YogaLife Winter 2001

S I V A N A N D A

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Inside this issue:

*Mount Kailas Yatra

*Optimum Health with Ayurveda

*Pilgrimage in Europe

*Vedic Astrology

W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

CONTENTS4 SATSANGA

Swami Sivananda speaks on ‘being in companionship with those who have attuned their consciousnessto the absolute Ultimate Reality’, the underlying essence of all religion

8 A NEW YEAR’S MESSAGESwami Vishnu-devananda’s New Year’s Message delivered in 1982 imparting the great wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita

14 THE SPIRIT THAT YOU AREPresident and founder of the Nataraja Yoga Ashram in San Diego, Dr Erhard Vogel presents extracts from his book ‘Experts in Our Lives, – Journey into Your Center’

15 GUIDE TO SADHAKSSIxty inspiring precepts for the spiritual aspirant from Swami Sivananda

16 ADVICE TO YOGA TEACHERSSwami Durgananda gives inspirational advice on the powerful benefits and effects of teaching yoga

20 MOUNT KAILAS YATRA 2000A glimpse of the epic journey of fifteen devotees into the depths of Tibet to the magnificent abode of Lord Siva

22 EUROPEAN MILLENNIUM PEACE PILGRIMAGEThe experiences of the continuing Millennium Peace Pilgrimage as it wends its way throughEurope

24 VEDIC ASTROLOGY, YOGA AND SPIRITUALITYDr Stephen Quong, renowned in India, and one of the West’s most prominent Vedic astrologers, gives a lucid introduction to the principles of jyotisha and its relationship to yoga practice

30 TEACHERS’ TRAINING COURSE IN VAL MORINA student’s perspective of the Sivananda Teacher Training Course

33 I AM PAIN, THY TEACHER‘And so I come to you, to heal, to teach, to guide’ Swami Sivananda

34 LESSONS WITH SWAMIJIThe inspiration of Swami Vishnu-devananda’s presence and teachings, recalled by one of his long-term devotees

36 INDIAN ARTA glimpse into the essence behind all Indian art by the Maharaja of Travancore

38 THE PURE PRINCIPLEA selection of writings underlying the principle of‘unity in diversity’. Taken from the sacred texts ofmany religions and excerpted from Quaker Jim Pym’s latest book

40 GIFT OF THE GURUSrinivasan, Acharya for the Eastern United States,offers an insight into the joys of leading a ‘yoga life’

42 HEALTH, HARMONY ANDAYURVEDADr Mark Halpern, founding member of theCalifornia Association of Ayurvedic Medicine takesus through the journey toward harmony, peace ofmind and perfect health

44 THE BEGINNING OF THE ENDBy Maneka Gandhi. A beautiful tale, narrated withjoy and wisdom by one of India’s leadingenvironmentalists and taken from her recent book‘The Rainbow and Other Stories’

49 PRISON PROJECT UPDATESwami Padmapadananda keeps us abreast of thedevelopments in the prison project

HEALTH IS WEALTH,

PEACE OF MIND IS HAPPINESS,

YOGA SHOWS THE WAYSwami Vishnu-devananda

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre51 Felsham Road, London SW15 1AZ

tel: 020 8780-0160fax: 020 8780-0128

e-mail: [email protected]: www.sivanandayoga.org

YOGAL i fe Winter 2001

2

PE R S O N N E L

Swami Sivananda(1887 – 1963)The spiritual strength behind the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, Swami Sivananda’s teachingsare a synthesis of all the formal doctrines of yoga. Author of more than 250 books on yoga andhealth, Swami Sivananda was a medical doctor before renouncing worldly life for the spiritualpath. His main message: Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. In 1957, he sent one of hisforemost disciples, Swami Vishnu-devananda to the West to spread the ideals of yoga. SwamiSivananda entered mahasamadhi on July 14, 1963.

Swami Vishnu-devananda(1927 – 1993)Born in South India in 1927, Swami Vishnu-devananda entered the ashram of Swami Sivananda atthe age of 18. A world-famous authority on hatha and raja yoga, Swami Vishnu-devanandafounded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and authored The Complete IllustratedBook of Yoga, Meditation and Mantras, a commentary on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Karma andDiseases. Swami Vishnu-devananda entered mahasamadhi on November 9, 1993.

Executive Board Members of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre

1957

Swami Durgananda Acharya of the Sivananda YogaVedanta Centers in Europe. For many years she has heldspiritual retreats all over Europe and has recently openedthe Sivananda Yoga Retreat House in Tyrol, Austria.

Swami Kailasananda Newly nominated Acharya ofthe Sivananda Yoga Centers in Paris and London, she hastaught asanas and pranayama in many Teachers’ TrainingCourses.

Swami Mahadevananda Director of the SivanandaYoga Vedanta Dhanwanthari Ashram, Kerala. Acharya ofthe Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in South India,Swami Mahadevananda travels extensively, teaching yogawith great love and enthusiasm.

Swami Sivadasananda Acharya in Europe andSouth America, he has taught asana and pranayama inmany Teachers’ Training Courses worldwide and sharesthe experience of yoga with great enthusiasm.

Swami Swaroopananda Acharya of the SivanandaYoga Vedanta Centers on the West Coast of the U.S. andIsrael; director of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat,Nassau, Bahamas. Swami Swaroopananda has taughtnumerous Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses around theworld.

Srinivasan Acharya of the Sivananda Yoga VedantaCenters in New York and Chicago, he is currently based,with his family, at the beautiful Sivananda Ashram YogaRanch in New York’s Catskill Mountains.

Published byThe Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre51 Felsham Road, London, SW15 1AZ

England. Tel: 020 8780 0160email: [email protected]

HeadquartersSivananda Ashram Yoga Camp

Eighth Avenue, Val Morin, Quebec,Canada, JOT 2RO. Tel: 819-322-3226

email: [email protected]

With centres and ashrams located around the world(see page 50/51 for addresses)

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda is a non-profitorganization whose purpose is to propagate the teachings of yoga and vedanta as a means of

achieving physical, mental and spiritual well-being and Self-realization.


3

OB I T U A R Y

Om Namo Narayanaya DR. DEVAKI KUTTY MATAJIBorn in 1923 in Kerala, Dr. Kutty had a medical education in Madras and Lucknow, and became a renowned gynecologist and obstetrician.

Whilst on pilgrimage to Badrinath, during an annual leave, she stopped at the Sivananda ashramfor Gurudev’s darshan. She felt conquered by the magnetism of Master’s divine personality,cancelled the planned trip to Badrinath, and began to serve at the ashram hospital. Gurudevinspired in Dr. Kutty a spiritual impulse, and she became a dedicated sadhaka. From 1953 to 1963,the year of Gurudev’s mahasamadhi, Dr. Kutty spent every annual leave at the ashram. When Dr.Swami Hridayanandaji went abroad, Dr. Kutty took full charge of the ashram hospital and guided

and instructed the medical staff. It had been her inner sankalpa (intention) to spend thelast years of her life at the Sivananda Ashram and this intention was

fulfilled. Along with her hospital work, as a brilliant organiser Dr.Kutty was appointed chief executive planner of Sri Gurudev’s birthcentenary celebrations. She assumed the same function for PujyaSwami Krishnanandaji’s seventy-fifth birthday anniversary. Bothevents were a great success. Pujya Swami Chidanandaji called her ‘agem of purest ray serene’.

She endured a brief illness, suffering a cardiac arrest on August 3rd,from which she was revived, and taken to the ICCU in the HimalayanInstitute at Dehradun. Here she was supported with a respirator machine– but her condition took a bad turn and she went into irreversiblesepticemia followed by multi-organ failure. Our beloved and revered Dr.Devaki Kutty Mataji attained samadhi at 7.30 on the evening of Tuesday8th August.

We pray to God that her soul may rest in peace.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya DR. SWAMI SIVANANDA-HRIDAYANANDA

Chellamma was born in 1914 inKerala. She was an outstandingstudent, studied medicine, and gota degree in Opthamology. Sheserved as assistant surgeon andcivil surgeon in Madras beforestarting a private practice. One dayChellamma bought a book bySwami Sivananda. When she sawMaster’s photo she knew she hadknown him before. That night, inher meditation, she had a vision ofGurudev and the thought of Master

began to possess her. In 1955, whilst visiting the ashram forGurudev’s darshan, Master asked her to do some service at theashram hospital. Mataji agreed, and she never left. On Guru Purnimain 1956, Gurudev gave her Sannyas Diksha and the name SwamiSivananda-Hridayananda. Swami Hridayanandaji set up an eyehospital, became Gurudev’s personal physician and assistant, wrotebooks about Master, and guided ashram visitors. In later years, MatajiSwami accepted invitations to visit South Africa, the U.S. and Europe.She settled in Europe where she established spiritual centres andguided seekers in their ongoing quest for God realisation.

Revered and dear ‘Dr. Mataji’ Sri Swami Sivananda-HridayanandaMataji attained the feet of Gurudev as it was her most cherished wishtill the last moment, all the time looking at Gurudev’s picture with theconviction that beloved Gurudev would come and take her. She was very

very peaceful and everyone felt these peaceful vibrations in theatmosphere. The Hague branch of the Divine Life Society, disciples andfriends, would kindly like to inform you that on Sunday 6th August 2000at midnight, in Shiva Kripa, H.H. Swami Sivananda-Hridayananda Matajipeacefully passed into another plane of consciousness, mahasamadhi.Mataji’s life was dedicated to giving and giving and giving as she wroteherself, in one of her letters to Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

From ‘Sivananda My God’: ‘Dearest Lord, allow me to pour myflaming devotion at thy lotus feet. I cannot think of anything now. Iam not concerned of what you think of anything now. I am notconcerned of what you think of me even, it doesn’t worry me whetherI am worthy or not and it is immaterial whether I get anything inreturn from thee. Just allow me to give and give and give. I cannotcurb this desire to pour out this inexhaustible devotion for theewithout any reservation. Allow me to enjoy the ecstasy of giving. Oh,this is the most wonderful state of devotion. I have never known thisbefore. Here is my heart at thy feet. I offer it to thee with all itsdevotion, faith, reverence and hope. Do whatever you like with it.’

The last few years of her life in this plane of consciousness shededicated to preparing herself for her ‘journey back to the source’.She had on many occasions said to her intimate disciples that herGurudev would wait for her on the other side. He had himselfpromised her this. Mataji was a great saint and example to thosewho knew her. Her loving simplicity opened up everyone’s hearts.She will always be with us and guide us on the spiritual journey.

On Thursday 10th August a funeral ceremony was held in The Hague.May Gurudev’s grace and blessings of Mataji be ever upon us all!

(above) Dr Kutty at Swami VishnuDevanandaji’s funeral and treating patients right

4


SatSat

Satsanga is the company of spirituallyminded people; it can be the companyof a saint or holy person, or the companyof other devotees. Yatris (pilgrims) may

meet holy persons and have the benefit oftheir satsanga. Such satsanga is momentaryin character. But, when the seeker approachesa teacher, establishes a permanent relationshipand regards that person as his or her spiritualguide, then satsanga assumes a special aspect.It becomes permanent. The devotee has aspecial reverence for the guru. There is amysterious relationship between the seekerand the perfected saint through whom he orshe is trying to attain salvation.

Only the receptive can benefit from satsanga. If you approach a saint and wish toattain benefit, you have to put yourself in the

position of a receiver. This is true even in worldlylife. Let us suppose you wish to know somethingfrom a highly learned person. Supposing yougo to them saying ‘I know everything’, thennaturally you will have no ears for what thatperson may have to say. If you do this, even ifyou go to the highest scholar, you will comeback with the same ideas that you had before.You would not have gained even a grain ofknowledge, because you never felt ‘there issome void in me; let me go and learn’. Untiland unless this feeling is there, the devoteecannot receive knowledge; that person comesback empty-handed, because they have notfulfilled the conditions of a receiver. It is sowhen you approach any person, and it is allthe more so when you approach a saint andtry to take him as your teacher.

54

SAT S A N G A W I T H SWA MI S I V A N A N D A

‘Satsanga’ means ‘being in companionship

with Truth’, or ‘being in companionship

with those who have attuned their

consciousness to the absolute Ultimate

Reality, who have made themselves

of the form of the Supreme Truth’.

‘Satsanga’ means ‘being in companionship

with Truth’, or ‘being in companionship

with those who have attuned their

consciousness to the absolute Ultimate

Reality, who have made themselves

of the form of the Supreme Truth’.

sangasanga

6

The basis of the guru-disciple relationship,which is held in such great importance in theHindu spiritual world, may be summed up inthree words. If you keep them in mind, youget a glimpse of the psychology behind thisimportant feature of spiritual life. The firstword is ‘Upanishad’; the second word is‘upasana’; and the third is ‘satsanga’.

‘Upanishad’ means sitting near a personwho is illumined, so that we may receiveknowledge. It means sitting near a perfectmaster, a seer of wisdom, and trying to humblydraw on his knowledge. This knowledge isrevealed through sages at whose feet seekerssat with devotion, receptivity and humility.

Whereas the word ‘upanishad’ gives usthe clue to the technique of attainingwisdom, devotion to the Lord is describedby the term ‘upasana’. ‘Upasana’ meansworship or adoration of the Lord; in Sanskrit

it means, ‘having your seat close by’. Thisshows the necessity of establishing a closecontact with the teacher from whom youwish to derive enlightenment.

‘Satsanga’ means ‘being in companionshipwith Truth’, or ‘being in companionshipwith those who have attuned theirconsciousness to the absolute ultimatereality, who have made themselves of theform of the supreme Truth’. A person whorealises the ultimate Truth becomes anembodiment of Truth, the visibleexpression of Truth. So when you havesatsanga you sit in close companionshipwith Truth or with a supreme embodimentof Truth, which the saint is.

These three things – upanishads, upasanaand satsanga – have always been the verysheet-anchor of our spiritual life. At thehighest pinnacle, at the very fountain-

source of our spiritual culture, we have theUpanishads. In the realm of devotion, wehave upasana. As for satsanga, it is said,‘The greatest thing in the kali yuga and theonly effective method of crossing thisocean of samsara, this sea of delusion, issatsanga’. It is the boat that takes the soulacross the sea of this phenomenalexistence; therefore great importance hasbeen given to satsanga in this kali yuga(iron age). The hope of the seeker, themainstay of the aspirant’s spiritual life,hangs upon the twin factors of nama(repetition of mantra) and satsanga. So,starting with the Upanishad, and later oncoming to upasana, this supreme techniqueexists in the field of samsaric life in theform of satsanga. It is of utmostimportance to the aspirants in their journeytowards the ultimate reality.


The Right ApproachSatsanga is the supreme factor in theunfolding of one’s spiritual consciousness, yetevery aspirant that comes to a teacher doesnot receive the same illumination, the samefruition of his or her sadhana (spiritualpractice). Krishna was the visible manifestationof the supreme Lord. Among the people whohad His company, who spoke to Him and haddealings with Him, there were some who hadintimate knowledge of His divine nature andbecame blessed. And there were some thatremained unchanged. The approach of the jiva(individual) is the factor that decides whetherthe satsanga of a seeker is fulfilled or fruitless.For example, when the Kauravas approachedKrishna, their approach was one of dosha-drishti (materialistic vision). They were blind toall the good that was in the Lord and theirentire vision was focussed upon the seeming,apparent defects. The Lord moves with Hisyoga-maya, the mysterious indefinable prakriti.If our attention is focused upon prakriti, thenthe light of the atman is lost upon us.

Similarly there was a handful that realisedthe greatness of Jesus; they have becomeimmortal. Lost in oblivion are the countlesspeople who saw in him a political agitator, ora man who practiced black magic. For themthe satsanga of Christ was non-existent.

It is the mode of approach that decidesthe benefit that one derives from satsanga.We have a classical example in one story inthe Mahabharata. In it, the great Vyasareveals the anatomy of Duryodhana’spersonality and that of Yudhishthira.

The Basis of the Guru-disciple Relationship

6

SAT S A N G A W I T H SWA M I S I V A N A N D A

The story is that Krishna sent Yudhishthira andDuryodhana out on missions. He askedYudhishthira to, ‘Go and get a person who istotally bad, completely devoid of any virtue,completely full of vices.’ Then He calledDuryodhana and said, ‘You try to get a personwho is full of virtues, devoid of any defects.’After some time, they came back. To each,Krishna enquired, ‘Have you brought theperson? Where is the person you went outafter?’

Duryodhana said, ‘I have tried my best tofind a person full of virtues and devoid ofdefects. I have gone everywhere; but I couldnot find anyone who is without defect.Everyone is full of defects. If he has one virtue,he has a dozen evils. And after making a

thorough search I find that the person withoutthe least defect, is no other than myself.Therefore I have come to you; do what youwant with me.’ Krishna just smiles.

Then Yudhishthira came and Krishna asked,‘Where is your person?’ Yudhishthira answered,and his answer has become immortal as itshows his greatness, ‘0 Lord, even in the worstfelon, I find qualities which are worthy of beingemulated, I find traits which are good.Therefore, I could not find any person who isfull of defects. However, I analysed myself andI find that I am so full of defects, imperfectionsand vices that I cannot find a more suitableperson to present to you. I am the only personwho can fulfil the description you have givenme. So I present myself before you.’

These are the two methods of approach.Yudhishthira’s approach was the approach ofthe aspirant in whom the faultfinding natureis directed not outside, but within oneself.Faultfinding is the worst canker that dwells inhuman nature. It is universal. True spiritualseekers form a special group who have begunto see the importance of correcting oneselfand not correcting the world, who have begunto see the importance of analyzing oneself andtrying to improve, and not analyzing the world.

For a viveki (a person of discrimination), theworld is full of imperfection. Perfection is notto be found in the work of prakriti (nature). IfBrahman is supreme perfection, prakriti isimperfection. Thousands of lives are notenough if we get caught in faultfinding. Thisfaculty has to be directed towards oneself. It isonly then that one’s life is transformed.

But, if the faculty is turned outside, theentire world becomes a teacher of evil. Thatupon which you constantly fix your mindbecomes the sustenance of your personality.Your personality feeds upon, grows anddevelops into those mental pictures which themind holds. This is a psychological fact. If youalways contemplate on perfection, if youcontemplate on beauty, if you contemplate onpeace, you grow into the likeness of perfection,beauty and peace. If you hold before yourselfthoughts of imperfection, ugliness and gloom,you will find everything so. If you always thinkof the biting cold of the Himalayas, the beautyof the snows will be lost for you. You may seethe beauty of the full moon, but if at the sametime you are thinking of the other side of themoon, that circle of intense blackness,blackness will be in your mind and heart, andnot the radiance of the full moon.

A faultfinding nature is the greatestobstacle because it forever ties the seeker tohis lower nature, to the defective prakriti. Hetakes with him, to the feet of the guru, intothe sacred sanctuary of yoga, into the purespiritual path, that mind which ever ties himdown to the lower sensual life of defects.Instead of becoming the receiver of light, hebecomes a hugger of darkness, for he will notallow himself to let go of it. The light of yogais completely barred from his heart, becausean impregnable wall is within him. To ward offthat danger, the ancients gave the Upadesh:Yasya deve parabhaktih yatha deve tatha gurau,

Tasyaite kathita hyarthah prakasante mahatmanah.To that great soul in whom there is

extreme devotion to the Highest Divinity,God, and equal devotion to the guru, all thetruths of the scriptures become revealed. Thestudent approaches a spiritual preceptor inorder to avoid the grave error of dosha-drishti (vision of darkness).

You may immerse a stone in the sea, yetthe stone is the same. The millions of tons ofwater that flow over it will not change it; itis completely impervious to the influence ofwater. It is this nature of the aspirant, who issatisfied with his own little knowledge andlittle personality, with its self-assertivenature, with its rajasic tendency of clingingto its own pre-conceived notions, to its ownpet preconceptions, that is the greatest barto the fruition of satsanga. As long as theaspirant clings firmly to his old nature andrefuses to admit the need of a change inhimself, satsanga is absolutely barren ofresult. The aspirant must effect a change ofattitude. That attitude is the greatestrequisite for the fruition of satsanga. ■

The Classic Example of Yudhishthira and Duryodhana

Use and Misuse of the Fault-finding Faculty

Sivananda Upanishad A collection of letters,prefaces and open letterswritten by SwamiSivananda. Reprintedhere in the sage’s ownhandwriting and with hisphotograph on everypage, each letter providesguidance, solace andpeace of mind.

Meditation and Mantras The most complete sourceon mantras, meditationand other tech niques ofself-inquiry readilyavailable. It contains allthe techniques for under -standing and controllingthe mind. The bookcontains the key to themost priceless treasure aman can own – intuitivewisdom.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika with commentary bySwami Vishnu-devanandaThe classic work, essential for those who wish to learn the advanced practices of hatha yoga from aqualified teacher.

A full listing of mail order and boutique items is available from any

Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre or Ashram

The CompleteIllustrated Book of YogaThis famous bookprovides a completetraining programme fortapping yoga’s power torelax and rejuvenate themind; to improveconcentration, to preventillness and retard old ageand to increase physicalstrength and flexibility.

Booksby

Swami Vishnu-devananda

7


8

ANEW YEAR’S


9

The Bhagavad Gita contains theessence of the Upanishads and Vedas.Each chapter contains specificinstructions regarding various

aspects of life. We’d have to go throughthousands of volumes of the Vedas andUpanishads to find the answers that theGita contains in one small book.

This scripture took place in the midst ofa battle, with two armies standing facingand ready to destroy each other. It was aWorld War which occurred about 5,000 BC.We know only of World Wars I and II, yetthere have been thousands of World Warsbefore these. In the Mahabharata War,various types of missiles were used – agniastra, pasmas astra, brahma astra (astrameans missile) – all equivalent to multi-megaton hydrogen bombs. Those missileswere more powerful than any we know oftoday.

We have only just redeveloped the abilityto split the atom and to fuse atoms torelease their energy. Fusion and fission –these are the only things that we know ofat present. We are also in the process ofdeveloping death rays and cosmic rays,chemical weapons, and poisonous

weapons. These types of weapons wereknown in ancient days, as well as morepowerful ones. Not merely fission andfusion were used, but also energy wasobtained through sound energy. Not spokenas sound – you hear my voice – that is justair vibrating, but sound in the form ofthought-energy. Spoken sound is only thegross manifestation of thought. A thoughtoriginates in the mind, then it slowly,slowly becomes codified and condensedthrough the brain and then finally thevocal chords. All the muscles of the bodytry to interpret that energy which istaking place in the mind. In ancient daysthe science of transforming thought-energy into sound wavelengths had beenperfected. A simple example of this soundfrequency is a singing voice or violin,which can shatter the molecules of aglass. A mere voice becomes an energy –a kind of motion. The ancients hadmastered more than merely the energyreleased from this physical vibration, butthey could tap the source – the thoughtitself – corresponding to the particularwavelength of the particular object.

Everything in this universe is in motion.

Everything oscillates; nothing isstationary. Even a glass tumbler oscillates,the water inside oscillates, and the wholeuniverse and cosmos is in oscillation.When your thought-energy is tuned to theparticular wavelength of a particularobject, then just as the tumbler can bebroken, so also any object, even a city, acountry, or the planet itself, can be blowninto pieces by using this energy.

The brahma astras and marayanaastras, most dreaded and powerfulweapons, have no counter-weapons.However other missiles, like agni astra (afire missile), do have one. When a firemissile was sent to burn a city, thecounter-weapon could be used to collectmolecules of water (water is made up ofhydrogen and oxygen), to create theparticular wavelength to disarm themissile.

Very powerful poisonous weapons havealso been described in ancient Indianscriptures, such as the one which Indrajitused on Laksmana, Rama’s brother. Theentire monkey army and Laksmana werecompletely poisoned by this one weapon.Hanuman, the monkey warrior, had to get

FROM SWAMI VISHNU DEVANANDA, 1982

THE BHAGAVAD GITA(The Song of God)

S W A M I V I S H N U - D E V A N A N D A S P E A K S

S MESSAGE

an antidote from high in the Himalayas,which neutralized the energy of thesepoisons.

They also had mohan astra, which was apsychological weapon. When this weaponwas applied the enemy’s mind wascompletely changed. Modern nations arenow investigating weapons that can changethe human mind. Once the mohan astra wasapplied, the victims’ minds would change insuch a way that they would see their friendsas enemies and would start killing eachother. As the enemy’s army was out of sight,the victims, seeing only their own army,would kill their own people until the entirearmy had been destroyed.

During the Mahabharata war many ofthese missiles were employed, killingbillions of people. At that time the earthwas overpopulated, as it is now. One of themain purposes for the coming of LordKrishna was to reduce the overpopulationof the planet, which was filled with notonly good human beings but also manybad, negative, demonical types like Kamsa,who were reincarnated on this planet earth.Many demons from the past were born askings and rulers of various countries,having huge armies under their control.These negative forces became very difficultfor anyone to conquer. So the Lord Himselfcame as Krishna, to reduce the weight onthe planet of these demonical people. Bothphysically and emotionally they destroyedeverything. So the Gita takes place justbefore this war, with two armies ready todestroy billions of people.

Arjuna, the great warrior, was in a stateof shock. Seeing the many millions andmillions of people he was to wipe out, hedemanded of his friend and chariot driver,Krishna, ‘What is this? What am I going togain by shedding this blood?’. And Krishnareplied, ‘Arjuna, you cannot see the past, norcan you see the future. You see only thesearmies standing against you and your armystanding against them. But these warriors,these kings, these chariot drivers, this is notthe first time they are standing against eachother. They were doing this in the past –they were kings, they were soldiers, theywere charioteers, they were war heroes. Inpast wars they also died, and now they arereincarnated as present kings and rulers.You cannot see that. So also you were bornbefore; I can see all of your past lives. Soalso I took incarnations in many, many ages.In different times I came to establish lawand order. I see your own future, your past,and others’ pasts also. And if this war takes

place now and these people die, this is notthe end of their lives – they will come backagain in the future.’

And so we had people like Mussolini andHitler, who must be incarnations of Kamsa,Ravana and others. These negative-typesreincarnate again and again; and so also thepositive or sattvic force will come again tocounteract it.

Thus the positive force, in the form of theSupreme Being Lord Krishna, came asprophets such as Jesus and Moses came. Butincarnations come only when law and orderare completely broken, and the relativeforces rage out of control everywhere. Whendarkness falls everywhere, when negativityreaches an extreme climax, then theSupreme power will come, the full sattva(purity). Only sattva can overpower thenegative rajasic (agitating) and tamasic(ignorant) forces. That is why spiritual life isvery hard for spiritual aspirants now. Youcan tell the truth, you can show the truth,but no one will believe you anymore becauseof negative forces. The true meaning ofspirituality has been forgotten in this ironage. As a spiritual aspirant it will be verydifficult for you to stick to the spiritual pathbecause the negative forces are everywhere,and your little sattva is immersed in that negativity.

For this reason satsang is essential.Through satsang you will be able tocounteract, or at least hold yourself fromfalling, until the Supreme Being comes again

in His next incarnation. Satsang can slowly,slowly fuel the flame of spiritual life in ourown heart, as well as in others who are readyto absorb the spiritual energy.

So the teachings of the Gita took place inthe midst of a battle with the dark forces,with Krishna instructing Arjuna to free himfrom darkness. Arjuna thought that he wasa great warrior and that he was going to killall of these people. Then in the eleventhchapter of the Gita Lord Krishna reveals HisCosmic Form. Suddenly Arjuna didn’t see theflute or the beautiful Krishna anymore, butsaw the entire universe at once – the CosmicForm containing billions and billions ofgalaxies exploding simultaneously. And inthe huge Cosmic Form of Krishna, Arjunasaw a small tiny speck called Earth, and inthe corner of the Earth was Kurukshetra. Hesaw a few million germs, called humanbeings, standing with arms against eachother. And he also saw himself seated in onecorner of that tiny field, merely one germ,along with his charioteer Krishna. As he sawthese things, worlds and galaxies wereexploding, millions of earths were beingdestroyed at that very moment, and all oftheir civilizations were being consumed byKala, or Time. So Arjuna asked, ‘Oh Lord, Whoare you?’ And He replied, ‘I am not only thebeautiful Krishna, I am also Kala, Time, cometo destroy, so that I can re-establish sattvaonce again.’

So let us look at this eleventh chapter togive us a glimpse of what Arjuna saw and


10

BH A G AV A D G I TA

Excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita ch. XI v.65

how Krishna explained it. I’ll take a fewverses to help you prepare for the comingtimes. They are very, very, powerful and verydifficult to face, as the lack of personaldiscipline is increasing. Even spiritualaspirants with years of practice leave thespiritual path and go back to their old ways.Only a few can survive the negative forces.With the aid of God’s grace or guru’s grace,they thin the ego enough to be able tosurrender. Only then, they are able toovercome the negative forces and hold on.

The eleventh chapter is ‘The Yoga of theVision of the Cosmic Form’. In the previouschapter Lord Krishna had given a descriptionof all His glories: ‘I am the Himalayas, I amthe Ganges. Wherever there is greatness, itis me. I am also Arjuna and I am thePandavas’. He explains that wherever thereis greatness, there is His energy. Nothing elseexists in this universe. Then Arjuna opens theeleventh chapter with:

1. By this word (explanation) of the highestsecret concerning the Self which Thou hastspoken, for the sake of blessing me, mydelusion is gone.

Arjuna is saying, Oh Lord, I want to seethat form of yours. You gave me so manystories about how You are the Himalayas,You are the Ganges, You are the sun, You arethe moon, You are galaxies, You are heaven,You are hell and so on. I want to see thatCosmic Form. Is it possible? If you please, letme have an experience of that Cosmic Form.’

2. The origin and the destruction of beingverily have been heard by me in detail fromThee, O lotus-eyed Lord, and also Thyinexhaustible greatness.3. (Now) O Supreme Lord, as Thou hastdeclared Thyself, O Supreme Person, I wishto see Thy divine form.4. If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for meto see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of the Yogis,show me Thy imperishable Self.The Blessed Lord said:5. Behold, O Arjuna, forms of Mine, by thehundreds and thousands, of different sorts, ofdivine sorts, and of various colors and shapes.6. Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, theRudras, the two Aswins, and also theMaruts; behold many wonders never seenbefore, O Arjuna.

Krishna is saying that as you look, youcan see all of these, but with your ordinaryeyes you cannot see the Cosmic Form. Oureyes cannot even see the full spectrum oflight – we can only see seven colors – violet,

blue, indigo, green, yellow, orange and red.Beyond these, our eyes cannot perceive. Ourears can only hear certain vibrations – onlycertain sounds. You can’t hear a dog whistlebecause it is too high. But a dog can hear it.If the physical sense perceptions are solimited, how could you see the infiniteCosmic Form all at once? It is not possiblewith the five senses, but I will give you theCosmic Eye with which you can see all atonce – past, present and future – everythingwill be at once. You will be able to beholdme as whole. With these present eyes andears you can only see me with the flute inhand, or holding your horses as yourcharioteer.’

8. But thou are not able to behold Me withthese thine own (physical) eyes, I give theethe divine eye; behold My Lordly Yoga.9. Having thus spoken, O King, the greatLord of Yoga, Hari (Krishna) showed toArjuna His Supreme Form as the Lord.10. With numerous mouths and eyes, withnumerous wonderful sights, with numerousdivine ornaments, with numerous divineweapons uplifted, such a form He showed.11. Wearing divine garlands and apparel,anointed with divine unguents, the all-wonderful resplendent (Being) endless with faces on all sides.12. If the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze out at once in the sky, that would be the splendor of that mighty Being (great soul).

Arjuna saw the form and then said, ‘I see,not only the physical universe, I see also aninfinite number of astral universes, astralheavens, an infinite number of angels andBrahmas and creators – all in that form. Allat once I can see these things.’

16. I see Thee of boundless form on everyside with many arms, stomachs, mouths, andeyes; neither the end nor the middle nor thebeginning do I see, O Lord of the universe, OCosmic Form.

So after experiencing this Cosmic Formand giving a description of what he saw,Arjuna was frightened, because it was notjust something beautiful. The Cosmic Formcontains death, galaxies being born and alsogalaxies being destroyed. Universes comeand go. Arjuna saw that Earth was not theonly place where war was taking place. Earthis not the only place where human beingsfight. This type of birth and death takes placein countless universes. There are countless

Arjunas, and countless galaxies and heavens,where fighting takes place. He saw endlessfire and destruction, volcanoes erupting, andall sorts of death and destruction. Arjunaalso saw all the armies and people of theplanet Earth rushing into the blazing fire,just like moths. Have you ever seen a mothgoing into a bonfire? The moth runs towardthe fire and then is consumed by the fire. Sothese billions and billions of soldiers are nowrunning towards the fire called death – theyare all slowly being consumed by Time. Then Arjuna said, ‘What I see is unbearable, I can’t continue to look at this; tell me Who Art Thou?’ Up until this time he hadthought that Krishna was merely his friendand charioteer – he used to play and work with him. But now, after seeing HisCosmic Form, he asks:

31. Tell me, Who Thou Art, so fierce ofform? Salutations to Thee, O God Supreme,have mercy. I desire to know Thee, theoriginal Being. I know not indeed Thyworking.Why have you come to this planet Earth?Why do you act as my charioteer, and whysuddenly do I see the whole Cosmic Form inyou? I can’t understand your workings. Whyis all this happening? Why have millions andmillions of people been swallowed by Time,by the cosmic fire?

Lord Krishna explains in verse 32: I am themighty world-destroying Time, now engagedin destroying the worlds. He is saying, ‘Icreate angels and beings. I also destroybecause the negative forces now predominate.I am these negative forces now.’ So you thinkthat God is only always merciful?Destruction is also his way of telling humanbeings that they must maintain sattva, orwhen rajas and tamas come to the fore, then


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I will come to destroy that rajas and tamas.That’s called destruction; that’s called war.‘Even without thee, Arjuna, none of thewarriors in the hostile armies shall live. Even ifyou don’t try and fight, even if you just leaveand go away, that doesn’t mean these peoplewill not be killed. This is a foolish idea. I havealready destroyed them. I am consuming themin a world fire. I am pulling everyone into Mymouth of Time. Even without you this is goingto happen. But only as an instrument, will yoube there to show that you are the destroyer –that you are going to kill these people withvarious weapons. It is only an illusion; reallythe Time is consuming. ‘I Am’ is doing this. Iam seated as Arjuna and I am seated as yourcharioteer. I am seated as all these armies –both enemies and allies. I am both. I ameverything. Now I must consume this negativeenergy. Without thee I can still do all the actionsand all the destruction because I am the all-consuming fire. Even without thee, even ifArjuna would not fight, these warriors aredoomed to die. I have already slain them. Youare only going to be an instrument; already Ihave slain them.’

Arjuna is not very important. Arjuna thinkshe is a great warrior and is going to killeveryone, but really he is not needed – it isdone already. This idea is very important forus. We think we are going to run thisorganization, and that we are going to keepthese things and are going to ‘do’. But we arejust instruments – He is behind it. I saw a lightwhen I came here to the LaurentianMountains the first time, and immediately Ithought that this must be the place where Iwill make a Yoga Camp, and that God hadbrought me here. I am only an instrument. Sodid you all come here through my power? DidI bring you all from Germany, from all thoseplaces? Is it through my power that you all arehere? It is God’s wish that you are here at thisparticular time. When the world is under theinfluence of negative forces, you are to keepthe light burning. And if you surrender, thenthat energy will come from God. If not, thenyou will be consumed by the negative fire andnegative forces.

This particular talk is not meant to frightenyou, but to tell you the truth. If a World Wartakes place, it is not because of you and me,Hitler or Mussolini, Reagan or Kennedy – it isGod’s wish, because there are negative forceseverywhere. When there is no dharma, norighteousness, in these conditions, the Lordhas to come, and then another World War willcome. At that time the world will not becompletely destroyed, but major negativeforces will be destroyed and then sattvic

forces will again envelop and control. This isthe truth about life. You are not doinganything – you are only an instrument.

So Lord Krishna emphasizes this point toArjuna by saying, ‘I have already slain them. Youhave seen them dying, therefore thyinstrumentality is not of much importance. Suchbeing the case therefore, stand up and obtainfame. If you fight and you win, who gets the fameand name? You get it! You get the fame, and I doall the work!’ Swami Vishnu thought, ‘I createdall these asanas, I get the fame!’ But who didit? The Supreme Being, He did it; but SwamiVishnu gets the glory! The Lord said, ‘Get upand do your duty.’

33. Therefore, stand up and obtain fame.Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. Verily have they been already slain by Me; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna.

‘Be merely an apparent or nominal cause; Ihave already killed them. I destroyed them longago. People will think that Bhishma, Drona andthe other great warriors, whom even the godscannot kill, have been defeated by you. You willbe famous; such fame is the result of goodkarma only.’

So here the great warriors are standingand they think that no one can kill them –just as Hitler thought that he was theunconquerable. But somehow a bullet killedhim! And who fired that bullet? He Himselffired it! God said, ‘Alright, the time has come.You said that no one could kill you, but I’llshow you. I can make your own hand put thebullet in your own head!’ If you look into it,you will see that God controls everyone’sactions. So let us be instruments. Don’tworry about dharma and righteousness andunrighteousness. No one has got power overthis maya (illusion). Just come to His feetand surrender. He will take care ofeverything. So, Arjuna, don’t worry aboutwhether you are going to kill, or not goingto kill, or whether you are going to sin. Don’tworry. Surrender to Me. I will take care ofeverything and you will get all the fame thatyou want.

35. Having heard that speech of Lord Krishna,the crowned one (Arjuna), with joined palms,trembling, prostrating himself, again addressedKrishna, in a choked voice, bowing down,overwhelmed with fear.Arjuna said:36. It is meet, O Krishna, that the worlddelights and rejoices in Thy praise, demons flyin fear to all quarters and the hosts of the

perfected ones bow to Thee.

The sattvic people bow when they see thisform. They praise You, while the demons andnegative beings run away. Sattva is so strongthat no one can stand against You.

37. And why should they not, O Great Soulbow to Thee, who art greater (than all else),the primal cause even of the Creator.

Then Arjuna glorified the Lord. Afterglorifying, he says, ‘I cannot look at thisCosmic Form any longer, please stop. I onlywant to see your four hands with discus, conch,lotus, and mace in them. I want to see thebeautiful crown and smiling face, the beautifulblue form – let me see that form instead. This isArjuna’s last request to the Lord.

Lord Krishna replied:52. Very hard indeed it is to see this form ofMine, which thou hast seen. Even the gods areever longing to behold it.53. Neither by the Vedas nor by austerity, norby gift, nor by sacrifice can I be seen in thisform as thou hast seen Me (so easily).54. But by single-minded devotion can I, ofthis form, be known and seen in reality andalso entered into, O Arjuna.

So if you have true devotion to Him you’llenter into Him and see His form, as Arjuna did.No one can see God without true devotion.Then Lord Krishna assumed the old form – theflute in hand, holding the chariot. Arjuna nowbecomes a true disciple of Krishna because hehas seen the Cosmic Form of the Lord.

At the end of the eleventh chapter of theGita, the Lord said, ‘He who does all actions forMe…’ It doesn’t matter what you do – you canwash dishes, clean the office, or type. It doesn’tmatter even if they are good or bad actions.‘He who does all actions for Me, who looks uponMe as the Supreme’ – the only Supreme thatnothing in this universe can exist without –‘Who is devoted to me, who is free fromattachment’ – attachment to all objects and allbeings, and whose only attachment is to God– ‘Who bears enmity towards no creature’ – itdoesn’t matter who they are –

‘That person comes to Me, O Arjuna’.This last verse (55) of chapter eleven contains

the essence of the whole teaching of the Gita.One who practices this teaching will attainsupreme bliss and immortality. This very versecontains the summary of the entire philosophyof the Bhagavad Gita. ‘He who performs actions(duties) for the sake of the Lord, who consecrates


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all his actions to Him, who serves the Lord withall his heart and soul, who regards the Lord ashis supreme goal’ – remember those words, ‘hewho regards the Lord as the supreme goal’ –‘Who lives for Him alone, who works for Himalone, who sees the Lord in everything, who seesthe whole world as the Cosmic Form of the Lordand therefore cherishes no feelings of hatred orenmity towards any creature even when a greatinjury has been done by others to him, who hasno attachment to wealth, children, wife, friends,and relatives, and who seeks nothing else but theLord, realizes Him and enters into His being. Hebecomes one with Him.’

Thus in the Upanishads of the gloriousBhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, theScripture of Yoga, the dialogue between SriKrishna and Arjuna, ends the eleventhdiscourse entitled ‘The Yoga of the Vision ofthe Cosmic Form.’ Om Tat Sat.

So in the coming times you mustunderstand that if there is a nuclearholocaust, or war, or calamity, it is all God’swish. Negative forces come upon you and youcannot stop them. We do what we can, byprayer and positive actions., to create as

much of a sattvic force whenever we can andwherever we go.

Please see that you surrender your life anddo whatever you can to bring God’s energy tothis universe so that there will be some peacehere. Even if the negative forces come, somepositive force will be there, which you canmaintain through surrender and devotion tothe Lord. Then God will take care ofeverything.

If the organization is to survive, it willsurvive. If it has to go, He has already plannedit. He planned this Yoga Camp before I waseven born. I never even knew of the LaurentianMountains but He had planned all this – that Iwas to be a religious instrument. I got the glory– ‘Swami Vishnu-devananda founded thisorganization’ – but it is all His wish. SupposeHe has decided to take this camp from us, thenthat is also His wish, for everything is plannedby Him.

If this thought is always in the back of yourmind, you’ll have no fear of anyone. Peoplemay criticize you, people may praise you,people may say ‘he is doing it for this’, ‘she’slooking for that’, but God knows your heart. I

can’t pretend to be what I’m not; God knowswhat I am inside and why I am doing thesethings. So you don’t have to make anyonebelieve in you, if you have full conviction andsurrender everything to God. He who istravelling within you can see your actions.Then you can go ahead and He will take careof everything. Offer all to Him; every actionyou perform, everything you do, do it for Hissake. In that way there will be no sin incurred;neither negative actions nor positive actionscan affect you. You will be ever free from allduality and attain eternal peace and harmony.OM ■


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Krishna as Arjuna’s charioteer


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To fulfil yourself, you must knowyourself. To know what you really are,look not at what you are now and then,but what you are permanently,

intrinsically and essentially. Many things aboutyou have changed since your infancy. Yourbody has grown, your mind matured. As anadult you feel, think and act differently thanyou did in childhood. Yet in essence you arestill the being that came into this world on theday of your birth. That essence is thepermanent aspect about you. The permanentendures infinitely, independent of time andcircumstance; it is transcendent. There is atendency to be so absorbed in the momentaryemotions or events, that you feel as if theywere your very being; you identify yourselfwith them. However, they are merelymomentary emotions or events. If you investthem with your identity, you lose touch withyour real being. The emotions, sensations,feelings and events that may have seemed socritically important, pass on and are soonforgotten. Your identity remains; it is what youalways are. That which is permanent aboutyou, your identity, is also intrinsic to you —being of your innermost nature andinseparable from it.

The essence is that which upholdseverything about you. It is your unchangingidentity. The word ‘essence’ is derived from theLatin root ‘esse’, to be, from which our word‘is’ is derived. You are what you are in essence.Your essence is the power by which you are,the power of being; your essence is that youare.

However, this essence, this most importantand fundamental beingness of you, is oftenneglected or even regarded as unreal merelybecause it cannot be perceived by the senses.Most of us are accustomed to regard what wecan see or touch as real, and anything we cannotsee or touch as unreal. Actually, it is the other wayaround. It is generally agreed that the senses canonly perceive phenomena and events, thepassing. The passing phenomena and events areonly momentary appearances, like the images ona movie screen, which you certainly would notconsider substantial or real. Remember, physics

describes objects as momentary phenomenacaused by the coming and going of atoms. Thus,what our senses alone perceive is not real. Onlywe as knowing beings are capable of perceivingthe full reality. There cannot be only ephemeralevents; there has to be something underlying —some substance out of which these events arise.

The word ‘substance’, derived from Latin,denotes that which stands under, the underlying.It is your foundation and structure, what youfundamentally are. In the human being,substance is not something of weight and shape;that is only temporary appearance again, notreal. The reality of you, your substance, thatwhich permanently and intrinsically standsunder all aspects of you, is your essence, yourbeingness. Essence is also referred to as ‘spirit’. Inchemistry, spirit is the essence of something, thedistillate, the refined, the pure substance youhave left after extracting all dross.

I am usually loathe to employ this word,‘spirit’, for in our society it tends to conjure upfantasy images like syrup dripping from silver-lined clouds. I indulge myself carefully andsparingly in the use of this much-abused, but so

important term. When we speak of the spirit ofsomething, we speak of its true intent, its verymeaning, as in the spirit of the law. Thus yourspirit is the meaning, the true intent of yourexistence. We relate spirit to loyalty and devotion,as when we speak of team spirit. Clearly, spirit iswhat is fundamentally most important to us andabout us. To live in loyalty and devotion to ourspirit is called a spiritual life. It only makes senseto live according to our fundamental priority.

Thus, to live realistically means to have ourmind and feelings, indeed all our instruments ofawareness relate loyally to us in terms of ourreal identity, the spirit that we are. Your spirit isyour essential identity, that which you really are.That is what you need to know in order to knowyourself, to fulfil yourself. ■

TH E SP I R I T T H AT YO U A R E

THE SPIRIT THAT YOU AREby Erhard Vogel, Ph.D.

Swami Vishnu-devananda with Erhard Vogel leading the procession during the Indian Musicand Dance Festival, Val Morin, 1970

About the authorErhard Vogel Ph.D. is president and founder of the Nataraja Yoga Ashram in San Diego,California. This is from his upcoming book“Experts in our Lives – Journey into yourCenter”


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GU IDE TO SA D H A K S

1. Reduce your wants to the utmostminimum.

2. Adapt yourself to circumstances.3. Never be attached to anything or

anybody.4. Share what you have with others.5. Be ever ready to serve. Lose no

opportunity. Serve with atma bhav.6. Entertain akarta and sakshi bhav.7. Speak measured and sweet words.8. Have a burning thirst for God-realization.9. Renounce all your belongings and surrender yourself

unto God.10. Spiritual path is a sharp-edged razor path. A Guru is

absolutely necessary.11. Have great patience and perseverance.12. Never leave the abhyas even for a day.13. The Guru will only guide you. You should yourself

tread the path.14. Life is short. Time of death is uncertain. Apply

yourself seriously to yogic sadhana.15. Maintain daily spiritual diary and record correctly

your progress and failures. Stick to resolves.16. Do not complain that there is no time for sadhana.

Reduce sleep and small talk. Stick to brahmamuhurta.17. Let the thought of God (Reality) keep away the

thought of the world.18. Forget the feeling that you are so and so – a male or a

female – by vigorous brahma chintan.19. Never postpone a thing for tomorrow if it is possible

for you to do it today.20. Do not boast or make a show of your abilities. Be

simple and humble.21. Be cheerful always. Give up worries.22. Be indifferent to things that do not concern you.23. Fly away from company and discussion.24. Be alone for a few hours daily.25. Give up greediness, jealousy and hoarding.26. Control your emotions by discrimination and

vairagya.27. Maintain equilibrium of mind always28. Think twice before you speak and thrice before you

act29. Give up back-biting, criticizing and fault-finding.

Beware of reactions.30. Find out your own faults and weaknesses. See only

good of others. Praise the virtues of others.31. Forgive and forget the harm done by others. Do good

to those who hate you.32. Shun lust, anger, egoism, moha and lobha like a

venomous cobra.

33. Be prepared for any amount ofpain.

34. Have a set of maxims always withyou to induce vairagya

35. Treat sensual enjoyment as poison, vomited food, vishta or urine. They cannot give you satisfaction.

36. Preserve your veerya carefully.Sleep always separately.

37. Revere ladies as Mother Divine. Root out the sex idea.Prostrate before all

38. See God in every face, in everything.39. Take to sankirtan, satsanga, prayer when the mind is

overpowered by other instincts40. Face obstacles coolly and boldly.41. Care not for criticism when you are in the right path.

Yield not to flattery.42. Respect rogues and scoundrels. Serve them.43. Admit your faults plainly.44. Take care of your health. Do not neglect daily asanas

and exercises.45. Be active and nimble always.46. Develop your heart by giving. Be extraordinarily

charitable. Give more than one's expectations.47. Desires multiply misery. Develop contentment.48. Control the senses one by one.49. Develop brahmakara vritti by repeated thinking.50. Have a check over all your thoughts. Keep them pure

and sublime.51. Do not lose temper when anybody insults, taunts or

rebukes you. It is a mere play of words and a varietyof sounds.

52. Rest your mind in God and live in truth.53. Be up and doing in the path of perfection.54. Have a definite aim in your life and proceed

cautiously.55. Benefits of mouna are incalculable. Never give

up this practice.56. Four important means for passion to enter the mind

are sound, touch, sight and thought. Be vigilant!57. Have intimate connection with none but God. Mix

little with others.58. Be moderate in everything. Extremes are always

dangerous.59. Every day have self-analysis and introspection. Know

the amount of your growth.60. Give up curiosities in spiritual path. Conserve your

energy and concentrate. Think little of food, body andrelatives. You must realize in this very birth itself!

Swami Sivananda

Guide to Sadhaks

As a yoga teacher, your primaryactivity is to teach asanas andpranayama, but what you are reallygiving to students is wisdom and

spirituality. At first, they come to you to learnthe postures and the breathing, butsubconsciously they are coming for wisdom.Finally, when they are ready for it, you will beable to teach them the mantras and theirmeanings. Then you will realize that youknow yoga from back to front. However, theforemost occupation is to teach asanas andpranayama. We must give studentssomething to do – they cannot just look atstatues all the time or sit like a holy person.

Swamiji taught us in this way so that newpeople can begin to experience a very deepknowledge. That knowledge is the wisdom oruniversal understanding about how we arerelated to the Truth. It isn’t even necessary tospeak about this when we teach asanas. Thestudents ask you how to practice this or thatexercise and all you need to do is simply toteach them the way you learned it. We havetaught you the way we learned from Swamiji,which is a very correct way, and you shouldstick to it. At the same time, you must keepthe wisdom alive within yourself throughyour own spiritual practices. With time andexperience, you will find that students willcome.

Swamiji made yoga teachers out of you sothat you would practice. I am still herebecause I was given the responsibility toteach, and that same responsibility lies withyou too. If you teach in a very detached way, withoutidentifying yourself with the knowledge, youwill become a pure instrument. That purity iscarrying you and often you are not even aware of it. The idea in yoga is to go

through life in the purest way possible; this isthe main support when you come acrossobstacles on your path.

We cannot say one thing and then dosomething else; people see through this. Theywill say, ‘Oh, the Swami is going to the discoevery night, and then she is going to thebutcher shop where all those hams arehanging from the ceiling.’ If I went there andate all those things, you would not be sittinghere. You would not feel the purity, thesupport behind what I say. If I tell you, ‘Don’teat meat!’ or ‘Don’t listen to loud music!’, butthen in the evening I go and do exactly thosethings, you would not be touched by what Isay to you.

That is why Swamiji made yoga teachersout of you. You must always remember this –it will give you a lot of strength. The idea totrain you as yoga teachers came out of avision. It didn’t come from the intellectdeciding to create a new profession in orderto make money. It came out of a vision forpeace. This is the reason why it is such ablessed activity. So many people have cometo our courses from around the world; morethan 10,000 people have graduated in theYoga Teachers’ Training Course since 1969.This is not because we are better than others.It is because we have the blessing of thedivine vision of our Master, Swami Sivananda.None of us do it to make money, this is notour goal. Otherwise, we would do itdifferently. We would go to a nice hotelcomplete with modern comforts. There areyoga teachers who teach in hotels becausethey want to make money, and becauseotherwise, nobody would come to them. Theyhave a weekend in one place, and thenanother weekend somewhere else, and all thetime they are counting the money. During the

week they watch television, eat snacks and godancing.

We all have a tendency to be a little naivein our efforts to teach yoga, and we forgetthat the Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ TrainingCourse came out of a vision which Swamijihad in Nassau, Bahamas. In his vision thewhole world was on fire, everybody wasrunning. Today, everybody IS running. Haveyou noticed? We are all running. We hear ofan earthquake in Italy, a flood in Acapulco,bombs in Colombia. In Israel a big bombexploded just five hundred meters from ourcentre. We have all heard the news.Sometimes it is better to avoid the news. Ilearned not to avoid it, but to look at it. I amnot looking at the news because I am bored. Iam looking at it in order to NOT avoid thereality of the world. We are still alright at themoment, for somehow we are protected. Butwhen you look at the map, you see that it ispurely for karmic reasons that we areuntouched by this fire. Maya or illusion says,‘Oh, we are OK, so the rest of the worldcannot be on fire.’ But this is not true. Afterhis vision Swamiji was wondering what hecould do. What can one person do? We say,‘Oh no, I can’t do much. I am not in politicsand even so, what difference could I make?’

Swamiji asked, ‘What can I do?’ He thenremembered what Swami Sivananda wasdoing. He remembered his guru. What didSwami Sivananda do? He was only one man;a one-man show. He did not have manydisciples. He simply went to the Ganges, satdown and started meditating, practicingasanas, pranayama and the yogic purificationtechniques. He was always smiling. Whenpeople asked, ‘How do you do this?’ He wouldreply, ‘Well, just come and live with me!’Swami Vishnu-devananda wanted to know


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AD V I C E TO T E A C H E R S

Advice to Yby Swami Durgananda

These extracts come from a meeting foryoga teachers held at the Sivananda YogaVedanta Center Madrid in 1997

who this man was, this man who had said, ‘Anounce of practice is better than tons oftheory.’ One day he had found these words ona piece of paper in the waste basket and hewanted to know who this man was. So hewent to the Sivananda Ashram at Rishikesh inthe Himalayas. He then saw that MasterSivananda was only teaching what he waspracticing. He was teaching a teachers’training course, which he called the YogaVedanta Forest Academy. After going throughthis training you learnt everything about yoga,just as during our four-week yoga teachers’training course.

Swamiji remembered what his Master did,and then decided to do the same. This was thebeginning of the Teachers’ Training Course. Soyou see what a pure motive he had. It wassimply to bring peace to each individual;because if you are peaceful, your partner ispeaceful, the children are peaceful.When the family is peaceful, youcan do business correctly,there is no greed, noanger, no jealousy.There will be apeacefulenvironment,and that peacewill spread fromperson toperson., like cellssplitting andmultiplying. In thisway one person cantouch thousands ofpeople – this was the idea.It is one of the biggest missionsfor peace that anyone has done forthis world.

If you think of these things when youteach, you will carry this spirituality withinyou. Spirituality means that you are not justthinking about yourself, but that you arethinking of others. If you do this you will bean excellent yoga teacher. Of course, you willhave to see whether what you teach is reallypure or not. Question yourself, ‘Am I teachingyoga the way I learned it?’ If the answer is‘Yes’, then you will feel the grace of the

masters and you will be a very effectiveteacher. You deserve the Nobel Peace Prize ifyou teach in this way, because you want tospread peace in the world in the midst of thefire. However, don’t expect recognition,because nobody will know what you are reallydoing. This is why Swamiji said that thehighest yoga is to ‘Bear insult, bear injury’.Everybody will think that you are just a yogateacher. But you are more than that.

There is so much commercial yogaeverywhere, but what you have learned issomething much deeper. You learned to serveothers and not to be attached to the fruits ofyour actions. This is why Swamiji asked you tostudy the Bhagavad Gita. He did not do thisto make a Hindu out of you, nor so that youwould become an expert on eastern

philosophy. He did it so that you wouldunderstand what karma is. If you are attachedto the fruits of your actions you won’t findpeace, because you will be accumulatingagami karma, which means that you will haveto start all over again. Who wants to do this?

The spirit of the peace movement is togive and to give. If somebody gives yousomething and you know they want

something in return, you are not so happyabout it. If a neighbor gives you a bouquet offlowers and you know that when they are onvacation you will have to water their flowers,it is alright, but if somebody gives yousomething and asks nothing in return, youfeel loved. That is what we are supposed todo when we give.

We are supposed to give everything tostudents, and then they feel the love. Oncethey feel love, they can give love. There aremany people who don’t feel that love andthat is why they come to yoga. But if theycome to a teacher who is thinking aboutmaking money, they will not feel that love.There is no love there. Remember that. This isyour test now. So don’t do that with yourprecious yoga. Taking money is not bad, but itis what you do with that money that counts.You can rent a hall with the money, you can

buy some pictures and frame them. This iswhat we do. It is not

good karma if you put it aside for your own

purposes. If you do, youwon’t be happy, you

won’t be blessed andyou won’t feel lovebecause your senseswill always wantmore.

Swamiji’s visionwas to pass on the love

which you are receivingfrom the practice of yoga.

You touch people’s hearts sothat they

can then go home and love their families in a pure way. If you keep

this in mind, you will be wonderful yoga teachers. ■


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AD V I C E TO T E A C H E R S

About the authorSwami Durgananda is Acharya (spiritual head) ofthe Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in Europe.For many years she has held spiritual retreats allover Europe and has recently opened theSivananda Yoga Retreat House in Tyrol, Austria.

Yoga Teachers

Within these fever dreams I have short spans ofperception, which are crystal clear. I understand thatthe Siva energy is preparing us. The obstacles are deepinside and there is no easy or gentle way to get to

them. Like in a film I see the issues withinmyself that need urgent attention. It is anerve wracking and painful process. I amdrifting in and out of sleep, each timebecoming aware of the fever which seemsto put me in the strangest frame of

mind. Sometimes I am aware that we arestopping. I choose not to leave the car, I don’t feel incontrol of my body. I am aware that someone is talkingto me and I can hear myself answering, yet I don’tknow what is said. In this state of mind I perceive thegroup and each member. Siva’s energy cuts to the veryroot of all of us. This manifests on all levels. It createsthe tension between the group members. All areirritable, at times short-tempered or just simplyparticularly difficult.

My reaction to the change is obvious. Physicallymy body breaks down. It reacts with fever and eventhough this is very uncomfortable and I have ablinding headache (probably from the altitude) I feelsuddenly relieved. I know this reaction of my body. Ihave experienced this reaction many times afterbeing subjected to a great vibrational change. I knowthat it will be over within twelve hours. I know I willcome out of it adjusted to the vibration and I alsoknow that during this time my vision is particularlysensitive and often very sharp.

The next morning I wake up feeling onehundred percent transformed. The vision of the

previous day is burned into my consciousness.Words or actions seem unnecessary. All is right asit is. Sometimes I do not understand what a visionis goo d for. It leaves me with a feeling of isolation.

During the next couple of days I see the visionbeing played in front of me. All is manifesting.The obstacles are presenting themselves in manyways. The smallest things seem to have the mostprofound impact...

...we are getting up ready for our last day in thecar, the day we are supposed to arrive at MountKailas. It is freezing and getting up seems to becomemore difficult each morning. There is an expectancyand nervousness in the air. We are all desperate toget there. The days in the car have challenged usprofoundly. We just want to get going. Little did weknow that the most difficult was yet to come.

Lake Manasarovar and Mount KailasAt the end of the day we arrive at LakeManasarovar and after a short drive we come to thespot where we see Mount Kailas for the first time.Our driver takes us in a circle around the prayerflags, before stopping the car. We stand in awe, someof us prostrate. I allow the picture to settle, theimpression to develop. We pray.

Once the energy starts to settle deep inside, Ifeel myself being moved to tears. It feels like thetension of lifetimes is releasing. I am not able tocontrol my emotions until the next day. We went forour holy bath in the lake before returning to ourcars, which will take us to the foot of Mount Kailas.Here we join the camps of other pilgrims.

It feels incomprehensible that we are here, that Ishould be given the opportunity and the blessing to beat this place. Now that we have arrived it feels almostimpossible that it could be true. The enormous impactof our trip seems to become clear. I remember words

MO U N T KA I L A S YAT R A YOGAL i fe Winter 2001

20

driving to Mount Kailas

AAs we drive further away from Lhasa the countryside starts to change. Initially it seems to be almost thesame each day, yet the change is subtle. The change in energies is equally subtle. My focus is taken up bytrying to cope with the dynamics within the group. At first I don’t quite understand what it is that makes it

impossible for us to find a comfortable way of communicating with each other. Somehow I am challenged on a verydeep level. The energies are exaggerated, my perception is over sensitive. It seems like the volume is turned up andI feel as though I have been put into a small space with too many people, yet this is the most deserted place I haveever been to. I try to shake my senses to pull myself together. This is how it must feel like to go mad. Maybe it isthe altitude. I find it almost impossible to control my mind. Reality and imagination seem to melt into each other. Ican feel the fever rising and soon I am taken over by the pain in my head. I take refuge in sleeping in the back ofthe car, yet even in sleep I can hear all conversation, and yet I feel as though I am not really present.

In June a group of fifteen led by two Swamis embarked on an epic one-month-long yatra (pilgrimage)to Mount Kailas, the most sacred mountain in the world and the legendary abode of Lord Siva, deep inthe heart of Tibet. To pilgrims, Mount Kailas is the bestower of divine grace and destroyer of manysins; to walk once around the base of the mountain (parikrama) holds great powers of purification.What follows are extracts from the diary of Gita, one of the yatris.

Mount Kailas

in satsang just before we left. We are told that theYatra to Mount Kailas is the most difficult one to do.Only now I understand the meaning of these words.

Arati. We are standing at the base of the HolyMountain; tears of release and letting go are wellingup again. I have now developed stomach cramps andmy body seems to use any possible means tomanifest release. I am overwhelmed, it seems toomuch and yet it feels good.

the parikramaWe spend one day preparing for the parikramaaround Mount Kailas. We have a beautiful homa.Even though the energies are clear and strong I findthem difficult to perceive in a specific form. I canfeel the changes within my body and emotions yet Icannot perceive a form. It takes some time until Icome to realize that there is no form...

We set off the next day. My backpack seems toweigh a ton and we haven’t even started climbing.All concentration is directed to the breathing. Justgetting enough air seems to be impossible. The pathis uneven, small and needs full concentration. I canhardly take in anything of my surroundings, I amtoo busy trying to cope with breath and steps. Justbefore lunch, one of our party falls ill. It is all toomuch. The altitude, the physical strains. The tensionrises, yet we all have someone to focus on now. Fora split second we are a group until the egos struggleagain for their rightful place.

Siva’s energy has no mercy, we are shaken tothe very roots and the reactions are equallyviolent. After lunch we find a yak for our patientand we all carry on walking. Slowly we arestarting to climb a little. Walking and breathingbecome more difficult. We have been instructedto keep silent and to repeat our mantra.Surprising to see that my mind finds itimpossible to focus on the nature around us.Every now and then I stop to take in thesurroundings. Yet most of the time I have mentalarguments with members of the group...

We arrive at our camping spot and withamazement I realize that we are staying one nightat the famous north side view of Mount Kailas. By

now my head is pounding.Everybody is exhausted already. Yet the worst

is still to come. Only we are not aware of it. I spendthe evening waiting for the clouds to lift off thesummit of Mount Kailas. Eventually, illumined bythe full moon, Mount Kailas shows itself. Too darkto take a picture. It feels like a present to the few ofus who are still awake.

the most difficult dayClimbing towards the pass is very difficult. We walkslowly and stop many times. It seems as if we arestopping mainly to allow a slower yatri to rest, yet Iam very grateful for the many stops and the slowpace. Eventually we have to wait for a yak to comeand carry another of our party to the pass. The pacebecomes a little faster as we are moving furthertowards the top. Mount Kailas is now out of ourview but the energy of Lord Siva is everywhere.

We repeat our mantra in silence, but theconcentration is now fixed firmly on trying to getenough air into our lungs. Mentally I am ready togive up. I can feel the anger rising within me. I amshouting at myself for having been stupid enough tocome on such a trip in the first place. It all pushesme close to tears. I have no time to contemplate whatthe others must be feeling like. Step by step, breathby breath we climb over rocks to get to the top. Thequestion ‘why?’ screams in my mind, dominatingany rational thinking. Anger, frustration, fear, allarise and seem to push me to the edge of madness,maybe I am mad already?

Somehow we reach the top! Hundreds of prayerflags make it a colorful point in a mountain desert.Lunch is ready, waiting for us. Yet noappetite. I force myself to eat, knowingthat my body needs the food. We hangour prayer flags up, but are soonhurried along by our guides whofear the weather will change. Thedescent to our camping spot islike a nightmare for most ofus. It takes forever. We have toclimb down over stones andeven when we seem to

recognize the tents it takes hours. It seems like agiant hand is moving them further away each timewe are just about to reach them. All of us areexhausted, everybody is irritated. It is a day fromhell. I collapse in my tent too tired to go to sleep.In my mind the day is floating pass. I am stunnedby the intensity of the mountains surrounding usas far as the eye can see.

My mind is racing. Instead of being still, I amfaced by the impurities of my mind. I had to comeall the way to Tibet to be faced with the painfultruth and the content of my mind. Yet theexhaustion is too big. I cannot start to reflect orcomprehend. I start to understand how deep theSiva energy works. I start to understand thatthe energy here has no form and does not allowus to give it a form. It is too strong to describe.

We are walking around Mount Kailas in anenergy field so strong that one loses the feeling of being an individual. The heartbeat, the breathing,the thoughts all seem to dissolve and merge withthe energy around. No form can be given to thatenergy. We are looking into the face of God, only tosee our own reflection. For a moment it all becomesclear. No question, the truth is everywhere.

If it is true that all sins are forgiven by the actof circumambulation of the Holy Kailas, then thegrace of the Lord is limitless and within the painfulrealization lies the unconditional love of God. Bothso close together that they could be one. ■

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MO U N T KA I L A S YAT R AYOGAL i fe Winter 2001

s Yatra

The European Millennium PeacePilgrimage started the week beforeEaster, at our retreat house in Reith,with a series of daily pujas and homas.

Sri Radhakrishna Nambudri led theceremonies and they were attended by SwamiDurgananda, Swami Sivadasananda, SwamiKailasananda and the staff and guests. SriRadhakrishna Nambudri had carefully chosenseven different rituals and he and SwamiDurgananda explained their spiritual meaningand significance. Swami Durgananda alsogave lectures on the topic throughout the

week. We installed a new murti of Vana-Durga, which was a gift from our ashram inNeyyar Dam. Swami Sivadasananda’s classesreinvigorated the students and day by day theatmosphere became more peaceful.

The yatris then traveled by bus from Reithto Vienna, where Swami Ramapriyananda andOmkari joined the retreat. The center wasblessed to receive Sri Sant VenugopalGoswami and his four musicians – theirpresence and the beautiful program they gavewere a great inspiration. The newly decoratedcenter in Berlin was the next stop and here wereceived a very warm welcome. Many visitorscame for the opening program, a world peaceconcert, including a member of the Indianembassy. It was a tremendous evening. Amongthe guests was a group of Lithuanian studentswho had traveled for more than nineteenhours to join us. We all benefited from beingin such a peaceful and natural environmentand once again we were blessed with pujasand divine music. The retreat finished onSunday with a powerful Rudra homa.

The bus then continued on its journeyjoined now by Swami Atmaramananda andthe yatri Sundari from Berlin. We spent some

time at theM u n i c hcenter, thentraveled throughAustria and Switzerland,a stunning journey across theAlps and past Lake Constance, to Geneva.Here Ananta and Narayan Chaitanya joinedus, as well as Vidya Birla, a special guestfrom Bombay. The center was completelytaken over by yatris! After arriving wemanaged to prepare everything just in timefor a program that same evening. Manyvisitors, again including many from theIndian community, joined us for the peaceconcert and the programs held thefollowing day. We were very happy towelcome Dr. Vyaas and his wife Nina,longtime devotees of Swamiji, who stayedwith us throughout the rest of the tour.

We took to the road once again –destination Spain – but after sixteen hours, thefirst mishap struck when the bus broke down.It was 11pm and we were still 300 kilometersfrom Madrid. It took the drivers three hours tofind and repair the problem; we didn’t reachthe Madrid center until 4am the following

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P I L G R I M A G E YOGAL i fe Winter 2001

The European Millennium Peace Pilgrimage

morning! But our spirits rose as we werewelcomed by the staff and a brave group ofkarma yogis, who helped us unload and foundus places to sleep, so we were able to havesome much needed rest before the beginningof the program – an asana class at midday.Once again we had a peace concert in theevening and during the week many studentscame for the lectures given by SwamiDurgananda on yantra, puja and mantra as ameans to meditation and bhakti. Dr. Vyaas gavea fascinating lecture on surgery in ancientIndia, also sharing with us many of hisexperiences with Swami Vishnu-devanandaji.

Early one morning we departed for Paris. Itwas a very long ride, with the driverscautiously steering the now repaired buttilting bus. However, this time another mishapstruck. After a short pit stop we suddenlyrealized that our new yatri from Madrid,Swami Krishnananda, was missing! He hadleft the bus unnoticed to go and brush histeeth, and when he returned we were gone.As soon as we realized what had happenedwe pulled over on the motorway. Far away inthe distance we saw an orange-clad figurestanding on the roadside frantically waving.

After a long distance run he managed tocatch up with the bus, welcomed by a largeround of applause! We were in high spiritswhen we reached Paris that night havingtreated ourselves to pizza and ice cream onthe way, and after quickly unloading we soonsettled into a happy sleep. The programs thenext day were inspiring, and Sri SantVenugopal Goswami was presented with anew microphone.

The Paris center had organized a retreat inBlois, to which we all headed at the weekend.It was an enjoyable two days in thecountryside and included a candlelit concert,pujas, mantra initiation, and a lecture fromDr. Vyaas on ‘Stress-relief through Yoga’. Heand his wife Neena had celebrated theirwedding anniversary during the yatra. In avery touching ceremony they honored andworshipped Swami Vishnu-devanandaji andSwami Durganandaji as their guru. Theretreat finally culminated on May 21st withan inspiring Chandrika homa for world peace,after which everybody parted and left fordifferent parts of the world to spread thelove, peace and energy of this journey whichhad been unforgettable. ■

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P I L G R I M A G E

Pujas, yantras and homas onthe European Yatra 2000Reith: Devi puja

Durga pujaKali pujaChakrabja (Vishnu) pujaSudarshana homaVana Durga pujaTripura Sundari pujaNava Graha pujaDhanwanthari homa

Vienna: Navayoni ChakraBala YantraMahalaxmi puja

Berlin: Ganesha pujaSudarshana puja

Meissen: Ganesha pujaSiva pujaRudra homa

Munich: Shakti DandabadrakamKrishna pujaHanuman puja

Geneva: Vishnu pujaLaxmi puja

Madrid: Ashta Laxmi pujaSaraswati pujaPeace Mandala / Vishnu puja

Paris: Bhuvanashwari pujaRajeshwari pujaBrahma Vishnu Shiva Puja

Blois: Nava Graha pujaAshtha Linga pujaChandrika homa


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VED IC AS T R O L O G Y

Vedic Astrology,S

atsang is the starting point on thejourney of spiritual evolution, and this isone of the most important teachings ofall the great teachings of India.

In vedic mythology the heavenly father iscalled Brahma. He had five mind-born sons,and these sons did not want to be involvedin material creation; they just wanted to sitin samadhi and enjoy Brahmananda, thespiritual bliss of the Heavenly Father. Brahmabecame worried that the creation would notgo on, because his own sons would notcooperate and do their work in the world. Sohe sent them for satsang with the teacherDakshinamurti. Dakshinamurti did not sayanything; he just sat in silence, raised hishand in chin mudra – and that was thesatsang. Chin mudra means that when theego is united with God, then the three gunas– the three qualities of existence – are undercontrol and seen as an integral part of thecosmic reality. So there is no real separationbetween the spiritual and the material,between the absolute and the relative,between Brahman and maya.

The great maharishis of India were mastersof knowledge concerning the divine Self andthe nature of cosmic reality, which is called‘sat’. They were also masters of the naturalsciences, music, dance, agriculture, and manyother relatively mundane subjects. The

masters studied both spiritual sciences aswell as material sciences. In India

astrology is considered a spiritualscience. The Sanskrit name forastrology, jyotisha, is made up of

two components:‘jyoti’ meaning light,and ‘ishta’,

knowledge or science.So jyotisha is the

science or knowledge oflight; and light refers not only to

the physical light of the stars, but also to theeffects of this light or energy on theconsciousness of all living beings.

The study of jyotisha is an integral part ofvedic knowledge. The brahmins, the priestlycaste, studied the Vedas. After they learnedone or more of the principle Vedas, they alsostudied the six secondary branches of vedicknowledge, which are called shad vedanga.

The sixth and most important of thesebranches of vedic knowledge is jyotisha.Jyotisha is considered the eye of the vedas,and the other five branches correspond toother body parts: karana – face; chandas –legs; siksha – nose; nirukta – ears; and kalpa –hands. Through jyotisha we can have an ideaof the future, and the nature of cosmic andplanetary influences upon a certain time andplace.

Jyotisha has been an important part ofvedic culture and religion since the beginningof time. Modern research indicates that theVedas are at least eight thousand years old. Butvedic tradition states that the Vedas areperhaps many millions of years old and thatthey have a pre-historic origin. The mostancient of the Vedas is the Rig Veda, whichmentions the sun and the moon and theirmovement across the twenty-eightconstellations. There are other ancientscriptures dedicated to the study of astronomyand astrology such as Vedanga Jyotisha andSurya Siddhanta.

In ancient times astronomy and astrologywere considered two branches of the samescience; the same people studied both sciences.It was the rishis, or the brahmins, who werethe students and the protectors of thisknowledge.

The vedic tradition states that thisknowledge of astrology came directly fromBrahma, who gave it to his disciple Narada, andNarada gave it to the seven great sages orsapta rishi. In the succeeding time cycles theseseven rishis passed this knowledge on to theirdisciples. So there is an unbroken lineage ofthis knowledge directly from God to thepresent time through a succession of rishis andgurus. The study of astrology was passed on ina similar way as the study of yoga and vedanta– oral teachings from teacher to disciple,passed on from generation to generation. Thissuccession of teachers is called guruparampara in Sanskrit. We not only receiveknowledge from our personal teacher, but alsoreceive the blessings of the teacher’s teacher,and the entire lineage of teachers, all the wayback to God.

There is always some kind of spiritualinitiation involved with the study of astrology.Certain mantras are given to enhance intuition,

by Stephen Quong


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VE D IC AS T R O L O G Y

Yoga,& Spiritualityand the astrologer is encouraged or required

to live the life of a yogi, toobserve yama and niyama, topractice pranayama andmeditation, and also to knowabout mantras and pujas, andhave some knowledge ofayurveda and the healing arts. Allthis is in addition to the study ofastrology and astronomy.

I am sure all of you haveheard of Sri Rama. He isconsidered to be the ideal king inthe history of India. His teacher,the Maharishi Vashishta, wasconsidered to be an enlightenedbeing, a great teacher. Hisgrandson Parashura, also a rishi,compiled all the ancient texts onvedic astrology, and becameknown as the grandfather of

modern vedic astrology. This happened manythousands of years ago.

The son of Rishi Parashura was Vedavyas,who is very famous. He is recognized as thegreat scholar who compiled the Vedas, theUpanishads, Bhagavad Gita, the BrahmaSutras and many other important scriptures.Great honor is given to Vedavyas on GuruPoornima, which is the full moon of July. Onthat day all of one’s gurus and teachers areworshipped and honored.

In fact, all the holidays and festivals inIndia are based upon astrology. Even thecelebration of Easter in the western world isan astrological holiday. Easter is celebratedon the first Sunday after the new moon inAries. So the Christian tradition adapted theastrological teaching of that period inhistory, and converted so-called paganholidays into Christian holidays.

All time keeping is based upon themovement of planets. Our entire life isgoverned by time: the day is defined by onerevolution of the earth; a month is the timefrom one new moon to the next new moon;and the year is defined by the revolution ofthe earth around the sun at one time. Sowherever the planets might be at any time,they have some influence over ourconsciousness.

The ancient rishis made a profound studyof the science of astrology. It was animportant part of their religion and culture,and a very valuable tool to assist people inattaining the four goals of human existence.According to the vedic tradition these fourgoals are dharma, which is spiritual lifepurpose; artha, wealth and prosperity; kama,pleasure or love; and moksha, spiritualliberation.

Each of the nine planets and twelve zodiacsigns can be associated with one of thesefour goals. By studying the planetarypatterns in one’s own birth chart, we canknow in a very specific way what our lifelessons are. Every astrological pattern in thebirth chart represents a specific life lesson.The ancient textbooks on astrology say thatthe birth chart is the map of our karmas frompast lifetimes. Sanchita karma can beneutralized or transformed just byunderstanding, as a human or between lives,whilst prarabdha karma must be experiencedphysically and can therefore only be balancedby being in a human body.

Even enlightened beings and greatspiritual teachers have prarabdha karmas toexperience. The astrological patterns shownin their birth charts will be indicative of theexternal conditions of their lives. So even if aperson is a jivanmukta – completely free evenwhilst in a human body and not identifiedwith a sense of ego – the karmas which gavethat person a physical body will stillcorrespond with astrological influencesindicating the external circumstances of theirlife. When we study the horoscopes ofspiritual teachers, their astrology chart willindicate what types of illnesses they mightexperience, what types of disciples theymight have, whether they have a big ashramin the city or a small ashram in the country,whether they will be famous or not, and eventhe kind of spiritual teaching they willspecialize in.

If even great spiritual teachers areinfluenced by prarabdha karma, ordinarypeople are even more so. By studyingastrology we can understand what ourkarmic experiences will be in this life – notjust the general lessons for this life, but also

the specific timetable for the unfoldment ofthese experiences. Sometimes we can notethe exact day or week when a major eventwill happen. So if this forecast is of a difficultcircumstance we can engage in spiritualpractice to minimize the danger. In additionto the understanding of the life pattern, itwas the traditional role of the astrologer torecommend remedies or cures for anypotential problems indicated in the birthchart.

In India the tradition was that peoplewould go to a sadguru for spiritualknowledge – knowledge of the Self and waysto realize the Self – and to an astrologer forunderstanding their karmas and the mostdirect path for transcending these karmas.There is a division of responsibility betweenthe sadguru and the astrologer, but manygreat spiritual teachers knew astrology too,and most astrologers were knowledgeable inspiritual philosophy.

Vedic astrology is not just for Hindus orfor people who are following the vedictradition. The planets affect everyone,regardless of which country they are livingin. With a little adaptation for differences inlanguage and culture, vedic astrology can bea very helpful tool in understanding ourspiritual path and the karmas which are theobstacles to our Self-realization. Even afterwe learn about the goal of life and thespiritual practices which can help us to realizethis goal, we still have to walk the path, liveour lives and go through all the ups anddowns of daily existence. Often we do nothave much idea of what is going on and lifecan sometimes appear very confusing –especially its more mundane factors. Havingthe things we need: enough money to go ona yoga retreat, satisfying work and a goodcareer, harmonious human relationshipswhich will enhance and support our spiritualpractices, and when to have children, wherethe best place to live is, what type of spiritualpractice is best what type of spiritual practiceis best – all these questions can be addressedspecifically through Vedic astrology.

Each planet represents a certaincomponent of our being. For example, theSun represents the expression of the Soul,

the Divine Self, or the Atman. It alsorepresents the sense of ego, which is called"ahamkara" in Sanskrit. Ahamkara means "Iam the doer", "I am a special person".Therefore the Sun's location in the birthchart will symbolize both the spiritual pathfor Self-realization which will be mostattractive for that person, as well as thedistortion of that path through the egosense.

The Moon represents the nature of the mindand the emotions. The Moon is called soma inSanskrit, which means "the divine nectar ofimmortality". Soma is mentioned in many ofthe Vedas as being the goal of spiritual practice.In modern times some scientists have equatedsoma with psychedelic drugs. But basicallysoma is a state of consciousness which isrealized through spiritual practices. When themind becomes peaceful and calm, it is able toreflect the light of the Divine Self, just like thefull moon reflects the light of the sun.

The planet Mercury represents intelligenceand discrimination. Venus represents ourcreative capacity, as well as our karmas for loveand marriage. Mars represents physicalstrength and courage, and--very important--Jupiter represents spirituality and religion.Jupiter is called "Guru" in Sanskrit, whichmeans teacher or spiritual preceptor. Sowherever Jupiter is in the person’s birth chart,this will be an indicator of the kind of guru theyhave an attraction for, and also the kind ofreligion they will have an interest in. Jupiterwill also symbolize the person’s capacity tobecome a guru. And in certain zodiac signsJupiter represents the capacity to become ahealer or physician. Saturn represents ourcapacity for renunciation, selfless service andhumility.

There are certain sections of the horoscopecalled Houses, and the fifth house from theAscendent represents the karma for the IshtaDevata. Ishta Devata means "the personalform of God you have the greatest attractionfor". So if you believe you have had past livesin India, you will probably feel an attractiontowrds one of these different forms of God,like Ganesha, or Krishna, or Rama, or Devi.

Because the worship of a personal form ofGod is so powerful, it leaves a very deepimpression in our mind, and this memory willbe with us in our next lifetime. And if wecontinue to worship the same deity lifetimeafter lifetime, it will make our spiritual pathmuch easier. So the choosing of the IshtaDevata is considered to be very important – andeach of the nine planets represents a certaindeity. In fact each of the major deities in theVedic tradition controls one of the planets orzodiac signs, and they also control the 27important constellations.

So whatever the life lesson is (which is

symbolized by a star or a planet in a certainzodiac sign) then the worship of a specific Vedicdeity can help us to overcome the negativeaspects of that karma. For example, in thebirthchart of Swami Sivananda, the birth starwas Bharani, and the star Bharani is ruled byYama, the God of Death. This does not meansthat he should have worshiped Yama, but as adoctor he saw death everywhere in his practice.During his austerities on the banks of theGanges he developed tremendous detachmentfrom the world, because of his awareness of theimmanence of death. If we think that deathmight come at any time, then we can have realrenunciation. So even though Swami Sivanandadid not worship Yama, the influence of Yama,the God of Death, was a powerful factor in hislife. It was one of the main factors to cause himto renounce the world and become a swami.

For other people the presiding deity oftheir birth star might be Vishnu, soexperiencing the beauty of God’s presenceeverywhere might be the motivation forspiritual life. In the case of Indra, beingimpressed by the profundity of spiritualteachings might be the reason for becomingmore involved in spiritual life. So through thestudy of vedic astrology we can discoverthose very deep and profound underlyingfactors which motivate our spiritual practice.

Vedic astrology has a close associationwith ayurveda. There are three body types inayurveda: vata, pitta and kapha, representingair, fire and earth. Kapha represents bothearth and water. Each of the twelve zodiacsigns corresponds to one of these doshas,and each of the nine planets also correspondsto one of these doshas. By a quick glance atthe horoscope, we can determine theperson’s prakriti, or body type. The planetscan also be associated with the five elementsof nature, or pancha tattva, which is anotherfundamental principle of ayurveda.

The combined study of astrology andayurveda, or some other system of medicine,is commonly called medical astrology. Eachpart of the body has an association with thenine planets or the twelve zodiac signs. If westudy the horoscope we can know whichtypes of illnesses are most probable, and alsoat what age this danger might manifest. Wecan also know through which level of thebody it will express itself – whether it will bea physical, emotional or a psychologicalproblem, and whether it will be short-term,chronic, or incurable. Through astrology youcan choose the best time to take medicine,to make the medicine most effective. It iscommonly known that poisonous herbscreate more poison during the full moon, socertain herbs are harvested in certain periodsof the month to enhance their effect.Medicines are even mixed at certain times of

the month and made more potent withmantras to the deities of that moon sign. InIndian classical music we have ragas, orclassical scales. Each of these ragas has anassociation with one of the constellations.There are some classical musicians who willchoose which raga to play based on wherethe moon is that day, and by doing so themusic will have an enhanced effect.

The scope of astrology encompasses manydifferent areas of life. It definitely affects ourspiritual path, our health, our career, ourrelationship karmas, our finances, the climateand region we will have the greatest successin – in fact, every area of life is pervaded byastrological influence.

Every ancient civilization or culture had itsown form of astrology. Chinese astrology is avery ancient science, and most of the countriesin the Middle East area have their ownastrological traditions – the Egyptians,Babylonians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Arabs, Greeksand Romans are just a few; and in moderntimes European astrology has been highlydeveloped.

But it is in India that the study ofastrology has been taken to the highestheights. Of all the systems of astrology whichare currently available for study, vedicastrology has perhaps the greatestdistinction. It has been practicedcontinuously for eight thousand years and isstill being practiced today by some veryspiritual people – with the intention ofhelping people to attain spiritual liberation.So even though it can address the materialside of life, the analysis of the material andmundane is always seen in the context of thebigger picture, which in the vedic traditionis: only Brahman is real, the world is unreal,Brahman and the world are one. Ultimately,there is no separation between the materialand spiritual world. This perception ofseparation instead of unity, is caused by theveiling power of maya, which we are alltrying to overcome through the practice ofyoga and the study of vedanta.

May the knowledge of jyotisha assistyou on the path to unity through yoga andSelf-realization.

Om Namah Sivaya. ■


26


About the authorStephen Quong (Umananda)has studied and practicedastrology in Asia and Americasince 1970. He has traveledextensively in India, Nepal,

and Sri Lanka, studying with many of the mostaccomplished contemporary masters of vedicastrology and palmistry.


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TE A C H E R S ’ TR A I N I N G CO U R S E

The Yoga Teachers’ Training Course in ValMorin, Quebec, Canada in July 2000 wasan extraordinary experience. There werecountless moments of despair and struggle

during the intensive, month-long training. Yet,for all the hardships encountered, it has nowbecome a landmark in my life as well as aboundless source of inspiration and strength.

During the first few days I found myselfresisting almost every aspect of the course – the5.30am wake-up call,the strict discipline,the rigorousprogram, the lack ofpersonal space andtime, the constantbombardment oftheory and newideas. It was only thehatha yoga lessons(asanas andpranayama), takenon the lakeside deck,which seemed tomake any sense.However, my yogateacher in London (who took TTC in 1981), had told meto keep my mind open and attend every class withoutprevious expectation or judgement. Although I failedon this account many times, the more I trusted in myteacher’s advice the more fruitful and interesting theresults were.

The teachings on the course were those of theancient yogis. I found myself in a privileged position

Teachers’ Training Course in Val Morin/July 2000

During the first few days Ifound myself resistingalmost every aspect of thecourse – the 5.30am wake-up call, the strict discipline,the rigorous program, thelack of personal space andtime...

by Kiki Morriss


31

– exposed to a profound understanding of essential humannature and the methods through which we can attainpeace of mind. The lessons were given by a group of benignand respectful teachers who encouraged direct experiencerather than blind faith. The schedule was always tough andchallenging, yet each day I learned to drop my judgementsa little more in order to apply myself and reap theenormous benefits.

We are all constantly seeking happiness. In the West welook to the outside world to fulfil this desire, hoping that anew car, relationship, house or friend will satisfy our longings.Yet every time our expectations are dashed. TTC directed meelsewhere in the pursuit of joy – it took me on an unexpectedjourney into myself. The asanas and pranayama proved to bea means to an end, as yogis control the body in order toconquer the mind and see beyond it to the true Self. As Ifocused on my mind during morning and evening meditation,I became aware of its incessant activity and of how muchenergy I expended in uselessworrying. TTC encourages youto act rather than to sit aroundthinking and worrying. InSwami Sivananda’s words ‘anounce of practice is worth aton of theory’. It became clearthat things are only a problemif they are a problem in yourmind. Through persistentlytuning and relaxing my body,and stilling my mind, I beganto glimpse a state of innerpeace. From this newperspective I found myself ableto let things go when therewas nothing I could do aboutthem. This freed up vast reservoirs of energy which I couldthen use in more positive ways.

A central part of TTC is the study of Vedanta philosophy.This advocates that we are all pure consciousness, thatanything with a name or form is an illusion and that the bodyand mind are merely instruments with which to realise the Self.At first this was a hard concept to grasp. The culture that weare brought up in teaches us to identify with our bodies andminds, to prize and cultivate individuality. Chanting ‘I am notmy body, I am not my mind’ felt very alien to begin with, butthe more I contemplated this idea, the more I experienced adeep and blissful sense of unity with all things.

Karma yoga, selfless service to humanity, was an integralpart of our daily schedule. Everyone was assigned a job to helpwith the upkeep of the ashram, from working in the boutiqueto cleaning the toilets. My task was to sweep and mop thekitchen floor after lunch. At first I turned my nose up at it, butgradually I learnt to do what I disliked with the same spirit as

that which I liked – with joy,concentration and detachment.

Due to the intensivenature of TTC you make closefriends extremely quickly. Thishuman contact was a veryprecious part of the course. Wesupported each other through thehard times and celebrated thegood times with impromptujamming sessions on drumsand guitar, in the swimmingpool and sauna, and withwalks through the forest orto the nearby village for anillicit cup of coffee (decaf of course). Everyone hadtheir personal way of

getting awayfrom the course inorder to return to itwith renewed energyand enthusiasm.

It is said that much ofthe teaching on TTC isthe planting of seeds,that hundreds of ideascome into the consciousmind and understandingonly when the time isready, when sufficientpurity, strength andclarity of mind havebeen achieved. Already Ihave noticed many shifts

in my behavior and attitude sincefinishing the course. My levels ofenergy, confidence and staminahave shot up. My mind is calm,focused and content. I have agreater sense of freedom thanever before, in that I haveincreased my capacity to take lifeas it comes.

This morning I taught my firstyoga lesson at the Sivananda Centrein London. It felt as if someone elsewas teaching the class, as if I was avessel through which an energypassed from a long lineage ofteachers to my students. This isthe beginning of somethinggood. ■

Chanting ‘I am not mybody, I am not my mind’felt very alien to beginwith, but the more I contemplated this idea, themore I experienced a deepand blissful sense of unitywith all things

TE A C H E R S ’ TR A I N I N G CO U R S E


33


Oh man, you curse me, blame me,You hate me and frown at meYou think I am cruel and heartless.You try to slay me with anaesthetics, With choloroform and bromides,You attack me with sedatives and opiates.You phone the doctors, you run to the hospitals; You fly to Vienna and hill stations.You wire to your friends and relatives; You approach the saints of the Himalayas for remedies and herbs.You do Maha Mritunjaya Japa and Havan. You burn incense and pray – To kill the teacher Who warns you, Who comes to help and bless you.

I am not your enemy, I am your friend,I am a messenger from God, I am an angel from heaven, to teach you wisdom, To instill in your heart mercy and dispassion.To turn your mind towards God.To destroy your intense clinging To things earthly and mundane,That are perishable and illusory.I am your guide and silent teacher;I AM PAIN – the best thing in this world;

I am an eye-opener, soul-awakenerI am an inspirer and thriller,I come to remind you of God,To point to you the divine path,To make you desist from evil ways,To make you practise good habits;You have really misunderstood me, I am only the absence of pleasure, I co-exist with pleasure; I am the starting point of philosophy, I am the cause of man’s exertion,I am the cause of man’s aspirations,I set the minds of philosophers to think, I make the Yogis start spiritual practices, I make the sages practise meditation,

I make a worldly man a superman.You failed to observe the laws of health,

The rules of hygiene and right living,You took Rajasic and Tamasic foods,

You took meat, fish and eggs;You were not regular in doing exercise,You did not do Pranayama and Asanas,

You did not pray and meditate,You were immoderate in taking food,

You did not bask in the sun, You slept in ill-ventilated rooms,

You took too much of sweetmeats, You drank impure water,

You hated and injured your neighbours, You were lustful, malicious and greedy,

And so suffered strokes and heart attacks,You married a third time,

You were a heavy smoker in the club,You drank liquor and took drugs,

You took bribes and cheated,You twisted the truth in courts

And thereby sent innocent men to prison,You charged your patients heavily –

And so I come to you,To heal, to teach, to guide.

Understand now at least My secret and good nature,

My interest in your well-being;Practise simple living and high thinking,

Observe the laws of health and hygiene,Adopt a well-balanced, vegetarian diet,Practise non-injury, truth and celibacy,

Read holy books and scriptures, Love all and be kind to all, Forgive and forget quickly,

Serve all with affection, See the Lord in all, Repeat the Divine Name at all times –

It will protect and guide you,Then I will depart and leave you. I will not trouble you any longer.

– Swami Sivananda

I Am Pain, Thy TeacherYOGAL i fe Winter 2001

Many years ago, when I had just becomeacquainted with Sivananda Yoga, Icame to a point where I wanted tomake changes in my life. I had only

been to the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp atVal Morin once or twice but felt that I should go there for a weekend to see ifI could come to some decisions on some lifeissues. To keep my focus I wrote down four or five issues that I intended toponder during my time at the ashram anddidn’t tell anyone the purpose of my visit.Swami Vishnu-devanandaji was at the yogacamp but I had never met him and, as far as Iwas aware, nobody knew me and I was just an anonymous face in the crowd. Perfectfor my purposes.

I cheerfully participated in the ashram’sdaily routine of morning and evening yogaclasses and satsangs and went about mybusiness of trying to resolve my issues. It wasat one of these evening satsangs that an eventoccurred that changed the course of my life.That satsang was held in the main buildingwhere the boutique is now located. There wereseveral dozen other people there. SwamiVishnu-devananda was there in his wheelchairand began to give his nightly talk to the group.As I listened to Swamiji’s talk, it suddenlydawned on me that Swami Vishnu-devananda,within the context of this general talk, wasalso answering the questions that I had comeup to the Yoga Camp to resolve. Not only that,but he was answering them in the order that Ihad written them down! At first, I was stunnedby this discovery. Then I was awed by his abilityto know my mind so intimately. I was alsoimpressed by his ability to weave his responsesto my questions seamlessly into the talk thathe was giving. Next, I was overwhelmed by thecompassion and solicitude that hedemonstrated for my struggle and the succor that his answersprovided. Finally, I recognised his willingnessto offer himself to me as guru and to accept me as a disciple.

When satsang ended, I waited until he hadaccepted greetings and obeisance from theother people there. As Swami Vishnu-devananda came out of the room, I knelt down,thanked him for his help and touched his feet.I had met and recognised my guru. And whathappened to those issues I was struggling

with? They dissolved; simply vanished.Not because of the particular answersthat he gave me but rather because hecared enough to answer at all, becausehe recognized my concerns and distressand made a compassionate response tothem. And, more importantly, becausehe did so firstly in a way that I couldunderstand and secondly, in a way thatgave me a different, higher perspectivethat clearly demonstrated that those issues were actually non-issues. Theissues that had been so significant tome simply dissolved in the light of that Self-realisation to which Swami Vishnu-devananda had sobriefly elevated me.

There are several elements to thisstory, each of which could be thesubject of an extended talk, a chapterin a book on guru-shishya relations ora book on the philosophy andtechniques of yoga. The non-judgement, humility and compassion thatpermeated Swamiji’s talk are subjects ofendless books and are at the root of his beingable to reach out to me that evening. Hisbeing an instrument of God’s grace is anotherpoint. Being an instrument of God’s grace is atopic that will always occupy the attention ofmany people: how to tap into that grace, howto use it, and why one can serve and givetirelessly when open to that divine grace.Another important element is the limitationand futility of ego, the limitation of rationalthought, and their transcendentalalternatives. I could write about the worldlyand transcendental benefits of totalopenness: the illusion of vulnerability and theprotective prison of ideas and emotions thatpeople who feel vulnerable erect against theworld; the strength, limitless perspective andfearlessness to be had from practicing totalopenness; and how others are also elevatedin the face of one’s openness.

Another important topic arising from thatevent could be the intimacy of a guru-shishya relationship: what is expected of aguru and of a shishya or the dynamics ofsuch a relationship. Swamiji’s ability to ‘readmy mind’ was a demonstration of siddhis,paranormal abilities that defy conventionalexplanation but are a natural consequence of

spiritual evolution, as the system of nadis andchakras becomes purified and theconsciousness becomes attuned to them.These siddhis are lures that continue to drawthousands of aspirants and about whichmany books have been written.

I want to mention here the two elementsthat stood out for me during thatencounter with Swami Vishnu-devananda.It was Swamiji’s ability to know in precisedetail the contents of my mind that initiallycaptured my attention. How was it possible,especially in such precise detail? The siddhilies outside of our normal expectations forhumans. To experience its application isstunning. It turns one’s world upside downand inside out. All prior references to thehuman condition and human potential areimmediately seen as self-limiting obstaclesdesigned to give us the illusion of controland competence. Swamiji’s brief demon -stration opened my awareness andexpanded my horizons infinitely. This wasnot to be last time that Swamiji was to dothis for me, but those are stories foranother time. His demonstration of siddhiswas something about which I felt that I hadto find out more. It was only later that Icame to understand that to chase siddhisinstead of seeking God was counterproductive

SWA M I V I S H N U-D E V A N A N D A YOGAL i fe Winter 2001

34

Lessons with Swamijiby Sankara (Peter Beecham), Ottawa, Canada

35

SWA MI V I S H N U-D E V A N A N D AYOGAL i fe Winter 2001

and could result in less spiritual awarenessrather than more. I had mistaken someincidental consequences of the spiritualjourney for enlightenment itself. But atleast I had recognised the path.

This demonstration of a new, all-encompassing way of perception was certainlyintriguing. It was also very intimidating. Here wasa person who was capable of knowing thesmallest detail of my thoughts. In this case, hehad focused on my aspirations. He could,however, just as easily have been aware (andprobably was) of all the day-to-day negativitythat was passing through my mind. We all havenegative thoughts that we would not like othersto know about. How would you like someone elseto know every thought that you had? They mightbe threatened by those thoughts or even judgeyou as weird or unfit to associate with. SwamiVishnu-devananda, despite his awarenessof all of my thoughts, good and bad,had decided to help me, not to judgeme. The guru is always aware ofwhere you are on the spiritualpath and why, and he or she stillelects to guide you. It is this lackof pretence and judgement, thistotal openness and absolute trustthat is a hallmark of a guru-disciple relationship.

Learning that you can functionin the world with such attitudes isanother lesson that is learned gradually.What you take with you when you leave theguru and attempt to make your way in the worldis a new openness and an absence of fear. Youhave a new perspective on the world and itspeople. How people respond to you and theconventions of church, state and business areless defining and thus less confining. You have alove and compassion that was not there before.The guru’s recognition of the content of your mindand heart and his or her decision to help you is ademonstration of love and compassion – a modelthat you can take with you into your daily lifeand apply when you encounter circumstancesthat pose a threat to your self-image and achallenge to your equanimity and goodwill. Byremembering your guru’s compassion for you,you learn to act from love and not from fear,revenge or self-interest. To paraphrase thegolden rule: do unto others as your guru hasdone unto you.

For me, coming at that time from theinvestment industry, a corporate culture

that had the rather limiting preoccupationsof only money and power, the second majorlesson from this initial encounter withSwami Vishnu-devananda was the lesson inhumility and compassion. Here was a personwho was an internationally recognisedexpert on yoga-vedanta, the head of aninternational yoga organization thatrequired his constant attention and whowas also in the midst of giving a talk to alarge group of people. The potential for egoaggrandizement was enormous. A tendencyto be dismissive and aloof would have beenunsurprising. To be preoccupied would havebeen natural. But Swamiji had none ofthese characteristics. Instead, he remained

above the details of his personalcircumstances and stayed true to his sourceof inspiration. He singled me out as aperson in need and responded to that needunobtrusively. Who knows how many otherpeople in that audience on that eveningreceived Swamiji’s intense and com -passionate attention? He had no ego, nofear, no sense of separation. He was loveand compassion, humility and supremeawareness. This was a new model of beingto me.

It was only later that I came tounderstand that having no ego, no fear andno sense of separation and to be totallyaware, compassionate and loving were notonly connected but mutually dependent.There could not be one without the others.

To be one of these is to be all of them. Topractice one is to develop the others. I alsocame to understand that these attributeswere indicative of the natural state of eachperson. They were not characteristics thathad to be created but rather characteristicsthat were part of one’s authentic being, theSelf that had been obscured and whichwould reappear as one removed theobstacles to Self-awareness. Theseobstacles to Self are the limiting andnegative ideas that we carry around withus, which permeate our responses to theevents of our days and which, indeed, evendetermine how we perceive those events.To practice the positive opposites of theselimiting ideas is to allow our true Self tocome gradually to the surface and presentItself to the world.

It is not just from our own efforts thatwe live as our authentic Self. It is

through God’s grace and, in my case,through the grace of the guru thatour consciousness can remainelevated and the authentic Self bepresented to the world. Toremember God is to keep ourauthentic Self at the forefront. AsSwami Sivananda said, ‘Remember.

Forget.’ Remember God. Forget therest. Forget anything that is not God.

Ignore it. Keep bringing your mind tothe positive and to God. Since that initial encounter, I have

become a full-time teacher of yoga,meditation, and stress management. I try topresent Swamiji’s teachings to thoseattending my classes and seminars and torelate those teachings to people’s owncircumstances. Swamiji’s five points, i.e.proper exercise, proper breathing, properrelaxation, proper diet and positive thinkingand meditation, remain the cornerstone ofmy teachings and my sadhana. I continue togrow personally and spiritually because ofthat initial meeting with Swami Vishnu-devananda. And I remain eternally grateful.■

I was awed by his ability to know my mind so

intimately and was overwhelmed by the compassion and solicitude that

he demonstrated for my struggle and the succor that his

answers provided

About the authorSankara teaches yoga in Ottowa in Canada. He is along-time devotee of Swami Vishnu-devanandaSankara can be contacted at [email protected]

Khajuraho, two hundred miles from Delhi,is home to eighty-eight temples which arerenowned for their erotic carvings. Manyforeigners visit Khajuraho and wonder

how erotic art can be associated with a holyplace. However, such sculpture is by no meansconfined to Indian temples, and can be foundfor example in St. Paul’s cathedral in Londonand the church of St. Stephen in Vienna,Austria.

On careful scrutiny all aspects of life have ascientific and aesthetic foundation. It is amodern misnomer that the ancients had noscience. Science makes precise all arts, and artbeautifies and enriches all science. Bothaspects are essential for a true way of life andin India our forebears never lost sight of this inany walk of life. In India there is a desire toattain to perfection, and art is also oftenbrought in to transform a subject intosomething beautiful and aesthetic.

In Indian art the symbols cannot be properlyunderstood without reference to Indianphilosophy and the consequent religiousattitude. Then they can be seen as signals alongthe spiritual path of India’s changeless wisdom.The belief is that human life is essentially aspiritual progression, with its central purposebeing self-realisation. This is achieved bybreaking all the bonds of ignorance. The prayer

of India from time immemorial has been ‘Asatoma sat gamaya, tamaso ma jyothir gamaya’ –Lead me from the unreal to the real, lead mefrom darkness to light.

Ananda Coomaraswamy wrote in his ‘Essaysin National Idealism’, ‘The arts are all thussacred and designed for spiritual awakening.’This means that the arts are not just merediversions or an escape from the drudgery oflife. The arts are meant to give wings to theaspirations of the human soul; thus they havea universal message. If we look at art in Indiadivorced from this philosophical background,it loses its real meaning.

This religious approach to art does notassume that art should be solely other-worldlyor puritanical. Religion is India is aboutliberation, moksha, which is achieved throughremoval of ignorance, avidya. To help achievethis, art covers all phases and activities of anindividual’s life, seeking to create in the devoteean attitude conducive to the attainment of thespiritual goal. In this way a religious attitude isinfused into all the normal activities of life,therefore eliminating the opposition betweenthe secular and the sacred.

In Indian religious tradition it is said thatlife has four major, well-defined purposes.These are: dharma, the practice of virtue; artha,the acquisition of wealth; kama, the enjoyment


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IN D I A N AR T

Indian Artby Sri Padmanabha Dasa, H.H. Marthanda Varma

of the pleasures of life; and finally moksha,liberation. This scheme makes it clear that thereis no attempt to reject the world. The warningis not against the enjoyment of worldlypleasures but against the temptation to losesight of the goal by letting these pleasuresbecome a goal in themselves. It is said that ahuman should be like the lotus flower, thrivingin water but never allowing water to stick to itor submerge it. Life should be a synthesisbetween the world of spirit and the world ofmatter. In India these two worlds are seen ascomplementary and art must be viewed as areflection of this view.

In Indian art, (whether painting, music,dance, or sculpture) we can see the wholedrama of life, with its pulsating passions andvarying moods and activities, richlyrepresented. So there is no contradictionbetween the rich sensuousness expressed andits spiritual intention. K. Bharatha Iyer writes‘the gods and goddesses and even the asceticBuddha are conceived in the mostcaptivatingly sensuous forms and as everyouthful and radiant.’ And Henrich Zimmer, acareful student of Indian art, writes that ‘whatmay appear to the casual observer to be nudefigures, are in reality tastefully robed and be-jewelled. Garments and ornaments areassimilated to the forms which they adorn.

They are angelic figures of subtle, unearthlyvoluptuousness; shining forth from them istheir delight in the glorious impalpability oftheir bodies.’

Art in India is fundamentally called upon tosymbolise subtle and profound intellectual andphilosophical conceptions and transcendentalstates of experience. ■


37

IN D I A N AR T

About the authorMajor General Sri PadmanabhaDasa Vanchi Pala Sri Bala RamaVarma Kulasekhara Kiritapati ManneySultan Maharaja Raja Rama RajaBahadur Shamsher Jang, GCSI, GCIE isthe Maharaja of Travancore.

There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all,beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. Thisis the light that shines in our heart. All this universe is in truth Brahman.He is the beginning and end of life and all. As such in silence, give himadoration. There is a spirit that is mind and life, light and truth and vastspaces. He contains all works and desires and all perfumes and all tastes.He enfolds the whole universe, and in silence is loving to all. This is thespirit that is in my heart, smaller than a grain of canary-seed, or the kernelof a grain of canary-seed. This is the spirit that is in my heart, greater thanthe earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven itself, greater thanthe worlds. He contains all works and desires and all perfumes and tastes.He enfolds the whole universe and in silence is loving to all. This is thespirit that is in my heart, this is Brahman.- Chandogya Upanishad, Hindu

Lao Tzu says that ‘Silence is the great revelation’. If

we can penetrate this interior silence we will find a deep

centre within from which we can receive impressions from

another plane. Like a calm pool reflects the moonbeam in the

stillness of the night, equally, disturbing outer impressions will find

a resting place, for in the silence everything is understood, in a way

not comprehensible by the mind. Do not lead yourself to be analytical

here for this is a divine process of transmutation where we can transcend

the experience and offer it to the Beloved with a whole heart. A heart in

the state of becoming needs this inner well of silence, like the ego needs

the Higher Self, for only then can it drown in safety and be still.

- Margaret Sampson, Sufi


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TH E PU R E PR I N C I P L E

The Pure PrincipleExcerpted from the recently released book by Jim Pym

There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind, whichin different places and ages has had different names; it is howeverpure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no

forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart standsin perfect sincerity.

These words of John Woolman point the way for Quakers today to embrace religiouslanguage, beliefs and practices from other faith traditions while remaining true to their own.In this new century, it is vital that the world’s religions learn to understand and cooperatewith each other. These words from sacred texts and from people of different faiths, help us tobegin to see that unity which we are searching for.

from the sacred texts...

For, when I came into the silent assemblies of God’speople, I felt a secret power among them, whichtouched my heart; and as I gave way unto it I foundthe evil weakening in me and the good raised up…- Robert Barclay, Quaker

There is, O monks, an Unborn, an Unmade, an

Unmanifest and an Unbecome. If it were not so, there

would be no escape from the born, the made, the

manifest and the become.- The Buddha

May the time be not distant, O God, when all your childrenwill understand that they are brothers and sisters so that, onein spirit and one in fellowship, they may be forever unitedbefore You. Then shall Your Kingdom be established on earth,and the word of Your prophet shall be fulfilled: ‘The Lord willreign for ever and ever’.- Prayer Book, Jewish

”“

In the company of saints, man learns how to turn enemies into friends, As he becomes completely free of evil and bears malice to none,In the company of the good, there is no swerving from the path,No looking down upon anybody as evil.Man sees all round him the Lord of Supreme Joy,And freeing himself from the feverish sense of self,Abandons all pride, such is the efficacy of fellowship with a holy man,Whose greatness is known only to the Lord.The servant of the Ideal is akin to the Master.- Sukhmanu, Sikh


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TH E PU R E PR I N C I P L E

Will ye tell others to be righteous and not practiserighteousness yourself?- The Qur’an 2, 44

O God, it is Thy word that mankind is a single nation, so all human beings

are born free and equal in dignity and rights, they are endowed with love

and conscience and should act towards one another in the spirit of

brotherhood.- The Qur’an, Islam

Now is the time for the lover of God to raisehigh the banner of unity, to intone, in theassemblages of the world, the verses of friendshipand love and to demonstrate to all that the grace

of God is one. Thus will the tabernacles of holinessbe upraised on the summits of the earth, gathering all peoples into the protective shadow of the World of Oneness. This great bounty will

dawn over the world at the time when the lovers of Godshall arise to carry out His teachings, and to scatter farand wide the fresh, sweet scent of universal love.- Baha’U’llah, Baha’I

Hatred is never diminished by hatred. Hatred is

diminished by love. This is the eternal law.

- The Dhammapada, Buddhist

Do not do untoothers that which youwould not have them dounto you.- Rabbi Hillel, Jewish

The faiths of others all deserve to behonored… by knowing them, one exaltsone’s own faith.

- Asoka, Buddhist

If your mind is open it is always readyfor anything; it is open to everything.In the beginner’s mind there aremany possibilities; in the expert’smind there are few.

- Shunryu Suzuki; Zen Mind, Beginner’sMind

Be still and know that

I Am God- Psalm 46, Jewish

I forgive all living beings,Let all living beings forgive me;

All in this world are my friend,

I have no enemies.- Prayer of Forgiveness, Jain Do not approve for another what you do not like for

yourself.- Gospel of Zarathustra, Zoroastrian

O Thou who art the Kernel of Existence, reconcile us all into

love of each other and of Thee, for all lamps are lit from the

same Light. - Rumi, Sufi

O God!May I treat othersAs I would be treatedWhat I like not for myselfMay I dispense not to others.- Abdullah Ansari, Sufi

About the authorJim Pym was born and brought up a Roman Catholic. Following a crises offaith, he discovered Buddhism in his early 20s. Two years later he attended hisfirst Quaker meeting. He has worked at Friends House for over eighteen years.Along with Margot Tennyson, he is the founder of the Friends InterfaithGroup. With a particular interest in prayer and meditation, he is a member ofthe Friends Fellowship of Healing, the National Federation of SpiritualHealers, the World Congress of Faiths, the Alister Hardy Society (for the studyof spiritual experience) and a Buddhist/Christian group which has met formore than ten years.

The book The Pure Principle tackles questions that have arisen inmore than twenty-five years of work and facilitating interfaithconferences and retreats for Friends and others, and shares some of theauthors discoveries. The Pure Principle is available from Sessions of York,The Ebor Press, York YO31 9HS, England.

Even in error deem not the God of the Hindus to be other than the God of theMuslims, worship the one God, recognise the Enlightener. All men have the samehuman form. In all men blazes the same divine light. Love all God’s creation, boththe whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of light. Love theanimals, love the plants, love each separate thing. If you love each thing then youwill perceive the mystery of God in all, then you will thenceforth grow every day toa fuller understanding.– Feodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

He alone will obtain an excellent end –Who does good to others, and knows not how to reproach them,

Who is merciful to all creatures, and cherishes cattle;And in the desert gives water to the thirsty:Who is calm and never blames any.- Tukaram, Hindu

GI F T O F T H E GU R U

Swami Vishnu-devananda has brought usthe guru in the physical form of theSivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.Enlightened by his devotion to the guru,

Swami Vishnuji built an infrastructure of yogalife upon his own example of tireless selflessservice, and a pure vision of ‘Unity in diversity’.Through Swami Vishnuji’s all encompassingfaith in the spiritual presence of the guru, in thesaintly perfection of Swami Sivananda, he gavethis vision to the world. He gave us the yogasadhana, a passion for his master’s liberatingwritings, and a mission of selfless service ofhumanity that now make up the centralingredients of the Sivananda yoga life. Swamijihad the gift of translating the traditionalspiritual yoga practices to be accessible to all,no matter what national, religious or culturalbarriers may have stood in the way. From theasanas and pranayama, to the sacred Indianscriptures, the Sanskrit mantras and devotionalchanting, Swamiji made yoga so much moreaccessible to the modern world. Thus Sivanandayoga life is action harmonized in the vedanticknowledge of the unity of life, skillfullycultivated through the systematic practice ofyoga sadhana. The guru’s grace takes formthrough this transforming sadhana, guided bycompassionate vision, unconditional love, andthe living example of the yoga masters.

Like many people, I spent much of myyouth in search of Truth. I studied books and‘experimented with Truth’ in politics, religionand relationships. Yet, habitual attachmentsand prejudices, arrogance, and anunmanageable ego stifled all my isolatedattempts. Upon completion of studies at theUniversity of California at Berkeley, I set off ona more interior study of introspection, prayerand meditation, searching for divine guidancein the sacred natural wonders of the Americanwilderness. Yet without the anchor of aspiritual tradition to hold a steady course ofsadhana and a teacher to help remove theimpurities from my vision, instead ofestablishing myself in truth and compassion, I

slipped deeper into an isolated emotionalworld. After a series of hard knocks of karma, Ifinally surrendered my ego enough to pray fora teacher. Almost instantly, in what I have sincecome to believe as a continuous stream ofmiracles, my prayers were answered and I wasled to the Sivananda Ashram headquarters inVal Morin, Quebec and the disciplined yoga lifeof Swami Vishnu-devananda. For twenty-threeyears I have walked this liberating path ofselfless service, self-discipline, self-study andmeditation – mostly under the direct guidanceof Swami Vishnuji. I do not claim to haveattained liberation or God-realization, or evento have conquered this impulsive ego. Yet eachday that I move ahead step by step withsadhana and service, I gain a little more controlover the mind, and by so doing my life is filledwith more peace, joy, compassion, and beauty.The yoga life has become life’s great adventure,a journey of love and courage amidst failuresand setbacks, a path of conscious spiritualtransformation.

Next to the masters who have trodden thispath before me, I feel like a clumsy child,struggling to develop the courage, humility,will-power, concentration and discrimination tolive the ‘divine life’ of yoga. Yet finding theguiding hand and limitless compassion of theguru at every difficult step to lead me on, I havedeveloped a profound patience and faith. I haveexperienced the divine life as ‘skill in action’witnessing the heroic life and liberation ofSwami Vishnu-devananda. I have knownperfection through Swamiji’s eyes of lovingdevotion to his beloved master, SwamiSivananda. I have seen a thousand miracles inthe spiritual transformations of countlessgurubais, staff and students who have beeninspired by Swamiji and his disciples to practicethis path of yoga.

The exemplary lives of these masters ofyoga clearly point to the simple nature of Truth.The guru embodies Truth by guilelessly livingthe ‘divine life’ as a natural expression of self.Truth does not belong to anyone – not to

Swami Vishnu-devananda or SwamiSivananda, or to India, or to any particularreligion, or even to the vast science of yoga.Yoga is the art of living the Love and Truth atthe source of all religions, realized as God orSelf by all saints and spiritual masters. Butrealizing Truth is inseparable from living it. Forthis we need a clearly marked path of yoga life.Then, both action and experience are perfectedwith absolute faith in the guru and thesadhana, the integrated discipline of heart,hand and intellect that he gives us. Throughthe Vedantic vision of ‘unity in diversity’ themasters call us to spiritualize the details of ourdaily lives in a continual service of the divinemission of living and teaching yoga. As MasterSivananda was so fond of reminding us, ‘Thouart divine! Live up to it!’ Or, as Jesus put it sosimply and clearly, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself.’ The yoga life calls us to cultivate theexperience of Unity and put it into actionthrough service, self-study, devotion andmeditation.

The yoga life develops strength, faith andwisdom to awaken unity of vision by practicingceaseless selfless service as the naturalexpression of our true self. Patanjali refers to theancient tradition of yoga life as kriya yoga in hisyoga sutras. Tapas, (conquest of mind throughself-discipline), swadhyaya, (conquest of themind through knowledge of the self), andishwara pranidhana, (conquest of the mindthrough surrender of our ego before the divineor God), are the disciplines needed to preparethe mind for concentration, meditation andtranscendental experience or samadhi. In thisliving daily sadhana, ‘an ounce of practice’ istruly ‘worth tons of theory’. The Sivananda YogaVedanta Centers have been masterfullyorganized to immerse the staff and students inthe yoga life, fulfilling the dharma or mission ofthe great yoga masters.

According to Patanjali’s definition, tapasincludes all sadhana, which destroyimpurities and develop the powers of bodyand mind. Swami Vishnuji’s famous ‘Five


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The Gift of the Guru ~~ The Sivananda Yoga LifeBy Srinivasan

By the grace of the all-compassionate guru, the light of the world, the remover of the endlesssuffering from the tyranny of the ego bound in ignorance, I give thanks for the preciousopportunity to lead the yoga life.

Points for Health and Happiness’ form acomplete routine of sattvic or pure tapas.‘proper exercise, (asana); proper breathing,(pranayama); proper relaxation, (savasan);proper diet, (vegetarian); positive thinking(vedanta) and meditation, (dhyana); togethercomprise a universally accessible, yetcomprehensive set of practices to destroyimpurities and develop power of body andmind.

Swadhyaya, that study which leads toknowledge of the self and union with one’sspiritual ideal or Ishta devata, forms the coreof our daily Sivananda satsang. The japameditation, the chanting, the vedanticreading or talk, and the universal prayers andmantras chanted for unity and world peace,all have been designed to help us know theself and to free ourselves from the ignoranceof egoism. The rest of the day is devoted toselfless service, the key to freedom from theselfish lower nature and the pure expressionof our essential nature as the immortal self.In this Sivananda yoga life, vedantaphilosophy is brought to life with devotion.The practice of philosophy and devotion,which appear opposite to the untrainedeye, are blended perfectly in the livesand practical teachings of our masters.Both Swami Sivananda and SwamiVishnuji served with unconditionallove driven by the absolute couragefounded in the vedanta philosophy ofthe immortal, transcendental natureof the self. To quote SwamiSivananda, ‘divine wisdom, Godwarddevotion, universal compa ssion,spiritual service and inner purity –these are the five rays that emanatefrom a jnani, a self-realized sage’.

Ishwara pranidhana is defined as thecomplete surrender of the ego and its wrongunderstandings, to the divine universal spiritof Truth and Love. It is also the basis of samadhiand all mystical experience. The guru naturallyexpresses this devotion with every act, everyword, and every gesture. Through the eyes ofthe guru, God is the only reality. The objects ofour attachment, as well as our fears of losingthem, are based on infatuation, superimposedproducts of our ignorance. This idealisticphilosophy is experienced as practical yoga lifethrough the guru’s unfailing example. Finally,through divine grace under the protection ofthe guru, success in both karma yoga andsadhana is realized on a daily basis.

The gurus, Swami Sivananda and SwamiVishnu-devananda, have opened this classicpath of yoga life to countless hungry, waitingsouls both East and West. They have inspiredcourage and faith through their faith in theinherent divinity of all who aspire for theTruth. From these awakened aspirants, they

have built an army of yoga teachers to spreadthe essential truths of spiritual life throughoutthe world. They taught that by the very act ofliving yoga sadhana, we shine as amsas, orrays of divine light, carrying the ancient yogamessage of peace, love and unity. The guru,more than a mere man or woman, shines asdivine light bringing this message to our directexperience, along with the sadhana needed toestablish ourselves in the divine life. Throughtheir pure vision and example we too becomechildren of light in as much as we succeed inliving the yoga life, mastering our bodies,senses, prana, emotions and intellect tobecome fit instruments of the divine.

My best understanding of the universalrole of the guru and the yoga life came fromSwami Vishnuji’s last words to me as hedeparted to India for the last time from

Montreal’s Mirabel airport. Physically Swamijiwas reduced to but a shell of a man. Yet fromthis frail shell shone the most divine light ofsomeone who had completely surrendered hissuffering to God. I believe the only thing thatkept him in his body at that time was the willto offer his body up at the feet of the divineMother at the Sri Mookambika Temple inKollur. In the face of death, knowing that hisphysical body no longer served any purpose,Swamiji was all joy and compassion. As he waswaiting to board his plane, he was still servingthe group of devotees who accompanied himto the airport. He called me to his side, andthough he was practically physically blindhimself, gazed into my eyes with amazing love

and said, ‘ Be a good father.’ He paused, andthen the divine twinkle burst forth in allradiance and he added, ‘Be not only a goodfather to Sivakami, [my daughter], and Laksmi,[my wife], but to the whole world! The wholeworld is your family.’

I could have taken these words as a callto come forward as a knight in shining armor,or as a prince called to take on some positionof privilege and power, as the role of guru isso often misunderstood here in the West. ButI knew Swamiji too well. To be a good fatheror mother is the most natural, universal dutyof all who would take on the responsibility tomaintain dharma in the world. Every childmust eventually take on the responsibilities ofan adult, and become a parent and thus aguardian of Truth and order. We learn tosacrifice personal interest for the interest ofour children. For the yogi, this universalresponsibility of caring for the family isexpanded to the work and mission of theguru. The dharma given to each disciplebecomes a direct personal application of thedivine life. As the student grows in his or her

ability to carry out this mission, the ‘family’grows until it includes all of humanity. Thisgrowth is the real measure of success inyoga life. My deepest prayer is that thisliberating dharma of Sivananda yogalife be open to all seekers of Truth andthat we can all rise to our duties,blessed with the necessarydiscrimination, love, skill and vision toassume our birthright, and becomeinstruments of the divine.

To know the guru is to see God. To seeGod as Truth and love, and to live

accordingly, is the divine life. To realize Godand carry out His work is to be the guru.

Swami Vishnu-devananda saw God first andforemost, unequivocally in his guru, SwamiSivananda, and in so doing became the guruhimself. Thus the universal light of guru hasinspired the Sivananda yoga life, our greatmasters’ mission, and their faith, teachings, andsadhana still guide us through their legacy ofSivananda Yoga Vedanta centers and ashrams.■


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GIF T O F T H E GU R U

About the authorSrinivasan is acharya of the Sivananda YogaVedanta Centers in New York and Chicagoand currently based with his family at thebeautiful Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch inNew York’s Catskill Mountains.

The term for perfect health in ayurvedais svastha. Literally translated svasthameans ‘to be fully established in theSelf’. Hence, when we are fully

established in knowing our true nature asGod, we express our full potential. Thisrepresents optimal health for that person.

Ayurveda is a journey to perfect health,peace of mind and, ultimately, toenlightenment. By the very laws of Sankhyaphilosophy, human incarnation isdisharmonious. Once incarnated, humanityforgets its true nature as spirit and lives asa physical being guided by the senses. Thisjourney is one of the pursuit of pleasureand the avoidance of pain and suffering.This simplistic and, as some writers havestated, animalistic existence brings aboutboth physical and emotional pain andsuffering. The process of healing is theprocess of remembering. When a personremembers their true nature as spirit, theybecome empowered to master the sensesand make choices that bring harmony, notpleasure. The fruit of this action is peace of

mind and well-being.When we live out of harmony we suffer.

In the physical body suffering takes theform of pain and symptoms of disease.Ayurveda understands that thesesymptoms are simply the body’s voicecommunicating that we are living out ofharmony. When we change our life and re-create a life of greater harmony, ourbodies reflect this change. There is lesssuffering. The greater the change towardharmony, the more radiant the bodybecomes.

The mind is no different. It is subtler, butthe same laws apply. Symptoms of adiseased mind include unhappiness,depression, sadness, anxiety, anger and anyother emotion other than peace of mind.These symptoms are also communicatingthat we are living out of harmony, thatsome aspect of our life is disharmonious.

Healing is the process of returning toharmony. Once back in harmony the bodyand the mind have no reason tocommunicate symptoms. The body becomes


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AY U R V E D A

Health, Harmonyand Peace of Mind Through Ayurveda

The journey toward perfect health and the journey towardenlightenment are in many ways parallel paths. As we grow and evolveas spirits, we learn to live in ever-greater harmony with ourenvironment. Harmony brings peace of mind and, according to ayurveda,perfect health.

Dr. Mark Halpern

at ease; the mind becomes at peace. In thisstate, awareness reawakens to its truenature as spirit. Self-realization hasoccurred and the individual soul continuesits advance toward enlightenment. WhenSelf-realization occurs twenty four hours aday, seven days a week, the door opens tobecoming a jivan mukta; a liberated soul,and enlightenment ensues.

Ayurveda teaches us that we are allunique individuals. We were conceived witha unique constitution or fundamentalbalance of energies that define who we areon the physical level. It defines what we arenaturally attracted to and what causes usto move out of balance and experiencedisease. Depending on our constitution, wethrive in a particular environment. We takeour environment in through the senses,which are the portals to our body andconsciousness. The energies we take ineither blend with us or disrupt ourharmony. Proper diet (taste), aromas (smell),sounds (hearing), colors (vision), and touchare essential to maintaining internalequilibrium. When harmonious impressionsare taken in, the body is healthy and themind peaceful. When disharmoniousimpressions are taken in, the body and mindsuffer. Hence, ayurveda focuses on helpingindividuals understand themselves asunique beings. With that understanding, aperson can become empowered to makechoices that are in harmony with who theyare. Ayurveda teaches us that nothing isright for everyone but everything is rightfor someone. Ayurveda is the path ofunderstanding what is right for you.

Ayurveda also teaches us that it is notonly the intake of sensory impressions thatdetermines our well-being it is our lifestyleas a whole. Proper daily regimens areessential: a regular schedule that includesmeditation, yoga practices, abhyanga(morning application of body oil), propereating habits and proper hygiene bringsabout good health and peace of mind.When combined with proper intake ofsensory impressions, the depth of the peaceand well-being we experience is infinite.

Creating a lifestyle in harmony with ourconstitution is not easy but it is the mostimportant thing in life. The difficultyassociated with the task causes many seekersof good health and peace of mind to give up.But why? Do we expect peace of mind, perfecthealth and enlightenment to be easy? If itwere easy we would all have it and then whywould we be here? Sankhya philosophyteaches us that we are only here to experience

creation and re-learn about ourselves as spirit.The journey of our learning is the journey ofthe soul finding its way back to God. If weknew everything, what would there be toexperience and learn? Each of us must simplydo our best and realize that growing towardperfect health and enlightenment takes time.With this attitude, wherever we are on thejourney is perfect. We can love ourselves inspite of our perceived imperfections. Withself-love comes patience. Patience is apeaceful tool to carry on the journey towardboth perfect health and enlightenment.

Hari Om Tat Sat ■


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AY U R V E D A

Vata IndividualsThe constitution of vataindividuals contains agreat deal of air and ether,which means they tendtoward the qualities of

coldness, lightness, dryness and instability.These qualities may be experienced as feeling cold easily, having a thin body structure, dry skin, a tendency to move quickly,difficulty staying focused and frequent changes of interests. These individuals have a lot of interests and oftendrift from teacher to teacher, job to job, andrelationship to relationship.

It is important for people with thisconstitution to follow a lifestyle thatemphasizes opposite qualities. Warm or cookedheavy foods provide nurturing and grounding.Oil in the food and applied to the bodyalleviates dryness. Regular routines anddisciplines create stability and improve focus.

Pitta IndividualsThe constitution of pittaindividuals contains agreat deal of fire and asmall amount of water.These people tend to feel

hot, have oily skin and a moderate body build.They tend to be focused, goal orientedindividuals with a competitive and intense

nature. Pitta individuals tend to complete whatthey begin before moving on to the next goal.They enjoy the satisfaction of completion but experience emotional andphysical turmoil when failing or losing.

People of pitta nature are balanced by alifestyle that emphasizes cool and dry impressions through the senses as well asgreater spontaneity and playfulness. For example, raw salads and foods that are not toospicy are best. These individuals find it easy toadopt routines, but more playfulness and lessseriousness is needed to bring balance.

Kapha IndividualsThe constitution of kaphaindividuals contains greatamounts of earth andwater. These people tendtoward the qualities of

heaviness, coldness, oiliness and stability. Theytend to move slowly, act slowly and stick with the routines they develop. Their challenge can be in adoptingnew routines, as change is difficult. Theseindividuals also have a tendency towardbecoming overweight and lethargic.

People of kapha nature require the qualitiesof lightness, dryness and warmth to bring thembalance. Light, spicy cooked foods are best. Oilsare to be avoided. A routine emphasizingspontaneity and movement is essential.

The Three Constitutional Types and Their Path TowardHealth, Harmony and Peace of Mind

About the authorDr Mark Halpern is the founder anddirector of the College of Ayurveda. He isalso a founding member of the CaliforniaAssociation of Ayurvedic Medicine.


44

The Beginning of the End

Go see the world. When you are done with the sea andthe mountains and the shopping malls, trek barefootthrough a corner of the world’s weariest, dreariest desert.Should you stub your foot against something, look down

and you might be surprised by what you find. It begins as a glimmer,a shimmer, then a fiery red flash and suddenly you realise you’relooking at a ruby! The largest and loveliest ever beheld. Dig furiously.You will find millions more. They lie just beneath the surface – skyfulls, harems full, more than your greed and imagination can evenencompass. Everywhere you look there are gems. Emeralds, sapphires,topaz, amethysts, carnelians, opals, diamonds, turquoise, garnets,moonstones, peridots, jaspers, agates… No, it’s not a mirage, they’reall really there – winking and blinking in the blinding sun aftercenturies of being blown about and buried by the sand.

And beneath this fabulous, forgotten treasure lies buried a tale. It is a sad story just as all stories that have autocrats and power

and greed and little intelligence are inevitably tragedies, no matterhow long they take to unfold. It begins right where you stand. Here,in this place of scorched desolation, once stood the most fertile andflourishing kingdom on earth – Khumarat. The weather wasequable, the soil was rich, forests grew abundantly, lakes and riversflowed generously and a cool breeze blew gently through the land.Nature gave freely of her gifts and the people used them wisely andwell. Animals and trees, flowers and birds, people and water, eachcreation sustained and respected the other.

And then came a new king. He wasn’t actually from Khumarat.But the Princess Royale whose insatiable curiosity had taken heraround the world in a caravan, had met him on her travels, and falleninstantly and hugely in love. That’s because everything about himwas huge. He was a great big man with a huge laugh, a hugestomach, a huge shock of hair, huge grasping hands, and a hugeappetite. The princess who was a thin, bloodless little thing had

been attracted immediately to his bigness, his booming anger andblaring laugh. When he swung her around she felt giddy, when heheld her she felt safe, enclosed in his enormous embrace. And soAzrakhsh became king.

Once he was crowned, the princess became increasinglyirrelevant. Her bleached little voice became thinner and thinner andher presence became more and more shadowy till she disappearedaltogether and so insignificant had been her persona that no onethought to ask for her at all. And no one noticed that one by one allthe wise old courtiers who had all these years kept this littlekingdom so happy and healthy, began to disappear too.

They were replaced by clever young men who moved and shookin tight little clusters all over the palace and chattered incessantly,looking slyly over their shoulders all the while. Ideas to ‘progress’and ‘develop’ pingponged from room to room. Whizkids andbizkids were brought in from all over the world and to them wasentrusted the tremendous task of coming up with new and improvedsolutions for all of the country’s ‘problems’.

What these ‘problems’ were, nobody was quite certain – but ofcourse every nation must have some. Otherwise why would theyneed a king and government at all?

These little masterminds went to work, whirring and churningfuriously. They locked themselves up into little rooms and poundedand smashed and blasted their way through hundreds of inventions.All day long runners ran all over the palace and there was lots ofrustling and bustling as they poured in from all over the kingdomwith most urgent packages and papers. Then there was lots ofbanging and clanging as they hammered away feverishly, makingall manner of widgets and gadgets and gizmos and oddrods thatwent clinkety clankety boom. At last all of these were pounded andfitted into each other so that the final contraption that emergedresembled a bizarre gargantuan metallic creature, a sort of mix

by Maneka Gandhifrom the book The Rainbow and other Stories

between a kettle and a kangaroo with a bit of octopus thrown in. Atone end it had a large funnel which spiralled and curled and dippedand dived until it ended in a row of spouts opening onto a feedertray. The principle on which it worked seemed simple enough.Something was fed into the machine which reacted with the oreinside it. An assortment of gases were then swooshed in along witha can of instant solution and the substance crystallized and hardeneduntil cut and dried pieces dropped through the spouts. The specialore for the machine had been extracted from the bottom of thecountry’s main lake. The lake had been dug and tunnelled andburrowed and furrowed till in exasperation it had given up tryingto hold its water and creatures together and had just curled up anddried. And what about the material that was to be fed into themachine? It came not from any far off mountain or fathoms deepriverbed nor from any rare plant or planet. In fact the beauty of themachine lay in the easy availability of its raw feedstock. What didthis raw material cost? Absolutely nothing – it was, literally, goingcheep cheep or, quite literally for a song. For the machine, quitesimply, ate birdcalls. The notes were poured into the funnel fromwhere they slid smoothly into the belly of the beast which rumbledand shook as the various elements tumbled and jostled together.The sound was distilled into form, and what finally emerged was aglittering assortment of shiny jewels with different tunes and tonesproducing different gems. Brilliant. Truly truly brilliant.

King Azrakhsh was overjoyed. The genius inventors preened andswelled at their creation. They were lauded and feted and anointedchief advisors to His Majesty. They provided him with a simple chartthat showed which song converted into which stone. For example,the noisy twittering of parrots turned into lime-green peridots, themelodious chip-chalp outpourings of warblers metamorphosed intoolivines, the deep koonk koonk echoing call of the crane came out asamethyst, the kuk-kuk chattering whistles of the woodpecker became

garnets, the sweet fluting of the sunbird transformed into goldenamber, the creaky screeches of vultures turned into zircons, the deeprhythmic crooning of doves became pearls, the musical trill of thebabbler converted into translucent tourmaline, the plaintive tu-hooof the night owl turned into milky moonstones, the swallow’scheerful low chit-chit became iridescent opalines, the harsh cry ofthe peacock came out as glorious green-blue emeralds…

The list ran into thousands of species of birds because the climatewas so salubrious, the vegetation so abundant and the terrain so variedthat all sorts of birds had made it their home. Besides the crows andwoodpeckers, the sparrows and swallows, there were kingfishers andcuckoos and flamingos and chickadees, tits and godwits, darters,swifts, noddys and whistlers, whiteyes and whitethroats, rubycheeksand rubythroats, frogmouths and pintails, pies and peewits, knotsand curlews, pigeons and wigeons, ruffs and shags, thickheads andthickness, chats and chiffchaffs, coots and boobies, nuthatches andloons, hornbills and spoonbills, flycatchers, bee eaters, oystercatchers,cowbirds and goatsuckers, quails and rails, stately swans and cheekyrobins, koels and nightingales. And because there was such anextraordinary mix and match of birds and songs, some of the jewelsthat poured out were completely new. A committee was therefore setup to name them and after great deliberation they were christenedwith names like ambrosine, quisqualis, flammande, rubrica, casperiteand verdenia. Men were sent abroad to advertise their beauty andquickly create markets for them.

But that is jumping ahead. What happened to the birds? Weaslylittle men, their eyes bright with hunger and desire, poured intothe kingdom and fanned out with their nets and ladders, armedwith special badges signed by the king that gave them right of wayover the people of the land. They entered fields and forests, they hidin the tall meadow grasses and skulked in the shallows of riverbeds,they climbed trees and scaled rooftops. You saw one of these dark

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STO R I E S F R O M IN D I A

shadowy creatures about and then you heard the single wailing cryof a warbler followed by a thump as it hit the ground. Or thedespairing quaver of a nestling as its mother was snatched awaystruggling and pecking at the mesh that entrapped her.

And what did the good people of Khumarat do? Nothing. Theyheld small village meetings and talked and talked and wrote lettersto the small village newspapers and some of them decided to go tothe king with a petition but then they all got so busy with theharvest and new babies being born and school and work and all life’sdaily rituals that they never actually made the journey. In any case,they reassured themselves, the king and his advisors knew best. Thatwas, after all, their job.

And so the plunder continued. Little by little, as the machinegobbled up more and more birdsong, the kingdom fell silent. Therewere no more dawn choruses as the first beams of light gentled theblack of night into grey, no monotonous droning to lull throughthe hot haze of the day, no evocative roosting calls from the treetopsat dusk. No silly laughter, no raucous chatter, no scattered snatches,no fragile feeble notes from far off that keep the traveller company,no strident high-pitched calls to scare off the forest poacher, no eeriewailing or mournful ghostly hoots to break the night’s restless sleep,no jagged torrents of sound to welcome the rain. No gobbles andsquawks, chirrups and cronks and anxious enquiries that run fromdidhedoit? to youallthere?

And what happened to these mute birds of Khumarat? Shorn oftheir songs, they gradually perished. Unlike humans, birds cannotsurvive without their voices. They have a poor sense of smell, and soundis their major means of communication. Birds have huge vocabulariesand use different calls to convey different messages – there are feedingwhistles and mating cavatinas and territorial tromboning.

Crows and gulls, for example, live in groups and when one findsfood, its raucous calls summon all the others to the feast. Birds liketerns and kittiwakes live in crowded breeding colonies on cliffsides.Parent birds returning with food hover above until they can identifytheir young by their individual calls from the nest. The babies’ criesact as homing beacons for the adult bird who then swoops down todrop food into their gaping bills. In fact, just like in humans, amongall bird species it is the young one’s cry that alerts parents to itshunger. Parent birds actually only feed their babies when they cryout and open their bills wide for food. But now, no bird babies couldcry so no food was given. And that was the end of the baby birds.They all starved to death, their mouths agape in silent screams ofhunger.

Apart from feeding, birds use their voices to recognise and locatemates, parents, offspring, friends and enemies. Without sound, abird cannot intimate another of its intentions, feelings, direction oreven sex. Contact calls are recognisable by all other members of thespecies. Without them the group will fall apart. For instance, whena flock of birds descends on a field to eat, after feeding as the flockreadies to leave, the bird in front starts to call and each bird in turnreplies signalling its readiness to fly. When the last bird responds,the flock streams away. Should a laggard be left behind, it flies upand continues to call till it is able to make contact with the flockwhich will then come back even in midflight to pick up its strayingmember. This ensures that birds that belong together stay together.But now, minus any sound, flocks broke up in confusion and lost,lonely birds whirled round and round in tight, anxious circles tillthey dropped dead of exhaustion.

Nor could birds locate their nests again. Because, when onepartner leaves in search of food, upon return it gives a landing callwhich is picked up only by its mate who then guides it back usinga persistent, resonating call until it is safely back in the nest.Similarly, when birds like motmots and barbets go out in pairs tofind food, they keep in touch through the dense undergrowth witha distinctive duet. Parties of songbirds do the same as they worktheir way through the foliage of a wood. But now, suddenly struckdumb, they lost each other and their nests and died homeless andabandoned. Similarly, raptor fledglings just learning to fly couldnot return to the safety of their nests after testing their wings. Thisis because parents guard their homes jealously and young ones mustidentify themselves through a certain call. In the absence of thiscall, any approaching bird is treated as an intruder, attacked andeither killed or driven away. So all the eagle and kite babies werekilled and the entire species wiped out.

Birds also use sound to establish boundaries. This saves the timeand energy which would otherwise be wasted in fighting overterritory. Each bird demarcates its area with a call. Male birds call toattract females and warn off other males. But with their voicessqueezed out of them bird rivals stumbled upon each other all thetime and were forced to fight endlessly. Grimly and silently,adversaries weaved through the air, making short and fierce sorties


46

Little by little, as the machine gobbled up more and more

birdsong, the kingdom fell silent.

towards each other till both fell to the ground and lay there gaspingin the heat, too tired to find food or water or anything. None of themknew any more where their homes lay nor which area belonged towhom. But the fighting and killing continued all the same.

Apart from protecting birds from each other, sound also servesas a warning system for birds against other creatures. All small birdsuse abrupt alarm calls to alert the attention of other birds to apredator’s stealthy approach and ruin its chances of a surprise attack.Shorn of this vital protection, birds fell easy prey to wild animals,and snakes and cats had a field day.

Sound is also a component of a bird’s mating ritual and amongthe most attractive bird sounds are the wooing cooing calls withwhich males must win their mates. These range from silky seductiveyodels to brassy brazen trumpeting, florid flouncy falsettos, roughgruff cronks, sharp insistent honks, brusque bristly plunks, falteringfluttering burbles and swollen mellifluous sobbing. Each male birdcourts the female with his melody until she picks the song she likesbest and its singer. But if no one serenades the female, she remainssingle. So now in the absence of any song, birds no longer courtedor mated or nested or had babies or families.

Even birds that were already paired, forgot how to make or layeggs. Songs are an integral part of the breeding cycle. They first getthe female into the mood. Then they spur egg laying. Female doves,for instance, need the cooing of their mates to stimulate thedevelopment of their eggs while female canaries will build betternests and lay more eggs if more cadenzas are sung by their mateswho invent quite wonderful and complicated tunes to ‘egg’ themon. But now in speechless protest birds gave up breeding altogether.

Hungry and confused, they lost their homes and children andmemory and died fighting imaginary battles in a land they couldnot recognise as their own any more. And slowly and silently thebirds disappeared altogether.

Not that anyone noticed or cared because they were so bedazzledby what was taking place all around them. Everywhere you lookedthere were mountains of jewels. Livid purple-black amandines,honey-yellow amber, iridescent aventurines, flaming cornelians,translucent citrines, celestial opals, greasy jaspers, albino moonstones,smoky topazes and spinels, diamonds, zircons, rubies, sapphires,pearls… they spilled out of the palace and its grounds in gloriousprofusion. All day labourers lugged them out by the sackful andthrew them onto unwieldy heaps that grew and grew till they spreadacross every village in the land. Miles and miles of piles and piles. Ofcourse no one was allowed to touch any because they all belonged tothe king. Big burly men stood guard over each precious mound.Petty pilferers were locked up for life. But even then nobody minded.For what did it matter? Soon these jewels would be sold and theywould make everybody rich beyond belief. And sold they were, allthe time, with all the money going into the king’s pet projects – bigbuildings, big bridges, big dams, big power plants. As the moneymultiplied, so did the king’s appetite. Villagers breathed and chokedon cement dust as skyscrapers were built and rebuilt to make themeven larger and grander. The woodlands around the villages were cutdown for smoking, belching factories that produced essentials likeprinted plastic umbrellas, canned confectionery, hair-dyes and pimplecreams, all of which disappeared to foreign markets to earn yet moremoney. And did the people of Khumarat get any richer? Not a whit.But they continued to live in hope, and when the gluttonous kingand his garrulous group of imported advisors came by on their tours,they were still hailed and cheered lustily. Even the prisoners who hadbeen locked up in stockades outside each village for attempting to

steal a stone or two, applauded. No one remembered the birds ormourned their passing.

At least not in the human world. Not yet. But everywhere elsethey were deeply missed. Buffaloes missed their daily grooming,having their lice and fleas tweaked off carefully; snakes missed theirbreakfast eggs; squirrels missed the prefab shelters that birds’ nestsoffered. With the birds gone there was no one to carry seeds anddistribute pollen, there was no crazy fluttering and flapping to coolthe flowers, no pretty beaks dipping into swollen cups of nectar.The flowers grew lonely and began to wilt and die too. And alongwith the flowers went all the myriad and magical insects that liveon them and unseen by us enrich the soil, ploughing and turning it

to make it fertile. With no pollen or insects to feed on, soon therewere no more bees and butterflies so even fewer plants pollinatedand regenerated. The once dense green woods began to shrink andshrivel. And as the tree cover diminished, the rainfall reduced too.The earth could no longer sprout food so generously. Fruit treesbecame bare, wild grasses and berries grew scarce. The animalsbegan to disappear as well. Frogs could no longer find insects to eat,snakes could no longer find frogs and so on. An irreversible chain ofdestruction had been set into motion. And as plant and animalspecies dwindled and died away, their place was taken by toughsurvivors like weeds, rodents, mosquitoes and locusts thatmultiplied to fill up the emptiness. And these gobbled up all theavailable land and food so that famine spread.

As they lost their habitat, animals were forced to wander afieldin search of food. Monkeys with hungry babies clinging to theirbellies risked their lives foraying into human territory to snatch apiece of bread here, a bit of biscuit there. Timid deer steeledthemselves to venture into fields, hoping for a little grass. Elephantsand rhinos were forced to flee as jungles turned into barren swamps.Often this trespassing cost the animals their lives as they wereelectrocuted by wires, stoned and shooed off. Worst of all, theanimals offended the sensibilities of the king and his court. ‘Animalshave no place in a civilised modern country. We must destroy thismenace,’ they shrieked. So the animals were declared ‘vermin’ andthe same ghastly ghouls who had finished off the birds now rubbedtheir hands and set about their new task with even greater relish.And so these desperate animals were hunted down and killed oneby one. After the deer and monkeys were gone, it was the turn ofthe big cats. With no food left in the jungle and very little jungleleft either, lions and tigers, cheetahs and panthers, leopards andwolves and foxes had no choice but to puck on one another or maybea passing human. They were promptly declared ‘man-eaters’ andordered to be exterminated as well. Soon the forest was empty of allits animals. The woods began to wither and waste away. And thus it

47

STO R I E S F R O M IN D I A

With the birds gone there was no oneto carry seeds and distribute pollen,

there was no crazy fluttering and flapping to cool the

flowers, no pretty beaks dipping into swollen cups of nectar.

came about that the dying of the birds brought in a broodingwasteland where nothing grew and nothing could survive.

But did the foolish greedy king care? No, not yet. The weatherbegan to turn. With no trees or even scrub to slow them down orsoften their lashing, marauding winds whipped through the land.These winds blew and blew. They wailed like funeral mourners,chasing people indoors, and then buffeting and bangingagainst the doors. They swept up the sands and scatteredthem all across the country. The sparkling clear watersof the lakes and rivers which till now had beenbrimming with life started to dry up. They werebeing choked by the savage winds that tore overthe ravaged land, swirling sand into the lakes andbrooks, streams and tributaries, and silting themall up. So while the kingdom was awash in gemsand jewels, there was now neither water norvegetation. But cocooned in his castle, neither theking nor his courtiers heard the wind howling orfelt its sting. All day long hungry children criedpiteously, adding their howls to that of the savagewinds. Finally the wailing reached such an unbearablepitch that it even reached the palace.

‘What do these ungrateful people want?’ pouted the king.‘Isn’t Khumarat the richest nation in the world? Haven’t we broughtin more wealth than they could ever dream about? Are we not theenvy of the whole world whose ambassadors constantly beg us to createsimilar machines for them?’ And he went back to making money.

But the princess understood. Seated at her lonely lookout she hadwatched with dismay as her beloved green country turned into asullen brown scar. She had trembled with fear as the desolate barrenlandscape first seen on the distant horizon came creeping right up tothe palace wall, swallowing everything in its wake. Instead ofbecoming happier and healthier, her people were shrivelled andsallow with hollow cheeks and hollow coughs. ‘What have I done,what have I done,’ despaired the princess. More important, whatshould she do now, for something just had to be done and there wasno one else to do it. The king and his courtiers were too busychurning out and counting up sparkling jewels to be bothered.

So mustering up all her courage, the princess managed to squeezeout a strangle muffled whispery wheeze addressed to her husband.‘Please, dear,’ she choked, ‘my people are dying. They need food, notdiamonds. They need grain and water. Please give them back theirrivers and forests.’

‘Nonsense, girl, can’t you see how wealthy we’ve become? Yourpeople are just a bunch of miserable complainers.’ And he triedunsuccessfully to pull her onto his lap for he had become somonstrously swollen and engorged with gluttony that he could nolonger move at all or even balance properly. His small close-set eyeshad disappeared into folds of flab, his brain had been swaddled bysuet and his tiny heart had been buried and compressed bymammoth mounds of flesh. The princess shuddered. This was theman she had inflicted on her people.

‘Please sir,’ she persisted, her voice growing a shade stronger, ‘I’dlike my country back the way it was.’

‘That’s not possible,’ said Azrakhsh tetchily. ‘I cannot bring backthe rivers and forests. And that’s the end of that.’ But the princesswould not go away. Her accusing eyes followed him everywhere, hervoice grew shriller every day.

‘All right woman, I’m tired of your nagging. Let’s just buy whatwe need from the other kingdoms.’

And so for a time an uneasy peace prevailed as jewels were barteredfor food and essentials. But pretty soon the jewels began to run outtoo. The vast stores of birdsong had been gradually exhausted andnow there were no more birds to replenish it. The outsize overworkedmachine creaked to a halt and then gratefully collapsed in a heap of

nuts, bolts and scrap metal. The king was livid, his courtiersscurried for cover. But the princess pursued him relentlessly –

her eyes now flintlike, jagged steel.‘Well, we still have our factories, don’t we? We’ll

just stop exporting and use the stuff here’ blusteredthe king, avoiding her gaze. But there was only somuch plastic and pimple cream that Khumaratneeded. Besides, without raw materials like woodand coal and water, even these factories couldn’toperate very much longer and soon they tooshuddered to a standstill.

The princess’s eyes blazed fire and her voicedripped venom. ‘I’ll tell you what,’ faltered the fat

king, ‘we’ll just ask the other kingdoms for sometrees and lakes.’

But there was none for the asking. All the rulers ofall the other lands refused to part with a single stick or

stream. Or even birds to feed the machine if it was repaired.‘We sold you food and water as long as your rubies and diamonds

lasted,’ they said, ‘but we will not give you our water and woods. Youwill just have to create your own.’

So he snapped his fat fingers and ordered his clever courtiers toinvent rivers and jungles.

‘No more jewels,’ he screamed. ‘Start making water and woods.’‘With what?’ they cried back. ‘We need rain to have trees. We

need trees to bring rain. How to begin when there is neither?’‘All right then just grow food and grass,’ the king insisted.But not all their cunning could do that. ‘We need fertile soil to

grow crops. We need manure to fertilise the soil. We need animals toproduce manure. We need plants to feed animals. We need seeds togrow plants. We need birds to bring seeds. And we have no birds leftwhich is why we got into this mess in the first place.’

Too late these quickfix-its realised the connectedness of all life,how each bug, beetle, butterfly and bird is part of an intricate design,and that in its survival lies our own.

One night Azrakhsh and his men simply disappeared into thedarkness. No one ever heard from them again. A few rumors waftedin of the king having built himself a huge palace several kingdomsaway but everyone was too exhausted to care. A few villagers straggledacross the borders but most were too hungry and tired to make thejourney. The princess locked herself into her room and was never seenagain. Her palace and the rest of the kingdom slowly sank below sandand Khumarat vanished forever.


48

Maneka Gandhi is one of India’s leading environmentalists and awell-known animal activist. She is the chairperson of People ForAnimals as well as Rugmark, an NGO which rescues bonded children. A crusader for vegetarianism and theauthor of books on subjects as diverse as mythology, etymology and animals, Maneka Gandhi is also a columnist, and atelevision and radio personality. Maneka Gandhi has been a ministerin three Indian governments. The Rainbow & Other Stories is available from all good bookstores in India.


49

Letters from Prisoners

Beloved Brother Swami Padmapadananda,Thank you again for your kind and caring words of inspirationand spiritual comfort… Bless you!I’ve been maintaining my peace and harmony on a daily basis.Though there is always a flux of mixed energies here, includingmuch darkness and foolishness, I am continuing to allow my truedivine Self to remain in control; to daily anchor ‘mega-tons’ ofspiritual light, love and compassion.The dorm experience can be quite challenging and I crave quietsolitude. But I do have little moments to meditate, pray andchant. I am practising self-mastery of my thoughts, emotions andwords. Thus, instead of ‘entering into, then exiting from’, ablissful, loving state, I’m practising actually being an embodimentof Buddha, or a bodhisatva.After my release, I hope to know the Grass Valley Ashram ona more personal basis. (I think I already mentioned my releasedate of mid 2001.) Perhaps one day I will come to yourashram in Woodbourne and meet with you and others there. Mydear brother, I appreciate your spiritual love. Thank you for yourcorrespondence. I am truly grateful for your heart of love. MaySpirit continue to bless you and all the people at theInternational Sivananda Yoga Centres. Peace unto you!Your brother serving Spirit in CorcoranD.B., California.

P R I S O N P R O J E C T

Prison Project Update...

Dear Swami Padmapadananda

I was very pleased to receive your letter, as well as the booklet ‘Ask

Swamiji!’ I enjoyed the booklet immensely, which answered some questions I

had been curious about. I am very interested in receiving spiritual guidance. I

know that my situation is the result of my karma, yet part of me still does not

accept this. It’s like knowing something on a mental or physical level, but still

not appreciating this knowledge on the spiritual plane. A man is trapped inside

of a concrete box with no possible exit; he knows he cannot escape and yet he

beats and kicks the walls, because deep inside of his mind there is still a

spark of hope. I am that man and the concrete box is my karma. I must learn

to accept my karma and focus on the present in which I can purify myself.

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Sincerely, J.M., Texas

Today at breakfast, there was no spoon with my food tray. The grits were rapidly gettingcold and my desire for cereal and peanut butter (I’m a vegan) was at an all-time high as Ihad done japa and meditation for two and a half hours beforehand. The mind jumped upsaying, ‘I ought to shout to the correctional officer!’ Or, ‘I ought to wait until they pickup trays!’ But the watcher watched and listened. Then the seer decided to use an oldcup, tearing a piece off and using it as a spoon. How else would the body have hot gritsfor breakfast, instead of letting the mind argue about it? Once a friend asked me, ‘John,do you know where the mind comes from?’ I don’t know where the mind comes from, butI know from my experience of life, that it has caused me to get into more trouble than Icare to mention. Yes! The mind is always trying to squeeze itself into the picture – Iwould rather it find a corner and be quiet. Just be quiet. Peace, peace and peace.

A Passing Note by John Randall Pope, Florida State Prison

The project is going extremely well.Donations continue to pour insteadily, letters are abundant andthose prisoners fortunate enough to

have classes in their correctional facilitiesare advancing beautifully. Occasionally Ireceive news from Sivananda trained

teachers of classes they are giving in both male and femaleprisons. If you are doing this or know of someone else who is,please let me know so that we can keep a record, and get asense of how widespread our teachings are.

We were invited to give talks on Hinduism and yoga at alocal prison, to a very lively theological group there. They loved the talk and the asana demonstration and couldhardly wait to ask a great number of questions. One of theparticipants is now in communication with me and is interested in delving into sadhana seriously.

In May I visited Emilio, a prisoner in Virginia, for the second time. This time I was greeted at the gate by his

counsellor, who gave me a VIP tour of the prison, includingthe inmates’ dormitories and a personal introduction to theprison head and several officers. I was always addressed as‘Swamiji’, which is quite a change for them from the usual‘Father’ or ‘Brother’ terminology. I was happy, even a littleincredulous, to feel my different tradition so respectfullyaccepted, considering the area is part of ‘bible belt’ country.Emilio and I sat alone in a private office and had awonderful conversation. We sang bhajans and talked ofMaster and Swamiji amongst other things. Before mydeparture Emilio received mantra initiation and the nameHanuman. One officer touched my heart indelibly when hetold me that he burns a candle at his home twenty-fourhours a day in the hope of Emilio’s parole. Hanumanmentioned he could hardly wait to come to the Yoga Ranchand share in the fullness of ashram life.

On July 12th after many years of incarceration, as if in adream, Emilio was transferred to a work centre. Here thereare no iron bars. It is the last stop before going home. ■

Swam

i Pad

ma p

adan

anda

YogaLife Winter 2001

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