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Is God conscious or unconscious? If He is conscious, He must have a forms for only a being who has a body can be conscious.

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on March 3, 2012 at 6:00pm

God is pure consciousness. He is omniscient, all-knowing. He is Nirakara, formless or
incorporeal. This physical body has limited our universal consciousness. Consciousness is of
various kinds, viz., physical consciousness, mental consciousness and absolute consciousness.
You will experience the highest consciousness when you transcend the three bodies through
constant and intense meditation. With this physical body and limited senses you can have the
physical consciousness only.

From "May I answer th

Since you are an advocate of equality and your teachings do not take into consideration class distinctions, are you in sympathy with communism?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on March 2, 2012 at 6:00pm

I have nothing to do with politics, much less with any Godless creed. I do not believe that
religion or religious teachings should have anything to do with politics. I advocate equal vision
in the sense that the One Reality dwells equally in all beings. Names and forms are changing
phenomena. Spirit alone is. In a relative sense, the whole humanity is the family of God; there is
no high or low in His eyes. As such, a spiritual man’s attitude should not be narrowed down by
any kind of distinction, be

The Koran for the Muslims, the Bible for the Christians, the Old Testament for the Jews, the Gathas for the Parsis. What about the Hindus?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on March 1, 2012 at 6:00pm

The Gita, of course. That is the simple, basic scripture for all Hindus. It contains the
essence of the Upanishads, gives an optimistic and ideally adequate philosophy of life and shows
the main paths of Yoga in an integrated perspective.

From "May I answer that" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divine Life Society, Photographs of Swami Sivananda, German Pages on Swami Sivananda

Do you believe in heaven and hell existing as some independent planes apart from this earth-plane of ours?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on March 1, 2012 at 6:00pm

Why not? They are also planes of existence just like ours. They are as real as the earthly
plane. All the worlds (Lokas) and all the Tirthas (sacred rivers) are existent in the human being
himself, if he has belief in the scriptures. One can enjoy heaven or hell in this birth if he so
wishes. The greater the grossness, the more intense will be the torture and suffering till such
time as the individual is refined and fit for the descent of the Lord’s grace by repeated
calcinations or purificatory proc

Does it not involve the sin of disobedience if a person becomes a Sadhu disregarding the pious wishes of his parents?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 28, 2012 at 6:00pm

No doubt it helps a person if he takes to Sadhuhood or Sannyasahood with the permission
of his parents and other closely related ones; or else, it is likely to affect the interests of the
individual. But there is absolutely no harm if he takes to the Nivritti Marga or the path of
renunciation when there is a very high degree of Vairagya.
No man in the world is related to any other from the absolute metaphysical standpoint and
whatever relationship exists between one and the other is, after all, by di

I meditate every now and then on God’s glory and omnipotence, but seem to derive no tangible results therefrom. Reasons for it please.

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 27, 2012 at 6:00pm

There is no use of praying to the Lord by fits and starts or every now and then. Do Japa
and meditation regularly without any break even for a single day. Just as you do not give up tea
and meals even for a single day, and just as you do no forget them too, so also, do not forget
Sadhana - whatever little you can - and then only take your meals. This is a sure and potent way
of goading and compelling the mind to penetrate itself deeply and unavoidably into the spiritual
practices. By following this p

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How to put a permanent end to all doubts and questions?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 26, 2012 at 6:00pm

As one advances in spiritual Sadhana and attains a greater and greater degree of evolution
day by day, by regular and unremitting practice of the Yoga of Synthesis, the clouds of doubts,
delusion and interrogation disperse by themselves. As the sun rises, the mist disappears. Even
so, as you progress in the spiritual path by the Grace of Guru and God, all the intricate problems
of life and death dissolve themselves into the ever-abiding Truth of existence. The only duty of
man is to intensify the inn

Is the cinema an evil? Does it corrupt public morals? Please explain.

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 25, 2012 at 6:00pm

Cinema, as such, is not an evil, though it generally wrecks the health of people and spoils
their eyesight, when indulged in inordinately. And it leads to several evil contacts. Its great
condemnation is when it consists of sensational pictures, rousing the passions, exciting the senses
and causing a revolt of the immoral and non-ethical worldly propensities like lust, hatred, vanity,
agitation or any form of sensuality or egoism. Of course, there is no harm in educational,
religious and spiritual pi

If a person has been forced into wedlock with a girl not at all beautiful, but abounding in qualities of head and heart, ...

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 24, 2012 at 6:00pm

what should characterize the attitude of that man
towards his wife, constantly worried as he is on the count that his wife is not beautiful?
How can he manage to conceal his pent-up feelings of frustration caused by the lack of
beauty in his wife - aesthetically speaking - and yet manage to lead a healthy, happy,
harmonious married life?

It is not in the power of man to choose this beautiful girl or that, nor in the power of a girl
to select this handsome or rich man or that. Everything is predestined

Which is more powerful in human beings - hunger or the sex-urge?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 23, 2012 at 6:00pm

The world of living beings has three things in common - Ahara (food), Nidra (sleep) and
Sangama (copulation). Food (Ahara) does not play so important a part as the sex-urge in man,
however much that sexual instinct develops in adolescence at the age of 16 in a male and 14 in a
female. This age-limit is merely nominal and it differs in different climes and depends upon the
ways and habits of the individuals. Whether a male or a female attains puberty or not, the sex
instinct will ever be there by natu

What are the marks of a wise man and a fool respectively from the ultimate point of view?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 22, 2012 at 6:00pm

The fool reacts outwardly and emotionally under all circumstances, while there is no
reaction in the sage. If at all the latter acts, such actions are not reactions to any immediate
action, but are born out of the sage’s Satsankalpa to serve humanity. Secondly, in all situations,
the fool places himself first but finds himself last, while the wise man places himself last but
finds himself first. Thirdly, the wise man retires silently as soon as he has done his work, but the
fool remains to ear others

Swamiji, why do you allow your feet to be worshipped, allow regular Puja to be offered to your feet?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 21, 2012 at 6:00pm

The materialistic modern mind needs a good flushing before it can understand this. To
the spiritual aspirant, the Guru’s feet are not feet merely, but are the channels of divine grace.
From time immemorial, the Indian seeker after truth has known that his receptive centre, viz., the
head, should come into contact with the preceptor’s transmitting centre, the feet, in order to get
infused with spiritual power, wisdom and light. This is one of the axioms of electricity, that the
positive and the negati

What, according to you, should be the maximum number of children a spiritual-minded Grihastha should have?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 20, 2012 at 6:00pm

Every Grithastha, be he worldly-minded or spiritually-inclined, wishes to have a son to
keep up the lineage or the family line and a daughter to give an ineffable cosmic enlightenment
expressive of the Divine Mother (Prakriti) who is the creatrix and origin of the universe, for it is
from the womb of the Mother (Prakriti) that the entire creation is ushered into this world. No
household couple is satisfied either with male issues or with female issues. They want both, to
reveal themselves as the two

Why is it that the life-span of the modern man is so short as compared to that of his ancestors?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 19, 2012 at 6:00pm

Our ancestors used to have a well-regulated, disciplined life. They were not slaves of
their senses as the modern people are. They used to do Japa, Pranayam, Sandhyavandana
(Trikala) and Svadhyaya (study of religious books like the Gita, the Bhagavata and the
Ramayana). They used to do charity and selfless service, and observe Vratas like Ekadasi, Sri
Rama Navami, Sri Krishna Ashtami and Dattatreya Jayanti. They used to conduct spiritual
conferences and pray for world peace and not for their own indi

When death is predestined and also is nothing but a pause to change the clothes, why is it, then, a sin to commit suicide and also to kill living beings for a certain cause?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 18, 2012 at 6:00pm

Suicide as well as killing of other beings are both considered to be great sins, as they
block the course of evolution of the Jiva. Moreover, putting an end to the present gross body by
force does not help one to put an end to his sufferings. Sufferings and pleasures due to him by
virtue of his past actions won’t leave him until and unless they are enjoyed by him completely.
On the contrary, by suicide one is inviting more miseries, for it may take some time for
him to get another gross body in which

Should the means to achieve good ends be always good? Medicine tastes bitter, but cures diseases. Arjuna fought against the Kauravas to achieve good ends.

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 17, 2012 at 6:00pm

Indian thought has no hesitation in answering this question in the affirmative. Except the
rank materialists, the Charvakas, the founders of all other systems of Indian thought boldly
declare that “one should not adopt a foul means to achieve a desired end, however covetable that
end may be”. There should not be any doubt regarding this point.
I don’t think that your two examples are strong enough to prove that the end justifies the
means. For, the medicine, whether it be sweet or bitter, in so far a

May I know if you mean by ‘Sastras’ the age-old, written or unwritten, set and rigid principles of ancient Hindu religious scriptures? ...

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 16, 2012 at 6:00pm

Have these principles not become
time-barred due to the fast-changing conditions? I don’t think any rigid principle can
stand the test of time.

Yes, the age-old, written or unwritten set principles of the ancient Hindu religious
scriptures are termed ‘Sastras’. But because of this, it need not follow that they should become
time-barred. The fundamental tenets of right living are unchanging. There cannot be any sort of
difference in the fundamentals.
Modifications, alterations and adjustments are necess

Is conscience not the mode by which we can listen to the inner Atman?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 15, 2012 at 6:00pm

The pure conscience itself is the “Inner Voice”. But the difficulty in the ordinary man is
that the voice of the lower mind, the voice of the brutal instincts, is often misunderstood as the
voice of conscience. As a result of such misunderstanding, guided by his animal tendencies, he
commits colossal blunders, involving danger to others. It requires a great degree of purity and
calmness of mind to hearken the true Inner Voice.

From "May I answer that" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations

How can a married man practice Brahmacharya? Is it possible especially when the couple are young?

Posted by Teachings of Swami Sivananda on February 14, 2012 at 6:00pm

To live and enjoy Grihastha life, with one’s own wife during the Ritu period subject to
the imposed restrictions of the Sastras is itself Brahmacharya. Sastras say that the married man
should not indulge in sense-satisfaction as and when his senses prompt him to do so. He should
subject himself to the various restrictions imposed even on the enjoyment of sense life. For
details in this respect, study my book, “Advice to Women”. One who observes these Sastraic
injunctions and leads a happy, well-regul

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Is God conscious or unconscious? If He is conscious, He must have a forms for only a being who has a body can be conscious.

Since you are an advocate of equality and your teachings do not take into consideration class distinctions, are you in sympathy with communism?

The Koran for the Muslims, the Bible for the Christians, the Old Testament for the Jews, the Gathas for the Parsis. What about the Hindus?

Do you believe in heaven and hell existing as some independent planes apart from this earth-plane of ours?

Does it not involve the sin of disobedience if a person becomes a Sadhu disregarding the pious wishes of his parents?

I meditate every now and then on God’s glory and omnipotence, but seem to derive no tangible results therefrom. Reasons for it please.

Shefqet Avdush Emini CV,Publications

How to put a permanent end to all doubts and questions?

Is the cinema an evil? Does it corrupt public morals? Please explain.

If a person has been forced into wedlock with a girl not at all beautiful, but abounding in qualities of head and heart, ...

Which is more powerful in human beings - hunger or the sex-urge?

What are the marks of a wise man and a fool respectively from the ultimate point of view?

Swamiji, why do you allow your feet to be worshipped, allow regular Puja to be offered to your feet?

What, according to you, should be the maximum number of children a spiritual-minded Grihastha should have?

Why is it that the life-span of the modern man is so short as compared to that of his ancestors?

When death is predestined and also is nothing but a pause to change the clothes, why is it, then, a sin to commit suicide and also to kill living beings for a certain cause?

Should the means to achieve good ends be always good? Medicine tastes bitter, but cures diseases. Arjuna fought against the Kauravas to achieve good ends.

May I know if you mean by ‘Sastras’ the age-old, written or unwritten, set and rigid principles of ancient Hindu religious scriptures? ...

Is conscience not the mode by which we can listen to the inner Atman?

How can a married man practice Brahmacharya? Is it possible especially when the couple are young?

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