Pearls of Wise

1. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE : (b) The Second Stage: Married Life Having already created a firm and ideal foundation, the student enters into the second stage of life, the householder’s life. One is not merely entering into a physical partnership with another physical creature, is not entering into a social relationship with another family, but is entering into a spiritual partnership with another soul in order to fulfil a mutually shared divine destiny, so that the relationship between husband and wife is essentially a spiritual partnership between two souls. Your spouse is to you everything: companion, friend, consoler, helper and partner in this great spiritual adventure. Such is the ideal and total concept of this relationship. With such an understanding, the home becomes not only a place for living the normalm worldly existence, but a place of worship and devotion. Daily worship, helping those in need, and honouring the guest (especially the chance visitor who happens to...

13. Hari Om! Srimad Bhagavad Gita,  the Divine Song is sung in 700 shlokas, against the backdrop of Kurukshetra. Before we start with the first sloka of the first chapter, let us keep in mind, the fundamental truth in this world. That is, every mind is unique and independent, yet all minds function in the same way. The psychology of human mind is the same all over the world from time immemorial. We feel pain when rejected, angry when insulted, happy when appreciated and motivated when inspired. We have attachments and possessiveness towards people and objects. We feel withdrawn with failure and proud with success. We have fear of the unknown and over confidence in knowledge too.  We have no time for and hence find excuses to stay away, from things that we dislike. We race for things that we cherish to have and once they are ours, we lose charm in them. We retain memories of past and regret over mistakes. We are anxious about our future. We seldom forget an insult and tak...

9. 1. Countless vishaya-vasanas (subtle tendencies of the mind in relation to objects of sense gratification), coming one after the other in quick succession like the waves of the ocean, agitate the mind. Nevertheless, they too subside and finally get destroyed with progressive practice of Atma dhyana or meditation on the Self. Without giving room even to the thought which occurs in the form of doubt, whether it is possible to stay merely as the very Self, whether all the vasanas can be destroyed, one should firmly and unceasingly carry on meditation on the Self. 2. 'What are the characteristics of instruction (upadesa)?' The word ‘upadesa’ means : ‘near the place or seat’ (upa - near, desa - place or seat). The Guru who is the embodiment of that which is indicated by the terms sat, chit, and ananda (existence, consciousness and bliss), prevents the disciple who, on account of his acceptance of the forms of the objects of the senses, has swerved from his true state and ...

9. It is not good to cherish desires and hankerings. For that reason I used to fulfil whatever desires came to my mind. Once I saw some coloured sweetmeats at Burrabazar and wanted to eat them. They brought me the sweets and I ate a great many. The result was that I fell ill. A person living in a house infested with venomous snakes are always alert, so should men living in the world be always vigilant against the allurement of lust and greed. The nest of the skylark is on the earth below, though it soars high in the sky. High ground is not fit for cultivation, low ground is necessary, that water may stand on it. How sweet is the simplicity of the child! He prefers a doll to all the wealth and riches of the world. No one else can reject all wealth and honour, and be taken up with God alone. The Pure Mind and the Pure Atman are one and the same thing. Whatever comes up in the Pure Mind is the voice of God. Sri Ramakrishna Mission To be continued  ...

9. Kindle the light of love in your heart. Love all. Include all creatures in the warm embrace of your love. Cultivate Visva-Prema or all-embracing, all-inclusive Cosmic Love. Love is a mysterious divine glue that unites the hearts of all. It is a divine magical healing balm of a very high potency. Charge every action with pure love. Kill cunningness, greed, crookedness and selfishness. The Immortal can be attained only by performing acts of kindness continuously. Hatred, anger and jealousy are removed by continuous service with a loving heart. You will get more strength, more joy, and more satisfaction by doing kind acts. You will be loved by all. Practice of compassion, charitable acts and kind service purify and soften the heart, turn the heart-lotus upwards and prepare the aspirant for the reception of Divine Light. May you enjoy deep abiding peace and perennial joy by leading an ideal Divine Life discharging the duties of the world, singing His Names with Sraddha or f...

(Spoken on October 19, 1972) 13. It is impossible to imagine what this is because we have no time to think all this. We are busy with quantities, calculations, counting, measurements. These take all our lives. Where is time for us to think of this fundamental vital value which is keeping us alive in this world? This is the hope that is in our hearts. Even if we are in the worst of predicaments, we have a hope, “Tomorrow I shall be better.” But who gives us this hope? Not the things, because they are untrustworthy. Not one thing in the world can be trusted for long, and yet we have a hope, “I shall succeed.” Who told us that we will succeed? Something tells us from within. That something within us, which we are unable to see and yet are accepting unwittingly, is our real friend. This friend of ours is inseparable from us. It is our bosom friend, our alter ego. This friend alone will help us when we are in agony. When we are thrown to the winds and nobody wants us, this friend will...

The science of Raja Yoga utilizes Asana and Pranayama, but simplifies both of these down from the complexity and intensity practiced in Hatha Yoga. The goal of Raja Yoga is to gain control over the mind and what is called the “mind-stuff” (chitta) to bring it to a state of unmoving tranquil calm, such that the mind is totally detached from the physical body and the material world and is thereby able to achieve spiritual realization. Just as the practitioner of Hatha Yoga works to bring the power of immobility to the body, the practitioner of Raja Yoga wants to do the same for the Mind. The practitioner of Raja Yoga recognizes that there is a link, a continuity and a relationship between the mind and the body, and thus, utilizes Asana and Pranayama to ensure the body and nervous system are under control. Other elements of Raja Yoga are then added to focus, train and concentrate the mental power, and then exercise mastery over the nervous sheath and the physical sheath. Historically, ...

(Delivered at Los Angeles, California, January 8, 1900) 2. Another of us who had been given a similar paper which he had signed and placed in his pocket, was also asked to think of a sentence. He thought of a sentence in Arabic, which it was still less possible for the man to know; it was some passage from the Koran. And my friend found this written down on the paper. Another of us was a physician. He thought of a sentence from a German medical book. It was written on his paper. Several days later I went to this man again, thinking possibly I had been deluded somehow before. I took other friends, and on this occasion also he came out wonderfully triumphant. Swami Vivekananda To be continued  ....

2. Indeed, very often it is simply to get away from the boredom we experience in life. All actions done with a specific purpose or goal in mind, planned out and executed intelligently to bring about a desired result, is called `work’. Our day-to-day duties at home, in the office or in society constitute work. Work produces results, which can be used to build our lives. There is a sense of achievement and by this we can fulfil many of our desires. But when work becomes routine, it becomes monotonous; one tends to then seek change and end up indulging in unproductive activity to escape from boredom. Swami Chinmayananda To be continued  ...

12. Hari Om! The disastrous war, Mahabharata ensues where we see the two forces finally facing each other on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Out of the four political methodologies prescribed by the scriptures, Sama, Dhana, Bheda, and Danda, the fourth one i.e., Danda is the last resort. This is typical of people who perform impulsive actions under the influence of their emotional mind rather than their rational mind. The inevitable consequence of war is total destruction. Overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotions, blinded by rage, Man commits acts of violence. A world free of hunger, violence and fear can only be realized with the cumulative efforts of each and every one of us – a world envisioned by the ancient Rishis of India, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.” In the Mahabharata epic, Duryodhana refuses to agree for any sort of compromise with the Pandavas.  His refusal to give up his greed alone results in the tragic war. This indeed is an invaluable lesson for all of us. Mo...

1. The scientists of Hatha Yoga developed an understanding of the body and its interaction with the life-energy that relies on the subtle energy centers rather than solely on physical organ systems. The physical organ systems are part of the physical body’s structural mechanism, yet without the movement of the life-force, they are dead and unable to do anything. Everything relies on this life-force, which the ancient practitioners called “prana”. In their view, there is a universal life-force which permeates all existence and carries out activity. In the physical body, it is this force that makes the difference between “life” and “death” of the body. This is a subtle force, however, and not directly perceptible by the physical senses. The practitioners of Hatha Yoga felt that by gaining mastery over the most accessible manifestation of the life-force, the breathing process, they would be able to gain control over the entire range of subtle energy actions within the body. 2....

Chimaya Mission -Siva-linga-Puja 1. So long as we live, we cannot avoid action. And obviously, each one of us seeks a sense of joy, happiness or fulfilment as a result of our actions. Hence, a proper understanding of the nature of action is necessary for us to be able to obtain the desired results from our actions. Actions can be broadly classified into three types: unproductive, productive and inspired. In reality there is no action that does not produce some result. However, most of our actions in our day-to-day life do not produce any positive, substantial or long-term results, nor do they give us a sense of achievement like, for example, watching television, going to parties, visiting bars, chatting over the phone or engaging in mundane conversations. Certainly there may be an initial sense of thrill or excitement in them, but their effects are certainly not long-lasting, and we must admit that we indulge in most of these activities without any specific purpose or ...

8.  Adhishtanam of Mahatmas:  It is something very phenomenal  but not talked about very often.  We have all been to a Samadhi of a Mahatma  or at least heard about it.  Adhistanams are the Samadhi of God-realized souls.  When a Mahatma sheds his mortal coil,  the mortal remains are buried in a place  and that place is called as an Adhistanam.  The actual meaning of an Adhistanam is truth  [‘sathyam’]- “Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma”. The Brahmam is Satyam.  Anything that can be disintegrated or changed  or perishes with time is untruth.  Adhistanam connotes truth and something that is eternal  because the truth is undying which verily is the Lord. Bhagawan´s Adhishtanam at Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai.

8. Always consider that your family concerns are not yours; they are God's and you are His servant come here to obey His commands. When this idea becomes firm, their remains nothing indeed that a man may call his own. If you cannot settle whether God has form or not, then pray in this way: " O Lord, I cannot understand whether Thou art with form or without. Whatever mayst Thou be, have mercy on me. Do reveal Thyself unto me". Meditate upon the knowledge and the Bliss Eternal, and you will have bliss. The bliss is indeed eternal, only it is covered and obscured by ignorance. The less your attachment to the sense objects, the more will be your love for God. Do not reason. Who can ever know God? I have heard it from Nangta, once for all, that this whole universe is only a fragment of Brahman. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

(Delivered at Los Angeles, California, January 8, 1900) 1. All over the world there has been the belief in the supernatural throughout the ages. All of us have heard of extraordinary happenings, and many of us have had some personal experience of them. I would rather introduce the subject by telling you certain facts which have come within my own experience. I once heard of a man who, if any one went to him with questions in his mind, would answer them immediately; and I was also informed that he foretold events. I was curious and went to see him with a few friends. We each had something in our minds to ask, and, to avoid mistakes, we wrote down our questions and put them in our pockets. As soon as the man saw one of us, he repeated our questions and gave the answers to them. Then he wrote something on paper, which he folded up, asked me to sign on the back, and said, "Don't look at it; put it in your pocket and keep it there till I ask for it again." ...

1. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE : (a). The Student Stage : 2. Let your preparations be wise, correct, and of such a kind that will lead to your true welfare, supreme good, and lasting happiness. You should acquire knowledge not only of History, Geography, Mathematics, etc., but also about human nature, the science of self-control, the art of developing a pure mind, the duties of men and women, and the proper relationship between you, the world and God. Thus, the first 25 years of human life should be dedicated to acquiring good health, perfect character, self-control and all that is necessary for you to know in order to live life righteously, to be financially independent via some trade or profession, and to thus attain lasting satisfaction and happiness. Next : (b. The Second Stage: Married Life -1. Swami Chidananda To be continued  ....

(Spoken on October 19, 1972) 12. There is something very interesting behind us, something impossible of abolition and destruction. However much we may deny, there is something behind every kind of denial. Even if we think we are dead, there is a thought of being dead which cannot die. So there is a deathless, un-abolishable, conscious meaning behind the transitory values of earthly quantities. When everything goes, something will remain. That is our friend. When all friends desert us, one friend will not leave us. Who is that friend? If the whole world goes, naturally human beings also go, and we cannot have human friends. Then who is that friend that is left? It is that thing which remains as the conscious contemplator of all these sources of everything. Swami Krishnananda To be continued  ... Swami Krishnananda with his Mother & Swami Chidananda

8. Live intelligently. Study the Upanishads thoroughly. Meditate regularly. Come out of the dungeon of ignorance. Bask in the glorious sunshine of Brahman. Share this knowledge with others. You are swayed by unholy desires and Avidya. Self-realisation is the goal of life. This is the end and aim of life, of human existence. Wake up from the dream of forms. Give up this clinging to false names and forms. Do not be deceived by these illusory names and forms. Cling to the solid, living Reality only. Love your Atman only. Atman or Brahman is the living Truth. Atman only persists. Live in the Atman. Become Brahman. This is the real life. The practice of Karma Yoga prepares the mind of the aspirant for the reception of the Knowledge of the Self. It moulds him into a proper Adhikari or aspirant for the study of Vedanta. Ignorant people jump at once to the practice of Jnana Yoga without having any preliminary training in Karma Yoga. That is why they fail-miserably to realise the...

Happiness is the very nature of the Self; happiness and the Self are not different. There is no happiness in any object of the world. We imagine through our ignorance that we derive happiness from objects.  When the mind goes out, it experiences misery. In truth, when its desires are fulfilled, it returns to its own place and enjoys the happiness that is the Self. Similarly, in the states of sleep, samadhi and fainting, and when the object desired is obtained or the object disliked is removed, the mind becomes inward-turned, and enjoys pure Self-Happiness. Thus the mind moves without rest alternately going out of the Self and returning to it. Under the tree the shade is pleasant; out in the open the heat is scorching. A person who has been going about in the sun feels cool when he reaches the shade. Someone who keeps on going from the shade into the sun and then back into the shade is a fool. A wise man stays permanently in the shade. Similarly, the mind of the one who ...

Once an impersonator dressed himself as a world-renouncing monk. Pleased with the correctness of his disguise, some rich people offered him a rupee. He did not accept the money but went away shaking his head. Afterwards he removed his disguise and appeared in his usual dress. Then he said to the rich people, 'Please give me the rupee.' They replied: 'Why, you went away refusing our present. Why do you ask for it now?' The man said: 'But then I was in the role of a holy man. I could not accept money.' Likewise, when God becomes man He behaves exactly like a man. Sakti alone is the root of the universe. That Primal Energy has two aspects: vidya and avidya. Avidya deludes. Avidya conjures up 'woman and gold', which casts the spell. Vidya begets devotion, kindness, wisdom, and love, which lead one to God. This avidya must be propitiated, and that is the purpose of the rites of Sakti worship. Till one becomes simple like a child, one cannot get divine...

1. Thus ‘life’ is a problem only when we know not how to meet the life’s challenges rising around us. When that ‘knowledge’ is revealed to us, we know the solution, and then the problem is no more to us threatening or despairing. Prince Arjuna of the Bhagavad Geeta represents in himself the confused and the desperate youth the world over. The Pandava Prince is painted in the Geeta as suffering from the universal disease of all young hearts the problem – phobia — to take things and happenings as problems where there are none and to feel terribly despaired of them. 2. In the Bhagavad Geeta, the man making science of the Uapnishads is brought out of the forests to serve us where we are suffering — in the market place, in the slum huts, in the drawing rooms, in the commune, and at the barricades! The outstretched hands of Mother Geeta, ready and willing always to lift all intelligent young hearts from their dirt and filth, are today often ignored in our utter confusion of m...

Devotees with Swamiji in the river ride 11. Hari Om! Let us come back to the story. When  Devavrata returned, Santanu conveyed his intentions to his son through his ministers. For the sake of his father and for his kingdom, Devavrata himself went to Satyavati devi and proposed for his father. He promises that only the son born to Satyavati devi shall be made the king and that he himself will remain unmarried. Having made such a supreme sacrifice, he is thereafter addressed as “Bheeshma” and revered by all. By the turn of fate, the sons born to Satyavati devi and King Shantanu died before they could produce an heir. At Bheeshma’s request, Sage Vyasa comes to the rescue. Heirs are born to the princesses. Dhritharashtra, who is blind and Pandu rule the kingdom in harmony. But their children exhibit character traits that are totally different from each other. On one hand we see Duryodhana and his siblings who are greedy for power. They refuse to give their rightful s...

(Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900) Swami Vivekananda. 22. Who knows which is the truer ideal? The apparent power and strength, as held in the West, or the fortitude in suffering, of the East? The West says, "We minimise evil by conquering it." India says, "We destroy evil by suffering, until evil is nothing to us, it becomes positive enjoyment." Well, both are great ideals. Who knows which will survive in the long run? Who knows which attitude will really most benefit humanity? Who knows which will disarm and conquer animality? Will it be suffering, or doing? In the meantime, let us not try to destroy each other's ideals. We are both intent upon the same work, which is the annihilation of evil. You take up your method; let us take up our method. Let us not destroy the ideal. I do not say to the West, "Take up our method." Certainly not. The goal is the same, but the methods can never be the same....

Hatha Yoga begins with Asana, the “seat”, which provides the foundational basis for the further practices which are intended to liberate, direct, control and receive ever-greater energy into the physical frame. It is a quite normal occurrence that people living the ordinary life of humanity find that every little event, every little action of others or of the world, every little provocation of the senses leads to a “spilling” of the energy of life, much of it through an unconscious nervous process of movements, distractions and general restlessness, but also a good deal of it through inability to hold energy and the pressure it creates in the body-vital-mind continuum. This occurs not only on the physical level, but also especially on the vital, nervous level and even on the mental level. We can identify with how disturbed we can become when someone says something we do not like, or does something that interferes with what we were wanting or intending to do. For the scientist of ...

1. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE : In our grand Indian culture they conceived of life in four stages: the preliminary stage, the development stage, the flowering or blossoming stage and the  culminating fruitful stage. The satisfactory growth of the latter three stages truly depends upon the management of the first stage. (a). The Student Stage : 1. The supreme value of the student period is incalculable. Student life is the most precious life. The way in which you utilise this period will decide the nature of the coming years that lie ahead of you. Your happiness, your success, your honour and your good name all depend upon the way in which you live now. In this present period, my dear student, you are preparing your future.  Remember this. I wish you to be great. The world has put its faith in you. Your elders keep their hope upon you. Now is the time for you to wisely mould your life, your character, your physical health, your entire nature. It is like the laying o...