Key Guidelines To Successful Meditation Sri Swami Sivananda Retire to a quiet place or room from where you do not fear interruption so that your mind may feel quite secure and at rest. The ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which case you should do the best you can. You should be alone by yourself in communion with God or Brahman. If you find it difficult to concentrate your mind within a room, come outside and sit in an open place or terrace or by the side of a river or in a quiet corner of a garden. You will have good concentration. That place where you can get concentration of mind is the right place for your meditation and Yogic practices. This is the general rule. At 4 a.m. do Sirshasana for 5 minutes. Then take rest for five minutes. Then sit and meditate. You will have wonderful meditation. Before doing meditation do 20 mild Kumbhakas. Then sit for meditation. Pranayama drives away drowsiness and laziness and makes the mind steady. Read the 11th and 13th Slokas of Chapter VI of the Bhagavad Gita wherein a description of the seat is given. Spread a fourfold blanket and over this spread a piece of soft white cloth. This will do nicely. If you can get a good tiger-skin or a deer-skin, it is all the better. A tiger-skin has got its own advantages. It generates electricity in the body quickly and does not allow leakage of electric current from the body. It is full of magnetism. Face the East or the North. A spiritual neophyte should observe this rule. In facing the North he is in communion with the Rishis of the Himalayas and he is mysteriously benefited by their currents. Sit in your meditation posture. Keep the head, neck and trunk in one straight line. Do not bend either forwards or backwards. Lock the fingers. You must have a mental image of God or Brahman before you begin to meditate. Have a background of thought–either a concrete background of your Ishta Murthy along with the Mantra or an abstract background of the idea of Infinity with OM if you are a student of Jnana Yoga. This will destroy all other worldly thoughts and take you to the goal. Through force of habit, the mind will at once take shelter in this background the moment you release it from worldly activities. Close the eyes. Concentrate the gaze on the Trikuti. Now chant Dirgha Pranava or long OM forcibly for five minutes. This will remove Vikshepa or tossing of the mind. Concentration will ensue. Now repeat OM mentally with Brahma-bhavana. Whenever the mind begins to wander, again chant OM verbally. As soon as the mind gets calm, mentally repeat OM again. The same process can be adopted for Saguna meditation also. When you sit for meditation in the morning, send out your love and peace to all living beings. Say: Sarvesham Santir Bhavatu. May peace be unto all. Sarvesham Poornam Bhavatu. May prosperity be unto all. Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu. May happiness be unto the whole world. When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas or Stotras or hymns for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. Then the mind can be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts. Then Nishtha will ensue. As you are not used to meditation, you feel tired and hungry when you sit for meditation. This will pass off soon. Continue your practice. Again and again withdraw the mind from the worldly objects when it runs away from the Lakshya and fix it there. This sort of combat will go on for some months. Make no violent efforts to control the mind, but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take sometime to tame it down first, but each time you try, it will come around to you in a shorter time. Relax all the muscles and nerves. Relax the brain. Calm the objective mind. Close the eyes. Do not voluntarily and violently drive away intruding thoughts. Gently allow the divine thoughts to flow. Steadily think of the Lakshya, the object of meditation. Have sublime Sattvic thoughts. Vicious thoughts will, by themselves, vanish. In meditation, do not strain the eyes. Do not strain the brain. Do not struggle or wrestle with the mind. It is a serious mistake. Many neophytes commit this grave error. That is the reason why they get easily tired soon. They get headache and they have to get up very often to pass urine during the course of meditation owing to the irritation set up in the micturition centre in the spinal cord. If you strain yourself in meditation and go beyond your capacity, laziness and inactive nature will supervene. Meditation should come naturally on account of serenity of the mind induced by the practice of Pratyahara. Some students like to concentrate with open eyes, some with closed eyes, some others with half-opened eyes. If you meditate with closed eyes, dust or foreign particles will not fall in your eyes. Some students, whom lights and jerks trouble, prefer concentration with open eyes. In some who meditate with closed eyes, sleep overpowers them within a short time. If the eyes are open, the mind wanders to objects in the beginners. Use your common sense and adopt that which suits you best. Overcome other obstacles by suitable, intelligent methods. In the beginning when you are a neophyte, you can close your eyes to remove the distraction of mind, as you are very weak. But later on, you must meditate with eyes open, even during walking. You must keep your balance of mind

World Peace Sri Swami Sivananda The cause of quarrels, fights and war is ignorance. Selfishness, greed, pride, egoism, hatred are all born of ignorance. They are products or modifications of ignorance. He who has realised oneness of life, unity of consciousness will never engage himself in strife or quarrel. Only removal of ignorance can stop all future wars and dissensions. Spiritual culture, ethical education, measures that are best calculated to instill love and a sense of unity in men and women can prevent nations from resorting to war. Every man or woman should have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the goal or purpose of life. All people should get spiritual training and ethical culture. Spiritual universities and Yoga institutions should be started in all parts of the world. The Sannyasins, Yogins, Mahatmas, Mandaleswars, Bhagavatas of India should start a vigorous, organised propaganda. Only they can set matters right, they alone can create a new era and a world order. They alone can create a new spiritual atmosphere of peace. They alone can think calmly and handle the situation. They are selfless people. They have no selfish motives. They live for the well-being of humanity. They should be given a free hand in the shaping of the destiny of the world of the present day. They will render all possible help to effect peace and unity. Spiritual organisation of Sadhus and Sannyasins is very necessary. This work must be started now. Presidents and Prime Ministers of the world States must have good training in Yoga and study Vedanta. They should be pious, God-fearing, kind and merciful. They should all lead a divine life. Then only can they do good to their people and the world at large. They should come to India for training in Yoga. If all people begin to religiously practise Yama, kindness and mercy, how can they at the same time stand with weapons and guns in their hands to destroy each other? Any international league or pact or treaty without a spiritual basis will totally fail to bring about lasting peace and happiness for the world. War will again break out after some time with redoubled vigour and increased hatred, more machine-guns and aeroplanes will be manufactured. All people should become vegetarians. That will help them to grow in spirituality and practise Yoga and ethics. Akhanda Kirtan Centres must be started in all parts of the world. All people should practise common meditation and prayers in the early morning hours. Scriptures that treat of Bhakti, Yoga and Vedanta must be studied by all. These books should be introduced in all schools and colleges of the world. Study of Sanskrit must also be made compulsory. Students should he trained in Karma Yoga or selfless service. Sadhana weeks should he conducted twice or thrice a year in each spiritual centre. Every town must have a spiritual centre. Sannyasins should become advisers to Government. They should guide the Presidents and Prime Ministers. Nations neglect to lead the divine life. They forget all about the teachings of Lord Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Hence they are more materialistic and forgetful of their essential divine nature. This is the real cause of all wars. There should be several Yogic Research Institutes. There whole time aspirants should lead a life of pure meditation and research into their own selves. The world should be flooded with spiritual bulletins and literature and Yoga magazines. If the above measures are put into practice, you will have a real heaven on earth. There will be Satya Yuga or Rama Rajya again. There will be no necessity for building aeroplanes or making machine-guns. Remove suspicion, hatred, ill-will, jealousy, selfishness. Establish peace in your heart by meditating on the ever peaceful self or Atma, who dwells in the chambers of your heart. Then only will you be able to establish peace in the world. Individual peace alone can lead to the establishment of universal peace. You have already witnessed the horrors of wars. When all the dear relations have perished, when the whole land is devastated, when the resources of the country have been drained, how can there be happiness when one begins to rule? May there be peace, plenty and prosperity throughout the whole world! May all nations be united by the bond of love! May you all recognise the oneness of life!

Gurudev–An Exemplar of Renunciation Sri Swami Chidananda Loving adorations to revered and beloved Holy Master Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj who was a sage established in the great Reality–a state which did not come easily to him. It came by dint of great effort, great austerity, great penance, great sadhana, great yoga, deep meditation, but at the same time, with a deep devotion to God, with a deep spirit of absolute surrender to Him: “I may put forth whatever efforts, but the efforts ultimately giving fruit in the attainment of the goal depend entirely upon the divine will of the omnipotent Lord. So in the ultimate analysis, my efforts are as nothing. One hundred per cent, totally, my attainments depend upon the divine will of the Supreme Being.” So, his was a marvellous combination of the most earnest, most intense self-effort combined with a clear knowledge that everything is only in the hands of God. Human effort avails nothing; ultimately it is the divine will that prevails. And this attitude of his he kept as his own personal secret, his personal inner state always; because if he said, “Everything is in the hands of God,” we who are half-baked people, only too ready to take the easy way, will become lethargic: “No, no. He will do everything. We need not do anything.” Because the subtle inner truth of lofty spiritual truths is not easy to understand, not easy to grasp. So he always used to say, “No, no, no. Self-effort. Always you must do effort. Without effort, nothing will come!” knowing full well the real, ultimate spiritual truth. Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji’s one goal was world welfare. All should awaken from the slumber of ignorance. All should awaken and partake of the bliss of attaining Brahma jnana, for the slumber of ignorance is the cause of untold sorrow. Swami Sivanandaji was a great karma yogin. In our times, he was one of the greatest, selfless workers for the welfare of all humanity. He did unique, unparalleled, unprecedented work. He wrote 300 books and had a big ashram. He held innumerable conferences and opened branches of The Divine Life Society all over India and throughout the world. We saw his activity. However, we also know that he was a sankirtan samrat. He rejoiced in singing and chanting and dancing to the name of God. He wrote a book Japa Yoga. He was a great bhakta, a great devotee. He was an adorer of the Supreme Divinity in and through everything that he did. He literally lived, moved, had his being in God and acted, in even his minutest actions, only to adore that Supreme Being. For him life was one great worship. Even seeing, hearing, talking, breathing, smelling, touching, tasting, sitting, lying, walking–all things–constituted for him a supreme, glorious worship of the Divine. Before we knew him, when he lived a life of seclusion, intense penance and sadhana in Swarg Ashram, he was known as a great meditator, a silent withdrawn person, always reflecting upon God, always inside the closed doors of his kutir meditating, meditating, meditating. He wrote a book Concentration and Meditation. He wrote a book Dhyana Yoga. He said that meditation is the ultimate key to attain illumination, enlightenment. He encouraged all his followers to meditate. He devoted a whole volume to translating, explaining and commenting upon the yoga of meditation as expounded in the Yoga Sutras of Maharshi Patanjali. He was a mystic meditator. But at the same time, he was a kaivalya advaita vedantin in the line of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. People in the vedantic ashrams in and around Rishikesh and Haridwar viewed him as a towering vedantic figure. He was all; but basically he was a yogi who sought union with the divine–and he found it. Then he proclaimed it to all as the goal of life and showed all the various ways and means of attaining that union. Along with other important teachings, Gurudev taught us the essential unity of all religions–in spite of the outer differences in ceremonials, rituals, the architectural structure of the place of worship and the apparel worn by the priests belonging to each religion. All these may be different, but nonetheless they cannot affect the underlying, essential oneness in all religions. All religions declare the omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience of the Supreme Being, the all-perfection of the Supreme Being. Gurudev engaged himself in multifarious activities each day when he came out of his kutir to the office. He met visitors, entertained them, freely gave them spiritual literature, gave a patient hearing to their troubles, solved their problems, and if they were in distress, gave them solace. Like a great-grandfather, he did all these things. Yet we saw that he was constantly immersed in the Cosmic Being. He was constantly and continuously living in the Divine, in the Spiritual. He was a dual-dimensional marvel of our contemporary times. The importance of this is that he proved that such a thing is possible–even in this Kali Yuga where humanity is experiencing a state of degradation. Even during his unprecedented, inspiring and nation-shaking spiritual tour of India in 1950, we observed that in spite of the hectic programs, he always abided in Brahman, in the Cosmic Reality. The outward personality of Swami Sivananda functioned on the secular dimension. The inner reality which had realised itself as one with Brahman and became established in Brahmic-consciousness–That alone is real, all appearances are false–that inner state never varied, was never affected by anything outside. Therefore his consciousness, his personality was truly a marvel of the modern age. Swami Sivananda’s reliance upon the Supreme was worth seeing. It was total, absolute. He was an object lesson to us. May his blessings be upon us all!

Where Is Real Love? Sri Swami Sivananda The desire to attain knowledge of the Self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahma Jnana or Knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, ignorance which is the seed for bondage and the cause of Karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss. Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your own self. Be centred in the Atman only. The sweet wife deserts her husband when he is on the role of unemployment and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty on account of protracted illness and marries another woman. Even Lord Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world! Mysterious is Maya! Real affection can be found in God and sages only. Worldly affection is only showy, hypocritical, illusory and changing. Just see whether your relatives, even your friends, your brothers and sisters show affection to you when you are unemployed, when you are suffering from a chronic, incurable disease without any money in your hands. It is to realise his selfish ends, to extract money from you, that the so-called relative pretends to be affectionate towards you. This is a mysterious world full of selfishness. You have not got enough experience as yet. You will understand this in course of time. Beware, O Ram! Take refuge in unselfish immortal God alone. Never depend upon perishable man, friend or relative, who will forsake you when you are penniless and when you are suffering from a chronic, severe disease. Saints and prophets who have realised God are shouting at the top of their voice that the Lord is dwelling in the hearts of beings and yet no one is earnestly attempting to make a vigorous search in his own heart. Is this not lamentable? God is above, below, within, without and all around. Thirst for His Darshan (Vision). Look within. Practise introspection. Turn your gaze inwards. Try earnestly to attain the Immortal Being. In Him, you can find eternal peace. Enter His Kingdom right now in this very second. Stand firm on the rock of truth or Brahman. Have a firm grip of your reality, the self-luminous, Immortal Atman or Soul. Look upon this universe as your all-full form. Only when knowledge of the Self dawns in your heart, you can free yourself from rebirths and become identical with the Supreme Self. Equip yourself with the four means. Hear the Srutis (scriptures), reflect, meditate and realise. May you become a sage!The desire to attain knowledge of the Self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahma Jnana or Knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, ignorance which is the seed for bondage and the cause of Karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss. Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your own self. Be centred in the Atman only. The sweet wife deserts her husband when he is on the role of unemployment and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty on account of protracted illness and marries another woman. Even Lord Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world! Mysterious is Maya! Real affection can be found in God and sages only. Worldly affection is only showy, hypocritical, illusory and changing. Just see whether your relatives, even your friends, your brothers and sisters show affection to you when you are unemployed, when you are suffering from a chronic, incurable disease without any money in your hands. It is to realise his selfish ends, to extract money from you, that the so-called relative pretends to be affectionate towards you. This is a mysterious world full of selfishness. You have not got enough experience as yet. You will understand this in course of time. Beware, O Ram! Take refuge in unselfish immortal God alone. Never depend upon perishable man, friend or relative, who will forsake you when you are penniless and when you are suffering from a chronic, severe disease. Saints and prophets who have realised God are shouting at the top of their voice that the Lord is dwelling in the hearts of beings and yet no one is earnestly attempting to make a vigorous search in his own heart. Is this not lamentable? God is above, below, within, without and all around. Thirst for His Darshan (Vision). Look within. Practise introspection. Turn your gaze inwards. Try earnestly to attain the Immortal Being. In Him, you can find eternal peace. Enter His Kingdom right now in this very second. Stand firm on the rock of truth or Brahman. Have a firm grip of your reality, the self-luminous, Immortal Atman or Soul. Look upon this universe as your all-full form. Only when knowledge of the Self dawns in your heart, you can free yourself from rebirths and become identical with the Supreme Self. Equip yourself with the four means. Hear the Srutis (scriptures), reflect, meditate and realise. May you become a sage!

Real Education Sri Swami Sivananda Our present-day schools and colleges give secular education. There is neither ethical discipline nor spiritual instruction. The students have no spiritual, high ideas of life. They learn something in order to eke out their livelihood. They study only to get high salaries. This is very sad indeed. That is the reason why they turn out to be spiritual bankrupts in the end. Owing to the influence of dark, antagonistic, materialistic forces most of the students of the present day become irreligious. There is no moral culture in them. They have no understanding of the principles of Brahmacharya and right living. Hence they suffer much when they come out to face the battle of life. Students are pure generally before marriage. As soon as they marry and beget a child, the whole Maya envelops them. They become selfish, greedy and lustful. They lose all their virtuous qualities. Egoism becomes very stiff. There is hankering for money. This can be obviated if they take to the study of some good religious books on Yoga, Bhakti, Philosophy and Vedanta. The students are the hope and glory of India and of the world at large. They are the bulwarks of the state. They should be moulded properly when they are young. The teachers and professors should take up this noble work in right earnest. 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 (Atmabala) and make people unselfish, fearless, courageous, strong, and remove Moha (bondage) from 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 Prem). Education should teach the pupils to love God and man. Education should instruct the students to be truthful, moral, fearless, humble and merciful. Education should teach the students to practise right conduct, right thinking, right living, right action and self-sacrifice and to attain knowledge of the Self. Education aims at cultivating good ideas and expressing them in a beautiful, intelligible manner after clarifying them, with scientific or mathematical accuracy. Sattvic Ahara or wholesome good food rich in vitamins, or a well-balanced diet, systematic practice of Asanas and Pranayama, right living and simple living are the important requisites for the preservation of health and attainment of high standard of vigour and vitality. These are the basic essentials on which the Rishis and Yogins of yore lived a long peaceful life. These are the very fundamentals on which they based the system of Yoga to achieve perfection in health of body and mind. These are the indispensable requisites on which sinking nation must fall back if it wishes to regain her lost glory and divinity. The real work of all Universities must be to unite man with man. The main purpose of education must be to make man a real man with all divine attributes. Education must be best calculated to promote plain living and high thinking. Each student must be taught that his first and foremost duty is to attain Self-realisation and to cultivate universal brotherhood. Educate your eyes to see God in all faces, to behold unity of Self in all beings. Educate your ears to hear the Upanishadic teachings and the sweet melodious Kirtans of Lord Hari. Educate your tongue to sing the praise of the Lord and to utter pleasant, loving and truthful words. Educate your hands to do charity and to serve the poor. Educate your mind to be always cheerful and calm and to think of the Immortal Atman. This is real education. The Gita, the Upanishads, the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, the Mahabharata, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Brahma Sutras, comparative religion and philosophy must be taught in schools and colleges. Their study must be made compulsory. Practical instructions on ethics, Yoga and meditation, control of mind should be imparted to the students. Study of Sanskrit must be made compulsory. Without the knowledge of Sanskrit, the depths of philosophy cannot be comprehended. One may be a very able judge, another may be a world-renowned surgeon or physician or eye-specialist, a third may be a reputed scientist and a fourth may be a world figure in the art of poetry. All these persons may lack in spiritual behaviour. Behaviour in spiritual field is different from behaviour in worldly parlance. Worldly behaviour is artificial and composed of etiquette and worldly manners. What is called etiquette or manners in worldly parlance is mere show. It is something of a physical drill. It consists of movement of certain parts of the body or some artificial gestures or artificial smiles and laughter without any real mental or ethical discipline or moral culture on spiritual basis, without any understanding of the existence of one supreme soul in all beings. It is best calculated to gain some material ends by pleasing another for the time being. It is a sort of mind cunningness with a tinge of diplomacy to attain one’s selfish ends. It changes very often. When he fails to realise his material gain, his behaviour changes at once. He becomes quite a different man. He separates and divides. He sees differences everywhere. Whereas, the behaviour of a real aspirant or spiritual man is unchanging and is marked by nobility, pure love, humility, forbearance, patience, forgiveness, mercy, spirit of service, self-sacrifice and disinterestedness. He understands and knows that one Immortal Self abides in all creatures. The spiritual or divine behaviour can hardly be learnt in Universities or colleges. It is a rare moral discipline that can only be learnt by the thirsting or hungry aspirant by serving the real spiritual preceptor wet with Bhakti or devotion for some years. Dear Prem, study diligently. Apply tenaciously. Behave politely. Obey implicitly. Pray whole-heartedly. Sing melodiously. Speak sweetly. Eat slowly. Walk gently. Stick resolutely. Think usefully. Act righteously. Endure courageously. Persevere patiently. March boldly. Concentrate attentively. Meditate seriously. Realise quickly. God be with you. Peace

Gopis’ Love for Krishna Sri Swami Sivananda Some ignorant people say: “Krishna is not the Lord. He is not an Avatara. He is a passionate cowherd who lustfully played with the Gopis.” What was the age of Lord Krishna at that time? Was he not a boy of seven? Can there be a tinge of passion in Him? Who can understand the secret of Rasalila and Madhurya Bhava, the culmination of highest Bhakti, Atmanivedan or total surrender to the Lord? It is only Narada, Suka Deva, Chaitanya, Mira, Hafiz, Ramananda, the Sakhis or Gopis that could understand the secret of Rasalila. The Sakhis only are qualified for this. Did He not play miracles when He was a boy? Did He not show that He was an Avatara of Lord Hari? Did He not show Virat Darshan to His mother when He was a baby? Did He not kill the Kaliya serpent by standing on its hood? Did He not multiply as countless Krishnas? Who were the Gopis? Were they not God-intoxicated beings who saw Krishna alone everywhere, who saw themselves also as Krishna? The sound of the Murali could throw them in a state of divine ecstasy or holy communion. They were above body-consciousness. Lord Krishna snatched away the clothes and rendered them nude. There is a great philosophy in this. He taught them: “O Gopis! Have no attachment for anything. Give up the body-idea and sex-idea and attain to the bodiless and sexless Immortal Atman.” The Gopis of Brindavan were wonderful devotees of the Lord. They totally surrendered themselves unto the Lord. The Gopis who are Devas got blended with Krishna through their intense love. The love they bore towards Krishna was divine love. Lord Krishna played on His flute on a moon-lit night. The Gopis rushed forth immediately to where their Lover was. Their minds were absorbed in Krishna. They forgot everything when they heard the flute. Some left their houses while milching the cow. Some left their houses when they were serving their husbands with food. Some did not take down the boiled rice from the fire. Some did not wait till the milk got boiled. Some had been giving milk to their children. Some were taking food. Some were serving the guests with food. But they all left their work half-finished. Their clothes, hair and ornaments were all disheveled. They ran to behold Sri Krishna. Krishna was their very Prana and soul. They could not bear His separation even for a second. How devoted the Gopis were! Can you imagine? It is beyond all imagination. When Lord Krishna suddenly disappeared they roamed from forest to forest. They asked the trees if they had seen their Lover. They enquired of the creepers, the earth and the deer. They imitated His actions and even called themselves Krishna. All their thoughts were directed towards Krishna only. They conversed about Him only. They sang all about His deeds only. They were full of Krishna. They were immersed in His love. They had no other thoughts. They had no other aspirations. They did not think of their homes or relatives. They went to the banks of the Yamuna and sang in chorus about Krishna and prayed fervently for His return. Pleased with their devotion, Krishna suddenly appeared before them and addressed them thus: “Welcome, ye great ones! What good can I do for you? Are all safe in Vraja? Tell me the object of your coming here. The night is fearful and wild animals are treading around. Go back to Vraja. This is not the place for women. You have got your mothers, fathers, sons, brothers and husbands. They are searching you. Do not cause pain to anybody. What more, you have now seen this forest adorned with flowers and illumined by the tender rays of the full moon, where the trees and their tender branches, gently moved by the breeze from the Yamuna, stand in all their splendour. Now go back, O virtuous girls, speedily to your house and look after your husbands. The calves and your children are weeping. Go and let them have their drink. If you have come here, forced by your love for me, it is only meet and proper, for all people have their love for me. Devotion to husband is the one great religion for women. They should seek the well-being of their friends and bring up their children. The husband may be wicked, old, diseased or poor. But those who wish for higher Lokas should not give up their husbands. The connection with one who is not the husband is disreputable and unbecoming. You may bear love for me in other ways than by such a near approach. Therefore go back to your houses.” The Gopis were struck dumb for a time. They were overcome with sorrow. They had given up everything for the sake of Krishna and they could ill bear to hear these harsh words. At last they broke forth: “O Lord, it is not for Thee to utter these unkind words. We have given up all objects and sought Thy feet. O Thou, difficult to be reached, do not forsake us but please think of even as the First Purusha thinks of those that seek Moksha. Thou speakest, O Love, of our duties to husbands, sons, and friends as if Thou art a religious teacher, but Thou art Thyself the goal of those religious injunctions. So let them rest in Thee. Thou art the greatest friend of all beings, for Thou art verily their own Self. What do we care for husbands or sons, sources of misery as they are; we are attached to Thee, the constant source of happiness.” In these words the Gopis expressed their deepest affection for Lord Krishna. We find in the Gopis complete self-surrender (Atma-Nivedan) in its true sense. They cared not even for their lives. How could they care then for their relatives, friends and cattle? If you want to attain Krishna, you

The Highest End of Man Sri Swami Sivananda Man seeks happiness in the objects of the world. He thinks that he will get happiness by attaining a certain object. He exerts and possesses it, but he is deceived. He then exerts and possesses another object and he is deceived again. He again and again attempts to get possession of different objects and each time he is deceived. He does not get real lasting happiness. He becomes restless. Real, everlasting happiness can be had by realising the Immortal Self, through purification and meditation. Man thinks that he is imperfect, if he has not got a wife. After he gets married he again thinks he is imperfect, so long as he has not got a son and a daughter. This is due to ignorance or the presence of Vasanas or Ishanas (desires) in the mind from Anaadi Kaala (beginningless time). However much a man may gain materially, there is always something lacking to make his happiness complete. There is always some sort of discontentment and dissatisfaction. This is a universal experience. Only when he is established in Atman, he will get eternal satisfaction. He will become Paripurna (all-full). The senses of want will totally disappear. O M.Sc. students, don’t waste your time in analysing Silica and sand and in melting the same to turn it into glass. Don’t make speculations to open glass factories. You cannot get peace there. Analyse your mind and the three products Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Build up a golden factory in your heart for Lord Krishna. Worship Him there repeating His Name and Mantra: Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaya. All your miseries will terminate immediately. What is the highest end of man? All are agreed that the one aim which man has in all his actions is to attain happiness. The highest end of man must, therefore, be to attain eternal happiness. This can be had in the Self only. The pleasure that is derived from contact of objects is illusory and momentary. It is mixed with anxieties, pain, fear and sins. Rich people possess immense wealth. They have all sorts of comforts, good circumstances and they have an easy-going life. They have decent motor cars, beautiful bungalows, servants, etc. They take dainties and palatable dishes and go to hill stations during summer. And yet they have no peace of mind, because they have no inner harmony. There is discord in their hearts on account of their greed, selfishness, egoism, lust, pride, hatred, anger, fear, worry, etc. Outward harmony and quietness cannot give you real peace of mind. The peace of mind is an internal state. You can obtain it without the help of money and outward favourable circumstances. Rich people are selfish, greedy and miserly. They have a constricted heart. They can only love their wives, children and a few friends who help them when they are in distress and troubles. They are under the strong grip of the devil. When they are in distress, they cry for peace. Even if they possess enormous wealth they have no peace of mind. When Lord Yama catches their throats, when their last breath comes out of their bodies, their minds will be on the keys and the iron-safe only. Miserable people! Their lot is lamentable indeed! They are care-takers of money only. They earn the money by hook or crook. They do not know how to utilise the money profitably. Man has hunger. He finds delicious food to satisfy his hunger. He feels thirsty. He has water and other sweet beverages to quench his thirst. He is passionate. He gets a woman to gratify his appetite. He finds in this world any kind of object to satisfy any kind of desire. There is one common desire in all human beings. Man wants to enjoy eternal, unbroken, perpetual happiness that is not mixed with pain. There must be one Supreme Vastu (thing) also to satisfy this desire, though he is not able to cognise Him with these fleshy eyes. That Supreme Vastu in which you can find eternal, unalloyed bliss is God or Brahman. He can be cognised by the inner eye of wisdom through meditation.

The Significance of Dipavali Sri Swami Chidananda Long ago, our ancients sounded a call asking us to shake ourselves free from the state of sleep where everything is shrouded in darkness. The state of ajnana or the darkness of spiritual ignorance is when one loses Self-awareness. So they gave a call: ‘Awake! Do not be in this state of sleep. Arise, awake, and attain Illumination. Go to those who have become fully awakened. Approach them and ask them to likewise awaken the light within you. Attain full awakenness by humbly approaching worthy teachers. “Uttishthata jagrata prapya varannibodhata” [Katha Up. 1.3.14]. “Tadviddhi pranipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa” [Gita 4.34] This great call is the heart of spiritual India. And the significance of Dipavali is a re-enacting of this banishing darkness from within yourself, of shaking yourself free from the sleep of ignorance, and waking up into the light of a new dawn of full awareness. And this is the process you have to work out yourself. And to remind you of this, each year the festival of lights is held during the darkest night. It comes as an annual reminder of what you have to do–banish darkness, bring in light, be full of light and revel in the Illumination. Fill yourself with the Light. Fill the whole world with light by your own being in it. And to remind us perpetually, they put this great call into our everyday prayer: “Asato Maa Sat-Gamaya, Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya, Mrityor Maa Amritam-Gamaya“–Lead us from the unreal to the Real; lead us from darkness to Light; lead us from mortality to Immortality.” [Brih. Up. 1.3.28] To be in darkness is death. To arise form darkness into Light is to rise up from mortality and death into everlasting life. To awaken the Light within is to break this net of illusion of vanishing names and forms, and rising into full awareness of That which is beyond, That which is Reality. The concluding line of another great mantra supplicates the supreme Divine to manifest His grace within us as Illumination–“Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat–May He illumine our intellects“. We are inheritors of heritage that tells us: You are the Light. Awaken that Light within you. Realise that great Light of lights beyond darkness, and become blessed. Live your life for this ultimate attainment and Experience. Let us claim our birthright and move towards the great Light. This is the supreme rejoicing. May we all thus rejoice!

Secret of Success Sri Swami Sivananda What is real success in life? Is it material prosperity and thriving on well in this world with plenty of money and children or something else? Success is of two kinds, viz., worldly success and spiritual success. If you are in good affluent circumstances, if you have everything that this world can give you, this is worldly success. This alone will not suffice, because this world is imperfect. You must have success in the path of realisation as well. Then only will you have complete or perfect success. What are the ways of attaining real and lasting success in life? It is easy to preach to twenty than to become one of the twenties in following the dictates. An ounce of practice is thousand times better than tons of theories. Now come to the solid field of practice. Become a practical Yogi of this world and the world beyond. Then alone will material and spiritual success ever attend on you. Life is of two kinds, viz., life in matter and life in Atma or spirit of pure consciousness. Biologist and psychologist hold that life consists of thinking, feeling, knowing, willing, digestion, excretion, circulation, respiration, etc. This kind of life is not everlasting. This is attended with dangers, pain, fear, cares and anxieties, worries, exertion, sin, birth and death with their concomitant evils, viz., old age, disease, etc. Therefore sages, Seers, Rishis, prophets and saints, who have realised the inner self by discipline of the mind and the organs by Tyaga (renunciation) and Tapas (austerities), by Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (spiritual practice), by leading a life of self-denial, self-sacrifice, and self-abnegation have empathetically, without a shadow of doubt–like Amlaka fruits in their hands–declared that a life in the Atman or pure spirit alone can bring everlasting peace, infinite bliss and supreme joy, eternal satisfaction and immortality. They have prescribed various definite methods for self-realisation according to diverse temperaments, capacity, and taste of individuals. Those who have implicit faith in their teachings, in the Vedas and in the words of the Guru (spiritual preceptor) march fearlessly to the field of spirituality or truth and obtain freedom or salvation or perfection. This is the real goal of human life. This is the highest aim or purpose of human life. Self-realisation is your highest duty. All these does not mean that your life in the physical plane is absolutely to be ignored. Matter is the expression of God (Brahman) for his own Leela. Matter and spirit are inseparable, like heat and fire, cold and ice, flower and fragrance; power and the possessor of power, are one. Brahman and Maya are inseparable and one. A life in the physical plane is a definite preparation for the eternal life in Brahman. World is your best teacher. The five elements are your Gurus. Nature is your mother and director. Prakriti (Mother Nature) is your silent master. World is the best training ground for the development of various divine virtues, such as mercy, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, universal love, generosity, nobility, courage, magnanimity, patience, strong will, etc. World is an arena for fighting with the diabolical nature and for expressing the Divinity from within. The central teaching of Gita and Yoga Vasishtha is that one should realise one’s self by remaining in the world. Be in the world, but be out of the world. Behave like the water on the lotus leaf. Give up the lower Asuric nature which consists of selfishness, lust, greed, anger, hatred and jealousy. Assert the Divine Nature, a life of mental renunciation and self-sacrifice. Science and religion, politics and religion are inseparable. They always go hand in hand. Politics prepares the ground for the reception of the spiritual seed. If there is no economic independence, if there is no freedom and peace in country, how can the spiritual seed be sown in the land? How can dissemination of knowledge be made to the children of the land? How can prophets bring home to the minds of the people the subtle philosophical truths and facts when there is absolute chaos in the country, when their minds are perturbed and when they have not got sufficient food, clothing and other auxiliaries of life. The mind can receive the teachings of the sages only when it is beyond cares and anxieties and when everything for Sadhana is fixed up. Rajas like Janaka were looking after the Sadhus and Sannyasins in the days of yore very carefully. Rishis had to be protected with plenty of cows and fruits in their Ashram to carry on nicely in their Sadhana. This was an important duty of all Rajas of old. They had to pay a very heavy penalty before God if they were negligent in the above affairs. They could not escape from the immutable law of God. Scriptures speak that a Raja is an Amsa of God and Lord Vishnu and that he is the real protector of the people. He is really an embodiment of Lord Vishnu. A portion of the Tapas of all the religious people goes to him if he administers true justice and if he looks after the spiritual people very carefully. He gains great spiritual strength and peace of mind, if he has good Sadhus and Mahatmas in his land, by taking recourse to their Satsanga. If a beautiful ideal Ashram for Brahmacharins, Vanaprasthis and Sannyasins with isolated Kutias in a solitary place with all the requisite convenience and a good library is established in every state, it will be a blessing for the state and for the world at large. Time and money spent in foreign travels is a sheer waste, if you really want peace of mind. If we really want lasting peace, and real happiness, every one of us should close our eyes, withdraw our senses and Indriyas and mind and plunge deep into the perennial Atmic spring within. Let us all tap the fountain of bliss and unalloyed felicity. Then alone supreme satisfaction

Life And Its Purpose Sri Swami Sivananda Have you understood the significance and the glory of human life? Have you realised what a precious gift and veritable divine power this human birth is? Do you not feel that life is meant for the fulfilment of a most sublime purpose? Truly it is meant for the attainment of a lofty goal, namely divine perfection and perennial peace and bliss. You all know quite well that life is not merely the act of breathing, digesting, eliminating, thinking, feeling, knowing, willing, etc. Life is not meant for eating, seeing, sleeping and dying miserably in the end. You truly live your life when you strive manfully for working out and driving the mind to spiritual realisation and service of humanity. A little toast, butter and jam, a little stylish clothing, a bungalow and a motor car and a round of cinemas, attendance at parties–these do not really constitute life. This is not the end of the real man who has been ‘made in the image of God.’ Mere sensual life is after all only the life of an animal. Every day you must polish it and make it look divine and be divine. Egoism, desire and sensuality–all this is ignorance; it is deep delusion. Can material comforts elevate the souls of the people? Can gross physical prosperity alone confer upon you solace, courage, peace, joy, immortality and eternal perfection in the spirit? Certainly not. O blessed children of immortality! Reflect yourself over what I say. Think deeply. Discriminate. You will realise the truth about this most transitory pain-filled life on earth. In the dizzy whirlpool of fleeting sensual pleasures and ceaseless seething desires, do not forget the true purpose of life and its real goal. No greater blunder than to think, to feel, to mistake the unreal for the real, the transitory for the permanent and to forget the most important duty in life. What greater folly, what greater tragedy is there than when a man neglects to reach the goal of life? You are helpless when you are a baby, you are helpless when disease overtakes you and when you are seriously ill and you are helpless when powerful calamities like fire, flood, earthquake, cyclone, etc., strike down mankind, you are helpless and you are miserable when you become old and senile. Why then are you so proud and eccentric? Rise above this delusion and attain your goal through discrimination and dispassion, analysis and enquiry of your real spiritual nature. Enquire ‘Who am I’ and try to realise your essential natural self. Then alone you will transcend your body and mind and realise the Self. Then alone you will be really free and ever blissful. Virtue is the way to peace and Light. Righteousness is the real secret of Self-realisation. Purity is the path to perfection. Goodness leads you to godliness. Strive for ethical perfection. Live a strictly ethical life. Adhere to truth and righteousness, even at the cost of your life. Base your life upon absolute righteousness. Cultivate noble qualities with diligence and care. Be sincere, friend! Actively practise all virtues in right earnest and with real zeal. Become an embodiment of goodness. Think no evil. Speak no evil. See no evil. Do no evil. Be good in thought, speech and action. Remember the Lord daily and every moment of your lifetime. Pray to him fervently with humility and devotion for purifying your nature and helping to attain the glorious goal of life. Live for God. Boldly face all the difficulties and tribulations of this petty earthly life. Be a man. With courage, struggle for the great attainment. Climbing a mountain, crossing a channel, bombing a city or blasting a fort, these are not the true acts of heroism and real courage. Controlling your mind and senses and overcoming anger, passion and egoism, by attaining self-mastery; these constitute the real heroism in man. How long will you be a slave of passion and the senses? Assert your real divine nature and your mastery over your lower nature and lower self. This is your most important duty. Do not identify yourself with this perishable body. Do not run after fashion and passion. Do not cultivate the habit of clinging to the glittering names and forms. Do not be ignorant, O man; and think of no delusion. Do not feel: ‘I am an Indian,’ ‘I am an American,’ ‘I am an Italian’, etc., “I am black, I am white, I am yellow”; ‘I am superior, I am inferior’; ‘I know everything, he knows nothing: I have done this, I have done that–I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, I am a Mohammedan and I am so and so, I am a Parsi, I am a Jain’, etc. All this is the worst type of ignorance. Hear the great truths declared boldly by the prophets and godmen, saints and men of real deep wisdom. Thou art neither this perishable body nor this impure mind. Thou art in truth eternal, ever free and ever perfect and ever blissful spirit Immortal. Thou art in essence Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman. Thou art imperishable. This is thy real glorious nature. Feel this, meditate over this and assert this. Realise this and attain the Wisdom of the Self. Be for ever in bliss. Life is meant for the practice of Yoga. Strive ever to attain this great goal. Practise the Yoga of saintliness. Do selfless service in a spirit of pure worship. Cultivate devotion to the Lord and worship Him daily. Purify the heart through charity and generosity. Meditate daily upon the Lord. Through ceaseless discrimination, reflection and enquiry attain the Wisdom of the Self. Love, give, purify, meditate, Realise. Be good. Do good. Be kind. Be compassionate. Enquire ‘Who am I?’ Know the self and be free. The one Lord indwells all beings. Feel his presence everywhere. See Him alone in all men and things. Give up all distinctions and differences. Feel oneness with all beings. Embrace all. Love