The Divinity’s Doctrine – Chapter Two by Swami Venkateshanandaji 25. SIVANANDA’S PHILOSOPHY Siva’s philosophy can be compared only to Lord Krishna’s. It has a place for all the philosophies of the world! It recognises the Real and the unreal, and that which makes the unreal appears as Real. It awakens the worldly man, guides the Sadhaka, serves as a touchstone for a sage’s realisation, and proclaims the Truth which transcends all these. Here are some of the salient features which bear out the above: “The world is not unreal; but is a lesser reality than Brahman.” “That which hides the Real and makes the unreal appear as real is Maya.” “The various religions of the world are the different viewpoints of the same Truth.” “Dvaita, Visishtadvaita, Advaita and Ajata-Vada are the progressive realisations of the Reality.” Siva’s universal philosophy has in it a philosophy for every person. This itself proves that he is God Incarnate. He does not preach the same philosophy to two persons, but being their Antaryamin (Inner Ruler) knows the ‘viewpoint’ of each person and guides in a manner best calculated to effect the person’s rapid spiritual evolution. The fundamental principle of Siva’s philosophy is that philosophy itself has the only purpose of providing the foundation for the spiritual endeavours of the Sadhaka. Therefore, Siva’s philosophy is indistinguishable from his teachings: he is practical, dynamic and, therefore, leaves philosophical wranglings to spiritual bankrupts who delight in discussing the magnitude of unacquired wealth! 26. SIVANANDA’S DOCTRINE Siva has no doctrine of his own. He redelivers the divine message that has time and again been given to us by God. He speaks for God; for he is one with God. Yet, if we can audaciously read a doctrine into his teachings, it is “The Doctrine of a Little”. It is otherwise known as the Yoga of Synthesis. Siva warns us that only the harmonious development of the entire being of man can take him easily to the goal. A weak spot anywhere in the structure would ruin the whole. Moreover, specialisation in any one branch of Sadhana would rob one of the spirit of understanding and tolerance, would breed contempt and hatred, and ultimately fatten one’s egoism. Siva’s “Doctrine of a Little” completely avoids all the pitfalls on the path and leads the Sadhaka along the smooth, easy, pleasant road to the Lord’s Feet. Here is the Doctrine, in Siva’s own words. He has put it in the form of a small song which can be sung in the Mahamantra tune. Siva himself sang this “Song of a Little” at every meeting he addressed during his all-India-Ceylon Tour in 1950: Eat a little, drink a little, talk a little, sleep a little Mix a little, move a little, serve a little, rest a little Work a little, rest a little, study a little, worship a little Do Asana a little, Pranayama a little, reflect a little, meditate a little Do Japa a little, do Kirtan a little, Write Mantra a little, have Satsanga a little. Do a little of each; you will have time for all. God-realisation is thus brought within your easy reach; and you are saved from the fear of a fall. 27. SIVANANDA’S CREED The fundamental article of Siva’s creed is that Truth is universal. He has declared in unmistakable terms that the Truth can be realised through a diligent practice of the methods prescribed by any religion and by any of the Yogas. He does not want to abolish the variety in religions and in the Yogas, nor to unify all mankind under the banner of a Universal Religion. He sees the need for diversity to suit diverse minds and differences in the mental equipment and stage of evolution of individuals. He points out (to the philosophers and those who encourage and “feed” on such non-essential differences) that all the religions have the same Truth as their substratum, prop and goal. In the matter of the Yogas, however, Siva exhorts the earnest aspirant to synthesise in his daily routine all that is best in all the approaches to self-realisation and practise the Yoga of Synthesis. Siva affirms that God is both immanent and transcendent. Naught but God exists. While, therefore, God is the substratum for all that appears to be, He is not just that much: He transcends the mind and the intellect and that transcendental Being can only be realised by the sage in the highest super-conscious state. The adoration of the Immanent Divinity is what Siva lays the greatest stress upon: service of humanity with cosmic love and a feeling that it is God that pervades every being here. When meditation is combined with this, Siva assures us that realisation of the transcendental Reality is only a matter of course. The most joyous assurance Siva gives us is that God, “knowing” the evil that is rampant in Kali Yuga and the weaknesses that a human being is heir to in this age of Materialism, makes Himself more readily available to all than in previous Yugas: “a little Kirtan and meditation, service and Sadhana will enable you to realise Him here and now”, Siva declares. His creed is the Word of God. 28. SIVANANDA’S IDEALS Siva is the ideal for all sages and saints. Yet, in order to bring home to us the need for “ideals” to provide a pattern for our life, he has chosen some for himself! Just as Lord Buddha did in days of yore, Siva promises that till the last of us is liberated from Samsara, he will continue to guide us and forego the personal delight of getting absorbed in the Infinite. It is our greatest good fortune that birth after birth we shall be his disciples and followers. In forgiveness, Jayadeva is Siva’s ideal. Jayadeva procured pardon and salvation for those who cut off his limbs. Siva’s first prayers of the day are offered for the health, long life, peace, prosperity and enlightenment of those who consider

The Light That is Life – Chapter One by Swami Venkateshananda 1. SIVANANDA’S LIFE Siva’s life is God’s Guarantee to mankind. It is the Sadhaka’s Guide, an open scripture for all to learn from. It is a divine bridge, linking the finite with the Infinite, connecting the land of mortals with the Realm of Immortality. As a student, he exemplified in himself the ideals of obedience and reverence. The Young Dr. Kuppuswami showed that selfless and dynamic service paved the way to material prosperity, too! He set an example in indiscriminate charity and proved that it invited wealth, peace and happiness. As a flourishing doctor in Malaya during the 1920’s, his cheerful countenance and robust body, proclaimed that intense work done with the correct mental attitude strengthened the body, lengthened life, and infused peace into the heart and bliss into the soul of man. By the single act of renunciation of all that riches and a prosperous career, Siva had taught more than any scripture could, that realisation of the Self is dearer than wealth, dearer than everything, than life itself. Awe-inspiring austerities, begging and pennilessness caused-not unhappiness nor suffering in the heart of the zealous seeker Dr. Kuppuswami, but-an intensification of the faith in God and His Unfailing Mercy. To mankind blinded by the cataract of materialism, faithlessness and egoism, Siva extended his helping hand-the Divine Life Society. He gave asylum to aspirants in his Ashram. In the Forest Academy, Siva’s students have their inner vision unveiled. This God has clothed himself in human garb. He has come amidst us as a Divine Invitation to a perennial Forest of Immortal Bliss. 2. SIVANANDA’S HOROSCOPE Moon Lagna Mars Saturn Rahu Kethu Mercury Sun Jupiter Venus I have watched Siva listen with great enthusiasm to palmists and astrologers praising and admiring his life and mission. Blessed are the palmists who have held the divine hand for few minutes; and blessed are the astrologers who have meditated upon His Divine Life for a while. Siva too, is interested in them, in encouraging them to express themselves and in making them known to the public at large. The creator of creation and the ordainer of the orbit of heavenly bodies; does he need to be told about his own traits and forewarned about his future? He was born in 1887 to live for nearly another century. His birth-star was Bharani, which has made him rule the Dharani (earth). What need have we to analyse his horoscope? He has re-arranged our birth chart and changed the very course of our life. Blessed are we that we live in His Time. 3. SIVANANDA’S BED EXERCISES The core of Siva’s teachings is sincerity, earnestness and aspiration. He is firm in his declaration that if one is eager to do Sadhana, it will be impossible for him to find excuses not to do it! If one wishes to do some exercises, he says, he will do them, even if he is bed ridden, on the bed itself. He has given the following easy exercises, which every one, however old and infirm, can practise. Exercise No 1: Catch hold of your ankles behind your back while squatting. Now bend forward and touch the ground with your forehead. Release the hold on the ankles and in one backward motion swing back, resting the two palms on the ground. Keep the right palm on the ground and swing the trunk to the right and touch the ground on the right side with the left palm also. Twist the trunk to the left side and place both the palms on the ground on the left side. Exercise No 2: Stretch the legs forward. Catch hold of the toes with your hands. Try to bend forward and touch the knees with your forehead, without bending the knees. Exercise No 3: Sit cross-legged again. Breathe out completely and slowly. Draw the belly in (Uddiyana Bandha). Exercise No 4: Release the abdomen. Breathe normally. Now, draw the belly in and release in rapid succession. Do not hold the breath. Do not shake the body also violently. This is an exercise exclusively for the stomach. This is called Agnisara. Exercise No 5: Close the fist and raise the forearm, bending at the elbows. Throw the arms forward; then again draw the forearm backward, bending at the elbows. Repeat this three or four times. Stretch the arms sideways and resume the normal position. Similarly, stretch the arms upwards and bring them back to the normal position. You can similarly evolve your own exercises, to suit your needs. 4. SIVANANDA’S FAVOURITE ASANAS Siva began practising Yogasanas even while he was serving as a doctor in Malaya. He was so enthusiastic about them that he taught them to his cook (who later became his disciple, Swami Shraddhananda, and attained Mahasamadhi at his lotus-feet). Sirsasana is undoubtedly the most favourite Asava of Siva. He regards it as the King of Asanas. It is a tonic to the brain, a cure for many ailments of the eyes and ears, a blessing for Brahmacharins and brain-workers, and an indispensable friend of spiritual aspirants. In fact, Siva likes Sirsasana so much that even to those who plead inability to do it, he prescribes the “Rabbit-Pose” (sit in Vajrasana, bend forward and touch the ground with the crown of your head, resting the palms a little away on either side) or at, least, letting the head “hang out” of the bed for a while. Sarvangasana is the next important Asana which Siva likes very much and prescribes to everyone who wishes to maintain good health and enjoy a long life. “Even if you can’t do Sirsasana and don’t do other Asanas, practise Sarvangasana for a few minutes a day,” says Siva. Paschimottanasana completes the trio. It exercises the abdomen and the spine, thus warding off a host of diseases and preserving perfect health. Sarvangasana exercises the thyroid gland and enables you to enjoy everlasting youth. Sirsasana makes you shine with Ojas Shakti.

All About Sivananda by Swami Venkatesananda PROLOGUEBhagavan! Thy child’s tiny hands have gathered these small flowers from the immense garden of Thy glory, and woven them into a clumsy garland; but it is offered at Thy Divine Feet with a big noise (calling it “All About Sivananda”). The fragrance, and the beauty and the colour, belong to Thee. It is Thine own unsurpassable love for Thy children that makes Thee accept this, too. It was said of Lord Sri Krishna that everything about Him was sweet. It is true of Bhagavan Sivananda, today. Dr. Kuppuswamy transformed himself into Swami Sivananda: and the austere, stern and hard taskmaster Swami Sivananda has somehow mysteriously vanished-when and how, no one knows. The Siva* we see in our midst today is the most loveable concrete manifestation of Divine Life. May that Love dwell in our hearts!Siva-Pada-Renu* ‘Siva’ is ‘Swami Sivananda’. PREFACE “All About Sivananda” is a kind of all-round meditation on the various phases of the personality and message of the great saint and sage, His Holiness Sri Swami Sivanadaji Maharaj, as visualised by the author, Swami Venkatesananda, who was a direct disciple of the Master. This is a veritable pen-picture of the many sides which the majestic hero of this book touched in his personal life and teachings. This little, interesting book was printed three times already, in the years 1957, 1971 and 1978. But the printed copies were exhausted quickly, since devotees everywhere began to demand copies for their daily religious sessions. The impact of this beautiful presentation seems to have been such on the minds of lovers of God and religious men, that we received a pressing request from Sri D.S. Kulkarni, a retired teacher, from Hubli, Karnataka, that this book be made available to the public as early as possible, and with this request he sent his devout love-offering by means of a financial contribution towards its publication. This Institution is grateful to this ardent well-wisher of this Ashram and devotee of Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananda, for his being instrumental in the coming out of this book now in its Fourth Edition, for the benefit of everyone. -THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETYShivanandanagar,7th March, 1985.

Swami Sivananda – Personified Synthesis of Dynamism and Renunciation by Swami Chidananda INTRODUCTION The lives of great men are like so many lights removing the darkness that besets the highway of human progress. Their lofty actions are sources of perennial inspiration, not only to the people of their own immediate times, but for human beings in times to come as well. Their lives and actions serve to vivify the present and to supply perennial vitality to the future. Everything about them is so invested with unique power that during their life-time, as well as for long many years afterwards, their every word, act and example continue to exert a powerful influence over the lives of men and to carry a persistent message to all humanity. The glorious Sannyasa Diksha anniversary that we have the privilege and joy to worshipfully celebrate this day (1st June), and which marks the supreme occasion of H.H. Satgurudev Swami Sivanandaji’s renunciation of a secular life and his entry into the holy order of Sannyasa, commemorates one such lofty and significant action in the Master’s life which is filled profusely with such exemplary and inspiring acts. A BLEND OF TWO TRENDS I deem it a rare joy and a great privilege to be provided this sacred opportunity of paying my homage to Sri Satgurudev, in whom I see a unique and amazing confluence of two trends, viz., of renunciation and all the inwardness and detachment that it connotes, as well as the thrilling dynamism with all the outwardly expressed vigour of activity and active, sympathetic interest in human beings and their lives, implied by it. These two trends, seemingly so much mutually exclusive and far apart, would lead us to suppose our revered Gurudev to be a mixture of contradictions. But no, rather, it is precisely to teach us that true renunciation and dynamism are not contradictory, and to bring home to us the lofty lesson that all inspired, altruistic activity for the common weal and welfare of mankind at large is actually based upon and springs forth from a whole and genuine renunciation of one’s self-centred life, and that is why our revered Master has taken to this ancient order and lived his noble life of unceasing good works and innumerable services unto all classes and sections of present-day humanity all over the world. SIGNIFICANCE OF RENUNCIATION His renunciation represents, as it were, a fertile seed out of which has sprung forth the great tree of his later Sannyasa life, full of the flowers, fruits and the shade-giving foliage of a many-sided Lokasangraha or selfless service unto humanity upon the physical, mental, moral and spiritual fields of modern man’s life. The Master’s act of Tyaga (renunciation) and Sannyasa carries the message: “O Man! Give up thy little �I’ and thy petty, selfish life, and let thy selfless life flower into cosmic love, world-brotherhood and service unto all. Give up thy little self and give thyself, in body, mind and spirit, to the whole world. To renounce is, verily, to offer thyself as a gift unto the noble cause of human welfare.” His Holiness’ act of renunciation and Sannyasa, done thirty-five years ago, has served during these years as an incontrovertible proof-positive that this ancient tradition of holy Bharatavarsha, that this ancient heritage received from our bygone seers and sages, is not a negative lapsing into a selfish and careless quiescence (as it is sometimes thoughtlessly misconstrued) or an unfeeling retreat from realities, but, on the contrary, it is an utmost, positive step, pregnant with the possibilities of unlimited human welfare and containing within it the seeds of selfless service of the most glorious type. FRUIT OF RENUNCIATION It is a step by which man breaks out through the barriers of his little, limited and narrow life of selfishness and attachments, and soars high into the empyrean of world-consciousness, cosmic love and vision of world oneness. It transports him into the field of world-service of Loka-Seva. This is the dynamic structure of genuine renunciation and true Sannyas. It is vibrant with love and compassion, dynamic with worshipful service and divinely pervaded by Karma Yoga in the spirit of the Gospel of the Bhagavad Gita. Such has been the exemplary Sannyasa life of our holy Gurudev Sivanandaji Maharaj and such is the significance of his Tyaga done full three and a half decades ago. The giving up of his secular life has come to mean the bestowal of lofty example of new divine life to countless thousands of people in this present age of restlessness and tension. His renunciation and Sannyasa has been a blessedness not merely to him as the renouncer, but a blessedness to countless thousands who have now come to receive the rare fruits of his renunciation. The cultural genius of Bharatavarsha, her wondrous heritage of Yoga and Vedanta, and the ideals of Sanatana Dharma, received a tremendous fillip and became infused with new life through the fact of Swami Sivanandaji’s great renunciation and through the wave of spiritual forces released thereby. To those who could perceive it, it was an act according to the Divine plan. In the building of the New India within the set-up of this memorable and significant nuclear age, his renunciation was a constructive feature that has proved prolific and richly fertile in that it has showered the incomparable wealth from the treasure-house of India’s ethical and spiritual culture like bounteous life-giving rain to an impoverished world where all higher values and nobler ideals had been seared and scorched by the consuming flames of destructive, materialistic trends and God-denying ideologies. POWER THAT TRANSFORMS The power that sprang out of his renunciation has outspread into the world of today, reached, into all points of the compass and, penetrating all lands and homes, has brought new life, hope, solace, light, strength, joy and inspiration to literally countless millions of souls throughout the modern world. Thus, the “loss” (if it can be termed as such at all) of one little family

What Gurudev is for US Adorable Presence Divine, worshipful homage unto Thee! We who are inseparable parts of Thy eternal, infinite existence, one with You in essential nature, have forgotten our eternal relationship with Thee who art our adi, madhya and anta (beginning, middle and end), who art our all in all. Through this forgetfulness we have alienated ourselves from Thee and thus find ourselves to be in a state deprived of the bliss, peace and light that is our birthright, that is what we are. We have deprived ourselves of this Self-experience, and we are living a spurious, false, counterfeit experience filled with love and hate, laughing and weeping, anxiety and tension, fear and bondage, fighting and quarrelling, self-centredness, selfishness, anger and jealousy. It is a kritrimavastha, a vishamavastha-an unnatural state, an abnormal state. It is not sahaja (natural) to us, but kritrima (unnatural). At this moment, in the calm hours of this silent morning, in the spiritual presence of our beloved and worshipful Holy Master Guru Bhagavan Swami Sivanandaji, we offer adorations and homage to Your Feet. From the bottom of our hearts, human hearts, we pray that this separation, this alienation, this wandering away from Thee, may end. May this forgetfulness, this slumber of non-awareness of our own svarupa, of our eternal relationship with You-which is the root-cause of all pain, suffering, sorrow, misery, delusion and infatuation-come to an end by Thy grace. May we be restored to our eternal, inner, divine oneness with Thee who art the only reality in the midst of countless billions of half-realities and appearances. Then alone will sorrow give place to joy, restlessness and agitation give place to peace, delusion give place to knowledge and wisdom, and an insufficient, partial existence give place to purnatva that is Brahmanhood. In this morning hour we pray: “asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrityorma amritam gamaya.” Put an end to this separation for Thou hast clearly stated: “tam vidyad-duhkha-samyoga-viyogam yoga-samjnitam-It is the cessation of union with pain that is yoga.” With yoga, all pain ceases, all suffering ceases, all taapatraya ceases. No longer is there weeping and wailing; there is bliss, there is joy. Grant us the gift of that yoga. That is the call in the immortal wisdom teachings of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, where among many messages, many teachings, many commandments, Thou who art Narayana hast also uttered the call to Nara, to Arjuna, the representative man: “tasmat yogi bhava’rjuna.” And as Swami Sivananda Thou hast repeated this call again: “Come, come, become a yogi. Why do you weep and wail? Why do you unnecessarily prolong this bondage? Come, come, become a yogi.” Thus in his call to modern mankind of this twentieth century, Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji has resounded that ancient call. Worshipful spiritual presence, Gurudev, thou who art our light and guide in life, keep sounding that call again and again in our hearts. This is the supplication at thy feet of all the seeking souls who are gathered in your presence, drawn by your guru kripa, grace, morning after morning to this sacred Samadhi Hall of your Ashram. Radiant Immortal Atman! We have been considering the heritage that Gurudev has left behind for us. We have mentioned this unique, most precious, invaluable facility of an Ashram on the banks of the Ganga. It is a fact,-a felt, solid, tangible, material fact. No one can deny it. It is a facility for bhakti, jnana, dhyana, karma yoga and paropakara seva. Then there is jnana ganga, a vast body of inspiring, soul-arousing, illuminating, instructing spiritual literature. And he also gave us a certain pattern of life, an ideal, which he called divine life, not merely the gross physical life or subtle psychological life, but the divine life, a life qualified by our svarupa, qualified by our innermost essential nature, a life that is not merely an expression of our nonessential upadhis, but a life that is the expression of the divinity which is the innermost reality of each and every one of us. He gave us the adesa and the sandesa: “Live your life divinely, for that is what you are. If you manifest your upadhis, you are not manifesting yourself.” Also, the quintessence of all the scriptures, the direction towards Divinity, was given a systematic shape. Gurudev said: “Its foundation is truth, purity and compassion, universal love. And the structure is ceaseless selfless service, devotional worship, discipline, concentration and meditation, ceaseless enquiry, aspiration, jijnasa, mumukshutva, vichara, viveka, investigation into the nature of the Reality behind and beyond appearances, sublating the nama and rupa which are ever-changing, never real, only appearance, and going beyond them into the satchidananda tattva, that which exists eternally, that which shines with luminous Self-consciousness, knowledge, light, and that which is very dear indeed for it is full of bliss.” So the superstructure he has given us is seva, bhakti, dhyana and atma-jnana, upon the foundation of ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya. But his unique bestowal to us is that he has given us a new identity. He said: “You are not here merely to wander about like a wayfarer, to get ditched somewhere, waylaid and stripped of everything by the dacoits of the five senses. Rather, you are here to attain union with the Supreme Being. You are engaged in that. This is the innermost meaning of life. It is a journey to put an end to the separation and once again attain union with the Divine. Then alone sorrow gives place to joy, putting an end to samyoga (contact) with duhkha (pain). Therefore become a yogi.” Thus, he gave us an identity: “You are all yogis; you must live as yogis. Life is yoga. Life is a process of regaining that oneness, that connection, that inner relationship, that lost link with the divine source of your being. Therefore live as yogis. Be aware of yourselves as yogis.” And this new identity was to be based upon a matter-of-fact pragmatic life. Merely imagining ourselves to be