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

Namaste!

The Blessings of Guru
by Sri Swami Krishnananda

For a few minutes we withdraw our minds and place before our mental vision the great divinity whom we are adoring at this auspicious moment – the commencement of sacred Guru Purnima, known as Sri Vyasa Purnima – Bhagavan Sri Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, whose words sustain all sacred literature in the world, who stands before us as a great example of tapasya, a paragon of righteousness and omniscience. Blue is the colour of his body, as we have been told in scriptures like the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Blue is the clean sky when we look at it with open eyes. Blueness is supposed to also be the colour of the body of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Blue is the body of Sriman Narayanaya. Blue is the ocean, which characteristic represents the quality of unlimitedness – infinity. Infinite is the power of this great master yogin, Bhagavan Sri Vyasa. Vyasochhishtam jagat sarvam is an old saying: "All the world of knowledge, in whatever branch of learning, art or science, is only what has already been said by Vyasa in some place or the other."

In our contemplations on this great personality we draw into our own selves a sustaining power which gets injected, as it were, into the very bloodstream of our person when we deeply think, feel and contemplate this wondrous divine object before our mental eye. It is as if we are bathed in liquefied steel. Imagine what we will feel if liquid steel is injected into the whole body. Energy, indomitable strength, truthfulness, beauty, happiness, hopefulness, positivity of thinking and a fearless existence – all this follows from the contemplation of this infinite molten steel that gets injected into us by the very thought of this super-master, not merely of this country, India, but of the world as a whole.

By ordinance of the great providence, we are told that Bhagavan Sri Vyasa is stationed in Sri Badri Ashram for the welfare of all the living beings in this world, for all time to come. There is no death of personality of such a master. Vyasa is a Chiranjivi – he shall be here as long as the world lasts. As far as our meditations on him are concerned, there is no distance between us here, seated in this pandal, and his presence which is right now here in front of us. You may say, "You said he is in Badri Ashram, so many kilometres away from here." Mind does not operate in spatial distance. It is only the body that thinks in terms of distance measurable by yardsticks. For the mind there is no distance between the Earth and the Sun, much less between this place, Sivananda Ashram, and the holy Badri Ashram. So where is Vyasa just now? Here and now.

If you have any doubts in your mind, you are going to be the loser. Don't ask how you will accommodate yourself to the feeling that Vyasa is here. If Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj's pervading presence is here, why should not Vyasa's presence be here? All the saints and sages are here, if only your heart is pure and you can summon them. They do not take time to come and see you. I mentioned that their characteristic is infinity in knowledge as well as power. Infinity is not in time; therefore, it does not take even one minute to come and be with us. It is not in space; therefore, it has not to cover any distance. Distanceless travel and timeless presence characterises omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence. Capacity to be present at any place, at any moment, power to know anything and the ability to do anything – these are the qualities of Bhagavan Sri Vyasa. If you want him here, he is here; and if you want to know anything, it shall be imparted to you just now; and if you want him to do something, it is done in an instant. Such a blessing is received by this holy land of Uttarakhand, which is hailed in such scriptures as the Manu Smriti. In the words of Manu, the great lawgiver, "That sacred spot on this earth which is between Ganga and Yamuna (and we are seated here in that place) is the creation of the gods – angels themselves. It is known as Brahamavarta – the land of absolute divinity."

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July 13th is Guru Purnima.

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

• Spirit of Renunciation
• Darshan with Swami Krishnananda: God is Everywhere
• Darshan with Swami Krishnananda: Absorbing the Lower into the Higher

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Guru Tattva
By Swami Sivananda

In spite of much that has been written on the concept of a spiritual Guru, there is still a good deal of confusion, misunderstanding, and skepticism in the public mind on this vital matter.

Is a Guru absolutely necessary? Who is a Satguru? How far can he help his Chela (disciple)? What are the duties of a disciple? What is the meaning of Initiation? Want of clear-cut and definite answers to these and related questions often impedes the spiritual progress of earnest aspirants.

Under the circumstances, the present book by Satguru Sivanandaji Maharaj should come as a boon to many. Within its pages, the reader will find an authoritative, succinct and bold elucidation of the entire subject of Guru-disciple relationship.

We have great pleasure in releasing this book for the benefit of spiritually thirsty men and women all over the world. May the blessings of the Lord and the Brahma-Vidya Gurus be upon all!

For more information, please see: Guru Tattva

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SPECIAL ARADHANA CONCESSION

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1. ES8 Glorious Vision                Rs. 650
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3. EC70 Ultimate Journey           Rs. 500
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Please visit our online bookstore for further details.

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SHYNESS TO ASK FOR MONEY: A certain gentleman approached the Master and, after bowing, offered to serve in the hospital as he had previous experience in the line.

The Master called for Dr K. C. Roy and requested him to utilise his services. In this connection the Master said, “We get thousands of people coming here but we do not have sufficient accommodation or money to give them food. Even in my pre-Sannyas days, when I used to edit the Ambrosia magazine, I used to feel shy to ask people to subscribe to the journal. I used to spend my own money. I used to go to different persons with a bag in my hand containing copies of Ambrosia, with the object of making them subscribe. But I would feel too shy to ask them for money. Hence, I used to return empty-handed.”

Swami Satchidananda remarked, “Even now Swamiji does not ask for money.”

“Though I do not ask for money, I get it. I distribute books and people give me money,” the Master said.

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“Just as in Poornima the Moon is the fullest reflection of the Sun, we should also take advantage of the Guru Poornima and should fully reflect the light of knowledge of the Sun-Guru. And therefore, of all the virtues which a disciples must have, the greatest virtue is obedience. Why is it so? It is a very precious virtue, because if you try to develop the virtue of obedience, the ego, the arch enemy on the path of Self-realisation, slowly gets rooted out. The greatest slayer of Atma is the mind in the form of ego, and the greatest slayer of ego is obedience to the Guru. It is like a flaming shell, and before that the ego cannot stand. And if we make just this one virtue the central fact of our being as disciples, then we will find that the ego recedes to the background, and the Guru’s grace fills the entire being.” – Swami Chidananda

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