1 Divya Sandesh The Newsletter of THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA Inc. Regd: inc 9877082 Issue: Jan Mar 2019 This NEW YEAR may YOU all make a real beginning in YOGA practises and realise in your daily lives, the endless POWERS, the endless PEACE, the endless HAPPINESS, the endless PERFECTION it confers on YOU CONTENTS 1. Knowledge, Meditation & Spiritualising Your life. Swami Chidananda 2-3 2. Parable of Two Businessmen Swami Sivananda 4 3. A Simple but Powerful Spiritual Practise Swami Atmaswarupananda 5 4. DLSA Branch Contacts & Branch Activities 5-7
2 Knowledge, Meditation And Spiritualising Your Life SWAMI CHIDANANDA The supreme goal of life has been declared to be brahma-jnana, the ultimate spiritual knowledge that brings about enlightenment and illumination and liberates the individual soul from the necessity of once again coming into this plane of pain and death putting an end to this unending wheel of transmigration. Wisdom alone, Self-realisation, Self-knowledge, brahma-jnana, alone can liberate one, not ritualistic worship, outer ceremonials, not sacraments, not pilgrimage, nor vows, disciplines, charity or merits. These are good, but even if you engage in such meritorious, pious religious activity for a hundred births, nay a hundred thousand births, unless you have illumination or jnana there is no liberation. These good actions are to be engaged in so that you may avoid getting caught in the trap of bad actions. That is their value. They keep us going in the right and proper direction and thus become a means of preventing regression. But unless Self-realisation can take place, unless one is illumined with enlightenment that knowledge which transcends all other knowledge, attaining which one does not come back into this world of pain and death, knowing which everything else is known then one has not found the only safe raft that can take one across the ocean of samsara. Therefore, jnana has this supreme value. Vedanta means jnana. Jnana is the great purifier. Attaining jnana all seeds of past karmas are burnt to ashes. One becomes liberated then and there. And ultimately deep meditation is the one and only sadhana that can bring about illumination. In whatever way one describes illumination, meditation is the ultimate portal, gateway, to blessedness. All yogas culminate in meditation, whether it is japa yoga, kirtan yoga, kundalini yoga, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, dhyana yoga or jnana yoga. Ultimately, all the angas (limbs) of these various yogas culminate in meditation, and in and through deep meditation alone illumination is attained. The word meditation as such may not be used, but it is deep meditation that is mentioned in the description of all yogas. In the nine modes of devotion, meditation does not seem to be mentioned, but atma-nivedanam (total self-surrender) means nothing but that becoming a zero, totally losing oneself through concentrated devotion into a state of meditation. It means meditation. Knowledge and meditation are, therefore, indispensable requirements for supreme attainment in the spiritual life. But then, as long as we are conscious of our body and we are in a state of identification with the body, the relative reality is a reality. Thus when we are living in this world of men, engaged in activity, having diverse human relationships acting, interacting and reacting we cannot help behaving in a manner as situations require. So, there is every risk of forgetting our main mission in life, what we are in reality and slipping into a state of unwisdom, of aviveka and avichara, and getting trapped in that state of unwisdom.
3 We cannot be in a state of meditation for twenty-four hours a day. We cannot keep up that awareness, that jnana, twenty-four hours a day, for forcibly the outer world and things in it will draw us out of our inner equipoise and get us involved in this outer phenomenal world. Even the avataras have to silently bow to their own law. Knowing that it is not possible for us to be in a constant state of jnana or dhyana twenty-four hours a day and that we are faced with the situation of being forcefully made to engage in activity by prakriti, what do the scriptures have to say? Divinise your life! Spiritualise all your activities and live, move and have your being in this world in a state of God-consciousness. Divinity is the one key word. What is man s concept of God? He is an ocean of compassion. Therefore, the one practice that ultimately makes jnana and dhyana fruitful is the divinising of one s life to be compassionate, merciful, forgiving, kind, to have consideration for others, to be good and to do good. Act not from your human level but act from your divine level, for your human personality is only temporary. Your reality is Divinity. Let this be awakened. Make yourself a centre of all that is godly, all that is beautiful, sublime and divine. Have feeling for others. Identify with the joy and sorrow of others. In the presence of sorrow, immediately act to be an angel of mercy. Be an instrument of mercy, peace and joy. In and through your life, constantly be a channel for the expression of God s perfection, of God s love, compassion, kindness and consideration. This alone makes jnana and dhyana fruitful and capable of bestowing upon you liberation. Hinting at this in the latter half of the twelfth chapter of the Gita, Lord Krishna tells us who is dear to Him. You may read all the philosophical books and you may be able to sit for hours in dhyana, but if your heart is not filled with love, kindness and compassion for others, you may obtain everything, but to obtain illumination and liberation will not be possible. Therefore, as we emerge into this new day, let us earnestly contemplate this great fact. It is not through wisdom and concentration alone that one becomes illumined and liberated, but through loving kindness, wishing good for all and engaging in action that is conducive to the good of all. In this fertile field of spiritualised living, jnana and dhyana will bear the fruit of illumination and liberation. Not otherwise. May we all realise this truth and humbly strive to make ourselves centres of godliness and compassion, kindness and goodness. This is the one thing needful. DEVOTION: A RITUAL, A DISCIPLINE, A MEDITATION By fasting and observing vigil throughout the day and night on special religious occasions like Sivaratri, the aspirant, the devotee, gives himself up to the grace of the Lord and has his body, speech and mind offered to Him. There is nothing of man left in Him. He has surrendered his personality to Shiva in the form of devout service. This divine worship is a ritual for the body, a discipline for the speech and a meditation for the mind. With these unfailing aids, the soul traverses beyond itself and seeks to gain entrance to the haven of peace and bliss. Swami Sivananda
4 Parable Of Two Businessmen SWAMI SIVANANDA Two businessmen once set out for a distant land for doing business. They were both rich. They had heard well about the returns that their business would bring them in the new place. The first one, Rama, thought, "Let me invest my entire wealth. Even if the business be shaky in the beginning and there be initial losses, yet my foundation will be strong and I will gain in the long run." Accordingly, he invested his entire fortune and started the business in right earnest, on a well-established ground. With the usual losses in the beginning, he pulled on through the initial stages extraordinarily well and became a well-reputed businessman. As days passed by, he was getting from the establishment more profit than he ever dreamt of. On the other hand, Govind, the second man, thought with a certain pessimistic attitude: "If I invest all my money and lose it, then I will neither have the profit from the new establishment, nor the fortune to live happily with the old wealth. So let me invest a little at first. If it is profitable, I will invest more and more of the old wealth; for, then, the new profits will help my living and there will not be any need for me to depend on the old wealth for my day-to-day living." At first, he invested a little. That was consumed by the initial loss account. Then he invested a little, again. It too, was found to compensate only the initial loss without leaving him any profit. As years rolled on, he found that he had lost all his wealth and had nothing to live upon. The two businessmen are like two spiritual aspirants. Their going to a far off land is like the aspirants' going into seclusion for reaping a good spiritual harvest. Like the businessman investing all his wealth at one time, an aspirant renounces his all at once. Like that businessman, the aspirant too, has got his shaky beginning, but has established himself well in the spiritual path. There is no fall back or final loss. He progresses rapidly and soon attains the bliss of spiritual life, the summum bonum of human existence. Akin to Govind is that aspirant who takes to seclusion foregoing a little comfort, but keeping intact his old fortune to save him in times of need. The aspirant doubts: "If I give out all my wealth and also do not succeed in attaining the Goal, I may be forced afterwards to live like a beggar in this world. So let me keep something in store. On attaining that Bliss, I shall gladly give out this wealth. If I do not attain that bliss, I shall and can utilise this wealth in this world." This aspirant like the second businessman, loses all his wealth when Time places its mighty hand upon him. Nor does he get the fruits of spiritual life, like Govind going without profit. O man! Remember the words of the Lord: "There is no initial loss here in spiritual effort, nor even reactions. Even a little understanding of this Truth (Law) will save you from very great danger." Renounce your all, without any reservation; the fruits of spiritual life are there in your hands.
5 A Simple But Powerful Spiritual Practice Sri Swami Atmaswarupananda It is common thinking throughout the world to make a division between the spiritual life and the secular life. But if all is one, if God alone is, then perhaps the purpose of our spiritual life is to recognise that there is no such thing as secular life, that all life is spiritual. It is a question of where our consciousness is. The purpose of our spiritual practices is to raise our consciousness to a point where we recognise the fact that all life is divine. Most of the time our consciousness seems to be in what we could call a secular level. Is there a simple practice that we could observe during the day that would help raise our consciousness in a steady and consistent fashion? We may not be able to find time during the day for longer periods of spiritual practice, but usually we can find times when we can just sit in the kitchen, in the office, no matter where for a few moments, and close our eyes and relax. That practice alone will help to steady our consciousness. If we add to it repetition of God s name, our mind will become focused, our consciousness will be raised. And as we are repeating God s name we can recognise that something is aware of that repetition. We don t create a witness, because that s just another thought, but whatever is in our mind, we recognise that something is knowing it. That something can never be grasped, but it is never absent whether we are sitting quietly, whether we are active, whether we are dreaming or whether we are in deep sleep. The remembrance of that ungraspable witness raises our consciousness and puts us in another dimension. And all this can be done in a few moments. The spiritual life is not, at its core, something dramatic. Except in very rare circumstances, it is a step by step journey that continues for years. Some time ago one of our senior devotees passed away. She was a housewife who for years and years had followed regular spiritual practices. She didn t seem to be anything special, but when she was having her health crisis even though she could have expected to have many more years to live she was totally resigned to whether she lived or not. Swami ji (Swami Chidananda) marvelled. He said it is a result of her many years of consistent spiritual practice. So we shouldn t underestimate the inner spiritual power of something like simply for a few moments as frequently as we can sitting quietly, repeating God s name and being aware that there is an unknowable witness who is always silently knowing everything. DLS AUSTRALIA BRANCH CONTACTS For comments and suggestions please email - info@dlsaus.org Website www.dlshq.org Website - www.dlsaus.org DLSA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dlsaus Recordings of Skype Satsangs on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/thedivinelifesociety Daily quotes from Gurudev Swami Sivananda on Facebook: http://www facebook..com/swamisivananda Daily quotes from Sri Swami Chidananda on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/swamichidananda
6 DLS AUSTRALIA DIVINE ACTIVITIES Activities Date & Time Address Contact SYDNEY First Sunday of every SATSANG month Time: 4.00 5.30 PM Strathfield Girls High School, Albert Road, Strathfield, NSW 2135 Vijay Gokarn 0411 450 321 Srini Immidi 0411 035 454 Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 (Please enter from Oxford Road) SPECIAL SATSANGS Activities Date & Time Address Contact Basant Panchami Special: SUNDAY 03 FEBRUARY Devotional Music Program by Sri Dev Koppikar Time:4pm 5.30 pm Strathfield Girls High School, Albert Road, Strathfield, NSW 2135 (Please enter from Oxford Road) Vijay Gokarn 0411 450 321 Srini Immidi 0411 035 454 Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 Shivaratri Special: Chanting of Shiva stotram, Talks on Kashmir Shaivism, Bharat Natyam dance of Shiva, Chanting of Shiva stotram, Talk on Nayanar saints / ancient Shiva temples Shiva Bhajan based on Carnatic music Aum Namah Sivaya chanting SUNDAY 03 MARCH Time:4pm 5.30 pm Strathfield Girls High School, Albert Road, Strathfield, NSW 2135 (Please enter from Oxford Road) Vijay Gokarn 0411 450 321 Srini Immidi 0411 035 454 Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 RAMAYANA STUDY Date & Time Address Contact Friday 67 Polding Street, Fairfield Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 Time: 7.30 8.45 PM Heights, NSW 2165 HINDI CLASSES & SCRIPTURE STUDY Date & Time Address Contact Friday Strathfield Library, 65-67 Asha Gupta - (02) 9764 6604 Time: 3:00 to 4:00 PM Rochester Street, Homebush, NSW 2140 VALMIKI RAMAYANA READING Date & Time Address Contact Tuesday Strathfield Library, 65-67 Asha Gupta - (02) 9764 6604 Time: 10:00 AM 12:00 PM Rochester Street, Homebush, NSW 2140
7 BHAGAVAD GEETA READING & DISCUSSION Date & Time Address Contact 2nd and 4th Sunday of every Strathfield Library, 65-67 Asha Gupta - (02) 9764 6604 month Time: 3.30 4.30 PM Rochester Street, Homebush, NSW 2140 SWAMI SIVANANDA STUDY CENTRES: Centre Date & Time Address Contact Blacktown / Every 2nd & 4th Lalor Park Sunday of every month Time: 2:00 PM Lynwood Park Public School, Turner Street Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 Hinchinbrook Every fortnightly on Monday s Time: 7:30 PM Liverpool area Every 2nd & 4th Sunday of every month Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 120 Harrow Road, Glenfield Swami Uditramananda 0416 299 396 Time: 5.00 PM BOOKS ON DONATION: Books published by the Divine Life Society Headquarters can be purchased on a donation at Location Address Contact Strathfield 35 Bareena Street, Strathfield, NSW 2135 Srini Immidi 0411 035 454 OTHER SATSANGS Brisbane Shakuntala Cavanaghji 0431 406 362 Canberra On special occasion 25 Hampton Circuit, Manish Chopra 0400 690 204 Yarralumla, Canberra, ACT - 2600 Melbourne 1st Saturday of each month Time: 6:00-7.30 PM (Dinner served) East Doncaster Public Hall, 1-5 Anderson Creek Road East Doncaster Melbourne Sanjay Misra - 0425 800 285 Perth 1 st Saturday of each month Time: 7:30 8:30 PM Sivananda Ashram 151 South Street Beaconsfield, WA 6162 Yoga Chandra Gunalan 0423 835 926
8 Universal Prayer by Sri Swami Sivananda O Adorable Lord of Mercy and Love! Salutations and prostrations unto Thee. Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient. Thou art Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Absolute. Thou art the Indweller of all beings. Grant us an understanding heart, Equal vision, balanced mind, Faith, devotion and wisdom. Grant us inner spiritual strength To resist temptation and to control the mind. Free us from egoism, lust, greed, hatred, anger and jealousy. Fill our hearts with divine virtues. Let us behold Thee in all these names and forms. Let us serve Thee in all these names and forms. Let us ever remember Thee. Let us ever sing Thy glories. Let Thy Name be ever on our lips. Let us abide in Thee for ever and ever.
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