Quotable Quotes 1

Many now are not spending even five minutes of their time on the contemplation on God. Of the 24 hours which comprise a day, use six for earning and spending, six for the contemplation on God, six for sleep and six for service to others. Cultivate quietness, simplicity and humility instead of clamour, complexity and conceit. To develop the taste for liberation, repeat the Name of the Lord on the tongue and saturate your mind with the sweetness of His splendour. This is the best exercise that can be practised at all times, by all, irrespective of creed, caste, gender, age, economic or social status. This practise will keep you in constant touch with the Infinite and so it will transmit to you, some part of the wisdom and power of that Infinite. -- Baba


Your happiness should never be subject to any outside influence. Whatever your environment is, don't allow your inner peace to be touched by it. Analyse yourself; make yourself what you should be and what you want to be. People seldom learn true self-control; they do things that are detrimental to their highest welfare and think they are making themselves happy; but they are not. To be able to do things when and because you ought to do them, and to refrain from doing what you know is injurious -- these are keys to real success and happiness. ... Sri Paramahansa Yogananda


Ignorance is the monster, darkness which has entered the cave of your hears and is making havoc there and turning it into a hell. All anxiety, all suffering, all pain lies in yourself, never outside. Suppose somebody calls you names, or rebukes you; such a person prepares for you the food which, if taken into your stomach, will hurt you. Thus,nothing can enrage or excite you, unless you take it up and appropriate it to yourself. Rama never takes things into himself; people often pass unfavourable remarks as he passes along the streets, but such words have no effect unless they are taken up and believed to be true. ... Swami Rama Tirtha


He who experiences Brahman readily becomes That. Then there is no human element in it -- you become divine in totality. The moment the river enters into the sea, there is nothing left of its riverness. It loses itself int he vastness of the ocean. The river is no more, and the ocean alone prevails. If you wish to worship God, you can worship only becoming like the divine. If you want to draw nearer to God, you have to become godly. No wonder purity of thought, word and deed was so much insisted upon. It is even now insisted upon in all religions. The time honoured saying is very simple, but when we look at it from the Yogic angle, it is very significant: "Cleanliness is next to godliness." We see that only when we cultivate the purity that is next to godliness, then alone can we take the next step and become really godly in nature. ... Swami Chidananda


Death is ever waiting to devour you. Pierce the lotus through dispassion, renunciation and discrimination. Give up attachment. Have faith in Lord's name. Do Japa, meditation and attain Immortality.

Do Sadhana, therefore, when there is yet time; when you are young and the body is healthy. When you are young, when you are abundant energy, you must practise concentration and meditation. You cannot do any spiritual practice during old age. ... Swami Sivananda


A man by identifying the self with the ego holds 'I am'. 'I' is a fragment of Prakriti (Nature) while 'am' is a fragment of God ('Is' ness). It means that 'I' has its identify with 'not' (the non-existent matter) while 'am' has its identify with 'Is' (Consciousness that is ever existent). It is called 'am' because of its relationship with 'I'. If it (am) renounces this relationship with 'I', it will not remain 'am' but it will exist as 'Is'. That 'Is' (pure existence) is God. ... Swami Ramsukhdas


The greatest joy you can ever know is in silently talking to the Divine in the language of the soul. His is a love that can never disappoint us; I speak from years of experience. That is why I urge you; love God, love God, love God. ... Sri Daya Mata


The search for Truth and longing for Divine love are the basic want of man since birth. Even the most favourable circumstances fail to satisfy a person until this basic want is fulfilled. At one time I considered this to be a bane of human life which hurt me, but now I regard this persistence of lack of satisfaction unless the basic want is realised, as a boon from God. How can the insentient world satisfy a man who longs for Divine love and eternal life? Blessed indded is this wonderful creation of the Divine Architect. ... Swami Sharanananda.


You must realise that to find God is the only goal, the only purpose, for which you are here. For Him alone you exist. Him you must find and Him you can know by continuously seeking Him; by steadfastness in your mind, harmony in your life, evenness in your temperament.


You cannot lead a double life at the same time, Pure divine life, life of Yoga, cannot coexist with mundane life of passion and ignorance. Divine life cannot conform to your own little standards. You must rise above petty human level. You must raise yourself to a higher level of divine consciousness. You cannot claim freedom for your petty mind and little ego if you want to become a Yogi. You should not affirm your own thoughts, judgment, desires, impulses. The lower nature with its retinue, viz., arrogance, ignorance, turbulence, stands in the way of descent of the divine light.

Become a true, sincere aspirant in the path of Yoga. Kill this lower nature by developing the higher divine nature. Soar high. Get yourself ready for the descent of the divine light. Purify and become a dynamic Yogi.

... Swami Sivananda


Remember always that it is easy to do what is pleasant. It is often difficult to engage in something which is beneficial. Not all that is pleasant is profitable. Success comes to those who are prepared to give up the path strewn with roses. Life is a battle field -- a dharmakshetra -- where duties and desires often conflict. Meet all obstacles with courage and perseverance. ... Venkat Narayanan

Swami Sivananda

You cannot lead a double life at the same time, Pure divine life, life of Yoga, cannot coexist with mundane life of passion and ignorance. Divine life cannot conform to your own little standards. You must rise above petty human level. You must raise yourself to a higher level of divine consciousness. You cannot claim freedom for your petty mind and little ego if you want to become a Yogi. You should not affirm your own thoughts, judgment, desires, impulses. The lower nature with its retinue, viz., arrogance, ignorance, turbulence, stands in the way of descent of the divine light.

Become a true, sincere aspirant in the path of Yoga. Kill this lower nature by developing the higher divine nature. Soar high. Get yourself ready for the descent of the divine light. Purify and become a dynamic Yogi.

...   Swami Sivananda

Hari Naama Samkeerthana

त्रुणादपि सुनीचेन तरोरपि सहिष्णुना
अमानिना मानदेन कीर्तनीयः सदा हरिहः

Considering oneself to be more trivial than a blade of grass, having more forbearance than a tree, not seeking honour for oneself but giving respect and honour to all others, one should constantly chant the divine names of Sri Hari. ... Sri Sikshaastaka (3)

Man's First Duty

Getting up from bed one should extol Vishnu, who is the Lord of the whole universe, the Supreme Deity, the Eternal and Ideal Being. He who always offers praises to Him, who is the Supreme Lord and Ruler of the Universe, and who is all-pervading, unborn and imperishable, gets rid of all troubles. He is the brightest of all effulgent beings and the most austere of all austere penances. He is the greatest of the great and the most hospitable refuge of all creatures. He is the purest of the pure, the most sacrosanct of all that is sacred, the most auspicious of all that is auspicious, the godliest of all gods and the undying father of all created beings.    ...   Vishnusahasranama. 

Essence of Advaita Vedanta

Essence of Advaita Vedanta

By

Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada

I remember in the morning the Self which shines in the heart, which is existence-consciousness-bliss, which is the goal to be attained by Paramahamsa sanyasins, which is called the ‘fourth’ because it is beyond he three states of waking, dream and deep sleep, and which always witnesses the states of waking, dream and deep sleep. I am that Brahman which is indivisible and not the aggregate of the five elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth.

I worship in the morning that supreme effulgent Being Who is spoken of (in the Vedas) as unborn, changeless, and the highest, Who is inaccessible to the mind and whom words cannot directly describe, but by whose blessing the faculty of speech functions, and who is described in the Upanishads by the words ‘not this, not this’.

I bow down in the morning to the infinite, eternal Being Who is known as the supreme Purusha, Who is beyond the darkness of ignorance, Who is resplendent like the sun, Who is everything and on Whom this entire universe appears, just as rope appears as a snake.

Loneliness

This beautiful paragraph is from the book 'Living with Himalayan Masters' by Swami Rama.

I am never lonely. A lonely person is one who is not aware of the complete fullness within. When you become dependent on something outside without having awareness of the reality within you, then you will indeed be lonely. The whole search for enlightenment is to seek within, to become aware that you are complete in yourself. You are perfect. You don’t need any externals. No matter what happens in any situation, you need never be lonely. One day when I was sixteen years old I was standing outside our cave in the Himalayas and saw several people approaching. When they came closer, I recognized them to be a ruling prince of India with his secretary and guards. He came up to me and arrogantly said, “Brahmachari [young swami], I have come to see your master!” In the very same tone I said, “You cannot see him!” His secretary asked, “Don’t you know who he is?” I replied, “I don’t care, I am the protector of this cave! Go away!” So they departed. They returned several times, but to no avail, because I seldom allowed anyone to see my master. I wanted to shield him from disturbance, and we had no inclination to see arrogant people.

Sometimes I would say to my master, “These rich people come from far and wide and you say you don’t want to see them. Is this good?” He would smile and answer, “I am happy with my Friend within me. Why do I need to see these people? They are not genuine seekers; they want something worldly. One wants to have a child, another to have a high position. They don’t want spiritual food. Why do you ask me to see them?”

Finally the ruler prince recognized that I didn’t care about his status, so he changed his attitude. When he came again he politely asked, “Sir, may I please see your master?” I took him inside the cave, where my master was sitting quietly.

That prince wanted to be polite and to show his manners and Western breeding. He said, “Sir, you seem to be lonesome.” My master said, “Yes, because you have come. Before you came I was enjoying the company of my Friend within. Now that you have come I am lonesome.”

It is true that the highest of all companionship is the company of the real self. Those who learn to enjoy the real self within are never lonely. Who makes us lonely? Those who claim to know and love us, or those whom we love, create loneliness and make us dependent. We forget the eternal Friend within. When we learn to know our real self we do not depend on externals. Dependence on external relationships is ignorance that needs to be dispelled. Relationships and life are synonymous and inseparable. Those who know the Friend within love all and are not dependent. They are never lonely. Loneliness is a disease. Being alone happily means enjoying the constant company—the constant awareness—of the Reality.

After learning this lesson, the ruler returned to his palace and pondered over the teachings. He then started practicing meditation. He soon realized that it is possible for everyone to be free from the self-created misery of loneliness and to enjoy life.

त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाः I
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनं II

Let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life is GOVINDA alone.

Attitude Matters

The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. In its 40’s, it’s long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. It’s long and sharp beak becomes bent. Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days.

The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its’ nest. There the eagle knocks its’ beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back. After that it will pluck out its’ talons. When its’ new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers. And after five long months of pain and struggle, the eagle takes its’ famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.

Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other limiting beliefs.

Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present? Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

Moral: A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. Let’s change to make a change!!!

Persons Dear to Lord as per Srimad Bhagavad Gita

As per Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 12), the following persons are very dear to the Lord:

1. He who hates none and who is compassionate to all.
2. He who has no feeling of "I" and "Mine".
3. He who is even-minded in pain and pleasure.
4. He who observes forbearance, ever content, steady in meditation, ever self-controlled, possessed of firm conviction with his mind fixed on Me.
5. He whom the world cannot provoke or annoy and the one who would not provoke or annoy the world.
6. He who is free from enjoyment, envy, fear and anxiety.
7. He who is free from dependence on anyone else, who is pure, unruffled and unperturbed.
8. He who would neither rejoice nor hate and who would neither grieve nor desire.
9. He who would renounce good and evil both.
10. He who has no friend or foe.
11. He who has no attachments. He who is same to honour and dishonour.
12. He who prefers to observe silence. He who is completely contended.
13. He who follows the Eternal Dharma, and
14. He who has total faith in Me and who regards Me as the Supreme Goal and who is so devoted.

Who is a Devotee?

From the Lord's angle, a 'devotee' is totally different from what we generally think. We often think that only those:

1. who chant God's name turning the beeds,
2. goes to the temple everyday,
3. pastes vibhuti all over his body,
4. reads some hymns from the scriptural texts by rote,
5. who observes certain rituals and does elaborate puja everyday,
6. who sings bhajans and attends bhajans regularly,
7. who gives discourses on Lord's story and His glory and a person who listens to that,
8. who dances singing or uttering the name of God,
9. who undertakes pilgrimages to holy places,
10. who fasts for days together for His sake!,
11. who keeps vigil without a minute of sleep in the nights on a Shivratri or Vaikunta Ekadasi, etc.
12. who sits in Padmaasana pose and does pranaayama,
13. who does meditation with closed eyes,
14. who observes vow of silence on certain days in a week,
15. who performs Agnihotra or homa, etc.
are great devotees
But, from God's angle, all such practices do not dertermine or define devotee. The persons as mentioned in the 12th Chapter of Gita alone are His devotees. Without these fourteen sterling qualities, any amount of outwardly devotion is nothing but pretension and hypocrisy. To put it simply, one can say with certainty that those who adhere to the following five basic human values are dear to HIM and they alone are HIS true devotees:

Sathya -- Truthfulness
Dharma -- Righteousness
Prema -- Love
Shanti -- Peacefulness
Ahimsa -- Non-violence

One need not even utter His name or go to temple. Bhagawan Dattatreya says in Avadhoota Gita:

'By coming to your temple, I try to destroy Thy omnipresence! Please forgive me for th is sin committed by me very often'.

M.N. Krishnamani in Bhavan's Journal, May 31, 2012