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Kumbh Mela

Posted by Ruchir on October 12, 2012 at 8:54am

Before I talk about the coming 2013 Kumbh Mela, I will write the customary few things about this event which you can read from various sources , I have not written anything that is not already known to my readers but I will keep updating about the event on a first hand basis every now and then.

I will update about places to stay, when to reach, and any other info that the readers might want in my following blogs.

The Legend
The observance of Kumbh Mela is based upon the following legend: Thousands

THE RAREST BLESSING

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 11, 2012 at 7:00pm

'There are eighty-four lakhs of creatures. This human birth is attained only after passing through all these lower births. Even men of great erudition waste their time without making enquiry into the nature of the Self in spite of their having obtained this hard-to-attain human birth in a virtuous and good family.
To get a human birth is indeed difficult. It is difficult to have a male body. It is still more difficult to be born a Brahmin. To follow the Vedic path is rare. To be well versed in th

SUPREME DISPASSION

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 10, 2012 at 7:00pm

It is common to have dispassion for particular objects through some cause or other, but by having dispassion for all objects at all times one will get knowledge of the Self.
Do not fall a victim to infatuation even if you happen to move in the cities among the young and well-adorned fashionable women. Resolve to attain Self-realization. Then the darkness of infatuation will vanish of its own accord.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the W

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 9, 2012 at 7:00pm

Who is wife? Who is son? Who are you? From where have you come? Is this worldly existence real? How are you related to others? Think deeply on all these matters. You will develop discrimination and dispassion.
Who are you? Who am I? Who is your mother? Who is your father? Think deeply on all these. Give up attachment to the things of this world. This worldly existence is a dream. Seek the Eternal.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Web

MIND--THE WANDERING DEER

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 8, 2012 at 7:00pm

The mind is like a deer which has forgotten its real abode. It wanders about in the forest of worldliness. It is bound by the ties of desires and tortured by the tigers of sense-objects.
When will this mind, which has been undergoing endless miseries in countless births, be able to attain eternal happiness? Reflect on this point daily. O mind, leave off your wandering nature at once. Do not think of the opposite sex, food and money.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informa

Religious Salutations - Cannot separate the Language and the Religion

Posted by Ruchir on October 8, 2012 at 4:01am

As most of you are aware that Hindu is a person that follows Hindu religion or Hinduism whereas Hindi is the Language but here I want to stress on the point that these two are inseparable.

Most Hindi learning websites will tell you and teach you that the basic Hindi salutations are , Namaste,Namaskar,Suprabhat, etc but only a true Hindu will tell you that other very common salutations are RamRam, JaiShriKrishna, Om Namah Shivay,Jai Mata Di, HariOm, Jai Gurudev, Jai Maharajji,etc. and the one whic

TRIUMPH OVER THE SENSES

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 7, 2012 at 7:00pm

Do not allow your mind to be carried away by fragrant flowers and perfumes, by palatable dishes and delicious fruit, by a shady tree or a bungalow, by the melodious music of birds and instruments. Sit on the floor, meditate on God and conquer the longing for sensual objects. Get triumph over the senses.
The mind wanders by thinking of one's children and wife, or by thinking of one's native place, a river or a mountain. When it thinks of any of these objects, it remains like a man whose hands and

WON'T YOU WOKE UP NOW?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 6, 2012 at 7:00pm

Life is passing away. People are dying. They are all afflicted with various kinds of diseases. And yet you do not try to abandon desire and exert for salvation and eternal bliss.
The body is crippled and the hair has become white. The teeth have fallen and the old man walks, leaning on a stick. Yet he has not abandoned desire. O old man, the moustache has become gray but yon have not abandoned desire. You have now become hunchbacked, but anger has not left you. All the senses have become cold and

HOW TO CONQUER DESIRE

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 5, 2012 at 7:00pm

Desire for name and fame, infatuated love for the body and one's family, desire for vast erudition – all these are stumbling blocks on the path of Self-realization. He who desires to extricate himself from this worldly existence should annihilate desire for these things.
When a desire arises in the mind for an object, think of the evils in that object. Think of the pain and suffering that comes with the object. You will then attain dispassion towards that object. Then, if a desire arises to enjoy

GATES TO THE CITY OF DEATH

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 4, 2012 at 7:00pm

Poverty is the best remedy for the disease of pride. The disease of pride, vanity and egoism, that is caused by possession of wealth, can be cured by the ointment of poverty.
The three entrances to the city of death are the opposite sex, wealth and the tongue, he who has conquered these three need not be afraid of death. He has no enemies who rides bravely on the horse of discrimination with the sword of dispassion and the shield of endurance.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). M

Sangam

Posted by Ruchir on October 3, 2012 at 8:30am

Friends,

My city Allahabad is one of the biggest religious and spiritual centers of India. In ancient times it was called Prayag. One of the unique features about my city is that it is situated at the confluence of three rivers ; Ganga, Yamuna and the mythological , now extinct river Saraswati, hence it is also called Triveni.

We can see the different streams of water meeting each other at the Sangam
( confluence). It is visited by lakhs of devotees every month whose aim is to take a dip in the hol

WATCH FOR THESE THIEVES

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on October 1, 2012 at 7:00pm

To deprive you of the treasures of the Atman, the thieves of lust greed, anger and egoism have bound you with the ties of desire for children and love of enjoyment, and left you in the forest of this worldly existence.
Man groans in the forest of worldliness as he is troubled by dangers and sufferings. The dangers are the pains caused by the three kinds of afflictions. The sufferings are hunger and thirst, birth and death.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on S

WORSHIP NOT THIS BODY

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 29, 2012 at 7:00pm

The physical body will surely be destroyed. Then, what is the use of decorating it with ornaments and silk clothes and partaking of many kinds of palatable dishes? The Atman alone is indestructible. Therefore, exert to realize the Atman.
Do you not know that this physical body, which at present rolls on a bed of fragrant flowers, will one day be burnt on logs of wood?
The wise, who know the Self as knowledge, bliss and existence, and also the physical body, which is full of blood, bones and flesh,

Devanagari - The Hindi Alphabet!

Posted by Ruchir on September 29, 2012 at 9:00am

Friends,

Let us get started to begin your adventure in Learning the Hindi Language. Remember that although learning a language fluently may take years, it is only one small step at a time.

When compared to English, Devanagari is actually a lot easier to read, believe it or not! Compare the ‘c’ sound in the words city and cat. The letter ‘c’ makes a two different sound right? This differences doesn’t exist in Devanagari because every letter has only one pronunciation and so this makes reading so mu

PRAYER TO SIVA

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 28, 2012 at 7:00pm

The leaves of life are failing off. Youth is fading. Days are rolling on. Time, the destroyer, lays his hands on the whole world. Our existence in this world is as momentary as a bubble or like a flash of lightning. O Lord Siva, protect me.
O Lord Siva, who holds the begging-bowl of the skull of Brahma, control this monkey-mind, which jumps about at its sweet will on the branches of desires in the forest of lust. Keep it with Thee forever.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More

THE REMEDY FOR MISERIES

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 27, 2012 at 7:00am

This world, which contains friends, neutrals and enemies, which affects a man with heat and cold, hunger and thirst, pleasure and pain, censure and praise, honour and dishonour, gain and loss, success and failure, sorrow and joy, happiness and misery, is a creation of your own mind due to ignorance.
Therefore, renounce wealth, as it is a source of all evils. Renounce attachment to wealth. Renounce the desire for wealth. Cultivate dispassion, the remedy for all human sufferings.

From "Daily Sayings

WORSHIP THE SELF

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 26, 2012 at 7:00pm

If time be the cause of pleasure and pain, how can it affect the immortal and eternal Atman? The Atman is one with time. Certainly a flame is not affected by fire, nor a hailstone by cold. This Atman, which is beyond duality, can never be affected by the pairs of opposites. Therefore, with whom should you get angry?
You should practice devotion to the highest Self, worship the feet of the Lord and thereby cross the ocean of worldliness. Thus will you attain immor¬tality and everlasting bliss.

From

ATMAN IS UNAFFECTED

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 25, 2012 at 7:00pm

If the body is the cause of pleasure or pain, the Atman has nothing to do with it, because pleasure and pain pertain to the gross and subtle bodies which are the products of nature. The Atman is the silent witness or spectator of the activities of nature. If you bite your tongue, with whom will you get angry for causing the pain?

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divine Life Society, Photographs of Swami Sivananda, German

THE SUPREME WITNESS

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 23, 2012 at 7:00pm

The silent witness, the Supreme Self, looks from above at the activities of the mind of the individual soul. It looks like a spectator, free and unattached. It is quite indifferent and unconcerned. It is perfectly unaffected, like water on a lotus leaf. The individual soul identifies itself with the body and mind. It works and enjoys sensual objects with avidity, cupidity and stupidity and is bound thereby.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda:

MIND – THE CAUSE OF PAIN AND JOY

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on September 22, 2012 at 7:00pm

Neither this body nor the Atman nor the gods nor the planets nor work nor time cause pain or pleasure. It is this wretched mind that causes pleasure and pain and creates this worldliness.
This terrible mind generates thoughts, cravings, egoism, desires and likes and dislikes. Man then does various actions with egoism and expectation of fruit. Therefore, he has to take birth again and again in accordance with the nature of actions.

From "Daily Sayings" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informati

Blog Posts

All Posts (2357)

Kumbh Mela

THE RAREST BLESSING

SUPREME DISPASSION

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

MIND--THE WANDERING DEER

Religious Salutations - Cannot separate the Language and the Religion

TRIUMPH OVER THE SENSES

WON'T YOU WOKE UP NOW?

HOW TO CONQUER DESIRE

GATES TO THE CITY OF DEATH

Sangam

WATCH FOR THESE THIEVES

WORSHIP NOT THIS BODY

Devanagari - The Hindi Alphabet!

PRAYER TO SIVA

THE REMEDY FOR MISERIES

WORSHIP THE SELF

ATMAN IS UNAFFECTED

THE SUPREME WITNESS

MIND – THE CAUSE OF PAIN AND JOY

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