Brahman or God Exists by Swami Sivananda Para Brahman cannot be demonstrated. But it is possible to infer the existence from certain empirical factors. The existence of Brahman is known from the fact of its being the SELF of everyone. For everyone is conscious of the existence of his self and never thinks “I am not.” If the existence of his self were not known, everyone would think: “I am not.” This self, of whose existence all are conscious, is Brahman. There is an inherent feeling in everybody: “I exist-Aham Asmi.” You dream sometimes that you are dead and that your relatives are weeping. Even in that supposed death state, you see and hear them weeping. This clearly indicates that, even after the apparent death, life really persists. You exist even after the physical sheath is thrown out. That existence is Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self. Close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you are dead. You can never do so. You can never think that you will not exist after death. You will imagine that your dead body is lying flat and that you are witnessing the dead body. This definitely proves that you are always the witnessing subject or Sakshi. When you are in the dark, when you are behind a veil, if anybody enquires: ‘Who is there?’, you will unhesitatingly answer: ‘It is I’. If he again asks you: ‘Who is there?’ you will say: ‘I am So and So.’ This ‘I am So and So’ is a mental Kalpnana or false superimposition on account of ignorance. At first you have expressed spontaneously your inherent feeling of existence, the big infinite ‘I’. Nothing can resist this innate feeling of ‘Aham Asmi.’ By whose command are the earth and the sky, the sun and the moon, upheld in their places? By whose command do the seas not overstep their limits? By whose command does the sun rise punctually in the morning and set in the evening? By whose command do the seasons, solstices and the years not transgress? By whose command do Karmas and their performers and their fruits not likewise go beyond their appointed time? It is by the command of Brahman-the Inner Ruler, Controller and Governor. What is common in trees, ants, birds, stones and man? Existence. A tree exists. A bird exists. A stone exists. A man exists. Existence is Brahman. Some are rich, some are poor. Some are healthy, some are born blind. Some die at eighty, some die at ten. What is the cause for this variation? This clearly proves the theory of Karma that there is one Omniscient Lord, who is the dispenser of fruits of actions of human beings, who fixes the span of life in accordance with the nature of their actions, who knows the exact relation between Karmas and their fruits. Karma is Jada or insentient. It certainly cannot dispense the fruits of the actions. In sleep there are no senses, no objects, no mind and yet you experience the highest bliss. Wherefrom have you derived the bliss? The mind rests in Brahman during sleep and it is from Brahman that this Bliss is derived. Cogito, ergo sum-“I think, therefore, I am.” This is Descartes’s fundamental basis of philosophy. Sri Sankara says: “This Atman cannot be illusive, for, he who would deny it, witnesses its reality even in denying it.” POWER OF PRAYERPrayer elevates the mind. It fills the mind with purity. It is associated with praise of God. It keeps the mind in tune with God. Prayer can reach a realm where reason dare not enter. Prayer can move mountains. It can work miracles. It frees the devotee from the fear of death, brings him nearer to God and makes him feel the divine presence everywhere. It awakens in him the divine consciousness and makes him feel his essential immortal and blissful nature. It was the prayer of Prahlada that rendered cool the burning oil when it was poured on his head. It was the prayer of Mira that converted the bed of nails into a bed of roses and the cobra into a flower-garland. Prayer has tremendous influence. Mahatma Gandhi was a great votary of prayer. If the prayer is sincere and if it proceeds from the bottom of your heart (Antarika), it will at once melt the heart of the Lord. Sri Krishna had to run bare-footed from Dvaraka on hearing the heart-felt prayer of Draupadi. You all know this. Lord Hari, the mighty ruler of this universe, apologised before Prahlada for coming a little late when the latter prayed. How merciful and loving is the Lord! Say even once from the bottom of your heart: “O Lord, I am thine. Thy will be done. Have mercy on me. I am Thy servant and devotee. Forgive. Guide. Protect. Enlighten. Trahi. Prachodayat.” Have a meek, receptive attitude of mind. Have Bhava in your heart. The prayer is at once heard and responded to. Do this in the daily battle of life and realise yourself the high efficacy of prayer. You must have strong Astikya-Buddhi (strong conviction in the existence of God). Christians have different prayers for getting various gifts and bounties from God. Mohammedans and all religionists have daily prayers at sunrise, noon, sunset, just before retiring to bed, just before taking food. Prayer is the beginning of Yoga. Prayer is the first important Anga (limb) of Yoga. Preliminary spiritual Sadhana or practice is prayer. God helps even a dacoit when he prays. Pray to God for purity, devotion, light and knowledge. You will get these things. Get up early in the morning and repeat some prayers for getting mental and physical Brahmacharya. Pray in any manner you like. Become as simple as a child. Open freely the chambers of your heart. Sincere Bhaktas know pretty well about the high efficacy of prayers. Narada Muni is still praying. Nama Deva prayed and Vittal came out of the image to eat his food.

Essence of Karma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. “Your duty is to work incessantly but not to expect the fruits thereof.” This is the central teaching of the Gita. Repeat your Ishtamantra mentally even when you work in office. Godis the Inner Ruler. He directs the body, mind and senses to work. Become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Do not expect thanks or appreciation for your work. Do actions as your duty and offer them and their fruits to the Lord. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma. It is not the Karma but the selfish motive that binds the man. Never, never say, “I have helped that man.” Feel and think, “That man gave me an opportunity to serve. This piece of service has helped me to purify my mind. I am extremely grateful to him.” If you see a poor man clad in rags standing in front of your door, feel that the Lord is before you in the form of a poor man. Serve him with Narayana Bhava. Never grumble when you do service to others. Take delight in service. Watch for opportunities, to serve. Never miss even a single opportunity. Work is worship of the Lord. A Karma Yogi should have an amiable, loving, social nature. He should have sympathy, adaptability, self-restraint, tolerance, love and mercy. He should adjust himself to the ways and habits of others. He should be able to bear insult, harsh words, criticism, pleasure and pain, heat and cold. You can do selfless service according to your ability and station in life. An advocate can plead for poor people without accepting fees. A doctor can treat the poor free of charge. A teacher or professor can give free tution to poor boys. He can supply them books for study. Have a medicine-chest of 12 tissue remedies or some allopathic medicines or homoeopathic medicines. Serve the poor and sick with Atma Bhava. Give one-tenth of your income in charity. This is the highest Yoga. Do not make any difference between menial and respectable work. If any one is suffering from acute-pain in any part of the body, at once shampoo the affected part very gently. Feel that you are serving the Lord in the body of the patient. Repeat your Ishtamantra also. If you see a man or animal bleeding on the roadside, never hesitate to tear your upper cloth or shirt and use it for bandaging, in the absence of any other means of bandage. Do not bargain with the poor porters at the railway station. Be liberal and generous. Keep always some small coins in your pocket and distribute them to the poor and the decrepit. Karma Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of light and knowledge. It expands the heart and breaks all barriers that stand in the way of oneness or unity. Karma Yoga is an effective Sadhana for Chitta Suddhi or purity of heart. Therefore, do selfless service constantly.

Practice of Karma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Work is worship. Work is Puja of Narayana. Work is meditation. Do not forget this. You will have to evolve spiritually through work and meditation combined. Scavengering is Yoga when done in the right spirit. Feel that the whole world is your home (Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam), one big family. You need not close the eyes and sit in a corner of a room. Work that is done with Sakshi Bhava and Akartru Bhava, without expectation of fruits, is no Karma at all. It is burnt up in the fire of knowledge. It can never bind one to Samsara. Sri Sankara emphasised only that Sakamya-Karmas should not be done. Many orthodox Mahavadins of the present day have misunderstood Sri Sankara. Selfless work (service of humanity) is the seed. Narayana Bhava (feeling that all creatures are manifestations of the Lord. I am serving the Lord in all beings) while serving is the root. Utsaha (zeal, cheerfulness) is the shower. Expansion of heart is the flower. Purity of heart is the fruit. This is the path of Karma Yoga. Paul and John have said: “God dwells not in temples made with hands, but in men and women in whose heart dwells the spirit of love and that finds expression in service for the good of all.” The magnificent temple of God is the heart of man. Rich people build temples to get name and fame and put their name-slabs at the gate. Is this not great foolishness? Ishvara is the Lord, the Creator, the Ordainer, the Upholder of everything. He dwells in all, high and low. To serve others with Atma Bhava disinterestedly and untiringly, not to allow others to serve me and to expect any service from others is my Yoga, Religion and Dharma. Forget your little self-arrogating personality. Forget your own interests, longings and desires and embrace all life. Work for others. Give up all sorts of pettiness. Become magnanimous, noble and generous. Then only you will slowly realise more and more your Atmic nature, the mighty infinite “I”. He who ignores his own pleasure and comfort tries to help and serve others is really an advanced student in the path of spirituality. He who is unselfish and devoid of Moha for the body (Deha-Adhyasa) can do any real service for humanity. Such a man only can have real Sakti (power). Such a man only will be fearless. You cannot make any ornament with pure gold. If three per cent of some other metal is mixed with gold, then only you can make ornaments. So also Ishvara manifests with three per cent of Rajas and works in this universe. Therefore He is not affected. If people with ninety-seven per cent of Rajas and three per cent of Sattva work in the world, they will be contaminated. Those who want to work for the well-being of the world must have abundant Sattva or purity. Then only they will not be affected by the contact with the worldly people. Then only they can elevate people. Give up hate and strife and greed for power, position and gold. Wear the crown of humility. Become pure and bright. Build your faith in God. Be steadfast in your Japa and meditation. Attain love and light. Always have active habits. Sacrifice whatever you can for the good of others. Remove selfishness altogether. Do not expect anything when you serve a man or when you give a gift. Thank him for giving you a good opportunity to serve him. The man who serves the world really serves himself. The man who helps others really helps himself. Therefore, when you serve another man, when you serve your country, always think and feel that the great Lord has given you a rare opportunity to improve, correct and mould yourself by service. Be grateful to that man who has given you a chance to serve. Do not lose any single opportunity in helping and serving others. Serve cheerfully and willingly. Never show Sunday-face or castor oil face. Do every work perfectly well with concentration and devotion. Utilise every minute in serving others in the best possible manner. Serve others. Help others. Fill your heart with pure, disinterested love. Do active good always. Regular selfless social service daily with the Bhava: “I am serving God in manifestation” can take the place of Agnihotra, etc., can purify the heart and can bring about rapidly Chitta Suddhi. Be absorbed in work. Give your full heart, mind and soul. Do not care for results. Do not think of success or failure. Do not think of the past. Have complete confidence. Practise self-reliance. Be cheerful always. Keep a cool balanced mind. Work for work�s sake. Be bold and courageous. You are bound to succeed in any undertaking. This is the secret of success. When you serve, remember that you work for God. Do every act as Ishvararpana (an offering unto God). You will soon grow spiritually. You will soon be transmuted into Divinity. Always scrutinise your motives. When you apply any balm to the painful parts of a sick person, feel that you ate touching the body of Virat Purusha. You will evolve quickly. Your heart will expand. Feeling of hatred will soon vanish. Prema will increase. When the Suddha Bhava wanes, bring it again quickly. After some steady practice for some months, you will be established always in the Suddha Bhava. Struggle hard. If you shampoo the leg of a man he is pleased with you. By touching a part of the body, the whole man is delighted. The leg is a part of a man. Even so, if you please a man by service the whole Virat is pleased. Because man is a part of Virat. Self-realisation cannot be attained by any amount of Karma. Atman can be obtained by Viveka (discrimination), Vichara and Nididhyasana, Atmic enquiry and meditation. The daily spiritual routine must be kept at any cost. During work, the Bhava should be continued. Feeling

Varieties of Karma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Selfless service unto humanity with Atma Bhava through the medium of social and charitable institutions, feeding the poor, clothing the nude, sympathising with the needy, attendance on the sick, consoling the depressed, helping the fallen, imparting knowledge to the ignorant without expectation of fruits thereof, free tuition to the poor students without the least idea of agency, feeling that you work out His will in the grand plan and that you are an instrument in His hands (Nimitta Bhava)-all come under the category of Nishkamya Karma Yoga, the easiest means for the purification of the heart, which in turn is a pre-requisite for the reception of the highest truth. A doctor can purify his heart quickly if he serves the poor people with the right mental attitude. Here is a great field for him for purifying the heart and attaining Self-realisation through purity. A doctor can realise God easily, if he develops the true Bhava of a Karma Yogin, the Bhava that he is serving Narayana or his own Self. Give to the poor, the sick, the helpless and the forlorn. Give to the orphan, the decrepit, the blind, the helpless widows. Give to the Sadhus, Sannyasins, religious and social institutions. Thank the man who gives you an opportunity to serve and do charity. Give with right mental attitude and realise God through charitable acts. Glory to those who do charity with the right spirit. Develop an understanding heart. Help your younger brothers in the spiritual path. Lift them up. Throw light in their path. Do not expect perfection from them. Be kind to them. They are doing their best, as you are yourself doing yours. You will grow by helping them. Start vigorously the campaign of selfless service for purification of heart and getting descent of the divine light. Work in a systematic and methodical manner. Be fiery in service. Also be intent on service. Take a little rest and sleep only for some time. No pains, no gains. The fruit is immortality. May you become a dynamic Yogi. All glory to the Lord and His Name, and all selfless workers, real Karma Yogins who work in the spirit of the Gita’s teachings, who are rare spiritual flowers.In the spiritual field numbers do not count. It was one Sankara who established Advaita Vedanta. Satan has the largest number of followers in the world. Shall we infer, therefore, that Satan’s creed or cult is the best. A few sincere workers or members are an asset. You can work wonders with the assistance of these few members. Do not complain in future: “We are not doing any remarkable work for the uplift of the Society owing to the poor number of members.” Some form of silent service for the poor and the sick is in itself a good Sadhana for your spiritual growth, progress and quick evolution. Get hold of two or three persons to assist you. With united hearts a great deal of useful work can be turned out even by two or three persons. Any split or dissension should be adjusted, the solution of continuity of peace must be cemented by friendliness, love and removal of misunderstanding. Then there will be the united whole. Then you can turn out much solid work. You must learn to penetrate into the hearts of all through love and constant service. This is the highest Yoga. An Englishman, a District Collector saw a sick patient on the road in a dying condition. He was very sympathetic man. He carried the patient to the neighbouring hospital on his own shoulders. Look at this feeling of oneness. He is a practical Vedantin whether he knows the Upanishads or not. Many people and even Sannyasins say: “Mahatma Gandhiji is a simple Karma Yogi only. He is not a Vedanti.” But really speaking there is no practical Vedantin greater than Mahatma Gandhiji. He lives in every moment of his life, the life of a practical Vedantin. He lived for the well-being of the world only. He is the nerve-centre for this world. He is one with all. He embraces all with pure love. Self-sacrifice, service, non-violence, truthfulness, purity, humility and unity make his creed. Still he never put on a lable of a Vedantin. He never asserts the truth: “I am Brahman. Aham Brahma Asmi” to please the so-called Vedantins. That is his only defect or weakness. The whole world is ready to oppose you. You will have to fight against the world, the whole world on one side and yourself alone on the other side. Even if the whole world opposes you, never move an inch from your position. Stick to your ideals and principles tenaciously. Let the Tamasic do whatever they like. Let them spread false rumours. Let them backbite and vilify. Stand adamant. Be not afraid of persecutions, dangers and oppositions of all sorts. The Lord is always with you. Truth alone will come out victorious, but not falsehood. Be truthful and sincere. Work unselfishly with redoubled force and energy.

Necessity For Karma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Rivers always give fresh, good, drinking water for all living beings. Trees give fruits and shade. Sun gives light, heat and energy. Earth brings forth all sorts of vegetables and grains. Flowers give beauty. Cows give nutritious milk. Except man, all objects do lot of self-sacrifice. Man only is extremely selfish. Spiritual culture is a sine qua non and a great desideratum for national regeneration. The goal of life is Self-realisation. Spiritual culture alone can develop the will-force (Atma Bala) and make people unselfish, fearless, courageous and strong, and remove Moha for the body. Those who are unselfish alone can really serve the country, can work in terms of unity and can have real cosmic love for all (Visva Prema). Everybody is generous to himself, to his wife and children. He ignores others. He vainly imagines that he is separated from others. This is ignorance. This is Maya. This is the cause for birth and death and for human miseries and sufferings. Separation is death. Unity is eternal life. Conquer the hearts of men through pure love. Adhere to Truth and march victoriously in the field of Yoga. Annihilate egoism and enter the infinite domain of supreme peace. Destroy ignorance and attain knowledge of the Self. Crush the Vasanas and enter the illimitable realm of Eternal Bliss. Selfishness is the source of all vices. It is born of ignorance. A selfish man is greedy and unrighteous. He is far from God. He will do anything to attain his ends. He injures others, robs their properties and does many sinful actions to satisfy his selfishness. He has neither scruples nor character. Peace of mind is unknown to him. He is always planning and scheming for acquisition of wealth, power, name and fame. He always separates himself from others. He is very much attached to his wife, children and property. Attachment and sense of separateness are present in him to a maximum degree. Selfishness is a great impediment to Yoga. Destroy selfishness through selfless service, charity, Satsanga. Through selfishness, you have become narrow-minded. Your heart has become small and contracted. Through serving and helping others disinterestedly, your heart expands. You become one with God or Brahman. Therefore take delight in service. Many people spend their lives on the banks of the Ganga for several years. They do Japa and Kirtan and study books on Vedanta. They repeat the formula: “Aham Brahmasmi” very often and yet they do not have any realisation. They are in the same state as they were some years ago, because they do not possess large heart (Chitta Visalata). They have no generous heart (Udara Vritti). Chitta Visalata is a fundamental virtue which the seeker after Truth should possess. Untiring selfless charitable acts, service of the humanity, kind acts, spontaneous and unrestrained generosity will produce expansion of heart quickly. One Atman dwells in the hearts of all beings. How can you realise Him if you do not possess all-embracing love, if you do not share what you have with others? Man is not only a citizen of this world but also of many worlds. He has to face dangers and temptations not only in this world but also in other worlds. The plane of the Gandharvas is full of temptations. That is the reason why it is said in Yoga Sastras that the aspirant should purify himself first, should control his senses, should eradicate his desires, should be established in Yama before he attempts to awaken his Kundalini, the sleeping potential Sakti that lies dormant in the basal Muladhara Chakra. If Kundalini is awakened before he attains purity by Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras and Pranayama, he will come across the temptations of the other planes, he will have no strength of will to resist these temptations and will have a hopeless downfall. It will be very difficult for him to climb up again to the original height which he climbed in the ladder of Yoga. Therefore the aspirant should try to purify himself first. If perfect purity is attained through Japa, Kirtan and constant selfless service, Kundalini will awaken by itself and move towards the Sahasrara at the crown of the head to meet Her Lord Siva, the trident-bearer of Mount Kailas, the store-house of wisdom, bliss and peace. Nishkamya Karma or the unselfish performance of the duties of life (Svadharma) is the first step towards the attainment of the beatitude of life. The practice of Nishkamya Karma purifies the heart and destroys the sense of separateness. Then you will have to take to Upasana to steady the mind and obtain the grace of the Lord. Finally Vedanta will help you to destroy the veil of ignorance and attain Kaivalya Moksha or the final release from the round of births and deaths. Develop eager enthusiasm for selfless disinterested service. Have a wide, generous, large-hearted tolerance. Be kind to all. Love all. Serve all. Serve the Lord in all. Learn to give. There is immense joy in giving. Very few can understand this. Learn to resign to the will of God. There is indescribable peace in self-surrender. Very few can realise this. Learn to discriminate. There is ineffable bliss in discriminating between the real and the unreal. Very few can recognise this. Learn to be dispassionate. There is eternal satisfaction in cultivating Vairagya. Very few can know this. Some are able to work, but they cannot meditate. Some can meditate but they cannot work. This is one-sided development. There must be a healthy combination of meditation and selfless work. This is the Yoga of Synthesis. This is dynamic Yoga. Then only you will not complain of Vikshepa or tossing of mind, when you move in the world or when you remain in seclusion. Then only you can keep up balance of mind. Then only you will have integral development. Develop cosmic love (Visva Prema). Identify yourself with the Visva Atman (soul of the world, universal soul). Destroy selfishness and petty-mindedness. Expand. Expand. Awake.

Sanchita, Purushartha And Prarabdha Karmas by Swami Sivananda Tarkash (quiver), the case in which arrows are accumulated represents or Sanchita Karmas; the arrow that is ready for shooting represents our Agami Karma and the arrow which has left the bow, which cannot return and which must hit the target represents Prarabdha Karma. The store-room is the Sanchita. The articles that are put in the shop for sale are Prarabdha. The daily sale proceeds are the Agami. Sanchita Karmas are the accumulated works; Prarabdha Karmas are ripe of fructiferous actions; Kriyamana Agami Karmas are current works. The big storehouse for paddy represents Sanchita Karma. The paddy that has been taken out separately for the use of the current year corresponds to the Prarabdha; and the paddy that is growing in the fields in the current year represents Agami Karma or Kriyamana. Sanchita Karmas are destroyed by Brahma Jnana. One should enjoy the Prarabdha anyhow. (Vyavaharic Drishti only) Kriyamana Karmas are no actions as the Jnani has Akarta and Sakshi Bhava. God and Purushartha are synonymous terms. They are two names for one thing. In Mahabharata you will find that exertion (Purushartha) and Prarabdha combined bring about fruits. If you are ailing, you must do Purushartha. You must take medicine. You leave the results to Prarabdha. Throughout Yoga Vasishtha, Vasishthaji recommends Purushartha only to Sri Rama. Markandeya through Purushartha alone conquered death. Man is, doubtless, the master of his own destiny. Purushartha can do and undo things. Markandeya changed his destiny through his Tapas. Fatalism will produce abnormal inertia. God helps those who help themselves. Be up and doing. Man is the master of his destiny. Prarabdha is the result of your own thoughts and actions. Change your mode of thinking. Think: “I am the Immortal Self.” The immortal Self you will become. As you think, you so become. This is the immutable law. You have now the habit of thinking “I am body. I am mind. I am Prana. I am Indriya or sense.”Change your present habit of thinking and think, “I am Brahman. I am the all-pervading intelligence.”You will conquer your destiny. If you are in the habit of writing in a slanting manner, you can change your habit and can write in a vertical manner. Even so you can change your habit of thinking. Conquest of habit is conquest of destiny. Fate or destiny is your own creation through your own Karmas. You are the master of your destiny. Change your mode of thinking. Instead of foolishly thinking “I am body,” think� “I am Atman, all-pervading.” Prarabdha can elevate anybody to any high level, even to god-head. The life of James Ramsay Macdonald is worth mentioning. He was a man of great Purushartha. He rose from poverty to power, from a field labourer to the Prime Minister of Britain. His first job was addressing envelopes for 10 Sh. a week. He was too poor to buy tea; so he drank water instead. His main meal every day for months was a three-penny beef-steak-pudding. He was a pupil teacher. He took great interest in Politics and Science. He was a journalist. He gradually through right exertion (Purushartha) rose to the present position in life. Take care of your thoughts. Then the actions will take care of themselves. Action follows thoughts. Acts create habits. Habit creates character. Character creates destiny. So your destiny is in your hands. Shut out all evil thoughts. Allow good thoughts. We are what our thoughts have made us and will be what they make us. You are not bound. You have got free will. You cannot change the experiences, the results of Prarabdha but you can change your future by right thinking and right action and thus make your will pure and irresistible. You can attain Self-realisation with the help of a dynamic will. The husk is natural to rice and the rust to the copper, yet they disappear through efforts made. Even so, Ajnana which clings to the Jiva or individual soul can be made to disappear through the ceaseless Atmic enquiry, Destroy the Avidya. May you rest incomparably firm in your own Self. The man who advocates the theory of Purushartha says: “Am I a straw to be tossed about hither and thither? I can change my Prarabdha. I will undo it by Vedantic practice. I have got a Free Will of my own. I will make it pure strong and irresistible. I will work out my salvation. I will become free myself.” Another philosopher says: “Everything is pre-arranged in the Grand plan or Grand Scheme. God knows the whole details of evolution of a man from mineral life till he becomes a Jivanmukta or a liberated soul. In reality all is Prarabdha only. We will have to preach Purushartha just to give an impetus for the man to work in right earnest. Otherwise he will become slothful and dull.” If a man succeeds in his attempt, he calls it Purushartha. He says: “I really exerted much. I have succeeded.” If he fails, the same man says: “What can I do, my friend? It is all Prarabdha. Without Him nothing can be done. Without God no atom can move, no leaf can wave in the air.” Prarabdha is only Purushartha of previous birth. What is destiny after all? It is one’s own make-up. You have created certain things. You can destroy them or undo things also. You are thinking in one way: “I am Mr. so and so. I am Brahmin. I am a doctor. I am fatty. I am a householder. “This is Prarabdha. You can change this particular mode of thinking. Think: “I am Brahman. I am Omnipotent. I am a witness or Sakshi. I am God. I am neither the body nor the mind. I am all-pervading Truth or pure Consciousness. “This is Purushartha. You have got a particular way of writing in a vertical manner. This is Prarabdha. You can change that writing into a slanting way. This is

Karma Yoga by Swami Sivananda Haft-hearted service is no service at all. Give your whole heart, mind and soul when you serve. This is very important when you practise Karma Yoga. Some people have their body in one place, mind in another place, and soul in another place. That is the reason why they do not realise any substantial progress in the path. Forget not the goal of life amidst selfish activities. The goal of life is Self-realisation. Are you attempting to reach the end and aim of life? Are you doing Japa, Pranayama and Meditation? Have you kept up the ideal before the mind’s eye? That day in which you do not practise any spiritual Sadhana is wasted. Give the mind to God and the hands to work. You will have to analyse and scrutinise your motives. It is the selfish motive and not the work itself that binds a man to Samsara. Prepare the mind for Karma Yoga. Mere selfish work cannot be taken as Yogic activity. The mind is so framed that it always expects something for a small piece of work. When you smile you expect a return of smile from your friend. When you raise your hand in salutation, you will expect a salute from other people. Even when you give a cup of water to another man, you expect him to be grateful to you. When such is the case, how can you perform Nishkama Karma Yoga? Life is very precious. Live in the spirit of the Gita teaching and work without expectation of fruits and egoism. Think you are Nimitta in the hands of Lord Narayana. If you work with this mental attitude you will become a Yogi soon. Work never degrades a man. Unselfish work is Puja of Narayana. Work is worship. All works are sacred. There is no menial work from the highest view-point of the absolute, from the view-point of Karma Yoga. Even scavenging when done with the right spirit and mental attitude is Yogic action. Even a scavenger can realise God in his own station of life by service. The famous butcher-Sadhaka of the Mahahharata realised God in his meat-shop (through serving his parents). You have got inside all materials for wisdom. There is a vast magazine of power and knowledge within you. It wants kindling. Now wake up, O Saumya! When you work disinterestedly without any agency and when you surrender the works and fruits as Ishvararpana, all Karmas are transformed into Yogic Kriyas. Walking, eating, sleeping, answering the calls of nature, talking, etc., become offering unto the Lord. Every bit of work is Yoga for you. Think that Lord Siva is working through your hands, and is eating through your mouth. Think that your hands are the hands of Lord Siva. In the beginning some of your actions may be selfish and some may be unselfish. In the long run you can do all actions in an unselfish manner. Scrutinise your motives always. This is the key-note for Nishkama Karma Yoga. Every act can be spiritualised when the motive becomes pure. Work is meditation. Serve everyone with intense love, without any idea of agency, without expectation of fruits or reward. If you adopt the path of Jnana, feel you are a silent Sakshi and the Prakriti does everything. It is selfishness that has deplorably contracted your heart. Selfishness is the bane of society. Selfishness clouds understanding. Selfishness is petty-mindedness. Bhoga increases selfishness and selfish Pravritti. It is the root-cause for human sufferings. Real spiritual progress starts in selfless service. Serve the Sadhus, Sannyasins, Bhaktas and poor and sick persons with Bhava, Prema and Bhakti. The Lord is seated in the hearts of all. The spirit of service must deeply enter into your very bones, cells, tissues, nerves, etc. The reward is invaluable. Practise and feel the cosmic expansion and infinite Ananda. Tall tales and idle gossip will not do, my dear friends! Evince intense zeal and enthusiasm in work. Be fiery in the spirit of service. Have Nishtha with God and Cheshta with hands like the Bahurupi who has the Nishtha of a male and the Cheshta of a female. You will be able to do two things at a time by practice. The manual work will become automatic, mechanical or intuitive. You will have two minds. A portion of the mind will be at work; three quarters of the mind will be in the service of the Lord, in meditation, in Japa. Karma Yoga is generally combined with Bhakti Yoga. A Karma Yogin offers to the Lord as an oblation whatever he does through the Karma-Indriyas. This is Ishvara Pranidhana. Training of Karma Yoga A raw untrained aspirant feels, “My preceptor is treating me like a servant or a peon. He is using me for petty jobs.” He who has understood the right significance of Karma Yoga will take every work as Yogic activity or worship of the Lord. There is no menial work in his vision. Every work is Puja of Narayana. In the light of Karma Yoga all actions are sacred. That aspirant who always takes immense delight in doing works which are considered by the worldly man as menial services, and who always does willingly such acts only will become a dynamic Yogi. He will be absolutely free from conceit and egoism. He will have no downfall. The canker of pride cannot touch him. Study the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhiji. He never made any difference between menial service and dignified work. Scavenging and cleaning of the latrine was the highest Yoga for him. This was the highest Puja for him. He himself did the cleaning of latrines. He annihilated the illusory little ‘I’ through service of various sorts. Many highly educated persons joined his Ashram for learning Yoga under him. They thought that Gandhiji would teach them Yoga in some mysterious manner in a private room and would give lessons on Pranayama, meditation, abstration, awakening of Kundalini, etc. They were disappointed when

The Four Main Paths by Swami Sivananda The four main spiritual paths for God-realisation are Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Karma Yoga is suitable for a man of active temperament, Bhakti Yoga for a man of devotional temperament, Raja Yoga for a man of mystic temperament, and Jnana Yoga for a man of rational and philosophical temperament, or a man of enquiry. Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga or Kundalini Yoga, Lambika Yoga and Hatha Yoga, are other Yogas. Yoga, really, means union with God. The practice of Yoga leads to communion with the Lord. Whatever may be the starting point, the end reached is the same. Karma Yoga is the way of selfless service. The selfless worker is called the Karma-Yogin. Bhakti Yoga is the path of exclusive devotion to the Lord. He who seeks union through love or devotion is called the Bhakti-Yogin. Raja Yoga is the way of self-restraint. He who seeks to have union with the Lord through mysticism is called the Raja-Yogin. Jnana Yoga is the path of wisdom. He who seeks to unite himself with the Supreme Self through philosophy and enquiry is called the Jnana-Yogin.

Guiding Lights on Yoga by Swami Sivananda 1.Love is the greatest force on this earth. It is the Power of the Soul. Develop it. 2.Mind is now annoyed and now quiet. Never yield to it. Be serene. 3.Sex-instinct is the greatest urge in human life. Sublimate it. 4.Equal vision is wisdom. All unnatural cravings and wild desires are enemies of peace and knowledge. 5.The best way to remove an evil traits is to think of the opposite virtue. Perfect yourself. Entertain sublime thoughts. 6.Be mild but firm; be gentle but bold; be humble but courageous; be simple but dignified. 7.Conquer all that is base in you. Let truth, justice and reason rule your life. 8.Greed is the root of all evil. Confusion and destruction are caused by greed. 9.Look at the veneer and glitter of the world! Fools are immersed in it! The wise are vigilant. Grow wise. 10.Cultivate a melting heart, the giving hand, the kindly speech and an impartial attitude. 11.Ignorance obstructs your true vision and deceives and degrades you. Destroy it. 12.The Lord is Omnipresent. Feel His Divine Presence everywhere. You need not despair. 13.Prayer that comes from a sincere, pure heart is at once heard by the Lord. 14.Spiritual evolution cannot be attained all at once by a miracle. Be dynamic and diligent in spiritual practices