Gambling by Swami Sivananda Gambling is another dreadful curse. It is a great friend of Satan or anti-God. It is Maya’s great weapon. It has broken the hearts of many. It tantalises, tempts and deludes. A little gain in the first betting itches the nerves of the gamblers and forces them to bet a large sum. Eventually they lose everything and return home with black or weeping faces. Man becomes bankrupt by gambling. He weeps bitterly. Yet he will not leave it. Maya havocs through wrong habits, wrong thinking, wrong Samskaras and through bad company, gambling, cinema, drinking, smoking and meat-eating. The intellect becomes clouded and blunt. Reason and discrimination fail. The intellect becomes perverted. An enormous amount of money is wasted uselessly in gambling and drinking. No virtue will dwell in the heart of a man who gambles. Gambling is a net spread by Maya to entrap the bewildered souls. There is no evil greater than gambling. All vices cling to a gambler. No real gain will come to a gambler. He is always drowned in sorrow. He drags a cheerless life from day to day. Card-play and horse-racing are modifications of gambling only. O man! It is very difficult to get a human birth. Life is meant for God-realisation. Perennial joy and eternal bliss are in God. Do not waste this precious life in drinking, gambling, smoking and meat-eating. What will you say to the God of Death at the time of your death? No one will help you. You will carry your own thoughts and actions. Give up gambling, meat-eating, drinking, cinema and smoking from this very second. Give me a definite promise now. I am your friend and well-wisher. Wake up now. Open your eyes. Become a virtuous man. Do good actions. Sing Hari’s Name. God’s Name is a potent antidote for all evil habits. Study religious books. Seek the company of sages and devotees. All evil habits will be eradicated. Serve. Love. Give. Purify. Concentrate. Meditate. Realise this very second. Time is the most precious thing in the world. Ignorant people waste their whole time in playing cards and in gambling. What a horrible state of affairs! Highly deplorable! How powerful is Avidya or ignorance! People are lamentably sunk in the mire of darkness! Pitiable specimens of humanity! Slayers of Atman! May Lord Krishnaswami, Antaryami, the Indweller of your heart, give you strength to overcome all these evil habits! May His blessing be upon you all!

Meat-Eating by Swami Sivananda Meat is not at all necessary for the keeping up of health. Meat-eating is highly deleterious to health. It brings a host of ailments such as tapeworm, albuminuria and other diseases of the kidneys. After all, man wants very little on this earth. A few slices of bread and a little dhal will quite suffice to keep up his health, vigour and vitality. Killing of animals for food is a great sin. Instead of killing the egoism and the idea of “mineness”, ignorant people kill innocent animals under the pretext of sacrifice to the goddess. But it is really to satisfy their tongue and palate. Horrible! Most inhuman! Ahimsa is the greatest of all virtues. Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah. Ahimsa is the first virtue that a spiritual aspirant should possess. We should have reverence for life. Lord Jesus says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Lord Jesus and Mahavira shouted at the top of their voice: “Regard every living being as thyself and harm no one”. The law of Karma is inexorable, unrelenting and immutable. The pain you inflict upon another will rebound upon you and the happiness you radiate to another will come back to you, adding to your happiness. Dr. J. Oldfield, senior physician, Lady Margaret Hospital, writes: “Today, there is the chemical fact in the hands of all, which none can gainsay, that the products of the vegetable kingdom contain all that is necessary for the fullest sustenance of human life. Flesh is unnatural food, and therefore tends to create functional disturbances. The manner in which it is taken in modern civilisation, it is infected with such terrible diseases (readily communicable to man) as cancer, consumption, fever, intestinal worms, etc., to an enormous extent. There is little need for wonder that flesh-eating is one of the most serious causes of the diseases that carry off ninety-nine out of every hundred people that are born.” Meat-eating and alcoholism are closely allied. The craving for liquor dies a natural death when the meat diet is withdrawn. The question of birth-control becomes very difficult in the case of those who take meat diet. To them mind-control is absolutely impossible. Mark how the meat-eating tiger is ferocious, and the cow and elephant, which live on grass, are mild and peaceful! Meat has a direct evil influence in the compartments of the brain. The first step in spiritual advancement is the giving up of meat diet. The divine light will not descend if the stomach is loaded with meat diet. In large meat-eating countries cancer mortality is very high. Vegetarians keep up sound health till old age. Even in the West in the hospitals, doctors are now putting patients on a vegetable diet. They convalesce very quickly. Pythagoras, the Grecian sage preached: “Do not kill or injure any creature.” He condemned meat diet as sinful food! Just hear what he says “Beware, O mortals, of defiling your bodies with sinful food! There are cereals, there are fruits, bending their branches down by their weight, and luxurious grapes on the vines. There are sweet vegetables and herbs which the flame can render palatable and mellow. Nor are you denied milk, or honey, fragrant of the aroma of the thyma flower. The bountiful earth offers you an abundance of pure food and provides for meals obtainable without slaughter and bloodshed.” If you want to stop taking mutton, fish, etc., just see with your own eyes the pitiable, struggling condition of sheep at the time of killing. Now mercy and sympathy will arise in your heart. Then you will determine to give up meat-eating. If you fail in this attempt, change your environment and live in a vegetarian hotel where you cannot get flesh and move in that society where there is only vegetarian diet. Always think of the evils of flesh-eating and the benefits of a vegetable diet. If this also cannot give you sufficient strength to stop this habit, go to a slaughter-house and butcher’s shop and personally see the disgusting rotten muscles, intestines, kidneys and other parts of the animal which emit bad smell. This will surely induce Vairagya in you and a strong disgust and hatred for meat-eating.

Fashion: A Terrible Curse by Swami Sivananda This subject is not foreign to Karma Yoga. Only he who wears simple dress, who is free from this terrible scourge of fashion can do Karma Yoga. One should be fully aware of the disastrous effects of fashion. Hence I have introduced this article here. People are dying after fashion. Men and women have become absolute slaves of fashion. If there is a slight error in the cutting of a gown or uniform, there are damage-suits in courts in London and Paris against tailors. Even Lahore and Rawalpindi have become fashion-conscious nowadays. You can see the multifarious fashions in the evening. Fashion consists in half-nudity. They will call this scientific, hygienic ventilation of the exposed parts. Half the chest, half-arms and half-legs must be exposed. This is fashion. They have full control of their hair styles. This is their Siddhi or psychic power. They can cut it and dress it in any way they like in a hair-dressing saloon. Fashion increases and excites passion. Even a poor woman at Lahore pays five rupees for making a single ordinary frock. She never thinks a bit how her husband will be able to manage all these things. Poor husband, a slave of passion, a miserable soul, borrows something here and there, takes bribes in various ways and pleases his wife anyhow with an outward smile and an inward burning resentment. He kills his conscience, destroys his intellect and walks self-deluded in this world, and gets carbuncles and pyorrhoea as a result of his bad actions. He cries when he is in trouble: “I am a great sinner. I cannot bear this pain. I have done many bad actions in my previous birth. O Lord! Forgive, save me.” But he never tries a bit to improve his lot in this birth. The whole world can be clothed out of the cuttings of the vain, fashionable people. Money is wasted enormously on fashion. Man wants, after all, very little on this earth-a pair of ordinary clothes, four slices of bread and a tumbler of cold water. If this money that is wasted on fashion is utilised in virtuous actions, in charity and service of society, man will be transmuted into Divinity. He will be in the enjoyment of eternal peace and bliss. What do you see instead in fashionable people? Restlessness, anxiety, worry, fear, depression and pallor of face. They may be dressed in silken gowns or dinner suits in up-to-date fashion and style with stiff double collar ties and bows, but you see in their faces cheerlessness and ugliness. The canker of worry, greed, passion and hatred has eaten the very core of their hearts. If you ask a Baron of England to remove his boots and hat when he is about to enter a Hindu temple, he feels he has lost all personality. Look at the vanity of an egoistic man! A small piece of leather, a cardboard covered with a cloth make up a mighty Baron; minus these he dwindles into an airy nothing. There is no spirit or strength in him. The pulse fails at the wrist. He cannot talk now with the same force. The world is full of people with a small heart and little understanding. They think that turbans and fashionable long-coats, hats and boots constitute a big man. A really big man is one who is simple and free from egoism and Raga Dvesha (likes and dislikes). Why do ladies and men put on fashionable dress? They want to appear as important people in the eyes of others. They think they will get respect and honour by putting on fashionable dress. The wife wants to appear beautiful in the eyes of her husband. She wants to attract him. The husband puts on fashionable dress to attract his wife. The sister of ill-fame wants to get more customers by putting on fashionable dress. This is all delusion. Can a fashionable dress give real beauty? This is all artificial decoration. It is temporary, false, decaying, glittering beauty! If you possess divine virtues such as mercy, sympathy, love, devotion and forbearance, you will be respected and really honoured. This will give everlasting beauty even though one is clad in rags. Fashion is a terrible curse. It is a dreadful enemy of peace. It infuses evil thoughts, lust, greed and devilish tendencies. It fills the mind with worldly taints. It begets poverty. Fashion has made you a beggar of beggars. Annihilate this desire for fashion to the very root. Wear simple clothing. Have sublime thinking. Do not keep company with fashionable people. Remember those saints who lead a simple life and those living today who are very simple. Simplicity will cause piety. It will infuse divine thoughts. You will be free from worry and unnecessary thoughts. You can devote more time to divine contemplation and spiritual pursuits. A Sattvic man or woman is really beautiful. He or she does not require any artificial decoration with gold pins, with nose-screws or with any ornament or fashionable dress. Millions of people are attracted unconsciously towards them, even when they are in very poor dress. How simple was Mahatma Gandhi in his dress! He had a loin cloth only. How simple was Ramana Maharishi? He had a Kowpeen only. A loin cloth and a Kowpeen were their personal effects. They did not want suit-cases or trunks to carry their dress. They were as free as a bird. Avadhootas like Krishnashram of Gangotri, Brahmendra Saraswati of Sendamangalam, Salem, South India, have not even a Kowpeen. They are absolutely nude. They are now in the same state as they were when they were born. This body is like a big wound or ulcer with various filthy discharges. It has to be bandaged simply with any piece of cloth. Silken, laced borders and frills are not necessary. It is the height of folly to decorate this filthy perishable compound of flesh and bone with artistic borders. Have you

Practical Instructions by Swami Sivananda A true Brahmachari only can cultivate Bhakti. A true Brahmachari only can practise Yoga. A true Brahmachari only can acquire Jnana. Without Brahmacharya no spiritual progress is possible. Therefore I have given below practical methods to get success in Brahmacharya. Wet-dreams generally occur in the last quarter of the night. Those who are in the habit of getting up from bed between 3 and 4 a.m. and doing Japa, Pranayama and Dhyana can never fall victims to nocturnal pollutions. Brahmacharis should entirely give up betel-chewing, cigarettes, tobacco, snuff, tea and coffee. Tobacco produces nicotine poisoning, tobacco heart (irritable heart), nervous diseases and tobacco amblyopia (eye disease). That man in whom the sex-idea is deep-rooted, can never dream of understanding Vedanta and realising Brahman even within one hundred crores of births. Narada says in his Bhakti Sutras: “These (sexual) propensities, though they at first are like ripples, acquire the proportions of a sea, on account of bad company.”-Sutra 45. Therefore shun evil company. Looking at a woman will create a desire to talk to her. Talking with a woman will create a desire to touch her. Eventually you will have an impure mind and will perish in the end. Therefore never look at a woman, never talk to a woman, O aspirants! There are two types of Brahmacharis: the Naishthika, who is a celibate all throughout his life, and the Upakurvana, who will become a Grihastha or householder after the completion of his religious study. There is no panacea more potent than Brahmacharya to eradicate this terrible malady-lust-of ignorant persons and to make the aspirants well-established in Brahman (Brahma Sthiti). If you get wet-dreams, have a plunge-bath in the morning. Do twenty Pranayamas. Repeat the Gayatri Mantra 108 times. Pray to the sun: “O sun! Let my lost strength be restored-Punar Mametu Indriyam. Persons other than householders should forbear to look at, touch, converse and cut jokes with women. They should avoid seeing the pairing of animals.”-Bhagavata. Narada says in his Sutras: “Do not listen to talks about women, rich men, atheists and enemies.” There is great truth in his wise utterances. Talks about women will stir up passions. Talks about rich men will stir the mind to luxurious living. The mind has a great tendency to imitate. Dear Shyama! You are Naishthika Brahmachari, one who has taken the vow of celibacy in thought, word and deed throughout the life. Now, even the sun will tremble before you, because he is afraid of being pierced by you through your power of Brahmacharya. You are the glorious Sun of suns now. The fly runs towards the fire or lamp thinking that it is a flower and gets burnt up. Even so, the passionate man runs towards a false beautiful form thinking that he can get real happiness, and gets himself burnt up in the fire of lust. A deer is entrapped through sound; an elephant through touch; a fly through form; a fish through taste; a bee through smell. When such is the power of a single Indriya, what to speak of the combined effects of the five Indriyas of men? How difficult it is to control a servant of the house! How much more difficult it will be to control one Indriya! How still more difficult it will be to control the five Indriyas! That Yogi who has control of the Indriyas (Jitendriya) is a mighty potentate on earth. The bliss of Indra and Chakravarti is nothing when compared to that of a Jitendriya Yogi. My silent adoration to such a Yogi! Even among electrons there are bachelor electrons and married electrons. Married electrons manifest in pairs. Bachelor electrons exist singly. It is these bachelor electrons only that create magnetic electric force. The power of Brahmacharya is seen even in electrons. Friends, will you learn some lessons from these electrons? Will you practise Brahmacharya and develop power and spiritual force? Nature is your best teacher and spiritual guide. What is the state of your mind when you attend a ball or nautch party, or when you read the ‘Mysteries of the Court of London’? What is the state of your mind when you attend the Satsang of Swami Jayendrapuriji Maharaj at Benares on the bank of Ganges, or when you study the soul-elevating classical Upanishads? Compare and contrast your mental state. Remember, friend, that there is nothing so utterly ruinous to the soul as evil company. One should not even talk of stories of women, the luxurious ways of rich persons, rich foods, vehicles, politics, silken clothing, flowers, scents, etc. Because the mind gets easily excited it will begin to imitate the ways of luxurious persons. Desires will crop in. Attachments will also come in. Immoral songs produce a very bad, deep impression in the mind. Aspirants should run away from places where vicious songs are sung. Obscene pictures, vulgar words, novels which deal with love-stories, excite passion and produce ignoble, mean, undesirable sentiments in the heart. On the contrary, the sight of a good picture of Lord Krishna or Lord Rama or Lord Jesus or Lord Buddha and the hearing of the sublime songs of Surdas, Tulsidas and Tyagaraja induce noble sentiments, thrill and produce tears of joy and Prem and elevate the mind to Bhava Samadhi instantaneously. Do you see clearly the difference now? There is not much difference in sex between a boy and a girl when they are very young. When they attain puberty, there is drastic change. Feelings, gestures, body, gait, talk, looks, movements, voice qualities and demeanour change altogether. Though a lady appears to be gentle and soft, yet she becomes rude, rough and distinctly masculine when she becomes angry. The feminine grace vanishes, when she is under the influence of wrath, indignation and fury. Have you ever seen ladies fighting in the streets? Ladies are more jealous than men. They have more Moha. They are eight times more passionate than men. Ladies have more power of endurance. They

Glory of Brahmacharya by Swami Sivananda There cannot be any language without vowels. You cannot draw a picture without a canvas or wall. You cannot write anything without paper. Even so, you cannot have health and spiritual life without Brahmacharya. It gives material progress and psychic advancement. Brahmacharya is the basis for eternal life. It is a substratum for a life in the Atman. It is the shield for waging war against the internal Asuras-anger, lust and greed. It serves as a gateway to bliss beyond. It opens the door of Moksha. It contributes to perennial joy, uninterrupted and unalloyed bliss. Even Rishis, Devas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras serve at the feet of a true Brahmachari. Even Isvara applies to his forehead the dust of the feet of a genuine celibate. It is the only key to open the Sushumna and awaken the Kundalini. It brings glory, fame, virtue and Pratishtha. Eight Siddhis and nine Riddhis roll under his feet. They are ever ready to obey his command. The Lord of Death flees away from him. Who can describe the magnanimity, glory and majesty of a true Brahmachari! Pure air, pure water, wholesome food, physical exercise, outdoor games like tennis-all contribute to the maintenance of good health, strength and a high standard of vigour and vitality. There are indeed many ways to gain health and strength. These ways are doubtless indispensably requisite. But Brahmacharya is the most important of all. It is a master-key to open the realms of health and happiness. It is the cornerstone of the edifice of bliss and unalloyed felicity. It is the only specific that keeps up true manliness. Ojas is spiritual energy that is stored up in the brain. By sublime thoughts, meditation, Japa, worship and Pranayama, the sexual energy can be transmuted into Ojas Sakti and stored up in the brain. This energy can be utilised for divine contemplation and spiritual pursuits. Anger and muscular energy can also be transmuted into Ojas. A man who has a great deal of Ojas in his brain can turn out immense mental work. He is very intelligent. He has a magnetic aura in his face and lustrous eyes. He can influence the people by speaking a few words. A short speech can produce a tremendous impression on the minds of hearers. His speech is thrilling. He has an awe-inspiring personality. Sri Sankara, an Akhanda Brahmachari, worked wonders through his power of Ojas. He did Dig-Vijaya and held controversies and heated debates in different parts of India with the learned scholars through his power of Ojas. A Yogi always directs his attention to the accumulation of this divine energy by unbroken chastity. Have you realised, my dear friends, the importance of Brahmacharya? Have you recognised, my dear brothers, the true significance and glory of Brahmacharya? How can you expect to be strong and healthy, if the energy that is acquired through various means with great difficulty, is wasted daily. It is impossible to be strong and healthy unless males and females, boys and girls, try their level best to keep up Brahmacharya or the vow of celibacy. What, then, is Brahmacharya? Brahmacharya is absolute freedom from sexual desire. He or she must be free from the lustful look even. The look must be perfectly chaste, Lord Jesus says: “If you have a lustful look, you have already committed adultery in the heart.” One should not even dream of touching a woman with lustful desire. A real Brahmachari will not feel any difference in touching a woman, a piece of paper or a block of wood. What do we see in these days? Boys and girls, men and women, are drowned in the ocean of impure thoughts, lustful desires and little sensual pleasures. It is highly deplorable indeed. It is shocking to hear some of the stories of boys. Many college boys have personally come to me and narrated their pitiable lives. Their power of discrimination (Viveka) has been lost owing to sexual excitement and lustful intoxication. Why do you lose the energy that is gained in many weeks and months for the sake of a little momentary sensual pleasure? Mark carefully the evil after-effects that follow the loss of energy! The body and mind refuse to work energetically. There is physical and mental lethargy. You experience much exhaustion and weakness. You will have to take recourse to drinking milk, to eating fruits, aphrodisiac confections, etc. to make good the loss of energy. Remember that these things can never repair the loss. Once lost it is lost for ever. You will have to drag on a dreary, cheerless existence. Bodily and mental strength get diminished. Those who have lost much of their Veerya become very irritable. They lose their balance of mind quickly. Little things upset their minds. Those who have not observed the vow of celibacy become slaves of anger, jealousy, laziness and fear. If you have not got your senses under control, you venture to do foolish acts which even children will not dare to do. In olden days boys in Gurukula were healthy and strong. They had long life. There is no real ethical culture in modern schools and colleges. The present system of education needs a drastic and radical change. Modern civilisation has enfeebled our boys and girls. They lead an artificial life. Children beget children. There is racial degeneration. The cinema is a curse. It excites the passions and emotions. It is the duty of the parents and teachers to explain to boys the importance of Brahmacharya and to instruct them the various methods by which they can preserve the Veerya, the soul-force or Atma Sakti that is hidden in them. Silent talks with boys, lantern demonstrations, etc., will help a long way in improving their condition. IMPORTANCE OF BRAHMACHARYA My dear brothers, the vital energy, the Veerya, which supports your life, which is the Prana of Pranas, which shines in our sparkling eyes, which beams in your shining cheeks, is a great

Practice of Brahmacharya by Swami Sivananda As the practice of Karma Yoga is not possible without Brahmacharya, I have given here a short description of the methods by which one can be established in physical and mental celibacy. One of the students of Dhanvantari approached his teacher after finishing his full course of Ayurveda and asked him: “O Bhagavan, kindly let me know the secret of health now.” Dhanvantari replied: “This Veerya (seminal energy) is verily Atman. The secret of health lies in preservation of this vital force. He who wastes this energy cannot have physical, mental, moral and spiritual development.” If the Veerya is lost, Prana gets unsteady. Prana is agitated. The man becomes nervous. Then the mind also cannot work properly. The man becomes fickle-minded. There is mental weakness. According to Ayurveda semen is the last Dhatu that is formed out of Majja or marrow. From food chyle (Rasa) is manufactured. Out of chyle comes blood (Rakta); out of blood comes flesh; out of flesh comes fat: out of fat comes marrow; out of marrow comes semen. These are the seven Dhatus. There are three divisions in each Dhatu. Semen nourishes the physical body, heart and intellect. That man who uses his physical body only but keeps the intellect and heart undeveloped cannot expect to attain perfect Brahmacharya. He can have Brahmacharya of the body only but not of the mind and heart. The semen that belongs to the heart and mind will certainly flow out. If an aspirant does regular prayer, Japa and meditation only, if he does not develop the heart and if he does not practise physical exercise, he will have mental Brahmacharya only. That portion of the semen which goes to nourish the heart and body will flow out. But an advanced Yogi who does higher, deep meditation will have full Brahmacharya even if he does not take physical exercise. The ignorant man is an instrument in the hands of his Samskaras and Karmas. He slowly gains strength by understanding his real essential nature, by doing spiritual Sadhana and by removing desires and egoism. This world is nothing but sex and ego. Ego is the chief thing. It is the basis. Sex hangs on the ego. If the ego is destroyed by Vichara or enquiry of “Who am I,” the sex-idea takes to its heels by itself. Man, master of his destiny, has lost his divine glory and has become a slave, a tool, in the hands of sex and ego on account of ignorance. Sex and ego are the products of Avidya or nescience. The dawn of knowledge of the Self annihilates these two enemies of the Atman, the two dacoits who are plundering the helpless, ignorant, little, false Jiva, the illusory “I”. If the sexual energy is transmuted into Ojas or spiritual energy by pure thoughts, it is called sex-sublimation in Western psychology. Just as metals and chemicals are purified by heating, so also the sexual energy is purified and changed into divine energy by spiritual Sadhana, by entertaining sublime, soul-elevating thoughts of the Self or Atman. In Yoga he is called an Oordhvareta in whom the seminal energy has flown upwards into the brain as Ojas Shakti. There is no possibility of the semen going downward through sexual excitement. This process is extremely difficult. It demands constant and protracted Sadhana and perfect discipline. That Yogi who has achieved perfect sublimation has perfect control over lust. There is no fear of his downfall. He is perfectly safe. He can embrace young women, and yet he will be absolutely free from any impurity. This stage is a very high stage. A very small minority only have attained this sublime exalted state. Sri Sankara, Sri Dattatreya and Jnana Dev of Alandi had reached this stage. That Yogi who has disciplined himself through ceaseless and protracted Sadhana, continuous meditation, Pranayama and Atmic Vichara, the practice of Sama, Dama, Yama and Niyama, is also safe, although he has not attained the state of perfect sex-sublimation. He will have no attraction for women. He has thinned out the mind. The mind is starved to death. It cannot raise its hood. It cannot hiss. That Yogi or Jnani who has attained the highest Nirvikalpa Samadhi, in whom the seeds of Samskaras are fried in toto can claim to be a perfect Oordhvareta or one who has complete sex-sublimation. The process of sex-sublimation is very difficult and yet it is most necessary for the aspirant in the path of spirituality. It is the most important qualification for the aspirant, either in the path of Karma Yoga, Upasana, Raja Yoga or Vedanta. You must achieve this at any cost. You will surely attempt this in some future birth. But why not now? Brahmacharya is a fundamental pre-requisite for an aspirant. If one has this qualification or merit, all other merits will cling to him. All divine qualities will come by themselves. The practice of celibacy is not attended with any danger or any diseases or any undesirable results such as the various sorts of ‘complex’ which are wrongly attributed by Western psychologists. They have a wrong, ill-founded imagination that the ungratified sex-energy assumes the various forms of ‘complex’ in disguise, such as touch-phobia, etc. The complex is due to some other causes. It is a morbid state of mind due to excessive jealousy, hatred, anger, worry and depression brought about by various causes. On the contrary, even a little self-restraint or a little practice of continence is an ideal ‘pick-me-up’. It gives inner strength and peace of mind. It invigorates the mind and the nerves. It helps to conserve physical and mental energy. It augments memory, will-force and brain-power. It bestows tremendous strength, vigour and vitality. It renovates the system or constitution, rebuilds the cells and tissues, helps digestion and gives power to face the difficulties in the daily battle of life. A perfect celibate can shake the world, can stop the ocean waves like Lord Jesus, can blow

Sannyasins, Wake Up! by Swami Sivananda Mere study of Vichara-Sagara or Panchadasi cannot bring in the experience of pure, Advaitic consciousness. Vedantic gossiping and idle, dry talk on the Brahma Sutras and the Upanishads cannot help a man in feeling the unity or oneness of life. There is no hope for this man to feel the Advaitic unity of consciousness-Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma-“All this indeed is Brahman,” unless the aspirant destroys ruthlessly all sorts of Ghrina, hatred, petty-mindedness, jealousy, envy, idea of superiority and all barriers that separate man from man, by incessant, protracted service of humanity with the right mental attitude or divine Bhava. Practical Vedanta is rare in these days. There are only dry discussions and meaningless fights over the non-essentials of various religions. The central teaching of the Gita is Self-realisation in and through the world. The same thing is preached by Sri Vasishtha to Sri Rama. To serve humanity, God in manifestation, and to think of God, while living in the world amidst various activities is far superior to a cave-life. Selfless work is Yoga. Work is Atma-Pooja. There is no loss in Nishkamya Karma. Real spiritual progress starts in Nishkamya Karma Yoga. Just as a medical student cannot understand pathology, diagnosis and medicine, if he neglects to study physiology and morphology in the beginning, so also the aspirant cannot understand and realise the spirit and object of Vedanta, if he neglects to practise Nishkamya Yoga to eradicate the impurities of his mind. Practice of Karma Yoga eventually culminates in the realisation of Vedantic unity of Self. Sarvam karmakhilam Partha jnane parisamapyate. “All actions in the entirety, O Partha, culminate in wisdom, says Lord Krishna to Arjuna. There is not even an iota of hope to realise the Self without self-purification by Nishkamya Karma Yoga. Serve everyone with intense love, without the idea of agency, without expectation of fruits, reward or even appreciation. Utilise this body-machine in selfless works. Feel that you are only Nimitta (instrument) in the hands of God, or a Sakshi of Prakriti’s activities, when you do Karma Yoga. Worship God in the poor and the sick. Have no attachment to any place, person or thing. Keep up the mental poise amidst the toil and moil of the world without considerations of success or failure, gain or loss, victory or defeat, respect or disrespect, pleasure or pain. Always have a balanced mind. Have the mind firmly rooted in the Self amidst all activities. Then you will become a true Karma Yogi. Work elevates, when done in the right spirit. Even if people scoff at you, revile, beat, kill or taunt you, always be indifferent. Be steady in your Sadhana. This Sadhana demands constant practice, steadfastness, patience, perseverance and endurance. Practice of combined Karma and Jnana Yoga in the world is far more difficult than the practice of pure Jnana Yoga in a cave of Himalayan retreats. The former Yogi will have no Vikshepa or tossing of mind, while the latter will be easily disturbed by a little sound or bustle of the city. To keep up meditation while performing actions is a different kind of difficult Sadhana. The Yogi who keeps up meditation while performing actions is a powerful Yogi indeed. He has a different mind altogether. People do not want to remove Mala (impurities) by Nishkamya Karma Yoga. They think that service and Bhakti are nothing. They at once shave their heads, put on coloured clothes and remain in a cave, posing as great Munis or Yogis. People study a few books on Vedanta and style themselves as Jivanmuktas. This is a serious mistake. Even if there is one real Jivanmukta, he is a great dynamic force to guide the whole world. Some Sannyasins of the old, orthodox school think that a Jivanmukta is without powers. A Jivanmukta is a dynamic personality with full powers. He can change or alter the destiny of the whole world. This is the difference between a worldly-minded man and a trained Karma Yogi or a Sannyasin who works for the Lokasangraha or uplift of humanity. A Karma Yogi or a Sannyasin works with Akarta and Sakshi Bhava, without attachment or idea of agency and with the strong Nischaya or determination that the world is unreal and that the world is nothing but Atman or Brahman. This work is not work at all. This is ‘inaction in action’. This will not bring bondage. This Jnanagni or fire of wisdom burns all fruits of action. A worldly-minded man works with the idea of “I am the doer” and with expectation of fruits, and thinks that this world is a solid reality. This brings on bondage. A long stay in caves makes a man Tamasic and unfit for energetic, active service of humanity. A recluse is afraid when he sees a big crowd or a bevy of ladies. A little sound throws him out of balance. A recluse in forests will have to test his real, inner strength by occasional visits to the plains and service of humanity. A proper understanding of the Maya-Vada is very necessary. The present deplorable condition of India is due to lack of right understanding of Maya-Vada. If some occasional batches of Sannyasins come out from their retreats and work in the world vigorously in a systematic manner according to their capacity, temperament and taste, we will indeed have a new and glorious India, full of new religious life with spiritual and moral upheaval. This is a dire need of the present hour. A thorough overhauling of the organisation of this fourth order of life-Sannyasa-is an imperative necessity. Mere social service in some form or other and a little Katha or preaching here and there will not bring about satisfactory results. A drastic form of service is indispensable requisite. How active was Sri Sankara himself, the propounder of Maya-Vada! Look at the magnanimous work turned out by him! He preached against selfish Karmas only. He was not against selfless actions. He himself was a

Samucchaya Vaada by Swami Sivananda The cause of human suffering is Avidya or ignorance. Sri Sankara holds the view that it is the knowledge of Brahman only that is capable of eradicating the ignorance of human beings. Others hold the view that the pursuit of the knowledge of the Self should be accompanied by the performance of Vedic and Smarta rites. This view is known as the Samuchchaya Vada, because the theory entails a conjunction of two means for the realisation of one end. They bring the illustration of the bird. Just as a bird necessarily needs two wings for flying up in the sky, so the individual soul also requires both knowledge and action to enable him to attain Moksha or the final beatitude and that neither the one nor the other is sufficient singly for that purpose. Karmas, when they are performed as Isvararpana without expectation of fruits, purify the heart. They prepare the ground of Antahkarana for the dawn of Brahma Jnana. Sri Sankara says in his Atma Bodha: “Karmic rituals cannot destroy ignorance, because they are not hostile to each other. But knowledge certainly destroys ignorance, as light destroys the thickest darkness. When compared with other means, Jnana (knowledge of the Self) is the only direct means to freedom. As cooking is not possible without fire, so is emancipation not possible without Brahma Jnana.” Sri Sankara refutes the theory of Samuchchaya-Vada. Neophytes and young men can have work and meditation in the beginning for some years. When they advance in meditation, work must be completely stopped. It becomes a hindrance. That is the reason why the Gita says: Arurukshor Muner Yogam Karma Karanam Uchyate,Yogarudhasya tasyaiva Shamah Karanam Uchyate. “For a sage who is seeking Yoga, action is called the means; for the same sage when he is enthroned in Yoga, serenity is called the means.” Ch. VI-3. Only that advanced Yogi who can meditate for hours together can stop work. If ordinary students give up work they will become Tamasic and lazy. If you do not improve in pure meditation, then combine work with meditation. Use your common sense always. One can reach a certain stage only in Yoga, Jnana or Bhakti while he remains in the world. Seclusion and Nivritti are needed for highest realisation. The full-blown Yogi or Jnani or Bhakta should again come back to the world to elevate other people, for the purpose of Lokasangraha (world-solidarity).

Kill Desire by Swami Sivananda Arjuna said: “But, dragged on by what does a man commit sin, reluctantly indeed, O Varshneya, as it were, by force constrained?” The Blessed Lord said: “It is desire, it is wrath, begotten by the quality of mobility, all-consuming and all-polluting-know thou this as our foe here on earth. As a flame is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is wrapped by the amnion, so this is enveloped by it. Enveloped is divine wisdom by this constant enemy of the wise in the form of desire, which is insatiable as a flame. The senses, the mind and the reason are said to be its seat; by these, enveloping wisdom, it bewilders the dweller in the body. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, mastering first the senses, do thou slay this thing of sin, destructive of wisdom and knowledge. It is said that the senses are great; greater than the senses is the mind; greater than the mind is reason; but that which is greater than reason, is He. Thus understanding Him as greater than reason, restraining the self by the Self, slay thou, O mighty-armed, the enemy in the form of desire, difficult to overcome.” Ch. III-36-43. Desires can never be satiated or cooled down by the enjoyment of objects. But as fire blazes forth the more when fed with butter and wood, so it grows the more when it feeds on objects of enjoyment. If all the foods of the earth, all the precious metals, all animals, and all beautiful women were to pass into the possession of a man deluded by desire, they would fail to give him satisfaction. Raja Yayati said: “O son, I have enjoyed with your youth to the full extent of my desires and to the full limit of my powers and according to their seasons-but desires never die. They are never satiated by indulgence. By indulgence they flame up like sacrificial fire with ghee poured into it. If one becomes the sole Lord of all the earth with its paddy, oats, gems, beasts and women, still it will not be considered by him enough. Therefore the thirst for enjoyment should be abandoned. The thirst for enjoyment which is difficult to be cast off by the wicked, which does not fail even with the failing of life, is truly a fatal disease in man. To get rid of this thirst is real happiness.” Understand that desire that is born of the quality of Rajas is man’s enemy in this Samsara. The real enemy of the whole world is desire. It is from this desire that all the evils and miseries come to human beings. When desire manifests, it goads man to action and so he commits sins of various sorts. When a man’s desire is not gratified, when one stands in the way of its fulfilment, he becomes angry. The desire gets transmuted into anger. When one is under the sway of anger, he will commit all sorts of sins. He loses his memory, intellect and understanding. An angry man commits murder. He himself does not know what he is exactly doing. He becomes very emotional and impulsive. All evil actions and evil qualities proceed from anger. When desire gets hold of a man, it hides the knowledge of his true nature from him. Desire enshrouds wisdom, just as smoke enshrouds fire. He becomes egoistic. He gets deluded. He becomes a slave of passion and gets miseries of all sorts. The Indriyas or senses bring the man in contact with external objects and the desires are thereby created. But the senses are not all-in-all. If the mind co-operates with the Indriyas, then only is mischief wrought. Mind is more powerful than the Indriyas. Mind is the commander. Reason is more powerful than the mind. Even if the mind brings a message into the mental factory by its association with the Indriyas, the pure reason can reject it altogether. Reason is more powerful than the mind. Behind reason is the Self who is the director and witness of reason and who is superior to reason. Desire is of a highly complex and incomprehensible nature. Therefore, it is very difficult to be eradicated or conquered. But with the help of pure reason all desires can be eventually destroyed. There is no doubt of this. Then you will get knowledge of the Atman which brings immortality, supreme peace and eternal bliss

Meditation and Action by Swami Sivananda That man who meditates in a cave in the Himalayas finds it difficult to work in the world. He cannot meditate in the upstairs of a building that is situated in the heart of a city. That man who works in the world finds it equally difficult to remain in a solitary place. Both have not got a balanced mind. Both are not perfect. Both have a one-sided development. The man who can meditate in a solitary retreat for six months and who can work in the world for another six months whole-heartedly, is an ideal Yogi or a perfect man. He is the ideal Karma Yogi. He is really a strong man. He has integral development. Nothing can upset his mind even when he is placed under any unfavourable conditions and bad environments. If one has practised Pratyahara or abstraction of the senses he can withdraw his mind, just as the tortoise or snail withdraws its feet underneath its shell. No sound can disturb his mind. The firing of a cannon, the rolling sound of motor-lorries and bullock-carts in the streets cannot make any impression in his mind. He is practically dead to the world, but he is really very busy inside. He can convert a busy city into a big forest. But if a man has no abstraction or concentration he will find a big city in the thick of the forest. Aspirants should watch and test the mind always. They should try to keep this perfect balance. Real meditation gives immense inner strength. If one cannot realise this inner peace and strength, surely there is some error in Sadhana or meditation. Building castles in the air or Manorajya, Tandra and Alasya, sleepy state, brooding, and other negative states of the mind should not be mistaken for Samadhi or meditation. Untrained, inexperienced aspirants always make mistakes and are deluded. A microscopic minority only are fit for full and deep meditation. The vast majority should combine meditation with action in the beginning. When they really advance in meditation, they can slowly give up action.