This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ INSPIRING TALKS OF GURUDEV SIVANANDA Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ INSPIRING TALKS OF GURUDEV SIVANANDA FIRST EDITION: 1961 SPECIAL INTERNET EDITION: 2005 WWW Site: http://www.dlshq.org/ Chronicler: Siva Pada Renu SWAMI VENKATESANADA FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY PUBLISHED BY THE SIVANANDA LITERATURE INSTITUTE THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY P.O. Sivanandanagar, Rishikesh. Dt. Tehri-Garhwal, Himalayas. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 2 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ To Sri Swami Sivananda Born on the 8th September 1887, in the illustrious family of Sage Appayya Dikshita and several other renowned saints and savants, Sri Swami Sivananda had a natural flair for a life devoted to the study and practice of Vedanta. Added to this was an inborn eagerness to serve all and an innate feeling of unity with all mankind. Though born in an orthodox family, Swamiji was broadminded and catholic, pious and devout. His passion for service drew him to the medical career; and soon he gravitated to where he thought his service was most needed. Malaya claimed him. He had earlier been editing a Health Journal and wrote extensively on health problems. He discovered that people needed right knowledge most of all: dissemination of that knowledge he espoused as his own mission. It was divine dispensation and the blessing of God upon mankind that the doctor of body and mind renounced his career and took to a life of renunciation to qualify himself for ministering to the soul of man. He settled down at Rishikesh in 1924, practised intense austerities and shone as a great Yogi, saint, sage and Jivanmuktha. In 1932 he started the Sivanandashram. In 1936 was born the Divine Life Society. In 1948 the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy was organised. Dissemination of spiritual knowledge and training of peop le in Yoga and Vedanta were their aim and object. In 1950 he undertook a lightning tour of India and Ceylon. In 1953 he convened a World Parliament of Religions. He is the author of over 300 volumes and has disciples all over the world, belo nging to all nationalities, religions and creeds. To read his works is to drink at the fountain of wisdom and grow spiritually. The Three R’s of Sivananda Yoga, viz., (1) Righteousness. (2) Renunciation. (3) Realisation. .…are dealt with in sparkling detail in this volume. HIJK Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 3 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ GURUDEV SIVANANDA Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 4 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ CHRONICLER: VENKATESANANDA Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 5 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ A FOUNTAIN OF SIVANANDA YOGA FROM SIVANANDA JNANA-GANGOTRI1 A day with Gurudev Sivananda is better spent than a year in the study of scriptures or a life-time in a library. A word—always appropriate to the occasion, and to the person addressed—a look, a smile, an action seemingly trivial—all these are (and only they truly are) ‘Living Scriptures’. The inner truth which scriptures often hide from the gaze of the immature: the easy path to God- realisation which the complicated mind of the ‘modern’ man, fails to see: the fountain of wisdom which the educated man’s vision, blinded by the cataract of faithlessness, fails to perceive—are reve aled like the apple on one’s palm, by a simple word from the Sacred Lips. For a period of just over two years, Gurudev had granted me the boon of gathering these pearls of wisdom, as they fell from his lips. Those were the years of hectic divine life activity at the Ashram, too. They were the years during which the Ashram and the Divine Life Society had just emerged from their ‘teething troubles’ and the Mission began to take sh ape. Gurudev’s pronouncements of this period, therefore, assume the importance of a divine gospel. With open eyes and ears and with the mouth shut,—Oh, it was a joy, a privilege, an unrivalled education to hear him, to hear more, and to hear nothing else. One who heard him, one who saw him, one who had spent an hour with him, would exclaim with Sage Alavandar…. Tava-Amritasyandini Pada Pankaje Niveshitaatmaa Katham-Anyadichchati Sthitheravinde Makarandanirbhare Madhuvrato Nekshurakam Hi Veekshate (How shall my mind, which has entered the sweet arbour of thy lotus feet, wish for anything else?) I offer that undiluted nectar at the feet of my Gurudev, enshrined in the heart of millions of seekers after Truth, all over the world. I have in my own humble capacity endeavoured to give the reader a pen-picture of the setting: in order that he may ‘live at Gurudev’s feet’ while reading these talks. Cold print misses something very vital—the gestures, etc. , which often convey a lot. In such instances, I have taken the liberty of explaining a Talk. To those who have had his 1 Gangotri is the sacred origin of the Holy river Ganga; Jnana-Ganotri is the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy Press, from which issues the perennial sacred River of wisdom (Jnana Ganga). Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 6 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ Darshan, this will call up the indelible pict ure of Ananda Kutir: if you have not yet had that good fortune, please have it now. Words cannot equal the Presence! These inspiring talks have been recorded then and there, and published now as they were recorded, chronologically. They are not to be read as a textbook is read: but they are to be resorted to as a fountain—to quench the spiritual thirst. Any page and every page is laden with inspirat ion: and the usual ‘contents’ have been omitted in this volume, as it was felt that that would be confusing and cumbersome. This book has been completed by the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy press in record time! To all those who made this possible, my spiritual brothers Swamis Amaranandaji (the Manager) and Jnananandaji (on whose patient shoulders feel the selfless job of proof-reading), Sri Va sudev, Sri Chary, Sri Sevakram, and Sri Buddhi—my grateful thanks. May Sri Gurudev live forever and guide us along the path of divine life. -Venkatesananda Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 7 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ C INSPIRING TALKS OF GURUDEV SIVANANDA Om Sahana Vavatu, Sahana Bhunaktu, Saha Veeryam Karvaavahai, Tejasvinavadhitamastu Maa Vidvishaavahai, Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaantih. N O T E IN THIS VOLUME ‘SIVA’ REFERS TO ‘SWAMI SIVANANDA’ Inspiring Talks of Gurudev Sivananda, Chronicler: Swami Venkatesananda 8 Contact [email protected] if you purchased this book This is a free e-book from http://www.dlshq.org/ MARCH TO AUGUST 1948 25TH MARCH, 1948 LOVE OF NATION: FIRST STEP TO LOVE OF GOD. It was a lovely evening. The sun was lingering over the Western hills to catch a glimpse of an epoch-making event. Dr. K.N. Gairola, Health Minister of the Tehri-Garhwal State was addressing a mammoth gathering on the Ganges bank. The local municipality had erected a flag-staff just in front of the Ashram an d had invited the Minister to hoist the National Flag. Even during the course of his inevitable political speech, Dr. Gairola made touching references to Siva, to the glory that the presence of saints like Siva brought to the entire State, and the profound spiritual influence that Siva exerted in the people. Even as he concluded his speech, Dr. Gairola requested Siva to give them his Upadesh. As the flag went up, Siva roared OM OM OM. The entire gathering joined him and it looked as though the powerful current of the Pranava-chanting raised the flag up! ‘Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram Jai Hind Jai Hind Jai Hind Jai Hind Jai Jai Jai Jai Hind’ ….sang Siva and the multitude echoed his Kirtan. Siva has a Kirtan for every occasion! ‘Glory to Mother India. No other nation in the world has produced such heroes. No other nation in the world can claim to have given birth to illustrious saints and sages. No other nation in the world has had among her children mighty intellectuals and great mystics who could rise to great spiritual heights, who could display such intuitive wisdom and who could leave as a rich heritage unsurpassed philosophical treatises. No philosopher in any other land has been able to solve the riddle of creation, the mystery of birth and death and the problem of life itself as effectively as the sages of India have done.’ ‘Such a spiritually mighty nation has achi eved her political independence also in an unprecedented manner. Thanks to the Apostle of Ahimsa, Mahatma Gandhiji, India has conclusively proved to humanity that there is indescribable Shakti in non-violence. Gandhiji has demonstrated to the world that love is power, that love conquers. Such a demonstration of spiritual power would not have been possible in any other nation in the world.