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CONTENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAJA YOGA SAMADHIAccording to Raja Yoga, Samadhi is of two kinds, viz., Samprajnata and Asamprajnata. In the former, the seeds of Samskaras are not destroyed. In the latter, the Samskaras are fried or annihilated in toto. That is the reason why the former is called Sabija Samadhi (with seeds) and the latter as Nirbija Samadhi (without seeds or Samskaras). Samprajnata Samadhi leads to Asamprajnata Samadhi. The Samprajnata Samadhi is also known by the name Savikalpa Samadhi or Sabija Samadhi. This Samadhi brings perfect knowledge of the object of meditation. The mind continuously and to the exclusion of all other objects assumes the nature and becomes one with the object of its contemplation. The Yogi attains all the powers of controlling the nature in this Samadhi. The Samprajnata Samadhi is of four kinds, viz., Savitarka, Savichara, Sananda and Asmita Samadhi. All these Samadhis have something to grasp. There is Alambana or argumentation or questioning. They give intensive joy but they are not the best and finest forms of Samadhi. They cover the gross or the subtle elements of nature and the organs of sense. They give you the direct knowledge of the elements, objects and instruments of knowledge and some freedom. These stages are in the form of steps of an ascending staircase. To begin with, meditation should be done on a gross form. When you advance in this meditation, you can take to abstract meditation, or meditation on subtle things or ideas. Mind should be gradually disciplined and trained in meditation. It cannot all at once enter into the highest Asamprajnata Samadhi or that which constitutes the highest subtle essence. That is the reason why Patanjali Maharshi has prescribed the practice of various kinds of lower Samadhis. When the mind is extremely attached to gross objects, it is not possible to fix it on subtle objects all at once. There must be gradual ascent in the ladder of Yoga. You should place your footstep cautiously in each rung of the ladder. You should pass through successive stages before you attain the highest Asamprajnata or Nirvikalpa Samadhi. But Yoga-Bhrashtas who have passed through the lower stages in their previous birth can attain to the highest stage at the very outset through the grace of the Lord. If the Yogic student had reached the higher stage, he need not revert to the lower stages. All the forms of Samprajnata Samadhi are Salambana Yoga (with support) and Sabija Yoga (with seed of Samskara). The Yogins enjoy a form of freedom. Dharma Megha in Raja Yoga means "the cloud of virtue". Just as clouds shower rain, so also this Dharma Megha Samadhi showers on the Yogins omniscience and all sorts of Siddhis or powers. The Yogi enjoys a form of freedom. Therefore, this Samadhi is called the Showerer or cloud (Megha) of virtue (Dharma). The Yogi enjoys expanded vision of God. Ritambhara, Prajnaloka, Prasannavahita are the three stages or Bhumikas of Samprajnata Samadhi. In Ritambhara the content of the mental Vritti is Satchidananda. There is still a separate knower. You get Yathartha Jnana or real wisdom. In the second, every kind of Avarana (veiling) is removed. The third state is the state of peace in which the mind is destitute of all mental modifications. The knowledge that you get from testimony and inference is above objects of the world; but the knowledge that you obtain from Samadhi is Divine Knowledge. It is super-sensual, intuitive knowledge where reason, inference and testimony cannot go. SAVITARKA AND NIRVITARKA SAMADHIS Savitarka Samadhi is Samadhi with reasoning. It is a superficial attempt of the mind to grasp any object. In this Samadhi, Sabda (sound), Artha (meaning), Jnana (knowledge) are mixed up. The aspirant can meditate on the body of Virat or Lord Vishnu with four hands or Lord Krishna with flute in hand or any ordinary object. He will obtain the direct perception of all the peculiar features, the excellences (Gunas) and defects (Doshas) of the object of meditation. He will have complete knowledge of the object. He will be endowed with all the features of the object unheard of and unthought of. He will obtain these through Savitarka Samadhi. The Yogic student meditates on the object again and again by isolating it from other objects. You can meditate on the gross elements also. You will gain power over them through intense meditation. The elements will reveal to you their truths. Just as the new archer first aims at big object only and then at smaller ones gradually, so also the beginner in Yoga concentrates on the gross objects such as the five Maha Bhutas, Lord Hari with four hands, and then on subtle ones. In this manner the grasp of the objects by the mind becomes subtle. A Yogi directly perceives the real body of the Lord Vishnu as He lives in Vaikuntha, by the force of his meditation although he remains at a great distance from the Lord. In Savitarka Samadhi concentration is practised on gross objects and their nature in relation to time and space. This is a gross form of Samadhi. When the Yogi meditates on the elements as they are by taking them out of time and space, then it is called Nirvitarka Samadhi without questioning or reasoning or argumentation. This is a subtle form of Samadhi. In Savitarka there is Vikalpa or fanciful notion of word (Sabda), object (Artha) and idea (Jneya). There is no such notion in Nirvitarka Samadhi. There are three factors in the comprehension of a word, e.g., cow—(1) cow, the word, (2) cow, the object, (3) cow, the idea in the mind. When the meditator imagines these three to be one and the same, it is an instance of Vikalpa or fanciful notion of the word, object and idea. SAVICHARA AND NIRVICHARA SAMADHIS If you meditate on the subtle Tanmatras and their nature in relation to time and space, it is Savichara Samadhi with deliberation or discrimination. This is Sukshma or subtle. This is subtler than Savitarka and Nirvitarka Samadhis. Tanmatras are the root-elements or Sukshma Bhutas. The five gross elements are derived from the Tanmatras through the process of quintuplication or mixing. Meditation goes a step higher in this Samadhi than in the previous one. The Yogi will get knowledge of the Tanmatras. He will obtain control over the Tanmatras. He will get the direct perception of the various subtle forms of the object culminating in primordial matter or Mula Prakriti. The word 'subtle' indicates cause in general. It stands for all such causal principles as the Tanmatras or the primary elements egoism or Ahankara, Mahat Tattva or intellect and Prakriti. There is mysterious power, Achintya Sakti, in meditation. Although ordinary meditation is possible only in ways already heard and thought of, yet even such things as have not been heard or thought of may be directly cognised by the force of meditation. There is no difference between the cause and products. All gross objects are the products of the twenty-six principles. They are really of the same nature as that of twenty-six principles. If you meditate on the subtle Tanmatras by taking them out of time and space by thinking as they are, it will constitute Nirvichara Samadhi without deliberation or discrimination. As there is pure Sattva only in the mind owing to the eradication of Rajas and Tamas the Yogi enjoys internal peace or contentment (Adhyatmic Prasada) and subjective luminosity. The mind is very steady. SANANDA SAMADHI OR THE BLISSFUL SAMADHI Now we proceed to describe the joyful Samadhi. This is joyous Samadhi and it gives intense joy. In this Samadhi the gross and the five elements are given up. The Yogi meditates on the Sattvic mind itself. He thinks of the mind which is devoid of Rajas and Tamas. There arises in the Yogi a peculiar perception in the form of intense joy through this type of Samadhi. ASMITA SAMADHI In this Samadhi the mind is the object of meditation. It bestows the knowledge of the subject of all experiences. The Self knows the Self. The Sattvic state of the ego only remains. The Yogi can think himself now as without his gross body. He feels that he has a fine body. This Samadhi takes the Yogi to the root of experiences and shows the way to freedom. The Yogi feels "I am (Asmi) other than the body". He experiences that the gross, subtle and joyous Samadhis are not the highest Samadhis. He finds defects in them also and gets disgusted with them. He proceeds further and practises Asmita Samadhi. He experiences Self-conscious- ness (Asmita). He experiences a feeling of 'enough' and develops dispassion in its highest form (Para Vairagya). This finally leads to the development of Asamprajnata Samadhi. ASAMPRAJNATA SAMADHI OR NIRBIJA OR NIRBIKALPA SAMADHI This is the highest form of Samadhi. This comes after Viveka-khyati or the final discrimination between Prakriti and Purusha. All the seeds or impressions are burnt by the fire of knowledge. This Samadhi brings Kaivalya or Absolute Independence. This is the culmination or climax of Yoga, or final Prasankhyana which bestows the supreme, undying peace or knowledge. The Yogi enjoys the transcendental glories of the Self and has perfect freedom from the mental life. The sense of time is replaced by a sense of Eternity. In this Samadhi, there is neither Triputi nor Alambana. The Samskaras are fried in toto. This Samadhi alone can destroy birth and death and bring in highest knowledge and bliss. When you get full success or perfection (Siddhi) in Raja yoga by entering into Asamprajnata Samadhi ( Nirvikalpa State), all the Samskaras and Vasanas which bring on rebirths are totally fried up. All Vrittis or mental modifications that arise form the mind-lake come under restraint. The five afflictions, viz., Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-dvesha (love and hatred) and Abhinivesha (clinging to life) are destroyed and the bonds of Karma are annihilated. This Samadhi brings on highest good (Nihsreyasa) and exaltation (Abhyudaya). It gives Moksha (deliverance form the wheel of births and deaths). With the advent of the knowledge of the Self, ignorance vanishes. With the disappearance of the root-cause, viz., ignorance, egoism, etc., also disappear. In the Asamprajnata Samadhi, all the modifications of the mind are completely restrained. All the residual Samskaras are totally fried up. This is the highest Samadhi of Raja yoga. This is also known as Nirbija Samadhi (without seeds) and Nirvikalpa Samadhi. In this Samadhi, the Yogi sees without eyes, tastes without tongue, hears without ears, smells without nose and touches without skin. His Sankalpas can work miracles. He simply wills and everything comes into Being. This state is described in Taittariya Aranyaka—I-ii-5: "The blind man pierced the pearl, the fingerless put a thread into it; the neckless wore it and the touchless praised it." Eventually, the Purusha realises His own native state of Divine glory, Isolation or absolute Independence (Kaivalya). He has completely disconnected himself from the Prakriti and its effects. He feels his absolute freedom and attains Kaivalya, the highest goal of Raja Yoga. All Klesha Karmas are destroyed now. The Gunas having fulfilled their objects of Bhoga and Apavarga now entirely cease to act. He has simultaneous knowledge now. The past and the future are blended into the present. Everything is "Now". Everything is "Here". He has transcended time and space. The sum-total of all knowledge of the three worlds, of all secular sciences is nothing but mere husk when compared to the Infinite knowledge of a Yogi who has attained Kaivalya. Glory, glory to such exalted Yogins! Beloved spiritual aspirants! You are seeking something, you are devoted to something, you are practising something all with one single ultimate objective. The inner motivation is the same. It is the attainment of Divine-experience, God-experience, the realisation of the Absolute, the realisation of what you are. Classical philosophy and all the great mandaleshwars say that this world is an obstacle to that achievement. Sense objects are tempting snares. The unwise jivatma is caught and enslaved by his own desires, and these temptations draw him out and catch him in their coils. The jivatma is helpless, caught by maya. All this they say. All this they say, and we swallow it, we take it for granted. If the common man in the street hears such discourses and swallows it, saying, “We are helpless, maya is insurmountable, we can never go beyond it,” it is because they are gullible, they don’t know any better. But, do you know no better? Are you also similarly gullible? Do you also accept this view and theory? If you are also swallowing it, then what is the difference between you and the gullible masses? What have the years of renunciation and solitude on the banks of the Ganga done for you? So we must show a difference. All this may be said in books and scriptures and by mandaleshwars giving discourses, but we must know better. And the better truth has been expounded to us, revealed to us. But you will know this only if you make right enquiry, vichara. Right enquiry will suddenly bring you light, reveal to you many things that you did not know. It will bring you so many truths. And then suddenly you will develop a new skill, a new qualification, a new ability to know what it is that stands in your way and what it is that can be favourable to you in moving towards the supreme goal. You will know what you must gladly accept and make part of your life and what you must uproot and throw away, eradicate, even if it is part of your present life: “No, no, now I know better. I am not going to allow this to remain. It is an obstacle that is within myself. I will throw it out.” So this skill of discrimination, viveka, and the ability to know what is helpful to your spiritual life and what is not helpful and constantly discriminating between these two, then at every step rejecting that which is not favourable to your spiritual life and cultivating and augmenting that which is helpful, becomes a constant exercise of a wise and awakened seeker. So right enquiry and discrimination help move you towards the truth that you are seeking. And at one stroke, in one declaration—a grand declaration, a great declaration—the whole problem has been solved by a super being. He declared to us that all these things that we think constitute our great obstacle, our great problem, which we constantly have to battle with, are a mere non-existing myth, a nothing. We make it formidable by our lack of right enquiry and discrimination. We have given it importance by endowing it with a strength it does not have: “Do away with this foolishness. It is not formidable. You are always immune to it, above it, unaffected by it.” The great teacher taught a super devise: “No barrier exists, nothing exists. You are already That which you are seeking to make yourself. Remove this delusion that you are not yet That. You are the divine perfection that you are seeking. The goal is right here—not to be reached, not to be attained, but to be known.” And this great man put this into an amazingly brief, compact nutshell of a marvelous utterance. He said, “I don’t require many words to declare this. I can do it in just half a verse: ‘Brahma satyam jagan-mithya jivo-brahmaiva naparah.’ This so-called universe that you are endowing with a reality is a non-existent myth. One alone is real. One alone is the solid truth and fact, and that is satchidananda Brahman, the non-dual Reality, the ever-present, eternal, never-changing Reality. That alone is the Reality, and you are no other than that great Reality, only plus some imagined accretions that have been added on to your ever-present, all-perfect Divine Reality—something added on. “Get rid of these accretions. The moment you get rid of these accretions, you are what you are. You don’t have to become something. You are already That.” And to emphasise it: “You are That and That alone, and you are no other!” What a great truth! What a liberating truth! What a wonderfully strengthening truth! So this is something you have right in your hand. It is yours. Apply this formula and obstacles will be no obstacles, bondage will be no bondage. You will revel, you will rejoice in your eternally liberated, ever-free state. Brahma satyam jagan-mithya jivo-brahmaiva naparah. This is the truth, this is the fact. And this truth is an immediately liberating fact to which you have immediate access. Realise this and be free! THE COMING AND GOING OF ALL THINGS “In the beginning, there was knowledge, but there was no knowledge of another. Then came the knowledge of another, but not the knowledge of the many. Thereafter came the knowledge of the many, but not judgment of the one by the other. Then, finally, came judgment and evaluation of one by the other, and here we are, what we are.” Thus goes an ancient Master's saying. These gradations of experience may be regarded as the process of what we call creation. In these few sentences, creation is explained. Though it is stated so simply in a few lines, the implications of these processes are so variegated and involved that everything conceivable can be said to be included in every phase of it, in this gradational coming down of that which is, which was, and shall be, into what is seen now at the present moment. The freedom of man, the salvation of the soul, is supposed to be a traversing of the very same path through which God may be said to have descended into the form of man, and all that the world consists of. The return of man to God is the movement in a reverse order, from the direction that creation took when the One deigned to appear as this vast involvement. The word 'Samsara' is significant suggesting entanglement and an immense difficulty felt in disentangling oneself from the involvement. It is not an ordinary type of impasse that we are finding ourselves in these days. It is almost an unthinkable and ununderstandable abyss into which we have come down; and, here, in this condition of involvement in the way mentioned, there is not merely a physical or social involvement merely, but there is the worst of things that has happened, the involvement of what we consider ourselves to be in our essentiality, namely, our own consciousness, our own understanding, our intelligence, and the product of our educational career. In essence, anything that is worthwhile in us, meaningful and significant in our lives, is so involved. There is a submerging of human individuality into this oceanic abyss of involvement and there takes place a tentative awakening of itself by coming to the surface of this ocean occasionally when we seem to know a little bit of the processes of the world. Our understanding of whatever is meaningful in life is conditioned by the dip that consciousness has taken in this ocean of involvement. We have already sunk into a mysterious kind of the waters of Lethe, as they call it in Greek mythology, the waters of death, or the things into which we have dived, and got up into a consciousness of there being a kind of life in this world. Do you know that this world is called the world of death, mrityuloka? It is never called the world of life. Though we are all alive, it is never called a life of any standing meaning at all. You will be wondering how this world is a world of death. Why do we call it 'martyaloka' or 'mrityuloka'? Because even the life we are living is a form of death only. It is not actually life that we are living. It is an unending preparation towards a catabolic activity in which the psycho-physical organism is engaged, and from moment to moment we are dying. In this instance I may cite an occasion that arose many many years back, when emperor Aja lost his queen, and he beat his breast, hit his head on the ground, cried before his great Master, Guru Vasishtha, “I have lost the very meaning of my life; I have lost symphony, rhythm and meaning. I have nothing with me. I have lost everything.” This was the expression of king Aja before Vasishtha, the omniscient seer. And what was the reply of Vasishtha to this cry of the king, that he had lost his dear and near, his only value in life? Kalidasa, in his Raghuvamsa, in his own poetic style, tells us what this reply was; "Maranam prakritih saririnam vikritir jivitam uchyate budhaih." This was the simple, open answer of Vasishtha to the king who was wailing over the joy he lost and the sorrow that had descended upon his head. What is the meaning of this half-verse? Anything that is embodied is nothing but an embodiment of death only, because anything that is complex has to get decomposed into its original components. As a building is made up of its own ingredients known as building material, anything that is born,—it may be human or anything else, anything that is composed of elements which precede it in the process of creation, has to revert to that out of which it has been made. The building has to return to the condition of bricks one day or the other; it will be only the original that it was. It cannot be the Taj Mahal or anything that attracts your vision of grandeur, because this grandeur of human perception, the beauty of things and the value of life itself, is the tentative presentation before our blinded eyes of a shape or a form taken by causative factors which are precedent to things and to our coming into this world, whatever be our importance in life. Vasishtha held that death, thus, is what is natural to things; it is life that is unnatural! The birth of an individual into this world is actually a birth into the waters of death. No one can escape this possibility. And the meaning behind this drama of coming and going is to be sought in the few sentences I uttered in the very beginning—that in a gradational coming down of the Ultimate Reality into the present condition of life in the world, there is a final involvement. No one can know how one is involved in this world. Whatever be your understanding and knowledge of things, you cannot know how you are involved. We have a poor, schoolboy's understanding of our involvement here. A person may have debts to pay; he will say, “I have some involvement.” He has a family, and he is in an involvement. He has to work hard in an office; and he will say, “I have an involvement.” These are little involvements of a totally extraneous nature. But there is a real involvement which is the source of our bondage, properly speaking. Working in an office, maintaining a family, or paying a debt, is not so serious an involvement, because you may discharge these obligations in some way. But there are certain obligations in our life with which we are born. “Sahayajnah prajah srishtva purovacha prajapatih, Anena Prasavishyadhvam esha vo'stvishta- kamadhuk,” says the Lord in the Bhagavadgita. We are born ‘together with’ an obligation. ‘Sahayajna’ means “togetherness of birth with an obligation in the form of a sacrifice.” The 'togetherness' of coming into this world with a sacrifice or a necessity to sacrifice is called 'Sahayajnatva'. Now, this becomes a necessity on our part, merely because of the fact of our involvement in an ununderstandable, mysterious impasse. We can never be happy permanently in this world, whatever be our efforts to be happy, for the simple reason that we cannot diagnose our own illness. May be, there are means of this diagnosis. But one cannot be one's own doctor; in a similar manner, we cannot know what our problems are, though we attribute our difficulties to events that take place outside. There is no 'outside' in this world. The meaning of involvement is the abolition of anything as external or internal. There is no thread in the cloth which can be called external to the other threads, because they are intertwined in such a way that everything is involved in everything else. So, one cannot be called the 'other'; the 'otherness' that we perceive is an error, and the cause of this error in perception in the form of a conviction of there being something outside us is the reason also for the involvement. It was said that there was the perception of the many. But we cannot have merely the knowledge of the many and remain quiet without any dealings with the many, because the very knowledge of the many implies a necessity felt at the same time to relate oneself to the many. I cannot simply know that you are sitting there, I have to feel a sense of relation to that which I see. This is the beginning of involvement. And, the freedom of the soul, our final salvation, we may say, consists in our disentangling ourselves gradually from the network of this involvement, which is a hard task, indeed. Sometimes ‘Samsara’ is compared to a quagmire. A quagmire is a kind of marshy area where, if you keep your foot, you will go in. And if you try to lift your sunk foot with the help of the other foot planted on it, you will see the other foot goes in. And so both feet go in, and you can be sunk neckdeep. And you do not know what will happen to you. This state of affairs is called the quagmire-involvement, and our life is something like that. Often, by ancient masters, life is compared to involvement in a quagmire. When you try to free your foot, you will see that the other foot has gone in; and when you lift the other, this one has gone still deeper, so that you do not know where you are. It is an unthinkable misery, unadulterated sorrow. Where is the salvation, and where is the remedy? The remedy is not in further involvements. Often we try to cure one disease by introducing another disease into the body; this is not a real curative method. You cannot pay your debts by borrowing from some other person, though many a time we do this thing and feel that debts are paid. But we have paid the debt by creating another debt, paying perhaps compound interest and making matters worse. Our search for joy in life is at the same time an accumulation of sorrow from another side. This we forget in our involvements. So, at least from the point of view of man's present way of involvement and thinking we can say that he cannot attain real freedom. But it is not true that the expectation is absolutely impossible. There is a necessity to go to facts as they are, and not merely opinionate about things and hold judgements on objects in any manner whatsoever, because every judgement is a characterisation of that which you see with your eyes, and, as I mentioned, this characterisation is always infected with a defect caused by your having sunk into the mire of an involvement which is called birth. The withdrawal of conscious operation objectively in terms of what we see with our eyes, judging things from the point of view of the senses, would be the beginning of the development of wisdom in our lives. Then, to speak in the language of Buddhist psychology, we move from what they call Kama-Loka to Rupa-Loka. The world we are living in is called Kama-Loka, because it is the world of involvement by desires, positive as well as negative. A positive desire is the clinging to something, and a negative desire is aversion to something. And we have a twofold attitude towards things in the world. Whatever be that attitude, like or dislike, it is Kama only, and inasmuch as there is nothing visible in this world except these two types of involvement, they consider this world as Kama-Loka. You cannot see a person as he or she is in himself or herself. A person, a thing, or an object, whatever it is, is to us what it means to us in terms of an involvement, and minus the involvement, we cannot know what it is. I cannot know what you are except in relation to me. This relation is the undoing of all things. Whenever we understand things or cogitate on any person or thing, we always do this cogitation work in terms of what sort of relation that thing has with us. Independently, we do not consider a person as a tree in the jungle. We do not bother what the tree is about; let it be there! It is not my son, it is not my brother. Whatever happens to it is not my concern. But it is a great concern of mine in relation to that with which I am related. This concern is the bondage of the soul. Why should you be concerned? That is the externalisation of your relationship. This is overcome by what you call detachment in its true spirit, not detachment in the ordinary ritualistic manner. Detachment does not mean moving from Kanyakumari to the Himalayas, or from one country to another. It is the disentanglement from the involvement of consciousness in this act of judging in terms of what it means to 'me' positively or negatively. Then you will reach the next world, called Rupa-Loka, where the world may be seen by us, as it is. The beauty of the painting will no more be there; you will see only a canvas and ink spread in a particular pattern. To give an example of how you move from Kama-Loka to Rupa-Loka; from the beauty that is seen in a painting, you move to the substance out of which the painting is made. The arrangement of the ink on the canvas in terms of a spatio-temporal context, again involved in our way of looking at things at a particular distance also,—all these factors considered—becomes the cause of our knowing things as beautiful, or otherwise. So, when this Kama is no more there, we begin to see Rupa, or the forms of things as they are. Are you not something independently in yourself other than what you are to others? You know very well you are something to yourself. Whatever be the opinion others may hold about you, minus all these opinions, you are something, and that is the pure principle of existence, sometimes called Isvarasrishti, apart from Jivasrishti. The ideas of 'I' and 'mine', and the notions of 'my belonging to somebody' or 'something belonging to me' or 'not belonging to me', etc., are known as Jivasrishti, or the involvements mentioned,—the abyss, Samsara, this quagmire. But if I can know you as you know yourself, and I know me as I am to myself, and each one stands by himself or itself as a pure subject unrelated to the objects, relation is abolished, because, really, there is a basic unity of things where the pure subject which is the universe stands supreme in its integrated completeness, which is the universal perception we are waiting for finally, you may say, the vision of God. And when God knows Himself, not as an object of vision by somebody,—That is the origin of things, That which is, the Almighty God Supreme, call Him Narayana, call Him the Father in Heaven, the Unimpeachable, Ununder- standable, Non-Externalisable, Pure Being, All-Being, the Bhuma, the Infinite, the Vaishvanara of the Upainshads, the Viratsvarupa of the Bhagavadgita. That is our Goal. And we can have an iota of satisfaction and joy in this world only to the extent of our approximation to this reverse movement of ours in the direction of Truth. But if you try to be happy here by adding more untruths to the already existing ones, purchasing more illnesses to the existing ones already in the body, and piling up sorrows over sorrows, over those which are already there, then the fate of man is booked, for what it is. May this be a heralding moment to us to find time to brood over these truths of our real state of affairs in this world, what we really are, also what anyone is really in himself or herself, what anything is in itself, in the eyes of that which alone can see things clearly without the spectacles of likes or dislikes. Such is the mighty Goal before us, into whose facts we are awakened by great masters like Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. Their blessings we seek, and the Grace of the Almighty we invoke upon the whole of humanity at this auspicious hour of mutual communion. May we, then, sing the song of the ancient mystic in a slightly different strain: “In the beginning there was the One, and there was not the many; Then there was the many, but not the consciousness of the many; Then there was the consciousness of the many; but not judgment of 'the other'; Then there was the judgment of 'the other', and, lo, mortal sorrow became the name of all life.” THE PURPOSE OF OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICES In one of his most famous aphorisms Gurudev says, “Practise ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya. This is the foundation of Yoga and Vedanta.” And, of course, it is true. If we get into fights and quarrels, if we don’t tell the truth, if there is no self-restraint, then how is it possible to still the mind, to go inwards? How is it possible to enquire, Who am I? down to the depth of our being? However, we can make one error when we think that the practice of ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya is the foundation of Yoga and Vedanta. From another point of view, their practice is the spiritual life. It is the same with Be good, Do good. We can consider Be good, Do good to be the foundation of the spiritual life—where we have to start—but if we take a look at the life of Gurudev, what do we see except someone being good and doing good? His life was an expression of Be good, Do good. This is also true of karma yoga, selfless service. It is considered to be a foundation of the spiritual life. But what have we seen in the lives of Gurudev and his senior disciples except individuals constantly serving others? “See God in all” is an admonition. The purpose of seeing God in all is not so that it will lead us to a higher state. That seeing itself is the higher state. Our spiritual practices are designed not to get us to some state in the future, our spiritual practices are meant to be the practice of the presence of God here and now. We repeat God’s Name not so that we will have some experience in the future, but because repetition of God’s Name brings God into this moment and our daily life becomes more God-like. The purpose of our spiritual life is not so that we have some experience, rather it is to improve, day by day, the expression of the truth of our life—our present Divinity. Our spiritual practices are not, finally, means to an end, but the end themselves. Thus the purpose of our spiritual life could be said to be an expression of ahimsa, satyam and brahmacharya, to be an expression of Be good, Do good. The secret of the spiritual life is to recognise that it is always NOW. “Do not postpone,” Gurudev said. It means finally that divine life is here and now. This recognition is key to our spiritual life. NEWS FROM THE HEADQUARTERS ALL-INDIA DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY BRANCHES MEET--2004 In the November 2004 issue of 'The Divine Life', we had reported about the All-India Branch meet conducted in DLS Headquarters. As mentioned therein, the gist of the talks given by senior. Swamiji’s and the points discussed by the distinguished speakers is given below for the benefit of our readers. The four sessions held during two days called upon all those attended to rejuvenate their strengths and participate with great enthusiasm in furthering the expansion of Divine Life Society across the country. The talks given by the Senior Swamijis were inspiring and befitting the sessions of each day, thus awakening the moral and spiritual consciousness of the members. Sri V.P.Groverji of Headquarters Ashram suggested that every Branch should work towards having their own premises, strong finance and sufficient members to drive home the teachings of Gurudev to a wide section of people in their respective areas. Conducting the Bhajans and Kirtans melodiously, variations in programmes of Satsangas,and Swadhyaya from selected teachings of Sri Gurudev will attract more sincere seekers towards the organisation. Proper utilisation of donations with honest efforts, conducting Homa with Gayatri Mantra and Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and prayers for the welfare of all-- these activities will enhance the confidence of the people in the organisation in general and inspire them to join the organisation. Sri N.V. Kartikeyanji while sharing some of his moments with Gurudev said that this holy abode of Gurudev has got a great power and importance. He said that Gurudev got illumination and vision of God in this very place and got the command from God to share the Divine Love to the world. The Branches play a very important and major role in dissemination of spiritual knowledge. We need to understand that we are all the instruments at the hands of Sri Gurudev, and thereby we will be safe and protected from egocentric problems. By keeping this thought forever in mind and keep on working towards spreading the Gurudev’s teachings, we can achieve spiritual growth in our life. Revered Sri Swami Padmanabhanandaji Maharaj in his soul elevating speech talked about the cordial and warm relationship between the Headquarters and the Branches. Swamiji said that the relationship stands as a symbol of collective body of individuals of virtuous living, a life of Divinity, simplicity, purity. Swamiji said that to what extent we are living The Divine Life, counts in developing and expanding the Divine Life Society as a spiritual organisation across the world. Revered Sri Swami Advaitanandaji Maharaj, in his address to the delegates, said that we are all one family and children of Sri Gurudev. While quoting from Sri Shankara’s Vivekachudamani, the three things-- human birth, yearning for liberation and Satsanga of Saints are very difficult to get and we are all blessed to gain these and we need to strive to achieve the goal of Self-realisation. Swamiji urged the delegates to focus on rural areas by taking up the activities like spreading Sri Gurudev’s teachings, and conducting the Bhajans and Kirtans, thereby building a quality membership base across the country. Sri Rajinder Bharadwaj appreciated the steps taken by the Headquarters to organise the Branches meeting. He said that the Branches meeting should be held regularly in one or two years in total. He also suggested the qualities of the Divine Life and Divya Jeevan magazine should be improved and they should also carry regular message for devotees similar to that of President Swamiji Maharaj's messages which used to be published earlier. The Branch Department of the Headquarters should work under the guidance of a Senior Swamiji. He also suggested that the State Branches should hold Satsangas daily and should also include regular study of some text. He also stressed importance of the impeccable character of the DLS members of the Branches and office bearers. Chaudhury Gourahari Mishra suggested that every member should live a Divine Life to the extent possible by following "Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions", "Sadhana Tattva", and "The Universal Prayer", of Sri Gurudev; and monitor and evaluate oneself based on "Resolve Form" and "Spiritual Diary Form" and also to bring about necessary attitudinal change in his or her own self by moulding character as prescribed in the "National Code of Conduct". He also said that continuous contact with rural Branches, translation of Gurudev's books into regional languages, regular Satsanga and holding Sadhana Camps, etc., from time to time in a planned manner, will help us to spread Gurudev's mission. Revered Sri Swami Sivachidanandaji Maharaj said that we all should share what we have with others, our less privileged brethren suffering from poverty, disease and ignorance in the untrodden remote villages by feeding the hungry, clothing the necked, nursing the sick and imparting the knowledge to the ignorant through the all-round Divine Life training of the educated youths of those areas and engaging them in Divya Jivan Gurukulas and cottage industries in cluster of villages and organising Sadhana Shibirs inclusive of Kirtans, Pravachanas and distribution of free literature. Sri Harihar Singhji said that every member should be thorough in understanding the aims and objects of Divine Life Society and drive these across the rural areas and the people will be immensely benefited by such activities. Group Kirtans, Night schools, teaching the school Dropouts, Health services are some of the ways in addressing the villages. A True ardent and sincere disciple will never be tired of efforts and will march on to achieve the goal. While doing these activities one should be careful from three dreaded enemies Kama, Krodha and Lobha. We need to offer the services with bhava and humility. Revered Sri Swami Atmaswaroopanandaji said that the current generation, having been inspired by Gurudev and Pujya Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj and other direct disciples, will continue to serve the Society and attract new members from the present generation. It only requires a minimum of guidance and help from the Headquarters. However, we must remember that the ability of Sri Gurudev, Pujya Swamiji Maharaj and others to inspire us ultimately stemmed from their renunciation and sacrifice. Thus, if we want to ensure future membership from new generation, it is important for us to recognize that it will primarily depend on the degree of renunciation and sacrifice they see in us. The distinguished speakers from various branches who gave inspiring talks with valuable suggestions are :Sri Swami Dharmaprakashananda, Bhubaneswar, Dr. R.P. Singh, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sri D. Ramamurty, Raipur, Sri K.C. Sachedeva, Varanasi, Sri V. Srinivasan, Madurai, Dr. K.L. Khetrapal, Bilaspur, Sri B.D. Kajrekar, Gandhinagar, Sri H.D. Sharma, New Delhi, Sri Sharad Prasad Mohanty, Rourkela, Sri N.V. Dave, Jamnagar, Sri Durgamadhab Dash, Khandagiri, Sri BhagirathiMahapatra, Puri, Sri Krishna Chandra Dash, Khatiguda, Sri Narsingho Panda, Khajwra, Prof. V.D. Randev, Rewari, Sri Jitendra K. Bhatt, Gandhinagar, Sri Ch. Budh Singh, Imphal, Sir Ram Niwas Gupta, South Kolkata, Sri K.S. Thakur, Nandini Nagar, Sri Satish Kaura, Faridabad, Sri Sahadev Dash, Rourkela, Swami Swaroopananda, Madurai, Sri Jitendra Nath Das, Hansura, Sri M.L. Sahrma, New Delhi, Sri Sushil Chandra Panda, Bhawanipatna, Sri Biswamohan Patnaik, Jamshedpur, Sri Ramesh H. Bhatia, Gandhinagar, Sri Himanshu Shekhar Mahapatro, Berhampur, Sri Raghunath Sahu, Baripada, Sri Gajendra Tripathi, Naya Garh, Sri F.Lal Kansal, Panchkula, Sri J.S. Patnaik, Bhilai, Sri Jayant B. Dave, Vadodra, Dr. Akash Sood, Ludhiana, Sri Swami Sivadasananda, Gumargunda, Sri P. Kunjo Singh, Kakching, Sri D.P. Dobhal, BHEL, Hardwar, Sri R.K. Radhamohan Singh, Manipur, Sri K. Basavarajam, Warangal. The Points emerged during the two day meet are as follows: 1. Dedication and honesty are of utmost importance. Members should set an example in general behaviour based on ethics and morality. 2. All the important festivals should be organised by the branches in a befitting manner. 3. Free literature in regional languages should be distributed in rural areas. 4. Branches in each Zone/State should combine their efforts with a view to help new and upcoming branches. 5. Swamijis from HQ should visit the branches on important functions and programmes. 6. Life Membership should be granted with introduction of two existing life members. 7. A common code for conducting the Satsanga and other daily programmes to be designed for all the DLS centres to follow. 8. To conduct the National conference of branches once in two years atleast. 9. Focus on Youth membership enrolment is to be considered. 10. Books published from Headquarters are to be made available at discounted rates for the Branches. 11. Branches to organise medical camps at regular intervals with the help of local doctors. 12. State level/ Zonal level committees should be formed for better coordination and monitoring. 13. A full fledged department with senior Swamijis of Headquarters to be established for better coordination with the Branches. 14. Media coverage like TV Channels etc., is to be considered. 14. To setup an editorial board to improve the quality of Magazines published from Headquarters. 15. Inmates of Headquarters should be with a good educational and family background and should be from all the states. 16. Headquarters and Branches should organise programmes aimed at children thereby addressing the next generation. 17. Branches should send their members for YVF Academy courses. 18. Tenure of office bearers of Branches should be for a period of minimum 3 years. 19. Young Sanyasins and Bramacharis should be trained in Yoga and Scriptures so that they can be deputed to branches as and when required. 20. Establishing the DLS Ashrams in all the state capitals. H.H. Sri Swami Yogaswarupanandaji Maharaj in his closing address said that the every member should know the D.L.S. in total and lead a virtuous life. Swamiji said that Yoga and the spiritual instructions will help the physical and spiritual upliftment of life. H.H. Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj concluded the Conference with a vote of thanks and Prayers for the world Peace. DLS Headquarters deeply appreciates the sincere efforts of the able and spirited members of the Society for making the event successful. DLS HQ. will look into the viability of practical implementation of the suggestions emerged during the two day meet, and will come out with an action plan for the improvement of the functioning of the Society as a whole. SEVA THROUGH SIVANANDA HOME The Divine Life Society has been rendering its service for many years through Sivananda Home, which is a Medical Centre for sick Leprosy and Destitute patients, who have neither any attendant to take care of them, nor any place to go. The Centre is situated near the famous Laxman Jhula. 76 patients were in Sivananda Home during Deepavali when the Home bathed in flickering lights and each and every patient, young and old, in spite of being sick, bedridden, injured or mentally affected, participated in the festival, enjoyed the mood-elevating Bhajans, received Prasad and could for a few minutes forget all their sorrows, pains and sufferings. Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya. . , Lead us from darkness unto Light . . . God is good. And He is good all the time. He leads us from darkness to light. He is there where we slumber. He carries us when our legs fail to walk. He wipes our tears and puts a song into our heart. One TB patient admitted last month, completely bedridden, also having gastro-enteritis, is improving miraculously by God's compassion and grace. Under medical treatment and diet, he now walks without support and daily goes for a round in the small garden in the TB section of the Home. Since this boy is mentally challenged, he has difficulty in talking, but the smile on his face describes immense joy and gratefulness to the Lord Almighty, who brought him out of his entangled mind and out of a physically complete desolate and destitute condition. Two patients passed away this month in Sivananda Home. One of them at the time of admission was already unconscious with breathing on the very surface and blood pressure below measurement. Gangajal was offered immediately to this Baba and the needful medical action was taken, but he passed away at the end of the day. Last ritual, puja, cremation of the dead body and offering ashes to Holy Mother Ganga were conducted the next morning, attended by inmates of the Home. Among the ten newly admitted patients this month there was a destitute old aged couple, husband and wife, who lost all their possessions after the husband became sick and paralysed due to a stroke. He was hardly able to talk, had no control over his output functions, and his wife being very tiny and weak, could not provide the necessary needs of the husband. Four children they had, who all died at a young age, and having nobody left in this material world, she could only cry and weep of desperateness and anger. But her cry was heard and they were admitted under Gurudev's consoling presence that made her immediately feel at ease and at home and immensely relieved. Her husband Sri Chotelalji improved under medical nursing care and physiotherapy, started walking a little and is made to sit in the wheel chair on the veranda, next to the Mandir, in which daily Puja is done by the inmates and patients of Sivananda Home. “Lead kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on; The night is dark and I am far from home, lead Thou me on. Keep Thou my feet, I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me. I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on: I loved to choose and see my path, but now Lead Thou me on. Lead Thou me on. Lead Thou me on.” "Feed the Hungry. Clothe the naked. Serve the sick. This is Divine Life." —Swami Sivananda REPORTS FROM THE D.L.S. BRANCHES JAYANTI CELEBRATIONS More and more reports regarding special functions organised by the Branches to celebrate the three Jayantis, namely, Sri Krishna Jayanti, Sivananda Jayanti, that is 117th Birth Anniversary of Parama Pujya Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, and Swami Chidananda Jayanti,—the 88th Birth Anniversary of Parama Pujya H.H. Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj. A summary of the celebrations is below: INLAND BRANCHES Bangalore (Karnataka): Sri Krishna Jayanti, 5-day Swadhyaya of Book X of Srimad Bhagavatam; Sivananda Jayanti: a special function and distribution of "Swami Sivananda—A Modern Saint" (Kannada translation); Chidananda Jayanti: a special function and releasing and distribution of 'Swami Chidananda on Self-realisation' (Kannada). Bhilai (Chattisgarh): Sivananda Jayanti: a special Satsanga and Paduka Puja at the Branch office, Chidananda Jayanti: a special Satsanga, Paduka Puja, Ayush Homa, etc., in Sri Jagannath Temple. 200 devotees from various towns and villages participated in the programmes and shared Mahaprasad. Fruits were distributed to 400 inhabitants of two leprosy colonies. The chairman Swamiji of Jnana Darshan Yogashram presided over both the functions. Bhimkand (Orissa): Besides holding special Satsangas on Swami Sivananda Jayanti and Swami Chidananda Jayanti, the Branch observed the month of September as medical service month. The devotees searched out poor patients suffering from serious ailments, and the Branch arranged for their medical and surgical treatment, monetary help, guidance, etc. A poor woman suffering from chronic ovarian bleeding, another woman whose left leg was crushed under a loaded truck, a destitute woman with a tumour, a child with a congenital tumour—all these patients with extreme sufferings were adopted by the Branch and were relieved of their ailments after successful treatment. May the choicest blessings of Gurudev and the Lord ever shower upon all those who have contributed in these noble deeds. Canchipur (Manipur): On the occasion of Swami Chidananda Jayanti, the Branch organised 30th All Manipur state Sadhana Day on Sunday, 26th September. The programmes included Paduka Puja, chanting, Bhajan-kirtan, two spiritual discourses and Maha Prasad (community lunch). Revered Swami Govindanandaji and Revered Swami Brahmatattvanandaji also participated in them. Dharamgarh (Orissa): The Branch organised on Chidananda Jayanti the following programmes: Paduka Puja, a special Satsanga, Japa Yajna of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, distribution of clothes to the poor, fruits to the in-patients of the hospital and food to the children of Balashram, and Prasad sevan by all the 300 participant devotees. New Delhi, Lajpat Nagar Branch: On Sri Krishna Jayanti, the devotees participated in the grand procession through Connaught place and many busy lanes with a portrait of Gurudev in a motorcade. On Sivananda Jayanti, a special Satsanga with Paduka Puja was organised. Also, a debate competition for college students was held and Revered Swami Sivachidanandaji Maharaj gave away the prizes and addressed the students. On Swami Chidananda Jayanti, a special Satsanga with Paduka Puja took place. A medical and a Dental Camp were organised on this occasion. Hansura (Orissa): The Branch organised various programmes for 17 days from September 8th to 24th. On Swami Sivananda Jayanti, Paduka Puja, Swadhyaya and Prasad sevan in the morning session, and a special Satsanga in the evening were organised. Swami Chidananda Jayanti programmes were: Prayer, meditation and Prabhat Pheri in early morning, Paduka Puja in the morning, followed by 2-hour collective Japa of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and Prasad sevan, distribution of Jnana Prasad to 600 students in the afternoon, and discourses in the evening. The period of 15 days between the two Jayantis was declared as a Sadhana fortnight and mobile evening Satsangas were arranged at the places of 15 devotees. Jaipur (Rajasthan): Sri Krishna Jayanti: Special decoration in the temple, four specially prepared tableaux on Sri Krishna's Bala-lila, special programmes from 9 p.m. with midnight Arati, Prasad, etc. Also, special programmes on the sixth day, i.e., 13th September to celebrate Nandotsava. Besides, a Bhagavata Saptaha—7-days discourses for 6 hours daily. Sivananda jayanti—special Paduka Puja, and on the following Sunday a visit to ancient temples and Ashrams by two buses from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Swami Chidananda Jayanti: special Paduka Puja, etc. Jamshedpur (Jharkhand): The Branch organised Paduka Puja in the morning and special Satsangas in the evening on both Sivananda Jayanti and Chidananda Jayanti. Also, 4 days' programme of public discourses by Revered Swami Sivachidanandaji and a reputed Ramayana scholar were organised in a famous hall from September 23rd to 26th. The early morning 2-hour session included prayer, meditation and a talk on Sadhana, and the evening 2½ hour session included Bhajan-kirtan and public discourses. Lakhna (Orissa): Sri Krishna Jayanti: special Puja with oblations, Bhajan-kirtan throughout the night were done. On Swami Sivananda Jayanti and Swami Chidananda Jayanti, the programmes were Prabhat Pheri, Paduka Puja and distribution of sweets to the children. Nalgonda (A.P.): On Sivananda Jayanti the Branch distributed fruits to 250 in-patients of the Government Hospital and 50 orphan students in Nalgonda, and also sweets, fruits and Rs. 50/- to each of the 46 orphan students in Vijayawada. On Swami Chidananda Jayanti, 27 leprosy patients of a nearby village were given clothings. Revered Swami Paramatmanandaji of Kashi gave talks on our two Gurus during the Satsangas held on the two Jayantis, at Vijayawada. Rajkot ( Gujarat): Special Pujas were performed on Swami Sivananda Jayanti and Swami Chidananda Jayanti. A handicapped girl student was given a cheque of Rs. 6,000/- on Sivananda Jayanti towards her M.B.A. fees. Salipur (Orissa): Sivananda Jayanti programmes were: Puja, collective Japa of 'Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya' Mantra and Paduka Puja in the morning, and Satsanga, Swadhayaya and discourses in the evening. Similar programmes were also organised on Swami Chidananda Jayanti with 1-hour group chanting of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra in the afternoon as an added feature. OVERSEAS BRANCHES Batu Caves ( Malaysia): Sri Krishna Jayanti programmes were: prayer, devotional songs by D.L.S. music class, a discourse by Revered Swami Guhabhaktanandaji, worship with one thousand names, midnight Arati, Prasad. On Sri Ganesha Chaturthi, prayer, Bhajan, Kirtan, Ashtottarashata Archana (worship with 108 names of Lord Ganesha), a discourse by Swamiji, Arati, Prasad, etc., were arranged. On Sivananda Jayanti after Brahmamuhurta prayer-meditation, 3-hour Akhanda Nama Kirtan and Paduka Puja, and lunch was served to all the devotees. In the evening, Swamiji gave a talk on 'God Symbolism—Ganesh'. On Swami Chidananda Jayanti, 3-hour Akhanda Japa of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and Paduka Puja were followed by lunch. The evening programmes were Bhajans by the Youth Wing and a video talk by H.H. Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj. London ( U.K.): On the occasion of Swami Sivananda Jayanti, a special Satsanga was organised on 5th September. Bhajans, Kirtan, meditation and Swadhyaya were the main items in it. ACTIVITIES DURING OCTOBER 2004 Agra (U.P.): During the month of October 2004, the Branch had the weekly Satsanga on Sundays and Havan on Tuesdays at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram. It also conducts daily Yogasana class in two separate batches for men and women. Ambala (Haryana): The Branch holds Satsanga daily. On Tuesdays and Saturdays recitation of Sri Hanuman Hymns, on Mondays Siva Mantras Kirtan and on Sundays Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Japa are added to the daily Satsanga. After the daily Yogasana class for women, Bhajan-kirtan are also done. Daily Homoeopathy service in the morning at one centre and in the evening at another centre was continued. Bangalore (Karnataka): The regular activities of the Branch are as under: (1) Satsanga on Thursdays with Paduka Puja and Swadhyaya of Gurudev's writings, (2) Recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram and Sri Lalita-sahasranama Stotram by the Ladies Wing on Fridays, (3) A Satsanga in a Math on the first Sunday, (4) A cultural meet on the second Sunday, (5) Akhanda Nama Kirtan on the third Sunday. Barbil (Orissa): The Branch conducted four special Satsangas in addition to the weekly Satsanga on Thursdays. Sivananda Charitable Homoeopathy Dispensary treated 580 patients during the month of October, 2004. Bargarh (Orissa): Besides the weekly Satsanga, the Branch undertakes the important activities of running Sivananda Yoga Vidyalaya, a charitable Homoeopathy dispensary, Gita study circle and a monthly bulletin. On 16th October, a legal awareness camp for senior citizens was held with the courtesy of a sitting Additional District Judge. Baripada (Orissa): The Branch conducted Paduka Puja on Thursdays and on 3rd October. In addition to the weekly mobile Satsangas at the residence of devotees on Sundays, two special mobile Satsangas were organised in a nearby village. The Branch continued providing medicines to the inhabitants of leprosy colonies. Food was distributed to the destitutes. Bellary (Karnataka): The Branch carried on 2-time Puja daily and on Sundays Paduka Puja and Satsanga. A prayer meeting was held for eternal peace and beatitude of the departed soul of Smt. Chalamma, a founder member of the Branch. A talk on 'Necessity of Guru' was arranged on 31st October. Narayana Seva in a leprosy colony was organised on 3rd October. Bhavnagar ( Gujarat): The Branch organised prayer meeting on Gandhi Jayanti, and a 3-day Book Fair in which ten spiritual institutions participated. Other activities were Mahamantra Sankirtan on the 3rd October, distribution of fruits and biscuits to in-patients on the 10th and supply of the monthly requirement of food-grains to a leprosy colony. In a Satsanga-Kendra of the Branch, Paduka Puja was performed on 10th and 17th October, and Mahamantra Sankirtan was done on all Wednesdays. Bhilai (Chattisgarh): The regular activities of the Branch are: (1) the monthly Satsanga; (2) Matri-Satsanga on Tuesdays with recitation of Sri Hanuman Chalisa; (3) Matri-Satsanga on Fridays with Sri Lalita-sahasranama Stotra Pathanam; (4) Matri-Satsanga on Ekadasis with recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama and Bhagavadgita. Bhimkand (Orissa): The Branch held the early morning prayer session daily, and on Sundays, the weekly Satsanga which included Paduka Puja. Bishnupur (Manipur): In the Satsanga on 3rd October, Swadhyaya of Gurudev's teachings, and on 10th and 17th of October, Bhagavad Gita recitation was done. On the 24th October Matri-Satsanga, Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Japa was done. Paduka Puja was performed on 8th and 14th October. There was feeding of 130 destitutes on 29th October. Bhongir (A.P.): In the daily Satsanga, recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram was also done. Chatrapur (Orissa): In addition to the daily Satsanga the Branch held the weekly Satsanga on Thursdays and two mobile Satsangas. Paduka Puja was done on 8th and 24th October. Sundarakanda was chanted on Saturdays. A monthly Parayana of Ramayana began from 28th October. Chennai, Anna Nagar (Tamil Nadu): On Gandhi Jayanti, the Branch organised 5th Anniversary Commemoration Cultural Conference in Adi Sankara hall. The day-long programmes included Yoga demonstration by 50 title holders, a procession of Gurudev's Paduka and portrait, Paduka Puja, a photo exhibition, a seminar on 'Tat Tvam Asi' in which three scholars and a Theosophist shared their knowledge, lectures by seven dignitaries from different religions on 'Unity of Humanity over Spiritual Wisdom, Universal Peace and Divine Bliss', Bhajan, Kirtan, devotional music, dance and drama, etc. Chennai, Thirumullaivoyal (Tamil Nadu): The Branch held the monthly Satsanga on 10th October. It included prayer, recitation of Sri Vishnu-Sahasranama Stotram and other stotras, meditation, separate Yogasana-Pranayama classes for men and for women by the ladies wing of the Branch, etc. Dharamgarh (Orissa): The Branch conducted daily Puja, Paduka Puja on Sundays and weekly Satsanga on Thursdays. Gandhinagar ( Gujarat): The Branch held Satsanga on three days of every week and on 8th October. Daily Yogasana classes for men in the morning and for women in the evening were continued. A Yogasana training class was organised from October 1st to 10th. Social Service through Swami Sivananda Library, financial support to a leprosy colony and to poor patients, Narayana Seva once a month, acupressure therapy once a week and Homoeopathy clinic twice a month were continued. The Branch organised from October 8th to 10th a 3-day Spiritual Book Fair in which 15 spiritual and religious institutions participated. Ghatpadamur (Chattisgarh): The daily activities of the Branch were the morning prayer-meditation session, evening Satsanga and Yogasana class. The weekly activities were Paduka Puja on Thursdays, recitation of Sundara-kanda and Sri Hanuman Chalisa on Saturdays, and of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram on Sundays. Sri Devi Navaratri programmes were daily Puja and Archana with 108 names of the Divine Mother and Havan, Kumari Puja and feeding on Vijaya Dasami. Gumergunda (Chattisgarh): The Branch continued its regular activities of daily morning prayer session, 3-time Arati, and evening Satsanga, weekly Paduka Puja on Thursdays and recitation of Sundarakanda and Sri Hanuman Chalisa on Saturdays, and daily Yogasana session. Sri Navaratri Puja was the special activity of the month. The programmes included special Devi Puja and oblations twice a day, evening Arati, recitation of Devi Mahatmya, Havan on Maha Ashtami and Vijaya Dasami, 12-hour Akhanda Kirtan, Kumari Puja and feeding, etc. Jaipur (Rajasthan): The regular activities of the Branch are as under: (1) Daily morning talk, (2) Daily Swadhyaya of Srimad Bhagavatam in the afternoon, (3) 2-hour daily evening Satsanga which also includes ½ hour meditation on five days, recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram on two days and of Sundarakanda and Sri Hanuman Hymns on Saturdays, Mahamantra Kirtan on Tuesdays, Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Japa on Thursdays, (4) Sunday morning Satsanga with Havan, meditation and Swadhyaya of H.H. Sri Swami Chidanandajji Maharaj's book, etc, (5) Matri-Satsanga on Mondays, (6) Sivananda Spiritual Library, (7) Sivananda Homoeopathy Dispensary— two doctors treated 1701 patients during the month. (8) Daily Yogasana-Pranayama class, (9) Daily distribution of food to the poor, (10) Supply of the monthly requirement 95 kg. of food-grains, etc, (11) Scholarship to 81 poor students, (12) Doles to 24 destitute widows. In addition to the above mentioned regular activities, the special activities during the month of October were as follows: (1) A 13-day lecture series of a renowned Mahatma on Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita was arranged from October 1st to 13th, (2) On Raas Purnima a special Satsanga was organised, (3) A discourse on Ramayana was arranged on 31st October, (4) A month-long programme of Katha commenced on 29th October. Jamshedpur (Jharkhand): The Branch held the weekly Satsanga on Fridays. Kantabanji (Orissa): The weekly Satsanga on Sundays included Swadhyaya of Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana, and meditation also. Khatiguda (Orissa): The Branch conducted weekly Satsanga on Thursdays, a mobile Satsanga and recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama on Ekadasis. A Sadhana Day and Narayana Seva were organised on 3rd October. During Navaratri, daily Satsanga and Puja with 108 names were arranged. Khurja (U.P.): The Branch continued its daily Yogasana class. It organised 9th Yoga and Health Camp from October 7th to 9th in Swami Devananda Satsanga Hall. One hundred participants joined the daily programmes of early morning meditation, Yogasana, discussion and guidance on health in the morning session, and Satsanga and Sankirtan in evening. The food served was boiled vegetables, soups and sprouted pulse only. Kurnool (A.P.): In the daily evening Satsanga of two hours, there were discourses on Bhagavad Gita, and in the weekly Satsanga on Sundays, on Gurudev's teachings. Paduka Puja was performed on Thursdays and on 8th October. Sri Navaratri Mahotsava programmes included daily Paduka Puja, and there were Sri Lalita-sahasranama Archana with Kumkum on the Maha Ashtami, and discourses on Maha Navami and Vijaya Dasami. Lakhimpur-Kheri (U.P.): The Branch conducts the weekly Satsanga on Mondays in Sivananda Kutir. It distributed food and clothings to 200 residents of four villages which were badly affected by flood. Lakhna (Orissa): In addition to daily Puja and daily Satsanga the Branch had the weekly Satsanga on Mondays and Paduka Puja on Thursdays. Manjhigunda (Chattisgarh): The Branch conducted daily Puja and the Weekly Satsanga on Mondays. Sri Navaratri Mahotsava programmes were Kalash Sthapana, daily special Puja, Akhanda Kirtan for 12 hours, Havan on Maha Navami, Kumari Pujan, Visarjan rituals, Bhandara, etc. Mundamarai (Orissa): The Branch organised an Eye Camp, in which 350 patients were examined. On Purnima, it distributed new clothings and food to 300 destitutes. Nabha (Pujnab): The weekly satsanga of the Branch also includes meditation and Swadhyaya of “Ponder These Truths.” Nalgonda (A.P.): The Branch held the weekly Satsanga on Wednesdays. Nandini Nagar (Chattisgarh): In addition to the daily Satsanga, the Branch had weekly Satsanga on Sundays which also included recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram and Sri Hanuman Chalisa. Akhanda Kirtan of Mahamantra was done for six hours on 3rd October. On 8th October Ramayana recitation was done by Mahila Mandali, Ahiwara. New Delhi, Lajpat Nagar: In the weekly Satsanga, recitation of Sundarkanda was done on the first Sunday, of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram and Sri Laxmi Ashtottarashatanama on the second Sunday, and of Bhagavad Gita on the third Sunday. Sri Navaratri Mahotsava was celebrated from October 15 to 22. A 2-day Stress Management Course was arranged during October 30-31. 70 persons from different walks of life participated. Rajkot (Gujarat): The regular activities of the Branch are as follows: (1) Daily Satsanga at one centre, (2) weekly Satsanga with discourses on Adi Sankaracharya’s works at another centre, (3) weekly Satsanga with discourses on "Narada Bhakti Sutras” at the third centre, (4) weekly Matri Satsanga with recitation of Sri Vishnu-sahasranama Stotram, (5) Free Homoeopathy clinic which treats about 1500 patients every month, and (6) monthly Eye Camps and Dental Camps in three different villages. Rourkela, Steel Township (Orissa): The Branch conducted mobile Satsanga at the residence of the devotees on Sundays. It also included Swadhyaya of Bhagavad Gita and Gurudev’s teachings. Salipur (Orissa): The regular activities of the Branch are as follows: (1) twice a day Puja, (2) daily morning prayer session, (3) Paduka Puja on Thursdays, (4) 2½ hour weekly Satsanga o Sunday evenings, (4) recitation of Bhagavat Gita on first Sunday morning (5) Sivananda Day on 8th of every month with programmes in the morning as well as in the evening, (6) monthly Yogasana-Pranayama class on second Sunday, and (7) Seva through Sivananda Homoeopathy Dispensary. Sambalpur (Orissa): The Branch conducted daily Puja in the Viswanatha Temple and weekly Satsanga in the Ashram. A mobile Satsanga was also arranged. Discourses on Atmabodha were held daily. Feeding was done to 30 destitutes on Mondays. Yogasana class was conducted daily in the morning as well as in the evening. The Charitable Dispensary of the Branch treated 562 patients freely. Sunabeda (Orissa): The Branch conducted daily 2-hour Satsanga with Swadhyaya of Srimad Bhagavatam and Gurudev’s book ‘Sadhana’. The biweekly Satsanga on Sundays and Thursdays also included Swadhyaya of Gurudev’s teachings. On Purnima, Paduka Puja and a special Satsanga were arranged. Sri Durga Puja, Archana with Sri Lalita-sahasranama and recitation of Sri Durga Saptashati were organised for four days. Sunday free Medical Camps treated 450 patients during October 2004. Varanasi (U.P.): The Branch held the fortnightly Satsanga on October 10th and 24th. OVERSEAS BRANCHES Batu Caves ( Malaysia): During October 2004 the Branch organised the following main activities. (1) Navaratri Puja: The programmes included Puja, Archana, prayers, mantra chanting, recitation of Devi Mahatmya and Devi Stotras, and musical recitals by many noted artistes, (2) Bhumi-Pujan ceremony of the Sivananda Orphanage: Many dignitaries of the country including a Dy. Minister, religious heads, heads of spiritual institutions, a Judge, a municipal councillor, donors, etc. attended the ceremony held on 20th October. (3) Dipavali Party to the Poor: 400 persons were given a sumptuous lunch and ice cream on 31st October. Food parcels to 60 families, 60 sarees, 60 dhotis, 100 sets of school uniform to the school-going children, hampers and party packs to 300 children were distributed. The programmes included Revered Swami Guhabhaktanandaji’s message, 4 classical dances, a magic show, etc. (4) Tadika Sivananda Graduation function held on 24th October. A Dy. Minister was the guest of honour, and many dignitaries and parents also attended. Children performed dances, sang nursery rhymes in Tamil, English and Bahasa Malaysia, told short stories in the three languages and recited prayers. (5) National Bhajan Contest: The Youth Wing of the Branch participated in the contest and qualified for the final round of six teams. (6) Distribution of Food Ration: 24 families were given the monthly quota of their food requirements. Bristol ( U.K.): The monthly Satsanga on 9th October, included prayers, Bhajans, Kirtan, Swadhyaya of ‘Ponder These Truths’ and meditation. London ( U.K.): The Branch held the monthly Satsanga at Sri Anil Mehta’s residence on 1st Sunday of October. Sydney ( Australia): In the weekly Satsanga of the Branch at Sri Vaghela’s residence on Fridays, discussion on ‘Value of Life’, Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana was also done. The monthly Satsanga at the residence of Ms Nadkarni was on 3rd October. ‘Library of Divine Books’ is run at Sri Gokaran’s residence, and also at Ms Raveena Singh’s residence at Canberra. Yoga, Pranayama and meditation guidance was imparted by the Canberra Branch. At Katoomba, Satsanga was held on all Sundays at Sivananda Ashram. Yoga and meditation classes for beginners, intermediate group and advance group were conducted at the Ashram. Trinidad & Tobago ( West Indies): The Branch conducted the weekly Satsanga on all Sundays regularly. The monthly Satsanga at Blue Star Ashram was on 23rd October. The 6-month course for training Pandits was continued. SPECIAL REPORTS 1. SOCIAL SERVICE BY RAJKOT BRANCH A summary of the selfless service rendered by Rajkot Branch during the months of July, August and September is as under: (1) Free Eye Camps: 6 camps—1 in July, 2 in August and 3 in September—in four different villages. 1650 patients were examined. 145 were given free surgical treatment and IOL implantation at Sivananda Eye Hospital, Virnagar. (2) Free Dental Camps: 73 patients were given treatment in the four villages during the camps. (3) Financial Assistance: Rs. 14,217/- were given to 10 heart patients for surgical and medical treatments. Four carts were given to handicapped persons and widows for earning their livelihood. 2. MULTIFARIOUS ACTIVITIES OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO BRANCH The Branch held various training classes as follows, (1) classical vocal singing, (2) singing of Bhajans in classical and folk tunes, (3) tabla playing, (4) classical dance, (5) a six months course for training Pandits in Hindi and Sansirit language, (6) Yoga class for five months in Trinidad and for one month in Guyana. A chowtal exhibition was organised successfully with 26 chowtal groups participating. VALEDICTORY FUNCTION OF 48TH BASIC YOGA-VEDANTA COURSE The Valedictory function of the 48th Basic Yoga-Vedanta Course of the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy was held on 31-10-2004. It commenced with Jaya Ganesh Prayer and recitation of Guru Stotras. Prof. Ved Prakash Groverji, Registrar of the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy welcomed all who were present. Revered Sri Swami Padmanabhanandaji Maharaj, Asst. Registrar presented the Report of the course. Some of the students expressed their impressions about the course. The students also did Vedic chanting. Thereafter H.H. Sri Swami Yogaswarupanandaji Maharaj, Vice-President, Divine Life Society Headquarters awarded certificates and H.H. Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj, General Secretary, gave Jnana Prasad to the students. The members of the Faculty were honoured by H.H. Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj. H.H. Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj in his blessings address said that the discipline and the team spirit of the Academy students reminded him of the team spirit of the Japanese group which came here. Outside Samadhi Mandir, they kept all their shoes in order and also when they sat, they sat in a disciplined way. In the Second World War, Japan was reduced to almost nothing but has progressed tremendously on account of hard work, discipline and patriotism. Swamiji pointed out that our ancients observed all around them and found that life here is full of imperfections and full of limitations. Similarly Lord Buddha also found that life is full of unhappiness, pain and sorrow. So also was the experience of Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. Like Lord Buddha, he renounced his lucrative doctor's job and everything and came to Himalayas as a lone wanderer. Then he met his Guru who initiated him into Sannyasa and he became Swami Sivananda. After doing intense Sadhana and practising austerities for 10 to 12 years, he got illumination. At the request of the devotees, Gurudev established The Divine Life Society in 1936 to enable them to get spiritual guidance. Gurudev's formula was D.I.N., i.e., Do It Now, in regard to whatever good was to be done. Swamiji narrated the incident of the then King of Narendra Nagar, Sri Narendra Shah who went to London to meet his aged friend. His friend appeared to be very active and agile. Narrendra Shah wanted to know the secret of his health. Then the old friend brought Gurudev's book on Hatha Yoga and Suryanamaskara. The king was wonder-struck seeing the address of Rishikesh which is about half an hour drive from Narendra Nagar and fell in his Kingdom. After returning back to India, he met Gurudev and was very much inspired and gifted land for the Ashram. Swamiji told the students, “During Gurudev's times we did not have modern facilities but we never felt any discomfort because the presence of Gurudev compensated for everything. One word from Gurudev uplifted us.” For about forty long years, Gurudev disseminated the spiritual knowledge for the whole world. Even after shedding his mortal coil he is disseminating the spiritual knowledge for the whole world, through so many beautiful souls in this Ashram. Swamiji said, that is a blessed day in the life of a seeker, on which he resolves that he will lead the divine life. Swamiji explained what is divine life. Divine life is a life of purity, a life of simplicity and the real purpose of life is God-realisation. Once one sets one's mind on this and starts practising Sadhana, one should progress everyday and should not add any undivine element in one's life. From this point life acquires a new meaning, a new life. Generally man knows everything except himself. Gurudev said that your essential nature is Spirit. No one can hurt you. Therefore, if anyone calls names, one should not bother about it as it is nothing but a vibration in the air. So Gurudev came to help us to establish ourselves in this state. Swamiji, in the end, invoked the blessings of Worshipful Gurudev upon the students. H.H. Sri Swami Yogaswarupanandaji Maharaj expressed his happiness after listening to the Vedic chanting by the Academy students. Swamiji quoted extensively from the Bhagavadgita and said that generally three maladies are found in people namely, attachment, fear and anger, and our minds are dominated by these qualities. Lord Krishna gives assurance to all the seekers in the Bhagavadgita that by transcending these three One can attain Him. Because of our wrong notions and wrong thinking we are not realising our divinity. We have come here to go beyond these three weaknesses. Swamiji said that if we make sincere efforts we will be successful in every walk of life by the grace of God. He pointed out that without the grace of Gurudev and Mother Ganga it is difficult to come and stay here for two months and complete the Yoga-Vedanta Course. Swamiji advised the students to spread the teachings in the villages and other localities. They should practise Yoga and teach Yoga and lead the Divine Life of love and purity, and Be Good, Do Good. Invoking the blessings of Worshipful Gurudev, Swamiji concluded his talk. The function came to a close after Saraswati Puja and Prasad distribution. —The Divine Life Society |
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