Teachings of Swami Sivananda's Blog – August 2013 Archive (31)

Never. If there is any thought of the body or the disease or the bodily affliction or

something that cannot be tolerated by the fleshy frame, remember that he is no advanced Yogi or

saint or Sannyasin. He who has no thought of himself or the surroundings or the world, he who

is centered in his own Self or his beloved Ishta Devata or gracious Guru, and he who is entirely

oblivious of limitations of any sort, and identifies himself with the limitless,…

Whether a wrong is done on some basis or not, it is not to be retaliated against in any way

if one wants real moral and spiritual strength and the Lord’s grace. Calmly bear the wrong done

to you without the slightest mental upset or loss of psychic equilibrium. Do good to the man that

does harm. Bless that man that curses you. Pray for the well-being of the man that beleaguers

you. Study the lives of Jaya Deva, Shams Tabriez, Jesus Christ, Gauranga and other saints.…

Nadi Suddhi means purification of the nerves (Nadis). Nerve is not the correct English

term for Nadi. There is no appropriate word for Nadi in English.

Complete fast, preferably without any liquid or solid food, practice of Asans and

Pranayam, and intense physical exercise¾all go a long way in the elimination of fat and other

unwanted matters and in the overhauling of the system to confer the benefit of Nadi Suddhi.

Asans and Pranayam can purify the nerves, if done…

Does this statement not advocate a false sense of self-satisfaction and defeatist

mentality? Please reconcile the discrepancy and oblige.

“If a thing is refused to him (the Sadhak), he should not aspire for it again.”

Read this statement again and again till it suffuses your entire being, till the proper

substance of it is totally realized by yourself. Then only you will appreciate the grand truth to

imbibe its true spirit. “Neither ask nor reject” should be the…

The Yogic method excels all other methods. It is the best and the cheapest of all

prevalent systems of treatment. Take to intense Pranayam and Asans. Both these help a lot in

preserving Veerya (semen) and converting the vital energy into Ojas. Practice Sirshasan,

Sarvangasan, Matsyasan, Halasan, Paschimottanasan, Padahastasan and Yoga Mudra coupled

with Bhastrik Pranayam. Practice Pranayam till the stage of Kevala Kumbhak is reached. When

there is no necessity either…

A righteous man is he who is pure in thought, word and deed and who observes Yama

and Niyama to the very letter. He ever moves astray for the sake of paltry gains and selfish ends.

He is ever pious, God-fearing, Self-centered and selfless. He has cosmic vision and a broad

outlook. He is equanimous and tolerant towards all. He is a mine of all virtues like charity,

nobility, sincerity, humility, renunciation, serenity, simplicity and so on. No egoism, no lust,…

The true greatness of man is to be measured not by the amount of wealth nor by the

number of bungalows which are had or by the exercise of personal influence, but by the degree of

selflessness, all-embracive outlook, generosity, liberal views, cosmic benefaction, self-sacrifice,

egoless, self-effacing nature, grade of perception of unity in diversity, humanitarian services, etc.

A truly great man is pious, spiritually elevated, magnanimous and noble-hearted. He can…

Every man has not sprung up all on a sudden as a man. The Jiva, right from the very first

ushering into the world, continues to undergo the cycle of births and deaths not in tens, hundreds

or thousands, but in lakhs. It actually carries with it the Samskaras right from its very first birth

up to the birth current, i.e., under enjoyment. The unenjoyed or residual Samskaras continue till

they are completely fried in toto by Atma Jnana. The very forgetfulness of death by…

The industrial revolution does not compel anyone to lower the moral standard. No doubt,

it might have facilitated this fall to some extent. The real mischief was done by the misleaders of

mankind who deliberately exalted material values over spiritual values. It is never too late to

mend. Even now, if the heart of man be cleansed of the dross of selfishness and selfaggrandizement,

and righteousness enthroned in it, the moral standard can be kept high in spite

of the…

Ask God why He has created this world! Attain wisdom of the Self. Then you will know

why God created the world. You cannot understand it with your intellect. You can understand it

only with intuition.

For the sake of sport, God created the world. Lokavattu Lila Kaivalyam. Creation of the

world has a purpose. Just as we cannot have a sun without rays, similarly, we cannot have God

without the world process. The world is like His rays. It is His Svabhava, nature. Just…

There must be Purushartha also. Only when you do Purushartha, the grace will come. A

professor will not answer the questions for you and make you pass. The Gita says, “Uddharet

Atmanatmanam”. One should raise oneself. Grace only helps one to raise oneself. Everybody

should work out his own salvation. You may ask, “What is grace then?”. If an aspirant gets

letters from his preceptor, clearing his doubts, that is grace. If an aspirant comes here, takes

Ganges bath and…

If a person hurts the feelings of some Godrealized

saint, then it is said that the saint may curse and thus herald a bundle of miseries

for him. How far is this true?

The company of Sadhus and Sannyasins is always covetable provided they are of sterling

character. If this singular qualification is traceable in them, they are worthy of adoration and

respect. They can never be a source of trouble to anyone.

Contact with Sadhus and Sannyasins of true worth can…

You cannot renounce the world all at once. The world is a vast university. Nature is the

best teacher. In the world you can develop virtues like mercy, tolerance, etc. You cannot

develop them if you remain in a cave. The world is the best teacher. Gradually, when you have

evolved, you can renounce. Guru Nanak remained in the world with two or three children.

There is nothing wrong in the world. Prayer will remove all obstacles.

From "…

Yes, purity of food leads to purity of mind. Aharasuddhau Satvasuddhih. Take a dose of

champagne and sit for meditation. Take a dose of orange-juice and sit for meditation. You will

know the difference. Different foods exercise different influences on different compartments in

the brain. By taking champagne, meat and garlic, the mind will be confused and will become

restless when you sit for meditation. By taking milk and fruits, you will get good concentration.

Our…

You can practice ordinary Pranayam exercises without the help of a Guru. There is no

danger in practicing Pranayam, Asan, etc., if you are careful, if you use your common-sense.

People are unnecessarily alarmed. There is danger in everything if you are careless. If you are

careless in getting down the steps of a staircase, you will fall down and break your legs. If you

are careless when you walk in the busy parts of a city, you will be crushed by the motor-cars.…

Please, Swamiji, have some consideration even for a woman and tell me

whether I am to be blessed with such happiness in my future, and if so, when that will be.

It is said that one must have a proper Guru and I do not know where to hunt for one

who would satisfy my appetite soon. Can you help me?

Did you yourself have a Guru and who was he? Tell me all about him, please, if I

am not being too bold in asking this. Is he, or was he, a Satguru?

May I know whether…

Karma does not compel a man to do wrong actions. Samskara does, to a certain extent.

But God has bestowed free will on man, with which to make or mar his career. Man has no

Bhoga-Svatantrata or the freedom to enjoy or suffer, which factor is governed by Karma. But, he

has got Karma-Svatantrata or freedom to do good or evil. He can substitute good Samskaras in

place of the old vicious Samskaras by Vichara-sakti, will-power and continued practice of…

Karma is likened to the wheel. It has to work out; because the force that set it in motion

has to be spent. It is a cycle of action and reaction. Just as the arrow once discharged from the

bow cannot be withdrawn, even if the hunter feels that he has aimed at a wrong target, Prarabdha

Karma, the fruit of those Karmas performed in previous births that have come up for experience

in this present birth, cannot be annulled.

How then does God help His devotee? The…

Why must I be bound by the laws of Prakriti and be limited by the phenomena of time,

space, causation and substance, and above all, why must I get involved in this process of

evolution and involution?

The eye cannot perceive itself. A man cannot stand on his own shoulders. Even so, all

enquiry into the Ultimate Cause, the causeless Cause of all creation, is first confronted with a

formidable wall of primordial ignorance. He who annihilates his ego to nothing at this…

Your mind will waver.

Run, run, run quickly to solitary places like Rishikesh. You will be safe in the spiritual

path”. May I come to you and lead the life of a Sannyasin?

Do not be hasty. Think well. Look before you leap. Mere emotion will not do in the

spiritual line. The above instructions are for those who were already doing some kind of

Sadhana. They will have to go in for seclusion for advanced practices. It will be better for

beginners like you to perform…