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Sivananda
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga:
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 1.Publishers' Note
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 1.Publishers' Note, Even among the inspiring books of Sri Gurudev, this is a unique book. It was written with the special intention of having the entire matter recorded on the gramophone disc. For this purpose Gurudev had given in this book the very essence of his own teachings at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 2.Universal Prayer
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 2.Universal Prayer, Thou art, O Lord! The creator of this universe. Thou art the protector of this world. Thou art in the grass and the rose. Thou art in the sun and the stars. Salutations unto Thee! O bestower of joy and bliss! at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 3.Prayer To The Mother
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 3.Prayer To The Mother, Salutations to the Divine Mother who exists in all beings in the form of intelligence, mercy and beauty. Salutations, O Sweet Mother the consort of Lord Siva! O Mother Parvati! Thou art Lakshmi. Thou art Sarasvati. Thou art Kali, Durga and Kundalini. Thou art the embodiment of all power. Thou art Para Sakti. Thou art in the form of all objects. Thou art the sole refuge of all. Thou hast enchanted the world. The whole universe is the play of Thy three Gunas. How can I praise Thee? Thy glory is indescribable. Thy splendour is ineffable. Protect me. Guide me, O Loving Mother! at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 4.Purpose Of Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 4.Purpose Of Life, The life of man is an indication of what is beyond him and what determines the course of his thoughts, feelings and actions. The wider life is invisible, and the visible is a shadow cast by the invisible which is the real. The shadow gives an idea of the substance, and one can pursue the path to the true substance by the perception of the shadow. Human existence, by the fact of its limitations, wants and various forms of restlessness, discontent and sorrow, points to a higher desired end, incomprehensible though the nature of this end be at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 5.The Spirit Of Indian Spiritual Inheritance
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Contents: 5.The Spirit Of Indian Spiritual Inheritance, The true greatness of Indian spiritual inheritance consists in the secret and glorious methods it has delivered to us for allaying life's sorrow and human unhappiness and for acquiring for the circumstance of human existence, the infinite peace and perfection of the Divine Being. Human grief cannot be alleviated as long as the human individual is immured in ignorance and strives merely for his individual pleasure and good at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 1.Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 1.Yoga, Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture. Yoga is an exact science. It aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul. Yoga is the turning away of the senses from the objective universe and the concentration of the mind within. Yoga is eternal life in the soul or spirit. Yoga aims at controlling the mind and its modifications. The path of Yoga is an inner path whose gateway is your heart at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 2.Essence of Karma Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 2.Essence of Karma Yoga, Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. 'Your duty is to work incessantly but not to expect the fruits thereof.' This is the central teaching of the Gita at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 3.Hatha Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 3.Hatha Yoga, Hatha Yoga relates to the restraint of breath (Pranayama), Asanas, Bandhas and Mudras. 'Ha' and 'tha' mean the union of the sun and the moon, union of Prana and Apana Vayus. 'Hatha' means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved. Trataka, standing on one leg, (a kind of Tapas) and similar poses are all Hatha Yoga practices. Hatha Yoga is inseparable from Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga begins where Hatha Yoga ends. Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga are interdependent. Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga are the necessary counterparts of each other. No one can become a perfect Yogi without a knowledge and practice of both the Yogas. Hatha Yoga prepares the student to take up Raja Yoga at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 4.Yoga Asanas
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 4.Yoga Asanas, Health is wealth. Health is indeed a covetable possession. Good health is a valuable asset to one and all. It can be achieved by the regular practice of Yoga Asanas at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 5.Pranayama
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 5.Pranayama, Pranayama is an exact science. It is the fourth Anga or limb of Ashtanga Yoga. It is the regulation of breath or control of Prana. Pranayama steadies the mind, augments the gastric fire, energises digestion, invigorates the nerves, destroys the Rajas, destroys all diseases, removes all laziness, makes the body light and healthy and awakens Kundalini at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 6.Kundalini Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 6.Kundalini Yoga, Kundalini Sakti is the coiled-up, dormant, cosmic power that underlies all organic as well as inorganic matter. It is the primordial energy that lies at the basal Muladhara Chakra in a dormant, potential state. Kundalini Yoga is that Yoga which treats of Kundalini Sakti, the seven Chakras or centres of spiritual energy, the arousing of the sleeping Kundalini Sakti and its union with Lord Siva in Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head. The seven Chakras are pierced by the passing of Kundalini Sakti to the top of the head at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 7.Raja Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 7.Raja Yoga, Raja Yoga is an exact science. It aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. It concerns with the mind, its purification and control. Hence it is called Raja Yoga, i.e., king of all Yogas. It is otherwise known as Ashtanga Yoga i.e., Yoga with eight limbs at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 8.Control of Mind
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 8.Control of Mind, Mind is Atma Sakti. It is through mind only that Brahman or the Supreme Self manifests as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 9.Nada Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 1: Yoga, 9.Nada Yoga, Sit in Padmasana or Siddhasana or Sukhasana. Close the ears with the thumbs. This is Shanmukhi Mudra or Vaishnavi Mudra. Hear the music of Anahata sounds. You will have wonderful concentration at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 1.Karma Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 1.Yoga, Haft-hearted service is no service at all. Give your whole heart, mind and soul when you serve. This is very important when you practise Karma Yoga. Some people have their body in one place, mind in another place, and soul in another place. That is the reason why they do not realise any substantial progress in the path at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 2.Training of Karma Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 2.Training of Karma Yoga, A raw untrained aspirant feels, 'My preceptor is treating me like a servant or a peon. He is using me for petty jobs.' He who has understood the right significance of Karma Yoga will take every work as Yogic activity or worship of the Lord. There is no menial work in his vision. Every work is Puja of Narayana. In the light of Karma Yoga all actions are sacred. That aspirant who always takes immense delight in doing works which are considered by the worldly man as menial services, and who always does willingly such acts only will become a dynamic Yogi. He will be absolutely free from conceit and egoism. He will have no downfall. The canker of pride cannot touch him at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 3.Attain Nirlipta State
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 3.Attain Nirlipta State, Lord Krishna says in His Gita: 'Tasmat Sarveshu kaleshu mam anusmara yudhya cha'. 'Therefore at all times think of Me and fight.' Give the mind to God and the hand to work. The typist works at the machine and talks with his friends. The player on the harmonium plays on the organ and talks and jokes with his friends at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 4.What is Karma
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 4.What is Karma, Karma means work or action. According to Jaimini, rituals like Agnihotra, Yajnas, etc., are termed Karmas. There is a hidden power in Karma termed Adrishta which brings in fruits of Karmas for the individual. Karma is all for Jaimini at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 5.How to Find Right or Wrong Action
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 5.How to Find Right or Wrong Action, Have right thinking. Use your reason and commonsense. Follow the injunctions of the Sastras. Consult the code of Manu or Yajnavalkya Smriti whenever you have doubts. You will be able to find out whether you are doing right or wrong action. If you say, 'Sastras are countless. They are like ocean. I can hardly understand the truths that are inculcated. I cannot fathom and gauge their depths. There are contradictions. I am puzzled and bewildered.' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 6.Inner Voice
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 6.Inner Voice, When the diverse, confining sheaths of the Atma have been dissolved by Sadhana, when the different Vrittis of the mind have been controlled by mental drill or gymnastic, when the conscious mind is not active, you enter the realm of spirit life, the super-conscious mind where Buddhi and pure reason and intuition, the faculty of direct cognition of Truth, manifest at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 7.Prayer for a Karma Yogin
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 7.Prayer for a Karma Yogin, Atma tvam girija mitih sahacharah pranah sareeram griham. Puja te vishyopabhogarachana nidra samadhisthitih, Sancharah padoyoh pradakshinavidhih stotrani sarva giro; Yadyat karma karomi tat tad akhilam sambhotavaradhanam at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 1.Brahman or God Exists
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 2: Karma Yoga, 3: Bhakti Yoga, 1.Brahman or God Exists, Para Brahman cannot be demonstrated. But it is possible to infer the existence from certain empirical factors. The existence of Brahman is known from the fact of its being the SELF of everyone. For everyone is conscious of the existence of his self and never thinks 'I am not.' If the existence of his self were not known, everyone would think: 'I am not.' This self, of whose existence all are conscious, is Brahman. There is an inherent feeling in everybody: 'I exist-Aham Asmi.' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 2.Power of Prayer
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 2.Power of Prayer, Prayer elevates the mind. It fills the mind with purity. It is associated with praise of God. It keeps the mind in tune with God. Prayer can reach a realm where reason dare not enter. Prayer can move mountains. It can work miracles. It frees the devotee from the fear of death, brings him nearer to God and makes him feel the divine presence everywhere. It awakens in him the divine consciousness and makes him feel his essential immortal and blissful nature at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 3.Bhakti Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 3.Bhakti Yoga, The term 'Bhakti' comes from the root 'Bhaj' which means 'to be attached to God.' Bhakti is the form of supreme love towards God. It is love for love's sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. Bhakti is of the nature of nectar. It is the spontaneous outpouring of love towards God. It is pure unselfish love or Suddha Prem. It is the sacred higher emotion with sublime sentiments that unites the devotee with the Lord. It has to be experienced by the devotees at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 4.Japa Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 4.Japa Yoga, Japa is the repetition of any Mantra or name of the Lord. In this Iron Age, Japa is an easy way for God-realisation. Tukaram, Prahlada, Valmiki, Dhruva and several others attained salvation by Japa alone. Sri Krishna says in the Gita, 'Yajnanam Japa-Yajnosmi'. Among the Yajnas, I am Japa Yajna (Yaga)' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 5.Sankirtan Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 5.Sankirtan Yoga, Sankirtan is singing God's name with feeling (Bhava), love (Prema) and faith (Sraddha). In Sankirtan people join together and sing God's name collectively in a common place. Sankirtan is one of the nine modes of Bhakti. You can realise God through Kirtan alone. This is the easiest method for attaining God-consciousness in Kali Yuga or the Iron Age 'Kalau Kesava-Kirtanat' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 6.Kalisantarana Upanishad
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 3: Bhakti Yoga, 6.Kalisantarana Upanishad, At the end of Dvapara Yuga, Narada went to Brahma and said: 'O Lord! How can I cross Kali or mundane existence easily?' Brahma replied. 'Well asked. Hearken to that which all Vedas keep secret and hidden, through which one may cross the Samsara or mundane existence. He destroys the evil effects of Kali through the mere uttering of the word 'Lord Narayana,' who is the primeval Purusha!' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, Mind is a mysterious something which is really nothing but does everything. It is born of Maya. It is a product of ignorance. It is a compound of Vasana and Sankalpa. It is a mixture of worry and fear. It is a solution of Ahamkara. It is a confection at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 1.Metaphysics of the Inner Man
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 1.Metaphysics of the Inner Man, The Physical body, the astral body, Prana, intellect or Buddhi, the instinctive mind, the spiritual mind and the spirit are the seven principles of man. Buddhi is pure reason. The seat of Buddhi is just below the crown of the head in the pineal gland of the brain. Buddhi is manifested only in those persons who have developed right intuitive discrimination or Viveka. The ordinary reason of the worldly people is termed practical reason, which is dense and has limitations at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 2.Tame the Six Wild Beasts
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 2.Tame the Six Wild Beasts, You have a whole menagerie within, with the lion, the tiger, the serpent, the elephant, the ape, and the peacock. Bring them to subjection. The beauty of the flesh is really due to the life-giving principle Prana. The beauty is attributable to the light that emanates from Atman. The nasty body with oozing discharges from nine gutters is composed of five elements, is Jada-Vastu and Apavitra. Always entertain this idea. Have a clear-cut, well-defined image-picture like this at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 3.Chitta
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 3.Chitta, TThe subconscious mind is termed
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 4.Mind and Its Mysteries
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 4.Mind and Its Mysteries, Just as a busy officer works alone in a room by closing all the doors, so also the busy mind works alone in a dream by shutting out all the doors of the senses. Mind is a power born of the soul. It is through mind that the Lord manifests Himself as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 5.Control of Mind
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 5.Control of Mind , Life in this physical plane is a mere preparation for the eternal life of everlasting sunshine and joy which is to come when one gets knowledge of the Self through intense and constant meditation after purifying the mind. This immortal life of supreme joy is described as the 'Kingdom of Heaven' in the Bible. That Kingdom of Heaven is within you, in your heart. Realise this Immortal Life, O Susil! by controlling the mind, and enjoy the Supreme Bliss of the Self at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 6.Siddhis
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 4: Raja Yoga, 6.Siddhis, A powerful occultist hypnotises the whole audience collectively through his power of concentration and will, and performs the rope-trick. He throws a red rope in the air, gives the suggestion to the onlookers that he will climb in the air through this rope and disappears from the platform, in the twinkling of an eye. But, when a photograph is taken, nothing is recorded at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 1.Twenty Spiritual Instructions
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 1.Twenty Spiritual Instructions, 1. Get up at 4 a.m. daily. This is Brahma Muhurta which is extremely favourable for meditation on God at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 2.Resolves
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 2.Resolves, The spiritual path is thorny, precipitous and rugged. Temptations will assail you. Your will, sometimes, will become weak. Sometimes, there will be downfall or a backward pull by the dark Asuric antagonistic forces. In order to strengthen your will and resist the unfavourable currents, you will have to make, again and again, fresh resolves. This will help you to ascend the ladder of Yoga, vigorously and quickly. Here are some resolves. Stick to them tenaciously. Watch the mind carefully and keep a daily spiritual record at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 3.Messages of Vairagya
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 3.Messages of Vairagya, There is not even an iota of bliss in this world. Every thing is illusory in this universe. All worldly things are generative of pain only and fraught with all dangers. This life is ephemeral. There is nothing so baneful as this life which is perishable in its nature. What beauty is there to be enjoyed in this body which is composed of blood and flesh and which has a tendency to rot? Even the most virulent poison is no poison but the sensual object is truly so. The former kills only one body, whereas, the latter destroys many bodies in successive births at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 4.Live Wisely
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 4.Live Wisely, Minus skin, minus dress, minus ornaments, physical beauty is nothing. Just imagine for a moment that the outer skin is removed. You will have to stand with a long stick to drive away crows and vultures. Physical beauty is superficial, illusory and fading. It is skin-deep only. Do not be deluded by external appearances. It is the jugglery of Maya. Go to the source-Atman, the Beauty of beauties, the Everlasting beauty at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 5.Message of Brahmacharya
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 5.Message of Brahmacharya, Brahmacharya is purity in thought, word and deed. Brahmacharya includes the control of not only the sex or reproductive Indriya but also other Indriyas. This is the definition of Brahmacharya in a broad sense. Brahmacharya is of two kinds viz., physical and mental. Physical is control of the body and mental is the control of evil thoughts. In mental Brahmacharya even a lustful thought will never enter the mind. Freedom from all sexual thoughts in waking as well as dreaming states is strict Brahmacharya at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 6.Upadesamritam
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 6.Upadesamritam, In the name of Tapascharya (austerities) do not spoil your health. Constant repetition of 'Vairagya Dindima' of Sri Sankara, with feeling, study of 'Vairagya Sataka' of Bhartrihari and 'Vairagya Prakarana' of Yoga-Vasishtha, reflection on the Slokas of Gita which treat of Vairagya, and finding out the defects in the sensual life will surely intensify your Vairagya at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 7.Practical Spiritual Instructions
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 7.Practical Spiritual Instructions, Thou art divine. Live up to it. Feel and realise thy divine nature. Do not murmur when you get difficulties, troubles, tribulations and diseases. Every difficulty is an opportunity for you to develop your will and power of endurance and to grow strong. Conquer the difficulties one by one. This is the beginning of a new life, a life of expansion, glory and divine splendour. Aspire and draw. Grow. Expand. Build up all positive qualities, the Daiva-Sampatti, viz., fortitude, patience and courage, that are dormant in you. Tread the spiritual path and realise: 'I am the Immortal Self' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 8.Live in God
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 8.Live in God, Immortal Self. There is a maker for a pot or a table. So, there must be a creator for this marvellous world also. That creator is GOD. God is the wire-puller (Sutradhara) standing behind the machine of this world. He is the indweller of your heart. He presides over all actions (Karma-dhyaksha). He is the dispenser of the fruits of your actions. Live in God by singing His name, repeating His Mantra and surrendering the fruits of your actions unto Him at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 9.Universal Love
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 9.Universal Love, The only Sara Vastu in this world is Prema or love. It is eternal, infinite and undecaying. Physical love is passion or Moha or infatuation. Universal love is divine love. Cosmic love, Visva Prema, universal love are synonymous terms. God is Love. Love is God. Selfishness, greed, egoism, vanity, pride and hatred contract the heart and stand in the way of developing universal love at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 10.Practice of Meditation
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 10.Practice of Meditation, Meditation is the only royal road to the attainment of salvation or Moksha. Meditation kills all pains, sufferings, the three kinds of Taapas (fevers) and the five Kleshas (sorrows). Meditation gives the vision of unity. Meditation produces sense of oneness. Meditation is an aeroplane that helps the aspirant to soar high in the realms of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. It is a mysterious ladder that connects earth and heaven and takes the aspirant to the immortal abode of Brahman at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 11.Thy Real Nature
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 11.Thy Real Nature, Religion is faith for knowing and worshipping God. It is not a matter for discussion at a club table. It is the perception and realisation of the True Self. It is the fulfilment of the deepest craving in man. Therefore, hold religion as the goal of your life. Live every second of your life for its realisation. Life without religion is real death at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 12.Divine Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 12.Divine Life, Divine life is life in God or the Immortal Soul. He who leads the divine life is free from cares, worries, anxieties, miseries, sufferings and tribulations. He attains immortality, perfection, freedom, independence, eternal peace, supreme bliss and perennial joy. He radiates joy, peace and light everywhere at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 13.Divine Message
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 13.Divine Message, Pure as the snow of the Himalayas, bright as sunlight, expansive as the sky, all-pervading as the ether; unfathomable as the ocean, cool as the waters of the Ganges, is the Immortal Atman-the substratum for this world, body, mind and Prana. Nothing is sweeter than this Atman at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 14.Self-Analysis
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 14.Self-Analysis, Daily self-analysis or self-examination is an indispensable requisite. Then alone can you remove your defects and can grow rapidly in spirituality. A gardener watches the young plants very carefully. He removes the weeds daily. He puts a strong fence around them. He waters them at the proper time. Then alone they grow beautifully and yield fruits quickly. Even so, you should find out your defects through daily introspection and self-analysis and then eradicate them through suitable methods. If one method fails, you must adopt a combined method. If prayer fails, you should take recourse to Satsanga or association with the wise, Pranayama, meditation, dietetic regulation, enquiry, etc. You should destroy not only big waves of pride, hypocrisy, lust, anger, etc., that manifest on the surface of the conscious mind, but also their subtle impressions which lurk in the corners of the subconscious mind. Then only are you perfectly safe at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 15.Importance of Keeping a Spiritual Diary
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 15.Importance of Keeping a Spiritual Diary, The keeping up of a daily spiritual diary is an indispensable requisite and of paramount importance. Those who are already in the habit of keeping it know its incalculable advantages. Diary is a whip for goading the mind towards God. It shows the way to freedom and eternal bliss. It is your Guru. It is the eye-opener. It develops the Manana-Sakti or the power of reflection. It will help you to destroy all your evil qualities and to be regular in your spiritual practices. If you regularly maintain a diary, you will get solace, peace of mind and quick progress in the spiritual path. Those who desire to grow in morality and spirituality, those who wish to evolve rapidly must keep a daily record of their actions at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 16.Spiritual Diary
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 16.Spiritual Diary, 1. When did you get up from bed? 'Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.' You must get up at 4 a.m., and practise Japa and meditation. The meditative state of the mind will come by itself without exertion at this period at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 17.The Spiritual Diary
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 5: Spiritual Sadhana, 17.The Spiritual Diary, The Spiritual Diary is a whip for goading the mind towards righteousness and God. If you regularly maintain this diary you will get solace, peace of mind and make quick progress in the spiritual path. Maintain a daily diary and realise the marvellous results at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 1.You are the Master of your Destiny
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 1.You are the Master of your Destiny, 1. Get up at 4 a.m. daily. This is Brahma Muhurta which is extremely favourable for meditation on God at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 2.Know Thyself
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 2.Know Thyself, That 'Being' who is described in the Upanishads is Brahman or Atman or the Absolute. He is the fountain-head of all scriptural knowledge. He is the source or womb for everything. He is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. He is indivisible, all-pervading, self-contained, eternal and immortal. He is beyond time, space and causation. He is beginningless and endless. He is the indweller of all beings. He is the witness of the activities of all the minds at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 3.Message of Amrita
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 3.Message of Amrita, Amrita Putra! Are you always peaceful? Are you noble? Do you possess self-restraint? Are you endowed with divine virtues? Are you free from ignorance? Do you possess knowledge of the Self? Have you got illumination? Have you realised the immortal, pure Self? How do you stand before these questions? If you have not got these things, then come, sit down and listen! Here is the message of Amrita for you all! Even if you practise a particle of this, you will go beyond death, sorrow and pain at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 4.Vedanta
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 4.Vedanta, The term Veda is derived from the Sanskrit root. 'Vid'-to know. 'Anta' means end. Thus Vedanta literally signifies 'end of wisdom.' Philosophy is called Vedanta, because, it explains what that end is and how to achieve it. Vedanta is the religion of the Vedas or the Upanishads. It is the only universal, eternal religion. It is the essence of the teachings of the Srutis at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 5.Message of Gita
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 5.Message of Gita, The Atma is not born nor does He ever die. He is unborn, eternal, changeless, ancient and inexhaustible. He is not killed when the body is killed. He slays not, nor is he slain. A Sthitaprajna or Jivanmukta is free from desires, longings, fears, mineness, 'I-ness' and attachment. He is satisfied in his own self. He is indifferent amidst sensual pleasures. He is not elated by getting desirable objects. He has a poised mind at all times and under all conditions. He is centred in his own self at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 6.Essence of Yoga-Vasishtha
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, If the four sentinels that wait at the gates of Moksha (salvation), viz., Santi (peace), Vichara (Atmic enquiry), Santosha (contentment), and Satsanga (association with the wise), are befriended, then there will be no obstacle in the attainment of the final emancipation. Even if one of them is befriended, then he will introduce you to the rest of his companions at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 7.Message of Wisdom
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 7.Message of Wisdom, The desire to know the Brahman springs only in the person whose mind is pure, who is free from desires and who is free from the deeds done in this birth and in the previous ones, becomes disgusted with the external, ephemeral perishable objects at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 8.Message of Peace
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 8.Message of Peace, The kingdom of peace is beyond all speech and thought. Peace is not merely the absence of noise, tumult, strife or quarrels, controversies or disputes. It is not a condition or environment from which all undesirable elements are removed. This peace is not an inert passive state. It is not a hypnotic trance. It is not a negative physical condition. It is a positive state of spiritual attainment. It is your centre, ideal and goal. It is perfect awareness. It is a magnificent, indescribable state in which the pure soul enjoys the highest divine bliss and transcendental divine knowledge. You will become absolutely fearless and desireless by drinking this divine nectar of peace. You will be in communion with the Supreme Soul or Atma by attaining this peace. In this state of peace there are no yesterdays or tomorrows, no sunset or daybreak-there is eternal sunshine. It can hardly be acquired from external sources. It can be reached only by patient spiritual practices at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 9.Philosophy and Meditation on 'Om'
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 9.Philosophy and Meditation on 'Om', Brahman or the Supreme Being is the highest of all. Om is His name. So, Om is to be adored. Om is everything. Om is the symbol of Brahman. It is the word of power. It is the sacred monosyllable. It is the essence of the Vedas. It is the boat to take you to the other chore of fearlessness and immortality at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 10.Sat-Chit-Ananda-Svarupoham
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 10.Sat-Chit-Ananda-Svarupoham, You will soon realise your identity with the Supreme Self and shine in your pristine Brahmic glory at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 11.Jivanmukta
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 6: Philosophy And Vedanta, 11.Jivanmukta, A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is absolutely free from desires, fear, selfishness, egoism, mineness, attachment, greed and hatred. He is full of pure love, compassion and mercy. He has mastery over the mind and senses. He does not identify himself with the body. He always dwells in his own Inner Self. He is ever contented and happy at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 1.Rama-Vasishtha-Samvada (Yoga-Vasishtha)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 1.Rama-Vasishtha-Samvada (Yoga-Vasishtha), Sri Rama asked: Venerable Guru! What is attraction? What is non-attraction? What is that attraction which leads one to bondage? What is that non-attraction which tends to freedom? How can I destroy this bondage? Please enlighten me on the above points at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 2.Deva-Yaksha-Samvada (Kena Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 2.Deva-Yaksha-Samvada (Kena Upanishad), In the fight with the Asuras, the Devas were victorious. The Devas thought that they did so with their own power and prowess and forgot that it was divine help which brought victory to them. Lord Brahma wanted to teach them a lesson. He knew their idea of being puffed up with vanity and appeared before them in the form of a Yaksha (Great spirit) the beginning and end of which were not visible. They did not know Him. They spoke to Agni thus: 'O Jataveda! Find out what this great spirit is'. He said 'Yes'. Agni ran up to Brahma and Brahma said: 'Who art thou'? He replied: 'I am verily Agni, I am verily Jatavedas'. Brahma asked Agni: 'What power hast thou?' Agni replied: 'I can even burn whatsoever there is on the earth'. Brahma placed a blade of grass before Agni and said: 'Burn this'. Agni approached it with all its power. He could not burn it. Next came Vayu (the god of wind). Brahma asked Vayu: 'What power hast thou?' Vayu replied: 'I can blow away all the universe and all that is on the earth'. Brahma placed a blade of grass before Vayu and said: 'Blow this away' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 3.Yajnavalkya-Maitreyi-Samvada
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 3.Yajnavalkya-Maitreyi-Samvada, Yajnavalkya, the greatest seer and sage, said: 'Maitreyi, verily, I am going away from this house into the forest to enter another order of life (Sannyasa); therefore let me divide my property between you and Katyayani'. Maitreyi said: 'My venerable lord, if this whole world with all its wealth belongs to me, tell me truly, could I attain immortality' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 4.Nachiketo-Yama-Samvada (Katha Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 4.Nachiketo-Yama-Samvada (Katha Upanishad), Nachiketas said: 'That which thou seest as other than virtue and vice, other than cause and effect, other than the past and future, tell me that, O Lord Yama. This is my third boon from thee'. Yama replied: 'The goal which all the Vedas speak of, which all penances proclaim and wishing for which the aspirants lead the life of a Brahmacharin or celibate, that goal I will briefly tell thee. It is Om' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 5.Kausalya-Pippalada-Samvada (Prasna Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 5.Kausalya-Pippalada-Samvada (Prasna Upanishad), Kausalya, son of Asvala, questioned Pippalada: 'O Bhagavan Pippalada: Whence is this Prana born? How does it come into this body? How does it abide after it has divided itself? How does it go out? How does it support what is without? How does it support all within the body?' He replied: You ask questions about transcendental matters. I will explain to thee because you are a great enquirer of Brahman at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 6.Uddalaka-Svetaketu-Samvada (Chhandogya Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 6.Uddalaka-Svetaketu-Samvada (Chhandogya Upanishad), Uddalaka said: 'Svetaketu! Have you ever asked your teacher for that instruction by which we hear what cannot be heard, by which we perceive what cannot be perceived, by which we know what cannot be known?' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 7.Yajnavalkya-Gargi-Samvada (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 7.Yajnavalkya-Gargi-Samvada (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad), Gargi, daughter of Vachuknu said: 'I shall ask thee two questions. Will you answer me, O venerable sage?' Yajnavalkya said: 'Ask, O Gargi.' Gargi said: 'O Yajnavalkya, that of which they say that is above the heavens, beneath the earth, embracing heaven and earth, past, present and future, tell me in what is it woven, like the warp and the woof' at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 8.Prajapati-Indra-Samvada (Chhandogya Upanishad)
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 7: Dialogues From Scriptures, 8.Prajapati-Indra-Samvada (Chhandogya Upanishad), Prajapati said: 'One must search out and must try to understand the Self or Atman which is free from sin, old age, death, grief, hunger and thirst, with true desires (Sat-Kama), and true will (Sat-Sankalpa). Then only he will obtain eternal bliss and immortality.' Indra said: 'O Venerable Lord! I want to know the Atman. Please instruct me.' Prajapati said: 'Adorn yourself well; dress yourself well; clean yourself well and then look at yourself in the basin of water.' Indra did so at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 8: Self-Realisation
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 8: Self-Realisation, Behind this world-show, behind these physical phenomena, behind these names and forms, behind the feelings, thoughts, emotions and sentiments there dwells the silent witness thy immortal friend and real well-wisher-the Purusha or world teacher, the unseen governor or master, the unknown Yogi, the indivisible power of consciousness or hidden sage. That is the only permanent reality and living truth. That is Brahman or the Supreme Being or the Absolute. That is Atma. That is Self. The goal of human life is to realise the reality behind the changing phenomena. The summum bonum of human aspiration is to attain Self-realisation. Self-realisation alone can make you absolutely free and independent. Trust not your body, mind and senses. Have inner spiritual life. Attain knowledge of the Self through steady devotion and discipline. Drink the nectar of immortality, quench the flames of Samsara and allay its tortures, miseries and sorrows at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 1.New Year Message
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 1.New Year Message, By the command of the Indestructible Being, minutes, hours, days and nights, stand apart. By the command of the Immortal Brahman, months, years, seasons and solstices stand apart. He who knows this Indestructible Being is a liberated sage or Jivanmukta at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 2.Guru Purnima Message
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 2.Guru Purnima Message, Guru Purnima is a very auspicious day for doing vigorous Sadhana or Yogic practice and for starting any spiritual Sadhana also. This is the Ashadha Purnima day. This is also known by the name Vyasa Puja day. Sri Vyasa and the Brahma Vidya Gurus are worshipped on this day at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 3.Dussera Message
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 3.Dussera Message, Salutations to Sri Durga (Mother Divine) Who exists in all beings in the form of intelligence, mercy, beauty; Who is the consort of Lord Siva; who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Dussera is the greatest Hindu festival of adoring God as Mother. Durga represents the Divine Mother. She is the energy aspect of the Lord. Without Durga, Siva has no expression and without Siva, Durga has no existence. Siva is the soul of Durga. Durga is identical with Siva. Lord Siva is only the silent witness. He is motionless, absolutely changeless. He is not affected by the cosmic play. Durga does everything at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 4.Deepavali Message
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 4.Deepavali Message, Deepavali is the festival of lamps. It is observed almost throughout India with great pomp and show. It is a time of great rejoicing and worshipping among the Hindus and lasts for two days. This is held at the beginning of the Hindu commercial year in honour of the Goddess Lakshmi. It commemorates that blessed day when Sri Rama returned to Ayodhya after killing Ravana. On this day Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 5.Advice to Students
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 5.Advice to Students, Om! Friends, you are the future hope of the motherland. You are the citizens of tomorrow. You should always think over the goal of life and live to attain it. The goal of life is the attainment of freedom from all sorts of misery or the state of Kaivalya or liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. Lead a well-regulated moral life. Moral strength is the backbone of spiritual progress. Ethical culture is part and parcel of spiritual Sadhana. Keep up Brahmacharya or the vow of celibacy. By the observance of Brahmacharya many of the sages of yore have attained immortality at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 6.Message of Freedom
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 9: Messages, 6.Message of Freedom, Om, Children of immortality! The Lord is within you. He is seated in the hearts of all beings. Whatever you see, hear, touch or feel is God. Therefore, hate not anybody, cheat not anybody, harm not anybody. Love all and be one with all. You will soon attain eternal bliss and perennial joy. Be self-disciplined. Be simple and harmonious in thought, feeling, diet and dress. Love all. Fear none. Shake off lethargy, laziness, fear. Lead the Divine Life. Be a seeker after truth or reality. Understand sorrow and conflict through enquiry and reflection at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 10: Questions And Answers, 1.Viveka Prasnottari
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 10: Questions And Answers, 1.Viveka Prasnottari, Q: Where can you find eternal happiness? A: In your own Atman within at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 10: Questions And Answers, 2.How to Live a Divine Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Chapter 10: Questions And Answers, 2.How to Live a Divine Life, 1. Nitya Sukha, Parama Santi, eternal satisfaction, Infinite Bliss, knowledge and Immortality can be had only in God or Atman who gives light to the intellect and the Sun. Therefore, realise the Sat-Chit-Ananda Atma through meditation right now, this very second, by purifying the mind at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Epilogue
Sri Swami Sivananda, Essence of Yoga Epilogue, The beginning of saintliness is killing of egoism or Ahamkara. The end of saintliness is Eternal Life. The key to saintliness is humility and self-mortification. The light of saintliness is silent meditation. The garb of saintliness is virtue and tolerance, not the Gerua cloth alone at energyenhancement.org
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow:
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Content 1: PUBLISHERS NOTE
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Content 1: PUBLISHERS NOTE, We have great pleasure in releasing this beautiful volume of sixteen lectures by Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj, our revered President, on the eve of his 75th Birthday, which fails on the 24th September, 1991 at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Content 2: Author's Preface
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Content 2: Author's Preface, Beloved Immortal Self! Rays of the Eternal Light Divine! It gives me great happiness to write this little preface to the series of lectures included in this volume. All these lectures, with the exception of the talk Worship of God as Mother Divine, were delivered by me in the year 1960 in Canada where I went as a personal representative of my holy Master Sri Swami Sivananda to carry Indias message of Yoga and Vedanta to the West at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, Beloved Immortal Atman! I deem it a great pleasure and blessedness that God has given me this unique opportunity of being of some service to you, seeking and aspiring souls upon this earth-plane, and for this privilege I thank Him who is the Indweller of you all, the Source of our very existence, the all-pervading Presence enveloping this very universe, who is amongst us invisibly even at this moment and who blesses us at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 1.Pleasure Is Not Happiness
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 1.Pleasure Is Not Happiness, When we observe life on the human plane, what do we see? Everyone is in constant quest of true happiness. Happiness is the quest of smiles; we have concealed sighs and sorrows, much grief and disappointment. Why? Why is this phenomenon observed everywhere in the world? This question has been pondered over, has been investigated. And we have been answered. With the dawn of discrimination, we come to realise that we have done something very foolish, because we have missed the path which leads to happiness and strayed off into the by-paths of pleasures. Happiness is one thing; mere pleasure is another. Missing the path to happiness and wandering off into the by-paths of pleasures, we are, as it were, lost beings wandering in a jungle where we do not know the correct direction to take, the correct path to pursue, to reach the destination at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 2.Mans Triune Nature
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 2.Mans Triune Nature, Man is a being partaking of a triune nature. As an intelligent human being you have, at the same time, a part which is very base in its expression and full of gross propensitiesdesire, passion, sensuality, greed, anger, blindness at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 3.The Mental Ferment
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 3.The Mental Ferment, That particular element in you which makes you human is the mind. It is a doubtful bestowal by God upon individual soul. It is not a too happy thing to have, for, rationality and intelligence, though no doubt good, are for the most part never utilized, never properly exercised as they ought to be. In most people, intelligence is not exercised at all at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 4.The Mechanics of Sense Satisfaction
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 4.The Mechanics of Sense Satisfaction, What happens is this. There arises a desire, a craving is created, and then you are urged to go after some sense-object in order to satisfy the craving and you feel that it has been enjoyable. You tell yourself: I have felt pleasure. I have enjoyed the sense-object. Actually, this so-called experience which you have undergone is not a positive experience of enjoyment at all. It is just an illusion. The actual experience, in fact, if you examine it, is thisthe experience you get at the end of an activity to obtain a sense-object is but the momentary quiescence that ensues in the mind as a result of the corresponding desire-urge having subsided for the time being at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 5.Instances of Irrational Rationality
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 5.Instances of Irrational Rationality, How many are wise? How many use the intellect rationally? We have to analyse the objects of this universe. We have to see them, not as they appear to be, but as they truly are and analyse the experiences from the objects as they really are and not as we perceive them in a state of non-discrimination. We have to enquire. This intelligence which God has given us we must use; and use rationally, not with bias at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 6.The Tumult of the Senses Vs. The Music Of the Soul
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 6.The Tumult of the Senses Vs. The Music Of the Soul, It is peace of mind which is the condition prerequisite for the experience of true happiness. Is that not more important than the removal of a little restlessness and craving, a little agitation caused by desire? Which is the more important? You may say: If desires come, we have to satisfy them. That is the way to remove them and that is the way to get pleasures. So saying, you remove the fly of desire rather than protect the grandmother of true peace of mind by which alone you can find happiness. Real happiness comes out of peace at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 7.Bliss Is Thy Nature: Bliss Is Thy Heritage
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 7.Bliss Is Thy Nature: Bliss Is Thy Heritage, This name and form, this Mr. So-and-So, this Mrs. So-and-So, this is not the true you. It is just a personality superimposed upon your true being by your parents. They gave you a name. They called you this and they called you that, but this name-form personality is not the true you. Changeless from childhood, into youth, into adulthood, into middle age, into old age is that I which is within you. It was within you when you were an infant; it was within you when you were a child running here and there; it was within you when you began to grow at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 8.Your Unhappiness Is Your Own Creation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 8.Your Unhappiness Is Your Own This unhappiness is your own creation. It is self-created. It is due to non-discrimination and due to your having become the slave of your own senses. And therefore, what you have yourself caused, you have it within your own power to cast aside. So, even as your sorrow has been self-caused, your happiness too can be self obtained through your own efforts. It does not have to be self-created, because it is there already. It has only to be grasped and this is in your own hands. You are the one who has to move towards that which is awaiting you to experience it at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 9.Develop Virtue: You Develop Happiness
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 9.Develop Virtue: You Develop Happiness, How can you set about doing it? The basic thing is that happiness springs out of a life of virtue. That is what the great science of Yoga tells you. There cannot be happiness without virtue. Here I wish to make it quite plain that I am not sermonizing. Someone told me, In the West, people do not like sermonizing. Dont sermonize. Well, I cannot completely fulfil that wish, for to some extent, this humble servant who stands before you and speaks to you at this moment does sermonize, but then, this sermonizing is of a different variety at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 10.The Higher Happiness of Your True Being
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 1: Bliss Is Within, 10.The Higher Happiness of Your True Being, Thus, developing virtues is the direct way to experience happiness on the lower psychological level. But on a higher level, this is not enough. You should not be satisfied with the happiness that you get on the mental level, though even that experience you will find most exhilarating. That itself is a great gain, but still greater is the happiness that you should aim at. That greater happiness is the happiness of your true being, of your real nature, of the Spirit within, and that comes by constantly being above body, above senses, above mind and intellect. Beyond all these is the eternal, changeless, silent Witness (Consciousness) of all the changeful modes of these lower aspects of your being at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, The term Yoga, unfortunately, has been connected with notions of strange and extraordinary experiences, mysterious occurrences and mystical powers. The term Yogi is popularly understood to mean not an adept in Yoga, but one capable of doing certain things which ordinary people are not able to do. In a way this is true, as a Yogi is capable of doing certain things which are not possible for many persons, but a Yogi should not be conceived of merely as one who is capable of flying through the air, going without food for months and being buried alive underground for several weeks, or of such other feats as are considered spectacular, extraordinary and unbelievable unless seen at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 1.Yoga Is Conscious Hastening of the Process of Evolution
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 1.Yoga Is Conscious Hastening of the Process of Evolution, First of all, it is necessary for us to have a clear conception of what the Yogic way of life is. The destiny of the human being is evolution and we are all progressing towards ultimate perfection, since we are all meant to realize once again our innate divinity. However, the normal course of human evolution is very, very slowperhaps spread over countless years and requiring many lives, taking only a few progressive steps in each life at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 2.Changes Upon Five Levels of the Yogis Being
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 2.Changes Upon Five Levels of the Yogis Being, During the process of this evolution, this unfoldment, various transformations arise in the individual upon five different levels of his being. On the physical level, various changes and experiences are seen. Upon the psycho-mental level (the mind and the Prana), certain changes take place, certain abilities come in the natural course, and certain phenomena are witnessed, subjectively by some, and objectively by others at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 3.Some Psychic Powers
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 3.Some Psychic Powers, On the psycho-mental level it is the very common experience of those who have done a little sincere seeking (whether they have known it by the name of Yoga or just been seeking and practising certain physical exercises) to find that they have developed certain abilities. The most common of these abilities or inner occult experiences is thought-reading. You may be talking to someone, and before the other person speaks, you know what that person will say at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 4.Pure Occultism Which Is Not Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 4.Pure Occultism Which Is Not Yoga, Here I have to tell you a fact of which you had better take serious note. The first three powers upon the mental level, the psycho-mental level, and the astral levelall these powers one can have by sheer effort. If the necessary effort, with determination, is made, one can develop them. In Yoga they come through purification, and in the second case, which I have just mentioned, they come through will-power, practice and unceasing efforts at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 5.Playing With Kundalini Is Playing With Fire
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 5.Playing With Kundalini Is Playing With Fire, When your spiritual practice takes the form of Kundalini Yoga and you begin the inner occult process of Hatha Yoga, then, with the rise of the power of the Kundalini from the lower mystical centres (Chakras) into the higher mystical centres, which are in the occult body of each being, there arise various extraordinary powers and experiences at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 6.Persons Blessed with Mystic Powers
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 6.Persons Blessed with Mystic Powers, There is a totally different type of mystic phenomena and powers that come through the Grace of God and a person who has not practised any of the Yogic techniques may just obtain all of these powers spontaneously. This happens only when God wants to make use of a person for some Divine purpose and He has found a person who, through absolute life-long moral perfection, is found fit as a perfect channel, as an instrument which is fit and worthy at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 7.Occult Powers and the Spiritual Seeker
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 7.Occult Powers and the Spiritual Seeker, What is the place of these various inner powers in Yoga? What are their uses and abuses? What is the attitude of the true seeker to these powers? What are the attitudes of Masters towards these powers? What is the place of these powers and the various experiences in the life of the Yogi? at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 8.Uses of Occult Phenomena
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 8.Uses of Occult Phenomena, To seekers, to aspirants, to those who want God and are trying to make use of their life to attain God, there is no question of the uses of these powers, for the true seeker just ignores them, and for him they have no content or value, but are things which he passes by on the way. However, if I may speak of these powers independently of the seeker, then there are uses to which these powers can be put, in a limited way. Supposing a person is not in any way a seeker of God, and especially if these powers are in the nature of healing, or magnetism or of prophetic vision (where one is able to know of certain things before they happen, due to clairaudience or clairvoyance), then use may be made of them, but it has been observed that in such situations when these powers are made use of, after some time, they leave the individual at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 9.Avoid All Occult Phenomena
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 2: Occult PhenomenaTheir Place In Yoga, 9.Avoid All Occult Phenomena, On the lower level, these occult powers can become the greatest of corrupters, the greatest of obstacles for all true seekers. Ultimately, seekers have to realise God and once one has realised through his own discrimination that everything except God is just transitory, evanescent, just a shadow-play, a momentary thing with which one has no lasting connection, once one knows this, then everything except He, from the little speck of dust to the highest power, all occult phenomena, mystical experiences, become devoid of substance. They all partake of the same nature of this passing, transitory, evanescent world. They are not real. They are not true and they have no ultimate value, no inherent worth at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, Glorious Immortal Atman! Blessed Children of Light and Immortality! Beloved Seekers on the Pathway to the Divine! How privileged we are to be able to gather here in this holy morning hour to bathe ourselves in the glorious stream of meditation and the Divine Name! Such an hour is a gift from God. It is a bestowal of love from One who is ever eternal, from One who is our source, One in whom we eternally abide, and in whom we are all one. Such a gift should be accepted with love, received reverentially, and with devotion utilised by us all at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 1. The Nature of Meditation and Its Place in Yoga
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 1. The Nature of Meditation and Its Place in Yoga, Meditation, therefore, is the exercise of the deepest part of your being. It is, in truth, the highest and the noblest exercise of the supreme prerogative, the supreme blessedness of human birth. There is no exercise loftier than worship upon this earth-plane. Let us be thankful, therefore, for this beautiful morning, for this solemn hour and for the privilege of sitting at the altar of the Divine Presence, entering into the silence and bathing ourselves in the glorious radiance of His presence at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 2. How to Start the Current of MeditationThe Technique
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 2. How to Start the Current of MeditationThe Technique, We being embodied beings and our mind being what it is, our everyday life does have a certain impact upon our soul consciousness, the innermost awareness, and the senses again and again cloud the radiance of the inner consciousness. Therefore, when you sit for meditation, instead of starting the process immediately, you should allow a certain time for the movement or the momentum of the external life to calm down at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 3. Saturate the Mind with God-thought
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 3: Meditation, 3. Saturate the Mind with God-thought, In the same way, you should think of God in whatever way your heart conceives of Him, and you should start the day with a prayer: O Lord, I come with love before Thee to the altar. I seek to humbly offer myself to Thee. I come to Thee with love. Raise my consciousness to the realm of Thy great divine nature. May You be pleased to lift me up unto yourself. The clamour of the senses, of the mindmay they be stilled at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, Blessed children of the Lord! Radiant rays of the eternal Light Divine! Salutations to you all. With great joy I once again speak to you to give you a little message from the Master Sivananda and from the cultural treasure-house of the Sacred Land of the Himalayas, the Land of the Holy Ganges, the Land of the Upanishads and the Vedas at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 1. Renunciation Should Be Based upon Right Understanding
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 1. Renunciation Should Be Based upon Right Understanding, Renunciation has been the key-note of the teachings of the Great Masters of India. Renunciation is the very essence of spirituality and the secret of God-realization. Renunciation is not lethargy, escapism or irresponsibility. It is the great strength that the aspirant has in his onward march to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the strength of renunciation that truly sustains the aspirant in his arduous journey to the Supreme at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 2. Worthlessness of Worldly Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 2. Worthlessness of Worldly Life, A life of delusion amidst sensuality, money and sense-objects is the pitiful lot of the normal human being. Life is transitory; death is silently staring at you like a venomous serpent with expanded hood, ever ready to strike. Various dire diseases cause much havoc to the body. Youth abandons the body quickly and old age grips it. He alone is saved who makes haste to utilise this precious life in striving to obtain the summum bonum of life through renunciation, discrimination and inquiry. Maya, the great illusory power of the Supreme, is a very great jeweller. She prepares a skeleton, covers it with flesh and muscles, and hides the various impurities within with a very shining skin. Oh, immediately, a human being is absolutely deluded with this appearancewith this doll prepared by Maya. How long are you going to call this body your self? Develop an undeluded imagination and identify yourself with your real nature, Satchidananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss) which is your true Self at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 3. The Riddle of Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 3. The Riddle of Life, Try to understand the riddle of life and the riddle of this universe. Acquire discrimination. Take recourse to the company of seekers like yourself, getting together now and then with those of your own nature, those who are spiritually inclined. Even this will quicken your discrimination and give you the spirit of renunciation. Inquire into the nature of the Great Reality. Study books like the Gita and the Upanishads and then you will have a comprehensive understanding of the innumerable problems of life. There is not an iota of happiness in this world. Seek the happiness that is within at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 4. Sensual Pleasures Opposed to Spiritual Bliss
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 4. Sensual Pleasures Opposed to Spiritual Bliss, In the presence of continual sensual pleasures, spiritual bliss cannot exist, just as darkness and light cannot co-exist. If one should come, the other must go. Therefore, show extreme contempt for worldly objects. Destroy all desire from within, Turn the mind away from sensual objects. Give up cravings. Give up deluded attachment and you will develop real renunciation. You yourself have made your life complex and intricate. You have entangled yourself in this quagmire of Samsara by increasing your own desires, your own wants at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 5. The Indispensability of Renunciation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 5. The Indispensability of Renunciation, At this point, we may try to consider one or two modern trends which have a direct bearing upon the vital subject of renunciation. Is renunciation really necessary? Many people in these modern days fight shy of renunciation. They put forward various ingenious arguments to prove that it is not necessary and that it is even useless. In fact, they go a step further and say that renunciation is harmful at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 6. False Prophets of the Modern Age
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 6. False Prophets of the Modern Age, The modern age is materialistic. The dominant note in the era of today is the materialistic sense of values. Materialism also has many forms. There is a materialism which says that this world alone is everything, that this world alone is worth having. Then there is the other kind of materialisma subtle materialism which says that God alone is not enough, that there must be the universe also besides Him and that you cannot totally ignore or neglect this universe. To know God alone, according to the votaries of this subtle doctrine, is imperfection; and perfection is to know the ultimate Reality of God as well as this world. They say that you must know God and you must know this universe also in the true sense at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 7. Inner Renunciation Is Real Renunciation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 4: Real Renunciation, 7. Inner Renunciation Is Real Renunciation, After all, where can you go to get away from the world? Even if you go to the Himalayan caves, you are still in the world. What really is needed is not so much the renunciation of the outward form of this world, is not so much the giving up of all outward desires. Renunciation does not mean renouncing merely a house, a beach, a garden or a piece of ground, or a mode of eating. Renunciation means completely renouncing worldliness. This is the secret of true renunciation at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, If, for a moment, we cast our eyes upon the vibrant and dynamic life upon the surface of the globe today, immediately we see that tremendous advances have been made in the past couple of centuries. Man has progressed, tapped new resources, discovered more about things than ever was known before. By his ingenuity and scientific acumen, he has evolved such instruments that things which could not even be perceived are now laid bare before the gaze of the human eyeinstruments of such magnifying power that nearly invisible phenomena and cosmic phenomena alike are revealed to the penetrating eye of the scientist at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 1. The Basic Neglect of the Study of Man
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 1. The Basic Neglect of the Study of Man, There is a simple reason. Man is, ultimately, the most important unit in this universe. In his hands lies the key to the direction to be taken by human affairs. Over storms, tides, earthquakes, drought, whirlwinds, cyclonesover the universal elementsman has no control; but in so far as the life of the individual is concernedbe it in the family, in the community, in the civic centre, in the capital, in the nation, or in the worldin so far as this life, in all its various and ever-widening aspects is concernedthe control does lie in the hands of man. Man is the director of these affairs at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 2. Who Am I?The Great Enquiry
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 2. Who Am I?The Great Enquiry, The knowledge of oneself is the required knowledge. And the education in this knowledge has to start right from childhood. It is only when the art of right thinking is taught in childhood that true progress ensues in the life of the individual. We have, first of all, to understand what we are, and what are those factors in our personality that will increase its beauty, and what are those factors that will mar that beauty. How many people take time to think about themselves? at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 3. You Are Not the Body
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 3. You Are Not the Body, These have ever been the central questions of Hindu philosophy. Both the ancient sages and the modern Masters have ever tried to bring about an awakening in man so that this earth-life might be properly used to get an essential knowledge of the Self. The ignorant, the idiotic, the stupid or the foolish think that the body is ones own self. Mans idea of himself is: I am five feet, nine inches tall; I weigh so many pounds; I am so many years old, etc. What greater folly, what greater ignorance, what greater blindness or stupidity could there be than to identify oneself with this perishable cage of bones, this gross composition of flesh and muscles and skin! After all, what is this physical sheath if it is not wholly dependent upon perishable food? at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 4.You Are Not the Mind
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 4.You Are Not the Mind, Consciousness cannot be dependent upon the senses. Could the aggregate of the senses be yourselfthe sense of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing together with the sense-centres in the brain which make them work? If you do not hear, the loss of hearing does not make you lose your individuality; similarly, the loss of sight or smell does not make you lose your personality. And when you go into the deep-sleep state where all the ten senses are totally inoperative, and as it were dead, You are still there. You are able to posit your continuous existence. When you get up, you say, I am the one who went to sleep, and now, I am the awakener. I am able to say that I have enjoyed my sleep at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 5. The Universal Factors: I and I Am
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 5. The Universal Factors: I and I Am, When you go deep within yourself, it becomes apparent that this I, your very Self, is something that links you so very close to all humanity and to all life upon earth, that it is universal. Consider a vast group of people of different nationalities, races, religions, beliefs and casteseveryone totally different from everyone else in name and form, in language, in thought pattern, in colour, in creed, in dress, in manner of eating, drinking and sleeping, in short, in everything at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 6. Wrong Identifications Destroy Universality
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 6. Wrong Identifications Destroy Universality, We have seen that everyone says I and I am, and thus far everyone is perfectly all right, everyone is in accord with all other beings upon earth. But then, from this second word onwards, man voices his ignorance. He proceeds with I am an American, I am a Canadian, I am a Hindu, I am a Republican. Whatever he adds to I am, immediately limits his consciousness. It at once vitiates the consciousness of oneness. Thus when you say I am, you are at one with all mankind; but when you say I am So-and-so, you separate yourself and create a barrier between yourself and every human being contrary to you. You immediately cut yourself off from the rest of the world and regard others as inimical to yourself, opposed to yourself, and what is worse, harmful to yourself. Herein lies colossal ignorance. Herein lies the necessity for the utmost clarity of thought. Here it is that you have to make use of your intelligence at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 7. You Are Existence-Consciousness-Bliss
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 7. You Are Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, TNow, this much becomes clear. When you say I am, you assert your Existence. This Existence is your true nature, and this Existence is for ever. This Existence is indestructible, because it is not a created thing like the body of the five elements and because it is not identical with any of those non-essential factors of your being like the body, etc.; it is independent of them all. It is changeless. Mind constantly changes, takes on new ideas and sheds old ideas. There is constant flux in your mind. This mind, which is ever in a state of change and movement and flux, cannot be the eternal factor in you. The eternal factor is Existence. You are indestructible, imperishable Existence. Everlasting Life is your true and essential being. That is your nature at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 8. You Are God Even Now
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 8. You Are God Even Now, This is the nature of the highest illumined soul who knows this. It is the nature of the intelligent, thinking man who is often puzzled, who sometimes seems to know this and again seems not to know this. It is also the nature of the ignorant man who is unlettered and does not even know how to think. It is the nature of the fool and the idiot. No matter what state of evolution or what state of unfoldment or manifestation of the inner spiritual consciousness you find yourself in, essentially, inwardly, in truth and in fact, you are Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Even at this moment. Nothing can rob you of that at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 9. Walk with God: Talk with God
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 5: Know Thyself, 9. Walk with God: Talk with God, This is the view and the vision that man, both as an individual and as collective humanity, needs today. When Professor Einstein once was asked in a certain interview, What shall we do, Professor, in order to improve the world?, he said, We must have improved people. That means we must live in the consciousness of our true nature. Even if a few people, a handful of people, make it their firm resolution, their greatest aim and aspiration in life, not to live any longer as mere mundane creatures, but to feel themselves divine, to be always at one with the Divine Essence, then real progress will have been made. Live in this way every day at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, Glorious Immortal Self! There is a permanent Reality behind this entire universe that lies before you. There is a vital living Truth behind the names and forms that constitute the world we have come to know. That great Reality, that living Truth is of the nature of bliss and blessedness. It is a state of untrammelled freedom, limitless peace, boundless wisdom and indescribable bliss. It is a joy which nothing upon the surface of the earth can even remotely equal at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 1.The Great Search for Happiness
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 1.The Great Search for Happiness, Let us make an observation of life. What significant point emerges out of our observation? It is that wherever man exists, activity is also evident. People are running about, everyone bursting with activity! There never seems to be a moment just to pause and reflect. And what is this activity? Let us try to analyse it. Most of this activity is a furious search for happiness, for enjoyment, for pleasure, of different degrees and shades of experience. Simultaneously, man is ceaselessly trying to rid himself of sorrow, pain and suffering. He is trying to avoid all that is unpleasant, painful, sorrowful and grievous, and to attain all that is joyous, pleasant, happy and enjoyable at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 2.Right Education as to the True Meaning of Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 2.Right Education as to the True Meaning of Life, It is the duty of every parent, educator and elder to give to growing souls (young people) the sense of lifes wondrous purpose. If from the very beginning of ones life this were inculcated in every soul, a great deal of searching and struggling and sorrow would be obviated. Right from the very start, life would be meaningful. Life is not just a haphazard flight from one object to another. Life is a quest full of significance and meaning at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 3.Living Is Not Life
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 3.Living Is Not Life, Thus you are caught up in this whirl called life, and so closely gripped by it, so deeply entangled in its meshes, that the mere process of living rather than the true life engrosses you entirely. Living takes the place of life. And naturally, with the true purpose missing, there lies an essential emptiness within, and this emptiness you try to fill by ever exerting to obtain external objects. But objects cannot bring the experience of happiness within; they foment anxiety and bring the experience of unrest and turbulence. Happiness is a state of the inner life of the individual. It is a state of the mind and the intellect at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 4.The Goal of Life According to Indian Philosophy
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 4.The Goal of Life According to Indian Philosophy, You know that changeful, imperfect objects cannot give you the changeless perfect experience. Now try to make your life a quest after That which is changeless, which is all-full and, therefore, perfect and blissful. You are at once confronted with the fact that as embodied beings, you cannot entirely dispense with the performance of your day-to-day duties as members of a family or as citizens of a society. Whether you like it or not, for the time being, we have to fulfil these duties. How should they be co-ordinated with the exercise of our highest duty in lifethe attainment of Bliss? at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 5.Spiritual Life and Life in this WorldA Reconciliation
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 5.Spiritual Life and Life in this WorldA Reconciliation, Both the ancient and the modern Indian sages are idealists, but their idealism is practical; it is combined with a very sane and sensible realism. In the quest for bliss and peace, the other life has to be reconciled with the striving for perfection. The physical and intellectual aspects of the being which operate upon this relative plane have to be reconciled with the great urge of the truly spiritual being. This reconciliation is one of the tasks of the spiritual life at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 6.Practice of Virtues
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 6: Your True Purpose In Life, 6.Practice of Virtues, Of what does righteousness consist? The answer is to be found in the very structure of truth. If one is fulfilling the truth, one is drawing nearer to the realization of God. But if ones life is characterized by falsehood, one cannot have God, one cannot have happiness; for one is cutting himself away from the Source of all blessedness. If one is cut away from Him, then not even the whole of the earth can give him happiness. Peace and happiness cannot, by their very nature, come into the life of the individual who contradicts truth. Righteousness is, therefore, the fulfilment of the principles of truth in life. It consists in being true to your inner real nature which is Divine at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, Beloved Immortal Self! Glorious Rays of the Eternal Light Divine! Salutations to you and crores of adorations to the Supreme! Today I speak to you a few words from the wisdom of the ancientsthe great seers of Indiaon a subject which, though of that part of your being which is perishable, which is unreal, which is not the Ultimate Truth of your being, is important in its own way in as much as it is a means to the realization of your True Self, and in as much as the body, its well-being and health in this life, and the happiness and prosperity in this life, both become helps and instrumental factors to you in fulfilling the true and only lasting purpose in your life, which is to know who you are at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 1.The Human Being as Viewed by the Indian Masters
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 1.The Human Being as Viewed by the Indian Masters, Indian thought evolves from within outward so that the first task and the most important thing is to know yourself, for you are the prime factor of all knowledge. There must first be a seer to see things, and there must first be a thinker to ponder over matters, to ponder over all things seen. There must first be a knower if any knowledge is to be at all. Therefore, the knowledge about the knower, the science of your own Self who forms the pivot of this universe, who is the basic factor in all knowledge, was placed first. Know Yourselfand then start knowing all else that is other than yourself at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 2.How to Eat to Keep Fit
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 2.How to Eat to Keep Fit, The refinement of the body, the purity of the body, is ensured mainly through diet, through food. If the proper food is taken and it is properly taken, and taken at the proper time, then the health of the body is ensured. One of the great sages, Athreya, said: Proper food taken in moderation, at the proper time, in the proper manner, goes to ensure ones good health. What did he mean by proper food? Sattwic food, fine food, in a pure condition. Taken at the proper time? Well, all health authorities will tell you that at certain periods of the day our body powers are on the ascent and food taken during those periods becomes beneficial, and when the body powers begin to ebb, food is not to be taken. Food is not to be taken when one is in a state of agitation or when one is emotionally disturbed at energyenhancement.org
- Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 3.Self-control and Preservation of the Life-Force
Sri Swami Sivananda, The Path Beyond Sorrow Chapter 7: Laws Of Health And Prosperity, 3.Self-control and Preservation of the Life-Force, Indian doctors lay the utmost emphasis upon the preservation of ones life-force. Great moderation in ones sexual life is the one note upon which they perennially harp. A physician, after examining a patient and enquiring and advising about his diet, will then
