Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda extolled the worship of the divine and perceiving the divine in all creatures. Swami Sivananda would see God in every one who was suffering, and it was his Aradhana which enabled him to help all these persons.

He would tell his disciples that if they attended to the needs of their fellow humans, they would be serving the highest God. Swami Satyananda who was Swami Sivananda‘s direct disciple said that when one saw a hungry person, one must recognize the hungry god within him. Therefore if one saw someone weeping, one must be aware that the God within her was weeping. God is a reflection of one’s own consciousness.

In a state of agitation, God is agitated, in a state of bliss and peace; the experience of God is blissful and peaceful. We must practice Atmabhava as instructed by Swamiji. Atmabhava is the practice of seeing oneself in other people, and when one begins to feel for others as one feels for oneself and for one’s near and dears, it is the start. Then the actions which one undertakes to help them is the real aradhana.

One worships because one wants divine intervention and blessings. However in order for us to benefit from the worship, one has to observe Atmabhava, which develops into Aradhana.

Swami Satyananda said,

Grace Falls on everybody at all times, but people do not realize it. God’s grace flows not only towards a saint, but towards every being. To be worthy of God’s grace, one must become aware of his grace.

Aim Hrim Klim