Benifits of Meditation by Swami Sivananda 1. This world is full of miseries and sufferings. If you want to get rid of the pains and afflictions of this Samsara, you must practice meditation. Meditation is the pathway to Divinity. It is the royal road to the Kingdom of Brahman. It is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to heaven (Vaikuntha or Kailasa or Brahman) from error to truth, from darkness to light, from pain to Bliss, from restlessness to abiding Peace, from ignorance to Knowledge, from mortality to Immortality. Meditation leads to knowledge of the Self which brings about the eternal peace, supreme Bliss. Meditation prepares you for the integral experience or direct intuitive knowledge. 2. Truth is Brahman. Truth is Atman. Truth is quite pure and simple You cannot realise the Truth without reflection and meditation. Be silent, Know thyself. Know That. Melt the mind in That. 3. Without the help of meditation you cannot attain knowledge of the Self. Without its aid you cannot grow into the Divine state. Without it you cannot liberate yourself from the trammels of the mind and attain Immortality. If you do not practice meditation, the supreme splendour and faceless glories of Atman will remain hidden from you. Tear the veils that cover the soul by practicing regular meditation. Rend asunder the five sheaths that screen the Atman by constant meditation and then attain the final beatitude of life. 4. The fire of meditation annihilates all foulness due to vice. Then suddenly comes knowledge or Divine Wisdom which directly leads to Mukti or final emancipation. 5. There are many valuable trainings of the mind which are essential to mental culture, for instance, the training of the memory, the cultivation of reflection, discrimination, Vichara or enquiry of ‘Who am I?’ The practice of meditation itself is a potent clarifier of memory. The practice of memory-culture powerfully helps the attainment of meditation. 6. Meditation is a powerful tonic. It is a mental and nervine tonic as well. The holy vibrations penetrate all the cells of the body and cure the diseases of the body. Those who meditate save doctor’s bills. The powerful, soothing waves that arise during meditation exercise a benign influence on the mind, nerves, organs and cells of the body. The Divine energy freely flows like Taila-dhara (flow of oil from one vessel to another) from the feet of the Lord to the different systems of the Sadhaka (aspirant). 7. If you can meditate for half an hour, you will be able to engage yourself with peace and spiritual strength in the battle of life for one week through the force of this meditation. Such is the beneficial result of meditation. As you have to move with different minds of peculiar natures in your daily life, get the strength and peace from the meditation and you will have no trouble and worry then. 8. A Yogi who meditates regularly has a magnetic and charming personality. Those who come in contact with him are much influenced by his sweet voice, powerful speech, lustrous eyes, brilliant complexion, strong healthy body, good behaviour, virtuous qualities and Divine nature. Just as a grain of salt dropped in a basin of water dissolves and becomes distributed throughout the whole water, just as sweet fragrance of jessamine pervades the air, so also his spiritual aura becomes infiltrated to the minds of others. People draw joy, peace and strength from him. They are inspired by his speech and get elevation of mind by mere contact with him.

Kinds of Meditation by Swami Sivananda 1. There are different kinds of meditation. A particular kind is best suited for a particular mind. The kind of meditation varies according to taste, temperament, capacity and type of mind of the individual. A devotee meditates on his tutelary deity or Ishta Devata. A Raja Yogi meditates on the special Purusha or Isvara who is not touched by the afflictions, desires and Karmas. A Hatha Yogi meditates on the Chakras and their presiding deities. A Jnani meditates on his own Self or Atman. You will have to find out yourself the kind of meditation that is suitable for you. If you are not able to do this, you will have to consult a teacher or preceptor who has attained Self-realisation. He will be able to know the nature of your mind and the correct method of meditation for you. 2. The mind assumes the form of the object it cognises. Then only perception is possible. A Bhakta constantly meditates on the form of his tutelary deity. The mind always takes the form of the deity. When he is established in his meditation, when he attains the stage of Para-Bhakti or supreme devotion he sees his Ishta Devata only everywhere. The names and forms vanish. A devotee of Lord Krishna sees Lord Krishna only everywhere and experiences the state described in the Gita: “Vasudevah sarvam iti-Everything is Vasudeva (Krishna) only.” A Jnani or a Vedantin sees his own Self or Atman everywhere. The world of names and forms vanishes from his view. He experiences the utterances of the seers of the Upanishads: “Sarvam khalvidam Brahma-All indeed is Brahman.” 3. Meditation is of two main kinds, viz., Saguna (concrete) meditation and Nirguna (abstract) meditation. In concrete meditation the Yogic student concentrates on the form of the Lord Krishna, Rama, Siva, Hari, Gayatri or Sri Devi. In abstract meditation he concentrates the whole energy of the mind on one idea of God or Atman and avoids comparisons of memories and all other ideas. The one idea fills the whole mind. 4. When you see the concrete figure of Lord Krishna with open eyes and meditate, it is the concrete form of meditation. When you reflect over the image of Lord Krishna by closing your eyes, it is also concrete form of meditation but it is more abstract. When you meditate on the infinite abstract light it is still more abstract meditation. The former two types belong to Saguna form of meditation, the latter to Nirguna form. Even in Nirguna meditation there is a concrete form in the beginning for fixing the mind. Later on this form vanishes and meditator and meditated become one. Meditation proceeds from the mind. 5. Saguna meditation is meditation on a Murty or form of the Lord. This is a concrete form of meditation for people of devotional temperament. This is meditation with Gunas or attributes of God. Repeat the Name of the Lord or pure Om. Think of His attributes Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, etc. Your mind will be filled with purity. Enthrone the Lord in the lotus of your heart amidst a blazing light. Mentally think of His feet, legs, chest, head, hands and the ornaments and dress and again come to His feet. Again and again repeat this process. 6. This is one kind of meditation for beginners. Sit on Padmasana in a solitary room. Close your eyes. Meditate on the effulgence in the sun, splendour in the moon, glory in the stars, beauty in the sky. 7. Meditate on the magnanimity of the ocean, its infinite nature. Compare the ocean with the Infinite Brahman, the waves, foams and blocks of ice to the various names and forms. Identify yourself with the ocean. Become silent. Expand. Expand. 8. This is another kind of meditation. Meditate on the Himalayas. Imagine that the River Ganga takes its origin from the icy region of Gangotri, near Uttarkasi, flows through Rishikesh, Benares and enters the Ganga Sagar in the Bay of Bengal. Himalayas, GangaGanga and finally to the sea. Then again take it to the icy Gangotri. Rotate the mind in this manner for 15 minutes. and the sea, these three thoughts only should occupy the mind. First take your mind to icy Gangotri, then along the Ganga and finally to the sea. Then again take it to the icy Gangotri. Rotate the mind in this manner for 15 minutes. 9. Imagine that there is a fine garden with lovely flowers. In one corner there are Jessamine flowers. In another corner there are beautiful cabbage roses. In the third corner there is the ‘lady of the night.’ In the fourth corner there are Champak flowers. First meditate on Jessamine. Then take the mind to the rose, then to the ‘lady of the night’ and finally to the Champak. Again rotate the mind as above. Do this again and again for 15 minutes. Gross meditation like this will prepare the mind to finer abstract meditation on subtle ideas. 10. Have the figure Om in front of you. Concentrate on this. Do Trataka also with eyes (steady gazing without winking till tears flow profusely). This is both Saguna and Nirguna meditation (with and without attributes). Keep a picture of Om in your meditation room. You can do Puja for this symbol of Brahman. Burn incense, etc., and offer flowers. This suits the modern educated persons. 11. This is abstract meditation on Nirguna Brahman. Repeat Om mentally with Bhava (feeling). Associate the ideas of Sat-chit-ananda, Purity, Perfection, ‘All-joy I am,’ ‘All-bliss I am.’ 12. ‘There is no world. There is neither body nor mind. There is only one Chaitanya (pure consciousness). I am that pure consciousness.’ This is Nirguna meditation (without attributes). 13. Meditation on Mahavakyas is tantamount to meditation on Om. You can take up either ‘Aham Brahma Asmi-I am Brahman’ or ‘Tat Tvam Asi-That thou art.’ These are the Mahavakyas or the great sentences of the Upanishads. Meditate on their significance. Deny or negate

Auxiliaries of Meditation by Swami Sivananda (a)WHAT IS MEDITATION 1. Meditation is the flow of continuous thought on one thing or God or Atman. Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God alone always like the continuous flow of oil (Taila-dharavat). Yogins call this ‘Dhyana.’ Jnanins term this ‘Nididhyasana.’ Bhaktas style this ‘Bhajan.’ Concentration is fixing the mind on a point or object, either internal (in the body) or external (on any outside object or image). Meditation follows concentration. In Dhyana all worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is filled or saturated with Divine thoughts, with the Divine Glory, the Divine Presence. (b)PLACE 2. Have a separate meditation-room under lock and key. Do not allow anybody to enter the room. Keep it holy. Burn incense in the morning and evening. Keep a photo of Lord Krishna, Siva, Rama, Devi or your Ishta Devata or Guru. Place your Asana (seat) in front of the picture. Keep some books also such as the Gita, the Ramayana and other scriptures. When you repeat the Mantra or the Name of the Lord, the powerful vibrations will be lodged in the ether of the room. In six months’ time you will feel peace and purity in the atmosphere of the room. Whenever your mind is disturbed by worldly influence, sit in the room and repeat the Name of the Lord for half an hour; then you will find an entire change in the mind immediately. Practise and feel the soothing spiritual influence yourself. Nothing is like spiritual Sadhana. You will find a local Mussoorie, Himalayas, in your own house. 3. Solitude and intense meditation are two important requisites for Self-realisation. The banks of the Ganga or the Narmada, Himalayan scenery, lovely flower-garden, sacred temple-these are the places which elevate the mind in concentration and meditation. Have recourse to them. 4. A solitary place, spiritual vibratory conditions as at Uttarkasi, Rishikesh, Badri Narayan, a cool place and temperate climate-these conditions are indispensably requisite for concentration of mind. Just as the salt melts in water, the Sattvic mind melts in silence during meditation in Brahman, its Adhishthana (substratum).(c)TIME5. Get up at 4 in the morning in Brahmamuhurta. It is very favourable for spiritual contemplation and to start worship of God. In the early morning the mind is calm pure and quite refreshed after slumber. The mind is like a blank sheet of paper and comparatively free from worldly Samskaras (mental impressions). It can be moulded very easily at this time. The atmosphere also is charged with more Sattva at this particular time. Wash your hands, feet and face with cold water if you find it difficult to take a bath. This will suffice. 6. Always choose that part of the day or night when your mind is clear and when you are least likely to be disturbed. You can have a sitting just before retiring to bed. The mind will be calm at this time. 7. You can have good meditation on Sundays because this is a holiday, and the mind is free. Do vigorous meditation on Sundays. You can have good meditation when you live on milk and fruits alone or when you fast. Use your commonsense always and try to bring out good result in meditation. (d)WHERE TO CONCENTRATE 8. Concentrate gently either on the lotus of the heart (Anahata Chakra) or at the space between the two eyebrows (Trikuti). Close your eyes. 9. The seat of mind is Ajna Chakra at Trikuti. The mind can be easily controlled if you concentrate on Trikuti. Bhaktas should concentrate on the heart. Yogins and Vedantins should concentrate at Ajna Chakra. 10. Crown of the head (Sahasrara) is another seat for concentration. Some Vedantins concentrate here. Some Yogins concentrate at the tip of the nose (Nasikagra Drishti). Stick to one centre in concentration. Cling to it tenaciously. If you concentrate on heart, stick to it. Never change it. Guru will select the centre for concentration, if you are a student of faith. If you are a man of self-reliance, you can select it for yourself. (e)YOGIC DIET11. Take Mitahara, Sattvic diet. Overloading the stomach with rice, vegetables, Dhal and bread brings sleep and interferes with Sadhana. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man cannot practice meditation. A diet on milk renders the body very, very light. You can sit on one Asana for hours together with ease and comfort. If you feel weak, you can take for a day or two a little rice and milk or barley and milk or any light diet. Those who are in the field of service and who do platform lectures and other intense spiritual propagandic activities need solid, substantial food. (f)ASANA12. Asana steadies the body; Bandhas and Mudras make the mind firm; Pranayama makes the body light; Nadi-suddhi produces steadiness of the mind. Having acquired these qualifications you will have to fix the mind on Brahman. Then only meditation will go on steadily with ease and happiness. For meditation, concentration and Japa, Padmasana or Siddhasana is prescribed. For general health and keeping up of Brahmacharya, Sirshasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Paschimottanasana are good.

Meditate by Swami Sivananda Meditation is the keeping up of the one idea-be it of Nirguna Brahman, Saguna Brahman, image or an abstract idea. It follows concentration where all the rays of the mind are focussed on to a single thought. Ultimately even this single thought gives place to Awareness-just awareness and illumination-where all problems dissolve themselves. When you enter into deep meditation, you will have no consciousness of your body or surroundings. You will have equanimity of mind. You will not hear any sounds. The consciousness of egoism also will gradually vanish. You will experience inexplicable joy and indescribable happiness. Gradually reasoning and reflection give place to awareness. If you can meditate for half an hour, you will be able to engage yourself with peace and spiritual strength in the battle of life for one week through the force of this meditation. Such is the beneficial result of this meditation. As you have to move with people of different natures in your daily life, get the strength and peace from meditation and you will have no trouble and worry then. Sit down with a composed mind. Assert your mastery over the body and mind. Plunge deep into the chamber of your heart and enter into the stupendous ocean of Silence. Listen to the voice which is soundless.

Wisdom by Swami Sivananda GIVE UP ATTACHMENT Attachment is the first child of Maya. This whole Lila of the Lord is kept up by the force of attachment. There is in the mind gummy substance which is like a mixture of castor oil, glue, gum-arabic, mucilage of tragacanth, gluten paste, honey, glycerine, jack fruit’s juice and all other pasty substances of the world. The mind is glued, as it were, to the objects with this mixture. Therefore the attachment is very strong. Selfishness causes attachment. Attachment is the root-cause for all the miseries and troubles of this world. Work incessantly without an identification. Then alone you can have real happiness. You will yourself feel that you are a different being. This is the master-key to open the realms of Brahmic Bliss. SHUN SENSUAL ENJOYMENTS Look out for an unchangeable, infinite and Supreme happiness which must come from a Being in whom there is no change. Search and find out such Being, and if you could only succeed in your quest, then you can get that unalterable happiness from Him. Sensual enjoyment is attended with various defects. It is attended with various sorts of sins, pains, weaknesses, attachments, slave mentality, weak will, severe exertion and struggle, bad habits, cravings, aggravation of desires and mental restlessness. Therefore shun all sorts of sensual enjoyments. HAVE A BALANCED MINDThough the cow grazes on the pastures having been separated from the calf, her mind is always fixed on the calf only. Similarly you should fix the mind on God when you do Japa, and give your hand to work. Renounce all attachment. Be balanced in success or failure, gain or loss, victory or defeat, pleasure or pain. Discipline your mind cautiously. This is your master-key to open the doors of the realm of Bliss. This is the secret of success in Yoga. Feel and think that you breathe, live and work for God alone, in every second of your life, and that without Him life is absolutely useless. Feel the pangs of separation while at work if you forget Him even for a fraction of a second. COAX THE MIND Let not your heart give way to trials. Be ever intent on your spiritual Sadhana. Learn to discriminate. Develop true lasting Vairagya by association with wise people. Make the mind understand about the unreal nature of objects and the defects of a sensual life. Talk to your mind. Coax the mind. It will hear your words. Gradually the mind-wandering will cease. Then the mind will abide firmly in the centre of the source. Become a Yogi. Yoga will put an end to all sorts of pain. Yoga will destroy all Kleshas (afflictions). Wake up. Open your eyes. Practise Yoga. My Child! DISCIPLINE THE MIND Destroy the Sankalpas or imagination of the mind. Discipline the mind in a perfect manner through discrimination, enquiry, dispassion and regular meditation on Atman. Have a wide outlook on life. See God in everything, in every face. Give up all that is false and untrue. Pray fervently. Lead a life of virtue and happiness. Renounce all your sorrows, fears and anxieties, and walk in the path laid down by the scriptures. You will attain supreme peace and eternal bliss. KEEP THE MIND FULLY OCCUPIED Understand fully the aim and purpose of life. Yield not to temptations. Develop virtuous qualities like humility, forgiveness, tolerance, etc. Wish eagerly and fervently to attain God-consciousness. Have faith, interest and attention. You are bound to succeed. Conserve all energy and utilise it for higher spiritual achievements in life. Purify. Be just. Be true. Be sincere in your attempts. Respect all prophets and saints. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi. Keep the mind fully occupied. Sing the name of the Lord. Twirl the beads. Study the scriptures. Think of God and meditate upon Him with true devotion and feeling and merge in Him. This is the goal of life. GIVE NO LENIENCY TO MIND Mere hearing of eloquent valuable spiritual lectures will not do in the spiritual path. You will have to act according to them. You will have to give your whole heart, mind and soul to practice. Then only you will have progress in the path. Follow the instructions of your master and the teachings of the scriptures to the very letter. Give no leniency to the mind. Exact, implicit, strict obedience to the instructions is expected of you. Do not fight for rights. Think more about your duties and less about your rights. These rights are worthless. It is wasting of time and energy. Assert your birthright of God-consciousness. Realise this and become wise. LEARN TO DISCRIMINATE Know things in their proper light. Do not be deluded. Emotion is mistaken for devotion; violent jumping in the air during Sankirtan for Divine ecstasy; Rajasic restlessness and motion for divine activities and Karma Yoga; a Tamasic man for a Sattvic man; Tandri and deep sleep for Samadhi; Manorajya or building castles in the air for meditation; physical nudity for the Jivanmukti state. Understand the laws of the universe. Move tactfully in this world. Learn the secrets of Nature. Learn to discriminate and become wise. Fight out the inner battle again and come out victorious! SACRIFICE PLEASURE TO SECURE BLISS Spiritual pursuits, and practice of Yoga are really sweet, but appear to be bitter; sensual pursuits, which are really bitter, appear to be sweet. This is due to the perversion of intellect caused by Avidya. Select some good songs or Dhwanis and repeat them during night along with your friends and relatives. Even during day while working, you can sing the select Dhwanis of your Ishta Mantra. By this you will have continuity of Divine thoughts. May you always shine with the divine splendour and inexhaustible wealth of Atma Jnana, which is the common property of all mankind! THINK RIGHTLY Worry does great harm to the astral body and the mind. Energy is wasted by worry. It causes inflammation and drains the vitality of man.

Surrender to the Lord by Swami Sivananda Sadhana or spiritual practice should make you ever cheerful, more concentrated, joyful, balanced, peaceful, contented, blissful, dispassionate, fearless, courageous, compassionate, angerless, ‘I’-less, desireless, mineless. Sadhana should give you rich inner life, introspective inner vision and unruffled state of mind under all conditions of life. These are the signs of your spiritual growth. Seeing of visions, lights, hearing of Anahata sounds, Divya Gandha, etc., have not much spiritual value, although they indicate you have attained first degree of concentration. Man can never separate himself from God, for God is the Cosmos and man its component. There is only one God, the Self of all beings. There is only one law, the law of cause and effect. There is only one religion, the religion of Self-realisation. Religion is the most rational science of life, the science of man as he essentially is, the science which shows him how he is a part of Cosmos, how he ought to abide by the law of the Cosmos, and aim at the fulfilment of the evolutional process of the Cosmos. Religion is practical philosophy. Philosophy is the understanding of the ultimate Principle that governs life. Religion is the art of practicing it, i.e. living the spirit of philosophy.

Signs of Spiritual Growth by Swami Sivananda Sadhana or spiritual practice should make you ever cheerful, more concentrated, joyful, balanced, peaceful, contented, blissful, dispassionate, fearless, courageous, compassionate, angerless, ‘I’-less, desireless, mineless. Sadhana should give you rich inner life, introspective inner vision and unruffled state of mind under all conditions of life. These are the signs of your spiritual growth. Seeing of visions, lights, hearing of Anahata sounds, Divya Gandha, etc., have not much spiritual value, although they indicate you have attained first degree of concentration. Man can never separate himself from God, for God is the Cosmos and man its component. There is only one God, the Self of all beings. There is only one law, the law of cause and effect. There is only one religion, the religion of Self-realisation. Religion is the most rational science of life, the science of man as he essentially is, the science which shows him how he is a part of Cosmos, how he ought to abide by the law of the Cosmos, and aim at the fulfilment of the evolutional process of the Cosmos. Religion is practical philosophy. Philosophy is the understanding of the ultimate Principle that governs life. Religion is the art of practicing it, i.e. living the spirit of philosophy.