Friday, December 3, 2010

Sivananda Daily Readings

VOICE OF THE HIMALAYAS
Even a spark of desire is a very great evil. Watch each sense or Indriya when it
goes astray. Withdraw it. Practise abstraction again and again. Curb your passi
on slowly through Japa, prayer, meditation, Satsanga, study of scriptures and Sa
ttvic food. Be ever delighted in your own all-blissful Atman or soul.
Meditation is death for the mind, the demoniac king of the passions and the sens
es. The more you polish the surface of your inner heart through practice of disp
assion and meditation, the more of the Lord s Grace-effulgence will shine there. N
ever become impatient in the spiritual path. Be patient. Be calm. Strive, strive
, strive!
Regular meditation makes the mind less powerful in its extrovert tendencies. Eve
n a little victory in the inner battle with your mind and senses will develop yo
ur power and give more assurance and courage. But do not be swayed by success. B
e humble and grateful.
Far more precious than many gold and diamond mines is the spiritual wealth of Se
lf-realisation.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

THE STATE OF KAIVALYA
A desire arises in the mind and it is gratified. Another arises. In the interval
between two desires, there is perfect stillness of mind.
But when the mind is concentrated on Brahman or Supreme Self, it becomes one wit
h Brahman like camphor with the flame or salt with water or water with milk. Min
d melts in Brahman. Mind becomes of the nature of Brahman. This is the state of
Kaivalya. Know the Brahman and be free.
Religious life is more than math and Puja Parayana, more than visiting temples,
performing ceremonies and going pilgrimage or even Japa and sadhana only. Religi
ous means nearness to God, awareness of his Presence as an indwelling reality in
all forms of life around you. Otherwise you will just be a religious person, wi
th no religious in you.
Swami Chidananda.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

THE FINAL UNION
You will have to pass through six stages of meditation and finally you will ente
r into perfect superconscious state. Perception of form will totally vanish. The
re is neither meditation nor meditated now.
You will, in this state, attain the highest knowledge and the eternal supreme pe
ace. This is the goal of life. This is the final beatitude of life. You are an e
nlightened sage or the illumined Jivanmukta now. You are absolutely free from pa
in, sorrow, fear, doubt and delusion. The bubble has become the ocean; the river
has joined the ocean and has become the ocean.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

MEDITATION DISSOLVES DOUBTS
Regular meditation opens the avenues of the intuitional knowledge, makes the min
d calm and steady, awakens an ecstatic feeling and brings the Yogic student in c
ontact with the source or the supreme Purusha.
If there are doubts, they are all cleared by themselves when you march on the pa
th of Dhyana Yoga steadily. You will yourself feel the way to place your footste
p in the next rung of the spiritual ladder. A mysterious inner voice will guide
you. Hear this attentively, O Yogindra!

It is not the number of Pradakshinas round the temple that you do, the number of
Malas that you turn, or the count that you break that are ultimately pleasing t
he Lord: it is your pure thought, sublime sentiments and noble good deeds that b
ring you closer to Him.
Swami Chidananda.