"Egotism is but the perversion of spiritual being. Ambition is the inversion of spiritual power. Passion is the distortion of love. The mortal is the limitation of the immortal. When these false images give place to true, then the spiritual man stands forth luminous, as the sun, when the clouds disperse."
-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Charles Johnston
"In a world where people have lost their sense of values and ability to recognize what is for their ultimate good, it’s imperative not to take on mass consciousness thought forms, rather to be the beacon that lovingly holds the light of truth for those few who are knowingly or unknowingly looking for the Light. To be the Light and to brighten it further within oneself is the only meaningful purpose for a yogi’s existence."
-Ramana Maharshi
“If you want to practise Vedanta or Jnana Yoga smile always, be cheerful always. [S]He who is gloomy, [s]he who is cheerless, [s]he who has a castor-oil face or Sunday-face cannot become a Vedantin. [S]He is not an Adhikari or qualified person for the practice of Vedanta. Such a [wo]man should be shut up in a cell, as [s]he is a source of infection or contamination for others. Shun the company of such a negative person. A [wo]man of Viveka alone is fit for the practice of Vedantic Sadhana and a [wo]man of Viveka is always peaceful and joyful.”
All That Happens
-Concise Yogavasistha, verses 12-13
Commentary by Swami Tejomayananda:
"We have seen that the entire universe is created by sankalpa. Sankalpa is the notion that something exists and different from me, has qualities and is capable of giving me joy or sorrow. The projection of such thoughts, entertaining and expanding upon them creates, sustains and expands the universe. When the sankalpa is withdrawn or falsified the universe also dissolves or stands falsified. Such a falsified world loses its sting and is incapable of giving me sorrow. If we have the power to initiate a Sankalp. We also have the power to stop it. In reality, the Sankalp depends on us for its existence. I can exist without a sankalpa, but the sankalpa cannot exist without me. During the deep sleep state there is no sankalpa, and so there is no experience of the universe. At that time, I exist as pure Being. This deep sleep state, however, is temporary and the universe again comes into existence upon waking to persecute me. But when the sankalpa ceases due to true Knowledge, the universe ceases to exist in its entirety and I alone remain as I was before the creation of the sankalpa. This is called the great dissolution. For one who has realized this, the universe is falsified once nad for all, in spie of its perception.
"Peace is my true nature and so it cannot be created. Only agitations are created. When they end, peace alone remains.
"The vision of a snake imagined upon a rope is created by the mind. The snake has no actual existence apart from mind. It arises from me and it sustained by brooding over it. When I go to sleep the vision of the snake ceases temporarily. Upon waking, I see the snake vision on the rope again. But when the rope is known as a rope, the snake vision is falsified and disappears along with the snake. The rope alone remains as before. The snake vision can never again appear on that rope.
"The Self is described as the light which never sets. The sun rises and sets. The light of knowledge too dawns and wanes. But the Knowledge Principle. The pure Consciousness neither rises nor sets. It is ever existing. The Self is the Supreme and is Lord of all, having the capacity to rule, control, create and destroy all..."
"Everything in the future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now."
--Sri Yukteswar
"Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life. Though man's ingenuity for getting himself into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful."
-Lahiri Mahasaya
"The Absolute is the original (bimba) and the world is the reflection (pratibimba) just as the moon causes many refection’s in different pools of water and the reflections differ in their clarity according to the degree of cleanliness of the water reflecting it and just as they appear to be stable or moving if the water is stable or moving, similarly, due to the nature of avidya (ignorance), the jivas (living beings) who are the reflections of the infinite, appear to have different forms and types."
-Adi Shankaracharya, commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
* * *
"Due to ignorance, that which belongs to the mind; the agency of actions, etc, is attributed to the Self; just as attributed to the moon reflected in water are the trembling, etc, which belong to water."
-Adi Shankaracharya, Atma Bodha, verse 22
"There are pearls in the deep sea, but one must hazard all to find them. If diving once does not bring you pearls, you need not therefore conclude that the sea is without them. Dive again and again. You are sure to be rewarded in the end. So is it with the finding of the Lord in this world. If your first attempt proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere in your efforts. You are sure to realize Him at last."
-Sri Ramakrishna
"This is the gist of all worship — to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Siva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Siva, and if he sees Siva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Siva in him, without thinking of his caste, creed, or race, or anything, with him Siva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples."
-Swami Vivekananda
Ahimsa, satya, asteya,
Brachmacharya, asangraha,
Sharirashram, aswada,
Sarvatra, bhaya varjana,
Sarva dharma samanatva,
Swadeshi, sparsha bhavana,
Vinamra vrata nishtha se,
Ye ekadash sevya hain.
Nonviolence, truth, nonstealing
Sacred sex, nonconsumerism,
Physical work, avoidance of bad taste,
Fearlessness, respect for all religions
Local economy and respect for all beings.
These 11 principles
Should be followed with humility, care, and commitment.
"Prayer does for the purification of the mind, what the bucket and the broom do for the cleaning up of our physical surroundings. And that is why we always commence our proceedings with prayer. No matter whether the prayer we recite is the Hindu prayer or the Muslim or the Parsi, its function is essentially the same, namely, purification of the heart."
- Mahatma Gandhi
"Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from desires and controlling the sense, meditate upon the Atman which is One without a second, with unswerving attention."
-Atma Bodha, verse 38
Diwali or Deepavali - the Festival of Light -- symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning "rows of lighted lamps". Houses, shops and public places are decorated with small oil lamps called diyas. The Diwali Festival lasts for five days. It starts at the end of the “cropping season” at the new moon and is celebrated as the festival of prosperity, wisdom, and light.
Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Lord Ram killed the demon Ravana and rescued Sita from captivity in Lanka. The celebration marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodha after 14 years of exile. Others celebrate the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.
To prepare, people clean and decorate their homes, and during Diwali they light candles and lamps, offer prayers for prosperity, and exchange gifts and sweets.
For yogis, it symbolizes the victory of Knowledge over ignorance:
Pavamana Mantra (from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad)
Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Maamritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shantih
(Lead us from the unreal to the Real. From darkness to Light. From mortality to Eternity).
Learn more about Diwali here.
All of Vedanta is contained in this beautiful morning prayer by Adi Shankaracharya. Apparently it was Swami Vivekananda’s favorite prayer which he used to sing often. Swami Vivekananda was a key person in the introduction of the eastern philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world - starting at the 1893 World Parliament of Religion in Chicago.
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प्रातः स्मरामि हृदि संस्फुरदात्मतत्त्वं
सच्चित्सुखं परमहंसगतिं तुरीयम् ।
यत्स्वप्नजागरसुषुप्तिमवैति नित्यं
"Withdraw the mind from the senses and fix it in meditation. Control the thought-current. Find out the thought-centre and fix yourself there. Then you will be conscious of the divine Self; you will see it dancing in ecstasy. Live in that delight. That delight-consciousness is the God in you. He is in every heart. You need not go anywhere to find Him. Find your own core and feel Him there. Peace, bliss, felicity, health — everything is in you. Trust in the divine in you. Entrust yourself to His Grace. Be as you are. Off with past impressions! He who lives from within an ingathered soul is a real sage, even though he may be a householder. He who allows his mind to wander with the senses is an ignoramus, though he is learned. See as a witness, without the burden of seeing. See the world just as you see a drama. See without attachment. Look within. Look at the inner light unshaken by mental impressions. Then, floods of conscious bliss shall come pouring in and around you from all directions. This is the supreme Knowledge; realise! Aum! Aum!" 🕉
-Thayumanavar, January 1742
Learn about Ramana Maharshi and Thayumanavar here.
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