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YOGA IN DAILY LIFE

Sri Swami Sivananda

CONTENTS

• Publishers’ Note
• Author’s Preface
• Yoga in Daily Life
• Basis Of Yoga
• Strive Ceaselessly
• Happiness Within
• Need For Adhyatmic Knowledge
• Importance Of Guru
• Three Requisites Of Mukti
• Four Kinds Of Temperaments
• The Four Yogas
• Yogic Diet
• Milk
• Fruit Diet
• Mitahara
• Forbidden Articles
• Bhakti Yoga
• Where Is God?
• Mysterious Help From The Lord To Bhaktas
• What Is Japa?
• Benefits Of Japa
• Instructions On Japa
• Mantra For Japa
• Bhakti Yoga Sadhana
• Kirtan At Home
• Evening Katha At Home
• What Should Ladies Do
• Duties Of Womanhood
• Advice To Householders
• Nil Desperandum
• Karma Yoga
• Training For Karma Yoga
• Attain Nirlipta State
• What Is Karma
• How To Find Right Or Wrong Action
• Inner Voice
• Prayer For A Karma-Yogin
• Raja Yoga
• Metaphysics Of The Inner Man
• Tame The Six Wild Beasts
• Chitta
• Mind And Its Mysteries
• Control Of Mind
• Siddhis
• Jnana Yoga
• Assert The Majesty Of Your Real Self
• What Is Atman?
• Vedantic Sadhana
• Meditation
• Vedantic Assertions
• Soham Dhyana
• Problem Of Good And Evil
• Unity And Diversity
• Hatha Yoga
• Asana
• Padmasana
• Siddhasana
• Sukhasana
• Sirshasana
• Sarvangasana
• Matsyasana
• Mayurasana
• Paschimottanasana
• Pranayama
• Easy Comfortable Pranayama
• Bhastrika Pranayama
• Sitali
• Mind And Meditation
• Three Doshas Of The Mind
• Mind: Its Mysteries And Control
• Trataka
• Practice Of Concentration
• Meditation
• Samadhi
• Philosophy Of Sleep
• Brahmacharya
• Importance
• Change The Angle Of Vision
• Assertions For And Meditation On Brahmacharya
• Prayer For Purity
• Recipes For Brahmacharya
• Yoga In A Nutshell
• Spiritual Lessons
• Guide To Sadhakas
• Sayings Of Siva
• Conversations On Yoga
• Ten Vital Instructions
• Pancha Maha Yajnas
• Sankirtan Dhvanis
• How To Live A Divine Life
• Epilogue
• Stories Of Saints
• Milarepa
• Yogi Jaigisavya
• Sabari
• Sibi And Buddha
• Sundaramoorthy Nayanar
• Akalkot Swami
• Story Of An Old Man And A Donkey
• Tayumana Swami
• Akha
• Ekanath
• Gandha Baba (Benaras)
• Story Of Vomiting A Crow
• Story Of A Pailwan
• Story Of A Sadhu
• Story Of A Sugar-Eating Boy
• Mantra Yoga Sadhana
• Course Of Sadhana
• Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions

That this book has already run into eight editions is in itself the best tribute that can be paid to this, one of the first books written by Sri Swamiji Maharaj.

About the book and its author, we cannot do better than to quote from the Publisher’s Note to the first edition of this book, in which Sri Em. Airi writes:

“His Holiness Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati needs scarcely any introduction to the vast multitudes of reading public that pants for spiritual unfoldment and Self-Realisation. The revered Yogi belongs to the ages and ranks amongst the blessed souls who have had the good fortune to taste the Nectar of Cosmic Consciousness. In clear, simple and impressive style the Swami addresses the young and yet inexperienced spiritual aspirants and lays down before them the fundamentals of spirituality and the various means essentially requisite for Divine Wisdom.”

“This book is a message from the great Yogi of the Himalayas to the helpless and bewildered seekers of Truth. This inspiring and soul-stirring little volume will, we venture to say, undoubtedly contribute its mite to the moral and spiritual perfection of the human race in general and the aspirants in particular. As we wish to present this volume in a popular and a presentable style, it is printed on good paper and got up excellently well. If this book appeals to the broad-minded and expanded hearts amongst the religious reformers and also aspirants, the Publishers’ labours will have been sufficiently recompensed.”

We reiterate Sri Airi’s pious wish as we offer this priceless treasure to the blessed aspirant-world.

THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

Man wants happiness. He shuns pain. He makes various sorts of efforts (Pravritti) to get happiness from objects and gets himself entangled in the meshes or snares of Maya. As these objects are perishable, finite and conditioned in time, space and causation, he fails to get the desired happiness from the objects. This world is Apurna (imperfect) and there is uncertainty of life. A barrister talks at the telephone, ascends the staircase to take his meals upstairs and dies on the staircase.

There is not an iota of happiness in objects and they are Jada (insentient). Even the sensual pleasure is a reflection of Atmic Bliss only. Just as a dog which sucks a dry bone in the streets imagines foolishly that the blood comes from the dry bone, whereas, it really oozes from its own palate, so also worldly-minded persons foolishly imagine that the happiness they enjoy comes from the objects only.

There is a mental uneasiness, dissatisfaction, discontent and restlessness even in multi-millionaires and kings. Some kind of sorrow, misery or pain is always present even when you are in the height of enjoyment of worldly pleasures. When the marriage of your second son is celebrated the remembrance of your first son who passed away, torments your mind. Mind is so constituted that the rhythm of pleasure and pain is kept up like the rhythm of systole and diastole (contraction and dilation) of heart. You entertain the idea that the happiness will pass away soon. This adds pain when you are in the enjoyment of sensual pleasure.

You can find eternal, infinite, supreme peace and bliss, only in the Atman of your heart. It is an embodiment of bliss (Ananda Swarupa).

All objects that you see consist of five parts, viz. Nama-Rupa-Asti-Bhati-Priya (name, form, existence, knowledge, bliss). Nama and Rupa constitute the world. They are the cause for human activities and sufferings. Asti, Bhati and Priya are the Svarupas of Atman or Brahman or Moksha.

Amongst the things desired by human beings of this world, Moksha alone is the best and highest thing. The means (Sadhan) for Moksha is Atma Jnana (knowledge of the Self or Atman), Vichara of “Who am I?” or significance of “Tat Tvam Asi” Mahavakya. This is the means for attainment of Brahma Jnana.

Moksha is desired in order to get rid of the pains of Samsara which are in the form of birth, death, disease, old age, etc. Moksha can hardly be attained without Sadhana.

Some say, that Karma is the Sadhan for Moksha. Some other say, that Karma and Jnana combined (Samucchayavada) is the means. Sri Shankara has refuted the Karma and Samucchaya theories by strong, sound, convincing arguments and has established the Truth that Kevala Jnana (pure knowledge alone) is the means for Moksha. Just as fire is the direct means for cooking food, so also Brahma Jnana is the Sakshat Sadhana (direct means) for Moksha. The famous Mandana Misra (Sureshwaracharya) disciple of Sri Sankara has also said in his reputed book Naishkarma Siddhi that Kevala Jnana alone is the means for Moksha.

Do not say: “Karma. Karma. My Karma has brought me like this.” Exert. Exert. Do Purushartha. Do Tapas. Concentrate. Purify. Meditate. Do not become a fatalist. Do not yield to inertia. Do not bleat like a lamb. Roar OM, OM, OM like a lion of Vedanta. See how Markandeya who was destined to die at his sixteenth year became a Chiranjeevi, an immortal boy of sixteen years on account of his Tapas! Also note how Savitri brought back to life by her Tapas her dead husband; how Benjamin Franklin and late Sri T. Muthuswamy Iyer of Madras High Court elevated themselves. Remember, my friends, that man is the master of his own destiny. Visvamitra Rishi, who was a Kshatriya Raja, became a Brahma Rishi like Vasishtha and even created a third world for Trishanku by his power of Tapas. Rogue Ratnakar became the sage Valmiki through Tapas. Rogues Jagai and Madai of Bengal became highly developed Saints. They became the disciples of Lord Gauranga. What others have done, you also can do. There is no doubt of this.

You can also do wonders and miracles if you apply yourself to spiritual Sadhana, Tapas and meditation. Read the book ‘Poverty to Power’? by James Allen with interest and attention. You will be inspired. Draw up a programme of your life. Follow my Twenty Spiritual Instructions and Forty Golden Precepts. Adhere to the “Spiritual Daily Routine” prescribed by me. Apply yourself with zeal and enthusiasm to Sadhana. Become a Naishtic Brahmachari. Be steady and systematic in your Yogabhyasa. Assert. Affirm. Recognise. Realise. Shine in your native pristine Brahmic Glory. Become a Jivanmukta. You are the children of light and immortality. “Tat Twam Asi—Thou art That,” my dear readers.

This is a book with a message of hope, success in life, of peace, of bliss and of the secret of life itself. Herein will be found the Way to Peace, to Truth, and to the Abode of Immortality, eternal sunshine, infinite Joy and Knowledge (Nirvana or Kaivalya) or the final beatitude, the highest goal of life.

Swami Sivananda

Cultivate indomitable will. Practise self-control and self-mastery. Have self-confidence. Develop independent judgment. Do not argue. Strive ceaselessly for Self-realisation. Kill this little ego. Develop pure love. Rise above all distinctions of caste, creed and colour. Give up the idea of ‘I-ness’, ‘Mine-ness’. Look within for the happiness which you have sought in vain in the sensual objects.

Moksha is the summum bonum of life. It is freedom from births and deaths. It is not annihilation. It is annihilation of this little ‘I’. It is obtained through knowledge of the Self. You will have to know the Truth through direct intuitive experience. You will have to cut asunder the veil of ignorance by meditation on the Self. Then you will shine in your pristine purity and divine glory.

Do not try to drive away the unimportant and irrelevant thoughts. The more you try, the more will they return and the more strength will they gain. You will only tax your energy and will. Become indifferent. Fill the mind with divine thoughts. The others will gradually vanish. Get yourself established in Nirvikalpa Samadhi through meditation.

Without perfect Brahmacharya, you cannot have substantial spiritual progress. There is no half measure in the spiritual path. Control the body first. Then purify your thoughts through prayer, Japa, Kirtan, Vichara and meditation. Make a firm resolve, “I will be a perfect Brahmachari from today.” Pray to the Lord to give you spiritual strength to resist the temptations of life and kill lust.

Constant study of the lives of saints will enable you to lead a virtuous life. You will imbibe very noble qualities. You will be gradually moulded in the spiritual path. You will draw inspiration from them. There will be an inner urge in you to attempt for God-realisation. Pray to the Lord that you may become a saint.

Swami Sivananda

Have self-confidence. Develop independent judgment. Cultivate the indomitable will. Practise self-control and self-mastery.

Do not argue. Strive ceaselessly for Self-realisation. Kill this little ego. Develop pure love. Rise above all distinction of caste, creed and colour.

Give up the idea of “I-ness” and “mine-ness”. Look within for the happiness which you have sought in vain in sensual objects.

One anna of pleasure is mixed with fifteen annas of pain. Pleasure that is mixed with pain and fear is no pleasure at all. If you begin to analyse this one anna of pleasure, you will find that it is no pleasure at all. It is mere play or delusion of the mind. Milk gives pleasure to some and pain to others. Milk brings on retching in fever. The third cup of milk induces vomiting. What is this? This is play of Maya. This is Indra-Jala of Avidya-Shakti. The Indriyas and mind are deceiving you at every moment. Beware. Wake up. Open your eyes. Develop Viveka. If you suffer from cancer of the stomach, can you enjoy Rasagulla and sweets even though you are a multi-millionaire? The doctor will put you on a diet of pepper-water only. If your wife dies, you are drowned in sorrow. You cannot expect happiness from finite, perishable objects that are conditioned in time, space and causation. Nitya Nirupadhika, Niratisaya Ananda, eternal, independent, infinite bliss can only be had in the Atman that is hidden in your heart. Search, understand and realise Atman.

The secular knowledge that you get from Universities is mere husk only. It serves the purpose of earning the bread only. It cannot give you peace of mind and salvation. It thickens the veil of ignorance only. He who says, “I am specialist in Biology and various logies” is only a fool. One Mantra, one Sloka of the Upanishads will blow up the knowledge that you derive from colleges. Study the first Mantra of Isa Upanishad: “Isavasyam idam sarvam—The whole world is indwelt by the Lord.” Rejoice in Atman by removing the names and forms. Do not be covetous. Imbibe the ideas of this Mantra. Practise. Feel the indwelling presence. Live in the spirit of the Mantra. You will become a King of kings, Emperor of emperors, the Sun of suns, the Light of lights. Do not be puffed up with your University degrees. Be humble. Destroy scientific atheism. Have faith in the teaching of Srutis. Do Kirtan in a chorus with harmony and concord, with one Svara and one Tala. Sing Rama Nama from the bottom of your heart with Bhava. I will make you realise the infinite peace and bliss this very moment.

Guru-Bhakti is absolutely necessary. Guru-Seva with Atma-Lakshya will take you to God immediately. People generally complain: “We do not get good Gurus these days.” This is a lame excuse. You can take even the worst possible rogue as your Guru. You will have to change your angle of vision. When you look at a coconut made of sugar, you have a double consciousness. You know pretty well that it is not coconut. In your heart there is Bhava, it is sugar and sugar alone. Even though you see the world, it is really not. This is the Nischaya of the Vedantic student. It is the determination. Even so, the defects of the ‘rogue-Guru’ do not exist for the disciple who has taken him as his Guru with Bhakti. The aspirant should deify and superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the ‘rogue-Guru’.

You should never look into the defects of the Guru. You must deify the Guru. Guru, Ishvar, Brahman, Om, Truth are all one. You must strictly obey and carry out his orders. You must think that underneath the name and form of the Guru, there is the all-pervading pure consciousness. In course of time the physical form will vanish and you will realise your own self, the pure Brahmic consciousness that lies at the back of the physical form of your Guru. When once you have taken a man as your Guru, you should never change even if you get a man with greater developments or Siddhis. Then only you will have faith. Through strong faith, you will realise then and there, Brahman, the God in that Guru. You must become the famous Bhakta, Pipa of the well-known Bhaktamala, who took a rogue Nata as his Guru and when he saw his Nata-Guru dancing on the bamboos in the open market, he took him as Guru, the Brahma-incarnate, prostrated before him and thus eventually had his Self-realisation through the form of the rogue-Guru, the Nata.

Yoga is communion with Lord. The goal of life is Self-realisation. There are two ways for attaining God-consciousness. They are the Pravritti-Marga and Nivritti-Marga. Pravritti-Marga is the path of activity with detachment for attaining the cosmic vision in and through the diverse experiences of normal life. Nivritti-Marga is the path of absolute renunciation or Jnana-Yoga. Karma-Yoga is only Jnana-Sadhana, i.e., means for attaining Self-knowledge. Three things are indispensably requisite for attaining Self-realisation. They are: (1) Guru-Bhakti—devotion and Prema towards the spiritual preceptor, (2) Jijnasa—longing for liberation and (3) a taste for Satsanga. He alone who is endowed with these three attributes can cross this ocean of Samsara (Bhava Sager).

There are four kinds of temperaments, viz., the active temperament, the devotional temperament, the mystic temperament and the intellectual temperament.

There are four Yogas, viz., Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga.

Karma is suitable for people of active temperament, Bhakti Yoga for people of devotional temperament, Raja Yoga for men of mystic temperament with bold understanding and strong will-power. Bhakti Yoga is suitable for vast majority of persons as they are emotional. Jnana Yoga is suitable for a microscopic minority only. Ladies can realise God quickly as their hearts are filled with devotion, Prema and affection. But it is very difficult for them to get Vairagya.

Food plays a very important role in exciting the senses and passions. An aspirant should be very careful in the selection of articles of diet of Sattvic nature in the beginning of his Sadhana period. Later on drastic dietetic restrictions can be removed. Havis Annam, which is a mixture of boiled white rice and ghee, is very conducive to Yogic practices. When white rice is boiled with ghee, white sugar and milk, it is called Cheru. This is a wholesome combination suitable for Sadhakas.

Milk is a perfect food by itself, containing the different nutritive constituents, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, etc., in well-balanced proportions. It leaves very little residue in the bowels. This is an ideal food for Yogins during Pranayama practice. Fresh milk from a healthy cow, free from bovine tuberculosis, is preferable to scalded milk. Milk should be scalded or pasteurised but not boiled. The process of scalding is that the milk should be immediately removed from the fire, as soon as the boiling point is reached. Too much boiling destroys the vitamins, the mysterious nutritive principles and renders milk quite useless as an article of diet.

A fruit diet exercises a benign, soothing influence on the constitution and is very desirable diet for Yogins. This is a natural form of diet. Bananas, grapes, sweet oranges, apples, pomegranates are wholesome fruits. Bananas are very nutritious. Lemons possess anti-scorbutic properties and act as restoratives to blood. Fruit juice contains a form of nutritive principle, Vitamin C.

Take wholesome, Sattvic food half-stomachful; fill the quarter-stomachful with pure water; and allow the remaining quarter free for expansion of gas. This is Mitahara, the ideal food for Yogins. This is the ideal for all who want to preserve health. This is quite hygienic and is in harmony with the dietetic principles of modern medical science. This is Mitahara prescribed for Yogis.

“Verily, Yoga is not for him who eateth too much, nor he who abstaineth to excess, nor who is too much addicted to sleep, nor even to wakefulness, O Arjuna.” (Gita VI- 16).

For spiritual practices Sattvic food is absolutely necessary. Wheat, rice, barley, sugar, butter, sugar-candy, milk, ghee, green dhal, Panchasakha vegetables, cabbages, potatoes, etc., are Sattvic articles of diet.

Highly seasoned dishes, hot curries and chutnies, meat, fish, etc., are forbidden for Sadhakas. Meat can make a scientist, but rarely a philosopher and a Tattva Jnani. Chillies, sour articles, tamarind, mustard, all kinds of oil, asafoetida, salt, onions, garlic, etc., should be avoided. Onions are worse than meat. Too much fasting is injurious during the practice of Yoga.

NOTE: Myrobalan is a beautiful stuff for Yogins. They can chew it very frequently. In Bhagavata it is represented as even superior to nourishing mother. It takes care of the body better than a mother does. Even a mother gets annoyed towards her child; but myrobalan has controlled its Krodha, always possesses an even temperament and is always cheerful and enthusiastic in attending to the well-being of human beings.

Bhava is the main basis of Rasa. The relish of eternal Bliss which the devotee enjoys during his ecstatic state of Bhava Samadhi is called Rasa.

Rasa is of the essence of Lord Krishna. Rasa is the nectarine transcendental Bliss. Lord Krishna is the repository or fountain-source of Rasa.

Taste the Krishna-Bhakti-Rasa through Rati or Prema and attain immortality.

Bhakti is intense devotion towards God. It is Prema of Prabhu. Sraddha and Visvas are the incipient stages of devotion. They develop into Bhakti. Later on faith is the most important thing in the path of devotion.

The qualifications for the attainment of Bhakti are a pure loving heart, faith, innocence, simplicity, truthfulness, Arjava, Vairagya and Brahmacharya.

God looks upon all with an equal eye. We all know how Sri Ramachandra ate the fruits already tasted by the Bhilini Sabari. Sudama’s grains are more welcome to Lord Krishna than the most sumptuous feast that can be offered by a mighty potentate on this earth. What He wants is your loving heart. He neither wants a big temple nor rich presents from you.

Bhakti can be acquired and cultivated. Constant Satsanga with devotees and Bhagavatas, repetition of His Name, Sri Ram, Sita Ram, Hari Om, etc., constant remembrance of the Lord, prayer, study of religious books such as the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, Hari Kirtan, service of Bhaktas, etc., can infuse Bhakti in your heart.

Lust, anger, greed, Moha, pride, jealousy, hatred, egoism, desire for power, name and fame, hypocrisy are all obstacles in the way of Bhakti Yoga.

Remove lust by entertaining pure thoughts; anger by love, Kshama, etc.; greed by charity, honesty, disinterestedness; Moha by Viveka; pride by humility (Namrata, Vinaya); jealousy by magnanimity, nobility and Mudita; hatred by love; and egoism by unconditioned, unreserved and ungrudging self-surrender to the Lord, Atmanivedana or Saranagati.

Pray fervently like Prahlada. Sing His Name like Radha. Weep in solitude like Mira on account of Viraha Agni. Do Kirtan like Lord Gauranga. Sing Bhajan like Ram Prasad of Bengal. Dance in Divine ecstasy like Chaitanya Maha Prabhu and enter into Bhava Samadhi. Repeat His Name like Valmiki, Tukaram or Ram Das.

Be up and doing, my dear friends, in spiritual Sadhana, Bhajan, etc. Never waste a single minute. Wasting time is the highest sin. Lord Rama will surely crown your efforts with success.

Combine all the love you cherish towards all worldly objects, wife, son, wealth, property, relatives, friends and then apply this combined love towards God. You will realise in this very second.

Repeat His name 200 Malas daily (200x108=21,600 times). Sing His praise. Do Hari Kirtan. Repeat His Stotras and hymns. Live in Ayodhya, Brindavan, Pandharpur, Mathura for some months. Control the Indriyas. Eat simple food. Wear simple clothing. Lead a simple, natural life. You will develop Bhakti soon. Cultivate Vairagya towards sensual objects. Have Mithya and Dosha Drishti for objects. Objects are unreal, perishable. They are attended with various sorts of pains and miseries. Vairagya will come by itself. Raga for objects is an enemy of Bhakti.

Repeat the formulae “I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy Will be done.” Have perfect self-surrender. Then only you will have Darshan of God. Do not keep any desires for you. Destroy egoism completely. A Bhakta gets Salokya, Sameepya and Sayujya Mukti. He lives near God. He serves God. He enjoys all His Aishvaryas. He gets Krama Mukti. In the end he gets Jnana.

Where is God? Is He only in the temples, churches or Musjids? No. Is He only in the four Vedas or Upavedas or six Vedangas or six schools of philosophy or eighteen Puranas or sixty-four sciences? ‘No’. Is He in the places of pilgrimage or Tirthas alone? No. No. No. Where is He then? “Hridi Sarvasya Tishthitam (Gita XIII-17)—Wisdom, the object of Wisdom, seated in the hearts of all.” He is not very far. He is quite close to you. “Anoraniyan mahato mahian atmasya jantornihato guhayam.” Subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, He is located in the cavity of your heart, in the innermost recesses or chambers, the Hridaya Kamala.

“Nayamatma pravachanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena” (Katha Upanishad). Not by arguments, not by extreme intelligence, not by the voracious and wide study of scriptures, will you reach God. You can reach Him by sincere Sadhana or ascetic spiritual practices. Avoid wrangling and vain quibbling. Make genuine efforts.

O faithless ones! Just hear the life-history of Roopkala Bhagavan of Ayodhya and the soldier-Bhakta of Punjab. Roopkala Bhagavan was a famous Bhakta in Ayodhya. It was he who started the All-India-Kirtan. He died a few years ago. He was a native of Chapra near Benares. He was the Inspector of Schools. He was a sincere devotee of Sri Rama. One day he was absorbed in meditation. He did not visit a school for inspection. Lord Rama Himself assumed the form of the inspector through his Yoga-Maya-Sakti, inspected the school boys, signed in the register and disappeared. When the inspector came to the school next morning, the teachers said that he was present all along in the school the previous day and showed him his signature in the register. He was very much astonished. This one evidence gave him much encouragement. He instantaneously resigned his post and went to Ayodhya to spend the rest of his life in communion with Lord Rama. Have you not heard of a recent Punjab incident? A soldier, a sincere Rama-Bhakta, was on patrol duty at night. One night a fine Kirtan-party was moving about quite close to the soldier. The soldier was much moved by deep devotion, left his duty and joined the Kirtan-party. He enjoyed the Kirtan to his heart’s content. In the depth of higher emotions, he entered into Bhava-Samadhi, the ecstatic state of Bhaktas. When he returned at 6 a.m. he enquired the Subedar-Major whether anything happened during his absence. The Subedar said, “Nothing happened. I saw you always on the patrol duty.” The Bhakta soldier was extremely surprised to hear the statement of the Subedar. He thought it was all the Grace of Rama. Rama Himself took charge of patrol duty to protect His devotee. He assumed the form of the soldier. When the Bhakta came to know of this incident, he immediately resigned his post and went to Ayodhya to spend his whole life in devotion. My dear brother, do not become a sceptic. If you are sincere in your devotion, you will have Darshan of God face to face this very moment.

Japa is the repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord. In this Kaliyuga, Japa is an easy way for God-realisation. Tukaram, Dhruva, Valmiki, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Narsi Mehta, Gauranga, Ramdas, Mira—all had attained salvation by uttering the name of God. Why not you also, my dear friends, my amiable comrades? Japa is an important Anga of Yoga.

Any Mantra is powerful. It is a mass of radiant energy. Japa is of three kinds:

(1) Vaikhari or verbal with Ucchara.

(2) Upamsu with humming sound.

(3) Manasika wherein the lips do not move. It is done with the mind and mind alone.

Upamsu brings fruits thousand times more than that of Vaikhari. Manasika brings fruits crores of times than Vaikhari.

Mind wants varieties, new sensations. It gets disgusted with monotony. Just as you want brinjal vegetable today, Lauki tomorrow and Parwal day after tomorrow, the mind wants varieties in Japa also; otherwise it becomes dull. It refuses to work.

Do Vaikhari for some time, then Upamsu for some time and then Manasika for some time. The repetition of a Mantra serves as a gate-keeper. When the mind runs away, the repetition of the Mantra will at once tell you that some other evil-intruding thoughts have entered the mind.

There is Mantra Sakti and Mantra Chaitanya in every Mantra. It changes the mental substance from passion to purity, from Rajas into Sattva. It calms, strengthens the mind. It makes the mind Antarmukha, introspective. It checks the outgoing tendencies of the mind. It eradicates all kinds of evil thoughts and inclinations. It destroys Vasanas and reduces the force of thought. Eventually it leads to the direct Darshan of God or Ishta Devata. Japa purifies the mind, induces Vairagya, destroys Vasanas and brings you face to face with God.

Have Suddha, Sattvic Bhava when you repeat the Mantra. Repeat the Mantra at least 21,600 times daily, to correspond with the 21,600 Soham breaths.

You must do the Japa regularly. The shorter the Mantra the greater is the concentration. Of all the Mantras, Rama, Rama, Rama is the best. It is easy to repeat also. If you are tired of repeating the Mantra at one stroke, have three or more sittings; from morning 4 to 7, evening 4 to 5 and night 6 to 8.

Repeat the Mantra very quickly for some time and when you find that the mind is wandering much then repeat it slowly. The golden rule is to repeat the Mantra neither too slow nor too quick. Observe the happy medium.

Everyone of you should have a separate meditation room. Make a small enclosure in a corner of a room with screen and sit for Japa if you cannot manage to get a separate room. Do not allow anybody to frequent the place. Both morning and night sit there regularly for 10 minutes. Gradually increase the time as much as you can. This is very, very important.

In this Kali Yuga when rigid Hatha Yoga Kriyas are difficult to be performed owing to poor physique of people and when people do not possess sharp intellect and power of inflection and ratiocination, Japa and Kirtan are easy methods for Self-realisation. Ram Prasad of Bengal had Darshan of Mother Kali through Kirtan alone. “Na-aham vasami Vaikunthe yoginam hridaye na cha, mad bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tishthami Narada—I dwell not in Vaikuntha, nor in the hearts of Yogins; but I dwell there where my Bhaktas sing of Me, O Narada!”

Select any one of the following Mantras. Repeat it with concentration from 10 to 50 Malas from 4 to 6 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. regularly, everyday.

Jugal Mantra
1. Sita Ram
2. Radheshyam
3. Sri Sita Ramachandrabhyo Namah

Saranagati Mantra
1. Sri Rama Saranam Mama
2. Sri Sita Rama Saranam Mama
3. Sri Ramachandra Saranam Prapadye
4. Sri Krishna Saranam Mama

God is the Inner Ruler of your heart and mind. He is the silent witness of your thoughts. You cannot hide anything from Him. Become guileless and straightforward.

A devotee of Hari is always meek and humble. Name of God “Hari” is always on his lips. He sheds profuse tears when he is alone. He is very pious. He is friendly towards all. He has equal-vision. He does good always. He never hurts the feelings of others. He has a spotless character. He never covets the property of others. He sees Hari in all beings.

Bhakti can move mountains. Nothing is impossible to it. It was the devotion of Mira that converted a snake into a flower garland, poison into nectar and a bed of nails into a bed of roses. It was the devotion of Prahlada that turned fire into ice.

A devotee should become an embodiment of goodness. He must be ever ready to do good to living beings. That devotee who is intent upon the welfare of all beings obtains the peace of the Eternal. He who rejoices in the welfare of all, gets the Darshan of the Lord. He develops Advaitic consciousness eventually.

Service of Bhagavatas, repetition of God’s name, Satsanga, singing His name, study of the Bhagavata or the Ramayana, living in Brindavan, Pandharpur, Chitrakuta or Ayodhya, are the six means for developing Bhakti.

Anger and lust are the two inner enemies that stand in the way of developing Bhakti. From lust follow the ten vices that are mentioned in Manusamhita—love of hunting, gambling, sleeping by day, slandering, company with bad women, drinking, singing love-songs, vulgar music, dancing, aimlessly wandering about.

Anger begets eight kinds of vices. All evil qualities proceed from anger. If you can eradicate anger all bad qualities will die of themselves. The eight vices are: Injustice, rashness, persecution, jealousy, taking possession of others’ property, harsh words and cruelty.

How are Bhaktas to be known? Lord Krishna has given a description of them. You will find it in Bhagavatam. “They do not care for anything. Their hearts are fixed on Me. They are very humble. They have equal vision. They have no attachment towards anybody or anything. They are without ‘mine-ness’. They have no egoism. They make no distinction between sorrow and happiness. They do not take anything from others. They can bear heat, cold and pain. They have love for all living beings. They have no enemy. They are serene. They possess exemplary character.”

Here is a Sadhana for advanced students. This is highly useful for getting quick, solid progress in the spiritual path. Get up at 4 a.m. Start your Japa on any Asana you have mastered. Do not take food or drink for 14 hours. Do not get up from the Asana. Control passing urine till sunset if you can manage. Finish the Japa at sunset. Take milk and fruits after sunset. Householders can practise this during holidays. Practise this once a fortnight or once a month or once weekly.

Here is another Sadhana for 10 days. You can do this during the Christmas holidays or Puja holidays or summer vacation. Shut yourself in an airy room. Do not talk to anybody. Do not see anybody. Do not hear anything. Get up at 4 a.m. Start Japa of the Mantra of your Ishta Devata or your Guru Mantra and finish it at sunset. Then take some milk and fruits or Kheer (milk and rice boiled with sugar). Take rest for one or two hours. But continue the Japa. Then again start the Japa seriously. Retire to bed at 11 in the night. You can combine meditation along with Japa. Make all arrangements for bath, food, etc., inside the room. Have two rooms if you can manage, one for bath and one for meditation. Repeat this four times a day. This practice can be kept up even for 40 days. You will have wonderful result and various experiences. You will enter into Samadhi. You will have Darshan of your Ishtam. I assure you.

Here is an Anushthana for 40 days. You will have to do Japa of Rama Mantra one Lakh and twenty five thousand times in the following manner for 40 days, at the rate of 3000 daily. During the last five days do 4000 daily. Get up at 4. a.m. Write down in a thin paper ‘Rama, Rama’ 300 times. Then cut it into small pieces. Each piece will contain one Rama Nama. Then roll it with a small ball of Atta (wheat flour paste). Writing will take two or three hours according to your strength and capacity. Then you will have to cut one by one. You will have to do the whole process by sitting on one Asana. If you find it difficult to sit on one Asana, you can have change of Asana. But you should not leave your seat. Some use a special ink made of saffron, musk, camphor, etc., and special writing pen made up of a sharp-pointed thin, Tulasi-stick. You can use ordinary ink and pen if you cannot get the above special ink and special pen. You will have to do the Anushthana on the banks of Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Kaveri or Narmada, at Rishikesh, Benares, Hardwar, or Prayag. You can do it at home, if you find it difficult to move to these places. Take milk and fruits and Palahar during these days. Two Punjabis, a student of law, and his father, are having this Anushthana in Rishikesh. Throw the balls in the Ganga or any river for fishes. You will develop wonderful patience. You will get Divine Grace.

Study the whole of the Ramayana 108 times with purity and concentration. This can be done within three years if you can devote three hours daily. You can go through the book three times in a month. You will acquire Siddhis. You will have Darshan of Lord Rama.

Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga are not incompatibles like acids and alkalis. One can combine Ananya Bhakti (one-pointed devotion) with Jnana Yoga. The fruit of Bhakti Yoga is Jnana. Highest love (Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. Perfect knowledge is love. Perfect love is knowledge. Sri Sankara, the Advaita Kevala Jnani, was a great Bhakta of Lord Hari, Hara and Devi. Jnana Deva of Alandi, Poona, a great Yogi of late, was a Bhakta of Lord Krishna. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa worshipped Kali and got Jnana through Swami Totapuri, his Advaita Guru. Lord Chaitanya was a fine Advaita Vedantic Scholar, and yet he danced in streets and market places, singing Hari’s names. Appaya Dikshitar, a famous Jnani of Adaipalam, North Arcot District, Madras, the author of Siddhanta Lesha and various other Vedantic books was a devotee of Lord Siva. It behoves, therefore, that Bhakti can be combined with much advantage with Jnana.

May we hear with our ears and see with our eyes nothing but what is pure, so that with our senses unperturbed, remembering God, meditating on Him, singing His praise and repeating His name, we may attain life as that of the Gods. Om Santi.

This is an easy way for attaining God-consciousness. At night all the members of the house should sit in a circle and do Kirtan for one hour before the picture of Lord Krishna. The servants of the house also should be included. Sing any Name of the Lord as Siva, Hare Ram, Sita Ram, Raghupati Raghava Rajaram, etc., in a chorus with one Svara, Tala harmoniously. Nada Brahman will be generated. You will forget the body and the world and enter into ecstatic state. Practise, try and feel yourself. Mere tall talk will not do. Just as the intoxication that you get by taking a dose of opium lasts for hours, the Divine intoxication that you get from Kirtan will last for some hours during the following day also. At night you will be free from bad dreams. During Kirtan a special spiritual wave comes from the indweller of your heart and purifies the mind and Pranamaya Kosha. All diseases are cured thereby. Doctor’s bills are saved. Sattva flows from the Lord to your mind, just as oil flows from one vessel to another vessel. Kirtan gives you strength to face the difficulties in the battle of life. Singing the Names of the Lord is a mental tonic.

In the evening four people can join together and read regularly the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana or the Bhagavata. Svadhyaya or study of holy scriptures is Kriya Yoga. It is of immense benefit for householders who do not find much time for serious spiritual practices and constant meditation. The study itself is a form of meditation. When the mind is concentrated on Divine thoughts, it is filled with purity. The gross mind is rendered subtle.

I want to say a word on the devotional nature of Hindu ladies. In India, religion is maintained by the ladies only. There is peculiar religious instinct in them. Hindu ladies are highly devotional. They infuse the religious spirit in the males through their daily conduct and practical life. They get up in the early morning, wash the house, take bath, do Japa, make a small temple in their house and keep there pictures of the Lord and Pooja vessels, etc. They keep the place sacred and in the evening do Arati and prayer. The atheistic male members of the house are forced to do some prayer or other through their influence, on account of fear. In reality the ladies of the house govern the house. They are the manifestations of Sakti. The husband is not entitled to do any religious rite without her presence by his side.

“Where women are honoured, there Devas are pleased; but where they are not honoured, there no sacred rite is fruitful.” Such is the glory of Hindu ladies. My earnest prayer is that they should sing the Name of the Lord in the early morning as soon as they get up. They should train their children also to sing the Names. The whole house will be charged with spiritual vibrations. Even when they cook and draw water from the wells, they should be singing in mild tone the Names of the Lord. A strong habit of repeating the Names of the Lord will be formed in two months. This itself is quite sufficient for attaining God-consciousness. Singing the Names of the Lord is a very easy method for getting Darshan of the Lord in this Kali-Yuga. Even when anyone dies, the habit of singing the Name of the Lord will come to his rescue.

From time immemorial Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Nalayani, Anasuya and Draupadi have been regarded as sacred ideals of Indian Womanhood. They are sublime and exemplary characters who have exalted womanhood to the height of divine perfection.

Modern women should draw inspiration from their lives and try to tread their path. As long as such characters continue to exercise their influence upon the lives and character of Indian ladies, so long they will be looked upon with admiration and reverence by their sisters of other countries.

All of them were subjected to very severe tests in which their purity, courage, patience and other virtues were put to and nobly did they come out through those tests. Hindu women are, since the dawn of the early civilisation, distinguished for their disinterested love and self-abnegation.

What a wife is to a Hindu husband is well illustrated by a verse in the Ramayana where Sri Rama referred to Sita says:

“In counsel she is my counsellor, in action she is my servant, in religious performances she is my partner, in tolerance she is like the earth, in affection she is like unto my mother, in bed she is like the celestial Rambha and in play she is my companion. Such indeed, O Lakshmana, is my beloved...” This is the Hindu ideal of a wife.

The eternal fidelity of a Hindu woman to her husband makes her an ideal of the feminine world. It makes her sublime and lofty. This sublime virtue still runs deep in the heart of hearts of every Hindu woman of India superior to any of the other countries in national integrity and honour.

The inspiring force of the home is woman. The home is the origin and the beginning of every form of social organisation. It is the nursery of the nation. It is the sweet place or centre wherein children are trained for future citizenship. The woman illumines the home through the glory of motherhood. Man is incapable of doing the domestic duties incident upon the rearing up of the children. Good habits, right conduct, formation of character are created in children spontaneously in a well-regulated home under the personal influence of the mother. The loving kindness and the cultured gentleness of the mother help the children to unfold their native talents and dormant capacities quickly. Children absorb ideas by suggestion and imitation. Early training and impressions are lasting formation of character can be done by efficiently by mothers at home. Therefore, home is the beautiful training ground for the building up of character in children under the personal guidance of the mother.

Women are the backbone or bedrock or the basis for sustaining religion and national strength and prosperity. There is no difference between her and Lakshmi, the Goddess of Beauty, Grace and Prosperity. Manu says, “That woman who does always good, who is efficient in work, sweet in speech, devoted to her Dharmas and service to her husband, is really no human being but a Goddess.” If the mother trains her children on the right lines she is rendering a great service indeed to the nation and the national culture.

Women have got ample opportunities to improve and increase the national health and prosperity. They really build the nation. They can utilise their talents and abilities in making the home the cradle of culture character, personal ability and religious upheaval. It is therefore wrong to say that their life is cramped or stunted by attending to the duties at home and that no scope is given for evolution and freedom. This is a sad mistake indeed! The life of a woman is as noble and serious as that of a man. There is no doubt of this.

It is the women that keep up the life and happiness of the home through their smile, tender affection, sweet speech, charming personality, grace and angelic presence. The home will be a real void without them. It will lose its peculiar charm and beauty without their presence.

It will be of great benefit to know what the Great Ones have said about the ideal of conduct and deportment that a woman should try to live up to. Sri Rama instructs Kausalya, his mother, as follows: “To a woman so long as she is alive, the husband is indeed the Lord and God. That woman, who, though noblest of all and given to the practice of vows and fasts, does not look after her husband, will indeed obtain an unmeritorious future. Even if a woman has never bowed to the Gods and has ceased to worship them, she obtains the highest heaven by serving her husband. A woman should be absorbed in the service of her husband, taking delight in his pleasure and his good. This is the path of the Dharma, known for long ages, revealed in the Vedas, and remembered by the world. There is nothing more cruel for a woman than to desert her husband. To attend upon and to serve one’s husband is no doubt the highest duty of a woman. So long as a woman lives, her husband is her only master.”

Then again there is Kanva Rishi’s advice to Sakuntala on the eve of her departure from his Ashram to King Dushyanta’s residence. Kanva Rishi says: “Sakuntala! Serve all your elders. Though your Lord is angry with you at times, do not go against his wishes. Do not be too much attached in enjoyment. Treat your dependants and co-wives with motherly affection and tenderness. Be an affectionate companion to your sisters-in-law. Be obedient to your mother-in-law. These attributes will make you the true mistress of the house. Otherwise, you will give pain and trouble to the whole family.”

It is the duty of the lady of the house to get up before her husband in the early hours of the dawn, take her bath and perform the household work. Tiruvalluvar’s wife shampooed the feet of her husband, slept after her husband and rose up in the morning before he got up from bed. She is regarded as a model woman.

To a lady the husband is indeed the highest ornament of all ornaments. Being separated from him, she, however beautiful, does not shine.

The Hindu scriptures say that the wife must be very obedient and that the husband is God to her. Some ignorant persons take advantage of this and exercise undue authority over their wives and keep them under extreme subordination. Is this not a sad mistake? Woman is in no way inferior to man. The home is a co-operative organisation. It flourishes on the principle of division of labour. The husband should not think that he is superior to his wife, simply because he is the earning member of the family. Women have a definite field of their own. They are mothers of the house. The extraordinary abilities and intellectual attainments, and the magnetic personality of the modern women are a standing monument to their undoubted equality with men. The personal influence of women at home is essential to unify the various interests of the family. It is women alone who can rear and nurse children. Hindu wives are queens in their own homes. The husbands should treat their wives with intense love and respect. They should be regarded as equals in all respects and be held in the light of partners in life. Manu says, “The householder should first serve his relatives and dependants with food and then take the remaining food along with his wife,” hinting thereby at the position of equal footing on which she is to be treated. If a man earns and the wife stays at home, it does not mean that the woman is a parasite and a slave. She is indeed the builder of the nation. Verily, women exercise an authority over their husbands through their love, tenderness, affection, grace, beauty, selfless service and fidelity, purity and self-abnegation.

In the west the woman is wife. In India the woman is the mother. Mother is worshipped. Mother is considered as the Goddess Lakshmi of the house. The Srutis emphatically declare, “Let thy mother be thy God.” The late Ashutosh Mukherji, Vice-Chancellor of the Calcutta University used to wash the feet of his mother and drink the water before he went to his office. This water is called ‘Charanamrit’. It is a great purifier of the heart. In the West the wife governs the home. In an Indian home the mother rules. In the West the mother has to be subordinate to the wife. In India the wife has to be subordinate to the mother.

If woman be pure she can save and purify man. Woman can purify the race. Woman can make a home a sacred temple. The Hindu women have been the custodians of the Hindu race. The Hindu religion, the Hindu culture and civilisation still survive in spite of the many foreign invasions, when other civilisations have come and gone, on account of the purity of the Hindu women. The women are taught to regard chastity as their most priceless possession, and the loss of it as equal to the eternal damnation of their souls. Religion is ingrained in the Hindu women from their very childhood. Hindu women illumine and enliven the house through the glory of their purity. This is the secret of the endurance of the Hindu religion, civilisation and culture.

Start that pure life of a Yogi the very day on which you read these lines. No leniency to mind. Self-reliance is indispensably requisite. You can get suggestions from outside. But you will have to tread the path yourself, to place each step yourself in the spiritual ladder.

You will have to train your wife also. She also will have to do rigid Sadhana. Mere gossiping will not do. If she serves the husband nicely and takes care of his body with the right mental attitude and gives him the wants of the flesh, food and drinks as soon as he comes down from meditation, she can have Self-realisation in and through the form of her husband alone, like Laila in Majnu, Savitri in Satyavan, Anasuya in Atri.

That house is a miserable place, veritable hell on earth wherein the husband moves up in spirituality and the wife pulls him down in sensual grooves and vice versa. They should be harmoniously blended or joined by the thread of the knowledge of the Self, each aspiring eagerly for attaining God-consciousness. That house is really a Vaikuntha where the husband and wife lead an ideal Divine Life, singing Hari’s Name, repeating His Mantra 200 Malas daily, studying the Ramayana and the Bhagavata, controlling the Indriyas and serving Bhaktas and Sannyasins.

Renunciation is mental. Renunciation brings peace. There is no loss in renunciation. You renounce the illusory sense pleasure to get the Supreme, Eternal Bliss and Immortality. Bear this in mind. Do not be guided and influenced by public opinion. March boldly and cheerfully in the path of Truth, consulting your inner conscience and hearing the inner, small, shrill, sweet voice of the soul. Do not be hasty in doing any outward renunciation. The world is the best teacher. Unfold the Divinity by remaining in the world alone. Nivritti Marga is extremely difficult. Ninety per cent fail in this path.

Save as much money as possible. Do 200 Malas of Japa. Cut off society. Keep company with one Sattvic man. Spend every second profitably. Serve sick people. Share what you have a small portion with poor people.

May the Divine Glory shine in your face!

(Cheer up yourself—never despair)

Sin is a mistake committed by the ignorant Jiva during his journey towards Sat-Chit-Ananda abode. Once you make up your mind to tread the path of truth all sins will be destroyed. Lord Krishna gives His assurance: “Even if the most sinful worship Me, with undivided heart, he too must be accounted righteous for he hath rightly resolved. Speedily he becometh dutiful and goeth to eternal peace. Know thou for certain that My devotee never perisheth.” The repetition of even ulta-nam (reverse name) of Rama Mantra, transmuted rogue Ratnakar into a sage Valmiki. When such is the power of the inverse name (Mara, Mara), what to speak of the glory of repeating Rama, Rama with Bhava from the bottom of the heart! Ajamila who was in a degraded and abject state on account of his bad character attained Mukti by repeating ‘Narayana’ once in his death-bed by calling his son by his name Narayana. Licentious Vemanna of Andhra Desa became a full-blown Yogi by his devotion to mother Kali. Grieve not, my dear friends. Fear not. Stand up. Gird up the loins. Fight with the Indriyas and Vasanas. Become a Yogi. Forget the past. A glorious, brilliant future is awaiting you. Cheer up yourself. Purify. Concentrate. Do Japa and Kirtan. Meditate. Realise the Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman!

Half-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. This is the reason why they do not realise any substantial progress in the path.

Forget not the goal of life amidst selfish activities. The goal of life is Self-realisation. Are you attempting to reach the end and aim of life? Are you doing Japa, Pranayama and Meditation? Have you kept up the ideal before the mind’s eye? That day in which you do not practise any spiritual Sadhana is wasted. Give the mind to God and the hand to work. You will have to analyse and scrutinise your motives. It is the selfish motive and not the work itself that binds a man to Samsara. Prepare the mind for Karma Yoga. Mere selfish work cannot be taken as Yogic activity. The mind is so framed that it always expects something for a small piece of work. When you smile you expect a return of smile from your friend. When you raise your hand in salutation, you expect a salute from other people. Even when you give a cup of water to another man, you expect him to be grateful to you. When such is the case how can you perform Nishkama Karma Yoga?

Life is very precious. Live in the spirit of the Gita’s teaching and work without expectation of fruits and egoism. Think you are Nimitta in the hands of Lord Narayana. If you work with this mental attitude you will become a Yogi soon. Work never degrades a man. Unselfish work is Puja of Narayana. Work is worship. All works are sacred. There is no menial work from the highest view point, from the view point of the absolute, from the view point of Karma Yoga. Even scavenging when done with the right spirit and mental attitude is Yogic action. Even a scavenger can realise God in his own station of life by service. The famous butcher Dharma Vyadha of Mahabharata realised God in his meat shop (through serving his parents). You all have got inside all materials for wisdom. There is a vast magazine of power and knowledge within you. It wants kindling. Now wake up, Oh Saumya!

When you work disinterestedly without any agency and when you surrender the works and fruits as Ishvararpana, all Karmas are transformed into Yogic Kriyas. Walking, eating, sleeping, answering the calls of nature, talking, etc., become offering unto the Lord. Every bit of work is Yoga for you. Think that Lord Siva is working through your hands, and is eating through your mouth. Think that your hands are the hands of Lord Siva. In the beginning some of your actions may be selfish and some may be unselfish. In the long run you can do all actions in an unselfish manner. Scrutinise your motives always. This is the keynote for Nishkamya Karma Yoga. Every act can be spiritualised when the motive becomes pure. Work is meditation. Serve everyone with intense love without any idea of agency without expectation of fruits or reward. If you adopt the path of Jnana, feel you are a silent Sakshi and the Prakriti does everything.

It is selfishness that has deplorably contracted your heart. Selfishness is the bane of society. Selfishness clouds understanding. Selfishness is petty-mindedness. Bhoga increases selfishness and selfish Pravritti. It is the root cause for human sufferings. Real spiritual progress starts in selfless service. Serve the Sadhus, Sannyasins, Bhaktas and poor, sick persons with Bhava, Prema and Bhakti. The Lord is seated in the hearts of all.

The spirit of service must deeply enter into your very bones, cells, tissues, nerves, etc. The reward is invaluable. Practise and feel the cosmic expansion and infinite Ananda. Tall talk and idle gossiping will not do, my dear friends! Evince intense zeal and enthusiasm in work. Be fiery in the spirit of service.

Have Nishta with God and Cheshta with hands like the Bahurupi who has the Nishta of a male and the Cheshta of a female. You will be able to do two things at a time by practice. The manual work will become automatic, mechanical or intuitive. You will have two minds. A portion of the mind will be at work; three quarters of the mind will be in the service of the Lord, in meditation, in Japa. Karma Yoga is generally combined with Bhakti Yoga. A Karma Yogin offers to the Lord as an oblation whatever he does through the Karma Indriyas. This is Ishvara Pranidhana.

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.

Study the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhiji. He never makes any difference between menial service and dignified work. Scavenging and cleaning of the latrine is the highest Yoga for him. This is the highest Puja for him. He himself has done cleaning of latrines. He has annihilated this illusory little ‘I’ through service of various sorts. Many highly educated persons joined his Ashram for learning Yoga under him. They thought that Gandhiji would teach them Yoga in some mysterious manner in a private room and would give lessons on Pranayama, meditation, abstraction, awakening Kundalini, etc. They were disappointed when they were asked to clean the latrine at first. They left the Ashram immediately. Gandhiji himself does repairing of his shoes. He himself used to grind flour and take upon his shoulders the work of others also when they were unable to do their allotted portion of work for the day in the Ashram. When an educated person, a new Ashramite, felt shy to do grinding work, Gandhiji himself would do his work in front of him and then the man would do the work himself from the next day willingly.

In the West cobblers and peasants have risen to a very great position in society. Every work is a respectable work for them. A boy applies polish to the boots in the streets of London for a penny, carries newspapers and journals in the afternoon for sale and works as an apprentice under a journalist during his leisure hours at night. He studies books, works hard, never wastes a minute and in a few years becomes a journalist of great repute and international fame. In Punjab some graduates have taken to hair-dressing work. They have understood the dignity of labour.

A real Yogi does not make any difference between menial and respectable work. It is only an ignorant man who makes such a difference. Some aspirants are humble in the beginning of their spiritual career. When they get some name and fame, some followers, admirers, devotees and disciples, they become victims to pride.

They cannot do any service. They cannot carry anything on their heads or hands. That Yogi who carries the trunk on his head without the slightest feeling in the railway platform amidst a multitude of his admirers, disciples and devotees, without making any outward show of humility must be adored. Sage Jada Bharata carried the palanquin of King Rahugana on his shoulders without murmuring. Lord Krishna shampooed the legs of a Raja when his barber devotee was on leave. Sri Rama carried a pot of water for the ablution of one of his devotees. Sri Krishna took the form of a menial servant as Vithoo and paid the money to the Nawab on behalf of his devotee, Dhamaji. If you really want to grow in the spiritual path you must do all sorts of service daily till the end of life. Then only you are safe. Do not stop doing service when you have become a famous Yogi. The spirit of service must enter every nerve, cell, tissue and bone of your body. It must be ingrained in you. Then only you will become a real, full-blown practical Vedantin.

Is there any greater Vedantin or Karma Yogin than Lord Buddha? He still lives in our hearts, because the spirit of service was ingrained in him and he spent his whole life in serving others in various ways. You can also become a Buddha if you apply yourself diligently to selfless service with the right mental attitude.

Lord Krishna says in His Gita: “Tasmat sarveshu kaleshu mam anusmara yudhyacha—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; the lady knits and talks with her comrades. The mind of the girl who has a water pot on her head is on the water pot, though she is talking and joking with her companions while she is walking on the road. A nurse while she is nursing the baby of another lady has her mind rivetted on her own baby. A cowherd while he is looking after the cows of other people has his mind fixed on his own cow. Even so, have your mind fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord, while you are doing your household duties and office work. You will realise Self-consciousness quickly. Just as the water remains unaffected in the lotus leaf, just as the oil floats upon the surface of the water without being affected in any way, so also you should remain in the world amidst pleasures and difficulties.

Just as the tongue is not affected by taking ghee, so also you should remain unaffected even amidst worldly activities and troubles. You must keep up the Nirlipta state. This is Jnana. This is balance (Samata). You may fail to keep the balance and Nirlipta state a thousand and one times. But in the long run you are bound to succeed if you persist in your practice and if you discipline the mind properly. Every failure is a pillar for future success. Remember this point well.

A Karma Yogin should not expect even return of love, appreciation, gratitude, admiration from the people whom he is serving.

Only he who has reduced his wants and controlled the Indriyas can do Karma Yoga. How can a luxurious man with revolting Indriyas serve others? He wants everything for himself and wants to exploit and domineer others.

Another qualification is that you must be balanced in success or failure, gain or loss, victory or defeat. You must be free from Raga and Dvesha. “An action which is ordained, done by one undesirous of fruit, devoid of attachment, without love or hate, that is called pure.” (Gita XVIII-23)

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. Karma is everything for a student of Mimamsic school of thought. Jaimini is the founder of Purva Mimamsa. He was student of Maharishi Vyasa, the founder of Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta. The Mimamsa school deny the existence of Ishvara who awards the fruits of works.

According to the Gita, any action is Karma. Charity, sacrifice, Tapas are all Karmas. In a philosophical sense, breathing, seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, smelling, walking, talking, etc., are all Karma. Thinking is the real Karma. Raga-Dvesha constitute the real Karma.

Have right thinking. Use your reason and commonsense. Follow the injunctions of the Sashtras. 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 the 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.” Then strictly follow the words of a Guru on whom you have absolute faith and confidence. The third way is: Have fear in God. Consult your conscience. The shrill, inner voice will guide you. As soon as you hear the voice, do not delay even a moment. Start the action diligently without consulting anybody. Practise to hear the inner voice in the morning at 4 a.m. If there is fear, shame, or pricking of conscience, know that you are doing a wrong action. If there is joy, exhilaration or satisfaction understand that you are doing right action.

When the diverse, confining sheaths of Atman have been dissolved by Sadhana, when the different Vrittis of the mind have been controlled by mental drill or gymnastics, when the conscious mind is not active, you enter the realm of spirit life, the superconscious mind where Buddhi and pure reason and intuition, the faculty of direct cognition of Truth manifest. You pass into the kingdom of peace where there is none to speak, you will hear the voice of God which is very clear and pure and has an upward tendency. Listen to the voice with attention and interest. It will guide you. It is the voice of God.

(By Sri Sankaracharya)

Repeat the Sloka at the end of your meditation.

“Thou art Atma; Buddhi is Thy consort, Parvathi (who is born of mountain); the Pranas are Thy attendants; this body is Thy house; the action of sensual enjoyment is Thy worship; deep sleep is the establishment of Samadhi; walking by my feet is the perambulation around Thee; all my speeches are Thy praise; whatever actions I perform, are all Thy worship; Oh Shambhu!”

Mind is 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 Vasanas and Sankalpas. It is a mixture of worry and fear. It is a solution of Ahankara. It is a confection.

Absolute and relative manifestations.

Matter, Prana and Mind are the three relative manifestations of the Absolute. Prana is really a modification or manifestation of Mind. Prana is Kriya Sakti or faculty of actions. Matter emanates from Prana. Prana proceeds from mind. Matter is below Prana. Prana is above matter but below mind. Prana is positive to matter but negative to mind. Mind is positive to both Prana and Matter, but negative to will. Will is the centre of Ego. Will is the General-in-chief which directs the mind and Prana to all parts and in all directions. Intuition is above reason and is the channel of communication between man and spirit. Development of the Will-Power by Auto-suggestion is the basic principle of Raja Yoga or Vedanta. Superconscious Mind is the realm or Spirit of Life.

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.

Prana is the vital force, life-energy or Jiva Sakti. It is the eternal symbol of God. It is the link Hiranyagarbha or Golden son of God. It is the link between the astral and physical body. Prana is divided into physical Prana and psychic Prana. Breathing is external manifestation of physical Prana. All thoughts are due to the vibration of psychic Prana in the Chitta.

The causal body or Karana Sarira is the support for the astral and physical bodies. Will is Para Sakti. Get this Sakti—you will get Sat or Existence.

Chitta is the sub-conscious mind. It has two layers. One layer for emotion and the other for passive memory. The instinctive mind is the lower nature of human beings. It is the desire-mind or Kama Manas. The spiritual mind is the higher Manas. The seat of the mind is the heart. The mind connected to the Somachakra of the lowermost portion or under-surface of the brain is termed the organ of understanding. By Manonasa or annihilation of the mind is meant the destruction or dissolution of the lower nature, desire-mind. Sankhya Buddhi or Buddhi in the light of Sankhya philosophy is will and intellect combined. Mind is microcosm. Mind is Maya. Mind occupies an intermediate state between Prakriti and Purusha, matter and Spirit.

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 a Jada Vasthu and Apavitra. Always entertain this idea. Have a clear-cut, well-defined image-picture like this. You will conquer lust by such a mental drill. If you understand the doctrine of unity in variety, if you know there is only one matter, one Energy, one Mind-substance, one Life, one Existence, Sat, one Reality, and if you entertain always such a thought, you can control Krodha. If you remember that you are only an instrument in the hands of God, that God is everything; God does everything; God is just; then you can get rid of Ahamkara. You can annihilate Dvesha by Pratipaksha Bhavana. Look to the brighter side of persons. Ignore the dark aspect.

Emotion is a motive power like the steam of an engine. It helps you in your evolution. Had it not been for the presence of emotion, you would have passed into a state of passivity or inertia. It gives a push for action or motion. It is a blessing. But you must not become a prey to emotion. You must not allow the emotions to rule you. You must not allow them to bubble out. You must purify and calm the surging emotions. You must allow it to rise slowly and subside quietly from the mind-ocean. You must keep the emotion under perfect control. Do not mistake physical sensations for higher sublime emotions. Do not be carried away by emotions. There are certain people who like to hear some new sensational events just to arouse their emotions. They live on emotions otherwise, they feel quite dull. This is a great weakness. This must be eradicated if they like to have a calm, quiet life.

All evil qualities proceed from anger. If you control anger, all evil qualities will vanish by themselves. Ahamkara, Sankalpa, Vasana, Prana have intimate connection with the mind. There cannot be any mind without these four. Prana is the life of the mind. Ahamkara is the root of the mind. Sankalpas are the branches of the tree, mind. Vasana is the seed of mind. This deep rooted tree of Samsara of dire Ajnana which ramifies in various directions with branches full of flowers, tendrils, etc., has the mind as its root. If this root-mind is destroyed, tree of Samsara, this tree of birth and death will also be destroyed. Cut this root-mind with the axe of Brahma Jnana. Chop off the branches—the Sankalpas, with the knife of Vichara-Viveka.

The ever-restless mind becomes quiescent when all desires vanish. Desire raises Sankalpas (thoughts). Man performs actions for acquiring the desired objects. Thus he is caught up in the wheel of Samsara. The wheel stops when the Vasanas perish.

Just as there are doors in a bungalow between the outer and inner rooms, so also there are doors between the lower and higher mind. When the mind is purified by the practice of Karma Yoga, Tapas, right conduct or the practice of Yama, Niyama, Japa, meditation, etc., the doors between the lower and the higher mind are opened. Discrimination between the real and the unreal dawns. The eye of intuition is opened. The practitioner gets inspiration, revelation and higher Divine knowledge.

It is extremely difficult to have a calm and pure mind. But you must have such a mind, if you want to have progress in meditation, if you desire to do Nishkamya Karma Yoga. Then only you will have a perfect instrument, a well controlled mind at your disposal. This is one of the most important qualifications for the aspirant. You will have to struggle hard for a long time with patience and perseverance. Nothing is impossible for a Sadhaka who has iron will and strong determination.

Just as soap cleanses the physical body so also Japa of a Mantra, Dhyana, Kirtan and practice of Yama cleanses the mind of its impurities.

The subconscious mind is termed “Chitta” in Vedanta. Much of your subconscious consists of submerged experiences memories thrown into the background but recoverable.

When you show symptoms of losing your memory, as you grow old, the first symptom is that you find it difficult to remember the names of persons. The reason is not far to seek. All the names are arbitrary. They are like labels. There are no associations along with the names. The mind generally remembers through associations, as the impressions become deep thereby. You can remember in old age some passages that you have read in schools and colleges. But you find it difficult to remember in the evening a passage you have read in the morning. The reason is that the mind has lost its Dharana Sakti (power of grasping ideas.) The cells have degenerated. Those who over work, mentally, who do not observe the rules of Brahmacharya and who are afflicted with much cares, worries and anxieties, lose their power of memory soon. Even in old age you can remember old events as there are associations with events.

The mental processes are limited to the field or consciousness alone. The field of subconscious mentation is of a much greater extent than that of conscious mentation. Messages when ready, come out like a flash from the subconscious mind or Chitta of the Vedantins. Only ten per cent of mental activities come into the field of consciousness. At least ninety per cent of our mental life is subconsciousness. We sit and try to solve a problem, and fail. We look around, try again and again but fail. Suddenly an idea dawns and leads to the solution of the problem. The subconscious process was at work.

Sometimes you go to sleep at night with the thought “I must get up very early in the morning to catch a train.” This message is taken up by the subconscious mind and it is this subconscious mind that wakes you up unfailingly at the exact hour. Subconscious mind is your constant companion and sincere friend. You repeatedly fail at night to get a solution for a problem in Arithmetic or Geometry. In the morning when you wake up you get clear answer. This answer comes like a flash from the subconscious mind. Even in sleep it works without any rest incessantly. It arranges, classifies, sorts all facts and works out a proper satisfactory solution. This is all due to subconscious mind.

With the help of the subconscious mind you can change your vicious nature by cultivating healthy, virtuous qualities that are opposed to the undesirable ones. If you want to overcome fear mentally deny that you have fear and concentrate your attention upon the opposite quality, the ideal of courage. When this is developed fear vanishes away by itself. The positive always overpowers the negative. This is an infallible law of nature. This is Pratipaksha Bhavana of the Raja Yogins. You can acquire a liking for distasteful tasks and duties by cultivating a desire and taste for them. You can establish new habits, new ideals, new ideas and new tastes and new character in the subconscious mind by changing the old ones.

The functions of Chitta are Smritti or Smarana, Dharana (attention) and Anusandhana (inquiry or investigation). When you repeat a Mantra it is the Chitta that does the Smarana. It does a lot of work. It turns out better work than the mind or Buddhi.

All actions, enjoyments and experiences leave their impressions in the subconscious mind in the form of subtle impressions or residual potencies. The Samskaras are the roots of causing again Jati, life and experiences of pleasure and pain. Revival of Samskara