The last message of Sri Krishna. Uddhava Gita. Chapter IV
Thus, I have learnt these things from all these teachers. Now listen O King, to what I have learnt from my own body, as I relate it to you. – 24
Discrimination and dispassion
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Impermanence
Swami Satyananda taught that everything in the world including us is impermanent. He emphasized that it was imperative to recognize this so that one could move past attachments. Then only one could proceed on the path and develop vairagya (dispassion). Continue reading
Worthless word
Tirukkural was written between 2 BCE—5 CE. It is a series of couplets which are succinct and are relevant even today. It has been translated from Tamil. I selected these couplets from,
Being Good
Cultivate Peace in the garden of your heart
Salutations to the supreme Lord of the Universe
The Peace that passeth all understanding has been the axis around which Indian culture has revolved in all its aspects.
Peace is a divine attribute. It is a quality of the soul. It fills the pure heart. Continue reading
Drashta
In the Bhagwad Gita, a new technique is mentioned, which is referred to by Lord Krishna from the beginning to the end. He calls it the mood of awareness, Drashta or Seer. It is not the doer, enjoyer or sufferer. Drashta is the one who is not subject to destiny. He is the one, who is always aware of what is taking place. The faculty of awareness is unmanifest in an ignorant person, but manifest in a person of wisdom. Continue reading
Who is in control of the Gunas? A Yogi.
According to the sages, there is a very clear concept that the world is a play of the three gunas. The three gunas are Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa. Life is a combination of three gunas. The three gunas are continuously interacting although only one is overriding the other two. When sattva prevails, then rajas and tamas are suppressed. Continue reading
Jnana
Jnana comes in many ways. Jnana for the Buddha came through the contemplation of sufferings of others. In the case of Sankara, the great saint it came with the longing to understand. For others it comes through the art, or sacred songs or chants. It can come through the sound of the silence within. Continue reading
How to worship Krishna?
Visualizing Krishna. Seeing, touching and worshipping him. Praising and saluting his image and also the devotees. Reciting his glorious life. Listening to stories about him. Observing the special days dedicated to him. Offerings of worship and conducting the sacred rites according to Vedic and other scriptural texts. Chanting singing, and dancing in the temple. Continue reading
Self-surrender – Atma nivedan
Yielding completely to God is called Atma nivedan. One’s faith should be so deep in God, that one submerges oneself fully in Him. In the Ramacharitamanas, it says “By the systematic practice of Navadha bhakti, one can reach a point of total self-surrender.” Continue reading
Description of the Inner Self
The Yogic scriptures describe the human being as being composed of four bodies. At the center is the Self. Moving from outer to inner or the gross to the subtle. They are the physical body, the subtle body, the causal body and the supra-causal body. The attributes are kriya to the physical action, Gnana or knowledge, Iccha or will and desire and the most subtle, the state of the Self. Continue reading
Liberation through Upayas
In Kashmir Shaivism, in the Shiva Sutras, Upaya refers to the different levels of spiritual sadhanas to approach the ultimate reality.
Upaya is a spiritual or yogic method or path by which the individual soul returns to pure consciousness. Upayas are methods of wholeness that depend on an individual’s perspective. Does he identify with the body, the mind, or the individuality? What illusion of himself does he hold? The specific Upaya is not important; it is the intentionality and the earnestness which is important. What is crucial, is the Sadhana must be performed in a passionate and sincere way. All the Upayas lead to the same goal, and finally methods of Samavesha (absorption in the Divine) in the Lord. Continue reading
Meditation
Space between the breaths, the Dvadashanta
Focus on the space within the breaths. It can be after the inhalation or after the exhalation. Breathe in and out and try to focus on that space. You may see it or you may feel it. Take a few minutes. What is that space like? Is it still? When you focus on the stillness, the stillness will get unstill; thoughts will come in. When you breathe again, you will get back to it. Inside or outside it is the same point. This space is 12 finger widths down one’s nose until one reaches the region of the heart. This is the inner Dvadashanta, where the in breath ends. Similarly, if one measures outer breath coming out of the nostrils, it will be 12 finger width again. The space where it ends is called the outer Dvadashanta. Continue reading
Sarvatma bhava
What is Sarvatma Bhava? Sarvatma Bhava means all-encompassing affection for the creatures of the whole world. God is here and now among human beings. Look for him, where he is most needed, not in the temples where people are offering gold to the deities. Continue reading
In awe of the universe
The Happiness that I seek
What is the happiness I seek?
Not to win the race,
But to understand the face of failure,
For through it I have learned to run
And not to fear the doubts of my mind.
It is that they have shown me
Where the road lies narrow and hardest to pass
Through the forces of the world around me,
Even when I feel tired and oppressed,
I shall find the way to increase my own strength
And stand in awe of the pattern of the universe. – Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
Atmic awareness
How do we link our spirit with the spirit of the Guru?
Spiritual union will never occur unless we have awakened our atman. It is very difficult to understand what atman is. It is called spirit or self by some. It is an awareness which knows no limitations. It has no barriers and is beyond the confines of time, space and matter. Physical awareness has many barriers. Mental awareness has fewer barriers, while emotional awareness has still less and is the most efficient. A mother can feel her little child and can commune with him/her at any moment. Spiritual or Atmic awareness surpasses even emotional awareness. Continue reading