The Human Ideal Sri Swami Sivananda Krishna Jayanti Message Blessed Selves, The birth of Sri Krishna on earth is of memorable importance, as this incident goes to make up and give form to the whole of the Indian Nation. It signifies the great event of the coming into being of the tremendous power of love and knowledge which has integrated in itself all the hearts and minds of India. In Sri Krishna we find the national, the political, the social, the domestic, the individual, the universal and spiritual ideals which have been adored and worshipped in India and which may well pave the way to world-unity, if only they are properly understood and adopted in human life. From the very beginning of the life of Sri Krishna we find in Him a bold champion who stood for the cause of peace and happiness of mankind. This is indeed an occasion for us all to lift our souls to the supreme enjoyment of the celebration of the birthday of the great hero, the friend and the teacher of this world, who refers to himself in His immortal Gita as the Father of this world, the Mother, the Sustainer, the Grandfather, the supremely Pure, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Substratum, the only thing to be known. In fact, such beings are not born or dead, but they only become visible or invisible to the human eye and consciousness. Sri Krishna was the statesman par-excellence, who taught through example and precept the art of government, the way to maintain peace on earth. He was an expert in the application of the means of Sama (persuasion and conciliation), Dana (offering remuneration), Bheda (causing division), and Danda (punishment), and these he used where they were absolutely necessary and where they did not go against Dharma or the Eternal law of the universe. Sri Krishna was not merely a statesman struggling to know what is right and wrong or good and bad to a nation or acting according to his own whims and fancies or private conceptions of the right and good. He was a cosmic man with a cosmic vision of things, who had no partiality whatsoever, who loved none and hated none, but acted as a channel for the operation of the iron hand of justice which rules the universe. Krishna connected causes and effects and brought law and justice to play their proper part in life not through induction or deduction, through supposition, guessing, or imagination, through public vote, or individual influence, but through the intuition of the essential Reality of the universe. His word was law and his act was justice. His thoughts were the supreme peace-makers which vibrated through every cell of the nation. Krishna commanded the love and the respect of the people by his comprehending in himself the universe as a whole. Sri Krishna was a philosopher, a sage and a Yogi, who alone can be an effective statesman worth the name. This is the lesson to be learnt from Sri Krishna, by all people, ruling as well as ruled. Sri Krishna lived the life of a princely householder, teaching to mankind that the knowledge of the Absolute is not incompatible with practical activity in life. He is the form, as it were, taken by the great Truth that the universe is the manifestation of Brahman. The universe is the Lila of the Purushottama, and Sri Krishna is the Lila-Purushottama, the sportive Absolute. There was no end to the domestic troubles that Krishna had, no limit to the social and political disturbances and threatening situations in which Krishna was involved, no bound to his responsibility and yet there was no match to his success, no equal to his shining example of the Life Perfect. Certainly, only an Avatara (incarnation of God) can be such a perfect being. The man on earth, the householder, with the weight of responsibility on his head and an environment attempting to menace and flout him at every step, should learn the science and art of right, good and happy life, from Sri Krishna, who combined knowledge with action with wonderful dexterity, for the good of the universe. The individual’s ideal is the attainment of Sri Krishna, to take Him as the means and the end. The Bhagavad Gita is the Gospel of life, the scripture of humanity, and the life of Sri Krishna is the great commentary on it. Every individual should try to become the great man of knowledge, the master of Yoga, the centre of love and the expert doer of right activity, as Sri Krishna was. Sri Krishna’s life, when it is carefully studied, will give one a knowledge of the synthesis of all Yogas, practised by one who, rooting himself in the spiritual Absolute, moved on this material earth. The life and teachings of Sri Krishna are the immortal teachers of mankind, they shall live for eternity. The words and actions of Krishna are to be taken by all aspiring individuals as the means and the being of Krishna as the end. This is possible only after a thorough purging and purification of the self, which is absolutely necessary for one’s knowing Krishna. Sri Krishna is the universal and spiritual ideal of man. Sri Krishna was the example of the great Superman of the East. It is towards this achievement that humanity is slowly moving. The perfection of man lies in the realisation of God, Nature and Man in one. Man is not a separate entity. Nature is not estranged from God, and God is not cut off from Nature and Man. The word ‘God’ has been misunderstood by many as merely one of the three principles in terms of which alone man can view Reality. Truly, God means that Supreme Being in which Nature and Man merge, as identical with His Consciousness. Sri Krishna is the representation on earth of the Supreme Reality. Glory to Him. All adorations to Him. Prostrations to Him. Beloved aspirants, Strive to become, to realise,

Gospel of Lord Krishna By Sri Swami Sivananda Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya This is the birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth Divine Incarnation. It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This is one of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Lord Krishna was born at midnight. A twenty-four hour fast is observed on this day, which is broken at midnight. Temples are decorated for the occasion. Kirtans are sung, bells are rung, the conch is blown, and Sanskrit hymns are recited in praise of Lord Krishna. At Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, special spiritual gatherings are organised at this time. Pilgrims from all over India attend these festive gatherings. The Lord appeared when the moon entered the house of Vrishabha at the constellation of the star Rohini, on Wednesday, the 8th day of the second fortnight of the month of Sravana, which corresponds to the month of Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha according to the Barhaspatyamana, in the year of Visvavasu, 5,172 years ago (from 1945), which means 3227 B.C. Study the Bhagavatam and the Pancharatras, which are equal to the Upanishads. You will know all about the glory of Lord Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds. The eighth Avatara, Krishna, who has become the Beloved of India and the world at large, had a threefold objective: to destroy the wicked demons, to play the leading role in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (where he delivered His wonderful message of the Gita) and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti schools of India. There is no true science except devotion to Lord Krishna. That man is wealthy indeed who loves Radha and Krishna. There is no sorrow other than lack of devotion to Krishna. He is the foremost of the emancipated who loves Krishna. There is no right course, except the society of Sri Krishna’s devotees. The Name, virtues and Lilas (divine pastimes) of Krishna are the chief things to be remembered. The Lotus Feet of Radha and Krishna are the chief objects of meditation. Sri Krishna is the ocean of bliss. His soul-stirring Lilas, which are the wonder of wonders, are its waves. The honeyed music of His flute attracts the minds of His devotees from all three regions. His unequalled and unsurpassed wealth of beauty amazes the animate and the inanimate beings. He adorns His friends with His incomparable love. His palms bear the signs of a lotus and discus, the right sole of His feet of a flag, lotus, thunderbolt, an iron goad, barley seed, and the Swastika. His left sole has the rainbow, triangle, water-pot, crescent, sky, fish, and a cow’s footprint. His Form is composed of condensed universal consciousness and bliss. His Body pervades the entire cosmos. Devotion is the only means of attaining Lord Krishna. Bhakti kindles love for the Lord. When love is directed towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the world. Though Lord Krishna appeared in a human body, He had a divine body not composed of the five elements. He did not take any birth here in the usual sense of the term. He did not die. He appeared and disappeared through His Yoga Maya as He has declared in the Gita. This is a secret, known only to His devotees, Yogis and sages. His enchanting form with flute in hand is worshipped in myriads of homes in India. It is a form to which is poured out devotion and supreme love from the hearts of countless devotees not only in India but also in the West. Millions of spiritual seekers worship Him and repeat His Mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, all at once. The scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime and grander than the life of Sri Krishna. Krishna has played various roles during His stay in the world. He was Arjuna’s charioteer. He was an excellent statesman. He was a master musician; he gave lessons even to Narada in the art of playing the veena. The music of His flute thrilled the hearts of the Gopis and everyone else. He was a cowherd in Brindavan and Gokul. He exhibited miraculous powers even as a child. He killed many demons. He revealed His Cosmic Form to His mother, Yasoda. He performed the Rasa Lila, the secret of which can only be understood by devotees like Narada, Gauranga, Radha and the Gopis. He taught the supreme Truth of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and Uddhava. He had mastered every one of the sixty-four fine arts. For all these reasons He is regarded as a full and complete manifestation of God. Incarnations of God appear for special reasons under special circumstances. Whenever there is much unrighteousness, whenever confusion and disorder set in on account of unrighteousness and baffle the well-ordered progress of mankind, whenever the balance of human society is upset by selfish, ruthless and cruel beings, whenever irreligion and unrighteousness prevail, whenever the foundations of social organisations are undermined, the great Incarnation of God appears in order to re-establish righteousness and to restore peace. An Incarnation is the descent of God for the ascent of man. A ray from the Cosmic Being in His potential state of manifestation descends on earth with mighty powers to keep up the harmony of the universe. The work done by the Incarnation of God and His teachings produce a benign influence on human beings and help them in their upward divine unfoldment and Self-realisation. The Incarnation comes to reveal the divine nature of man and makes him rise above the petty materialistic life of passion and egoism. The greatest manifestations are called Incarnations proper. Rishis, Munis, prophets, sons of God and messengers of God are minor manifestations. The Incarnations usually come with their particular or favourite groups or companions. Lord Rama came with Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Lord Krishna came with Balarama, Devas and Rishis. Sanaka came with

Krishna Janmashtami By Sri Swami Sivananda Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya This is the birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth Divine Incarnation. It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada (August-September). This is one of the greatest of all Hindu festivals. Lord Krishna was born at midnight. A twenty-four hour fast is observed on this day, which is broken at midnight. Temples are decorated for the occasion. Kirtans are sung, bells are rung, the conch is blown, and Sanskrit hymns are recited in praise of Lord Krishna. At Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, special spiritual gatherings are organised at this time. Pilgrims from all over India attend these festive gatherings. The Lord appeared when the moon entered the house of Vrishabha at the constellation of the star Rohini, on Wednesday, the 8th day of the second fortnight of the month of Sravana, which corresponds to the month of Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha according to the Barhaspatyamana, in the year of Visvavasu, 5,172 years ago (from 1945), which means 3227 B.C. Study the Bhagavatam and the Pancharatras, which are equal to the Upanishads. You will know all about the glory of Lord Krishna, His Lilas and superhuman deeds. The eighth Avatara, Krishna, who has become the Beloved of India and the world at large, had a threefold objective: to destroy the wicked demons, to play the leading role in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (where he delivered His wonderful message of the Gita) and to become the centre of a marvellous development of the Bhakti schools of India. There is no true science except devotion to Lord Krishna. That man is wealthy indeed who loves Radha and Krishna. There is no sorrow other than lack of devotion to Krishna. He is the foremost of the emancipated who loves Krishna. There is no right course, except the society of Sri Krishna’s devotees. The Name, virtues and Lilas (divine pastimes) of Krishna are the chief things to be remembered. The Lotus Feet of Radha and Krishna are the chief objects of meditation. Sri Krishna is the ocean of bliss. His soul-stirring Lilas, which are the wonder of wonders, are its waves. The honeyed music of His flute attracts the minds of His devotees from all three regions. His unequalled and unsurpassed wealth of beauty amazes the animate and the inanimate beings. He adorns His friends with His incomparable love. His palms bear the signs of a lotus and discus, the right sole of His feet of a flag, lotus, thunderbolt, an iron goad, barley seed, and the Swastika. His left sole has the rainbow, triangle, water-pot, crescent, sky, fish, and a cow’s footprint. His Form is composed of condensed universal consciousness and bliss. His Body pervades the entire cosmos. Devotion is the only means of attaining Lord Krishna. Bhakti kindles love for the Lord. When love is directed towards Krishna, man is freed from the bondage of the world. Though Lord Krishna appeared in a human body, He had a divine body not composed of the five elements. He did not take any birth here in the usual sense of the term. He did not die. He appeared and disappeared through His Yoga Maya as He has declared in the Gita. This is a secret, known only to His devotees, Yogis and sages. His enchanting form with flute in hand is worshipped in myriads of homes in India. It is a form to which is poured out devotion and supreme love from the hearts of countless devotees not only in India but also in the West. Millions of spiritual seekers worship Him and repeat His Mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Lord Krishna was great in knowledge, great in emotion, great in action, all at once. The scriptures have not recorded any life more full, more intense, more sublime and grander than the life of Sri Krishna. Krishna has played various roles during His stay in the world. He was Arjuna’s charioteer. He was an excellent statesman. He was a master musician; he gave lessons even to Narada in the art of playing the veena. The music of His flute thrilled the hearts of the Gopis and everyone else. He was a cowherd in Brindavan and Gokul. He exhibited miraculous powers even as a child. He killed many demons. He revealed His Cosmic Form to His mother, Yasoda. He performed the Rasa Lila, the secret of which can only be understood by devotees like Narada, Gauranga, Radha and the Gopis. He taught the supreme Truth of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta to Arjuna and Uddhava. He had mastered every one of the sixty-four fine arts. For all these reasons He is regarded as a full and complete manifestation of God. Incarnations of God appear for special reasons under special circumstances. Whenever there is much unrighteousness, whenever confusion and disorder set in on account of unrighteousness and baffle the well-ordered progress of mankind, whenever the balance of human society is upset by selfish, ruthless and cruel beings, whenever irreligion and unrighteousness prevail, whenever the foundations of social organisations are undermined, the great Incarnation of God appears in order to re-establish righteousness and to restore peace. An Incarnation is the descent of God for the ascent of man. A ray from the Cosmic Being in His potential state of manifestation descends on earth with mighty powers to keep up the harmony of the universe. The work done by the Incarnation of God and His teachings produce a benign influence on human beings and help them in their upward divine unfoldment and Self-realisation. The Incarnation comes to reveal the divine nature of man and makes him rise above the petty materialistic life of passion and egoism. The greatest manifestations are called Incarnations proper. Rishis, Munis, prophets, sons of God and messengers of God are minor manifestations. The Incarnations usually come with their particular or favourite groups or companions. Lord Rama came with Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Lord Krishna came with Balarama, Devas and Rishis. Sanaka came with Sanandana, Sanatkumara

Holi By Sri Swami Sivananda IN DAYS of yore, there were communities of cannibals in India. They caused much havoc. They threatened the lives of many innocent people. One of them was Holika or Putana. She took immense delight in devouring children. Sri Krishna destroyed her and thus saved the little children. Even today, the effigy or figure of Holika is burnt in the fire. In South India, the clay figure of Cupid is burnt. This is the origin of the great festival of Holi. It begins about ten days before the full moon of the month Phalgun (February-March), but is usually only observed for the last three or four days, terminating with the full moon. This is the spring festival of the Hindus. In the spring season all the trees are filled with sweet-smelling flowers. They all proclaim the glory and everlasting beauty of God. They inspire you with hope, joy and a new life, and stir you on to find out the creator and the indweller, who is hiding Himself in these forms. Holi is known by the name of Kamadahana in South India, the day on which Cupid was burnt by Lord Siva. Another legend has it that once upon a time an old woman’s grandchild was to be sacrificed to a female demon named Holika. A Sadhu advised that abuse and foul language would subdue Holika. The old woman collected many children and made them abuse Holika in foul language. The demon fell dead on the ground. The children then made a bonfire of her remains. Connected to this legend of the demon Holika is Bhakta Prahlad’s devotion to Lord Narayana, and his subsequent escape from death at the hands of Holika. Prahlad’s father, Hiranyakashipu, punished him in a variety of ways to change his devotional mind and make him worldly-minded. He failed in his attempts. At last he ordered his sister, Holika, who had a boon to remain unburnt even in fire, to take Prahlad on her lap and enter into the blazing flames. Holika did so. She vanished, but Prahlad remained untouched and laughing. He was not affected by the fire on account of the Grace of Lord Narayana. This same scene is enacted every year to remind people that those who love God shall be saved, and they that torture the devotee of God shall be reduced to ashes. When Holika was burnt, people abused her and sang the glories of the Lord and of His great devotee, Prahlad. In imitation of that, people even today use abusive language, but unfortunately forget to sing the praises of the Lord and His devotee! In North India, people play joyfully with coloured water. The uncle sprinkles coloured water on his nephew. The niece applies coloured powder on her aunt’s face. Brothers and sisters and cousins play with one another. Huge bundles of wood are gathered and burnt at night, and everywhere one hears shouts of “Holi-ho! Holi-ho!” People stand in the streets and sprinkle coloured water on any man who passes by, be he a rich man or an officer. There is no restriction on this day. It is like the April Fool’s Day of the Europeans. People compose and sing special Holi songs. On the festival day, people clean their homes, remove all dirty articles from around the house and burn them. Disease-breeding bacteria are thereby destroyed. The sanitary condition of the locality is improved. During the festival, boys dance about in the streets. People play practical jokes with passers-by. A bonfire is lit towards the conclusion of the festival. Games representing the frolics of the young Krishna take place joyously around a fire. On the last day of Holi, people take a little fire from this bonfire to their homes. They believe that their homes will be rendered pure, and their bodies free from disease. Nowadays, people are found indulging in all sorts of vices in the name of the Holi festival. Some drink intoxicating liquor like toddy and fall unconscious on the roads. They indulge in obscene speech as a result of drinking. They lose respect for their elders and masters. They waste their money in drink and dice-play. These evils should be totally eradicated. Festivals like Holi have their own spiritual value. Apart from the various amusements, they create faith in God if properly observed. Hindu festivals always have a spiritual significance. They wean man away from sensual pleasures and take him gradually to the spiritual path and divine communion. People perform havan and offer to the gods the new grains that are harvested. On such holy occasions there should be worship of God, Satsangs, and Kirtan of the Lord’s Names, not merely the sprinkling of coloured water and lighting of bonfires. These functions are to be considered most sacred and spent in devotional prayers, visiting holy places, bathing in sacred waters, and Satsang with great souls. Abundant charity should be done to the poor. Then only can Holi be said to have been properly celebrated. Devotees of the Lord should remember His delightful pastimes on such happy occasions. All great Hindu festivals have religious, social and hygienic elements in them. Holi is no exception. Every season has a festival of its own. Holi is the great spring festival of India. Being an agricultural country, India’s two big festivals come during the harvest time when the barns and granaries of our farmers are full and they have reason to enjoy the fruits of their hard labour. The harvest season is a festive season all over the world. Man wants relaxation and change after hard work. He needs to be cheered when he is depressed on account of work and anxieties. Festivals like Holi supply him with the real food and tonic to restore his cheer and peace of mind. The religious element in the Holi festival consists of worship of Sri Krishna. In some places it is also called the Dol Yatra. The word dol literally means “a swing”. An image of Sri Krishna

Strength And Humility By Sri Swami Chidananda The worship of Lord Hanuman is an ideal that requires our attention and adoration not once in a year, but always. The worship of Hanuman verily constitutes worship of the Divine Reality in the form of strength and powers dedicated to duty and to the Divine Being. The worship of Hanuman implies the worship of strength adorned with humility—the worship of strength and powers simultaneously combined with devotion and dutifulness. The great Hanuman’s life is nothing if it is not devotion and dedication, humility and the spirit of service. The worship of Hanuman indicates your acceptance of this ideal. The worship of Hanuman is a token of adoration to the principles of self-sacrifice and service, devotion and dedication, and absolute impersonal selflessness. The worship of Hanuman is the ideal for all beings who wish to transform their lives and themselves into beings of courage and strength, and at the same time be adorned by the spirit of service, total devotion and total dedication to the feet of one whom one considers oneself to be the disciple, follower and devoted servant of. If you consider yourself as a devoted servant of God, devotee of God, follower of God, you have ever to keep before you the effulgent, radiant ideal of this unparalleled personality of the Ramayana. He had the strength that could lift mountains. He had the strength that could cross oceans. But despite this he remained what he really was: a dedicated, devoted, self-effacing servant of the Divine, depicted always at the feet of the Divine, head bowed down and hands folded. This is Hanuman’s place, vow and personality in the ever-present presence of God. It is due to his dedication, devotion, humility and utter selflessness that he has become the favourite among the devotees of God. It is due to these sublime qualities of self-effacement that Hanuman has become perpetual, an ideal in Indian culture. He is the deity of millions in India. And through the Ramayana, Valmiki has sought to make him immortal, ever present in the vision of all human beings. May the grace of the Supreme inspire you to emulate this ideal and to sincerely work towards the fulfilment of such an ideal in your own personal life. The hazard and the danger of a subtle spiritual ego, a sadhaka abhiman, willbe made impossible if this ideal is present in your heart as a guide to your spiritual living, to your sadhana and to whatever selfless service you are engaged in. To beautify, elevate and transform all these three aspects of your spiritual life, the worship of Hanuman presents special significance, holds special meaning and constitutes a universal ideal. May God and guru enable us to live such a life, having before us this ideal to be striven for as we offer the external worship this morning at the little shrine on the bank of the Ganga!”