Practical Vedanta by Swami Sivananda YOU must be a practical Vedantin. Mere theorising and lecturing is only intellectual gymnastics and lingual warfare. This will not suffice. If Vedanta is not practicable, no theory is of any value. You must put Vedanta in daily practice in every action of yours. Vedanta teaches oneness or unity of Self. You must radiate love to one and all. The spirit of Vedanta must be ingrained in your cells or tissues, veins, nerves and bones. It must become part and parcel of your nature. You must think of unity, speak of unity and act in unity. If you deliver a thrilling lecture on the platform on Vedanta and say, I am the all; I am the one Self in all; there is nothing but myself and show in action the next moment a different attitude of selfishness and separateness, you will not produce any impression on the public. You will be called as a dry Vedantin only. Nobody will care for you. See how Raja Janaka lived. He lived the life of a practical Vedantin while ruling his kingdom. You cannot conceive of any man busier than Raja Janaka. He was ruling over millions of people and yet he was a sage, a deep thinker, a profound philosopher and a practical Vedantin. He had no attachment to his property or body or his family people. He shared what he had with others. He moved with all. He had equal vision and a balanced mind. He led a very busy life amidst luxuries. He was not a bit affected by external influences. He always kept up a serene mind. He held discussions with various sages on transcendental matters. That is the reason why he still lives in our hearts. Vedanta or knowledge of Self is not the sole property of Sannyasins or recluses who live in forests or caves of the Himalayas. Study the Upanishads and you will find that many Kshatriya kings, who were very busy in their daily affairs of life, were in possession of Brahma-Jnana. They even gave instructions to Brahmin priests. Svetaketu Aruneya (grandson of Aruna), repaired to the assembly of the Panchalas. Pravahana Jabali (the king of Panchala, a Kshatriya) asked him; Boy, has your father instructed you? Yes, Sir he replied. Do you know to what place men go from here? No, Sir, he replied. Do you know how they return again? No, Sir he replied. Do you know where the path of the Devas and the path of the fathers diverge? No, Sir he replied. Do you know why that world (that of fathers) never becomes full? No, Sir he replied. Then why did you say that you had been instructed? How could anybody who did not know these things say that he had been taught? Then the boy, troubled in mind, came to his father’s place and said: Sir, thought you had not taught me, you said you had instructed me. That fellow of a Rajanya (king, Kshatriya clan) asked me five questions and I could not answer even one of them. The father said, If I had known these, why should not I have told them to you? The Gautama (the father of Svetaketu) went to the king’s place and when he reached the place, the king offered him proper respect. In the morning, he went to the king in his assembly. The king said to him: O revered Gautama, ask a boon of such things as belong to the world of men. He replied, Let such things as men possess remain with you. Repeat the same ‘speech’ which you addressed to my boy. The king was perplexed. He commanded: Stay here for some time. Then he said, As to what you have asked me, Gautama, this knowledge did not go to any Brahmana before this; and therefore, this teaching belonged, among all the people, to the Kshatriya alone. Sukadeva had to go to Raja Janaka to get confirmation of his knowledge and realisation. He was tested by Janaka in the Durbar. Raja Janaka arranged for music and dancing, all around his palace, to distract the attention of Sukadeva. There were various kinds of shows and entertainments. Sukadeva was asked to carry in his hand a cup of milk, that was filled to the very brim, round the palace and to make three such rounds without allowing even a drop to overflow and fall on the ground. Sukadeva did it successfully as he had one-pointedness of mind (Ekagrata). Nothing could distract his mind. An Englishman, a district collector, saw a sick patient on the roadside in a dying condition. He was a very sympathetic man. He carried the patient to the neighbouring hospital on his own shoulders. Look at his feeling of oneness. He is a practical Vedantin, whether he knows Upanishads or not. The sun, the flowers, the Ganges, the sandal, the fruit-bearing trees, the cows – all teach practical Vedanta to the world. They live for serving humanity in a disinterested spirit. The sun radiates its light alike over a cottage of a peasant and a place of a Maharaja. The flowers waft their sweet fragrance to all, without expecting any return. The cool refreshing water of the Ganges is drunk by all. The sandal tree wafts its aroma even to the man who cuts it with an axe. All fruit-bearing trees behave in the same manner. They please the gardener who nourishes them as well as the man who cuts them. The cows live to nourish babies, children, invalids and convalescents. Imagine for a moment that the world is devoid of cows for six months or the race of the cows has become extinct. How miserable and weak you will become! The world will abound with anaemic patients. O selfish ignorant man! Learn lessons from these practical Vedantins and become wise. If a Yogi or a Sannyasi who is able to keep up serenity of mind while living in a cave in the

Thoughts of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda VEDANTA is that sublime philosophy which teaches that the individual soul is identical with the Supreme Soul and removes the illusion of the Jiva. Vedanta is the science of Atman that helps the aspirants to eradicate fear, sorrow, grief, delusion and to realise the Self. Vedanta is that magnanimous philosophy which raises the ignorant Jiva to the sublime heights of Brahmanhood. Vedanta is a panacea for all human ailments. Vedanta is a sovereign specific for the disease of birth and death. Mere theorising of Vedantic principles will not do. You should live in the spirit of Vedanta. You should become a practical Vedantin. You should realise this Atman which Vedanta treats of. Then only you will become a liberated sage. Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self is self-luminous. Brahman cannot be manifested by anything else. Brahman manifests everything. The doctrine of self-luminosity is one of the foundational tenets on which the entire edifice of Vedanta is constructed. Atman gives light to the sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire intellect and senses. by the light of the Atman all these shine but they cannot illumine the Atman. The ultimate principle or Atman or Brahman which is formless, colourless, fearless, timeless, spaceless, limitless, attributeless, endless and beginningless shines eternally and everywhere behind the names and forms. Vedanta treats of this ultimate Truth or Supreme Principle. This world of names and forms is constantly changing. Seas dry up and vast sandy deserts come into being in their place. Elevations become depressions and depressions become elevations. Sand becomes stone and stone becomes sand. Blocks of stones become lime and lime becomes dust. Forests become model towns and cities become deserted places. Grass becomes blood; blood becomes milk; milk again becomes blood; blood becomes flesh. A young man becomes an old man and a beautiful girl becomes an ugly woman. A fat man becomes thin and a thin girl becomes a fat woman. A zamindar becomes a beggar and a beggar becomes a zamindar. At the back of these ever-changing objects there is the changeless, eternal, immortal Brahman or the Supreme Self. He who realises this Brahman attains Immortality, Freedom and Eternal Bliss. Naturally the mind runs towards objects of the world. The usual flow of the mental current is towards worldly objects. You will have to turn the mind inwards towards the Self through Vairagya and Abhyasa (dispassion and practice). In the beginning the mind will run towards the worldly objects again and again even if it is turned towards the Atman. Constant practice is necessary to make the mind rest in the Self for ever. Tear into pieces the veil of ignorance. Catch the fickle deer ‘the mind’ with the snare of enquiry and Brahma Chintan. Mount on the elephant of Self-knowledge and roam about freely in the hilly tracts on the highest peak of Supreme Wisdom of the Self. Shake off the bonds of Karma through discrimination, dispassion and non-attachment. Know the secret of true bliss through concentration and meditation. Root out the passion. Embrace Peace. Enjoy the glory of Self-Bliss. Delight in the Self within. Abandon thoughts of this little body. Rise above the worldly thoughts. Live always in the All-blissful Self. Thou art the sun, fire, sky, stars, mountains, oceans and rivers. The whole world is your body. The whole wealth of the world is yours. The whole world is your Lila. Maya is your illusory power. Exercise your power of Sat-Sankalpa. She is ever ready to fulfil your wishes. Thou art immortal, beginningless and endless. Death, sickness, sorrow, sin, old age, cannot touch thee. Feel the majesty of thy real nature. Feel, feel that thou art the all-pervading, imperishable, diseaseless, fearless Atman. Rest in that stupendous ocean of peace. Be perfectly happy. Learn to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent. Behold the Self in all beings and in all objects. Names and forms are illusory. Therefore sublate them. Feel that there is nothing but the Self. Share what you have, physical, mental, moral, or spiritual, with all. Serve the Self in all. Feel when you serve others that you are serving your own Self. ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’. Melt all illusory differences. Remove all barriers that separate man from man. Mix with all. Embrace all. Destroy the sex-idea and body-idea by constantly thinking on the Self or the sexless and bodiless Atman. Fix the mind on the Self when you work. This is practical Vedanta. This is the essence of the teachings of the Upanishads and sages of yore. This is real, eternal life is the Atman. Put these things in practice in the daily battle of life. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi or a Jivanmukta. There is no doubt about this. There is no doubt about this. OM is a symbol of Brahman. OM or Pranava is a sparkling ferry-boat for men who have fallen into the never-ending ocean of mundane life. Many have crossed this ocean of Samsara with the help of this ferry-boat. You can also do so if you will. Meditate constantly on OM with Bhava and Meaning and realise the Self. That illumined sage whose mind is merged in his true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda, who has conquered the enemy ‘ignorance’, who is destitute of ‘I’-ness and ‘mine’-ness, who has rooted out pride, selfishness, love, envy and hatred, rejoices in the ocean of boundless bliss. A cat made up of sugar is a real cat for a child. Sugar does not appear for the child as it is swallowed up by the cat. The cat has concealed the sugar. For an adult it is just sugar only. The sugar has swallowed up the cat. Even so for a Jivanmukta or liberated sage, Brahman swallows all illusory names and forms. He sees only Brahman everywhere. All names and forms vanish. For a worldly man, the names and forms have swallowed up or concealed Brahman. He beholds the illusory forms only. The Jivanmukta has his upper

Light of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda A STUDENT of Vedanta should study again and again the Upanishads which are but mystical experiences of the soul gushing forth in an unceasing stream of beauty. You will find in the Upanishads instances of a sincere quest after Brahman, the Supreme Soul. Nachiketas learn the science of the Reality from Yama. Kabandhi, Bhargava, Kausalya, Gargya, Satyakama, Sukesa – all these devoted to Brahman and centred in Brahman, seeking the Highest Brahman approached the revered sage Pippalada with fuel in their hands to know Brahma Vidya and realised Brahman. A rich man keeps his valuable jewels in an iron safe hidden in the innermost chamber of his bungalow. One has to pass through five compartments before he reaches the compartment in which the iron safe is placed. Five walls screen the iron safe. Even so, this most valuable jewel of Atman is placed in the innermost recess of the heart. Five veils cover this Atman. In other words, you will have to pass through the five compartments formed by the five Koshas if you want to get at the jewel of Atman. To look for God without, abandoning the God within, is like going in quest of conch-shell after giving up the precious diamond in the hand. If you cannot find Him in your heart, you will not find Him anywhere else. Search Him within the innermost recess of your heart. He is subtler than the subtlest. Make the lotus of your heart as pure as possible. Withdraws the fuel of desires and extinguish the fire of Sankalpas. Realise the Truth now through your higher mind. Enjoy the perennial joy or divine Bliss. You cannot separate the particles of sugar that are mixed with sand or dust; but an ant can separate them very easily. So also, if you want to taste nectar of Immortality or enjoy the Atmic Bliss, if you want to separate the Atma from the five sheath, you must become an ant, i.e., you must kill your egoism, pride and vanity and develop humility. If you are equipped with the four-fold discipline viz., Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-sampat and Mumukshutva, you will be able to make an enquiry into Brahman. If you have proper ethical training only, you will be able to practise deep meditation. If you possess moral qualifications, you will be able to comprehend the deep truths of Vedanta. If you have moral stamina only, you will be eligible to approach Brahman or the Absolute. Ethical discipline is an indispensable pre-requisite to the study of Vedanta. You can be a wonderful scientist or a philosopher of great repute without any moral qualification but you cannot be a student of Vedanta without ethical perfection. An immoral man can never realise Brahman. If you can maintain, when you are engaged deeply in some work, serenity of mind which cannot be ruffled, balance of mind which can never be disturbed, you have made considerable progress in the spiritual path. This indicates that you possess immense inner spiritual strength. If you have a serene and composed mind only, you will be able to practise introspection and meditation. The four-fold discipline makes the mind steady, serene and one-pointed. It removes laziness, inattention, sleepiness and makes you ever vigilant. The senses are kept under perfect control by its practice. You will develop the power to discrimination between the real and the unreal. You will clearly perceive the extreme evanescence of all mundane objects. You will also develop a burning desire for liberation and a burning dispassion. If you now sit for meditation you will at once enter into Samadhi. Self-control augments energy, vitality, vigour and mental strength. A man of self-control is always cheerful. He turns out much physical and mental work. He commands respect and influences people. He always keeps a balanced mind. He is always serene, collected and composed. He never wastes his energy. He sleeps happily. He attains quickly the highest beatitude. If you are extremely virtuous, if you are very courageous, if you are ready to give up all possessions, even your very life for the sake of Truth, if you have equal vision, if you are solely engaged in the pursuit of divine knowledge, if you do sincere service to Mahatmas or your Guru, you can quickly attain Self-realisation. Kill desires. Rise above desires. Abandon your beggarly attitude of mind. Feel the majesty of your Self. There is neither desire nor Vasana in the Self. It is very pure. It is all-full and self-contained. Identify yourself with the glorious Self. Then all desires will die. Then all desires will be fulfilled. This is the secret of the fulfilment of desires. Then nature will obey you. You can command the elements. All the eight Siddhis and the nine Riddhis will roll at your feet. They will stand with folded hands to carry out your behests. This is the sublime teaching of Vedanta. Jesus commanded the waves to subside. They obeyed immediately. Shams Tabriez commanded the Sun to come down a bit. The sun obeyed. Nimbarka commanded the sun not to move beyond the line of a Neem tree that was in front of his house. The sun carried out his behest immediately. Jnana Dev commanded the wall and the Masjid to move. They obeyed him at once. Visvamitra said, Let there be a third world for Trisanku. Then and there a world was created. Akalkot Swami commanded, Let this dead man come back to life. At once the dead man rose up from the ground with new life. These sages were absolutely free from selfish desires. They simply willed at times to do good to the humanity. Everything came to pass instantaneously. Give up identification of your Self with the physical body. Identification of one’s self with the body is the greatest crime. Give up planning and scheming. Abandon speculation. Relinquish cherished hopes, expectations and worldly ambitions. Give up completely thinking about yourself. Do not expect appreciations or approbation. Burn the

Vedanta – Thy Birthright VEDANTA is the religion of the Upanishads. It is the property of all. It has no quarrel with any religion whatsoever. It preaches universal principles. It inculcates the idea of that universal religion which is the fountain-head of all the religions of the world. It is a great leveller. It unites all. It gives room to all. Vedanta is the direct royal road to the domain of unalloyed felicity and the supreme abode of immortality and eternal bliss. It is the Sanjivini (Himalayan herb) that can bring immediate life to a dying man. It lifts a man at once to the status of an Emperor of emperors, Kind of kings, Shah of shahs, even though he has nothing to eat, even though he is clad in rags. It gives real inner strength. It inspires, renovates, vivifies, invigorates and energises. It gives hope to the hopeless, power to the powerless, vigour to the vigourless and joy to the joyless. Vedanta includes all sects, all religions, all creeds, all cults and all nations. It proclaims the revelations of the sages of yore of India. It is the common property of all. It expands the heart and opens the eyes. It brings a new life. It gives supreme joy and eternal bliss. It removes all barriers which separate man from man and unites all people. It gives solace, strength and peace and removes all fears, doubts and anxieties, delusion and illusion. You think of your body, food, wife, son, friend, etc., but you do not turn your mind inward to find out what lies within yourself. You think that your body, this bundle of flesh and bones – is real and on this basis you build the whole citadel of life’s ambition and activities. You have mistaken the shadow for the substance. You are contended with superficial things. Though you are endowed with the power of thought, yet you do not wish to utilise this power in the quest of the immortal Self. You have abandoned the precious jewel of Atman and caught hold of a broken glass piece. Is this not a foolish act? You will weep in your old age. Why do you bleat like a lamb? Assert. Recognise and realise your Brahmic nature. I will tell you a small story. Just hearken with rapt attention. There was once a lion-cub, left by its dying mother, among some sheep. The sheep took care of the lion-cub. The lion-cub soon grew into a big lion and bleated Ba-a-a when the sheep bleated Ba-a-a. One day another lion came and heard the sheep-lion bleating aloud with the other sheep. He was struck with amazement. He asked the sheep-lion: Brother! What is the matter with you? Why are you here in such an abject state The sheep-lion replied: I am a sheep. I am happy here amidst my brothers and sisters. Nonsense, roared the other lion, Come along with me. I will show you. You are under a false delusion. He took the sheep-lion to the side of a river and showed him his reflection in the water. He said to the sheep-lion: Look at your reflection now. You are a lion. I am a lion. The sheep-lion looked at the reflection and then said in joy, What a terrible mistake I have committed? I am certainly a lion indeed. I am not a sheep at all. He made a terrible roar and went along with the other lion. Brother! You are also bleating like the sheep-lion. You have forgotten your real divine nature. You are hypnotised by Maya. Dehypnotise yourself and roar OM OM OM. Become a lion of Vedanta. Thou art the immortal Self. Do not identify yourself with the perishable body. Identify yourself with the undying, eternal Brahman and be free. There is a permanent reality behind the universe. There is a living truth behind these names and forms and all phenomena. That is Brahman. That is Atman. That is Self. The goal of human life is to realise the reality behind the changing phenomena. The summum bonum of human aspiration is to attain Self-realisation. Self-realisation alone can eradicate ignorance and miseries. Self-realisation alone can break the bonds of Karma. Self-realisation alone can make you absolutely free and independent. There is only one reality, Brahman. This world and body are superimposed on Brahman, just as snake is superimposed on the rope. As long as the rope is not known and the idea of the snake persists, you are not free from fear. Similarly this world is a solid reality to you until Brahman is realised. When you see the rope with a light, the illusion vanished and the fear disappears. Even so, when you realise Brahman, this world vanishes and you are freed from the fear of births and deaths. A Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta is one who has realised the Self through gradual evolution and by his own efforts. He has raised himself form Jivahood to Brahmanhood by meditation. He has taken many births. Anyhow he has managed to free himself from the round of births and deaths. He can help a few persons only. He cannot elevate many people. He can be compared to a bullock cart which can take 4 or 5 persons or a plank in a river. Whereas the eternally free Ishvara-koti-Jivanmukta is born in the world for establishing Dharma, for the protection of virtuous persons and for doing good to humanity. He does not practise any Sadhana or meditation in this birth. He is an Amsa of the Lord. He is a born Siddha. He is illumined from his very boyhood. He can elevate many people. He manifests and disappears when the Lokasangraha work is over. He can be compared to a train which takes a large number of persons or a big steamer in an ocean. Sankara was an Ishvara-Koti. Vamadeva was a Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta. Still the waves of the mind. Hold the mind steady in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This needs constant

Easy Steps to Vedanta by Swami Sivananda 1. Adhyasa The Jiva falsely superimposes the body and other limiting adjuncts which are not Self upon himself and identifies himself with them. This identification constitutes bondage. The freedom from this identification is Moksha. That which causes this identification is Avidya or nescience. That which removes this identification is Vidya. Attainment of knowledge of the Self eradicates this Avidya and its effects. The Svarupa of Moksha is the attainment of Supreme Bliss and removal of all kinds of sufferings. From illusion springs separation, difference, duality, manifoldness and variety. Illusion is born of ignorance. All sorrows, tribulations, miseries and troubles have their root in ignorance. Ignorance creates illusion and separateness. Therefore destroy the ignorance by the sword of knowledge of the Self and become free. Adhyasa means superimposition. Snake is superimposed on the rope. Silver is superimposed on mother of pearl. This is Adhyasa. Adhyasa, Kalpana, Bhranti, Bhrama are synonymous terms. Adhyasa is mistaken ascription or imputation to something of an essential nature or attributes not belonging to it. This world and body are superimposed upon Brahman or the Atman. Just as a stick burning at one end, when waved round, causes an illusion of a circle of fire (Alata Chakra), so also is the case with the multiplicity of this phenomenal universe. The circle of fire is an illusion. Similarly, this relative world is also an illusion. The only Reality is Brahman which is the constant witnessing subject, which is the support on substratum for this world. This illusion is due to Avidya. When Avidya is destroyed by attaining knowledge of the Self, names and forms will vanish. You will behold the Self only everywhere. 2. Nature of Brahman What is neither short nor long, neither that nor this, neither that much nor this much – that should be understood as Brahman. by knowing Brahman everything else becomes known; there remains nothing else to be known. The ultimate Reality is Brahman or the Supreme Self. Brahman is one Being without a second. Brahman is all-that-which-is. It is that from which the world originates, that in which the world exists and that in which the world is dissolved. It is infinite, eternal, changeless, self-luminous and Absolute. Time and space are within it. It is indivisible homogeneous essence. Atman is always the witnessing subject. It can never be the object. The subject is the universal Self whose nature is intelligence (Chit). The object comprises whatever that is of a non-intelligent nature (Jada), viz., bodies with their senses and the objects of the senses. 3. Sadhana When you attend a musical performance you also begin to shake your head and keep Tala with your hands or feet although you are a witness only. Even so the Jiva, though he is a witness in reality, plunges himself in worldly enjoyments when he begins to taste a bit of it. Severe knocks and blows alone can induce Vairagya in man, turn him towards God and make him give up the clinging to wife, children, property, etc. Pain is a great blessing in disguise. Pain is an eye-opener. Just as the witness of a chair is different from the chair and is not the chair, so is the witness of this body. The nature of the witness is reality, bliss and knowledge. The chair and the body are insentient. Know, O Ram! Therefore that you are not the body, you are the witnessing consciousness or intelligence. O followers of the philosophy of flesh! Give up this clinging to this body, wife and children. Try to know the inner immortal Lord of life who dwells in this body, who is the inner Ruler, by whom you live, by whom the senses and intellect are illumined. Do not mistake the transient body for the immortal, changeless, self-luminous Atman. Just as a mother, in order to pacify her child that is weeping, places before it a plantain fruit or biscuit or a sweetmeat, so also the spiritual preceptor pacifies those who are weeping in the Samsara on account of the three kinds of fever, by placing before them the most delicious and valuable spiritual food, viz., the great sentences of the Upanishads or Mahavakyas which proclaim about the identity of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. They say: My beloved children! Weep no more. You are in essence the Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. Give up identification with this perishable body. Tat Tvam Asi, Thou art that. Realise the Self and rejoice. Understand the right significance of the Tat Tvam Asi Mahavakya or the great sentence of the Upanishads. The knowledge relating to the identity of the individual soul and the supreme soul that arises from great sentences of the Upanishads like ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ (Thou art That) is the means to emancipation. If you have a clear knowledge of the five sheaths, you will not be deluded. Therefore try to understand the nature of the five sheaths and their functions first. That which is distinct from the five sheaths and their functions is Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman, your own Self. This Atman is immanent in all beings. It exists everywhere and at all times. Negate, sublate or eliminate the sheaths or illusory Upadhis and identify yourself with the support of these sheaths, the one homogeneous essence, the Immortal Self. You simply waste your energy and time by entering into hot discussion regarding the questions: Why God created this world? Is this world real or unreal? It would matter nothing to you whether the world be real or not. You will not gain anything substantial by entering into such controversies. You will have to forget the world if you want to realise the Self. You will have to dive deep into the chambers of your heart by withdrawing the mind and the outgoing senses to rest in the Supreme Self. Give up, therefore, these useless discussions and proceed straightaway in the quest of the Self and in its realisation. Instead of counting the number of

Philosophy of Raga Dvesha by Swami Sivananda Raga and Dvesha (likes and dislikes) only constitute this Samsara or this world of phenomena. It can be totally destroyed by knowledge of Brahman. Raga-Dvesha is a Vasana. It has four states. Raga-Dvesha, Vasanas, Samskaras and Gunas are intertwined. They co-exist. The seat of Raga-Dvesha is the mind and the senses. Destruction of one will lead to the destruction of others. But the destruc tion of the source, Avidya or Ajnana, the seed of Samsara, through Brahma-Jnana will destroy everything to the very root. The cultivation of virtues like Maitri (friend ship), Karuna, (mercy), Mudita (complacency) and Upeksha (indifference) can thin out or attenuate Raga-Dvesha. This is the Pratipaksha-Bhavana me thod or cultivation of the opposite positive qualities, of the Raja Yogins. Destruction of Avidya will lead to the destruction of Raga-Dvesha. Raga and Dvesha are the modifications or effects of Avidya or ignorance. The fire of devotion also can burn in toto Raga -Dvesha. The practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga or disinterested selfless service can thin out Raga-Dvesha to a very great extent. Kill Raga (attachment) by the sword of Vai ragya (non-attachment or dispassion or indifference to sensual objects) and Dvesha by developing cosmic love. Raga-Dvesha assumes various forms. You like certain foods and dislike certain other foods. You like certain clothing and dislike certain other cloth ing. You like certain persons and dislike certain other persons. You like certain places and dislike certain other places. You like certain sounds and dislike certain other sounds. You like certain colours and dislike certain other colours. You like soft things and dislike hard things. You like praise, res pect, honour, and dislike censure, disregard, dis honour. You like a religion, view, opinion and dis like other religions, views and opinions. You like comforts, pleasures, and dislike discomforts and pain. Thus there is no peace of mind for you as the mind is ever restless and agitated. The waves of Raga-Dvesha are ever disturbing the mind. One wave of Raga-Dvesha arises in the mind and subsides after some time. Again another wave rises, and so on. There is no balance of mind. There is no peace. He who has destroyed Raga-Dvesha will be ever happy, peaceful, joyful, strong and healthy. Only he who is free from Raga-Dvesha will have a long life. Raga-Dvesha is the real cause for all diseases (Adhi and Vyadhi). Wherever there is pleasure, there is Raga; wherever there is pain, there is Dvesha. Man wants to remain in close contact with those objects which give him pleasure. He shuns those objects which give him pain. Though the objects that give pain are far away from you, the memory of the objects will give you pain. It is only the removal of the currents of Dvesha that will give you happiness. It is the Vritti or thought-wave that gives pain but not the objects. Hence try to destroy the current of Dvesha by deve loping cosmic love and Brahma-bhavana or Isvara -bhavana in all objects. Then the whole world will appear to you as the Lord in manifestation. The world or the worldly object is neither good nor bad, but it is your lower instinctive mind that makes it good or bad. Remember this point well, always. Do not find fault with the world or the objects. Find fault with your own mind. Destruction of Raga-Dvesha means destruction of ignorance or mind and the idea of the world. No meditation, no peace, no Samadhi is possible for a man who has not removed these two currents two foes of peace, knowledge and devotion. He who says I enter into deep meditation. I have attained Self-realisation and Samadhi. I can also help you to enter into Samadhi is a confirmed hypocrite. If you find in him Raga-Dvesha, attachment, hatred, pre judice, intolerance, anger, irritability, know him to be a Mithyachari. Shun his company. Remain at a respectable distance from him, because you also will catch the infection or contagion from him. Be ware. Beware. Be cautious, friends!

Gospel of Vedanta by Swami Sivananda Tell, me, friend, who has filled the sky with the clouds, who holds the stars in the firmament? Who holds the canopy in the form of the sky? Who moves the mind, Prana and the Indriyas? Who has given the sweet fragrance to the flowers? Who pumps the blood from the heart to the arteries? Who converts the food into blood and blood into Veerya and milk? That supreme intelligence which is at the back of all these phenomena is Brahman or the Immoral Self. Realise this through profound and constant meditation and be free. Mind is Maya. Mind is Avidya. Mind is at the root of all activities. It gives strength to desire, fosters fear and builds castles in air. It confers force on egoism and stimulates aspirations. Every tendency takes its origin from the mind. It augments passion, gives strength and hope and awakens the sense of duality. It increases ignorance and plunges the senses in the ocean of sense objects. It creates distinctions and differences. It separates, divides and limits. It is a strong wall or an iron barrier that stands between Jiva and Brahman. It is this mind that has brought Brahman to the condition of a Jiva. It is the storehouse of error, cravings, passions, doubts, delusion and ignorance. It is ever-revolving wheel that generates Sankalpas or thoughts. It is a miraculous thought-producing machine. It creates at one moment; it destroys at the next moment. The mind is the seed of all Maya. Mind is Jiva. If the mind is destroyed, you will not come under the influence of Maya. You should so destroy the mind that it will not afterwards raise its head at all. Having annihilated the associations of the mind with objects, may you, O beloved Krishna, attain the Jivanmukti state of perfect freedom! Mind is a bundle of Vasanas. Annihilate the hosts of Vasanas and enjoy the peace of the Eternal. So long as the Vasanas are not destroyed, the mind is also not destroyed. So long as the mind is not destroyed, the Vasanas are also not destroyed. The mind does not exist if the Vasanas are destroyed. Render the mind steady by severing it from contact with external objects. Make the mind return back to the cave of the heart. During the practice, the mind may flit from one object to another and then back again. Just as the monkey jumps from one tree to another, so also it may hop from one object to another. Stand firm. Be regular in your meditation. Gradually it will come under your control. You can enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. A bold and patient man only can attain success in Samadhi. He who can never give way, even under the most trying circumstances and adverse conditions, can attain Moksha. The body is the seed of the ever-growing creeper of Samsara. The pleasure and pains are the sprouts. The cause of this seed of body is the mind. There are two seeds for this tree of mind. Of them, one is the motion (or vibration) of Pranas and the other is Vasanas. Like the analogy of the seed and the tree, the vibration of Prana arises through Vasana and vice versa. Should either of them perish, both perish soon. Destroy the longing for sensual objects that arise through vibration of Pranas and Vasanas and enter the illimitable domain of Eternal peace. Knowledge of the Self or Brahma Jnana is the release from the trammels of one’s own mind. Such a release alone will lead to the attainment of final beatitude of life or Moksha, the state of eternal bliss wherein the objects, their knower or the knowledge, are not to be found. Approach the sages, the doctors of divinity, with faith, devotion and humility. Take a dose of medicine called Jnana. Then the disease of Ajnana will be eradicated completely. Then you will not be drowned in the ocean of rebirths. You will attain everlasting Bliss and Immortality. Spend a quarter of your mind in meditation on Brahman, another quarter in service of your preceptor, a third quarter in the study of Upanishads and other books on Vedanta and the fourth quarter in walking or exercise, bath and food. You will soon attain knowledge of the Self. Who am I? Whence am I? What is my real nature? What is the nature of this ‘I’ which identifies itself with the body and cries and laughs? Whence came the Universe? How came birth and death? What is bondage? What is Moksha? Such an enquiry will help you in the attainment of the imperishable seat and will avert the pains and sorrows of the formidable Samsara. Kill the desires. This will help you in your Atmic enquiry. The Atmic enquiry will itself induce renunciation of desires. They are mentally dependent upon one another. Desires bring in pains of rebirth. The fire of desires has burnt you to a considerable degree. Even a bath in the ambrosia will not cool you. This terrible wolf of mind follows its mate of desires and ever preys upon you. A Jivanmukta or a seer is enlightened, kind-hearted, truthful, fearless, compassionate, serene, forbearing, gentle, pure, desireless, steady and unostentatious. He does good to all. He regards all alike. He is balanced in pleasure and pain, censure and praise, honour and dishonour. He is free from attachment, egoism, anger and passion. He is free from hope, all evil thoughts and all evil desires. He is submerged in the ocean of the bliss of Brahman. He has perfect equanimity of mind whether he drinks virulent poison or sugarcane juice. Whether one cuts his hand or save his life, he will regard him neither as an enemy nor a friend. A liberated sage or seer will never be affected by Maya. He will be as calm as the waveless ocean. He will be deep as the unfathomable ocean, patient as the earth, broad as the sky, pure

Brahman Exists by Swami Sivananda Salutations to that non-dual Brahman which is the causeless cause, which is the source for this world and the activities of the sense-organs, mind and Prana! Salutations to the Indweller of our hearts, who is cognised by means of the Vedic method of Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana by men of purified intellect whose faith in the Sastras as well as in the spiritual preceptor is great and whose devotion to them is as great as to the Lord! It is suggested that Brahman does not exist for the following reasons: Whatever exists is capable of being perceived through the medium of the senses by its peculiar attributes, as a pot, etc. Whatever that does not exist is not so apprehended, for instance, the horn of a hare, sky-lotus, etc. Brahman cannot be apprehended as it cannot be apprehended by its peculiar attributes; it does not exist. This argument is unsound and untenable, because Brahman is the cause of ether, etc. It cannot be said that Brahman does not exist: for ether etc., of which the cause is Brahman is perceived by the senses. It has been observed in the world that from which anything proceeds exists; for instance, clay, seed, etc., which are the material cause of pot, tree etc. Therefore Brahman exists because it is the cause of ether, etc. Nor do we in the world perceive by our senses anything born out of nothing. If name, form, etc., be the product of nothing, they could not be perceived by the senses. But they are perceived as such. Therefore Brahman exists. The Sruti also declares, How can existence be born of non-existence? How could something be perceived out of nothing? It also stands to reason that something could not he produced out of nothing. It therefore stands to reason to say that there is Brahman. You have great love for your hair on the head. You daily comb it nicely and apply hair oil but you throw the same hair if it falls in a cup of milk. You dislike to touch it. In loving the hair, you love your own Self only. The hair appears to be beautiful and attractive because of its association with the body of the Jiva and with the Chaitanya or consciousness that is at the back of this body. If you see a silk saree in a shop, it is not attractive, but when it is on the body of a lady it is very attractive and beautiful, because it is connected now with the Chaitanya. This gives the clue that the Atman exists and that the Atman is an embodiment of beauty. The great king cannot be seen by the ordinary persons or the agricultural peasants. But they are seen daily by the Dewan, the Tahsildar and other officials. Through this they know that there is a king who is the supreme Ruler of the state. Even so, the Supreme Self who is the source for everything, who is the Inner Ruler of all beings cannot be seen. And you can infer His existence by looking at the sun, the moon, the stars, and other marvellous objects of this universe which bespeak of His supreme glory and ineffable splendour. In order to point out that Brahman exists, even as the source of our physical activity, breathing, etc., and sensual pleasure, the Sruti proceeds to show that Brahman is the cause of both. Brahman also exists on account of this. For what reason? Because of the breathing and other kinds of activities that are seen. There is breathing in and out in this body by the help of Prana and Apana. The functions of the vital airs and the senses are carried on by the body and the senses combined. This conjunction in mutual dependence for the benefit of one single entity is not possible without an independent intelligent being, for we have not seen it otherwise. For instance, sand, lime, bricks do not combine together without an intelligent being who is outside them all, who is to occupy the house as its Lord. The combination of different elements must necessarily be for an entity quite different from all composing elements. As for instance, a house built by different composing materials is meant for the dwelling of man or any other living being quite different from the materials of composition; so the body which is composed of different materials must necessarily be meant for the purpose of one quite different from the composing elements. This is one of the arguments adopted by the Sankhya school to prove the existence of Purusha, the pure principle of intelligence who is dwelling in, yet quite different from, the body which is composed of the different modifications of Prakriti or matter. The Atman is signified here as a monarch residing in the palace of this body and for whose purpose the different functionaries, the senses, are performing their respective duties. The Sruti declares that Brahman, who is an embodiment of bliss and joy (Rasa), who is the very core of our being, is the source of our life and the activities of our senses. Without Brahman, the eye cannot see, the ears cannot hear, the Pranas cannot perform their respective functions. The end and aim of existence or the goal of life is to attain eternal bliss of Brahman. Man wants lasting happiness. On account of ignorance, he seeks it in external objects. He fails in this direction. Then he employs discrimination, searches within, turns his mind inwards and finds the undying bliss in his own Self or Atman through meditation. The path in which a sensualist treads is only a zigzag route towards the abode of supreme bliss. Every movement of life is towards the Satchidananda Brahman only. If this Ananda (bliss) does not exist in the supreme ether in the cave of the heart, who indeed in the world can breathe? Therefore Brahman exists. Even as the cause of

Brahman by Swami Sivananda You dream sometimes that you are dead and that your relatives are weeping. Even in that supposed death state, you see and hear them weeping. This clearly indicates that even after apparent death, life really persists. You exist even after the physical sheath is thrown out. That existence is the Atman or the big I. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad II-4,13, you will find: Then by what should he see whom? This clearly indicates that Atman is not an object of perception. It is always the knowing subject. There is neither an agent nor an object of action, nor an instrument. In the physical plane only, there is the Triputi or the triad, viz., seer, sight and seen. Who can know the Knower? How should one know Him by whom he knows all this? You could not see the seer of sight; you could not hear the hearer of the hearing; you could not perceive the perceiver of perception; you could not know the Knower of Knowledge. What you see is Bhava Padartha. Padartha means a thing. That which exists is Bhava. When you say; It is very, very big, it is very, very sweet, London is a very, very big city, this very indicates Abhava Padartha. It cannot be conceived even by the mind. Brahman or the Absolute comes under the category of Abhava Padartha because it is infinite. All differences are due to Upadhis or limiting adjuncts. As the limiting adjuncts are illusory or false, the differences caused by them are also false. Therefore Brahman alone, who is one without a second, is the balance left behind. He alone exists in the three periods of time. You will realise that the Lord whom you in ignorance worship as separate from yourself is not far from you, is not dwelling outside. He is the Self or Atman residing in the chambers of your heart. He is the Inner Ruler. Call it by whatever name you like, rest or peace, perfection or freedom, fullness or life or Nirvana, Nirvikalpa Samadhi or Sahaja Avastha, Kaivalya or Moksha, towards it you strive in all activities unconsciously as these transient mundane objects do not give you full satisfaction. Every movement of the foot is towards Satchidananda Brahman. Even a rogue or a vagabond is marching towards that immortal city of Brahman though he is in a circuitous or zigzag path.

Brahman – One Without a Second he Vedas exclaim from time immemorial, Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti, Existence is One, Sages call it by different Names Rig Veda, 1-164-146. God, Brahman, Allah, Isvara, Jehovah, Ahuramazda, etc., are one. I offer my worship to that Supreme Being the One eternal homogeneous essence, indivisible mass of bliss and intelligence whom sages describe in a variety of ways through diversity of intellect. In the beginning Brahman who is One without a second alone existed. When darkness was rolling over darkness there was Existence only. Nobody knows how this universe came into being. You will find in Rig Ved: Who knows here, who can here state whence came all this multifarious Universe? Even the Devas are posterior to its creation, who then knows whence this came out? Rig Veda VIII-17-6. Atman alone exists. It appears as the objects which we cognise just as a rope appears as a serpent. Atman puts on the appearance of these phenomenal objects. That Brahman is the Self within all beings. That Brahman is without cause and without effect, without anything inside or outside, without defect or impurity, without length or breadth, without colour, shape or form. That Brahman is without limbs, parts, without name or caste, without hands and legs. That Brahman is an embodiment of wisdom, peace and bliss. It shines by Itself. It is self-luminous. All the objects that you cognise outside really exist in the highest Self. All the objects shine after them i.e., they borrow their light from the self-effulgent Atman. The whole world exists within Brahman. It appears as external through the force of Maya, just as your body appears in a mirror. How can one describe the glory and greatness of the Brahman! Even the Vedas have sung in praise of Him according to their limited capacity. No one has been able to find out His beginning or end. He walks without feet, grasps without hands, hears without ears, sees without eyes, tastes without a tongue, smells without a nose, feels without a skin, talks without a mouth, because He is a mass of pure Consciousness. He is all-pervading. He has hands, feet, eyes, heads, faces everywhere. He is a wonderful entity. He is beyond the reach of mind and speech. You cannot see Him with these physical eyes, but you can realise Him with the help of your pure sharp, subtle intellect after purging the mind of all evil tendencies. The eye cannot perceive Him. The mind cannot reach Him. The gross worldly intellect cannot grasp Him. The speech cannot describe Him. The speech returns back along with the mind, as it is not able to describe Him in adequate terms. We are baffled in our attempts to describe Him; His glory is indescribable. To describe Him is to deny Him. How can a finite mind grasp the Infinite? But He can be directly realised by that aspirant who is equipped with the four means of salvation, who does constant meditation, who has a sharp, pure intellect. Saints emphatically declare that Brahman or the Eternal is That which is above the undifferentiated, That which is unborn either as cause or effect, That from which speech and mind turn back baffled, That which is not this, not that, Neti, Neti, etc. He is the real unconditioned Sat. He is the reality of realities (Satyasya Satyam). Brahman is a mass of intelligence (Chidghana, Vijnanaghana, Prajanaghana). He is destitute of any other characteristics. He is entirely without any sort of difference. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV-13, you will find: As a mass of salt has neither inside nor outside, but is entirely a mass of taste, thus indeed, has that Self neither inside nor outside but is altogether a mass of Knowledge. Just as a lump of salt has inside as well as outside one and the same saltish taste, not any other taste, so also that Brahman has inside as well as outside one and the same intelligence. Inside and outside are mental creation only. When the mind melts in silence, ideas of inside and outside vanish. The sage cognises one illimitable, homogeneous mass of consciousness only. Akasa or ether is subtle, all-pervading and unattached. So it is compared to the Brahman. Srutis emphatically declare: Akasavat Sarvagata Nitya i.e., like ether all-pervading and eternal. If the pot is broken the pot-ether is not in any way affected. So it is unattached (Asanga). Just as a house exists for somebody’s use, so also the ears, eyes, hands, legs exist for the use of the Director of the ears, eyes, etc., who is entirely distinct from the ears etc. That Director is the real infinite I. He is the Inner Ruler. He is Immortal. He is pure consciousness. The capability of the ears to hear sounds, of the eyes to cognise objects depends upon the intelligence of this Director. Just as the moon borrows its light from the Sun, these senses borrow their lights, intelligence and power from the source, viz., Atman, who is the Director. Therefore it is quite appropriate to say that the Atman is the Ear of ears, Eye of eyes, Prana of Pranas, Mind of minds. Atman is different from the knowable. He is beyond the unknowable also. He is incomprehensible. This does not mean that He is a non-entity or void or a negative concept, or a metaphysical abstraction. He is a mass of knowledge or pure consciousness. Consciousness is denser than stone or platinum or gold. He is the only real living entity, the substratum for everything.