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

Namaste!

Behold The Light of Lights—The Atman
by Sri Swami Chidananda

Dipavali or Divali means a ‘row of lights’. This festival falls on the last two days of the dark half of Asvina (Sep.-Oct.). For some it is a three-day festival: the first day is Naraka-Chaturdasi, the second is Lakshmi-Puja on the New Moon day and the third is Bali-Padya. The festival of Dipavali is observed as the joyous commemoration of the victory of the Divine forces over the dark ones. On this day, according to ancient tradition, Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura. In our own bodies, egoism or Ahankara is the real Narakasura. Kill this egoism through the sword of Atma-Jnana or knowledge of the Self, and merge in Sri Krishna, the Supreme Light of the world, and thus enjoy the spiritual Dipavali or inner illumination.

Many Dipavali festivals have come and gone, and yet the hearts of the vast majority of people are as dark as the New-Moon night. The houses are lit with brilliant lights, but the hearts are full of the darkness of ignorance. O Man! wake up from the slumber of ignorance, eradicate your ego or Ahankara (the real Asura), completely, and realise the eternal Light of the Soul, through meditation, and Vichara or enquiry, and dispel the darkness of ignorance, and attain full inner illumination.

The screen that obscures the splendour and the light of the Atman is called the veil of Ajnana or Maya. Maya is Trigunatmika, viz., Sattva, Rajas and Tamas combined, Ajnana is manifest in the individual consciousness in three forms: Mala (impurity), Vikshepa (distraction) and Avarana (veil). After the destruction of the first two, it is on the final piercing of the Avarana that all dualities cease to be and the highest non-dual consciousness of the Atman alone shines there in all its radiance and brilliance. This truth is brought out to us by the battle between the Atma-Sakti as represented by Sri Krishna and the demon Narakasura, who is annihilated in the end.

The ultimate aspect of Ajnana (Maya) is nothing but the human ego which continues to persist to the very last, and it is a prolonged struggle by which the Sadhaka ultimately overcomes it and has Aparoksha Anubhuti or direct realisation. The ego of man persists right up to the threshold of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

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November 7th is the holy celebration of Deepavali.

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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 The Philosophy and Significance of Idol Worship. 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:

• The Foundation of the Science of Astrology
• The Four Visvarupas
• The Chakras as Levels of Creation

 

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Hindu Fasts and Festivals
By Swami Sivananda

The Hindus are a profoundly religious people. Their goal of life is Self-realisation or the attainment of God-consciousness. In this book Gurudev has explained the significance and the philosophy of many of our fasts and festivals. In two aspects of these observances, he has always allowed the greatest freedom: (1) in the determination of the dates of the festival, which, as he has explained on page 53, vary, and (2) in the traditional ways of celebrating them. For instance, in South India during the Durga Puja they have the Kolu when various idols and toys are arranged in colourful gallaries before which, every evening, girls sit and sing. Again, in some places there is fire-walking without the Kavadi (see page 109), held in honour of Draupadi Amman who was born of fire; or in Ceylon, according to Yogi Satchidananda of Ceylon, in honour of Kannaki Amman. Gurudev never disturbs anyone’s good beliefs and customs.

For more information, please see: Hindu Fasts and Festivals

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A SELF-REALISED SAGE: In his book, Ten Upanishads, the Master states unambiguously that a Self-realised sage has all the powers of Brahman. He writes that knowledge of Brahman is never separate from Its power; that it goes hand in hand with Its power.

After reading this book, Advocate Tiwari of Gwalior felt that the Master, a Self-realised sage, must possess all the psychic powers, although he never made any display of them. So in the summer of 1955, while at the Ashram, he approached the Master and posed the question indirectly, “Swamiji, what are the powers of a Jivanmukta?”

“A Jivanmukta has all the powers of a Siddha.”

“How do these powers differ from that of God?”

“The powers of a liberated sage are the same as that of God, except in that of creation.”

“Can he freeze the running water of the Ganges below?”

The Master smiled. “Why not? He can do so if he so wishes, but he will not usually do it unless it is for the good of the people.”

The Master went on, “A liberated sage can do anything by means of his perfected will. He has pure Sattwa in him, like that of Ishwara. Pure Sattwa fulfils every true resolve.”

Tiwari asked again, “If the sage can exercise the same powers as that of God, will there not be a confusion if both chose to exercise their powers in contrary ways?”

The Master quickly replied, “A sage has only Cosmic Will and no individual will. The Cosmic Will is the Will of God. Therefore, there are no chances of a confusion arising.”

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“The sum and substance of the message connected with Dipavali is that it is a three-day festival, beginning with Naraka Chaturdasi, a day prior to Amavasya; then the main Lakshmi worship day, which is Amavasya itself; and the third day is Bali Padya, connected with the honour bestowed upon Bali Chakravarti as a devotee of Bhagavan Narayana. It is also an occasion for spiritual exhilaration, a lighting up of all darkness, socially as well as personally, outwardly and inwardly, for the purpose of allowing an entry of the Supreme Light of God into the hearts of all people.” – Swami Krishnananda

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