Vedantic Sadhana Sri Swami Chidananda O FRIEND! Why dost thou weep? Thou hast neither birth nor old age nor death. Thou hast neither passion nor craving. Thou hast neither gross nor subtle body. Thou hast neither mind nor Prana. Thou art the eternal, unchanging, all-pervading Self. Feel this and be free. O friend! Why dost thou grieve? Thou hast neither name nor form. Thou hast neither caste nor age. Thou hast neither sex nor Indriyas. Thou art neither strong nor weak. Thou hast neither father nor mother. Thou art ever free, pure, eternal immortal. Realise this and be free. Find out the real inner man. The real man is bodiless and formless. Do not identify the man with the outer food-sheath–Annamaya Kosha–or the physical body. The gross physical body is like the shell of a cocoanut. The real man is the Immortal Spirit, which cannot be annihilated. Man in essence is the Imperishable Atman. He is the silent witness of the three states, viz., Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti (waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states). Just as a rope is mistaken for a snake in the darkness, a post for a man, so also this impure body is mistaken for the pure Self through Avidya or ignorance. If you bring a light, the illusory snake in the rope will disappear. Even so, if you attain knowledge of the Self, the illusory identification with the body will vanish. The essential qualities of the man are not actually transferred to the post, nor the essential qualities of the post actually transferred to the man. Even so, consciousness does not belong to the body and the attributes of the body, such as decay and death, pleasure and pain, do not belong to the Self or Consciousness. If you have direct knowledge of the Supreme Self or Brahman through meditation, you will attain Immortality. There is no other way to reach the goal. If you know the Self you have gained the true end of life. You will be afraid of nothing. That Vastu or something which has neither beginning nor end is the Imperishable Brahman (Akshara). Akshara only is unchanging, infinite, eternal, self-luminous, indivisible, pure, perfect, ever free and independent. Akshara is your Immortal Soul. The fields or bodies are different but the knower of the field is one. Jivatmas are different but Paramatman is one. Wherever there is mind, there are Prana, egoism and Jiva-Chaitanya or reflected intelligence or Abhasa Chaitanya side by side. He who has the sense of duality (Dvaita Bhava) will take births again and again. This delusion of duality (Bheda Bhranti) can only be removed by the knowledge of identity of Jiva and Brahman. ‘Aham Sukhi–I am happy’, ‘Aham Duhkhi–I am miserable’, ‘Aham Karta–I am the doer’, ‘Aham Bhokta–I am the enjoyer’ is the experience of all human beings. Therefore the Jivatma is a Samsarin and is subject to pleasure and pain. Jivatmas are different in different bodies, whereas Paramatman is free from pleasure and pain. He is Asamsarin. He is eternally free. He is one. If there is only one Jivatma in all bodies, all should have similar experiences at the same time. If Rama suffers from abdominal colic, Krishna also should experience the pain at the same time. If John experiences joy, Jacob also should have a similar experience. If Choudhury is stung by a scorpion, Bannerjee also should suffer from the sting. But this is not the case. When Rama suffers, Krishna rejoices. When John is jubilant, Jacob is depressed. When Choudhury suffers from the sting of a scorpion, Bannerjee is enjoying his breakfast. Jivatma in essence is identical with Para-Brahman. Fields are different, bodies are different, minds are different and Jivatmas or individual souls are different. But the knower or Paramatman in all these fields or bodies is one. The Self is not affected by pleasure and pain, virtue and vice. He is the silent witness only. Pleasure and pain are the Dharmas of the mind only. They are ascribed to the Self through Avidya or ignorance. The ignorant man only regards the physical body as the Self. He is swayed by the two currents of Raga Dvesha and does virtuous and vicious actions, reaps the fruits of these actions, viz., pleasure and pain and takes births again and again. But the sage who knows that the Self is distinct from the body is not swayed by Raga Dvesha. He identifies himself with the pure eternal Brahman and is always happy and actionless, though he performs actions for the welfare of the humanity. The disease Timira which causes perception of what is contrary to truth pertains to the eye but not to the man who perceives. If the Timira is removed by proper treatment, he perceives things in their true light. Even so, ignorance, doubt, pleasure and pain, virtue and vice, Raga Dvesha, false perception, non-perception of truth as well as their cause belong to the instrument, viz., mind, but not to the silent witness. The wheel of Samsara or the world’s process rotates on account of Avidya. It exists only for the ignorant man who perceives the world as it appears to him. There is no Samsara for a liberated sage. Any disease of the eye cannot in any way affect the sun. The breaking of the pot will not in any way affect the pot-ether. The water in the mirage cannot render the earth moist. Even so, Avidya and its effects cannot in the least affect the pure, subtle, attributeless, formless, limbless, partless and self-luminous Self. Avidya can do nothing to the Self. Avidya or ignorance born of Tamas acts as a veil and prevents man from knowing his essential Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahmic nature. It causes perception of what is quite the contrary of truth, or causes doubt or non-perception of truth. As soon as knowledge of the Self dawns, the three forms of Avidya vanish in toto. Therefore the three forms of Avidya are not attributes of the Self. They belong to the mind, the organ or

Guru Sharana Yoga Sri Swami Chidananda The Lord is gracious. He has given you countless opportunities to evolve and attain Him. He has assured us in the Gita that whenever there is decay of righteousness, He manifests Himself. He comes to us in various forms. He comes to you as your spiritual preceptor. One who has realised Him partakes of His Power and Grace. For Sadhaka the Guru is God Himself. The Guru can shower his grace upon you all; and he can enlighten you. He is the visible representative of the Lord. But you must serve the Guru, prostrate to Him, surrender yourself to him and through enquiry, you must obtain from him the knowledge of the Self. Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru will take you to God immediately. People generally complain, “We do not get good Guru these days?” This is a lame excuse. You can make even an ordinary spiritual aspirant as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a cocoanut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not cocoanut. In your heart there is Bhava, that it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it does not really exist. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is his determination. Even so, the defects of the aspirant-Guru do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should defy and superimposeall the attributes of the Lord on the Guru. Guru, Ishwar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own Self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru. When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only will you have faith. Through strong faith, you will then and there, realise Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become like the famous Bhakta Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahman incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata. Guru and the disciple should be well acquainted with the nature of each other. The student should know thoroughly well the ideals and principles of his Guru and the disciple should lay bare before his preceptor all his weaknesses and shortcomings. He should allow himself to be tested in the crucible of sufferings by his Guru in a variety of ways so that he may have full confidence in the disciple. The disciple also should come in closer contact with the Guru during his service and try to imbibe all his good qualities. He must place before him all his difficulties and then alone the teacher can remove the pitfalls and snares through efficient and potent means. Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Maheswara in human form. The outer cloak should not make you think that he is an ordinary man. If you serve your Guru, with full devotion and faith, Realisation will come in the twinkling of an eye or within the time taken to squeeze a rose flower in the palm of your hand. Unless you have faith in the Lord and devotion to the Guru, you cannot understand the real truths of Vedanta, you will not be able to raise the Brahmakara Vritti. Only when all the Vishayakara Vrittis subside will the Brahmakara Vritti arise in the Sattwic mind which is equipped with the four means and with the instructions of the Guru. Again and again the Vishayakara Vrittis manifest into the mind lake. All these Vishayakara Vrittis will subside if you meditate on Om. The one Brahmakara Vritti arises. This Brahmakara Vritti destroys ignorance and its effects and brings Enlightenment. Your foremost duty, along with your daily duties, is to raise this Brahmakara Vritti by doing Japa of Om, by meditating on Om, and by studying Upanishads. You will then become One with Brahman. You will go beyond grief and delusion, you will attain the Supreme by the knowledge of Brahman.

Not Work But Sadhana For Self-Realisation We should not regard the anniversary celebrations of the press just like anniversaries celebrated by all institutions at the commencement of every new year of their existence. I shall explain the unique significance of this institution to recall which we are assembled on this great day. By merely staying here on this holy spot on the banks of the Ganges one gets Eternal Bliss and perennial peace. In this great place we have the blessed good fortune to serve a God-realised sage. This work is equal in merit to the great Yajnas which the great Rishis in days of yore performed and the Tapas (austerities) they practised. Only the form and the name are different but the essential inner spirit is the same in the case of both. The seekers living in those ages were able to do a particular kind of Sadhana, Tapasya of a certain kind, Yajna of a certain kind. Such practices are not possible nowadays. The physical body of the average man of today is considerably weaker than that of the people who lived in the previous Yugas. Our great ancestors often lived for thousands of years. In this age even though the life-span is considered to be a hundred years, most people do not reach even half that age. The great Rishis, in their compassion, have prescribed a very easy Sadhana for us: we can easily realise God by doing a little bit of Japa and engaging ourselves in the ceaseless service of God-realised souls. During the period of our work, we should keep mentally repeating the Lord’s Name. Hath-me Kam Mukh-me Nam:the hands to work and the lips to the repetition of the Lord’s Name. “Work is worship” is the great ideal placed before us by Gurudev. If you have this Bhavana, the work that you do is not work but a great Sadhana for Self-realisation. It is Yajna. It is Tapasya. Do not be bothered about the exterior form of the work. Try to understand the inner significance. The musician shakes his head and body in the process of singing. It is not as though he is sitting and shaking his body. His main object is to create sweet music. Similarly, even though from the external point of view you are composing, printing, binding or reading proofs, you are in reality doing a great Sadhana. The great man who does Puja in the Mandir the great Sevak who serves Swamiji personally in his Kutir, the great Yogi who meditates on the Ganges bank for four hours a day and the great worker who operates the printing machine or composes or binds the books–all of them are engaged in doing the same meritorious Sadhana that will yield the highest fruit of Self-realisation. The foremost thing here is the Bhava. If your Bhava is that you are doing every work for the purpose of attaining God then your work will be transformed into Sadhana. It may be that for the purpose of earning your livelihood you have taken up a job. But if you have this sublime Bhava, you will not only get your salary, but you will eventually attain Moksha, too! People generally say that here we are engaged only in dynamic work: it is so only for the man whose eyes are open, but who does not really see. Arjuna was seeing Krishna everyday; but till Krishna gave him the Divya Chakshus, he did not realise that Krishna was all-pervading Divinity. Similarly, even though all that goes on here is dynamic work, with the proper inner Bhavana, we will see that it is all Sadhana for Self-realisation. If you go to a power-house you will see only dirt and grease everywhere and all the workers are dirty wearing clothes soiled with oil and grease. But the effect of all this is that for hundreds of miles around there is light and all kinds of wonderful comforts and conveniences due to the electricity produced at the powerhouse. Their work dispels darkness in thousands of homes for miles around. Similarly, through all the work that you are doing here, Gurudev’s message spreads far and wide, shedding light where there is darkness, bringing peace to where there is disharmony, ushering in happiness where misery reigned. These are Swamiji’s ideals and his mission in life and this is the work that you are doing as his instruments. This is the Lord’s work: the work of saving people from the clutches of Maya and of enabling them to realise their Self. And that is the work Gurudev is doing. You have all done intense Tapasya in thousands of lives: it is only due to that you are enjoying the privilege of serving Gurudev. You are engaged in Vishwa-Kalyan Yajnaor Lok-samgraha. You are all highly evolved souls. This great good fortune only one in millions can get. May you all enjoy the Highest Bliss.

Significance of Grihastha Ashrama or Married Life Sri Swami Chidananda What is the central, root note in the message of Sri Gurudev to the world, to all beings today? To my mind, the central note of Gurudev’s message of divine life is, “Remember, the goal of your life is to realise God.” You have come here to somehow or other attain God-vision and become blessed. That is the meaning of life. That is the purpose of life. That is the great duty on earth. That is what makes a human being a human being, and this central message of divine life is to be followed in all stages of man’s life. No one is debarred from living upto this message of divine life. Divine life is not meant for Sanyasins only, but it is meant for Grihasthas also. Grihasthashrama was conceived of as a wonderful means of preparing oneself for whole time quest after Truth. It is only when a man can do whole time Sadhana, he is fit to take up Sanyasa. Being in Grihasthashrama is like fighting inside a fort. In the Grihasthashrama you have got greater protection and with this protection you go on working out your Sadhana, and the wife is called Saha-dharmini. She aids you to fulfil Dharma. And what is Dharma? The highest conception of Dharma is fulfilment of duty, and the message of Divine life shows that the sole purpose of life is God-realisation and therefore, they are two in one, each aiding the other. That is the conception of Grihasthaashrama in the Hindu view of life. In fact, all Ashramas were made to work out this single ideal only. Gurudev has wonderfully said how the Grihastha supports all the other Ashramas. The Brahmachari does not earn. The Vanaprasthi does not earn, and the Sanyasin does not earn. Then who earns? Speaking from the worldly point of view, it is only the Grihasthi that earns. The student earns knowledge. He studies and imbibes knowledge. The Vanaprasthi and the Sanyasin do not earn. Thus the Grihastha single handedly supports the other Ashramas. In the East, we are worshippers of Parashakti. Our conception of womanhood is that of motherhood. Therefore, we worship women as mother. To us mother comes first. Matri devo bhava, Pitri devo bhava.Mother is mentioned first and then only the father. Again, Twameva Mata cha Pita Twameva. The transforming power of the silent Grihalakshmi creates the atmosphere of the home. The atmosphere of the house is created by the magnetic power of the Grihalakshmi. It is she who creates Bhav (feeling) in the children. It is she who has got the power not only to change the environment of the household, but to change her husband himself through her household Dharma. Therefore it is said that woman it is that leads the man. It is true in the spiritual field also. But the unseen power of the Grihalakshmi should be reciprocated by the husband. The virtuous life of the wife should bring about a transforming influence on the life of the husband, and the virtuous life of the husband should bring about a transforming influence on the life of the wife. Householder’s life is also a life of Yoga. It is also a life of Brahmacharya. It is a life of Brahmacharya in the sense it is a life of self-restraint and indulgence in moderation. We have always thought that householder’s life is something against Sadhana. No. No doubt, the life of a Sanyasin can be compared to an ocean if the life of a householder is compared to a small drop. The Sanyasin is like a blazing Sun, if the householder is like the flame of a candle. But these comparisons are true only between an ideal Sanyasin and a deluded, ignorant, passionate householder. But an ideal householder is equal to a Sanyasin. All glory to that householder who keeps Realisation as his ultimate aim. He is the ideal of the Gita. He practises Nivritti (renunciation) in Pravritti (life in the world). The householder’s life is based on Anasakti (non-attachment). The householder should have no cravings. His is a life dedicated to service. Such a householder is a Sanyasin. Nivritti in and through Pravritti. Nivritti should go hand in hand with Pravritti. After marriage one should not think that he can lead a life of indulgence. Once you are caught up in indulgence, you cannot get proper Nivritti. Therefore, the householder should remember that his life is a life of preparation for Sanyas, a preparation for getting ready for whole time dedication to Sadhana. The householder is like a bud. But the Sanyasin is the full-blossomed flower. What a joy mental renunciation will give! One should be in the world but not of the world. One should be in the world, but be out of the world. A boat can help many people to cross a river as long as it is on the water, but if it allows the water to get into it, it will sink. Similarly the householders may be in the world, but the world (or worldliness) should not get in them. The householder’s life is like cutting down a tree first by cutting its individual branches and then cutting the tree itself. But Sanyas is like cutting down the main trunk of the tree itself at its very start. A householder need not entertain the fear that since he has entered the Grihasthashrama, he will not be able to do whole time Sadhana at any time in his life. If a householder lives an ideal life, God bestows His grace and makes everything easy for his Sadhana. Married couples should live a life of joined, co-operative harmonious quest after God. They should ever remember this central message that in and through their household life they should ever try to attain perfection, by which alone one crosses beyond all fear and one becomes established in the glorious consciousness of eternal freedom, infinite peace, and eternal life. Every house

Atma-Samyama Yoga Sri Swami Sivananda Self-control is an indispensable requisite for the living of a truly spiritual life. You may possess sublime sentiments and noble intentions. But when you have no self-control you will be a slave to baser passion. You will succumb to every temptation and commit endless wrong actions. You want to lead a spiritual life but due to weak will, lack of self-control you fail. Self-control leads to the highest merit. Self-control is the eternal duty of man. Self-control surpasses in merit, charity, sacrifice and study of the Vedas. Self-control increases your energy. Self-control is highly sacred. Through self-control you will be purified of all your sins, and thereafter you will acquire the highest blessedness. Through self-control you can enjoy the highest happiness both in this world and in the next. The self-controlled man sleeps happily and awakes happily and moves through the world happily. He is always cheerful. The man who is without self-control always suffers misery. He brings upon himself many calamities, all begotten by his own faults. Forgiveness, patience, abstention from injury, impartiality, truth, sincerity, control of the senses, cleverness, mildness, modesty, firmness, liberality, freedom from anger, contentment, sweetness of words, benevolence, freedom from malice–all these combined make up self-control. It also consists of respect for the preceptor and mercy for all. The man of self-control avoids both adulation and slander. Depravity, infamy, falsehood, lust, covetousness, pride, arrogance, self-edification, fear, envy and disrespect are all shunned by the man of self-control. That eternal region of Brahman, the goal of Vedic penances can only be acquired by self-control. The self-controlled man is never fettered by attachments originating from earthly connections and sentiments. There is only one fault in self-control. No second fault is seen in it. A man who has self-control is considered by man as weak. But, by forgiveness the man of self-control easily acquires the Sovereignty of the three worlds. That is a forest where the man of self-control lives. That is ever a very sacred place. Of what use is the forest to a man of self-control? Of what use is the forest to him who has no self-control? Every sort of excitement is quietly controlled by self-control. The self-controlled man sees his numberless enemies such as lust, desire, anger, etc., as if these dwell in a separate body. A self-controlled man should equip himself with nobility, calmness of nature, contentment, faith, forgiveness, simplicity, absence of talkativeness, humility, reverence for elders, benevolence, mercy for all creatures, frankness, abstention from talk upon Kings and men in authority, from all false, useless topics and applause and censure of others. He is devoted to universal benevolence. He never feels animosity for any one. He is tranquil like a calm ocean. He is wise and ever cheerful. He is endowed with intelligence. He never fears any creature and is feared by no creature in return. Overcoming lust and anger, practising the vow of Brahmacharya and becoming a complete master of his senses, the Brahmana practising patiently the austerest penances and observing the most rigid restraint, should live in this world calmly waiting for his time like one seeming to have a body though fully knowing that he is not subject to destruction. Control anger by practice of Kshama, love, Dhairya, patience and Nirabhimanata (absence of egoism). When anger is controlled, it will be transmuted into an energy by which you can move the whole world. Anger is a modification of passion. If you can control lust you have already controlled anger. Drink a little water when you become angry. It will cool the brain and calm the excited, irritated nerves. Repeat OM SANTI ten times. Count twenty. By the time you finish counting twenty, anger will have subsided. Try to nip anger when it tries to emerge out from the subconscious mind to the surface of the conscious mind. Watch the small impulse or wave of irritability carefully. Then it will be more easy. Take all precautions. Do not allow it to burst out and assume a wild form. If you find it extremely difficult to control it, leave the place at once and take a brisk walk for half-an-hour. Pray to God. Do Japa. Meditate on God. You will gain immense strength. Be careful in the selection of your company. Have congenial company. Move with Sannyasins, Bhaktas and Mahatmas. Read Gita and Yoga Vasishta. Observe Brahmacharya. Take Sattwic food, milk, fruit, etc. Give up hot curries and chutnies, meat, alcohol and smoking. Tobacco makes your heart irritable (tobacco heart). It produces nicotine poison. Talk little. Much energy is wasted by idle gossiping and tall talk. All energies must be conserved and transmuted into Ojas Shakti or spiritual energy. This will help meditation. Observe the vow of silence for three hours on Sundays. Silence develops the Will Force, checks the force of Sankalpa and gives peace of mind. You will get the power of endurance. You will not tell lies. You will have control over speech. Your energy will remain conserved. It will curb the impulse to speak. The real Mowna comes only when there is absence of duality and separation when all mental Vrittis or modifications cease. This is the Maha Mowna (Greatest Silence). Maha Mowna is Parabrahman. Maha Mowna is Existence. When you talk only on spiritual topics, when you talk encouraging words to cheer up the depressed, it is also considered as Mowna. The self-controlled man becomes desirous of liberation. He quietly bears present joys and griefs and he is never overjoyed or depressed by prospective ones. He is well balanced. He has good manners. He is a perfect master of his passions. He gains honours in the world. He makes all creatures gain what they cannot acquire without his help; rejoices and becomes happy.

Essential Ingredients of a Victorious Spiritual Life Sri Swami Chidananda When the forces of the celestials were unable to overcome the dark and gross forces of the demoniacal hosts, they appealed to the supreme grace that God is to grant them a leader, a commander, so that they might once again rally their forces, give battle in a decisive manner, and thus triumph over the forces of darkness. The battle represents the eternal struggle, the eternal tension within the field of consciousness of each individual psyche, the two-way pull between the positive and the negative, between the gross and the subtle, between light and darkness, between Spirit and that which holds it bound to its present state–a situation, a state of being that is inexplicable, and, therefore, is termed as the cosmic illusion of the eternal enchantress or the great power of Brahman, maya. It is this tension that is enacted and resolved in the six-day worship of Lord Karthikeya. Karthikeya has as His banner the emblem of a cock, the cock that crows in the morning waking you up from the deep slumber of the night’s darkness and calling you towards the dawn that is about to break over the hilltops. Uttishthata jagrata–arise, awake, and gather all your forces together by patient and diligent effort. Gather together the scattered rays of your entire personality potential–your physical activity, your sentiments, attachments, affections, emotions, love–gather them together and let them become concentrated towards one goal, one attainment, one supreme experience, one realisation. Ekagrata (one-pointedness) is the hallmark of the true seeker, aspirant, yogi, sadhaka–the unification of your entire being and directing it towards the Supreme Reality. It is the alpha and omega of all spiritual life, of the science of yoga and attainment. It is the practical inner aspect of the outer framework and structure of the phenomenon called the religion of man. It is the gathering together of your entire personality potential, of the scattered rays of your mind that are divided amongst the innumerable objects of your senses, withdrawing them from all the things that keep on distracting your mind, gathering the mind together by patient discipline, by continued, unremitting effort, taking keen interest in this process–not doing it half-heartedly or unwillingly, but with great enthusiasm, patience and diligence. It takes a long period of time, for it is the reversal of your nature as was created by the Creator or the Powers that be. It is a renewal of your entire consciousness. It is a rebirth in purity, and a spiritual awareness of your eternal linkage with the cosmic Spirit Divine. It is a total unification of your entire being into one keen single point and directing it towards the great Goal. Thus Karthikeya is a wielder, not of a sword, not of a mace or a discuss or a trident, He is the wielder of a single, sharp one-pointed spear, indicating to us: Come, be unified in toto, by patience and diligence, through abhyasa (practice)–never again allowing a reversal of this unification, never allowing the scattered rays of your physical activity to be dispersed among the trivia of this daily life, not allowing the mind to become dispersed towards sense objects, not allowing the affections of your heart to become diversified, distracted and drawn outside, not allowing the intellect to pursue mere intellectual, hair-splitting processes in this temporary, universal appearance, which is a long dream. And support your abhyasa with vairagya (dispassion). Support your yoga with the rock of self-restraint, of samyama. Make samyama the bedrock, the foundation stone to build up the structure of yoga, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Make your life a grand and glorious edifice whose pinnacle point is the Supreme Reality. This unification, Karthikeya stands for. This wakefulness, Karthikeya stands for. This alertness and vigilance, Karthikeya stands for. And these are the essential ingredients of a successful sadhaka. They are the essential ingredients of a victorious life spiritual. Thus may your efforts be directed–physical, mental, intellectual, emotional. May all your efforts be unified and directed towards the attainment of the divine destiny for which you have come on earth, by attaining which alone your life becomes fulfilled, your life becomes complete. Otherwise, it is incomplete. Even if you have the wealth of the three worlds, yet your life remains incomplete. Towards this completion, towards this fulfilment, may you live every moment of your wakeful life, and in this effort may Lord Karthikeya bless you with success!”

Crown of Human Achievement Sri Swami Sivananda Numerous have been the saints and sages, in every land and clime, who have proclaimed the unmistakable actuality of transcendental spiritual experience. The combined pleasure of all worldly enjoyments is nothing compared to the superlative all-full bliss experienced in Samadhi. That is why the Rishis of yore have defined God as that attaining which nothing else remains to be attained, nothing else remains to be desired. God-realisation is the crown of human achievement. God-realisation, let me repeat, is the crown of all human attainments. We are born to realise God. Human birth has no greater significance. Human birth is not granted to us that we may consider reaching into space or diving into the ocean depths as the zenith of our endeavours. These are of mundane value and much lesser than mastering one’s mind and unfolding one’s spiritual potentialities. Detonating nuclear bombs and shooting rockets into space may excite the mind, but they cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger of the people. They cannot bring peace of mind to the human race. In the recent past, science and technology have made tremendous strides for the good as well as for the potential evil of man. They reflect a great spirit of adventure and extraordinary human ingenuity in inventing marvellous devices. The energy is there, the inventive genius is there, the spirit of discovery is there, but, alas, it is all diverted into exclusively material spheres, without taking into consideration the spiritual growth of man. Science has progressed, no doubt, but, at what cost? Science has contributed to the welfare of humanity but its misuse has tragically left in its wake devastation and desolation, fear and moral degradation. Science has taken strides forward and spiritual values of life have deteriorated. Civilisation is said to have progressed, but its signs of progress are marred by the increasing number of mental hospitals, divorce courts, juvenile courts, psychiatric clinics and penitentiaries. Stem the tide and change the course. Let there be a balanced progress of science and moral values. Live a balanced life. Manifest the basic virtues in daily life. Take to Yoga. You will reap a rich harvest. You will gain vigour of body, clarity of intellect, peace of mind and enrichment of soul. Yoga is a way of life. It is life in the spirit. Yoga is not a dogma or a creed or a religion. It is the science of life itself, of integral self-development, of harmonious living. Root your life in strong ethical foundations. Without an ethical base, spirituality cannot live. Draw inspiration from the ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ Control the mind and senses. Purify and expand your heart. Serve the Lord in the suffering. Adapt, adjust, accommodate. The West and the East are no longer strangers to one another. Humanity is gradually waking up to its spiritual responsibility. A powerful force is at work. A spiritual revolution is taking place on a global scale, bringing the East and the West closer. Play your part nobly and well in this revolution of unity, of universal love, of blending science and spirituality for the good of man. May God lead us all from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.

Philosophy of the Mind Sri Swami Sivananda “Bhoomir-apo analo vayuh kham mano buddhirevacha, Ahamkara itiyam me bhinna prakritirashtadha.” According to Sankhya cosmology, mind is the fourth principle that has emanated from the self-asserting principle Ahamkara or egoism or Asmita. Prakriti or Avyaktam (matter in an unmanifested state) is styled as ‘Ashtangi’ or eightfold Prakriti (Prakritirashtadha). Mind is one of the eight limbs or Ashtanga. Mind is itself a word whose meaning is extremely vague, one incapable of being clearly defined except in terms of some questionable and speculative hypothesis. No one can point to a mind and say: “That is what I mean the word mind shall denote.” Mind consists of a bundle of faculties, as the faculties of cognition or perception, volition or will, imagination, judgment, reason, understanding, memory, etc. Character concerns the affective or conative organism of the mind. Knowledge concerns the cognitive organism. There are different channels of communication through which the cognitive and conative faculties are directed. There is only one mind which has diverse names according to the plane on which it functions, viz., the subjective mind, the objective mind, the universal mind (cosmic consciousness), or the superconscious mind, the subconscious mind, the instinctive mind, the spiritual mind. The Vishaya or function of the mind is cognition (Sankalpa-Vikalpa or will, thought, doubt). The ‘doubting mind’ is collective aggregate of all Jnana-Indriyas ororgans of sensation or perception.Mind is below Will and above Prana or energy ormatter. Mind isa relative manifestation of the Absolute. Mind is positive to Energy and Matter, but negative to Will, which is again positive to mind, but negative to Atman. Mind when purified becomes your real Guru. You will hear the voice of silence. You will getanswers for your unsolvable problems. A pure mind is no longer subtle matter but the Brahman itself. The original home for the mind is Omkara in the Sahasrara or thousand-petalled lotus. Mind has become impure by your own desires. How the pureBrahman has become the impure Jivais a life problem that has baffled all human efforts for a clear, correct and satisfactory solution. This is a quest which has no answer. This is the mystic side of nature. You cannot solve celestial, divine problems, thatbelong to supramental planes, with the finite intellect of the physical plane. Develop intuition. Acquire transcendental wisdom. Look within through cosmic consciousness. Then you willget a real, solution. Through the searchlight of the concentrated mind, you will have to behold the treasures of the soul or Atman. Just as rays permeate solid bones or blocks of wood, the concentrated mental rays of a focussed mind will pass through the different forms of matter and reveal their real nature. During cosmic consciousness, you are aware of the oneness of life. You will find that there is no such thing as dead matter, but that all is alive, vibrating and intelligent. You will see the universe as all-Atman, which is the essence or background of this sense universe, of this world of Dvandvas or opposites, of this world of mere conceptions or ideas, of this world of names and forms. In Svarga or paradise or heaven, you are in the ‘thought world’. You feel or experience no pain. Why? Because you get whatever you think or imagine. Your desires are immediately gratified. Your thought matter instantaneously materialises, crystallises and precipitates before you. You are satisfied. But this is not real. The science of Raja Yoga or mental Yoga deals with the methods of controlling the ever oscillating mind under the command of the will, which is in the centre of. Atman. Manoyama (control of the mind) is superior to Pranayama (control of the breath); but the Adhikaris or qualified persons for practice of Manoyama should be very intelligent with bold understanding and tremendous will. Sit on Padma or Siddha Asana facing east or north. Make Trataka or Dharana (concentration) on Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows with closed eyes. Control the force of thought by meditation on Pranava or Om and its meaning. Practise regularly from 1/2 to 2 or 3 hours daily. You will become a Yogi and an Atma Jnani soon.

Brush Yoga Sri Swami Sivananda Concentration of mind for which the Yogi practising the Yoga of Patanjali Maharishi has to struggle hard, comes easily and effortlessly to the Brush Yogi. The landscape before him or the inspiration within him at once subdue all other Vrittis (thought waves) and the Vritti of the Perfect Beauty alone remains behind. Perfect Beauty is the nearest approximation to God, or the Absolute. By experience and keen observation the painter or the artist discovers what is particular and uncommon in every object he sees. He has clearly understood the common nature of the objects. By long and intense contemplation, he has found out that there is some defect in every object; the same defect is not found in all objects. The particular or uncommon feature in an object is its highlight; the defects are its dark points. The artist seeking out Perfect Beauty in these objects, tries to reconstruct Nature by synthesising all the great characteristics found in various objects and by removing all the blemishes that mar the beauty of those objects. Thus he arrives at Ideal Beauty: and the method that he has adopted is precisely the same that the Jnana Yogi adopts in arriving at the consciousness of the Absolute (i.e.,the method of negating all the imperfections that exist in the sense-objects as they are contradicted by others, by asserting the perfections that lie beyond these imperfections and finally by diving deep into these perfections to discover the Absolute which is Perfect, Infinite and Immortal). The artist’s studio is to him what a cave is to a Jnana Yogi. This Ideal Beauty is not the product of the finite intellect of the artist. No artist, however much he struggles with the help of his little intellect, can ever arrive at the Ideal Beauty. Ideal Beauty is the Light that descends into his consciousness when the intellect has ceased to function. Long and protracted concentration on the Perfection which is the substratum of all imperfections in Nature, persistent application of the Neti-Neti doctrine by which all imperfections and blemishes are negated as “Not this, not this” ultimately lead the artist to the realm of the superconscious, where the unthought Truth reveals itself to the heart of the artist. In this enlightened heart is born real art. Thus the artist is a Dhyana Yogi or Raja Yogi. This method of arriving at the Ideal Beauty precludes the artist getting attached to any particular object or conception. The real artist should be pre-equipped with the sword of discrimination with which he ruthlessly slays the imperfections and limitations that hide the spark of Perfection that is the Reality of every object. He perceives an object, at once separates the Reality from the appearance, the Substratum from the sheaths, the Truth from the limitations. No doubt it was the object that inspired him; but his inner consciousness does not receive the consciousness as it is, but the Truth underlying what appears to be. There this spark of Knowledge is added to the store of knowledge thus acquired before and the Ideal grows clearer within. A stage is soon arrived at, when the artist feels that art itself is a step in the ladder at the top-rung of which is his goal. Art, he realises, had turned his vision inwards in quest of truth. The quest now takes a different turn altogether. He feels that Ideal Beauty exists only in the Self, the Beauty of beauties. Thenceforward, he strives to realise the Self, even abandoning the art which had served only as a ladder to ascend to the threshold of Self-realisation. That indeed is the goal of this glorious Brush Yoga. Brush Yoga includes not only the art of painting, but all the plastic arts, sculpture, architecture, even photography. If you closely analyse the stages that precede the birth of a great work of art, you will readily discover that art is a kind of Upasana or devotional practice. First, the artist gets into the mood; his mind becomes calm and serene. It is like the stage when the aspirant is ready for meditation. With this serene mind he begins to contemplate upon a concrete object, the thing that he wishes to express in his work of art. This is the commencement of meditation. The third stage is when the object is transformed within the consciousness of the artist into a symbol. The name and the form have lost their value and out of them arises a symbol, an ideal. This ideal rising within the inward consciousness of the artist, attracts to itself, like crystal a number of other ideal concepts. This is meditation. The next stage, if it can be termed a stage, is beyond thought. It is the field of intuition. The work of art is born within the artist’s consciousness, intuitively. It is like Samadhi. Then the artist comes down to external consciousness and thinks of translating the vision into an artistic form. He selects the material and method of achieving this aim. This is more akin to the sage’s Lokasamgraha Karma, or service of humanity. The final stage is, of course, the actual reproduction on the canvas or in stone, the symbol that was intuitively born within the consciousness of the artist. This is the actual Lokasamgraha Karma of a Jivanmukta. By its very nature, all works of art share the imperfections of phenomena for that intuitive realisation of the artist is of a realm far beyond the mundane, and no brush can paint it and no chisel can shape it. It is this factor that leads the dissatisfied artist to excel himself every time, and finally to discover the Beauty of beauties within himself in his Self. The artist is a very great Karma Yogin, too. In how many hearts devotion to God is aroused by a great work of art. How wonderful are Ravi Varma’s pictures of Gods! How charming is the picture of Murali Manohar painted by Sri Nathu Ram! The picture

Sri Swami Sivananda’s Favourite Formula Sri Swami Sadananda The best way in which we can benefit ourselves whether we are near Swami Sivananda or away from him, is by carrying out his advice, and because there are so many things which he has written about in more than 250 books, it may be impossible for us, ordinary people, to understand everything, even if we have time to read everything. Therefore, he has been so kind as to condense all his teaching into a few words which constitute what may be called the Mantra that he is uttering everyday in our hearing, so that it might sink deep in our minds and enable us to meditate upon its meaning. I am referring to what he always says at the end of the Sat Sang, “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise, Be good, Do good, Be kind, Be compassionate, Enquire, ‘Who am I?’, Know the Self and Be free.” I consider that this is his favourite formula, the Mantras that he is giving as Upadesh not in the formal way, but in the really valuable way to all people, who come and visit him here and this is a Mantra that has also spread in all parts of the world. If we are to benefit ourselves by the Grace that God has shown to us by giving us this Guru, so that we may improve, the best way is to think about its meaning and act according to it in the best manner possible for us. Just think about the meaning of these words, “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise.” Each one of these words has been specially chosen and the word coming after the previous one comes with a purpose. It is not placed without any thought. Even a person in the lowest stage of spiritual evolution can enter into the path of progress, or evolution, only by serving others. That is the first thing that we have to do. Serve everybody as much as you can in the manner in which you are fitted to serve. Now, spiritual service, is selfless service. When you remember that you are part of the universe, that you cannot live independently of the universe, that you partake of the blessing that God is conferring upon you only through others who are living in this universe, your sense of duty will tell you that you have to serve others. Otherwise you will be selfish. Nobody in this universe can live independently. He lives only because there are others who help him in some fashion or other. Therefore, service is only a return for the obligation that we have received and are continuing to receive from others in the world. So, that is the first thing. Whenever you do anything, remember that you are doing it as a sort of repayment of the debt that you have received from other people. Then if you want to have a little better position in the spiritual field than you are having, you must invest a little more in the form of service to mankind. If you have put money in the bank you can take that money from the bank. But if you want to have more credit, do not take away all the money you have put there; but go on increasing your investment. Therefore, serve the world a little more than you have a claim to receive from the world. So, that is the first thing, Karma Yoga. So, then, in this Mantra, the first thing that is taught is Karma Yoga. Naturally, when you have developed this feeling that you are part of this universe and it is your duty to do something for the universe, the next stage is reached that you should love the universe. Here also we are only returning the love that we are receiving from other people. Love has been shown to us by the parents from the day on which we were born. In our childhood, the whole world loved us. Who does not love a child? Therefore, even in returning, we have to return much more than what we have received. And unless there is love in the world, there cannot be any kind of harmony even in our own little family or community even in the immediate neighbourhood where we live, unless we received love and give love there cannot be any happiness, and mind you, love is the life of Bhakti Yoga. If you love in the manner in which you ought to, you are loving the world, recognising that every person has got in him the all-pervading Atman and that every person functions on account of the presence of God in him. When you recognise that you are able to talk intelligently to other people, only because God gives you that intelligence, when you recognise God everywhere, automatically, you love everyone. Then, ‘Give’. That is a very important advice that has to be given to a man. In the Upanishads there is a story that once thunder was heard as “Da Da Da” by Asuras, Devas and men. Those who heard the three words, Da Da Da, understood them in their own respective ways. The Devas said, ‘This is the teaching God has given us, because we do not have Dama (restraint).’ Devas are known for their want of restraint, and therefore they felt, ‘We must have restraint. We are running towards the enjoyment of pleasures. We must have a little more control.’ And the advice was taken by men as Dana (charity). The tendency for human beings is to receive and not to give. Asuras have no Daya. Dana is very important for men. If you search your heart, you will find that out of necessity you will pay something, give something and even supposing you had given very willingly, you will be thinking about it and taking pride in your heart of hearts for having given something, though you may not show the pride you feel. When you have given