Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Dr.Faust and the Genie, Mephistopheles - the noumenal and the phenomenal side by Swami Krishnananda

Dr.Faust and the Genie, Mephistopheles
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 1: Living a Spiritual Life by Swami Krishnananda


We belong to two worlds at the same time: the mortal and the immortal. The mortal side is the physical side of things, the processional character of Nature, and the activity of people. The immortal side is an irrefutable affirmation taking place in us every moment of time that we are perfectly stable, and we are not changing. Even though we grow from childhood to adulthood, we have not changed; we are the same person. Anything may change, but the continuity of the awareness of this change is a permanent background of it.

Because of the fact that we seem to belong to two realms of being, we are unhappy and happy at the same time. The phenomenal side keeps us perpetually engaged in some labour or work. The noumenal side keeps us asking for more and more, and allows us not to be satisfied with anything. The world says in its phenomenality, “I have everything for you.” But the noumenal side says, “I cannot be satisfied with anything that the world can give”.

The whole world of wealth and so-called security is not adequate to the noumenal demand. When the noumenal is ignored and we engage ourselves excessively in the phenomenal side of things, a threat is discharged from within us, keeping us terribly upset and disturbed. This is the story of the famous German poet’s work, Von Goethe’s Faustus. There was a doctor called Faust, and he made an alliance with a peculiar genie called Mephistopheles. Dr. Faust represents the noumenal side, and Mephistopheles, the phenomenal side.


“I will give you everything,” said the genie.

“Please give,” said Dr. Faust. “How much will you give?”

“I can give you everything, more than you expect from me,” said the genie.

“Give,” said Faust.

“Very good. I am immensely happy. But,” said Mephistopheles, “There is one condition. You have to pay a price for it.”

“What is the price?” asked Faust.

“Give me what you are,” said the genie.

“What is there in me?” Dr. Faust thought. “I can give myself, provided you give me the whole world because, after all, I am a little puny nothing, an individual like anyone else, but the whole world of glory is going to be given to me. Take me, and give everything that you have.”

Mephistopheles laughed a cruel laughter, and there was a thunderbolt breaking down existence itself. Everything was sundered into pieces, and Dr. Faust was nowhere. He was cast in all directions, like dynamite bursting, and he was nowhere because he sold himself to gain a wealth which was not himself. Or, in a plain language, the self sold itself to the non-self. When this takes place, we break into pieces in one second.

As no one seems to have sold oneself entirely to the world, this thunderbolt has not been discharged upon us yet. But to some extent, we seem to be participating in the activity of a possible transferring of ourselves into the world for the comforts it can give us; to that extent, we are very disturbed inside, and we cannot be really happy. The more we possess the things of the world, the less we are in ourselves. The larger the world is to us, the smaller we are before it, but as we have not become too small – to the point of extinction, as it were – we are still comfortably existing under the impression that things are very well.

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(Apr 30,2013) Vairagya -True Renunciation by Swami Krishnananda

True Renunciation
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 2: Sadhana – The Spiritual Way by Swami Krishnananda

Easily do we mistake the principle of vairagya, the great discrimination. So many sadhus are there, so many vairagis are there, who have renounced everything. You may ask a vairagi:  what are the things that you have renounced?

The immediate, quick reply may be: "I possess nothing. I have left everything that I had earlier. I have left the world; therefore, I have completed my renunciation."

Standing on the ground that is the earth, you are saying that you have renounced it. The world blows a breeze of various types on your personality every moment, saying that you cannot renounce the world, unless you renounce yourself first, so that the renunciation may become complete.

But where is the meaning in renouncing one's own self? If the self is renounced, what remains? This difficulty will suddenly take possession of our own selves. There is really no such thing as renunciation of anything, because nothing in the world really belongs to you. How can you renounce a thing which has not actually become your property? Are you renouncing somebody else's belongings? The world is not under your control; therefore, how will you renounce it?

Here, renunciation has to be understood in the spirit that is within it. Renunciation is not an abandonment in the literal sense of the word, but a spirit that is maintained within – a spirit of not belonging to anything, and a spirit of nothing actually belonging to one's own self. In this process of the determination of the spirit, the world stands united with you because of the fact that you are made of the same substance as the world of nature.

All humanity is inside you, with you, within you, and has taken possession of you. The principle of every individual in the world is inside you also, so that on different occasions you can manifest the character of any person in this world.

We cannot think in this manner because our education is purely empirical, outwardly motivated, and physically conditioned. But you stand a master of all things by renunciation, in the sense of belonging to the whole world – the world belonging to you, and you yourself belonging to the world. The world stands renounced within itself. You become a world individual. Such renunciates are world masters, because they are self-masters. When the taste for things ceases, you have conquered the world.

Can any one of you feel convinced within yourself that you are a world individual? "I do not merely belong to the world; nor the world belongs to me. I will stand as a meeting point of the world and the individuality of everybody." Unthinkable is this situation. A master-mind we call such people; a super-man, an incarnation, an avatara – all sorts of names and nomenclatures are attributed to such achievements in a person who ceases to be a person and is at the same time a super-person.

Such renunciation precedes the understanding that is required to practise yoga, which is real sadhana.

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Monday, April 29, 2013

(Apr 29,2013) You are the Children of Light and Immortality

You are the Children of Light and Immortality
From Divine Life Society Publication “Yoga in Daily Life” by Swami Sivananda
Man wants happiness. He shuns pain. He makes various sorts of efforts (Pravritti) to get happiness from objects and gets himself entangled in the meshes or snares of Maya. As these objects are perishable, finite and conditioned in time, space and causation, he fails to get the desired happiness from the objects. This world is Apurna (imperfect) and there is uncertainty of life.

There is not an iota of happiness in objects and they are Jada (insentient). Even the sensual pleasure is a reflection of Atmic Bliss only. Worldly-minded persons foolishly imagine that the happiness they enjoy comes from the objects only.

There is a mental uneasiness, dissatisfaction, discontent and restlessness even in multi-millionaires and kings. Some kind of sorrow, misery or pain is always present even when you are in the height of enjoyment of worldly pleasures. You entertain the idea that the happiness will pass away soon. This adds pain when you are in the enjoyment of sensual pleasure.

You can find eternal, infinite, supreme peace and bliss, only in the Atman of your heart. It is an embodiment of bliss (Ananda Swarupa).

All objects that you see consist of five parts, viz. Nama-Rupa-Asti-Bhati-Priya (name, form, existence, knowledge, bliss). Nama and Rupa constitute the world. They are the cause for human activities and sufferings. Asti, Bhati and Priya are the Svarupas of Atman or Brahman or Moksha.

Amongst the things desired by human beings of this world, Moksha alone is the best and highest thing. The means (Sadhan) for Moksha is Atma Jnana (knowledge of the Self or Atman), Vichara of “Who am I?” or significance of “Tat Tvam Asi” Mahavakya. This is the means for attainment of Brahma Jnana.

Moksha is desired in order to get rid of the pains of Samsara which are in the form of birth, death, disease, old age, etc. Moksha can hardly be attained without Sadhana.

Some say, that Karma is the Sadhan for Moksha. Some other say, that Karma and Jnana combined (Samucchayavada) is the means. Sri Shankara has refuted the Karma and Samucchaya theories by strong, sound, convincing arguments and has established the Truth that Kevala Jnana (pure knowledge alone) is the means for Moksha. Just as fire is the direct means for cooking food, so also Brahma Jnana is the Sakshat Sadhana (direct means) for Moksha. The famous Mandana Misra (Sureshwaracharya) disciple of Sri Sankara has also said in his reputed book Naishkarma Siddhi that Kevala Jnana alone is the means for Moksha.

Do not say: “My Karma has brought me like this.” Exert. Do Purushartha. Do Tapas. Concentrate. Purify. Meditate. Do not become a fatalist. Do not yield to inertia. Do not bleat like a lamb. Roar OM, OM, OM like a lion of Vedanta. See how Markandeya who was destined to die at his sixteenth year became a Chiranjeevi, an immortal boy of sixteen years on account of his Tapas! Remember, my friends, that man is the master of his own destiny. Visvamitra Rishi, who was a Kshatriya Raja, became a Brahma Rishi like Vasishtha and even created a third world for Trishanku by his power of Tapas. Rogue Ratnakar became the sage Valmiki through Tapas. Rogues Jagai and Madai of Bengal became highly developed Saints. They became the disciples of Lord Gauranga.

You can also do wonders and miracles if you apply yourself to spiritual Sadhana, Tapas and meditation. Read the book ‘Poverty to Power’? by James Allen with interest and attention. You will be inspired. Draw up a programme of your life. Follow my Twenty Spiritual Instructions and Forty Golden Precepts. Adhere to the “Spiritual Daily Routine” prescribed by me. Apply yourself with zeal and enthusiasm to Sadhana. Become a Naishtic Brahmachari. Be steady and systematic in your Yogabhyasa. Assert. Affirm. Recognise. Realise. Shine in your native pristine Brahmic Glory. Become a Jivanmukta. You are the children of light and immortality, “Tat Twam Asi—Thou art That.”

Continue to read:
Yoga in Daily life by Swami Sivananda
The mortal and the Immortal by Swami Krishnananda


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Sunday, April 28, 2013

(Apr 28,2013) Short Story: Mind is a great mystery

Short Story: Mind is a great mystery
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 2: Sadhana – The Spiritual Way by Swami Krishnananda

The ways of saints, the methods adopted by masters and seekers of yore, are very interesting. They are not always logically rigid, but a beautifully construed methodology of handling the mind.

This is a Sufi saint's story. There was a great mystic called Jalaluddin Rumi in the Middle Ages. He had many followers. He recited an instance of how a person can change himself by changing his circumstances. There was a Sufi guru who had several followers and disciples, many of whom were poor Arabs, but very devoted to their master. One of them came in the early morning to pay homage to his master. The master asked, "How are you, my dear boy?"

"Master, I am living in hell."

"What is the trouble with you?"
"I have one room only, which is a small area where I have my family, my wife and two children. There inside I cook my food. I have a camel which brays continuously, and there is a dog barking all night. We cannot sleep. You can imagine our condition. Don't you think, Master, that this is veritable hell?"

The master said, "There is no problem; I can solve this difficulty."

The obedience of disciples to the master was so amazing, especially in ancient times, that they would not argue with the guru. Though his suggestions may look funny, irrational, and sometimes unusual, the devotion and submission to the guru supersedes rationality. The guru told the disciple, "Tonight you tie the dog inside your house when you go to bed." The man could not understand what kind of solution this was, but obedience is obedience.

The dog made matters worse. It went on barking inside the room and howled throughout the night. Nobody slept even for a minute. The disciple went to the guru the next morning. The guru said, "Hello, how are you?"

The man said, "I cannot say anything. It is worse than hell. The dog did not allow us to sleep."

"There is a solution for it. You have got a camel? Tie it inside."

He thought, "What is this? Am I going to be alive?" But the guru is guru, and he did not say a word against him. He tied the camel inside the room. There was no space to sit. The camel occupied the entire area, making kicks and jumps, and the dog was barking also, the fireplace was giving sparks, the children were crying, the wife was standing only, and he was also sitting.

The next morning he went to the guru and said, "I cannot speak, Master. I am dying today. I think it is the last day for me. I thought it was hell; this is worse than hell."

"I will find a solution for it, the guru said. Tie the camel out; put the dog also out."

He slept very well that night, no noise, no disturbance of any kind. The next morning he went to the guru. The guru asked, "How are you?"

"Heaven, heaven!" he said.

"Heaven? Hey! You came to me in the beginning, saying it is hell. Now how has it become heaven?" he asked. "Do not complain."

The mind is a great mystery. It can deceive you every moment and tell you everything is wrong – nothing is good anywhere, everybody is foolish, the world is a devil's abode and it is better to be rid of it. It will go on telling all kinds of things; yet, till the last moment of your breath, the desire to live long will not leave you. Who generates this feeling of endless longing, if not that which is your real nature?

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

(May 4, 2013) Yogic Life - In and Through The World - Weekly Svadyaya

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Svadyaya for May 4, 2013
Yogic Life – In and Through The World

We take up now the vital subject of how being in the midst of worldly activities, one may yet fulfil the supreme spiritual purpose of life on earth. While it is true that both the secular life and the spiritual life are a part of you, the spheres of the two are different, in the sense that the secular life has its sphere outside of yourself, and the spiritual life has its sphere within yourself. But then, your spiritual life does have some expression outwardly also, and wherever you are your spiritual life has to be there.

This interior life cannot be created by bringing about visible external changes in yourself or your circumstances. You cannot be a better spiritual man if you are living at the top of a mountain than if you are living at the foot of it. Mere change of the external form cannot really and truly affect your spiritual life; for it is the life of the soul, and wherever you are, the inner self can be looking towards God. It is what you are within yourself that determines whether you are living a spiritual life or a worldly life, and not the place you are in. That gives the secret of living a yogic life in and through the world.

Everything can become yogic if you spiritualise your life. The method of spiritualising life has been expounded in the most sacred scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Yoga is the union with the Divine. And if you are living your life in constant inner union with the Divine through a link of great devotion and love for the Supreme, then whatever you may do, wherever you may be, and in whatever manner you may be living, you are living a life of Yoga. For you are living with God, and you are at one with God in your inner life.

Such a life of at-oneness with God, such a life of conscious effort to be for ever united with Him in love and devotion, and with an awareness that the whole of this life is meant for totally consummating of perfecting such union is Divine Life. It is a life of Yoga. If you are consciously trying all the time to reach out towards Him in spirit, to draw nearer and nearer to Him day by day, then you are living a life of Yoga, no matter what shape your external life might take. This spirit is the most important and essential factor, which makes the life spiritual. This enables us to be united with God in the interior of our being. Neither thief, nor even nuclear bombs can take away the spiritual wealth gained from living such a yogic life.

God Bless You!
Swami Chidananda

Additional reading

Yoga in daily life” by Swami Sivananda
Light on the Yoga Way of Life” –by Swami Chidananda

(Apr 27, 2013) Spirituality is the Expansion of Being


Spirituality is the Expansion of Being
From Divine Life Society Publication: “True Spiritual Living” by Swami Krishnananda

Spirituality is not a way of living in the sense of conducting oneself outwardly in relationship to other people, but it is a state of being. We have heard from many people that spirituality also implies intense unselfish activity. Then, how do we say that spirituality is a state of being, rather than doing? This peculiar notion has arisen because you have a distinction between yourself and other people in the world. Inasmuch as my existence – which is called ‘my being’ – is different from the being of other people, I have a necessity to develop a relationship with other people. This is called ‘doing’. So, the necessity of doing arises on account of my not being one with others, and others not being one with me.

You have a being of your own; you exist. And I have a being of my own; I exist. But my being is different from your being. So, the connection between my being and your being is called action. As long as we are different from one another, there shall be a difference between being and doing. This is also the reason for the philosophical distinction between knowledge and activity – or in Indian Sanskrit parlance, jnana and karma. Whether knowledge is superior, or action is superior arises from another question: whether I am one with you, or I am different from you. If I am different from you, really speaking, then action cannot be avoided; it is superior in its own way.

We have a compulsive feeling that there is some connection between ourselves and others but we cannot see any connection visibly. On one side we feel that we are an independent people, and that is the reason why we sometimes become selfish and exploit others. At times, we have a humanitarian feeling, a feeling of brotherhood and unity with people. This double attitude of our nature is the cause of our sorrow.

Distinction between being and doing has arisen out of the prejudice of our being in space, time, and a causal relationship of things. Space is a way of disconnecting one thing from another thing. It is because of space that you appear to be different from me. Space prevents us from merging, which has created this distinction of thought, feeling, action, etc. That we are in space, time and cause is an error of thought.

Thus, the whole of human life is a drama of two scenes – being and doing. Being is what we are. Doing is what we try to manifest in order that this being may become more and more complete. Thus, even our doing or our action is only a need felt for expanding our being by connecting ourself with others. Thus, ultimately, being is the truth, not doing, because our doing is only for the sake of being.

All our beings should join together into a single being, like a single ocean having all the drops within it. The whole ocean is one drop only, but it contains small drops. We cannot separate them. But, if we join many stones or sand particles together, we cannot call it a single unity. So, our joining together socially, politically, economically, and externally is something like trying to join millions of sand particles together, which are different from each other. They will never join.

Spirituality is the consciousness of being. And whatever we do as an action is meant for expanding being. That is why they say karma yoga is a yoga by itself for attaining God-realisation. Every kind of relationship with others is an attempt of the soul to come to a unity of being, in a largeness which expands to entire infinitude. We merge in the Supreme Being called God, as all drops merge in the ocean.

We bring a spatial distinction even between us and God. The concept of God, the real Being, transcends the idea of space, time, and cause, and is inseparable from our being. This consciousness of the totality of Being – not merely an aggregate of particulars, but the real merger of Being – is the aim of spirituality. This consciousness has to be manifest in our action, even when there is activity. It is very difficult, therefore, to even conceive what real spirituality is, let alone practice it. But once it becomes a part of our natural way of thinking, we become supermen from that very moment. This is the aim of our life.

Continue to read:
Spirituality is the expansion of Being” by Swami Krishnananda
The Doctrine of the Upanishads”  by Swami Krishnananda
God Exists” by Sri Swami Sivananda
Karma Yoga” by Swami Sivananda

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Friday, April 26, 2013

(April 26, 2013) Science Precedes Practice

Science Precedes Practice
From Divine Life Society Publication: “The Tree of Life” by Swami Krishnananda

Many a seeker on the spiritual path is often unintelligently enthusiastic with a misapprehension of the nature of spiritual life and the way to the attainment of the goal. Sincere seekers often imagine that yoga is a practice, and they want nothing but practice, with an added notion that it will bring about an immediate experience of a supernormal reality. There is no such thing as a sudden jumping into the practice of yoga, yet they imagine that it is doing something immediately and that it will be followed up by a sudden outburst of supernal light.

I had occasion to hear from a sincere sadhaka that what he requires is immediate practice and immediate experience. This is not to be unless the mind is cleared of all its cobwebs of entanglement with phenomenal experience. The mind will not concentrate, whatever be the effort we put forth, because the mind we are contemplating is one facet of a large structure of universal psyche. Most people fail in their attempt at concentration of the mind because they think this so-called mind of theirs has no connection with other things in the world.

The Bhagavadgita is also called a Brahma Vidya in addition to its being called a Yoga Shastra. It is a science of the Eternal, and it is a scripture on the practice of yoga. Science precedes practice. There is a scientific system of the methodology of working laid out in one's own mind and, as the science of economics tells us, there are stages of the fulfilment of the program.  To build a house we have a program of making a plan, maybe a master plan. The location, the structure, the nature of the material, the persons who will be entrusted with building, the idea of the work of construction, and the final structure will depend upon the purpose for which it is raised.

Theory and practice are not bifurcated as the North Pole and the South Pole. Idea expressed is action. As water condenses into ice, thought manifests itself as activity. In the same way as water and ice are not different—it is water itself that has become ice, and they are not two different things—likewise, it is the idea that has become practice. Science becomes technology. We cannot have merely a technological organisation without the scientific concept and knowledge preceding this practice.

The ultimate realisation of the aim is the concretisation of the theoretical foundation already laid in one's consciousness. When consciousness becomes one with its content and the content does not remain something outside as a perceptional category, that state of conscious experience is called spiritual Realisation or God-realisation.

This principle is also emphasised in the Bhagavadgita. It is a Brahma Vidya, or the science of the Absolute, and by science what we mean here is the ideological structural basis for its expression as spiritual practice, which is called yoga. Thus, yoga is an external manifestation of the internal foundation of Brahma Vidya. So it is necessary that we should know where we stand. There is not to be that mistake of underestimation or overestimation of oneself. Neither are we nothing, nor are we everything. This is a great difficulty for seekers because nothing can be harder than the assessment of oneself by oneself. We cannot exactly know where we stand in this world, what our relationship is with the atmosphere in which we are living. That is why the need for a Guru arises—a teacher, a guide, a master who has trodden the path and knows the various steps to be taken and the stages to be passed through.

Continue to read:
Severing the Root of this Tree of Life” from the tree of life by Swami Krishnananda
The Theory of Perception” by Swami Krishnananda
Guru-Bhakti Yoga” by Sri Swami Sivananda
The Purpose of Life” by Swami Sivananda

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

(Apr 25,2013) Avidya and the Universality of our true being

Avidya and the universality of our true being
From Divine Life Society Publication “The Yoga System” by Swami Krishnananda

Avidya represents a condition in which one forgets reality and is unconscious of its existence. We have somehow forgotten the real nature of our selves, viz. the universality of our true being. This is the primary function of ignorance. But it has more serious consequences, for it also makes one mistake:
·         the non-eternal (anitya) for the eternal (nitya),
·         the impure (asuchi) for the pure (suchi),
·         pain (duhkha) for pleasure (sukha) and
·         the not-Self (anatman) for the Self (atman).

The Theory of Relativity has put an end to such a thing as stable matter or the so-called solidity or substantiality of things. It is obvious that the world with its contents is transient, and yet it is loved as a real entity and seen as reality. This is one of the functions of avidya. So, also, the impure body which stinks when deprived of life or unattended to daily is loved and caressed as a pure substance. The itching of the nerves is regarded as an incentive to pleasure and to scratch them for an imaginary satisfaction seems to be the aim of all sense-contacts in life, whatever be their nature.

The increase of desire (parinama) after every sensory indulgence, the anxiety (tapa) consequent upon every attempt at fulfilment of a desire, the undesirable effect in the form of psychic impressions (samskara-duhkha) that follow in the wake of all sense-enjoyments and the obstructing activity of the modes of the relativity of things (the 3 gunas) called sattva, rajas and tamas, which revolve like a wheel without rest (guna-vritti-virodha) point to the fact that worldly pleasure is a name given to pain, by the ignorant. Also, objects are loved as one's Self, while in fact they are not. All these are the characteristics of avidya or ajnana, due to which there is a total distortion of reality into an appearance called this universe of space, time and objects.

Another result which spontaneously follows from avidya is asmita or the sense of being. This sense is the consciousness of one's individuality and personality, the ego, ahamkara, or self-affirmation. Forgetfulness of universality ends in an assertion of individuality. The wrong notion that the individual is organically separated from the universe and the consequent self-assertion (asmita), the bifurcating attitude of likes and dislikes in regard to things (raga-dvesha) and a longing to preserve one's body by all means (abhinivesa) are the graduated effects of avidya, which follow from it in a logical sequence. We do not know Universal Being. We know only the particular and the individual. We love and hate objects. We cling to life and fear death.

The first mistake is to think, 'I am not the Universal'; the second to affirm, 'I am the particular'; the third to like certain things and to dislike others; the fourth to strive for perpetuating individuality by the instinct for self-preservation and self-reproduction. The error of forgetfulness of universality has produced affirmation of individuality, which has caused love and hate, or like and dislike, all which finally has led to desire for life and horror of death. This is our present state. We have now to wake up from this muddled thinking and go back to the truth of thinking universally. The union of the individual with the Universal is yoga.

 Continue to read:
The Nature of Avidya – From “Moksha Gita” by Swami Sivananda – Commentary by Swami Krishnananda


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(April 25, 2013) The Guru-Disciple Relationship -Special Message on the Birth Anniversary of Sri Swami Krishnananda Maharaj

The Guru-Disciple Relationship
From Divine Life Society Publication: “A Brief Biographical Sketch of Swami Krishnananda”

Revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj took birth on the 25th of April, 1922, and was named Subbaraya. He was eldest son of five children of a highly religious and orthodox Brahmin family, well versed in the Sanskrit language, the influence of which was very profound on the young boy. He had a high school education at Puttur (South Kanara District, Karnataka State) and stood first in the class in all the subjects. Not being satisfied with what was taught in the classroom, young Subbaraya took to earnest self-study of Sanskrit with the aid of Amara-Kosa and other scriptural texts. While still a boy he studied and memorised the entire Bhagavadgita, and his simple way of doing it was not having breakfast or even lunch until a prescribed number of verses were memorised. Thus within months Subbaraya memorised the whole of the Gita and recited it, in full, every day. Such was his eagerness to study scripture. Reading from the Srimad Bhagavata that Lord Narayana lives in sacred Badrinath Dham, the young boy literally believed it and entertained a secret pious wish to go to the Himalayas, where Badrinath is located, and see the Lord there.

By the study of Sanskrit works like the Bhagavadgita, the Upanishads, etc., Subbaraya was rooted more and more in the Advaita philosophy of Shankaracharya, though he belonged to the traditional Madhva sect which follows the philosophy of dualism. His inner longing for Advaitic experience and renunciation grew stronger every day. In 1943 Subbaraya took up government service at Hospet in Bellary District, which however did not last long. Before the end of the same year he left for Varanasi, where he studied the Vedas and other scriptures. But the longing for seclusion and the unknown call from the Master pulled him to Rishikesh, and he arrived there in the summer of 1944. When he met Swami Sivananda and fell prostrate before him, the saint said: "Stay here till death; I will make kings and ministers fall at your feet." The prophecy of the saint's statement came true to this young man who wondered within himself how this could ever happen. Swami Sivananda initiated young Subbaraya into the holy order of Sannyasa on the sacred day of Makar Sankranti, the 14th of January, 1946, and he was named Swami Krishnananda.

Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananda found that Swami Krishnananda was suitable for the work of correspondence, letter writing, writing messages and even assisting in compiling books, editing them, etc. Later on Swamiji was given the work of putting into typewritten form the handwritten manuscripts of Sri Gurudev, which he used to bring to him every day. For instance, the entire volume of the Brahma Sutras of Sri Gurudev, which he wrote by hand, was typewritten by Swami Krishnananda. Swamiji confined himself mostly to the literary side and never had any kind of relationship with visitors, so that people who came from outside never knew he existed in the ashram. It was in the year 1948 that Gurudev asked Swamiji to do more work along the lines of writing books in philosophy and religion, which he took up with earnestness. It can be safely said that from that year onwards, Swamiji was more absorbed in writing and conducting classes, holding lectures, etc., as per the instructions of Sri Gurudev. The first book Swamiji wrote was The Realisation of the Absolute which was written in merely 14 days and is still his best book—terse, direct and stimulating. 

When it became necessary for the ashram to co-opt assistance from other members in the work of management, Swami Krishnananda was asked to collaborate with the Working Committee which was formed in the year 1957. At that time Swamiji became the Secretary especially concerned with the management of finance. This continued until 1961 when, due to the absence for a protracted period of the General Secretary, Gurudev nominated Swamiji as General Secretary of the Divine Life Society, which position Swamiji held until 2001. It can very safely be stated that in the history of the Divine Life Society none ever held, nor is likely to hold, that responsible and taxing position of General Secretary for four decades.

It may be recorded to Swamiji's credit, without fear of the least exaggeration, that it is Swami Krishnananda, the genius and master of scriptures, who alone expounded practically all the major scriptures of Vedanta. These discourses were given at the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy of the Society during the early morning sessions, afternoon classes and the regular three-month courses. Most of them have been brought out in book form and are authentic commentaries covering the philosophy, psychology and practice of the various disciplines of Yoga. Swami Krishnananda is thus the author of thirty-six books that were printed in his lifetime, ten books that were printed after Swamiji's Mahasamadhi, and many more books published on Swamiji's website, each one a masterpiece in itself. Only a genius of Swamiji's calibre could do this in the midst of the enormous day-to-day volume of work as the General Secretary of a large Institution. Swamiji is a rare blend of Karma and Jnana Yogas, a living example of the Bhagavadgita's teachings.

Such was Swami Krishnananda's literary skill and understanding of the entire gamut of the works of Swami Sivananda, numbering about three hundred, that when the Sivananda Literature Research Institute was formed on the 8th of September, 1958, Sri Gurudev himself made Swamiji the President. Again it was Swami Krishnananda who was appointed as the President of the Sivananda Literature Dissemination Committee, which was formed to bring out translations of Sri Gurudev's works in the major Indian languages. From September 1961, Swamiji was made the Editor of the Society's official monthly organ, The Divine Life, which he did efficiently for nearly two decades.

Swami Krishnananda was a master of practically every system of Indian thought and Western philosophy. "Many Sankaras are rolled into one Krishnananda," said Sri Gurudev in a cryptic statement, which he himself has amplified in his article, "He is a Wonder to Me!" Swamiji, as the embodiment of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, lived in the state of God-consciousness and guided countless seekers along the path of self-realisation. Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi on 23rd November, 2001.

On Swami Krishnananda's website at www.swami-krishnananda.org can be found all of Swamiji's books, plus many discourses, audios, videos and photos. According to Swamiji's wish and with his blessings, these are available freely to all.

Continue to read:
Swami Krishnananda” - The Ideal Saint – So Said Gurudev by Swami Chidananda

If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit:
http://www.dlshq.org/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at:

(Apr 23,2013) Awaken to God-Consciousness

Awaken to God-Consciousness
From Divine Life Society Publication: “The principles of the Bhagavadgita” by Swami Krishnananda

Consciousness cannot be externalized because consciousness is indivisible. If you imagine that consciousness is divisible, you have also to imagine that there is a gap between the two parts thereof. Who is conscious of this gap? Consciousness alone is conscious of this gap between the two parts. That means, consciousness is present even in the gap in between. This is another way of saying that consciousness is universal.

Everyone in this world refers to 'himself' or 'herself'. This 'selfhood' is applicable not only to organic, but inorganic bodies and objects also. If 'selfhood' is applicable to the whole world, it means the whole world is filled with selfhood alone, and since selfhood is inseparable from consciousness, it means that the whole world is filled with consciousness. But on account of ignorance, we imagine that objects are outside the self. This idea of object outside is itself a misconception. There is no object external to the self. What you call the object is self itself.

Let us take the example of a dream in which a tiger chases a man. He runs in fear and finally climbs up a tree. The tree, the tiger, the chase, etc. are all a projection of his own mind and his dream-personality also is a process of his mind. So the one mind becomes every one of these in the dream. It is subjective as well as objective. This is what is happening in the waking condition also; and, even as the one single mind became all objects in the dream, the universal mind has become all these external objects around here even in waking life. They are nothing but the universal mind ultimately. You would not know that the tiger in the dream is unreal till you wake up.

Even so, there is another waking up from the present waking consciousness. That higher awakening is called God-consciousness. In that condition, you will see that all the objects of the world are your own universal self. The efforts of man for material prosperity, and the like, are an indication of his deeper urge to reach up to the universal consciousness.

From social consciousness, you go to individual consciousness and from the individual consciousness to the universal consciousness, and from there, again, to the Absolute. From social aspect you go to the mind and from the mind to the intellect and from there to the universal consciousness. This is the process of universal history as well as natural evolution. Thus the whole universe is struggling to attain the self-realization of itself.

Socially, it goes through the historical process, personally through the psychological process, and naturally through evolution. The society, the individual and nature are simultaneously moving towards the Absolute. As a matter of fact, the society, the individual and the world are not three different things; they are three aspects of a single universal whole; there is only one world having only one single purpose in life. When your activities are directed to this ultimate purpose, your activities become what is called Karma-Yoga.

Continue to read:
The principles of Bhagavadgita” by Swami Krishnananda
The Majesty of God-Consciousness” from the teachings of BhagavadGita by Swami Krishnananda
Thus Awakens Swami Sivananda” by Sri Swami Sivananda
The Purpose of Life” by Swami Sivananda

If you would like to purchase the print edition, visit:
http://www.dlshq.org/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi
If you would like to contribute to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge please contact the General Secretary at:
generalsecretary@sivanandaonline.org

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Weekly Guided Meditation & Scriptural Study - April 27, 2013 - Focusing of the Mind


FREE ONLINE GUIDED MEDITATION
Every Saturday, from NY through Skype @ 6:30 am EST
With blessings and guidance from Swami Padmanabhanandaji, Divine Life Society 
DISCUSSIONS ON SWAMI CHIDANANDA’s DAILY SVADYAYA AND 
RELATED TOPICS FROM VEDANTA
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Svadyaya for April 27, 2013
Focusing of the Mind


Radiant immortal Atman! Beloved sadhakas and seekers!

Some sadhakas are very impatient. They want to have the experience at the very beginning of their sadhana. And they think that only such experience constitutes the sign that they are progressing. They want to have a tree within days of planting a seed! You should not be too impatient. You must have sufficient abhyasa (practice) before you start looking for results.

This impatience in sadhaka is a result of not realising that a good part of sadhana goes not into the structure of spiritual life, but into its foundation. When the foundation of a building is being built, no structure is seen above the surface of the ground. Someone looking from far off will see nothing there. Yet something important, something indispensable is being done. If you want to see walls and rooms within a few days of starting the construction, it is impractical view and approach.

Many spiritual teachers offer techniques, which will show results. Someone presses your eyeballs and make you see flashes of light. There are organisations that promise this type of spiritual experiences, awakening of Kundalini, siddhis (psychic powers).

But then, are you trying to lead a spiritual life, or do you want to get some results? What is that you understand about a life of nivritti, of renunciation, of seeking? Are you paying attention to your spiritual life or are you paying attention to your mental acrobatic? These questions have to be very, very definitely made part of your consideration. Spiritual teachers lay down together with sadhana some principles, certain ideals, some way of life.

First and foremost, try to know that all sadhana, all yoga-abhyasa have one aim: to remove distraction of the mind and focus it. And thus bring about a state of one-pointedness, concentration, and to integrate your life, your thoughts, feelings emotions, sentiments, imagination and aspirations towards one unified quest, one clearly defined goal. All sadhana—japa, meditation, kirtan, puja, upasana—should make you totally absorbed, one-pointed, completely focussed. The focussing of the mind is sadhana, that is abhyasa. It is the key to success. It is the solution to all problems. And it does not come in a day. A life governed by principles, moving towards an ideal is yoga and sadhana and spiritual life.

God Bless You!

Swami Chidananda


Additional reading

Yoga in daily life” by Swami Sivananda
Advices on Spiritual Living” –by Swami Chidananda
The Tree of Life” by Swami Krishnananda