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Sharing Teachings from Scriptures of Sanātanaḥ Dharmaḥ and Self Realised Masters. Owner - @Vasudevom #spiritual #sanatandharma #hinduism
SECRET OF HAPPINESS
If bliss resided in objects there could not be bliss in Samadhi, because in Samadhi there is no relationship with objects. So is the case with the bliss of deep sleep.
All those who are immersed in sensual pleasures are deluded. Wealth, power, sex-relationship, name and fame have no real capacity to make one happy.
Life is characterized by incessant change, and nothing here seems to have the nature of reality; nothing here can satisfy man completely. Ponder day and night over the unreality of the world.
Think always of the real, eternal Atma, your innermost Self.
There is no joy in the world comparable to the delight found in the pursuit of the spiritual ideal.
It is in God alone that you have all your desires finally fulfilled and obtain supreme peace, bliss and satisfaction.
- Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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First, the company of holy men. That awakens sraddha, faith in God.
Then comes nishtha, single-minded devotion to the ideal.
In that stage the devotee does not like to hear anything but talk about God.
He performs only those acts that please God.
After nishtha comes bhakti, devotion to God; then comes bhava.
Next mahabhava, then prema, and last of all the attainment of God Himself.
Nishtha leads to bhakti; bhakti when mature, becomes bhava; bhava when concentrated, becomes mahabhava; and last of all is Prema.
Prema is like a cord: by Prema God is bound to the devotee; He can no longer run away.
~ Sri Paramahamsa Ramakrishna
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Śrī Durgā Tattvam
‘Durgā’ nāma is very efficacious and powerful. This connotes multiple meanings and each has great significance.
1. Śrī durgā sūktam mentions ‘Nāvēva Sindhum Duritātyagni:’ Just like a boat ferries across the ocean, the very name (nāma) of ‘Durgā’ transports us across this ocean of mundane existence.
2. It is only the ‘Durga’ in whom we can take refuge anytime for anything, especially in times of turbulence.
Durgā Saptaśati elaborates on
the same mentioning ‘Tvām āsritānām Na Vipannarānām Tvāmāsritāhi Āsrayatām Prayāti’.
This means that those who take refuge in Her, took refuge in the most appropriate. They need not again even think of something else, because they shall be soon relieved of all their difficulties.
Hence, another meaning of ‘Durgā’ is ‘One who provides shelter’.
3- ‘Durgamu’ means fort. Just as the safety and protection of a king staying in his own impregnable fort is definite and assured, protection of those who recite the ‘Durgā’ nāma is definite as they live in the unassailable fortification of the Divine Mother.
4. Just like Vishnu, ‘Durgāmba’ is the powerhouse that destroys bad tendencies, wicked influences and evil thoughts completely. Hence, She is also known as ‘Vaiṣṇavi’.
‘Aṣṭami’ i.e. eighth day in the lunar calendar is dear to Mother.
Durgā Saptaśati also extolls Mother as ‘Saranāgata Dīnārta Paritrāṇa Parāyaṇi Sarvasyārti Harē Devī Nārayaṇi Namōstute.’
This means Mother has an addiction – the addiction to immediately save those who take refuge in Her. She is invincible and grants victory to those who pray Her. She assured Gods that She will incarnate whenever it is necessary to destroy demonic forces in this world.
Mahābhārata explicitly mentions that Lord Krishna advocated the worship of Mother Durgā to both Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna before going incognito and the war respectively.
Vedas dictate that ‘Durgā’ is that supreme truth beyond which there is none and nothing.
‘Durgā’ is the embodiment of Para Brahman which is beyond the expression of mind and speech. One should worship Mother Durga to eradicate evil influences and propagate virtuous thoughts in and around us.
Śubhā Navarātrē to everyone. May durgā bless you all with happiness and prosperity.
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Unless you are inspired by spiritual ideals, it is difficult to keep the sexual instinct in check.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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Nature Of Brahman
Brahman or the Impersonal Absolute is the Source and Substratum for the world of phenomena. He is the Source of the Vedas.
From Him this world proceeds. In Him it lives. In Him it gets dissolved.
Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda Svarupa.
Brahman is-
• self-luminous (Svayam-Jyoti).
• It is eternal (Nityam)
• beginningless (Anadi)
• endless (Ananta)
• changeless (Nirvikara)
• deathless (Amritam)
• fearless (Abhayam)
• spotless (Niranjana).
• attributeless (Nirguna)
• formless, (Nirakara)
• without special characteristics (Nirvisesha)
• without parts (Akhanda)
• without any limiting adjunct (Nirupadhika)
• one without a second (Ekam eva Advitiyam)
• independent (Svatantra)
• ever free (Nitya-mukta)
• all-full (Paripurna).
He is beyond Time, Space and Causation. He is birthless, deathless and decayless.
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"There is the body and there is the Self, between them is the mind, in which the Self is reflected as ‘I am’.
Because of the imperfections of the mind, its crudity and restlessness, lack of discernment and insight,
it takes itself to be the body and not the Self.
All that is needed is to purify the mind so that it can realize its identity with the Self.
When the mind merges in the Self, the body presents no problems.
It remains what it is, an instrument of cognition and action, the tool and the expression of the creative fire within."
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
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Maintain a neutral attitude
towards all things; do not get infatuated with anything; maintain equanimity whether in happiness or suffering; be the same to friends and enemies; treat alike a broken piece of mud pot and a piece of gold.
Know that a flawless yogi is one who does not ever allow himself to be swayed by desire for the pleasures of the senses, who frees himself at heart from mamakara (treating things as ‘mine’), who has a steadfast mind, who is free from desires and fear, and who always revels in the Self.
Being unaffected by either praise or slander, treating alike all creatures, he should always unfailingly maintain an equality of vision (sama drishti), considering all living beings in the world as himself.
Avoid unnecessary arguments and worldly associations.
Do not create misunderstanding among others.
Give up both words of abuse and words of praise.
Gradually and completely get rid of jealousy, slander, pomp, passion, consequent hatred, desire, anger, fear and sorrow.
If a man is free from all the pairs of opposites and always lives in Solitude (established in himself alone), he gains perfect wisdom even while in the present body and shines forth with great effulgence.
~ Devikalottara. Verses 74 to 79.
The supreme wisdom expounded by Lord Siva to Devi Parvati.
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Man is a soul having a body. Man is essentially a spiritual being.
Man′s innermost essence is Atman or the Divine Spirit. Realising the Spirit, man achieves security, freedom, immortality and Bliss Eternal.
Therefore, take up spiritual Sadhana and try to lead and live Divine Life.
~ Swami Chidananda Saraswati
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• Decide.
• Make a study of yourself.
• Try to have a clear picture of your own nature.
• Draw a picture of yourself; weak points and strong points.
• Eliminate all the negative qualities.
• Pray to God constantly.
• Lead a simple life.
• Speak the truth at any cost. God will guide you.
~ Swami Chidananda Saraswati
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Life in spirit is real living. You will lag behind if you depend upon bodily life.
Thoughts of God cheer up the body, mind and spirit.
Names of God soothe the nerves.
Love of God bestows peace and joy.
Knowledge of God breaks the fetters of Karma.
~ Swami Chidananda Saraswati
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RULES OF SPEECH
• Save your lips from slips.
• Weigh every word when you speak.
• Never speak ill of any one.
• Do not exaggerate.
• Be true and accurate in your speech.
• Control your speech very carefully.
• Talk only a little.
• Talk measured words.
• Give up talkative nature
• Before speaking, think carefully whether what you are going to speak is true, kind and helpful, If it is not, do not speak
• Mind your own business.
• Do not interfere with the affairs of others.
• If you hear a scandal about another person, do not repeat it to others.
• Never wish to appear clever
• Learn the virtue of silence
• Do not give opinions if no one has asked you to give it.
If you observe the above rules, you will be peaceful and happy. People will respect and admire you. You will attain success in life
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~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
Cultivating a positive lifestyle
You cannot say you are devoted, or a bhakta, or a yogi when you are still unable to understand, guide and channel the expressions of negativity in your life. If you have practised meditation for thirty years and not yet experienced peace, it means that your meditation has not been the right one. You did not feel a change because you focused on the practice, not on what you can become, on the lifestyle. The lifestyle combines the components of jnana yoga and bhakti yoga to cultivate the positive dimension and nurture the positive qualities in your life.
There is no harm in spending a few minutes a day observing and analyzing what you did during the day with the aim of improving your performance next time.
When people ask how to handle their anger, it means they lack awareness; otherwise they would be analyzing their anger and finding different ways to deal with the same situation when it arises again.
When you are driving a car and you know there is a hole in the road ahead, the first time you might hit the hole, but the next time you will try to avoid it. If you say you don't know how to avoid the hole, it means you are not a good driver and do not deserve to be driving the car. All you have to do is adjust.
Therefore, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga constitute the lifestyle component of yoga; they help in the discovery of the self. There will be connection with the qualities that uplift you and inspire you to walk in a new dimension of your life.
~ Swami Niranjanananda
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Success in meditation is to be measured by the peace we derive from it, and what difference it has made in our lives.
~ Swami Krishnananda
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You can change your thoughts and habits and mould a new character. You can become a righteous man and a saint by doing virtuous actions and entertaining noble Divine thoughts.
When you attain knowledge of Self, you can rest in your own Svarupa.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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The Jivatman (the individual soul) and the Paramatman (the Supreme Soul) are inseparable.
The Jivatman is only a reflection or image of Paramatman. Just as the sun's image in the water cannot be separated from the sun, so also the individual soul cannot be separated from the Paramatman. The reflection of Paramatman in the mind-mirror is Jivatman.
The Jiva or Kshetrajna, who is subject to ignorance, passion and attachment, tastes the fruits of Karma in ignorance. viz. happiness and misery.
The Lord, who is pure and omniscient, does not eat, for He is the director of both the eater and the thing eaten, and He is the eternal witness of all. He does not taste but simply looks on. His mere witnessing is direction, as in the case of a king .
On account of ignorance, the Jiva identifies himself with the body, mind, Prana and the senses, and feels that he is the real doer and the enjoyer, although it is the Prakriti or the mind that really works and enjoys.
The Atman, Brahman, is always the silent witness. He is non-doer (Akarta) and non-enjoyer (Abhokta).
Enjoyment and agentship are superimposed on the Jiva by the mind. When the ignorance is destroyed, when the heart is purified. when knowledge of the Self dawns, the knots of the heart are cut asunder, all his Karmas perish, the ideas of doer and enjoyer are annihilated
He becomes identical with the Supreme Self and attains liberation.
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"The mind is a bundle of thoughts.
The thoughts arise because there is the thinker.
The thinker is the ego. The ego, if sought, will automatically vanish.
Self-realization is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you are and always have been, and which you, presently, do not know."
- Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
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Without devotion to the Lord your life is empty.
Without devotion you live in vain. Devotion is vital. It is a great power. It is the cap of life. Devotion redeems.
Devotion kills pain and brings peace. Cultivate this devotion through service, Japa, Kirtan, Satsang, meditation and study of Ramayan, Bhagavatam or gita etc.
Remember the lives of Bhaktas like Dhruva, Tulsi Das, Prahlad etc.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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We must never forget that in reality, God is only one, though He assumes various forms such as those of Shiva, Vishnu, Devi etc.
Till a person masters numbers, he needs aids like fingers, paper, calculator and the like. However, once he is proficient he needs no external aid & results simply flash in his mind. A person who has not yet gained spiritual maturity cannot offer worship or meditate on the The formless Bhagawan (Brahman).
Rishis out of their compassion for the spiritual growth liberation of Humans have given vivid descriptions of the many forms of the same Bhagawan.
The Lord says in the BhagavadGita,
अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् |
प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय संभवाम्यात्ममायया ||
(Though I am actually unborn, am the immutable Self, and am the Lord of all beings, I take birth, as it were, through My power of Maya).
Just like an actor who performs various roles in various plays does not become many, the Lord assumes many forms, does not mean He is many. If this is kept in mind, friction shall never arise.
~ Jagadguru Sri Sri Vidhusekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji.
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A man who is at peace-
- Stands happily
- Sits happily
- Sleeps happily
- Comes and goes happily
- Speaks happily
- Eats happily.
~ Ashtavakra Gita
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After prostrating before the form of Sri Mahadeva-Rudra in his heart, adoring the sacred Bhasma and Rudraksha and mentally reciting the great Mahavakya-Mantra, Tarasara, Sri Suka asked his father Sri Vyasa Maharshi, thus:
Who is the real God of gods? In whom are all these existences established? By worshipping whom, can I please the Devas in whole?
Hearing these words, Sri Veda Vyasa replied thus:
Rudra is the embodiment of all Devas. All devas are merely different manifestations of Sri Rudra Himself. On the right side of Rudra, there is the sun, then the four-headed Brahma, and then three Agnis (fires). On the left side, there exist Sri Umadevi, and also Vishnu and Soma (moon).
Uma Herself is the form of Vishnu. Vishnu Himself is the form of the moon. Therefore, those who worship Lord Vishnu, worship Siva Himself. And those who worship Siva, worship Lord Vishnu in reality. Those who envy and hate Sri Rudra, are actually hating Sri Vishnu. Those who decry Lord Siva, decry Vishnu Himself.
Rudra is the generator of the seed. Vishnu is the embryo of the seed. Siva Himself is Brahma and Brahma Himself is Agni. Rudra is full of Brahma and Vishnu. The whole world is full of Agni and Soma. The masculine gender is Lord Siva. The feminine gender is Sri Bhavani Devi.
All the mobile and immobile creation of this universe, is filled up with Uma and Rudra. The Vyakta (manifested world) is Sri Uma, and the Avyakta (unmanifest) is Lord Siva. The combination of Uma and Sankara is Vishnu.
~ Rudra Upanishad by Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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We have the ability to learn. Materials for knowledge are available to us.
Teachers are available for teaching us. Yet man willingly prefers to live in darkness of ignorance. Within man exists an ocean of bliss.
Yet he willingly prefers to live a life full of misery, pain and suffering. This is the tragedy of human life.
~ Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal
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The mind is purified by constant repetition of Siva-Stotra and Names of Lord Siva. The Stotras are filled with good and pure thoughts. Repetition of the hymns to Siva strengthens the good Samskaras.
“As a man thinks, that he becomes”. This is the psychological law. The mind of a man who trains himself in thinking good, holy thoughts, develops a tendency to think of good thoughts.
His character is moulded and transformed by continued good thought. When the mind thinks of the image of the Lord during singing His hymns, the mental substance actually assumes the form of the image of the Lord. The impression of the object thought of is left in the mind. This is called Samskara.
When the act is repeated very often, the Samskaras gain strength by repetition, and a tendency or habit is formed in the mind. He who entertains thoughts of Divinity, becomes transformed actually into the Divinity himself by constant thinking. His Bhava or disposition is purified and divinised.
When one sings the hymns of Lord Siva, he is in tune with the Lord. The individual mind melts in the cosmic mind. He who sings the hymns becomes one with Lord Siva.
Just as fire has the natural property of burning inflammable things, so also the Name of Lord Siva has the power of burning the sins, Samskaras and Vasanas and bestowing eternal bliss and everlasting peace on those who repeat the Name of the Lord.
Just as burning quality is natural and inherent in fire, so also the power of destroying sins with their very root and branch and bringing the aspirant into blissful union with the Lord through Bhava Samadhi, is natural and inherent in the Name of God.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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The seat of all good things, the destroyer of the impurities of the Kali age, purer than purity itself, the food for the journey of the Mumukshus (aspirants) who have started on the pilgrimage to the supreme abode of bliss.
The only resting place, the very life-breath of virtuous men, the sages say, is the Name of Sri Rama, the seed of the Kalpaka tree (wish-fulfilling tree).
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Right thoughts make right deeds, right actions and an admirable character.
Therefore, develop right thinking.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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Advice To Students
1. Get up at 4 a.m. Never sleep at sunrise. Study your class lessons thoroughly every day.
2. Be regular in diet, games and physical exercises.
3. Serve and respect your teachers, parents and elders.
4. Love your equals and inferiors as also your servants.
5. Never quarrel with co-students.
6. Talk little, speak politely, gently, sweetly and lovingly.
7. Preserve semen (vital fluid) very carefully. Never waste even a drop of this precious energy through any unnatural means.
8. Through Brahmacharya or celibacy you can conquer the whole world.
9. A true Brahmachari attains success in all undertakings.
10. Serve the sick at home as well as in your neighbourhood.
11. Be obliging to one and all.
12. Develop good character, memory and health with great care.
13. Pray to God daily for fifteen minutes as soon as you get up from bed and before you go to bed.
14. Develop concentration and deep thinking.
15. Do at least one act of selfless service every day.
16. Never neglect the study of Sanskrit.
17. Study by heart one sublime verse from the Bhagavad Gita everyday.
18. Never attend cinemas.
19. Give up smoking and other bad habits.
20. Never waste your time. Be always busy. Avoid useless company.
If you put into practice the above instructions, I assure you an excellent career and grand success in your life. You will become a dynamic personality. Beloved Nectar’s Sons!
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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A man of good manners in free from rudeness. He is well- behaved. He is complaisant, civil, courteous and polite.
Manners are the result of much good sense, some good nature and a little self-denial for the sake of others.
Good manners make the road of life smooth. They render a superior amiable, an equal agreeable and an inferior acceptable.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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That which you have done repeatedly is your habit. Habit is the basis of your character and your personality.You want to change your whole personality without understanding your habit patterns. Habit patterns are very strong.
When you do something again and again, that action of yours is being stored in chitta, the storehouse of merits and demerits. That becomes motivation for you to do something else. If you do something again and again, it will become a strong habit.
~ SWAMI RAMA
Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom
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Human birth is very difficult to attain. Having come to this earth plane we should endeavour to lead an ideal life.
The goal of life is God-realisation. Have this noble ideal before you. Strive to attain this ideal. Kindly practise a little Japa and meditation regularly.
~ Swami Chidananda Saraswati
Although this isn't a new year for followers of Sanātana Dharmaḥ, I still wish you all make use of this new year to do sadhana to get rid of lust, greed, anger and desires to obtain the grace of Ishwara.
May you all grow spiritually and achieve the goal of human life.
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Pointing to the heart, the Master used to say:
"He who has God here, has Him also there (pointing to the external world).
He, who does not find God within himself, will never find Him outside of himself.
But he who sees Him in the temple of his own soul, sees Him also in the temple of the universe."
~ Wise Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna.
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The glory of Brahman is celebrated on this earth.
What is that glory?
This world itself is the manifestation of His glory. The law that prevails in this world, the beauty in the flowers, landscape and Himalayan scenery, the power in the electricity. all bespeak of His glory
By whose command the sun and the moon stand apart, the heaven and the earth stand upheld in their places?
By whose command, minutes, hours, days and nights, half-months, seasons, years, all stand apart?
By whose command the sun and the moon always rotate as the flaming firebrand?
By whose command do the rivers and the oceans not overstep their limits?
By whose command all Karma, their performers and their fruits do not likewise go beyond their appointed time?
By whose command all that is movable and immovable obey the universal law?
It is his (Brahman) command. This is his glory.
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