Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!

Namaste!

A Little Of All
by Sri Swami Venkatesananda

In the history of the world there have been sages, saints and prophets who have practised and preached one or the other modes of approaching the goal, which is self-realisation. It was Gurudev Swami Sivananda), the prophet of integral yoga, who insisted “It is not enough to practise any one kind of spiritual discipline, however well you may strive to do so. Every aspirant should incorporate in his spiritual programme all the items of all the yogas or modes of approaching God.”

Gurudev had no doctrine of his own. He re-delivered the same message that has from the beginning of time been given to us by the divine. His were the lips of God. He was one with God. Yet, if we can audaciously read a doctrine into his teaching, his own unique approach to the science of yoga can be called “The Yoga of a Little” or the yoga of synthesis. He warned us that only the harmonious development of the entire being could take us easily to the goal. A weak spot anywhere in the structure would ruin the whole.

He composed a rather simple but beautiful little song, which he himself sang in the Mahamantra tune at every meeting he addressed, especially during his All-India-Ceylon Tour in 1950.

hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare
hare krishna, hare krishna, krishna krishna, hare hare
Eat a little, drink a little;
talk a little, sleep a little.
Mix a little, move a little;
serve a little, give a little;
Work a little, rest a little;
study a little, worship a little.
Do asana a little, pranayama a little;
reflect a little, meditate a little,
Do japa a little, do kirtan a little,
write mantra a little, have satsanga a little.
Do all these, little, little. You will have time for all.

Was the Master against doing more of these wonderful things--like japa, asanas, or meditation--You ask, “Why only a little, why not much?” Then, we go on to interpret this to mean, “Do at least a little .. ..” But he really meant just this, “Do a little of each, don’t specialise.” That was the message--because the thing that clamours for specialisation is the ego, for the specialist is admired by the crowd. Specialisation fattens one’s ego, weakens the spirit of tolerance and understanding, and creates contempt and hatred.

Yoga is harmony. A beautiful, symmetrical and integral development of the total being, which means exercising every aspect of your personality every day. Otherwise there is an imbalance of personality, which is no yoga. In Gurudev’s way therefore you cannot spend too much time per day on any one practice, whatever it may be. A true follower of Swami Sivananda can only do a little of all. Thus there is harmonious development, health (wholeness) of body, mind and spirit.

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September 8th is the 137^th Birthday Anniversary of Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

 

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Sivananda's Integral Yoga
By Swami Venkatesananda

In these pages Swami Venkatesananda lets us experience Gurudev Swami Sivananda who preached the Yoga of Synthesis to the world and was himself a personification of the Yoga of Synthesis. Even in old age Swami Sivananda daily practised Hatha Yoga and Pranayama and benefited greatly thereof. He could never refrain from Karma Yoga, even as a boy he had to serve, he lived to serve. His limitless love for God and His creation made him a total Bhakta. He was a perfect Raja Yogi; all the Angas according to Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga were born with Gurudev. Jnana was his very nature; and so his actions, his words, his movements had their source in cosmic consciousness.

For more information, please see: Sivananda's Integral Yoga

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"We say we are disciples of Swami Sivananda. What qualities of Swami Sivananda have we? Not one. How can you be a disciple? Just because you are occupying a room in the Sivanandanagar location physically and geographically, you do not become a disciple. You can only say that you occupy a room here, but do not say you are a disciple. To be a disciple you must have at least one quality of his—that goodness, that vast-heartedness, and that entire dependence on God." – Swami Krishnananda

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