(Jan 31,2014) Spiritual Message for the Day – Where is Real Love? by Swami Sivananda

Where is Real Love?

Divine Life Society Publication: Easy Path to God Realization by Sri Swami Sivananda

The desire to attain knowledge of the Self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahma Jnana or Knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, ignorance which is the seed for bondage and the cause of Karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss.

Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your own self. Be centered in the Atman only. The sweet wife deserts her husband when he is on the role of unemployment and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty on account of protracted illness and marries another woman. Even Lord Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world! Mysterious is Maya!

Real affection can be found in God and sages only. Worldly affection is only showy, hypocritical, illusory and changing. Just see whether your relatives, even your friends, your brothers and sisters show affection to you when you are unemployed, when you are suffering from a chronic, incurable disease without any money in your hands. It is to realize his selfish ends, to extract money from you that the so-called relative pretends to be affectionate towards you. This is a mysterious world full of selfishness. You have not got enough experience as yet. You will understand this in course of time. Beware, O Ram!

Take refuge in unselfish immortal God alone. Never depend upon perishable man, friend or relative, who will forsake you when you are penniless and when you are suffering from a chronic, severe disease.

Saints and prophets who have realized God are shouting at the top of their voice that the Lord is dwelling in the hearts of beings and yet no one is earnestly attempting to make a vigorous search in his own heart. Is this not lamentable? God is above, below, within, without and all around. Thirst for His Darshan (Vision). Look within. Practice introspection. Turn your gaze inwards. Try earnestly to attain the Immortal Being. In Him, you can find eternal peace. Enter His Kingdom right now in this very second.

Stand firm on the rock of truth or Brahman. Have a firm grip of your reality, the self-luminous, Immortal Atman or Soul. Look upon this universe as your all-full form. Only when knowledge of the Self dawns in your heart, you can free yourself from rebirths and become identical with the Supreme Self. Equip yourself with the four means. Hear the Srutis (scriptures), reflect, meditate and realize. May you become a sage!

Excerpts from:

Where is Real Love? - Easy Path to God Realization by Sri 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

(Jan 24,2014) Spiritual Message for the Day – Dissemination of Knowledge by Swami Sivananda

Dissemination of Knowledge

Divine Life Society Publication: Easy Path to God Realization by Sri Swami Sivananda

There is no Yoga greater than dissemination of spiritual knowledge. Even the gift of this whole earth is nothing when compared to the gift of dissemination of spiritual knowledge, because the latter eradicates ignorance and illusion, the root-cause of human sufferings.

Dissemination of Brahma Vidya (spiritual knowledge) is the highest form of Yajna (sacrifice). This is the highest form of charity (Dana). It is the highest Karma. It is the highest form of Yoga. Even if one thirsty soul is elevated and stirred, your work is over. You have justified your existence.

Acquire the knowledge of the Self and distribute this Atma Vidya to others. Vidya Dana is the highest help which one can render to another. Relief work is social scavengering. You cannot remove the evil of the world completely. It will break out like carbuncle or rheumatism or syphilitic ulcers in some form or another.

Seclusion, meditation—a life of peace and spiritual splendor is far superior to a life of social activities. What is the cause of human suffering? Avidya or ignorance. If you give food, clothing, medicine, etc., and other comforts to a man, there is no complete satisfaction for him. Again the same craving manifests. If one can help another in the removal of ignorance, then all miseries will come to an end.

Live intelligently. Study the Upanishads thoroughly. Meditate regularly. Come out of the dungeon of ignorance. Bask in the glorious sunshine of knowledge of Brahman. Share this knowledge with others.

To get Self-realization and to help others in Self-realization is the greatest service to mankind which one can do. Building hospitals, Dharmasalas (rest-houses), choultries (guest-houses), temples, tanks, gardens, is nothing when compared with the previous help. People do such kind of charities out of egoism for their own self-glorification.

Form at once a Prem Sabha or Yogic Society or Hari Kirtan Mandal amongst your friends in your own place. Have some common meditation in the morning and evening for half an hour. Assemble together and study regularly some philosophical books, Ramayana, Bhagavatam, Gita, Upanishads, Vivekachudamani, Yoga Vasishtha, etc. Have philosophical discussions. Start Likhita Japa. In the morning assemble together and practice Asanas, Pranayama and physical exercises. At night assemble together and do some Hari Nam Kirtan for one hour.

The members can nicely prepare some lectures in English and local vernacular language and read before the Sunday public meeting. The mother gives a sugar-coated tablet to her boy when he refuses to drink quinine mixture. Even so, sages and saints give spiritual instructions to the people in the form of songs, stories and Drishtantas (illustrations). Abstract metaphysics or high philosophy does not appeal to them. English philosophical songs are suitable particularly for the modern English educated people.

O sweet Ram, you can do your individual Sadhana at home in the early morning between 4 and 5, but you should not ignore the collective Sadhana by conducting common meditation and Gita classes with your friends and neighbors in a temple. The latter is more important. Collective Sadhana also is for one’s own growth.

Excerpts from:

Dissemination of Knowledge - Easy Path to God Realization by Sri 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

(Jan 16,2014) Spiritual Message for the Day – The Highest End of Man by Swami Sivananda

The Highest End of Man

Divine Life Society Publication: Easy Path to God Realization by Sri Swami Sivananda

Man seeks happiness in the objects of the world. He thinks that he will get happiness by attaining a certain object. He exerts and possesses it, but he is deceived. He then exerts and possesses another object and he is deceived again. He again and again attempts to get possession of different objects and each time he is deceived. He does not get real lasting happiness. He becomes restless. Real, everlasting happiness can be had by realizing the Immortal Self, through purification and meditation.

Man thinks that he is imperfect, if he has not got a wife. After he gets married he again thinks he is imperfect, so long as he has not got a son and a daughter. This is due to ignorance or the presence of Vasanas or Ishanas (desires) in the mind from Anaadi Kaala (beginningless time). However much a man may gain materially, there is always something lacking to make his happiness complete. There is always some sort of discontentment and dissatisfaction. This is a universal experience. Only when he is established in Atman, he will get eternal satisfaction. He will become Paripurna (all-full). The senses of want will totally disappear.

O students, don't waste your time in analyzing Silica and sand and in melting the same to turn it into glass. Don't make speculations to open glass factories. You cannot get peace there. Analyze your mind and the three products Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Build up a golden factory in your heart for Lord Krishna. Worship Him there repeating His Name and Mantra: Om Namo Bhagavate Vaasudevaya. All your miseries will terminate immediately.

What is the highest end of man? All are agreed that the one aim which man has in all his actions is to attain happiness. The highest end of man must, therefore, be to attain eternal happiness. This can be had in the Self only. The pleasure that is derived from contact of objects is illusory and momentary. It is mixed with anxieties, pain, fear and sins.

Rich people possess immense wealth. They have all sorts of comforts, good circumstances and they have an easy-going life. They have decent motor cars, beautiful bungalows, servants, etc. They take dainties and palatable dishes and go to hill stations during summer. And yet they have no peace of mind, because they have no inner harmony. There is discord in their hearts on account of their greed, selfishness, egoism, lust, pride, hatred, anger, fear, worry, etc. Outward harmony and quietness cannot give you real peace of mind. The peace of mind is an internal state. You can obtain it without the help of money and outward favorable circumstances.

Rich people are selfish, greedy and miserly. They have a constricted heart. They can only love their wives, children and a few friends who help them when they are in distress and troubles. They are under the strong grip of the devil. When they are in distress, they cry for peace.

Even if they possess enormous wealth they have no peace of mind. When Lord Yama catches their throats, when their last breath comes out of their bodies, their minds will be on the keys and the iron-safe only. Miserable people! Their lot is lamentable indeed! They are care-takers of money only. They earn the money by hook or crook. They do not know how to utilize the money profitably.

Man has hunger. He finds delicious food to satisfy his hunger. He feels thirsty. He has water and other sweet beverages to quench his thirst. He is passionate. He gets a woman to gratify his appetite. He finds in this world any kind of object to satisfy any kind of desire. There is one common desire in all human beings. Man wants to enjoy eternal, unbroken, perpetual happiness that is not mixed with pain. There must be one Supreme Vastu (thing) also to satisfy this desire, though he is not able to cognize Him with these fleshy eyes. That Supreme Vastu in which you can find eternal, unalloyed bliss is God or Brahman. He can be cognized by the inner eye of wisdom through meditation.

Excerpts from:

The Highest End of Man - Easy Path to God Realization by Sri 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