Ô㦾㠇ãŠã Satya ka ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã AvahanInvoking the Divine Year 4 Issue 4 July–August 2015 Sannyasa Peeth, Munger, Bihar, India Hari Om Satya ka Avahan is a bilingual and bi- monthly magazine compiled, com- posed and published by the sannya- sin disciples of Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati for the benefit of all people who seek health, happiness and enlightenment. It contains the teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda, Sri Swami Satyananda and Swami programs of Sannyasa Peeth. Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati SATYAM SPEAKS – Ô㦾ã½ãá Ìãã¥ããè Assistant Editor: Swami Siva- dhyanam Saraswati I was in a deep and blissful sleep. Published by Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Who awakened me and why? Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger – 811201, Bihar. Printed at Thomson Press India —Swami Satyananda © Sannyasa Peeth 2015 Membership is held on a yearly issues from January to December. Please send your requests for application and all correspondence to: Sannyasa Peeth c/o Ganga Darshan Fort, Munger, 811201 Bihar, India - A self-addressed, stamped envelope — must be sent along with enquiries to en- sure a response to your request Front cover: Paduka Darshan, Munger Plates: 1: Paduka Darshan; 2: Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati; 3 & 5: World Yoga Convention, Munger, 2013; 4: Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati; 6: Guru Poornima, Published and printed by Swami Shankarananda Saraswati on behalf of Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger – 811201, Bihar. Printed Owned by Sannyasa Peeth Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati Satya ka ‚ããÌããÖ¶ãÔ㦾㠇ãŠã AvahanInvoking the Divine “I do not desire a kingdom or heaven or even liberation. My only desire is to alleviate the misery and affliction of others.” — ØãìÁ-†‡ãŠ ¹ãƺãÊã ¹ãÆñÀ¥ãã 37 True Guru ƒÃÍÌãÀ-¦ãìʾã ØãìÁ ãä¨ãÌãÓããê¾ã ÔãⶾããÔã ¹ãÆãäÍãàã¥ã ‡ãñŠ ‚ããäÌãÔ½ãÀ¥ããè¾ã ‚ã¶ãì¼ãÌã ØãìÁ-¼ããä‡ã‹¦ã ¾ããñØã ‡ãŠãè ½ããäÖ½ãã ? ÔãâÔããÀ ‡ãñŠ ãä¶ã‡ãŠãÔã-´ãÀ 47 ‡ãŠãõ¹ããè¶ã-¹ãâÞã‡ãŠ½ãá Letter to a Disciple Swami Sivananda Saraswati 1st May, 1943 Beloved Mahadev, Realization cannot come to you as a miracle done by your guru. Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done sadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop vairagya and do abhyasa. He did not say to him “I will give you mukti now”. Therefore abandon the wrong notion that your guru will give you samadhi and mukti. Strive, purify, meditate and realize. 2 Transformation of the Disciple Swami Sivananda Saraswati The lower nature of the mind must be thoroughly regenerated. The aspirant says to his preceptor, “I want to practise yoga. I want to enter into nirvikalpa samadhi. I want to sit at your feet. I have surrendered myself to you.” But he does not want to change his lower nature and habits, old character, behaviour and conduct. This change of the lower nature is not easy. The force of habit is ever strong and inveterate. It demands great strength of will. The aspirant often feels helpless against the force of old habits. He will have to develop his sattwa and will to a considerable degree by regular japa, kirtan, meditation, out his own defects and weaknesses. He must live under the out suitable ways to eradicate them. If the disciple really desires to improve himself, he must be frank with himself and straightforward to his guru. He who is disobedient, who breaks the discipline, who is not straightforward to his guru, who cannot open his heart to his of guru. He remains stuck in his own self-created mire or mud and cannot progress on the divine path. What a great pity! His lot is highly lamentable indeed. 3 Sometimes the methods prescribed by the guru may not be Some deluded disciples serve their guru for some years and then give it up foolishly imagining that they have attained chitta-shuddhi, purity of mind. They do not gain the supreme knowledge; they do not reach their goal. They, no doubt, gain some merit, but self-realization is not attained; this is indeed a great loss, a great blunder. The spiritual path is thorny and precipitous; temptations will assail you. There may be downfall, so approach the teacher who has tread the path. O aspirants! Never practise manmukhi, whimsical, sadhana. Follow the guru-mukhi sadhana with full faith and devotion. Blessed is the chela who has the grace of the guru on himself permanently. 4 ØãìÁ-¼ããä‡ã‹¦ã ¾ããñØã ‡ãŠãè ½ããäÖ½ãã ÔÌãã½ããè ãäÍãÌãã¶ã¶ª ÔãÀÔÌã¦ããè Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 5 2015 Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 6 2015 Guru Poornima Message Swami Satyananda Saraswati Today is not Guru Poornima, it is Shishya Poornima. You may want to know why. Poornima means ‘light of the full moon’ and it has already occurred in the guru’s life. Guru is one who is already illumined and enlightened; the one who needs this guru is ‘one who is enlightened himself and can enlighten others’, whereas a shishya is one who seeks to become enlightened. So, today is Shishya Poornima, which we generally call Guru Poornima, and it is celebrated each year all over the world. There seems to be a great crisis brewing in the world today. Indiscipline is rampant. What is the solution for the sad plight of humanity that we see around us? There is one solution, which has been passed on to us by the ancient rishis and munis of India: the tradition of guru-shishya. Just as there wife and the husband, in the same way there is a spiritual relationship between the guru and the shishya. Unless and until a spiritual contact is established between the guru and shishya, man will be spiritually troubled within himself. He be removed only when we immerse ourselves in our sadhana. of guru-shishya relationship. There is darkness inside us. If there were no darkness then we would not be led astray; we would not be unhappy. And to dispel this darkness we need an inspiring power and this power is the guru shakti. We are not actually weak people but we have made ourselves weak. We are weak neither physically, mentally nor spiritually, but we pretend to be weak. All people are equal, whether they are women or men, married or unmarried, 7 brahmin or shudra, Hindu or Muslim. These divisions of caste and creed are manmade. They have been created by society, by kings and rulers, by leaders and politicians. In our religions and in the sacred texts of the gurus these distinctions do not exist. Distinctions based on caste, religion, physical attributes or even gender are not to be found. What does this mean? It means that we are all one; the basic source is the same. All human beings have the same basis, or moola, and the same basic form, or swaroopa. This is called atma shakti, Ishwara shakti or spiritual shakti. This shakti lies asleep in us and this dormant shakti needs to be awakened. Only one thing needs your full attention and that is the question of how this sleeping shakti, this sleeping Gauri, this sleeping Vishnu, should be awakened. This is why Guru Poornima is being celebrated. It is to remember this one thing and to be reminded of it. I have come to remind you of something just as Jamavant had to remind Hanuman. Do you remember the story? Hanuman had forgotten all about his hidden shakti and when Jamavant reminded him of it, Hanuman’s body became as huge and as wide as the sky. Similarly, I have assumed the role of Jamavant and all of you are like Hanuman. Hanuman was the you and him is that your tails have not yet been ignited; the am referring to is the mooladhara chakra. If this chakra catches Lanka can be burnt down with it. This Lanka is made of gold; Ravana is the king, Kumbhakarna lies asleep here, Meghanad is present and even Surpanakha is here. Everyone is present. This body of ours is the Lanka of gold. I am Jamavant and you are Hanuman. I have come to remind you that you, as a human being, are not body alone, but you have just taken the form of a human body. You are not man or woman, either; you are just acting out those roles. You are neither Hindu nor Muslim, brahmin or shudra. Due 8 to ignorance you have put a label on yourself. Due to maya you have foolishly set yourselves apart from each other. If you are not the body, not a caste, not a name, then who are you? The answer to this question does not come in a day. Nor can it be found in any book. The Upanishads or the Gita or even the Ramayana will not be able to provide the answer. The answer to the question ‘Who am I?’ can only be supplied from within yourselves through direct experience. You will come to know of this truth only through experience. I will ask you to devote only two or three hours of your time to do either dhyana, japa, kriya yoga or asana and pranayama. Whichever is your sadhana, dedicate yourself to it. In one, two or three years’ time, this shakti will gradually awaken inside you. And once this shakti arises it will raise your life to great heights. Lastly, let me make it clear that the aim of yoga sadhana and worship does not lie in renouncing your karma and duty or in renouncing happiness and worldly pleasures. The aim of worship and sadhana is the awakening of this shakti lying inside man’s body, behind his mind, behind his intellect.