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Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

Practical Aspect of Meditation
by Sri Swami Sivananda

This world is full of miseries and sufferings. If you want to get rid of the pains and afflictions of this Samsara, you must practise meditation. Meditation leads to the knowledge of the Self, which brings about Eternal Peace and Supreme Bliss. Meditation prepares you for the integral experience or direct intuitive knowledge. Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atman. Meditation is the pathway to divinity. It is the royal road to the kingdom of Brahman. It is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to Heaven (Vaikuntha-Kailasa-Brahman), from error to Truth, from darkness to Light, from pain to Bliss, from restlessness to abiding Peace, from ignorance to Knowledge, from mortality to Immortality.

Truth is Brahman. Truth is Atman. You cannot realise the Truth without reflection and meditation. The mode of meditation differs according to the path adopted by the aspirant. A Bhakta practises Saguna Dhyana on the form of his Ishta Devata. A Hatha Yogi meditates on the Chakras and the presiding deities. A Jnana Yogi meditates on his own Self. He practises Ahamgraha Upasana. A Raja Yogi meditates on the special Purusha who is not affected by afflictions and desires.

The mind assumes the form of the object it cognises. Then only perception is possible. A Bhakta constantly meditates on the form of his tutelary deity or Ishta Devata. The mind always takes the form of the deity. When he is established in his meditation, when he attains the stage of Para Bhakti or supreme devotion, he sees his Ishta Devata only everywhere. The names and forms vanish. A devotee of Lord Krishna sees Lord Krishna only everywhere and experiences the state described in the Gita “Vasudevah Sarvam iti—Everything is Vasudeva only.” A Jnani or a Vedanti sees his own Self or Atman everywhere. The world of names and forms vanishes from his view. He experiences the utterances of the seers of the Upanishads: “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma—All indeed is Brahman.”

You must have a pure mind if you want to realise the Self. Unless the mind is set free and casts away all desires, cravings, worries, delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it cannot enter into the domain of Supreme Peace and unalloyed felicity—the Immortal Abode. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man, cannot practise meditation. He who has controlled the tongue and other organs, who has an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in moderation, who has destroyed selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practise meditation and attain success in Samadhi.

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The following article was recently posted at Sri Swami Krishnanandaji's site:

• The Metaphysical Background of Mantras

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Concentration & Meditation
by Sri Swami Sivananda

"Concentration and Meditation" form the inner core of the practice of Yoga. It is the key to the door of Inner Illumination and constitutes the central pivot round which all Sadhana in the spiritual field revolves. Dharana and Dhyana are the Yoga proper, leading to the consummation, Samadhi and Sakshatkara or Realisation.

Revered Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj gives in this compact and exhaustive treatise on the great subject a thorough-going exposition of the intricacies of "Concentration and Meditation," in a manner only a Master on the path would be able to do. Intensely practical, the work is an imperative to seekers and students on the Sadhana-Marga. Literature on this subject being very rare, we have endeavoured to bring out the present edition. We cannot see any better book on the subject to be placed in the hands of students of this phase of Yoga.

For more information, please see: Concentration & Meditation

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ART AND THE HEART: “Surgery is an art, something like carpentry,” the Master said to Dr M. of Delhi. “You may do useful work with your knowledge of surgery and medicine, but only the heart can spiritualise work and transform it into Karma Yoga. Here you feel that the patient is the Lord Himself, come to you to give you an opportunity of evolving through service. There is divine love in your heart for the patient. Your service acquires a divine character. Such service is then more fruitful to the patient as well as to the doctor. The operation or treatment is done by the Grace of the Lord and is therefore more effective. Your heart dwells on God and is purified.”

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“Every cell of our body is dominated by a devata. The sun is the controlling principle of the eyes. There are many other devatas – even for the hand. You cannot lift the hand unless a devata works. You cannot move the fingers unless the central government of the universe gives the order. But the human egoism is so hard that it thinks, “I shall do this, I shall do that. I go there, I come here. I have done so much.” These are all vain boastings of an individual. The order comes from the highest centre, and because of the egoistic isolation of personality from this universal whole, it appears as we are individually acting and doing things. There is an electric light here. Suppose the bulb asserts that it is shining. “See how I'm shining!” the bulb will say. The bulb is not shining. It is the electricity passing through it that is causing the light. So we cannot say that we are doing anything. Even our thinking is conditioned by the Central Thinking. The Central Thinking is the cosmic mind, of which our mind is a little, little, tiny tot.” – Sri Swami Krishnananda

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