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

Namaste!

Mind, World, Inner Discipline And Spiritual Progress
by Sri Swami Sivananda

The body is the root of the tree of Samsara or the earthly existence.

There was not pot in the beginning and there will not be any at the end. But if you see the pot in the middle, then your attitude towards it should be detached i.e., you should not believe in its permanence.

So also, there was no body in the beginning, and there will be none at the end. But that which exists in the middle and not in the beginning or at the end, should not cause bondage to you, i.e., you should not get attached to it.

Identification with the body is the cause for pleasure and pain. Where there is pleasure, pain is present in the background.

The characteristics of the body, senses, vital force, mind and intellect are superimposed on the pure Atman, which, in reality you are. You labour under the false notion, “I am the doer; I am the enjoyer, I am the sufferer” in relation to your body, mind and senses, and thereby come to grief.

The senses are the avenues for sense-knowledge. They are the gateways of perception for the mind.

The mind works always in conjunction with the five senses. It is drawn out by the five senses to the external objects, and thus the world is perceived.

Mind generates endless thoughts in relation to its perception through the senses, and the world comes into being.

Thoughts and names and forms are inseparable. If thought ceases, the world also ceases. Perception gives stimulation to thought.

The nature of the mind being extrovert, it tries to derive pleasure through stimulation of thoughts which are effected by the contact of the senses with the objects.

Not being satisfied with one object, the mind jumps from one to another, because no object can give continued satisfaction, and therefore they have to be changed constantly. Thus the mind is restless.

In a restless mind, no true knowledge, which is extra sensory supra-mundane, can dawn. Therefore, the necessity of the control of thought, and then its annihilation.

Then intuition dawns, which is beyond the means of thought. Acquire mastery over the mind. Make it your servant. Allow it not to become your master.

Practise Yoga. Discipline the senses and control the mind. Open the portals of intuition and let divine knowledge flood over the mind.

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The following articles were posted at Sri Swami Krishnanandaji's site last month:

• The Story of Bharadvaja
• The Seven Planes of Existence
• Your Spiritual Nature
• The Christian Idea of God

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

Conquest of Mind
by Sri Swami Sivananda

Sri Swami Sivananda has always laboured in a Divine Way, on a grand scale, for the spread of the Wisdom of spiritual India, and for the dissemination of practical knowledge on Mind and its total control and conquest. So great has been his contribution to the world’s spiritual literature, human happiness and enlightenment, and so high is his spiritual Eminence that he has been justly esteemed as at once a Patanjali, a Vyasa, a Yajnavalkya, a Sankara, an all-compassionate Saint and a dynamic integral Yogi.

This book presents a number of most helpful hints on the Nature of Mind and many methods for the successful conquest of mind. By aspirants, devotees, seekers after Truth, psychologist, and others who are seeking peace of mind and happiness in life, this work will be found highly useful.

For more information, please see: Conquest of Mind

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TAKE REFUGE IN GOD: A correspondent narrated to the Master his sorrowful and unhappy condition:

“At present one of my girls is down in bed with enteric fever, which rises to 105 degrees. Today is the tenth day. Her diet is only some milk and fruit. The doctor says that there are no curative symptoms. My wife is in hospital with eczema on her right palm. I am suffering from scriviner’s palsy. Such are the conditions of this nasty world! I am a sinner and so I suffer.

“Eyes have I but seeth not thy Divine Grace, a Grace sublime in the history of spirituality. The day dawns with misery and ends in restlessness and mental anguish. I look up with fond hope to the day when I shall be at thy feet. Kindly have pity on me and remove all my troubles.”

The Master replied: “Dear Santosh, you are neither the body nor the mind. You are the all-pervading Atma. There is neither disease nor sorrow in the Atma. The Atma is without disease. Detach yourself from the body and mind. Then alone will you be happy. Close your eyes. Meditate. Go to the divine source. Tap the peace there. It will flow incessantly. Drink the nectar of immortality.

“Through different experiences you eventually realise the shallow nature of the world. Now you are fully aware of the worthless nature of sensual objects. You are slowly developing dispassion.

“Never entertain the idea that you are a sinner. Roar: ‘Sivoham, Sivoham—I am Shiva, I am Shiva.’ Sin is only a mistake committed during the course of evolution. The struggling soul has to commit mistakes. Just as a child learns to walk by falling down several times, so also a neophyte on the spiritual path has to fall sometimes. Sin is a relative term. The Atma is beyond virtue and sin. Virtue and sin are mental creations only. Get into the state that is beyond the pairs of opposites. Remain always in a positive state.

“Your present ailment is a Karmic purgation. It has come to make you remember Him more and more, to instil mercy in your heart, to strengthen you and to enable you to develop the power of endurance. Kunti prayed to God to give her adversity always so that she could remember Him constantly. Devotees rejoice more in suffering than in pleasure. Diseases, pains, scorpion stings, snake bites and calamities are all messengers of God. A devotee welcomes them with a cheerful countenance. He never grumbles. He says with all his heart: ‘I am Thine, my Lord. Thou doest everything for my good.’ Where then is there room for lamentation and despair, my dear child? Thou art dear to Lord Vasudeva. That is the reason why He has put you into this condition. If He wants to take anyone to His side, He takes away all his money. He removes his dear kith and kin. He destroys all his pleasure centres, so that his mind may rest fully at His Lotus Feet. Face everything with a smile and with a cheerful countenance. Understand His mysterious ways. See Him in everything, in every face. Out of sight, but not out of mind. Lord Krishna’s Grace is bound to descend. He is Thy immortal friend.

“The all-merciful Lord resides in the chambers of your heart. He is quite close to you. You have forgotten Him but He still cares for you. All troubles and trials are His blessings in disguise. He wants to mould your body and mind to become fit instruments for His unhampered play or Lila. He ministers or attends to your wants in a better manner than you yourself could do. Throw away the load that you are unnecessarily carrying on your shoulder on account of your egoism. Give up your self-created responsibilities and be at perfect ease. Have perfect faith in Him. Do total, unreserved self-surrender. Run to Him now. He is waiting with outstretched arms to embrace you. He will do everything for you. Believe me, all miseries will come to an end. Pray sincerely: ‘I am Thine, my Lord. All is Thine. Thy Will be done.’ The gulf of separation will now vanish. You will obtain His Grace and be free from all troubles.

“Develop the power of endurance. Be prepared to give up the body for a noble cause. Fearlessness is an important qualification for an aspirant. Come to me after three years. Prepare the soil first. Then the spiritual seed can be sown fruitfully.

“Wishing you peace and liberation!”

“A creeper grows. You allow it to ascend on a stick. Every day you tend it, and move it in the direction you want. If you do not tend it for a week, it will move in its own way. It will not serve your purpose. It will look ugly. Even so, you must tend the creeper-mind daily. Then alone can you bend it easily. You can mould it properly, you can control it easily.” – Swami Sivananda

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