Gospel of Vedanta

Gospel of Vedanta

by Swami Sivananda

Tell, me, friend, who has filled the sky with the clouds, who holds the stars in the firmament? Who holds the canopy in the form of the sky? Who moves the mind, Prana and the Indriyas? Who has given the sweet fragrance to the flowers? Who pumps the blood from the heart to the arteries? Who converts the food into blood and blood into Veerya and milk? That supreme intelligence which is at the back of all these phenomena is Brahman or the Immoral Self. Realise this through profound and constant meditation and be free.

Mind is Maya. Mind is Avidya. Mind is at the root of all activities. It gives strength to desire, fosters fear and builds castles in air. It confers force on egoism and stimulates aspirations. Every tendency takes its origin from the mind. It augments passion, gives strength and hope and awakens the sense of duality. It increases ignorance and plunges the senses in the ocean of sense objects. It creates distinctions and differences. It separates, divides and limits. It is a strong wall or an iron barrier that stands between Jiva and Brahman. It is this mind that has brought Brahman to the condition of a Jiva. It is the storehouse of error, cravings, passions, doubts, delusion and ignorance. It is ever-revolving wheel that generates Sankalpas or thoughts. It is a miraculous thought-producing machine. It creates at one moment; it destroys at the next moment.

The mind is the seed of all Maya. Mind is Jiva. If the mind is destroyed, you will not come under the influence of Maya. You should so destroy the mind that it will not afterwards raise its head at all. Having annihilated the associations of the mind with objects, may you, O beloved Krishna, attain the Jivanmukti state of perfect freedom!

Mind is a bundle of Vasanas. Annihilate the hosts of Vasanas and enjoy the peace of the Eternal. So long as the Vasanas are not destroyed, the mind is also not destroyed. So long as the mind is not destroyed, the Vasanas are also not destroyed. The mind does not exist if the Vasanas are destroyed.

Render the mind steady by severing it from contact with external objects. Make the mind return back to the cave of the heart. During the practice, the mind may flit from one object to another and then back again. Just as the monkey jumps from one tree to another, so also it may hop from one object to another. Stand firm. Be regular in your meditation. Gradually it will come under your control. You can enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. A bold and patient man only can attain success in Samadhi. He who can never give way, even under the most trying circumstances and adverse conditions, can attain Moksha.

The body is the seed of the ever-growing creeper of Samsara. The pleasure and pains are the sprouts. The cause of this seed of body is the mind. There are two seeds for this tree of mind. Of them, one is the motion (or vibration) of Pranas and the other is Vasanas. Like the analogy of the seed and the tree, the vibration of Prana arises through Vasana and vice versa. Should either of them perish, both perish soon. Destroy the longing for sensual objects that arise through vibration of Pranas and Vasanas and enter the illimitable domain of Eternal peace.

Knowledge of the Self or Brahma Jnana is the release from the trammels of one’s own mind. Such a release alone will lead to the attainment of final beatitude of life or Moksha, the state of eternal bliss wherein the objects, their knower or the knowledge, are not to be found.

Approach the sages, the doctors of divinity, with faith, devotion and humility. Take a dose of medicine called Jnana. Then the disease of Ajnana will be eradicated completely. Then you will not be drowned in the ocean of rebirths. You will attain everlasting Bliss and Immortality.

Spend a quarter of your mind in meditation on Brahman, another quarter in service of your preceptor, a third quarter in the study of Upanishads and other books on Vedanta and the fourth quarter in walking or exercise, bath and food. You will soon attain knowledge of the Self.

Who am I? Whence am I? What is my real nature? What is the nature of this ‘I’ which identifies itself with the body and cries and laughs? Whence came the Universe? How came birth and death? What is bondage? What is Moksha? Such an enquiry will help you in the attainment of the imperishable seat and will avert the pains and sorrows of the formidable Samsara.

Kill the desires. This will help you in your Atmic enquiry. The Atmic enquiry will itself induce renunciation of desires. They are mentally dependent upon one another. Desires bring in pains of rebirth. The fire of desires has burnt you to a considerable degree. Even a bath in the ambrosia will not cool you. This terrible wolf of mind follows its mate of desires and ever preys upon you.

A Jivanmukta or a seer is enlightened, kind-hearted, truthful, fearless, compassionate, serene, forbearing, gentle, pure, desireless, steady and unostentatious.

He does good to all. He regards all alike. He is balanced in pleasure and pain, censure and praise, honour and dishonour. He is free from attachment, egoism, anger and passion. He is free from hope, all evil thoughts and all evil desires. He is submerged in the ocean of the bliss of Brahman.

He has perfect equanimity of mind whether he drinks virulent poison or sugarcane juice. Whether one cuts his hand or save his life, he will regard him neither as an enemy nor a friend.

A liberated sage or seer will never be affected by Maya. He will be as calm as the waveless ocean. He will be deep as the unfathomable ocean, patient as the earth, broad as the sky, pure as the crystal, stable as Maha Meru, cool as the moon and fearless as the lion.

May you rest in the state of quiescence itself! May you stand firm as Maha Meru in the Adhyatmic field! May you attain full illumination, highest knowledge and Supreme Peace! May you enjoy the ecstasy of Nirvikalpa Samadhi or union with the self-luminous Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman!

Gospel of Vedanta – Message of Oneness, Self-Knowledge, and Inner Freedom

Gospel of Vedanta is the sacred message of spiritual awakening, self-knowledge, and universal truth. Vedanta does not merely teach a philosophy for debate or intellectual enjoyment. It gives a living gospel that can transform human life. Its message is clear: the real self is not the body, mind, senses, ego, name, form, or personality. The true self is Atman, pure consciousness, eternal, peaceful, and ever free.

The first message of Vedanta is that human life has a higher purpose. A person is not born only to eat, sleep, earn, enjoy, compete, worry, and die. These activities may be part of life, but they do not complete life. The highest aim is to know the self, realize Brahman, and become free from ignorance, fear, desire, and bondage. This is the heart of the Vedantic gospel.

Gospel of Vedanta begins with discrimination. The seeker must learn to distinguish between the permanent and the temporary, the real and the unreal, the self and the non-self. The body changes, thoughts change, emotions change, possessions change, and relationships change. The witnessing consciousness alone remains unchanged through all experiences. Recognizing this witness is the beginning of wisdom.

Vedanta teaches that ignorance is the root of suffering. Because of ignorance, a person identifies with the body and mind and says, “I am weak,” “I am the doer,” “I am the enjoyer,” “I am incomplete,” and “I need outer things to be happy.” From these wrong ideas arise desire, fear, pride, jealousy, attachment, and sorrow. Knowledge removes this ignorance just as light removes darkness.

Gospel of Vedanta also declares the unity of Atman and Brahman. Atman is the inner self, the witness within. Brahman is the supreme reality, infinite and all-pervading. Though they appear different from the ordinary standpoint, their essence is one pure consciousness. This truth is expressed through the Mahavakyas such as “Tat Tvam Asi,” “Aham Brahmasmi,” “Ayam Atma Brahma,” and “Prajnanam Brahma.”

This gospel is not a call to egoistic pride. To say “I am Brahman” does not mean the ego is great. It means the ego is false and the real self is divine. The body-mind personality is limited, but the pure consciousness behind it is not limited. True Vedantic understanding brings humility, not arrogance. It removes narrowness and expands the heart.

Gospel of Vedanta teaches detachment. Detachment does not mean hatred for the world or neglect of duty. It means understanding that temporary objects cannot give permanent happiness. Wealth, pleasure, praise, success, and power may give passing satisfaction, but they cannot satisfy the soul completely. The wise seeker lives in the world but does not become enslaved by it.

Karma Yoga is an important part of this message. Action should be done as duty, service, and offering. Work done with ego and selfish desire binds the mind. Work done selflessly purifies it. A Vedantic seeker performs responsibilities sincerely, serves others, and remains balanced in success and failure. Work becomes worship when ego is reduced.

Gospel of Vedanta also includes devotion. Knowledge without devotion may become dry, hard, or proud. Devotion softens the heart and brings surrender. Prayer, mantra, worship, remembrance of God, and gratitude make spiritual life sweet. When the seeker sees the Divine in all beings, devotion becomes universal love.

Meditation helps make Vedanta a living experience. The seeker sits quietly and observes the body, breath, thoughts, emotions, and ego. Everything observed is changing. The observer remains. This witnessing awareness is the doorway to self-knowledge. Through regular meditation, the mind becomes calm, pure, and fit for realization.

The gospel also teaches universal brotherhood. If the same consciousness shines in all, then hatred, cruelty, pride, and narrowness have no place. Differences of body, religion, language, caste, country, wealth, and education belong to the outer level. The inner self is one. This vision inspires compassion, respect, service, and love for all beings.

Gospel of Vedanta is practical in daily life. When anger arises, observe it. When desire pulls the mind, use discrimination. When fear appears, remember the witness. When praise comes, remain humble. When blame comes, remain steady. When work comes, perform it sincerely. Every situation can become a field of Vedantic practice.

Self-inquiry is central to this path. Ask, “Who am I?” Am I the body that changes and dies? Am I the mind that thinks and worries? Am I the emotions that rise and fall? Am I the ego that seeks recognition? Through enquiry, false identities are removed, and the pure self begins to shine clearly.

The method of “Neti, Neti” supports this realization. It means “not this, not this.” The seeker reflects: I am not the body, not the senses, not the breath, not the mind, not the intellect, not the ego, not pleasure, not pain, not birth, and not death. This negation removes wrong identification and reveals the consciousness that remains.

Gospel of Vedanta also demands purity of character. Truthfulness, compassion, self-control, humility, forgiveness, moderation, and simplicity are necessary. A restless and impure mind cannot grasp subtle truth. Purity makes the mind like a clean mirror that reflects the light of the self.

A Guru and scriptures help the seeker understand this gospel properly. The Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and teachings of realized masters point toward the same truth. A true teacher does not create liberation, but removes ignorance. The student must listen with humility, reflect deeply, meditate steadily, and live the teaching sincerely.

In the end, Gospel of Vedanta is the message of divine identity, inner freedom, and universal love. It teaches that ignorance causes bondage, knowledge brings liberation, and the true self is ever pure, ever free, and ever complete. Through discrimination, detachment, meditation, devotion, service, purity, and self-inquiry, the seeker moves from darkness to light and realizes the eternal truth within.

Brahman Exists