TWENTY IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS

Thursday, January 14, 2010

TWENTY IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS
By H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj
1. Get up at 4 a.m. daily. This is Brahmamuhurta which is extremely favourable for meditation on God.

2. ASANA: Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana for Japa and meditation for half an hour, facing the east or the north. Increase the period gradually to three hours. Do Sirshasana and Sarvangasana for keeping up Brahmacharya and health. Take light physical exercises as walking, etc., regularly. Do twenty Pranayamas.

3. JAPA: Repeat any Mantra as pure Om or Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Om Saravanabhavaya Namah, Sita Ram, Sri Ram, Hari Om, or Gayatri, according to your taste or inclination, from 108 to 21,600 times daily.

4. DIETETIC DISCIPLINE: Take Sattvic food, Suddha Ahara. Give up chillies, tamarind, garlic, onion, sour articles, oil, mustard, asafoetida. Observe moderation in diet (Mitahara). Do not overload the stomach. Give up those things which the mind likes best for a fortnight in a year. Eat simple food. Milk and fruits help concentration. Take food as medicine to keep the life going. Eating for enjoyment is sin. Give up salt and sugar for a month. You must be able to live on rice, Dhal and bread without any chutni. Do not ask for extra salt for Dhal and sugar for tea, coffee or milk.

5. Have a separate meditation-room under lock and key.

6. CHARITY: Do charity regularly, every month, or even daily according to your means, say six paise per rupee.

7. SVADHYAYA: Study systematically the Gita, the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, Sri Vishnu-Sahasranama, Lalita-Sahasranama, Aditya Hridaya, Upanishads or Yoga Vasishtha, the Bible, Zend Avesta, the Koran, the Tripitakas, the Granth Sahib, etc., from half an hour to one hour daily and have Suddha Vichara.

8. BRAHMACHARYA: Preserve the vital force (Veerya) very, very carefully. Veerya is God in motion or manifestation—Vibhuti. Veerya is all power. Veerya is all money. Veerya is the essence of life, thought and intelligence.

9. PRAYER SLOKAS: Get by heart some prayer-Slokas, Stotras and repeat them as soon as you sit in the Asana before starting Japa or meditation. This will elevate the mind quickly.

10. SATSANGA: Have Satsanga. Give up bad company, smoking, meat and alcoholic liquors entirely. Do not develop any evil habits.

11. FAST ON EKADASI: Fast on Ekadasi or live on milk and fruits only. JAPA MAALA: Have Japa Maala (rosary) round your neck or in your pocket or underneath your pillow at night. 13. MOUNA: Observe Mouna (vow of silence) for a couple of hours daily.

14. SPEAK THE TRUTH: Speak the truth at all cost. Speak a little. Speak sweetly.

15. Reduce your wants. If you have four shirts, reduce the number to three or two. Lead a happy, contented life. Avoid unnecessary worry. Have plain living and high thinking. 16. NEVER HURT ANYBODY: Never hurt anybody (Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah). Control anger by love, Kshama (forgiveness) and Daya (compassion).

17. DO NOT DEPEND UPON SERVANTS: Do not depend upon servants. Self-reliance is the highest of all virtues.

18. SELF-ANALYSIS: Think of the mistakes you have committed during the course of the day, just before retiring to bed (self-analysis). Keep daily diary and self-correction register. Do not brood over past mistakes.

19. FULFIL DUTIES: Remember that death is awaiting you at every moment. Never fail to fulfil your duties. Have pure conduct (Sadachara).

20. SURRENDER TO GOD: Think of God as soon as you wake up and just before you go to sleep. Surrender yourself completely to God (Saranagati). Om Santih Santih Santih! This is the essence of all spiritual Sadhanas. This will lead you to Moksha. All these Niyamas or spiritual canons must be rigidly observed. You must not give leniency to the mind.

From Yoga in Daily Life

SAMADHI - Part 5

Thursday, November 27, 2008

There is an interesting story in the Yoga-Vasishtha illustrating the bliss of Samadhi. Kacha,
the son of Brihaspati, the priest of the Devas, came out from his Samadhi with a cheerful mind, and soliloquised thus, in words bubbling with emotion: “What shall I do, where shall I go, what shall I take and what shall I give up? The whole universe is filled with the Self, as if with the waters of the Great Deluge. Within and without the body, below, above, and at all points of the compass, here, there and everywhere, is the Self; there is no spot filled with the not-self anywhere. There is nothing wherein I do not abide, nor is there anything which is not in me. What else shall I desire, when everything is pervaded by the Supreme Consciousness! The seven mountain fabled to hold up the globe of this earth are but the foam over the waters of this vast, mighty and pure ocean of the all-pervading Brahman. Before the great radiance of the Sun of this Supreme Consciousness, all the wealth and glory of the world are but so many mirages.”
The Trance of Prahlada also illustrates in an equally illuminating and thrilling manner the
glory of Samadhi. Wrapt in his thought, Prahlada lost himself in the Supreme Bliss of Ecstatic
Trance. While remaining in this blessed condition, he appeared, as it were, a mere picture or statue of his painted on a canvas. He continued in this state with body ever fresh and bright and with his eyes filled on one point, for a period of five thousand years. “Awake, ye great soul!”—addressing thus, the Lord Vishnu blew His conch Panchajanya, filling the quarters with the echo of its sound. By the impact of this mighty sound, generated by the vital breath of Vishnu, the Lord of the Asuras (demons) was awakened, by slow degrees, to the life of the world.
And then the story of Sikhidhvaja is most awe-inspiring of all! Chudalai, the queen of
Sikhidhvaja, saw her lord immersed in the thought-suppressed variety of trance and thought within herself; “Let me rouse my lord, the King, from this state of Ecstasy.” So saying, she roared mightily like a lion, over and over, frightening the beasts of the forest. When he could not be moved by this terrible noise though frequently repeated she shook him out of the trance by physical force. But, though thus shaken and felled to the ground the King would not awake to the life of the ordinary world!

From - SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

SAMADHI - Part 4

The word Samyama is used in Yogic literature to denote the triple process of concentration,
meditation and Samadhi practiced at one and the same time. The Yogi acquires various powers by practicing this Samyama. Samyama on the three kinds of changes viz., of form, time and state gives knowledge of the past and the future. Samyama on word, meaning and knowledge bestows
knowledge of all animal sounds. One acquires the knowledge of life by perceiving the impressions. Samyama on the signs of another’s body (such as the complexion, voice, mole, or any such sign on the body) reveals the knowledge of your own mind. Samyama on friendship, mercy, and love enables you to excel others in those qualities. Samyama on the strength of an elephant and others gives you their respective strength. Samyama on the navel circle gives you the knowledge of the constitution of your body. By doing Samyama on the light emanating from the top of the head (during concentration and meditation) you will acquire the power of beholding the Siddhas (perfected sages). You will also get clairvoyance, clairaudience, thought-reading, and so forth.Patanjali Maharshi, the holy Author of the “Yoga-Sutras” gives a definite warning to the students of Yoga in this connection. He remarks that though these are the accompaniments of the outgoing mind, they are all obstacles to feel Samadhi. The real Yogi will reject these powers ruthlessly. The seeds of bondage can be destroyed only by non-attachment and dispassion. Then only you can attain Kaivalya or Absolute Independence. These Siddhis are, no doubt, very tempting and alluring. Many Yogic students get deluded. They become slaves of these powers. Consequently they get a downfall. They become stranded. They are not able to march onwards and reach the goal. The real Yogi marches on towards the goal fearlessly. His aim is the attainment of the glorious Freedom or the state of Asamprajnata Samadhi (same as Nirvikalpa Samadhi), wherein all the seeds of actions are burnt. He therefore shines in his active Effulgence of eternal life and full illumination and perfection.
From - SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

SAMADHI - Part 3

He who poses for a great Yogi before the public and advertises in newspapers that at such
and such time on such and such day he is going to enter into Samadhi does so with a view to make money and also a name for himself. He is actually deceiving and swindling the public in broad daylight. A real Yogi who has reached the goal of life and is always in Samadhi throughout the twenty-four hours will never make a parade of his attainment. He will never even tell others that he is enjoying the bliss of Samadhi. It is only the empty drum that maketh much sound.
In the waking state you do conscious work, but you are not conscious of the working of the
heart, stomach, liver, etc. Just as there is unconscious work beneath the level of objective
consciousness, so also there is superconsciousness above the level of physical consciousness,
wherein there is play of neither the mind nor the senses. The man who returns from sleep does not possess any new knowledge, whereas he who comes down from Samadhi possesses supersensual knowledge. He can clear any doubt concerning the problems of life.
“The Yogin is one who has realised the Brahman that is all-full beyond Turiya.33 They (the
people) extol him as Brahman; and becoming the object of the praise of the whole world, he
wanders over different countries.... Then the Yogin becomes immersed in the ocean of bliss. When compared to it, the bliss of Indra and others is very little. He who gets this bliss is the supreme Yogin.” (Mandalabrahmana-Upanishad).
Again in the Yogatattva-Upanishad it is said: “One who is engaged in Nirguna Dhyana
attains the stage of Samadhi. Within twelve days at least, he attains the stage of Samadhi.
Restraining the breath, the wise one becomes an emancipated person. Samadhi is that state in which the Jivatman (Lower Self) and the Paramatman (Higher Self) are differenceless (or of equal state). If he desires to lay aside his body, he can do so.... But if he does not so desire, and if his body is dear to him, he lives in all the worlds possessing the Siddhis of Anima, etc. Sometimes he becomes a Deva and lives honoured in Svarga; or he becomes aman or a Yaksha through will. He can also take the form of a lion, tiger, elephant, or horse through his own will. The Yogin becoming the great Lord can live as long as he likes.”
From - SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

SAMADHI - Part 2

In Nirvikalpa Samadhi all Samskaras are burnt in toto. There is no support for the mind. The
mind has merged into the all-pervading Spirit. There is no triad of seer, sight and seen, and so forth. Nirvikalpa Samadhi gives full satisfaction, full freedom, full bliss and full knowledge.
There is also another classification viz., Jada Samadhi and Chaitanya Samadhi. In Jada
Samadhi there is no awareness. It is more or less like deep sleep. The Yogi does not return with
intuitional knowledge. The Samskaras and desires are not destroyed. This is the Samadhi of the
Hatha-Yogins who practice Khechari Mudra.32 Somehow the Prana is fixed in some lower Chakra or centre of spiritual energy, and the Yogi remains like a dead corpse. The Yogi can even be buried in a box underneath the ground for several days at a stretch. Jada Samadhi cannot give liberation or Mukti. It is more like an acrobatic feat. The Samadhi that we often hear of persons entering into, in public places is nothing but Jada Samadhi. In the other variety of Samadhi viz., Chaitanya Samadhi, there is “perfect awareness.” The Yogi has intuitional knowledge.
William Wordsworth, the great English poet, describes Samadhi as follows:—
“....That blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
In which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world,
Is lightened—That serene and blessed mood,
In which the affections gently lead us on,
Until the breath of this corporeal frame
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul;
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.”
Sankara, Dattatreya, Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Madalasa and Yajnavalkya had all the
experience of supercosmic consciousness (Nirvikalpa Samadhi), while Ramadas, Tulasidas, Kabir, Tukaram, Mira, Gouranga, Hafiz, Madhva and Ramanuja had the experience of cosmic consciousness (Savikalpa Samadhi). Dr. Maurice Bucker the celebrated author of “Cosmic
Consciousness” believes that St. John of the Cross, Bacon, Jacob Behman, Pascal, Spinoza,
Swedenborg, William Wordsworth, Alexander Pushkin, Honore de Balzac, Emerson, Tennyson,
Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Edward Carpenter had the good fortune to taste the nectar of cosmic consciousness. As a Hindu example he also mentions the name of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa of Bengal.
From - SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

SAMADHI - Part 1

“Which having obtained, he thinketh there is no greater gain beyond it, wherein,
established, he is not shaken even by heavy sorrow.”—Bhagavad-Gita: Ch. VI-22
The fruit of meditation is Samadhi. Samadhi is super conscious state, wherein the Yogi gets
superintuitional or supersensual knowledge and Supersensual bliss. He gets the vision of the Lord. He is in a state of communion with the Lord. He is in full enjoyment of the Divine Ecstasy or Divine cThrill. He has seen the Light of lights now.
The five afflictions, reference to which was made in Lesson I, have now come to an end. All sorts of imperfections have disappeared. Just as the river has joined the sea, the individual soul has joined the Supreme Soul. All limitations have dropped now. This state cannot be described in words: It has to he felt by actual practice. There are neither wants nor desires here. All doubts and delusions, all sorrows and tribulations, all fears, differences, distinctions and dualities have vanished entirely. This is the ultimate goal of all spiritual practices. This is the goal of life. Samadhi is the eighth step of the Yogic ladder. Intuition, revelation, inspiration and ecstasy are all synonymous terms. The meditator and the meditated, the thinker and the thought, the worshipper and the worshipped, the subject and the object have now become identical. The meditator has merged himself in the Soul or the all-pervading Spirit. All watertight compartments have disappeared. The Yogi feels oneness and unity everywhere. He feels: “I have nothing more to learn. I have nothing more to do. I have nothing more to obtain.” That which is night of all beings is the time of waking for the illumined Yogi; when other
beings are waking, then it is night for him. Yajnavalkya, the greatest Yogi says: “By Pranayama
impurities of the body are destroyed; by Dharana or concentration impurities of the mind. By
Pratyahara the impurities of attachment and by Samadhi everything that hides the Soul is removed.” Samadhi is of two kinds viz., Savikalpa Samadhi and Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Savikalpa is a lower Samadhi. In the Savikalpa Samadhi the Samskaras or latent impressions are not fried in toto. There is support for the mind. There is still the triad of subtle type viz., the seer, sight and seen, or the knower, knowledge and knowable. So Savikalpa Samadhi cannot give full satisfaction, full freedom, full bliss and knowledge.
From - SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

Light Meditation

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

(Buddhist value: The children learn about the importance of offering
lights to the Buddha and its significance in the Buddhist context) Imagine that you are a lotus candle. Someone
walks toward you and lights your wick. You are
now giving out a small glow of orange light.
Slowly, your whole body becomes an orange colour.
Feel yourself giving out warm orange light. Someone
lifts you up and places you on the shrine table.
Your warm orange light is like the brightness of
wisdom. You are now shining brightly, as bright as
you can be, to drive away the darkness of ignorance.Your light symbolizes the Buddha’steaching. His teachings help and guide us when we arein darkness. When we behave badly and get angry, it is as if we are in darkness. We need the light of the Buddha’s teaching to help us.Your light helps to remind people not to remain in darkness but to brighten themselves with the Buddha’s teaching.You are the bright orange light. Feel yourself expanding, your light going out further and further, until it shines through the whole temple, then further until it shines through the whole country, and still further until it covers the whole world. You are as big as the whole world and your light breaks through all the darkness and your light shines out in every direction. Your
light of wisdom is touching all of space. Continue giving out orange light in every direction.

From - Guided Meditation for Primary Students