Nisargadatta Maharaj's Quotes

The desire to find the Self will surely be fulfilled, provided you want nothing else. But you must be honest with yourself and really want nothing else. If in the meantime you want many other things and are engaged in their pursuit, your main purpose may be delayed until you grow wiser and cease being torn between contradictory urges. Go within, without swerving, without ever looking outward.

Nisargadatta Maharaj

BKS Iyengar Quote

Your body exits in the past and your mind in the future .In yoga they come together in the present.

BKS Iyengar

BKS Iyengar Quote

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and Endure what cannot be cured.

BKS Iyengar

Paul Brunton's Quote

The life of an aspirant( Spiritual aspirant ) must necessarily be an ever-recurring combat against his egoism, his passions, his desires, his extroversion, his attractions and repulsions. Hence it can be neither an easy nor a smooth one.

Paul Brunton

Paul Brunton's Quote

There are no practices that will reveal the meaning of life. The latter can come only from experience and reflection. But practices have secondary uses, such as helping to develop concentration, which is needed for right reflection.

Paul Brunton

Paul Brunton's Quote

There are no practices that will reveal the meaning of life. The latter can come only from experience and reflection. But practices have secondary uses, such as helping to develop concentration, which is needed for right reflection.

Paul Brunton

Paul Brunton's Quote

There are inherent differences in people, differences of character, energy, intelligence, and temperament. For the quester( Spiritual aspirant ) to succeed, he must recognize this fact and not let himself become the slave of a system which is unsuited to him, or of a method which conflicts with his external circumstances.

Paul Brunton

Paul Brunton's Quote

The Quester ( person on spiritual path ) cannot imitate the conventional lives of other people. He has to make some changes, and particularly some sacrifices, if he is to follow a path whose goal is different from theirs. He has to find some time for meditation and study, some time when he can fully and truly be himself, and this requires, however short, a daily period of solitude. He has to arrange his diet so that it will not provide more difficulty for his inner work. He has to be careful of what company he keeps, so that he will not be constantly responding to their auras, either in struggle or in defense.

Paul Brunton

Paul Brunton's Quote

The quest ( Spiritual Quest ) is neither for outright saints nor for outright sinners. It is for those who are conscious of having animal passions and human weaknesses, but who are struggling against them and striving for self-mastery.

Paul Brunton

Quote of Paul Brunton

A modern way of spiritual living for busy city-dwellers would be to carry out all normal duties but to retreat from them from time to time into rural solitude for special meditation and study. In the town itself, they should manage to find a half to one hour every day for prayer and mental quiet.

Paul Brunton

What is astral body?

The astral body is the subtle body which is within this physical body like the bladder of a football. It is an exact counterpart of the physical body. It is made up of the five organs of action, the five organs of knowledge, the five Pranas, mind, intellect, Chitta or the subconscious mind, and Ahankar or egoism. Some call it "the double". It is this astral body that comes out of the physical body after death and moves to heaven. Death of this astral body through the knowledge of the Eternal frees one from the cycle of births and deaths.

Swami Sivananda

Paul Brunton's Quote

If man insists on keeping so busy with the affairs of ordinary life that he has no time to give for the affairs of the life that transcends it; if he insists, with various excuses, in staying outside the central area of wisdom and peace that lies within, he himself is largely to blame for his darkness and ignorance, his agitation and misery, his vexation and fear.

Paul Brunton

Apart from the Guru, do you think that a mediator is necessary in order to enable us to attain Self-realization?

Yes, yes. That is the Tutelary Deity or Ishta Devata. The mind cannot all at once rise beyond itself. The ego will seldom cut its own throat. Your consciousness will find it a hard task to realize the Cosmic Consciousness. Therefore the Name and the Form of a Deity are chosen to meditate upon. In due time, this Deity will manifest Itself before you and do the work of annihilating the ego and the mind, enabling you to realize Cosmic Consciousness.

Swami Sivananda

What standards should be adopted to measure true greatness?

The true greatness of man is to be measured not by the amount of wealth nor by the number of bungalows which are had or by the exercise of personal influence, but by the degree of selflessness, all-embracive outlook, generosity, liberal views, cosmic benefaction, self-sacrifice, egoless, self-effacing nature, grade of perception of unity in diversity, humanitarian services, etc. A truly great man is pious, spiritually elevated, magnanimous and noble-hearted. He can never have a thought for himself and he ever prefers the welfare of humanity casting aside all petty, selfish and personal interests. He ever prays for the welfare of humanity. Where there is an open, unconstricted, expansive and large heart, there lies true greatness.

Swami Sivananda

When the grace of Guru and God is there, why is the mind still not controlled?

There must be Purushartha ( Self Effort ) also. Only when you do Purushartha, the grace will come. A professor will not answer the questions for you and make you pass. The Gita says, "Uddharet Atmanatmanam". One should raise oneself. Grace only helps one to raise oneself. Everybody should work out his own salvation. You may ask, "What is grace then?". If an aspirant gets letters from his preceptor, clearing his doubts, that is grace. If an aspirant comes here, takes Ganges bath and hears the lectures here, that is grace. Many people are thirsting, even croropathis (those who possess crores of rupees) are thirsting to come and bathe in the Ganges, but all do not get a chance of coming and having their wish fulfilled. If good books are available for Svadhyaya (study), it is grace. If one enjoys good health for doing Sadhana, that is grace. If God so wishes, He can give Mukti to the whole world in an instant; but He does not do so. Grace descends only when there is Purushartha ( Self Effort ) .

Swami Sivananda

Is it dangerous to practice Pranayam without the assistance of a Guru or teacher?

You can practice ordinary Pranayam exercises without the help of a Guru. There is no danger in practicing Pranayam, Asan, etc., if you are careful, if you use your common-sense. People are unnecessarily alarmed. There is danger in everything if you are careless. If you are careless in getting down the steps of a staircase, you will fall down and break your legs. If you are careless when you walk in the busy parts of a city, you will be crushed by the motor-cars. If you are careless when you purchase a ticket at the railway station, you will lose your money-purse. If you are careless in dispensing mixtures, you will kill the patients by giving a poison or a wrong medicine or by administering a medicine in over-doses. Even so, when you practice Pranayam, you will have to be careful about your diet. You should avoid over-loading, you should take light, easily digestible and nutritious food. You should be moderate in copulation. You should not go beyond your capacity in retaining the breath. You should first practice inhalation and exhalation only (without retention of breath) for one or two months. You should gradually increase the ratio from 1:4:2 to 16:64:32. You should exhale very very slowly. If these rules are observed, there is no danger at all in the practice of Pranayam.

Swami Sivananad

Is it advisable to do meditation after meal at night?

After a sumptuous meal, generally, people feel drowsy. You may imagine that you are meditating, but it may be purely sleep in a sitting posture. If you follow the rules of Mitahara and take meals before 7 p.m., you can sit and meditate from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Meditation at night, a second sitting, is absolutely necessary. If you do not have sufficient time at night, you can meditate even for a few minutes, say, ten or fifteen, before going to bed. By so doing, the spiritual Samskaras will increase. The spiritual Samskaras are valuable assets or priceless treasures for you. Further, you will have no bad dreams at night. The divine thoughts will be carried during sleep. The good impressions will be there.

Swami Sivananda

What are the three Doshas or faults in the mind? Give a concrete illustration.

The three doshas are Mala or impurities such as lust, anger and greed, Vikshepa or tossing of the mind or mental oscillation, and Avarana or the veil of ignorance.

There is a muddy lake covered with moss. The wind is blowing hard. Now, the lake is the mind. The muddy condition represents Mala. The agitation of the waters that is set up by the wind corresponds to the Vikshepa in the mind set up by the vibration of Prana. The moss that covers the surface of the water represents the veil of ignorance.

Swami Sivananda

How can Kundalini be awakened? Would Japa alone be successful in awakening the Kundalini?

Kundalini can be awakened by the practice of Asan, Pranayam, Mudras, Japa and by the grace of a Guru. Refer to my book "Kundalini Yoga".

Yes. Japa alone is quite sufficient to awaken the Kundalini. There is no doubt of this. Sri Samarth Ramdas awakened the Kundalini by doing Japa of the Mantra Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram thirteen crores of times by standing in the river Godavari, in Takli Village, near Nasik.

Swami Sivananda

What is the difference between Japa and meditation?

Japa is silent repetition of the Name of the Lord. Meditation is the constant flow of one idea of God. When you repeat Om Namo Narayanaya, it is Japa of the Vishnu Mantra. When you think of the conch, disc, mace and lotus flower in the hands of Vishnu, His ear-rings, the crown on His head, His yellow silken Pitambar, etc., it is meditation. When you think of the attributes of God such as omniscience, omnipotence, etc., it is also meditation.

Swami Sivananda

What is Brahmamuhurta? Why is it eulogized by the Rishis?

4 a.m. in the morning is termed as Brahmamuhurta. Because it is favourable for meditation on God or Brahman, it is called Brahmamuhurta. At this particular hour, the mind is very calm and serene. It is free from worldly thoughts, worries and anxieties. The mind is like a blank sheet of paper and comparatively free from worldly Samskaras. It can be very easily moulded at this time before worldly distractions enter the mind. Further, the atmosphere also is charged with more Sattva at this particular time. There is no bustle and noise outside.

Swami Sivananda

1. Why should we believe in God ?

1. Why should we believe in God ?
Belief in God is an indispensable requisite for every human being. It is a sine qua non. Owing to the force of Avidya or ignorance, pain appears as pleasure. The world is full of miseries, troubles, difficulties and tribulations. The world is a ball of fire. The Antahkarana (mind, intellect, ego and the subconscious mind) charged with Raga (attachment), Dvesha (hatred), anger and jealousy is a blazing furnace. We have to free ourselves from birth, death, old age, disease and grief. This can be done only by faith in God. There is no other way. Money and power cannot give us real happiness. Even if we exercise supremacy over the whole world, we cannot be free from care, worry, anxiety, fear, disappointment, etc. It is only faith in God and the consequent God-realization through meditation that can give us real, eternal happiness and free us from all kinds of fear and worries which torment us at every moment. Faith in God will force us to think of Him constantly and to meditate on Him and will eventually lead us on to God-realization.

Swami Sivananda

Kanchi Paramacharya Quote

We know many faults we commit, even if others do not know them. Sometimes we realise we are doing so many evil things and repent bitterly and feel why we should be born . Our duty is to pray to God -"I have committed so many faults. Will you not, 0 God, give me the will power not do like that in future and will you not purify my mind?" We must note down in a diary every night before we go to bed the faults committed by us and pray to God to give us courage and intelligence not to do so. This must be propagated widely.

Kanchi Paramacharya

Sringeri Acharya's Quote

The Vedas are divine commands. Strict performance of the duties enjoined by them is the only way of securing the grace of the Lord. It is within your competence to perform the duties proclaimed by the scriptures. Do not neglect your duties, for only by doing them can you serve the Lord. Performance of duties selflessly amounts to service to God. If we fight among ourselves without understanding the teaching of our scriptures properly, the fault lies in us and certainly not a in the scriptures.

- Sringeri Acharya Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal

Kanchi Paramacharya Quote

If we engage an inquiry into the Atman, at the end of it, it will be clear that God is in us as our very self. When that stage is reached, we have no use for the devas. Then all karmas will fall away from us. But, until then, we must obligatorily do the karmas directing them to the Gods.

- Kanchi Paramacharya

Quote of Ramana Maharishi

"God dwells in you, as you, and you don't have to 'do' anything to be God-realized or Self-realized, it is already your true and natural state." Just drop all seeking, turn your attention inward, and sacrifice your mind to the One Self radiating in the Heart of your very being. For this to be your own presently lived experience, Self-Inquiry is the one direct and immediate way."

Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi

Quote of Ramana Maharishi

There is no greater mystery than this, that we keep
seeking reality though in fact we are reality. We
think that there is something hiding reality and that
this must be destroyed before reality is gained.
How ridiculous! A day will dawn when you will laugh
at all your past efforts. That which will be the day
you laugh is also here and now.

- Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi

Quote of Swami Sivananda

Create your inner world. Carry with you your own inner companions, viz., Santi(peace), Santosha(contentment), enquiry and corage.

Swami Sivananda

Quote of Ramana Maharishi

Every living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the inquiry 'Who am I?' in quest of the Self is the best means."

- Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi

Quote of Swami Vishnu devananda

A person who meditates can turn out more work in less time . He has peace within .His actions are all on a pure level , and those who come in contact with him are uplifted .In his dynamic presence people find strength and encouragement .they are inspired to perform actions that they could not otherwise do . Lethargy vanishes in the presence of a true yogi .

Swami Vishnu devananda