This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
The Wedding of The Century
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
He who understands the manifest and the unmanifest both together, crosses death through the unmanifest and attains life eternal through the manifest.
ISA UPANISHAD.
How can Light lead to darkness?
Indian religion has often been blamed for the "backwardness" of the country! It is a primitive political technique. To camouflage one’s own complicity in a crime the criminal loudly proclaims of the victim "It is his own fault". When India was truly religious, she was also economically prosperous and enjoyed a Golden Age of Cultural Pre-eminence.
The religion of India has never tolerated laziness. "You cannot remain idle for a single moment," declares Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The Upanishads command Man to produce abundant food (material wealth). The Smritis (Moral Codes) exalt the householder’s life, and hold out the threat that if a man should die without leaving a son behind him, he would have to spend some time in a special hell, and thus forbid a man to "cut off the family line".
We have been told that India glorifies poverty! What a lie! It is like an orientalist reading in a medical journal that a person suffering from serious digestive disturbances should drink only whey, and then declaring that in that country people dislike all food.
Renunciation and poverty were prescribed for a certain group of persons, for the seeker after God was, naturally, not interested in worldly wealth. Coupled with this was the fact that these men of God were highly venerated. Ignorant people transferred this veneration to poverty!
Poverty thus began to be looked upon as a symbol of holiness—the ideal for all! Not only were many foreign Indologists shortsighted enough to reach this conclusion, but many Indians were themselves guilty of this grave error. All this admirably suited political invaders and proselytising missions.
There can be little doubt that in India religion and spiritual knowledge were greatly valued. They did not then, nor do we now, suggest that it meant exclusion of all material pursuits. They have always pleaded that there should be a healthy union or synthesis of the two. They have always pleaded that the Light of spiritual values should also illumine our path in our material pursuits.
Let us first ask ourselves, "Are the orientals backward? If so, in what ways?" It has been the rule that the conqueror sets the fashion. The colder European climate compelled Europeans to wear woollen socks and leather shoes. It became their habit. When they came to warm South India, their dress became the fashion, a symbol of culture; those who did not adopt it were at first laughed at and later even frowned upon. With European dress, it became difficult to sit on the floor as was the Indian custom. Chairs and tables moved into "modern" Indian homes. They were the signs of progress. Their absence was "backwardness". What nonsense! The person who is able to squat on the floor can also use chairs and sofas, but one who is accustomed to chairs and sofas becomes their slave and can not do without them. The man who walks barefoot becomes immune to changes in weather, one whose feet are always covered with socks and shoes "catches a cold" when he goes without them, and suffers from athlete’s foot when he wears them in warm clammy weather! Signs of progress! "Old-fashioned" is perhaps synonymous with "adaptable and hardy".
The West is industrially more advanced no doubt, but is a non-industrialised peaceful country backward? Is it a praiseworthy civilisation that fought the two devastating World Wars? Where were they fought and who were the originators of the Wars—the civilised West or the backward East? No backward oriental has been found guilty of wholesale massacre of people—and Hitler who had millions of people gassed was not an oriental.
These facts do not minimise the importance of material progress, nor hide the fact that, whatever be the reason, the East and India in particular, took too long a nap from her dharmic vigilance, but her ideal (and who does not fall below his ideal?) has been a balanced synthesis of matter and spirit, science and religion, expressed in the following parable:
A blind man and a lame man were sitting at a street corner, begging. In this age of speed when everyone is rushing about without ever thinking why, who has the time or the inclination to stop and drop a coin in the begging-bowl? Unluckily both of them were unable to pursue their probable benefactors.
One day, the lame man said to the blind one: "Brother, please carry me on your powerful and strong shoulders. We shall be able to pursue these people and get something out of them." The lame man could not walk, and the blind man could not see. But now the lame man guided the blind man, and the latter carried the former. Their problem was solved.
The truly religious man does not condemn scientific research and progress. He is not averse to material advancement, machines and motor cars, where they are constructive, but what religion does decry is blind pursuit of materialism, which is as dangerous as the blind man’s venture to pursue someone across the road—he might cause a major road accident. Modern prophets of all religions all over the world have reorientated their outlook on life. There is none today who encourages idle fancy and a lame, impractical approach to religion. All want religion to be translated into terms of actual daily life. My own Master, Swami Sivananda’s maxim, therefore, was "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise".
This century, God willing, will see a stupendous union, the wedding of this Age, the marriage of Science and Religion. Like the blind man, Science must carry Religion on its shoulders, and be guided by its vision. Thus can be brought about unimagined progress in all fields of human activity and aspiration. It will be the revival of the true spirit of the ancient religion.
We speak of "the ancient religion". Aldous Huxley calls it "The Perennial Philosophy". "Sanatana Dharma" is yet another name for the same thing, though these noble Sanskrit terms have been used by a clannish religious sect to further its own vested interests. Sanatana means immortal and also immortalising. "Dharma" is that substratum common to all religion. Detailed connotation of these two words is given in "Sanatana Dharma", a wonderful book by His Holiness Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha.
He gives the following scriptural definition of the word "Dharma":—
"that which prevents us from going down ruining ourselves in any manner or respect whatsoever, and makes for our welfare, progress and uplift all-round".
Of course, the Swami goes on to distinguish it from the word "religion" which he feels is "very small and circumscribed". However, the root-meaning of the word "religion" is almost a paraphrase of the word Dharma. "Religion" is "to bind again"—to bind mankind together by the cord of love and to bind man once again to the Omnipresent God. If the West has strayed from that ideal, so also has the East strayed from Dharma.
Rightly interpreted and understood, therefore, dharma or religion is the light that enables us to take note of the neighbour (i.e. all living beings) and do our duty by them, and also to become aware of the indwelling divine omnipresence and to realise It.
Dharma or religion demands that the two should be simultaneous, a revelation of the symbolism of the Holy Cross in which the horizontal bar represents Lord Jesus’ commandment, "Love thy neighbour as thyself", and the vertical beam, the commandment, "Love thy God", the two to be welded into a single act of loving his Omnipresence.
If, however, either has to be given precedence, during the training period, religion or dharma asks that man should first know his Self, that he should "seek the Kingdom of God first". That knowledge is the Light, as it were, in which he will be able to perceive himself and the world in the correct perspective. Hence it was that the Lord, according to the Holy Bible, created Light before other beings.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
One Experience : Many Expressions
This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
One Experience: Many Expressions
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
One of the things in which we take special pride in India is the peaceful co-operation of the different religions there. Only when political considerations interfere, religious distinctions acquire some prominence; otherwise it has been a country where all religions were welcomed, not merely tolerated, but were appreciated by the practitioners of other religions.
PRESIDENT DR. RADHAKRISHNAN
In Madagascar a Christian girl asked me, "Why do you Hindus worship so many gods, whereas we worship only One God?"
I replied with a question, "How many Gods are there?"
"Only one," she said.
"Then why do you say my god and your gods as though you yourself believed there were several?"
She did not utter another word, for only those who are themselves not sure that there is only one God, argue. Those who believe in the One God know that, albeit in various ways and forms, everyone worships Him alone.
Though He can be called by many names and approached by different people in different ways, the Indian believes that there is only One God. "Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti", declare the Vedas. "Truth is one, sages express it in different ways." Expression only is different, not the realisation nor the experience. A group, representing many different nations, sit drinking milk, each in his own cup, round the same table, experiencing the same sensation (that of drinking milk), but each identifies that milk with a noun from his own language, a sound strange to his companions. His cup may be different, his word for milk incomprehensible, but the milk is the same.
All prophets and all religions sing the glory of the One God. Just as the language of the song is different, so the context in which each Prophet expresses his experience is different. Moreover, people to whom they address themselves have different capacities of understanding, some big, some small, some so weak that they can only see veiled truth, others strong and able to bear the unshaded light. Prophets and sages had, and still have, a difficult and delicate task in adapting their wisdom and knowledge to the degree that is assimilable and suited to the taste of their listeners. He is a bad host who, himself a diabetic, insists that his guests must observe his own strict regimen. One formula or concept of God should not and cannot be forced on all. The very fact that all religions, even newly concocted ones, eventually split up into sects, shows that the very nature of humanity is incapable of assimilating a uniform concept. Such dogmatic streamlining would lead to a twofold tragedy. (i) It would for ever imprison the Infinite in a finite concept. All concepts are finite. It is thus the Grace of the Infinite that It inspires infinite finite viewpoints, thus fulfilling a mission otherwise impossible. (ii) It would turn away from its redeeming portals millions who either cannot or do not comprehend or concede that concept. But, of course, both these are impossibilities.
True religion reaches out to each one of us at his own level and elevates us from there, to the supreme goal, the ideal, the Truth, to God.
In the East, we have recognised the differences, have argued over them, and ultimately recognised:
(a) the unity underlying (again!) all the differences, and
(b) the need for the differences themselves.
If this recognition has not welded us into a uniformity, at least it has enabled us to be more understanding in the realisation that (in the words of President Dr. Radhakrishnan).
"The ways may twist and turn, but when you once reach the top the spiritual landscape which you discern is exactly the same. All those who by different routes have come up to the top are people who belong to one family".
Only one religion really exists, for, according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, religion is "a personal encounter of the individual with the Supreme and not merely a doctrinal conformity or ceremonial propriety", and even in its literal sense, it is that which unites the individual with God. Different clanish religions are the creations of man’s diseased mind, vanity and vested interests—or, as a concession we may say that they are mere expedients. On our planet we have only one ocean, and yet we have a number of them marked on the map, the distinction being a nautical expedient.
God is One. The religion that leads Man to Him is also one. Some call Him Krishna or a thousand other names and the religion, Hinduism. Some call Him Christ and the religion Christianity. The devotee of Christ is Christian; the devotee of Vishnu is Vaishnava; the devotee of Siva is a Saivite; the adorer of Isvara is an Arya Samajist; he who adores Allah is a Muslim, but all of them believe in the One Fundamental Truth.
There is no difference—superiority or inferiority—among the Prophets either. Each one comes from Him, is of Him—is He Himself. The one who came later is not necessarily superior to the one who came earlier. Rain fell last year, a thousand years ago, and this year. Is this year’s rainwater superior to last year’s or that of a thousand years ago?
He comes to all His children, in the way in which they can recognise Him, and with the message which they need. He is nobody’s domestic servant, and no one can dictate where, how and if He should incarnate. All are His children. He comes to help primitive man in the jungle as He comes to guide the Roman emperor. We do not believe that there is a single heathen to be saved by proselytisation. Though the Hindu religion has a ritual for the most trivial event in life, there is no ritual for religious conversion!
Conversion is tantamount to an admission of the superiority of one faith over another, of one path over another. That in our eyes is blasphemy as well as moral disaster, for faith thus shaken can never be strongly built again.
The followers of the sage, saviour or Prophet have, however, the duty and privilege of serving their fellowmen with the Gospel they themselves received from their Master. The attitude here is not one of self-righteousness, religious or intellectual vanity, but one of worship of the Supreme Being Who dwells in the hearts of all those whom we thus serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Experience: Many Expressions
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
One of the things in which we take special pride in India is the peaceful co-operation of the different religions there. Only when political considerations interfere, religious distinctions acquire some prominence; otherwise it has been a country where all religions were welcomed, not merely tolerated, but were appreciated by the practitioners of other religions.
PRESIDENT DR. RADHAKRISHNAN
In Madagascar a Christian girl asked me, "Why do you Hindus worship so many gods, whereas we worship only One God?"
I replied with a question, "How many Gods are there?"
"Only one," she said.
"Then why do you say my god and your gods as though you yourself believed there were several?"
She did not utter another word, for only those who are themselves not sure that there is only one God, argue. Those who believe in the One God know that, albeit in various ways and forms, everyone worships Him alone.
Though He can be called by many names and approached by different people in different ways, the Indian believes that there is only One God. "Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti", declare the Vedas. "Truth is one, sages express it in different ways." Expression only is different, not the realisation nor the experience. A group, representing many different nations, sit drinking milk, each in his own cup, round the same table, experiencing the same sensation (that of drinking milk), but each identifies that milk with a noun from his own language, a sound strange to his companions. His cup may be different, his word for milk incomprehensible, but the milk is the same.
All prophets and all religions sing the glory of the One God. Just as the language of the song is different, so the context in which each Prophet expresses his experience is different. Moreover, people to whom they address themselves have different capacities of understanding, some big, some small, some so weak that they can only see veiled truth, others strong and able to bear the unshaded light. Prophets and sages had, and still have, a difficult and delicate task in adapting their wisdom and knowledge to the degree that is assimilable and suited to the taste of their listeners. He is a bad host who, himself a diabetic, insists that his guests must observe his own strict regimen. One formula or concept of God should not and cannot be forced on all. The very fact that all religions, even newly concocted ones, eventually split up into sects, shows that the very nature of humanity is incapable of assimilating a uniform concept. Such dogmatic streamlining would lead to a twofold tragedy. (i) It would for ever imprison the Infinite in a finite concept. All concepts are finite. It is thus the Grace of the Infinite that It inspires infinite finite viewpoints, thus fulfilling a mission otherwise impossible. (ii) It would turn away from its redeeming portals millions who either cannot or do not comprehend or concede that concept. But, of course, both these are impossibilities.
True religion reaches out to each one of us at his own level and elevates us from there, to the supreme goal, the ideal, the Truth, to God.
In the East, we have recognised the differences, have argued over them, and ultimately recognised:
(a) the unity underlying (again!) all the differences, and
(b) the need for the differences themselves.
If this recognition has not welded us into a uniformity, at least it has enabled us to be more understanding in the realisation that (in the words of President Dr. Radhakrishnan).
"The ways may twist and turn, but when you once reach the top the spiritual landscape which you discern is exactly the same. All those who by different routes have come up to the top are people who belong to one family".
Only one religion really exists, for, according to Dr. Radhakrishnan, religion is "a personal encounter of the individual with the Supreme and not merely a doctrinal conformity or ceremonial propriety", and even in its literal sense, it is that which unites the individual with God. Different clanish religions are the creations of man’s diseased mind, vanity and vested interests—or, as a concession we may say that they are mere expedients. On our planet we have only one ocean, and yet we have a number of them marked on the map, the distinction being a nautical expedient.
God is One. The religion that leads Man to Him is also one. Some call Him Krishna or a thousand other names and the religion, Hinduism. Some call Him Christ and the religion Christianity. The devotee of Christ is Christian; the devotee of Vishnu is Vaishnava; the devotee of Siva is a Saivite; the adorer of Isvara is an Arya Samajist; he who adores Allah is a Muslim, but all of them believe in the One Fundamental Truth.
There is no difference—superiority or inferiority—among the Prophets either. Each one comes from Him, is of Him—is He Himself. The one who came later is not necessarily superior to the one who came earlier. Rain fell last year, a thousand years ago, and this year. Is this year’s rainwater superior to last year’s or that of a thousand years ago?
He comes to all His children, in the way in which they can recognise Him, and with the message which they need. He is nobody’s domestic servant, and no one can dictate where, how and if He should incarnate. All are His children. He comes to help primitive man in the jungle as He comes to guide the Roman emperor. We do not believe that there is a single heathen to be saved by proselytisation. Though the Hindu religion has a ritual for the most trivial event in life, there is no ritual for religious conversion!
Conversion is tantamount to an admission of the superiority of one faith over another, of one path over another. That in our eyes is blasphemy as well as moral disaster, for faith thus shaken can never be strongly built again.
The followers of the sage, saviour or Prophet have, however, the duty and privilege of serving their fellowmen with the Gospel they themselves received from their Master. The attitude here is not one of self-righteousness, religious or intellectual vanity, but one of worship of the Supreme Being Who dwells in the hearts of all those whom we thus serve.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to the Eternal Religion by Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
This article is from the book "The Eternal Religion".
Introduction to the Eternal Religion
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
History and to some extent science suffer from paranoia. They belittle all that comes within their grasp and deny that which is beyond. The ideas and the ideals of the East were contemptuously labelled primitive, pagan, heathen and foolishly unsound and superstitious till a few years ago.
Many were the self-appointed redeemers of the lost soul of the East! Till a few great men whose soul was awake realised a marvellous truth.
The sun rises in the East. For the light, people turn to the East. And "the three wise men came from the East", too. The religions of the world had their origin in the East. Whilst the earthly power of the West might for a time challenge, ridicule and oppress the overwhelming spiritual wisdom of the East, eventually the latter not only survives but conquers its own oppressor, for this wisdom uses not weapons but love to win the opponent over.
The flesh decays. Weapons rust. Wealth is reduced to dust. Empires crumble. The life-and-death struggles of heroes are dismissed with a few brief sentences in a history book. The earth’s crust has borne with equal indifference the stamping foot of the tyrant and the dancing feet of the jubilant, and has opened a small pore to receive both.
This drama is necessary, very much so. Without it, the spirit that lies asleep in the human breast would not awake, but it is that spirit that ultimately endures. The East proves it again and again.
When crowns rolled in the dust of Europe, and when Western pre-Christian civilisation and religious faith were consigned to oblivion, the East was awake, and she is still awake. Today wise men of the West recognise that matter decays and spirit endures. They see in the Spirit the purpose and meaning of Life. More and more of the scientists and philosophers of the world openly admit that the present fashion of exalting material values over the spiritual is disastrous.
When they see that through all the vicissitudes of political upheaval, natural and national calamities, changing physical and mental climates, the Indian spirit has managed to survive, they legitimately pose the question: "What is her secret?" The answer is simple "Religion".
Religion does not "belong" to India. The fundamental scriptures of the Indian pray for the welfare of all beings, repeatedly assert that they are for the Human Being. "Hindu" is a foreigner-conferred title; and if Indians use it still, it is only because—"What’s in a name, anyway!" In fact, the Hindu does not recognise the multiplicity of religion.
The spirit of religion is fundamental to the soul of Man. You may stick any label on it or call yourself a "free thinker"—it is the spirit that is important. The truly religious Indian clung to that spirit. When he was questioned by others, he confessed that his was an "ancient or eternal religion" (Sanatana Dharma). Sanatana Dharma also meant to him the path which led him to the Eternal, which immortalised him or revealed to him his own essential immortal nature (all of which were implied by the word sanatana).
Without sacrificing this spirit, the Indian was ever ready to adapt its formulations to suit changing conditions. He has never yielded without resistance! The resistance he offers is like a filter which allows only Truth to pass through. In the preservation of the religious spirit, the Indian often resorts to internal spring-cleaning tactics, generating curative fevers within his own body spiritual.
When Lord Buddha challenged some of the beliefs of the people of His time, the first reaction of the orthodox was to cast Him and His followers out as heretic. On closer examination, when they discovered that His philosophy represented and re-presented that Eternal Truth, they eagerly accepted it, readjusted their thinking, and proclaimed Lord Buddha as one of the manifestations or incarnations of their Deity! No doubt they realised that His teachings were the same as their own fundamental beliefs which had with the passage of time been overgrown with a good deal of the moss of perversion and superstition. This they were glad to discard.
Thus has the spirit of religion been preserved in India. Over the centuries an unwritten code of conduct, of behaviour and of idealism has been developed to connote a "Hindu". The religion is not governed by a rigid set of dogmas and doctrines; and if, here and there, a pseudo-religious leader lays some down, he is only proving that Hinduism is not even tied down to the "dogma of no-dogmas". It gives Man, every man, the freedom to seek the Reality and to share it with all. It recognises that God alone exists; He is One, but not even restricted to Oneness and so He can be called variously! He is the Centre of all beings, as near to the most pious Hindu saint as he is to the devout Christian or Muslim, equally near to the atheist and to the sinner! Its legends dramatise this enigmatic truth by tales of demons who hated God but reached Him because this hatred was wholehearted and therefore bound them to Him (which the word religion means).
That perhaps is the secret of its vitality and the fountain of its eternal youth. This Ancient Religion is ever new, rediscovering itself in every new revelation of the Truth, be it philosophical or scientific. Hence, it is eternal. It is concerned primarily with Truth, though it does not turn a blind eye on other aspects of life which might involve half-truths and falsehood. Truth it clings to; it is ever ready to adapt itself of changing conditions.
I have endeavoured to garner the main stream of thought perennially gushing from this eternal fountainhead of Religion. The theory that the tenets of this ancient religion are the common denominators of all the "religions" of the world is gaining ground and more and more people are convinced that the original broadcasters of this religion lived in the Arctic circle and migrated southwards, sowing the seeds of Truth as they went. There is a great mass of scientific literature in support of this, but to me whether all these data are valid or not, the spirit underlying them is invaluable. Religion (ligature) must unite; that is what the word means. That which disunites is not ligature, but fracture!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction to the Eternal Religion
By Sri Swami Venkatesananda Saraswati
History and to some extent science suffer from paranoia. They belittle all that comes within their grasp and deny that which is beyond. The ideas and the ideals of the East were contemptuously labelled primitive, pagan, heathen and foolishly unsound and superstitious till a few years ago.
Many were the self-appointed redeemers of the lost soul of the East! Till a few great men whose soul was awake realised a marvellous truth.
The sun rises in the East. For the light, people turn to the East. And "the three wise men came from the East", too. The religions of the world had their origin in the East. Whilst the earthly power of the West might for a time challenge, ridicule and oppress the overwhelming spiritual wisdom of the East, eventually the latter not only survives but conquers its own oppressor, for this wisdom uses not weapons but love to win the opponent over.
The flesh decays. Weapons rust. Wealth is reduced to dust. Empires crumble. The life-and-death struggles of heroes are dismissed with a few brief sentences in a history book. The earth’s crust has borne with equal indifference the stamping foot of the tyrant and the dancing feet of the jubilant, and has opened a small pore to receive both.
This drama is necessary, very much so. Without it, the spirit that lies asleep in the human breast would not awake, but it is that spirit that ultimately endures. The East proves it again and again.
When crowns rolled in the dust of Europe, and when Western pre-Christian civilisation and religious faith were consigned to oblivion, the East was awake, and she is still awake. Today wise men of the West recognise that matter decays and spirit endures. They see in the Spirit the purpose and meaning of Life. More and more of the scientists and philosophers of the world openly admit that the present fashion of exalting material values over the spiritual is disastrous.
When they see that through all the vicissitudes of political upheaval, natural and national calamities, changing physical and mental climates, the Indian spirit has managed to survive, they legitimately pose the question: "What is her secret?" The answer is simple "Religion".
Religion does not "belong" to India. The fundamental scriptures of the Indian pray for the welfare of all beings, repeatedly assert that they are for the Human Being. "Hindu" is a foreigner-conferred title; and if Indians use it still, it is only because—"What’s in a name, anyway!" In fact, the Hindu does not recognise the multiplicity of religion.
The spirit of religion is fundamental to the soul of Man. You may stick any label on it or call yourself a "free thinker"—it is the spirit that is important. The truly religious Indian clung to that spirit. When he was questioned by others, he confessed that his was an "ancient or eternal religion" (Sanatana Dharma). Sanatana Dharma also meant to him the path which led him to the Eternal, which immortalised him or revealed to him his own essential immortal nature (all of which were implied by the word sanatana).
Without sacrificing this spirit, the Indian was ever ready to adapt its formulations to suit changing conditions. He has never yielded without resistance! The resistance he offers is like a filter which allows only Truth to pass through. In the preservation of the religious spirit, the Indian often resorts to internal spring-cleaning tactics, generating curative fevers within his own body spiritual.
When Lord Buddha challenged some of the beliefs of the people of His time, the first reaction of the orthodox was to cast Him and His followers out as heretic. On closer examination, when they discovered that His philosophy represented and re-presented that Eternal Truth, they eagerly accepted it, readjusted their thinking, and proclaimed Lord Buddha as one of the manifestations or incarnations of their Deity! No doubt they realised that His teachings were the same as their own fundamental beliefs which had with the passage of time been overgrown with a good deal of the moss of perversion and superstition. This they were glad to discard.
Thus has the spirit of religion been preserved in India. Over the centuries an unwritten code of conduct, of behaviour and of idealism has been developed to connote a "Hindu". The religion is not governed by a rigid set of dogmas and doctrines; and if, here and there, a pseudo-religious leader lays some down, he is only proving that Hinduism is not even tied down to the "dogma of no-dogmas". It gives Man, every man, the freedom to seek the Reality and to share it with all. It recognises that God alone exists; He is One, but not even restricted to Oneness and so He can be called variously! He is the Centre of all beings, as near to the most pious Hindu saint as he is to the devout Christian or Muslim, equally near to the atheist and to the sinner! Its legends dramatise this enigmatic truth by tales of demons who hated God but reached Him because this hatred was wholehearted and therefore bound them to Him (which the word religion means).
That perhaps is the secret of its vitality and the fountain of its eternal youth. This Ancient Religion is ever new, rediscovering itself in every new revelation of the Truth, be it philosophical or scientific. Hence, it is eternal. It is concerned primarily with Truth, though it does not turn a blind eye on other aspects of life which might involve half-truths and falsehood. Truth it clings to; it is ever ready to adapt itself of changing conditions.
I have endeavoured to garner the main stream of thought perennially gushing from this eternal fountainhead of Religion. The theory that the tenets of this ancient religion are the common denominators of all the "religions" of the world is gaining ground and more and more people are convinced that the original broadcasters of this religion lived in the Arctic circle and migrated southwards, sowing the seeds of Truth as they went. There is a great mass of scientific literature in support of this, but to me whether all these data are valid or not, the spirit underlying them is invaluable. Religion (ligature) must unite; that is what the word means. That which disunites is not ligature, but fracture!
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Garland of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
Garland of Vedanta
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
A Vedantin says, ‘Nothing is mine and everything is mine’. As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, ‘nothing is mine.’ As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, ‘everything is mine.’ He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithvi Tattva (Earth element) and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva (Water element) and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni Tattva (Fire element) and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva (Wind element) and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearing and the Akasa Tattva (Ether element) and so all the sounds and music belong to him.
Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases.
The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The onlookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat.
Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: "Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation"? He replied, "I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss."
If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya.
The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with they cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free.
O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immortal blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning, when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say ‘I am 40 years of age’, ‘I am at death’s door’, ‘Time has passed away’, when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say ‘I am fat’, ‘I am 5 feet 6 inches’, when you are the Infinite? Why do you say ‘I have no money’, ‘I am very poor’, ‘I am penniless’, when you are the Emperor of the three worlds, the source of all wealth? Why do you say ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am your most obedient servant’, when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say, ‘I am miserable’, ‘I am restless’, when you are the embodiment of Bliss and Peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama, when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say ‘I am unwell’, ‘I am suffering from a chronic disease’, when you are all-health? Why do you say ‘I am ignorant’, ‘I know nothing’, when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free. Tat Tvam Asi—Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.
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Garland of Vedanta
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
A Vedantin says, ‘Nothing is mine and everything is mine’. As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, ‘nothing is mine.’ As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, ‘everything is mine.’ He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithvi Tattva (Earth element) and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva (Water element) and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni Tattva (Fire element) and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva (Wind element) and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearing and the Akasa Tattva (Ether element) and so all the sounds and music belong to him.
Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases.
The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The onlookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat.
Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: "Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation"? He replied, "I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss."
If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya.
The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with they cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free.
O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immortal blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning, when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say ‘I am 40 years of age’, ‘I am at death’s door’, ‘Time has passed away’, when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say ‘I am fat’, ‘I am 5 feet 6 inches’, when you are the Infinite? Why do you say ‘I have no money’, ‘I am very poor’, ‘I am penniless’, when you are the Emperor of the three worlds, the source of all wealth? Why do you say ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am your most obedient servant’, when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say, ‘I am miserable’, ‘I am restless’, when you are the embodiment of Bliss and Peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama, when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say ‘I am unwell’, ‘I am suffering from a chronic disease’, when you are all-health? Why do you say ‘I am ignorant’, ‘I know nothing’, when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free. Tat Tvam Asi—Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.
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Atma - Svarajya by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Atma-Svarajya(Freedom of the Self)
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
The Infinite is Bliss. The Infinite is Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self. The Infinite is the Absolute. The Infinite is Bhuma or the unconditioned that is beyond time, space and causation.
The Infinite is Immortality. Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, there is Infinity. The Infinite abides in its own greatness. The Infinite is Supreme Peace. The Infinite is fearlessness. The Infinite is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. The Infinite is all-full and indivisible. The Infinite is self-existent, self-contained and self-luminous. The Infinite alone is real. The Infinite alone exists in the three periods of time.
You must search, understand and realise the Infinite.
The ‘oversoul’ of the Western philosophers is the Brahman of the Upanishads or Atman of the Vedantins. The Supreme Soul or Paramatma which is the support for the individual is the ‘Oversoul’. The ‘oversoul’ is the ‘Substance’ of Spinoza or the ‘Thing-in-Itself’ of Kant. The essence of Vedanta has slowly infiltrated into the minds of Western philosophers and they have accepted now the existence of one eternal principle or the immortal soul which is distinct from the body and mind.
Brahman is the Soul or Atman of man. He is the Soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is Infinite.
There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities, there will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One infinite will be creating something, another infinite will be destroying it. There can be only one infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman. Everything else is its manifestation or expression.
Vedanta holds the first place amongst all systems of philosophies. It is a system of philosophy in which human speculation has reached its very pinnacle or acme. It is indeed a unique system of thought, which demands a subtle, sharp intellect to grasp its fundamental principles. It is unique in the boldness of its conclusions. It is absolutely free from all shades of dogmatism or pet doctrines.
Vedanta is very practical. It does not preach an impossible ideal. Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Sankara and many others realised the Truth of Vedanta. You can also realise it if you will. What is wanted is regular and constant practice. You must have perfect faith in the utterance of the Srutis and in the words of the Guru. You must have perfect faith in yourself first.
Vedanta wants you to give up Moha (selfish love) for the physical body, wife, children and property. Vedanta wants you to abandon all worldly desires, cravings and longings. Vedanta wants you to eradicate the desire for power, name and fame. Vedanta wants you to break all ties and connections with the world mentally. Vedanta wants you to cut off ruthlessly all worldly attachments by the sword of discrimination.
Some ignorant people say that Vedanta preaches immorality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake. Vedanta does not preach either immorality or even indifference to morality. The realisation of Brahman is not possible for the immoral. An aspirant who has ethical perfection and who is endowed with the four means can become a student of Vedanta. How can you expect an aspirant who possesses discrimination, dispassion, serenity, self-restraint, forbearance, endurance, faith, one-pointed mind and a burning desire for liberation to lead an immoral life? It is quite absurd. Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body and to develop pure, disinterested, cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Prem. It never preaches pessimism but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism. It preaches: "Give up this little illusory pleasure. You will get eternal and infinite bliss. Kill this little ‘I’. You will become one with the Infinite. You will become immortal. Give up this illusory world. You will get the vast domain of Supreme Peace or Kingdom of God." Is this pessimism? Certainly not. It is wonderful optimism.
In the whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures you have forgotten the purpose of life and its goal. You live more for the body than for the soul. In your pursuit after the phantom shows of worldly vanities you have annihilated the spiritual instincts and longings of the soul. What a sad state! Mysterious is Maya! Mysterious is Moha! Open your eyes now. Wake up from the long slumber of ignorance. Realise that ultimate Reality and enjoy Eternal Bliss.
You cannot die, because you were never born. You are immortal Atman. Birth and death are two false scenes in the unreal drama of Maya. They concern the physical sheath only, a false product formed by the combination of five elements. The ideas of birth and death are mere superstition.
You admire the sun, the moon and the stars, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, the jessamine, the rose, the Niagara falls and the vast ocean. You admire the air-ship, the steamer, the railway, the telegraph and the wireless. But the mind that has its seat in the brain is still more wonderful. In the twinkling of an eye it moves from Colombo to London, from Himalayas to Alps. The greatest wonder is the Immortal Brahman or Atman that pervades the whole universe, that illumines the sun, the moon, the stars and the mind.
You see your dear brother Banerjee in front of you. What is it that you call and recognise as Banerjee? Certainly Banerjee is not his hands, feet, head, chest or belly. Even if his hands and legs are amputated, even if he gets leucoderma or white skin, even if his eye-balls are removed, you have the same love for him. You will call him by the name ‘Banerjee’. This proves that ‘Banerjee’ is not the physical body. Physical body is composed of five elements only. It has a beginning and an end. You may now say that ‘Banerjee’ consists of thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings and sentiments and that the mind is ‘Banerjee’. The thoughts change. Mind changes. Mind is made up of subtle matter. The non-quintuplicated Sattvic portion of Tanmatras or root elements or subtle elements goes to constitute the mind. Mind is an effect of Avidya or ignorance. It has a beginning and an end. Even if the thoughts and character of Banerjee change, you hold on to his personality. Therefore he is not even in the thoughts. He is somewhere behind the mind. It is He who moves the mind, the senses and the body. It is He who gives light to the mind and the senses. Real ‘Banerjee’ is the immortal Atman who is beyond mind, speech, time, space and causation. Body, mind and senses are his illusory appendages created by Avidya.
Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your Self. Be centred in the Atman only. The wife deserts her husband when he becomes poor and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty and marries another young woman. Even Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world. Mysterious is Maya!
Everybody wishes to be independent. Everybody wants to be a ruler. Everyone does not like to be guided by the wishes of others. Everyone desires others to be guided by his wishes.
Everybody in his heart of hearts really desires to rule over all others if only he could. Everybody wishes to have no rival. The real cause is that there is in you the immortal, self-effulgent soul or Atman, which is one without a second, which has no rival, which is the inner ruler, which is the support for the whole universe. In reality you are this Atman. That is the reason why you have such a feeling and desire. Suzerainty is quite natural to you. Suzerainty is an attribute of the Atman. On account of ignorance you have mistaken the body for the Atman and you try to have no rivals in the physical body, in business, in office, in college, in games, in dominions and in any field of activity. You can have absolute suzerainty only by realising the Atman. Atma-Svarajya only can make you absolutely independent. Atma-Svarajya only can make you the supreme ruler or absolute monarch of the whole universe. Therefore realise this wonderful Atman and become a veritable, mighty potentate of the three worlds.
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By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
The Infinite is Bliss. The Infinite is Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self. The Infinite is the Absolute. The Infinite is Bhuma or the unconditioned that is beyond time, space and causation.
The Infinite is Immortality. Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, there is Infinity. The Infinite abides in its own greatness. The Infinite is Supreme Peace. The Infinite is fearlessness. The Infinite is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. The Infinite is all-full and indivisible. The Infinite is self-existent, self-contained and self-luminous. The Infinite alone is real. The Infinite alone exists in the three periods of time.
You must search, understand and realise the Infinite.
The ‘oversoul’ of the Western philosophers is the Brahman of the Upanishads or Atman of the Vedantins. The Supreme Soul or Paramatma which is the support for the individual is the ‘Oversoul’. The ‘oversoul’ is the ‘Substance’ of Spinoza or the ‘Thing-in-Itself’ of Kant. The essence of Vedanta has slowly infiltrated into the minds of Western philosophers and they have accepted now the existence of one eternal principle or the immortal soul which is distinct from the body and mind.
Brahman is the Soul or Atman of man. He is the Soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is Infinite.
There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities, there will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One infinite will be creating something, another infinite will be destroying it. There can be only one infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman. Everything else is its manifestation or expression.
Vedanta holds the first place amongst all systems of philosophies. It is a system of philosophy in which human speculation has reached its very pinnacle or acme. It is indeed a unique system of thought, which demands a subtle, sharp intellect to grasp its fundamental principles. It is unique in the boldness of its conclusions. It is absolutely free from all shades of dogmatism or pet doctrines.
Vedanta is very practical. It does not preach an impossible ideal. Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Sankara and many others realised the Truth of Vedanta. You can also realise it if you will. What is wanted is regular and constant practice. You must have perfect faith in the utterance of the Srutis and in the words of the Guru. You must have perfect faith in yourself first.
Vedanta wants you to give up Moha (selfish love) for the physical body, wife, children and property. Vedanta wants you to abandon all worldly desires, cravings and longings. Vedanta wants you to eradicate the desire for power, name and fame. Vedanta wants you to break all ties and connections with the world mentally. Vedanta wants you to cut off ruthlessly all worldly attachments by the sword of discrimination.
Some ignorant people say that Vedanta preaches immorality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake. Vedanta does not preach either immorality or even indifference to morality. The realisation of Brahman is not possible for the immoral. An aspirant who has ethical perfection and who is endowed with the four means can become a student of Vedanta. How can you expect an aspirant who possesses discrimination, dispassion, serenity, self-restraint, forbearance, endurance, faith, one-pointed mind and a burning desire for liberation to lead an immoral life? It is quite absurd. Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body and to develop pure, disinterested, cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Prem. It never preaches pessimism but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism. It preaches: "Give up this little illusory pleasure. You will get eternal and infinite bliss. Kill this little ‘I’. You will become one with the Infinite. You will become immortal. Give up this illusory world. You will get the vast domain of Supreme Peace or Kingdom of God." Is this pessimism? Certainly not. It is wonderful optimism.
In the whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures you have forgotten the purpose of life and its goal. You live more for the body than for the soul. In your pursuit after the phantom shows of worldly vanities you have annihilated the spiritual instincts and longings of the soul. What a sad state! Mysterious is Maya! Mysterious is Moha! Open your eyes now. Wake up from the long slumber of ignorance. Realise that ultimate Reality and enjoy Eternal Bliss.
You cannot die, because you were never born. You are immortal Atman. Birth and death are two false scenes in the unreal drama of Maya. They concern the physical sheath only, a false product formed by the combination of five elements. The ideas of birth and death are mere superstition.
You admire the sun, the moon and the stars, the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, the jessamine, the rose, the Niagara falls and the vast ocean. You admire the air-ship, the steamer, the railway, the telegraph and the wireless. But the mind that has its seat in the brain is still more wonderful. In the twinkling of an eye it moves from Colombo to London, from Himalayas to Alps. The greatest wonder is the Immortal Brahman or Atman that pervades the whole universe, that illumines the sun, the moon, the stars and the mind.
You see your dear brother Banerjee in front of you. What is it that you call and recognise as Banerjee? Certainly Banerjee is not his hands, feet, head, chest or belly. Even if his hands and legs are amputated, even if he gets leucoderma or white skin, even if his eye-balls are removed, you have the same love for him. You will call him by the name ‘Banerjee’. This proves that ‘Banerjee’ is not the physical body. Physical body is composed of five elements only. It has a beginning and an end. You may now say that ‘Banerjee’ consists of thoughts, ideas, emotions, feelings and sentiments and that the mind is ‘Banerjee’. The thoughts change. Mind changes. Mind is made up of subtle matter. The non-quintuplicated Sattvic portion of Tanmatras or root elements or subtle elements goes to constitute the mind. Mind is an effect of Avidya or ignorance. It has a beginning and an end. Even if the thoughts and character of Banerjee change, you hold on to his personality. Therefore he is not even in the thoughts. He is somewhere behind the mind. It is He who moves the mind, the senses and the body. It is He who gives light to the mind and the senses. Real ‘Banerjee’ is the immortal Atman who is beyond mind, speech, time, space and causation. Body, mind and senses are his illusory appendages created by Avidya.
Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your Self. Be centred in the Atman only. The wife deserts her husband when he becomes poor and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty and marries another young woman. Even Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world. Mysterious is Maya!
Everybody wishes to be independent. Everybody wants to be a ruler. Everyone does not like to be guided by the wishes of others. Everyone desires others to be guided by his wishes.
Everybody in his heart of hearts really desires to rule over all others if only he could. Everybody wishes to have no rival. The real cause is that there is in you the immortal, self-effulgent soul or Atman, which is one without a second, which has no rival, which is the inner ruler, which is the support for the whole universe. In reality you are this Atman. That is the reason why you have such a feeling and desire. Suzerainty is quite natural to you. Suzerainty is an attribute of the Atman. On account of ignorance you have mistaken the body for the Atman and you try to have no rivals in the physical body, in business, in office, in college, in games, in dominions and in any field of activity. You can have absolute suzerainty only by realising the Atman. Atma-Svarajya only can make you absolutely independent. Atma-Svarajya only can make you the supreme ruler or absolute monarch of the whole universe. Therefore realise this wonderful Atman and become a veritable, mighty potentate of the three worlds.
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Vedantic Sadhana by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Message from the book "Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta"
Vedantic Sadhana
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
O FRIEND! Why dost thou weep? Thou hast neither birth nor old age nor death. Thou hast neither passion nor craving. Thou hast neither gross nor subtle body. Thou hast neither mind nor Prana. Thou art the eternal, unchanging, all-pervading Self. Feel this and be free.
O friend! Why dost thou grieve? Thou hast neither name nor form. Thou hast neither caste nor age. Thou hast neither sex nor Indriyas. Thou art neither strong nor weak. Thou hast neither father nor mother. Thou art ever free, pure, eternal immortal. Realise this and be free.
Find out the real inner man. The real man is bodiless and formless. Do not identify the man with the outer food-sheath—Annamaya Kosha—or the physical body. The gross physical body is like the shell of a cocoanut. The real man is the Immortal Spirit, which cannot be annihilated. Man in essence is the Imperishable Atman. He is the silent witness of the three states, viz., Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states).
Just as a rope is mistaken for a snake in the darkness, a post for a man, so also this impure body is mistaken for the pure Self through Avidya or ignorance. If you bring a light, the illusory snake in the rope will disappear. Even so, if you attain knowledge of the Self, the illusory identification with the body will vanish. The essential qualities of the man are not actually transferred to the post, nor the essential qualities of the post actually transferred to the man. Even so, consciousness does not belong to the body and the attributes of the body, such as decay and death, pleasure and pain, do not belong to the Self or Consciousness.
If you have direct knowledge of the Supreme Self or Brahman through meditation, you will attain Immortality. There is no other way to reach the goal. If you know the Self you have gained the true end of life. You will be afraid of nothing.
That Vastu or something which has neither beginning nor end is the Imperishable Brahman (Akshara). Akshara only is unchanging, infinite, eternal, self-luminous, indivisible, pure, perfect, ever free and independent. Akshara is your Immortal Soul.
The fields or bodies are different but the knower of the field is one. Jivatmas are different but Paramatman is one. Wherever there is mind, there are Prana, egoism and Jiva-Chaitanya or reflected intelligence or Abhasa Chaitanya side by side. He who has the sense of duality (Dvaita Bhava) will take births again and again. This delusion of duality (Bheda Bhranti) can only be removed by the knowledge of identity of Jiva and Brahman. ‘Aham Sukhi—I am happy’, ‘Aham Duhkhi—I am miserable’, ‘Aham Karta—I am the doer’, ‘Aham Bhokta—I am the enjoyer’ is the experience of all human beings. Therefore the Jivatma is a Samsarin and is subject to pleasure and pain. Jivatmas are different in different bodies, whereas Paramatman is free from pleasure and pain. He is Asamsarin. He is eternally free. He is one.
If there is only one Jivatma in all bodies, all should have similar experiences at the same time. If Rama suffers from abdominal colic, Krishna also should experience the pain at the same time. If John experiences joy, Jacob also should have a similar experience. If Choudhury is stung by a scorpion, Bannerjee also should suffer from the sting. But this is not the case. When Rama suffers, Krishna rejoices. When John is jubilant, Jacob is depressed. When Choudhury suffers from the sting of a scorpion, Bannerjee is enjoying his breakfast. Jivatma in essence is identical with Para-Brahman. Fields are different, bodies are different, minds are different and Jivatmas or individual souls are different. But the knower or Paramatman in all these fields or bodies is one.
The Self is not affected by pleasure and pain, virtue and vice. He is the silent witness only. Pleasure and pain are the Dharmas of the mind only. They are ascribed to the Self through Avidya or ignorance. The ignorant man only regards the physical body as the Self. He is swayed by the two currents of Raga Dvesha and does virtuous and vicious actions, reaps the fruits of these actions, viz., pleasure and pain and takes births again and again. But the sage who knows that the Self is distinct from the body is not swayed by Raga Dvesha. He identifies himself with the pure eternal Brahman and is always happy and actionless, though he performs actions for the welfare of the humanity.
The disease Timira which causes perception of what is contrary to truth pertains to the eye but not to the man who perceives. If the Timira is removed by proper treatment, he perceives things in their true light. Even so, ignorance, doubt, pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, Raga Dvesha, false perception, non-perception of truth as well as their cause belong to the instrument, viz., mind, but not to the silent witness.
The wheel of Samsara or the world’s process rotates on account of Avidya. It exists only for the ignorant man who perceives the world as it appears to him. There is no Samsara for a liberated sage. Any disease of the eye cannot in any way affect the sun. The breaking of the pot will not in any way affect the pot-ether. The water in the mirage cannot render the earth moist. Even so, Avidya and its effects cannot in the least affect the pure, subtle, attributeless, formless, limbless, partless and self-luminous Self. Avidya can do nothing to the Self.
Avidya or ignorance born of Tamas acts as a veil and prevents man from knowing his essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature. It causes perception of what is quite the contrary of truth, or causes doubt or non-perception of truth. As soon as knowledge of the Self dawns, the three forms of Avidya vanish in toto. Therefore the three forms of Avidya are not attributes of the Self. They belong to the mind, the organ or the instrument. Mind is only an effect or product of Avidya.
In the state of liberation wherein there is annihilation of mind (Manonasa) there is no Avidya, there is no play of the two currents, Raga Dvesha. If false perception, ignorance, pleasure, pain, doubt, bondage, delusion, sorrow, etc., were essential properties of the Self, just as heat is an essential property of fire, they cannot be got rid of at any time. But there had been liberated sages in the past like Sankara, Dattatreya, Jada Bharata, Yajnavalkya, who possessed extraordinary super-sensual or intuitional knowledge, who were free from false perception, doubt, fear, delusion, sorrow, etc. They were not conscious of Samsara but they had perfect awareness of their own Svaroopa or essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature.
Therefore we will have to conclude that the Self is free, pure, perfect, eternal and the Avidya inheres in the mind-instrument but not in the Self.
The liberated sage who is freed from selfishness, egoism, anger and fear roams about happily. He has shaken off everything. Avidya and its modifications cannot affect him. He is the Yati. He is the Sannyasin. He is the Yogi. He is the Paramahamsa. He is the Avadhuta. He is Brahman himself. He is the Lord of lords. He is the Emperor of emperors. He is fit to be worshipped.
May his blessings be upon you all! May you all attain liberation in this very birth!
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Vedantic Sadhana
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
O FRIEND! Why dost thou weep? Thou hast neither birth nor old age nor death. Thou hast neither passion nor craving. Thou hast neither gross nor subtle body. Thou hast neither mind nor Prana. Thou art the eternal, unchanging, all-pervading Self. Feel this and be free.
O friend! Why dost thou grieve? Thou hast neither name nor form. Thou hast neither caste nor age. Thou hast neither sex nor Indriyas. Thou art neither strong nor weak. Thou hast neither father nor mother. Thou art ever free, pure, eternal immortal. Realise this and be free.
Find out the real inner man. The real man is bodiless and formless. Do not identify the man with the outer food-sheath—Annamaya Kosha—or the physical body. The gross physical body is like the shell of a cocoanut. The real man is the Immortal Spirit, which cannot be annihilated. Man in essence is the Imperishable Atman. He is the silent witness of the three states, viz., Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states).
Just as a rope is mistaken for a snake in the darkness, a post for a man, so also this impure body is mistaken for the pure Self through Avidya or ignorance. If you bring a light, the illusory snake in the rope will disappear. Even so, if you attain knowledge of the Self, the illusory identification with the body will vanish. The essential qualities of the man are not actually transferred to the post, nor the essential qualities of the post actually transferred to the man. Even so, consciousness does not belong to the body and the attributes of the body, such as decay and death, pleasure and pain, do not belong to the Self or Consciousness.
If you have direct knowledge of the Supreme Self or Brahman through meditation, you will attain Immortality. There is no other way to reach the goal. If you know the Self you have gained the true end of life. You will be afraid of nothing.
That Vastu or something which has neither beginning nor end is the Imperishable Brahman (Akshara). Akshara only is unchanging, infinite, eternal, self-luminous, indivisible, pure, perfect, ever free and independent. Akshara is your Immortal Soul.
The fields or bodies are different but the knower of the field is one. Jivatmas are different but Paramatman is one. Wherever there is mind, there are Prana, egoism and Jiva-Chaitanya or reflected intelligence or Abhasa Chaitanya side by side. He who has the sense of duality (Dvaita Bhava) will take births again and again. This delusion of duality (Bheda Bhranti) can only be removed by the knowledge of identity of Jiva and Brahman. ‘Aham Sukhi—I am happy’, ‘Aham Duhkhi—I am miserable’, ‘Aham Karta—I am the doer’, ‘Aham Bhokta—I am the enjoyer’ is the experience of all human beings. Therefore the Jivatma is a Samsarin and is subject to pleasure and pain. Jivatmas are different in different bodies, whereas Paramatman is free from pleasure and pain. He is Asamsarin. He is eternally free. He is one.
If there is only one Jivatma in all bodies, all should have similar experiences at the same time. If Rama suffers from abdominal colic, Krishna also should experience the pain at the same time. If John experiences joy, Jacob also should have a similar experience. If Choudhury is stung by a scorpion, Bannerjee also should suffer from the sting. But this is not the case. When Rama suffers, Krishna rejoices. When John is jubilant, Jacob is depressed. When Choudhury suffers from the sting of a scorpion, Bannerjee is enjoying his breakfast. Jivatma in essence is identical with Para-Brahman. Fields are different, bodies are different, minds are different and Jivatmas or individual souls are different. But the knower or Paramatman in all these fields or bodies is one.
The Self is not affected by pleasure and pain, virtue and vice. He is the silent witness only. Pleasure and pain are the Dharmas of the mind only. They are ascribed to the Self through Avidya or ignorance. The ignorant man only regards the physical body as the Self. He is swayed by the two currents of Raga Dvesha and does virtuous and vicious actions, reaps the fruits of these actions, viz., pleasure and pain and takes births again and again. But the sage who knows that the Self is distinct from the body is not swayed by Raga Dvesha. He identifies himself with the pure eternal Brahman and is always happy and actionless, though he performs actions for the welfare of the humanity.
The disease Timira which causes perception of what is contrary to truth pertains to the eye but not to the man who perceives. If the Timira is removed by proper treatment, he perceives things in their true light. Even so, ignorance, doubt, pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, Raga Dvesha, false perception, non-perception of truth as well as their cause belong to the instrument, viz., mind, but not to the silent witness.
The wheel of Samsara or the world’s process rotates on account of Avidya. It exists only for the ignorant man who perceives the world as it appears to him. There is no Samsara for a liberated sage. Any disease of the eye cannot in any way affect the sun. The breaking of the pot will not in any way affect the pot-ether. The water in the mirage cannot render the earth moist. Even so, Avidya and its effects cannot in the least affect the pure, subtle, attributeless, formless, limbless, partless and self-luminous Self. Avidya can do nothing to the Self.
Avidya or ignorance born of Tamas acts as a veil and prevents man from knowing his essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature. It causes perception of what is quite the contrary of truth, or causes doubt or non-perception of truth. As soon as knowledge of the Self dawns, the three forms of Avidya vanish in toto. Therefore the three forms of Avidya are not attributes of the Self. They belong to the mind, the organ or the instrument. Mind is only an effect or product of Avidya.
In the state of liberation wherein there is annihilation of mind (Manonasa) there is no Avidya, there is no play of the two currents, Raga Dvesha. If false perception, ignorance, pleasure, pain, doubt, bondage, delusion, sorrow, etc., were essential properties of the Self, just as heat is an essential property of fire, they cannot be got rid of at any time. But there had been liberated sages in the past like Sankara, Dattatreya, Jada Bharata, Yajnavalkya, who possessed extraordinary super-sensual or intuitional knowledge, who were free from false perception, doubt, fear, delusion, sorrow, etc. They were not conscious of Samsara but they had perfect awareness of their own Svaroopa or essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature.
Therefore we will have to conclude that the Self is free, pure, perfect, eternal and the Avidya inheres in the mind-instrument but not in the Self.
The liberated sage who is freed from selfishness, egoism, anger and fear roams about happily. He has shaken off everything. Avidya and its modifications cannot affect him. He is the Yati. He is the Sannyasin. He is the Yogi. He is the Paramahamsa. He is the Avadhuta. He is Brahman himself. He is the Lord of lords. He is the Emperor of emperors. He is fit to be worshipped.
May his blessings be upon you all! May you all attain liberation in this very birth!
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Guru Sharana by Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This article is a chapter from the book "Yoga Samhita".
Guru Sharana Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Lord is gracious. He has given you countless opportunities to evolve and attain Him. He has assured us in the Gita that whenever there is decay of righteousness, He manifests Himself. He comes to us in various forms. He comes to you as your spiritual preceptor. One who has realised Him partakes of His Power and Grace. For Sadhaka the Guru is God Himself. The Guru can shower his grace upon you all; and he can enlighten you. He is the visible representative of the Lord. But you must serve the Guru, prostrate to Him, surrender yourself to him and through enquiry, you must obtain from him the knowledge of the Self.
Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru will take you to God immediately. People generally complain, "We do not get good Guru these days?" This is a lame excuse. You can make even an ordinary spiritual aspirant as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a cocoanut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not cocoanut. In your heart there is Bhava, that it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it does not really exist. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is his determination. Even so, the defects of the aspirant-Guru do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should defy and superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the Guru. Guru, Ishwar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own Self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru.
When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only will you have faith. Through strong faith, you will then and there, realise Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become like the famous Bhakta Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahman incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata.
Guru and the disciple should be well acquainted with the nature of each other. The student should know thoroughly well the ideals and principles of his Guru and the disciple should lay bare before his preceptor all his weaknesses and shortcomings. He should allow himself to be tested in the crucible of sufferings by his Guru in a variety of ways so that he may have full confidence in the disciple.
The disciple also should come in closer contact with the Guru during his service and try to imbibe all his good qualities. He must place before him all his difficulties and then alone the teacher can remove the pitfalls and snares through efficient and potent means.
Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Maheswara in human form. The outer cloak should not make you think that he is an ordinary man. If you serve your Guru, with full devotion and faith, Realisation will come in the twinkling of an eye or within the time taken to squeeze a rose flower in the palm of your hand.
Unless you have faith in the Lord and devotion to the Guru, you cannot understand the real truths of Vedanta, you will not be able to raise the Brahmakara Vritti. Only when all the Vishayakara Vrittis subside will the Brahmakara Vritti arise in the Sattwic mind which is equipped with the four means and with the instructions of the Guru. Again and again the Vishayakara Vrittis manifest into the mind lake. All these Vishayakara Vrittis will subside if you meditate on Om. The one Brahmakara Vritti arises. This Brahmakara Vritti destroys ignorance and its effects and brings Enlightenment. Your foremost duty, along with your daily duties, is to raise this Brahmakara Vritti by doing Japa of Om, by meditating on Om, and by studying Upanishads. You will then become One with Brahman. You will go beyond grief and delusion, you will attain the Supreme by the knowledge of Brahman.
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Guru Sharana Yoga
By Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati
The Lord is gracious. He has given you countless opportunities to evolve and attain Him. He has assured us in the Gita that whenever there is decay of righteousness, He manifests Himself. He comes to us in various forms. He comes to you as your spiritual preceptor. One who has realised Him partakes of His Power and Grace. For Sadhaka the Guru is God Himself. The Guru can shower his grace upon you all; and he can enlighten you. He is the visible representative of the Lord. But you must serve the Guru, prostrate to Him, surrender yourself to him and through enquiry, you must obtain from him the knowledge of the Self.
Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru will take you to God immediately. People generally complain, "We do not get good Guru these days?" This is a lame excuse. You can make even an ordinary spiritual aspirant as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a cocoanut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not cocoanut. In your heart there is Bhava, that it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it does not really exist. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is his determination. Even so, the defects of the aspirant-Guru do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should defy and superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the Guru. Guru, Ishwar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own Self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru.
When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only will you have faith. Through strong faith, you will then and there, realise Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become like the famous Bhakta Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahman incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata.
Guru and the disciple should be well acquainted with the nature of each other. The student should know thoroughly well the ideals and principles of his Guru and the disciple should lay bare before his preceptor all his weaknesses and shortcomings. He should allow himself to be tested in the crucible of sufferings by his Guru in a variety of ways so that he may have full confidence in the disciple.
The disciple also should come in closer contact with the Guru during his service and try to imbibe all his good qualities. He must place before him all his difficulties and then alone the teacher can remove the pitfalls and snares through efficient and potent means.
Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Maheswara in human form. The outer cloak should not make you think that he is an ordinary man. If you serve your Guru, with full devotion and faith, Realisation will come in the twinkling of an eye or within the time taken to squeeze a rose flower in the palm of your hand.
Unless you have faith in the Lord and devotion to the Guru, you cannot understand the real truths of Vedanta, you will not be able to raise the Brahmakara Vritti. Only when all the Vishayakara Vrittis subside will the Brahmakara Vritti arise in the Sattwic mind which is equipped with the four means and with the instructions of the Guru. Again and again the Vishayakara Vrittis manifest into the mind lake. All these Vishayakara Vrittis will subside if you meditate on Om. The one Brahmakara Vritti arises. This Brahmakara Vritti destroys ignorance and its effects and brings Enlightenment. Your foremost duty, along with your daily duties, is to raise this Brahmakara Vritti by doing Japa of Om, by meditating on Om, and by studying Upanishads. You will then become One with Brahman. You will go beyond grief and delusion, you will attain the Supreme by the knowledge of Brahman.
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