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

Namaste!

The Quintessence of The Spiritual Quest
by Sri Swami Chidananda

Today is the sixth day of the annual nine-day worship of the Divine Mother. This morning we will mention the actual inner nature of a common universal factor that constitutes the very quintessence of the quest, which if present, the quest becomes powerful and successful, which if absent, no matter how much you struggle and seek and pursue the quest, you seem to be getting nowhere, it seems to be unproductive.

And that inner factor can be explained in terms of a physiological activity that is absolutely indispensable for sustaining life and thus is an apt analogy. Life is sustained by food. But a desire for food only arises if there is keen hunger. If there is no hunger, no appetite, a person turns away from food.

Therefore, the quintessential inner factor is that there should be a great hunger in the soul for the attainment, just as when physiologically a person feels great hunger for food and will not rest until their hunger is appeased. Scientific researchers are driven by such a hunger. Day and night they can be in their laboratories trying to somehow or other attain a breakthrough. They have this powerful inner hunger for new knowledge, for discovery.

In the same way, in the spiritual world it is this great inner longing, this great hunger, that is the one quintessential factor. If it is there, all other things are somehow or other managed; they are dealt with and you go on proceeding further and further upward. If it is not there, if it is lacking or if it is not of the highest quality and measure, then no matter how much yoga and pranayama, how much japa and study of scriptures or any other spiritual practice you may do, all that is seen is a snail’s pace progress. It is not without reason that Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." Mark! These are key words—hunger and thirst—a great longing.

The guru of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, used to go and stand before the shrine of the Divine Mother and say: "Mother, here is knowledge, here is ignorance. I offer both at Your feet; I do not want either. Give me only unalloyed devotion to Thy lotus feet." He would offer Her everything—discrimination and non-discrimination, meditation and dissipation, this and that, everything—saying that he wanted nothing; he just asked for unalloyed devotion to Her lotus feet.

This leads us into a great truth in spiritual life. That which pleases the Supreme Being the most, that which unfailingly draws down the grace of the Divine, is this hunger and thirst in the human heart, a great longing in the human heart for God and God alone to the exclusion of all other things: "Take away everything. I only want unalloyed devotion that longs for You and You alone."

This is the quintessential factor in the spiritual path and the spiritual life. May you hunger and thirst after righteousness. May the grace of the Divine Mother and the benedictions of Holy Master grant you all that is essential to make your life a glorious success!"

Read on the web

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September 21st marks the 1st day of the nine-day worship of the Divine Mother known as Navaratri. There are several articles on our websites with regards to the significance of this festival. They are

1. Navaratri by Sri Swami Sivananda
2. The Esoteric Significance of the Devi Mahatmya by Sri Swami Krishnananda

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Hindu Gods and Goddesses
By Swami Sivananda

GOD is one, but His aspects are many. The different aspects of God constitute the Hindu Pantheon.

The naturally pious Hindu delights in his Deities. He delights in singing the Lord’s glories, in chanting His Mantras, in visiting His temples, in worshipping His Murtis. These devotional practices expand his heart, enlarge his vision, aid him powerfully in his Sadhana, and ultimately lead him to the highest goal of his spiritual endeavour, viz., God-realisation.

The conception of the names and forms of various Deities in Hindu mythology is grand, sublime, unique. Every detail connected with every Hindu god and goddess has its inner meaning, its esoteric significance.

Swami Sivananda writes for the readers. His style is simple. His approach is direct. He writes with intense devotion and Prem.

We have great pleasure in releasing this beautiful book for the benefit of all those who want to understand Hinduism better. May God illumine the hearts of all and bring peace on earth.

For more information, please see: Hindu Gods and Goddesses

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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/

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ON CONQUERING PASSION: An aspirant wrote to the Master: “I have practised criminal law for five years. I have one weakness which is always agitating my mind, and have ventured to place all the naked facts before you in the hope that it may be possible for me to mend myself. During my college days, I don’t know how it happened, but the devil in me prompted me to visit prostitutes. I am married and have children. In spite of my intellectual background and my conscience, I succumb to the temptation of visiting prostitutes. I detest it, but sometimes I am carried away by emotion. What pains me is the fact that I am conscious that what I do is a sin against myself, against my wife and my children; still I do it. I want inspiration and guidance to correct myself. Will you tell me what is wrong with me? Is there any hope for me or am I completely lost in the wilderness?”

The Master sent a lengthy reply which read:

“I rejoice to go through the letter. It portrays very well your noble self’s true inner aspiration to lead the divine life and attain the supreme goal of life—God-realisation.

“The lust that assails you is not part of your real nature; if it was, then such sublime thoughts as you have penned in your letter would have never arisen in you. You are pure and full of spiritual impressions. You have obviously inherited the lust, or it has been acquired through some bad association in childhood or boyhood. It is a passing cloud. It has passed away the moment you decided to write your letter to me. The light of purity is now shining brilliantly in you. Look at it. Meditate on it. Forget the past. Forge ahead along the road of purity, towards the pinnacle of glory.

“Lust is like a dog. The more you drive it away, the more it will follow you. Ignore it. Then it will quietly follow you at a distance for a little while and, discovering that you are ignoring it, will go away. Attend to your spiritual practices and work. Go your own divine way with determined steps. You will then be completely rid of all traces of lust and other weaknesses. There is no doubt about this.

“Keep yourself busy day and night. Never remain alone after dusk. Conduct Kirtan in the evening. Read some elevating spiritual literature along with the members of your family and friends. Start from today. Never let the mind dwell on the past not even to congratulate yourself on your transformation. Keep it fully engaged until you actually fall asleep.

“Japa, Japa, Japa of the Lord’s holy Name is the only remedy for every kind of evil. For at least a month from now let the entire evening be devoted to a round of Japa, Kirtan, study and meditation. If you do not need to work in the evening, you can continue this habit for ever.

“Do not take any kind of stimulant after 3p.m. No tea, no coffee, no betel leaf, no spiced food. Take a very light meal at night, if possible only milk and fruit for some time at least.

“It is vital that even during the day you do not read any kind of obscene literature or look at obscene pictures. Keep your mind fully occupied and always at a high spiritual level.

“The most important point to remember is that you should not dwell constantly upon the weakness and upon the precautions you are taking to overcome it. Make a firm resolve: ‘I will be pure in thought, word and deed from this moment. The Lord will bless me with strength.’ Forget the past. Go on with your spiritual practices.

“I am sending you by separate post a rosary. Kindly do Japa of the Lord’s Name with it. Wear it always around your neck if you can; or at least wear it from the time you arrive home in the evening till you go to bed. It will act as a holy reminder, as a talisman.

“I am also forwarding you some spiritual diary forms. Kindly maintain it from today. Be frank. Be truthful in filling it. Send me a copy of the diary every month. I will serve you and guide you to become a thoroughly changed man, a superman.

“May God bless you with prosperity, health, long life, peace and liberation!”

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"No one can free himself from the thraldom of mind and matter without Mother’s grace. The fetters of Maya are too hard to break. If you worship Her as the great Mother, you can very easily go beyond Prakriti through Her benign grace and blessings. She will remove all obstacles in the path, and lead you safely into the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, and make you absolutely free." – Swami Sivananda

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