Avahan ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã

Satya ka Ô㦾㠇ãŠã

Invoking the Divine Year 4 Issue 1 January–February 2015

Sannyasa Peeth, Munger, Bihar, India

 Hari Om
Avahan
Satya ka

is a bilingual and bi-

monthly magazine compiled, com-
posed and published by the sannya-
sin disciples of Sri Swami Satyananda
Saraswati for the benefit of all
people who seek health, happiness
and enlightenment. It contains the
teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda,
Sri Swami Satyananda and Swami

programs of Sannyasa Peeth.

Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati SATYAM SPEAKS – Ô㦾ã½ãá Ìãã¥ããè
Assistant Editor: Swami Siva-
dhyanam Saraswati
You should cultivate good samskaras to
Published by Sannyasa Peeth, c/o
Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger –
overcome the negative ones, because the
811201, Bihar. law is that positive overcomes negative.
Printed at Thomson Press India
When you develop positive karma, atti-
tudes and qualities in your body, in your
© Sannyasa Peeth 2015
speech, in your mind, in your emotions, the
negative is naturally weeded out.
Membership is held on a yearly
—Swami Satyananda
issues from January to December.
Please send your requests for
application and all correspondence
to:
Sannyasa Peeth
c/o Ganga Darshan
Fort, Munger, 811201
Bihar, India
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope
must be sent along with enquiries to en-
sure a response to your request

Front cover
diksha at Satyam Vatika, Munger
Plates: 1: Swami Sivananda Saraswati; — ÔÌãã½ããè Ô㦾ãã¶ã¶ª
2014; 4: Poornahuti for culmination of
3-year Sannyasa Training 2012–14; 5: Das

Saraswati

Published and printed by Swami Shankarananda Saraswati on behalf of Sannyasa Peeth,

c/o Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger – 811201, Bihar.
Printed
Owned by Sannyasa Peeth Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati
 Avahan
Satya ka Ô㦾㠇ãŠã

Invoking the Divine

‚ããÌããÖ¶ã
“I do not desire a kingdom or heaven or even liberation. My only desire is to alleviate the misery and affliction of others.”
—

ÔãâÔ‡ãŠãÀãò ‡ãŠã ¹ããÍã

‚ããÑã½ã ‚ããõÀ ÔãâÔ‡ãŠãÀ

18
Awaken Spiritual Samskaras
Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Awaken your spiritual

samskaras by satsang and
japa. Protect them. Develop
them. Nourish them. Vichara,
sadhana, n i d i d h y a s a n a ,
satsang will all pave a long
way in the control of the mind
and the attainment of moksha.
A maidservant (a Jew) who
was attending on a Hebrew
priest used to hear the Hebrew
verses during her service. She
suddenly developed a double-
personality when she was sick
in the hospital, and repeated
Hebrew verses. She did not
know the Hebrew language.
All the samskaras (of hearing
from the priest) were in the
subconscious mind, and she repeated the verses. No samskaras
are lost. They are indelibly recorded in the gramophonic
machine of chitta.
Every action that you do produces a twofold effect. It
produces an impression in your mind and when you die you
carry the samskara in the karmashaya or receptacle of works
in your subconscious mind. It produces an impression on the
world or the akashic records. Any action is bound to react upon
you with equal force and effect. If you hurt another man, you
really hurt yourself. This wrong action is bound to react upon
and injure you. It will bring misery and pain. If you do some
good to another man, you are really helping yourself. You are

2
really doing good to yourself because there is nothing but the
Self. This virtuous action will react upon you with equal force
and effect. It will bring you joy and happiness.
Good samskaras force a man to do good actions and vice
versa. If you have a great asset of good samskaras, you will
not do any evil action at all. You will have an established good

Every man is born with his samskaras. The mind is not a

tabula rasa, a blank sheet of paper. It contains the impressions
of thoughts and actions of the previous births. Samskaras are
the latent potentialities. These good samskaras are valuable
assets for a man. Even though he is placed in unfavourable
environments, these samskaras give him protection against

growth and evolution. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says

(6:43): “There he recovers the characteristics belonging to his
former body and with these he again labours for perfection,
O joy of the Kurus.”
The spirit comes and goes. Therefore you will have to be
careful always in nourishing and protecting your spiritual
samskaras with burning vairagya, intense and constant
sadhana, and burning longing for liberation, mumukshutva.
You will have to increase your good samskaras. You will have
to develop them. You will have to multiply them.
Namdev, Ramdas, Tulsidas and others were a few blessed
souls to whom God gave His darshan. These bhaktas were
yoga bhrashtas. They came into this world with a great asset
of spiritual samskaras. They worshipped God in several births
with sincere devotion. They did not do much sadhana in their

in them on account of the force of previous samskaras of bhakti.

Ordinary people should adopt drastic, special measures and do
special sadhana for developing bhakti rapidly. New grooves,
new channels have to be cut in the old stony, devotionless heart
to a maximum degree. Through constant prayer, japa, kirtan,
service to bhaktas, charity, vrata, tapas, dhyana and samadhi

3
a bhakta should raise his consciousness to a high degree and
acquire para bhakti, highest knowledge and supreme peace.
Aspirants need not be afraid of pitfalls and snares on the
spiritual path. The whole spiritual world is ready to back up
sincere students who are trying to lift up their head from the
quagmire of samsara. Aspirants should nourish their good
samskaras through japa and regular meditation.

self-realization. Even in this Kali Yuga, when the vast majority

of persons run after name and money, there are earnest and
sincere young people who want God and God alone. They are
exalted personages indeed! My silent adorations to them!
You are a person of spiritual samskaras. Nurture them.
Protect them. Increase them.

4
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The Software of Samskaras
Swami Satyananda Saraswati

During their lives, human beings tend to forget many

experiences and impressions. There are innumerable objects
we have seen in this world and countless ideas that we have
contemplated. Any thought, any incident, any experience that
comes within the perception of the senses is registered by the
mechanical aspect of the mind. For example, suppose I am
watching you from here. The angle of my vision is such that
even though I may not observe a broken egg lying in my visual
path, still the imprint will fall on my eyes and be registered by
the brain. Anything the eyes see, even if we are not aware of
it, is registered. There is an aspect of the mind that registers
the environment also. Good and bad environments, good and
bad company, likes and dislikes, are all registered. After some
time they are transferred, just as entries into the computer are
transferred to a disc.
The Egyptians preserved the body in the form of a mummy,
thinking that man was immortal. The body is not immortal,

are still with you. Although you may not remember them,
they are still there. Sometimes you may suddenly remember

of your life. This means they are within you. You remember

ago. If these impressions are still with you after such a long
period of time, they will remain with you even after leaving
the body. If you try to access those thoughts now, you may
not be able to make a printout, but they are still there stored
in the subtle mind.
After inputting you can either make a printout or transfer the
information to a disc. If all our thoughts and impressions could
be fed into a computer and a printout taken, it would extend

8
registered, they are transferred to the subtle body as samskaras,
mental seeds; this is the source of secret knowledge. Millions
and billions of thoughts and ideas have come to our minds and
they still exist there in the form of samskaras. Thoughts create
samskaras, which are the seeds of our mental impressions. Then

The samskaras are stored in the sukshma sharira or subtle

body. Just as a seed is responsible for the existence of a plant,
in the same way it is this mental seed or samskara which leaves
with the individual soul, the jivatma, at the time of death, and
is responsible for the next birth. The karana sharira or causal
body carries it. The sthoola sharira or gross body may perish,

disc that you have carried on from your previous births is

showing the effects. It determines your life, beliefs, destiny,
pleasure and pain, abilities and disabilities. As is the seed, so
is the harvest.

The software
Whatever a person thinks or does becomes a samskara which
cannot be eliminated. It is recorded or registered in the mind
and brain. Whether its impact is strong or weak is a different
matter. Sometimes this samskara remains for many years and for
many births. If the samskara is not very powerful, it may go or
it may not. You cannot ignore any action; every action, thought
and form of your awareness is recorded. The mind or brain is
like a computer camera. Everything that comes into the area of
the camera is recorded in the picture. Some of the karmas are
not strong. They stay online, as if they are electromagnetic. You
have also seen that when you sit for meditation, your mind is
one-pointed, and then suddenly thoughts start coming. These
are inner thoughts; either you take them out or you come out.
There are different brainwaves which are biological, but also
psychological and spiritual. A thought is not merely a biological
process; it is there and it will go with you.

9
 However, one thing must be remembered. Sometimes
the computer program gets a virus that impedes the system
and has to be wiped out. In the same way, the mind also gets
cobwebs. Most people have a very limited mental capacity.
Their minds are not expansive and they cannot think much,
hence their abilities are few. Actually, people create fearful
and inhibiting social concepts, which in turn limit the mind
and the mental abilities.

Reprogramming

associations, good or bad company. Satsang is the origin of

the wise. A wicked person can also improve with satsang. If

someone had a bad previous birth or his parents did not give
him the right training, he can improve through contact with
good company. Through bad associations, children from very
good families can also be spoiled. The company you keep
depends on the environment. You go to school or college, read

Anything you interact with in your life is a form of association.

The rishis have said, “Just as a drop of water shines on a lotus
leaf, thus is the glory of positive associations.”
You can see the virtue of good
company in the conch. It is said that
the conch stayed in the hands of Lord
Narayana for a long time and as a
result, even though the conch is a
piece of bone, we bow our heads to
it. Normally, you would not bring an
animal bone to your lips, but since it
has been in God’s hand, even priests
raise it to their lips. By the power
of positive association, Ravana also
became the devotee of Rama at the
time of his death.

10
 A thorn has to be removed with a thorn. In the same way,
remove rubbish with rubbish. You may ask your guru or
somebody else to remove your rubbish for you, but you are
only adding more to your waste bin, which is why it is always
full. The municipality removes the old rubbish, but the new
garbage accumulates again. When God’s grace is there, all the
rubbish of life is removed instantly, just as sheets and sheets

Samskaras from many different births will vanish or

subside only with the Lord’s grace. However long you work at
removing your rubbish, you will not be able to do it. Nothing
is possible without divine grace. If you think you can remove
your own rubbish, that is ego. How can you remove it? First
of all, you do not know what rubbish is and what it is not.
Sometimes you may be throwing away the diamonds and
keeping the stones because you do not know the difference.
You do not have the discrimination to know what is true and
what is false. Therefore, leave it to God. Try to attain His grace
through prayer, remembrance and satsang.
satsang, where there is talk about
God, about spiritual life or where there is singing of bhajans
and kirtans. This helps you to purify yourself and your inner
environment. Satsang must be compatible with your inner
environment. Participation in yajna is very important because

in the subtle consciousness. That energy takes care of our

karmas, dharmas, mistakes and sickness.
In this bungalow of the body there are nine gates. The
tenth gate is locked with a key and the gatekeeper, the chetana
purusha, the subtle consciousness, does not allow anyone in.
If the tenth gate opens a bit, then Kabir says, “For one who
meditates on that Supreme Purusha, the game of karmas,
illusions, diseases and mistakes that we have been playing is
dispelled.” All the bad debts are written off and then a new
life begins.

11
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Inherent Spiritual Samskara
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

According to the Yoga Sutras

there are people already born
with spiritual samskaras for
the sannyasa lifestyle. These
people do not need to go
through the basic learning of
life again. The true sannyasa
samskara exists in very few
people. It is seen in those
who are totally free from

interference, and remain

true to the inspiration that
brought them to spiritual life.
When the spiritual samskaras
are already active, alive and
effulgent, at a certain point in
life they take over. The mind, feelings and emotions have no
role to play in the life of such a person.
When Swami Sivananda experienced that inner calling
of sannyasa, he returned to India from Malaysia, landed in
Chennai, his home town, yet did not see his family. He went
from the ship to the railway station and then up north, without

samskara had burnt up everything else.

Swami Satyananda says that from the day he left home, he
never looked back. He did not return or write. Sri Swamiji’s
father’s last instructions to him were, “You have chosen a path
of life, live according to the rules of that life.” At the age of eight
Shankaracharya left his family and home for the unknown,
against all odds. At the age of sixteen Ramana Maharshi was

16
sent to the market to buy vegetables, but he went to the railway
station and bought a ticket for the next station.
Once the spiritual samskara ignites, the worldly
conditioning of the mind is by passed. The spiritual samskara
is not compatible with the worldly samskara. The limited

considered near and dear ceases to exist. Therefore, in the

scriptures sannyasa has been declared as death.
Such a complete experience and expression of sannyasa
does not automatically come about with initiation. Either one
has that spiritual samskara or one has to go through a process
of preparation to receive the spark of ignition. This is why

the gross desires in life.

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What is Samskara?
Swami Sivananda Saraswati

A vritti, a whirlpool or thought-wave, arises in the mind-ocean.

It operates for some time. Then it sinks below the threshold
of normal consciousness. From the surface of the conscious
mind wherein it was uppermost for some time, it sinks down
deep into the region of the subconscious mind, chitta. There,
it continues to be a subliminal action and becomes a samskara,
impression. A conscious action – whether cognitive, affective
or conative – assumes a potential and hidden, sukshma and
avyakta, form just below the threshold of consciousness. This
is termed a ‘samskara’.

Memory: a revival of samskara

The samskaras are embedded in the subconscious mind or
chitta. The subconscious mind is otherwise known as the
unconscious mind. Subjective mind, subconscious mind,
unconscious mind and chitta are synonymous terms. The
seat of this subconscious mind is the cerebellum or hindbrain.
You can recall the past experiences from the storehouse of
samskaras in the subconscious mind. The past is preserved
even to the minutest detail. Even a bit is never lost.

conscious mind back again as a big wave, when the past

vritti comes back to the surface of the conscious mind again
by recollection, it is called memory or smriti. No memory is
possible without the help of samskara.

How samskara is formed

An experience in the sense-plane sinks down into the depths
of the subconscious mind and becomes there a samskara. A
samskara of an experience is formed or developed in the chitta
at the very moment that the mind is experiencing something.

20
There is no gap between the present experience and the

which was formed out of that particular experience.

time, you get knowledge of an orange. You know its taste.

You know the object: orange. A samskara is formed in the
subconscious mind at once. At any time, this samskara can
generate a memory of the object, orange, and knowledge of
an orange. Though the object and the act of knowledge are
distinguishable, yet they are inseparable.

Virtuous and vicious samskaras

Like forces, samskaras aid or inhibit one another. When you
see a man in serious sickness and when the feeling of mercy
arises in your heart, all the samskaras of your previous merciful
actions coalesce together and force you to serve and help that
sick man. Similarly, all the samskaras of charitable actions
come forth to the surface of the conscious mind when you see
a man in serious distress and in straitened circumstances, and
they force you to help this man. You begin to share with him
your physical possessions.
When one samskara or virtuous action comes into play,
another samskara of dissimilar nature may emerge out and

mind on God and think of purity, just at that moment, all

evil thoughts and samskaras burst forth with violence and

samskaras’. Good samskaras also crowd together and help

you to drive out evil samskaras. The father of Sri Swami
Advaitanandaji was a great bhakta of Chandi. At the time of
his death, he was semiconscious. He began to repeat all the
slokas of Chandi Stotra, which he had learnt by heart while he
was young. This is crowding of spiritual samskaras.

21
Past samskaras constitute prarabdha
A child is born with his samskaras. A child is born with his
past experiences transmuted into mental and moral tendencies
and powers. By experiences, pleasant and painful, man gathers
materials and builds them into mental and moral faculties. The
earthly experiences are worked up into intellectual faculty.
The mind evolves through the impressions received from
the universe through the senses. It will take many bodies
until it gathers the complete experience of the world. Every
man is born with his inborn or inherent samskaras and these
samskaras are embedded, lodged or imprinted in the chitta,
which is the seat for prarabdha. In earthly life, he gains many
more samskaras or experiences through actions and these are
added to the original store and become the future sanchita
karmas, accumulated actions.
All samskaras lie dormant in the chitta as latent activities,
not only of this life but of all previous innumerable lives
from beginning less time. The samskaras of animal life (those
of dog’s births, and so on.), the samskaras of a deva life, the
samskaras of kingly life, the samskaras of the life of a peasant,
are all hidden there in the chitta. In human life, only those
samskaras which are appropriate to that particular type of birth
will operate and come to play. The other kinds of samskaras
will remain concealed and dormant.
Just as a merchant closing the year’s ledger and opening a
new one does not enter in the new all the items of the old but

22
only its balances, so does the spirit hand over to the new brain
his judgements on the experiences of a life that is closed, the
conclusions to which he has come, the decisions to which he
has arrived. This is the stock handed on to the new life, the
mental furniture for the new dwelling – a real memory.
Your next life will depend very largely upon the karma you
perform in this birth. There are probably many things which
the man of the world does constantly and may do without
much harm resulting in any way; if these things were done by
those sincere aspirants who are treading the path of realization,
they would be decidedly harmful. Habitual study of abstract
problems will result in a well-developed power for abstract

regulated mind to the following birth in this world.

How to acquire good samskaras

New, healthy samskaras can be implanted by new, healthy
suggestions. Suppose your brain is a plank in which are
driven nails that represent the ideas, habits and instincts that

bad idea, a bad habit, a bad instinct – a bad nail, as it were,

in the plank of your mind – you should take another, namely
a good idea, habit or instinct, place it on the top of the bad
one and give a hard tap with a hammer. In other words, you
should make a healthy, useful suggestion. The new nail will
be driven in perhaps a fraction of an inch while the old one
will come out to the same extent.
At each fresh blow with the hammer, that is to say, at each
fresh suggestion, the one will be driven in a little further and
the other will be driven out just that much until, after a certain
number of blows, the old habits will be completely replaced
by the new habits, new ideas. It demands doubtless, strenuous
efforts. It needs constant repetition of the new, healthy
suggestions. Habit is second nature; but, pure, irresistible,
determined will is bound to succeed eventually.

23
 ?

HANDS UP
Good Samskaras Abide
Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Culture depends upon a person’s samskaras. Money comes

and goes but good samskaras abide. Wherever there is power
there is conceit; it cannot be avoided. Wherever there is wealth,
addiction inevitably follows in tow. Addiction is inseparable
from riches, whereas compassion is associated with good
samskaras. Introversion, civility, and viveka, a good sense of
discrimination and the ability to make correct decisions, come
with good samskaras. Kim kartavyam kim akartavyam – “What
should be done and what should not be done” is decided by
one’s samskaras.
From the time of the Vedas to the present day, India has
perfected only one thing, and that is imbibing good samskaras.
If good samskaras disappear from your family and from my
family, then what is left? Will you cherish television? No,

personality, stage by stage, is known as good samskara. These

samskaras are based on religion, on the teachings of great
souls, saints and sages, as well as on cultural traditions such

25
Sankalpa and Samskara
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Samskara is a combination of two

words: sam means ‘collection of’,
akara means ‘forms’. Akara is a
shape and a form. Thus, samskara
means we are a collection of
ideas in a form; this character,
this personality, this nature as
a compilation or collection of
ideas. This personality is always
coming up with new ideas, new
thoughts, new desires, new
passions, new frustrations, new
ambitions; these arise constantly
and they shape life and govern life.
How do you modify them or develop better samskaras?
Through sankalpa
mind is not capable of making a positive resolution, it can
be tape-recorded. One experiment that is done with children

ten positive sankalpas: ‘I’ll be creative’, ‘I’ll be happy’, ‘I’ll be

friendly with everyone’, ‘I’ll always have a positive attitude

the subconscious, which then becomes active. Many children

with negative habits have been helped through this practice.
Many of the grownups with unchangeable habits in life have
been helped through this sankalpa method.

the samskaras. It becomes possible to allow the positive aspect

of samskaras to govern one’s nature rather than the negative,
detrimental aspect of a samskara taking over. Thus, samskaras
and sankalpa go hand in hand with one another.

26
Questions and Answers with
Sri Swami Satyananda

What are samskaras?

Samskaras are the seed of our past actions. Right now you
are looking at me, listening to me, and I am talking to you.
This is making a samskara in you. It is very subtle. You will
not know or understand what is happening, because you
think that you are only listening to me, or looking at me, or
that I am talking to you. But that is not the end of it. There is
samskaras are the

affected by every action, sound, and movement. Everything

is being recorded within, and only the recorder knows what
is being recorded. We do not know, we are not aware of most
of it, but the recorder knows everything. When the recording
is played back, and we are faced with the samskaras, we often
say, “Oh, I never committed these things”. But the recorder
does not lie. These samskaras come up at the time of meditation
or any other practice.

To work out samskaras, is there any particular order or is it

a random affair?
Samskaras should and can be worked out, number one, by
expressing them and living them. Second, samskaras can be

27
worked out by going deep into meditation or pratyahara,
dharana or dhyana and then expressing or transforming
those samskaras in the form of visions. The visions that you
experience in the stages of pratyahara and dharana mean
you have not lost your individual ego; you are still in the
level of duality. At the time when you enter into a dharana
or pratyahara state then you have a lot of visions and a lot
of feeling. It is nothing important, as it is only a transformed
vision of your samskaras. You are expressing your samskaras
in that form.
This can be done in the state of pratyahara. It can also
happen in the state of dharana and in deep meditation. In the
early stages of samadhi also it happens. The deeper you go,

two important methods.

Now, the third method is that you must impose upon
yourself some sort of hardship voluntarily. When you expose
yourself to any kind of hardship, the whole mind gets a jolt.
Then, all kinds of things come out of the mind. The mind begins
to express these things during the period you are imposing the
hardship. These hardships are also known as tapasya, penance.
This is a negative process.
Side by side if you expose yourself to satsang where

quality of the samskaras. That means you are adding positive

samskaras.

the negative has been eliminated then the positive also should
be eliminated. In the scheme of realization, in the long run
even a positive samskara is bondage creating an obstruction;
although this does not apply to everyone. Everyone should be
content by eliminating the negative samskaras and replacing
them with the positive ones. However, if you want to go further
and deeper into spiritual life, then even the positive samskaras
have to be withdrawn.

28
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Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 32 2015

The Tree of Karma and
Samskaras
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

There is a clear distinction between

karmas and samskaras. Samskaras are
nourishment for karmas, and karmas
represent the outcome. For example, if
you plant a mango seed the outcome
will be a mango tree, not an orange
tree. That is the karma. Hence, karma
determines the character and nature
of an individual; what you will be and
what you can become. Samskaras are
the nourishment given to the roots of
karma. Through samskaras the karma
can become more intense and powerful. If the right compost
is given to a plant, the plant will grow to be healthy. If you
do not give compost to the plant and let it grow on its own, it
may not be as healthy.
Karma determines the nature and the character that will
develop in your life according to the blueprint that you have
received. For everything there is a blueprint that has to be

constructing a building, and before coming into this life. Life

develops according to a blueprint, which you have never seen
yet it is there. Similarly, you do not see the blueprint of the car
in the factory, but you do see the car that you use.
In the same manner, life also has a blueprint which you do
not see yet you experience. Life evolves, grows and develops
according to this cosmic blueprint. Each individual is unique,
each one is different from the other; no two people are the same.
No two people have the same features, the same thumbprint,

33
the same eyes. This uniqueness is the karma of our evolution,
development and growth.
Samskaras are the nourishment. If you imbibe negative,
restricted, bad samskaras then your life is being nourished
in the wrong manner and your mind becomes negative,
pessimistic and destructive. If you are nurtured with the

and whole. To understand the difference between karma and

samskara, think of karma as the tree and samskara as the
nourishment that is given to the tree for its proper development
and growth.

34
Descent of Grace
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

In October this year, I travelled

to South India and visited

Meenakshi temple in Madurai

where I performed an intense
and powerful anushthana. The
Meenakshi temple is built over an
area of six acres; the roof covers
six acres, with thousands of
pillars underneath besides small
temples, sanctum sanctorums,
and statues.
It is believed that Lord Shiva
came to the Madurai region eighty-four times. The area was
dear to him and he was married to Mother Meenakshi here.
At the time of the wedding, three demons came to destroy
the ceremony: one in the form of an elephant, the second in
the form of a snake, and the third in the form of a cow. Lord

vanquished all three and they turned into mountains. There

are indeed three mountains around Madurai and if you look
at them, one appears like an elephant sitting on the ground,
another appears like a snake, and the third appears like a cow.

lush and green. The story says that Nandi and the cow fell in
love, and even though Nandi killed her he gave her the boon
that the mountain she turns into will always be blossoming.
Another interesting aspect of the Madurai temple is that
there is a particular room there where Lord Shiva is installed
in the form of Sundareshwar Shivalingam. At a time when
the temple was about to be attacked, the priests sealed up the

35
sanctum sanctorum with Sundareshwar inside. Forty years
later when the wall was removed, it was found that the deepak

the food offerings were still fresh. Therefore, it is believed to

be an awakened place of worship.
We stayed in Madurai for three days and after that we went
to a temple where they say that Shiva’s son, Lord Kartikeya also
known as Skanda, comes and stays every night, even today.
The temple is located on a hill and it is reached by a cable car.
Climbing is impossible, as three mountains must be crossed
to get to the temple. Within the temple there is a room where
every night a bed is made and then the room is locked. In the
morning the bed is found unmade as if someone had slept
there. This happens once every week on the day dedicated
to Skanda. It is believed that Lord Skanda goes there to rest
once a week. There also I had the opportunity to complete an
anushthana, right outside Skanda’s bedroom.
The third place we went to was Thirueengoimalai where
there is a huge temple of Sri Vidya. I performed japa in the
temple and it was a beautiful experience. When I had been
there last, I had the experience of samadhi in the sanctum
sanctorum (see Avahan July–August 2012). This time too, I had
an unusual experience. While I was meditating, I experienced
myself as sitting inside the Sri Yantra; the Sri Yantra was over
me. I thought, ‘All right, an experience, a vision.’ Surprisingly
however, three people who were there with me remarked
afterwards, “Swamiji, we had a peculiar experience in that
temple. We had the vision that you were sitting inside the Sri
Yantra, and the Sri Yantra was being built around you.” They
said it was as if I was sitting there while blocks were being
placed and the yantra was being constructed. On hearing this,
I realized it was not only my feeling but something did happen
there which was strong and powerful, and others were able to
witness as well. What it was, I do not know and I do not want
to know. For when something like that happens, it is only due
to grace, and there is no intellectualization of grace.

36
Sri Swamiji’s Legacy
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Sri Swamiji gave me certain

guidelines to follow in life in
relation to yoga, sannyasa and
spiritual life. He instructed
me to focus on practising
and perfecting what I have
spoken about until now.
Thus, the sannyasa path and
yoga development is now
my direction. Effort, energy
and thoughts in sadhana
are directed towards the
development of yoga and
in planning for its future
development along the
guidelines that Sri Swamiji
has left behind.
I have started in little ways to understand the yogic concepts
and to experience what is read about in books, about which we
have spoken for so many years, whether meditation, samadhi,
chakras or kundalini. I realize now that no matter how much
is taught to a person, whether it is kriya yoga, hatha yoga, raja

immerse yourself totally and completely in this path.

For more than forty-seven years I have taught yoga, and
in these years I have met and interacted with at least a million
people. I have seen them learn different things, from hatha
yoga to raja yoga to kriya yoga to kundalini yoga, and I have
also enjoyed teaching all these things. Forty-seven years later,

37
true to their commitment and their aspiration. No matter what
you do, the mind diverts your attention away from what you
want to do. That is the nature you have come with in this life.
Until and unless there is total isolation, there is no deepening
of experience or awareness.
This could be seen in Sri Swamiji’s life when he retired into
seclusion. For ten years he did not meet anybody, not even
sannyasins. He lived in total isolation and seclusion doing
his own thing. Today as I also move into more isolation and
seclusion for some time, I can understand the value and the
necessity of disconnecting for the sake of stopping the mental
diversions.
Alongside this, there is a need to focus on the development of
better sannyasins, well-equipped sannyasins, not just wearers of
geru but with true feelings, sincerity and commitment. A better
understanding must evolve about the process of sannyasa as
an ongoing journey towards perfection, not as having attained
something; rather, as an ongoing journey which we have started
and we shall walk as far as we can until the last breath.
As part of that, we meet here on every 5th and 6th of the
month to reconnect with the spirit of sannyasa, renunciation,
surrender, compassion and love that our guru experienced
in his own life and shared with all of us. Today is the
commemoration day of his mahasamadhi. At midnight on the
5th, he wilfully and voluntarily left his body while sitting in
meditation, chanting mantras, with prayers on his lips, fully
conscious, retaining his breath, chanting Om and releasing
his soul. It is something we have only read about in mythical
books or ancient history; never before have we witnessed the
departure of a siddha. Even in his departure he gave us a
lesson in how to leave, to attain that ultimate union with the
divine. Therefore, this day is a celebration of the enlightened
consciousness. Samadhi is not death, there is change and
transformation; samadhi is a celebration of enlightenment.
Sri Swamiji lived as a sannyasin and he did not deviate from
that path. You can deviate, you can take sannyasa and after

38
three years decide it is not right for you. You can decide it is

so many golden opportunities given to him by society. He was

was to establish Sannyasa Peeth so that the spirit of sannyasa

may be carried forward. Ganga Darshan, Rikhiapeeth and
Sannyasa Peeth are the three legacies that he has left behind:
yoga, seva and samskara. Yoga in Ganga Darshan, seva in
Rikhia and samskara in Sannyasa Peeth. These three things
together make a complete whole.
To such a person we dedicate this day, with the sankalpa
that we shall walk as per the inspiration that he has given us;
many times falling, many times stumbling, yet always picking
ourselves up with the aim in sight, a twinkle in the eyes and
a smile on the lips.
—5 November 2011

39
Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 40 2015
Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 41 2015
 2012

Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 42 2015

 ‚ã¦ããè¦ã ‡ãñŠ ¹ã¸ããò Ôãñ
8

Ô㦾㠇ãŠã ‚ããÌããÖ¶ã 43 2015

 Receiving Divinity
RIG VEDA (1:89:8)

Om bhadram karnebhih shrinuyaama devaah;

Bhadram pashyemaakshabhiryajatraah;
Sthirai rangaihstushtuvaam sastanoobhirvyashema devahitam
yadaayuh.
Om. O Ye Gods. May we hear auspicious words and
see auspicious sights while worshipping you. May we
be blessed in life with perfect health and vigour while
singing your praise.

MUNDAKA UPANISHAD (2:2:9)

Hiranmaye pare koshe virajam brahma nishkalam;

Tachchhubhram jyotishaam jyotistadyadaatmavido viduh.
Within the innermost sheath He resides, indivisible and
without blemish, the pure One and light of all that shines.
So know the knowers of Brahman.

44
 KATHA UPANISHAD (1:2:7)

Shravanaayaapi bahubhiryo na labhyah shrinvantoapi bahavo

yam na vidyuh; Aashcharyo vaktaa kushaloasya labdhaa
aashchro jnaataa kushalaanushishtah.
There are many who never come to hear of That (the
Self). There are many who, even if they hear of Him, do
not understand. Wonderful is the teacher of the Self, and
wonderful is he who, when taught by an able teacher,
understands Him.

SHVETASHVATARA UPANISHAD (4:12)

Yo devaanaam prabhavah cha udbhavashcha vishvaadhipo

rudro maharshih; hiranyagarbham pashyata jaayamaanam
sa no buddhyaa shubayaa sanyunaktu.
May He who is the creator of Gods, who observes the birth
of the Cosmic Soul, who bestows the highest happiness
and prudence on His devotees, demolishing their sins
and sorrows and punishing all the rule-breakers – may
He, the great sage and the Lord of all, provide us with
auspicious thoughts.

45
Meditation on Mahasamadhi
Day
This meditation was given at Satyam Udyan (Ganga Darshan) on 5th
December 2014, Sri Swami Satyananda’s mahasamadhi day.

to everyone gathered were: “Call me and I will come.” These

were not ordinary words; they were transmission by a siddha.
They were the sutra for an extraordinarily powerful practice: the
practice of avahan, invocation.
Therefore today, on this special day, let us consciously
practice what Sri Swamiji taught us. Let us open up our hearts
and call him. Let us make our minds one-pointed and call him.
So that we experience him with us once again, so that we know
he is right here with us, that he will always be with us.
Becoming quiet, internalize the awareness. Remain in this
internalized awareness for some time. Now disassociate from
every experience, every thought, and take the awareness to your

46
heartspace, hridayakasha. Centre the awareness here. See this
space as full of light, full of radiance and glow; it is the light of
a pure, untainted love welling within you. With the power of
this love, you can call Sri Swamiji. See this light, feel this light,
feel its strength. Feel the luminosity of pure love suffusing your
hridayakasha.
Now let go of hridayakasha and take the awareness to
chidakasha, the space of consciousness. Simply watch this space
for some time. It is like an empty night sky: no clouds there, no
stars, no moon, just stillness. Watch this stillness.

then it becomes clearer and clearer. It becomes larger and

larger, until it covers the roof of your mind like a bright golden
dome. In this golden dome appears a Shivalingam, a black
shining Shivalingam. See the Shivalingam, see its oval shape,
its black colour, its bright surface. See it clearly. And within the
Shivalingam, right at its centre, is Sri Swamiji. It is not just an
image; it is Sri Swamiji. Feel his presence. He is in the Shivalingam
manifested in your consciousness. See his face, the glow on his
face, see what he is wearing, see his eyes, his eyes looking at you

saying something to you? Try to hear his words. Now, look into
his eyes and ask him to always inspire you, ask him to lead you
in the right path, ask him to help you overcome your weaknesses

to him and thank him for coming to you and touching your life.
Now let go of Sri Swamiji’s image, let go of the Shivalingam,
let go of the golden dome, let go of chidakasha. Once again take
the awareness to your heartspace and connect with the light of
love shining there, the love for Sri Swamiji through which you
were able to invoke his presence. Allow this light to gather into a

it with you no matter where you are, and with its force you can
always call him.
End the practice by chanting the mantra Om three times.

47
 Dates: 21st–28th January & 17th–25th July

ÔãⶾããÔã ¹ããèŸ ‚㣾ã㦽㠆Ìãâ ÔãⶾããÔã Ôãñ Ô㽺㮠‚ã¶ãñ‡ãŠ

‡ãŠã䛺㮠Öõý ƒÔã ãäªÍãã ½ãò ÌãÓãà ½ãò ªãñ ºããÀ ãäÌãÍãñÓ㠂㣾ã㦽ã

-21-28 17-25

48
 Yoga Publications Trust
ÖãäÀ æ
Glimpses of the Divine II Ô㦾㠇ãŠã
‚ããÌããÖ¶ã
Sri Lakshmi-Narayana Mahayajna

Before his mahasamadhi in 2009,

Sri Swami Satyananda gave a final
mandate to his successor, Swami
Niranjanananda: “Cultivate the
lifestyle of creative expression
and bring the tradition of
sannyasa to the forefront of
modern culture.” This vision took
the form of Sannyasa Peeth, Ôã½¹ã㪇㊠–
an institution dedicated to instilling the spiritual ÔãÖ-Ôã½¹ã㪇㊖
qualities that allow an individual to live a creative
–
and positive life. Swami Satyananda further specified
that the presiding deities of Sannyasa Peeth will be 811201,
Sri Narayana and Sri Lakshmi, the sustaining forces of
the cosmos, and an annual yajna must be conducted
to propitiate them and receive their blessings. Thus,
in September 2011, the first Sri Lakshmi-Narayana © Sannyasa Peeth 2015
Mahayajna was held at Paduka Darshan, the seat
of Sannyasa Peeth in Munger on the banks of the
Ganga.
Glimpses of the Divine II: Sri Lakshmi-Narayana
Mahayajna, is a collection of the talks and satsangs
given by Swami Niranjanananda and Swami –
Satyasangananda during the third Sri Lakshmi-
Narayana Mahayajna held in 2013. The booklet ÔãⶾããÔã ¹ããèŸ
takes us back into the special moments of the –
yajna, allowing us to relive the inspiration and 811201
blessings received therein, to reconnect with
the energy of the gurus and to remember the -
presence of divinity. It also includes impressions by
participants of the yajna.

For an order form and comprehensive publica- ‡ãŠÌãÀ ¹ãŠãñ›ãñ

tions price list, please contact:
Yoga Publications Trust,
‚㶪À ‡ãñŠ ÀâØããè¶ã ¹ãŠãñ›ãñ : 1:
Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger, Bihar 811201, India
2–3 & 7: 2014
Tel: +91-6344 222430 , Fax: +91-6344 220169 4:
A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent 5: 6:
along with enquiries to ensure a response to your request. 8:
Sannyasa Peeth Events & Courses 2015
Jan 13–15 Satsangs by Swami Girishananda
Jan 21–28 Magha Adhyatma Samskar Sadhana Satra
Jan 24–Jan 2016 1-year Sannyasa Training
Feb 1–July 25
Jul 17–25 Ashadha Adhyatma Samskar Sadhana Satra
Aug 1–Jan 25
Sep 8–12

For more information on the above events, contact:

Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Ganga Darshan, Munger, Bihar 811201, India
Tel: 06344-222430, 06344-228603, 09304799615 Fax: 06344-220169
Website: www.biharyoga.net
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent along with enquiries to ensure a
response to your request