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

Namaste!

Pleasure and Pain
by Sri Swami Sivananda

Pleasure is a particular mental state. It is a kind of exhilaration. Raga (attraction) causes pleasure. Dvesha (repulsion) causes pain. The mind expands itself in a moment of pleasure. It contracts in a moment of pain. They both are only relative states of mind. Really pleasure and pain have no real, lasting existence. What is really pleasure for one man may be pain to another. What is pleasure to a man at a particular time is pain to the same man at another time. The first two cups of milk give you some pleasure. The third cup induces distaste, and the fourth cup nausea and retching. There is no real, everlasting pleasure in the objects of the world.

Pleasure and pain are not two separate entities by themselves. They are the obverse and the reverse sides of the same coin. The difference is not in kind but in the application. They are a pair of the opposites, each interacting differently. Both pleasure and pain are subjective. Both of them can be mentally converted through a strong will, by the change in your Bhavana or mental attitude. Many vegetarian students from India, who go abroad for higher or special studies, become avid meat-eaters. Meat was repulsive to them when they were at their homes. Mere sight of meat would then induce in them disgust. How is it that they are able to relish meat with avidity, now? All this takes place by simple change in the attitude of thinking caused by external influences.

There is fluctuation in pleasure and pain. There is no continuous wave of pleasure and pain in the mind. If there is a continuous wave of pain, man will not be able to live even for a few days. The mind cannot always dwell on pain or pleasure. It is a great blessing. If you are in constant anxiety of death, then you may actually die in a short time. The varied objects of the world serve as diverting agents for the mind.

Amidst all pleasures of various kinds, fear, foreboding, care and worry blight your happiness and give you pain. There is a wave of pleasure for five minutes, and then it is followed by a wave of pain for the next five minutes. This rhythm continues throughout the life of man. Watch carefully your feelings through introspection. You will find that they are a jumble of mixed emotions. Therefore, on the spiritual path, culturing of emotions constitutes a vital Sadhana. The man who has no control over emotions is like a dry leaf tossed about by the vagaries of the wind. Here self-control and sublimation play an effective role. Little elations should not make you lose your head. Little feelings of depression, caused by little things, should not break your heart.

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We are beginning to make available our ebooks in the epub and mobi file formats. This will enable you to read the books comfortably on your mobile device. For this week we have posted Sri Swami Sivanandaji's Sixty-three Nayanar Saints. You may click on the .epub or .mobi links to download the same.

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The following articles have been posted at Sri Swami Krishnanandaji's site:

• H.H. Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj by Sri Swami Padmanabhanandaji Maharaj
• Commentary on the Kathopanishad - Discourse 6: Ishvara and the Jiva

 

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Heart of Sivananda
by Sri Swami Sivananda

These are the outpourings of the Heart of Sivananda. The Heart of Sivananda is filled with infinite love for the entire mankind; every sentence on every page of this book is empowered by that love to dispel the darkness of ignorance that besets the path of the spiritual aspirant and prevents him from marching forward.

Therefore, the Heart of Sivananda is the aspirant’s hope, and indispensable guide. It is offered to the world of spiritual aspirants with the prayer that it might not only serve them as a guide-book, but as a protective armour with which to resist the onslaughts of worldly forces.

For more information, please see: Heart of Sivananda

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SPECIAL ARADHANA CONCESSION

We are currently having a Special Aradhana Concession on all our publications from 1st July 2018 to 30th September 2018. 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/

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PERFECTION: On August 3, 1956, the Master laid the foundation stone of a market in Rishikesh. After he had returned to his cottage, his disciples discussed the way in which he did the stone-laying. Many felt that he need not have taken the trouble to do the actual work of the mason.

“Swamiji, usually important people, when they lay the foundation stone of a building, merely place a little bit of mortar as a formality.”

“But I am not a big man,” remonstrated the Master, and explained his attitude in the matter. “All that we do should be done with all our heart and soul and to the maximum perfection possible. As the saying goes, ‘Even if the dead person is a sweeper woman, the obsequies should be done well’. If I am to be a mason for a moment, I should do that work well and to my satisfaction. There is no formality for me. Every bit of work allotted to me I should do well.”

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"What is the meaning of life and the world, and of the relationship of the individual soul with Brahman? Whence are we born? Whereby do we live? On what are we established? What is the goal of life? How to attain the goal? Destined by whom do we live through various conditions of pain and pleasure? These are some of the great problems of life." - Swami Sivananda

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