Thursday, August 21, 2008

CONSEQUENCES OF ANGER

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

A terrible fit of anger shatters the physical nervous system. It produces a lasting impression on the inner astral body. Although the effects of a fit of anger may seem to subside in a short time, the vibration or wave, continues to exist for days in the astral body. A slight unpleasant feeling that lasts in the mind for five minutes, may produce a deep inflammation of the astral body. It may take several weeks or months even for this ulcer to heal.

Now, have you realised the disastrous consequences of anger? Do not be victims of anger. Control it by love, mercy, sympathy, vicara (enquiry) and consideration for others. Even slight annoyance, or irritability, affects the mind and the astral body.

Aspirants should not allow these vrttis (thought waves) to manifest in the mind lake, as they may burst out as big waves of anger at any moment, if you are careless or weak. There should not be the least disturbance in the mind lake - it should be perfectly calm and serene. Then only you will find meditation possible.

It is difficult to control anger. Anger is a manifestation of sakti (energy). At first, try to reduce its force and its frequency of duration. Endeavour to attenuate or thin out this formidable modification of the mind.

Do not allow this modification to assume the form of a big wave on the surface of the conscious mind. Nip it in the bud when it is in the form of irritability. Divert the mind. Entertain divine thoughts.Do vigorous japa (repetition of God's name) and kirtan (chanting). Repeat some prayers or slokas (verses) from the scriptures.

Develop the opposite, divine qualities. Develop patience, love, forgiveness - anger will die by itself, gradually. Blessed are those high souled people who can control their anger by pure, strong will and intellect.

Be serene. Serenity is like a rock. Waves may dash on it but they cannot affect it. Waves of irritation may break on this rock of serenity but they cannot affect it. Meditate daily on the ever tranquil atman (self). You will attain this sublime virtue of serenity gradually.


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DEPRESSION AND DEVOTION

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Every aspirant in the spiritual path becomes a victim to the mood of depression in the beginning. You have to overcome this mood through discrimination, reflection, singing God's name, prayer, etc. This mood is like a passing cloud. It will pass off if you are vigilant. Do not mistake emotion for devotion.

Whenever you get into a mood of depression, sing God's name vigorously; sitting alone in your room, sing with a melting heart. You may sing silently if you wish. This is an easy way to drive away this undesirable mood.

Try to control all wild outbursts of weeping. This is a weakness, a negative state. But do allow the pearl drops of divine love or ecstasy to trickle down your face occasionally, when you are in a profoundly prayerful or meditative mood.

Shed the tears of pure, divine love when you are alone, when you are in communion with the Lord. Do not weep in the presence of others. The rare pearl drops of divine love are the outcome of the melting of the heart by the fire of devotion and the fire of painful separation from the Lord.
Sometimes a man feigns to be a devotee. He sheds false tears to make his neighbours think he is a great devotee. On account of sympathetic action, his neighbours also begin to weep - but there will not be one iota of devotion in their hearts.

Devotion is a very rare gift from God. Weeping itself is not a criterion by which to judge the devotional nature of a man or a woman. Do not mistake the crocodile tears of a hypocrite bhakta (devotee) for the genuine pearl drops of divine love which inspire and elevate bystanders. One may not weep outwardly and yet he may be a genuine, silent devotee.
Identify yourself with the emotionless state or Brahman, and rest peacefully for ever.

Satvic (peaceful) emotion is quiet. Rajasic (passionate) emotion is terrible. Tamasic (dull) emotion is confused. Rajasic and tamasic emotions are of a turbid nature and therefore cannot receive a reflection of the blissful nature of atman. Rajasic and tamasic emotions present a reflection of intelligence but not of bliss. Satvic emotions present a reflection of both blissfulness and intelligence.

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MORE ON THE INNER INSTRUMENT

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

If you can clairvoyantly visualise the inner working of this mental factory, you will see that it is like a big telephone exchange - the messages come from diverse houses and firms into the central exchange. The operator plugs, connects and disconnects the various switches. So too, the mind plugs, connects and disconnects. When you want to see something the mind puts a plug into the other four senses (centres of hearing, smelling, taste and feeling). When you want to hear something, the mind plugs into the other four centres.

The mind functions at an unimaginable speed. There are numberless pigeon holes in the subconscious mind where various sorts of things are recorded in perfect order. There they are classified, grouped, labelled with accurate precision.

One impression rises up as a thought wave and comes to the surface of the mind. It tickles the jiva (individual) into action. You can also see various colours in thoughts - spiritual or holy thoughts are tinged with beautiful yellow colour. If there is thought of anger, dark red arrows shoot out from the mind. There is perfect order in the cosmos - the working is smooth and harmonious because there is the antaryami (inner controller) behind it, directing and guiding. In the mere presence of the inner ruler, the indwelling, interpenetrating presence, the mind and other inner faculties work without any friction.

There are different regions for sentiments, emotions, instincts, impulses. There are highlands and lowlands in the mind. There is the spiritual plane and there are the planes of the instinctive mind and the intellect. On the one side the will steps in to execute a certain strong desire of the mind.

The other faculties, such as memory and the power of judgement and reflection stand behind, in a disciplined array, to help their master, the will. After the will has executed the order, imagination comes forward and speculates. Memory helps imagination.

Then the three gunas (qualities of nature), the various modes, and the thirteen evil vrttis (lust, anger, etc.), show their faces in different colours. They come to the scene, do their work and then retire for a rest. Words cannot describe how thrilling this scene is.Develop this clairvoyant astral sight through purification and concentration.

Do not forget the inner ruler who is awake even when the mental factory is closed down temporarily. Purify the mind. Practise concentration. Develop the power of the mind. Eventually you will merge with him.

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SUBTLE DESIRES

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

The summum bonum of existence is the attainment of knowledge of the self, the realisation of the one homogeneous self. The knowledge of the self can only dawn when there is extinction of all the vasanas. Vasanas are subtle desires; they are gross in nature. Some philosophers define vasanas as tendencies or inclinations. Others say they are blind clinging to sensual objects, through intense longing or craving, without deliberation or thinking.

There are two kinds of vasanas - the pure and the impure. Pure vasanas liberate one from rebirth. Impure vasanas cause the mind to fluctuate, producing agitation in the mind and affinity for objects.

If you are led by pure vasanas, you will soon attain the immortal seat of ineffable splendour. The vasanas generated by you in past lives will cling to you in future births. But if pure vasanas cling to you, you will easily attain knowledge of the self, and through this you will attain liberation. If the impure vasanas cling to you, you will experience pain and sorrow; you will get rebirth in this world, again and again.

The tree mind has two seeds - one is vasana and the other is the fluctuation of prana (life). The seeds produce a big tree and the tree again produces seeds. So also the vibration of prana arises through vasana and the vasana operates through the movement of prana. If either perishes, both soon perish.

Egoism is the first asuric (demoniac) son of avidya (ignorance). Egoism has two asuric daughters - raga and vasana. There is an intimate connection between vasana and raga. Raga is attachment.Mamata (mine ness) is due to raga. If you want to kill raga and vasana, you must annihilate egoism. If you want to kill egoism you must first kill avidya.

Destroy avidya first - raga and vasana will die by themselves.
Mind is the cause for bondage and freedom. A mind filled with impure vasanas leads to bondage, whereas a mind destitute of vasanas tends to freedom. When mind is no mind (through destruction of vasanas), then you become mindless. When you become mindless, intuition dawns and you are endowed with the eye of wisdom. You will enjoy indescribable peace.

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WORLD OF OPPOSITES

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

One thing which is sweet and pleasant to you at one moment, produces the very reverse sensation in another moment. Who has not experienced this, in this world of opposites? Objects when longed for are pleasant but are bitter if not longed for. Hence vasanas (tendencies) are the cause of sensual pleasures. Pleasures will stop when you get satisfaction in them but if vasanas cease, the mind will perish and all else will be destroyed.

Therefore annihilate these vasanas, the enemies of atma-jnana (self knowledge) and immortality.

The mind clings to sensual objects. If the vasanas perish, the mind ceases thinking of objects and we attain the state of thoughtlessness. You will have a balanced mind despite adverse circumstances and many obstacles. Vasanas perish through dispassion, discrimination, control of the senses, enquiry of, "Who am I?" and meditation.

The impure vasanas persist and resist. They lurk in the corners of the mind in a mysterious manner. They play tricks on you. They can change their colours like a chameleon. Under pressure of yogic practices they get suppressed for some time but if you are not regular in your meditation, if vairagya (dispassion) wanes, they will attack with redoubled force. You must have a sharp intellect to detect their presence. Vasanas have arisen through enjoyment in many thousands of lives. They are very potent. They only perish through protracted spiritual practices - japa (repetition of God's name), kirtan (chanting), meditation, self-enquiry, discrimination, sama (control of mind), dama (control of senses), pratyahara (withdrawal of the mind) and pranayama (yoga breathing).

You have to transmute the impure vasanas into pure ones, through constant effort. Change the current of impure vasanas and allow them to run in the channel of pure vasanas. But pure vasanas are also fetters, golden fetters. You have to destroy the impure vasanas with the help of pure vasanas - then you have to abandon these pure ones also. Desire for liberation (moksa vasana) also must die eventually. Then only you become that.

Separate yourself from the objects. In the absence of objects the `I' does not exist; and these objects do not exist in the absence of `I'. Have the strong conviction that `I' does not belong to the objects, that the objects do not belong to the `I'. Identify yourself with the infinite `I' (the satchidananda Brahman) - and abandon the burden of the physical body. Become a videha mukta (liberated and bodiless) all burdens will perish now.
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MY TASK IS COMPLETE

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

My purpose is achieved. The entire circle of birth and death is over. I have realised the perfect bliss of the atman. I have known myself to be Brahman. I am free. I am perfect. I am independent. I enjoy bliss. I enjoy the bliss of the immortal soul.

I am brimful of perennial joy. A self-effulgent light burns in my heart. I have broken all illusory relationships. Now there is no husband, no wife. Now there is no cousin and no grandfather. It is all one homogeneous essence of bliss only. Now my task is complete.

I am free from doubt. I am free from delusion. Why should I study the scriptures? I rest in my own essential nature. Now, where is the necessity for meditation? I act like any other human being. I bathe, I sleep, I sing, I answer the calls of nature, I work, I write, I walk, I eat and I talk. And yet, I do not perform any action at all.

I am the witness of all these processes. I am identical with Brahman. These acts are not obstructions to me. All these dealings are perfectly harmless. I am not susceptible to viksepa (the disturbance of the equilibrium of the mind).

Where is the necessity for samadhi for me? Viksepa and samadhi are functions of the mind only. I have obliterated the mind. I am continuously experiencing the satisfaction which results from samadhi.

Let people have any opinion of me. Let them glorify me. Let them vilify me. It matters little. "Sivoham. Sivoham. Sivoham. Sivah Kevaloham".
I have risen above ignorance. I have risen above my knowledge of this seeming universe. It is not only escape from misery and grief. I enjoy the joy eternal, the joy unspeakable, the joy supreme, the joy unbounded.
What is this joy that I feel? Who shall measure it? I know nothing but joy limitless and unbounded.

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GUIDE TO SADHAKAS

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

The first thing a spiritual aspirant has to acquire is mastery over the mind. Like a blind man - look at the objects. Like a deaf man - hear sounds. Do not allow the sense experiences to penetrate within.The mind gets fattened on account of its being fed by sense objects. Restrain the senses by the process of pratyahara (abstraction).

Why should you struggle to curb the mind? Its power is far greater than any other power, but it will become your slave if you surrender to the Lord and allow his divine power to work through you. The control of prana (life force) should be the natural and unfailing duty of all spiritually-minded persons. It is the control of prana which paves the way for the non cogitation of all the externals and the conquest of death.

Firmness of practice in the stainless non-dual principle, control of prana and the subjugation of the mind - these three are the paths to realise the meaning of moksa. Out of these three, one should be mastered thoroughly. Then the effects of all three will be obtained as all three are inseparably related to one another.

If the mind and prana cease to exist then thoughts will cease to arise - both of these are one only, like the flower and its fragrance, or a seed and the oil in it. Prana and mind stand to one another in the relationship of supporter and supported. If either of them is slain then the other also will cease to exist. The destruction of both will confer moksa.

Spiritual life begins with repentance. Spiritual life begins with aspiration. Genuine aspiration is the pre-condition of success in leading a spiritual life. Aspiration is indeed the fruit of good actions of the past. Guard your spiritual aspirations very carefully. Increase them through viveka (wisdom), sadvicara (pure enquiry) and satsanga (holy company).
Devotion to God and guru, practice of discipline, regular meditation -these will quickly lead to self-realisation. Selfless work is for the purification of the mind. Self-realisation is brought about by discrimination, dispassion, determination and meditation. He who is faithful to truth and who diligently practises meditation, turning inwards in meditation, is put upon the ultimate path which leads to self realisation.
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TRUE RENUNCIATION

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

The mind is the all in all. Its mastery leads to the renunciation of all. True renunciation is in the abnegation of the mind. It consists in renouncing all desires and egoism, not world existence. Through such mental abnegation you will be able to free yourself from pain. Then will come immortality in life - the enjoyment of the infinite delight of existence free from ego, founded on the oneness of all in Brahman.

Sanyasa (renunciation) is a mental state only. It is gerua (or colouring) of the heart and not of the cloth alone. He is a sanyasi who is free from passion and egoism, who possesses all the satvic qualities, even though he lives with the family and in the world. If you have a stainless mind you are a sanyasi (a renunciate), whether you live in a forest or in a city, whether you wear white cloth or an orange coloured robe, whether you shave your head or keep a long tuft of hair.

Shave the mind. This consists of getting rid of all attachment, passion, egoism, infatuation, lust, greed, anger, etc. Vedanta does not want you to renounce the world; it wants you to change your mental attitude. It wants you to give up this illusory feeling of `I ness' and `mine-ness'.
Mind is a mass of objectified desires. Desire in the mind to eat, has manifested as the tongue, the teeth and the stomach. Desire in the mind to walk has manifested as legs and feet. Control the mind and you control the desires. Eyes can only see. Ears can only hear. Tongue can only taste.
Nose can only smell. Skin can only touch. The five senses are blended in the mind and the mind directly sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels. It does this quite independent of the senses.

Understand clearly the aim of your life. Chalk out the line of work that is congenial to your aim. Then you should work hard to realise that ideal. Have your ideal ever before you and try, every second, to live up to it.

Develop a strong desire to remove carelessness and forgetfulness from your character. Have confidence in your own powers and faculties. Keep your mental poise in the world, without consideration of failure, without consideration of gain or loss, pleasure or pain.Have the mind always rooted in God, amidst all the activities of life.

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FASTING OF THE HEART

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Form the habit of deep introspection. Good aspirants who enter into deep meditation also march forward in sleep. Taking food immoderately or at the wrong time will affect your system and render meditation difficult.

Lead a life of self restraint and back it up with meditation, japa (repetition of God's name), pranayama (yoga breathing) and asanas (postures). Fasting is beneficial. You can meditate well and seriously while fasting. The most significant fast is the fast of the heart - that is, renunciation of desires.

The mind may fall into a state of inactivity and the aspirant thinks he has reached the goal. This is a sad mistake. Divest yourself of anger, greed and attachment to sensual objects and their enjoyments. Be free from `love' and `hate' of others. Divest yourself from all affinities for objects. Follow proper diet, easy posture, purity of mind and body.

If the steps are not steady on the path, do more japa, intensify your vairagya (dispassion), sit in one place and meditate. Serve. Have unshakable faith in the Lord. Cling to the Lord's divine name.Surrender to the divine Lord. Pray to him sincerely. The mind will be powerless. Hand over charge of your body to the Lord and cease to think of it. The Lord is everywhere. He controls everything. He will protect you from all danger.

Rely on the Lord alone. If you put into practise one hundredth of what I say to you, you will surely attain God-realisation now and here.

A great emperor purchased a horse for ten thousand rupees. The horse was restless and no one was able to ride it. Then his son Sikandar said, "Beloved father, I can ride this horse." He sat on the horse and rode it in the direction of the sun. The horse galloped. The emperor was quite astonished. He said, "O Sikandar: How did you manage to ride this horse?" Sikandar replied, "The horse was afraid of his own shadow so I made him run towards the sun." Such is the restless horse mind also. If you turn it towards atman (self) it will be peaceful. If you turn it towards maya (delusion) it will jump and dance.

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TREACHEROUS MIND

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Mind is very treacherous. It will hurl you down into the abyss of ignorance. It will say: "Pitva pitva punar pitva punar janma na vidyate". (Drink, drink again, there is no rebirth). It will say: "Give up sadhana (spiritual practice), you will not gain anything. There is no bliss beyond the senses. The world is real, there is nothing like sensual pleasure, enjoy it to your heart's content."

Hear not this voice of the mind. Swim against the mind-current. Mind is your bitter enemy. Disconnect your self from the mind - stand as its silent witness. Do not become one with the mind and the senses. Practise introspection and self-analysis. Thus will the mind gradually be tamed. It will become your obedient servant.

Sensual pleasures are nectar in the beginning but they are venom in the end. Here is a way to thin out the mind, a way to control it. If the mind says, "Eat eggs and meat", eat only spinach, fruits and milk. If the mind says, "Read novels and newspapers", read only the Gita, the Upanishads and practise karma yoga. If the mind says, "Gamble", practise vigil and do kirtan the whole night.

O truant mind: O mischievous imp: I am tired of giving you admonitions. You are like the shameless son-in law who sits idly in the house of his father in law, eating and drinking, and bearing all the rebukes and broom beatings. It is difficult to control the mind without the grace of the Lord. The prompter of thoughts alone can subjugate this wild mind. My prostrations and adorations to the prompter.

Listen O mind, to this piece of advice. Sink not in the mire of samsara (worldly life), in the perilous ocean of births and deaths. Mix thou not in mundane affairs. Eat not the fruits of pain and sorrow. Take not birth again and again. Wither not thyself in wicked deeds. Is not eternal bliss thy quest? Commune with the Lord of bliss now. Forget the body and its connections and rest peacefully in blissful joy. Abide in thy supreme abode. Now there will be an end of birth.

Desire not name, fame, prestige, position, title, honour, rank. Care not, O mind, for earthly affection, love and kind words, respect, nice clothes and dainty dishes, the company of damsels and their talk. Remain steadfast. Gaze on the Lord dwelling in the cave of thy heart - He who is thy refuge, thy solace, source and centre, the witness and the abode, the Lord and dissolution.
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CURE FOR MENTAL DEFECTS

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

There are three defects of the mind. They are: impurity, tossing of the mind, and the veil of ignorance. The mind is tossed about among objects of love and hatred like a light feather in a stormy wind. It whirls far and wide among sensual objects, far away from the association of the wise. It is like a strolling city dog. This baneful mind whirls at the sight of immense wealth and it follows its mate, desire, and ever preys upon ignorant worldlings as it would on a carcass.

The mind is characterised by excessive fluctuation. It is fluctuating and confused. It rejoices in vain. It is intoxicated with egoism. Through this fluctuation the mind becomes a prey to fear. Remove these three dosa (defects).

To do this you should study the mind. Analyse the mind. Purify the mind. Dissolve the mind in God, by constant and intense thinking about God. Practise the sadhana (endeavour) of destruction of the mind. Rise above deceptions of the mind. Rise above the temptations of the mind. This is your duty. You are born for this only. All other duties are self-imposed, self-created through ignorance.

Mind is made pure through true, pure and virtuous actions, by constant association with the wise. Mantra, repeated with the right feeling, produces a wonderful effect on the mind. Right thinking, noble emotions, prayers, regular and strenuous meditation are the means to improve the mind.

As a result of purification of the mind, the mind becomes more sensitive. It is easily disturbed by sound or shock. It feels any pressure acutely. The aspirant must be sensitive and yet have the body and nerves completely under his control. He must get over this sensitivity.

O mind, you cannot be my friend now - I know your worth and nature. Till now I was deluded by your tricks. But now we move in diametrically opposite poles. You want fleeting sensual pleasure from objects. I want immortal bliss of the soul inside. You are ever restless and worried. I am peaceful and tranquil. You are full of passion, fear and attachment. I am dispassionate, fearless and unattached. You want woman, wealth, property. I am full of renunciation. We cannot agree at all. Therefore leave me quickly and quietly. Goodbye, friend.
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DISCIPLINE OF THE MIND

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

You must have a pure mind if you want to realise the self. Unless the mind is free and it casts away all desires, cravings, worries, delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it cannot enter into the domain of supreme peace and unalloyed felicity, the immortal abode.

A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man, cannot practise meditation. He who has controlled the tongue and other organs, who has an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in moderation, who has destroyed selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practise meditation and attain success in samadhi (superconsciousness).

You cannot enjoy peace of mind, you cannot practise meditation if there is viksepa in your mind. Viksepa is tossing of mind. Viksepa is rajas (passion); viksepa and desires co exist in the mind. If you really want to destroy viksepa, you must destroy all mundane cravings through dispassion and self-surrender to the Lord.

If you apply fire to green wood, it will not burn; if you apply fire to a piece of dried wood, it will at once catch fire and burn. Even so, those who have not purified their minds will not be able to start the fire of meditation. They will be sleeping or dreaming building castles in the air - when they sit for meditation.

But those who have removed the impurities of the mind by japa (repetition of God's name), service, charity, pranayama (yoga breathing) etc., will enter into deep meditation as soon as they sit for meditation. The pure ripe mind will at once burn with the fire of meditation.

Clarify your idea again and again. Think clearly. Have deep concentration and right thinking. Introspect in solitude. Purify your thoughts. Still the thoughts. Silence the bubbling mind. Allow one thought wave only to rise from the mind and settle down calmly. Then allow another thought to enter. Drive off all extraneous thoughts that have nothing to do with the subject matter on hand. An efficient control over thoughts, through long practice, is a great help in meditation.

Watch every thought very carefully. Shut out all useless thoughts from the mind. Your life must tally with your meditation. You keep up your meditation during work also. Do not give new strength to evil thoughts by constantly thinking. Restrain them. Substitute sublime thoughts.

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HOW TO CULTIVATE RIGHT THINKING

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Every thought has an image, form, dimension, weight, shape, colour, etc. Thought is as much matter as a piece of stone. A table is a mental image plus some external something. Whatever you see outside has a counterpart in the mind. The pupil is a small round thing in the eye and the retina is another small structure in the eye. How is it that the image of a big mountain, seen through that small aperture, is cast onto the mind? How does the big form of the mountain enter a tiny hole in the eye? This is a marvel of marvels.The image of the mountain already exists in the mind. The mind is like a big, vast sheet of canvas cloth that contains all the pictures of the objects seen outside.

Thought moves and passes from one man to another. Thought readily influences people. A man with strong thoughts can readily influence people with weak thought. Telepathy is a branch of occult science wherein the yogi can transmit messages to any man in any part of the world.

A thought of anger or hatred sends arrows from the mental factory towards the person aimed at. It harms the individual, sets up discord and disharmony in the thought world and comes back again to the sender and harms him also. If one can understand the effect and power of thought, he will be more careful in the manufacture of his thoughts in his mental laboratory.

Develop the faculty of producing only satvic (pure) thoughts by protracted mental discipline, dietetic adjustments, repetition of good hymns with meaning, good company, the study of divine books, japa (repetition of God's name), meditation, pranayama (yoga breathing), prayer, etc. A good man can help his friend, even though he lives a long way away, by good thoughts alone. Do not allow evil thoughts to enter your mental factory. Always watch your thoughts. Avoid useless thinking. Conserve your mental energy.

To cultivate sublime thoughts always keep yourself occupied in doing virtuous deeds and in the study of religious books. Destroy random thinking. Think of only one subject and its different aspects. When you do this never allow any other thought to enter the conscious mind. Again and again withdraw the mind to the subject on hand. Then take up another thought when you have exhausted the previous one.

By this practice you will develop organised thinking. The mental images will gain intense strength and force; they will become clear cut and well defined. In ordinary persons the mental images are undefined.

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HOW IMPRESSIONS ARE FORMED

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

An experience in the sense plane sinks into the depths of the subconscious mind. There it becomes a samskara (an impression). The impression of an experience is formed in the citta (subconscious mind), at the very moment that the mind experiences it. There is no gap between the present experience and the formation of the samskara in the subconscious mind.
One specific experience leaves one specific samskara and the memory of this specific experience springs from that particular samskara only, which was formed out of that particular experience.

When you first perceive an orange and taste it, you get knowledge of an orange. A samskara is formed in the subconscious mind at once. At any time this samskara can generate a memory of the object, the orange, and knowledge of the orange. Though the object and the act of knowing are distinguishable, yet they are inseparable.

Samskara is also known as `residual potency'. When all vrttis or thoughts die away, the frame of the mind remains with the samskaras. This is termed the `potential mind'. All samskaras co-exist in the mind. Vrttis slowly subside, leaving traces in the mind. These traces are samskaras. From them springs memory.

If you have yogic vision, you can vividly notice the marvels that take place in the mental factory of an individual. You can see how the vrtti arises in the mind-lake. You can see how it subsides. And you can see how a samskara is formed. You will be struck with wonder. Samskaras are like forces - they either aid or inhibit one another.

The sum total of all samskaras is known as karmasaya (receptacle of works) and this is called sancita karma (accumulated works). When a man leaves the physical body he carries with him his astral body of seventeen tatvas (elements) and the karmasaya, to the mental plane. Karmasaya is burnt in toto by the highest knowledge, obtained through asamprajnata samadhi (the non-dual superconscious state).

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UTILISE THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

The mental processes are not limited to the field of consciousness alone. The field of subconscious mentation is of a much greater extent than that of conscious mentation. Messages when ready, come out like a flash from the subconscious mind to the surface of the conscious mind, through the trap-door in the subconscious mind. Only ten per cent of the mental activities come into the field of consciousness. At least ninety per cent of our mental life is subconscious.

We sit and try to solve a problem. We fail. We look around. We try again and again but we fail. Suddenly the idea dawns that leads to the solution of the problem. The subconscious processes were at work. The subconscious mind is your constant companion and sincere friend. Even in sleep it works without rest. It arranges, classifies, compares, sorts the facts and figures and works out a satisfactory solution.

With the help of your subconscious mind you can change your vicious nature. By cultivating healthy, virtuous qualities you can overcome the vicious nature. If you want to overcome fear, mentally deny that you have fear. Concentrate your attention on the opposite quality, the ideal of courage. When courage is developed, fear vanishes by itself. Positive overpowers negative. You can establish new habits, new ideas, new tastes and new character in the subconscious mind, just by changing the old ones.

All actions, enjoyments and experiences leave their impressions in the subconscious mind, in the form of subtle impressions or residual potencies. Samskaras are the root cause for life and the experience of pleasure and pain. Revival of samskaras induces memory. The yogi dives deep inside and comes in direct contact with these samskaras. He directly perceives them through inner yogic vision. When you desire to remember something you have to exert. You have to go down to the depths of the subconsciousness and then pick up the right thing from a curious mixture of multifarious, irrelevant matter.

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EASY PATH TO GOD-REALISATION
BY SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
Chapter I, 6-10

Swami Versus Maharaja
"O Venerable Swami! I am a Ruling Chief in the Punjab. I spend somemonths every year in the Alpine regions and continental Springs. Ialways go about in a magnificent car. I eat dainties. I move withEarls and Barons. The Senior and the Junior Maharanis serve me.Certainly I am more happy than you." "O Rajan! But can you smile likeme? You are full of worries, anxieties and cares. There is no realfreedom for you."

"Yes, Swamiji, I cannot smile like you, though Ipossess everything. I am tormented within in one way or the other.

This is true." "Then, O Chief, what is the earthly use of your money,continental trips, Maharanis, cars and retinue?" "Revered Sir, makeme smile like you. What is the secret?" "Renounce egoism and desires.Realise Atman. You can always smile like me."

The fear that you get in dreams by seeing a tiger or a cobradisappears only when you are awake. Even so, the pain, misery,sorrow, grief, etc., of this mundane life will only vanish when youget Brahma Jnana.

Are you not ashamed to repeat day by day the same process of eating,drinking, talking and sleeping? You are proud of your titles. Haveyou improved your life even a bit? What lessons have you learnt fromthe Bihar and Quetta earthquakes? Are you attempting to reach thatimperishable seat wherein all desires and Trishnas are completelyeradicated? Are you endeavouring to attain that highest end of life—Atmic realisation—which gives immortality, eternal bliss and infinitepeace? You are not crawling now. You have learnt to stand up andwalk. You can think, reason out, judge, infer and ratiocinate. Willyou utilise this precious life in meditation on Atman and in Selfrealisation? Will you give me a definite word of promise to thiseffect? Brother, speak the truth, climb up the ladder of Yoga anddrink the nectar of immortality. Will you?

Sages' Words
Sages compare a worldly minded man to a street dog, or a pig thateats filth, or a worm that revels in filth. The comparison is veryapt indeed!
Just as a nail cannot enter into a stone, however hard you may try todrive it in with a hammer, so also religious ideas, talks of God,cannot enter the minds of the worldly minded, however lucidly you mayexplain them with stories, analogies, similes and parables. They havesin hardened hearts which are very difficult to be pierced through.But lustful thoughts can flow through their minds like the current ofKali river.

The worldly objects, cannot give you peace of mind. Renounce theworldly joys and sorrows, its pleasures and temptations. Seek forsomething higher and nobler than the objects of senses—the eternalbliss of the Self—while remaining in the world.

Whatever a sage may say is medicine to the worldly minded persons whoneed medication for their impiety and worldliness. Therefore, O man,hear his instructions with rapt attention and put them in dailypractice.

Seers of truth, sages and Rishis declare boldly on account of theirSelf realisation: "Do not run after objects. Get Viveka, Vairagya.Renounce the worldly objects. They are sources of misery. RealiseAtman. You will get eternal, infinite Bliss and Immortality."

Lead a life of austerity and meditation. This world is nothing. Allobjects of this world are worthless, because they are transient,ephemeral and perishable. Understand the nature of the soul and itsrelationship to God.

The thinking faculty is present only in human beings. Man only canreason, reflect and form judgements. It is man only who can compareand contrast, who can think of pros and cons and who can drawinferences and conclusions. That is the reason why he alone is ableto attain God consciousness. That man who simply eats and drinks andwho does not exercise his mental faculty in Self realisation is abrute only. Fie on such a miserable wretch who is clinging toillusory things of the universe and who is a slayer of Atman. Heverily commits suicide.

O worldly minded persons! Wake up from the sleep of Ajnana. Open youreyes. Stand up to acquire knowledge of Atman. Approach the BrahmaNishta Guru. Get sleepless sleep (Samadhi). Drown yourself in Atman.

A worldly minded man has two standards of living viz., stomach andpocket. He tries to fill his pocket with money by hook or crook andfills his stomach daily with all sorts of things. This is his goal.An aspirant also has two standards of living viz., renunciation and meditation. He keeps a few things only for the bare maintenance of his body and gives the rest to others. He spends his time in meditation. The former lives in vain and wastes his life while the latter leads a glorious life of divinity and enjoys the eternal bliss of Soul.

A worldly man kills himself by clinging to things unreal. That manwho does not struggle for attaining Self realisation although hepossesses knowledge of the scriptures, human body, youth, energy andother conveniences, verily commits suicide. His lot is verymiserable. What greater fool is there than this man who neglects toreach the goal of life? That man who does not care to make enquiryof "Who am I? What is the goal? How to attain the goal" is really afool although he is endowed with high secular knowledge.

Imagine for a moment that your skin and flesh are inverted andexposed. Then you will have to stand always with a strong mountainstick to drive off vultures, crows and jackals. Why do you have Moha(infatuated love) for this dirty body? Why do you apply scents? Areyou not a big fool? Get Jnana. You are Atman, ever pure and effulgent.

You will find in the Bible: "Man shall not live by bread alone but bythe Spirit." Life in matter is utter darkness. Life in the Spirit isglorious sunshine. Think not of the body. Think little of bread. Thenyou can think more of the spirit. Then you can have a rich, expanded,undecaying life.

Way to Liberation
It is bondage when you are attached to your wife, son, property, orbody, when you take this body as the pure Self. It is liberation whenyou are not attached to any object of this world, when you identifyyourself with the pure, immortal Atman.

To do the work of a beast, even though you are born as a man, issimply ridiculous and disgraceful.

You think of your body, food, wife, son, friend, etc., but you do notturn your mind inward to find out what lies within yourself. Youthink that your body—this bundle of flesh and bones—is real and onthis basis you build the whole citadel of life's ambition andactivity. You have mistaken the shadow for the substance. You arecontented with superficial things.

Though you are endowed with thepower of thought, yet you do not wish to utilise this power in thequest of immortal Self. You have abandoned the precious jewel ofAtman and caught hold of a broken glass piece. Is this not a foolishact? You will weep in your old age.

This body is the first Mayaic knot or tie. Wife is the second knotround the neck. Son is the third knot round the waist. Daughter isthe fourth knot round the knee. Grandson is the fifth knot round theankle. He who has cut asunder these knots or ties and who has no Mohais really a strong and powerful man (Dheera)—and not one who canallow a motor car to pass on his chest or who has first classmagisterial powers or who has a double barelled gun or who is amember of the Council or Assembly or Parliament.

O Nectar's Son! Enough of this mundane life. Enough of this life ofpassion on this earth plane. You have spent your whole life, energyand time in obtaining material wealth and power, name and fame. Allyour efforts have gone in vain. All your wealth is a broken shellonly, when compared to the inexhaustible supreme wealth of Atman.Obtain this priceless spiritual wealth. Give up this vain selfishstruggle. Too long you have walked: with passionate eyes in thisuniverse. Give up the lustful look.

Meditate. Look within now. Beholdthe marvellous Self and be free.
O man! Develop dispassion and discrimination. Cultivate virtues. Movein the company of illumined sages. Get spiritual instructions fromthem. Serve them. Meditate on Atman and attain Self realisation. Thenalone you can become a spiritual Bahadur of Bahadurs; a leadingspiritual citizen of the world, an Emperor of emperors.

If you are very rich you can have a steamer, a train, an airship, ofyour own for your own selfish enjoyment. But you cannot have an Atmanof your own. Atman is common to all. It is not an individual's soleregistered property. Even a peasant, a barber, an outcaste or Dalithas Atman.

A man drinks wine and falls into the gutter. If you ask him thefollowing morning, "Why did you drink so much last evening? You fellin the gutter," he will reply, "I was under intoxication of liquor. Idid not know anything." Even so, when a man is intoxicated with thepride of wealth or the wine of worldliness he does not know what heis exactly doing. He is like the drunkard who fell in the gutter. Thebest remedy, which can remove this intoxication caused byworldliness, is Satsanga or association with the wise.

Man is the slave of wealth, but wealth is not one's slave. If youwant to attain the supreme, inexhaustible spiritual wealth of Atman,do not become a slave of wealth. Relinquish it and become a master.If you earn money by the sweat of your brow, you can never grow rich.Wealth cannot be acquired without committing sin. It will not be ofany use to you after your death. Artha (wealth) is Anartha (evil). Toearn money is painful. To preserve it is painful. To lose it ispainful. If it decreases, it is also painful. Wealth is the sourcefor all sorts of pains.

Insure your life with God. Depend upon Him alone. All other Insurancecompanies will fail but this Divine Company will never fail. You neednot pay premium to this divine company. You will have to love Godonly. You will have to give Him your heart only.

Why do you depend upon these false nerves and senses, which breakdown at any moment for your happiness? Seek deep abiding joy, eternalhappiness, and uninterrupted bliss, in your own Self within, throughconstant and unbroken meditation. Rise up. Stand up. Wake up. Exert.Reach the goal right now.

If ignorance, poverty and disease are not found here, this world is averitable heaven.

Nobody has been benefited in this world by this Maya. People weep inthe end. Ask any grown up householder whether he has got an iota ofhappiness in this world.

This world is full of contradictions. That, which brings on shame tothe good, gives pleasure to the wicked.

The worldly minded persons never come to their proper senses althoughthey get severe knocks, kicks and blows from different corners. Thestrolling street dog stops visiting the houses, even though peltedwith stones daily.

Kali (Adharma or unrighteousness) resides in places of gambling,drink, prostitution, butchery, in gold, in markets, and battlefieldsand in places where four people sit together and engage themselves inidle talks and scandal mongering.

Sudden disappointments, and successes in life are not a result ofblind chance. Everything runs in the world on well established laws.The law of cause and effect operates everywhere.

Different people meet with different sorts of difficulties. If one issuffering from headache, the other is crying on account of severepain in his ear. If one is worried because of the untimely death ofhis son, the other is dejected on account of heavy loss in business.

The world is a great teacher. The five elements are your Gurus. Bylearning many bitter lessons you will grow stronger and wiser.
Delusion and grief will affect the ignorant, worldly minded men butnot he who has Jnana, who sees oneness everywhere. The whole tree ofSamsara with its seed is totally up rooted when one gets BrahmaJnana, knowledge of the Self.

To the Viveki the whole world appears as a ball of fire though thereare the so called charming scenery of Mayaic illusion. To the Vivekithe whole world appears as a huge furnace wherein all livingcreatures are being roasted.

Those people who are not serious and earnest about their devotionalpractices have lost this world at this end and God at the other end.They are hanging in the air with heads downwards like Trisanku.Miserable specimens! Pitiable indeed is their lot!

Why do you weep, my friend? Thou art Rama. Thou art Krishna. Thou artSiva. Thou art Atman. Thou art Brahman. Thou art Truth: "Tat TvamAsi". Thou art that, my dear friend!

The Pinnacle of Glory
Verily there is a realm, O Ram! Where there is neither sorrow norgrief, neither solid nor liquid, neither matter nor energy, neithersleep nor waking, neither eating nor drinking, neither resting norworking, neither seeing nor hearing. This is the abode of Nirvanicbliss or eternal peace. Reach this abode by purifying the mind andremoving the veil of ignorance through constant meditation on theSelf.

I live to serve you all. I live to make you all happy and wise. Ilive to help you in tearing the veil of ignorance. I live to makeyour path easier and smoother.

Instead of weeping over the famine, the ploughman should ever beploughing. All on a sudden rain will come, he will have an abundantharvest or a bumper crop. Even so, you must ever be up and doing. Alldifficulties and unfavourable circumstances will pass away like arent autumnal cloud. You will have a rich spiritual harvest ofeternal peace and perennial joy.

Roar OM OM OM—Ram Ram Ram and come out of the cage of flesh, my dearSushil!

The search for the highest truth, a little meditation on the Self inthe early morning hours, a well regulated life, a remembrance of theimmortal nature of the soul and an attempt to feel that you are theall pervading Self in your private and public life will give abalance and rhythm to your life and inner spiritual strength andcourage.

The strong raft of knowledge of the Self will take you safely overthe stormy waves of this great ocean of Samsara. You will not beaffected by even the worst kind of adversities and sorrows. Thereforestruggle hard to attain this knowledge. Disseminate this wisdom ofthe Rishis and bear witness to it in daily life.

"Remove selfishness and egoism. Calm the passions. Purify the heart.Analyse your thoughts. Scrutinise your motives. Cleanse the dross ofimpurity. Realise God." This has been the one burden of the preachingof all prophets, seers and sages of all times. Read the teachings ofBuddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Confucius, Shinto, Chaitanya, Sankara or anyother prophet. This, the essence of Self purification, is your chiefduty. That is the way to God.

Just as fruit is hidden in the seed, butter in milk, virility inboyhood, so also various Saktis remain latent in man. If you purifyyour mind and practise concentration, and meditation, all thesepowers will shine forth.
Constantly hammer the mind with this idea: "I am diseaseless, allhealth, Immortal Atman—OM OM OM." Meditate on the above formula for10 minutes morning and evening. This is the best in this world forall ailments. This will form your meditation also.

This great self luminous, immortal, fearless, unborn, undecaying selfis Brahman. Search Him. Try to understand Him. Practise wisdom.Realise and be free.

The nectar of Immortality is gushing. Purify. Concentrate. Dive deepinto the chambers of your heart and drink it to your heart's content.It will quench the fire of Samsara. It will make you immortal.

Karma produces your future births. Karma is the root of all yourmiseries. Karma is supreme. Karma rules your destiny. But there aremeans by which Karma may be made inefficacious. The fruit bearingpotencies of Karma can be burnt by getting knowledge of the Selfthrough destruction of desires and annihilation of this little `I'and the mind.

All creatures have come out of God. They go back to Him alone duringdissolution. The whole world is the body of the Lord. How can youhurt or dislike another man or any creature on the surface of theearth when you have taken God as the object of adoration and love?How can you be selfish? Can you eat all mangoes of your gardenyourself alone?
You do not consider others' pains as your own. Therefore you have nocompassion or mercy. You have no complacence (Mudita). Therefore youdo not rejoice at another's virtue. You have no contentment. There isburning in your heart. You do not consider other's happiness as yourown. Therefore you are uneasy. You have no indifference to thevicious actions of wicked people. Therefore you are troubled. Thereis nothing but your own Self in this universe. All bodies are yours.

All hands are yours. This whole world is your body. All names andforms are yours. Do not separate yourself from the world. Unite.Expand. Mix. Feel oneness and unity. You will enjoy boundless joy andlimitless bliss.
Exert. Shake off lethargy and faint heartedness. Show manlyfortitude. Yield not to impotence. Be lion hearted. You will getsuccess in every attempt. You will prosper gloriously in the physicaland spiritual planes.

The present state of affairs is not favourable for business. Thepride of things has risen very high but this is the best time fordoing better business with God. You can do more prayer, meditation,Japa and study of Gita and Upanishads, as you have more leisure now.This is very profitable as spiritual wealth is imperishable andinexhaustible, so there is no loss. On the contrary, there is immensegain. God's ways are mysterious.

Aspire ceaselessly to live in the Divine. Strive ceaselessly torealise the truth. Practise regular meditation in the Brahmamuhurta.Work untiringly for the good of others. Think constantly of theimmortal, all blissful Self. You will reach the goal quickly andassuredly.

Why have you taken this body? What is the goal of your life? Enquire.Fulfil your mission. Unfold the Divinity that is lurking in thechambers of your heart.

If you think, "I will take a bath when all the waves of the seasubside" this is not possible. The waves will never subside and youwill never take a bath. Even so if you think, "I will start spiritualSadhana or meditation when all my cares, worries and anxieties cease,when all my sons are fixed up in life, when I have ample leisureafter retirement." This is not possible.

You will not be able to siteven for half an hour when you become old. You will have no strengthto do any rigorous Tapas when you are in advanced senility. You muststart vigorous spiritual practices when you are young, whatever yourconditions, circumstances and environments may be. Then only you willreap a rich spiritual harvest when you become old. You will enjoy theeverlasting peace of the Eternal.

Should we not try therefore to attain something more satisfying andeternally lasting? Or should we be content to lead a life of slaveryand bondage obeying the impulses of our physical nature? Thisquestion will ultimately rise in everybody's heart. No one can evadeit. Every one must answer this question. It is the starting point ofall religions.

Man soon gets tired of sensual objects on account of theirtransitory, illusory and perishable nature. He finds monotony inthem. He finds that they are hollow and mixed with pain, fear andsin. He retraces his footsteps to his original sweet home, theimmortal abode of Brahman. He no longer wanders about hither andthither. He sits quiet in a solitary place and shuts the doors orgateways of the senses, practises Pratyahara (abstraction of thesenses). He disconnects the mind from the senses and the objects. Hestops the waves of the mind through the practice of Raja Yoga. Hecontrols the movement of the breath, through the practice ofPranayama. He kills egoism, Vasanas, thoughts likes and dislikes.

He reflects and meditates on the true nature of the supreme Self andeventually reaches the Param Dhama or the Self effulgent Brahmicseat. Now only he enjoys supreme peace and eternal bliss, unalloyedfelicity and perennial joy. He attains immortality. He never comesback to this world of death, sorrow, pain and pairs of opposites.

The final aim of the spirit is complete eradication of the threekinds of pain. This is according to the Sankhya philosophy. TheVedantins hold that emancipation consists in the merging of theindividual soul into the Supreme Soul. The Vaiseshikas hold thatliberation consists in the entire cessation of pain. PatanjaliMaharshi holds that Kaivalya or perfect independence consists in therecession to their origin of the Gunas, void of the motive to act forthe Purusha or the abidance of the soul in its own essence.

That man who does not strive to attain Self realisation but whostruggles selfishly for the attainment of perishable objects is adead man even while living. Pitiable is his lot. Your present life isdetermined by your actions in the past life. The future will bedetermined by your action in the present life.

There at the summit of the hill of eternal bliss you can see now theJivanmukta or full blown Yogi. He has climbed the stupendous heightsthrough intense and constant struggle. He did severe, rigorousspiritual Sadhana. He did profound Nididhyasana (meditation). Hespent sleepless nights. He kept long vigils on several days. Hegradually ascended the steps one by one. He took rest in the severalhalting stages. He persevered with patience and diligence. Hesurmounted many obstacles. He conquered despair, gloom, depression.

He is a beacon light to the world now. Remember that he was alsorotting in those days in the quagmire of Samsara like yourself. Youcan also ascend to that summit if you will.

Where there is a will, there is a way. Self realisation is a questionof supply and demand. Do you really want God? If there is a demandfor god, the supply will come. You have wasted the day. Will youwaste the night also? The world is a fair for two days. The life is aplay for two minutes.

Not Curiosity But Aspiration Is Needed

Some people have curiosity for the spiritual life. They have no realthirsting for liberation. They think that they will get certainpowers or Siddhis if they do some Yogic practices. When they do notattain the powers, they lose patience and give up the practices,abandon the spiritual path and pooh poohs the Yogis and Yoga. Merecuriosity will not help you to attain any spiritual progress.

Curiosity mongering is more abominable than mischief mongering.Introspect. Analyse your thoughts and find out whether you have realspiritual hunger or mere curiosity mongering. Transmute curiositymongering into real thirsting for salvation by constant Satsanga,study of good religious books, prayer, Japa and meditation.

Lord Buddha had Viveka (discrimination) from his very boyhood. Buddhawas one who had been profoundly impressed from his early youth by thetransient and impermanent nature of all conditions of worldlyexistence and by the sufferings and wretchedness in which he saw allbeings immersed.

You have learnt many lessons in the mysterious world. Now you willhave to live wisely. You have gained more wisdom now.

Renouncingattachment, living like the lotus leaf on water, abandoning Vasanasand egoism, you will have to act your part well in this world drama.That stage of life in which dispassion and discrimination have dawnedis the best part of life. Utilise this stage of life well. Be bold.Be cheerful. Be happy. No room for lamentation or despair. Never getdisgusted with life. Get disgusted with worldliness. Live wisely andhappily. Stand as a witness of this grand show kept up by Maya andrejoice in the Self within.

Brother, courage is thy birthright and not fear. Peace is thy divineheritage but not restlessness. Immortality is thy birthright, notmortality. Strength but not weakness, health but not disease, blissbut not sorrow, knowledge but not ignorance.

O dear Ram! Remember you are only a pilgrim here. This world is apublic inn only. Your permanent abode is Atman or the Self. Finishyour pilgrimage quickly by doing rigorous Tapas and meditation andreach your original abode of immortality, everlasting bliss andpeace, in this very birth.

O weary pilgrim in this terrible forest of dire Samsara! Take refugein Ram. Ram is thy sole refuge and support. There is no real friendof thine in this world. Do not be deluded by the false, glitteringsensual objects. They are worthless. They are perishable. Wake upfrom thy deep slumber of ignorance. Start upon thy journey. Makehaste. Be quick. Days and nights, months and years are passing away.

O weary pilgrim along the great road of life! Be cautious andvigilant. Do not faint and fall in the dust owing to the feverishexcitement of mundane life and intoxication of wealth and power. Donot pass by the crooked lanes and reach some illusive goal. Marchboldly in the straight path of truth and righteousness. Take restunder the cool and refreshing shade of contentment, dispassion,discrimination and eternal wisdom and reach the city of deathlessnessor domain of eternal life.

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CHANGE YOUR HABITS

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Mind is a bundle of habits. Bad habits and prejudices, hidden in one's nature, will be brought to the surface of the mind when the opportunity comes. If you change the habits you can also change your character. You sow a habit and reap a character. You sow a character and reap a destiny.

Habits originate in the conscious mind but when they become established, by constant repetition, they sink into the unconscious mind and become our `second nature'. Habit can however be changed by a new, healthy, agreeable habit, of a stronger nature. At present you are thinking, "I am the body". Think, "I am Brahman". In the course of time you will be established in Brahmic consciousness.

Do not be a slave to one idea. Whenever you get new, healthy ideas, the old ones must be given up. In the mind there is an internal fight ever going on between `nature' and `will', between the old, worldly habits and the new, spiritual habits.

In the case of aspirants, the fight is between the old samskaras of the sensual world and new, spiritual samskaras. It is a fight between the good impressions of the past and bad impressions of the past. It is a fight between viveka (wisdom) and instinctive mind and indriyas (senses).

Eventually - will, which is pure, strong and irresistible, is bound to succeed. There is no doubt about this. As your reason grows and you become wiser and wiser - by study, by contact with the wise and by meditation - your mind must be well prepared to take up new, healthy, rational ideas and eschew the old, morbid ones.

Mind is your tool. When emotions arise, separate them, study them, analyse them - but do not identify yourself with them. Master your impulses, emotions and moods. Rise from the position of slave to that of a spiritual king.

Just as the repetition of a thought or action leads to perfection, so also does the recurrence of the same process, or the same idea, lead to the perfection of abstraction, concentration and meditation.

Give your full mind to God. Only then will you have realisation. Even if one ray of the mind runs outside, it is impossible to attain God-consciousness. You cannot enjoy peace of mind, you cannot practise meditation, if there is tossing of the mind. Destroy mundane desires through dispassion and surrender to the Lord.

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MENTAL FACTORY

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

Now I will take you to the most wonderful mental factory. It is very close to you; it is a wonder of wonders. Even a rank materialist, if he is very sincere, will be turned into a perfect theist, instantly, if he closes his eyes for a moment and seriously reflects on the working of this marvellous factory. The Kena Upanishad opens with the following lines: "Who is the director of this mind? Who gives light and power to this mind?" It goes on "Brahman is the mind of minds, the prana (life) of pranas, the eye of eyes, the ear of ears."

What a bold philosophy. At once it raises man to an unerring solution for all the different problems of life. The four mahavakyas (great utterances): "Prajnanam brahma" (consciousness is the absolute); "aham brahma asmi" (I am the absolute); "tat twam asi" (that thou art); "ayam atma brahma" (the self is the absolute), infuse power and joy into the hearts of all hearers. They produce drastic changes in your life. Then you will laugh at the vain pomp, the empty glory and the artificial and miserable life of a rich man.

The eyes and the ears are the gatekeepers of this mental factory they are the `way in' and mouth is the `way out'. Eyes and ears bring inside the mental factory matters for manufacture. Light and sound vibrations are brought inside through these two avenues.

First of all they are made into `percepts' by the mind. They are then presented to the intellect. The intellect converts these `percepts' into `concepts' or ideas. These ideas are expressed by the outside gatekeeper, the organ of speech.

The external physical eyes and ears are mere instruments. But the real visual and auditory centres are in the brain and in the astral body - these are the real senses. Understand this point well. The intellect receives these materials from the mind and presents them to the purusa or atman (the self), who is behind the screen.

The mind is the head clerk of this mental factory. He has ten clerks, the five jnana indriyas (senses) to bring news from the facts outside. The facts are placed by the mind before the intellect, who places them before the purusa (inner self). A message comes back from the purusa to the buddhi (intellect). Buddhi decides and determines, and then gives the answer back to the mind, for execution. The five karma indriyas (organs of speech, hands, feet, genitals and anus) execute the order of the mind who is their master.

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THE SECRET OF YOGA SADHANA

SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

I solemnly affirm that the disease of birth and death can be removed only through the divine panacea of mind mastery; not through any other means. The path of annihilation of the mind will be most beneficial to you and will never generate the least of pains. If the mind is destroyed by dint of discrimination, then maya (illusion) will not afflict you. There is no other vessel on this earth to sail the ocean of rebirth, than mastery of this turbulent mind.

Tame the mind. Collect your thoughts. Keep the mind serene. Think not of evil. You will enter the realm of deathlessness, dominion of eternal bliss. Withdraw the senses from their objects. Collect the rays of the mind. Direct the mind towards the ajna cakra (or the space between the eyebrows) and fix it there steadily.

Understand the mind; know how to manage it. Mind abhors a vacuum. Aversion and desire, both are binding - two monkeys sitting on the tree of the heart. While they continue to shake and agitate it there can be no peace.

Man falls into the cycle of births and deaths through his own thoughts, his own ignorance. Liberation means nothing but the destruction of the impurities of the mind. If your mind is free and pure, you will not again enter into birth.

Control of the mind is not done in a day but by constant practice and sustained dispassion. Victory will be yours. Become a true hero. Have mastery over the mind. Enter the illimitable realms of bliss. Blessed is he who has controlled his mind and achieved self conquest.

Dispassion, discrimination, renunciation and meditation are enemies of the mind. You can destroy the mind easily, if you possess these virtues. The mind manifests itself as the external world in the shape of pain and pleasure. The mind subjectively is consciousness, while objectively it is this universe. The mind has the potency of creating or undoing the world in the twinkling of an eye.

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EASY PATH TO GOD-REALISATION
BY SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

CHAPTER I
TO THE WORLDLY MINDED

Nature of the World

This world is a play of colours and sounds. This sense-universe is a play of nerves. It is a false show kept up by the jugglery of Maya, mind and senses. You enjoy the sensual pleasures for a period of twenty years when the senses are strong. What is this short evanescent period of twenty years in eternity? What is this despicable, jarring, monotonous sensual life when compared with the eternal and peaceful life in the immortal Self within?

Worldly life is chaotic and fragmentary. It is full of noise, troubles, unrest, agitation and tribulations. A worldly man is a spiritual bankrupt, though he may be a very wealthy and extremely intelligent man, though he may hold a very high position, rank or status in society. Spiritual wealth is the real inexhaustible wealth. Spiritual knowledge is the real knowledge. Spiritual life is the real life. A full blown Yogi is the real Emperor of the whole world.

An ordinary worldly man is sunk deep in the terrible abyss of ignorance. He does not know what he is exactly doing. He is under intoxication of lust and gold. But he thinks, "I am a very wise man. I know much better than anybody else." This is delusion due to the influence of Avidya or Maya. He who knows his own Self is really a wise man.

You are helpless when you are a baby. You are also helpless when you are seriously ailing. You are helpless when you become old also. Why then do you boast of your ability, capacity, independence and freedom? Why are you proud and egoistic? Transcend the body and mind and realise the immortal Self. Then only you can be really strong, independent and free. Rise above delusion and illusion through discrimination, self analysis and enquiry of "Who am I"?

Man is pleased with the past. He is always discontented with the present. He hopes for the future. This is human nature. This is life on the earth plane. A sage who has gone beyond time is ever happy and rests in his own All blissful eternal Self wherein there is neither past nor present nor future.

A "True" Story
One moonlit night after supper, young Soni pressed his mother Kamalaji to tell him a very interesting story. Kamala caressed young Soni with motherly affection and began to narrate the following story:Once upon a time in the city of Kalinga there was a famous and renowned printing press called Noman's Press. Mr. Noman was its sole proprietor. The capital invested for the starting of the Press was zero crores of rupees.
The press was equipped with types of different fonts and had very beautiful faces which were all made of superior molten clay. Thus the type foundry section of the press stood unrivalled for its production. The ink used for printing was pure aqua mixed with lime.There were a number of machines well fitted with up to date mechanism. They were all manufactured out of strong cast bamboo sticks well burnt to ashes. The compositors, proof readers and other staff of the Press were, without exception, all blind.

Equipped with such up to date and well organised machinery and staff, the press earned a good will and fame which reached the three worlds, earth, heaven and the nether world. The proprietor Mr. Noman became even wealthier than Kubera, the Lord of wealth. Even the gods envied his wealth and prosperity. Lacs and crores of books with 000,000,000 pages were printed in this press daily. Every sheet of paper of the book had only one side. The press flourished for crores of centuries of a moment's duration of Noman's mental world, serving the humanity with its valuable publications. Young Soni was very much pleased to hear the captivating story and believed every word of his mother.Such is the reality of the world of sensual happiness, and the fate of Mr. Noman will be shared by those who expect happiness from sensual objects of the world.

Is There Pleasure or Pain in the World?
In this scientific era or age of the so called modern civilisation greed, passion, selfishness are increasing day by day, nay, hour by hour. One nation wants to devour another nation. Man has lost his manliness. On account of passion he is under the firm grip of lust—the soft government. The son drags his father to the courts for the division of property. The wife divorces her present husband and marries another, if he happens to be more rich, more beautiful and more young. Chastity or Pativrata Dharma has almost ceased to exist.

The younger brother poisons his elder brother to take possession of his estate. You see cruelty, dishonesty, injustice, atrocity everywhere. No one keeps up his promises. The father has no faith in his son. The wife has no faith in her husband and vice versa.

Young graduates and young doctors come to Rishikesh with earthen pots and orange robes to search caves in Uttarakasi and Gangotri for deep meditation and practice of Pranayama. Some young research students in Science (D.Sc.) and Rajkumars go to the Punjab in silken suits with collars and ties in search of girls for marriage. Is there pain or pleasure in this world? If there is pleasure, why do young graduates retire into forests? If there is pain, why do young men run after wealth, position and women? Mysterious is Maya! Try to understand the riddle of life and the riddle of the Universe. Acquire Viveka. Do Satsanga. Enquire into the nature of the Atman. Study Yogavasishta and the Upanishads. Then you will have a comprehensive understanding of the problems of life.

This is a world of three Gunas. There are three types of men viz., Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. This world contains people of Tamo Guna in abundance. It is these Tamasic people who are creating mischief always. This is their nature. Let us be silent witness and enjoy the Lila of the Lord. Tamasic people will bark, but they cannot do any real harm to the Sattvic people.

Ponder These Facts
In the whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures you have forgotten the purpose of life and the 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 the ultimate Reality and enjoy eternal bliss.

In Kali Yuga people sell boiled rice and trade in the name of religion. Ladies lead an unchaste life. There is dispute between father and son and the son sues his father in the court. Son ill treats his mother. Wife is worshipped by the husband. One thing more, pseudo Sannyasins also do all sorts of mischief.

Ponder over the sufferings of human life. Take a little food. Withdraw the senses from their attracting objects of enjoyment. Sit quietly in your room. Look within. Meditate. You will soon attain the supreme peace of the Eternal.

Wake up from the slumber of ignorance from profound inertia. Cultivate all embracing love. Do selfless service. Be patient. Practise introspection. Develop intense Vairagya. Meditate regularly. You will attain immortality. Regain your lost divinity.

You are not the slave of the senses and desires. You are the mighty Emperor of emperors. Pain is a passing cloud. Sorrow is a fleeting shadow. Sorrow is false. It cannot live. Bliss is true. It cannot die. Rise above desires. Renounce selfishness and egoism. Awake.Arise. Become a dynamic Yogi. Enjoy the Eternal bliss of the soul. Thou art immortal, all blissful Atman. Thou art beyond the reach of pain, grief, sorrow, decay and death.

Think carefully. Decide correctly. Act faithfully. Speak truthfully. Live honestly. Work diligently. Talk gently. Behave properly. You are bound to succeed in any walk of life. You will have peace of mind. You will have a pure conscience. You will get spiritual wealth of an inexhaustible nature.

Maya
In this world some dance in joy, some others weep; some sing, some yell out in agony. Some deliver lectures; some run out to forests clad in rags, with cocoanut bowls in their hands; some go to Paris hotels clad in silken, scented robes; some shut their mouths and take a vow of silence. Oh Lord! I do not know what is there in this world, whether there is Amrita (nectar) or poison. World is a mystery. World is an Ascharya (wonder). World is Anirvachaniya (indescribable). It is neither Sat nor Asat; neither Jada (insentient, inanimate) nor Chaitanya (pure consciousness); neither Bhinna (separate) nor Abhinna (non separate). It is the product of Chit Sakti of Brahman. It is the Karya (effect) of Maya.

When a man is in a dying condition, Ayurvedic doctors give Siddha Makaradhvaja to produce heat in the body and make him talk for a short time. If you take hold of the key of his money box, which he has tied to his holy thread and try to remove it before his eyes he will at once begin to talk to you. He will be irritated and will prevent you from removing the key. Man has got a great attachment to money.

Just as a landlord has two dogs at the door of his house to prevent people from entering his house, so also the Lord has placed two Mayaic dogs, viz., money and lust at His door which prevent you from approaching Him. If you are devoted to the Lord, He removes the Mayaic illusion. The dogs will not bark. You can freely enter His chambers. Money and lust cannot deceive you now.

What is called Maya is only money and lust. Money and lust are two crocodiles in the river which prevent you from reaching the Lord who is on the other side of the river.

Maya havocs through imagination of the mind. Woman is not beautiful but the imagination is beautiful. Sugar is not sweet but the imagination is sweet. Food is not palatable, but the imagination is palatable. Man is not weak but the imagination is weak. Understand the nature of Maya and mind and become wise. Curb this imagination of the mind by Vichara or right thinking and rest in Brahman wherein there is neither imagination nor Sankalpa nor thought.

There is no end for craving (Trishna) in the life of a worldly man. That is the reason why a worldly man is ever restless despite his wealth and comforts. There is always dissatisfaction with his lot. He is ever discontented. Before one craving is satisfied another craving is ready to occupy his mind and this craving agitates the mind and makes a constant demand for gratification. He exerts along with the mind and the Karma Indriyas to possess the objects and enjoy them. He forgets his real divine nature and plunges himself in the ocean of Samsara (worldliness).

Give a good scrubbing to a pig with Pears' soap and a nice bath. Place it on a soft mattress and give it nice dishes to eat. It will not eat. It will immediately run away to eat filth. Even so, if you place the worldly minded man in the company of saints, Yogins and Sannyasins in solitary places with charming scenery, they can never live in peace. They will feel like fish out of water. They will feel like the pig that is put on the mattress.

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Sivaratri Message
by Swami Krishnananda Saraswati
The Divine Life Society - Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India

[Swamiji Maharaj leads the audience in kirtan for the first three minutes.]

This is the eve of the holy celebration called Sivaratri, which is observed everywhere as a specially sanctified occasion for concentration and for japa sadhana, together with worship. The trinity of the Supreme Being is described as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. The great facet which is Lord Siva in this trinity has a special function to perform. The creative Brahma is assigned the work of producing newer and newer species of entities in the various categories of life that one can conceive of - 84 lakhs [8,400,000] of specialisations known as yonis are supposed to be the mould into which living beings are cast during this continuous process of what is known as creation.

There is also a necessity to see that what is created endures. Otherwise, it will be a lopsided manufacture of entities with no purpose whatsoever behind their coming into being. Birth is coming into being. The word 'being' implies endurance, but this endurance is of a very strange character. It is not a stable or a solid fixity of existence, as we may imagine in our minds what stability is, because this character of endurance of created beings should cope with the simultaneous creation of beings going on at the same time; and, more than that, there is a necessity to see that nothing really endures in a permanent manner.

Brahma's function is to create, to produce newer and newer types of living beings; and a peculiar unintelligible character of endurance that is granted to these created beings is associated with Vishnu - the stabilising force, the sattvika element among the trinity, which balances the two other sides of existence - creativity and transformation. Rudra, or Siva, is the transforming power in this created world.

The simultaneity that is involved in creativity, endurance and transformation gives the entire picture a strange tinge of endurance in the form of a continuity of process. There is no true endurance of anything in this world. The fixity of a moving body is perhaps a good example of the way in which anything and everything in the world survives. The survival is only in terms of a particular pattern introduced into a limited area of the process of transformation. It is not that this process of endurance, which is at the same time a movement, can be made an object of one's consciousness right from the beginning till the end. Just as we can see the Ganga flowing here in front of the ashram - somewhere it appears to be starting near Lakshman Jhula or so and ending somewhere further near Purana Jhari, and we cannot see the prior or the posterior side of this movement of the river on account of the limitation of the faculty of perception - our life in this world is a long, long movement like the movement of a long river, the Ganga or any other river, but as we can have a consciousness or a perception of a limited length only of the flowing process, we can have consciousness of only a few years of our life, which we call life in this world.Life in this world is a little bit of the longer process of life in the universe, which is endless and beginningless, as it were. The endlessness and beginninglessness of the three processes of creation, preservation and destruction suggest the cyclic character of all things in space and in time. Only a cycle can be without a beginning and an end. It is not a linear movement like a beaten track on a paved road leading to some particular destination.

The three divinities - Brahma, Vishnu and Siva - are actually not three different divinities. A single intention of the Universal Being is made to manifest in a threefold manner. As we see in our own bodily individuality, for instance, the three processes are seen to be going on every day. The constituents of our body are not eternally alive. They get destroyed in the process of the growth of the body. They are also renewed, and this renewal of a new life in this organism of the body calls for a transformation of the conditions preceding, which is practically the death of the preceding condition. But the connection of an element which is Vishnu, between the creative and the transforming forces, prevents our consciousness from being aware that there are three such activities going on in the body. We do not know what is happening at all. As if nothing is happening in the body, we feel very secure. There is a continuous upsurge of the movement of the cells of the body – in all the organic parts inside - for the purpose of creating and recreating themselves, in which process they destroy themselves also. There is therefore, a transcendent element present in this transforming process, or what we call the dying process, of one condition for the sake of giving birth to another condition.

Religions, when they become too much socially bound, ritual bound, tradition bound, begin to focus on the supreme object of religion. The basic features of human thinking makes us perceive our gods mostly as a cosmically picturised counterpart of the inner psychological processes. We are unable to imagine that one single entity can behave as a threefold performer of action as creator, as redeemer or as transformer.

"Namo visvarije purvam visvam tadanubibhrate
atha vishvasya samhartre tubhyam tredhasthitatmane"
(Raghuvamsa X.16)

This is the prayer which the gods offered to the Supreme Being in the Kshira-sagara, as recorded in the Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa.

"Prostrations to the Creator, and prostration to Him who sustains after having created beings; prostration to Him who withdraws everything into himself after having created and sustained them; prostration to That which appears in these three forms of creation, preservation and transformation" - is a famous prayer. But the mind of the human being is a composite structure. It is constituted of little-little ingredients of function and, therefore, it cannot easily visualise the indivisibility that is behind the threefold functions of creation, preservation and destruction. We see as many gods as there are inner constituents in the mind; and as many are our needs, so are also the number of the gods. The religions of the world are, therefore, a social and theological reaction set up in the outer world, or in the cosmos, in response to the needs felt by the mind in its inner constituents. Our mind is not an indivisible solidity. Therefore, an indivisibility cannot be thought by the mind.

Even if we stretch our imagination and begin to concentrate on indivisible total, we will find that we create a distinction of some sort or the other - a distinction between that which is thought and the thinking process on the one hand; and it being very, very necessary to picture the god, even the highest one, as being spatially and temporally located. From this point of view of the psychological background of the religious requirements of man, the concept of the trinity has been highlighted in our religion as an object of worship. But when we are able to visualise them as three phases of a single entity, the god of religion becomes one God. But if we are able to see that there is something taking place as birth and coming into existence, survival for a time and then dying some time afterwards - if these three are visualised by us as three different occurrences, and not actually three streams of a single undercurrent of performance - then we have three gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. We attribute to these gods those characters which are associated with their functions.

Lord Siva is pictured in religion in manifold ways. On the one hand, Lord Siva is adored as a most easily accessible god - one who is immediately pleased - on account of which character of his, Lord Siva is called Ashutosh. The goodness of Lord Siva and the quickness of his benedictions many times make religious propounders to imagine that he grants things without thought. So he is also called Bhole Baba - one who is capable of being easily duped by the devotees. But, Lord Siva is not so easily capable of being duped. The Bhole Baba attribute should not be taken as a person who is childish in behavior or ignorant of the pros and cons of action; that is not the meaning of Bhole Baba. It means utter simplicity. Utter goodness goes with utter simplicity.

Stories in the Puranas which bring forward into highlight this particular character of Lord Siva as goodness, simplicity and being quickly pleased are abundant. In the Siva Purana, we have most of these stories. Some of the stories look very humorous, which make us laugh; but, at whom are we laughing? Are we laughing at Lord Siva himself? It looks like that.

When certain behaviors which are incongruous in the ordinary sense are attributed to Lord Siva, we laugh and smile in a gentlemanly manner, imagining thereby that we would not behave in that way. We attribute a sense of wisdom to our own selves which cannot be granted to Lord Siva.

These stories are analogies, and analogies and examples should not be stretched to the breaking point. Every example has a specific limitation, and within the limitation only that example should be taken as valid.

For instance, in Vedanta terminology there is the comparison of this world to a snake appearing in the rope which is Brahman. This is an analogy, and it has a limited scope, and it should not be stretched beyond that limited scope of meaning. The idea is that as an illusion of a snake-like feature can be seen in twilight when actually we see a rope, this world looks like a diversified multifarious reservoir of objects of sense, while actually it is eternal consciousness scintillating in the form of these so-called objects; but it does not mean that Brahman is long like a rope, or there is a tail as the snake has. That is not a permissible way of using an analogy.

Immensely good is God. Sometimes this immense goodness of God may look like breaking the law that He himself has created. Many times it is said that God made the law, and He cannot break the law which He Himself has made. Karma binds, and so on and so forth, are the things told to us. But there is some super-departmental executive power which God has which cannot be bound by departmental laws, which of course are created by His own sanction - under His signature, perhaps. He can suddenly set at naught everything, under special conditions. Normally, He will not interfere in things. Normally, the law of the universe will work. Karma also will operate as it ought to operate. But it does not operate in the case of certain specific aspirations emanating from exceptionally great devotees whose heart has been united to such intimacy with God's existence that the intimacy breaks the distinction between the devotee and the Supreme Being; and when this distinction is no more to be seen, all legal enactments also cease to operate. When intense love pours itself forth, legal mandates cease to operate. But, intense love is not seen in this world. Therefore, laws very strictly bind us.

Intense love is a love that seeks nothing in return for the expression of that love. A give-and-take policy in love – if you do this, I do this; if you do not do this, I do not do this - this kind of affection or love is Gauna Bhakti, as they call it, the secondary devotion that ritualistic devotees entertain in their hearts, and the long train of law will operate in their case; but unconditional affection, which is not seen in this world, which cannot be seen in this world because of the very nature of the world, which therefore transcends the world in many ways, makes God run to the devotee without sending any attendants, messengers, clerks, etc. to ask what the devotee wants.

Narayana Himself ran without even taking weapons in his hand when Gajendra cried, "Narayana, akhila guro bhagavan Namaste!" This story, it appears, was told by Birbal to Akbar. Akbar ridiculed this god who wants to run himself for the sake of saving a devotee while he has immense powers in the form of angels and lesser gods. He has an army of divine forces; one of them could have gone and taken care of this tragedy of Gajendra. Why should he himself run - that also, without weapon in hand? He forgot to take even the Sudarshan-chakra. It had to follow him because it knew that he had forgotten to take it. When Akbar made a sarcastic remark, Birbal said, "No! It is not like that. God himself will run. I shall show you how it is possible, and how it is not otherwise."
It appears the little child of Akbar was under the care and protection of Birbal. He used to take the little child along the lawns for walking, etc. Always the child was with him, the little child. One day Birbal had connived, with the assistance of some friends, to prepare an exact image of this little child, and had it placed just on the precipice of a deep well which was just near the lawn where they used to walk and where Akbar also used to recline sometimes in the evenings. It was twilight and one could not see things properly. That little image looked like the child itself.

"Oh, my child is there!"

"Yes, Your Highness. Your child is there."

He had also arranged, with the help of somebody, to suddenly push that image into the well; and it was done. It was pushed.

"Oh, the child is in the well!" cried Birbal, and he ran immediately.
Akbar said, "No! Your Highness. You have got attendants; you have got police; you have got an army; you have got secretaries. Why are you running?"

"Eh, fool! Don't talk. It is my child."

"Now please, your child is very safe. I have only given answer to your interesting query that God need not himself run when he has an attendant. Now, why did you run for the sake of a little child when you have attendants? You could have told the assistant or the marshal near you to go and find out. But the love that you have for the child is such that no attendant can do that work. Can you jump into the well, Your Highness? You know you cannot do that. Even then you ran as if you will go into the well!"

That is the power of love which is unconditioned. That cannot be seen in this world because everything is conditioned by everything else. If there is something called 'A', it is there because there is another thing called 'B'. If 'B' is not there, you cannot see a thing called 'A'. And 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D' - there are millions of things like that. Our consciousness is involved in all this 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D'; and even if it appears that we are immensely fond of one particular 'A' or 'B' or 'C', it is false, because as long as 'X', 'Y', 'Z' exist, they will condition the affection which the mind appears to pour forth on certain things - even if it appears that the affection is almost 100%. There is no such thing as 100% concentration or affection on anything in this world. You can only have this kind of affection in a total existence outside in which there is no 'A', 'B' or 'X', 'Y' - and this also explains why it is difficult to concentrate the mind on an Ishta Devata.

The Ishta Devata is a beloved object of concentration to which we have resorted. But it is Ishta only conditionally; it is not really an Ishta. The dear object of meditation which we have chosen under the instruction of a Guru is only tentatively so, because there are other things in the world which are certainly equally Ishta or desirable, and the mind knows that. Sometimes they are perhaps more desirable than the spirit.

Solid concrete objects are more attractive than abstract imaginations. To the beginner in meditation, the object of meditation appears like an abstraction. The mind knows that it is a thought and that God Himself is not physically or concretely contacted. When God's thought actually solidifies itself into a concrete existence, the world will appear like a chimera - just the opposite of what happens in ordinary circumstances. The world is a very solid object. We can hit our head against the wall and it is so hard and solid, as we know, but this God whom we are contemplating is not so solid. It is a vision that is projected by the mind.

This peculiarity of it not being possible for the mind to accept the concrete reality of the object of meditation, and a simultaneously acquiescing in the reality of the world outside as a solid object, prevents any successful meditation and drawing in the grace of God.

So, Lord Siva is Bhole Baba, Ashutosh, immediately granting boons, but only to those whose love is not hypocritical, whose love is not a double dealing, whose love is not a make-believe, whose love is not to get something ulterior, because God is not an ulterior object or ulterior motive. The simplicity of God is due to the immensity of God's existence and the nearness of this immensity to the soul of the devotee. That is why it looks so simple. Otherwise, it is not so simple. No one can be so hard as God is, if even a little distance is created between the lover and the beloved. God is the beloved.

In this world, the lover and the beloved are not identical things. They are two, and therefore they shall ever remain two, and remain subject to bereavement and destruction. The lover cannot merge in to the beloved, and vice versa. And, until this is done, love is not complete; until that is done, devotion is not complete. It is at that time when the devotion is really complete that the great Lord manifests himself as the child who can sweep your floor, get you the meal that you require, wash your clothes.

We hear instances of this kind in the lives of saints of Maharashtra - like Ekanath, Namdev, etc. Lord Sri Krishna came as a little boy called Sri Kandiya, washed the clothes, swept the floor, and did such menial work for Ekanath and Namdev. When it was discovered that he had come in this form, he vanished.

Our hearts are hard like granite. Whatever be the religiosity and the traditional aspiration for religious life that many manifest, it is actually a dying to live for the sake of God. The destruction that is associated with Lord Siva - he is called the lord of death as he destroys everything, swallows everything in the end of time - is actually the destruction of that element in every one of us, whose presence prevents him from coming near us. What that element is, each one of us has to ransack within our own hearts and see that it is taken out so that the flood from outside unites itself with the flood that is arising from inside. This is God-union.

Sivaratri Vrata is a disciplinary occasion that is instituted in religion for the purpose of an occasional gathering of our spirits for the sake of that which is great and glorious and the ideal of our lives.

Hari Om Tat Sat!

"Om purnam adah, purnam idam, purnat purnam udacyate;
purnasya purnam adaya puram evavasisyate."

Om shantih shantih shantih.

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