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

Namaste!

The Light of the Himalayas
by Srimati B. Sita Rai, New Delhi

The sky may be dark and stars may not shine,
The Sun may dwell in the Deep Divine,
But on the stormy night when Fate declines,
The Light of the Himalayas ever shines.

It was the cold month of January. As a ship that was lost in the sea without a compass, so I was lost in this world of worries and sorrows, where there were stormy nights and dark waters. I left Delhi for Rishikesh and reached Hardwar early in the morning. From Hardwar the train sped me through the dense rustic woods to the lofty Himalayan slopes, where Ananda Kutir stands like a Light on the Hills. The heavenly beauty of Nature, the crystal clear water of mother Ganga and the very atmosphere which was surcharged with selfless service and cosmic love stirred my spirit.

The sacred Ashram is surrounded by small Kutirs, wherein are housed a dispensary, a library, a pharmacy, a school for children, a Bhajan hall for ‘Akhanda Kirtan’, a Mandir, a printing press, a photographic studio and a Yoga museum. A number of devout Sadhakas were working in the departments with such earnest zeal that peace reigned all over. There were no conflict or complexities nor was there any confusion or chaos. The whole atmosphere was tuned by the dynamic personality of Swami Sivanandaji for ‘Spiritual Worship’ and ‘Human Brotherhood’. The Self-luminous Saint of Ananda Kutir guides those who are lucky to come in contact with him by some way or the other. In Him one finds the generosity of mother earth, kindness and the love of a mother, discipline of a commander, and magnetism of the Lord Himself. I paused and thought how wonderful it would be to be free from all the worldly bondages like these blissfull aspirants of Ananda Kutir. How could have they liberated themselves when they were in the midst of the world!

Next morning as the shadows were awakening and the scent of the dawn was being carried by the cool breeze, I saw an eagle descending from the mountain tops. It glided without a flutter of wings into the valley and then disappeared amidst the shadows of the black mountains. At the end of the day I saw it return to its abode in the mountain peaks, far away from the strife, the struggle and the jostle of the world.

While watching this from the bank of the Holy Ganga, Swamiji said:

"So is the human being who wants to see the ‘Vision of Truth’ during his or her strife in the world. Though one may wander among the transient things and lose oneself among the shadows, yet all the life will be guided by that Eternal Goal. As the eagle soars to its abode, so will he soar beyond all sorrows, fleeting pleasures and passing joys. The attainment of that eternal goal is of primary importance for one who desires to disentangle oneself from all complications of life. Such a goal of one’s own experience, one’s own sorrows, sufferings, understanding and of Vision will throw Light on all the darkness and confusion of thoughts."

Read complete article

---

July 26^th is the 56^th Punyatithi Aradhana of Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj (anniversary of the physical passing of a saint).

---

The following article has been posted at Sri Swami Krishnanandaji's site:

• Swami Krishnananda in Conversation - 7: Oneness in Diversity

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

---

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Guru-Bhakti Yoga
By Swami Sivananda

Just as Kirtan-Sadhana has been made the special Kali-Yuga Sadhana for quick God-vision, even so herein you have the New Yoga, a Yoga most eminently suitable for this age of doubt and scepticism, pride and egoism. It is Guru-Bhakti Yoga. This Yoga is marvellous. Its power is tremendous. Its efficacy is most unfailing. The true glory of Guru- Bhakti is indescribable. It is the Yoga par excellence for this age, which makes God appear here before you in flesh and blood and move with you in this very life. The hard Rajasic ego is the arch enemy of the Sadhaka. Guru-Bhakti Yoga is the surest and best Sadhana to destroy arrogance and to dissolve the vicious ego. Just as a particular deadly germ can be annihilated only by a certain specific chemical germicide, even so, to destroy Avidya and Ahankara, this unique Guru Bhakti-Yoga is the peerless specific. They are the gravest 'Mayacide' and 'egocide'. They become quite powerless and no longer afflict the fortunate soul who saturates himself with the spirit of Guru- Bhakti-Yoga. Blessed indeed is the man who earnestly takes to this Yoga; for he will obtain crowning success in all other Yogas. To him will accrue the choicest fruits of perfection in Karma, Bhakti, Dhyana and Jnana.

The qualification for taking to this Yoga is the simple trio of sincerity, faith and obedience. Be sincere in your aspirations for Perfection. Be not vague or half-hearted. Then have perfect faith in the one you have accepted as your Guru. Do not allow even so much as a shadow of doubt to approach you. When once you have reposed absolute faith in him, then know that what he instructs you is indeed for your highest good. Therefore, obey his word implicitly. Follow his teachings to the letter. Be earnest in doing thus, and take my word: you will attain Perfection; I assure you emphatically.

-Sivananda

For more information, please see: Guru-Bhakti Yoga

---

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/

---

OPPORTUNITY IN DIFFICULTY: While the Master was travelling with Major General A. N. Sharma to Hardwar, the car broke down and the party had to travel by bus.

When Sri Sharmaji apologised to the Master for the inconvenience caused by the breakdown, the Master said, “Inconveniences we must always have, otherwise we will not grow strong. If we get conveniences only, how can we grow? How can we develop our will-power, endurance and equanimity? An optimist always finds an opportunity in every difficulty while a pessimist always sees a difficulty in every opportunity.”

---

“Many of us have distracted notions of our own selves – poor, illiterate ideas of our being nothings, nobodies, unfulfilled, incomplete and unfortunate. Nothing of the kind is the case with anyone or with anything because a wretched incomplete wreck cannot be manifest from a perfect being. And if you believe you have come from that One Being, you are not that which you imagine yourselves to be under a false notion of yourself in your artificial adjustments and accommodations with a phenomenon called human society which, to repeat once again, is also, in its essentiality, a symbol of perfection itself.” – Swami Krishnananda

---

Sivananda Day-to-day is sent out weekly.
To subscribe to this mailing list please go to:
http://www.dlshq.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi

Other Sivananda related lists:
1) Sivananda Daily Readings

2) Sivananda's Thought for the Day

3) Various Selections from Sivananda's Works