difficulties one by one. This is the beginning of a new spiritual life, a life of expansion, glory and divine splendour. Expand, grow. Build up all positive virtues - fortitude, patience and courage. Start a new life.
Have a new angle of vision. Arm yourself with discrimination, cheerfulness, discernment, alacrity and undaunted spirit. A brilliant future is awaiting you. Let the past be buried. You can work miracles. Do not give up hope. You can neutralise the effect of evil influences and the antagonistic dark forces that may come against you. You can nullify destiny - many have done this. Assert. Recognise. Realise. Thou art the immortal self - claim thy birthright now.
You have created your destiny through thoughts and actions. You can undo them by right thinking and right action. Wrong thinking is the root cause of human sufferings. “I am the immortal self” - this is right thinking. Work in terms of unity - work unselfishly - work with atman bhava (feeling that the self is all). This is right action.
There is no such thing as sin. Sin is only a mistake; it is a mental creation. The baby soul must commit some mistakes during the process of evolution. Mistakes are your best teachers. Think, “I am pure atman”, and the idea of sin will be blown in the air.
Excerpts from: Soul Power - Staying Positive 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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Walk the Spiritual Way
Spiritual Message for the Day – Walk the Spiritual Way by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 2 September 2014 15.21 EST | New York Edition** |
Walk the Spiritual Way
Divine Life Society Publication: Frequently Asked Questions on Spirituality by Sri Swami Sivananda
(Excerpts from The Book “May I Answer That?”)
Are the senses meant to be starved and destroyed ? The ascetic ideal says so. The Greek ideal, however, is moderate enjoyment of life. Most of the Western thinkers of the rationalistic type accept this. Modern psychologists assert that by denying or refusing the needs of the body and suppressing emotions like attachment and love, people generally create mental problems for themselves. Is there any substance in this ?
No; the senses have not been given only to be starved or killed. Neither are they given for being indulged in and fattened. In truth, the senses are not given for any earthly purpose whatsoever. That is the highest view that the sages uphold for spiritual aspirants. The senses are given for being utilized consciously and deliberately for the attainment of something altogether above and beyond the farthest reach of the senses. To understand the right import and significance of self-restraint, one must take a more comprehensive view of the question.
In human beings, these senses are given together with the superior, directive faculty of intelligence with its aspect such as discrimination, selection, etc. The senses are to operate under its wise supervision. The aim is not the ultimate denial of the senses, but the achievement through restraint, of a pleasure million-fold greater than that achieved through gratification. When one realizes this fact, he will understand, how, with the Yogic aspirant, this self-restraint is not a matter of bitterness or reluctant, unwilling repression at all. Understood in its correct light, it is a joyous, voluntary discipline undertaken for the acquisition of an infinitely greater and more blissful experience. Does the angler ever grudge the loss of the worm cast for catching a big fish ?
Moreover, the rationale of asceticism is not rightly understood by most people. The ideal of asceticism and penance is not based on repression. Conservation and sublimation are the principles underlying asceticism rightly practised. The true ascetic witholds, diverts, canalizes and finally transmutes his natural propensities. The untoward repercussions of forced repression such as complex, neurosis, etc., have no place here. No doubt, modern psychologists are correct in their view about repression, but one must know that it does not apply to religious asceticism, wherein the process is sublimation and not just repression; and it must always be remembered that asceticism is a part of Yoga which provides such a marvellous system of mental training and culture that most effectively counteracts and wards off any possibility of neurotic complexes or obsessions.
It is, however, true that asceticism is very much misunderstood by the majority of persons, and unfortunately by the ascetics themselves, as a result of which we hardly come across a real ascetic in the aspirant world.
Yoga recommends a proper utilization of the tremendous faculties of undissipated senses for higher purposes of inner culture, social welfare, inventions, scientific progress, and finally, intuition. The senses are to be sublimated through restraint applied through reason and intelligent judgement. Their unlimited potentialities are to be harnessed for the greater good and not allowed to most shamelessly dissipated for a momentary pleasure, unintelligent and animalistic. Viewed from this angle, the aspirant is asked not to starve and destroy the senses, but really to strengthen them and utilize them for his good. Dissipation, on the contrary, actually causes destruction of the senses.
The Greek ideal was enunciated as a general philosophy of life for the average humanity. Asceticism, as understood by the sages, is a distinctive discipline specially incumbent upon that class which would walk the spiritual way, the aspirant class dedicated to the goal of Self-realization. This class is vividly aware that the conception of “moderate enjoyment of life” is a conception alone and is well-nigh impossible to put into actual practice. For, the very nature of enjoyment is such that it tends to progressively increase in force each time the senses are indulged in. The habit gets man in its grip and drags him down. This has been the uniform experience of the sages. Therefore, at one stage or the other, a rigid religious self-control and denial becomes imperative in the march to spiritual progress.
The rank materialist may not care for it, but the seeker does. The seeker is marked out for a special achievement. You know how an ultra-modern acrobat, a ballet dancer or an expert boxer willingly imposes a rigid regimen upon himself to keep perfectly trim and healthy for his professional success. Mark the denials and restrictions during the training period of any serious candidate trying for a championship in athletics! His keen zest and enthusiasm serve to keep his mind in a high mood of inspiration and anticipation. What, then, should be the interest and aspiration in true asceticism undertaken as a part of the training for an infinitely greater achievement in the spiritual path?
Excerpts from: Walk The Spiritual Way - Frequently Asked Questions on Spirituality 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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Attunement of the Individual to Reality
Spiritual Message for the Day – Attunement of the Individual to Reality by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 1 September 2014 12.46 EST | New York Edition** |
Attunement of the Individual to Reality
Divine Life Society Publication: The Individual Nature by Sri Swami Krishnananda
Except the longing for knowledge, all urges or instincts are to be subdued and transformed into the integrating energy of the higher consciousness, for these natural urges of the physical nature are inconsistent with the higher aspiration for the unity of consciousness in the Universal Being. The art of overcoming these instincts which are antagonistic to spiritual seeking consists, ultimately, in certain processes which are related to the essential nature of Consciousness itself. The end being the realisation of supreme oneness, the means to it has to bear an intimate relation to it.
The transmutation of the individual constitution is necessary for the experience of the Absolute, and this can be achieved by recognising the true nature of the relation existing between the individual and the Absolute. All forms of the externalisation of energy, which are called urges, instincts, etc., are ultimately movements of consciousness in the direction of the not-self. There can be no individual urge when consciousness ceases to function in this way. The way of self-control, therefore, is that of the recession of the modes of the objectified consciousness to their wider and deeper source, which finally converge and merge in the Absolute. Only a conscious endeavour on the part of the individual to outgrow itself, to rise above particularity, can bring about this great achievement and realisation. For this, clear understanding, dispassionate feeling, longing for freedom and perseverance are necessary.
Study, reflection and meditation are the processes of the method of self-transcendence. A careful analysis and study of the nature of experience, under the guidance of an able spiritual teacher, is indispensable for meditation on the spiritual Reality. The defects involved in relative experience, and the fact of its being finally centred in and reducible to the reality of the Absolute, are to be discovered in order that attachment to external forms of experience may be withdrawn, and all energy be focussed on the supreme Self-consciousness. The nature of instinctive reactions and blind urges have to be clearly understood before any attempt to control them may be made. No practice can be of any lasting value, if it is not preceded by a correct knowledge of the inner anatomy and constitution of the meaning and method of that practice. One must act only after knowing how to act, why to act and what the act really is.
Action must be based on a knowledge thereof. This knowledge, on which all spiritual practices are based, is the forerunner of dispassion for all externalisation towards things. True renunciation is not the abandonment of any ‘thing’, but the relinquishment of the thingness in things, the objectness in objects, the externality in experience, the projectedness in consciousness. This renunciation is the condition of the supreme fulfilment in the Absolute. There can be no hope of this ultimate realisation without the total surrender of personality and all its concomitants to this one goal. The moment this surrender is done, attachments cease, the mind becomes calm, the senses are abstracted from forms, passions subside, consciousness gets concentrated, joy ensues, and an immense strength is felt within. All these are the results of an attunement of the individual to Reality, the coalescence of all forces with it, the dissolution in it of all distinction and objectivity. By this act the individual draws sustenance from and becomes the Universal Centre. The actual experience is possible through intense meditation on it.
Every act of one’s life should become an expression of conscious contemplation on the Absolute. Unless all acts are based on this consciousness, there cannot be any ultimate value in these acts. The Absolute is the life-principle of all things, acts and thoughts, and so, without it, everything becomes lifeless and devoid of meaning. Spirituality is a state of consciousness; it is not merely certain forms of action. When consciousness is properly trained to exist in this harmony, all acts become universal processes, and cease to be individual efforts directed towards a phenomenal end. It is the duty of everyone in all one’s conscious states to attempt to unite oneself with the Absolute, and perform one’s duties with the consciousness of this unity. Such an individual is a sage, the supremely blessed one. The very presence of this hallowed being exerts a magnetic spiritual influence on the entire environment. “This universe is his; and, indeed, he is the universe,” says the Upanishad. This is the glorious consummation of life.
Excerpts from: Attunement of the Individual to Reality - The Individual Nature by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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The Wheel of Divine Life
Spiritual Message for the Day – The Wheel of Divine Life by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 31 August 2014 17.50 EST | New York Edition** |
The Wheel of Divine Life
Divine Life Society Publication: The Wheel of Divine Life by Sri Swami Sivananda
Salutations to the Supreme Guru, the Immortal Spirit, the common unifying entity, present in all. Salutations to the torchbearers of knowledge divine. Salutations to all seekers of Truth who live the life divine. Adorations for all holy aspirations. Benedictions for the fruition of every noble endeavour.
The eternal mysteries of the human spirit, the ever restless and dissatisfied emotional being of man, the inadequacies of the temporal existence, the failure of the intellect to solve the problems of life satisfactorily, the baffling gulf that separates great ideals from rude realities—all tend to turn one’s mind towards God. Divine life is the process through which one progresses towards the realisation of God, and achieves the remedy of all the ills that life is heir to.
Guru is the guide who leads the aspirant on the way, and the aspirant is the pilgrim who toils on the ascent of divine life.
A progressive refinement of the mental and moral make-up of man is the primary objective of divine life. It begins with dedication to some fundamental principles such as truth, purity and non-injury, the practice of which automatically entails the voluntary enforcement of self-discipline, and ensuing of the process of purification. The implementation of these three fundamental principles in the daily life of the individual, in an impeccable manner, itself constitutes the vital part of divine life.
Human nature has two sides, the negative and the positive, one trying to preponderate over the other. There are invariably the “Dr. Jekyll” and “Mr. Hyde” elements in every man. When the “Hyde” element dominates, one becomes a social derelict, bringing upon oneself and others all the evil consequences of the boundless passions and destructive sadism of the instinctive part of one’s being. Yet, there are people who have in them a remarkable measure of the “Jekyll” element, which distinguishes them as great benefactors of society, and who are by far in a better position to be in peace with themselves and with others, too.
The positive ultimately overcomes the negative, though, in common experience, the negative forces hold an irrepressible sway over frequent phases in the lives of the most of the people. But not so with those who have made a beginning in walking the way of reason, of discretion, prudence, divine life. In them, the discriminative mind tries to rule over the instinctive part of their being. Viveka (discrimination) guides their actions, Vairagya (dispassion) sanctifies their motives, and Mumukshuttwa (longing for liberation) inspires their endeavours—each of the three deriving its strength and light from the spiritual part of their being.
To follow the path of truth, purity and non-injury is implicative of the highest form of self-discipline, amounting to neutralising every negative propensity emanating from the lower nature. Truth necessarily indicates, apart from the chastity of speech, the right sense of values, the courage to implement into action what one knows to be true, though it may not be entirely conducive, or may be even detrimental, to one’s material good. Truth also means the strength of will to abide by all positive principles, a sense of justice, an unbiased mind, and recognition of the pervasiveness of its subtle essence in all life.
Purity is the touchstone of divine life, which should have the power of transmuting all that is negative into the positive. The practice of purity covers the entire range of the culturing of emotions, and whatever is implied by self-restraint. It means the practice of the “Shat-Sampat,” namely, control of mind and the senses, tranquility, forbearance, faith and concentration. Purity is physical and mental, since both are inter-related. Purity of thought naturally leads to purity of action. Purity of motive, of life in general, is preliminary to the practice of truth.
Non-injury is love, indicated counter-wise. Here self-restraint (Yama) is again incumbent. The meaning of non-injury is complete only when it is implemented wholeheartedly—in thought, speech and action. The principles of love, compassion, mercy, fellowship and goodwill are all entwined in the term “non-injury.” Unless these principles are fully practised, the virtue of non-injury remains artificial.
Whilst love is a direct expression for non-injury, its logical fruition is in service. That much-maligned term, “love,” which is overly misapplied to sensual tomfoolery, selfish attachment, circumstantial sentimentality, emotional fixation and superimposed self-pity, is, indeed, a rare plant that grows only in the garden of divine life and that has to be continuously tended and nurtured to make it enblossom in all its glory. Love and service are inseparable. So, too, with understanding of, and respect for, the feelings of others. One cannot be said to possess love for humanity and yet be selfish and callous to the suffering of others. Thus selfless service is divine love in action.
If you are able to cultivate and practise these three basic tenets of divine life, which, in reality, traverse the entire gamut of practical spirituality, then you are on the road of Self-realisation, the ultimate goal of human aspiration. Even a rudimentary success in this path is greatly conducive to one’s peace and happiness, the worthiness of existence, to the betterment of human nature, to the good of society and the world at large. A collective awareness of the great importance of divine life, with all its pragmatic values, can surely contribute, in a large measure, to the promotion of world peace, solidarity and fellowship.
Brahmavidya is, in other words, the knowledge of divine life, the central ideal of all spiritual aspirants. In this alone lies the salvation of mankind. May the blessings of the Divine Guru be upon all.
Excerpts from: The Wheel of Divine Life by Sri Swami Sivananda
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Preparing for the Practice of Yoga
Spiritual Message for the Day – Preparing for the Practice of Yoga by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 30 August 2014 21.11 EST | New York Edition** |
Preparing for the Practice of Yoga
Divine Life Society Publication: The Path to God-Realisation Part 1 by Sri Swami Krishnananda
(Spoken on July 12, 1990)
In our perceptions of the world of persons and things, there is a continuous negation taking place of the indivisibility of the Self. It is so because of the fact that perceptions are based on a divided consciousness. There has to be a division between the subjective side and the objective side, between the perceiver and the perceived, in order that there may be perception at all.
This dichotomy between the location of the seer and the seen is precisely the contradiction of the indivisible nature of the Self. Thus, we may say that we are perpetually negating the existence of the Self in everything that we do and in everything that we see, cognise, or perceive through our sense organs.
The moment the Self is negated, the consequence thereof follows automatically: the character of non-Self inundates us. We become at once other than what we are. The greatest fear is the loss of one’s own Self, and that fear is perpetually on our head like a Damocles Sword – because of the fact that there is a continuous negation of the Self taking place in our perceptions through the sense organs.
It is, therefore, no wonder that we are unhappy throughout our life. We have fears from all sides – tapa, as we call it; adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika tapa harass us. We have fear from our own psychophysical constitution: It may fall ill, or it may even die. That is a fear that we have in regard to our own self. We also have fear of the people around us; very little can be said about their behaviour because it is very whimsical, conditioned by changing factors and circumstances of life. And above all, there is fear of nature, whose wish and will are not known to us even a little. From every side there is insecurity, as it were, and, therefore, there is not a moment of peace for anyone in the world.
Perceptions are of two kinds. These categories may be designated as general and abnormal perceptions. If we can see a thing, be conscious of its existence but not be emotionally disturbed about it, we may consider it as general perception. But if any perception disturbs our feelings, this is certainly not a normal perception. It is not normal because we seem to be dualistically involved in the knowledge of the existence of some person or thing in front of us, and not indivisibly involved or, more properly, normally involved. Unless we are free from it, we cannot actually even commence the practice of yoga.
The world perception is not spiritual. It is so because the character of Selfhood cannot be recognised in any object, in spite of the fact that every object has a Self of its own.
In the same way as in every pool of water, multiple though the pools be, the same sun is reflected, the Universal Self is reflected in every individual person as the Self of that particular person or thing. Therefore, everyone has a Self – not a Self, the very Self Itself. Yet, in perceptions, the Self is not recognised. Neither can you see my Self, nor can I see your Self. You see me as a personality seated here, and I also do the same thing in regard to you. If this is the way in which the world goes on, world experience cannot be regarded as spiritual experience. Therefore, we call life in the world as samsara, which means an aberration from the nature of Selfhood; a deviation from truth. We move away from the centre of our personality, away from the root of the Self, to that which is other than Itself.
If there is certainly nothing other than the Self, then what is the meaning of the deviation of consciousness from the Self to the not-Self? The not-Self actually is not a person or a thing. It is the manner in which consciousness adapts itself to persons and things outside. Your judgment of values is what will determine the spirituality or the unspirituality of things. The things in the world are neither spiritual nor unspiritual; they just are, as they ought to be. But the perceptions differ on account of the non-recognition of the Selfhood, or the character of subjectivity in things.
Any kind of abnormality of behaviour, whether psychologically or ethically, will prevent the general perception of things. We cannot see things as they are. We always see things as they are not. The well-known dicta of the principles of yama – ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha – may be considered as the first principles of ethical and moral practice, which is an endeavour on our part to restrain ourselves in many a manner.
The art of self-restraint, which is practically the whole of yoga, right from the beginning to the end, is constituted of a systematic extrication of consciousness from its connection with the layers of involvement in its perceptions – to repeat, general as well as abnormal.
Thus, the practice of yoga, which is the art of the realisation of God or the Universal Self, is, on the one hand, a direct endeavour to concentrate the mind on a well-conceived ideal which is called abhyasa, and simultaneously on the other hand, it is a negation of anything which may intrude into this consciousness of the concentration on the Universal Ideal. With these two phases of our practice, known as abhyasa and vairagya, we should go ahead, driving the chariot of our personality to the abode of God Almighty.
Excerpts from: Preparing for the Practice of Yoga - The Path to God-Realisation Part 1 by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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Nididhyasana
Spiritual Message for the Day – Nididhyasana by Sri Swami Krishnananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 29 August 2014 15.33 EST | New York Edition** |
Nididhyasana
Divine Life Society Publication: Discourse 5 - Commentary on the Panchadasi by Sri Swami Krishnananda
God cannot be conceived as finite. Nor is it possible to conceive the infinite. No contact with Brahman is possible, ordinarily. Vikalpatva or nirvikalpatva, that is finitude or infinitude as associated with Brahman, may be considered as futile arguments in the case of quality, action, species, objectivity and relation. Guna is quality, kriya is action, jati is species, dravya is object, s_ambandha_ is relation, vastu is anything whatsoever. Hence, in any one of these categories that we find in this world, the same difficulty will arise if we start envisaging these things either as finite or as infinite.
Nothing finally can be looked upon as either finite or infinite. If we think that a thing is neither finite nor infinite, it is inconceivable. Anything that is relative cannot be conceived. The modern science of relativity also takes us to the same conclusion that it is not as it appears to us. That is why it is called maya – a jugglery-like thing that is appearing before us. If we try to probe into it, we will find it is not there at all, as night vanishes when the sun rises or darkness vanishes when the flash of a torch is thrown on it. It is because our knowledge is not operating, the whole thing looks very solid, so three-dimensional, so real. If we throw the flashlight on our understanding, we will find it vanishes. It cannot be conceived at all as either existent in this manner or existent in that manner – neither finite, not infinite, which means to say that it is not there at all. Such is this world.
The category of finitude and infinitude, and the category of relation of one thing with the other are all imagined by the conditioning factors of the mind. Brahman is above all that we can imagine in our mind. This kind of study that we have made is called sravana. We have heard a lot about the nature of the world, the nature of the individual, the nature of Brahman. We have studied Ishvara, jagat and jiva in some measure. What is the nature of these great principles God, world and individual?
But mere hearing or studying is not sufficient. When you return home, you must ponder over this deeply. The ideas that have been made to enter into your mind through the medium of your hearing should enter your heart. They should become objects of deep investigation, Self-investigation. The mind withdraws into itself all the ideas that it has collected by hearing and deeply bestows these considerations. That is called manana.
Sravana is hearing, learning, studying. Manana is deep thinking. If you merely hear and go away and again hear tomorrow, it will be what is humorously called ‘Eustachian philosophy’, which means that what you hear through one ear goes out through the other ear. Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj used to say there are Eustachian philosophers. They understand nothing. It does not go inside.
Unless we bestow deep thought on what we have heard, that knowledge which we have gained by hearing will not be part of our nature. We will be sitting independently as we were earlier, and knowledge will be outside in space. So it has to be brought into the depths of our understanding by deep reflection. That process is called manana. Even that is not sufficient. We have to become that knowledge itself.
The deep association of ourselves with this knowledge is nididhyasana. Firstly, we hear and study. Secondly, we bestow deep thought and investigate into the substance and essentiality of what we have heard and studied, and make it a part and parcel of our daily thought and understanding. But when this process goes on continuously day in and day out, it becomes the very spirit of our nature. We do not merely know, we actually become the existence of it. Knowledge is not merely a property that we have gained by hearing or studying. It is not a quality of our intellect, as an academic qualification. It is our very substance. Knowledge is Being. Chit is Sat. So when knowledge that we have gained by sravana and manana becomes our very substance itself, we move like God Himself in the world. That is jivanmukta lakshana. That condition is nididhyasana tattva, a continuous flow of knowledge without break, which becomes the essence of our person. This is called nididhyasana.
Deep meditation, which is nididhyasana is, in the beginning, involved in three processes – the meditating consciousness, the object on which meditation is carried on, and the process of meditation. Therefore, three things are involved – triputi. There is someone who is meditating, there is something on which meditation is being carried on, and some process of knowledge is linking the subject with the object, connecting the meditator with the object meditated upon. So when we meditate, in the beginning we will have a consciousness of three things. We will feel that we are there contemplating, meditating. We will feel that there is something on which we are concentrating. And we will also know that there is a relation between us.
When by deep concentration – going further, deeper – the consciousness of our being there and the consciousness of a process going on also are dropped, our consciousness merges into that object, and we become the very object itself. The very artha, the very target, the very ideal, the very aim becomes us. We are not contemplating something; we have become that. That becoming of the identity of our consciousness with the very object which we are concentrating upon, losing the consciousness of an individuality and the process of concentration – the identity of the subject with the object, the merger of the consciousness perceiving with the object concentrated upon – is called samadhi.
Excerpts from: Nididhyasana - Discourse 5 - Commentary on the Panchadasi by Sri Swami Krishnananda
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A Sermon on Sadhana
Spiritual Message for the Day – A Sermon on Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
| **Baba Times Digest© | 28 August 2014 14.21 EST | New York Edition** |
A Sermon on Sadhana
Divine Life Society Publication: A Sermon on Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
The life of a spiritual aspirant in the world is verily like a fierce struggle and fight with deadly serpent. Samsara or worldly life is a terrible and deadly serpent. Man must keep constant and alert watchfulness lest the Samsara-sarpa take you unawares. Keep the twin eyes of Viveka (discrimination) and Vichara (enquiry) wide open. At time the man becomes poisoned in the course of his Vyavahara (worldly activities). He must retire periodically from the worldly atmosphere and take recourse to Satsanga (association with the wise), Sadhana, seclusion and silent meditation. This is the spiritual Sanjivini (a herb) for you to revive yourself and enter the daily spiritual life again without fear. Satsanga and seclusion are the magic herbs which remove completely all poison of worldliness from you. With their help you will keep yourself safe.
The Supreme Lord of all creations gives to the Jiva this precious human body in which to cultivate all the good things of life. The Jiva listening to the promptings of its lower nature allows the body to get into the possession of innumerable evil Gunas (qualities). They dominate the person and make the Jiva helpless. The evil qualities take such strong hold upon him that later on when he tries to acquire virtues and to develop Yama and Niyama, there commences a regular challenge. The old vicious Vrittis (thought waves) and Samskaras (impressions in the subconscious mind) do not allow virtues to gain entry. They revolt and push them out, but when the aspirant in this helpless condition prays sincerely to the Lord for strength, then the Grace of the Lord gives him the necessary inner force which enables him to throw out his old viciousness and to obtain the fruits of Sadhana.
Desire is a great obstacle, a great barrier in the path of Self-realisation. Control of mind means really abandoning desires. If one wants to discipline the mind perfectly well, one must give up all desires without reserve, all longings for worldly objects and building castles in the air. The monkey-like mind will always be restless, desiring something or other. Just as the fish taken out of water tries to get into water by some means or other, so also the mind will always entertain evil thoughts. Killing all the desires ruthlessly, controlling the mind, freeing it from the surging emotions and bubbling thoughts one can attain the one-pointedness of mind. Such a mind will be as calm as a lamp in a windless place. One who attains such a state of mind can meditate for a long time. Meditation will come by itself.
If one allows one’s mind to run towards the worldly things as per its own wish and to entertain unholy thoughts and evil desires one will surely meet with destruction in the end.
Therefore give up desire. Have always that one idea to attain that supreme abode, the abode of joy, peace, bliss and immortality. Practice Sadhana. Be regular in your Yogic practices. Strive to attain that Goal. You will rejoice for ever.
Excerpts from: A Sermon on Sadhana by Sri Swami Sivananda
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