Salutations again and again at the Holy Feet of the great Sage, Sri
Vyasa Bhagavan or Sri Krishna Dwaipayana,
who edited the Vedas, composed the Brahmasutras, and wrote the
Mahabharata and the eighteen Puranas including the Srimad
Bhagavata; salutations to the Brahmavidya Gurus, all Saints and
Sages of yore up to the present day.
Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, who was an Avatara of Lord Siva,
delved into the precious wisdom of the Upanishads and brought out
the most rare gem in the form of the unparalleled Advaita
philosophy or the Monistic idealism which gives you, in a nutshell,
the glorious truth that you are in essence Divine beings, ever
perfect, free, full and blissful. This idea is contained in his
famous memorable Sloka: ‘Slokardhena pravakshyami yaduktam
granthakotibhih, Brahma satyam jaganmithya,
jivo brahmaiva naparah.’ This gives the very essence of all
spiritual wisdom, and it is the last word in the transcendental
realisation expressed in the form of this famous Sloka. Bliss is to
be found in the spiritual Reality which is within you. Realise this
and be free.
Now this ultimate declaration has been given- -well and good. But
how to attain it? Because you know that in your actual experience
of worldly pleasures, your mental impressions are, unfortunately,
gathered through the instruments of the mind and the senses. So,
when your entire experience of pleasure gives you a perception of
Asat, Achit and Duhkha, how can you find the Satchidananda Atman?
Everything in this world is fleeting in character. You do not find
Chit (consciousness) anywhere but only the Jada (insentient)
everywhere. ‘Sarvam duhkham vivekinah’- according to this
declaration there is only pain to be experienced in this world. If
pain is constantly experienced by you, how can you find Ananda or
Bliss? And in answer to this, seers and sages of yore have shown
the way by which we have to reach our goal, step by step.
In the Vivekachudamani, there is a Sloka which runs as follows:
‘Durlabham trayamevaitat devanugraha-hetukam; Manushyatyam
maumukshutvam mahapurushasamsrayah.’ Three things are very
difficult to obtain. Only through the grace of God the Jivas obtain
them. To be born as a human being is no small privilege. It is a
very precious gift given by God to the Jiva. Having got a human
birth, to have an aspiration for liberation is the next difficult
thing to obtain So, if one obtains both these, one is indeed doubly
blessed. But having been born as a human being, if you do not want
to know, and yet even after knowing
1
H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj
H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj
that, if you do not know the way, you are not fully blessed.
Therefore, if you get the shelter of a Mahapurusha, one who has
known what has to be attained and one who is in a position to show
you the way, you can admit that you are thrice blessed. This unique
blessing has to be remembered always. Then alone will you be
careful not to waste the opportunity. When you know the real value
of a thing, you take proper care of it, and not otherwise.
The only thing that stands in the way of your spiritual realisation
is your own mind, the ego, or call it by any name you like. It is
precisely in order to see that this obstacle is removed and one
gets at the ultimate goal of human life that one goes to the
preceptor or Guru. The Guru has destroyed the limiting mind and he
knows the method as to how one has to destroy it. Let us suppose
that a man who is desirous of leading a spiritual life goes to a
Guru and asks for his advice and guidance, and the Guru tells him,
"Be good, lead a virtuous life, serve selflessly, love all, share
with others what you have, purify the mind, meditate with
one-pointed mind, etc." But, if the man does not sincerely strive
to follow the Guru's advice, what benefit will he thereby derive?
Absolutely nothing. He will be in no way better than what he was.
It seems that one does not want to practise anything, but there is
only the expectation of the result. What a sad state of
affairs!
This life on earth is a halting place on the way to the achievement
of the Goal of life. Earthly life is transitory, for it is seen
that everything that is born dies. Death is not the end of life,
since without a continuation of life there from the value of the
deeds and experiences in this life would be rendered nugatory.
There were births and deaths in the past, there will be births and
deaths in the future too, until Self- realisation is attained. Life
is a long chain of which the recurring births, planetary lives and
deaths are links."
"Birth is caused by desires and actions, and birth becomes the
cause of further desires and actions. This present life is,
therefore, meant to train the individual to qualify himself for a
higher life, viz., to stop births and deaths ultimately. This life
is not the goal or the end, even as the path is not the same as the
destination. If earthly life were the final goal, none would have
died here, there would not have been mutation, pain and sorrow, and
there would be no sense of imperfection and no further urge or
aspiration to transcend the present condition. The ever-changing
world proves the existence of an unchanging imperishable
Being.
Remember that you came alone to this world and also you will pass
away alone from this world. None will help you except what you have
done here in this life. Your deeds will search you out and follow
you, as calves follow their mothers even in the midst of a big
herd.
Your life is short and there are many obstacles to get over.
Therefore, exert, now with earnestness. Waste not precious time,
but utilise every moment for the noblest of causes. Finish your
journey quickly by practising right Sadhana (spiritual endeavour)
with the guidance of Guru or preceptor. Great shall be your glory
and glorious shall be your success. May peace be with you on your
spiritual path! May blessedness wait upon you in all your
-pursuits! May the Supreme Master, the Lord of all, shower His
blessings upon all!
You have wasted much your life. A little time is left. Make the
best use of it. You too can realise God and be ever happy.
- Swami Sivananda
The Vyasa Purnima is the sacred occasion when the Vedic
Preceptor, Vyasa, and all the Brahmavidya-Gurus are worshipped.
Spiritual seekers of all stages of life are all actually the
disciples of these great Gurus who have handed down spiritual
knowledge through Shishya-parampara. The qualities of the soul and
the knowledge of God are not matters of individual caprice but
facts of intuition and realisation. Knowledge does not suddenly
arise in the individual without any reason. It comes through
Purva-punya, Satsanga, Guruseva and Vichara. Even the requisite
qualities which precede knowledge are not imbibed except through
contact with the perfected ones. Spiritual qualities and natures
are not parts of the ordinary human conduct and hence, they cannot
be had by the worldly-wise. Even if the sense of sight is healthy,
no perception is possible without light. In man, however, this
spiritual sense is generally not felt, because it is obscured by
the sense of worldly contacts and the consequent anxiety, worry and
dissatisfaction. There is neither real virtue nor real knowledge in
the common man, because these two are not in relationship with his
natural instincts.
Neither the means (virtue) nor the end (knowledge) is the property
of the superficial nature. They are found only in the depth within.
The external instincts constitute the flow of the downward current
of the river of life, and
one is given the strength to swim against this current and manifest
the higher natures of virtue and knowledge by
the Shakti that proceeds as the result of contact with one who has
scaled the heights of spirituality, the Brahmanishtha Guru.
In fact, it is the Guru who provides the disciple with the means as
well as the end, with the sense of sight as well as the object of
sight. Arjuna was given both the eye to behold the Glorious Form
(Vishwaroopa) and was shown the Form itself by his Teacher, Sri
Krishna. It is sometimes believed by some rationalists that no Guru
is necessary, but only the self can elevate itself through itself
without any aid. But there is some misconception in those who hold
this view. Though all knowledge and all power is really hidden in
one's own self, it is not possible to make this manifest very
easily. The great misfortune of the common individual is that it
can have no knowledge except through coming into contact with an
external environment belonging to some other person, place, time,
thing or condition. All men are controlled by the stresses of life
and the urges of the senses. Their minds cannot be diverted from
their natural courses to the spiritual reality, because it is not
the habit of the mind to concern itself with unworldly conditions.
If it is so very easy to draw out knowledge from within, without
the help of a teacher, why should children be sent to
Guru-Guru- The God-The God- IncarnateIncarnate ( S r i S w a m i S
i v a n a n d a )
3
schools and why should there be so many colleges on earth? Though
knowledge is revealed from inside and not imported from the
teacher, the latter's role is not insignificant. No doubt,
aspiration, perseverance and personal ability and calibre play a
very important part in the rise of knowledge. But, this does not
mean that knowledge can spring forth automatically without effort
and devotion. Cases of those who had attained perfection without
study under any Guru, should not be cited as authorities against
the necessity for a Guru; for such great men are the anomalies of
spiritual life and not the common normality. They come into
existence as spiritual masters as a result of the intense service,
study and meditation practised in previous births. They had already
studied under the Guru. The present birth is only its continuative
spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened
thereby.
Moreover, man has got a habit of living as his whim directs him.
This whim is generally the product of yielding to the ego and the
senses. Surrender to the Guru, on the other hand, means the
complete abstention from giving
way to such lower impulses and the attempt at unearthing the
potential spiritual capacities within. When a spiritual person is
guiding the inexperienced Sadhaka, he cannot go astray. Further, it
is possible for the Guru to train the mind of the disciple through
Shakti Sanchara or infusing his own spiritual energy into the
disciple. The Guru works in the disciple's mind and even does the
Sadhana for the sake of the disciple. There is nothing which a
Guru, cannot do for the Shishya. The Guru is therefore, God Himself
to the disciple. The Guru Purnima is the day of the worship of the
Guru, the day of celebration in the remembrance of the sages who
have been compassionate enough to impart Brahmavidya to
aspirants.
On this hallowed occasion, worship your Guru and pray to him for
bestowing grace upon you. Worship the great Rishis, Vasishtha,
Vyasa, Suka, Dattatreya, and solicit their blessings. Control the
senses. Lead an austere life Pray. Do Japa and Kirtan. Meditate.
You shall attain Immortality and Eternal Bliss. May the blessings
of the Brahmavidya Gurus be upon you all!
A foolish devotee had a golden image of Buddha, which she took with
her wherever she went. In the course of her wandering, she came to
a monastery where hundreds of images of Buddha were present. She
did not like the other Buddhas, she liked that the fumes should go
to the others. She drew a curtain round the image. In a few months
her Buddha became dark and grim, while the others were shining
brighter, still.
Similar is the case with the narrow-hearted persons. They do not
honour others’ faith. But as a river without tributaries suffers
dearth, their faith too lacks firmness and dies an immature death.
One should develop the heart to embrace the other faiths, also. The
religion that embrace all and fights with none is the real
religion. Such a religion alone will endure, while others will
vanish like bubbles, such an enduring religion is the religion of
truth, purity, non-violence and love.
- Swami Sivananda
4
Homage unto the Divine - the all- pervading, ever present,
enveloping and interpenetrating all things
that exist, and being our own indweller! To that Being, in whose
presence we are gathered here at this morning hour, homage and
adorations! Loving salutations and prostrations to thee, beloved
and Holy Master, thou who art our life's light and guide, thou who
art our perennial source of inspiration, our strong solace and
guidance. Thou who art the pervading presence in this Ashram of
thine. Be gracious to us and illumine us from within as well as
from without, with the light of your wisdom teachings that have the
power to bestow liberation, fearlessness, peace and joy.
Radiant Atman, beloved children of the Divine! Let us move forward
towards the very holy and sacred days that are ahead of us. Let us
move forward towards that day which our ancients set apart for a
special worship of all the Brahma Vidya Gurus of this sacred
Motherland of ours. Let us prepare ourselves to be thrice blessed
by worshipping these
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR GURU PURNIMA, SADHANA WEEK AND GURUDEV'S
PUNYATITHI ARADHANA DAY
illumined seers and sages who gave us the ancient Vedic way of
life, the Sanatana Vedic Dharma, and who are the real fathers of
this nation, the givers of our culture. Let us adore all the great
Brahma Jnanis who have given us the divine vision of the one
eternal, infinite Reality behind innumerable, ever passing and ever
changing names and forms that make up the phenomenal universe. Let
us be thrice blessed by worshipping those who have given to us our
Dharma, a way of righteousness and goodness, a way of life that
ennobles our human status and makes it ideal holy and ultimately
divine. For in the measure that we humble ourselves before these
great ones, their grace and benedictions will enter into our lives
and uplift us and enlighten us. It is to the extent that we are
able to empty ourselves of ourselves that we can make ourselves a
fit receptacle to receive the grace of these great ones and be
benefited by their teachings. They have left this heritage for
posterity forever out of their infinite, universal love for the
welfare of all.
We shall be thrice blessed if we thus make ourselves fit for the
receiving of their grace. This is always so, but today we are made
specially aware that our life should be a constant, earnest and
humble striving to make ourselves the right vessel to receive that
which God wants to shower. All Sadhana is but this preparation, all
Yoga is but this preparation. All divine life is but this
preparation, so that we are fully prepared for the fullness of
divine consciousness.
(Swami Chidananda)
5
Let us adore all these great Gurus and particularly our own beloved
Holy Master, our worshipful Gurudev, who in his graciousness made
this Ashram and created every facility for the spiritual upliftment
and progress of all sincere seeking souls. This is veritably a
Sadhana Ashram where all Yogas and every variety of Sadhana may be
practised and all the basic creature comforts including security of
food, shelter and clothing are available. Actually, more than what
is necessary is made available. And that can become a danger and a
trap. Where too many things to satisfy the senses are made
available, then the consciousness becomes settled on the gross
level of the body, in sense appetites and sense satisfactions,
desires and their fulfilment. There is no greater danger for a real
seeker than to live in a place where everything is available for
the mere asking. And if you ask with a louder voice, you will get
more. And if you are ready to fight, you will get everything. And
this is a greater danger than anything else, for then all the risks
and dangers of the materialistic milieu, where sense satisfaction
is the order of the day, we will import into our life of seclusion
in this Himalayan retreat. We bring the outer materialistic world
of sense satisfaction right into the midst of this idyllic
surroundings of this mountain Ashram. It is not that the
organisation is the loser. Rather it is the seeker who loses his
path, loses sight of the goal and loses this one golden chance, the
great opportunity given by God.
Therefore, even where all wants and needs are provided, one should
live the life of
simplicity, the life of self-control; one should live the life of
Sadhana, of intense dwelling upon the Divine, of constantly
focusing upon the great goal. That is what we should pray for at
the feet of the Divine in these days when we are moving towards the
triple blessing of worshipping the ancient and the modern Gurus
including our own Holy Master upon the sacred Guru Purnima, three
days from now.
Make Guru Purnima a day of personal Sadhana and bless yourself, and
then enter into the spirit of Sadhana during the following seven
days. Be an ideal Sadhak, a seeker, a devotee of the Lord. Be a
self-controlled "Yogi. Be a Mumukshu and Jijnasu participating in
all the Satsangas and Sadhanas and be ever ready to serve in
whatever capacity. Become thrice blessed and crown it all with the
adoration of the Master upon the anniversary of his attaining the
eternal, upon the 26th Punyatithi, offering him homage and worship
and asking him to bless you that living in his Ashram, you may
follow the way of life that he has outlined for us.
Diligently study the 'Essence of Yoga' where he has given the
quintessence of his Divine Life pattern of living, being and doing.
This contains the quintessence of Dharma, the quintessence of Yoga
and the very heart of Vedanta and his concept of Divine Life. We
thus pray to him, "O Holy Master dwelling in this Ashram which you
have brought into being for my sake, thou who has blessed me with
the great privilege of living on the banks of Ganga in this holy
Himalayan area, bless me that I may be able to follow this divine
way of life. Show me the way, ever be removing the veil that
obscures my vision. May I enter with fervour into living the divine
life and make myself an embodiment of divinity. Divine be my
thoughts and emotions. Divine be my sentiments and feelings. Divine
be my words and deeds. Grant that my life is the ideal life
of
6
your vision, your conception. This is the boon I ask from thee, O
Master!"
In this way, upon the 26th anniversary of his Maha Samadhi, let us
move forward to meet his golden gift in the form of this spiritual
period and raise ourselves to newer heights of consciousness, to
newer heights of being and doing. These are the thoughts and
feelings that I have to share with you this morning. This sharing
is done with immense good will towards you all, with great humility
towards
beloved and worshipful Holy Master Gurudev and with gratefulness to
God that He gives me this occasion of sharing with His
children.
Thus with gratitude, humility and good will, I have placed before
you these thoughts, wishing you your highest good, your supreme
welfare. God bless you all. Gurudev's grace be ever upon you. May
He bless you all!
Hari Om Tat Sat!
Realisation cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru Lord
Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Sadhana. Lord
Krishna
asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya and Abhyasa. He did not say to him,
“I will give you Mukti now.” Therefore, abandon the wrong notion
that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify,
meditate and realise.
Guru kripa-grace of a Guru-is very necessary. That does not mean
that the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha
spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the student.
Nowadays, people want a drop of water from the Kamandalu of a
Sannyasin and desire to enter into Samadhi immediately. They are
not prepared to undergo any Sadhana for purification and
self-realisation. They want a magic pill to push them into Samadhi
if you have got such delusion give it up immediately.
The Guru and the Shastras, can show you the path and remove your
doubts. Anubhava of the Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive
knowledge is left for your own experience, A hungry man will have
to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have to
scratch for himself.
No doubt, the Guru's blessing can do everything. But how can one
have his blessings? By pleasing the Guru. A Guru can be pleased
with his disciple only if the latter carries out his spiritual
instructions implicitly. Carefully follow therefore, the
instructions of the Guru. Act up to his instructions. Then only
will you deserve his blessings, and then alone his blessings can do
everything
- Swami Sivananda
7
What does The Divine Life Society teach? What is its message? The
Divine Life Society was founded by
the great saint and sage Swami Sivananda to act as a representation
of ways and means to implement human aspiration. Basically mankind,
humanity, has a uniform aspiration. This was realised by stalwarts
such as Swami Sivananda, and he was not the only stalwart that
modern India produced. There were equally great giants who lived in
the twentieth century: Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami
Vivekananda, Swami Ramatirtha, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharishi and
Mahatma Gandhi, to mention only a few.
It was necessary, at least in the beginning of the twentieth
century, to awaken mankind in two ways. At this time India, and the
world as a whole, were passing through a sort of crisis. The forces
of history seemed to work in a way in which somehow, for reasons
not very clear even to investigative minds, the senses and the mind
of man moved in the direction of material comfort. There was the
Industrial Revolution and a craving for satisfactions which can be
called political, social, physical or material, and there was a
stifling and extinguishing of the inner longings of man, which
somehow did not appear to be there at all. There was a seeking for
comfort. Materialistic forces-call them scientific, call them the
forces of physics, chemistry and biology, and so on-seemed to
emphasise an aspect of living which converted man into a kind of
tool, a means to an end, which was a life of comfort.
SRI SWAMI KRISHNANANDA
Materialism is the name that we give to a philosophy and doctrine
which emphasises that life is impossible without dependence on
externals. We are always hanging on something outside us. Now, this
is contrary to what we call freedom. A total dependence on external
factors, even if it is on gadgets that make us comfortable, cannot
be regarded as anything contributory to the freedom of the human
individual. Freedom was completely lost in every sense-politically,
socially, and even in family circles. The soul of humanity was
almost dying. The soul does not die, of course, but it was clouded,
just as the sun does not become non-existent even when there is an
eclipse. Even when there is a thunderstorm and dark clouds hover in
the sky and it appears that the midday sun has completely gone, it
has really not gone. The spirit of humanity's longing was not dead
because the spirit cannot die. Yet, it appears as if it was not
there on account of the clouding of this inner light of the spirit
of mankind by these materialistic and externally motivated
desires.
There was a need, therefore, to rouse the spirit of mankind. Swami
Sivananda and people of that kind were, no doubt, born in India,
but their message was not only for Indians. It was a world
consciousness that was surging forth to wake up the sleeping spirit
of man and make him conscious of his universal destiny.
We belong to a family; it is true. Each one of us has a family of
his own or her own. But you know that notwithstanding the fact you
have
THE MESSAGE OF SWAMI SIVANANDA AND THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY*
8
a family and you are not really connected to someone else's family,
as citizens of a nation, your family is connected to other families
also. And though you are an Indian, a citizen of Bharatavarsha in
the same way as you may belong to a family, yet you do not entirely
belong to India because no person can entirely belong to only a
region of the Earth, in the same way as one cannot live a closeted
life which is restricted merely to one's own little family or
community, ignoring its relationship with the entire national
welfare. Therefore, you are Indian, but you are not merely that.
You belong to the whole of humanity.
Now comes a masterstroke of these messengers of Truth. You do not
belong merely to humanity. Your concern even with humanity is not a
completion of your aspirations. Though it is true that you do not
merely belong to one country, that you belong to the whole world,
this is also a limitation. You belong to a larger administrative
area extending beyond the Earth. This Earth is a planet going
around the Sun, and so it has a relationship with the whole solar
system to which it belongs Therefore, may say that, finally, there
is nothing which is not vitally related to the whole of
creation.
Our session here at this moment may look like a little gathering in
this hall of the Ashram, but we are sitting on the face of the
Earth. We are sitting in the solar system. We are sitting in the
universe. We are not sitting in Rishikesh. This is not
Muni-ki-reti, this is not Uttar Pradesh, this is not India, this is
not Earth; this is the solar system. Widen your eyes still more and
understand that it is not merely that; this is the universe in
which you are.
These relationships of man, therefore, are to be studied in their
essentiality. Culture, to
define it broadly and simply, may be said to be that demeanour,
that conduct, that behaviour, that way of expression of an
individual which is in consonance with the consciousness of one's
belonging to the government of the universe. Once you are aware of
this, you immediately become aware of what sort of behaviour is
expected of you in relation to your neighbour. You know how to
behave with another person, with any living being, because you
belong to this family of the cosmos.
This large, wide, deep, cosmic message is not only of Swami
Sivananda of The Divine Life Society. It is a message of all the
Masters, of all the prophets, of all the founders of religious
faiths, and even of the great geniuses in science, because science
is no longer merely the study of electricity, magnetism, sound,
light, heat, etc. It is the study of cosmic forces which have
turned man into a citizen of that administrative area we call
- Swami Krishnananda
9
Salutations to Lord Ganesha who is Brahman Himself, who is the
Supreme Lord, who is the energy of Lord Shiva,
who is the source of all bliss, and who is the bestower of all
virtuous qualities and success in all undertakings.
Mushikavaahana modaka hasta, Chaamara karna vilambita sutra,
Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra, Vighna vinaayaka paada namaste
MEANING: "O Lord Vinayaka! The remover of all obstacles, the son of
Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy
vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long
hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus like feet!"
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular of Hindu festivals.
This is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is the day most sacred to
Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of
Bhadrapada. (August-September). It is observed throughout India, as
well as by devoted Hindus in all parts of the world. Clay figures
of the Deity are made and after being
worshipped for two days, or in some cases ten days, they are
consigned into water.
Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God. He is worshipped first in
any prayers. His Names are repeated first before any auspicious
work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun.
He is the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord
Shiva and the elder brother of Skanda or Kartikeya. He is the
energy of Lord Shiva and so He is called the son of Shankar and
Umadevi. By worshipping Lord Ganesha, mothers hope to earn for
their sons the sterling virtues of Ganesha.
The following story is narrated about His birth and how He came to
have the head of an elephant:
Once upon a time, the Goddess Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva), while
bathing, created Ganesha as a pure white being out of the mud of
Her Body and placed Him at the entrance of the house. She told Him
not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Lord
Shiva Himself was returning home quite thirsty and was stopped by
Ganesha at the gate. Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesha's head
as He thought Ganesha was an outsider.
When Gauri came to know of this, she was sorely grieved. To console
her grief, Shiva ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him
the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head
facing north. The servants went on their mission and found only an
elephant in that position. The sacrifice was thus made and the
elephant's head was brought before Shiva. The Lord then joined the
elephant's head onto the body of Ganesha.
Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all
undertakings, marriages,
10
expeditions, studies, etc. He ordained that the annual worship of
Ganesha should take place on the 4th day of the bright half of
Bhadrapada. Without the Grace of Sri Ganesha and His help, nothing
whatsoever can be achieved. No action can be undertaken without His
support, grace or blessing.
In his first lesson in the alphabet, a Maharashtrian child is
initiated into the Mantra of Lord Ganesha, Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.
Only then is the alphabet taught.
The following are some of the common Names of Lord Ganesha:
Dhoomraketu, Sumukha, Ekadanta, Gajakarnaka, Lambodara, Vighnaraja,
Ganadhyaksha, Phalachandra, Gajanana, Vinayaka, Vakratunda,
Siddhivinayaka, Surpakarna, Heramba, Skandapurvaja, Kapila and
Vighneshwara. He is also known by many as Maha-Ganapati.
His Mantra is Om Gung Ganapataye Namah. Spiritual aspirants who
worship Ganesha as their tutelary Deity repeat this Mantra or Om
Sri Ganeshaya Namah.
The devotees of Ganesha also do Japa of the Ganesha Gayatri Mantra.
This is as follows:
Tat purushaaya vidmahe Vakratundaaya dheemahi Tanno danti
prachodayaat
Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom and bliss. He is the Lord
of Brahmacharins. He is foremost amongst the celibates.
He has as his vehicle a small mouse. He is the presiding Deity of
the Muladhara Chakra, the psychic centre in the body in which the
Kundalini Shakti resides.
· He is the Lord who removes all obstacles on the path of the
spiritual aspirant, and bestows upon him worldly as well as
spiritual success.
Hence He is called Vighna Vinayaka. His Bija Akshara (root
syllable) is Gung, pronounced to rhyme with the English word "sung"
He is the Lord of harmony and peace.
Lord Ganesha represents Om or the Pranava, which is the chief
Mantra among the Hindus. Nothing can be done without uttering it.
This explains the practice of invoking Ganesha before beginning any
rite or undertaking any project. His two feet represent the power
of knowledge and the power of action. The elephant head is
significant in that it is the only figure in nature that has the
form of the symbol for Om.
The significance of riding on a mouse is the complete conquest over
egoism. The holding of the Ankusha represents His rulership of the
world. It is the emblem of Divine Royalty.
Ganesha is the first God. Riding on a mouse, one of nature's
smallest creatures and having the head of an elephant, the biggest
of all animals, denotes that Ganesha is the creator of all
creatures. Elephants are very wise animals; this indicates that
Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom. It also denotes the
process of evolution the mouse gradually evolves into an elephant
and finally becomes a man. This is why Ganesha has a human
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body, an elephant's head and a mouse as His vehicle. This is the
symbolic philosophy of His form.
He is the Lord of Ganas or groups, for instance groups of elements,
groups of senses, etc. He is the head of the followers of Shiva or
the celestial servants of Lord Shiva.
The Vaishnavas also worship Lord Ganesha. They have given Him the
name of Tumbikkai Alwar which means the divinity with the
proboscis (the elephant's trunk). Lord Ganesha's two powers are the
Kundalini and the Vallabha or power of love.
Take fresh spiritual resolves and pray to Lord Ganesha for inner
spiritual strength to attain success in all your
undertakings.
May the blessings of Sri Ganesha be upon you all! May He remove all
the obstacles that stand in your spiritual path! May He bestow on
you all material prosperity as well as liberation!
There was a millionaire in a small town who was far-farmed for the
magnanimity of his heart. People used to compare him with Karna of
the Mahabharata, who never refused anything to anybody. One day a
poor Brahmin approached him for help. The Brahmin narrated the
millionaire all his difficulties and pleaded for help. The rich man
said: “I will certainly do what I can to help you,” and sent the
Brahmin away. Soon after, the millionaire sent the Brahmin plenty
of gold, rice and other provisions, silk clothes and furniture. The
poor Brahmin was beside himself with joy. He never expected so
much. He only expected Rs.5. But he got things worth over a
thousand rupees. But to the rich man, that was nothing. He even
felt that the poor Brahmin might not be satisfied with what he
gave. So he had the things sent to the Brahmin; and the Brahmin was
doubly grateful for this, too. “Without even giving me the trouble
of carrying all this, the noble man has sent them through his own
servants,” he thought with supreme gratitude. He entered the
millionaire’s service and served him throughout his life.
The millionaire is God; and the poor Brahmin is a pious Sadhaka.
Troubled on all sides by innumerable desired and cravings, the
Sadhaka resorts to the lotus-feet of the Lord, for relief from
them. Through prayer and meditation, he approaches the Lord. He
feels His divine Presence within him. He receiveds the assurance
from the Lord that His Grace will descend on him. Lo, behold1 The
flood of Grace very soon washed out all the Trishnas and Vasanas
and fills the Sadhaka’s Antahkarana with the golden virtues,
food-grains of knowledge, clothing of Vairagya and the other items
of Sadhana-Chatushtaya, and the furniture (sofa, chair, etc.,
intended to sit comfortably and relax himself) of meditation and
Samadhi. To the Almighty these are nothing! for He can even confer
Indrahood and Bramanhood on his devotees. But, for the Sadhaka they
mean something invaluable. The Sadhaka is thrilled to feel that the
Lord did not even wait till he had departed from this world and
gone to His Abode, but had sent His gifts to the Sadhaka’s own
abode-this world. Filled with supreme devotion, the Sadhaka ever
afterwards serves the Lord and dedicates himself to the
dissemination of His Glory and His Lilas.
- Swami Sivananda
12
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Every one of you should clearly understand the aim of your life.
You should then chalk out the line of work that is congenial to
your aim. You should work hard to realise the aim. You should have
your ideal and you should try every second to live up to that
ideal. You can realise the ideal right now in this very second or
after ten years by walking with faltering steps. It does not matter
much. The ideal and the aim must be there. Then you can develop
your will and attain success.
- SWAMI SIVANANDA
18
Observe the laws of health, Follow the rules of hygiene;
Prevention is better than cure, Nip the malady in its bud.
Diseases are destroyers of health, Health is the means for
God-realisation;
Keep the body healthy and strong, Fast once a month or take milk
and fruits.
Masticate the food thoroughly, Have a balanced diet;
Take moderate quantity of food, Avoid stimulants and
intoxicants.
Go to bed early, rise early, Keep the bowels open, with nature's
help;'
Take a cold morning bath, Avoid late suppers at night. Bask in the
sun for a while,
Run in the open air; Take a long walk,
Do Asanas and exercises. Qualify as your own doctor,
Have knowledge of diseases and their symptoms; Ward off troubles as
they arise, Nurse the sick for mental purity.
Have simple living and high thinking, Lead a life of
continence;
Pray fervently, meditate regularly, Attain Eternal Bliss and
Immortality!
-Swami Sivananda
HE ALT
19
ADAPTABILITY : Adaptability is a virtue or noble quality by which
one adapts or fits himself to others, whatever their nature may be.
This is a most desirable habit or quality for success in life. This
has to be developed slowly. The vast majority of persons do not
know how to adjust themselves with others. He who knows the art or
science of adaptability pulls on quite well in this world and is
always happy under all conditions of life.
Humility and obedience are necessary for developing adaptability.
The egoistic, proud man finds it very difficult to adapt himself. A
man of adaptability has to make some sacrifice. Adaptability
develops the spirit of sacrifice. It kills selfishness. A man of
adaptability has to share what he has with others. He has to bear
insult and hard words. A man of adaptability develops the feeling
of unity or oneness of life. Adaptability brings eventually
Atma-Jnana.
AHAMKARA (EGOISM) : Ahamkara or egoism is the self- arrogating
principle in man. It has its seat in the mind. It is under the
influence of egoism that man commits evils and wrong actions.
Though it is nothing, it is everything for the worldly people. It
is deep rooted. Anxieties and troubles proceed from egoism.
Ahamkara destroys our virtues and peace of mind. He who is free
from egoism is very happy and peaceful.
An aspirant who treads the path of devotion destroys his egoism
through self-surrender to the Lord. He says, "I am Thine, my Lord.
All is Thine. Thy will be done." He feels that he is an instrument
in the hands of the Lord. He dedicates all his actions and the
fruits of his actions to the Lord. A Karma Yogin destroys his
egoism through self-sacrifice. Destroy Ahamkara and rest in
Brahman.
- Swami Sivananda
LIGHT ON LIFE
Search the words given in bold letters above in the forest of
letters:
Lust for power, material greed, sensual excitement, selfishness,
passion, passion for wealth and the lower appetites have drawn man
from his true life in Spirit into the materialistic life. He can
regain his lost Divine glory if he practises in right earnest the
principles of Bhakti. Bhakti transmutes animal nature into Divine
Nature and raises him to the pinnacle of Divine glory and
splendour.
May you develop Bhakti so that it will lead you to attain Godhead
or Self-realisation in this very life! May the spiritual flame grow
brighter in you!
- Swami Sivananda
R E D G T B I K E O A G E A Y
A O I E A R N E S T T L P D U
I G V L R I G H T T T O R E H
D O I I S G O E A R A R I V O
U D N F P H F S R A I Y N E Y
A H E E I T L P I N N A C L E
S E L F R E A L I S A T I O N
E A R B I R M E T M T E P P O
T D E H T I E N I U U N L E A
E P G A U E T D O T R U E M R
V I A K A G R O W E E M S E P
B E I T L U A U O S P I R I T
N I N I E Y E R I E Y T O N E
21
Once a mother engaged a tutor for her mischievous but pet boy. She
could not tolerate the tutor scolding the boy. So, she engaged
another tutor for her boy. The new tutor began to beat the boy in
order to correct him and make him good. The mother wished to have
her son's manners corrected and cultured but could not suffer the
sight of the son being put to trouble with arduous task and
punishments. She was neither willing to send the son away to
school; for, it meant being separated from the son for some time
during the day. All her efforts were directed in keeping the boy
attractive.
As days passed by and years rolled on, tutor after tutor came and
went but the brain of the boy remained as it was when it came into
this world; nevertheless, the boy grew into a handsome youth and
thence into a man. He could not pull on in this world, for he had
neither intelligence nor money, neither capacity to work nor good
manners to pull on with the remaining members of either his family
or of the society at large. People scoffed at him and condemned
him. He was lost to himself and to the world.
Sivananda Says:
Like the mother, your aspiration is. Your body and external habits
are like the mischievous son.
You wish to make yourself a great spiritual hero in the eyes of the
public. You go from teacher to teacher because you cannot undergo
the ordeal of patiently obeying any teacher. You do not like to
strain the body. You think that if you maintain an external show
with a well developed body, with beard and matted locks, you will
pass for a good man. Your Abhimana to the body is so great that you
cannot forget it for a few minutes and sit in Sadhana. In your
wandering from Guru to Guru, you have not been able to assimilate
anything. Remember, 'A rolling stone gathers no mass in
original?'
You go about into the world without intelligence or capacity. You
cannot tune yourself to any, society. You have been lost to
yourself and to the world at large.
O Man, practise Sadhana while you are young. Leave out this
Abhimana for body. Undergo a little initial hardship. It is no
hardship when compared to the bliss, that you shall reap as the
harvest.
- Swami Sivananda
22
The Enemies of the Soul
Every human being has within himself a fount of inexhaustible
strength and joy, because he is essentially the Divine Self. But
due to wrong ways of thinking and feeling man acquires various
weaknesses which do not allow him to develop his inner
potentiality. These weaknesses or impurities in the mind obscure
the majesty of the Self as clouds in the sky obscure the brilliance
of the Sun
The soul has six dangerous enemies, referred to as Shad-ripus.
These impurities are • Kama or desire for sense pleasures, passion
in particular; • Krodha or anger; • Lobha or greed; • Moha or
delusion, infatuation; • Mada or pride; and • Matsarya or jealousy.
As long as these enemies are not conquered one cannot enjoy real
prosperity or peace in life, nor attain Enlightenment.
In Vedic literature there is an intriguing verse which sheds light
on these enemies of the soul:
"O Indra, may you crush by your thunderbolt the demon that moves in
the form of an owl, an owl's young one, a dog, a Chakravaka or
ruddy goose, an eagle, and a vulture." (Atharva Veda 8/4/22 and
Rigveda 7/6/104).
What is the demon in the form of an owl? Moha or delusion. An owl
cannot see during the day when other animals can see. Thus, the owl
is a symbol for a person that is blinded by delusion. A person
overcome by Moha can see only within the range of his egoistic
feeling but beyond that he is blind.
What is the demon in the form of an owl's young one? Jealousy or
Matsurya. Jealousy
O Children of Light!
thrives in the absence of the light of rationality and reason. If
you were to understand another person's life with penetrating
vision, you would realize that there is nothing in that life to be
jealous about. Everyone's life in this world of relativity has
severe shortcomings. Thus, being jealous of someone for any
apparent form of prosperity is usually totally irrational. That
irrational envy born of delusion is the offspring of the owl of
Moha.
What is the demon that comes in the form of a dog? This demon is
Krodha or anger. When dogs fight they are totally unable to control
themselves. You may teach your dog all types of lessons in training
school, but when another dog challenges him for food, for example,
he loses his temper completely.
The demon that comes in the form of the Chakravakra or ruddy goose
is Kama or desire. This animal is well-known for its amorous
courtship. The demon that soars in the form of an eagle is Mada or
egoistic pride. Finally, the demon the form of a vulture is Lobha
or greed. Seized by greed, one does
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not have any discrimination. He is driven to possess and devour
everything, just as a vulture eats all types of carrion without any
reservations.
Indra in this context refers to God, the Almighty. An aspirant
seeks the blessings of God for the destruction of all these enemies
of the soul.
An aspirant must reflect deeply (with a generous sense of humor)
upon this Vedic satire of human weaknesses. Due to his own
shortcomings, does he really want to be as uncontrolled as an angry
dog, as absurd as an amorous goose, or as greedy and
undiscriminating as a vulture? Unfortunately, wrong ways of
thinking and feeling often make human beings less virtuous rather
than more elevated than their animal counterparts. However, with
persistent introspection and sincere self-effort, every person can
become the embodiment of Divine bliss and perfection that he is
intended to be and attain the goal of life-Enlightenment.
Strive at all times to keep the company of devotees of God. Evil
company is the fuel of lustful and impure thoughts. The power of
Satsang is described in the various scriptures. Sri Shankara, the
great sage, says: “One gets dispassion by keeping the company of
holy people. Through dispassion you come to understand that you are
really not this body. By having dispassion the mind becomes steady.
When the mind is absorbed in deep prayer one attains peace”.
“Yato Dharmas Tato Jaya!” – “Where there is Righteousness, there is
victory!” True victory in life is the attainment of mastery over
the mind and senses, which leads directly to the attainment of
self-realization.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita
WORDS OF WISDOM
All Satsangs we bathe in the powerful spiritual currents created by
devotional songs and discourses. We get purified and filled with
divine thoughts.
Even a moment in the company of wise people is quite sufficient to
overhaul the old, vicious mental impressions of those who are
worldly-minded. The minds of the holy ones are extremely powerful.
They radiate spiritual vibrations and pure thought currents. They
have a wonderful impact on the minds of worldly-minded
people.
The personal contact of saints is a blessing to worldly-minded
persons. Serving them with love and affection purified the mind
rapidly. Satsang elevates the mind to great heights. Just as a
single matchstick burns huge bundles of cotton in a few seconds, so
also the company of saints burns all sins and impurities, all
thoughts and mental impressions. That is why Sri Sankara and others
have spoken so highly of Satsang.
From “The Art of Positive Feeling” by Swami Jyotirmayananda