Poinder these truths

Published By
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192
Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttaranchal,
Himalayas, India.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Early morning group meditation has long been a part of the life at Sivananda Ashram. Usually held in the sacred Samadhi Shrine of His Holiness Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, the saintly founder of the Divine Life Society, it includes chanting, kirtan, guru stotra, santi path and silent meditation, followed by a message from one of the senior Swamis.

For many years these prayer gatherings were a daily occurrence, but by the 1980's they were being held only on special occasions. One such special occasion was the birthday celebration of Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj on September 24, 1984. During his short talk, Swamiji suddenly said: "What would really be a wonderful birthday gift for me is if you were to hold these group meditations every morning at this time. And if you will, I promise that whenever I am in the Ashram I will come and give the message."

Immediately, one of the senior Swamis offered to lead the prayers, and the very next morning the regular early morning gatherings were resumed. They have continued to this day, and, true to his word, whenever Swamiji is in the Ashram, regardless of the condition of his health or the weather, he has never failed to attend and give a message.

Many of the Ashram residents noticed that there was a very special quality about these talks. They felt that the talks were so helpful and valuable that they should be shared with others. So, taping and transcribing began. This volume contains a selection of 75 of the talks recorded from the beginning of August 1987 until the end of December 1990. They are being brought out in 1991, the year that marks Swamiji's 75th birth anniversary (platinum jubilee).

In the editing of these talks, no attempt was made to convert them into essay style. Rather, the intent was to stay as close as possible to the spoken word, so that Swamiji's messages, frequently spontaneous and highly inspired, would be conveyed as he spoke them.

Sanskrit language words have been put in italics with the exception of a few words like Brahman, Atman, Yoga, Vedanta, Guru and Ashram which are commonly found in an English dictionary. Often, while using a Sanskrit word, phrase or verse, Swamiji would give either a translation or a free rendering of it. These have been included in the text. Otherwise, the meaning follows in parentheses or can be found in the glossary.

The publishers would like to acknowledge the very valuable and helpful contribution of all those residents of the Ashram who taped, transcribed, edited, checked, and prepared the talks for printing. Many were involved and our grateful thanks to them all.

The talks are full of the inspiration and wisdom of a true son of our ancient Indian culture. They have been an inspiration to those who heard them and to those who have prepared them for publication. May they be an equal inspiration, help and solace to you!

PREFACE^*

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Devotees of the Lord, spiritual seekers and aspirants, sadhaks upon the path of sadhana, Yogis engaged in Yoga practice while living your life in different fields of secular activity, either as Ashramites upon the banks of the Ganga in this holy Ashram of Gurudev, or as people in service, people in business, or people engaged in different professional fields!

Engaged thus variously, you are nevertheless seeking souls trying to make this life a steady upward movement towards the great Goal which infuses a new meaning into your life, which infuses a certain purposefulness into your life, a Goal which makes life worth living, a Goal which makes life a very clear means to the accomplishment of a sublime end. Thus, in your own personal subjective inwardness, you are engaged in this quest towards spiritual awakening, unfoldment and progress towards ultimate divine perfection by attaining Self-realisation.

To you all, a cordial welcome to the spiritual presence of Gurudev in this sacred Samadhi Hall of his holy Ashram on Divine Mother Ganga's bank. Welcome to Muni-ki-reti which is the entrance way to the Himalayan shrines that make this entire area a divine area. It is an area of penance and prayer, seclusion and silence, deep meditation and struggle for Self-realisation. Welcome to this sanctified area of blessed Mother India!

...Above all, the central purpose of these daily sharings is that you may benefit yourself and that you may enrich your life, strengthen your aspiration and move Godward with greater determination. That and that alone is the object of, the purpose behind these daily sharings; there is nothing else. If you are able to see the path clearly, if you are able to move with determination, if you are able to keep the shining Goal ever before you without forgetting it even for one split second, and if you are able to lead the divine life, then I am richly blessed, I am richly blessed indeed. I seek nothing else.

God's divine grace and Master's choicest blessings ever shower upon you and make your life a life of glory, moving gradually towards the supreme Goal, the divine goal of your life! This is my prayer at the feet of Gurudev as well as God Who resides within you as your Indwelling Reality, as the Light of lights beyond all darkness, shining in the innermost chambers of your heart. Be aware of that Light within you. Be aware of that supreme Light which is your goal, and live a life illumined and radiant with divinity. God bless you!

* Salutation and conclusion of the early morning meditation talk December 24, 1989.

You are Unique in the Eyes of God

Blessed Atman! The key to blessedness lies in being aware of blessedness. If your awareness is turned in different directions, towards what you do not have, or what you think or imagine you do not have, then this wrongly directed pattern of thought will make you unaware of the many things that you have.

Each one is distinct and unique in the eyes of the Creator; there is none like that particular being, there is no second. So each one is precious and specially valuable to the Creator. In the eyes of God, therefore, each one is something special. This should always be remembered. No one can replace you in the role that you fulfil in God's creation at any given place and at any given point in time. You are most necessary and indispensable for that particular set-up, in that particular time-space context. And therefore rejoice and be grateful to the Lord that He has given you a role to perform.

Whether you perform your role perfectly and in a meaningful manner or not is irrelevant, because God expects each one to do what one is capable of, at any point, at any time. God does not expect an ant to haul a great timber as the elephant does in the forest. Nor does God expect the elephant to fly gracefully in the air as do swallows and doves. He expects birds to fly and He loves them for what they do. He expects elephants to fulfil their role, giving dignity to the forest and doing incredible jobs of strength. And He expects man to live as man. And each one in his own place, in his own sphere, can fulfil a task and gladden the heart of the Maker and contribute something to His plan on earth.

And this is the truth. And to be aware of the truth is to be worry-free, anxiety-free. To be aware of the truth is to be grateful to God: "You have made me unique, You have given me a role, and You have prompted me and brought to me all helpful factors to fulfil my role and play my part. For that I ever give thanks."

No one is dispensable. No one is useless. No one is lesser in the eyes of God or in the eyes of those who try to avoid human judgment and human standards of criticism, who accept God's creation as it is, because God created it. For them, whatever God thought fit to make, in any manner whatsoever, is perfect; there is nothing wrong in it, and it is acceptable. For them, whatever emanates from God partakes of His divinity and perfection, and therefore in God's own plan, and in God's own way, is fully complete.

In this way, if we accept this truth that to God we are unique, and so we are to all those who are trying to look with the impartiality of God's vision, then in the presence of God and of those who are devotees of God, we must feel at home, we have arrived; we may no longer feel distressed in heart. One should rejoice in serene calmness of spirit: "I have arrived, I am at home, I am in the presence of God and I am totally accepted, I am totally accepted."

Things are as they should be. The Lord is in heaven and all is well on earth. This is the faith, the firm belief of those who have faith in the infinite love of God, who have trust in the infinite goodness of God and who are sure that in God's heart they have a special and unique place. This is ever kept reserved for them and no one can take it away from them, because God's infinite heart is large enough to hold the entire cosmos and everything within it.

Thus knowing, we should have great comfort in our heart, great satisfaction and contentment. And that is the secret of inner joy, the key to blessedness and the pathway to peace, serenity and inner calm, where there is no fretting, agitation or restlessness.

The peace of God pervades the entire earth; the peace of God pervades everywhere, without and within. The peace of God is the one great truth underlying all things, ever-present, ever-accessible and available, ever-full and inexhaustible.

Try to live in the light of this truth, and the heart and mind will be at ease. Never compare and contrast, because there is no comparing and contrasting amongst unique things. Every little fledgling hatched from an egg is unique to its parents; so is each being unique in itself, for God is the parent of all. Hence, sages and saints and men of wisdom look upon all with equal vision.

Therefore, rejoice that you are special to God in His infinite love. Rejoice that you have your own special place and role to perform in this creation of God. And rejoice that His love is immediately available to you, for He is not a remote reality, but He is the indwelling Reality, nearer to you than anything else on earth. And rejoice that within you is the peace of God as your own Self. You are God's peace and you have a duty to perform, that is, to spread this peace which you are to one and all. Live to spread this peace!

Spiritual Life

Blessed Immortal Atman! Spiritual life is an earnest endeavour to transcend sense-perceived, temporary appearances, unrealities, and attain to a vision and an experience of the supersensuous Divine Reality. It is an attempt to transcend changeful and passing sense appearances and to rise up and become established in the Reality that is ever-present amidst these ever-changing, temporary appearances as their very source, their support and their substratum.

That Reality is present as thread is present in cloth, as earth is present in pots made of clay, as gold is present in diverse gold ornaments. Even as thread pervades all cloth, even as earth pervades all clay pots, even as gold pervades all golden ornaments, even so is the invisible support, centre and source, our goal, ever-present in the midst of passing appearances.

That Reality is present even as oil is present in oil seeds. Though the seeds are dry, there is occult oil hidden within. Even as butter is present in milk, as silence is present in the midst of sound which is only superimposed over it, even so, invisibly, the Reality is present in the midst of unrealities. A painting is possible only because there is a canvas behind it. A painting cannot be painted on an empty frame, a canvas is required. A movie can be seen only because there is a screen present.

Eko devah sarvabhuteshu gudhah (God, Who is one only, is hidden in all beings). It is hidden because of Its subtlety. It is hidden because It is by nature a principle, an essence, beyond and devoid of name and form, whereas the human mind and intellect are conditioned only to think on the basis of names and forms. The only things the eyes can see are size, shape and colour. But behind and beyond the names and forms there is the nameless and formless Being, a Being Who exists, a Being Who is of the nature of luminous consciousness, a Being Who is endowed with the quality of pure bliss-sat-chit-ananda Brahman.

And to attain this ever-present Reality, hidden behind the outer screen of ever-changing and passing names and forms, to perceive this ever-present Reality, you must develop subtle vision. And subtle vision is only acquired by purification of your heart and mind: the greater the purity, the greater the subtlety of mind; the greater the subtlety of mind, the deeper the perception. And to grow in purity so that the vision is purified, the mind becomes subtle, one should do sadhana (spiritual practice).

The objective of all human effort is to attain supreme happiness, peace and satisfaction. These the world cannot give. But being in the world, one can achieve peace, happiness and satisfaction in God. One attains the supreme peace and joy of God only by knowing God, only by worshipping God. But to approach and to enter into God, to have vision of God, one has to acquire the same state of subtle consciousness as God. The more you become godly in nature, the more you begin to become aware of God's presence in His universe. God experience comes when you grow in godliness.

Spiritual life means growing in godliness. Sadhana in its various forms such as japa, kirtan, puja, svadhyaya, asana, pranayama and meditation is a process of purifying and transforming your normal human nature into godly divine nature. And to ensure that your outer life of day-to-day living-speaking, acting, interacting with others and all life around you-to ensure that it supports your inner sadhana, you are admonished by Gurudev to transform your present outer life into a divine process, a divine life, not the life that you have been leading in the past, but a divine life. You have to make your life a divine life by bringing into it ingredients and qualities that belong to God, incorporating into it divinity, godliness, qualities that we do not normally associate with man, that we do not normally associate with this world, this earth plane.

So, on earth you have to be creatures of a realm beyond earth. Appearing as human beings you have to inwardly grow into the very form of a divine being, godly being. This is the secret of success in sadhana. This is the crucial test of the depth of your understanding of sadhana-grasping the quintessence of this inner process. It is to deeply understand the necessity of supporting one's sadhana, the process of life transformation, by a divinely lived daily life. Unless this is understood, unless this task is undertaken, one's sadhana will fail to bring about the necessary transformation.

Therefore, with full knowledge and understanding, you should proceed upon the spiritual path. It is no more or no less than a process of total transformation of the human individual personality, a total transformation into divinity. Understanding is the first thing needful; second is the will power and wisdom to translate understanding into actual life; and third is a persistent perseverance, which is the only guarantee of success in this determined pursuit of the divine life, this determined pursuit of godliness in daily life. These are vital facts for you to ponder, for you to reflect upon. God bless you!

Yoga and Vedanta

Blessed Divinities! Sadhaks and seekers! From your ancient, effulgent past, as your heritage and birthright, you have inherited two great treasures-Yoga and Vedanta. Vedanta is divine wisdom, knowledge of the Divine Reality, the great Reality. Yoga is the science of entering into a conscious relationship with that knowledge, experiencing that knowledge, realising that knowledge.

The quintessence, the principal essence of these two great treasures is the proclamation of Vedanta that you are divine. You are not human, you are not limited, you are not imperfect, you are essentially divine. The truth about you is divinity. Your human nature is a passing, temporary added factor to your identity. It is, however, an invaluable added factor, an unparalleled, unique, most precious added factor.

Divinity is all-pervading, It is everywhere. It is hidden in all names and forms; It is the heart-centre of all creatures. There are countless beings existing with us, outnumbering us, as companions upon this planet earth, which is our home. Nevertheless, their status-the bird status, worm status, reptile status, insect status, fish status, animal status-has not in it the necessary mechanism to enable them to realise their essential divinity. Whereas it is the uniqueness of the

human status that it is provided with these tools for Self-realisation, atma-jnana, because it contains the rare faculties of thinking, feeling, reasoning and purposeful activity directed towards this end.

Man was made in the image of God. So, already he has in him the God-essence or God-principle or God-nature and the God-abilities and capacities, the God-beauty, the God-sublimity, the God-perfection, the God-wholeness. This is the uniqueness of the human being. He is made in the image of the Maker, the supreme, almighty Cosmic Being, the Universal Spirit.

Therefore, this essential divinity of man is an experienceable or an attainable state of consciousness, and man has been given full adequate tools for this attainment. It is the utilisation of these faculties in the right direction, in a systematic manner, with full knowledge of the way to apply them for attaining the supreme state, that is the concern of Yoga Sastra or the science of Yoga.

So, the heart of Vedanta is your divinity, that you are unborn, imperishable, all-perfect. You are of the nature of existence, consciousness, bliss absolute-sat-chit-ananda atman. You exist, therefore you are sat. And your existence is not a dull, insentient existence, an unconscious, inert existence. You are filled with a luminous awareness, an effulgent awareness of your own existence, of your own being. You know that you are. You are conscious that "I am." Therefore you are chit. You are not what is seen as the outer person. That is only nama and rupa-name and form. Within this name and form, which is the apparent man, which is the false man, which is the temporary, ever-changing mask which passes away-behind, beyond and hidden in this name and form, you exist as a radiant centre of luminous consciousness. And in that pure state, you are totally free from all imperfect experiences that pertain to this physical and psychological consciousness, totally free-no anxiety, no pain, no suffering, no worry, no bondage, no grief, no delusion, no fear. You are in a state of serene, unbroken, continuous, perennial joy, a peaceful, calm bliss that is your essential nature, your ananda svarupa atma (blissful essential self). Sat-chit-ananda-existence, consciousness and bliss, that is your true being. Realise this and be free. Attain this knowledge and become free. This is Vedanta. The essence of Vedanta is your divinity, and the practice of Vedanta is to be constantly aware of your divinity-atmachintan.

And the essence of Yoga is a continuous contact with the Divine within, which is the source and origin of your being, the all-pervading Spirit, Brahman, the inner Self, the unchanging. Yoga is constant, continuous, unbroken remembrance, an unbroken, conscious connection, a constant, living relationship with the Divine. To cultivate it by the various means is also Yoga.

Gurudev's concept of divine life combines both the practice of Yoga and the spirit of Vedanta. Live in the awareness of your divinity, and live to utilise every conscious moment, every breath to be continuously, unbrokenly in close contact with the cosmic source of your divinity, with your divine origin, with your eternal divine ground, your divine abode.

Yoga and Vedanta form the two ingredients that go to make up the divine life of service, devotion, meditation and Self-realisation. Boldly Vedanta proclaims and wants you to know: "ahamatma nirakarah sarvavyapi svabhavatah (I am the Atman that is formless, all-pervading by nature)." "Beyond sense, beyond mind, I am the quintessence of luminous wisdom consciousness"-this is the awareness that Vedanta grants you and wants you to practise. And Yoga is continuous, unbroken, conscious, purposeful contact and relationship, ever progressive relationship with the Divine.

The Vision of Our Ancients

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved children of the Divine! There are certain very significant, important and meaningful aspects of the Vedic way of life, as well as the culture of the sacred land of India, which form, as it were, the very heart of Vedic dharma and Indian culture. It is these concepts that enliven the vision of our great heritage and our culture.

With what eyes, with what view, did our ancients behold this life, man, this world, human beings? These lofty concepts that were given to us, handed down to posterity, were not arrived at through reasoning or speculation, but rather through direct perception, direct personal experience (aparoksha'nubhuti) within the depths of their consciousness. And if these lofty concepts are lost sight of, the river of the stream of our life will run into a desert, become dried up and vanish without ever reaching the great destination of the ocean.

These fundamental concepts, the vision they had, the Indian vision, must become woven into the very fabric of our day-to-day living and our day-to-day awareness. Then alone we will be able to fully absorb and benefit from these concepts.

First and foremost, it is a vision and a way of life based upon an aspiration for light, enlightenment, to be ever moving towards the Light and ever turning away from darkness, rejecting all that is darkness. Because darkness binds and blinds and stops all possibility of onward progress and is the greatest stumbling block to the process of evolution. The meaning of life is transcending all darkness.

This Light is greater than any light within the gamut of human experience, within the entire range of earthly experience, where the sun does not shine, neither the moon, nor the stars, nor lightning, what to speak of ordinary fire. Because That shines with supreme effulgence, here on this earth all things have luminosity, effulgence, all things are able to be radiant and to manifest light. All light ultimately inheres in that great Light of lights, is derived from that Light of lights. Such was their experience. As such, it was not unusual to refer to the ultimate Reality as the transcendental Light. Thence is the great ancient Vedic prayer summing up the entire aspiration of the seeking heart of this culture, this way of life: "tamaso ma jyotirgamaya-From darkness lead us unto Light, take us up into Light." And this aspiration after Light, seeking after Light and turning away from darkness, should be a constant, unbroken process within each one of you. That is the sadhaka, that is the jijnasu who seeks light. He is the one who aspires for knowledge, for wisdom, ever turning away from all that constitutes the contradiction of knowledge, wisdom and light, resolutely rejecting anything in life, in the environment, that is likely to come in the way of the process of moving towards the supreme Light of lights.

And the other great concept is that everything is sacred, everything is indwelt, pervaded, permeated by the Divine Reality. You live, move and have your being amidst that great Reality. The Upanishads, the Gita, the teachings of the saints who have followed this path of Yoga and Vedanta are full of this declaration. The presence of the Divine is in and through the great appearance, the phenomenon, the world appearance. In the midst of the ever-changeful, the ephemeral, the evanescent, there is the never-changing, the stable, the permanent. And thus the logical conclusion of it is that every movement, every force, every form of energy, all power, is a manifestation of this great Reality, the great Light of lights.

And out of this experience arose that entire school of thought conceiving the Divine not merely as an all-pervading Reality, an all-pervading Presence, a great Effulgence, surpassing the effulgence of more than a million suns, but also as the great universal Power, the universal Source. Everything indeed in this universe-all movement, all power, all force, all energy, is divine, is derived from the divine Source. Therefore it is sacred. Therefore it is to be cultivated. Therefore it is to be nurtured. Therefore it is to be conserved, accumulated and preserved.

And through it everything is possible. All things that have to be overcome can be overcome. All things that have to be achieved and attained can be achieved and attained. There is nothing impossible, for the sanction behind this force or energy in this gross physical universe is the supreme source of all divine energy or force, Para-Sakti.

This great system of philosophy called the Sakta school conceived the eternal Reality as infinite, imponderable power or energy, sakti. They called it Para-Sakti, the transcendental Power, Adi-Sakti, the primal Power or Maha-Sakti, the great Power. And so everything is saturated by that great power or force. As you sit here this morning, it is that force that makes your heart pulsate and pump blood through your entire physical system. It is that force that makes you breathe, digests your food and makes you what you are, a living, moving, dynamic being. (It is not through eating food that this force comes; it is that great force which makes you live, and because you live and there are processes of wear and tear going on within the body, eating becomes necessary.) As the same force, grain nourishes, water quenches thirst, fire cooks food. It is that force that comes as my words. It is that force at work in your ears and makes you hear these sounds. And it is that force which works as intelligence when you are able to grasp, understand, interpret anew and absorb this message-ya devi sarvabhuteshu buddhirupena samsthita (the Goddess Who is present in all beings as Intelligence).

Therefore, the true seeker, the sadhak, the Yogi, treats all the force, energy and power at his disposal with great reverence. With reverence, with this awareness, wisely does the Yogi generate such force through samyama, through sadhana, through self-control, tapasya. The Yogi goes on cultivating, developing and wisely conserving this force. And with great skill through Yoga, he channelises this force for creative, gainful and constructive attainment, for progressing upon the path of Yoga. In the ultimate context, it is this universal force that enables you to be a Yogi. If you are a paropakari, it is this universal force that enables you to perform altruistic, selfless, egoless, motiveless deeds, to be a karma yogi. And you must daily be aware of and thank that force that enables you to help others, to serve others.

It is that force that is the pranasakti within you. It is that force that is the kundalini sakti within you. It is that force that infills each Divine Name, infills the mantra that you receive. It is that force that gives you physical, mental, intellectual, ethical, moral and spiritual enlightenment. In all these levels, it is that force that is at play. When prayer is offered it is this force that enlivens it and gives it a certain spiritual dynamism. Gayatri is this force; every Name, every mantra is this force. The dynamism of this entire physical universe, the entire creation, the phenomenon, and yourself included in it, as part of it, is the play of this Power of powers.

Therefore be aware of the sanctity of all things, the sanctity of all forces, all powers, all energy, and diligently cultivate a reverential attitude. Do not waste, do not misuse, do not misdirect or divert it into antagonistic channels that will thwart the very will of God manifesting in your life as evolution. God has made us for this ascent into divine perfection, and if forces at our disposal are misdirected and abused or wasted away, then we nullify the will of God in our lives. We thwart the very purpose of our existence, and the upper ascent, the evolutionary ascent of our being, is retarded.

From one point of view everything that you behold may be gross, but from another point of view, all this is divine. All life is sacred. Everything is to be treated with reverence. And everything is to be made our means of ascending to that supreme state of perfection.

Therefore, being aware always of this great source of all power and energy in this world, and its sanctity, within yourself, in the universe around you, in all great tattvas, in asana, in pranayama, in the spoken word in satsang, in japa, in meditation, be a wise worshipper of Sakti. Relate yourself with reverence to It and make the highest and loftiest use of every force that you are able to take in from life around you and utilise it for this great attainment of God-realisation, aparoksha'nubhuti, Self-realisation. May this great cosmic Power of powers bless you and grant you success in your sadhana!

Never Forget Your Divinity

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Never, never forget that you are radiant immortal Atman, you are the radiant, immortal, spiritual Light. You are a radiant spark of the Divine, a ray of the great Light of lights which is beyond all darkness.

Our physical personality, our body, mind, intellect, thoughts, emotions, desires, sentiments, memories, imaginations and the various processes going on within the psyche, the psychological self, may all be regarded as necessary in order to function upon this physical plane. They may even be valued in the light of the fact that they are necessary instruments, media and helpful factors in order to strive and awaken ourselves to our eternal, essential divine nature. So they have a value.

But except for this fact, that they are channels for sadhana, the instruments of Yoga for spiritual striving, for illumination and liberation, they are, by and large, only of nuisance value to be tolerated, because they are the prolific source of our bondage, our disharmony, our clash and conflict, within ourselves as well as with others. They are the prolific source of so many experiences that we do not wish to have. They constantly obstruct the awareness that "I am the radiant immortal Self, I am a spiritual entity beyond body and mind, name and form." By that little action of veiling, they drag us down to the lower plane of physicality, body consciousness and mental consciousness. That itself makes them serious obstacles in the unfoldment and the manifestation of our spiritual consciousness. Therefore they are burdens to be tolerated, and constantly we have to see them only as a temporary covering and reject them.

In spite of their veiling power, you must assert the Spirit; you must affirm your eternal, radiant, immortal nature. Constantly you should do that. Never, never forget that you are radiant, immortal Atman. Never, never forget that you are children of the Divine, essentially also divine. You are a part, jivatma is a part of the paramatma. If you forget ten times, recollect yourself ten times. If you forget a hundred times, reject the wrong idea and again recollect yourself a hundred times. Keep up this sadhana. Live in divine awareness. Ever be centred in your true, eternal, immortal, divine identity, be centred in the Self.

If you wish to overcome the many factors within yourself that stand in the way of this radiant spiritual awareness, this constant positive state of light, power, joy, cheerfulness and inner peace, it is necessary to tap the power that is everywhere around you in nature and to be conscious of this power by sublating or setting aside the name and form that covers it.

Every object in this outer universe is a centre of spiritual force, because it is a manifestation of the primal cosmic power or energy. A tree, a stone, falling rain, the blowing wind, everything that you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch in this universe, whether immediate or remote, is infilled by the divine principle. This was the experience of the Upanishadic seers, and you have to try to be constantly aware of the hidden substratum of the apparent, ever-changing names and forms.

If you are rooted in this awareness, then you are conscious of being enveloped by a power, by a benign presence, a healing presence, a peaceful presence, a radiant, luminous presence. Thus it becomes much easier to relate yourself directly, either through prayer, or through invoking the Divine Name which represents this power, or through svadhyaya (study of scriptures) which raises your mind to sublime heights.

I wish to particularly call your attention to one aspect of this svadhyaya. Svadhyaya requires a book no matter how small it is. Suppose you are in a state, a condition or situation where, due to reasons beyond your control, you cannot take the book out to read, and yet at the same time you urgently need a little support from within. For such occasions you should have by heart a repertoire, a reserve of sublime, lofty, inspiring, power-infusing sayings from the sacred books. They should always be there. At any moment you must be able to recollect them and to repeat them mentally or even verbally.

Therefore during your spiritual study day by day, you must try to get by heart and make your own, certain essential parts, certain inspiring verses or lines from the Bhagavad Gita, from the Upanishads, from the New Testament, or some other scripture. So, if you have within yourself for immediate recollection, immediate affirmation, certain verses or lines by heart, then it becomes a valuable substitute for svadhyaya in situations where it is not possible to take out a book and read. When you repeat them, immediately you become inspired. Your inner atmosphere is transformed, because they are powerful. These great quotations are instant power.

For example, from the Bhagavad Gita have an inspiring line such as: ajo nityah sasvato'yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire (Unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, the Self is not killed when the body is killed); or for Vedantic inspiration, some verses from the Avadhuta Gita like: ahameva'vyayo'nantah suddha-vijnanavigrahah; sukham duhkham na janami katham kasyapi vartate (I alone am imperishable, infinite, the form of pure Consciousness. I do not know pleasure or pain or how they affect anyone); or for peace, from the Guru Gita, such as: chaitanyam sasvatam santam vyomatitam niranjanam (...Who is pure Consciousness, eternal, peaceful, beyond ether and untainted). When you say "vyomatita" (beyond ether), you are already uplifted; you go beyond this world of name and form, being aware that you are part of the Being Who is spotless and pure, and Who far transcends space and everything that is gross and material. Thus you must always have some very few selected verses for instant inspiration, instant upliftment of the spirit, instant infusing of power into your consciousness, into the centre of your being. This is one important point.

Secondly, make your prayer creative and powerful. Prayer should be understood as asking the Lord to keep you constantly in a state of inner awareness, of inner spiritual relationship and communion with Him; not to ask for anything He has created, but to ask for Himself and a continuous, unbroken, living, inner spiritual relationship with Him, so that the channel of power and light between Him and you is never blocked, never closed, never switched off; it is always open; there is always a constant inflow of His divinity, and all that it implies, into your own consciousness. This is the thing to ask, so that prayer also is something that enhances this awareness and infuses you constantly with that greater power. Thus make your prayer creative, constructive and progressive.

This is the highest form of prayer-not for gaining anything in this world created by Him, but for gaining only the most coveted of all things, Yoga, a constant inner communion and link with Him. This is the true purpose of prayer. Then you shall lack nothing. You shall have light, power and wisdom. You shall have an abundance of God's grace.

Purushartha-Self Effort

Blessed Divinities! Immortal Souls in the form of spiritual seekers, gathered together in the sacred spiritual presence of beloved and worshipful Holy Master! There is a word that is used in two senses in the context of Indian philosophy. In one sense it means certain values and goals to be striven for, that are to be kept before us as our aims to be achieved in life. In another sense it implies all the effort we put forth, all the endeavour that a person who wishes to achieve something, to attain some goal, engages in. It means, therefore, both the exertion, the dynamic effort and endeavour that enables one to achieve goals, as well as meaning the supreme values and worthwhile goals that are to be kept before our vision in order to attain them. That word is purushartha.

All of you know that Hindu philosophy speaks of the four purusharthas that every human individual strives to attain-purushartha chatushtaya. And all of you also know that they are summed up in the words dharma, artha, kama and moksha.

In whatever sense these words are used, there is one thing that it ultimately brings home, namely, ends are obtained by endeavour. Worthwhile attainments and goals are the fruit-note that I do not use the word "result"-they are the fruit of endeavour. They are the fruit of effort. Gurudev sang a song: "Do real sadhana, my dear children." He said, "Do real sadhana." Doing is there, it means effort. It means action, it means dynamism. It means well directed, intelligent, purposeful rajas, a rajas that does not direct you, but that is directed by you.

Go through all the eighteen Puranas. Recently you have completed the Durga Puja and during that period you covered the thirteen chapters of the Devi Mahatmya. The whole narrative is filled with action, action, action, effort, every type of effort, all types of effort, repeated effort, ultimately granting the desire, fruit, victory. All the eighteen Puranas contain sustained effort: if one type of effort fails, another type of effort; if that fails, another type of effort-whatever is necessary for successful effort: go and do penance, get this weapon, get that weapon, go and obtain a boon.

This seems to indicate without any shadow of a doubt that no matter how much knowledge you may have, how much knowledge you may get out of the scriptures, out of study, Sanskrit and grammar, Upanishad, Vedanta and philosophy, no matter how much you may accumulate in your mind, unless it is backed up by effort, it will only be a liability, not an asset. It will be a burden and perhaps make your problem more complex, rather than simplifying your problem and being a solution.

Not to know is not very good. To know is perhaps better. But to know is not at all sufficient unless it is applied and actively translated into dynamic living and actively translated into sustained, systematic effort. All scriptural knowledge is in order to know what type of effort to engage in, what is the action to be adopted in order to reach the great Goal. They chart out the way and tell you the mode of action to adopt. And when that mode of action is adopted according to the way charted out, then you arrive, the journey is completed, the destination is reached.

Significantly, we have a hint at this in a very important part of an Upanishad, in what is otherwise a very puzzling passage. Avidya means ignorance or wrong knowledge or absence of knowledge or the opposite of knowledge. Vidya means knowledge. And the Upanishad says that one who follows avidya goes into darkness and bondage. Then immediately it goes on to say that one who follows vidya goes into greater darkness and greater bondage. At first sight it seems to be very paradoxical, very confusing. Those who follow avidya go into darkness-one can understand this. Those who follow vidya go into greater darkness-that becomes difficult to understand.

Here, vidya means knowledge of the scriptures and all that is studied, learned and stored. If it is not followed by the requisite effort, it becomes only a burden, sterile; it becomes a liability. Perhaps it complicates the issue by making one more egoistical. It can enmesh you more than you were enmeshed before.

Many of the greatest illumined saints were unlettered. They did not have schooling, they did not have Sanskrit jnana, they did not have knowledge. There was an illiterate Bihari village boy who was working as a servant in a rich man's house in Calcutta. That rich man had become very devoted to a saint and visited him frequently. And as you know very rich people do not move about unless they have some servant with them. And so this illiterate village boy used to accompany his master every time he went to this saint.

The proximity of the saint, the words of the saint and the bhajans he sang deeply impressed this young boy. He had no knowledge, he had no schooling, he was illiterate; but he was moved, these things went into his heart. Gradually these satsangs brought into him an eagerness to live like the saint. He kept it to himself; after all he was a poor servant.

Later on the saint fell seriously ill. The rich devotee used to send fruits and other gifts to the saint. He saw that the boy was eager to do any service connected with the saint. The master was not unsympathetic; he understood the boy's heart. He encouraged him and if he wanted to send something to the saint he gave it to the boy. Ultimately he permitted the boy to stay with the saint and serve him.

Later on this unlettered, illiterate, uneducated village boy from Bihar became one of the great sadhaks and tapasvi disciples of that saint. His name was Latu and he became a great saint himself. It was such a wonder that such a person could become a mahapurusha that he was called Adbhutananda-the Astonishing One.

I am just citing one instance. Sabari had no schooling, and peculiarly enough the saint who I was referring to also had no schooling. The person who inspired the great mathematical genius and Vedantin Rama Tirtha was a humble old villager who was not educated. Kabir was not a university man. Janabai was a maid-servant. Angana was a Harijan servant of a Brahmin landlord. Kannappa was a tribal. Dhruva had no schooling. But all of them-whatever little glimpse they had, they put into action. They did great effort. More than knowledge, effort pleased Lord Rama in Hanuman. For all that he did, He embraced him and hugged him to His breast-for all that he did.

So, therefore, purushartha is the key to realisation. You may know only a little, but you put it into practise. Gurudev said Twenty Spiritual Instructions are enough to grant you Self-realisation, and when he said that he knew what he was saying. And he was saying the truth. Not that he discouraged studies, but he wanted to emphasise action, not dry studies.

If you want to become a professor, a lecturer, then studies are very necessary, absolutely indispensable, very important indeed. But if you want to become a dynamic Yogi, more important than tons of knowledge is practice, action, purushartha, sadhana, yoga abhyasa. Spiritual life means engaging in active spiritual endeavour, it means purushartha.

That is what all the Puranas, all the scriptures very vividly, unmistakably and unambiguously bring out before the discerning one. Being and doing have precedence over knowing. Thus all the great ones have said. Let us deeply ponder this truth and be engaged ever in right endeavour. God bless you all!

Steadfastness In Spiritual Practice

Radiant Immortal Atman! Blessed and beloved children of the Divine! Nishtha means steadfastness, establishment in a certain state. It is a word which does not find a place in raja yoga or in the description of bhakti yoga. In a specific manner it is not a part of your sadhana, yet throughout the individual seeking soul's spiritual life, it is the key, it is the key to success in his abhyasa (practice), in his sadhana.

Whether you are a Vedantin, whether you are a bhakta, whether you are a raja yogin, whether you are a karma yogin, whatever path you are following, whatever sadhana you are doing, whatever abhyasa you are engaged in, you must be firmly centred in it, and you must refuse to be drawn out of it by any temptation, attraction, any outer force or factor, whether it be an object or a thing, a person, a situation or an enjoyment-by anything in this outer, created universe. After all, what is this created universe? It is but an accumulation of vrittis and things, of names and forms and it is an accumulation of various tempting experiences-you can smell through the nose, taste through the tongue, see through the eye, hear through the ear, or touch through the skin.

The pilgrims who are passing by on the way to Nilakanth are not concerned with Haridwar or Rishikesh or Sivananda Ashram. They have come from villages hundreds of miles around in order to reach Nilakanth. They are only intent upon Nilakanth, reaching Nilakanth, carrying water for Lord Mahadev. Of course, if you ask them where they are going they may tell you, or if a car is coming they will move out of the way. But all that they will do automatically; they are not concerned about it. Their main concern is Nilakanth. They have nishtha, their whole attention is fixed upon Nilakanth.

Even so, you are a traveller upon this earth. You are a pilgrim soul; you have a destination to reach and you are moving towards it. While you are moving towards it, if you allow yourself to be attracted towards some external thing, fall into a temptation, allow yourself to be diverted into a bypass by some attraction, or by some delusion thinking that it is important, or by some idle curiosity or by day-dreaming or giving exaggerated importance to something other than your destination, then you are delayed, your progress is stopped.

Therefore, like a person with a definite destination, resolutely moving towards it and not allowing himself to be distracted or diverted hither and thither, a sadhak or a bhakta or a Yogi is a person of nishtha. He is firmly centred in the Self or absorbed in bhakti bhav and devotional practices, absorbed in the ishta or completely dedicated to an inner state of meditation, always in a state of meditation. But, nevertheless, he would be fulfilling all the necessaries of worldly life, seemingly a part of the scene, but never really a part of the scene.

Even so, be rooted in the Self. Be firmly established in your ideal. Be firmly established in your quest. Be firmly established in your abhyasa. Be firmly established in your resolve. Do not budge from it. Do not allow anything to draw you away from the central quest. That is the hallmark of a uttama adhikari (best qualified aspirant), of a true sadhak.

Again and again in his writings and teachings, Gurudev used the terms determination, tenacity, fixity and firm resolution. Become firmly established, never letting go of the centre, never letting go of the vision of the Goal. No matter how complicated a particular day might be, ever be established in the centre of your life, the quest, the ideal for which you are living. That should not in anyway be affected or altered. The inner promptings of your antahkarana, your consciousness, should always be the same: abidance in God, becoming totally established, nishtha. Nishtha in your abhyasa, nishtha in your sadhana, nishtha in your Yoga and eka-nishtha bhav in all that you do-that is very, very necessary.

Not only is this nishtha necessary for continuously moving towards the Goal and succeeding, it is also very, very necessary as a great armour, a great protection against influences that may try to draw you away from the path. When you are abiding in the Self, when your whole attention is centred upon yoga abhyasa and your sadhana, your inner way, then you have no time to be diverted by others. A hundred different forces or influences or attractions may be around you, but you are not aware, because you have no interest in them, you are no longer concerning yourself with them. Why? Because you have developed nishtha, you are practising nishtha.

Nishtha is your great boon. Nishtha is to be cultivated diligently and firmly adhered to. Continuously strive to strengthen your nishtha. That is your guarantee against all failure, all downward pull, all backsliding. Nishtha is your wealth, nishtha is your strength. Nishtha will be your sure protection.

Make This a Perfect Day

Beloved and blessed presence, adorable Holy Master, thou who hast drawn us into thy proximity at the commencement of this golden day! Bless us that we may live each moment and hour of this precious day, in our thoughts, our words and actions, in such a noble and divine way that sundown finds us higher, holier, happier for having entered into this day, finds us nearer to the goal of human existence, namely divine perfection through Self-realisation.

Radiant Immortal Atman! This day is a new day. It has not been before and it shall not come once again. Ponder the uniqueness of this day, its speciality in being the one and only day of its kind, never to be compared with any other day that has gone by or any other day that will dawn. It is a part of God. God is timeless eternity, and a day is a little unit in this timelessness measured by man's limited consciousness and bound by a now and then, a here and there.

Take this day, therefore, and make it into an ascending ladder to ever higher heights. Let not the close of this day find you the same as you were at the commencement. Wisely live this day. Go through it in such a way that at sundown you have enriched yourself by the way in which you have lived your life, have made use of the opportunities that have come your way, have responded loftily to the call of duty and have reacted ideally to things, events and beings around you. Make this day a unique one, memorable one. Enrich the day and enrich yourself by enriching it.

Today is a gift of God. Therefore it is not something ordinary, something casual, something just by the way. It is specially proffered to you. Take it with both hands with a devout bhav. Apply every bit of your energy-intellectual, mental, emotional, physical-in making it a perfect day. Live the day with calm determination to fulfil all your ideals and principles of living without haste, without hurry, knowing that you have all eternity. But at the same time be dynamically vigorous in the process of evolving.

Knowing that you have all eternity, go through the day calmly, serenely, without haste or hurry, with a calm determination that "I am going to make the highest and best use of each moment of this day, and thus I shall progress slowly towards the Goal." But, nevertheless, let not this idea give way to lethargy, to a tamasic attitude: "If I do not utilise today, I will utilise tomorrow better, if not in this birth, next birth... No, here and now I shall make this a perfect day. There is no tomorrow." In this way be determined to utilise every moment of this day in the highest and best manner and at the same time with a calm, serene determination. Juxtapose these two. Make it a determined day, but at the same time a serene day.

A mystic once said, "Live your day as though your body is buried in the grave and your spirit has already ascended into the presence of the Divine. With this spirit live the day: 'The flesh is dead. I am no more subject to any temptation, any assailments, anything that is purely gross and physical. None of the senses bother me. I have risen above the physical self and my spirit has ascended into the presence of the Divine. Therefore, whatever comes from me should be worthy of the Divine, be the highest, holiest.'" In this way, live as though this very day your body is no more and you dwell in the presence of God.

Another mystic gives us a similar view: "Live each day as though it were your last day on earth; you will not see sunrise tomorrow." If today is the last day given to you, how precious you would make it. How valuable you would consider it. How much you would fill it with all that is highest, best, noblest, sublime, perfect. "Let me make this a perfect day. Let me be full of the God-quality. Let me be a centre of joy, let me manifest joy, bliss, ananda. Let me manifest peace, santi. Let me manifest luminous wisdom, chaitanya, knowledge, jnana. Let me be a witness to the eternity of God's existence here and now, the presence of God: sat-chit-ananda-santih. Let it shine forth in my thought, word and deed. May I make it a day to express God in me, in every way."

Remember these ideas given to us by these mystics as a basis of relating ourselves to this gift of each day that God unfailingly gives to us. Always this gift is there. You can depend upon it one hundred percent and plan for it before you go to sleep: "Tomorrow I shall make my day a golden day, a divine day, an upward ascent of the spirit towards perfection and Divine-consciousness. Each moment of the day will be a manifestation of all that is sublime in everything that I do, see, hear, touch, taste, smell, think, feel and act."

Thus enter each day in a spiritual manner and fill it with everything that is spiritual and divine. This is the key to blessedness. This is a sure way to perfection. This is the secret of unfailing progress and certain attainment, sure attainment. God bless you all!

Early in the Morning

Worshipful adorations to the sacred spiritual presence of beloved and worshipful Holy Master Guru Maharaj Sri Swami Sivanandaji, into whose presence and proximity you are all fortunate enough to draw near, day by day, morning after morning, to start the day in as sublime and perfect a way as it is possible to start it.

Pratah smarami, pratar-bhajami, pratar-namami (I remember Thee early morning, I worship Thee early morning, I bow down to Thee early morning). With these words several of the hymns of salutations and adorations, several of the well known slokas of Adi Sankaracharya begin. So much so, that this triplet of verses has come to be known as the pratah smarami stotra.

What is the speciality about praying early in the morning, worshipping God early in the morning? Mahatma Gandhi, in Sabarmati Ashram, as well as Sevagram, used to hold their morning prayers when it was still semi-dark. There is a reason. There is a speciality in this early morning hour.

"Start the day with God," they say in the West. And very shrewdly, with a touch of humour, there is also a saying, "The early bird catches the worm," which means it pays dividends to be early. The earlier you are up, the more time you have. The more time you have, the less hurried you are, the less under pressure you are. The less under pressure you are, the less tension, which is better for your health, your heart, your blood pressure, your entire nervous system, even your digestion. This is the pragmatic reason. If you are up early, you have greater leisure. If you are not up early, you are more hard-pressed for time, and it is not good to start a day being pushed for time.

But what is the higher meaning? The higher meaning is that it is a period when your consciousness is in the most suitable condition to receive higher impulses from the inner world of the Spirit, the divine world; your consciousness is most sensitive as well as receptive. Your inner antahkarana, the normal human consciousness, which you exercise during your active hours of waking, is in its most calm and sattvic condition at this hour. This is conducive to introspection and prayerfulness.

For, when you are fully awake and have started to move in this world, your entire mind is outgoing. It is completely drawn into the world of the many, into the field of names and forms and ever-changing activities. So it is completely occupied and caught up, dominated by the visible, the outer, the material, the phenomenon. Therefore it is not available to receive higher impulses, unless it has been trained to receive them even in this state of being completely drawn out. Then too, that same mind when it is caught in deep sleep is totally unreceptive and completely closed to all higher impulses, sublime divine impulses.

But in the early dawn the antahkarana is freed from the tamas of sleep and is still yet free from the domination of the rajas of the outer world, the compulsions and impulsions that catch it and draw it into this very hectic field of many tasks to be done, many people to see, and very diverse types of thought forms, due to the diverse fields in which the mind is required to be engaged and involved in.

So you are free in this interim period from both the handicaps of the sleep state as well as the shortcomings and involvements of the fully wakened state. Here, therefore, is a period of openness, of receptivity, of sattva-a period most suitable, most propitious-when you can give yourself a lift and enter into God. And that sets the tone for the entire day.

If in this way you start the day with God, you start with pratah smarami, pratar-bhajami, pratar-namami, then the whole day is beautifully qualified with this bhav or attitude of prostration, of worship, of remembrance. And that is the secret of being in the world but yet abiding in God-being in kriya (action), yet inwardly there is a centre of silence, nishkriya (without action).

A mystical poet has beautifully given to us, in brief, this little secret of the right way of starting one's day, so that one reaps a golden harvest of fullest benefit from this charming, this wonderful, this magic period of the early dawn.

I met God in the morning
    When my day was of its best,
And His Presence came like sunrise,
    Like a glory in my breast.
All day long the Presence lingered,
    All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
    Over a very troubled sea.
So I think I know the secret
    Learned from many a troubled way,
You must seek Him in the morning
    If you want Him through the day.
                                    -Ralph Cushman.

Thus it is that there is this special quality, a special state of consciousness prevailing in this interim period between the disadvantages of both the sleep state and the fully awakened, preoccupied state. Both are necessary, but both contain obstacles in total communion, inner communion with the Spirit, the Supreme.

I have great joy in sharing with you, therefore, this secret of why our ancients said pratah smarami, pratar-bhajami, pratar-namami. Because they knew this secret, this inner Yogic secret, the mystical secret of the state of consciousness that the individual possesses in this early morning dawn hour. It sets the tone for the entire day, and then you live with God, you move with God, you sail the troubled sea of vyavaharic life with perfect calmness and serenity, because God is with you. You do the sailing with God as your companion.

May we benefit ourselves fully from this golden hour and make each day a further ascent towards the great Goal, attaining which you become blessed. May you all be blessed!

Abide Beyond the Pairs of Opposites

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Sadhaks and spiritual aspirants aspiring after the ideal and goal of divine perfection, which is the ultimate highest ideal and goal of all mankind, the purpose of human birth according to the vision of life conceived by the great, illumined seers and sages of the Upanishads! The central objective, the supreme goal of life as conceived by the Vedic vision was that man has not come here to weep and wail, to laugh a little, weep a little, suffer and die; he has come here, not for death but for immortality, not for sorrow but for supreme bliss, not for struggle and restlessness but for supreme peace, eternal satisfaction, nitya tripti. This was their great declaration based upon their own personal transcendental experiences, atma'nubhava, aparoksha'nubhuti.

Declaring this, they called man to supreme bliss. They called the individual soul upon its pilgrimage, journey to this goal, to wake up, wake up, and not stop until it reaches its great destination. "It is your birthright. Come, come, why do you unnecessarily prolong your bondage? Why do you delay this great experience which is awaiting you, for which you are meant? Uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata (Arise, awake, having reached the wise, be enlightened)." Down the centuries, again and again, successive generations of saints and sages, perfect masters, have called upon humanity not to lose sight of the great Goal, but ever to aspire after it, attain it and become blessed. This is, therefore, the global human inheritance and heritage, thanks to the great experiences and to the supreme state of beatitude attained by our Upanishadic sages and seers, which in the fullness of their hearts they declared to all mankind.

Nevertheless, they were not unaware that this is a world of pain and death. They were perfectly aware, but they said this is incidental to life. What is essential to life, and most important, is movement towards this great goal of perfection. It is therefore up to each and every pilgrim soul to keep in view its divine destiny. We have not come here to live and die as human beings. We are born as human beings, but we have come here to depart from life as all-perfect divine beings.

In the life of every aspirant there is always struggle. There is a swinging between joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, happiness and misery, success and failure, elation and depression, conviction and doubt. That is always there. It is inevitable, first and foremost, because of the simple fact that this is indeed a world that is made up of prakriti and purusha, daivi and asuri, the pairs of opposites. Prakriti is always there, ever actively manifesting, dynamically manifesting in the form of sattva, rajas and tamas. According to the manifestation of each guna (attribute) there are auspicious moods of the mind and there are also inauspicious, negative moods of the mind, because mind is part and parcel of prakriti. Also, sometimes there is health, sometimes ill health; sometimes there is comfort, sometimes discomfort; sometimes there is strength and energy, sometimes weakness and lack of energy. This is part of the play of prakriti.

Secondly, the reason for this swinging between these pairs of opposites is that the individual spiritual aspirant does not know how to do sadhana, does not know the right way of becoming well established in one invariable goal, which is possible only if one has firm faith, absolute faith, absolute trust in God, conviction, total conviction, unshakable conviction-sraddha and visvas. Sraddhavan labhate jnanam-One who has total trust in God, who has sraddha, attains supreme illumination, wisdom, which liberates. Samsayatma vinasyati-One who is doubtful and lacks faith, dire is his fate.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna reiterates this important truth about your life, your spiritual striving: it will become fruitful, and uniformly and steadily progressive, only if you have diligently cultivated trust in God, faith in yourself also, faith in the efficacy of your sadhana, faith in the spiritual practice, faith in the spiritual life, faith in the great Goal, faith in your Guru and the words of your Guru, faith in the teachings of the scriptures.

(If you neglect the study of the scriptures where comes the question of having faith or not having faith! If you study the scriptures then alone arises this question, not when you neglect svadhyaya or read only for passing the time, for entertainment or escaping from duties. Arjuna also escaped into philosophy and dharmic argument with Lord Krishna, because he wanted to escape his stern duty. Therefore the lack of cultivation of close and deep acquaintance with the scriptures becomes a great stumbling block; faith becomes wavering, it is not well established.)

It is necessary, therefore, for the sadhak to understand that no matter how the inner mood may be changing, it is inevitable, because it forms part of prakriti, and prakriti is not only present as the three gunas, it is also present in the entire creation as the pairs of opposites. And it is necessary, as the Lord said to Arjuna, to be above the three attributes-nistraigunyo bhava'rjuna. It is also necessary to strive to go beyond the opposites, and it is not so very difficult as one may imagine. If one has never given it a trial one may imagine it is impossible. It is not impossible because that state of being beyond the pairs of opposites is your real state, your natural state, your eternal state. So to be what you are should not be a difficult thing.

The need is to stop being what you are not, not to be foolish, not to be self-forgetful, but to be always aware of your essential nature. Then gradually you can become established. It takes a little time because we have given in to the bad and pernicious habit of moving away from the Self and getting into an unnatural state by the uncontrolled movement of our mind. If we exercise rational control over the mind, channelling it and its moods and sentiments in the right direction again and again, and yet again, and keep on doing this, then one day the entire antahkarana (inner being) will become positive, become sattvic, become completely filled with daivi sampad (divine virtues). You will be prasannachetas (tranquil-minded). Santosha will be yours, and Patanjali Maharshi stresses that the inner state of contentment is one of the observances to be faithfully cultivated upon the path of Yoga.

Therefore, the world being constituted of dvandvas (pairs of opposites), the antahkarana, as part of the world, also takes up this dvandva nature. You being dvandvatita (beyond dvandvas) must try to understand your mind and affirm your real nature, which is beyond the pairs of opposites, and thus become firmly established in a state of peace and serenity. This is the abhyasa. This is the Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita and significantly the Lord says: "samatvam yoga uchyate-evenness of mind is called Yoga." Therefore, to this end the sadhak should wisely and diligently strive as part of his training, discipline and spiritual sadhana. Then one can be established in a state where one is not affected by the inevitable dvandvas amidst which one has to live.

In this world we cannot escape either the play of the three gunas or the pairs of opposites. They are there to stay. We have come into such a universe. The universe does not owe us a duty to suddenly change just because we have come into it. We have to recognise this fact, do the needful, and be unaffected by this nature of prakriti.

Therefore, wisely let us understand this truth about the spiritual life and the world in which we have to live and lead the spiritual life, and cultivate a firm inner centre where we are forever established in our own nature, God nature. We have come here to go beyond the pairs of opposites and attain the supernal state of perfect bliss and peace.

The Practice of Truth

Glorious Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of Light, engaged in spiritual sadhana, upon the path that leads beyond sorrow to liberation, to fearlessness and freedom, which is your eternal state! Yogis, moving upwards upon the path of spiritual evolution along the various Yoga paths according to your own taste and temperament, according to your previous samskaras or past impressions! Devotees of the Lord assembled together here!

The Upanishads have referred to that great Reality as the one true essence or principle in relation to which all other things are false appearances only, temporary appearances in time and space with no stable eternal existence. The Upanishads call the Reality sat, and everything other than the Reality they call asat. The Reality, the Cosmic Spirit is called jyotishamapi tad-jyotih, the Light of lights, satyasya satyam, the Truth of truths. Therefore, Truth is the ultimate goal to be attained.

Truth is a divine principle, that is not only the ultimate Reality, but also the path that leads to the ultimate Reality. It is the great sadhana that leads to the realisation of Truth. It is also the great penance that makes this sadhana fruitful, that supports this sadhana, infills this sadhana with a strength which is not of this earth, which is divine.

The penance of truth creates spiritual force within one's heart. The great Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, referred to this inner spiritual force as atma-bala and declared unhesitatingly that it was the source of all his strength and the secret of his success in whatever he undertook. The penance of truth gave him the spiritual power to overcome all that was inauspicious and unspiritual within himself. He had attained self-conquest, and above all he had attained conquest over falsehood in any form. So much so that he was bold enough to declare his viewpoint in the words: "Not only is it true that God is truth, but I declare that truth is God." To adhere to truth, verily would be to attain God.

Truth is therefore the penance. Truth is therefore the sadhana. Truth is therefore the path which allows the sadhana to be progressive. Truth is therefore the inner power that galvanizes this sadhana and makes it dynamic, and Truth is therefore the ultimate goal to be reached. The worshipper of truth never fails to attain blessedness, ultimate Truth. Even though in the worship of truth, in the practice of truth, you may have to face various tests and difficulties, nevertheless, enshrine truth within yourself.

Actually Truth is already enshrined within yourself as your own true Self, as your own real nature, as your own essential being. In truth you are not of this earth. In truth you are not a physical, biological being. In truth you are not merely a bundle of thoughts, emotions and sentiments, of memories, imaginations and fancies, of desires, cravings and schemes, of likes and dislikes. All these do not constitute your truth. Distinct from this physical, biological self, distinct from this bundle of thoughts and emotions, distinct from this psychological set-up of questioning, doubting, reasoning, logic and intellectualising, you are a ray of that great Reality. You are a part of that eternal Truth which never fades, which never changes, which ever shines, shines, shines.

Therefore, to be aware of this truth about yourself and to live in this awareness is to adhere to truth, to worship truth. To express the divinity that you are, in your thoughts, in your actions, in your words, in all the manifested modes of the living of your life, that is the fulfilling of truth. "To thine own Self be true."

To be true to your real Self and to live to manifest that truth so that your life becomes an expression of the divinity which you are, that is the practice of truth in its ultimate spiritual sense, in its ultimate spiritual form. It is this practice of truth that beloved Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj prescribed for the modern age. "You are divine, be divine; feel divinely, speak divinely, live divinely, make your life divine." It is this practice of truth, in all its phases, that was the great shining path that he proclaimed to the modern world. This is the key to blessedness. This is the way to supreme illumination and liberation. Ponder this truth and you will be blessed.

Connect Yourself With God

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! Sadhaks and Yogis, mumukshus and jijnasus! Jijnasu means one who has a great thirst for jnana, spiritual knowledge, one who makes vigorous efforts to attain jnana. Mumukshu means one who is desirous of attaining moksha or liberation, one who has keen aspiration to attain liberation. So in the ultimate context a jijnasu who attains liberation is also a mumukshu. He wants knowledge because he wants liberation. Transcendental knowledge alone leads to liberation because bondage is due to ignorance. Ignorance cannot be removed or destroyed by any other means except by its contrary positive factor, knowledge. Darkness disappears the moment light comes. There is no other way.

Therefore, for attaining liberation or freedom from bondage, which is due to ignorance, which is ignorance, the remedy is the attainment of knowledge. You may ask then: "What about the devotee who only does bhakti (devotion) and therefore is not after knowledge? He is not a jnana yogi, he is not intently trying to master the scriptures, meditate over their meaning, trying to solve the riddle, untie the knot of the heart through jnana." The answer is, that when the devotee attains the object of his bhakti, that object of his devotion is kevala jnana svarupam (of the nature of pure knowledge), the Supreme Being. And that personal God, sakara saguna brahman (Brahman with form and attributes), is nothing but knowledge, supreme knowledge, pure consciousness that has taken form for the devotee's sake. It is nothing but pure bliss consciousness, pure wisdom consciousness. It does not have a gross material form like ours.

Neither is the name of the personal God like ours. Each Name is a name of cosmic significance, that which brings out some supreme, sublime quality or attribute of the transcendental, nameless, formless, indescribable, immutable supreme Brahman. When they say Narayana, they say that which pervades all space, which is infinite, most expansive, pervading everywhere. When they say Siva, they say that which is supreme auspiciousness, supreme blessedness. Krishna is that which powerfully attracts towards Itself everything that exists. Rama is that which being in their heart, delights the Yogis or takes delight in being in the hearts of Yogis. Vasudeva is that Being which pervades everywhere and dwells in all things that exist.

So the name and form of the personal God is no other than the impersonal Absolute, temporarily having assumed a certain form visible to the spiritual eye of the devotee. And through devotion, when he realises his ishta devata, that ishta devata, being no other than the absolute parabrahman, immediately blesses the devotee, conferring upon him supreme wisdom consciousness, supreme divine knowledge. "Sraddhavan labhate jnanam-He who has intense faith in Me and worships Me with one-pointed devotion, to him I give Supreme jnana."

Therefore, Gurudev again and again drew our attention to the fact that the highest state of transcendental devotion is not different from transcendental wisdom. Para bhakti and jnana are one and the same. When devotion to the Lord is taken to its very pinnacle of perfection, fullness, then it is nothing but pure knowledge. He used to say cryptically, "Bhakti yoga begins with two and ends in One." Therefore, there is no intrinsic difference between the path of devotion, or God-love, and the path of knowledge, or jnana yoga. They ultimately lead to the same realisation, the same supreme transcendental experience.

Knowledge, therefore, is the one means of attaining liberation from bondage, which is constituted of ignorance of the infinite, eternal Reality, ignorance of your true transcendental nature, ignorance of your essential ever-free, ever-pure, ever-full (nitya-mukta, nitya-suddha, paripurna) atma svarupa. When you realise your true self as ever-free, ever-pure, ever-full, then and there you arrive at a stage where you get brahma jnana or supreme knowledge, which is the ultimate liberator.

But then, how does knowledge come about? How did this light come and illumine this hall? Earlier, all was darkness. Now, all is illumined. It happened when the lamp was turned on, bringing about once again a connection between this bulb and a source of invisible power called electricity. Similarly, a plant flourishes as long as it keeps contact with its source and origin, the soil. Pull it out and it withers and dies.

So it is with each and every one of you. You must keep in contact with the source of your being, be ever linked and connected with the origin from which you are. Then, day by day, your spirit will begin to unfold. It will grow, develop, progress, expand, and you will attain divine experience. You will become divine.

But when there is no connection, or you have alienated yourself from It, or forgotten It, or thought of yourself as something independent, then you are full of sorrow and anxiety, pain and suffering, misery and fear. You are full of a sense of want. Why? Because you have unwisely cut yourself off from the source of your being. The secret of a progressive and fruitful life is to be inwardly ever linked with God, linked with the Cosmic Being. If you neglect to do that, then your life will be just what it is, always in a state of discontentment, dejection, depression, dissatisfaction. All the negative things come to prevail, to dominate and torment you, to pull you hither and thither. You feel helpless, you weep and wail. You do not know what to do. You are in despair.

If you want to put an end to this, the only way is to link yourself with God, Who is your source, origin. Keep that connection either through enquiry and discrimination, or through constant unbroken remembrance of God and devotion, or through meditation and continuously thinking about Brahman, or through worshipfully dedicating all activities to Him. Do it by whatever means, but by any means do it! Put an end to this disconnection from God. Put an end to your alienation and forgetfulness of God Who is all in all to you. Then your sorrow, your suffering, everything will start receding and ultimately vanish. When the sun rises, darkness cannot remain. When you become filled with God, sorrow, suffering, pain, ignorance, bondage, fear, worry, anxiety, tension cannot remain. They disappear.

So remember, separation from God is the root cause of all human miseries, the centre of the human problem. That itself causes bondage. Put an end to this alienation and separation by Yoga, by bhakti, by jnana, by enquiry, by discrimination, by sadhana. Seriously strive after that supreme state of being constantly in a state of oneness, attunement with the Supreme and overcome the sorrows of samsara. Banish the darkness of ignorance and bondage and come into the light of supreme divine wisdom. That is the wise way. Do it now and become blessed. God bless you with success in your sadhana! Gurudev grant you ultimate fulfilment of your aspiration and your desire!

The Power of Persistence

Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! You are assembled in the spiritual presence of Gurudev, who is the source and origin of this Ashram, the source and origin of the spirituality that pervades the atmosphere of this Ashram, who is the source and origin of the divine way of life that he proclaimed as a sadhana for Self-realisation for modern mankind.

Come out of the cage or your little, egoistical, selfish personality. Renounce and sacrifice this selfish personality at the altar of humanity. Where there is no "I", where there is no mind, where there is no selfishness, there is ideal karma yoga. It becomes upasana (worship).

You can be established in a state where even though acting, you are no more acting. Karma or work cannot bind you because you are acting without sense of doership. The feeling "I am doing" is not there; rather, "He is getting it done through me." You are a witness of your own activity, a witness of your own actions, and the poison of kartritva or sense of doer-ship is removed from the activity; it becomes sublime activity. Then it is God's will that manifests itself through you.

To be established in this state of inner absence of self, one has to diligently pursue a method of sadhana and per

Sri Swami Chidananda

A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION

Contents

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

PREFACE^*

1

You are Unique in the Eyes of God

2

Spiritual Life

3

Yoga and Vedanta

4

The Vision of Our Ancients

5

Never Forget Your Divinity

6

Purushartha-Self Effort

7

Steadfastness In Spiritual Practice

8

Make This a Perfect Day

9

Early in the Morning

10

Abide Beyond the Pairs of Opposites

11

The Practice of Truth

12

Connect Yourself With God

13

The Power of Persistence

Sri Swami Chidananda

A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION

Contents

PREFACE*

PREFACE^*