Swami Sivananda – Personified Synthesis of Dynamism and Renunciation by Swami Chidananda INTRODUCTION The lives of great men are like so many lights removing the darkness that besets the highway of human progress. Their lofty actions are sources of perennial inspiration, not only to the people of their own immediate times, but for human beings in times to come as well. Their lives and actions serve to vivify the present and to supply perennial vitality to the future. Everything about them is so invested with unique power that during their life-time, as well as for long many years afterwards, their every word, act and example continue to exert a powerful influence over the lives of men and to carry a persistent message to all humanity. The glorious Sannyasa Diksha anniversary that we have the privilege and joy to worshipfully celebrate this day (1st June), and which marks the supreme occasion of H.H. Satgurudev Swami Sivanandaji’s renunciation of a secular life and his entry into the holy order of Sannyasa, commemorates one such lofty and significant action in the Master’s life which is filled profusely with such exemplary and inspiring acts. A BLEND OF TWO TRENDS I deem it a rare joy and a great privilege to be provided this sacred opportunity of paying my homage to Sri Satgurudev, in whom I see a unique and amazing confluence of two trends, viz., of renunciation and all the inwardness and detachment that it connotes, as well as the thrilling dynamism with all the outwardly expressed vigour of activity and active, sympathetic interest in human beings and their lives, implied by it. These two trends, seemingly so much mutually exclusive and far apart, would lead us to suppose our revered Gurudev to be a mixture of contradictions. But no, rather, it is precisely to teach us that true renunciation and dynamism are not contradictory, and to bring home to us the lofty lesson that all inspired, altruistic activity for the common weal and welfare of mankind at large is actually based upon and springs forth from a whole and genuine renunciation of one’s self-centred life, and that is why our revered Master has taken to this ancient order and lived his noble life of unceasing good works and innumerable services unto all classes and sections of present-day humanity all over the world. SIGNIFICANCE OF RENUNCIATION His renunciation represents, as it were, a fertile seed out of which has sprung forth the great tree of his later Sannyasa life, full of the flowers, fruits and the shade-giving foliage of a many-sided Lokasangraha or selfless service unto humanity upon the physical, mental, moral and spiritual fields of modern man’s life. The Master’s act of Tyaga (renunciation) and Sannyasa carries the message: “O Man! Give up thy little �I’ and thy petty, selfish life, and let thy selfless life flower into cosmic love, world-brotherhood and service unto all. Give up thy little self and give thyself, in body, mind and spirit, to the whole world. To renounce is, verily, to offer thyself as a gift unto the noble cause of human welfare.” His Holiness’ act of renunciation and Sannyasa, done thirty-five years ago, has served during these years as an incontrovertible proof-positive that this ancient tradition of holy Bharatavarsha, that this ancient heritage received from our bygone seers and sages, is not a negative lapsing into a selfish and careless quiescence (as it is sometimes thoughtlessly misconstrued) or an unfeeling retreat from realities, but, on the contrary, it is an utmost, positive step, pregnant with the possibilities of unlimited human welfare and containing within it the seeds of selfless service of the most glorious type. FRUIT OF RENUNCIATION It is a step by which man breaks out through the barriers of his little, limited and narrow life of selfishness and attachments, and soars high into the empyrean of world-consciousness, cosmic love and vision of world oneness. It transports him into the field of world-service of Loka-Seva. This is the dynamic structure of genuine renunciation and true Sannyas. It is vibrant with love and compassion, dynamic with worshipful service and divinely pervaded by Karma Yoga in the spirit of the Gospel of the Bhagavad Gita. Such has been the exemplary Sannyasa life of our holy Gurudev Sivanandaji Maharaj and such is the significance of his Tyaga done full three and a half decades ago. The giving up of his secular life has come to mean the bestowal of lofty example of new divine life to countless thousands of people in this present age of restlessness and tension. His renunciation and Sannyasa has been a blessedness not merely to him as the renouncer, but a blessedness to countless thousands who have now come to receive the rare fruits of his renunciation. The cultural genius of Bharatavarsha, her wondrous heritage of Yoga and Vedanta, and the ideals of Sanatana Dharma, received a tremendous fillip and became infused with new life through the fact of Swami Sivanandaji’s great renunciation and through the wave of spiritual forces released thereby. To those who could perceive it, it was an act according to the Divine plan. In the building of the New India within the set-up of this memorable and significant nuclear age, his renunciation was a constructive feature that has proved prolific and richly fertile in that it has showered the incomparable wealth from the treasure-house of India’s ethical and spiritual culture like bounteous life-giving rain to an impoverished world where all higher values and nobler ideals had been seared and scorched by the consuming flames of destructive, materialistic trends and God-denying ideologies. POWER THAT TRANSFORMS The power that sprang out of his renunciation has outspread into the world of today, reached, into all points of the compass and, penetrating all lands and homes, has brought new life, hope, solace, light, strength, joy and inspiration to literally countless millions of souls throughout the modern world. Thus, the “loss” (if it can be termed as such at all) of one little family

What Gurudev is for US Adorable Presence Divine, worshipful homage unto Thee! We who are inseparable parts of Thy eternal, infinite existence, one with You in essential nature, have forgotten our eternal relationship with Thee who art our adi, madhya and anta (beginning, middle and end), who art our all in all. Through this forgetfulness we have alienated ourselves from Thee and thus find ourselves to be in a state deprived of the bliss, peace and light that is our birthright, that is what we are. We have deprived ourselves of this Self-experience, and we are living a spurious, false, counterfeit experience filled with love and hate, laughing and weeping, anxiety and tension, fear and bondage, fighting and quarrelling, self-centredness, selfishness, anger and jealousy. It is a kritrimavastha, a vishamavastha-an unnatural state, an abnormal state. It is not sahaja (natural) to us, but kritrima (unnatural). At this moment, in the calm hours of this silent morning, in the spiritual presence of our beloved and worshipful Holy Master Guru Bhagavan Swami Sivanandaji, we offer adorations and homage to Your Feet. From the bottom of our hearts, human hearts, we pray that this separation, this alienation, this wandering away from Thee, may end. May this forgetfulness, this slumber of non-awareness of our own svarupa, of our eternal relationship with You-which is the root-cause of all pain, suffering, sorrow, misery, delusion and infatuation-come to an end by Thy grace. May we be restored to our eternal, inner, divine oneness with Thee who art the only reality in the midst of countless billions of half-realities and appearances. Then alone will sorrow give place to joy, restlessness and agitation give place to peace, delusion give place to knowledge and wisdom, and an insufficient, partial existence give place to purnatva that is Brahmanhood. In this morning hour we pray: “asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya, mrityorma amritam gamaya.” Put an end to this separation for Thou hast clearly stated: “tam vidyad-duhkha-samyoga-viyogam yoga-samjnitam-It is the cessation of union with pain that is yoga.” With yoga, all pain ceases, all suffering ceases, all taapatraya ceases. No longer is there weeping and wailing; there is bliss, there is joy. Grant us the gift of that yoga. That is the call in the immortal wisdom teachings of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, where among many messages, many teachings, many commandments, Thou who art Narayana hast also uttered the call to Nara, to Arjuna, the representative man: “tasmat yogi bhava’rjuna.” And as Swami Sivananda Thou hast repeated this call again: “Come, come, become a yogi. Why do you weep and wail? Why do you unnecessarily prolong this bondage? Come, come, become a yogi.” Thus in his call to modern mankind of this twentieth century, Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji has resounded that ancient call. Worshipful spiritual presence, Gurudev, thou who art our light and guide in life, keep sounding that call again and again in our hearts. This is the supplication at thy feet of all the seeking souls who are gathered in your presence, drawn by your guru kripa, grace, morning after morning to this sacred Samadhi Hall of your Ashram. Radiant Immortal Atman! We have been considering the heritage that Gurudev has left behind for us. We have mentioned this unique, most precious, invaluable facility of an Ashram on the banks of the Ganga. It is a fact,-a felt, solid, tangible, material fact. No one can deny it. It is a facility for bhakti, jnana, dhyana, karma yoga and paropakara seva. Then there is jnana ganga, a vast body of inspiring, soul-arousing, illuminating, instructing spiritual literature. And he also gave us a certain pattern of life, an ideal, which he called divine life, not merely the gross physical life or subtle psychological life, but the divine life, a life qualified by our svarupa, qualified by our innermost essential nature, a life that is not merely an expression of our nonessential upadhis, but a life that is the expression of the divinity which is the innermost reality of each and every one of us. He gave us the adesa and the sandesa: “Live your life divinely, for that is what you are. If you manifest your upadhis, you are not manifesting yourself.” Also, the quintessence of all the scriptures, the direction towards Divinity, was given a systematic shape. Gurudev said: “Its foundation is truth, purity and compassion, universal love. And the structure is ceaseless selfless service, devotional worship, discipline, concentration and meditation, ceaseless enquiry, aspiration, jijnasa, mumukshutva, vichara, viveka, investigation into the nature of the Reality behind and beyond appearances, sublating the nama and rupa which are ever-changing, never real, only appearance, and going beyond them into the satchidananda tattva, that which exists eternally, that which shines with luminous Self-consciousness, knowledge, light, and that which is very dear indeed for it is full of bliss.” So the superstructure he has given us is seva, bhakti, dhyana and atma-jnana, upon the foundation of ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya. But his unique bestowal to us is that he has given us a new identity. He said: “You are not here merely to wander about like a wayfarer, to get ditched somewhere, waylaid and stripped of everything by the dacoits of the five senses. Rather, you are here to attain union with the Supreme Being. You are engaged in that. This is the innermost meaning of life. It is a journey to put an end to the separation and once again attain union with the Divine. Then alone sorrow gives place to joy, putting an end to samyoga (contact) with duhkha (pain). Therefore become a yogi.” Thus, he gave us an identity: “You are all yogis; you must live as yogis. Life is yoga. Life is a process of regaining that oneness, that connection, that inner relationship, that lost link with the divine source of your being. Therefore live as yogis. Be aware of yourselves as yogis.” And this new identity was to be based upon a matter-of-fact pragmatic life. Merely imagining ourselves to be

Gurudev Swami Sivananda by Swami Krishnananda We bring to our memories today the advent of a great soul which incarnated upon this earth many, many years back. We remember the birth into this earth-plane the great Master Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. Usually such indefinable individuals are called supermen, or if you would like to be a little more philosophical, super-individuals. An extended form of an individual person, – that is the meaning of super-individuality. In what way does he extend beyond the dimension of his visible personality? The extension of the dimension of a person is not actually the extension of the physical body, because the body is not the person. The mind or the consciousness that animates the body is what determines the meaning of a super-individual. We have to keep in our mind carefully the point that a person is not the body. The force that is exerted by a person, the knowledge and the capacity to execute action of any kind is not seen in the five element-based physical body. It is in the mind of that person. What the person thinks is itself the person, otherwise everybody looks alike. Even Sri Rama and Krishna looked like any other human being, but they were intensely super-individual, they extended beyond themselves. What is it that is extending beyond itself? It is that which is the person. Swami Sivananda never travelled abroad, but there is no country in the world that does not know his name. How did he spread himself around the globe of the earth without seeing anybody outside India? Living in a little cave-like room on the bank of the Ganga, with no ventilation even, dark inside; what is the principle working through him that made him so famous even today? As time passes, his name captures more and more people. The books that he has written are a magazine of magnetism. The writing of Sri Swami Sivanandaji is the manifestation of a soul force. He was entirely present in every word that he wrote. The author should be immersed in the words that he speaks or writes, otherwise the book will not cut ice. Whenever you think, you must be there wholly in your thought. It is not that you think something and at the same time think twenty other things – then that thought will not have any power. When you think a thing, you think only that, and not another thing. This is the principle not only of spiritual growth, but also even the maintenance of good health in the body. The dissipated action of the mind distracted in various directions does not permit its concentration on anything. Even when you eat your food, you cannot think you are eating food, the mind is in the railway station, you have to catch the train after half an hour. A person who is wanting to catch the train after half an hour need not eat the food. Better go. Else, the stomach cannot digest what you eat. The modern malady is in the haste with which things are being done. Everything is rapid, now it must be done, and now another thing must be done. Go on doing. But you are not in anything that you are doing, you are outside it. This kind of action, where you are not present, is called binding action. Action in which you are wholly present is liberating action. But any one of us can close one’s eyes for a few minutes and think deeply whether we are wholly present in anything in this world. We will find, to the dismay of our own selves, that we are not present wholly in anything, therefore there is failure in whatever one touches. Karma does not bind, says the Ishavasya Upanishad “na karma lipyate nare”, provided that you condition your action with the proviso in the first line of the Upanishad “ishavaysamidam sarvam”. If God does a work, it cannot bind, and if you do a work by uniting yourself with God, your action cannot bind you, because you are not the doer. Swami Sivananda is generally called a Godman. A French writer called Romain Rolland wrote a book giving a biography of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He strangely titled his book as “Sri Ramakrishna, the ManGods”. Not Godman, but ManGods. To a casual reader it looks very strange. What is ManGods? It is a man in whom every god can be found. Godman is a person who has planted God in his heart, and ManGods is a person in whom every god is residing. We may say this in connection with Sri Swami Sivananda also. Whatever word he uttered was a scripture. Whenever residents in this Ashram went and requested him to give a message, he would say “What message do you want? See how I’m living, see how I work, that is my message. If you can follow my footsteps and think as I am thinking, and do as I do, what other message do you want?” The life of a person is the message of that person. Sri Rama is not great because Valmiki wrote a book or Tulsidas wrote a book, but because his greatness was in his personality. Charming, resplendent, kind, compassionate and indomitably powerful, and so was Krishna. All the gods were present there, – Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, were operating through these incarnations. To every spiritual seeker Swami Sivananda was an ideal, an exemplary Guru, wanting nothing but giving everything. If anybody offers a basket of fruits he would immediately distribute it to everybody. He will not say �let me eat it, keep it there’. No, he won’t do like that, he doesn’t want anything. �Tena tyaktenabhunjiyhah’ is another passage from the Ishavasya Upanishad. �Enjoy the world, but under the condition that it is pervaded by God.’ It is like saying �enjoy God Himself’. Every leaf of the tree, every breeze that blows and every ray of the sun and the moon is the dazzling

My Religion, its Technique and Dissemination by Swami Sivananda THE DIVINE LIFE MOVEMENT I love seclusion. I have to hide myself at times. I do not crave for name and fame. I did not spend much time in a deep study of all the scriptures and religions of the world, for preparing thrilling lectures. I never liked to spend time in writing fine essays for publication through books or newspapers. I was not pleased when people called me: “Mahatma, Guru Maharaj.” I never planned for any Institution to perpetuate my name. But the Divine Will was different. The whole world came to me with all divine glory and splendour. That may be due to the intense prayers of thousands of sincere seekers after Truth coupled with my own inborn tendencies to share with others what I have and to serve the world on a large scale on the right lines, for the attainment of Light, Peace, Knowledge and Power. I was induced to start the Divine Life Society when I found some facility and useful hands to carry on the work. I carried the Message of the Sages and Saints and taught the world the way for Peace and Bliss. Because of the popularity of the Divine Life Society, many learned and pious souls from far off lands have come to see me and, sharing with me the love for selfless service, are doing valuable work in spreading right knowledge, which alone can confer lasting peace and happiness. Many foreign Branches of the Divine Life Society are reprinting parts of my writings and distributing them free in their respective regions. THE NEED OF THE HOUR When man gets entangled in selfishness, greed, lust, passion, he naturally forgets all about God. He always thinks of his body, family and children. He constantly attends to his food, drink, comforts and conveniences. He is drowned in the ocean of Samsara. Materialism and scepticism reign supreme. He gets irritated by little things and begins to fight. There is restlessness, misery, panic and chaos everywhere. Now the whole world seems to be in the grip of materialism. The invention of new kinds of bombs causes terror everywhere. People have lost faith in holy scriptures and the teachings of the sages and saints. People have become irreligious owing to wrong education and evil influences. The stirring events since the advent of the twentieth century did not fail to have their effect upon all spiritual-minded people, Sannyasins, saints and men-of-God. The horrors of world wars moved them greatly. The fateful epidemic and the world-wide depression that followed it, touched their compassionate heart. They saw that the sufferings of mankind were mostly brought on by its own deeds. To awaken man to his errors and follies and to make him mend his ways so that he may enthusiastically utilise his life for attaining worthier ends, was felt to be the urgent need of the age. Millions were eagerly looking for such guidance. This silent prayer was heard and I saw the birth of the Divine Life Mission with its task of rescuing man from the forces of bestiality and brutality and divinising his life upon this planet. Just at this critical juncture, I started the Divine Life Society. Now people consider it a blessing to the world. It has as its basis the quintessence of the teachings of all religions and of all saints and prophets of the world. Its principles are broad, universal, all-embracing and in accordance with science and reason. It has set for itself the task of raising man above the sorrows and miseries of this mundane life by making him see the Blissful Divinity that is hidden behind all outward forms. Good thoughts pervade and influence all good people. The thought-currents generated by the Divine Life Movement have had their effect upon the people of Europe and America, and now there is a great thirst for peace all over the world. Millions dread the speedy termination of the race by nuclear weapons. UNIVERSAL IDEALS FOR SPIRITUAL PERFECTION The Divine Life Society is an all-embracing and all-inclusive Institution; its objects, ideals and aims are very broad and universal. It does not condemn any of the principles or tenets of any cult. It includes all the fundamental principles of all religions and cults. There are no pet dogmas or sectarian tenets. It leads people to the spiritual path. It enables people to take easily to the Divine Life even while living in the world and following the teachings of some particular cult or religion. The Society has brought about a vigorous awakening throughout the world and has contributed much to a new life of freedom in action, a life of harmony amidst worldly turmoils and a life of bliss through mental non-attachment and mental renunciation of desires, egoism and mine-ness. There is universal appreciation of the principles, aims, ideals of the society and the method of its work. It lays great stress on the practical side of Sadhana. It expounds in a rational and scientific manner the Yoga of Synthesis. Members belonging to various institutions and organisations in all parts of the world become members of the Divine Life Society and write to me for spiritual guidance. I take special care of them and give them lessons through post for their spiritual progress and welfare. The Divine Life Society proclaims that any man can attain Wisdom in his own station of life, be he a Brahmachari, Grihastha, Vanaprastha or Sannyasi, be he a scavenger, Brahmin, Sudra or Kshatriya, be he a busy man of the world or a silent Sadhaka of the Himalayas. Divine Knowledge is not the sole property of Sannyasins, recluses. It explains how although the central basis is Jnana Yoga, Vedanta, it is necessary for one to practise Karma Yoga for purification of mind and heart; Hatha Yoga to keep up good health and strength and purify the Prana and steady the mind; Raja Yoga to destroy the Sankalpas and induce concentration

Gurudev Sivananda – THE SOUL OF ANANDA KUTIR At the foot of the snow-clad Himalayas, facing the eastern, rising sun, lies in deep contemplation of the heavenly scenery Rishikesh, the holy abode of Sannyasins. Here, the sacred river Ganges with her nectarous flow of crystal water ripples down to the sweet note of the distant cuckoo or the occasional cry of the jungle peacock on the one hand, while on the other, the sight of an ochre-robed, half-clad recluse sitting cross-legged on a solitary stone on its bank in silent meditation, springs upon our mind the hallowed memory of the ancient Sages who gave out to the world for the first time its authorised scriptures. Aspirations and spiritual hopes of thousands since the creation of the world have left deep impressions on its soil, while its heart still throbs with the cold breeze, the surging hope of countless others. Holier still is the celestial abode of our Swamiji – Ananda Kutir – overlooking the neighbouring countless Ashrams and Dharmashalas, standing aloof from the rest, and plying its own determined course in a world pulsating with life today, but at the same time unmindful of the uncertain morrow. Broad in its love for humanity, sincere in its aim for spreading the divine Knowledge, steady in treading the path chalked out for itself, it stands as a centre of pilgrimage to many a weary soul who often stops under its roof to drink deep from the very fountain source of spirituality and regale himself afresh. India has been proud of her galaxy of sages and seers who lived in God, travelled throughout the country, and worked incessantly for the spiritual uplift of the whole world. To this lineage belongs the Soul of Ananda Kutir, having descended from one of the saints of the south. If Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the ideal for mankind in the Nivritti Marga after Adi Sankaracharya, Swami Rama Tirtha of the practical Vedantin in daily life, Sri Swamiji stands for silently implanting the seeds of the teachings of the two in the hearts of one and all who came within the circle of his influence. His writings on all branches of Yoga, Bhakti and Vedanta have cast forth a new light, a new approach to Vedantic Sadhana, a novel understanding of the sacred literature that so far remained a sealed booklet to many an aspirant unlettered in the domain of Sanskrit, and a new dictum that the dissemination of spiritual Knowledge is one of the most unifying and elevating forces on the face of the earth to guide humanity towards the goal of perfection. His efforts at bringing a new heaven on earth through the pursuit of a life in the divine, lovingly termed by him as “Divine Life”, reveal the cosmic and all-embracing vision he has on our spiritual regeneration, reassertion, and steady advancement. His love for humanity or any living being is not mechanical and never external; for he has immense faith in the innate genius of every individual, whether he be a good man or a rogue or a thief, to harmonise the divine factor in him in the light of a loftier ideal. “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman” is the one Mantra which he hammers on the mind of one and all, who chance to enter his abode – the saying which centuries ago, at the dawn of civilisation, issued forth similarly from the illumined consciousness of the great sages of India, whom he so aptly represents. What was the motive force, the ideal, the goal and the vision behind his lifelong Sadhana? An inward joyful urge to tread the path of spirituality, silently and lonely, when his fellow-beings were torn asunder by sins and sorrows, tears and terrors, made Sri Swamiji to see beneath the misty veil of mundane sufferings and tribulations, the ever luminous soul of supreme purity, perfect goodness and universal kindness, and this brought him nearer to the goal of Self-realisation and face-to-face with the supreme Godhead. Today, his ceaseless Sadhana, his ever increasing aspiration and love to serve the aspirant in the spiritual path – however slow and sluggish he be – his lifelong desire to put one and all in the right path, nay, his surging faith and hope in transforming the whole of humanity into Godmen, shine all the brighter. Let us therefore pray to the all-merciful Lord that such a true spiritual guide be spared for our guidance, to cut asunder the thick veil of avidya that hangs before our vision and lead us safely to the immaculate seat of BLISS. SIVA THE GREAT ORGANISER Siva is a great organiser. He organised the Divine Life Society in 1936. He formed the All-World Religions Federation in 1945. He founded the All-World Sadhus Federation in 1946. He has suggested various methods for the organisation of Sadhus, Sannyasins, etc. His organising capacity is verily unique. His organising Power is Vilakshana. He does not organise merely through constitutional, man-made, binding rules, bye-laws and platform lectures. His way is unprecedented. He binds all people through love, affection and goodwill. He first establishes a Divine Life Centre in the heart of man. This sprouts forth, blossoms and finds its expression in the establishment of a Divine Life Centre in a town, city or village. Other organisations may collapse, dwindle or fail. But Siva’s organisation can never fail as it is born of Divine Sat Kama and Sat-Sankalpa. Siva’s pen has exercised a tremendous influence on the minds of people. People who have not seen him even once are ardent workers of the Society. His letters goad them to open centres of their own accord. They get a spontaneous inner urge to take part in the Divine Life movement. His pen acts as a sword in conversion, not through bloodshed or brute force but through the cutting of their knot of ignorance or the tree of nescience and its branches, viz., selfishness, crookedness, hatred and the like. His heart-to-heart talk with people in the

Time Swami Sivananda was one of the most regular and punctual persons ever. He was always there five minutes before time for all the programmes. He had fixed daily routine and fixed time for each activity – even for writing! And he always could maintain his very tight time-schedule. His eagerness to utilise every second most appropriately and profitably, made him to train and to shape his close disciples in that very mould. He used to move round the rooms of disciples between 3.45 and 4.00 in the early morning singing divine kirtan to wake them up! He would keep ready the daily assignment for disciples before the disciple came, and thus made them to work very hard and to utilise every minute at their disposal. In the first five minutes in the office, he would give different tasks to fifteen assistants to keep them busy and working hard throughout the whole day. That tradition of adhering to the time-schedule continues even today. All the activities of the Ashram always commence exactly at the scheduled time. Swamiji had mastered the art of making maximum utilisation of every minute at his disposal. Let us learn something from him through his inspiring teachings… Time is more precious than money. Time is more precious than the most valuable thing in the world. It is the richest treasure. Time is the soul of the world. Time is life. Utilise time profitably; waste not even a second. Time is the rat that cuts off the thread of life in this universe. There is nothing in the world, which the all-devouring time will spare. Time pervades and controls all things. Life is not meant for eating, drinking, dressing and procreating. There is something grand and sublime behind. There is an eternal life of Bliss behind. Every second must be well utilised for the achievement of this goal of life. Life is short. Time is fleeting. Obstacles are many. The world is full of miseries. People have risen to greatness and prominence by utilising every second profitably. Keep daily diary. Reduce your sleep. Give up all the idle talk. Understand the value of time. Draw up a daily routine and stick to it tenaciously. Grow. Evolve. Expand. Get success in life. Life is a link in the chain of time. If you waste time, you waste life. Do not postpone doing good deeds; for there is no certainty of life. What you propose to do tomorrow, do it today. What you propose to do today, do this very instant. If you have wiped out tears of even one man, by a single word of comfort and cheer, by a single good deed, you may count that day well spent. You have done an act that is pleasing to the Lord. But if you have not done so, you have lived in vain that day.

Charity “I have learnt that it is the foremost duty of man to learn to give – give in charity, give in plenty, give with love, give without any expectation. Charity is incomplete without charity of disposition, charity of feeling, charity of understanding.” -Swami Sivananda The inborn tendencies of helping others, sharing all that he had with others and always giving plentiful had made Swami Sivananda a personification of charity. During the early days of the Ashram, even when the entire ration was exhausted and there was no money to buy fresh ration, he would keep on giving in plenty. He had given generously to the thief who had stolen things from the Ashram, and even to the person who had tried to kill him! His charity and generosity had no bounds. Here are some gems of his broad vision… Charity is the disposition to think favourably of others and do them good. In a general sense, charity means love, benevolence and goodwill. In a theoretical sense, it is universal goodwill to man and supreme love to God. Charity is love in action. True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense or reward. Every good act is charity. To be kind and loving is charity. To forget and forgive some harm done to you is charity. A kind word said to a suffering man is charity. The whole world is your home. You are a citizen of the world. Cultivate a generous feeling for the welfare of the whole world. He who lives as a trustee of his property and spends his money in charity thinks that the property really belongs to the Lord, and lives happily. Think well towards suffering people. Pray for their welfare. Feel that every being is a manifestation of the Lord. This will accomplish more good than much money. Sins can be destroyed by charity. Lord Jesus says: “Charity covereth a multitude of sins.” Charity is a great purifier of heart. See God everywhere. Share with all. O Man! Give plenty in charity. You will enjoy peace, plenty and prosperity.

Peace Swami Sivananda had a genuine concern for world peace. When the World War II prolonged and there was unparalleled destruction of life and property, he could not remain a silent witness to the happenings, and launched a non-stop Mahamantra Kirtan Yajna on December 3, 1963. And this kirtan continues non-stop round-the-clock even today after about sixty years. Such was his concern for world peace! According to Indian philosophy, peace cannot be found in outer things of sense-objects; but it is to be sought within. Some of his teachings on this subject are given here: Peace is a divine attribute. The innermost Atman that lies concealed in the chambers of your heart is an embodiment of peace. It is a quality of the soul. It fills the pure heart. It runs away from selfish people. Attain this peace through desirelessness, discrimination and constant meditation on the ever-peaceful Atman. Peace is freedom from disturbance, anxiety, agitation, riot or violence. It is harmony, silence, calm, repose, rest. It is the happy, natural state of the mind. Peace is not in money, estate, bungalows or possessions. Peace does not dwell in outward things but within the soul. Nothing can bring you peace, but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace, but the victory over your lower self, triumph over senses and mind, desires and cravings. Peace is in the heart of a desireless man, who has controlled his senses and mind. Greed, lust, jealousy, envy, anger, pride and egoism are the enemies of peace. Slay these enemies by the sword of dispassion, discrimination and non-attachment. You will enjoy perpetual peace. Everything happens by the will of the Lord. Do not swerve an inch from this conviction. Worry not. You will be ever at peace. If you enter the wonderful calm of divine peace by stilling the bubbling mind by straining the thoughts and withdrawing the outgoing senses, all disturbing noises will die away. Why do people fight among themselves? The heart must change. Greed and selfishness must perish. Then alone there will be peace in the world.

Prayer Trials and Tribulations Swami Sivananda, like Mahatma Gandhi, gave great importance to prayer. He made evening satsanga a regular feature of the Ashram activities, and he used to attend it most regularly. He had the conviction that God listens to the sincere prayer coming from the heart, and he used to pray to the Lord and sing bhajans (devotional songs) with exceptionally rare bhava (feeling). Bhajan and kirtan are also a form of prayer and Swamiji excelled in them too. He used to slip into divine ecstasy while doing kirtan (singing the Lord’s names), and often was dancing with the kirtan. He made Sankirtan (group kirtan) popular. Very fittingly, he was known as Sankirtan Samrat – king of group singing. His views on prayer are as inspiring as his bhajans: Prayer is an effort of man to commune with the Lord. When you pray, you are in tune with the Infinity. You link yourself with Hiranyagarbha – the inexhaustible cosmic storehouse of power – and thus draw power, energy, light and strength. Prayer is a mighty spiritual force. Prayer is depending on God for help in distress. Prayer is expecting God to decide what is best for you when you are in a dilemma. Prayer represents a mystic state when the individual consciousness is absorbed in God. Prayer is uplifting the soul to God. It is an act of love and adoration to Him. There is nothing so purifying as prayer. Prayer lightens the heart and fills the mind with peace, strength and purity. Prayer works wonders. Prayer elevates, inspires, redeems. It fills the mind with purity. It brings man nearer to God. It keeps him in tune with God, and makes him feel the Divine Consciousness and his essential, immortal and blissful nature. Through prayer Divine grace and Divine Light descend. Prayer is a spiritual food for the soul. Prayer is a master key to open the realm of Elysian Bliss. Prayer should come from the innermost recess of the heart. Then alone it will be heard at once. God listens to, and answers all your prayers. God ever responds to the appeal of His sincere devotees. Prayer that comes from a sincere, pure heart is at once heard by the Lord. There are no problems that cannot be dissolved by prayer, no sufferings that cannot be allayed by prayer, no difficulties that cannot be surmounted by prayer, and no evil that cannot be overcome by prayer. Prayer is the miracle by which God’s power flows into human veins. Prayer should be lifelong, and your life should be one long prayer. Through prayer empty your heart and God shall fill it with Consciousness-Delite, and you shall be all full. Attune your heart with the Lord by doing fervent and sincere prayer daily. Prayer must become habitual. If you pray regularly, your life will be gradually changed and moulded. Prayer expands the heart. Prayer purifies the heart. It fills the heart with immense power and strength. Prayer fills the mind with purity. It will keep your mind in tune with the Lord. It will instil in your heart joy, peace and bliss. Prayer generates spiritual currents, and produces tranquillity of the mind. There is nothing so purifying as prayer. Essentially, prayer should be selfless as far as possible. We should first pray for the good of others, for the welfare and peace of the world and for our own spiritual evolution; we should pray for eradication of our evil qualities, for wisdom and knowledge, for goodness and saintliness. Asato maa sad-gamaya; Tamaso maa jyotir-gamaya; mrityormaa amritam gamaya. Lead me from unreal to the Real; from darkness to the Light; from mortality to Immortality. This is the best prayer – the prayer for the Light, for the Truth, for Immortality. Prayer cleanses the dross and steadies the mind. It washes off the impurities of the heart with the pure waters of spiritual emotions, corrects the defects and shortcomings, and prepares the mind for the reception of Self-knowledge. Pray to God fervently: “O Lord! Make my will strong to resist all temptations, to control my indriyas (senses) and my lower nature. Enthrone Thyself in my heart. Make me fit to dwell in Thee for ever.” Prayer grinds the flint of egoism, breaks the walls of pride, and consumes the fire of selfishness. By prayer you dwell in the Lord who is all happiness and the sweetest of sweets. It opens the eye of intuition. Wherever you turn this ‘eye’, you see nothing but God – the transcendent Divinity. Pray fervently for the descent of the Divine Light. God wants your heart when you pray. Lay bare your heart. Melt the mind in the agni (fire) of divine love. Crave for His mercy. Do not pray for the attainment of some selfish ends or mundane gains. It should be done without expectation of fruit. Pray for His mercy. Pray for light, purity and guidance. Repetition of stotras or hymns will elevate your mind, inspire you. Common mass-prayer is very inspiring. A huge spiritual current is generated during mass-prayer. In times of danger and calamity, mass prayer works wonders. Prayer for the departed souls bestows peace on them.

Prayer Trials and Tribulations Swami Sivananda, like Mahatma Gandhi, gave great importance to prayer. He made evening satsanga a regular feature of the Ashram activities, and he used to attend it most regularly. He had the conviction that God listens to the sincere prayer coming from the heart, and he used to pray to the Lord and sing bhajans (devotional songs) with exceptionally rare bhava (feeling). Bhajan and kirtan are also a form of prayer and Swamiji excelled in them too. He used to slip into divine ecstasy while doing kirtan (singing the Lord’s names), and often was dancing with the kirtan. He made Sankirtan (group kirtan) popular. Very fittingly, he was known as Sankirtan Samrat – king of group singing. His views on prayer are as inspiring as his bhajans: Prayer is an effort of man to commune with the Lord. When you pray, you are in tune with the Infinity. You link yourself with Hiranyagarbha – the inexhaustible cosmic storehouse of power – and thus draw power, energy, light and strength. Prayer is a mighty spiritual force. Prayer is depending on God for help in distress. Prayer is expecting God to decide what is best for you when you are in a dilemma. Prayer represents a mystic state when the individual consciousness is absorbed in God. Prayer is uplifting the soul to God. It is an act of love and adoration to Him. There is nothing so purifying as prayer. Prayer lightens the heart and fills the mind with peace, strength and purity. Prayer works wonders. Prayer elevates, inspires, redeems. It fills the mind with purity. It brings man nearer to God. It keeps him in tune with God, and makes him feel the Divine Consciousness and his essential, immortal and blissful nature. Through prayer Divine grace and Divine Light descend. Prayer is a spiritual food for the soul. Prayer is a master key to open the realm of Elysian Bliss. Prayer should come from the innermost recess of the heart. Then alone it will be heard at once. God listens to, and answers all your prayers. God ever responds to the appeal of His sincere devotees. Prayer that comes from a sincere, pure heart is at once heard by the Lord. There are no problems that cannot be dissolved by prayer, no sufferings that cannot be allayed by prayer, no difficulties that cannot be surmounted by prayer, and no evil that cannot be overcome by prayer. Prayer is the miracle by which God’s power flows into human veins. Prayer should be lifelong, and your life should be one long prayer. Through prayer empty your heart and God shall fill it with Consciousness-Delite, and you shall be all full. Attune your heart with the Lord by doing fervent and sincere prayer daily. Prayer must become habitual. If you pray regularly, your life will be gradually changed and moulded. Prayer expands the heart. Prayer purifies the heart. It fills the heart with immense power and strength. Prayer fills the mind with purity. It will keep your mind in tune with the Lord. It will instil in your heart joy, peace and bliss. Prayer generates spiritual currents, and produces tranquillity of the mind. There is nothing so purifying as prayer. Essentially, prayer should be selfless as far as possible. We should first pray for the good of others, for the welfare and peace of the world and for our own spiritual evolution; we should pray for eradication of our evil qualities, for wisdom and knowledge, for goodness and saintliness. Asato maa sad-gamaya; Tamaso maa jyotir-gamaya; mrityormaa amritam gamaya. Lead me from unreal to the Real; from darkness to the Light; from mortality to Immortality. This is the best prayer – the prayer for the Light, for the Truth, for Immortality. Prayer cleanses the dross and steadies the mind. It washes off the impurities of the heart with the pure waters of spiritual emotions, corrects the defects and shortcomings, and prepares the mind for the reception of Self-knowledge. Pray to God fervently: “O Lord! Make my will strong to resist all temptations, to control my indriyas (senses) and my lower nature. Enthrone Thyself in my heart. Make me fit to dwell in Thee for ever.” Prayer grinds the flint of egoism, breaks the walls of pride, and consumes the fire of selfishness. By prayer you dwell in the Lord who is all happiness and the sweetest of sweets. It opens the eye of intuition. Wherever you turn this ‘eye’, you see nothing but God – the transcendent Divinity. Pray fervently for the descent of the Divine Light. God wants your heart when you pray. Lay bare your heart. Melt the mind in the agni (fire) of divine love. Crave for His mercy. Do not pray for the attainment of some selfish ends or mundane gains. It should be done without expectation of fruit. Pray for His mercy. Pray for light, purity and guidance. Repetition of stotras or hymns will elevate your mind, inspire you. Common mass-prayer is very inspiring. A huge spiritual current is generated during mass-prayer. In times of danger and calamity, mass prayer works wonders. Prayer for the departed souls bestows peace on them.