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THE DIVINE LIFE

KATHOPANISHADCHAPTER II

VALLI i

`VíMmoXo{V gy`m}@ñV§ `Ì M JÀN>{VŸ& V§ Xodm… gd} A{n©VmñVXw ZmË o{V H$íMZŸ& EVÛ¡ VV² Ÿ&&9Ÿ&&

9. And that whence the sun rises, and whither it sets, on

that there all the Devatas de pend and no one goes be yond.

This is in deed That.

Vol. LXXI MARCH 2013 No. 12

lr {edmZÝXñVmoÌ‘²SRI SIVANANDA STOTRAM

(lr ñdm‘r ^mJdVmZÝX)

A{MÝË¶e{º$gånÞ ~«÷{dîUw{edmË‘H$&AIÊS>kmZ{Zb¶ gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&1

Grant me thou, O Siva, finalemancipation, thou who art identical withBrahma, Vishnu, and Siva, thou who artpossessed of inconceivable power and whoart the repository of Absolute Knowledge.

Aßnæ¶Hw$b‘mVm©ÊS> Anam{OVd¡^d&AeofOrdg§goì¶ gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&2

Grant me thou final liberation, O Siva,thou who art the Sun of Appayya’s family,who art unequalled in glory and worthy ofadoration by the entire humanity.

AmZÝXm»¶Hw$Q>rañW AmIÊS>b{Zfo{dV&Am{X‘Ü¶mÝVa{hV gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&3

Grant me final liberation, O Siva, thouwho hast made Ananda Kutir as thy abodeand art without the beginning, middle or theend and is worshipped (even) by Indra.

Bï>mW©Xm{¶Z²² gd©k BÝXþIÊS>{eamo‘Uo&BÀN>m‘mÌOJËg¥ï>… gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&4

Grant me thou final liberation, O Siva,thou who art the granter of boonsOmniscient, thou whose head is adorned bythe crest and who hast created the universeout of mere thought (Sankalpa).

B©fV²pñ‘V‘wImo„mg B©{eËdmÚîQ>{g{ÕX&B©emZ gd©Xodoe gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&5

Grant me thou absolute liberation, OSiva, thou who art the ruler of all and the

Lord of all celestials, who art the bestower ofthe eitht occult powers, thou on whose facedances an eternal smile.

Am|H$maê$n {dídoe Am|H$maà{Vnm{XV&Am|H$maÜd{ZgÝVwï> gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&6

Grant me thou absolute freedom, OSiva, thou who art the Sovereign of theuniverse, who art of the form of Omkara,pleased with the sound of Omkara, and thouwhose nature is expounded by Omkara.

H$ÄOZoÌméUmnm“ H${bH$ë‘f^§OZ&H$‘bmZZH$méÊ¶ gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&7

Grant me thou absolute liberation, OSiva, thou who art compassionate, thou whohast lotus-like face and sparkling eyes whose ends are (slightly) red, thou who art thedestroyer of the sins of the iron age.

{edmZÝX‘hmXod {eî¶H$mo{Q>g‘pÝdV&{eï>{à¶ ‘hmemÝV gm¶wÁ¶§ Xo{h ‘o {ed&&8

Grant me thou final emancipation, OSiva, thou who art ever supremely sereneand dear to the innumerable devotees whoever surround thee, thou who art theembodiment of auspiciousness and bliss and art known as the great God.

Xmg^mJdVmZÝXH¥$V§ ñVmoÌmï>H§$ ew^‘²&ñdrH¥$Ë¶oX§ {edmZÝX na‘mZwJ«h§ Hw$é&&9

Accepting these eight verses composedin your praise by Bhagavatananda, thyservant, bless him, my Lord.

2 THE DIVINE LIFE MARCH 2013

FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL IMAGINARY PAINS:ETERNAL HAPPINESS IS YOUR BIRTHDAY

(H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj)

Aspirants, after acquiring materialwealth, worldly success, prosperity andpower, plan and direct their lives in themanner best suited for the achievementof their ambitions. They exert to theirutmost in getting success and crowningthemselves with glory. Eagerly andearnestly they long to appear in the eyesof others as men of high position andvast possessions. Everybody, man orwoman, desires popularity, fame, socialdistinction and, in short, all-roundsuccess in every undertaking. Everyonesets about equipping oneself with all themodern accomplishments, movesrestlessly in fashionable societies andever devises ways and means for gainingpredominance over all men andthings—this seems apparently to be thesole aim in life!

But after the highest reach ofsuccess, which is unstable and fleeting,where is man? The apparent success isnever sustaining, and all his hopes seemto shatter to bits. Clouds of anxiety andpessimism begin to gather around himand to threaten him with nightmarespeculations of an undefined future.Set-backs and disappointments appearone by one at every stage. Hisshrewdness and keen acumen fail tomake any impression before the hardfacts of life. He fails in the very first fewattempts and is forthwith plunged into

despondency. His intelligence,smartness, refinement and adaptabilityfly away at the first test. He isdiscouraged, becomes restless, curseshis fate and scowls at his brethren. He iscompletely disillusioned. He goes aboutwith a woe-bygone face, like one beingcalled to his doom.

O Man, cheer up! It is not thesetrifles—clinking coins, currency andcheques, lands, mansions, gold andsilver,—that are going to help you to thelast. All these are perishable trifles; youare the imperishable child of thatimmortal Brahman. You have only lostthe right track. Shake off alldespondency and misery. Free yourselffrom all imaginary pains. Realise thatyou are really meant for somethinggrander, something more than becoming the slave of these fleeting, perishable and short-lived pleasures of this world.Realise that you are meant for a noblerselfless service. Understand that selflessservice benefits both the server and theserved. This alone makes life fruitful.Have full faith in the benevolent Lord,Who is the source of all sustaininghappiness and true blessedness.

Sivaratri is the night during whichthe aspirant tries to free himself from the usual worldly activities, practises perfect self-restraint and attunes himself to the

MARCH 2013 FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL IMAGINARY PAINS: . . . 3

SIVARATRI MESSAGE:1st February, 1963.

Lord. In other words, the aspirantendeavours to discard his lower natureand completely resigns his personality to the Supreme Lord, Siva. The worship ofthe Lord Siva is a symbol of the supremeaspiration in man for the attainment ofthe perfections of which the Lord is theembodiment. Renunciation andestablishment in Self-consciousness arethe two great aspects of Siva. Thisdemonstrates that absoluteSelf-centredness is achieved throughrenunciation. Supreme attainment is the fruit of supreme abandonment.

The pleasures of this phenomenalworld, born of the contact of the senseswith their objects, are the sources ofpain; they are fleeting and impermanent, and therefore men of wisdom do not takedelight in them. Objective experience ofall descriptions, both pleasant andunpleasant, pulls the mind out of its own source—the Atman. Every moment ofsuch separation of the mind and theAtman is one of pain only. Whether thesensation which draws the mind away isagreeable and therefore pleasant, orwhether it is disagreeable and thereforepainful, the fact is that it keeps the mindaway from the fountain-source of Bliss,the Atman; and hence (whether one feelsso at the moment or not) all suchexperiences are truly painful. That iswhy the Sages declare: Sarvam Duhkham Vivekinha—To a wise man everything ispainful in this phenomenal world! This is not any pessimistic attitude to life, but isglorious optimism. It is certainly astatement of fact. Such declarations ofthe scriptures are intended to rousedispassion in the mind of man, to fan the fire of discrimination in him.

Withdraw the mind and the sensesfrom the objects. Collect all thedissipated rays of the mind—the raysdissipated on various worldly ambitionsand desires—and direct theconcentrated beam of the mind-light onthe inner heart-chamber. It will rend thethick veil of ignorance that hides theentrance to the chamber of Bliss, theabode of the Atman. You will foreverenjoy perennial peace and eternal light.Is this pessimism? No, it is the mostglorious optimism. But he who wouldenjoy this ineffable bliss must pay theprice; and that price is Vairagya,Vivekapurvaka-Vairagya or dispassionborn of discrimination between the Realand the unreal.

If sense-pleasures are the sources of pain, why, then, does not man turn away from them as readily as he turns awayfrom pain, the sceptic may ask. Thisseems to be a difficult question toanswer. It is indeed a mystery. Themysterious power of the Lord, Maya,clouds man’s understanding, hides theReal from his view and projects anunreality. Under its intoxicatinginfluence man tries to grab the shadowand misses the substance. Maya deludes man at every step. Just as a frog in thejaws of death, which has beenhalf-swallowed by a snake, puts out itstongue to catch a fly, man, who, at hisbirth brought with him the one certainevent of death, clutches at every passingphantom and vainly hopes to quench histhirst in a mirage. The power of Maya isso formidable that it places obstacles inthe path of even an advanced Sadhaka.The aspirant has to be eternally vigilanttill he enjoys Nirvikalpa Samadhi and


becomes one with the Supreme Being.He should repeat and contemplate on the meaning of the great utterances of theUpanishads and the Gita; again andagain he should generate the NirodhaSamskaras (the acts of suppression ofevil impressions) in him and feel that theSelf alone is Bliss, and that all else ismisery only.

Divine Life shows the way toachieve, this result easily. If the aspirantpractises Ahimsa, Satya andBrahmacharya (non-injury, truth andcontinence) in thought, word and deed; if he is regular in his Sadhana—Japa,Dhyana, Swadhyaya, Kirtan and selflessservice; if he tries again and again topierce through all names and forms andto see his own Self in everything, he willget the Lord’s Grace quickly, and withHis Grace he will cross this formidable

ocean of Maya. Divine Life is, therefore,life in God. Wherever you are, you willactually feel that the Lord is ever withinyou, and everywhere about you.Whatever you do, you will feel that youare doing for His sake alone. In everyonethat you see, you will see Him alone. Youwill love all as the manifestation of God.You will serve all as you are serving Him.Here and now, living on this very earth,you will live in your own paradise madeof the essence of God. Your life itself willbecome godly; and you would in timebecome one with Him.

May you all earnestly observeMaha-Sivaratri Vrata with devoutworship of the Lord Siva. May you allobtain the Grace of the Lord Siva andenter the Kingdom of Supreme Peace and Eternal Bliss!

Om Namah Sivaya.

MARCH 2013 FREE YOURSELF FROM ALL IMAGINARY PAINS: . . . 5

AN EXERCISE FOR MENTAL RELAXATION

Here is a beau ti ful daily ex er cise for men tal re lax ation. Itwill pour into you great in spi ra tion and strength. Close the eyes.Think of any thing that is pleas ant. This will re lax the mind in awon der ful man ner. Think of the mighty Hi ma la yas, the sa credGan ga, the strik ing scen ery in Kash mir, the Taj Mahal, theVic to ria Me mo rial in Cal cutta, a lovely sun set, the vast ex panseof ocean or the in fi nite blue sky. Pro ceed also this way. Imag inethat the whole world and your body are float ing like a straw inthis vast ocean of the Spirit. Feel that you are in touch with theSu preme Be ing. Feel that the life of the whole world is pul sat ing,vi brat ing and throb bing through you. Feel that the Ocean of Lifeis gently rock ing you on Its vast bosom. Then open your eyes.You will ex pe ri ence im mense men tal peace.

—Swami Sivananda

THE SPIRIT OF MAHASIVARATRI

(Swami Chidananda’s Letter of 1st March 1965)

Immortal Atma Swaroopa!

Blessed Seeker of TRUTH!

Om Namo Narayanaya.

The Divine Grace of the Lord of theUniverse, Jagadeeshwara Mahadev,Vishwa Natha, shower upon you and fillyour life with light, joy and supremepeace of Atman! Maha-Siva-Ratri, one ofthe holiest of holy days in this land ofours, would have been observed from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari by the timethis letter comes to you. Worship of theGreat God with intense devotion andholy fervour would have been witnessedall over India, and the spirit ofworshipfulness and adoration wouldhave purified the Nation’s atmospherewith its unique spiritually sanctifyingtouch.

Devotion should pervade the entirelife-process of man here on earth. To liveis to adore the Divine each moment ofyour life. To know and to be aware thatGod resides in all living beings, nay, inall things animate and inanimate, isverily the source of all righteousness.This knowledge is the root and support of Dharma. No man will injure another if he is intensely aware that God is in him. For he would be directly offending Him!Therefore, see Him in all and act withdevotion and reverence towards all.Sarvam Sivamayam, SarvamVishnumayam. Thus let your heart

whisper with every beat. Let your bloodflow to the rhythm of this sublime truth.Let your body pulsate to the note of thisconstant assertion that everything ispermeated with the Divine Essence!Then indeed will every act of yoursbecome a sacred sacrament, a spiritualYajna, a Mahapuja. This is the glorioustruth about your life. Arise to the light ofthis luminous vision. See God here andnow! And worship Him here and now. Inthis lies the grandeur and theblessedness of human life.

Gracious, most gracious indeed isthe Lord. Avail of His Grace Divine, theever-present Love that is ceaselesslypouring upon us all. The irony of humanlife is not the withholding of Grace by aremote Divinity, but actually, man’srejection of the ever-present Love andGrace, running madly after egoisticalpursuits and fleshy sensations. Hewould rather dedicate his entire life tohis five senses than open his heart to thedescent of Divine Love and Grace thatseeks to enfold him in its infinitecompassion and uplift him to thesupreme blessedness.

Modern men and women shouldconsciously seek to feel and recognisethe nearness of God and the fact of HisLove. This is an important task in yourlife. Your life is not just fleshy sensationand silly sentiment. Cultivate the deeper


level of your inner being. Becomeincreasingly conscious of your closekinship in your essential nature with theCosmic Being. You are never apart fromHim. You are eternally linked andspiritually related to Him every momentof your life. This knowledge is the onlyreal Bread of Life that nourishes yourbeing as no other earthly nutriment shall ever be capable of doing. This knowledgeis not only the Bread of Life, but is Lifeitself. O Man! Be nourished by thislife-sustaining Divine Manna! God isnear. His life sustains you. He is yourbreath, your life, your strength and yoursupport. In Him alone is your peace andjoy. Abiding in Him, you lack nothing.

Leaving Him, you are as nothing and areverily beggared. The Lord is yoursupreme wealth of wealth. May Siva, theever-propitious, the ever-auspicious one, be gracious unto you.

The advent of the spring season is at hand. All life is renewed now. May therebe a fresh awakening unto Divine Lifeand spiritual aspiration within yourheart! God bless you.

With Regards, Prem and Pranams

Yours in Gurudev

Swami Chidananda

MARCH 2013 THE SPIRIT OF MAHASIVARATRI 7

THE GREAT SUPERMAN OF THE EAST

The Bhagavad Gita is the Gos pel of life, the scrip ture of hu man ity, and the lifeof Sri Krishna is the great com men tary on it. Sri Krishna lived the life of a princelyhouse holder, teach ing man kind that the Knowl edge of the Ab so lute is notin com pat i ble with prac ti cal ac tiv ity in life. He is the form, as it were, taken by thegreat Truth that the uni verse is the man i fes ta tion of Brah man. There was no end tothe do mes tic trou bles that Krishna had, no limit to the so cial and po lit i caldis tur bances and threat en ing sit u a tions in which Krishna was in volved, no boundto his re spon si bil ity, and yet there was no match to his suc cess, no equal to hisshin ing ex am ple of the Life Per fect. Sri Krishna was a phi los o pher, a sage, a Yogi,and the states man par ex cel lence, who taught through ex am ple and pre cept the art of gov ern ment, the way to main tain peace on earth.

Here are some valu able in struc tions of Sri Krishna to Uddhava. Sri Krishnasays, “Give no at ten tion to peo ple who laugh in rid i cule, for get the body, go be yondall sense of shame; fall pros trate on the ground and bow to all be ings down even tothe dog, the Chandala or the out caste, the cow and the ass. See ev ery thing in Meand Me in ev ery thing. Cut off all sorts of at tach ments. Have per fect un swerv ingde vo tion to Me.”

“Look upon this uni verse as a de lu sion, a play of the mind, now seen and thenext mo ment de stroyed, like a dream, and ex tremely in con sis tent like the cir cledrawn by a fire brand (Alat Chak ra). The three fold dis tinc tion of wak ing, dream anddeep sleep which is caused by the trans for ma tion of Gunas, of the qual i ties ofNa ture, is Maya.”

—Swami Sivananda

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEART

IN THE FIELD OF SPIRITUAL LIVING

(Sri Swami Krishnananda)

One of the seekers has made a requestthat I speak on the significance of theheart in the field of spiritual living.‘Heart’ is a word which has been usedwith many meanings and referred tooften in religious scriptures and spiritual instructions.

We are many a time told that theheart is the centre of the person, and this is a magnificent theme delineated uponin some of the Upanishads such as theChhandogya and the Taittiriya, whereinthey speak of what is known as thehridayaguha, or the cave of the heart, inwhich resides the Supreme Reality. “Gointo the cave and you find the treasuresof heaven,” says the ChhandogyaUpanishad particularly in its eighthchapter. There is a gorgeous descriptionwith thrilling details in the ChhandogyaUpanishad where it tells us about theglories that are enshrined in our ownhearts, and that the human being is notas he appears on the surface. To repeatthe words as they occur in theChhandogya Upanishad: “The sun andthe moon and the stars, the very spaceand the clouds and the lightning and therains—all this miracle of creation iswithin the heart of man.” When it rainsoutside, it rains inside also, and thestellar regions shine resplendentlywithin the heart of man.

Here is the key to the door of thesecrets of life; and the secret is manhimself. ‘Heart’ is a very enigmatic word.It escapes definition because of itsvariegated connotations. There is a heart which doctors operate upon and whichphysicians transplant, there is a heartwhich is deeply hurt when a person isinsulted, there is a heart which is elatedwhen a person is praised, and there is aheart wherein resides the centrality ofthe universe.

By the word ‘heart’ we mean thecentre of anything. The core, thesubstance, the vitality, the very being ofanything whatsoever is the heart of thatthing. Now, this heart, this centre, thiscore, this vitality, this substantiality, orthe being of anything, is incapable ofdescription. When the heart speaks,everything is hushed. The voice of theheart is often regarded as the final word.All arguments cease to function whenthe heart speaks, which means to saythe reality operates when the heartbegins to function and express itself inany manner. We are also told that ameditation on the heart is one of theprincipal methods prescribed. Peoplegaze inwardly into their own feelings andconceive of a lotus, a resplendent risingsun of golden hue, and so on, in theirmeditations.


It is also told to us in theUpanishads that the heart is the centreof the mind; it is the abode of allpsychological operations. The mind goesto sleep in the heart. In meditation, inswoon, in death, in sleep, the mind is inthe heart. In dream, the mind issupposed to be operating somewherenear the throat. And in the waking state,it is in the brain. The mind is active in the brain cells, and so we are predominantlyintellectual in our outlook during ourwaking hours. We are translucentlyconscious when we are dreaming, andtotally unconscious in the state of deepsleep. The mind subsides and enters itsown nest, like a bird going back to itshouse at the close of the day, and windsup all its activities.

But there is another significance inwhat we mean by ‘the heart’ as far asspiritual seekers are concerned. Theheart of the matter is the root thereof,which is incapable of objectivity orexternalisation; the heart cannot become other than what it is. The heart is theperson. It is identified with the very soulof the individual. When we speak of thespiritual significance behind the word‘heart’, we have to go a little deeper thanthe mere physiological concept of it.

The pranamayakosha, or the vitalsheath which is inside the physicalsheath, is the cave as far as the physicalbody is concerned. But the mind is thecave as far as the vital sheath isconcerned, because the mind is internalto the vital sheath and more pervasivethan the vital sheath. The intellect is thecave even to the mind, because it isinterior to the mind. And the soul is the

deepest because it is interior to the mind. The soul is the deepest essence ofeverything. It is the cave even to theintellect. It is prior to the operation of the intellect, and therefore, man cannotthink the heart, and cannot conceive thesoul. The meditation on the heart,therefore, becomes an unintelligibledifficulty inasmuch as it cannot becomean object of intellectual activity. Ifmeditation is a thinking process or evenan intellectual operation, such ameditation cannot touch the soul,because the soul is not an object of theintellect. It is not something that themind can think because it is prior to themind’s thinking and the intellectualunderstanding of man.

What we call the heart is that whichis prior to everything that we canimagine in our minds or understandthrough our intellects. The verypresupposition of our very existence isthe heart of ours. And there is a heart ineverything. There is a core within evenan atom. There is a substance of thisheart even in the minutest of creatures,such as an ant. There is a statusmaintained by each person, eachindividual, each entity in the world, astatus which is capable of gettingidentified with what we call the heart.Even an ant has a status of its own. It isnot an object to itself; it is a subject.

So now we come to the other pointthat the heart is what we call the subject, incapable of description, again. Thatwhich we call the true subject is thatwhich is indefinable by characteristics of any external object. The heart cannot bedefined because it is the subject. Every

MARCH 2013 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEART..... 9

definition is a description of somethingin terms of other things, but the hearthas no other thing. The subject cannotbe compared to any other thing, andtherefore, it cannot be described bycomparing it with any other thing. Thereis no other thing for the heart, the centre, or the subject. The true subject is thatwhich defies every kind of definition, just as you cannot define your true status.The word ‘status’ is a definition by itself.What you are is a definition of what youare, and nothing else can be said aboutwhat you are. If I say, “I am,” there endsthe matter.

This pure subjectivity, which is theheart of things, is present in every entityin the cosmos, and if the heart is thecentre of anything and everything, thisheart has to be present everywhere.Everything has a heart, a core. Even themolecule has a heart, a core, a neutron,a proton, a substance, an indescribablerebellious status which it maintains. It is rebellious because it is intolerant of anykind of interference from externaldefinitions or characterisations. You donot wish to be compared with anybodyelse. You are what you are. To describeyou in terms of somebody else would notbe a credit given to you. Is there notsomething in you which is there withoutits being something in terms ofsomebody else? Are you going to describe yourself merely as a father, a mother, ason, a daughter, a brother, a sister, aboss, an officer, a president? Is this theway you want to describe yourself? Orare you something independent of thesedescriptions? When you are not a father,not a mother, not a brother, not a sister,not this, not that, are you not something

yet? This something that remains at thebase, even when it is divested of everyassociation, characterisation andrelationship, is what you are. That is theheart, which is supposed to be the objectof meditation, especially when we aretold about it in such scriptures as theChhandogya and Taittiriya Upanishads.

If this status of true subjectivityisthe character of everything, everywhere,the whole world is filled with heart. There is nothing else in this world. It is onlyfeeling, throbbing, pulsating, anddemanding recognition in the way inwhich it has to be recognised and not byway of a description in terms ofsomething other than what it is.

The meditation on such a heart is,therefore, difficult, because everymeditation is a characterisation; it is adefinition; it is a description; it is aconception that we are foisting upon anotional ideal we call the object of ourmeditation. But the heart defies such acharacterisation. We cannot think ourown selves because we are prior to thevery act of thinking ourselves. If such isthe heart that we are, and the subjectthat everyone is, and if everyone is onlythis subject, everyone is the heart.Everyone is a centre. Naturally, thecentre is everywhere. This centre, thisheart, this subject is, and has to be,everywhere, because no one would feelhappy by being compared to somebodyelse. To be compared, to be described interms of something else would be toreduce that something to a satellite ofthat with which it is compared, and inrelation to which it is described. And weare not satellites of anybody. We are not


slaves, servants. Nobody wishes to be aservant. To belong to somebody else isignominy, and no heart, no centre, nosubject would tolerate that.

There is a struggle on the part ofevery centre to maintain itself, and everyorganisation struggles in this manner. Itmay be an astronomical, stellarorganisation like a solar system. Or itmay be an invisible organisation like anatom. It may be a human organisation. It may be an anatomical or a physiologicalorganisation of the body. It may be anotional, ideological organisation.Whatever it is, it stands by itself on itsown legs. It does not belong to somebodyelse. Nothing can belong to anything elseand yet maintain its status. To belong tosomeone else and be described in termsof something else or someone else is tolose one’s status. This is what one wouldnot like to enter into, or reduce oneselfto. Such is the nature of man, of allthings, of nature in its entirety, of allcreation.

This centre, which is the heart ofeverything, is, therefore, incapable ofexternalisation by way of description and definition. Therefore, it is the God of theuniverse. God is the centre of all things.When we say God resides in the heart ofthings, we have to understand whatactually we mean. How we are toconceive the meaning of this statementthat God resides in the heart of all

beings? We often think, like children,that God resides in the heart which weimagine as located within our physicalsheath: God is inside me. This ‘me’ is alarge capital Me which, again, isincapable of comparison with any other‘I’s or ‘me’s. It is a single ‘I’, andtherefore, because of the fact that it is atrue subject which cannot brook anydescription, it stands as the centraltheme of all spiritual, gravitationalactivity in the form of meditation orspiritual pursuit.

All life is a movement towards thiscentre. Every step, or stage, in theprocess of the evolution of things is atendency of converging towards thiscentre which is, and which has to be,everywhere. Such a centre is the object of our meditation; that is the heart. It is inus, no doubt, and when we speak aboutthe meditation on the heart as the centreof all things, we are not concentratingour mind within this physical bodymerely, because God, the omnipresentkingdom of heaven, cannot be containedwithin a six-foot physical frame. This issomething well known to everybody.

So there is a larger meaning in thisgreat Upanishadic declaration thatwhatever is outside is also inside. Whatis in the Brahmanda is in the Pindanda,what is in the macrocosm is in themicrocosm, and vice versa.

(To be continued)

MARCH 2013 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEART..... 11

We are hum ble seek ers, we are not Mas ters. We are small peo ple try ing tofol low the foot steps of great Mas ters like Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, in our ownhum ble fal ter ing way, try ing to raise our minds to true de vo tion to God, in thisat tempt, let us be hon est to our selves. This is my prayer to my own self and to all.Hon esty of con science is the watch-word of a Sadhaka. —Swami Krishnananda

HUMILITY

(Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda)

One of the greatest gifts we can have as seekers is the gift of humility. Indeed,Jesus said that it is a prime qualificationfor being a seeker: “Unless you becomelike a little child, you cannot enter theKingdom of God.” Why is humilityrequired? In the first place, that withinus which is not humble, which is proud,totally disappears when we experienceour divine nature. The ego, which is theseat of pride, cannot coexist with ourdivine nature—which is One without asecond.

In addition, there is a very practicalreason, and that is that what we areseeking is beyond, and not accessible by, our normal instruments of knowing. Asseekers we have two principal avenues of knowing—our intellect and our feelings.But neither one can grasp the truth. AsRamana Maharshi said, the goal is closer to feeling than to thinking, but, ofcourse, that means that it is neither.

Gurudev gave us help and guidancein his Universal Prayer. He said, “Grantus an understanding heart, equal vision, balanced mind, faith , devotion andwisdom. What does an understandingheart mean? We can’t fathom, but itseems to point in the same direction asRamana Maharshi does when he saysthat what we are seeking is closer tofeeling than to thinking.

When Gurudev adds to anunderstanding heart, equal vision,balanced mind, he tells us that it is

beyond the pairs of opposites and thethree gunas. Lord Krishna told Arjuna,“Be gunatita.” It means to rise above thethree gunas and the pairs of oppositesand thus have equal vision and abalanced mind. Therefore, anunderstanding heart, being beyond thethree gunas and pairs of opposites, isable to be the witness of them. Gurudevalso adds the words faith, devotion andwisdom. Faith is needed because thegoal is beyond our feelings and ourthought, and yet we still require devotion and wisdom to approach it.

Knowing this we approach ourspiritual life with great humility. Nomatter what spiritual experience wehave, we realise that it is beyond ournormal understanding. Therefore,instead of taking pride in it, we offer itback to God, who gave it to us in the firstplace. By offering everything to God, asGurudev wanted us to do, we don’t losethe benefit of the experience, but weavoid taking false pride in somethingthat was a gift of God to us.

Thus, we pray with Gurudev, “Grant us an understanding heart, equal vision, balanced mind, faith, devotion andwisdom,” and part of that wisdom is thehumility to recognise that everythingcomes from God. We thus do not createunnecessary problems for ourselves bythinking that we have any individualvalue—no matter what gifts God mayhave given us. � � �


SIVANANDA’S VOICE—THE VOICE OF GOD

(Swami Hridayananda Mataji)

Swamiji’s voice, Ah? What anenchanting, wonderful voice it is! It isindeed the voice of God, a voice thatdirectly speaks to the soul, a voice ofinspiration, joy, peace, strength, purity,love and power. No one who has heard itonce can forget it again. It will ring andlinger in the ears forever with its sacredsweetness.

Mind is always attracted by sweetsounds. Even the cobra is enchanted bysweet music.

A voice super-charged with divinepower is one of the most powerfulcontrivances by which the mind can bemade to withdraw from other externalinfluences and forced to rest inone-pointed attention and absorption.

The sound-vibrations haveunlimited power. Instances have beenquoted to show that the power ofsound-vibration by itself can light lamps, produce or stop rain, etc. It has also gotthe power of curing diseases andrelaxing nervous tension.

Swami Sivanandaji’s voice is thevoice of the Universal Eternal Heart andhence it releases spiritual forces that setinto vibration every individual heart. It is a voice unspeakably rich with subtleemotions of divine love and sweetnessand rings with the rapture ofSelf-realisation. Just like the musicalvibrations of the flute of Lord Krishna, it

penetrates the soul of his devotees. Thethrilling richness of his tone, the graceand ease with which it can be raised toany pitch and the appropriate proportion of its volume, combined with itsunbounded spiritual power, make it themost perfect and wonderful voice in theworld. It awakens reverence and divinelove, and as if by the touch of a magicwand floods the whole being with peaceand bliss.

His kind and loving words touch thevery cave of one’s being, and manage todispel the darkness of ignorance and fillit with the light of divine aspiration.Swamiji speaks gently, sweetly,soothingly, truthfully and speaks onlywhat is good in measured words. Hisvoice is one of the most effective meansby which he is able to elevate the mindsof human beings to sublime heights ofdivine splendour.

When Swamiji addresses a biggeraudience, his voice becomes verypowerful. It can be heard at a longdistance without the aid of a loudspeaker. Words of wisdom pour out fromhim with divine authority mingled withhumility. His appealing and inspiringwords tear the veil of worldliness bywhich men are enveloped and expoundtheir soul. People stand spellbound bythe effect of his magnetic orations. Thedivine messages conveyed through his

MARCH 2013 SIVANANDA’S VOICE—THE VOICE OF GOD 13

soul-penetrating voice leave a lastingimpression on the listeners andtransform even the confirmed atheists totheists.

It is a very rare treat to the ears tohear Swamiji chanting the sacredmonosyllable “OM”. The sound ‘OM’ isthe first manifestation of the Absolute,and hence it is not a wonder that oneexperiences an inner harmony and feelsthe nearness of God when Swamiji, theGod in human form starts chanting ‘OM’with feeling and Bhava. The powerfulvibrations of his voice impregnated withthe dynamic force of godliness float overthe space, filling it with sanctity, andinvisible fingers pull at the heart-stringsof the listeners inspiring them withoverwhelming devotion. There issomething in his voice that seems to setup a connecting link between heavenand earth, something that makes onefeel that one is wafting in a strange space of beauties and joys, far away from thisworld, but nearest to God. Thiswonder-working voice in a mysteriousway manages to force open the innerchamber of the heart and turns andcontrols the mind.

Swamiji’s music is a rare blending of rhythm, metre and melody. It is nothing

but an expression of his ecstaticcommunion with God. In the blissful joyof listening to his melodious voice, oneforgets all the cares and distractions ofthis mundane existence and at least forthe moment feels as though the soul hasbeen released from its human prison toenjoy the company of its Eternal Beloved. The nectar of his delightful music acts as an intoxicating drink and drowns one indivine madness.

To help those who have no patienceto listen to lengthy religious discourse,he makes use of his singing capacity toenlighten them. His songs contain theessence of spiritual Sadhana,philosophy, Vedanta and Bhakti, etc.,and he sings them in differentlanguages.

Thus through the medium of hisOmnipotent and Omniscient voice, thedivine vibrations of the Eternal Spirit,Swamiji continues to disseminatespiritual knowledge to each andeveryone who comes to him.

I pray to God to give my BelovedGurudev, best of health, long life andpowerful voice, so that he may lead ussafely across the ocean of life.


BEHOLD GOOD IN ALL

Evil is mere ap pear ance. It is not a re al ity. It is an il lu sion. Evil ex ists to glo rifygood. Good and evil are not two in de pend ent things or en ti ties. They are the twosides of the coin.

An evil man is a saint of the fu ture. Trans mute evil into good through Vicharaor re flec tion. Out of evil of ten com eth good. There is nei ther ab so lute good norab so lute evil in this phe nom e nal world. Good and evil are rel a tive terms.

Be hold good alone in ev ery thing. De velop again and again the good-find ingfac ulty. De stroy the evil-find ing qual ity to its very root. —Swami Sivananda

SWAMI SIVANANDA AS I KNOW HIM

(Sri H.G.M. Piyananda, Gampola, Ceylon)

Although I am a Buddhist and have animplicit faith in my religion, I am eager to know of other religions and their views ofman. After an extensive study of man, Igot disgusted with this life of mine andthought that it is not worth living. Ienquired about this from severalpersons. Subsequently I was told by oneof my friends about Sri SwamiSivananda of Himalayas. He said thatthis Swami had a vast knowledge of allreligions.

As a true seeker and an aspirant Iwrote to Sri Swami Sivananda asking aquestion. In answer to my question andto enable me to study various things inrelation to my question, the Swami sentsix books to me. I studied the contents ofall the six books and gained knowledge of all and cleared my mind to aconsiderable extent. When I studiedthese books, the doubts and anxieties Ihad in my mind melted away like thesnow melts under the sun’s rays.Although I have not heard his exemplaryteachings in person, I was rejoicing toread those choicest words. And even now I rejoice at the thought that I had anopportunity to read His thoughts. Theprecepts which Sri Swami SivanandajiMaharaj has conveyed to me through hisworthy books have entered deep into mysoul. His words are written in my mind in golden letters and will remain thereforever. My mind was drawn to those

books as the piece of iron gets attractedby the magnet. His writings are a goodmine of examples for adoption byhumanity.

Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharajrendered service to all irrespective ofclass, creed, communal and nationaldifferences, and this fact is evident in his works. By his services he has shownman that he should search inside andfind the way towards good and righteousliving. The Swami taught that in servinghumanity you should radiate love.Service to humanity is the only thingevery man must inevitably do. There isnothing to be achieved out of this body.Thoughts of man are only important. SriSwami Sivananda was teaching us howto keep our mind free, clear and pure.According to his teachings, those whofollow these methods can keep theirmind free of fear and proceed along rightlines. Sincere people respect only thoseof sincere purpose and of good natureand not those who have wealth or poweror beauty of the person. Beauty perishesbut service rendered to humanity livesforever. And that is what the worldregards and respects.

Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj’sService, Love, Sympathy and Mercy havebeen such that these are equitablyextended to all and are meant for all. Heranked first in his service to humanity.

MARCH 2013 SWAMI SIVANANDA AS I KNOW HIM 15

He drew the goodness out of everybody

without creating any difference. We will

follow the path shown to us by Sri Swami

Sivananda. The misery and sorrow of the

down-trodden and the unfortunate are

not seen by the greedy rich in their quest

for wealth. The rich man thinks only of

himself and his wealth. He never thinks

of others. He does no charity, nor is he

merciful to the poor. We shall take a

lesson from the services and love of Sri

Swami Sivananda. May Sri Swami

Sivananda Maharaj’s Service and Love to

Humanity shine in the world like stars in

the sky and may His life be a beacon light

to humanity forever.


(From Waves of Bliss)

SIVA THE SUPREME GURU (Dakshinamurthy)

ENTHRONED on His seat on Himalaya’s orTrans-Himalaya’s heights,Siva taking youth’s form human, exquisite, everlasting,Teaches reverend sages sitting at His feetLessons of Eternal Wisdom, vanquishingDoubt, darkness, death, despair and delusion.

He, the Teacher of teachers—the Supreme Teacher—His method unique. His teachings flash from heart to heart,Soul to soul, which no spoken words convey,His silence nevertheless their doubts destroys.This is the wonder of wonders!

His hand is raised in benediction over this ancient land,On which He casts His south-ward gaze,Just as He “Conscious many faced” blesses all races and climesFacing them as they spread in front.

Eternal Watcher! Standing sentinel, shedding LoveFor earth’s constant welfare.For as He seeth and silently rules,Naught can go wrong in His world,In whom all beings sentient or inert abide,Whose one will ordains that good overcometh evilAnd righteousness ever prevails even if seemingly delayed.

All teachers of whatever degree representHim in all good things they impart,And His power goeth to bless both theteacher and the taught.

—Swami Sivananda

THE MAHA KUMBHA MELA

(H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj)

Kumbha is the equivalent of Aquarius,

the eleventh sign in the Zodiac, and the

Kumbha mela falls every twelfth year at a

certain combination of Jupiter,

Aquarius, Aries, and the Sun; between

each Kumbha occurs the Ardh-Kumbha.

The Maha Kumbha Mela is heldonce in 12 years at Hardwar, Allahabad,Ujjain and Nasik. There are some fixeddays during the period of the Mela forbathing, and a bath in the Ganges onthose days is considered very sacred.Millions of people assemble here duringthese months.

Ambrosia or the nectar whichconfers Immortality was kept in a vessel(kumbha or kalasa). For getting thenectar, here was a tough fight betweenthe Asuras and Devas for 12 days.During the fight, the kumbha fell on theearth four times at Hardwar, Allahabad,Ujjain and Nasik. At the end of 12 dayswhen Surya (Sun) was on Mesha Rasiand Jupiter in Vrishabha Rasi, LordVishnu appeared and brought peace toone and all by distributing the nectar todeserving people. The Mela comes oncein 12 years equivalent to 12 days of theDevas. Vishnu Purana says: “A bath inthe Ganga on the Kumbha day will givethe spiritual benefits of one lac ofPradakshina around the earth”. Millionsof people assemble at Hardwar for taking a bath in the Ganga on the sacred day.

In olden days Kumbha Melas werestarted for the moral and spiritual upliftof the people. Many Mahatmas, sages,Yogins and spiritual preceptors whowere practising Tapas and silentmeditation in the caves of the Himalayasand forests assembled in these placesduring Kumbha Mela days for impartingspiritual instructions to the thirstyaspirants and householders. There wasnot much noise in those days. Peoplewent, with Sraddha and Bhav to haveDarshan of these Mahatmas and toimbibe the teachings of those highlyelevated souls. Religious classes wereheld, Kathas and discourses wereconducted and lectures were deliveredby great men of practical experience.Real, sincere aspirants were initiatedinto the mysteries of Yoga and Kaivalya.

Though the place may be filled withmany sorts of people, yet there are somehighly advanced spiritual souls,Mandaleshwars and learned Pundits ofthe Sanatana Dharma Sabha, whountiringly work and clear the doubts ofall aspirants and guide them on thespiritual path. They work for thespiritual good of the public. Again insome silent corners, you will find somegreat Virakta Mahatmas and Tyagis. You must hunt out such great souls amongthe Sadhus, Sannyasins, Yogins andNaga Babas. They will guide you in theright path. Have Darshan of such

MARCH 2013 THE MAHA KUMBHA MELA 17

Mahatmas and get spiritualinstructions. Then you will be spirituallybenefitted.

Grihasthis should not put so manyquestions as to the previous name, caste, creed, qualifications, relations, age, etc.,of Sannyasins. They can talk only onphilosophical points with a view to cleardoubts. Then and then alone they can bebenefitted by Satsanga with Sadhus.Satsanga is the easiest and quickestmeans to change the worldly mindtowards the spiritual path and tooverhaul thoroughly the vicious andwrong Samskaras. Live in the companyof wise Sadhus. The company itself is the spiritual education. Serve them withBhakti and Sraddha. Attend to theirwants. Get Upadesh from them. Thenyou will have spiritual growth.

When you come to Hardwar for theKumbha Mela, make it a point to finishsome lacs of Japa during these days(Anushthan). Japa, done in holy placeson such occasion will have marvellousinfluence and bestow on you spiritualbenefits. For 15 or 30 days observe

Anushthan. Take milk and fruits only.Do plenty of Japa. Study Gita,Upanishads, Ramayana and Bhagavat.Have Satsanga and hear the words ofgreat men. Observe Mouna. Do notwander hither and thither. You will growwonderfully by silent rigid Sadhana. Doplenty of charity.

Serve the Sadhus and Mahatmas.Pray for spiritual instructions. Serve and help the sick persons. There is a verygood opportunity for you to doNishkamya Karma Yoga. Such kind ofspiritual Sadhana must be practisedwhen you come to this sacred Melawhich comes once in 12 years! Generallypilgrimages to all sacred places shouldbe performed with the above discipline.Every year people go to Rishikesh andHardwar, Badrinath and other places.They should all observe the abovediscipline and then only they wouldderive the benefits of performing Yatra or pilgrimages.

May God bless you with more energy to do real, sustained, solid Sadhana!


DEPEND NOT ON WORLDLY OBJECTS

Worldly-minded, ig no rant per sons are charmed and de luded

by the prod ucts of Maya. They lose their un derstand ing on

ac count of the force of Maya or Avidya and de lude them selves in

sen sual ob jects and per ish with out real is ing the At man.

The worldly ob jects are un real. If you think deeply and do

en quiry, the world, with its man i fold multi col oured ob jects will

ap pear as a long dream only. The ob ject which ap pears for a short

pe riod only like the snake in the rope but does not ex ist in re al ity,

is only a Mithya ob ject. —Swami Sivananda

OFFERING GOD WHAT IS GOD’S

(Sri Swami Ramarajyamji)

Once Swami Sivanandaji wasreturning from his office. He happened to come across a group of beggars who hadbeen given alms only a day before byhim.

A devotee accompanying Swamijisaid humbly to him, “Please do not givethem any more otherwise they will keepcoming everyday.”

“It does not matter. God is verygenerous in giving. He is constantlygiving. He will give us more,” repliedSwamiji and told his disciple to give them one rupee each.

The contented beggars went away.Swamiji said to the devotee, “It is onlyGod who gives, none else.”

That is true. Who else can give? Heis the source of our life and brings us up.He is our divine and real parent. Due toignorance we think otherwise—my friend gives, my brother gives, my parents give,

etc. The truth, however, is that it is Godwho gives us through a friend, brother,parents, etc.

Moreover, God gives us on thecondition that we do not behave like amiser in sharing with others what Hegives us. If we do so, He may take it backand we will be the losers for that. On theother hand, if we are generous enough ingiving it to others, it will increase. Themore we share it with others, the more will it increase.

Whenever you get a chance to giveyour things to others, do give themwithout bothering to think whether thetaker is good or bad; is deserving of yourgenerosity or not. You should ratherthink in this way: My things are God’s.God has appeared in the form of a taker.I am going to offer God’s things to Godonly. Why should I hesitate? Why should I miss this opportunity of giving?

MARCH 2013 OFFERING GOD WHAT IS GOD’S 19

Chil dren’s Page:

All of us who are striving for God should always remember that

success in meditation depends upon the degree to which we develop

our love for Him. The more we love God, the more our attention is

attracted towards Him. The more we feel this attraction, the more we

enjoy our meditation.

Meditation leads you to that unique spiritual faculty lying deep

within each human soul, the faculty of intuition which is also called

the third eye, or the eye of wisdom. That faculty alone is the rightful

and legitimate instrument of the soul. —Swami Chidananda

NEWS AND REPORTS

NEWS FROM THE HEADQUARTERS

SEVA THROUGH SIVANANDA HOME

‘Sivananda Home is a Centre for theloving care of the destitute and the dyingpeople who are found by the roadside, with noone to care for them.’ (Swami Chidananda).Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj himselfinitiated this Seva by his living example ofunparalleled, undivided and unconditionalLove in Action.

Sivananda Home provides basicmedical care for homeless people who havebecome ill and are in need of in-patienttreatment. Food, clothing and shelter: Howsimple it sounds! How self-evident! Howautomatically taken for granted! But if one ofthese primary needs is lacking, is absent,one may understand the real value of it.

This was the case of the young boy whowas brought from the roadside, where he was sitting all alone. He seemed to be aroundfifteen years of age. Once admitted in theHome, he was running around, screamingutterly and gesturing that he wanted to eat. It could be an indication of being without foodfor many days, the fear that he would beforgotten in the midst of many, the feeling ofhunger due to intestinal worms or trying tofulfill a huge unsatisfied need, an intenseloneliness or cry for attention and security. It is unimaginable how he has been staying onthe streets, since he is not able to speak asingle word: like he never learnt to talk. Themind of this boy is also less developed,though his understanding is quite wellintact. After a couple of days, he seemed to

adjust nicely with the other inmates, andwhen training of daily activities was started,and a name was given to him, he settleddown slowly but steadily, joining the eveningsatsanga, helping with the chores in theroom, playing and laughing around with thedog and the cats. Sivananda Home harborstwo more youngsters, a boy and a girl, whoalso are completely unable to talk or torepeat any given sound, though their hearing is fully intact and their mental capacityseverely weakened, obviously since birth.Another form of communication is requiredsometimes, and suddenly one discovers thelimitation of any common language. Bygesturing, by a look in the eyes, by beingtaken by the hand, or a simple touch on thearm, a new world opens, a world where onespeaks without words, where a smile is justunconditional happiness, and weary andworry do not exist at all. What lessons aretaught by each and everyone of His children,what great lessons by these little naughtyhandfuls, who show us every minute againthat life is too short to feel down and out,rejected and dejected, but encourage to bealive in the only existing time which is HEREand NOW, this moment, brightly, shiningand reflecting His abundant Light. Om SriSuryaya Namah.

“Lord. the Light of Your Love is shining, in the midst of the darkness shining,

Shine upon us, shine in us, shine through us, and let there be Light” (unknown)


“Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms. Let us serve Thee in all these namesand forms. Let us ever remember Thee. Let us ever sing Thy glories. Let Thy Name be ever onour lips. Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.” (Swami Sivananda)

CULTURAL TOUR OF H.H. SRI SWAMI NIRLIPTANANDAJI MAHARAJ

H.H. Sri Swami NirliptanandajiMaharaj, Vice-President, DLSHeadquarters, undertook cultural tourswithin India during December, 2012 and January, 2013.

Swamiji Maharaj visitedPattamadai, the holy Birthplace ofWorshipful Gurudev Swami SivanandajiMaharaj from 12th December, 2012onwards, in order to attend theTamilnadu State Divine Life SocietyConference, etc. Swami SivanandaCentenary Charitable Hospital whichhas been set up in Holy Pattamadai inthe Centenary Year of Sri GurudevSwami Sivanandaji Maharaj hascompleted 25 years of its gloriousdedicated service and was observing itsSilver Jubilee Celebration in December2012. On this occasion, as a part of theCelebrations, a State Level TN Divine Life Society, Conference had been organised,from 14th to 16th December atPattamadai. Swamiji attended theConference on all the three days.Swamiji Maharaj did the “Om” FlagHoisting on 14th and also lighted theLamp as a mark of commencement of the Conference. Swamiji also gave hisdiscourses and blessings at theConference on 14th and 15th December.Devotees from all over India and abroadhad participated in the Conference in alarge number and it was a great success.

The Silver Jubilee function of Swami Sivananda Centenary Hospital was on16th December. Swamiji joined theCelebrations and participated in thedifferent programmes. The Celebrations

were inaugurated by Hon. Justice Sri V.Rama Subramanian, High Court Judge,Chennai. Swamiji Maharaj also spoke on the occasion and gave his blessings.

On 15th December Swamiji attended the meeting of the Board of Trustees ofSwami Sivananda Memorial Trust in theHospital.

A Bhagavata Saptaha had beenarranged at Faridabad by SriRadhakrishna Sharmaji of Australia,from 21st to 28th December. Uponinvitation and request, Swamiji Maharajattended it on 21st, the day ofcommencement. Swamiji also gave adiscourse during the programme in theforenoon session.

The next tour commenced with avisit to Odisha from 4th January, 2013onwards.

Under the auspices of ‘SamskritiBharati’ a three-day World Odiya SamajConference had been convened atBhubaneswar from 7th to 9th January. Atthe earnest invitation of Sri SrikantNayak, Convener of the Conference,Swamiji Maharaj attended theConference on the first day. The motto ofthe Conference was “Excellent Man,Developed Nation, Social Prosperity”. Itsobjective was Social, Cultural andeconomic development of the commoncitizen by application of moral, spiritualand value-based education in theeducational system, and to make thefirm resolve to prepare excellent citizens, build a developed Odisha State andIndian Nation. The idea was to layemphasis on building excellent

MARCH 2013 NEWS AND REPORTS 21

character and personality by whichalone awakening to improved service tohumanity, justice, sincerity in action,truthful conduct, universal brotherhoodand devotion to the nation would bepossible. Swamiji Maharaj inauguratedthe Conference and also addressed thegathering.

From 7th to 10th January Swamijivisited Swami Chidananda HermitageAshram, Baliguali.

The 35th All Odisha Divine LifeSociety Conference was organised by theDivine life Society Bhubaneswar as partof its Golden Jubilee Celebrations. TheBranch had completed 50 years of itsestablishment. The BhubaneswarBranch has been doing excellent work inall these fifty years for carrying on theHoly Mission of Worshipful GurudevSwami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

A Press Conference was called onbehalf of the Conference on 12th

January, in which Swamiji Maharajparticipated.

Swamiji Maharaj attended theConference on all the three days from17th to 19th January. Swamiji hoisted the DLS Flag on 17th and also presided overthe Conference.

The Conference was also attendedby Parama Pujya Mahamandeleswar SriSwami Divyananda Saraswatiji Maharaj, the Head of Kailash Ashram, Rishikesh,Parama Pujya Sri SwamiPadmanabhanandaji Maharaj, GeneralSecretary, DLS Headquarters, ParamaPujya Gajapati Maharaj Sri Dibya Singha Deb, and many other eminent saints and scholars. About 6000 delegates had

participated in the Conference from allover the country. Besides, thousands ofdevotees from the local general publicalso attended the different sessions ofthe Conference. Swamiji Maharajeveryday gave blessing discourses inmorning meditation session, in theforenoon and in the evening.

The Conference was very wellorganised and the arrangements madewere excellent. The organisers had madeall-out efforts to look to all the aspects.The Conference was a grand all-roundsuccess in every respect. It extendedexcellent service to everybody and gaveimmense satisfaction to one and all, andall were very happy.

Swamiji Maharaj also visited SwamiSivananda Centenary Boys High School,Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar, during thistour. On 15th January, Swamiji attendedthe meeting of the Managing Committeeof the School. He also addressed andgave blessings to the teachers in aspecial meeting convened on that day.Swamiji Maharaj also participated in theprayer meeting and blessed thestudents.

On 20th January, Swamiji gave aninterview for the ‘Prarthana Channel’ ofthe OTV, arranged by the Conferenceorganisers, which was about theConference and Divine Life.

On the same day Swamiji Maharajalso attended the Seminar on “LordJagannath’s Seva and the Tradition ofSevaks” organised under the jointauspices of Sri Neelachal TattvaSandhan Parishad, Puri, and Institute ofTechnical and Educational Research


(ITER), Bhubaneswar, held at ITERUniversity Campus. Swamijiinaugurated the Seminar and gave a talk addressing the participants of theSeminar.

The representative of the OdiyaDaily “Prameya” requested for aninterview for the newspaper to whichSwamiji Maharaj agreed and gave theinterview on that day, highlighting theneed to take to spirituality in life and tolive the Divine Life for getting real peaceand happiness in life.

From Odisha Swamiji Proceeded toWest Bengal on 20th January.

The Divine Life Society, WestBengal, had organised their AnnualSadhana Shibir at Hamirgachi from 21st

to 25th January. Swamiji’s visit to WestBengal was in order to participate in it.

Swamiji Maharaj inaugurated theSadhana Shibir on 21st January andgave a discourse on the occasion for theparticipating Sadhaks. On all the daysSwamiji took part in the differentprogrammes. Everyday early morningSri Swamiji addressed the Sadhaks ondifferent aspects of spiritual Sadhana.He also gave discourses in the Forenoonand afternoon sessions. In the nightSatsang also Swamiji took part daily. The Sadhana Shibir was very well organisedand excellent arrangements were madefor the Sadhaks as also for the smoothconduct of the programmes. More than300 Sadhaks from different parts of thecountry had joined the Sadhana Shibir.They were all immensely benefited,found it very inspiring and rewarding. Itwas a quite successful programme.


ANNOUNCEMENT

This is to inform all the devotees, well-wishers and followers of SatGurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, the founder of the Divine LifeSociety, that one of the inmates of the Headquarters Ashram,Sri Swami Yathidharmananda, who used to serve in the Audio VideoDepartment has suddenly left the Ashram on 12th July 2012 of his ownaccord, severing all connections with the Headquarters of the Divine LifeSociety.

We are placing this Announcement in our English monthly magazineDIVINE LIFE and Hindi monthly DIVYA JIVAN to inform all the followers ofGurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj that Swami Yathidharmananda isno longer an inmate of the Sivananda Ashram, Shivanandanagar, Rishikesh and that he has nothing to do with the Headquarters Ashram nor with any of the Divine Life Society Branches located in different states in the countryand Abroad.

President,

The Divine Life Society


REPORTS FROM THE D.L.S. BRANCHS

INLAND BRANCHES

Ambala: Regular Satsanga activitiescontinued on Sundays and every Tuesdaywith Bhajan, Kirtan and meditation.Mahamantra Sankirtan on 3rd December,2012 and ‘Om Namah Sivaya’ Mantrachanting on 31st were conducted for twohours. Nishkama Homeopathic Sevacontinued at Sri Gurugranth Sahib SevaSociety regularly and Jalseva is continued as usual.

Aska (Odisha): Apart from regularSatsanga, the Branch conducted a one-daySadhana Camp on 2nd December. Devoteesof different Branches took part in the campwhich was concluded with Prasad to all theparticipants.

Bangalore (Karnataka): Regularactivities of Satsanga continued in theBranch. On 16th December, there wasAkhanda Kirtan followed by Guru Gitachanting and concluded with Mangalarati.On 23rd Gita Jayanti was celebrated and on25th, Hanuman Jayanti by reciting Hanuman Chalisa. Dattatreya Jayanti was celebratedon 27th December with Bhajans followed byMangalarati.

Barbil (Odisha): Regular weeklySatsanga and residential Satsangas wereconducted by the Branch. Balvikas classeswere held on every Sunday. On 24th ofDecember, Sadhana Day was observed withPaduka Puja, Gita Path and eveningSatsanga with Prasad. Sivananda Charitable Homeo Dispensary treated 600 patients.

Baripada (Odisha): The Branchobserved Sadhana Day on 2nd December. AGita Yajna was conducted on the occasion ofGita Jayanti on 25th December withcommunity feeding. Mobile Satsangas are

held on Sundays. On 26th a special Satsangawas held wherein the dignitaries of the Townparticipated.

Bellary (Karnataka) : The Branchconducted daily Satsanga with Puja andGuru Paduka Puja. There was AshtottaraArchana on all Sundays concluded with thechanting of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra,Shanti Mantra and prayer for world peace,and Maha Mangalarati with distribution ofPrasadam.

Berhampur (Odisha): Regular activities continued in the Branch. A ‘Sadhana Day’was conducted on 16th December with 200devotees. There was a students programmewith 50 participants and an examination was conducted, certificates, prizes weredistributed along with spiritual literature onthe occasion of 125th Birth Anniversary ofH.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. GitaJayanti was on 23rd December, Christmas on 25th and a special Satsanga was conductedon 31st December.

Bhanjanagar (Odisha): Regularactivities of the Branch were continued.Srimad Bhagavat Pravachan programme was arranged from 3rd to 9th December. MonthlySadhana day was observed on 9th Decemberwith Bhajan, Kirtan, Guru Paduka Puja anddiscourses by Baba Sri Kishori Charan DasMaharaj on Srimad Bhagavat Mahapuran.Sankranti Day was observed on 15th

December and Gita Jayanti on 23rd was withthe chanting of all 700 Slokas of Gita where700 Ahutis were offered and the programmewas concluded with Arati and Prasaddistribution.

Bhel (Haridwar): The Branchconducted Gita Jayanti on 23rd December.Paramapujya H.H. Sri Swami


Vigyananandaji Maharaj President of GitaVigyan Trust Ashram, Kankhal, Haridwar,graced the occasion and gave discourses onGita and blessed the audience.

Bhishmagiri (Odisha): The Branchheld Satsanga and Puja daily and Archanaon Sundays. A special Puja and Archana ofPujya Gurudev Sri Swami SivanandajiMaharaj and Pujya Sri Swami ChidanandajiMaharaj was conducted, with Bhajan,Kirtan, Mahamrityunjaya Mantra chanting,Shantimantra and Mangalarati and alsoprayers for world peace.

Bhuj-Kutch (Gujarat): Satsangas wereheld regularly and spiritual and educativespeeches were delivered by experts. A special lecture and demonstration were held on thetopic ‘Rheumatism’ by a physiotherapist.Many old persons attended and werebenefited for their knee problems. All theprogrammes were followed by Bhajans andDhoons.

Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh): Satsangaswere conducted regularly. A BhagavataSaptaha was conducted and Sri SwamiBrahmasakshatkaranandaji and SadhuBhagavat of Odisha joined and depicted theGlory of Lord Krishna and Sri SwamiSivanandaji Maharaj. On 19th DecemberSwami Devbhaktanandaji of H.Q. Ashramvisited the Branch and a special Satsangawas conducted with many devotees.

Chandigarh: Regular activitiescontinued in the Branch. Special Activities: Ashort two-week Yoga Vedanta Course wasorganised from 15th to 31st December withthe guidance of Sri Swami Akhilanandaji, SriSwami Ramarajyamji and Sri SwamiShivashritananda Mataji from H.Q., Ashram. Gita Jayanti was celebrated enthusiasticallyfrom 5th to 22nd December with chanting,studying the meaning and exposition of onechapter of Gita. On 23rd, the Parayana of all

the 700 Slokas was done on the Gita JayantiDay in the holy presence of the threeSwamis. The devotees were all benefited bythe guidance and advice in their Sadhana bythe three Swamis. Akhanda MahamantraJapa was conducted on Sivananda Day i.e.,8th December, in which Swami Akhilanandaji Maharaj and Swami ShivashritanandajiMataji actively participated. Two HomeSatsangas were also conducted under theirguidance.

Chatrapur (Odisha): The Branchconducted Guru Paduka Puja on 8th and 24th

of every month on Sri Sivananda and SriChidananda days. Gita Jayanti was observed from 24th to 26th December with chanting of 6 Chapters of Gita on each day by all thedevotees followed by Vasudev Puja. On theEve of ‘Dhanu Sankranti’ ShriRamcharitamanas, Sundarakanda Parayana was done in the Satsanga Bhavan on 15th

December.

Digapahandi (Odisha): The Branchheld Satsangas regularly. On 15th Decembera Havan in the morning on the occasion of‘Dhanu Sankranti’ for world peace wasconducted. On 24th, Gita Jayanti wasobserved with Gita Swadhyaya, GuruPaduka Puja and Arati in the morningsession.

Gangtok (Sikkim): The Branchconvened a meeting on 1st January 2013 todiscuss the various activities to beundertaken by the Branch during thecurrent year, followed by Satsanga withmembers chanting Mahamantra for worldpeace. It was proposed to organise a 5 daysYoga Camp, a Yoga Camp for school childrenand to organize Satsangas at the residence of devotees on rotation basis and alsomembership drive.

Jamnagar (Gujarat): The Branchconducted Yogasan, Pranayam, Dhayan,


Mudra Yog Shibir in the holy presence of SriSwami Dharmanishthanandaji ofHeadquarters Ashram, Rishikesh. Swamijiimparted practical demonstration of variousYogasanas, Pranayama, Kapalabhati, SuryaNamaskar, chanting of ‘OM’ etc and got them practised by the trainees. Last day Swamijiexplained ‘What is Divine Life and How toLive in Society’. The trainees were highlyimpressed and satisfied for imparting themthe Yoga training. Dr. H.G. Tanna, Presidentexpressed gratitude to Swamiji and otherswho extended co-operation for the success of the Shibir.

Jeypore (Odisha): Biweekly Satsangawas conducted by the Branch on Sundaysand Thursdays. On 8th December, Sivananda Day was observed with Havan. On 23rd which was Ekadasi and Sri Bhagavad Gita JayantiDay, Gita Yajna was organised at theresidence of Sri Ashok Kumar Malhotra withthe collective chanting of each Sloka of Gitaand oblations were offered with the sacredDwadashakshara Mantra as Samputa.About 80 devotees, members of DLS wereparticipated. Three mobile Satsangas werealso conducted.

Kabisuryanagar (Odisha): Besidesdaily Puja and Narayan Seva the Branchconducted biweekly Satsanga on Sundayand Thursday. Morning meditation class and evening Satsanga were held throughout theKartika month. About 500 packets of Prasadalong with Universal Prayer cards have beendistributed to the wellwishers of the Branchand also others, on the eve of New Year’sDay.

Kantabanji (Odisha): The Branchconducted the chanting of ‘OM’ (long) andreading of Gita and each devotee spoke onone Sloka of Gita on Sundays and it wasconcluded with Shantipath. All theprogrammes of Bhajan and Kirtan wereguided by spiritual master Sri Radharaman

Das. On 23rd December Gita Jayanti wasobserved with Sri Guru Puja, Sri KrishnaPuja and reciting of all the 700 Shlokas, GitaPuja, Arati, Homa and concluded withPrasad Sevan.

Lanjipalli (Odisha): Regular Satsangacontinued on Sunday evenings every monthwith 60 members participating. A SadhanaDay was observed along with Narayan Seva,Vastradaan, etc., on Gurudev Sri SwamiSivanandaji Maharaj’s 125th Birthanniversary with Narayan Seva, clothdistribution, tree plantation, Go-Seva, anddessimination of Guru Maharaj’s teachings.The Branch also conducted schoolprogrammes.

Lanjipalli Ladies Branch-Berhampur(Odisha): Apart from the regular activitiesevery evening, the Branch conducted aspecial Hanuman Chalisa chanting 108times by the devotees on 15th December.About 400 persons were fed as part ofNarayan Seva and 150 bedsheets weredistributed to the 150 poor and disabled inthe presence of Sri Swami SraddhaSwaroopanandaji. On 23rd December, on theauspicious occasion of Gita Jayanti, thedevotees and local people chanted SrimadBhagavad Gita Shlokas.

Madhavapatnam (A.P): RegularSatsanga with Bhajan, Kirtan at SivanandaKshetram and Sai Mandir was conducted.Free medical camp by Dr. M.S.R. Sastrycontinued and Narayan Seva for 25 poor andneedy at Sivananda Kshetram was alsocontinued. Members of Kakinada DLSBranch participated in KartikaSamaradhana at DLS VishakapatnamBranch on their request on 2nd December.Vigraha Prathistha of Lord Rama, Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman at SivanandaKshetram was done. The idols were donatedby Sri and Smt Ramamohan Rao. A Homafollowed by ‘Shanti Kalyanam’ was


performed on 9th December and concludedwith Mahaprasad. About 250 members tookpart in the programme.

Moirang (Manipur): Special Satsangaswere arranged at the Branch on arrival ofH.H. Sri Swami PadmanabhanandajiMaharaj, General Secretary, DLS Hq.,Rishikesh and Sri Swami SivachidanandajiMaharaj. On 5th October, they visitedMoirang Bhavan DL Society. H.H. Sri SwamiPadmanabhanandaji Maharaj delivered abrief speech about Divine Life to themembers present which was veryenlightening. On November 25, aPatha-Parikrama with Bhagavan Sri Krishna decorated with flowers and followed by 100devotees on the auspicious ‘HARI UTTHAN’from DLS Moirang Bhavan to surroundingsof Moirang about 7km was conducted by theBranch, and it was celebrated with Bhajansand Kirtans.

Nandininagar (Chhattisgarh): Dailymorning and evening Satsangas continuedat Swami Sivananda Bhajan Mandir besidesmobile Satsangas (weekly) and MatriSatsangas on every Saturdays. The Branchconducted ‘Youth Camp’ on 8th, 9th and 16th

December under the guidance of Sri SwamiDevabhaktanandaji with 50 students asparticipants. The Branch arranged schoolvisits with the team of Sri SwamiDevabhaktanandaji, Sri Br. Panduram ofGumergunda and Sri K.S. Thakar of NandiniNagar Branch to 5 schools of Durg district,two schools of Dantevada district, to spreadthe teachings of Sadgurudev Sri SwamiSivanandaji Maharaj. A spiritual tour todifferent Branches of Chhattisgarh by theabove mentioned team was also arranged.On 23rd December, Gita Jayanti wascelebrated with Gita Parayan.

Swami Sivananda CulturalAssociation, New Delhi: Regular Satsangaactivities continued with Gita Parayan, Sri

Vishnu-sahasranama Stotra Parayan, GuruPaduka Puja and Sundarakanda Parayanand meditation on the different Sundays. On9th December, a Gita Sloka competition wasarranged, and 70 students from differentschools participated. Certificates and cashprizes were given. On 23rd December, GitaJayanti Maha Yajna was conducted withSamput ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya’with a large number of devotees andconcluded with Bhandara. Mrs. Mohini Giriwho is a patron brought a group of 15students and 2 professors of NKU AmericanUniversity and a special programme for 6days was conducted. The American groupwas very much pleased.

Rajkot (Gujarat): Lectures onSivananda literature and Srimad BhagavatKatha were organised by the Branch.Lectures on Ramcharita Manas, recitation ofBhagavad Gita and other Sanskrit Slokas,Bhajans and reading of Gurudev’s literaturewere organized. Eye Camps, Dental Camps,Physiotherapy and a special camp for thetreatment of patients suffering from bonediseases, gynaecological problems andcommon diseases requiring surgery werearranged. Financial aid was extended to theneedy. A Yogasan Shibir was conducted bySri Swami Dharmanishthanandaji in the last week of Dec 2012, with the help of Bank ofBaroda Recreation Club. One trustee of thisBranch, stayed in Headquarters Ashram for15 days for Anusthan, and during her stayshe distributed sarees, dresses and otherclothes to leper colony people at LaxmanJhula and Dhalwala. Ration worth ofRs.10,000/- was also distributed by her inthe rehabilitation centre at Laxman Jhula.The Branch has started free coaching classes for the students of weaker sections and 10students of higher secondary school wereprovided with free text/exercise books andother study materials.


Rourkela Steel Township (Odisha): 6Mobile Satsangas were conducted by theBranch and Gurupaduka Puja on everyThursday morning. Three Sadhana dayswere observed with Gurupaduka Puja,Hanuman Chalisa, Gita Path, Bhajan, Kirtan and Mantra chanting and concluded withPrasad Sevan. Gita Jayanti was observed on26th December.

Salipur (Odisha): Regular activitieswere continued at the Branch. Under healthservices, 91 patients were treated and givenmedicines free of cost by the SwamiSivananda Charitable Hospital everySunday. Yoga training was imparted in thelocal school/college in which 32staff/students participated. Specialactivities: Akhanda Mahamantra Japa wasconducted on 28th October for 6 hours.

South Balanda (Odisha): Along withregular Puja and general Satsanga, theBranch conducted ‘Akhanda MahamantraSankirtan’ on 3rd and 29th December for 12hours and 3 hours respectively for worldpeace and universal brotherhood. On 8th and 24th December, Sivananda Divas andChidananda Divas respectively wereobserved with Shree Gurupaduka Puja and a special Satsanga.

Sunabeda (Odisha): The Branchconducted weekly Satsanga on everyThursday and Sunday with Paduka Puja,Bhajan, Kirtan, Japa, Puja, Arati andSwadhyaya of the holy books of GuruMaharaj. On Gita Jayanti, a special mobileSatsanga was held at Semiliguda with SriGuru Paduka Puja, Archana, Havan etc. Smt Bijayalakshmi Ojha conducted the Yogasana classes.

Sunabeda Ladies’ Branch (Odisha):

Daily Satsangas continued in the Branchwith Mahamantra Sankirtan, SrimadBhagavat Path, Gita Path and

Mahamritunjaya Mantra Japa. GeneralSatsanga on Sunday evenings, children’sSatsanga in the afternoon, Narayan Seva onTuesdays. Wednesday and SaturdaySatsangas for Ladies, and Sivananda Studycircle for youth continued weekly.Vishnu-sahasranama Path, Abishek onevery Ekadasi, Chidananda day on 24th ofevery month with Mahamrityunjaya MantraJapa for 12-hours, and SundarakandaParayana on every Sankranti evening inAshram premises continued.

Varanasi (U.P): The devotees of theBranch gathered at ‘Vriddha Ashram’ on 27th

December for the Satsanga. Smt. UmaSachdeva distributed Horlicks powder,Biscuit packets to all the Ashramites, aftergarlanding Gurudev’s portraits, and Prasadwas distributed at the conclusion. Yajna andHavan was performed on 5th December at the residence of Mrs. and Mr. K.C. Sachdeva. Allthe devotees of the Branch participated andwere served with Bhandara.

OVERSEAS BRANCHES

Hongkong: The Branch held one hourMaha Mantra chanting on every Saturdayevening and Hanuman Chalisa on SecondSaturday evening. A video show on thecelebration of the 100th birthday anniversaryof H.H.Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj heldin Hongkong in 1987 was played. RegularYoga classes continued. Special Activities: On 6th October, Mahamrityunjaya Mantrachanting was held at both Chung Sha Wanand North point Yoga centres for the victimsand those who were injured in the Lammaferry disaster and also for the world peace.On 7th October, a one-day workshop on ‘Yoga for Beginner’ was held. A Bhajan revisionand practice session on October 20 and acourse on ‘Meaning and Significance ofBhajan’ was conducted on that day by SriPremji Samtani with 20 participants. � � �


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