Publishers’ Note
This book is a compilation from the various published works of the holy Master Sri Swami Sivananda, including some of his earliest works extending as far back as the late thirties.
The questions and answers in the pages that follow deal with some of the commonest, but most vital, doubts raised by practicing spiritual aspirants. What invests these answers and explanations with great value is the authority, not only of the sage’s intuition, but also of his personal experience.
Swami Sivananda was a sage whose first concern, even first love, shall we say, was the spiritual seeker, the Yoga student. Sivananda lived to serve them; and this priceless volume is the outcome of that Seva Bhava of the great Master.
We do hope that the aspirant world will benefit considerably from a careful perusal of the pages that follow and derive rare guidance and inspiration in their struggle for spiritual perfection.
May the holy Master’s divine blessings be upon all.
SHIVANANDANAGAR,
JANUARY 1, 1993.
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
18. Is it too much for a teacher to make his followers great? t
The question assumes that the teacher has attachment for his disciple in preference to others. If he had that, he would not be a spiritual teacher, because the first qualification for a spiritual man is conquest of attachment. The fact is that out of millions, one is found to have the qualification and it is he who comes up as ‘the great’—the superman. Each such great man is surrounded by men who are attracted by his inherent charm. But those who are so surrounding are not the people who are qualified to be masters. They are just ordinary men and no more.
From your account of her, she was not qualified to benefit by contact with anyone, even if that one had the spiritual greatness of Lord Buddha himself. The one thing needed for spiritual progress is perseverance. She was stuffing herself with the writings of many, each of whom pointed a different path. One who wants to sink a well must go on digging in one place till one strikes water. If he digs pits in a hundred places, each not more than 5 feet deep, he will not have dug a well. That was her case. What value can be attached to her opinions?
26. I am a stranger whom you would never have dreamt of coming across, but please do not detest me for being a woman. I am only too eager to taste the happiness of spiritual life. Please, Swamiji, have some consideration even for a woman and tell me whether I am to be blessed with such happiness in my future, and if so, when that will be.
It is said that one must have a proper Guru and I do not know where to hunt for one who would satisfy my appetite soon. Can you help me?
Did you yourself have a Guru and who was he? Tell me all about him, please, if I am not being too bold in asking this. Is he, or was he, a Sadguru?
May I know whether you can be called a Guru or a Sadguru? w
I am extremely pleased to note that you are too eager to taste the happiness of spiritual life. You have good spiritual Samskaras. Protect them. You can realize that spiritual happiness through regular practices.
I do not detest anybody. I revere a woman as my own Self. Woman is a manifestation of Sakti. I adore her as Durga or Mother Kali. Though ladies are styled as Abalas (those without strength), they are dynamic forces on this earth. Religion is maintained through them alone. The devotional element is ingrained in Hindu ladies. They have innate devotion. If they determine, they can realize God very quickly.
Don’t you like to become a Mira? If your mind is really turned towards God-realization, if you are sincere and earnest in your spiritual practices, you will attain the spiritual bliss in a short time. Cheer yourself up. Be bold. Stand up. Assert. Recognize. Realize. Taste the spiritual happiness.
You can find your Guru at your door if you really want him. Sincere aspirants are rare. Yes, I have my Guru. Space will not permit here to tell all about him. I am neither a Guru nor a Sadguru. I take great delight in serving others. Surely I shall serve you and share with you whatever I have. I shall clear your doubts, put you in the spiritual path.
37. How can a person perpetuate the period of youth? y
The Yogic method excels all other methods. It is the best and the cheapest of all prevalent systems of treatment. Take to intense Pranayama and Asanas. Both these help a lot in preserving Veerya (semen) and converting the vital energy into Ojas. Practice Sirshasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Halasana, Paschimottanasana, Padahastasana and Yoga Mudras coupled with Bhastrik Pranayama. Practice Pranayama till the stage of Kevala Kumbhaka is reached. When there is no necessity either to breathe in or to breathe out, Veerya becomes steady; that is, there will be no discharge or emission in any form. The Ayurvedic preparation "Chyavanaprash" is a wonderful one in enabling the regular user to preserve youth for a very long time.
Never. If there is any thought of the body or the disease or the bodily affliction or something that cannot be tolerated by the fleshy frame, remember that he is no advanced Yogi or saint or Sannyasin. He who has no thought of himself or the surroundings or the world, he who is centered in his own Self or his beloved Ishta Devata or gracious Guru, and he who is entirely oblivious of limitations of any sort, and identifies himself with the limitless, diseaseless, unconditioned, all-pervasive Brahman, is a true and advanced Yogi or Bhakta or Jnani; and not otherwise.
He can have no match in the whole world in the matter of utter indifference either towards his disease or towards his limited, perishable body or the whole world. He always remains in his own Self and he never loses his balance under any circumstance. He firmly believes that he is the Infinite, the Absolute Brahman. He firmly believes that death awaits all and snatches away everyone at one time or the other and that the six Urmis¾ Shoka, Moha, Ashna, Pipasa, Jara and Mrityu— are but common to all the Jivas, not necessarily mankind, and that he is the deathless, imperishable and eternal Brahman. Hence there can be no mental upset for him even amidst crucial tests.
Truth is truth and falsehood is falsehood. They are as wide apart as the terminals of a diameter of a circle or the north and the south poles. He who wants ethical perfection, who loves Dharma for the sake of the Supreme, ought to stick to truth however crucial be the circumstances, however tense be the situation. Think of Harischandra ... how he stuck to truth even in the face of trials. How his name is to stand, for all time to come, for truth undimmed! Harischandra was truth personified. That is why he is known as Satya Harischandra. This single instance is enough to sustain man’s living on a sound basis of truth, however disastrous and threatening be the crises one has to face. However inevitable and indispensable it be, and however much the situation demands to gain some selfish ends, falsehood should ruthlessly be avoided. Truth and falsehood cannot be linked together. Yoking of the one with the other is awfully absurd. No doubt, in the Bhagavata and other Puranas a few exceptional instances have been cited, where speaking untruth would be considered appropriate. But they are a matter of exception, they are not applicable to all times and all persons. For illuminating and interesting information in this connection, go through my book, "Ethical Teachings".
Pray to God to give you that day on which you will embrace a scavenger with joy, feeling oneness. That day will be a blessed day. You have a very small, narrow, constricted heart. Try to expand. Slowly give up the "Don’t touchism". It will greatly bar your spiritual progress. It will take a long time in your case. You have got a deep-rooted idea of "Don’t touchism". In this very second, ruthlessly break all barriers that divide or separate man from man. You will enjoy indescribable joy and supreme peace.
The universe is not an accidental combination of atoms. The theory of evolution differs according to the different schools of philosophy. The most accepted view, however, is that of the Vedanta. According to it, the universe is a systematic organic whole directed by a supremely intelligent and omnipotent Being behind it. From the relative standpoint, the universe appears as a gradual unfoldment of the primordial matter into the visible gross effects, this matter being actuated by the all-pervading Consciousness Itself. The effects of this matter are, objectively, the five principles of sound, touch, form, taste and smell, giving rise to ether, air, fire, water and earth, and subjectively, the subconscious, the mind, the intellect, the ego, the sense-organs of perception and action, the vital energies and the physical body. All these effects appear as realities, though they are not so actually, because they are based on the one Reality which is the omnipresent Pure Consciousness. From the absolute standpoint, there is no substantial universe at all, except the temporary external form taken by the fluctuating imagination of the mental consciousness within.
Clairvoyance and clairaudience are not always automatic processes. Unless the Master directs his attention towards someone, he need not necessarily be aware of the seeker’s mentality and doubts. Imagine a seer or a Perfect Master who is ever aware of what everybody thinks! A Siddha does see and hear everything in Samadhi. This everything comes then to mean the Self or Atman or Supreme Consciousness where the individual thoughts and words cease to exist as such.
Powers like thought-reading do not necessarily connote perfection; and perfection cannot be vetoed by the absence of these powers. A Perfect Master can acquire these powers if he so wills; but you cannot force him to.
It cannot tantamount to Vyabicharini Bhakti. Real Vyabicharini Bhakti is worshipping God for a few minutes and again loving children, wife, property, etc., for the rest of the day. The Supreme Deity behind the two names Rama and Krishna is one. He is Lord Vishnu. For meditation, you can have either the form of Lord Krishna or Lord Rama according to the tendency, predilection or taste of your mind.
85. Will there be world peace if there are no politicians? w
World peace would not depend upon the existence or non-existence of politicians, if only people, individually and collectively, understand and live up to the canons of perfect righteousness, wisdom, truth and justice. As long as people do not rise to this level, ‘politicians’, which is only a name for those who are in charge of the administration, will continue to be actuated by their selfishness and greed and will accordingly ride roughshod over the feelings and sufferings of millions and will go on embarking on wars however destructive they may be in general.
The most important point to remember in connection with the use of deer-skin or tiger-skin as Asana or seat is that the animal is never killed for obtaining its skin. The deer was always a part of the ancient Ashrams of Sannayasins and Maharshis; and they should have found the skin of the deer, when it died its natural death, an easily procurable material for the Asana. To those living in dense jungles, therefore, deer-skin and the bark of trees should have been more easily and abundantly available than cloth.
Tiger-skins, too were procured in a similar way, though much less numerically, and that accounts for the wider use of the deer-skin as Asana. In fact, Mriga-charma is prescribed for Asana; and Mriga means deer.
From the spiritual point of view, the sages found that doing Sadhana seated on a deer-skin was highly conducive to Siddhis. The power generated in the body through Sadhana was preserved by the skin.
107. How does the Yogi see the subtle rudiments of matter with his Yogic vision? y
As you would see the material objects with the help of a material instrument in the form of the eye, the Yogi would see subtler objects through the help of subtler instruments. Except in the plane of intuition, in all other lower planes, there exists a subject-object relationship as far as cognition is concerned. The only thing is: the instrument used in perceiving the object should be of the same material of which the object of perception is made.
For further grasping of the exact vision of the Yogi, you yourself should become one.
Yes, yes. And not only that. The saint himself may live in those places. The liberated sage has the option to merge in Brahman or to live in a subtle form and carry on the work of Lokasangraha, guiding aspirants, awakening in people a religious fervor and so on. This motive is manifested in some Jivanmuktas in accordance with God’s supreme will. Therefore, the place in which the saint practiced Tapas and attained Siddhi, which might again be chosen by the invisible spirit of the saint as its permanent abode, becomes the abode of the saint’s divine qualities— peace, bliss and wisdom.
Saints are always present in the world. Rogues are also always present. Saviors and dacoits are ever present in the world; for, it is a world of dualities. Good and evil are ever present here. Absolute good can be found only in God. You should get the guidance of saints; only they can teach you the Brahma Vidya. Books will certainly help you; they will put you in tune with the great ones. When you read the Bible, you are in tune with Lord Jesus. When you read the Gita, you are in tune with Lord Krishna. This also will help you. But, just as you cannot learn cooking from books, you cannot also learn Yoga from books alone. But, you should not indefinitely wait for a teacher to turn up; when the aspiration arises in your heart, you should at once start the practice with the help of some scriptural text your mind likes the most, e.g., the Bible.
I do not prevent men from sitting around me. In fact, in the office, there are quite a number of them always surrounding me. They sit on the bench provided for visitors; and the ladies, naturally in keeping with Indian tradition, sit on the ground, around my table. While walking about, the European custom prevails; and the men, of their own accord, let the ladies first. Therefore, the ladies seem to crowd round me and the men walk a few paces behind.
But, when all is said and done, no one can deny that women have more devotion than men who have been endowed with more of intellect. It is the ladies’ devotion that makes them sit near my table in the office; and it is the men’s intellect that makes them question the propriety thereof! When the intellectual man cultivates devotion too, the result is an understanding heart and breadth of vision that lead him soon to Self-realization.
I am as much interested in the spiritual welfare of women as in that of men; perhaps I take a little more interest in guiding women on the path of Sadhana. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, you know the wise saying: "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world". Woman is the maker of man; if she is spiritual, then there is no doubt that the whole of mankind would be pious and peaceful. Secondly, while men all over the world are busy running after the shadow, trying to acquire wealth and the useless objects of this world, it is the women who preserve Dharma as best as they can. They need all the spiritual strength and encouragement that we can provide them. Thirdly, as man’s "better half", I know that if woman is spiritually inclined, she will not leave her man behind, but will take him along with her on the spiritual path. She is man’s ‘Sahadharmini’, and even if in the busy work-a-day world man forgets his role for a while, woman will not; and she will be patiently working for his welfare and will convert him to the life divine.
158. Does a full-fledged Yogi not feel tempted to test his Yogic powers? Is such testing justified? y
A full-fledged Yogi can never have the idea either to test himself or his powers. If such be the case, he should in no way be considered full-fledged or well-baked. It is only the raw, the ill-expanded and half-baked Sadhakas or Yogins that will have the inclination to test their own selves, i.e., their progress, by virtue of the powers they might have acquired.
Yogic powers cannot but manifest in proportion to the amount of progress one makes in Yoga as per the injunctions laid down in the Yoga Sastras; and they are surely a detriment to one’s further progress if even the slightest attention is paid towards them either to advertise oneself or to test oneself. Every day, every minute, nay, every second, will see some blissful experience or the other even without the wish of the Yogic aspirant. As these experiences manifest of their own accord, the aspirant is to remain indifferent and unconcerned and wonder at the glory of glorious God; and he should not care to have even a knowledge of the experiences. Only then, and then alone, can he be expected to have onward progress. A full-fledged Yogi is he who has attained Self-realization through the medium of Yoga and so there can never be any temptation in him to know who he is or how far he has progressed by dint of the powers acquired.
Too much study and a little practice bring bewilderment. To induce Vairagya in the passionate people, I place such a negative mental picture of women. Really, women are manifestations of Sakti. Yes, all is holy. All is sacred. All is beautiful. This can be realized and felt only by people advanced in the spiritual line. Beginners can merely repeat these formulas like a parrot. Their experience, Drishti and mode of Sadhana are entirely different from the expressions of realized persons. Beginners should be very careful, as they will be easily duped by Maya.
165. Can I have mental Shanti and can I feel the spiritual vibrations if I come to Rishikesh? v
Yes. You can. When you come here, come alone. If you come here with your company of friends, you will create the same worldly atmosphere with all sorts of talks. Come and have the Darshan of Mahatmas. Hear their spiritual instructions. Live with them. Observe Mauna and practice concentration and meditation. Then only will you enjoy peace.
For a lady, her husband is the image of God. She will have to realize God in and through him alone. She need not go to temples even for worship. Your Vairagya is a momentary bubbling. It cannot help you in any way in your spiritual progress. You may say, "This world is unreal"; but in your heart of hearts you may be attached to several objects. The Vairagya that comes temporarily out of family difficulties and troubles is like a flash of lightning. It will pass away in no time.
In what sense is the world unreal? The world is not as unreal as the horn of a hare or the son of a barren woman. This world is an empirical or relative reality (Vyavaharic Satta). It is not so real as Brahman. When compared with Brahman or the Eternal, it has no real existence. The world is a phenomenon or an appearance. Brahman is the noumenon or the absolute. The world is unreal only for a Jnani who is resting in his own Svarupa. The vast majority of persons have misunderstood the term ‘Mithya’. Hence they try to leave the world aimlessly without any discipline and without developing any virtue. This is a sad mistake. Taking the world as a mere appearance, you will have to work in the world with untiring patience without egoism, but with Atma Bhava and with a clear understanding of the noumenon or the basis of the world. If the aspirant leaves the world without purification of the heart through Nishkama Karma Yoga and without possessing the four means of salvation, he will not be benefited in the least by his renunciation.
The case of Mira is quite different. She was a Yoga-Brashta with full Vairagya, with a heart saturated with Krishna-Prem from her very childhood. Your case is different. Do not draw a comparison here. You will have to evolve through serving your husband and humanity. Practice this. See the Lord Krishna in the sparkling eyes of your husband and in all faces. May God bless you!
Woman is in no way inferior to man. The home is a cooperative organization. It flourishes on the principle of division of labor. If a man earns and the wife stays at home, it does not mean that the woman is a parasite and a slave. She is indeed the builder of the nation. To make noble citizens by training their children and to form the character of the whole human race is undoubtedly a power far greater than that which women could hope to exercise as voters or law-makers, as presidents, ministers or judges.
The idea that men and women are equals is purely a Western concept. The Indian or Hindu concept is that man and woman, Purusha and Sakti, are one and indivisible. Sita did not think herself as a separate entity. She was in and of Rama. The Indian woman always identifies herself completely with her husband in all domestic, religious and social life. She is the queen of the house. She illumines the home through the glory of motherhood. It is in the motherhood of woman that all her prerogative, glory, competency and jurisdiction are specially vested.
The West has seen women playing the man in every walk of life. But I ask: "Has this contributed more to human happiness and to the real prosperity and peace of the country? Surely it has brought more divorce courts, more unhappiness, more restlessness. This has only thickened the women’s veil of ignorance and augmented their Rajasic element".
Even in the West, there are many persons who are not in favor of women claiming equality with men. Even those who were in favor of this movement are now seriously repenting for their wrong advocacy, because they are actually witnessing before their eyes its pernicious effects.
Loose life is not perfect freedom. Promiscuous mixing is not freedom. Some women of India have ruined themselves by taking advantage of this false freedom.
The ideal of the woman in the West should not be our ideal, for then we shall not only be denaturalized, but also denationalized. One nation cannot adopt the ideal and the social customs of another without undermining one’s own rock-bottom base.
Women should become good mothers only. This is the function they will have to perform in the grand plan of God. This is what is meant in the divine plan. This is the will of God. Women have their own psychological traits, temperament, capacities, virtues, instincts and impulses. They have their own disadvantages in society. They cannot, and should not, compete with men.
A Grihini with children can practice all the Asanas subject to certain restrictions just as in the case of a man. She should not practice during the period of monthly courses and three or four days thereafter, during any of the ailments peculiar to her sex, and during pregnancy. Sirshasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Halasana, Padahastasana, Bhujangasana, Salabhasana and Paschimottanasana are a few of the important Asanas she can practice. To these can be added Yoga Mudra and Viparitakarani Mudra. Kriyas and Bandhas, as also Surya Samaskara, can be performed likewise. The only conditions necessary, though not compulsory, for deft performance of all these are sliminess of body and balance over the physical frame. There is absolutely no harm in a household lady practicing Asanas, but she should subject herself to the imposed restrictions cited above.
215. What are the marks of a wise man and a fool respectively from the ultimate point of view? w
The fool reacts outwardly and emotionally under all circumstances, while there is no reaction in the sage. If at all the latter acts, such actions are not reactions to any immediate action, but are born out of the sage’s Satsankalpa to serve humanity. Secondly, in all situations, the fool places himself first but finds himself last, while the wise man places himself last but finds himself first. Thirdly, the wise man retires silently as soon as he has done his work, but the fool remains to ear others praise him, and in some cases, if nothing like it is coming forward, he shamelessly asks for it.
Kindly read also the Second Chapter of the Gita, wherein you will find a nice description of the Sthithaprajna.
Contact with worldly-minded people at once affects the mind. Vikshepa comes in. The mind imitates. Bad, luxurious habits are developed. Bad environments and bad associations play a tremendous part and produce a bad influence on the mind of Sadhakas. Old Samskaras are revived. I will ask you to run at once to Uttarkashi, back again. Don’t delay even a single minute. As the mind is formed out of the subtlest part of the food, i.e., gets attached to that man from whom it receives its food. Don’t be under obligation to anybody. Lead an independent life. Rely on your own self.
Queen Chudalai was a great Yogini. She had many higher Siddhis. She even converted her husband Sikhidhvaja and helped him in his salvation. Read the story of Chudalai in Yoga Vasistha. Ladies lack in Vairagya and in the power of endurance. They have not got the same faculties as men have. Hence many Yoginis do not crop up amongst ladies. Ladies can have Darshan of the Lord easily as they have ingrained devotion in them, as the element of Sneha or love is predominant in them. Sex is no bar to spiritual greatness. Gargi, Madalasa and Sulabha were all reputed Yoginis.
242. It takes a long time to remove Mala and Vikshepa. What to do? m v
If you want to become a Master of Arts, it takes a large number of years. You will have to pass through the Matriculation, Intermediate and B.A. courses and then take up the M.A. course. Even so, you will have to plod on and persevere for many years to remove the Mala and the Vikshepa. How patiently does the fisherman wait with concentrated gaze to catch a single fish! When such is the case for a trifling thing, what to speak of attaining Brahma-Jnana? It is Kshurasya Dhara, walking along the blade of a sharp razor.
Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Sirshasana, Padahastasana, Halasana, Paschimottanasana and Chakrasana, coupled with Yoga Mudra and Viparitakarani Mudra, help quite a lot to keep up bodily poise and tension. All these need not necessarily be taken up simultaneously. Whichever of these are found convenient can be practiced, along with Pranayama, within the boundary limits of health and not overriding the limitations of her sex. A lover of Yoga¾male or female—should have restricted carnal desires.
Yes, you should never miss an opportunity of visiting and worshipping at any shrine you come across. When you go to a temple of Lord Vishnu or Devi, worship Lord Siva Himself there. Look upon the Deity in the temple as another form of Lord Siva. If your father came to you in the attire of a High Court Judge, or being an actor in a drama, if he came to you in the dress of a female, will you turn away from him? You will greet him as your own father in any case. Similar should be your attitude in worshipping the Lord. God is one. He is worshipped and adored variously by various people.
