833 – Sayings of the Masters

Swami Sivananda

Simple life is a veritable blessing, because it makes one free from cravings and desires, which cause suffering and pain.

Bhakti is a force that will influence our civilization, culture and relationships.

Empty yourself. Tune your radio. Unite your mind. The rest will take place when the proper time is due.

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824 – i carry your heart with me

(i carry it in)

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than a soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) – By E. E. Cummings

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808 – Moderation

Eat a little, drink a little,
Talk a little, sleep a little,
Mix a little, move a little,
Serve a little, worship a little.
Do asana a little,
Pranayama a little,
Reflect a little, meditate a little.
Do japa a little, do kirtan a little,
Write a mantra a little,
Have satsang a little. – Swami Sivananda

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793 – Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla

The infant Rama.

Today is a very special day. It is the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama. The deity is called Ram Lalla, which means the infant Rama. Pran Pratishtha means the establishment of life force. The ceremony permeates energy into the murti (statue) of Rama Lalla, transforming it into a deity. This bridges the gap between devotees and the object of their adoration and unites the divine with the material. The deity is now invited as a resident guest by invocations of hymns and mantras. And the deity’s eyes are opened for the first time. The deity is blindfolded until the ceremony and then the deity is all seeing. Continue reading

792 – For the Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For the want of a horse the rider was lost.
For the want of a rider the battle was lost.
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. – Anonymous

“For the want of a nail,” is an ancient proverb. The meaning is that something of great importance may depend on an apparently trivial detail. What do we consider important and what do we consider trivial? Continue reading

788 – A Prayer and a Promise

Swami Satyananda asked God to help him only twice.

In 1963 and in 1989, he asked for help from the Divine. He had been told by Swami Sivananda to spread the message of Yoga and to present it in a logical and effective way. From 1956 to 1963 he travelled all over Asia as a wandering sannyasin. On his travels he found that it was almost impossible to become a Seer. Continue reading

785 – Hygiene and Sanyam

When we think and speak about hygiene, what do we mean? Hygiene is physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and pranic cleansing of the body. This cleansing is possible if we disinfect our thoughts. Our thoughts are the influencers of our health in every aspect. And that is why we must learn the gentle sadhana of Sanyam. Continue reading

783 – Role model for 2024

Dear ones, many of you must have read this pretty poem. How many of us have tried to be like her, or do we want to be the queen Bee? I am sorry about the gender, but the hard workers are the female bees. All of us can still emulate the attitude, whether we are female, male or trans.

How doth the Little Busy Bee – by Isaac Watts

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778 – A joy list

Dear ones, make a list of all your joys. You will be surprised as to how much we have to be happy for.

My greatest joy is that I came to Yoga Vidya 21 years ago and have a second home with people I love and respect. I cannot explain this feeling but I feel like crying when I leave.

My 8 joys

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775 – Our Mother Earth

  1. ‘I’ve no water or air,
    I am a ball of fire. Don’t come near.
    You can’t live here.
    Here, it’s no fun,’
    So said the hot Sun.
  2. ‘I’ve no water or air,
    You can’t stay here.
    But for the Sun’s light,
    I won’t shine bright.
    I’m but stone and mud.’
    The Moon cried and said.
  3. ‘I’ve no water or air.
    Will your life can bear,
    With nothing for sustenance,
    My hollow existence?
    Stay where you’re,’
    Said the planet Jupiter.
  4. ’We’ve no water or air.
    What’s there to share?
    Nothing but the death,
    With no further birth,
    The Venus, the Mars and the Saturn.
    Said in their turn.
  5. ‘Admission only for Angels,
    And not for body, but souls,’
    Said the sign board,
    Kept aside the road.
    The Heaven said, ‘Sorry,’
    When I went with my body.
  6. ‘Why do you go elsewhere,
    When I’m down here?’
    Said my mother earth.
    ‘To you, I’ve given birth,
    With your body and soul,
    To enjoy and play your role.’
  7. Yes, Mother, what isn’t there,
    For us, on this earth, to share?
    Free food, water and air,
    Everything looks so fair,
    Thank God, for what we have
    And grieve not, for what
    We don’t have. – Rajaram Ramchandran

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692 – Can we face this catastrophe?

Is the loss of mobile phones, and loss of the internet a calamity? How many of us can survive without our phones and the internet. I see myself and I see others around me. I am unashamed to say that I rely on the internet for information and details. The phone is also essential. However, the question is how necessary is the mobile. Continue reading

687 – The rich get richer and the poor get poorer

Percy Bysshe Shelley is listed as a romantic poet. Romanticism in poetry is defined as the development of the individual and embracing of the natural world in poetic form. “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” is attributed to Percy Bysshe Shelley. He further wrote that “to him that hath, more shall be given; and from him that hath not, the little that hath shall be taken away.” Continue reading

679 – Spontaneous meditation

There was once a sannyasin, called Swami Yogeshwar Ananda, who had travelled to all the centers of meditation in India. Last he came to the Sivananda ashram in Rishikesh. He observed the inmates at work and there was never any time for meditation. The sannyasins were working all the time and were joyous in their tasks. After observing the inmates at work for a week, Swami Yogeshwar Ananda went to Swami Sivananda with folded hands and after touching his feet said, “I would like to spend more time with you, but there is no time for sadhana.” Continue reading

656 – Swami Sivananda’s divine gift

An ashram develops with the blessings of the Guru and his Guru’s august presence. Swami Sivananda was a Ram Bhakta and like Hanuman he always chanted the name of Rama. The Bihar School of Yoga Ashram was established by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, and all his Gurubhais established ashrams wherever they were, when Swami Sivananda left his body. Continue reading