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

Namaste!

Guru Sishya Yoga
by Sri Swami Chidananda

Radiant Atman! Beloved and blessed children of the Divine! It is through developing proximity to Reality and then contact with Reality that one ultimately becomes Reality. It is only through Sparsa (touch), it is only through contact, that a philosopher’s stone is able to turn iron into gold. If you keep it a hair’s-breadth away, the iron will forever remain iron. No matter how powerful the philosopher’s stone is, it cannot exercise its power unless the base metal comes into actual contact with it. This lets us into the great truth that it is in developing a living contact with a source of transforming spiritual power that one becomes illumined, one becomes divine, one becomes transformed.

Thus, the way to derive maximum benefit from our Guru is by connecting ourselves to him. We do it through faith, Sraddha. We do it through supreme devotion, Parabhakti—‘Yasya deve para bhaktih yatha deve tatha gurau, tasyaitekathitahyarthah prakasantemahatmanah’  (He whose devotion to God is supreme and whose devotion to the Guru is as great as to the Lord, to that high-souled one all knowledge of the scriptures stands revealed).

Is there an additional method of contacting the Guru? Yes, and one that was constantly, repeatedly reiterated by Gurudev. Gurudev said: "Obedience is better than reverence." Devotion is good. But what is the sign of devotion? What is the practical proof that you are really devoted to the Guru? It is to be sincerely, earnestly and seriously desirous of carrying out his instructions and living according to his teachings.

To walk along the path that the Guru has made for us and to go in the direction he has pointed out is the sign of true love and devotion. That is Bhakti. Bhakti also means Seva. Bhakti means serving the Guru. And what is the greatest service one can render to the Guru? Try to be like him. Try to do exactly what he has asked you to do. For this will effect an even deeper contact and connection. When you are living the teachings of the Guru, you are in the deepest contact with the Guru; you are in the deepest state of Yoga with the Guru.

Guru Sishya Yoga is present in its highest and most intense form when the disciple makes himself the very embodiment of the teachings of the Guru, the very personification of the Guru Upadesa (instructions), the Guru Ajna (orders) and the Guru Adesa (commands).

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July 9th is the holy celebration of Guru Purnima. There are several articles on our websites with regards to the significance of this day. They are

1. Guru Purnima by Sri Swami Sivananda
2. Veda Vyasa — The Paragon of Power and Wisdom by Sri Swami Krishnananda

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Guru Tattva
By Swami Sivananda

In spite of much that has been written on the concept of a spiritual Guru, there is still a good deal of confusion, misunderstanding, and skepticism in the public mind on this vital matter.

Is a Guru absolutely necessary? Who is a Satguru? How far can he help his Chela (disciple)? What are the duties of a disciple? What is the meaning of Initiation? Want of clear-cut and definite answers to these and related questions often impedes the spiritual progress of earnest aspirants.

Under the circumstances, the present book by Satguru Sivanandaji Maharaj should come as a boon to many. Within its pages, the reader will find an authoritative, succinct and bold elucidation of the entire subject of Guru-disciple relationship.

We have great pleasure in releasing this book for the benefit of spiritually thirsty men and women all over the world. May the blessings of the Lord and the Brahma-Vidya Gurus be upon all!

For more information, please see: Guru Tattva

SPECIAL ARADHANA CONCESSION

We are currently having a Special Aradhana Concession on all our publications from 1st July 2017 to 30th September 2017. The discount on publications is as follows:

20% on Orders Upto Rs. 300/-
30% on Orders Upto Rs. 1,000/-
35% on Orders Above Rs. 1,000/-
40% on Orders Above Rs. 25,000/-

40% Special Discount on the following Pictorial Volumes of Worshipful Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji and Worshipful Sri Swami Chidanandaji:

1. ES8 Glorious Vision                Rs. 650
2. ES4 Gurudev Sivananda        Rs. 250 
3. EC70 Ultimate Journey           Rs. 500
4. EC71 Divine Vision                 Rs. 300

Please visit our online bookstore for further details:
http://www.dlsbooks.org/

FIRST READ OUR SCRIPTURES: In November 1956, a visitor mentioned to the Master, “Swamiji, sometimes my faith in spiritual matters gets shaken. I have been reading Eastern and Western books on philosophy and religion, but my faith is still very weak and flickering.”

The Master advised, “Till you are established on the rock basis of our own philosophy, you should not read Western books. They will confuse you. You should read the Gita, Upanishads and Brahma Sutras. You should first be established in the thoughts of our Rishis. Later you can read the books of Western philosophers. Do a lot of Japa. It will give you peace.”

"If the Guru is to bestow his blessings upon us, and if we are to make the highest use of them, an important thing is needed. This will be best understood by taking an example. Suppose a man is afflicted with a disease. He goes to the doctor and then he tells him his condition. You have to tell your entire condition to the doctor, and then the doctor gives you a prescription and also a medicine. Thereafter the entire responsibility is shifted from the doctor to the patient. The moment you surrender yourself to the doctor, the prescription is given to you and then the entire responsibility is shifted from the doctor to the patient. The doctor has done his very best. He has diagnosed the disease and given you the medicine, but if you do not take the medicine in the manner instructed by the doctor, the medicine is as good as useless. If the doctor has asked you to take such and such a diet and you do not obey his instructions, then what will be your fate? Who is to be held responsible? Who is to blame? I hope that every sincere man who does not want to escape his responsibility will admit that the patient is responsible, and the entire fault lies in him, and he alone is to blame, if he does not obey the doctor. In the same way in the case of a seeker, when we come to the Guru and when we enter the spiritual life and tell him, "Please show us the way to attain the goal of life", and he says, "Be good", and we continue to be bad, and he says, "Do good", and we continue to do evil, in what way can the Guru help us? Swamiji does not confuse your mind with a whole lot of Sastras (scriptures). He gives in a very simple manner what all the scriptures of the world have given. He gives it in a very easy, simple, direct and practical form. Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate. And we want others to serve us! We want the spirit of service in everyone except ourselves. These are not fun. Man is Satchidananda in a sense and selfishness in fact." - Swami Chidananda

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