Sivananda Yoga, Talk-ONE Gurudev’s Yoga was Integral Yoga, represented by the four words “serve, love, meditate, realise”. Integral Yoga suggests not a step-by-step progression, but an expansion of integrated consciousness. There is a slight difference. Take for instance the famous word ‘Ashtanga’ in raja yoga. It is not one step following another, but more like the birth and growth of a baby. On the very first day the baby has all the limbs of the future grown-up. But they are small, undeveloped. As this person grows up, his limbs attain their fullness of perfection. Similarly, in this Integral Yoga, all the limbs of the Integral Yoga are found in the very beginning of the sadhak’s career. If that is not there then you are deluding yourself again. You may feel, ‘I am progressing in karma yoga,’ but then something else is lacking. Your jnana is lacking or your devotion is lacking. Then as you go on you find your karma yoga is no better than social service. Gurudev never tolerated that. Gurudev was dynamic in comparison to the other “holy men” we found in Rishikesh. Some of us went round and saw swamis sitting under a tree gazing at the sky, or on the Ganges bank, meditating or reading or gossiping. Here was one who was dynamic, constantly engaged in some form of activity, and we young men inferred from this that Gurudev liked activity. When he started doing some work, we could see from Gurudev’s behaviour that he was very happy; the only thing that Gurudev would not really tolerate was tamas. You are active; he was thrilled, but not entirely. About 15 minutes after we walked into the ashram – two of us came together – we were both provided with typewriters. Half an hour later came paper, and another half an hour later some books or manuscripts for us to copy. So the first impression that we gained was that Gurudev liked work and workers. This was true, but not entirely. So we went on working, doing more and more and more – sometimes the best part of the night was spent in work. It was pleasing to Gurudev, no doubt about that. But then one day, very early in 1946, he walked past the mops in the old kitchen that was part of our office. He looked in. “How many malas of japa did you do today? Did you meditate at all? No? Take the typewriter and throw it into the Ganges! Go and do some japa. “So this Swami likes japa more than typewriters? It’s not that; it’s ‘nothing more than anything else.’ So you start rolling beads. “Aha, what is this – sitting in the corner rolling beads?” You go this side, there is a kick, go that side, and there is a kick! And in the same context I’ll bring in one other story of our life in the initial stages of the ashram. In those days there were no steps, no ghat, nothing like that on the Ganges banks. There was an enormous rock, with a platform built over it. And there was a young man from Andhra who used to sit very straight, a human rock over a mountain rock. We had a morning meditation session that also included some asanas, some pranayama, some japa and all that. The class used to conclude usually at about six. Everyday Gurudev used to see this young man sitting on the rock, and every day he used to see him sitting there when he went back to his kutir. And occasionally he would just glance at him and walk by. One day it so happened that after the morning class, Gurudev was still sitting on one of those cement benches, discussing something with somebody. This gentleman who had been meditating got up in the meantime and walked into the kitchen. “Aha”, Gurudev closed one eye and looked at him. “Hmm, Hmm. Meditation – Ah, samadhi. Ahh.” He thought that Gurudev was really admiring him! “Yes Swamiji”. “How long did you sit?” “Three hours, Swamiji.” “Every day.” “Three hours every day, Swamiji.” “Ahcha.” We were all very happy that this man was being encouraged. “Hmm.” Suddenly, within one fifteenth of a second the whole thing changed. “Ah – look at this. Sleepy, drowsy. What kind of meditation are you practising?” He didn’t know what to do. I cannot describe to you the speed with which the expression on Gurudev’s face changed in those five minutes – like a baby. Once he seems to be serious, then he seems to be almost cross, next he seems to be compassionate, next he seems to be full of affection and love, and then he seems to be mocking – mischievous. “What you are doing is useless! Meditation is useless? No! Meditation is not useless, what you are doing is useless. It is not meditation.” Then Swami Sivananda explained, “Do you know what meditation means?” And now the mood changed again. Those of us who were standing there could see. You have heard about meditation, you have read about meditation, you have thought about meditation. But for those few moments, we saw meditation. “Hah – do you know what meditation means? Touch Brahma – touching the infinite, touching the absolute.” When he said that, you could see the touching. “And if you touch this absolute infinite power for even one moment, you leave the energy, the strength, the wisdom to roll up the whole sky and play ball with the whole earth.” This is important. The other thing is important too, but one is not more important than the other. All of them together have to be done. One goes with the other. It is an integral yoga – ashtanga yoga. The whole thing must be done at the same time, and therefore a little of each -that was his joy. And so even though we may consider these factors one by one, please let us not go