Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!Namaste!*Epilogue - To This Monk From India (Swami Chidananda)* by Yvonne LebeauWe know words are powerless to describe the glory of his perfection. Yet we try again and again. It is an outlet for our overflowing heart. His constant and total adherence to the ideal, his utter spontaneity in all his actions, utter disregard for praise or blame, his supreme simplicity as well as complete absence of egoism, make all realise the great saint that he is. He is all ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Ganesha* by Sri Swami SivanandaLord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom and bliss. He is the Lord of Brahmacharins. He is the foremost among Brahmacharins or celibates.He rides on the Vahana, the small mouse. He is the Presiding Deity of the Muladhara Chakra.He is the Lord who removes all obstacles in the spiritual path and brings worldly success. So He is called Vighna Vinayaka. His Bijakshara ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*The Greatness of Swami Chidananda* by Dr. Devaki KuttyWhen Swamiji used to visit Lucknow during Gurudev’s time, Gurudev always sent some books for me and Swamiji came by bicycle to deliver them. He was so simple, humble and polite! Even after he became the President of the Divine Life Society, there was no change in his attitude and nature. This was Swamiji’s greatness. In 1974 Swamiji came to ...Continue Reading

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!Namaste!Swami Sivananda was Unique by Sri Swami KrishnanandaSwami Sivananda was a unique person, and we are all unique disciples. We lived with him; we rubbed shoulders with him, I should say. Mighty stalwart was Swami Sivananda. His teaching was his being, his message was his gesture. He did not give lectures. If any one of us would go there, “Please instruct us, speak to us,” he will say, “What are you asking me? You see what I am doing from morning till evening. See what I am doing. That ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Sri Gurudev* by Sri Swami ChidanandaBlessed spiritual radiance, worshipful Gurudev! We bow in devotion, faith and simplicity before you and accept with eagerness and earnestness this gift of your presence and this gift of proximity to you in this sanctified Samadhi Shrine. In this holy Ashram on the banks of the Divine Mother Ganga, we come to you with eagerness once again in this early dawn t ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Guru Purnima Message* by Sri Swami KrishnanandaOn this holy, most blessed Sri Guru Purnima, we place within our hearts the great Sri Nara-Narayana Bhagavan, whose grace spreads through the whole Earth as threads permeate a cloth, who is stationed in sacred Badrika Ashrama, as tradition goes, who is the original incarnation of Sriman Narayana; to these twin forces of Nara and Narayana we give o ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Prerequisites of Spiritual Sadhana* by Sri Swami SivanandaI will dwell here upon the main qualifications necessary for launching upon the actual Sadhana. All the ancient saints, seers, men of God that have had intuitive experience of the Truth have been declaring to all mankind the great bliss, the vast power and knowledge that can be experienced if only man would turn from sensual sinful life ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Counting One’s Blessings And Good Fortune* by Sri Swami ChidanandaBeloved Immortal Atman! To be able to be here at the Ashram is an experience for which many are yearning day and night, and to get it even for a brief period of a few days people undertake arduous journeys. They come from far nooks and corners of India and think their life has now become fulfilled when they come to this sacred p ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*The Story of Veetahavya* by Sri Swami Sivananda“Now I shall tell you another path that leads to Moksha. O valiant Rama! listen to it with rapt attention. A great Tapaswin, named Veetahavya, formerly dwelt in the Vindhya hills. In course of time, he grew dissatisfied with the ritual acts, which serve only to bewilder men and which are the causes of the diseases and difficulties of men. He gave ...Continue Reading

Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah! Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya! Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!Namaste!*Seeds of Vairagya* by Sri Swami ChidanandaFirst comes Vichara, then comes Viveka. Through Vichara and Viveka flowers Vairagya. Vichara is stimulated by careful observations of life around us. We don’t allow an event or an occurrence to pass without observing it carefully and reflecting over it, ‘What is it that I am observing? What is its deeper meaning and significance? Does it hold any speci ...Continue Reading