A Message For Renascent India Sri Swami Sivananda SALUTATIONS to the Para-Brahman, the Absolute, and the grand galaxy of saints and sages who have delivered to the world from time to time the Lord’s message of Divine Life! The time has come when India has to take her place at the head of the comity of nations as the spiritual leader and broadcast to humanity at large the message of Godliness which has been India’s spiritual heritage. Sociology, politics, science, art, industry–every field of human activity and thought has, at its roots, MAN: and they are guided by man: they become constructive or destructive in the same measure as man’s inner nature is divine or demoniacal. And, it is India where is preserved the key to the opening up of the Divinity in man. Nationalism is all right, so far as it goes; but the Indian has never allowed himself to be bound by any ties, however noble and pleasant they be. “Tat Tvam Asi“–“Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma“–“Everything in its essence is God Himself”–has been the song that the very blood of the Indian symphonises–the blood that is richly laden with the spirit of the great seers of yore. The true Indian is not satisfied with anything mundane. The world is at best a shadow of the Divine. It does not ensnare the Indian. Maya cannot enslave him. He is beyond her clutches. He seeks to find God in everything. That is the true Indian! He goes beyond nationalism–he goes beyond internalism–he rests not content till all creation is brought to his heart in a fond embrace of divine universal love! He longs to realise his unity with the object of his love–the entire creation or Existence! Svarajya has been won. But what about Atma Svarajya? Atma Svarajya is far more important than this political freedom! And, it is the duty of every true Indian to yearn to achieve that Atma Svarajya. Until every Indian strives to reach the heights of spirituality, and to meet his own illustrious ancestors in the realms of the Infinite, he still remains in chains. India is still shackled by ignorance! Shackles forged by the infiltration into her soil of Western culture, manners, ideas and ideals. O Glorious Mother! Bharatamata! Thou hast given birth to mighty sages like Yajnavalkya, Nachiketas, Uddalaka and Svetaketu; to mighty spiritual heroines like Maitreyi, Gargi and Madalasa! Vasishtha, Vamadeva and Sri Sankaracharya were born of thee! Hast thou suddenly gone barren? How many children have you got at present who can walk with their head erect and say with pride: “I am an Indian?” You have filled your bosom with precious but imperfect caricatures of your glorious children: I say “precious” because even if they were born of your sweat, the glorious spirit of an Indian has been kept alive in them… such indeed is thy indescribable splendour! When will you re-awaken your children to the true significance of being born an Indian? When will you feed them with the milk of Divine Wisdom? O Indian! Arise!! Awake!!! You have not been brought into this world merely to ape the Westerner, merely to base your Government, your society and your family on the model of a materialistic, power-mad civilisation. You have a grander, an infinitely richer heritage! Seize it before you are completely disinherited. O Indian! It is your proud privilege to teach the world the principles of Divine Life–nay, it is your duty! For, India is the very heart and soul of the world. Wake up! Give up this slumber of ignorance! It does not behove thee. O Child of Bharatavarsha! Arise, awake, and blow the trumpet of Wisdom–“I am That”! “Thou art That”. Thou art not this perishable body, nor this pretentious mind, nor even this frail intellect of which the Westerner boasts so much. Money, position, power, fame, material prosperity and earthly glory will all vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Atom bombs will raze to the ground, in a second, cities and empires built over a period of centuries! All objects are perishable. Satchidananda alone will remain for ever. Thy very nature is Satchidananda. Blow, blow thy trumpet and say “I am Satchidananda Svarupa!” O Indian, my brother! Come! The Mother calls you! Listen to her words of wisdom. Revive the glory of the Upanishads, which contain precious teachings which are the only panacea for all the ills of humanity. Follow the path laid out for you by your own ancient scriptures; and preach the tenets of true Hinduism to all! It is thy birth-right. Say: “I am the son of the Sages of Hind”. O Child of Truth! It is your duty to set an example to the whole world! Lead the Divine Life of Ahimsa (love), Satya (truth) and Brahmacharya (self-control and purity). Serve all and love all. See the Lord or your own Self in all. Roar: “All this is my own Self–whom shall I hate and whom shall I fear? I love all and I serve all–for all beings are my own Self!” O Hindu! Be thou the peasant or the Prime Minister, thou art the son of India and the duty rests on your shoulders to preserve the Hindu Dharma, Sanatana Dharma, which is based on universal love, true wisdom, righteousness, moral and ethical perfection. Follow not the ruinous path of materialism; turn back and once again hoist the flag of Hinduism–the all-embracing Religion of the Universe! Hinduism, in which is the message of Divine Life, universal love, tolerance, understanding, peace, bliss and wisdom! O Indian, arise, awake! Say boldly: “I am a Hindu. The American. the European, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Pakistani, every one belonging to every nation, caste, creed and colour–every human being is my brother!” Lead thy brothers, then, on the right path to peace and prosperity. Gone, gone are the dark ages of misery, slavery and stupidity. India, the glorious Mother, the Mother of all, the Mother in whose bosom the Vedas lie shedding their

Art–The Expression of Divinity Sri Swami Sivananda ALL beings however low in evolution, all actions however trivial in their nature, all things however lifeless they may appear to be, bear the stamp of the light of the Eternal; the principle of the Beautiful is dancing in them all; the splendour of the Truth is shining equally in all creation–in the man toiling in the field, in the birds of the air, in the beasts of the forest, in the blossoms of the garden, in the waves of the sea. There is only one Law of Life that is pulsating in the veins of the contents of the entire universe. Glory to the Divine Being. Everyone in this beautiful creation is a piece of art; all that we see is but the manifestation of His art. We are His art, vivifying His might, reflecting His beauty and expressing His grandeur. Every man has the eyes of the painter and the poet; every heart has a dormant feeling for beauty and for the awareness of perfection. Every speck of space is rich with the inexhaustible abundance of goodness, of godliness, of beauty. One has to widen one’s consciousness and deepen one’s spirit to be able to develop the vision of all spirit shining in and through matter, all reality revealing itself in and through the unreal. To escape from this world of limitations (while yet being on earth) into the boundless world of Freedom and Beauty, Power and Brilliance, is the purpose of our existence. For the one who has eyes to see, all is goodness, all is sweetness, everything is beautiful, everything is graceful; whatever he perceives is homogeneous and harmonious. Children of Light! Behold the brilliance of the diamond in the darkest coal mine; look at the lustre of the eyes in the ugliest face; smell the fragrance of the lotus in the stinking pond; feel the omnipresence of your life in the lowliest creature revelling in filth; discover the greatness of the genius in the humblest family grovelling in poverty. To one with insight, whatever is met with will be seen to be the master-touch of the Divine Painter, of the Master-Artist, who expresses himself in such infinite and ineffable beauty. Art is not for the fleeting pleasures of the human creature nor a solace to the sorrow-stricken heart nor yet for mere aesthetic enjoyment; it is more than all these–it is a systematic and scientific living in Absolute Beauty, in Infinite Harmony, in Perfect Peace, in Eternal Joy. Art is a kingdom of intense feeling, a feeling in which one is aware of the one undivided Divine Essence of Existence. Art is majestic and mystic, idealistic and symbolic, supernatural and transcendental, an expression of the Unseen in and through the seen. That art blossoms into perfection which is free from all sense desires and physical interests. In the name of art one should not fetter oneself in the prison of professionalism and sensualism. The artist should be moved by the beauty of Truth; and his art should be progressively creative and spiritually suggestive; it should be a revelation of his moments of inspired vision and of total self surrender. In his creative moods the artist should soar high–high into the skies of luminous imagination and of glorious existence, wholly oblivious of all mundane madness. Purified in heart, one should wave the magic wand of art at whose touch everything is converted into the beauty of the Beyond. Let the drawing rooms be filled with the vibrations of the highest spiritual ideals which pour into us the power and beauty of a new life of joy and peace. Let the wielder of the brush be free from all stuff of pride and selfishness and from all that is related to the sense-world, so that the Divine may fill him with His Will to paint the pictures that breathe healing power and soothing balm into all onlookers through their eyes, so that they may be relieved of their illness of mind and sickness of heart. Let your art be a lamp of deathless beauty, shining with an effulgence dispelling the darkness of the soul that sings the sorrowful songs of the world. An art that panders to the lower appetites of men, that does not aim at discovering the meaning of life, that does not awaken the spiritual consciousness in the human heart, is soulless and, therefore, unsalutory in its effects and malefic in its influence. The test of true art is implied in its profoundest suggestions. True art should embody the best of the genius of the artist, the finest in him, and awe one into a subtler plane of refinement and thrill; all art that falls short of this great purpose is profane and perishable.

Yoga and Life Sri Swami Brahmananda There exists a common belief, certainly an erroneous one, among the majority that Yoga is for those, who live in caves and forests, in monasteries and nunneries, away from the busy world, in seclusion, minding their own business without the least concern about other fellow-beings, renouncing the normal pleasures of life and aiming at some post-mortem happiness, in some far-off unknown worlds not seen by any one so far. While these recluses give up all the happiness of this world, the happiness in the form of enjoyments afforded by rich and affluent family life with all the modern facilities, high status in society, name and fame and the like, in the name of spiritual renunciation, the vast majority of people are not sure of the future happiness aimed at by these recluses. Thus arguing, most people shun all the higher values of life, which religion and philosophy offer. This is a sad mistake resulting from want of the right knowledge about life in this world. Renunciation of the world is found to be the common factor in all scriptures dealing with Liberation as the only sure remedy for all our sufferings here in this world. This may sound strange. One who wants good has to renounce the bad. This is understandable. He who desires truth should renounce untruth. There cannot be any difference of opinion in this also. One who is after life should naturally give up death. None will deny these logical conclusions. But, if what is intended in the renunciation of the world is giving up of our normal life with all sense-experiences, what remains in our life? Nothing! The remedy seems to be worse than the illness! This conclusion is a result of not understanding the real import of the scriptures. Vedanta does in no way find fault with this world, but certainly instructs man, who is after Liberation, to renounce it. It is not renunciation resulting from a dislike and hatred of this world. It is renunciation by covering, the world with God, in the language of the Isavasya Upanishad, filling the world with God. We are asked to renounce the world of our present erroneous conception and realise its true nature. In short, to see the world as God is real renunciation of the world, prescribed by the seers, who have seen the Truth. Just as the different parts of a big banyan tree, such as its underground roots, the aerial roots, the stem, the branches, the leaves and the fruits, though appearing separate, are yet not different from the tree; just as our limbs, the legs, hands, eyes, ears and mouth, though seemingly separate, are not distinct from the body; just as the various parts of a hugemodern machinery are all inter-connected and serve the common purpose for which the machine has been erected, likewise, the umpteen objects which we see here and which we consider as separate entities are not independent and disjointed, but form a whole to make up this universe, an organic whole by itself. The least disturbance in any corner of this vast cosmos, let it be in the most insignificant object, affects the whole cosmos, even as the slightest pin-prick in any part of our body is felt by the whole being. A scientific analysis of any object here, say a chair, will prove that it is made up of atoms which are finally reducible to forces. When we perceive through the intellect, these forces that constitute the chair, the chair as such vanishes; and when the chair is seen, we do not perceive the forces, These forces have Consciousness as their substratum. No hair-splitting arguments are necessary to prove that nothing can exist without Consciousness. Pure Consciousness is therefore the basic reality. It is the perceiving principle, the object perceived and the principle of perception also. In other words, Consciousness which cannot but be one, homogeneous and non-dual, and therefore eternal and immortal, is called by the different names of seer, seen and sight, hearer, hearing and heard, knower, known and knowledge, and so on. Again, it is this Consciousness alone that is referred to through different names, such as Brahman or Atman by Vedantins, Bhagavan or God by devotees, Vishnu or Narayana by Vaishnavas, Siva or Paramesvara by Saivites. Other religions of the world give different names for this one Principle, the Truth Supreme. It is called as Christ by the Christians, Allah by the Muslims, Arhat by the Jainas and Buddha by the Buddhists. The truth about the relationship between God and the world is beautifully brought out in a simple Tamil verse which means: The wood is veiled by the elephant and into the wood disappears the elephant; even so, elements veil the Truth and into Truth disappear the elements. The reference is to a life-size elephant made out of black wood by an expert carpenter. The likeness is complete. Though the eyes perceive the form of an elephant, the intellect and the mind will perceive the wood of which it is made. It is the form of the elephant that veils the wood and when the truth of the wood is seen, the elephant disappears. Likewise says the verse, this world made up of the five elements veils the Consciousness, and when one realises the latter, the former dissolves itself. Knowing, experiencing and becoming one with the Consciousness is Yoga. This Yoga practice varies according to individual temperament. The rationalistic, the devotional, the active and the mystic temperaments, with their countless permutation-combinations, make the Yoga practice of each individual distinct from those of others. Strictly speaking, no two aspirants can follow an exactly similar method. Notwithstanding this, there are common factors in the methodology adopted by all seekers. Not a few in this modern world are benefited by a combination of the essentials in the different Yoga systems. Hence it is that sages prescribe this wise mixture–a little of Japa, a little Asana and Pranayama, study of

Raja Yoga Samadhi Sri Swami Sivananda Introduction According to Raja Yoga, Samadhi is of two kinds, viz., Samprajnata and Asamprajnata. In the former, the seeds of Samskaras are not destroyed. In the latter, the Samskaras are fried or annihilated in toto. That is the reason why the former is called Sabija Samadhi (with seeds) and the latter as Nirbija Samadhi (without seeds or Samskaras). Samprajnata Samadhi leads to Asamprajnata Samadhi. The Samprajnata Samadhi is also known by the name Savikalpa Samadhi or Sabija Samadhi. This Samadhi brings perfect knowledge of the object of meditation. The mind continuously and to the exclusion of all other objects assumes the nature and becomes one with the object of its contemplation. The Yogi attains all the powers of controlling the nature in this Samadhi. The Samprajnata Samadhi is of four kinds, viz., Savitarka, Savichara, Sananda and Asmita Samadhi. All these Samadhis have something to grasp. There is Alambana or argumentation or questioning. They give intensive joy but they are not the best and finest forms of Samadhi. They cover the gross or the subtle elements of nature and the organs of sense. They give you the direct knowledge of the elements, objects and instruments of knowledge and some freedom. These stages are in the form of steps of an ascending staircase. To begin with, meditation should be done on a gross form. When you advance in this meditation, you can take to abstract meditation, or meditation on subtle things or ideas. Mind should be gradually disciplined and trained in meditation. It cannot all at once enter into the highest Asamprajnata Samadhi or that which constitutes the highest subtle essence. That is the reason why Patanjali Maharshi has prescribed the practice of various kinds of lower Samadhis. When the mind is extremely attached to gross objects, it is not possible to fix it on subtle objects all at once. There must be gradual ascent in the ladder of Yoga. You should place your footstep cautiously in each rung of the ladder. You should pass through successive stages before you attain the highest Asamprajnata or Nirvikalpa Samadhi. But Yoga-Bhrashtas who have passed through the lower stages in their previous birth can attain to the highest stage at the very outset through the grace of the Lord. If the Yogic student had reached the higher stage, he need not revert to the lower stages. All the forms of Samprajnata Samadhi are Salambana Yoga (with support) and Sabija Yoga (with seed of Samskara). The Yogins enjoy a form of freedom. Dharma Megha in Raja Yoga means “the cloud of virtue”. Just as clouds shower rain, so also this Dharma Megha Samadhi showers on the Yogins omniscience and all sorts of Siddhis or powers. The Yogi enjoys a form of freedom. Therefore, this Samadhi is called the Showerer or cloud (Megha) of virtue (Dharma). The Yogi enjoys expanded vision of God. Ritambhara, Prajnaloka, Prasannavahita are the three stages or Bhumikas of Samprajnata Samadhi. In Ritambhara the content of the mental Vritti is Satchidananda. There is still a separate knower. You get Yathartha Jnana or real wisdom. In the second, every kind of Avarana (veiling) is removed. The third state is the state of peace in which the mind is destitute of all mental modifications. The knowledge that you get from testimony and inference is above objects of the world; but the knowledge that you obtain from Samadhi is Divine Knowledge. It is super-sensual, intuitive knowledge where reason, inference and testimony cannot go. Savitarka and Nirvitarka Samadhis Savitarka Samadhi is Samadhi with reasoning. It is a superficial attempt of the mind to grasp any object. In this Samadhi, Sabda (sound), Artha (meaning), Jnana (knowledge) are mixed up. The. aspirant can meditate on the body of Virat or Lord Vishnu with four hands or Lord Krishna with flute in hand or any ordinary object. He will obtain the direct perception of all the peculiar features, the excellences (Gunas) and defects (Doshas) of the object of meditation. He will have complete knowledge of the object. He will be endowed with all the features of the object unheard of and unthought of. He will obtain these through Savitarka Samadhi. The Yogic student meditates on the object again and again by isolating it from other objects. You can meditate on the gross elements also. You will gain power over them through intense meditation. The elements will reveal to you their truths. Just as the new archer first aims at big object only and then at smaller ones gradually, so also the beginner in Yoga concentrates on the gross objects such as the five Maha Bhutas, Lord Hari with four hands, and then on subtle ones. In this manner the grasp of the objects by the mind becomes subtle. A Yogi directly perceives the real body of the Lord Vishnu as He lives in Vaikuntha, by the force of his meditation although he remains at a great distance from the Lord. In Savitarka Samadhi concentration is practised on gross objects and their nature in relation to time and space. This is a gross form of Samadhi. When the Yogi meditates on the elements as they are by taking them out of time and space, then it is called Nirvitarka Samadhi without questioning or reasoning or argumentation. This is a subtle form of Samadhi. In Savitarka there is Vikalpa or fanciful notion of word (Sabda), object (Artha) and idea (Jneya). There is no such notion in Nirvitarka Samadhi. There are three factors in the comprehension of a word, e.g., cow–(1) cow, the word, (2) cow, the object, (3) cow, the idea in the mind. When the meditator imagines these three to be one and the same, it is an instance of Vikalpa or fanciful notion of the word, object and idea. Savichara and Nirvichara Samadhis If you meditate on the subtle Tanmatras (subtle elements of matter) and their nature in relation to time and space, it is Savichara Samadhi with deliberation or discrimination. This is

Wake Up! What are the scriptures or texts? What is their genesis, and for whom are they intended? The question is very simple but very interesting because the scriptures have been with us for thousands of years, but our life seems to be the same as if the truths did not exist at all, as if we had nothing to go by. What happens to the scripture? Usually it adorns our libraries and is hardly ever looked at. You might have noticed that whenever people are asked to read from the Bible or some other text, they go to their favourite passage and keep reading that. It is like wearing blinkers. We don’t see the whole truth, so the scriptures don’t seem to make much of an impact upon us. So often we hear the truth, but even when it is spoken by a sage, a holy man, a yogi, a buddha, we pay just a nodding compliment to such truth. I have experienced this in India: someone admires the discourse saying: “Oh, it was marvellous, inspiring.” It was not supposed to be inspiring, it was supposed to shatter! I have heard such funny remarks after a discourse where the yogi had exposed the evil of wealth, for instance, and the best part of the audience were wealthy people. It did not touch them at all! Why is it that in spite of all these great sages and their teachings no change has taken place in our lives? We are still trapped on the same merry-go-round. Probably because we have not undergone one fundamental preliminary, and that is an inner awakening. We seem to be externally awake all the time, but inwardly we are fast asleep. We buy these big tomes of scriptures and use them as pillows, hoping that the message will somehow jump out of the covers and into our heads. It does not happen. And when we go to listen to these great men, we are definitely psychologically asleep, and very often even physically asleep! What is the first and foremost condition or qualification for being a true follower, a true disciple, or for even taking up the study of a scripture seriously? This definition is very beautifully put in that lovely scripture called the Yoga Vasistha. The fundamental requisite is that there should be a clear understanding and realisation that “I am trapped and I would like to be free from this trap.” If this is not there then the scriptures and lectures have no effect on us whatsoever. If you have the idea: “I am trapped, but I think I can find the way out”, then also there is no awakening. ‘I am trapped’ means I am trapped in every way, without redemption, without the possibility of an escape. Take, for instance, the problem of loneliness and boredom. What do we do in order to overcome this boredom or loneliness? We try to escape into something that only confirms that loneliness. We find ourselves a friend (with whom we are unable to relate) and enter into a relationship. So together there is a boredom, together there is a loneliness. Or, we turn on the tape recorder or record player, but that does not take our boredom away. We are masking that boredom, that loneliness, and trying to escape from it. Thus we enter into a deeper, more dangerous and deadly trap. If that is not clear then the inner awakening is not there. Is it possible to see that whatever we do we are in a trap? Anything that the mind creates is a trap. When there is this inner awakening then we will profit by scriptures and lectures–if we are not totally stupid and not, at the same time, enlightened. These are the qualifications. Totally stupid people have no problem at all, and the enlightened ones have no problem either. You and I, in the middle, are the ones harassed by problems. Total stupidity takes various forms but one characteristic is the ability to function as if intelligent. These people shy away from asking the right questions and can answer all the wrong questions. They are philosophers who can create a sense of intelligence without being intelligent. What are the right questions? That is the most important factor. “I am trapped wherever and which ever way I look. From morning till night I strive for happiness and I find nothing but unhappiness.” The very fact that we continue to strive for happiness shows that we are unhappy. Face it. Whatever we do in order to augment our happiness only destroys it. And yet intelligent people go on doing this. They want peace of mind and struggle for it. This struggle breaks the mind into several pieces. Then they catch hold of one little piece and think they are peaceful! That is the whole joke. Is that intelligence? Why is it that having understood this sequence of unfortunate events, we still pursue the game? If it is decided that it is not possible to attain peace of mind or happiness here, give up. Is that possible? No. Something still stirs inside: “I am trapped; it must be possible to get out of this; I would like to get out of this.” If this twin aspiration is there and if you are not completely stupid or enlightened, then you can proceed to understand the scriptures. And where the scripture is not meaningful, you can also take the help of a teacher. In the Katha Upanishad there is a beautiful declaration: uttishthata jagrata–wake up! No one else can do this for you. You can be the disciple of God Almighty Himself, but even He will not be able to wake up on your behalf. If you feel hungry, you yourself must eat. The guru is not going to do the eating for you. The guru may indicate to you, but it is your problem. And if you feel it is your problem, then you awaken, and then

Good Life and God-life Sri Swami Sivananda Peoplevery often fail to draw a distinction between good life and God-life or Divine Life. There are many well-intentioned individuals who think somewhat on the following lines: “Well, I am leading a good life. I am happily married. I live a clean life. I don’t drink; I don’t smoke; I have no bad habits. I am a vegetarian; I don’t take even eggs. I don’t cheat anyone. I earn by the sweat of my brow. What more do you want?”. Essentially, these are good people. They are certainly superior to the rogues and cheats and scoundrels of this world. They follow certain ethical codes. They pass for respectable citizens. All this is good. All these qualities make a good foundation. But, a foundation is not a building. It is not enough by itself. The superstructure, the building, has to come up. Goodness is not Godliness. Goodness makes for a good life in this world, but it will not bring spiritual salvation. The so-called good people are often selfish people tied down to their families and close friends. Their heart is still constricted. They are still followers of the Preyo Marga (path of immediate pleasure). They have some vague ideas about the Sreyo Marga (path of ultimate good), but are afraid to step on to the Sreyo Marga, afraid to pay the price of the Sreyo Marga. They have their fears about the sacrifices they will be called upon to make if they step onto the spiritual path. They cannot reconcile themselves to thoughts of making charity, loving strangers and enemies, eating in moderation, practising austerities, controlling anger and jealousy and things like that. If a person wants to register spiritual progress in life, he should first have this misunderstanding in his mind cleared. A good life is inadequate. What these people mean by ‘good life’ will be found to be, on close inspection, just a ‘non-evil life’. It is negative goodness. This alone will not do. Every man is a combination of beastliness, human nature and godliness. People who boast about their good life will generally be found to have transcended the beastly qualities in them, but that is only a beginning. They are still very much subject to the innumerable human foibles, failings and likes and dislikes. They suffer still from human vices like anger, jealousy and lust. Quite often they willjustify their wrong actions by expressing a thought like this: “Arey Yaar! After all, I am human. In a fit of passion, I made a mistake” or “In a fit of anger, I committed that crime” or “Under a sudden impulse of greed, I made that blunder”. These good people have still to conquer the human vices in them and cultivate the divine virtues or Daivi Sampat enunciated in the Gita. That is the beginning of spiritual practice. That is the beginning of a divine life. That is stepping on the road to Heaven. These men of little understanding–of meagre spiritual wisdom–identify good life with a pleasant life. They are men of weak will who are unwilling to face the unpleasantness and rigours of a truly spiritual life. You can see these people all over the world, in all walks of life, in all religions. Some of them openly deny the existence of God, but mostly affirm allegiance to formal religion, because they still have a flickering conscience. Their inner conscience, the voice of God within them, is still not completely stifled, is still not totally dead. Not only that. These friends suffer from a false sense of self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency. Since, by virtue of a little meritorious action in their previous lives, God has blessed them with creature comforts in the present life, they feel no need for any God, for any extraneous help. Their philosophy is: “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”. If you ask them, “What will happen to you in the next birth if you don’t accumulate merit by virtuous actions in the present birth?”, they have their ready answer which they fling at you “Who knows if there is another birth? Who knows what happens when you die?” For them, the present life is all. Even if you try to tell them about the reincarnation theory, which has been demonstrated and reinforced by the discovery of so many real-life instances and supporting evidence, they are in no mood to listen. They have a closed mind. They suffer from a sense of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency and self-justification are among the greatest stumbling blocks to spiritual progress. The man who is ignorant but is willing to take in wisdom from whatever source it comes, in other words, the ignorant but humble man, can be helped by a man of greater wisdom. The man who is already wise, but who is unable to practise his wisdom in daily life because of his overwhelming pride, also has a chance to improve, because his pride will encounter resistance from the universe and will be quelled in due course. Then he will become humble and will begin to live wisely. But the ignorant man who is at the same time arrogant, who is at the same time filled with the notion that he is all-wise, is the most difficult of all to reform. Even God cannot help him. His is a hopeless situation.

The Pure and the Impure Mind Sri Swami Sivananda The Sanskrit term for mind is Manas. Manas is said to be of two kinds, the pure and the impure. That which is associated with the thought of desire is the impure, while that which is without desire is the pure. The pure mind is otherwise known by the name higher mind. The impure mind is called lower mind. To men their mind alone is the cause of bondage or emancipation. That mind which is attracted by objects of sense tends to bondage, while that which is not attracted tends to emancipation. There is said to be salvation for a mind without a desire for sensual objects. An aspirant after emancipation should therefore render his mind ever free from all longing after material objects. The impure mind or Ashuddha Manas is filled with impure Vasanas (tendencies in the mind), Rajas and Tamas and the pure mind or Shuddha Manas is filled with pure Vasanas and Sattva. The impure Vasanas generate rebirths. The pure mind with pure Vasanas leads to Moksha or liberation from births and deaths. The worldly-minded persons work with the lower or the impure mind. They are bound by their Karmas. The liberated sages work with the pure or Sattvic mind (higher mind). They are not bound by their Karmas as they have no egoism and as they do not expect fruits for their actions. The impure mind is unsteady. It ever fluctuates. It jumps from one object to another. It ever hankers after sensual objects. It is filled with various sorts of fears and pains. The pure mind is steady. It does Brahma Vichara. It rests in Supreme Self. It does not move towards sensual objects. It is free from all sorts of fears and pains. The impure mind is no other than the Vasanas (subtle desires) that generate countless births. The mind becomes a prey to various kinds of desires through its fluctuation. Fluctuation is caused by Rajas and Vikshepa Shakti. When the mind fluctuates, it wanders from one object to another object. The Ajnani or worldly minded man is swayed by the impure mind. He acts according to the dictates of the lower or impure mind. But a sage or Jnani keeps his mind under his perfect control. He acts in accordance with the voice of his intuition. Just as a washerman removes dirt through dirt, just as a traveller removes the thorn in his foot through another thorn, so also the impure mind should be slain by the pure mind. He who has annihilated the lower or the impure mind drives away rebirths to a great distance from him. The pure Vasanas with which the sage performs actions cannot produce rebirths for him. All impure Vasanas are fried in toto when you get knowledge of the Self or Brahma Jnana. Meditation, Japa, Kirtan, practice of Pranayama, Brahma Vichara, study of religious books and Satsanga generate pure Vasanas. When the mind is freed from the desires for objects and when it rests in the Self or Atman, you will enjoy Eternal Bliss. When the mind is freed from all cravings or longing for objects, when it is controlled in the heart, when it attains the reality of the Atman, you will attain Moksha or the final beatitude of life. O beloved Ram! Do not allow your mind to fluctuate. Render your mind ever free from all longings after material objects. Annihilate the impure or lower mind with the help of the pure or the higher mind and transcend the higher mind also. May you be as firm as a rock! May you be endowed with the pure or Sattvic mind! May you ever rest peacefully in the All-blissful Self!

Pratyahara Sri Swami Sivananda The Yogic student should practise Pratyahara after getting some success in the practice of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama. Pratyahara is abstraction or withdrawal of the senses from their objects. The senses are held in check by this practice. Real inner life begins when the aspirant is established in this practice. That Yogic student who jumps at once to the practice of meditation without practising abstraction is a deluded soul. He will have no success in contemplation. Pratyahara checks the outgoing tendencies of the senses. It puts a break, as it were, on the senses. Pratyahara follows automatically the practice of Pranayama. When the life-force is controlled by the regulation or restraint of breath, the senses become thinned out. They are starved to death. They get emaciated. They cannot hiss now when they come in contact with the objects. Pratyahara is a trying discipline. It is disgusting in the beginning but later on it becomes very interesting. You will feel immense inner strength. It demands considerable patience and perseverance. It will give you tremendous power. You will develop immense will-power. During the course of practice, the senses will run again and again like a wild bull towards objects. You will have to withdraw them again and again and fix the mind on the Lakshaya or point. That Yogi who is well established in the practice of Pratyahara can meditate quite calmly even in the battlefield when countless machine-guns are fired. In the practice of Pratyahara you will have to drag the outgoing senses again and again from the sensual objects and fix the mind on your Lakshya or point, just as the cart-driver drags the impetuous bulls and fixes them to the yoke. You must take particular care to drag the senses gently. Some aspirants draw them vehemently. That is the reason why they experience a little headache sometimes. You should practise withdrawal of the senses one by one. dealing with the most turbulent senses in order. If you try to manipulate all the senses at one time, you will fail. Mind is the commander-in-chief. The senses are the soldiers. The senses cannot do anything without the co-operation of the mind. If you can disconnect the mind from the senses, there will be abstraction of the senses automatically. If one has intense Vairagya, practice of Pratyahara will be easy. Dispassion is the enemy of the senses. Some Yogic students practise Pratyahara for 2 or 3 years and yet do not attain success, the simple reason being that they have not yet fully annihilated the cravings and lurking desires. They get themselves attached to some sensual objects. Discrimination helps a great deal in attaining success in Pratyahara. A Bhakta or a devotee does not practise Pratyahara. He tries to get himself drowned in the Prem of the Lord. He attempts to fix his mind either at His lotus feet or charming face. Consequently he gets established in Pratyahara. A Raja Yogi practises Pratyahara deliberately. A Jnana Yogi does not practise Pratyahara but tries to identify himself with the hidden Self in all objects by negating the names and forms.

Garland of Vedanta Sri Swami Sivananda A Vedantin says, ‘Nothing is mine and everything is mine’. As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, ‘nothing is mine.’ As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, ‘everything is mine.’ He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithvi Tattva (Earth element) and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva (Water element) and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni Tattva (Fire element) and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva (Wind element) and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearing and the Akasa Tattva (Ether element) and so all the sounds and music belong to him. Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases. The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The onlookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat. Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: “Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation”? He replied, “I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss.” If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya. The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with they cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free. O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immortal blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning, when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say ‘I am 40 years of age’, ‘I am at death’s door’, ‘Time has passed away’, when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say ‘I am fat’, ‘I am 5 feet 6 inches’, when you are the Infinite? Why do you say ‘I have no money’, ‘I am very poor’, ‘I am penniless’, when you are the Emperor of the three worlds, the source of all wealth? Why do you say ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am your most obedient servant’, when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say, ‘I am miserable’, ‘I am restless’, when you are the embodiment of Bliss and Peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama, when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say ‘I am unwell’, ‘I am suffering from a chronic disease’, when you are all-health? Why do you say ‘I am ignorant’, ‘I know nothing’, when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free. Tat Tvam Asi–Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.