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

Namaste!

Spirit of Renunciation
by Sri Swami Krishnananda

(Taken from the Divine Life Magazine, 1958 issue)

Thirty-four years have now been completed since Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananda entered the holy order of Sannyasa. This memorable event has been not only a landmark in his adventurous march in the quest of Truth, but has set a brilliant example and serves as a shining ideal to all aspiring souls. This is the reaffirmation of the age-old truth, the truth that has been proclaimed centuries ago by the ancient seers of the Upanishads, that the Eternal cannot be reached by the non-eternal. All human endeavour is of the nature of transiency. Impermanency is the character of individualistic effort. Life here is nothing but a scene enacted on the theatre of space and time.

The world we live in is a spatio-temporal world. The objects that we experience are tarred with the nature of change. For, the world is of a 'presented' character. Anything that is given to the senses in the form of something external, is bound to be subjected to constant transformation. The Kathopanishad has emphasized this truth when it boldly asserted. Those that are transitory cannot obtain that which is Permanent. The world is 'Adhruva' and God is 'Dhruva'.

DISPASSION
It is the effort to put into practice this knowledge of the difference between the eternal and the non-eternal, that goes by the name of Vairagya. Thus renunciation should necessarily be preceded by Viveka, or a correct grasping of the nature of the Eternal as distinguished from the non-eternal. Vairagya is not the consequence of any kind of frustration in life. Abhava-Vairagya is not real dispassion. Non-obtainment of objects of sense does not constitute the real spirit that is at the back of the order of Sannyasa. Sannyasa is the formal acceptance of the life of complete non-attachment to the things of the world, as a result of the dawn of the knowledge that nothing in the world is of any real worth, the world being an effect and relative in the nature of its makeup.

Hence, Vairagya which is the cause of Sannyasa is not any negative denial of the values of life, but the affirmation of the only value that is in life—the value of the world being rooted in a trans-empirical Reality, which is at the same time the reality behind the human individual. Sri Krishna refers to the world as impermanent and joyless, an abode of sorrow is this world! If, then, it is true that we are stationed in a realm of grief, why is it that we seem to be contented with our lot here, and do not put forth any appreciable effort to avert the pains we are subjected to?

Read complete article

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1st June is the 102nd Anniversary of the Sannyasa Diksha of H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

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

• The Impersonal Law of Karma
• The Words Maya and Avidya

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

The Mighty Godman of Our Age
by Sri Swami Krishnananda

This book is a compilation of eighteen discourses on Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj that Swami Krishnananda gave over the years. Swamiji discusses the circumstances that necessitated the incarnation of Sri Gurudev on Earth at that period in history and the spiritual renaissance that arose at the beginning of the twentieth century. Swamiji also talks about Gurudev’s early days in Rishikesh and his austere tapas, various aspects of Gurudev’s nature, his mission in the world, and the founding and purpose of The Divide Life Society.

When Swami Krishnananda speaks about Sri Gurudev, it is from direct experience as a disciple who lived closely with the holy Master for decades, and along with this personal viewpoint Swamiji brings everything to Universality in a totality of vision.

For more information, please see: The Mighty Godman of Our Age

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20% on Orders Above Rs. 300/-
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D. I. N.: The Master enquired of one of the disciples, “Has Sri S. B. sent the Rs. 1,000 she had promised?”

“No, Swamiji.”

“Then remind her again at once. When is she going to give it? The charity should be done before the mood changes. It is difficult for a householder to stick to a good resolve for a considerable period. One should never trust one’s mind. The mood of charity, the mood of meditation, the mood of service, might change in a few minutes. Watch for this mood. When it comes, make the best use of it.

“If she gives the money, her heart will expand and the door of Moksha will be kept ajar for her to enter. It is not going to help us in any way. Press bills are pending. Her money will at once be converted into spiritual literature and distributed to thousands.”

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“Gurudev always used to emphasise again and again, and he was never tired of stressing and reiterating, 'You have to efface your ego.' Therefore, any occassion to bear, to endure, to tolerate, to be patient and not to retaliate is a God-sent opportunity for you to erase a little bit of this ego. So these two sentences of Gurudev's teachings: Bear insult, bear injury, it is the highest Sadhana,– have a very, very high significance and meaning. In his own life he demonstrated this by absolutely reducing himself to a cipher. He lived a veritable life of philosophy.” – Sri Swami Chidananda

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