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

Namaste!

Bases of Spiritual Sadhana
by Sri Swami Sivananda

A man abandoning society and activity as evil and shutting himself up in seclusion, isolated from mankind so that he might grow in virtue and into sainthood through meditation, will in all probability be found to be less ready to overlook the transgressions of an erring brother than a practical humanitarian earnestly exerting himself in the field of sincere selfless service. If a monkey or a stray dog happens to enter his Kutir and upset his water-pot or run away with his rottis (bread), the Ekantavasi Virakta (dispassionate recluse) will perhaps shout and curse the animal and nurse a grudge against it to the end of his days! Then, again, the admirable virtue of adaptability comes only by mixing and moving among men in many moods and dealing with different peoples of diverse temperaments. It is through selfless activity and service that one acquires the ability to accommodate oneself to the peculiarities of personalities and of places. If, thinking to experience oneness of Self and to feel universal brotherhood, you confine yourself to a solitary cell and take to repeating Vedantic formulae, you run the risk of becoming Tamasic instead and turning eccentric and intolerant. Slowly you will lose what good traits you had previously. It is to guard against this risk that we have the wise counsel "Let not virtue wither for want of its exercise."

It is evident that the recluse in retreat and the Sannyasi in seclusion may well learn a useful point or two from the Nishkama Karma Yogi and the humble Svayam Sevak. No doubt through the method of meditation one may develop several virtues of a subjective type, subjective in that they centre round and concern the Sadhaka’s own immediate personality. Through constant contemplation subjectively one may acquire non-attachment to one’s body, and imperviousness to environment or a victory over the Rajasic urge to wander aimlessly, etc. Restraint and self-denial too could be acquired to some degree.

On the other hand, it is only through selfless activity, unattached work and loving service that one can acquire precious gems of purity, patience and humility. Humility especially comes through service alone. In this connection it is of a great profit to remember one point of immense practical value, i.e., of all virtues humility forms the basis. It is only when a man is humble and feels that there is much that he does not possess and has to acquire that, there arises in him the eager desire to grow into those noble qualities he is deficient in. Here begins his systematic endeavour and attempt to acquire and possess them. The proud and arrogant man has little scope for growth, because he feels he knows everything. There is that self-sufficiency in his pride which leads him to think that there remains nothing for him to strive for and to acquire. Therefore it is said that humility is the fruitful source of all virtues and that everything that is kind and good naturally grows from it.

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

1. Sessions with Ashram Residents - 23: An Action is a Vibration

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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Book Synopsis

Sadhana
By Swami Sivananda

To inspire, to awaken and to guide the seekers after Truth and God-realisation, has been the unique life-work of the great sage, Swami Sivananda. He has given us certain working methods, in as much as practical ways and means are more to be attended to, rather than mere theory. The spiritual life is to be built upon and sustained by three important supports, i.e., a well-conceived ideal, a definite programme of life and a background of thought.

For any of us, to proceed upon the spiritual life, the first requisite naturally goes without saying is that the individual should have an ideal. He should want something definite, he should aim at getting something concrete.

The second requisite is a well-laid and well-regulated plan of procedure or programme. After having conceived of the ideal which the aspirant wants to reach, as haphazard procedure will not only take him nowhere but will also mean a fruitless waste of his precious energies, he should chalk out a definite and well-marked programme.

A well-conceived ideal and a definite programme of life and then a concrete background of thought to sustain him in his struggle to work out that programme—these are the three requisites which Swami Sivananda has advocated.

To sum up, in order to tread the path of spiritual life: (1) let the aspirant conceive of an ideal; (2) let him put up a general programme of life; (3) let him have Abhyasa and Vairagya (practice and dispassion) and (4) let him take to a background of thought into which he can take refuge at times of external stress. And for all this, the help of this book is most invaluable; it is in fact, the greatest boon that we could offer to the aspirant-world. There is no aspect of Sadhana which has not been dealt with, no path which has not been presented, and no point of guidance that the aspirant’s peculiar difficulties need, which has not been elaborately dealt with.

For more information, please see: Sadhana

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The following books were recently released:

EK52 The Tree of Life by Swami Krishnananda

EK53 A Brief Outline of Sadhana by Swami Krishnananda

EC27 Walk in This Light by Swami Chidananda

 

The following books were recently reprinted:

ES129 Sadhana by Swami Sivananda

ES304 Practice of Ayurveda by Swami Sivananda

ES221 Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sivananda

ES46 Pocket Prayer Book by Swami Sivananda

ES229 Meditation (Dhyana Yoga) by Swami Sivananda

ES172 Students' Success in Life by Swami Sivananda

ES183 Thought Power by Swami Sivananda

ES38 Unity of Religions by Swami Sivananda

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THE SPIRITUAL DIARY: Addressing a conference once, the Master explained to his listeners the utility of keeping a spiritual diary:

“Keep a spiritual diary. Note down in it when you become angry, when you hurt the feelings of others. This is very, very important. If you exhibit anger or hurt others, impose self-punishment. Give up meals at night. Do fifty more malas of Japa. Write in the diary: ‘I forgot to see God in man two times today.’ If you proceed in this way for one or two years, you will doubtless realise remarkable peace, wonderful spiritual progress and strong will-power. Many kinds of miseries, troubles and mental torments will come to an end. Devotion will develop. You will evolve rapidly. You will be a changed man. You will be a veritable God on earth. Will you practise this, dear friends, from today itself?

“Turn over the pages of the diary once a week. If you now commit twenty mistakes daily, you will commit only five a day after six months if you keep a diary. A good time will come when you will not commit even a single mistake in a day.”

To his students the Master wrote: “Do not neglect the spiritual diary. That is your Guru at your side.”

In a discourse on the occasion of his sixty-sixth birthday, the Master again spoke on the spiritual diary:

“In self-analysis, a portion of the mind studies another portion. This enables you to find out your own defects. Record them in your spiritual diary. Everybody should keep a spiritual diary. You keep all kinds of diaries—milk diary, washerman’s diary, etc. But the most important thing, that which serves you as a whip to goad the mind towards God, is the spiritual diary.

“At what time did I wake up today? Which sense-organ is troubling me? How much Japa have I done today? What is the state of my mind? How much Sattwa have I acquired today? That is the kind of diary you will have to maintain daily if you wish to attain eternal bliss, immortality and everlasting peace.”

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"The Lord tries and tests His devotees through and through, but He gives them strength and endurance to go through the ordeals." - Swami Sivananda

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