Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

The Difficulty of Progress in Sadhana
by Sri Swami Sivananda

The workings of Maya are very extremely subtle, so very difficult to overcome and human nature is fundamentally so Asuric and unregenerate that real spiritual development and progress in Sadhana are indeed very hard to obtain. To achieve success in any measure in the spiritual life is the most difficult and an up-hill task that truly it is Divine Grace alone that can raise the aspirant from darkness to Light. So vehement, self-assertive and rebellious is the egoistic self of man that it refuses to be changed from its vicious state to a state of virtue, goodness and saintliness. It is a great blunder to think that the mere act of renunciation is sufficient achievement in spiritual life. If renunciation makes you feel that you have at once become quite superior to the rest of mankind and has bestowed on you the right to preach and to dictate to others, then the very purpose of renunciation gets blasted. You destroy the very foundation of spiritual life by this egoistic assumption. The eradication of egoism in all its numerous aggressive forms comprises the very core of spirituality and all spiritual Sadhana.

Right from the very beginning of your spiritual life, you must understand clearly that in true humility, sincere desire to root out gradually pride, egoism and jealousy, earnest and unceasing introspection to find out one’s own defects and improve oneself lies your hope of progress. Without this basis, any Sadhana becomes a delusion and waste. It makes the aspirant puffed up, more proud and egoistic. When this happens, all good advices and instructions fall flat upon him. Higher influences cease to have any effect as the aspirant becomes deliberately and obstinately non-respective to them.

Eternal vigilance should be exercised by every aspirant if he is to avoid falling into this dangerous state. Spiritual life is not a light matter. To grow in Yoga is not an easy joke. Sadhakas must take to the path sincerely. Always feel that you are just a beginner and strive diligently to acquire the primary virtues of kindness, charitability, patience, forbearance. With boldness, manliness and self-reliance, combine humility, softness of speech and behaviour and self-denial. Be ready to serve others and put up with provocation and abuse without retaliation. Remove all harshness and rudeness from your nature. Courtesy and politeness must become part of your very nature. Then alone the hardened heart gets softened and good sentiments and spiritual emotions arise in it.

Concentration, meditation and Samadhi are still far from him who has not purified himself and got rid of his evil traits. Sinning and evil has become so much a habit with man that he never feels that he is committing them even though day and night he is doing so constantly. And the greatest harm is done by the fact that even while in this unregenerate state, the aspirant becomes deluded by Maya into thinking that he has already progressed considerably in spirituality. He deceives himself with the thought that as far as he is concerned he is pretty advanced in Sadhana. He thinks he has acquired that Nirlipta (unattached) attitude where he can commit any sort of act and yet remain unaffected by it. This self-deception puts a bar to all progress. Under this grave delusion he allows himself to be unrestrained and runs wild, intolerant of criticism, resentful of the least opposition, utterly disregardful of others feelings and absolutely unamenable to advice and correction. All senses of discrimination, sane judgment and introspection vanish from him. Even the common courtesy and culture possessed by an ordinary worldly man take leave of the aspirant on account of his presumption of spiritual advancement and growth of wisdom. He becomes disposed to attack even venerable and elderly persons and spiritually superior souls.

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The following articles by Sri Swami Krishnanandaji have been posted at Sri Swamiji's site:

• Video: The Four Conflicts of Life
• The Blessing of Fullness
• Sessions with Ashram Residents - 24: Sankaracharya’s Commentary about Prakriti and Purusha

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Divine Treasure of Sri Swami Sivananda
By Swami Sivananda

In this mechanised age of hurry, anxiety, hope and disappointment, where duty gets mixed up with ambition, the good with the pleasant where much time is taken away in complying with the demands of the outer man, indeed little time is left for one’s contemplation on the higher values of life. The time which one can spare seems to be so little that there is in the modern man a disinclination to plod through heavy times. Facts which are tersely and directly expressed in a precise form appeal, to the busy mind, more than elaborate disquisitions and long commentaries, especially when the subject of study is the higher supernormal Nature, the spiritual Verity. Those who are acquainted with the writings of Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj will know very well how he has spared no pains in disseminating to the nook and corner of the world the knowledge of the spiritual Reality, and the way of approaching it, in a manner most appealing to the human heart. His versatile genius has, with a direct knowledge of every side of human nature, catered for all kinds of expressions of spiritual hunger and appeased the same in a most marvellous manner. Sri Suryakant Shahji, an earnest seeker and an admirer of Sri Swamiji Maharaj has rendered an invaluable service to the aspirant-world by compiling such portions from the Swamiji’s writings as would be readily acceptable, easily digestible and quickly assimilable and would be a great help in one’s endeavour to march towards the Goal. The selections are well made to suit different temperaments of Sadhakas, and the book, as a whole, is a very interesting and useful pocket-guide. The loving efforts and munificence of the compiler are solely responsible for this publication, and we believe that this act of love and sacrifice will serve its purpose and be amply rewarded when eager spiritual aspirants find in it the needed food for the head and the heart, a great consolation and aid, never failing and ever comforting with precepts of profound wisdom.

For more information, please see: The Divine Treasure of Sri Swami Sivananda

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The following books were recently reprinted and released during Guru Purnima on July 9th:

ES50 Fourteen Lessons on Raja Yoga by Swami Sivananda

ES15 The Bhagavadgita Explained by Swami Sivananda

ES141 Isavasaya Upanishad by Swami Sivananda

ES142 Kenopanishad by Swami Sivananda

ES143 Kathopanishad by Swami Sivananda

ES146 Mandukya Upanishad by Swami Sivananda

ES101 May I Answer That? by Swami Sivananda

ES75 Kingly Science Kingly Secret by Swami Sivananda

ES64 How to Cultivate Virtues and Eradicate Vices by Swami Sivananda

ES27 Concentration and Meditation by Swami Sivananda

ES67 Inspiring Stories by Swami Sivananda

ES93 Lives of Saints by Swami Sivananda

ES19 Bliss Divine by Swami Sivananda

HS292 Hindu Tattva Vivechana (in Hindi) by Swami Sivananda

EK23 The Realisation of the Absolute by Swami Krishnananda

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SPECIAL ARADHANA CONCESSION

We are currently having a Special Aradhana Concession on all our publications from 1st July 2017 to 30th September 2017. The discount on publications is as follows:

20% on Orders Upto Rs. 300/-
30% on Orders Upto Rs. 1,000/-
35% on Orders Above Rs. 1,000/-
40% on Orders Above Rs. 25,000/-

40% Special Discount on the following Pictorial Volumes of Worshipful Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji and Worshipful Sri Swami Chidanandaji:

1. ES8 Glorious Vision                Rs. 650
2. ES4 Gurudev Sivananda        Rs. 250 
3. EC70 Ultimate Journey           Rs. 500
4. EC71 Divine Vision                 Rs. 300

Please visit our online bookstore for further details:
http://www.dlsbooks.org/

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SAMADHI: Anasuya, a devotee of the Master, had a serious doubt in her mind. “Swamiji,” she ventured to ask, “is it possible to get Samadhi in forty days and spiritual experiences after fifteen minutes of meditation?”

Her wistful eyes indicated that her doubt was quite genuine and she awaited the Master’s answer with bated breath.

“Even in forty births, even in four hundred births you cannot get Samadhi!”

The Master cast a compassionate glance at Anasuya. There was a short pause and he spoke again, “People see some lights and think it is Samadhi.”

Finally, the Master brought to an end the doubts and false hopes, not only of the lady questioner, but of many of those assembled in the Satsang, by repeating his initial statement. “Samadhi,” he affirmed solemnly, “will take forty births to attain.”

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“The spiritual path is thorny, rugged, precipitous, steep and slippery. But it is nothing for a man who has virtuous qualities and a Brahma Nishtha Guru to guide him.” – Swami Sivananda

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