|
Can one imagine a vast gold mine, right at the earth’s
surface with huge nuggets available for the taking, and rich seams of
precious ore reaching deep into the earth? A person would not need to
be a skilled miner to get at this wealth; one could simply walk right
up and easily take away as much incredible wealth as was wanted. This
miraculously placed gold mine was even more valuable because one knew
the gold was pure and uncorrupted, and its value beyond a doubt.
Such, one could say, would be the life and teachings
of Swami Sivananda. His life would inevitably have to be mentioned in
the context of his teachings, because his life was his teachings. He was
a master of Yoga and Vedanta, a realized sage and a saint who served all
with humility and absolute generosity. From this profound basis of enlightenment,
he lived and taught.
His many books were extremely simple—so simple even a child could
read and follow them. Swami Sivananda’s aim was not to impress the
reader with his erudition, rather it was to inspire and elevate. He could
explain the highest truths of Vedantic philosophy so clearly and concisely
that they seemed no longer difficult. Just as in the example of the gold
mine, the riches of his teachings were readily available. In a sense he
has already done the work for us by bringing things to the light of day
that were hitherto hidden and unknown. Swami Sivananda was not only rendering
the service of making the most complex things simple, he was also a master
of the practical. He was not at all interested in building philosophical
castles in the air. The scriptures were for him a source of applicable
knowledge that any sincere person could utilize in his day-to-day life,
and every book he wrote had some definite helpful purpose. The reader
should always be benefited in some way and be able to apply the teachings
in some practical way in his life. Such was the love of Swami Sivanandaji
that no one should turn a page of his books without being assisted along
the road of knowledge, joy and ultimate freedom. Swami Sivananda knew
very well the potential, but also the weaknesses, of the human personality.
He knew from his own experience that the human being was ultimately divine,
but he also observed that there were many very real obstructions along
the way to that realisation of divinity.
In his great wisdom, he knew that most people needed reminders and practical
instructions to keep them steady on the path. What good would it do a
person to go around saying, “All is Brahman,” if nothing in
their actual life reflected that dictum?
Swami ji felt that the lazy, inattentive mind needed to be goaded and
encouraged, sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently, in order to
stay the course. It was for this purpose that he devised specific means
to remind and elevate those who were on the path towards Liberation. He
preached the necessity of regular, daily practice that should not be given
up for any reason. Goals needed to be set and held by the aspirant so
that the ultimate goal of life was not forgotten.
It was for this purpose that Swami Sivananda brought forth spiritual aids
such as “The Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions,” “Sadhana
Tattwa,” “The Resolve Form,” “The Spiritual Dairy,”
and “The Universal Prayer.” Nothing should be left out or avoided,
according to Gurudev; every aspect of human life must be made divine and
turned into service of God and fellow man. Everything that one eats, speaks,
does, or performs in work must be seen as a step in the movement toward
realisation of God.
|
