March 7th, 2010 • By Dr. M. W. Lewis
Today is the 58th year since the passing of the great master, Paramhansa Yogananda. This is a transcript of a talk given by Dr. M. W. Lewis, Yogananda’s first American disciple, on March 10, 1952, just three days after Yogananda’s mahasamadhi. It includes his personal account of the Master’s last days. An audio file of the talk can be found at the end of this transcript.
This photograph, often called the “last smile,” was taken just hours before Yogananda’s mahasamadhi, or passing from this world.
For the Bible reading this morning, in honor of the Master, I’m going to read the 23rd Psalm, and add a few comments.
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.…” As we know, the shepherd is he who takes care of the sheep. “The Lord” means Christ Consciousness. And so, it is the Christ Consciousness with which the Master keeps us together. If we stay in that, we are secure. Now a great saint, as the Master, has that Christ Consciousness, as many of you know. And no matter whether he is here or not, when you’re in that consciousness, you are with him. He is with you, watching over you.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.…” Now, in “green pasturess” we find luxurious growth, and it is like that illustration, if we follow the Christ Consciousness, we will be in, so to speak, green pastures. We will have all we need. Because everything comes from God, everything is in His great consciousness in all creation. Be in that. You will be in green pastures.
“He leadeth me beside the still waters.…” The “still waters” here can be likened to the pure Holy Ghost flowing in through us, coming from the great cosmic energy, in through the medulla center, spreading out through the body, spoken of many times as the river Jordan, and by the Hindus as the Ganges. If you follow God, He will lead you in that still peace by virtue of His presence. He leads me besides the still waters.
“He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.…” If you unite your consciousness with the great consciousness of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Aum vibration that is the Name of God, the remembrance of your soul, as a child of God, will be restored without doubt.
“He restoreth my soul.…” Keep in that vibration. You will realize that you are not this body, but something which does not pass away. You will realize the soul.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.…” Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death: in material consciousness, there is death, nothing else. It passes away. And as we begin to rise above material consciousness and the functions of the body, the senses and the movement of the body lessens and slows down. That is the shadow of death. But, if we go beyond that, we find the great life eternal. And so, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, “I will fear no evil.” Why? Because beyond that is the real life. This body passes away. But that life which you contact in meditation, by deep prayer, or the Light, when you see the Light of the Infinite. That does not pass away.
“For Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.…” We have the rod and the staff. Sometimes the spinal chord is spoken of as “the rod,” “the rod of David.” Because there is the power of the Spirit. And through the Holy Vibration you’ll feel its power, and that will always be with you. That will comfort you. No matter how depressed you are. No matter how bad things seem. If you can lift your consciousness from outer things, and place it in the spine–or at the point between the eyebrows)–those other things cannot exist. Because the only reality is the presence and the power of God.
“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.…” “Thou preparest a table before me” means that in spite of all the enemies, both outward–the enemies of the physical habits, the different tendencies which are within us, pulling us down–in spite of those, the Presence of God, at table of all things we need, is there. If you will just be one with His presence, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence….” Despite all those devices of bad habits, or real enemies, God can always be contacted. No matter how great the difficulty, if you look within, [you can] feel, and be one with His Holy Vibration.
“Thou anointeth my head with oil. My cup runneth over.” You know, the Sanskrit word for oil means “energy.” And when you’re in His Holy Vibration, in the spinal region, and rise up to this point [between the eyebrows, you] feel the Presence of God, His great energy flows over you, and anoints you. These are facts. Meditate. Go within. You feel your consciousness lifted to this point, and you’ll feel as a benediction His great power and cosmic energy naturally flowing through you. That’s what real anointing with oil means. “Thou anointeth my head with oil. My cup runneth over.…” If you feel the Presence of God, you need nothing else. Your cup is full.
And finally: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Contact Him. Contact the Holy Vibration. You will have eternal life. No other way. Living in outward consciousness, you will pass away, because the body passes away. Living in the eternal Presence of God, you will have eternal life.
Now, this morning I’m going to vary the service just a bit. In these difficult times, excessive speech is uncalled for. But rather I’ll give you a few words, a few humble words, from the heart.
Of course, as you know, the Master has left this vehicle in which we are accustomed to see him. But, as I have said, and will point out shortly in these few words which I give you, that he is, and will be, nearer to you now that the limitations of the body have been taken away.
When your best friend, your greatest friend, is suddenly removed from you, there is a great emptiness left within the soul. And when he who has lifted you from delusion and uncertainty into the Light and Presence of God has gone, then that void seems bottomless. But, then I remember his words wherein he said, “Remember. I’ll be closer to you when I leave the body, than I have been while in the body.” And I feel the power to carry on and go forward, because I know that that promise will be kept. Because in all the years that I have known the Master, he has never once broken a promise.
And so I know that I can tell you: Be not distressed. We will miss him, naturally. But he will be nearer to you in a much easier way, when you struggle and try to lift your consciousness from outward things to the consciousness where he is, which is the Christ Consciousness found at this point [between the eyebrows]. Contact that just a little. And the Master, as all great masters, is one with that consciousness.
The Master’s last days
Now I want to tell you a few things of the last days of the Master here, which I have just jotted down on the way down here. It was in the desert a few days ago before coming here, that he had wonderful experiences of ecstasy, during some of which I had been with him. And the last few days out in the desert he didn’t sleep at all, but was in that state of ecstasy. And out there he told [Miss Wright:] “It may be a matter of days or hours.”
And so, although we knew these many things, which I will point out shortly–as he has told me and others–although we know these things, the Lord is so clever that he keeps it from you. He keeps that which is coming from you to spare you too much of a shock. The shock is great for those who just see the final event when the Master leaves. Those who have followed and have listened carefully will see that naturally it is coming.
A few years ago when he was so much in ecstasy due to the weakness of the body from taking the karma of so many people, and he was practically gone–they’d given him up–he called me up early in the morning, and I could just hear his voice over the telephone. And he said, “Doctor,” he said, “they nearly killed me today.” Some nurse was real rough with the body, which was racked in pain and so forth, he said, “they nearly killed me today.” He said, “I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
And then in a few days after that they were weeping and crying because he seemed gone. But I remembered his words, that he had said, “I will tell you about that someday.” So I knew he would tell me. And so he did stay on, and he told me about it. And at that time I spoke to him, and he said, “This body, is nothing.” “This shell,” he says, “is nothing.” “But,” I said, “I know, but how about the rest of us? Why not wait awhile?” He never said. He just looked down. But he has stayed two years now–a year and a half. I’m not saying my words did it; I’m telling you facts.
And then, from then on it was a terrific fight. For a long, long time he just laid there. Because you cannot take the karma of thousands of people, thousands of people, without a reaction–that’s the spiritual law. It is not ordinary sickness. People make that mistake. It is because he takes the sins and the karma of others. And he has told me two things which were a direct result of the taking of karma of others. One was the condition of his legs. The other was the condition of his heart.
And so, from then on, for months he laid without moving. Gradually up, and walking about. He said many times, “I have no interest.” He said, “It’s only a few little things I have to make myself want to enjoy the senses,” and so forth. “But,” he said, “for a few of you, I stay.” Now these are facts.
And so, in the desert before coming in, he told us, “It looks like it may be a matter of days, or it may be a matter of hours.” And then he came in.
And he had a meeting scheduled with the new ambassador from India. The other ambassador he had been unable to contact, and there was not that feeling for him. But this ambassador felt for the Master. And he was so pleased, because you know that his greatest joy was in his efforts to help India, and bring better relations between India and the United States. And he was the one who would have done it in the right way. He has worked for peace in the right way by changing the hearts of men. No actual peace will come until the hearts of men have been changed. And all of you who have met the Master know that when you left him your heart was changed. And all of you who have read his books and his words know that when you read those books, in his writings, that your heart is changed. And so, he’s worked along those lines to bring peace into the world by changing the hearts of men. That is the only way to bring lasting peace. And the cause of world peace has an irreparable loss in the passing of the Master.
And now, going on–as I say, his relationship with the new ambassador from India, was the right relationship. I met his Excellency, Mr. Sen, and he had just the right spirit. That had been cemented and established in the last day or two before I met the Master. He was very happy. He says, “I feel this is the happiest day I’ve had, because that had been accomplished.” And so they had a little luncheon at the India House, and the Ambassador was there, and the Consul General of Asia, and severalothers–Mr. Sen and several other members from the Indian embassy. And so we had a nice luncheon.
And that night we talked to the Master for quite a while. And Mrs. Lewis was talking to him a little bit and he told her, “It is so hard to be interested–for me to be interested in the body. It is nothing but a shell.” You could see that. I’d seen it for days. But still I hoped, and hoped that he would stay even longer and longer. So he told her, he said, “The body’s nothing but a shell. This is the last step.” And then he said, “No matter what happens, I want you to be always happy.”
Then he said, “How is the Doctor?” I wasn’t there, I was in the other room. She said, “Oh, he’s all right.” He said, “No. He isn’t. He’s very much depressed.” Well, Mrs. Lewis passed it off. And I will say that I had been very much depressed lately. And Monday he called to come up there, and I said, “Well, I don’t feel I can go up.” And I understand that Mrs. Lewis had to urge me pretty much to go, as I remember it now. Then, when I went up, I told him, I said, “I wasn’t coming up, but I thought I’d like to because perhaps you’d want me.” He said, “I understand.” That’s all he would say. “I understand how you feel.” And I went up. And now Master leaves, and I see why the depression was there. The soul knows everything, even though sometimes we’re not conscious of the exact cause of these things that are happening. The soul realizes those things.
And he also told Mrs. Lewis when she was alone with him, “Now, I have been cross many times.…” He used to give it to her. Oh, boy! And to all those near him. We got it good. I know those times. But we could never leave his side. Otherwise he would not be where he is. He said, “I want you to be always happy, no matter what happens.”
Personal memories
Now I’ll tell you one or two things about my own experiences with him the last few days. Lately he has been reminiscing about how we started way back in Boston, 32 years ago. He said, “Remember Electric Avenue?” That’s where we used to live. “All the good times we used to have?” And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “We’ve had a good life, haven’t we?” I said, “That’s right.” I said, “Yes, we might have been hanging around a night club and things like that. But no. This is better. We can let go.” Then he said quickly, without much emphasis, “We’ll be parted for a little while and then we’ll be together again.” But the delusion is so great that even then I wouldn’t accept it. I knew my soul went just right back when he said it. Sure, the Lord keeps it covered up pretty well.
When he said we’d be separated for a little bit but then together again, then he said right at that time, I remember so distinctly, “But remember, I’ll be closer to you when I’m out of this body, than I have been in the body.” So remember, there is the key. So let us not be depressed. Let us not feel bad. God is running the show. We are His children, and His Infinite Light is with us. In that Light is the Master and all great saints. There is nothing to fear except if we do not stay in that Light and Consciousness. That’s all.
And so, I feel better. A load has been lifted. I didn’t know what the load was, with some physical trouble going with it. But the load was that coming events cast their shadow, and the Soul knows it. And so be of good cheer. The Master is not away from us. He is with us more, and more.
Now coming to the last days when the Master came in, and we had the luncheon at India House. I stayed with Him that night and the next day, and then I had to come back here. And there was to be a banquet, as you know, at the Hotel Biltmore. And there the Master was the guest of honor with the Ambassador from India. Master had a room in the Biltmore Hotel, and he stayed in that room before going down to the banquet. But just as he was going down he told Miss Wright, “I feel shouldn’t go down.” Then she said, “Why not sir? Why don’t you just cancel?” He said, “No. But I must go. I feel I shouldn’t go down.” Then he said, “But I must, I must go through with it.” And so he went down. And I know you all know the outcome and what happened at that banquet.
And so the Master’s body was brought back to Mount Washington. And I went up with St. Lynn as soon as I heard the word. I had finished my class here Friday night. And Mrs. Lewis didn’t tell me until I got home. And then she told me. So we got ready and went right up. And they had brought the Master’s body back and it was in his room. And he looked as if he was sleeping, as if he was at peace. And I know I’d often felt the last few days that though we hate to have those leave us, when you see them struggling just to stay to help others…when we know that he has said many times, “My time is up long ago,” you feel, “Well, how much better that he can be always in peace:.” And so, that was the expression that came on his face.
And so we sat there for a long time. All sat around, of course, with much feeling, naturally. But that went on until the next day. Several were in there. I was in a room near there. And then they were chanting and meditating. A great Light came to many, and the Om vibration was very strong and seemed to fill the room. And I know in my own case, I’d come back from sitting in the room and I was meditating and looking, and the Great Light came easily. And in that Light I could see the Master lying with his body covered with Light, in gold. Laying there just as he was.
And just right after that there was a severe electrical storm, and then things lifted and things were better. His body changed. His body remained just the same, I think, for about 24 hours, until that point, and then it began to change. You felt it began to change. The changes set in. We noticed that. And I feel that that is the reason–that great responsibility [was lifted]. Because he told me many times, “My life is different. My life is a ransom for many.” If you ask, it was true. I might, to give
answers with him.
Experiences of others
Many others had similar experiences. I want to tell one of the experiences my daughter had, which was very interesting. A few days ago she had a dream. She never dreams much, but she said, “It was a distinct dream; I can’t get over it. The Master was there, and you and I were there, and he had us by the hand. And we were strolling on the clouds, running here and there, and I know it was in the astral.” So I passed it off. I think that we were talking with Mrs. Lewis together, and my daughter said, “Well we left you out. You couldn’t join us.” But that was a significant thing, seeing what happened.
And so, yesterday I had called up and told her [of the Master’s passing]. She was quite depressed, so she came over to the hermitage and walked around the grounds, very depressed. And then she came into my apartment and sat down and we began to chant. And the whole room was filled with Light. And up in the corner came a little cross in Light. We started to close our eyes and then open them. And then she said Christ was with her–she felt free. That is the same as happened in Mt. Washington. That depression lifted.
When great saints pass, there is a great disturbance in the counterpart, in the spiritual side. And so, these things are interesting, showing that although the Master seems to be gone, he is not. He’s steadfast more now than ever. He will nearer to us than he ever has been.
As I have said, when your best friend is taken you feel, naturally, the emptiness. And when the one who has gave you soul, then lifted you from uncertainty and delusion into Realization, into the Light, the Presence of God, when he goes, naturally, there is a great void [from the absence of] his [physical] body. And remember his words, “I am nearer to you all now” having left the body. I am closer to you than I could have been, or ever was, while in the body. So let us be of good cheer. Not be depressed, but feel his presence.
And so, in closing, let us, in this little part of the service, let us rise and repeat together one of the Master’s Whispers, a part of it, a tribute to his guru. And as you repeat with me, feel that is your tribute to your guru, Paramahansa Yogananda.
Audio file of Dr. Lewis’s talk:
Yogananda’s Last Days, a talk by Dr. Lewis
Articles by Paramhansa Yogananda:
Tags: Dr. M. W. Lewis · Yogananda
March 3rd, 2010 • By Swami Nirmalananda Giri
Part 9 in the Commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri
24. Ishwara is a particular Purusha who is untouched [aparamrishta] by the afflictions of life [kleshas], actions [karma] and the results [vipaka] and impressions [ashayai] produced by these actions.
Ishwara, God, is not a mere conglomerate of all that exists, but is a distinctive Person or Spirit, the sole independent Being on Whom all else depends. God is a particular Spirit in the sense that He can be experienced as a definite, definable Being–even pointed out by the Masters of Wisdom.
Part of His uniqueness is the fact that He “touches” and rules all things, but is absolutely untouched by anything. (The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes this, especially.) Although the Source of Existence and Action, Ishwara transcends them and is therefore untouched/unaffected by the kleshas–taints or afflictions inherent in relative existence. The kleshas are: ignorance, egotism, attractions and repulsions towards objects, and desperate clinging to physical life from the fear of death (Yoga Sutras 2:2-9). No action affects Ishwara in any degree (again, see the Gita).
Nevertheless, Ishwara is intimately connected to all things while remaining separate from them. Ishwara is present in all things as the universal Witness, and is nearer to us than anything can be, for Ishwara is the Self of our Self, the Paramatman within which our Atman exists.
25. In Him is the highest limit of Omniscience.
This can also be translated: “In Him is the unsurpassed Seed of Omniscience.” This is very important, for by perfect union with Ishwara the individual can come to share or participate in His omniscience. That is, the finite can experience the consciousness of the Infinite, just as He already experiences the consciousness of each individual being (jiva). This is a fundamental part of Samarasya–liberation (moksha or mukti).
26. Being unconditioned by time He is Teacher [Guru] even of the Ancients.
Having existed eternally, Ishwara has been the Guru of all beings, including those exalted primal beings or “gods” whom he made rulers of the worlds. The same with the Manus, the progenitors of the human race. Perhaps the most important point is that he is also the Guru of all humanity. We may have human teachers, but only God can be our Guru. Unhappily, for centuries the greedy, foolish, and unscrupulous have pretended they were gurus of other human beings, but that is a shameful fiction.
Since God is eternal, it is from Him that all knowledge has come–especially the revelation of spiritual truth. As Vyasa observes in his commentary on the Yoga Sutras: “His purpose is to give grace to living beings, by teaching knowledge and dharma [righteousness].” “There is no other but God to give the teaching which is a boat by which they can cross over the sea of samsara, and He teaches knowledge and dharma to those who take sole refuge in Him.…For all the kinds of knowledge arise from Him, as sparks of fire from a blaze or drops of water from the sea,” says Shankara, commenting on Vyasa’s words. Therefore Patanjali concludes: “Being unconditioned by time He is Guru even of the Ancients.” Dwelling in the hearts of all, God continues to be the guru of questing souls. This does not mean that qualified spiritual teachers are not helpful to us, but ultimately the yogi must be guided by the Divine from within his own consciousness. “The mind is itself guru and disciple: it smiles on itself, and is the cause of its own well-being or ruin,” wrote the great poet-saint Tukaram (Tukaram’s Teachings, by S. R. Sharma, p. 19). “The mind will eventually turn into your guru,” said Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna (The Gospel of the Holy Mother, p. 340). Swami Brahmananda, the “spiritual son” of Sri Ramakrishna, in speaking about the role of an external guru said: “Know this! There is no greater guru than your own mind. When the mind has been purified by prayer and contemplation it will direct you from within. Even in your daily duties, this inner guru will guide you and will continue to help you until the goal is reached” (The Eternal Companion
, p. 120).
Therefore Tukaram wrote in one of his hymns: “The guru-disciple relationship is a sign of immaturity” (Tukaram’s Teachings, p. 20). The fact that Shankara writes in the Nirvanastakam: “I am neither guru nor disciple [gururnaiwa shishya],” shows that in realization of the Self the limiting guru-disciple relationship is left behind and dissolves away. (There is, however a non-limiting guru-disciple relationship, such as is seen in the relationship of Yogananda with Sri Yukteswar–especially after Yogananda’s return to India in 1935. This grows out of the earlier guru-disciple interaction if the guru is a perfectly liberated being and the disciple is positively moving toward liberation himself.)
Yogiraj Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahashaya wrote to a student regarding the guru: “No one does anything; all is done by God. The individual [that seems to be the guru] is only an excuse; remain abidingly focused on that Divine Guru; in this is blessing.” And to another: “Guru is the one who is all; Guru is the one who is merciful. You are the Guru within yourself” (Garland of Letters
(Patravali), Letters 12 and 45). In Purana Purusha
by Dr. Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee it is recorded that Yogiraj made these two statements: “I am not a guru. I do not hold the distinction of “guru” and “disciple.” “The Self is the Guru…the immortal, imperishable Guru.” Just as Patanjali says that Ishwara–God–is the guru of all, so did Lahiri Mahasaya. Ishwara is identified in Indian thought with the solar power. In his diary Lahiri Mahasaya draw the sun and wrote beside it: “This is the Feet of the Guru.” He also wrote: “The Sun is the Form of the Guru.”
When Paramhansa Yogananda, who first made Lahiri Mahashaya known in the West, was questioned “about his own role in the religious evolution of this planet,” the great yogi replied: “The one Ocean has become all its waves. You should look to the Ocean, not to the little waves protruding on its bosom” (Swami Kriyananda. The Path
, p. 493). Another time he objected strongly to the suggestion that only his writings should be read in the public services of Self-Realization Fellowship, saying: “I came to make you God-conscious, not Yogananda-conscious.” At other times he said: “There is no such thing as ‘Yogananda-realization,’ only God-realization.” To someone who asked about a “disciple,” Yogananda replied firmly: “I never speak of people as my disciples. God is the Guru: They are His disciples” (The Path, p. 327).
If an aspirant neither has nor desires an external guru he can still succeed in spiritual life. That this is so is proven by the fact that the twentieth-century Masters Shirdi Sai Baba, Neem Karoli Baba, Paramhansa Nityananda, Aurobindo Ghosh, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Swami Rama of Hardwar (Ram Kunj), Om Baba of Delhi, Swami Ramdas of Anandashram, and Ramana Maharshi attained enlightenment without the agency of an external guru. Ramana Maharshi particularly emphasized that God is the guru of all, saying: “Only the Supreme Self, which is ever shining in your heart as the reality, is the Sadguru [True Guru]” (The Power of the Presence
, p. 116).
The supreme example of someone who attained enlightenment without a guru is Buddha, who is referred to in Buddhist texts as “Self-Awakened.” All spiritual life is self-initiated from within; we are both guru and disciple as Krishna and Arjuna symbolize in the Bhagavad Gita.
Paramhansa Nityananda said: “He [God] is the One guru, the guru Who is in all, the guru of the universe. No [human] person can be your guru, a person can only be secondary. The real guru is Guru of the Universe” (Chidakasha Gita 105). To emphasize this, Nityananda never gave initiation or became a “guru” in any manner or sense, though he was inspirer, guide, and advisor to many.
Neem Karoli Baba was wont to say, “I make devotees [of God], not disciples” (Divine Reality
, by Ravi Prakash Pande, p. ii.).
Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh used to say: “I abhor gurudom”–the debasing of the student-teacher interaction to a personality cult.
Swami Yatiswarananda, Vice-president of the Ramakrishna Mission, wrote to one of his students: “We really are not gurus. We bring the message of the Guru of gurus. What all service you can get from me you will. But please turn to Him for light and guidance, for peace and blessedness. As you yourself are finding, human beings are not good enough. The Lord, the Guru of gurus, alone can give us the shelter, the illumination and the bliss we need.” That sums it up very well.
Another leading spiritual figure of the Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Premeshananda, once wrote: “We have presently become inundated by this ‘guru doctrine.’ The purpose of the guru is to lead us to the realization of God; but God has been left behind, and the guru has become the latest fashion. So it is not safe to talk about a particular person. If one places a powerful personality before others, they will hold on to him instead of to God.”
The aspiring yogi can then feel safe and assured that God will be his guru, just as He has been for all the enlightened throughout the ages.
In conclusion let us look at the words of Sri Ramakrishna himself on the subject as found in the Majumdar translation of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: “Satchidananda [Existence-Consciousness-Bliss] alone is the guru; He alone will teach” (1.2.8; also: 4.2.1, 5.1.2, 5.5.1). “If somebody addresses me as a guru I say, ‘Away you rascal!’ How can I be a guru? There is no other guru except Satchidananda. There is no other refuge but Him. He alone is the ferryman who takes one across the ocean of relative existence” (1.12.8). “A man cannot be a guru” (2.19.6). “He who says of himself that he is a guru is a person of poor understanding” (3.17.4). “The more you will advance, the more you will see that it is He who has become everything and it is He who is doing everything. He alone is the guru and He alone is the spiritual ideal of your choice. He alone is giving jnana, bhakti and everything” (4.26.2). “Do you pray to Satchidananda Guru every morning? Do you?” (4.9.2).
In the Nikhilananda translation, on October 22, 1885, when someone refers to someone as Sri Ramakrishna’s disciple, he says: “There is not a fellow under the sun who is my disciple. On the contrary, I am everybody’s disciple. All are the children of God. All are His servants. I too am a child of God. I too am His servant. ‘Uncle Moon’ is every child’s uncle!”
Shankara comments: “Just as the human teachers turn their face towards the wholly devoted pupil and give him their favor, so this supreme teacher gives his favor when there is pure contemplation on him.”
More on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:
Next: How to Find God, and What Are the Obstacles?
Previously: How Near Is God-Consciousness?
Tags: Recommended Reading · Yoga Sutras
February 26th, 2010 • By Swami Sivananda Saraswati
This unusual article by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh was originally published in Bhavan’s Journal in May of 1959
It would be easy to dismiss the question by saying: “Yes, after a prolonged period of intense austerities and meditation, while I was living in Swargashram, and when I had the darshan of a number of maharshis and their blessings, the Lord appeared before me in the form of Sri Krishna.”
But that would not be the whole truth, nor a sufficient answer to a question relating to God, who is infinite, unlimited and beyond the reach of the speech and mind.
Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident or chance. It is the summit, accessible by a thorny path that has steps, slippery steps. I have ascended them step by step, the hard way; but at every step I have experienced God coming into my life and lifting me easily to the next step.
My father was fond of ceremonial worship (puja) in which he was very regular. To my child-mind, the image he worshipped was God; and I delighted in helping father in the worship, by bringing him flowers and other articles of worship. The deep inner satisfaction that he and I derived from such worship implanted in my heart the deep conviction that God is in such images devoutly worshipped by His devotees. Thus did God come into my life first and placed my foot on the first rung of the ladder.
Growing up
As an adult, I was fond of gymnastics and vigorous exercises. I learnt fencing from a teacher who belonged to a low caste; he was a harijan. I could go to him only for a few days before I was made to understand that it was unbecoming of a caste Brahman to play the student to an untouchable. I thought deeply over the matter. One moment I felt that the God whom we all worshipped in the image in my father’s puja-room had jumped over to the heart of this untouchable. He was my guru, all right! So I immediately went to him with flowers, sweets and cloth, and garlanded him, placed flowers at his feet and prostrated myself before him. Thus did God come into my life to remove the veil of caste-distinctions.
How very valuable this step was I could realize very soon after this: for I was to enter the medical profession and serve all, and the persistence of caste-distinction would have made that service a mockery. With this mist cleared by the light of God, it was easy and natural for me to serve everyone. I took very keen delight in every kind of service connected with healing and alleviation of human misery. If there was a good prescription for malaria, I felt that the whole world should know it the next moment. Any knowledge about the prevention of diseases, promotion of health and healing of diseases, I was eager to acquire and share with all.
Then, God came into my life in the form of the sick in Malaya. It is difficult for me now to single out any instance; and perhaps it is unnecessary. Time and space are concepts of the mind and have no meaning in God. I can look back now upon the whole period of my stay in Malaya as a single event in which God came to me in the form of the sick and the suffering. People are sick physically and mentally. To some, life is lingering death; and to some others, death is more welcome than life. Some lead a miserable life, unable to face death; some invite death and commit suicide, unable to face life. The aspiration grew within me that if God had not made this world merely as a hell where wicked people would be thrown, to suffer, and if there is (as I intuitively felt there should be) something other than this misery and this helpless existence, it should be known and experienced.
Conscious search for God
It was at this crucial point in my life that God came to me as a religious mendicant who gave me the first lesson in Vedanta. The positive aspects of life here, and real end and aim of human life, were made apparent. This drew me from Malaya to the Himalaya. God came to me in the form of all-consuming aspiration to realize Him as the Self of all.
Meditation and service went on apace; and with them came various spiritual experiences. The body, mind and intellect, as the limiting adjuncts, vanished; and the whole universe shone as His Light. God then came in the form of this Light in which everything assumed a divine shape; and pain and suffering, that seem to haunt everybody, appeared to be a mirage, the illusion that ignorance creates, on account of low sensual appetites that lurk in man.
One more milestone had to be passed in order to know “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma.” Early in 1950 (on the 8th Jan.) God came to me in the form of a half-demented assailant, who disturbed the night satsanga at the ashram. His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worshipped him and sent him home. Evil exists to glorify the good! Evil is a superficial appearance; beneath its veil, the one Self shines in all.
A noteworthy fact ought to be mentioned here. In this evolution nothing gained previously is entirely discarded at any later stage. One coalesced into the next; and the Yoga of Synthesis was the fruit. Murti-puja, selfless service of the sick, meditation, the cultivation of cosmic love that transcended the barriers of caste, creed and religion, with the ultimate aim of attaining Cosmic Consciousness, was revealed. This knowledge had immediately to be shared. All this had become an integral part of my being.
The mission had been gathering strength and spreading. It was in 1950 that I undertook the All-India Tour. Then God came to me in His virat-svarupa, multitudes of devotees, eager to listen to the tenets of divine life. At every centre I felt that God spoke through me, and He Himself in His virat-form spread out before me as the multitude, listened to me. He sang with me; He prayed with me; He spoke and He listened. Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma.
More by Swami Sivananda:
For translations of various Sanskrit terms found in this article, visit A Brief Sanskrit Glossary.
Tags: Sivananda
February 19th, 2010 • By Swami Nirmalananda Giri
Q: I have been practicing OM meditation, specifically to get through some severe anxiety and panic I suffered after an accident (and to get closer to God). I believe I am plagued by some type of oppression and have been for a long time. I am experiencing a great amount of fear now when I meditate–despite the fact that it helps me immensely.
A situation such as yours is impossible to comment on, as it can be very complex, and furthermore I am unqualified to do so.
I would advise you to consult qualified medical practitioners as they have the means to determine if your problem is physically-based. I say this especially because you say your trouble began after an accident.
This I can say: a friend of mind told me that feelings of fear and oppression can arise from probems with the adrenal glands. If for some reason they “leak” small amounts of adrenalin, the person can experience unexplained anxiety, panic, or fear. He had helped many people who thought they had a psychological problem simply by correcting the condition of the adrenals.
Diet, which determines the chemistry of the blood and cells, can also play a part in these matters, especially through food additives. Meat is often saturated with chemicals and with the toxins (including adrenalin) released by the fear and suffering of the animal when being killed.
The relaxation produced by meditation can be of help in correcting physical problems, but it is only wise to seek a medical solution in case the problem is based on a physical condition.
Further Reading:
Tags: Meditation · Vegetarianism
February 14th, 2010 • By Swami Nirmalananda Giri
Part 8 in the Commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri
21. It [samadhi] is nearest to those whose desire [for samadhi] is intensely strong.
Vyasa simply says: “They soon attain samadhi and the fruit of samadhi.”
Two interesting words are used here: samvega and asannah.
Samvega means intense ardor derived from long practice. So Patanjali is not saying that samadhi is near to those who for some reason or other have an intense desire that is just a flash in the pan. Rather, it is the ripening of the fruit of long practice, practice that has been moving the yogi closer and closer to the Goal. It is a matter of magnetism: the closer the object is to the magnet the stronger the pull toward it.
Asannah literally means “sitting near,” or near at hand, the implication being that samadhi is always present in potential form, but is “near” only to the ripened yogi who yearns deeply for union with God. It is not at all a matter of mechanical practice, or of a “super yoga” technique. It is in the will of the yogi, for that is the most divine force any of us possess.
22. A further differentiation (arises) by reason of the mild, medium and intense (nature of means employed).
There are three aspects to this: quality and intensity of practice, aspiration, and method. For optimum success we need the maximum amount of actual practice, the most fervent aspiration which impels us to the practice, and the maximum efficiency/effectiveness of the method(s) employed. A mixture of qualities of these three elements are a guarantee of lesser accomplishment. A wise yogi will consider this seriously and continually gauge the quality of these three aspects of his sadhana. Especially he will consider the inherent value of the method(s) employed.
Shankara says: “It is as in the world, where the prize goes to the one who runs fastest in the race.”
23. Or by total giving of the life to God.
This could legitimately be rendered: “Or by total merging of the life with/into God.” This is NOT a mere: “Here, O Lord, take my life; I give it to you.” That is a noble aspiration if intelligent understanding is behind it, but otherwise it is a meaningly sentimental ramble. But Patanjali is speaking of the actual transformation of life which naturally culminates in union with God.
In the ancient yogic tradition–that of the Gorakhnath and the Nath Yogis–the process of transformation is called Samarasya, which means oneness–especially of essence–which results from the elimination of all differences. It is also the process of bringing the human being on all levels into a harmonious resonance with the Divine that will automatically result in perfect union with the Divine. It is not a making of the yogi into something, but a removal or erasure of all differences–which include conflicts–with the Absolute. When this occurs the individual is naturally merged in Brahman and his eternal, divine nature is revealed in that union. This is an extremely important point, for it not only determines the nature of authentic yoga, it reveals nearly all “yoga” to be artificial, and therefore of temporary effect, and ultimately productive of nothing but illusion and illusory change.
It will be helpful to look at some extracts from the book Philosophy of Gorakhnath by Askhaya Kumar Banerjea. In fact, I strongly recommend that you obtain a copy of the book and study it carefully, for it reveals aspects of yoga that were virtually unknown until Banerjea did his research and wrote the book.
First, there is the following from the Prefatory Note by Sri Gopinath Kaviraj, who during his lifetime was considered the greatest scholar of modern India:
“This Ideal is described in one word as Samarasya, which implies obliteration of traces of all kinds of existing differences, not by a process of transcendence as in Sankhya, or of sublation as in Vedantic Mayavada, but by a positive process of what may be described as mutual interpenetration. This ideal underlies the principle of unification between Purusha and Prakriti, or between Shiva and Shakti. The attainment of this ideal is the Supreme Unity of Parama Shiva, where Shiva and Shakti are one undivided and indivisible Whole.…
“A cursory glance at the ancient spiritual literature of India would reveal the fact that in almost all the systems associated with Agamic [scriptural] culture we find a strong insistence on the ideal of Samarasya in some form or other.…
“The Swacchanda-Tantra which is one of the earliest Agamas available to us furnishes a detailed account of the several stages in the process of the unification which ends in Supreme Samarasya. In this process seven grades are mentioned and described.…
“…Henry Suso, the disciple of the great German mystic Meister Eckhart referred to the union of the soul and God. He spoke of God as saying, “I will kiss them (the suffering saints) affectionately and embrace them so lovingly that I shall be they and they shall be I and the two shall be united in one for ever.” Elsewhere it is said, “The essence of the soul is united with the essence of the Nothing and the powers of the one with the activities of the Nothing.” (The Little Book of the Truth, edited by J. M. Clark, Page 196). This is exactly like the union (Samyoga) of Linga or Paramatma with Atma of the Vira Shaiva School.
“From what has been said above it is abundantly clear that in some form or other Samarasya is the ideal, not only of the Agamic Culture, but also of many other spiritual sadhanas.
“It now remains to be seen how the Natha Yogins conceived this highest consummation of Oneness. It is said that the true process of Samarasya begins only when the Sadguru’s grace has succeeded in effecting Mental Quiet (chitta-vishranti). The real sadhana cannot commence until the mind is rendered quiet and free from disturbances incident on a sense of identity with the body. The mind being at rest, the Divine Bliss and an experience of Pure Infinite Glory dawn on the soul which is awakened from its age-long slumber. The sense of duality disappears in the serene Light of Undifferentiated Unity. This Light, unbounded and one, brings out the powers of Consciousness. The Universal Consciousness being once awakened produces in the yogin a perfect knowledge of his own Body, which results in the illumination and stabilization of the Body concerned (pinda siddi).
“In other words this Body becomes immortal and immune from the ravaging effects of Time. The Yogi is now an adept (sidda). This Luminous Form which is the essence of Chaitanya has to be made, as a further step, one with the Universal Uncreated Light of Paramapada already revealed. This is done through a continuous process of investigation into the real nature of the Atma. It is to be remembered that Samarasya should not be a momentary attainment, but a permanent possession, in the sense that no reversal (vyutyana) may ever occur. Before this state (nirutvana) is made permanent after Samarasya is once attained, some successive moments in the Supreme Experience are noted:
“(I) The Transcendental Reality is revealed as the Universe. In other words, the difference between what is Formless and what has Form disappears forever and it is co-eternal with the vision of the Universe in the Atma.
“(II) In the transitional stage there is a tendency in the Powers to move out. This has to be restrained and the Powers kept as contained within the Atma.
“(III) The Atma is realized as a continuum of unbroken Prakasha with Supreme Dynamism.
“(IV) As a result of all this there is a unique Vision of Being which is unborn. This is the Supreme Integral Vision which marks the stage of Nirutthana. It is a Vision of Eternity when infinite varieties are seen as an expression of the One and when the One reveals Itself in every point of the Infinite.…
“The Natha ideal is first to realize Jivanmukti through pinda siddi which secures an Immaculate Body of Light free from the influence of Time, i.e. a deathless undecaying spiritual body and then to realize Para-Mukti or the Highest Perfection through the process of mutual integration (samarasi karan).”
Then we have this from the text by Banerjea:
“For the actual realization of this Ideal of Samarasa, the body and the senses and the vital forces and the mental functions have to be brought under control and thoroughly systematized and the intellect has to be refined and enlightened. The consciousness has to be elevated to higher and higher planes. The Yogi school asserts and practically demonstrates that man has got in his inner nature the capacity to exercise perfect control not only over his own physical and vital and sensuous and psychical nature but also over the forces of outer nature. It is also demonstrated that control over one’s own nature is the surest and most effective way to the development of power to control the forces of outer nature. Through self-control the will-power of a man is extraordinarily developed and this development has practically no limit. A man with perfect self-control can develop such will-power in himself as to conquer all the forces of the world. But bis nature becomes so calm and tranquil and so perfectly adjusted and harmonized and all-assimilative, his individual nature becomes so wonderfully attuned to the life of Cosmic Nature, that he usually enjoys the magnificent unity and beauty of all the diversified self-manifestations of Saccidananda in the world and seldom finds any occasion for exercising his personal will for bringing about any revolutionary change in this world-order. It is to be remembered that the human individuality and the cosmic process are evolved from and regulated by the same Supreme Power of the same Supreme Spirit.
“The Yoga-system, which is as old as the spiritual culture of Bharatavarsha [India] and which has been greatly expatiated and widely popularized by Gorakhnath and the monastic organization founded by him, is not conditioned by any metaphysical theory or any particular religious belief or creed. It is quite compatible with every philosophical and religious system. It is open to all those who earnestly seek for the fulfillment of their life and the attainment of peace and bliss and perfect adjustment and harmony and unity of all internal and external relations. It is the most scientific and comprehensive method of self-discipline for the attainment of perfect mastery over the body and the senses and the vital functions and the mental tendencies as well as the forces of external nature and for the progressive purification and enlightenment and universalization and harmonization of the human consciousness till the highest plane of absolute Samarasya is reached. The system never becomes too old and antiquated for any modern age and in any modern circumstances. One may be a man of action and an advocate of Karma-Marga, or a man of emotional temperament and an advocate of Bhakti-Marga, or a man of philosophic temperament and an advocate of Jnana-Marga, the Yoga system of self-discipline is suitable for all and it strengthens the character and develops and refines the mental and intellectual and spiritual powers of everybody to march forward more easily and quickly in the path he chooses.”
Next: Who Is God? A Yogi’s Viewpoint
Previously: Steps in Super-Consciousness
Further Reading:
Tags: Meditation · Yoga Sutras
February 8th, 2010 • By Swami Nirmalananda Giri
Q: I have read a lot of information on Christian websites about meditation and its ability to attract “demons” to you. How would you counter the Christian point of view?
First, this is not just a Christian viewpoint, it is the propoganda of ignorant bigots–including some sects in India, by the way. “The moment you sit for meditation you are opening yourself to evil entities,” said one adherent of an Indian sect to me in my beginning days of meditation. East and West has people who will try to tell meditators that they are in danger of either going insane or coming under the power of (or possessed) by evil spirits. It is simply not true. I do not bother to counter it–I meditate and prove it false.
However I will give you some examples: Many times the intoning of Om or other mantras that are used in meditation have exorcised evil spirits from people. Yogananda recommended intoning Om for this purpose, and Swami (Papa) Ramdas in his autobiography, In the Vision of God, tells of a woman being freed from an evil spirit simply by hearing singing of the Ram Mantra.
The most haunted house I ever encountered was the home of a young man who was attending one of my meditation classes. The place was filled with them, and the entire building emanated negative energies. I said nothing, but waited. Two weeks later I went back and the house was free of all negative entities and energies–and only because he was meditating thirty minutes twice a day. I told him my impressions and he replied that for nearly his entire lifetime he and his sister had been plagued by spirits in that house. But now all was peaceful and positive.
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Tags: Meditation · Q & A
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