Wednesday, October 30, 2013

THE VISION OF OUR ANCIENTS

                  The Vision of Our Ancients
                                                  by 
                                      Swami Chidananda
Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved children of the Divine! There are certain very significant, important and meaningful aspects of the Vedic way of life, as well as the culture of the sacred land of India, which form, as it were, the very heart of Vedic dharma and Indian culture. It is these concepts that enliven the vision of our great heritage and our culture.

With what eyes, with what view, did our ancients behold this life, man, this world, human beings? These lofty concepts that were given to us, handed down to posterity, were not arrived at through reasoning or speculation, but rather through direct perception, direct personal experience (aparoksha’nubhuti) within the depths of their consciousness. And if these lofty concepts are lost sight of, the river of the stream of our life will run into a desert, become dried up and vanish without ever reaching the great destination of the ocean.

These fundamental concepts, the vision they had, the Indian vision, must become woven into the very fabric of our day-to-day living and our day-to-day awareness. Then alone we will be able to fully absorb and benefit from these concepts.

First and foremost, it is a vision and a way of life based upon an aspiration for light, enlightenment, to be ever moving towards the Light and ever turning away from darkness, rejecting all that is darkness. Because darkness binds and blinds and stops all possibility of onward progress and is the greatest stumbling block to the process of evolution. The meaning of life is transcending all darkness.

This Light is greater than any light within the gamut of human experience, within the entire range of earthly experience, where the sun does not shine, neither the moon, nor the stars, nor lightning, what to speak of ordinary fire. Because That shines with supreme effulgence, here on this earth all things have luminosity, effulgence, all things are able to be radiant and to manifest light. All light ultimately inheres in that great Light of lights, is derived from that Light of lights. Such was their experience. As such, it was not unusual to refer to the ultimate Reality as the transcendental Light. Thence is the great ancient Vedic prayer summing up the entire aspiration of the seeking heart of this culture, this way of life: “tamaso ma jyotirgamaya—From darkness lead us unto Light, take us up into Light.” And this aspiration after Light, seeking after Light and turning away from darkness, should be a constant, unbroken process within each one of you. That is the sadhaka, that is the jijnasu who seeks light. He is the one who aspires for knowledge, for wisdom, ever turning away from all that constitutes the contradiction of knowledge, wisdom and light, resolutely rejecting anything in life, in the environment, that is likely to come in the way of the process of moving towards the supreme Light of lights.

And the other great concept is that everything is sacred, everything is indwelt, pervaded, permeated by the Divine Reality. You live, move and have your being amidst that great Reality. The Upanishads, the Gita, the teachings of the saints who have followed this path of Yoga and Vedanta are full of this declaration. The presence of the Divine is in and through the great appearance, the phenomenon, the world appearance. In the midst of the ever-changeful, the ephemeral, the evanescent, there is the never-changing, the stable, the permanent. And thus the logical conclusion of it is that every movement, every force, every form of energy, all power, is a manifestation of this great Reality, the great Light of lights.

And out of this experience arose that entire school of thought conceiving the Divine not merely as an all-pervading Reality, an all-pervading Presence, a great Effulgence, surpassing the effulgence of more than a million suns, but also as the great universal Power, the universal Source. Everything indeed in this universe—all movement, all power, all force, all energy, is divine, is derived from the divine Source. Therefore it is sacred. Therefore it is to be cultivated. Therefore it is to be nurtured. Therefore it is to be conserved, accumulated and preserved.

And through it everything is possible. All things that have to be overcome can be overcome. All things that have to be achieved and attained can be achieved and attained. There is nothing impossible, for the sanction behind this force or energy in this gross physical universe is the supreme source of all divine energy or force, Para-Sakti.

This great system of philosophy called the Sakta school conceived the eternal Reality as infinite, imponderable power or energy, sakti. They called it Para-Sakti, the transcendental Power, Adi-Sakti, the primal Power or Maha-Sakti, the great Power. And so everything is saturated by that great power or force. As you sit here this morning, it is that force that makes your heart pulsate and pump blood through your entire physical system. It is that force that makes you breathe, digests your food and makes you what you are, a living, moving, dynamic being. (It is not through eating food that this force comes; it is that great force which makes you live, and because you live and there are processes of wear and tear going on within the body, eating becomes necessary.) As the same force, grain nourishes, water quenches thirst, fire cooks food. It is that force that comes as my words. It is that force at work in your ears and makes you hear these sounds. And it is that force which works as intelligence when you are able to grasp, understand, interpret anew and absorb this message—ya devi sarvabhuteshu buddhirupena samsthita (the Goddess Who is present in all beings as Intelligence).

Therefore, the true seeker, the sadhak, the Yogi, treats all the force, energy and power at his disposal with great reverence. With reverence, with this awareness, wisely does the Yogi generate such force through samyama, through sadhana, through self-control, tapasya. The Yogi goes on cultivating, developing and wisely conserving this force. And with great skill through Yoga, he channelises this force for creative, gainful and constructive attainment, for progressing upon the path of Yoga. In the ultimate context, it is this universal force that enables you to be a Yogi. If you are a paropakari, it is this universal force that enables you to perform altruistic, selfless, egoless, motiveless deeds, to be a karma yogi. And you must daily be aware of and thank that force that enables you to help others, to serve others.

It is that force that is the pranasakti within you. It is that force that is the kundalini sakti within you. It is that force that infills each Divine Name, infills the mantra that you receive. It is that force that gives you physical, mental, intellectual, ethical, moral and spiritual enlightenment. In all these levels, it is that force that is at play. When prayer is offered it is this force that enlivens it and gives it a certain spiritual dynamism. Gayatri is this force; every Name, every mantra is this force. The dynamism of this entire physical universe, the entire creation, the phenomenon, and yourself included in it, as part of it, is the play of this Power of powers.

Therefore be aware of the sanctity of all things, the sanctity of all forces, all powers, all energy, and diligently cultivate a reverential attitude. Do not waste, do not misuse, do not misdirect or divert it into antagonistic channels that will thwart the very will of God manifesting in your life as evolution. God has made us for this ascent into divine perfection, and if forces at our disposal are misdirected and abused or wasted away, then we nullify the will of God in our lives. We thwart the very purpose of our existence, and the upper ascent, the evolutionary ascent of our being, is retarded.

From one point of view everything that you behold may be gross, but from another point of view, all this is divine. All life is sacred. Everything is to be treated with reverence. And everything is to be made our means of ascending to that supreme state of perfection.

Therefore, being aware always of this great source of all power and energy in this world, and its sanctity, within yourself, in the universe around you, in all great tattvas, in asana, in pranayama, in the spoken word in satsang, in japa, in meditation, be a wise worshipper of Sakti. Relate yourself with reverence to It and make the highest and loftiest use of every force that you are able to take in from life around you and utilise it for this great attainment of God-realisation, aparoksha’nubhuti, Self-realisation. May this great cosmic Power of powers bless you and grant you success in your sadhana!

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NEVER FORGET THE DIVINITY

                   Never Forget Your Divinity
                                                    by 
                                       Swami Chidananda
Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Never, never forget that you are radiant immortal Atman, you are the radiant, immortal, spiritual Light. You are a radiant spark of the Divine, a ray of the great Light of lights which is beyond all darkness.

Our physical personality, our body, mind, intellect, thoughts, emotions, desires, sentiments, memories, imaginations and the various processes going on within the psyche, the psychological self, may all be regarded as necessary in order to function upon this physical plane. They may even be valued in the light of the fact that they are necessary instruments, media and helpful factors in order to strive and awaken ourselves to our eternal, essential divine nature. So they have a value.

But except for this fact, that they are channels for sadhana, the instruments of Yoga for spiritual striving, for illumination and liberation, they are, by and large, only of nuisance value to be tolerated, because they are the prolific source of our bondage, our disharmony, our clash and conflict, within ourselves as well as with others. They are the prolific source of so many experiences that we do not wish to have. They constantly obstruct the awareness that “I am the radiant immortal Self, I am a spiritual entity beyond body and mind, name and form.” By that little action of veiling, they drag us down to the lower plane of physicality, body consciousness and mental consciousness. That itself makes them serious obstacles in the unfoldment and the manifestation of our spiritual consciousness. Therefore they are burdens to be tolerated, and constantly we have to see them only as a temporary covering and reject them.

In spite of their veiling power, you must assert the Spirit; you must affirm your eternal, radiant, immortal nature. Constantly you should do that. Never, never forget that you are radiant, immortal Atman. Never, never forget that you are children of the Divine, essentially also divine. You are a part, jivatma is a part of the paramatma. If you forget ten times, recollect yourself ten times. If you forget a hundred times, reject the wrong idea and again recollect yourself a hundred times. Keep up this sadhana. Live in divine awareness. Ever be centred in your true, eternal, immortal, divine identity, be centred in the Self.

If you wish to overcome the many factors within yourself that stand in the way of this radiant spiritual awareness, this constant positive state of light, power, joy, cheerfulness and inner peace, it is necessary to tap the power that is everywhere around you in nature and to be conscious of this power by sublating or setting aside the name and form that covers it.

Every object in this outer universe is a centre of spiritual force, because it is a manifestation of the primal cosmic power or energy. A tree, a stone, falling rain, the blowing wind, everything that you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch in this universe, whether immediate or remote, is infilled by the divine principle. This was the experience of the Upanishadic seers, and you have to try to be constantly aware of the hidden substratum of the apparent, ever-changing names and forms.

If you are rooted in this awareness, then you are conscious of being enveloped by a power, by a benign presence, a healing presence, a peaceful presence, a radiant, luminous presence. Thus it becomes much easier to relate yourself directly, either through prayer, or through invoking the Divine Name which represents this power, or through svadhyaya (study of scriptures) which raises your mind to sublime heights.

I wish to particularly call your attention to one aspect of this svadhyaya. Svadhyaya requires a book no matter how small it is. Suppose you are in a state, a condition or situation where, due to reasons beyond your control, you cannot take the book out to read, and yet at the same time you urgently need a little support from within. For such occasions you should have by heart a repertoire, a reserve of sublime, lofty, inspiring, power-infusing sayings from the sacred books. They should always be there. At any moment you must be able to recollect them and to repeat them mentally or even verbally.

Therefore during your spiritual study day by day, you must try to get by heart and make your own, certain essential parts, certain inspiring verses or lines from the Bhagavad Gita, from the Upanishads, from the New Testament, or some other scripture. So, if you have within yourself for immediate recollection, immediate affirmation, certain verses or lines by heart, then it becomes a valuable substitute for svadhyaya in situations where it is not possible to take out a book and read. When you repeat them, immediately you become inspired. Your inner atmosphere is transformed, because they are powerful. These great quotations are instant power.

For example, from the Bhagavad Gita have an inspiring line such as: ajo nityah sasvato’yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire (Unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, the Self is not killed when the body is killed); or for Vedantic inspiration, some verses from the Avadhuta Gita like: ahameva’vyayo’nantah suddha-vijnanavigrahah; sukham duhkham na janami katham kasyapi vartate (I alone am imperishable, infinite, the form of pure Consciousness. I do not know pleasure or pain or how they affect anyone); or for peace, from the Guru Gita, such as: chaitanyam sasvatam santam vyomatitam niranjanam (...Who is pure Consciousness, eternal, peaceful, beyond ether and untainted). When you say “vyomatita” (beyond ether), you are already uplifted; you go beyond this world of name and form, being aware that you are part of the Being Who is spotless and pure, and Who far transcends space and everything that is gross and material. Thus you must always have some very few selected verses for instant inspiration, instant upliftment of the spirit, instant infusing of power into your consciousness, into the centre of your being. This is one important point.

Secondly, make your prayer creative and powerful. Prayer should be understood as asking the Lord to keep you constantly in a state of inner awareness, of inner spiritual relationship and communion with Him; not to ask for anything He has created, but to ask for Himself and a continuous, unbroken, living, inner spiritual relationship with Him, so that the channel of power and light between Him and you is never blocked, never closed, never switched off; it is always open; there is always a constant inflow of His divinity, and all that it implies, into your own consciousness. This is the thing to ask, so that prayer also is something that enhances this awareness and infuses you constantly with that greater power. Thus make your prayer creative, constructive and progressive.

This is the highest form of prayer—not for gaining anything in this world created by Him, but for gaining only the most coveted of all things, Yoga, a constant inner communion and link with Him. This is the true purpose of prayer. Then you shall lack nothing. You shall have light, power and wisdom. You shall have an abundance of God’s grace.

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ABIDE BEYOND THE PAIRS OF OPPOSITES

             Abide Beyond the Pairs of Opposites

                                                    By 
                                      Swami Chidananda

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Sadhaks and spiritual aspirants aspiring after the ideal and goal of divine perfection, which is the ultimate highest ideal and goal of all mankind, the purpose of human birth according to the vision of life conceived by the great, illumined seers and sages of the Upanishads! The central objective, the supreme goal of life as conceived by the Vedic vision was that man has not come here to weep and wail, to laugh a little, weep a little, suffer and die; he has come here, not for death but for immortality, not for sorrow but for supreme bliss, not for struggle and restlessness but for supreme peace, eternal satisfaction, nitya tripti. This was their great declaration based upon their own personal transcendental experiences, atma’nubhava, aparoksha’nubhuti.

Declaring this, they called man to supreme bliss. They called the individual soul upon its pilgrimage, journey to this goal, to wake up, wake up, and not stop until it reaches its great destination. “It is your birthright. Come, come, why do you unnecessarily prolong your bondage? Why do you delay this great experience which is awaiting you, for which you are meant? Uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata (Arise, awake, having reached the wise, be enlightened).” Down the centuries, again and again, successive generations of saints and sages, perfect masters, have called upon humanity not to lose sight of the great Goal, but ever to aspire after it, attain it and become blessed. This is, therefore, the global human inheritance and heritage, thanks to the great experiences and to the supreme state of beatitude attained by our Upanishadic sages and seers, which in the fullness of their hearts they declared to all mankind.

Nevertheless, they were not unaware that this is a world of pain and death. They were perfectly aware, but they said this is incidental to life. What is essential to life, and most important, is movement towards this great goal of perfection. It is therefore up to each and every pilgrim soul to keep in view its divine destiny. We have not come here to live and die as human beings. We are born as human beings, but we have come here to depart from life as all-perfect divine beings.

In the life of every aspirant there is always struggle. There is a swinging between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, happiness and misery, success and failure, elation and depression, conviction and doubt. That is always there. It is inevitable, first and foremost, because of the simple fact that this is indeed a world that is made up of prakriti and purusha, daivi and asuri, the pairs of opposites. Prakriti is always there, ever actively manifesting, dynamically manifesting in the form of sattva, rajas and tamas. According to the manifestation of each guna (attribute) there are auspicious moods of the mind and there are also inauspicious, negative moods of the mind, because mind is part and parcel of prakriti. Also, sometimes there is health, sometimes ill health; sometimes there is comfort, sometimes discomfort; sometimes there is strength and energy, sometimes weakness and lack of energy. This is part of the play of prakriti.

Secondly, the reason for this swinging between these pairs of opposites is that the individual spiritual aspirant does not know how to do sadhana, does not know the right way of becoming well established in one invariable goal, which is possible only if one has firm faith, absolute faith, absolute trust in God, conviction, total conviction, unshakable conviction—sraddha and visvas. Sraddhavan labhate jnanam—One who has total trust in God, who has sraddha, attains supreme illumination, wisdom, which liberates. Samsayatma vinasyati—One who is doubtful and lacks faith, dire is his fate.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reiterates this important truth about your life, your spiritual striving: it will become fruitful, and uniformly and steadily progressive, only if you have diligently cultivated trust in God, faith in yourself also, faith in the efficacy of your sadhana, faith in the spiritual practice, faith in the spiritual life, faith in the great Goal, faith in your Guru and the words of your Guru, faith in the teachings of the scriptures.

(If you neglect the study of the scriptures where comes the question of having faith or not having faith! If you study the scriptures then alone arises this question, not when you neglect svadhyaya or read only for passing the time, for entertainment or escaping from duties. Arjuna also escaped into philosophy and dharmic argument with Lord Krishna, because he wanted to escape his stern duty. Therefore the lack of cultivation of close and deep acquaintance with the scriptures becomes a great stumbling block; faith becomes wavering, it is not well established.)

It is necessary, therefore, for the sadhak to understand that no matter how the inner mood may be changing, it is inevitable, because it forms part of prakriti, and prakriti is not only present as the three gunas, it is also present in the entire creation as the pairs of opposites. And it is necessary, as the Lord said to Arjuna, to be above the three attributes—nistraigunyo bhava’rjuna. It is also necessary to strive to go beyond the opposites, and it is not so very difficult as one may imagine. If one has never given it a trial one may imagine it is impossible. It is not impossible because that state of being beyond the pairs of opposites is your real state, your natural state, your eternal state. So to be what you are should not be a difficult thing.

The need is to stop being what you are not, not to be foolish, not to be self-forgetful, but to be always aware of your essential nature. Then gradually you can become established. It takes a little time because we have given in to the bad and pernicious habit of moving away from the Self and getting into an unnatural state by the uncontrolled movement of our mind. If we exercise rational control over the mind, channelling it and its moods and sentiments in the right direction again and again, and yet again, and keep on doing this, then one day the entire antahkarana (inner being) will become positive, become sattvic, become completely filled with daivi sampad (divine virtues). You will be prasannachetas (tranquil-minded). Santosha will be yours, and Patanjali Maharshi stresses that the inner state of contentment is one of the observances to be faithfully cultivated upon the path of Yoga.

Therefore, the world being constituted of dvandvas (pairs of opposites), the antahkarana, as part of the world, also takes up this dvandva nature. You being dvandvatita (beyond dvandvas) must try to understand your mind and affirm your real nature, which is beyond the pairs of opposites, and thus become firmly established in a state of peace and serenity. This is the abhyasa. This is the Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita and significantly the Lord says: “samatvam yoga uchyate—evenness of mind is called Yoga.” Therefore, to this end the sadhak should wisely and diligently strive as part of his training, discipline and spiritual sadhana. Then one can be established in a state where one is not affected by the inevitable dvandvas amidst which one has to live.

In this world we cannot escape either the play of the three gunas or the pairs of opposites. They are there to stay. We have come into such a universe. The universe does not owe us a duty to suddenly change just because we have come into it. We have to recognise this fact, do the needful, and be unaffected by this nature of prakriti.

Therefore, wisely let us understand this truth about the spiritual life and the world in which we have to live and lead the spiritual life, and cultivate a firm inner centre where we are forever established in our own nature, God nature. We have come here to go beyond the pairs of opposites and attain the supernal state of perfect bliss and peace.

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THE PRACTICE OF TRUTH

                      The Practice of Truth
                                                                            By 
                                                                  Swami Chidananda




Glorious Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of Light, engaged in spiritual sadhana, upon the path that leads beyond sorrow to liberation, to fearlessness and freedom, which is your eternal state! Yogis, moving upwards upon the path of spiritual evolution along the various Yoga paths according to your own taste and temperament, according to your previous samskaras or past impressions! Devotees of the Lord assembled together here!

The Upanishads have referred to that great Reality as the one true essence or principle in relation to which all other things are false appearances only, temporary appearances in time and space with no stable eternal existence. The Upanishads call the Reality sat, and everything other than the Reality they call asat. The Reality, the Cosmic Spirit is called jyotishamapi tad-jyotih, the Light of lights, satyasya satyam, the Truth of truths. Therefore, Truth is the ultimate goal to be attained.

Truth is a divine principle, that is not only the ultimate Reality, but also the path that leads to the ultimate Reality. It is the great sadhana that leads to the realisation of Truth. It is also the great penance that makes this sadhana fruitful, that supports this sadhana, infills this sadhana with a strength which is not of this earth, which is divine.

The penance of truth creates spiritual force within one’s heart. The great Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, referred to this inner spiritual force as atma-bala and declared unhesitatingly that it was the source of all his strength and the secret of his success in whatever he undertook. The penance of truth gave him the spiritual power to overcome all that was inauspicious and unspiritual within himself. He had attained self-conquest, and above all he had attained conquest over falsehood in any form. So much so that he was bold enough to declare his viewpoint in the words: “Not only is it true that God is truth, but I declare that truth is God.” To adhere to truth, verily would be to attain God.

Truth is therefore the penance. Truth is therefore the sadhana. Truth is therefore the path which allows the sadhana to be progressive. Truth is therefore the inner power that galvanizes this sadhana and makes it dynamic, and Truth is therefore the ultimate goal to be reached. The worshipper of truth never fails to attain blessedness, ultimate Truth. Even though in the worship of truth, in the practice of truth, you may have to face various tests and difficulties, nevertheless, enshrine truth within yourself.

Actually Truth is already enshrined within yourself as your own true Self, as your own real nature, as your own essential being. In truth you are not of this earth. In truth you are not a physical, biological being. In truth you are not merely a bundle of thoughts, emotions and sentiments, of memories, imaginations and fancies, of desires, cravings and schemes, of likes and dislikes. All these do not constitute your truth. Distinct from this physical, biological self, distinct from this bundle of thoughts and emotions, distinct from this psychological set-up of questioning, doubting, reasoning, logic and intellectualising, you are a ray of that great Reality. You are a part of that eternal Truth which never fades, which never changes, which ever shines, shines, shines.

Therefore, to be aware of this truth about yourself and to live in this awareness is to adhere to truth, to worship truth. To express the divinity that you are, in your thoughts, in your actions, in your words, in all the manifested modes of the living of your life, that is the fulfilling of truth. “To thine own Self be true.”

To be true to your real Self and to live to manifest that truth so that your life becomes an expression of the divinity which you are, that is the practice of truth in its ultimate spiritual sense, in its ultimate spiritual form. It is this practice of truth that beloved Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj prescribed for the modern age. “You are divine, be divine; feel divinely, speak divinely, live divinely, make your life divine.” It is this practice of truth, in all its phases, that was the great shining path that he proclaimed to the modern world. This is the key to blessedness. This is the way to supreme illumination and liberation. Ponder this truth and you will be blessed.

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WORSHIP GOD AS VIRTUE

                   Worship God as Virtue

                                               by 
                                 Swami Chidananda


Radiant Divinities! Beloved seekers of God! On the 14th of July, exactly a quarter of a century ago, that great one, that great being who has been the inspirer, awakener and source of a new light in our lives, and who is still, even today, the light of our life, the very life of our life, completed his earth career. He set aside his physical body and withdrew himself from this active field of worldly vyavaharic life.

He lived and felt for humanity, and he took up a great work. He toiled night and day until his last breath and left for us a legacy, not only proclaimed by him, but, what is more, practised by him in his own personal life. He did not merely come like a comet across the sky, which while it lasts sheds light, but after it is gone there is darkness once again; but, on the contrary, he has left a great light, an eternal light. If we open our eyes and see that light, live in that light, and make that light the illuminer of our path of life, we shall never be in darkness. That is one reason why we should always rejoice for his having been amidst us, amidst mankind, whether we have known him or not, whether we have seen him or not.

He has given us a great treasure. He has been to us an unfailing and undimmed light upon our path of life through his wisdom teachings in which he lives. For in his teachings there is a power, there is a force. In his teachings there is a peculiar transforming quality which is able to communicate itself to anyone who tries to make his teachings one’s inner sustenance, one’s nourishment, one’s support and strength, and what is more, one’s light and life.

As I said, he did not merely preach and proclaim, but more, he gave us truths which he practised in his daily life. And one of the things which he would like us to remember, and to live by, is that God is not only worshipped through private altars and temples, symbols and images, saints and sages, spiritual beings and holy people, but God is also worshipped in His manifestation as virtue. God is also to be worshipped in His manifestation as virtue.

Virtue comprises dharma, and dharma is the presence of God’s Spirit in this world of human activity. Dharma is God’s own Self. Dharma is the manifestation of God in human life. And if you worship God as virtue, then you realise God as the transcendental Essence, as the Cosmic Being, as the Universal Soul, as the Divine Spirit. And he gave us certain fundamental values, fundamental virtues, daivi sampad, not only to live by, but to regard as God, and in our life to worship as God. And I can assure you, if you worship these virtues as God, you will realise God. Your life will be crowned with divine experience, God-realisation.

Worship virtue by practising virtue. This is a way to spiritual transformation and realisation. “My God is truth,” Mahatma Gandhi said, “I worship truth. I do not merely revere truth, practise truth, I verily worship truth. I am a votary of truth; truth is my God.” God is truth, it is true, tat sat, but Mahatma Gandhi boldly said: “Truth is God, and through truth I wish to attain whatever is beyond it, the Reality. Because now I am in this life, so I want to relate myself to something here, now, not something that is unseen, supramundane.” He said: “That tattva, that principle essence, which I shall worship in my life, physically, verbally and mentally is truth.” Worship truth, worship compassion and kindness worship the supreme virtue of not hating anyone, not having ill-will towards anyone, not hurting anyone, not injuring anything. And that is through the active practice of kindness, compassion, mercifulness. Worship shining purity in thought, word and deed. In all states of consciousness—waking, dreaming, sleeping—worship the virtue of purity, celibacy, chastity, brahmacharya. Worship that way of life, that way of conducting your self, that way of conduct and character, that would take you to brahma-jnana, realisation of Brahman—that is brahmacharya, the path of purity in thought, word and deed.

Brahmacharya is the path of asserting the mastery of your higher self over the lower self, the path of asserting the supremacy of sattva over rajas and tamas. It is the path of asserting your control over mean, purely gross, animal passions, asserting your higher divine nature. It is the path of self-control, the path of discipline, the path of samyam (perfect restraint), the path of conquest of desires, the path of mastery over mind, the path of establishing the hegemony of the divine over the merely human. Brahmacharya means all this and much more. Ponder it. But anyhow, worship—try to understand, but worship. Worship brahmacharya, worship satya worship ahimsa, worship compassion and kindness, worship truthfulness in life, worship purity in conduct and character, in thought, word and deed, and let this be your God.

Have no other God. You can contemplate God, you can contemplate eternity, infinity, ocean of bliss, Light of lights beyond all darkness—all these things you can contemplate, think about, reflect over, but you cannot love and worship peace, or ananda, or jnana. Because they are abstruse, abstract concepts, and you want something more, something for which you can live and something for which you can be prepared to die also. That is virtue.

Read the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, you will understand. You may want, you may desire, peace, joy, light, but you cannot love them, you cannot worship them. But twenty-four hours of the day and night, with every breath, you can worship virtue, you can live to fulfil virtue. That you can do. That is sadhana; that is supreme Yoga. Thus worship. God will reveal Himself in His transcendental, concealed form.

Therefore, this great message, this great sadhana that Gurudev left for us, this inner secret of the spiritual life that he bestowed upon us as his special legacy, is that through virtue one can attain the source of all virtue, which is God. God dwells within your heart and is the source of all goodness. He is your indwelling reality, the source of your conduct and character, the source of your virtue and goodness, the source of your truth, purity and compassion, the source of the divine living of your life.

Therefore, be a worshipper of virtue. Worship virtue through your life and conduct, in every action throughout the day and night. Then your life will become sublime and divine. You will become a divine being and you will enter into the highest state of divine experience. God bless you in this sublime task! God bless you in this great sadhana! May Gurudev’s inspiring life, which is ever before you as a shining example, goad you on to persist in this great sadhana of worshipping virtue as your God on earth! May his inspiring example give you the strength and courage and the perseverance to persist in this path, pursue this path to its very logical end, become a glorious divine personality and become established in divine experience!

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DEEPAVALI by SWAMI SIVANANDA SARASWATI

                                       DEEPAVALI

                                                by
                                    Swami Sivananda 


     DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhan-Teras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas, the 14th day, and by Deepavali proper on the 15th day.

There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.

In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in the holy Ganges.

Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instils charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.

Waking up during the Brahmamuhurta (at 4a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.

In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely, mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity being forgotten. People embrace one another with love. Deepavali is a great unifying force. Those with keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice of the sages, "O Children of God! unite, and love all". The vibrations produced by the greetings of love which fill the atmosphere are powerful enough to bring about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas! That heart has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred.

On this day Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthern oil-lamps. The best and finest illuminations are to be seen in Bombay and Amritsar. The famous Golden Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening with thousands of lamps placed all over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate the Govardhan Puja and feed the poor on a large scale.

O Ram! The light of lights, the self-luminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul.

He who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul.

The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.

Many Deepavali festivals have come and gone. Yet the hearts of the vast majority are as dark as the night of the new moon. The house is lit with lamps, but the heart is full of the darkness of ignorance. O man! wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Realise the constant and eternal light of the Soul which neither rises nor sets, through meditation and deep enquiry.

May you all attain full inner illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self! May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!

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Monday, October 28, 2013

ASHTANGA YOGA : THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA

        ASHTANGA YOGA : THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA






Yoga is more than just a physical discipline. It is a way of life—a rich philosophical path. And the yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) are ten good common-sense guidelines for leading a healthier, happier life for bringing spiritual awareness into a social context. They are for you to think about and ponder over with a rational mind, because yoga is not about mindlessly accepting externally imposed rules—it is about finding the truth for yourself—and 'connecting' with it.

Yamas

There are many interpretations of and opinions about the yamas and niyamas. While the ancient Indian text, the Bhagavata Purana assigns 12 yogic restraints the Parashar Smriti, another text, puts forward ten. But the yamas as described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra are only five, which are also known as the great universal vows or the sarvabhauma maha vratas, because they are not limited by either class, creed, time or circumstances. They are the guidelines for how we interact with the outer world, the social disciplines to guide us in our relationships with others. These five are:

• Ahimsa (non-violence),
• Satya (truthfulness),
• Asteya (non-stealing),
• Brahmacharya (celibacy) and
• Aparigraha (non-covetousness)

According to the Yajnavalkya Samhita, ahimsa or non-violence is the awareness and practice of non-violence in thought, speech and action. It advocates the practices of compassion, love, understanding, patience, self-love, and worthiness.

Patanjali describes truthfulness as: "To be in harmony with mind, word and action, to conduct speech and mind according to truth, to express through speech and to retain it in the intellect what has been seen, understood or heard." A perfectly truthful person is he who expresses in his speech exactly what he thinks in his mind and in the end acts according to it.

Non-stealing or asteya is the third constituent of the yamas of Ashtanga Yoga. It upholds forgoing the unauthorized possession of thought, speech and action. Asteya stands against covetousness and envy. It advocates the cultivation of a sense of completeness and self-sufficiency in order to progress beyond base cravings.

The Vedas, Smritis and Puranas all glorify the fourth constituent of celibacy. It is believed to be a behavior, which brings man nearer to the Divine. This yama believes in avoiding all sensual pleasures, whether mental, vocal or physical.

The literal meaning of apigraha, the fifth yama, is the non-accumulation of worldly objects, caused by covetousness and attachment. The commentator Vyasa says that this last state of yama is attained when one remains totally detached from sensual pleasures of all kinds and so effectively refrains from committing himsa or violence of any sort.

Niyamas

The niyamas are the second constituents of Ashtanga Yoga. How we interact with ourselves, our internal world. The niyamas are about self-regulation—helping us maintain a positive environment in which to grow. Their practice harnesses the energy generated from the cultivation of the earlier yamas. According to sage Yajnavalkya, there are ten niyamas and the Bhagavad Gita lists 11 constituents. But Patanjali names only five:

• Shaucha or purity,
• Santosha or contentment,
• Tapa or austerity,
• Swadhyaya or self-education and
• Ishwar-Pranidhan or meditation on the Divine

Shaucha implies both external as well as internal purity. In the words of sage Manu, water purifies the body; truthfulness the mind; true knowledge the intellect and the soul is purified by knowledge and austerity. It advocates the practices of intellectual purity, purity of speech and of the body.

The second niyama is that of contentment, which is described as not desiring more than what one has earned by his honest labor. This state of mind is about maintaining equanimity through all that life offers. Santosha involves the practice of gratitude and joyfulness—maintaining calm at all costs. This state of mind does not depend on any external causes.

Austerity, the third niyama, is described in Yoga philosophy as power to stand thirst and hunger, cold and heat, discomforts of place and postures, silent meditation and ritual fasts. It also maintains that the perfect man is he who practices both mental as well as physical austerity.

According to the commentator Vyas, self-education or swadhyaya consists of scriptural studies. The scripture being, the Vedas and Upanishads together with the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and the Om mantra.

Commentators describe Ishwar-Pranidhan, the last of the niyamas, as the dedication of all our actions, performed either by intellect, speech or body, to the Divine. The results of all such actions are by definition, therefore, dependent upon Divine decision. The mortal mind can simply aspire to realize the Divine through dedication, purification, tranquilization and concentration of the mind. This Divine contemplation spills over to all aspects of the yogi's life.

The Benefits of Practicing Yamas and Niyamas

The yamas and niyamas help in managing our energy in an integrative manner, complementing our outer life to our inner development. They help us view ourselves with compassion and awareness. They help in respecting the values of this life, in balancing our inner growth with outer restraint. In short they help us to lead a conscious life.

Yamas and niyamas are not about right and wrong. They are about being honest with the true Self. Living according to these principles are about living our lives in a better way, about moving towards an understanding, about making it possible to 'connect' with the Divine.

Yogasanas

A yogasana is a posture in harmony with one's inner consciousness. It aims at the attainment of a sustained and comfortable sitting posture to facilitate meditation. Asanas also help in balancing and harmonizing the basic structure of the human body, which is why they have a range of therapeutic uses too.

Functions of Yogasanas

Asanas basically perform five functions:

• Conative,
• Cognitive,
• Mental,
• Intellectual and
• Spiritual.

Cognitive action is the voluntary exercise of the organs of action. The asanas being the main yogic instrument of balancing the body, they consist of various physical postures, which are designed to release tension, improve flexibility and maximize the flow of vital energy. The purpose of the asanas is to create a flow of positive energy so that our concentration is directed within ourselves and the mind is able to perceive (parokshya jnana) the effects of our purposive action. That is cognitive action.

When the earlier two actions are fused, our mind's discriminative faculty guides these organs to perform the asanas more correctly. The resultant rhythmic energy flow and awareness leads to a mental state of pure joy (ananda). Physical postures, therefore, end up affecting the various interrelated channels (nadis) of the mind-body complex. And ultimately the performance of a perfect yogasana leads to the absolute intellectual absorption of the mind on a single task (dharana), which in turn leads to the fusion of the individual spirit with the Divine Self (dhyana).

Benefits of Yogasanas

The regular practice of yogasanas has an immense amount of therapeutic value. Besides various physiological benefits, they positively affect our minds, our life force energies as well as our creative intelligence.

Regular practice helps to keep our body fit, controls cholesterol level, reduces weight, normalizes blood pressure and improves heart performance. Physical fitness thus achieved leads to reduction of physical stress and greater vitality. Asanas harmonize our pranic ability and mental energy flow by clearing any blockages in the subtle body leading to mental equilibrium and calmness. They make the mind strong thus enabling our human body to suffer pain and unhappiness stoically and with fortitude.

Various Categories of Yogasanas

Consummate mastery over the entire gamut of asanas is no doubt time-consuming, but what is of vital importance is the will to remain in the present moment and to let both the mind and body relax completely.

The various categories of asanas are:

• Standing Asanas,
• Forward Bending Asanas,
• Supine Asanas,
• Inverted Asanas,
• Abdominal and Lumbar Asanas,
•Twisting Asanas,
• Back Bending Asanas and
•Balancing Asanas.

Standing Asanas

Beginners should start with these as they bring elasticity in joints and muscles and build up stamina and physical stability. This constitutes the most basic training in the early stages of yoga practice. Some basic standing poses are, Tadasana, Utthita Trikonasana, Virabhadrasana, Ardha Chandrasana and Utthita Parsvakonasana.

Forward Bending Asanas

In these postures the posterior half of the body is stretched. These prepare you to proceed further in yoga and bring consistency in the development of physical and mental pliability. Examples of such asanas are, Upavisthakonasana and Paschimotanasana.

Sitting and Supine Asanas

Sitting upright and supine extending positions help a sadhaka prepare physically and mentally for pranayama. Some of them are, Baddhakonasana, Supta Baddhakonasana, Supta Padangusthanasana, Padmasana, Vajrasana, Simhasana, Virasana and so on.

Inverted Asanas

These help recover from everyday stress. They give vitality, mental balance and emotional stability. These are Adho Mukha Svanasa and Urdhva Mukha Svanasa.

Abdominal and Lumbar Asanas

These tone and massage the abdominal organs and strengthen the pelvic and lumbar areas. Bharadvajasana and Marichyasana are some examples of such asanas.

Twisting Asanas

It consists of lateral stretching and twisting of the spine, toning the internal organs and reaching new horizons while tranquilizing the mind. These are, Ardha Matsyendrasana and Jathara Parivartanasana.

Back Bending Asanas

These bring physical and mental sharpness and alertness. The postures are the opposite of forward bends as are the effects. In forward bends the posterior spine is extended, bringing consistency and mental peace, whereas in back bends the anterior spine is extended and stretched. The effect is invigorating and enlivening. Such asanas are, Ustrasana, Bhujangasana and Matsyasana.

Balancing Asanas

These strengthen the arms and wrists and exercise the abdominal organs. They also make the body feel light and help attain a good bearing. Salamba Sirsasana, Niralamba Sarvangasana and Salamba Sarvangasana are some of the balancing asanas.

Pranayama

'Pranayama' is a compound term ('prana' and 'yama') meaning the maintenance of prana in a healthy throughout one's life. More than a breath-control exercise, pranayama is all about controlling the life force or prana. Ancient yogis, who understood the essence of prana, studied it and devised methods and practices to master it. These practices are better known as pranayama. Since breath or prana is basic to life, the practice of pranayama helps in harnessing the prana in and around us, and by deepening and extending it, pranayama leads to a state of inner peace.

According to Hatha Yoga, pranayamas can be classified under:

• Sahita Kumbhaka,
• Surya Bhedi,
• Ujjayi,
• Sitali,
• Bhastrika,
• Bhramari,
• Murchha and
• Kewali.

The first is a breath retention technique, which gives agility, strength and flexibility to the body. They also quieten the mind and the sense organs besides enabling the meditator to control his hunger and thirst.

The Surya Bhedi pranayama consists of inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left. This practice promotes good digestion and through perspiration, it purges the body of all its impurities.

Ujjayi pranayama involves the travel of breath between the nose and the heart only. It acts like an expectorant and increases digestion together with removing all impurities of nerves as well as thoughts.

Bhramari pranayama involves a very concentrated and fixed breathing exercise. It helps in strengthening one's breath besides quietening the mind and increasing the powers of concentration. This breathing technique is very helpful in the last meditative stage of samadhi.

Murchha pranayama is an extreme form of breath retention, which only experienced yogis can achieve. This practice quietens the mind and helps it to reach the near-unconscious state.

The last technique of Kewali pranayama, is a breath retention technique in which, the yogi stops both inhalation as well as exhalation. This form balances inhalation and exhalation besides helping the mind to concentrate better.

Benefits of Pranayama

The practices of pranayama—the correct breathing technique helps to manipulate our energies. Most of us breathe incorrectly, using only half of our lung capacity. Pranayama is a technique, which re-educates our breathing process, helps us to release tensions and develop a relaxed state of mind. It also balances our nervous system and encourages creative thinking. In addition, by increasing the amount of oxygen to our brain it improves mental clarity, alertness and physical well being.

When practiced along with yogasanas the benefits of pranayama are more pronounced. According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, pranayama enables the mind to acquire the capacity to concentrate on any given object of attention. It also says that scientific breathing helps in unveiling true knowledge from the darkness of ignorance. But it is eminently advisable to be aware of all the do's and don'ts of pranayama before practicing them.

Various Stages of Pranayama

The following are the stages of pranayama:

• Inhalation or puraka,
• Exhalation or rechaka,
• Stambhavritti pranayama and
• Bahyabhyantarakshepi pranayama.

Puraka or inhalation techniques are about regular and controlled inhalation. It also teaches regulating the entire breathing process and reducing the number of inhalations per minute. Rechaka or exhalation exercises teach slow and ordered breathing besides reducing the number of inhalations and exhalations per minute. The third stage consists of retaining the breath after stopping natural inhalation and exhalation. The last stage of pranayama is about converting both exhalation and inhalation into retention and storing the retained breathe in various internal organs for various lengths of time.

Pratyahara

Pratyahara involves rightly managing the senses and going beyond them instead of simply closing and suppressing them. It involves reining in the senses for increased attention rather than distraction. Pratyahara may be practiced with mantra meditation and visualization techniques.

Benefits of Pratyahara

It is essential to practice pratyahara for achieving the three meditative stages of dharana, dhyana and samadhi. Perfecting this technique of yoga is also essential in order to break out from the eternal cycle of rebirths.

Dharana

The last three limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are the three essential stages of meditation. Dharana involves developing and extending our powers of concentration. This consists of various ways of directing and controlling our attention and mind-fixing skills, such as concentrating on the chakras or turning inwards.

Dhyana

Dhyana is the state of meditation, when the mind attains the ability to sustain its attention without getting distracted. Strictly speaking, unlike the other six limbs of yoga, this is not a technique but rather a state of mind, a delicate state of awareness. This state rightfully precedes the final state of samadhi.

Samadhi

Samadhi, or total absorption, is the ability to become one with the True Self and merge into the object of concentration. In this state of mind, the perceiver and the object of perception unite through the very act of perception—a true unity of all thought and action. This is the acme of all yogic endeavors—the ultimate 'yoga' or connection between the individual and the universal Soul!

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra categorizes and grades the levels of samadhi in the first chapter or Samadhi Pada:

• Samprajnata Samadhi or distinguished contemplation and
• Asamprajnata Samadhi or non-distinguished contemplation,
• Savitarka Samadhi or deliberated absorption and
• Nirvitarka Samadhi or non-deliberated absorption,
• Savichara Samadhi or reflective meditation and
• Nirvichara Samadhi or non-reflective meditation,
• Sabija Samadhi, where the mind continues to carry seeds of earthly impressions and
• Nirbija Samadhi, where each seed of earthly impressions have been erased.

 source:http://www.indiadivine.org/content.php/1129-Ashtanga-Yoga-the-Eight-Limbs-of-Yoga

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