This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
The Wedding of The Century
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
He who understands the manifest and the unmanifest both together, crosses death through the unmanifest and attains life eternal through the manifest.
ISA UPANISHAD.
How can Light lead to darkness?
Indian religion has often been blamed for the "backwardness" of the country! It is a primitive political technique. To camouflage one’s own complicity in a crime the criminal loudly proclaims of the victim "It is his own fault". When India was truly religious, she was also economically prosperous and enjoyed a Golden Age of Cultural Pre-eminence.
The religion of India has never tolerated laziness. "You cannot remain idle for a single moment," declares Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The Upanishads command Man to produce abundant food (material wealth). The Smritis (Moral Codes) exalt the householder’s life, and hold out the threat that if a man should die without leaving a son behind him, he would have to spend some time in a special hell, and thus forbid a man to "cut off the family line".
We have been told that India glorifies poverty! What a lie! It is like an orientalist reading in a medical journal that a person suffering from serious digestive disturbances should drink only whey, and then declaring that in that country people dislike all food.
Renunciation and poverty were prescribed for a certain group of persons, for the seeker after God was, naturally, not interested in worldly wealth. Coupled with this was the fact that these men of God were highly venerated. Ignorant people transferred this veneration to poverty!
Poverty thus began to be looked upon as a symbol of holiness—the ideal for all! Not only were many foreign Indologists shortsighted enough to reach this conclusion, but many Indians were themselves guilty of this grave error. All this admirably suited political invaders and proselytising missions.
There can be little doubt that in India religion and spiritual knowledge were greatly valued. They did not then, nor do we now, suggest that it meant exclusion of all material pursuits. They have always pleaded that there should be a healthy union or synthesis of the two. They have always pleaded that the Light of spiritual values should also illumine our path in our material pursuits.
Let us first ask ourselves, "Are the orientals backward? If so, in what ways?" It has been the rule that the conqueror sets the fashion. The colder European climate compelled Europeans to wear woollen socks and leather shoes. It became their habit. When they came to warm South India, their dress became the fashion, a symbol of culture; those who did not adopt it were at first laughed at and later even frowned upon. With European dress, it became difficult to sit on the floor as was the Indian custom. Chairs and tables moved into "modern" Indian homes. They were the signs of progress. Their absence was "backwardness". What nonsense! The person who is able to squat on the floor can also use chairs and sofas, but one who is accustomed to chairs and sofas becomes their slave and can not do without them. The man who walks barefoot becomes immune to changes in weather, one whose feet are always covered with socks and shoes "catches a cold" when he goes without them, and suffers from athlete’s foot when he wears them in warm clammy weather! Signs of progress! "Old-fashioned" is perhaps synonymous with "adaptable and hardy".
The West is industrially more advanced no doubt, but is a non-industrialised peaceful country backward? Is it a praiseworthy civilisation that fought the two devastating World Wars? Where were they fought and who were the originators of the Wars—the civilised West or the backward East? No backward oriental has been found guilty of wholesale massacre of people—and Hitler who had millions of people gassed was not an oriental.
These facts do not minimise the importance of material progress, nor hide the fact that, whatever be the reason, the East and India in particular, took too long a nap from her dharmic vigilance, but her ideal (and who does not fall below his ideal?) has been a balanced synthesis of matter and spirit, science and religion, expressed in the following parable:
A blind man and a lame man were sitting at a street corner, begging. In this age of speed when everyone is rushing about without ever thinking why, who has the time or the inclination to stop and drop a coin in the begging-bowl? Unluckily both of them were unable to pursue their probable benefactors.
One day, the lame man said to the blind one: "Brother, please carry me on your powerful and strong shoulders. We shall be able to pursue these people and get something out of them." The lame man could not walk, and the blind man could not see. But now the lame man guided the blind man, and the latter carried the former. Their problem was solved.
The truly religious man does not condemn scientific research and progress. He is not averse to material advancement, machines and motor cars, where they are constructive, but what religion does decry is blind pursuit of materialism, which is as dangerous as the blind man’s venture to pursue someone across the road—he might cause a major road accident. Modern prophets of all religions all over the world have reorientated their outlook on life. There is none today who encourages idle fancy and a lame, impractical approach to religion. All want religion to be translated into terms of actual daily life. My own Master, Swami Sivananda’s maxim, therefore, was "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise".
This century, God willing, will see a stupendous union, the wedding of this Age, the marriage of Science and Religion. Like the blind man, Science must carry Religion on its shoulders, and be guided by its vision. Thus can be brought about unimagined progress in all fields of human activity and aspiration. It will be the revival of the true spirit of the ancient religion.
We speak of "the ancient religion". Aldous Huxley calls it "The Perennial Philosophy". "Sanatana Dharma" is yet another name for the same thing, though these noble Sanskrit terms have been used by a clannish religious sect to further its own vested interests. Sanatana means immortal and also immortalising. "Dharma" is that substratum common to all religion. Detailed connotation of these two words is given in "Sanatana Dharma", a wonderful book by His Holiness Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha.
He gives the following scriptural definition of the word "Dharma":—
"that which prevents us from going down ruining ourselves in any manner or respect whatsoever, and makes for our welfare, progress and uplift all-round".
Of course, the Swami goes on to distinguish it from the word "religion" which he feels is "very small and circumscribed". However, the root-meaning of the word "religion" is almost a paraphrase of the word Dharma. "Religion" is "to bind again"—to bind mankind together by the cord of love and to bind man once again to the Omnipresent God. If the West has strayed from that ideal, so also has the East strayed from Dharma.
Rightly interpreted and understood, therefore, dharma or religion is the light that enables us to take note of the neighbour (i.e. all living beings) and do our duty by them, and also to become aware of the indwelling divine omnipresence and to realise It.
Dharma or religion demands that the two should be simultaneous, a revelation of the symbolism of the Holy Cross in which the horizontal bar represents Lord Jesus’ commandment, "Love thy neighbour as thyself", and the vertical beam, the commandment, "Love thy God", the two to be welded into a single act of loving his Omnipresence.
If, however, either has to be given precedence, during the training period, religion or dharma asks that man should first know his Self, that he should "seek the Kingdom of God first". That knowledge is the Light, as it were, in which he will be able to perceive himself and the world in the correct perspective. Hence it was that the Lord, according to the Holy Bible, created Light before other beings.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
One Experience : Many Expressions
This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
One Experience: Many Expressions
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
One of the things in which we take special pride in India is the peaceful co-operation of the different religions there. Only when political considerations interfere, religious distinctions acquire some prominence; otherwise it has been a country where all religions were welcomed, not merely tolerated, but were appreciated by the practitioners of other religions.
PRESIDENT DR. RADHAKRISHNAN
In Madagascar a Christian girl asked me, "Why do you Hindus worship so many gods, whereas we worship only One God?"
I replied with a question, "How many Gods are there?"
"Only one," she said.
"Then why do you say my god and your gods as though you yourself believed there were several?"
She did not utter another word, for only those who are themselves not sure that there is only one God, argue. Those who believe in the One God know that, albeit in various ways and forms, everyone worships Him alone.
Though He can be called by many names and approached by different people in different ways, the Indian believes that there is only One God. "Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti", declare the Vedas. "Truth is one, sages express it in different ways." Expression only is different, not the realisation nor the experience. A group, representing many different nations, sit drinking milk, each in his own cup, round the same table, experiencing the same sensation (that of drinking milk), but each identifies that milk with a noun from his own language, a sound strange to his companions. His cup may be different, his word for milk incomprehensible, but the milk is the same.
All prophets and all religions sing the glory of the One God. Just as the language of the song is different, so the context in which each Prophet expresses his experience is different. Moreover, people to whom they address themselves have different capacities of understanding, some big, some small, some so weak that they can only see veiled truth, others strong and able to bear the unshaded light. Prophets and sages had, and still have, a difficult and delicate task in adapting their wisdom and knowledge to the degree that is assimilable and suited to the taste of their listeners. He is a bad host who, himself a diabetic, insists that his guests must observe his own strict regimen. One formula or concept of God should not and cannot be forced on all. The very fact that all religions, even newly concocted ones, eventually split up into sects, shows that the very nature of humanity is incapable of assimilating a uniform concept. Such dogmatic streamlining would lead to a twofold tragedy. (i) It would for ever imprison the Infinite in a finite concept. All concepts are finite. It is thus the Grace of the Infinite that It inspires infinite finite viewpoints, thus fulfilling a mission otherwise impossible. (ii) It would turn away from its redeeming portals millions who either cannot or do not comprehend or concede that concept. But, of course, both these are impossibilities.
True religion reaches out to each one of us at his own level and elevates us from there, to the supreme goal, the ideal, the Truth, to God.
In the East, we have recognised the differences, have argued over them, and ultimately recognised:
(a) the unity underlying (again!) all the differences, and
(b) the need for the differences themselves.
If this recognition has not welded us into a uniformity, at least it has enabled us to be more understanding in the realisation that (in the words of President Dr. Radhakrishnan).
"The ways may twist and turn, but when you once reach the top the spiritual landscape which you discern is exactly the same. All those who by different routes have come up to the top are people who belong to one family".
Only one religion really exists, for, according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, religion is "a personal encounter of the individual with the Supreme and not merely a doctrinal conformity or ceremonial propriety", and even in its literal sense, it is that which unites the individual with God. Different clanish religions are the creations of man’s diseased mind, vanity and vested interests—or, as a concession we may say that they are mere expedients. On our planet we have only one ocean, and yet we have a number of them marked on the map, the distinction being a nautical expedient.
God is One. The religion that leads Man to Him is also one. Some call Him Krishna or a thousand other names and the religion, Hinduism. Some call Him Christ and the religion Christianity. The devotee of Christ is Christian; the devotee of Vishnu is Vaishnava; the devotee of Siva is a Saivite; the adorer of Isvara is an Arya Samajist; he who adores Allah is a Muslim, but all of them believe in the One Fundamental Truth.
There is no difference—superiority or inferiority—among the Prophets either. Each one comes from Him, is of Him—is He Himself. The one who came later is not necessarily superior to the one who came earlier. Rain fell last year, a thousand years ago, and this year. Is this year’s rainwater superior to last year’s or that of a thousand years ago?
He comes to all His children, in the way in which they can recognise Him, and with the message which they need. He is nobody’s domestic servant, and no one can dictate where, how and if He should incarnate. All are His children. He comes to help primitive man in the jungle as He comes to guide the Roman emperor. We do not believe that there is a single heathen to be saved by proselytisation. Though the Hindu religion has a ritual for the most trivial event in life, there is no ritual for religious conversion!
Conversion is tantamount to an admission of the superiority of one faith over another, of one path over another. That in our eyes is blasphemy as well as moral disaster, for faith thus shaken can never be strongly built again.
The followers of the sage, saviour or Prophet have, however, the duty and privilege of serving their fellowmen with the Gospel they themselves received from their Master. The attitude here is not one of self-righteousness, religious or intellectual vanity, but one of worship of the Supreme Being Who dwells in the hearts of all those whom we thus serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Experience: Many Expressions
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
One of the things in which we take special pride in India is the peaceful co-operation of the different religions there. Only when political considerations interfere, religious distinctions acquire some prominence; otherwise it has been a country where all religions were welcomed, not merely tolerated, but were appreciated by the practitioners of other religions.
PRESIDENT DR. RADHAKRISHNAN
In Madagascar a Christian girl asked me, "Why do you Hindus worship so many gods, whereas we worship only One God?"
I replied with a question, "How many Gods are there?"
"Only one," she said.
"Then why do you say my god and your gods as though you yourself believed there were several?"
She did not utter another word, for only those who are themselves not sure that there is only one God, argue. Those who believe in the One God know that, albeit in various ways and forms, everyone worships Him alone.
Though He can be called by many names and approached by different people in different ways, the Indian believes that there is only One God. "Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti", declare the Vedas. "Truth is one, sages express it in different ways." Expression only is different, not the realisation nor the experience. A group, representing many different nations, sit drinking milk, each in his own cup, round the same table, experiencing the same sensation (that of drinking milk), but each identifies that milk with a noun from his own language, a sound strange to his companions. His cup may be different, his word for milk incomprehensible, but the milk is the same.
All prophets and all religions sing the glory of the One God. Just as the language of the song is different, so the context in which each Prophet expresses his experience is different. Moreover, people to whom they address themselves have different capacities of understanding, some big, some small, some so weak that they can only see veiled truth, others strong and able to bear the unshaded light. Prophets and sages had, and still have, a difficult and delicate task in adapting their wisdom and knowledge to the degree that is assimilable and suited to the taste of their listeners. He is a bad host who, himself a diabetic, insists that his guests must observe his own strict regimen. One formula or concept of God should not and cannot be forced on all. The very fact that all religions, even newly concocted ones, eventually split up into sects, shows that the very nature of humanity is incapable of assimilating a uniform concept. Such dogmatic streamlining would lead to a twofold tragedy. (i) It would for ever imprison the Infinite in a finite concept. All concepts are finite. It is thus the Grace of the Infinite that It inspires infinite finite viewpoints, thus fulfilling a mission otherwise impossible. (ii) It would turn away from its redeeming portals millions who either cannot or do not comprehend or concede that concept. But, of course, both these are impossibilities.
True religion reaches out to each one of us at his own level and elevates us from there, to the supreme goal, the ideal, the Truth, to God.
In the East, we have recognised the differences, have argued over them, and ultimately recognised:
(a) the unity underlying (again!) all the differences, and
(b) the need for the differences themselves.
If this recognition has not welded us into a uniformity, at least it has enabled us to be more understanding in the realisation that (in the words of President Dr. Radhakrishnan).
"The ways may twist and turn, but when you once reach the top the spiritual landscape which you discern is exactly the same. All those who by different routes have come up to the top are people who belong to one family".
Only one religion really exists, for, according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, religion is "a personal encounter of the individual with the Supreme and not merely a doctrinal conformity or ceremonial propriety", and even in its literal sense, it is that which unites the individual with God. Different clanish religions are the creations of man’s diseased mind, vanity and vested interests—or, as a concession we may say that they are mere expedients. On our planet we have only one ocean, and yet we have a number of them marked on the map, the distinction being a nautical expedient.
God is One. The religion that leads Man to Him is also one. Some call Him Krishna or a thousand other names and the religion, Hinduism. Some call Him Christ and the religion Christianity. The devotee of Christ is Christian; the devotee of Vishnu is Vaishnava; the devotee of Siva is a Saivite; the adorer of Isvara is an Arya Samajist; he who adores Allah is a Muslim, but all of them believe in the One Fundamental Truth.
There is no difference—superiority or inferiority—among the Prophets either. Each one comes from Him, is of Him—is He Himself. The one who came later is not necessarily superior to the one who came earlier. Rain fell last year, a thousand years ago, and this year. Is this year’s rainwater superior to last year’s or that of a thousand years ago?
He comes to all His children, in the way in which they can recognise Him, and with the message which they need. He is nobody’s domestic servant, and no one can dictate where, how and if He should incarnate. All are His children. He comes to help primitive man in the jungle as He comes to guide the Roman emperor. We do not believe that there is a single heathen to be saved by proselytisation. Though the Hindu religion has a ritual for the most trivial event in life, there is no ritual for religious conversion!
Conversion is tantamount to an admission of the superiority of one faith over another, of one path over another. That in our eyes is blasphemy as well as moral disaster, for faith thus shaken can never be strongly built again.
The followers of the sage, saviour or Prophet have, however, the duty and privilege of serving their fellowmen with the Gospel they themselves received from their Master. The attitude here is not one of self-righteousness, religious or intellectual vanity, but one of worship of the Supreme Being Who dwells in the hearts of all those whom we thus serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to the Eternal Religion by Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
Introduction to the Eternal Religion
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
History and to some extent science suffer from paranoia. They belittle all that comes within their grasp and deny that which is beyond. The ideas and the ideals of the East were contemptuously labelled primitive, pagan, heathen and foolishly unsound and superstitious till a few years ago.
Many were the self-appointed redeemers of the lost soul of the East! Till a few great men whose soul was awake realised a marvellous truth.
The sun rises in the East. For the light, people turn to the East. And "the three wise men came from the East", too. The religions of the world had their origin in the East. Whilst the earthly power of the West might for a time challenge, ridicule and oppress the overwhelming spiritual wisdom of the East, eventually the latter not only survives but conquers its own oppressor, for this wisdom uses not weapons but love to win the opponent over.
The flesh decays. Weapons rust. Wealth is reduced to dust. Empires crumble. The life-and-death struggles of heroes are dismissed with a few brief sentences in a history book. The earth’s crust has borne with equal indifference the stamping foot of the tyrant and the dancing feet of the jubilant, and has opened a small pore to receive both.
This drama is necessary, very much so. Without it, the spirit that lies asleep in the human breast would not awake, but it is that spirit that ultimately endures. The East proves it again and again.
When crowns rolled in the dust of Europe, and when Western pre-Christian civilisation and religious faith were consigned to oblivion, the East was awake, and she is still awake. Today wise men of the West recognise that matter decays and spirit endures. They see in the Spirit the purpose and meaning of Life. More and more of the scientists and philosophers of the world openly admit that the present fashion of exalting material values over the spiritual is disastrous.
When they see that through all the vicissitudes of political upheaval, natural and national calamities, changing physical and mental climates, the Indian spirit has managed to survive, they legitimately pose the question: "What is her secret?" The answer is simple "Religion".
Religion does not "belong" to India. The fundamental scriptures of the Indian pray for the welfare of all beings, repeatedly assert that they are for the Human Being. "Hindu" is a foreigner-conferred title; and if Indians use it still, it is only because—"What’s in a name, anyway!" In fact, the Hindu does not recognise the multiplicity of religion.
The spirit of religion is fundamental to the soul of Man. You may stick any label on it or call yourself a "free thinker"—it is the spirit that is important. The truly religious Indian clung to that spirit. When he was questioned by others, he confessed that his was an "ancient or eternal religion" (Sanatana Dharma). Sanatana Dharma also meant to him the path which led him to the Eternal, which immortalised him or revealed to him his own essential immortal nature (all of which were implied by the word sanatana).
Without sacrificing this spirit, the Indian was ever ready to adapt its formulations to suit changing conditions. He has never yielded without resistance! The resistance he offers is like a filter which allows only Truth to pass through. In the preservation of the religious spirit, the Indian often resorts to internal spring-cleaning tactics, generating curative fevers within his own body spiritual.
When Lord Buddha challenged some of the beliefs of the people of His time, the first reaction of the orthodox was to cast Him and His followers out as heretic. On closer examination, when they discovered that His philosophy represented and re-presented that Eternal Truth, they eagerly accepted it, readjusted their thinking, and proclaimed Lord Buddha as one of the manifestations or incarnations of their Deity! No doubt they realised that His teachings were the same as their own fundamental beliefs which had with the passage of time been overgrown with a good deal of the moss of perversion and superstition. This they were glad to discard.
Thus has the spirit of religion been preserved in India. Over the centuries an unwritten code of conduct, of behaviour and of idealism has been developed to connote a "Hindu". The religion is not governed by a rigid set of dogmas and doctrines; and if, here and there, a pseudo-religious leader lays some down, he is only proving that Hinduism is not even tied down to the "dogma of no-dogmas". It gives Man, every man, the freedom to seek the Reality and to share it with all. It recognises that God alone exists; He is One, but not even restricted to Oneness and so He can be called variously! He is the Centre of all beings, as near to the most pious Hindu saint as he is to the devout Christian or Muslim, equally near to the atheist and to the sinner! Its legends dramatise this enigmatic truth by tales of demons who hated God but reached Him because this hatred was wholehearted and therefore bound them to Him (which the word religion means).
That perhaps is the secret of its vitality and the fountain of its eternal youth. This Ancient Religion is ever new, rediscovering itself in every new revelation of the Truth, be it philosophical or scientific. Hence, it is eternal. It is concerned primarily with Truth, though it does not turn a blind eye on other aspects of life which might involve half-truths and falsehood. Truth it clings to; it is ever ready to adapt itself of changing conditions.
I have endeavoured to garner the main stream of thought perennially gushing from this eternal fountainhead of Religion. The theory that the tenets of this ancient religion are the common denominators of all the "religions" of the world is gaining ground and more and more people are convinced that the original broadcasters of this religion lived in the Arctic circle and migrated southwards, sowing the seeds of Truth as they went. There is a great mass of scientific literature in support of this, but to me whether all these data are valid or not, the spirit underlying them is invaluable. Religion (ligature) must unite; that is what the word means. That which disunites is not ligature, but fracture!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to the Eternal Religion
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
History and to some extent science suffer from paranoia. They belittle all that comes within their grasp and deny that which is beyond. The ideas and the ideals of the East were contemptuously labelled primitive, pagan, heathen and foolishly unsound and superstitious till a few years ago.
Many were the self-appointed redeemers of the lost soul of the East! Till a few great men whose soul was awake realised a marvellous truth.
The sun rises in the East. For the light, people turn to the East. And "the three wise men came from the East", too. The religions of the world had their origin in the East. Whilst the earthly power of the West might for a time challenge, ridicule and oppress the overwhelming spiritual wisdom of the East, eventually the latter not only survives but conquers its own oppressor, for this wisdom uses not weapons but love to win the opponent over.
The flesh decays. Weapons rust. Wealth is reduced to dust. Empires crumble. The life-and-death struggles of heroes are dismissed with a few brief sentences in a history book. The earth’s crust has borne with equal indifference the stamping foot of the tyrant and the dancing feet of the jubilant, and has opened a small pore to receive both.
This drama is necessary, very much so. Without it, the spirit that lies asleep in the human breast would not awake, but it is that spirit that ultimately endures. The East proves it again and again.
When crowns rolled in the dust of Europe, and when Western pre-Christian civilisation and religious faith were consigned to oblivion, the East was awake, and she is still awake. Today wise men of the West recognise that matter decays and spirit endures. They see in the Spirit the purpose and meaning of Life. More and more of the scientists and philosophers of the world openly admit that the present fashion of exalting material values over the spiritual is disastrous.
When they see that through all the vicissitudes of political upheaval, natural and national calamities, changing physical and mental climates, the Indian spirit has managed to survive, they legitimately pose the question: "What is her secret?" The answer is simple "Religion".
Religion does not "belong" to India. The fundamental scriptures of the Indian pray for the welfare of all beings, repeatedly assert that they are for the Human Being. "Hindu" is a foreigner-conferred title; and if Indians use it still, it is only because—"What’s in a name, anyway!" In fact, the Hindu does not recognise the multiplicity of religion.
The spirit of religion is fundamental to the soul of Man. You may stick any label on it or call yourself a "free thinker"—it is the spirit that is important. The truly religious Indian clung to that spirit. When he was questioned by others, he confessed that his was an "ancient or eternal religion" (Sanatana Dharma). Sanatana Dharma also meant to him the path which led him to the Eternal, which immortalised him or revealed to him his own essential immortal nature (all of which were implied by the word sanatana).
Without sacrificing this spirit, the Indian was ever ready to adapt its formulations to suit changing conditions. He has never yielded without resistance! The resistance he offers is like a filter which allows only Truth to pass through. In the preservation of the religious spirit, the Indian often resorts to internal spring-cleaning tactics, generating curative fevers within his own body spiritual.
When Lord Buddha challenged some of the beliefs of the people of His time, the first reaction of the orthodox was to cast Him and His followers out as heretic. On closer examination, when they discovered that His philosophy represented and re-presented that Eternal Truth, they eagerly accepted it, readjusted their thinking, and proclaimed Lord Buddha as one of the manifestations or incarnations of their Deity! No doubt they realised that His teachings were the same as their own fundamental beliefs which had with the passage of time been overgrown with a good deal of the moss of perversion and superstition. This they were glad to discard.
Thus has the spirit of religion been preserved in India. Over the centuries an unwritten code of conduct, of behaviour and of idealism has been developed to connote a "Hindu". The religion is not governed by a rigid set of dogmas and doctrines; and if, here and there, a pseudo-religious leader lays some down, he is only proving that Hinduism is not even tied down to the "dogma of no-dogmas". It gives Man, every man, the freedom to seek the Reality and to share it with all. It recognises that God alone exists; He is One, but not even restricted to Oneness and so He can be called variously! He is the Centre of all beings, as near to the most pious Hindu saint as he is to the devout Christian or Muslim, equally near to the atheist and to the sinner! Its legends dramatise this enigmatic truth by tales of demons who hated God but reached Him because this hatred was wholehearted and therefore bound them to Him (which the word religion means).
That perhaps is the secret of its vitality and the fountain of its eternal youth. This Ancient Religion is ever new, rediscovering itself in every new revelation of the Truth, be it philosophical or scientific. Hence, it is eternal. It is concerned primarily with Truth, though it does not turn a blind eye on other aspects of life which might involve half-truths and falsehood. Truth it clings to; it is ever ready to adapt itself of changing conditions.
I have endeavoured to garner the main stream of thought perennially gushing from this eternal fountainhead of Religion. The theory that the tenets of this ancient religion are the common denominators of all the "religions" of the world is gaining ground and more and more people are convinced that the original broadcasters of this religion lived in the Arctic circle and migrated southwards, sowing the seeds of Truth as they went. There is a great mass of scientific literature in support of this, but to me whether all these data are valid or not, the spirit underlying them is invaluable. Religion (ligature) must unite; that is what the word means. That which disunites is not ligature, but fracture!
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Garland of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
Garland of Vedanta
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
A Vedantin says, ‘Nothing is mine and everything is mine’. As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, ‘nothing is mine.’ As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, ‘everything is mine.’ He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithvi Tattva (Earth element) and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva (Water element) and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni Tattva (Fire element) and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva (Wind element) and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearing and the Akasa Tattva (Ether element) and so all the sounds and music belong to him.
Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases.
The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The onlookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat.
Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: "Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation"? He replied, "I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss."
If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya.
The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with they cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free.
O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immortal blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning, when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say ‘I am 40 years of age’, ‘I am at death’s door’, ‘Time has passed away’, when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say ‘I am fat’, ‘I am 5 feet 6 inches’, when you are the Infinite? Why do you say ‘I have no money’, ‘I am very poor’, ‘I am penniless’, when you are the Emperor of the three worlds, the source of all wealth? Why do you say ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am your most obedient servant’, when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say, ‘I am miserable’, ‘I am restless’, when you are the embodiment of Bliss and Peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama, when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say ‘I am unwell’, ‘I am suffering from a chronic disease’, when you are all-health? Why do you say ‘I am ignorant’, ‘I know nothing’, when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free. Tat Tvam Asi—Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.
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Garland of Vedanta
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
A Vedantin says, ‘Nothing is mine and everything is mine’. As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, ‘nothing is mine.’ As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, ‘everything is mine.’ He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithvi Tattva (Earth element) and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva (Water element) and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni Tattva (Fire element) and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva (Wind element) and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearing and the Akasa Tattva (Ether element) and so all the sounds and music belong to him.
Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases.
The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The onlookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat.
Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: "Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation"? He replied, "I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss."
If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya.
The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with they cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free.
O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immortal blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning, when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say ‘I am 40 years of age’, ‘I am at death’s door’, ‘Time has passed away’, when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say ‘I am fat’, ‘I am 5 feet 6 inches’, when you are the Infinite? Why do you say ‘I have no money’, ‘I am very poor’, ‘I am penniless’, when you are the Emperor of the three worlds, the source of all wealth? Why do you say ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am your most obedient servant’, when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say, ‘I am miserable’, ‘I am restless’, when you are the embodiment of Bliss and Peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama, when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say ‘I am unwell’, ‘I am suffering from a chronic disease’, when you are all-health? Why do you say ‘I am ignorant’, ‘I know nothing’, when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free. Tat Tvam Asi—Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.
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Atma - Svarajya by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Atma-Svarajya(Freedom of the Self)
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
The Infinite is Bliss. The Infinite is Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self. The Infinite is the Absolute. The Infinite is Bhuma or the unconditioned that is beyond time, space and causation.
The Infinite is Immortality. Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, there is Infinity. The Infinite abides in its own greatness. The Infinite is Supreme Peace. The Infinite is fearlessness. The Infinite is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. The Infinite is all-full and indivisible. The Infinite is self-existent, self-contained and self-luminous. The Infinite alone is real. The Infinite alone exists in the three periods of time.
You must search, understand and realise the Infinite.
The ‘oversoul’ of the Western philosophers is the Brahman of the Upanishads or Atman of the Vedantins. The Supreme Soul or Paramatma which is the support for the individual is the ‘Oversoul’. The ‘oversoul’ is the ‘Substance’ of Spinoza or the ‘Thing-in-Itself’ of Kant. The essence of Vedanta has slowly infiltrated into the minds of Western philosophers and they have accepted now the existence of one eternal principle or the immortal soul which is distinct from the body and mind.
Brahman is the Soul or Atman of man. He is the Soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is Infinite.
There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities, there will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One infinite will be creating something, another infinite will be destroying it. There can be only one infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman. Everything else is its manifestation or expression.
Vedanta holds the first place amongst all systems of philosophies. It is a system of philosophy in which human speculation has reached its very pinnacle or acme. It is indeed a unique system of thought, which demands a subtle, sharp intellect to grasp its fundamental principles. It is unique in the boldness of its conclusions. It is absolutely free from all shades of dogmatism or pet doctrines.
Vedanta is very practical. It does not preach an impossible ideal. Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Sankara and many others realised the Truth of Vedanta. You can also realise it if you will. What is wanted is regular and constant practice. You must have perfect faith in the utterance of the Srutis and in the words of the Guru. You must have perfect faith in yourself first.
Vedanta wants you to give up Moha (selfish love) for the physical body, wife, children and property. Vedanta wants you to abandon all worldly desires, cravings and longings. Vedanta wants you to eradicate the desire for power, name and fame. Vedanta wants you to break all ties and connections with the world mentally. Vedanta wants you to cut off ruthlessly all worldly attachments by the sword of discrimination.
Some ignorant people say that Vedanta preaches immorality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake. Vedanta does not preach either immorality or even indifference to morality. The realisation of Brahman is not possible for the immoral. An aspirant who has ethical perfection and who is endowed with the four means can become a student of Vedanta. How can you expect an aspirant who possesses discrimination, dispassion, serenity, self-restraint, forbearance, endurance, faith, one-pointed mind and a burning desire for liberation to lead an immoral life? It is quite absurd. Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body and to develop pure, disinterested, cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Prem. It never preaches pessimism but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism. It preaches: "Give up this little illusory pleasure. You will get eternal and infinite bliss. Kill this little ‘I’. You will become one with the Infinite. You will become immortal. Give up this illusory world. You will get the vast domain of Supreme Peace or Kingdom of God." Is this pessimism? Certainly not. It is wonderful optimism.
In the whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures you have forgotten the purpose of life and its goal. You live more for the body than for the soul. In your pursuit after the phantom shows of worldly vanities you have annihilated the spiritual instincts and longings of the soul. What a sad state! Mysterious is Maya! Mysterious is Moha! Open your eyes now. Wake up from the long slumber of ignorance. Realise that ultimate Reality and enjoy Eternal Bliss.
You cannot die, because you were never born. You are immortal Atman. Birth and death are two false scenes in the unreal drama of Maya. They concern the physical sheath only, a false product formed by the combination of five elements. The ideas of birth and death are mere superstition.
You admire the sun, the moon and the stars, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, the jessamine, the rose, the Niagara falls and the vast ocean. You admire the air-ship, the steamer, the railway, the telegraph and the wireless. But the mind that has its seat in the brain is still more wonderful. In the twinkling of an eye it moves from Colombo to London, from Himalayas to Alps. The greatest wonder is the Immortal Brahman or Atman that pervades the whole universe, that illumines the sun, the moon, the stars and the mind.
You see your dear brother Banerjee in front of you. What is it that you call and recognise as Banerjee? Certainly Banerjee is not his hands, feet, head, chest or belly. Even if his hands and legs are amputated, even if he gets leucoderma or white skin, even if his eye-balls are removed, you have the same love for him. You will call him by the name ‘Banerjee’. This proves that ‘Banerjee’ is not the physical body. Physical body is composed of five elements only. It has a beginning and an end. You may now say that ‘Banerjee’ consists of thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings and sentiments and that the mind is ‘Banerjee’. The thoughts change. Mind changes. Mind is made up of subtle matter. The non-quintuplicated Sattvic portion of Tanmatras or root elements or subtle elements goes to constitute the mind. Mind is an effect of Avidya or ignorance. It has a beginning and an end. Even if the thoughts and character of Banerjee change, you hold on to his personality. Therefore he is not even in the thoughts. He is somewhere behind the mind. It is He who moves the mind, the senses and the body. It is He who gives light to the mind and the senses. Real ‘Banerjee’ is the immortal Atman who is beyond mind, speech, time, space and causation. Body, mind and senses are his illusory appendages created by Avidya.
Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your Self. Be centred in the Atman only. The wife deserts her husband when he becomes poor and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty and marries another young woman. Even Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world. Mysterious is Maya!
Everybody wishes to be independent. Everybody wants to be a ruler. Everyone does not like to be guided by the wishes of others. Everyone desires others to be guided by his wishes.
Everybody in his heart of hearts really desires to rule over all others if only he could. Everybody wishes to have no rival. The real cause is that there is in you the immortal, self-effulgent soul or Atman, which is one without a second, which has no rival, which is the inner ruler, which is the support for the whole universe. In reality you are this Atman. That is the reason why you have such a feeling and desire. Suzerainty is quite natural to you. Suzerainty is an attribute of the Atman. On account of ignorance you have mistaken the body for the Atman and you try to have no rivals in the physical body, in business, in office, in college, in games, in dominions and in any field of activity. You can have absolute suzerainty only by realising the Atman. Atma-Svarajya only can make you absolutely independent. Atma-Svarajya only can make you the supreme ruler or absolute monarch of the whole universe. Therefore realise this wonderful Atman and become a veritable, mighty potentate of the three worlds.
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By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
The Infinite is Bliss. The Infinite is Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self. The Infinite is the Absolute. The Infinite is Bhuma or the unconditioned that is beyond time, space and causation.
The Infinite is Immortality. Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, there is Infinity. The Infinite abides in its own greatness. The Infinite is Supreme Peace. The Infinite is fearlessness. The Infinite is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. The Infinite is all-full and indivisible. The Infinite is self-existent, self-contained and self-luminous. The Infinite alone is real. The Infinite alone exists in the three periods of time.
You must search, understand and realise the Infinite.
The ‘oversoul’ of the Western philosophers is the Brahman of the Upanishads or Atman of the Vedantins. The Supreme Soul or Paramatma which is the support for the individual is the ‘Oversoul’. The ‘oversoul’ is the ‘Substance’ of Spinoza or the ‘Thing-in-Itself’ of Kant. The essence of Vedanta has slowly infiltrated into the minds of Western philosophers and they have accepted now the existence of one eternal principle or the immortal soul which is distinct from the body and mind.
Brahman is the Soul or Atman of man. He is the Soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is Infinite.
There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities, there will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One infinite will be creating something, another infinite will be destroying it. There can be only one infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman. Everything else is its manifestation or expression.
Vedanta holds the first place amongst all systems of philosophies. It is a system of philosophy in which human speculation has reached its very pinnacle or acme. It is indeed a unique system of thought, which demands a subtle, sharp intellect to grasp its fundamental principles. It is unique in the boldness of its conclusions. It is absolutely free from all shades of dogmatism or pet doctrines.
Vedanta is very practical. It does not preach an impossible ideal. Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Sankara and many others realised the Truth of Vedanta. You can also realise it if you will. What is wanted is regular and constant practice. You must have perfect faith in the utterance of the Srutis and in the words of the Guru. You must have perfect faith in yourself first.
Vedanta wants you to give up Moha (selfish love) for the physical body, wife, children and property. Vedanta wants you to abandon all worldly desires, cravings and longings. Vedanta wants you to eradicate the desire for power, name and fame. Vedanta wants you to break all ties and connections with the world mentally. Vedanta wants you to cut off ruthlessly all worldly attachments by the sword of discrimination.
Some ignorant people say that Vedanta preaches immorality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake. Vedanta does not preach either immorality or even indifference to morality. The realisation of Brahman is not possible for the immoral. An aspirant who has ethical perfection and who is endowed with the four means can become a student of Vedanta. How can you expect an aspirant who possesses discrimination, dispassion, serenity, self-restraint, forbearance, endurance, faith, one-pointed mind and a burning desire for liberation to lead an immoral life? It is quite absurd. Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body and to develop pure, disinterested, cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Prem. It never preaches pessimism but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism. It preaches: "Give up this little illusory pleasure. You will get eternal and infinite bliss. Kill this little ‘I’. You will become one with the Infinite. You will become immortal. Give up this illusory world. You will get the vast domain of Supreme Peace or Kingdom of God." Is this pessimism? Certainly not. It is wonderful optimism.
In the whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures you have forgotten the purpose of life and its goal. You live more for the body than for the soul. In your pursuit after the phantom shows of worldly vanities you have annihilated the spiritual instincts and longings of the soul. What a sad state! Mysterious is Maya! Mysterious is Moha! Open your eyes now. Wake up from the long slumber of ignorance. Realise that ultimate Reality and enjoy Eternal Bliss.
You cannot die, because you were never born. You are immortal Atman. Birth and death are two false scenes in the unreal drama of Maya. They concern the physical sheath only, a false product formed by the combination of five elements. The ideas of birth and death are mere superstition.
You admire the sun, the moon and the stars, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, the jessamine, the rose, the Niagara falls and the vast ocean. You admire the air-ship, the steamer, the railway, the telegraph and the wireless. But the mind that has its seat in the brain is still more wonderful. In the twinkling of an eye it moves from Colombo to London, from Himalayas to Alps. The greatest wonder is the Immortal Brahman or Atman that pervades the whole universe, that illumines the sun, the moon, the stars and the mind.
You see your dear brother Banerjee in front of you. What is it that you call and recognise as Banerjee? Certainly Banerjee is not his hands, feet, head, chest or belly. Even if his hands and legs are amputated, even if he gets leucoderma or white skin, even if his eye-balls are removed, you have the same love for him. You will call him by the name ‘Banerjee’. This proves that ‘Banerjee’ is not the physical body. Physical body is composed of five elements only. It has a beginning and an end. You may now say that ‘Banerjee’ consists of thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings and sentiments and that the mind is ‘Banerjee’. The thoughts change. Mind changes. Mind is made up of subtle matter. The non-quintuplicated Sattvic portion of Tanmatras or root elements or subtle elements goes to constitute the mind. Mind is an effect of Avidya or ignorance. It has a beginning and an end. Even if the thoughts and character of Banerjee change, you hold on to his personality. Therefore he is not even in the thoughts. He is somewhere behind the mind. It is He who moves the mind, the senses and the body. It is He who gives light to the mind and the senses. Real ‘Banerjee’ is the immortal Atman who is beyond mind, speech, time, space and causation. Body, mind and senses are his illusory appendages created by Avidya.
Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your Self. Be centred in the Atman only. The wife deserts her husband when he becomes poor and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty and marries another young woman. Even Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world. Mysterious is Maya!
Everybody wishes to be independent. Everybody wants to be a ruler. Everyone does not like to be guided by the wishes of others. Everyone desires others to be guided by his wishes.
Everybody in his heart of hearts really desires to rule over all others if only he could. Everybody wishes to have no rival. The real cause is that there is in you the immortal, self-effulgent soul or Atman, which is one without a second, which has no rival, which is the inner ruler, which is the support for the whole universe. In reality you are this Atman. That is the reason why you have such a feeling and desire. Suzerainty is quite natural to you. Suzerainty is an attribute of the Atman. On account of ignorance you have mistaken the body for the Atman and you try to have no rivals in the physical body, in business, in office, in college, in games, in dominions and in any field of activity. You can have absolute suzerainty only by realising the Atman. Atma-Svarajya only can make you absolutely independent. Atma-Svarajya only can make you the supreme ruler or absolute monarch of the whole universe. Therefore realise this wonderful Atman and become a veritable, mighty potentate of the three worlds.
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Vedantic Sadhana by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
Vedantic Sadhana
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
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 sex 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.
If there is only one Jivatma in all bodies, all should have similar experiences at the same time. If Rama suffers from abdominal colic, Krishna also should experience the pain at the same time. If John experiences joy, Jacob also should have a similar experience. If Choudhury is stung by a scorpion, Bannerjee also should suffer from the sting. But this is not the case. When Rama suffers, Krishna rejoices. When John is jubilant, Jacob is depressed. When Choudhury suffers from the sting of a scorpion, Bannerjee is enjoying his breakfast. 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!
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Vedantic Sadhana
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
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 sex 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.
If there is only one Jivatma in all bodies, all should have similar experiences at the same time. If Rama suffers from abdominal colic, Krishna also should experience the pain at the same time. If John experiences joy, Jacob also should have a similar experience. If Choudhury is stung by a scorpion, Bannerjee also should suffer from the sting. But this is not the case. When Rama suffers, Krishna rejoices. When John is jubilant, Jacob is depressed. When Choudhury suffers from the sting of a scorpion, Bannerjee is enjoying his breakfast. 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!
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Guru Sharana by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is a chapter from the book "Yoga Samhita".
Guru Sharana Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Lord is gracious. He has given you countless opportunities to evolve and attain Him. He has assured us in the Gita that whenever there is decay of righteousness, He manifests Himself. He comes to us in various forms. He comes to you as your spiritual preceptor. One who has realised Him partakes of His Power and Grace. For Sadhaka the Guru is God Himself. The Guru can shower his grace upon you all; and he can enlighten you. He is the visible representative of the Lord. But you must serve the Guru, prostrate to Him, surrender yourself to him and through enquiry, you must obtain from him the knowledge of the Self.
Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru will take you to God immediately. People generally complain, "We do not get good Guru these days?" This is a lame excuse. You can make even an ordinary spiritual aspirant as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a cocoanut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not cocoanut. In your heart there is Bhava, that it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it does not really exist. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is his determination. Even so, the defects of the aspirant-Guru do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should defy and superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the Guru. Guru, Ishwar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own Self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru.
When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only will you have faith. Through strong faith, you will then and there, realise Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become like the famous Bhakta Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahman incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata.
Guru and the disciple should be well acquainted with the nature of each other. The student should know thoroughly well the ideals and principles of his Guru and the disciple should lay bare before his preceptor all his weaknesses and shortcomings. He should allow himself to be tested in the crucible of sufferings by his Guru in a variety of ways so that he may have full confidence in the disciple.
The disciple also should come in closer contact with the Guru during his service and try to imbibe all his good qualities. He must place before him all his difficulties and then alone the teacher can remove the pitfalls and snares through efficient and potent means.
Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Maheswara in human form. The outer cloak should not make you think that he is an ordinary man. If you serve your Guru, with full devotion and faith, Realisation will come in the twinkling of an eye or within the time taken to squeeze a rose flower in the palm of your hand.
Unless you have faith in the Lord and devotion to the Guru, you cannot understand the real truths of Vedanta, you will not be able to raise the Brahmakara Vritti. Only when all the Vishayakara Vrittis subside will the Brahmakara Vritti arise in the Sattwic mind which is equipped with the four means and with the instructions of the Guru. Again and again the Vishayakara Vrittis manifest into the mind lake. All these Vishayakara Vrittis will subside if you meditate on Om. The one Brahmakara Vritti arises. This Brahmakara Vritti destroys ignorance and its effects and brings Enlightenment. Your foremost duty, along with your daily duties, is to raise this Brahmakara Vritti by doing Japa of Om, by meditating on Om, and by studying Upanishads. You will then become One with Brahman. You will go beyond grief and delusion, you will attain the Supreme by the knowledge of Brahman.
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Guru Sharana Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Lord is gracious. He has given you countless opportunities to evolve and attain Him. He has assured us in the Gita that whenever there is decay of righteousness, He manifests Himself. He comes to us in various forms. He comes to you as your spiritual preceptor. One who has realised Him partakes of His Power and Grace. For Sadhaka the Guru is God Himself. The Guru can shower his grace upon you all; and he can enlighten you. He is the visible representative of the Lord. But you must serve the Guru, prostrate to Him, surrender yourself to him and through enquiry, you must obtain from him the knowledge of the Self.
Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru will take you to God immediately. People generally complain, "We do not get good Guru these days?" This is a lame excuse. You can make even an ordinary spiritual aspirant as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a cocoanut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not cocoanut. In your heart there is Bhava, that it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it does not really exist. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is his determination. Even so, the defects of the aspirant-Guru do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should defy and superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the Guru. Guru, Ishwar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own Self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru.
When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only will you have faith. Through strong faith, you will then and there, realise Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become like the famous Bhakta Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahman incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata.
Guru and the disciple should be well acquainted with the nature of each other. The student should know thoroughly well the ideals and principles of his Guru and the disciple should lay bare before his preceptor all his weaknesses and shortcomings. He should allow himself to be tested in the crucible of sufferings by his Guru in a variety of ways so that he may have full confidence in the disciple.
The disciple also should come in closer contact with the Guru during his service and try to imbibe all his good qualities. He must place before him all his difficulties and then alone the teacher can remove the pitfalls and snares through efficient and potent means.
Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Maheswara in human form. The outer cloak should not make you think that he is an ordinary man. If you serve your Guru, with full devotion and faith, Realisation will come in the twinkling of an eye or within the time taken to squeeze a rose flower in the palm of your hand.
Unless you have faith in the Lord and devotion to the Guru, you cannot understand the real truths of Vedanta, you will not be able to raise the Brahmakara Vritti. Only when all the Vishayakara Vrittis subside will the Brahmakara Vritti arise in the Sattwic mind which is equipped with the four means and with the instructions of the Guru. Again and again the Vishayakara Vrittis manifest into the mind lake. All these Vishayakara Vrittis will subside if you meditate on Om. The one Brahmakara Vritti arises. This Brahmakara Vritti destroys ignorance and its effects and brings Enlightenment. Your foremost duty, along with your daily duties, is to raise this Brahmakara Vritti by doing Japa of Om, by meditating on Om, and by studying Upanishads. You will then become One with Brahman. You will go beyond grief and delusion, you will attain the Supreme by the knowledge of Brahman.
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A Message For Renascent India by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is from the book "An Apostle of India’s Spiritual Culture."
A Message For Renascent India
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
SALUTATIONS to the Para-Brahman, the Absolute, and the grand galaxy of saints and sages who have delivered to the world from time to time the Lord’s message of Divine Life!
The time has come when India has to take her place at the head of the comity of nations as the spiritual leader and broadcast to humanity at large the message of Godliness which has been India’s spiritual heritage.
Sociology, politics, science, art, industry—every field of human activity and thought has, at its roots, MAN: and they are guided by man: they become constructive or destructive in the same measure as man’s inner nature is divine or demoniacal. And, it is India where is preserved the key to the opening up of the Divinity in man.
Nationalism is all right, so far as it goes; but the Indian has never allowed himself to be bound by any ties, however noble and pleasant they be. "Tat Tvam Asi"—"Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma"—"Everything in its essence is God Himself"—has been the song that the very blood of the Indian symphonises—the blood that is richly laden with the spirit of the great seers of yore.
The true Indian is not satisfied with anything mundane. The world is at best a shadow of the Divine. It does not ensnare the Indian. Maya cannot enslave him. He is beyond her clutches. He seeks to find God in everything. That is the true Indian! He goes beyond nationalism—he goes beyond internalism—he rests not content till all creation is brought to his heart in a fond embrace of divine universal love! He longs to realise his unity with the object of his love—the entire creation or Existence!
Svarajya has been won. But what about Atma Svarajya? Atma Svarajya is far more important than this political freedom! And, it is the duty of every true Indian to yearn to achieve that Atma Svarajya. Until every Indian strives to reach the heights of spirituality, and to meet his own illustrious ancestors in the realms of the Infinite, he still remains in chains. India is still shackled by ignorance! Shackles forged by the infiltration into her soil of Western culture, manners, ideas and ideals.
O Glorious Mother! Bharatamata! Thou hast given birth to mighty sages like Yajnavalkya, Nachiketas, Uddalaka and Svetaketu; to mighty spiritual heroines like Maitreyi, Gargi and Madalasa! Vasishtha, Vamadeva and Sri Sankaracharya were born of thee! Hast thou suddenly gone barren? How many children have you got at present who can walk with their head erect and say with pride: "I am an Indian?" You have filled your bosom with precious but imperfect caricatures of your glorious children: I say "precious" because even if they were born of your sweat, the glorious spirit of an Indian has been kept alive in them… such indeed is thy indescribable splendour! When will you re-awaken your children to the true significance of being born an Indian? When will you feed them with the milk of Divine Wisdom?
O Indian! Arise!! Awake!!! You have not been brought into this world merely to ape the Westerner, merely to base your Government, your society and your family on the model of a materialistic, power-mad civilisation. You have a grander, an infinitely richer heritage! Seize it before you are completely disinherited.
O Indian! It is your proud privilege to teach the world the principles of Divine Life—nay, it is your duty! For, India is the very heart and soul of the world. Wake up! Give up this slumber of ignorance! It does not behove thee.
O Child of Bharatavarsha! Arise, awake, and blow the trumpet of Wisdom—"I am That"! "Thou art That". Thou art not this perishable body, nor this pretentious mind, nor even this frail intellect of which the Westerner boasts so much. Money, position, power, fame, material prosperity and earthly glory will all vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Atom bombs will raze to the ground, in a second, cities and empires built over a period of centuries! All objects are perishable. Satchidananda alone will remain for ever. Thy very nature is Satchidananda. Blow, blow thy trumpet and say "I am Satchidananda Svarupa!"
O Indian, my brother! Come! The Mother calls you! Listen to her words of wisdom. Revive the glory of the Upanishads, which contain precious teachings which are the only panacea for all the ills of humanity. Follow the path laid out for you by your own ancient scriptures; and preach the tenets of true Hinduism to all! It is thy birth-right. Say: "I am the son of the Sages of Hind".
O Child of Truth! It is your duty to set an example to the whole world! Lead the Divine Life of Ahimsa (love), Satya (truth) and Brahmacharya (self-control and purity). Serve all and love all. See the Lord or your own Self in all. Roar: "All this is my own Self—whom shall I hate and whom shall I fear? I love all and I serve all—for all beings are my own Self!"
O Hindu! Be thou the peasant or the Prime Minister, thou art the son of India and the duty rests on your shoulders to preserve the Hindu Dharma, Sanatana Dharma, which is based on universal love, true wisdom, righteousness, moral and ethical perfection. Follow not the ruinous path of materialism; turn back and once again hoist the flag of Hinduism—the all-embracing Religion of the Universe! Hinduism, in which is the message of Divine Life, universal love, tolerance, understanding, peace, bliss and wisdom! O Indian, arise, awake! Say boldly: "I am a Hindu. The American. the European, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Pakistani, every one belonging to every nation, caste, creed and colour—every human being is my brother!" Lead thy brothers, then, on the right path to peace and prosperity.
Gone, gone are the dark ages of misery, slavery and stupidity. India, the glorious Mother, the Mother of all, the Mother in whose bosom the Vedas lie shedding their lustre throughout the universe, in whose bosom lie the truths of the Upanishads illumining all our hearts—that Mother has awakened! Pray, Rejoice! Sing and dance in joy! The Mother has awakened, to awaken humanity to the true purpose of life, to bless humanity with peace, bliss and prosperity, to feed humanity with her milk of divine wisdom!
Heroes and heroines of Hind! Busy yourself in a thorough overhauling of your own self: for, the Mother has awakened and she would expect to see her children worthy of herself, strong, bold and spiritually illumined. Awake! Arise! Conquer humanity through love and wisdom and bring all under the cool shade of Indian culture—DIVINE LIFE.
May all be happy. May all prosper. May there be peace everywhere. May every one lead the Divine Life and realise eternal life, ineffable peace and perennial joy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Message For Renascent India
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
SALUTATIONS to the Para-Brahman, the Absolute, and the grand galaxy of saints and sages who have delivered to the world from time to time the Lord’s message of Divine Life!
The time has come when India has to take her place at the head of the comity of nations as the spiritual leader and broadcast to humanity at large the message of Godliness which has been India’s spiritual heritage.
Sociology, politics, science, art, industry—every field of human activity and thought has, at its roots, MAN: and they are guided by man: they become constructive or destructive in the same measure as man’s inner nature is divine or demoniacal. And, it is India where is preserved the key to the opening up of the Divinity in man.
Nationalism is all right, so far as it goes; but the Indian has never allowed himself to be bound by any ties, however noble and pleasant they be. "Tat Tvam Asi"—"Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma"—"Everything in its essence is God Himself"—has been the song that the very blood of the Indian symphonises—the blood that is richly laden with the spirit of the great seers of yore.
The true Indian is not satisfied with anything mundane. The world is at best a shadow of the Divine. It does not ensnare the Indian. Maya cannot enslave him. He is beyond her clutches. He seeks to find God in everything. That is the true Indian! He goes beyond nationalism—he goes beyond internalism—he rests not content till all creation is brought to his heart in a fond embrace of divine universal love! He longs to realise his unity with the object of his love—the entire creation or Existence!
Svarajya has been won. But what about Atma Svarajya? Atma Svarajya is far more important than this political freedom! And, it is the duty of every true Indian to yearn to achieve that Atma Svarajya. Until every Indian strives to reach the heights of spirituality, and to meet his own illustrious ancestors in the realms of the Infinite, he still remains in chains. India is still shackled by ignorance! Shackles forged by the infiltration into her soil of Western culture, manners, ideas and ideals.
O Glorious Mother! Bharatamata! Thou hast given birth to mighty sages like Yajnavalkya, Nachiketas, Uddalaka and Svetaketu; to mighty spiritual heroines like Maitreyi, Gargi and Madalasa! Vasishtha, Vamadeva and Sri Sankaracharya were born of thee! Hast thou suddenly gone barren? How many children have you got at present who can walk with their head erect and say with pride: "I am an Indian?" You have filled your bosom with precious but imperfect caricatures of your glorious children: I say "precious" because even if they were born of your sweat, the glorious spirit of an Indian has been kept alive in them… such indeed is thy indescribable splendour! When will you re-awaken your children to the true significance of being born an Indian? When will you feed them with the milk of Divine Wisdom?
O Indian! Arise!! Awake!!! You have not been brought into this world merely to ape the Westerner, merely to base your Government, your society and your family on the model of a materialistic, power-mad civilisation. You have a grander, an infinitely richer heritage! Seize it before you are completely disinherited.
O Indian! It is your proud privilege to teach the world the principles of Divine Life—nay, it is your duty! For, India is the very heart and soul of the world. Wake up! Give up this slumber of ignorance! It does not behove thee.
O Child of Bharatavarsha! Arise, awake, and blow the trumpet of Wisdom—"I am That"! "Thou art That". Thou art not this perishable body, nor this pretentious mind, nor even this frail intellect of which the Westerner boasts so much. Money, position, power, fame, material prosperity and earthly glory will all vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Atom bombs will raze to the ground, in a second, cities and empires built over a period of centuries! All objects are perishable. Satchidananda alone will remain for ever. Thy very nature is Satchidananda. Blow, blow thy trumpet and say "I am Satchidananda Svarupa!"
O Indian, my brother! Come! The Mother calls you! Listen to her words of wisdom. Revive the glory of the Upanishads, which contain precious teachings which are the only panacea for all the ills of humanity. Follow the path laid out for you by your own ancient scriptures; and preach the tenets of true Hinduism to all! It is thy birth-right. Say: "I am the son of the Sages of Hind".
O Child of Truth! It is your duty to set an example to the whole world! Lead the Divine Life of Ahimsa (love), Satya (truth) and Brahmacharya (self-control and purity). Serve all and love all. See the Lord or your own Self in all. Roar: "All this is my own Self—whom shall I hate and whom shall I fear? I love all and I serve all—for all beings are my own Self!"
O Hindu! Be thou the peasant or the Prime Minister, thou art the son of India and the duty rests on your shoulders to preserve the Hindu Dharma, Sanatana Dharma, which is based on universal love, true wisdom, righteousness, moral and ethical perfection. Follow not the ruinous path of materialism; turn back and once again hoist the flag of Hinduism—the all-embracing Religion of the Universe! Hinduism, in which is the message of Divine Life, universal love, tolerance, understanding, peace, bliss and wisdom! O Indian, arise, awake! Say boldly: "I am a Hindu. The American. the European, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Pakistani, every one belonging to every nation, caste, creed and colour—every human being is my brother!" Lead thy brothers, then, on the right path to peace and prosperity.
Gone, gone are the dark ages of misery, slavery and stupidity. India, the glorious Mother, the Mother of all, the Mother in whose bosom the Vedas lie shedding their lustre throughout the universe, in whose bosom lie the truths of the Upanishads illumining all our hearts—that Mother has awakened! Pray, Rejoice! Sing and dance in joy! The Mother has awakened, to awaken humanity to the true purpose of life, to bless humanity with peace, bliss and prosperity, to feed humanity with her milk of divine wisdom!
Heroes and heroines of Hind! Busy yourself in a thorough overhauling of your own self: for, the Mother has awakened and she would expect to see her children worthy of herself, strong, bold and spiritually illumined. Awake! Arise! Conquer humanity through love and wisdom and bring all under the cool shade of Indian culture—DIVINE LIFE.
May all be happy. May all prosper. May there be peace everywhere. May every one lead the Divine Life and realise eternal life, ineffable peace and perennial joy.
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Art --- The Expression of Divinity by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is from the book "An Apostle of India’s Spiritual Culture."
Art—The Expression of Divinity
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
ALL beings however low in evolution, all actions however trivial in their nature, all things however lifeless they may appear to be, bear the stamp of the light of the Eternal; the principle of the Beautiful is dancing in them all; the splendour of the Truth is shining equally in all creation—in the man toiling in the field, in the birds of the air, in the beasts of the forest, in the blossoms of the garden, in the waves of the sea. There is only one Law of Life that is pulsating in the veins of the contents of the entire universe. Glory to the Divine Being.
Everyone in this beautiful creation is a piece of art; all that we see is but the manifestation of His art. We are His art, vivifying His might, reflecting His beauty and expressing His grandeur.
Every man has the eyes of the painter and the poet; every heart has a dormant feeling for beauty and for the awareness of perfection. Every speck of space is rich with the inexhaustible abundance of goodness, of godliness, of beauty. One has to widen one’s consciousness and deepen one’s spirit to be able to develop the vision of all spirit shining in and through matter, all reality revealing itself in and through the unreal. To escape from this world of limitations (while yet being on earth) into the boundless world of Freedom and Beauty, Power and Brilliance, is the purpose of our existence.
For the one who has eyes to see, all is goodness, all is sweetness, everything is beautiful, everything is graceful; whatever he perceives is homogeneous and harmonious. Children of Light! Behold the brilliance of the diamond in the darkest coal mine; look at the lustre of the eyes in the ugliest face; smell the fragrance of the lotus in the stinking pond; feel the omnipresence of your life in the lowliest creature revelling in filth; discover the greatness of the genius in the humblest family grovelling in poverty. To one with insight, whatever is met with will be seen to be the master-touch of the Divine Painter, of the Master-Artist, who expresses himself in such infinite and ineffable beauty.
Art is not for the fleeting pleasures of the human creature nor a solace to the sorrow-stricken heart nor yet for mere aesthetic enjoyment; it is more than all these—it is a systematic and scientific living in Absolute Beauty, in Infinite Harmony, in Perfect Peace, in Eternal Joy. Art is a kingdom of intense feeling, a feeling in which one is aware of the one undivided Divine Essence of Existence. Art is majestic and mystic, idealistic and symbolic, supernatural and transcendental, an expression of the Unseen in and through the seen.
That art blossoms into perfection which is free from all sense desires and physical interests. In the name of art one should not fetter oneself in the prison of professionalism and sensualism. The artist should be moved by the beauty of Truth; and his art should be progressively creative and spiritually suggestive; it should be a revelation of his moments of inspired vision and of total self surrender. In his creative moods the artist should soar high—high into the skies of luminous imagination and of glorious existence, wholly oblivious of all mundane madness. Purified in heart, one should wave the magic wand of art at whose touch everything is converted into the beauty of the Beyond.
Let the drawing rooms be filled with the vibrations of the highest spiritual ideals which pour into us the power and beauty of a new life of joy and peace. Let the wielder of the brush be free from all stuff of pride and selfishness and from all that is related to the sense-world, so that the Divine may fill him with His Will to paint the pictures that breathe healing power and soothing balm into all onlookers through their eyes, so that they may be relieved of their illness of mind and sickness of heart. Let your art be a lamp of deathless beauty, shining with an effulgence dispelling the darkness of the soul that sings the sorrowful songs of the world.
An art that panders to the lower appetites of men, that does not aim at discovering the meaning of life, that does not awaken the spiritual consciousness in the human heart, is soulless and, therefore, unsalutory in its effects and malefic in its influence. The test of true art is implied in its profoundest suggestions. True art should embody the best of the genius of the artist, the finest in him, and awe one into a subtler plane of refinement and thrill; all art that falls short of this great purpose is profane and perishable.
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Art—The Expression of Divinity
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
ALL beings however low in evolution, all actions however trivial in their nature, all things however lifeless they may appear to be, bear the stamp of the light of the Eternal; the principle of the Beautiful is dancing in them all; the splendour of the Truth is shining equally in all creation—in the man toiling in the field, in the birds of the air, in the beasts of the forest, in the blossoms of the garden, in the waves of the sea. There is only one Law of Life that is pulsating in the veins of the contents of the entire universe. Glory to the Divine Being.
Everyone in this beautiful creation is a piece of art; all that we see is but the manifestation of His art. We are His art, vivifying His might, reflecting His beauty and expressing His grandeur.
Every man has the eyes of the painter and the poet; every heart has a dormant feeling for beauty and for the awareness of perfection. Every speck of space is rich with the inexhaustible abundance of goodness, of godliness, of beauty. One has to widen one’s consciousness and deepen one’s spirit to be able to develop the vision of all spirit shining in and through matter, all reality revealing itself in and through the unreal. To escape from this world of limitations (while yet being on earth) into the boundless world of Freedom and Beauty, Power and Brilliance, is the purpose of our existence.
For the one who has eyes to see, all is goodness, all is sweetness, everything is beautiful, everything is graceful; whatever he perceives is homogeneous and harmonious. Children of Light! Behold the brilliance of the diamond in the darkest coal mine; look at the lustre of the eyes in the ugliest face; smell the fragrance of the lotus in the stinking pond; feel the omnipresence of your life in the lowliest creature revelling in filth; discover the greatness of the genius in the humblest family grovelling in poverty. To one with insight, whatever is met with will be seen to be the master-touch of the Divine Painter, of the Master-Artist, who expresses himself in such infinite and ineffable beauty.
Art is not for the fleeting pleasures of the human creature nor a solace to the sorrow-stricken heart nor yet for mere aesthetic enjoyment; it is more than all these—it is a systematic and scientific living in Absolute Beauty, in Infinite Harmony, in Perfect Peace, in Eternal Joy. Art is a kingdom of intense feeling, a feeling in which one is aware of the one undivided Divine Essence of Existence. Art is majestic and mystic, idealistic and symbolic, supernatural and transcendental, an expression of the Unseen in and through the seen.
That art blossoms into perfection which is free from all sense desires and physical interests. In the name of art one should not fetter oneself in the prison of professionalism and sensualism. The artist should be moved by the beauty of Truth; and his art should be progressively creative and spiritually suggestive; it should be a revelation of his moments of inspired vision and of total self surrender. In his creative moods the artist should soar high—high into the skies of luminous imagination and of glorious existence, wholly oblivious of all mundane madness. Purified in heart, one should wave the magic wand of art at whose touch everything is converted into the beauty of the Beyond.
Let the drawing rooms be filled with the vibrations of the highest spiritual ideals which pour into us the power and beauty of a new life of joy and peace. Let the wielder of the brush be free from all stuff of pride and selfishness and from all that is related to the sense-world, so that the Divine may fill him with His Will to paint the pictures that breathe healing power and soothing balm into all onlookers through their eyes, so that they may be relieved of their illness of mind and sickness of heart. Let your art be a lamp of deathless beauty, shining with an effulgence dispelling the darkness of the soul that sings the sorrowful songs of the world.
An art that panders to the lower appetites of men, that does not aim at discovering the meaning of life, that does not awaken the spiritual consciousness in the human heart, is soulless and, therefore, unsalutory in its effects and malefic in its influence. The test of true art is implied in its profoundest suggestions. True art should embody the best of the genius of the artist, the finest in him, and awe one into a subtler plane of refinement and thrill; all art that falls short of this great purpose is profane and perishable.
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Bhagavad Gita Yoga by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is a chapter from the book "Yoga Samhita".
Bhagavad Gita Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Bhagavad Gita is a gospel of the life spiritual. It concerns not merely some remote other-worldly life unconnected with practical activity here, but the whole gamut of experience, and lays down rules of disciplining life here on earth. No aspect or phase of life is excluded from the scope of the Bhagavad Gita way of self-transfiguration. Life is a process of series of experiences which are mysteriously and inextricably connected with the entire universe in all its planes of existence. Hence, when the Gita offers a solution to the problems of life and prescribes methods of regulating and harmonising its modes, it has to take into account everything in the universe to which life is related. The greatness of the Gita lies in the integrality of its scope, the universality of its teachings, the all-comprehensiveness of its doctrine. The Perfect Man gives the Perfect Science of the Perfect Life. This Perfect Science which is the Bhagavad Gita aims at unveiling the deepest secrets in a language which is at once simple and grand, charming and dignified, revealing the glory of the Spirit, the majesty of the Divine. This secret is the relation between man and God, between man and his environment. When once this secret of existence, this art of living, is known, man is lifted from penury to a blissful fulfilment, from limitation to self-completion in the Infinite.
The Bhagavad Gita discloses the fact that the primary cause of the troubles in which man finds himself is the erroneous notion which he has about his relations with the body and the world, and virtually with God. The perishable nature of the body and the world, and the immortal nature of the conscious soul within is forgotten, and man clings to the reverse of this truth, thinking that the body and the objects amidst which it is placed have a permanent value, and that the self is a dependent entity entwined in inter-relations with things that seen to sustain it. Sri Krishna openly declares the immortality of the soul and the transience of all its extraneous appendages.
"The non-existent never becomes existent, and the existent never becomes non-existent." (II-16). The soul is the existent, and all objective phenomena are the non-existent. The non-existent is to be understood as that which is not ever enduring, which does not persist in the changing processes of time. Affection for the non-existent and the wrong notion that objects bring pleasure to the self, strike at the root of the peace of the soul, for these loves and false ideas spring from ignorance. "The pleasures that are contact-born are wombs of sorrow: the wise does not rejoice in them" (V-22). The pains of life have this ignorance and wrong notion as their basis.
Buddhi or the higher reason should be made use of in distinguishing between the truth and the falsehood of life. Discrimination between the real and the unreal is possible only when the light of understanding is thrown upon the facts and events which become contents of consciousness. But, mostly, it is found that reason in the human being works in co-operation with the senses and becomes a mere tool of the latter, carrying out the function of transmitting to the individual, the characteristics of the objects of sense-perception. It interprets life in terms of space, time and objects, and degrades experience to body-consciousness. The joys and sorrows of life, even good and bad, are judged from the standpoint of sense-experience, and reason seems to play second fiddle to the clamourings of the senses. But the fact is that true happiness cannot be had by resort to body and its physical companions. The knowledge of this fact can come to the reason of man only when it is purified and gets freed from the shackles of the senses. Reason which reflects the characteristics of sense-experience is different from the a priori reason which draws sustenance from the Inner Self and commands the sense-powers, independent of spatial and temporal relations. But the senses will continue to work even when an independent purified reason is developed. Man cannot cease from action. Action is the law of individual life. To act, and not to allow the reason to get attached to the acts, is the essence of Karma Yoga. "He who has no sense of doership, whose intellect is not attached even while destroying all these worlds (or people), neither destroys these nor is bound" (XVIII-17).
Cessation from physical action is not non-action. For one can be physically inactive and yet be performing actions in a different sense. Vital, emotional, mental and intellectual action is real action. Cessation from actions like these would be real inaction. But man has no freedom to do this. He is forced to act by the very nature of his being. All actions generally disturb the phenomenal vestures of the personality of man. On account of this disturbance, he feels a non-normal state in his being. And to maintain a state of equanimity even in the midst of disturbing activities he should act in a spirit of self-sacrifice, self-surrender, self-restraint or self-knowledge. The universe is a living organism, every element of which perforce tends to and does fulfil the unitary law of the organism. And the duty of everyone, therefore, is to be conscious of this Great Organism and work in loyalty to it. Karma-Yoga which Sri Krishna teaches is action based on the consciousness of the absoluteness of God, the surrender of oneself to God, or one’s steadfast concentration on God. Love and service should become the mottos of one’s life.
Absolute negation of action, is not possible for man; but he can neutralise the effects of actions, by turning them into Yogic activity.
No person can really afford to happily lead a completely selfish life. The universe works on a co-operative basis. One thing is dependent and hangs on another thing. Experiences of individuals are relative to particularities, and the absolute worth or value of any experience can be known and realised only in the Universal Consciousness of which all are parts. The benefits that one enjoys in life are the products of co-operative action on the part of all individuals of the universe, put together, and he who tries to appropriate things for his own individual satisfaction is a veritable thief (III-12). The caste system in society is established for the welfare of all, for providing a ground for co-operative action, in accordance with the knowledge and aptitudes of persons. The social good cannot be isolated from individual good. Man is not estranged from his environment. The individual, the family, the society, the nation and the world are gradually and progressively arranged fields of the pervasion and activity of consciousness, where it becomes wider and wider until it grasps the whole universe within its comprehension and gets absorbed in the reality of its own Higher Self. Everyone of these stages should become a field for the dynamic practice of Yoga, in different degrees, and every act should become a contemplation of the Divine being.
The Lord promises that He shall take care of him and look to the needs of him who thus contemplates on Him ceaselessly. It is useless and even foolish on man’s part to worry himself about his food, clothing, shelter, etc. For, he shall be provided with all the necessaries, the moment he learns to live in consonance with the Will of God. And when he is not in tune with Him, no effort on man’s part can bring him the desired fulfilment and satisfaction. Surrendering all other duties, the seeker should throw himself open in humility and devotion before the Supreme Master of all beings (XVIII-66). When this is done, all is done.
The sense of possession is the greatest of deluding factors in man’s life. Truly nothing belongs to anyone here. Things are what they are in relation to the Universal Being, and not what they appear to be in relation to specific individuals. The Lord ordains all things justly, irrespective of what ignorant man would like Him to do. Selfishness has no place in the scheme of the universe, and when its ghostly presence is felt at any place, there crop up the tormenting evils of desire, fear, anger and consequent suffering. Selflessness in the state of real ‘Selffulness’, non-attachment in the condition of God-consciousness, activity while being rooted in the Absolute, is the pith of the gospel of the Gita. All things belong to God; He is the thread connecting the discrete forms of the universe (VII-7). And, also, all things belong to him who recognises the supremacy of God. Those who indulge in sense pleasures defy His supremacy and assert the divisibility of existence. They descend to lower births on account of their consciousness being distant from that of God (XVI-19). He who does his own duty (Svadharma), in obedience to the Law of Supreme, exalts himself to the status of a true Yogi, and helps others too, to attain to that state (Loka-sangraha).
An important hint that Sri Krishna gives to the wise man (Pandita or Vidwan) is that he should not unsettle the mind of he ignorant (III-26). He should skilfully direct the consciousness of the ignorant to the higher stages of understanding. Always intelligent methods should be applied in moulding the intellects of the ignorant. Statements which may shock the feelings of persons should never be made; nothing should be asserted in a dogmatic way. To enter into the heart of others and lift them to more elevated states of consciousness by rational methods is an art which very few are capable of knowing. ‘Blunt’ ways of dealing with people are the outcome of insufficient insight into the truth of things. Sri Krishna was a master of the art of ‘intelligent instruction’, and he expects every wise man to be an expert it its application. The teacher should not be merely a man of theory; he should be able to stir the hearts of all to rise to higher levels by his own personal example.
The Bhagavad Gita Yoga may be called ‘Anasakti-Yoga’, the Yoga of non-attachment. Sri Krishna speaks again and again of the evil of contact with externals and exhorts all to cut down the tree of worldliness with the axe of non-attachment. The world is sustained by desire and affection for things perishable. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, three primordial properties of Prakriti, constitute the stuff of the world of the senses. Sri Krishna is the Supreme Self, and every one should seek shelter under Him; this is the path to Perfection, to Immortality. As the Lord is everywhere, devotions to Him would mean detachment from particularities; for, the consciousness of particularities is other than the consciousness of Universality of Being, which is God. Asakti for God means Anasakti for the things of the external world.
In addition to the scientific Yoga technique of total withdrawal of personality-consciousness and fixing of attention in the External—which is an extremely difficult method of self-transcendence—Sri Krishna gives the clue to the easier and simpler way of proceeding towards the Supreme in and through the world. "He who does action for my sake, who considers Me as the Supreme, devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, devoid of enmity towards other beings, reaches Me, O Pandava" (XI-55). As a thorn that has entered the sole of one’s foot is removed with the aid of another thorn, the bondage of action is overcome by means of ‘transformed’ action or action divinised by the magnetic touch of the consciousness of one’s union with God. When the individual takes up the bow of action, by being backed up by the Eternal Being who is the unfailing guide of all in the universe, when action is based on universality of consciousness, there come about prosperity, victory, happiness and firm polity! (XVIII-78).
The essential spirit of the Bhagavad Gita teaching is the continuous consciousness of the Absolute while the routine duties of life are discharged without reluctance and with the joy of the knowledge of the fact that the entire activity of the universe is an overflow of the process of the Divine Consciousness. Sri Krishna Himself, by personal example, sets forth the system of the perfect life. To be in the world and yet out of the world, to behold the universe of plurality in the light of unity, to move on earth as man and yet be ever conscious of the Highest Spirit, to work as a master, to live like God, to act as a humble servant of humanity, to sport in the relative while resting in the Absolute, is the lesson which Sri Krishna teaches to the world.
Sri Krishna Himself is the moving Spirit of the Bhagavad Gita. The life of Sri Krishna is an illustration of how an ideal, exalted life is to be lived. The best commentary on the Bhagavad Gita is the life of its own author. Sri Krishna lived what He taught and He taught what is of the highest and the greatest value. Sri Krishna was an integral person who led the integral life of a consciousness of the integral Reality. He was one of the busiest possible beings, a matchless statesman, an expert in sciences and arts, living in the midst of a large family of heterogeneous elements, undertaking to bring peace to the earth by destroying antagonistic powers and raising aloft the downtrodden Dharma. And yet, with all these multifarious activities of an all-comprehensive type, He was ceaselessly aware of His True Self, the Absolute. To study the life of Sri Krishna is to study the Bhagavad Gita in action. Sri Krishna was a synthesis of the One and the many, a reconciliation of the unmanifest and the manifest, a soldering of the Infinite and the finite. For Krishna there is nothing to acquire and nothing to renounce, for He is the Truth between the two opposites. He is a "Cosmic Man" who acts in this world with ‘eyes wide open’, whose actions are based not on Personal interests, but on Truth-Consciousness, not on the particular but the General Being. No greater man, and yet no greater Divinity has ever appeared before the human eye, than Sri Krishna. Look at His many-sided personality! The same Krishna, the friend of the simple cowherds, the same humble servant who washed the feet of the guests in Yudhishthira’s royal sacrifice, was that all-devouring Virat, the Universal Being that dazzled the representative of man, Arjuna, struck him with awe, and thundered forth the Bhagavad Gita in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Bhagavad Gita expects every man to become a Krishna, a paragon of the wise man, a Yogeshvara, a man of universal action, and a centre, of all love. Sri Krishna is the ideal superman of the East, and the Gita is the exposition of the science of man’s rising to this State.
Krishna represents God; Arjuna represents man. Krishna is knowledge; Arjuna is action. Krishna is Grace; Arjuna is effort. Krishna is the Goal; Arjuna is the means. Krishna is the Absolute; Arjuna is the relative. The purpose of the Gita is to bring about in man’s life a union of the two; and this it seeks to achieve by the Yoga of the consciousness of Brahman in the midst of action. The Goal of action is Brahman. The instrument of action is Brahman. The process of action is Brahman. The agent of action is Brahman. For one who acts in this spirit, ever in tune with the Eternal Brahman, seeing Brahman in action, there is no bondage, no pain, no death. He attains to Brahman alone (IV-24). To such knowers of the Truth, absolute freedom is everywhere. They are in beatitude (V-26).
The purpose of human life is the recognition of the Divine Law and the practice of Yoga in daily life, as described in the Bhagavad Gita. Man! Abandon your vain conceit and reflect upon the essential immanent Spirit that illumines your life, and without which your enterprises have no value. It does not mean that everyone should abandon their homestead and chattel and embrace a life of poverty and reticence. The Gita has a very liberal doctrine. It throws open to every man the possibility of realising the Divine. Every step towards selflessness is a step taken in the path of Yoga. Every sacrifice that is done is a stage in the Bhagavad Gita Yoga. Children, women and persons belonging to all types can be taught this Yoga of the Eternal, in accordance with their own stages in evolution, if only the Teacher is an expert, one who knows the true spirit of the Gita, who lives a life in harmony with that of Sri Krishna. Give the hands to work, with the mind dedicated to God. Let your life be a process of the spiritual consciousness. Try to emulate the Lord, Sri Krishna. May you all learn the Yoga taught by Him in the Gita, and become inheritors of the Kingdom of the Infinite.
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Bhagavad Gita Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Bhagavad Gita is a gospel of the life spiritual. It concerns not merely some remote other-worldly life unconnected with practical activity here, but the whole gamut of experience, and lays down rules of disciplining life here on earth. No aspect or phase of life is excluded from the scope of the Bhagavad Gita way of self-transfiguration. Life is a process of series of experiences which are mysteriously and inextricably connected with the entire universe in all its planes of existence. Hence, when the Gita offers a solution to the problems of life and prescribes methods of regulating and harmonising its modes, it has to take into account everything in the universe to which life is related. The greatness of the Gita lies in the integrality of its scope, the universality of its teachings, the all-comprehensiveness of its doctrine. The Perfect Man gives the Perfect Science of the Perfect Life. This Perfect Science which is the Bhagavad Gita aims at unveiling the deepest secrets in a language which is at once simple and grand, charming and dignified, revealing the glory of the Spirit, the majesty of the Divine. This secret is the relation between man and God, between man and his environment. When once this secret of existence, this art of living, is known, man is lifted from penury to a blissful fulfilment, from limitation to self-completion in the Infinite.
The Bhagavad Gita discloses the fact that the primary cause of the troubles in which man finds himself is the erroneous notion which he has about his relations with the body and the world, and virtually with God. The perishable nature of the body and the world, and the immortal nature of the conscious soul within is forgotten, and man clings to the reverse of this truth, thinking that the body and the objects amidst which it is placed have a permanent value, and that the self is a dependent entity entwined in inter-relations with things that seen to sustain it. Sri Krishna openly declares the immortality of the soul and the transience of all its extraneous appendages.
"The non-existent never becomes existent, and the existent never becomes non-existent." (II-16). The soul is the existent, and all objective phenomena are the non-existent. The non-existent is to be understood as that which is not ever enduring, which does not persist in the changing processes of time. Affection for the non-existent and the wrong notion that objects bring pleasure to the self, strike at the root of the peace of the soul, for these loves and false ideas spring from ignorance. "The pleasures that are contact-born are wombs of sorrow: the wise does not rejoice in them" (V-22). The pains of life have this ignorance and wrong notion as their basis.
Buddhi or the higher reason should be made use of in distinguishing between the truth and the falsehood of life. Discrimination between the real and the unreal is possible only when the light of understanding is thrown upon the facts and events which become contents of consciousness. But, mostly, it is found that reason in the human being works in co-operation with the senses and becomes a mere tool of the latter, carrying out the function of transmitting to the individual, the characteristics of the objects of sense-perception. It interprets life in terms of space, time and objects, and degrades experience to body-consciousness. The joys and sorrows of life, even good and bad, are judged from the standpoint of sense-experience, and reason seems to play second fiddle to the clamourings of the senses. But the fact is that true happiness cannot be had by resort to body and its physical companions. The knowledge of this fact can come to the reason of man only when it is purified and gets freed from the shackles of the senses. Reason which reflects the characteristics of sense-experience is different from the a priori reason which draws sustenance from the Inner Self and commands the sense-powers, independent of spatial and temporal relations. But the senses will continue to work even when an independent purified reason is developed. Man cannot cease from action. Action is the law of individual life. To act, and not to allow the reason to get attached to the acts, is the essence of Karma Yoga. "He who has no sense of doership, whose intellect is not attached even while destroying all these worlds (or people), neither destroys these nor is bound" (XVIII-17).
Cessation from physical action is not non-action. For one can be physically inactive and yet be performing actions in a different sense. Vital, emotional, mental and intellectual action is real action. Cessation from actions like these would be real inaction. But man has no freedom to do this. He is forced to act by the very nature of his being. All actions generally disturb the phenomenal vestures of the personality of man. On account of this disturbance, he feels a non-normal state in his being. And to maintain a state of equanimity even in the midst of disturbing activities he should act in a spirit of self-sacrifice, self-surrender, self-restraint or self-knowledge. The universe is a living organism, every element of which perforce tends to and does fulfil the unitary law of the organism. And the duty of everyone, therefore, is to be conscious of this Great Organism and work in loyalty to it. Karma-Yoga which Sri Krishna teaches is action based on the consciousness of the absoluteness of God, the surrender of oneself to God, or one’s steadfast concentration on God. Love and service should become the mottos of one’s life.
Absolute negation of action, is not possible for man; but he can neutralise the effects of actions, by turning them into Yogic activity.
No person can really afford to happily lead a completely selfish life. The universe works on a co-operative basis. One thing is dependent and hangs on another thing. Experiences of individuals are relative to particularities, and the absolute worth or value of any experience can be known and realised only in the Universal Consciousness of which all are parts. The benefits that one enjoys in life are the products of co-operative action on the part of all individuals of the universe, put together, and he who tries to appropriate things for his own individual satisfaction is a veritable thief (III-12). The caste system in society is established for the welfare of all, for providing a ground for co-operative action, in accordance with the knowledge and aptitudes of persons. The social good cannot be isolated from individual good. Man is not estranged from his environment. The individual, the family, the society, the nation and the world are gradually and progressively arranged fields of the pervasion and activity of consciousness, where it becomes wider and wider until it grasps the whole universe within its comprehension and gets absorbed in the reality of its own Higher Self. Everyone of these stages should become a field for the dynamic practice of Yoga, in different degrees, and every act should become a contemplation of the Divine being.
The Lord promises that He shall take care of him and look to the needs of him who thus contemplates on Him ceaselessly. It is useless and even foolish on man’s part to worry himself about his food, clothing, shelter, etc. For, he shall be provided with all the necessaries, the moment he learns to live in consonance with the Will of God. And when he is not in tune with Him, no effort on man’s part can bring him the desired fulfilment and satisfaction. Surrendering all other duties, the seeker should throw himself open in humility and devotion before the Supreme Master of all beings (XVIII-66). When this is done, all is done.
The sense of possession is the greatest of deluding factors in man’s life. Truly nothing belongs to anyone here. Things are what they are in relation to the Universal Being, and not what they appear to be in relation to specific individuals. The Lord ordains all things justly, irrespective of what ignorant man would like Him to do. Selfishness has no place in the scheme of the universe, and when its ghostly presence is felt at any place, there crop up the tormenting evils of desire, fear, anger and consequent suffering. Selflessness in the state of real ‘Selffulness’, non-attachment in the condition of God-consciousness, activity while being rooted in the Absolute, is the pith of the gospel of the Gita. All things belong to God; He is the thread connecting the discrete forms of the universe (VII-7). And, also, all things belong to him who recognises the supremacy of God. Those who indulge in sense pleasures defy His supremacy and assert the divisibility of existence. They descend to lower births on account of their consciousness being distant from that of God (XVI-19). He who does his own duty (Svadharma), in obedience to the Law of Supreme, exalts himself to the status of a true Yogi, and helps others too, to attain to that state (Loka-sangraha).
An important hint that Sri Krishna gives to the wise man (Pandita or Vidwan) is that he should not unsettle the mind of he ignorant (III-26). He should skilfully direct the consciousness of the ignorant to the higher stages of understanding. Always intelligent methods should be applied in moulding the intellects of the ignorant. Statements which may shock the feelings of persons should never be made; nothing should be asserted in a dogmatic way. To enter into the heart of others and lift them to more elevated states of consciousness by rational methods is an art which very few are capable of knowing. ‘Blunt’ ways of dealing with people are the outcome of insufficient insight into the truth of things. Sri Krishna was a master of the art of ‘intelligent instruction’, and he expects every wise man to be an expert it its application. The teacher should not be merely a man of theory; he should be able to stir the hearts of all to rise to higher levels by his own personal example.
The Bhagavad Gita Yoga may be called ‘Anasakti-Yoga’, the Yoga of non-attachment. Sri Krishna speaks again and again of the evil of contact with externals and exhorts all to cut down the tree of worldliness with the axe of non-attachment. The world is sustained by desire and affection for things perishable. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, three primordial properties of Prakriti, constitute the stuff of the world of the senses. Sri Krishna is the Supreme Self, and every one should seek shelter under Him; this is the path to Perfection, to Immortality. As the Lord is everywhere, devotions to Him would mean detachment from particularities; for, the consciousness of particularities is other than the consciousness of Universality of Being, which is God. Asakti for God means Anasakti for the things of the external world.
In addition to the scientific Yoga technique of total withdrawal of personality-consciousness and fixing of attention in the External—which is an extremely difficult method of self-transcendence—Sri Krishna gives the clue to the easier and simpler way of proceeding towards the Supreme in and through the world. "He who does action for my sake, who considers Me as the Supreme, devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, devoid of enmity towards other beings, reaches Me, O Pandava" (XI-55). As a thorn that has entered the sole of one’s foot is removed with the aid of another thorn, the bondage of action is overcome by means of ‘transformed’ action or action divinised by the magnetic touch of the consciousness of one’s union with God. When the individual takes up the bow of action, by being backed up by the Eternal Being who is the unfailing guide of all in the universe, when action is based on universality of consciousness, there come about prosperity, victory, happiness and firm polity! (XVIII-78).
The essential spirit of the Bhagavad Gita teaching is the continuous consciousness of the Absolute while the routine duties of life are discharged without reluctance and with the joy of the knowledge of the fact that the entire activity of the universe is an overflow of the process of the Divine Consciousness. Sri Krishna Himself, by personal example, sets forth the system of the perfect life. To be in the world and yet out of the world, to behold the universe of plurality in the light of unity, to move on earth as man and yet be ever conscious of the Highest Spirit, to work as a master, to live like God, to act as a humble servant of humanity, to sport in the relative while resting in the Absolute, is the lesson which Sri Krishna teaches to the world.
Sri Krishna Himself is the moving Spirit of the Bhagavad Gita. The life of Sri Krishna is an illustration of how an ideal, exalted life is to be lived. The best commentary on the Bhagavad Gita is the life of its own author. Sri Krishna lived what He taught and He taught what is of the highest and the greatest value. Sri Krishna was an integral person who led the integral life of a consciousness of the integral Reality. He was one of the busiest possible beings, a matchless statesman, an expert in sciences and arts, living in the midst of a large family of heterogeneous elements, undertaking to bring peace to the earth by destroying antagonistic powers and raising aloft the downtrodden Dharma. And yet, with all these multifarious activities of an all-comprehensive type, He was ceaselessly aware of His True Self, the Absolute. To study the life of Sri Krishna is to study the Bhagavad Gita in action. Sri Krishna was a synthesis of the One and the many, a reconciliation of the unmanifest and the manifest, a soldering of the Infinite and the finite. For Krishna there is nothing to acquire and nothing to renounce, for He is the Truth between the two opposites. He is a "Cosmic Man" who acts in this world with ‘eyes wide open’, whose actions are based not on Personal interests, but on Truth-Consciousness, not on the particular but the General Being. No greater man, and yet no greater Divinity has ever appeared before the human eye, than Sri Krishna. Look at His many-sided personality! The same Krishna, the friend of the simple cowherds, the same humble servant who washed the feet of the guests in Yudhishthira’s royal sacrifice, was that all-devouring Virat, the Universal Being that dazzled the representative of man, Arjuna, struck him with awe, and thundered forth the Bhagavad Gita in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Bhagavad Gita expects every man to become a Krishna, a paragon of the wise man, a Yogeshvara, a man of universal action, and a centre, of all love. Sri Krishna is the ideal superman of the East, and the Gita is the exposition of the science of man’s rising to this State.
Krishna represents God; Arjuna represents man. Krishna is knowledge; Arjuna is action. Krishna is Grace; Arjuna is effort. Krishna is the Goal; Arjuna is the means. Krishna is the Absolute; Arjuna is the relative. The purpose of the Gita is to bring about in man’s life a union of the two; and this it seeks to achieve by the Yoga of the consciousness of Brahman in the midst of action. The Goal of action is Brahman. The instrument of action is Brahman. The process of action is Brahman. The agent of action is Brahman. For one who acts in this spirit, ever in tune with the Eternal Brahman, seeing Brahman in action, there is no bondage, no pain, no death. He attains to Brahman alone (IV-24). To such knowers of the Truth, absolute freedom is everywhere. They are in beatitude (V-26).
The purpose of human life is the recognition of the Divine Law and the practice of Yoga in daily life, as described in the Bhagavad Gita. Man! Abandon your vain conceit and reflect upon the essential immanent Spirit that illumines your life, and without which your enterprises have no value. It does not mean that everyone should abandon their homestead and chattel and embrace a life of poverty and reticence. The Gita has a very liberal doctrine. It throws open to every man the possibility of realising the Divine. Every step towards selflessness is a step taken in the path of Yoga. Every sacrifice that is done is a stage in the Bhagavad Gita Yoga. Children, women and persons belonging to all types can be taught this Yoga of the Eternal, in accordance with their own stages in evolution, if only the Teacher is an expert, one who knows the true spirit of the Gita, who lives a life in harmony with that of Sri Krishna. Give the hands to work, with the mind dedicated to God. Let your life be a process of the spiritual consciousness. Try to emulate the Lord, Sri Krishna. May you all learn the Yoga taught by Him in the Gita, and become inheritors of the Kingdom of the Infinite.
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Theory and Practice in Spiritual Life by Sri N. Ananthanarayanan.
This article is from the book "What The River Has Taught Me".
Theory and Practice in Spiritual Life
BySri N. Ananthanarayanan
If you read a spiritual book, if you attend a spiritual discourse, if you listen to a Mahatma’s Upadesa, you get spiritual guidance. You get theoretical knowledge of matters spiritual. It is what is called Paroksha Jnana in Sanskrit. Paroksha means indirect. Jnana means knowledge, wisdom. Paroksha Jnana is indirect knowledge. It is like the knowledge of cooking gained through reading a book of recipes. It has a value. It is necessary too, but it is useless by itself. A man who knows how to cook but does not cook cannot appease his hunger. Even so, a man who knows what is spiritual life, how to practise Sadhana, but does not do a thing about it, cannot appease his spiritual hunger, cannot register progress in the spiritual path. The man who knows what to do but does not do is in much the same position as the man who does not know what to do.
Knowledge becomes fruitful only when it is applied. Or else, it is useless. In fact, it can even turn harmful in as much as mere theoretical knowledge can make a man’s head swell and make him vain and puffed up. Practice is the crucial thing. That is where most of us fail and fail miserably.
In fact, before we begin reading scriptures, before we approach sages and saints, before we do all that, most of us can make substantial spiritual progress by ourselves if only we would start doing all those things which we know we should do and abstain from doing all those things which we already know we should not do. This way every one of us can begin the right life, the spiritual life.
If it be so, why do we not begin in the right direction? Why do we not make a beginning? And why do we fail to plunge into spiritual practice? The reason is not far to seek. There is no particular external compulsion. There is no sufficient necessity to do so. In the matter of food, the pangs of hunger and thirst drive you to earn money to buy the food. Nobody will give you money if you do not work. So you work. Similarly in the case of the lower appetites. These, like lust, are powerful. Sex-urge is the most powerful natural urge. It pushes man, often despite himself, to seek satisfaction in woman and it pushes woman, often despite herself, to seek satisfaction in man. Even saints are fooled in this matter. They trip. They succumb. Visvamitra fell a prey to Menaka. Rishya Sringa, that boy of pristine purity, was enticed and deluded by the girls. And we know many modern Visvamitras and Menakas.
Back to the point. There is no such compelling force, as in the case of lust, to turn man’s mind towards God. In the vast majority of cases, that is. A powerful spiritual hunger is the most uncommon thing. Why? Because this whole universe, this whole fabric of Maya, this whole phenomenal shroud has been designed by God to cloud the wisdom in man and keep him away from God. The world is designed to submerge man in Maya. Why? Why? Why? This ‘Why?’ question will keep recurring at every turn when you discuss matters spiritual. To many questions there are convincing answers. To many more there are no answers. Sages style these latter questions, these unanswerable questions, these impossible questions, as transcendental questions and declare unequivocally that the answers to these transcendental questions can be found only when you realise God, only when you destroy the mind.
Since the world is designed to keep man’s mind away from God, the spiritual seeker is forced constantly to battle against the forces of Maya, against the diverse world-currents. It is an uphill task. But the reward is high. It is a challenging task. But you will wear the crown of God on your head when you succeed in the task in the end.
The desire to tread the spiritual path arises in man’s mind as a result of meritorious deeds in many previous births. Quite often, the spiritual spark in man is kindled by contact with a spiritual Master, a true Guru, a realised Soul. Sometimes, the spiritual ignition is occasioned by terrible disappointments in worldly life. That is why Swami Sivananda characterizes pain as the best teacher. Pain turns man’s mind away from the world and towards God. Pain is the end-product of worldly life and the beginning of spiritual life.
Once the spiritual thirst is created, the seeker naturally turns towards spiritual books or spiritual teachers for light on the path. He acquires theoretical knowledge, Paroksha Jnana. This, as we noticed, is the first step, and a necessary step. The next step in spiritual life, and the most essential step, is practice.
Practice ultimately leads to Aparoksha Anubhuti or the supreme Direct Experience. Indirect knowledge becomes direct experience. All that is learnt and understood about Brahman is more than verified by one’s own experience, by realising one’s own true nature as Brahman. That brings down the final curtain on the drama of life. But between the initial stepping on to the spiritual path and the final experience of realising Brahman, there are innumerable facts of spiritual life which the Sadhak verifies for himself personally. And with each verification his conviction in the truth of what he learnt grows.
Practice is the thing. Practice is what Lord Krishna characterizes as Abhyasa. Practice is kept up by dispassion or Vairagya. Dispassion is aided by discrimination or Viveka. These things go together. A spiritual seeker, if he is earnest about his task, should introduce order, system, method in his self-chosen undertaking. Viveka or discriminative understanding is the best friend of the spiritual seeker. The spiritual seeker should never forget to discriminate between the Real and the unreal. He should never fail to draw the distinction between the eternal and the ephemeral, between the substance and the shell. Discriminative thinking, correct understanding, viewing things in perspective should become a habit of mind with him. He cannot afford to remain without Viveka even for a split second, because that split second may well turn out to be the moment of temptation and ruin.
Vairagya follows in the wake of Viveka. Once you know what is real and what is unreal, once you know what is productive of bliss in the long run and what is productive of pain in the long run, once you understand what is diamond and what is stone, once you appreciate that all the worldly pleasures are but sugar-coated poison, once you learn to realise that in God only can be had unalloyed and lasting bliss, you will naturally turn away from the world and towards God. This is dispassion. Dislike for worldly pleasures is dispassion. Distaste for sense-objects is dispassion. Dispassion and discrimination go together.
Your Abhyasa or spiritual practice will be sustained and continuous only if it is supported by an unbroken current of Viveka and Vairagya.
Practice is the thing. It is practice which can take you forward and onward in your spiritual journey. Suppose you want to go from New York to Los Angeles. You know the route. You know the means of transport. You have the money to buy the ticket. But all this is useless unless you buy the ticket and get into the train or plane or bus. Then you will progress towards Los Angeles every hour of your travel. Similarly in spiritual life. You may know the route to God. You may know how to practise Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga. You may also have the health and the strength, the circumstances and environment, the facilities and aids to practise Yoga. But unless you begin the actual practice, you cannot move an inch forward. Spiritual practice is like cooking food. Enjoying the spiritual bliss that arises out of spiritual practice, the spiritual Ananda, is akin to eating the cooked food. It satisfies your spiritual hunger.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Theory and Practice in Spiritual Life
BySri N. Ananthanarayanan
If you read a spiritual book, if you attend a spiritual discourse, if you listen to a Mahatma’s Upadesa, you get spiritual guidance. You get theoretical knowledge of matters spiritual. It is what is called Paroksha Jnana in Sanskrit. Paroksha means indirect. Jnana means knowledge, wisdom. Paroksha Jnana is indirect knowledge. It is like the knowledge of cooking gained through reading a book of recipes. It has a value. It is necessary too, but it is useless by itself. A man who knows how to cook but does not cook cannot appease his hunger. Even so, a man who knows what is spiritual life, how to practise Sadhana, but does not do a thing about it, cannot appease his spiritual hunger, cannot register progress in the spiritual path. The man who knows what to do but does not do is in much the same position as the man who does not know what to do.
Knowledge becomes fruitful only when it is applied. Or else, it is useless. In fact, it can even turn harmful in as much as mere theoretical knowledge can make a man’s head swell and make him vain and puffed up. Practice is the crucial thing. That is where most of us fail and fail miserably.
In fact, before we begin reading scriptures, before we approach sages and saints, before we do all that, most of us can make substantial spiritual progress by ourselves if only we would start doing all those things which we know we should do and abstain from doing all those things which we already know we should not do. This way every one of us can begin the right life, the spiritual life.
If it be so, why do we not begin in the right direction? Why do we not make a beginning? And why do we fail to plunge into spiritual practice? The reason is not far to seek. There is no particular external compulsion. There is no sufficient necessity to do so. In the matter of food, the pangs of hunger and thirst drive you to earn money to buy the food. Nobody will give you money if you do not work. So you work. Similarly in the case of the lower appetites. These, like lust, are powerful. Sex-urge is the most powerful natural urge. It pushes man, often despite himself, to seek satisfaction in woman and it pushes woman, often despite herself, to seek satisfaction in man. Even saints are fooled in this matter. They trip. They succumb. Visvamitra fell a prey to Menaka. Rishya Sringa, that boy of pristine purity, was enticed and deluded by the girls. And we know many modern Visvamitras and Menakas.
Back to the point. There is no such compelling force, as in the case of lust, to turn man’s mind towards God. In the vast majority of cases, that is. A powerful spiritual hunger is the most uncommon thing. Why? Because this whole universe, this whole fabric of Maya, this whole phenomenal shroud has been designed by God to cloud the wisdom in man and keep him away from God. The world is designed to submerge man in Maya. Why? Why? Why? This ‘Why?’ question will keep recurring at every turn when you discuss matters spiritual. To many questions there are convincing answers. To many more there are no answers. Sages style these latter questions, these unanswerable questions, these impossible questions, as transcendental questions and declare unequivocally that the answers to these transcendental questions can be found only when you realise God, only when you destroy the mind.
Since the world is designed to keep man’s mind away from God, the spiritual seeker is forced constantly to battle against the forces of Maya, against the diverse world-currents. It is an uphill task. But the reward is high. It is a challenging task. But you will wear the crown of God on your head when you succeed in the task in the end.
The desire to tread the spiritual path arises in man’s mind as a result of meritorious deeds in many previous births. Quite often, the spiritual spark in man is kindled by contact with a spiritual Master, a true Guru, a realised Soul. Sometimes, the spiritual ignition is occasioned by terrible disappointments in worldly life. That is why Swami Sivananda characterizes pain as the best teacher. Pain turns man’s mind away from the world and towards God. Pain is the end-product of worldly life and the beginning of spiritual life.
Once the spiritual thirst is created, the seeker naturally turns towards spiritual books or spiritual teachers for light on the path. He acquires theoretical knowledge, Paroksha Jnana. This, as we noticed, is the first step, and a necessary step. The next step in spiritual life, and the most essential step, is practice.
Practice ultimately leads to Aparoksha Anubhuti or the supreme Direct Experience. Indirect knowledge becomes direct experience. All that is learnt and understood about Brahman is more than verified by one’s own experience, by realising one’s own true nature as Brahman. That brings down the final curtain on the drama of life. But between the initial stepping on to the spiritual path and the final experience of realising Brahman, there are innumerable facts of spiritual life which the Sadhak verifies for himself personally. And with each verification his conviction in the truth of what he learnt grows.
Practice is the thing. Practice is what Lord Krishna characterizes as Abhyasa. Practice is kept up by dispassion or Vairagya. Dispassion is aided by discrimination or Viveka. These things go together. A spiritual seeker, if he is earnest about his task, should introduce order, system, method in his self-chosen undertaking. Viveka or discriminative understanding is the best friend of the spiritual seeker. The spiritual seeker should never forget to discriminate between the Real and the unreal. He should never fail to draw the distinction between the eternal and the ephemeral, between the substance and the shell. Discriminative thinking, correct understanding, viewing things in perspective should become a habit of mind with him. He cannot afford to remain without Viveka even for a split second, because that split second may well turn out to be the moment of temptation and ruin.
Vairagya follows in the wake of Viveka. Once you know what is real and what is unreal, once you know what is productive of bliss in the long run and what is productive of pain in the long run, once you understand what is diamond and what is stone, once you appreciate that all the worldly pleasures are but sugar-coated poison, once you learn to realise that in God only can be had unalloyed and lasting bliss, you will naturally turn away from the world and towards God. This is dispassion. Dislike for worldly pleasures is dispassion. Distaste for sense-objects is dispassion. Dispassion and discrimination go together.
Your Abhyasa or spiritual practice will be sustained and continuous only if it is supported by an unbroken current of Viveka and Vairagya.
Practice is the thing. It is practice which can take you forward and onward in your spiritual journey. Suppose you want to go from New York to Los Angeles. You know the route. You know the means of transport. You have the money to buy the ticket. But all this is useless unless you buy the ticket and get into the train or plane or bus. Then you will progress towards Los Angeles every hour of your travel. Similarly in spiritual life. You may know the route to God. You may know how to practise Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga. You may also have the health and the strength, the circumstances and environment, the facilities and aids to practise Yoga. But unless you begin the actual practice, you cannot move an inch forward. Spiritual practice is like cooking food. Enjoying the spiritual bliss that arises out of spiritual practice, the spiritual Ananda, is akin to eating the cooked food. It satisfies your spiritual hunger.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is a chapter from the book "Yoga Samhita".
Atma Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Atma Vidya or Knowledge of the Self will dawn in you through Atma Yoga. The great sages lay great emphasis on self-surrender to the Lord, and emphatically assure you that the Lord in His Infinite Mercy saves you, uplifts you and leads you to Himself. He reveals Himself to you. This is Atma-Yoga.
Not by developing a keen intellect which can indulge in hair-splitting arguments and logic-chopping, not by getting by heart hundreds of texts, nor by all kinds of austerities, can the Atman be realised; through self-surrender alone can you realise Him. The Upanishads emphatically declare that the Atman reveals Himself to that person whom He chooses. Your work consists in making yourself fit to be chosen by Him and then, to wait.
In you there are two forces. One is the Pure Self, the divine element in you, Daivi Sampat or divine qualities like purity, truthfulness, cosmic love, selflessness, mercy and others, abide in this Higher Self. The other is the lower self, the impure mind in which you find elements of Asuri Sampat or evil tendencies—lust, greed, anger, jealousy and other vices. The Higher Self is your friend, guide and philosopher; it guides you with its shrill small voice of conscience. The lower mind is your enemy—it keeps you bound to the wheel of Samsara. With the help of the Higher Self, your friend, you should conquer the lower self. You should understand this truth clear.
Mere suppression of evil tendencies will not do. You should eradicate them root and branch; you should transform the whole of your mind into divine. That is the goal. By dwelling constantly on positive, divine, thoughts, you shall have to divinise your entire mind. Again and again the mind will run towards the objects of sensual enjoyment; you will have to restrain it and bring it again and again to the lotus feet of the Lord. Again and again, the terrible enemies of the Pure Source—viz., lust, anger and greed—will raise their head in your mind, you will have to reflect on their true nature and feel: They are the gates to misery, suffering and bondage, and renounce them.
You should meditate regularly. You should practise Pratyahara. You should be able to withdraw at will your sense-organs from their objects and direct the mind towards the Lord seated in the heart. When the mind is perfectly steady, when it is unwaveringly fixed to the feet of the Lord, just as the flame of a lamp placed in a room where the air is still does not waver, then the Lord will reveal Himself to you.
Remember this: your duty is to purify your heart and to make it fit for the reception of Divine Light. For this, selfless service is necessary. Japa, Kirtan, Swadhyaya and practice of divine virtues are all necessary. Then you will have to wait patiently till He reveals Himself to you. You will have to pray to Him as Arjuna prayed, ‘Oh Lord! If you think that I may see Thy Glorious Form then kindly reveal Thyself to me." Self-surrender alone can earn for you the Lord’s Grace very quickly.
The Lord is the giver of Light and the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance. He is the Light of lights. He alone can dispel the darkness of ignorance that envelopes the light of the Self that shines in your heart. So long as your individuality lasts, you cannot realise Him. So long as your own ego persists His Light will not descend. You will first have to burn up your ego if He is to reveal Himself. In the Gita, the Lord makes it very clear till man loses his identity in His Universal Nature, He cannot be realised. That is why he declares: "All beings are in Me; but I am not in them!" There is a great truth in this. You will have to ponder deeply over this utterance of the Lord. The Lord dwells in your heart, it is true, but He dwells there as the Self of all. He is not confined to anyone’s heart; He is not the Self of any one man. He is the Self. That is what He emphasises again and again.... "Ahamatma Gudakesa Sarvabhutashayasthitah." Therefore till this ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ are annihilated, one cannot know Him in reality. You should aspire for His grace. That Grace will illumine your Heart. Then He will reveal Himself to you.
How does one act to whom the Lord has revealed Himself? He sees his own Self in all beings, and he sees all beings in his own Self. He engages himself in the service of all; he is ever intent on the welfare of all. He has nothing more to achieve. He has no individuality of his own. He has become a true instrument in the hands of the Lord. The Lord’s will works through him. He is not bound by actions.
Atma Yoga is the Self Revelation. Atma Vibhuties are the manifestations of the Lord. These Atma-Vibhuties of the Lord are the fruits of His Atma Yoga. You should read the tenth chapter of the Gita daily. You should understand it clearly. The Lord has chosen to name only the best among the things as Himself. He had no time to enumerate everything. In the end He says: "I am the gambling of the cheat". Here is the Lord’s hint. You will have to understand by this that both good and evil are the manifestations of the Lord Himself. Evil is only a mode of your own thought. You will have to remove the Vritti of evil from your mind, then you will see good alone everywhere. Then you will see God and God alone everywhere. Then you will become immersed in the love of God. You will become an illustration of the Great Utterance of the Lord:
"Manmanaa Bhava Madbhakto Madyaajee Maam Namaskuru Maamevaishyasi Yuktvaivamaatmaanam Matparayanah".
You will shine as a great Jivanmukta or Sthitaprajna.
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Atma Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Atma Vidya or Knowledge of the Self will dawn in you through Atma Yoga. The great sages lay great emphasis on self-surrender to the Lord, and emphatically assure you that the Lord in His Infinite Mercy saves you, uplifts you and leads you to Himself. He reveals Himself to you. This is Atma-Yoga.
Not by developing a keen intellect which can indulge in hair-splitting arguments and logic-chopping, not by getting by heart hundreds of texts, nor by all kinds of austerities, can the Atman be realised; through self-surrender alone can you realise Him. The Upanishads emphatically declare that the Atman reveals Himself to that person whom He chooses. Your work consists in making yourself fit to be chosen by Him and then, to wait.
In you there are two forces. One is the Pure Self, the divine element in you, Daivi Sampat or divine qualities like purity, truthfulness, cosmic love, selflessness, mercy and others, abide in this Higher Self. The other is the lower self, the impure mind in which you find elements of Asuri Sampat or evil tendencies—lust, greed, anger, jealousy and other vices. The Higher Self is your friend, guide and philosopher; it guides you with its shrill small voice of conscience. The lower mind is your enemy—it keeps you bound to the wheel of Samsara. With the help of the Higher Self, your friend, you should conquer the lower self. You should understand this truth clear.
Mere suppression of evil tendencies will not do. You should eradicate them root and branch; you should transform the whole of your mind into divine. That is the goal. By dwelling constantly on positive, divine, thoughts, you shall have to divinise your entire mind. Again and again the mind will run towards the objects of sensual enjoyment; you will have to restrain it and bring it again and again to the lotus feet of the Lord. Again and again, the terrible enemies of the Pure Source—viz., lust, anger and greed—will raise their head in your mind, you will have to reflect on their true nature and feel: They are the gates to misery, suffering and bondage, and renounce them.
You should meditate regularly. You should practise Pratyahara. You should be able to withdraw at will your sense-organs from their objects and direct the mind towards the Lord seated in the heart. When the mind is perfectly steady, when it is unwaveringly fixed to the feet of the Lord, just as the flame of a lamp placed in a room where the air is still does not waver, then the Lord will reveal Himself to you.
Remember this: your duty is to purify your heart and to make it fit for the reception of Divine Light. For this, selfless service is necessary. Japa, Kirtan, Swadhyaya and practice of divine virtues are all necessary. Then you will have to wait patiently till He reveals Himself to you. You will have to pray to Him as Arjuna prayed, ‘Oh Lord! If you think that I may see Thy Glorious Form then kindly reveal Thyself to me." Self-surrender alone can earn for you the Lord’s Grace very quickly.
The Lord is the giver of Light and the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance. He is the Light of lights. He alone can dispel the darkness of ignorance that envelopes the light of the Self that shines in your heart. So long as your individuality lasts, you cannot realise Him. So long as your own ego persists His Light will not descend. You will first have to burn up your ego if He is to reveal Himself. In the Gita, the Lord makes it very clear till man loses his identity in His Universal Nature, He cannot be realised. That is why he declares: "All beings are in Me; but I am not in them!" There is a great truth in this. You will have to ponder deeply over this utterance of the Lord. The Lord dwells in your heart, it is true, but He dwells there as the Self of all. He is not confined to anyone’s heart; He is not the Self of any one man. He is the Self. That is what He emphasises again and again.... "Ahamatma Gudakesa Sarvabhutashayasthitah." Therefore till this ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ are annihilated, one cannot know Him in reality. You should aspire for His grace. That Grace will illumine your Heart. Then He will reveal Himself to you.
How does one act to whom the Lord has revealed Himself? He sees his own Self in all beings, and he sees all beings in his own Self. He engages himself in the service of all; he is ever intent on the welfare of all. He has nothing more to achieve. He has no individuality of his own. He has become a true instrument in the hands of the Lord. The Lord’s will works through him. He is not bound by actions.
Atma Yoga is the Self Revelation. Atma Vibhuties are the manifestations of the Lord. These Atma-Vibhuties of the Lord are the fruits of His Atma Yoga. You should read the tenth chapter of the Gita daily. You should understand it clearly. The Lord has chosen to name only the best among the things as Himself. He had no time to enumerate everything. In the end He says: "I am the gambling of the cheat". Here is the Lord’s hint. You will have to understand by this that both good and evil are the manifestations of the Lord Himself. Evil is only a mode of your own thought. You will have to remove the Vritti of evil from your mind, then you will see good alone everywhere. Then you will see God and God alone everywhere. Then you will become immersed in the love of God. You will become an illustration of the Great Utterance of the Lord:
"Manmanaa Bhava Madbhakto Madyaajee Maam Namaskuru Maamevaishyasi Yuktvaivamaatmaanam Matparayanah".
You will shine as a great Jivanmukta or Sthitaprajna.
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The basis of Success in all Human Endeavours by Swami Chidananda Saraswati
This article is from the book "An Instrument of Thy Peace."
The Basis of Success in all Human Endeavours
by Sri Swami Chidananda Saraswati
Introduction
The Law of Persistence
Markendeya
Savitri
Introduction
I want to bring to you a little message that holds the central secrets of success in attaining the goal of life. As a matter of fact, it contains the basis of success in all human endeavours, no matter in which area it might be. An effort will succeed if these secrets are utilised—even if the effort is pointed in the wrong direction. If you want to become the Al Capone of the underworld and shine as the Number One Crook, if you apply this method you are bound to succeed! If you apply it in any direction, it will give you success. However, we are more concerned about using this to find success in our spiritual life than we are in becoming Number One Crook!
Two great laws are at the back of this secret, and the first one is: What you think, that you become. This is a universal law. You should always ceaselessly affirm that which you want to become, and then one day you will end up becoming that. This law is inevitable and nothing can hold it back. The second great law is: Persistent effort in any one direction overcomes all obstacles. No obstacle can withstand the assault of persistent effort. That is why in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, when Arjuna tells Krishna that it is impossible to control the mind, Krishna replies that if one keeps on persisting in this effort, one will overcome, and the mind will be subdued. Persistence overcomes all obstacles and ultimately reaches its goal. Whatever it is you are pursuing, you will get it with persistent effort.
The first law is once again: what you think, that you become. Think you are good for nothing, and you become good for nothing. But, how could you really be good for nothing? It is an insult to God to think that you are good for nothing. Maybe your goodness is temporarily covered up, but it is in fact there. If you think that you have got the potential for everything beautiful, then you will become that. Think like God, and you will become like God. Think like a sinner, and you will become like that. Think that you are unhealthy and weak, and you will always be in a mess regarding health. Think that you are full of health and strength, and you will end up becoming healthy. Because you are thinking that way, those conditions become actualised.
This is the law that Vedanta invokes in its approach. It rejects the assumption that you are only this conglomeration of flesh, bones and organs. It asserts that you are the Atman—ever-pure, ever-perfect and divine. At any stage, if there is a wave of anger or jealousy, you assert that you are not this anger or jealousy. You have nothing to do with it, for you are the Atman, which is always full of peace, joy and light. Reject the different conditions of mind and intellect, and affirm your all-full divine spiritual nature.
If you are always fearful of things, you will attract to yourself conditions of fear. Have firm trust in God, and all conditions will correct themselves. They come and then they go when you do not respond to them. You do not allow them to hold onto you, because you have made yourself a centre of faith and fearlessness. This great law very much governs your entire life. Invoke this law and think of what you want to become. "I am the Atman; I am a child of God; I am shining with divine radiant spirit."
These thoughts should occupy your mind day and night, waking, dreaming and sleeping. We must affirm this truth by repeating it, visualising it in our mind, writing it down, and by practising it. We must try to bring this feeling into our daily lives—even in the midst of the most adverse conditions. You must persist in being what you are. This great law is the secret of success in your spiritual life. This practice requires no previous background, so start right now from where you are. One day success and fulfilment will be yours.
The Law of Persistence
The second great law is, once again, that persistent effort overcomes all obstacles. As an example, I could describe a situation found at the public water taps in rural India. The entire locality has to fetch its water only from that one tap, because there is no proper water supply in most parts of the country. Sometimes these taps go out of order and cannot be completely closed, and the faucet keeps dripping on the granite stone, and a hole is made in the stone just from the accumulated effect of these drops of water!
There is another phenomenon observed with the wells used in India. When the rope is used to pull the bucket up out of a well, the rope rubs against a granite slab that serves as the wall of the well. After a few years, the constant rubbing of the rope causes a groove to be formed in the granite. Taking this as an example, one can say that nothing can withstand the power of persistent effort. No matter how difficult or how slow the process seems, don’t despair, and be sure to keep on persisting. Bondage does not easily give way, but one must continuously keep trying to get free of it. One day it will give way.
Long, long ago in ancient India the forest-dwelling sages had to make a fire sacrifice every day. They did not have matches, so the only way to have fire available whenever they wanted it was to have the fire burning twenty-four hours a day. However, on very special occasions they did not make use of this ordinary fire, and a new fire needed to be started and used specifically for that purpose. To start the fire, they used a block of heavy wood with a slight circular depression in the middle. A peg was rubbed against the wood, and as they persisted in the rubbing, slowly heat was produced at the point of contact. They had cotton or dried fibres of plants or wood bark and kept it close to the heat, and at some point the fuel suddenly caught fire. It might have taken an hour and a half to light the fire, but through that effort the sacred fire was created. Even so, just as persistent effort ultimately brought forth fire where it did not exist, persistent effort in your spiritual life will bring forth illumination where it might not have been before. Similarly, if you are looking for water, you must start digging and keep on digging, and eventually you will get water.
These are examples given by the great teachers to put heart into the seeker. In spiritual sadhana, persistent effort overcomes all obstacles standing in the way and ultimately secures its ends. There is nothing that persistent effort cannot bring to you. To prove this point, the stories of the Puranas abound with narrations of numerous instances in the past where seemingly impossible things were achieved through sheer force of persistence. One great classical example was the story of a certain sage who lost his entire family in a tragic circumstance, and the funeral rites were never performed for them. Many generations afterwards, this fact was brought to the attention of one young man of that family line. Their ashes had been scattered in some region, but the celestial River Ganges needed to pass over these ashes in order to purify them.
This young man resolved to bring the Ganges down to earth, and to do so he renounced everything and started doing penance. He persisted so long that ultimately the gods had to yield, and they asked the Ganges to descend and honour his request. One further obstacle though was that the descent might destroy the earth, so through more of the young man’s penance, Lord Siva consented to take the immense flow of the river on his own head. Yet, for various other reasons the young man had to do even more penance to finally fulfil his goal. His name, Bhagiratha, has become a byword for great persistence and extraordinary effort.
Markendeya
In another instance, a married couple had not been blessed with children and they were sore at heart. They went to a sage and begged him to assist them. He said, "Worship Lord Siva, and if you sincerely and earnestly persist, He will appear to you and grant your prayer." So they both worshipped together for years, and at long last, pleased by their worship and prayer, Lord Siva appeared. He told the man, "Due to your great devotion and earnestness, I shall send you a son, but you must choose between two alternatives. The child can either be a beautiful, ideal son with amazing talents who will only live to his sixteenth year, or you can have a son who will live to be a full span of 100 years, but he will be a dullard and a moron. What do you want?" The couple was in a dilemma, but ultimately they said, "We want the beautiful and ideal son." Siva blessed them and soon the child was born. He was a wonderful, beautiful child who manifested all the divine qualities as he grew up.
Like that, fifteen years passed in joy and peace, but when they celebrated his fifteenth year, suddenly they remembered that the next birthday would be the fateful one. The young boy noticed his parents’ sadness, but they put him off until the middle of the year. The boy suspected something was very wrong and became adamant. "Unless you tell me the cause of your sorrow, I will not eat." Reluctantly, the father related the whole background. "There are only twelve months left for you." The boy said, "Never fear. I will go and do intense penance and make Lord Siva take this all back. Let us see what happens, but I cannot bear to see you sorrowing on my behalf." Every day he got up at 3:30 in the early morning darkness, took a bath in cold water, brought fresh water and bilva leaves from the jungle to offer to Lord Siva, chanted Om Nama Shivaya, meditated on Lord Siva, and prayed to Him constantly. This young boy with spotless pure character went on doing this with all his heart into the eleventh month of his fifteenth year. As the last days started approaching, his fervour and determination increased.
The fateful day arrived and the young boy, named Markendeya, got up, took a bath, fetched water and then said with determination, "Today I will not get up from my worship." The whole day he sat close to the Siva linga, but soon darkness fell, the entire atmosphere changed, and his heart was gripped with a foreboding fear. Repeating the divine mantra with great force, the courageous boy looked behind him and saw Yama, the Lord of Death, who said, "Come, your time is up." Yama cast a noose onto Markendeya’s neck in order to take his life, but Markendeya turned from him and addressed Siva for protection.
Immediately, the Siva linga broke open and out sprung Siva in a terrible temper! Yama jumped down from the buffalo he was riding, prostrated and said, "Please forgive me, I have made a blunder," and the Lord of Death cringed before Siva. Yama was actually doing his duty, but then he was daring to approach a devotee who had surrendered himself to the Lord, and this is unpardonable. Lord Siva said that Markendeya should not be touched, and He blessed Markendeya with everlasting life in the same body. He said, "You will ever be a glorious example of firm adherence to vows, courage and persistence." Markendeya’s penance in the face of certain death is a byword in the spiritual Hindu tradition, and it is believed that this sage ever remains a fifteen year-old boy.
Savitri
There is another extraordinary story in a different context. A young princess named Savitri was married to the son of a sage who lived in the forest. She was a very, very humble girl who served her father and mother along with her husband, but unfortunately the husband was doomed to die at an early age. She knew when his last day was, and she insisted on going with him to the forest to cut firewood on that particular day. At midday his time had come, and he felt a bit odd. He thought it was just sunstroke, but Savitri knew better. She told him to lie down and put his head on her lap.
Yama came, but she said, "Stop. Because of the power of my absolute chastity and fidelity, you cannot touch him." Yama replied, "The power of chastity is surely the highest power in the world, but then I am not doing a function pertaining to the world. This is celestial business, and I have to take him." He put the noose around the young man and took away his spirit. Savitri saw that her husband had died, and she pursued Yama. There was then a wonderful dialogue between Savitri and Yama, and ultimately she made Yama bring the soul back into the body. The young husband came back to life and wondered what had happened to him! They went home, and the mother and father blessed their daughter-in-law. The point is that through persistent effort, even death itself can be forced to give back the dead.
I want once more to emphasise my first point: what you think, that you become. If you invoke this law and apply it in your spiritual life, you can become established in the highest state of divine consciousness in this very life. There is no doubt about it. Similarly, there is the second great law that there is no obstacle in this universe that cannot be overcome and conquered by the power of persistent effort.
Fight bravely in the battle of life. Arm yourself with the shield of discrimination and the sword of dispassion. March forward courageously. Yield not to temptation. Meditate upon the inner self regularly. You will enter into the limitless domain of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. You will build a life of calmness, strength, equipoise and peace. Let Markendeya, Bhagirata and Savitri be inspirations for you. May the Lord bless you.
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The Basis of Success in all Human Endeavours
by Sri Swami Chidananda Saraswati
Introduction
The Law of Persistence
Markendeya
Savitri
Introduction
I want to bring to you a little message that holds the central secrets of success in attaining the goal of life. As a matter of fact, it contains the basis of success in all human endeavours, no matter in which area it might be. An effort will succeed if these secrets are utilised—even if the effort is pointed in the wrong direction. If you want to become the Al Capone of the underworld and shine as the Number One Crook, if you apply this method you are bound to succeed! If you apply it in any direction, it will give you success. However, we are more concerned about using this to find success in our spiritual life than we are in becoming Number One Crook!
Two great laws are at the back of this secret, and the first one is: What you think, that you become. This is a universal law. You should always ceaselessly affirm that which you want to become, and then one day you will end up becoming that. This law is inevitable and nothing can hold it back. The second great law is: Persistent effort in any one direction overcomes all obstacles. No obstacle can withstand the assault of persistent effort. That is why in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, when Arjuna tells Krishna that it is impossible to control the mind, Krishna replies that if one keeps on persisting in this effort, one will overcome, and the mind will be subdued. Persistence overcomes all obstacles and ultimately reaches its goal. Whatever it is you are pursuing, you will get it with persistent effort.
The first law is once again: what you think, that you become. Think you are good for nothing, and you become good for nothing. But, how could you really be good for nothing? It is an insult to God to think that you are good for nothing. Maybe your goodness is temporarily covered up, but it is in fact there. If you think that you have got the potential for everything beautiful, then you will become that. Think like God, and you will become like God. Think like a sinner, and you will become like that. Think that you are unhealthy and weak, and you will always be in a mess regarding health. Think that you are full of health and strength, and you will end up becoming healthy. Because you are thinking that way, those conditions become actualised.
This is the law that Vedanta invokes in its approach. It rejects the assumption that you are only this conglomeration of flesh, bones and organs. It asserts that you are the Atman—ever-pure, ever-perfect and divine. At any stage, if there is a wave of anger or jealousy, you assert that you are not this anger or jealousy. You have nothing to do with it, for you are the Atman, which is always full of peace, joy and light. Reject the different conditions of mind and intellect, and affirm your all-full divine spiritual nature.
If you are always fearful of things, you will attract to yourself conditions of fear. Have firm trust in God, and all conditions will correct themselves. They come and then they go when you do not respond to them. You do not allow them to hold onto you, because you have made yourself a centre of faith and fearlessness. This great law very much governs your entire life. Invoke this law and think of what you want to become. "I am the Atman; I am a child of God; I am shining with divine radiant spirit."
These thoughts should occupy your mind day and night, waking, dreaming and sleeping. We must affirm this truth by repeating it, visualising it in our mind, writing it down, and by practising it. We must try to bring this feeling into our daily lives—even in the midst of the most adverse conditions. You must persist in being what you are. This great law is the secret of success in your spiritual life. This practice requires no previous background, so start right now from where you are. One day success and fulfilment will be yours.
The Law of Persistence
The second great law is, once again, that persistent effort overcomes all obstacles. As an example, I could describe a situation found at the public water taps in rural India. The entire locality has to fetch its water only from that one tap, because there is no proper water supply in most parts of the country. Sometimes these taps go out of order and cannot be completely closed, and the faucet keeps dripping on the granite stone, and a hole is made in the stone just from the accumulated effect of these drops of water!
There is another phenomenon observed with the wells used in India. When the rope is used to pull the bucket up out of a well, the rope rubs against a granite slab that serves as the wall of the well. After a few years, the constant rubbing of the rope causes a groove to be formed in the granite. Taking this as an example, one can say that nothing can withstand the power of persistent effort. No matter how difficult or how slow the process seems, don’t despair, and be sure to keep on persisting. Bondage does not easily give way, but one must continuously keep trying to get free of it. One day it will give way.
Long, long ago in ancient India the forest-dwelling sages had to make a fire sacrifice every day. They did not have matches, so the only way to have fire available whenever they wanted it was to have the fire burning twenty-four hours a day. However, on very special occasions they did not make use of this ordinary fire, and a new fire needed to be started and used specifically for that purpose. To start the fire, they used a block of heavy wood with a slight circular depression in the middle. A peg was rubbed against the wood, and as they persisted in the rubbing, slowly heat was produced at the point of contact. They had cotton or dried fibres of plants or wood bark and kept it close to the heat, and at some point the fuel suddenly caught fire. It might have taken an hour and a half to light the fire, but through that effort the sacred fire was created. Even so, just as persistent effort ultimately brought forth fire where it did not exist, persistent effort in your spiritual life will bring forth illumination where it might not have been before. Similarly, if you are looking for water, you must start digging and keep on digging, and eventually you will get water.
These are examples given by the great teachers to put heart into the seeker. In spiritual sadhana, persistent effort overcomes all obstacles standing in the way and ultimately secures its ends. There is nothing that persistent effort cannot bring to you. To prove this point, the stories of the Puranas abound with narrations of numerous instances in the past where seemingly impossible things were achieved through sheer force of persistence. One great classical example was the story of a certain sage who lost his entire family in a tragic circumstance, and the funeral rites were never performed for them. Many generations afterwards, this fact was brought to the attention of one young man of that family line. Their ashes had been scattered in some region, but the celestial River Ganges needed to pass over these ashes in order to purify them.
This young man resolved to bring the Ganges down to earth, and to do so he renounced everything and started doing penance. He persisted so long that ultimately the gods had to yield, and they asked the Ganges to descend and honour his request. One further obstacle though was that the descent might destroy the earth, so through more of the young man’s penance, Lord Siva consented to take the immense flow of the river on his own head. Yet, for various other reasons the young man had to do even more penance to finally fulfil his goal. His name, Bhagiratha, has become a byword for great persistence and extraordinary effort.
Markendeya
In another instance, a married couple had not been blessed with children and they were sore at heart. They went to a sage and begged him to assist them. He said, "Worship Lord Siva, and if you sincerely and earnestly persist, He will appear to you and grant your prayer." So they both worshipped together for years, and at long last, pleased by their worship and prayer, Lord Siva appeared. He told the man, "Due to your great devotion and earnestness, I shall send you a son, but you must choose between two alternatives. The child can either be a beautiful, ideal son with amazing talents who will only live to his sixteenth year, or you can have a son who will live to be a full span of 100 years, but he will be a dullard and a moron. What do you want?" The couple was in a dilemma, but ultimately they said, "We want the beautiful and ideal son." Siva blessed them and soon the child was born. He was a wonderful, beautiful child who manifested all the divine qualities as he grew up.
Like that, fifteen years passed in joy and peace, but when they celebrated his fifteenth year, suddenly they remembered that the next birthday would be the fateful one. The young boy noticed his parents’ sadness, but they put him off until the middle of the year. The boy suspected something was very wrong and became adamant. "Unless you tell me the cause of your sorrow, I will not eat." Reluctantly, the father related the whole background. "There are only twelve months left for you." The boy said, "Never fear. I will go and do intense penance and make Lord Siva take this all back. Let us see what happens, but I cannot bear to see you sorrowing on my behalf." Every day he got up at 3:30 in the early morning darkness, took a bath in cold water, brought fresh water and bilva leaves from the jungle to offer to Lord Siva, chanted Om Nama Shivaya, meditated on Lord Siva, and prayed to Him constantly. This young boy with spotless pure character went on doing this with all his heart into the eleventh month of his fifteenth year. As the last days started approaching, his fervour and determination increased.
The fateful day arrived and the young boy, named Markendeya, got up, took a bath, fetched water and then said with determination, "Today I will not get up from my worship." The whole day he sat close to the Siva linga, but soon darkness fell, the entire atmosphere changed, and his heart was gripped with a foreboding fear. Repeating the divine mantra with great force, the courageous boy looked behind him and saw Yama, the Lord of Death, who said, "Come, your time is up." Yama cast a noose onto Markendeya’s neck in order to take his life, but Markendeya turned from him and addressed Siva for protection.
Immediately, the Siva linga broke open and out sprung Siva in a terrible temper! Yama jumped down from the buffalo he was riding, prostrated and said, "Please forgive me, I have made a blunder," and the Lord of Death cringed before Siva. Yama was actually doing his duty, but then he was daring to approach a devotee who had surrendered himself to the Lord, and this is unpardonable. Lord Siva said that Markendeya should not be touched, and He blessed Markendeya with everlasting life in the same body. He said, "You will ever be a glorious example of firm adherence to vows, courage and persistence." Markendeya’s penance in the face of certain death is a byword in the spiritual Hindu tradition, and it is believed that this sage ever remains a fifteen year-old boy.
Savitri
There is another extraordinary story in a different context. A young princess named Savitri was married to the son of a sage who lived in the forest. She was a very, very humble girl who served her father and mother along with her husband, but unfortunately the husband was doomed to die at an early age. She knew when his last day was, and she insisted on going with him to the forest to cut firewood on that particular day. At midday his time had come, and he felt a bit odd. He thought it was just sunstroke, but Savitri knew better. She told him to lie down and put his head on her lap.
Yama came, but she said, "Stop. Because of the power of my absolute chastity and fidelity, you cannot touch him." Yama replied, "The power of chastity is surely the highest power in the world, but then I am not doing a function pertaining to the world. This is celestial business, and I have to take him." He put the noose around the young man and took away his spirit. Savitri saw that her husband had died, and she pursued Yama. There was then a wonderful dialogue between Savitri and Yama, and ultimately she made Yama bring the soul back into the body. The young husband came back to life and wondered what had happened to him! They went home, and the mother and father blessed their daughter-in-law. The point is that through persistent effort, even death itself can be forced to give back the dead.
I want once more to emphasise my first point: what you think, that you become. If you invoke this law and apply it in your spiritual life, you can become established in the highest state of divine consciousness in this very life. There is no doubt about it. Similarly, there is the second great law that there is no obstacle in this universe that cannot be overcome and conquered by the power of persistent effort.
Fight bravely in the battle of life. Arm yourself with the shield of discrimination and the sword of dispassion. March forward courageously. Yield not to temptation. Meditate upon the inner self regularly. You will enter into the limitless domain of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. You will build a life of calmness, strength, equipoise and peace. Let Markendeya, Bhagirata and Savitri be inspirations for you. May the Lord bless you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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