Quote from Swami Sivananda

"Knowledge of Atman or the Self is the greatest wealth" Analects of Swami Sivananda

This short and simple sentence hase two important messages:

1. Atman is the Self. You are nothing but the eternal soul, begining- and end-less. When you are saying "myself" , remember that you are refering to the Atman which is equal with Brahman, when you are saying "yourself" it is still Brahman. You are equal with everybody, and everybody is equal with you and the whole Universe.

2. The greatest aim of Yoga is not physical flexibility but the kKnowledge, which will lead you to the Self realization. All others steps in Yoga are only about helping you on this way.

Om Tat Sat

Disguised blessings

"Sufferings purify the soul. They burn up the gross material, sins and impurities. They give inner spiritual strength and develop the will-force, the power, the power of endurance. Hence sufferings are blessings in disguise" 
                        Swami Sivananda "Sadhana"- preface

"Sufferings are blessings- what a nonsense " you may think. "How suffering can be good? I'm not feeling blessed at all" It's very common and normal human reaction. We avoid pain and we are attracted by pleasant things. 
Why? We are thinking about it from body/emotions perspective. If we identify ourselves with body, with it well-being so of course we will avoid everything what can injure it. But...let think about suffer from the perspective of Soul. 
Soul is not suffering from physical pain, cold, loneliness. Soul is Soul in every moment. But as pure water mixed with mud  is getting dirty , Soul is getting impure if we let our lower nature to take control. So why we have to feel blessed?  

As sandpaper cleans the rust, as strong hit open coconut, the suffer cleans our soul from impurities as greed, pride, fear. Of course you can polish metal slowly with soft tissue, you can take a knife and start gently cut the coconut, you will reach your goal but it will take  more time, much more time and maybe the result will not be same.

There is a quote "What does not kill me makes me stronger" those words have very deep meaning. Swamiji said "it gives spiritual strength". If we can deal with problem, next time it will not make you suffer, we know how to act, it will be easier keep mind calm.

"Storms makes trees take deeper roots"- same meaning.

According to karma low  we are coming to this life with our personal karma which we will experience during our life. By suffering we burn our bad karma faster. We purify the Soul. It could be difficult to be happy in suffer , but we can try to stay neutral. Often we are thinking "i don't like it, how  can I be happy?", because we forget that between "happy-?-unhappy" there is also "neutral" state.  Just take this moment as it is. You have a chance to make your Soul  pure faster and you to be stronger. 

Om Tat Sat

Surya Namaskar. Posture n. 9

Posture n. 9 is same as posture n. 4 - Ashwa Sanchalanasana

Mantra: ॐ आदित्याय नमः (Om Adityaya Namaha)
               Prostration to Aditya's son.

Aditi- the mother of all Gods, the source of life.


Mixed action
Actions are of three kinds
Viz., good, bad and mixed.
Good Karmas make you a God in heaven;
Bad Karmas throw you in lower wombs;
Mixed actions give you a human birth.
If you rob a man and feed the poor,
It is a mixed action.
If you earn money by unlawful means
And build a temple or hospital,
This is a mixed action.
If you get money by cheating a man
And construct an Ashram for Sannyasins,
This is also a mixed action.

Swami Sivananda. Wisdom in humour

"Wisdom in Humour"

There is one new book in my yoga-library writen by Swami Sivananda- "Wisdom in Humour".
There is a set of short stories, poems that give us a spiritual lessons. Numerous metaphors help to the reader easily learn the lesson.
There what Dr Frederick Spiegelberg (professor of Stanford University) said  after he heard some stories during the Satsang at Ananda Kutir: "Swamiji, this is just the thing wanted by people today. They would love the humour, but would unconsciously learn the spiritual lesson. The impression made by such teaching would be profound and lasting".

Tere is one of the stories.

An old lady and the needle

One old lady lost the needle in the house.
But she was searching for it outside
In the moon light.
One man asked her,
"O lady, what are you searching here?
She replied, "I lost a needle in the house;
There is a darkness in the house;
I am searching for it here
Because there is good moonlight here"
Wordly people are like this old lady.
They are searching for happiness in outside objects.
O man, look within; control the mind;
You will find bliss in your own Atman.

OM 

Swami Sivananda

„But if a man is really selfless he will not care for name and fame. He will do his work with great interest but will not expect any reward for it. Work itself is his reward”[1]

With these three sentences we can describe the life of Swami Sivananda. He was one of the saints and savants in India.

Swami Sivananda was born the 8^th September the 1887 in Tamil Nadu. Since the childhood he was open-minded and had an aim- help the people. That’s why he becomes a doctor. Swamiji made a good medical career. He had been editing a health journal and wrote on health problems. As a doctor he was working in Malay. Suddenly he discovered that the people needed not only physical care but almost soul-care, that’s why he abandons his medical career and becomes the ascetic by practicing the yoga and studying the Vedic texts. In 1924 he settled down at Rishikesh for the intense sadhana. But even there he continues to help people in the little hospital. Next years were very fruitful: 

·                 1932- Swami Sivananda started the ashram

·                 1936- he created the Divine Life Society

·                1948 – the creation of Yoga Vedanta Life Society.

      What was the goal of these societies? The main object was training people in yoga and Vedanta and dissemination of spiritual knowledge. Swamiji synthesized the based doctrines of different religions by creating the Yoga of Synthesis that includes four main paths: karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga. He teached that there is no less or more important work, every task should be done with love, concentration and responsibility. His life motto (and the motto of Divine Life Society) “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize” shows us the main values that we as a human beings have to protect.Swami Sivananda is the author of more than 200 books (ex. “Conquest of mind”, “Vedanta beginners”). He entered in Mahasamadhi the 14^th July in the 1963

    Hari Om tat sat

                                                                   

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[1] „A great guru and his ideal discipline”- Swami Sivananda