Gift of Existence

What do you gain by Prayer...?

Best answer given by Swami Vivekananda:

"I gained nothing, In fact I Lost, Anger, Depression, Jealousy, Irritation & Insecurity.."

Gift of Existence
There lived a Sadhu who regularly used to give discourses. One day at the end of the discourse he was talking of being grateful to existence. "Operate from a space of gratitude, `Kritajna'. This will allow us to expand.'' a beggar was sitting in a corner and listening to the discourse, he came up to the Sadhu and said, "Maharaj, your talk was great. But one thing I am not able to do. You said to be grateful to the existence because it has always showered benediction on you. Sorry! But, existence has not given me anything. I am struggling even for one roti''.
The Sadhu said,"I agree with you, I will give you two lacks, right here, will you be grateful?" The beggar was thrilled.

"But I want something in return from you'', said the Sadhu. "I do not have anything, what can I give you? If I have something I will definitely give you.'' said the beggar.
"I won't ask you anything that you do not have'', said the Sadhu. The agreement was made.The Sadhu said, "I will make arrangements for the two lacks; you please give me both your eyes."

The beggar was astonished. "What will I do with these two lacks without my eyes! I don't agree to the deal,'' he said. "I prefer my two eyes to the two lacks''.
The Sadhu said, "but you said you don't have anything and were cursing existence."

This is a beautiful story. Two eyes he had, then two hands, two legs, stomach etc., He is already a multi millionaire. But all these gifts we do not see. For the beggar, money was very important.That we can see is such a great gift of existence. We can hear. We can walk. All are great gifts. If you say you are unhappy, it is ridiculous. In fact we should dance and celebrate that existence has given us so many gifts.

We are normally focused on what is missing in life. The moment you start operating from what you don't have, whatever you have also go into darkness.
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Communism and Spirituality

Communism has three goals.

To check the greed of feudal and capitalistic societies.
To check the fanaticism and fundamentalism of religious communities.
To care for and share with the needy.

Only spirituality can bring fulfillment to communism.

Only spirituality can check greed and open up the hearts ofthe rich to help the needy.
Only spirituality can check the fanaticism and fundamentalism of religious groups and create a sense of belongingness in the whole world.
Only spirituality brings up the tendency to care and share in one's life.
Only spirituality can bring about open mindedness and a progressive attitude.

Communism cannot fulfill its goals without spirituality.
It is impossible and time has proved it.

Spirituality nourishes communism.
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Question: If you have a Guru do you need luck?
Sri Sri: You need luck to have a Guru! (Laughter)

Karma On A Platter

Karma On A Platter

The National Food Security Bill 2013 passed in the Lower House of Parliament on August 26 might not be the magic bullet to efface hunger. We also need to revive our glorious traditions of food sharing, rich in compassion and purpose, says MEERA DEWAN, whose recent film ‘Gur Prasad’, tributes Punjab’s living tradition of food sharing
Why do we feed the fed and starve the hungry? Why do we get so much joy when we cook and serve food to our friends, those who have abundance? Conversely, some of us may soul-search on why we neglect or turn our gaze away from those who clearly need nutrition. Perhaps this is as good a time as any to revive our tradition of food sharing.
The bhandaras held on memorable occasions, the now worldwide langar tradition as practised in gurdwaras, the huge deghchis or cooking vessels at dargahs that are never empty, the sanjhachoolhas or shared tandoors in Punjab’s rural courtyards — our culture has been defined by sharing of food. No celebration is complete without it. A meal prepared and eaten together binds both giver and receiver, creating a sense of equality. Sitting together to bake and break bread brings humility and gratitude, creating harmony and wellbeing.
Selfless Seva
I came across some living practitioners who keep alive this tradition. Badshah Singh, the one-legged carpenter lives in the shade of a gurdwara on the outskirts of the Capital, devoting his waking hours to chopping vegetables. Muniza Bibi stirs up 200 kilos of grain into a nutritious, steaming daliya in enormous deghchis at a dargah in Rajasthan. The children of a neighbourhood in Fazilka, Punjab, carry sackloads of freshly ground atta every evening to the shared tandoor in the community courtyard. Jayamma, a two-acre farm owner in Tamil Nadu, sows, nurtures and reaps fields, sharing the harvest with the landless and needy. A retired army officer in Delhi’s resettlement colony brings discipline and food security to a community kitchen. These are the repositories in whose busy hands and compassionate minds, the tradition of food sharing is still alive.
Mohammad Mehtab cruises the streets of Lutyen’s Delhi. It is yet another ‘Night Out’ for the 18-year-old cyclist. As he drives along India Gate, turning towards the circular columns of Connaught Place, his eyes scan pizza shops, ice-cream parlours, seafood restaurants, and bars with ‘Happy Hours’ lit up with neon signs. These hangouts don’t interest Mohammad. His eyes seek out the hungry who flock outside, hope writ large on their faces.
As an environmental refugee from a chronically waterlogged village in North Bihar, to Kolkata and now, New Delhi, this teen has been on the streets from the age of five to 15 years. He knows only too well how cities create famines in the midst of plenty. Mohammad understands the needs of the floating population of a few thousand hungry people here. Wasn’t he one among them till recently? Working with an NGO now, he monitors the nutrition of some of the Capital’s hungry and is their barefoot doctor as well.
A middle-aged woman moves towards the congested medieval inner city of Ajmer. It is well past sunset. Yet the ancient alleys leading to the world-famous dargah, Ajmer Sharif are alive and alert. Dense throngs of rickshaws weave through lanes clogged with people and animals. Busy stalls are distributing food and quilts. Small stretches of footpaths, parks and even narrow two-lane dividers are beds to silent rows of tired bodies.
Muniza Bibi arrives and exits within minutes, effortlessly carrying two large pails of steaming vessels, overflowing with multi-coloured, multigrain broth — a nutritious daliya. The spring in her step and her enthusiasm belie her age. The dignity of the giver and the receiver become one, creating an almost palpable human bond.
Scooping out generous helpings, she is done with this round very quickly. She convinces me these pots have never been empty for centuries. I also have no difficulty in believing her when she shyly whispers that feeding wanderers and seekers at this gracious eating centre is more refreshing than sleeping on a soft bed.
Badshah Singh sits under a blue tarp, lost in the sorting, cleaning, and chopping of a sea of green leafy saags. He is humming verses from Gurbani:

Flamingoes migrate hundreds of miles leaving their young ones behind.
Who feeds the newborn chicks left behind? Who fends for them?
…One who joins a supportive community swims across the ocean of life….
— Raag Gujri, Fifth Nanak (Rehras)
Badshahji’s actions are so fluid, so fast, that it takes me a while to notice that his long, outstretched left leg is wooden. It is attached by straps to his torso. I ask him, “What are you cooking, Bhraji?” His quick response: “I am cooking good karma, just as I hope you are, with your pen and camera. We are all cooking, one way or other. Some of us eat it alone. Others share it with the sangat (community) at the gurdwara.”
Badshah Of Compassion

As he invites me to share a meal, he hobbles into the stream of people awaiting lunch. Everyone makes way for him, including women and children who are unloading buckets of chopped and washed vegetables into huge pans. He picks up a pail of dal and first serves the waiting children, walking stick expertly tucked under his free armpit. He then passes around a basket of rotis, never throwing them, but gently handing them out in pairs, like prasada. The receiver too accepts it with a similar reverence — hands cupped, arms outstretched, a prayer on their lips. There is a faint chorus, Wahe Guru — Wonderous Lord.
“Never eat without contributing your labour. It will not digest well. Work for your food with service towards the community,” he says, as we wash our dishes. Badshah Singh is Badshah of Compassion. His words bring to mind a verse:
Eating a langar meal,Cross-legged on the floor Has a simple appeal Of humanity’s inner core.The endless ritual langarSimple, free love feastHatred will not mar this bridge of Great and Least. This bridge of West and East.
Perhaps the Badshah and the Poet, a foreign traveller — who had scribbled these lines in a book at the Golden Temple — are fellow travellers with a common muse. It could be the muse of sharing food.
Lord, don’t expect me to meditate on an empty stomach!
So here, take back your prayer beads.
I do wish to walk along your path;
I’m free of all debts and obligations.
Whom do I ask, if not you?
All I need is two kilos flour, a little ghee, a pinch of salt and a handful of dal.
That’s enough for two meals a day!
— Bhagat Dhannaji

Translated by
Jagjeet Singh & Meera Dewan

SHIVOHAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoKKf4zMlQs

Shivom Shivom Shivoham Shivaswarupoham
Nityoham shuddhoham buddhoham muktoham
Nityoham shuddhoham buddhoham muktoham
Shivoham Shivoham Shivaswarupoham

Shiva = the pure unbounded all-pervading consciousness (the transcendental self, the Absolute), Aham = I am, Shiva + Aham = Shivoham, swarup = the true form, nitya = eternal, shuddha = pure, buddha = intelligent, mukta = free.
“I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness). I am the unbounded consciousness. I am the very form of the unbounded consciousness.
I am eternal. I am pure. I am intelligent. I am free.
I am eternal. I am pure. I am intelligent. I am free.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness). I am the unbounded consciousness. I am the very form of the unbounded consciousness.”

Advaitaananda rupam-arupam
Brahmoham Brahmoham Brahmaswarupoham
Chidoham Chidoham Satchidaanandoham
Shivoham Shivoham Shivaswarupoham

Advaita = non-duality (oneness), Aananda = bliss, rupa = form, arupa = formless
Brahman = the pure unbounded all-pervading consciousness (the transcendental self, the Absolute), Chida = consciousness, Sat = Truth.
“The bliss of non-duality (oneness), that which is in all forms and yet formless.
I am Brahman (pure unbounded consciousness). I am Brahman. I am the very form of Brahman.
I am consciousness. I am consciousness. I am the bliss of consciousness which is the one Truth.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness). I am the unbounded consciousness. I am the very form of the unbounded consciousness.”

Jise shastra kaate na agni jalaaye,
Ghalaaye na paani na mrityu mitaaye,
Wahi aathmaa Satchidaananda mai hoon,
Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham

Jise = which, shastra = dagger, kaate = cut, na = nor, agni = fire, jalaaye = burn, ghalaaye = dissolve, paani = water, mrityu = death, mitaaye = destroy, wahi = that, aathmaa = soul, Sat = Truth, Chida = consciousness, Aananda = bliss, mai = I, hoon = am.
“That which cannot be cut by a dagger, nor burnt by fire.
That which cannot be dissolved by water, nor destroyed by death.
That very soul, the bliss of consciousness which is the truth, I am.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness). I am the unbounded consciousness. I am the unbounded consciousness. I am the unbounded consciousness.”

Amar aathmaa hai maranshil kaaya,
Sabhi praaniyo ke jo bhitar samaayaa,
Wahi aathmaa Satchidaananda mai hoon,
Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham

amar = immortal, aathmaa = soul, hai = is, maranshil = mortal, kaaya = body, sabhi = all, praaniyo = living beings, ke jo bhitar samaayaa = residing within
“The immortal soul, the body is mortal,
that which is inside all living beings,
that very soul, the bliss of consciousness, I am.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness) …”

Jo vyaapak hai kana kana he waahas jiskaa,
Nahi teeno kaalo meih he naash jiskaa,
Wahi athmaa Satchidaananda mai hoon,
Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham

vyaapak = everywhere, kana kana he waahas jiskaa = in every particle of existence, Nahi = which is not, teeno = the three, kaalo = ages, meih = in, naash = destroy
“That which is everywhere in every particle of existence,
which is not destroyed in the three ages,
that very soul, the bliss of consciousness, I am.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness) …”

Amar aathmaa Satchidaananda mai hoon,
Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham Shivoham
“The immortal soul, the bliss of consciousness, I am.
I am Shiva (the pure unbounded consciousness) …”

The first part is a sanskrit chant which has its origins in a famous poem composed by Sage Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century. The second part (starting from Jise shastra ) is in Hindi. The meaning is very deep! It reminds me of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s profound yet practical commentary on the Ashtavakra Gita. To me, it means that the singer is identifying with his/her infinite self rather than with the temporary aspects of his/her existence. So rather than identifying with thoughts, feelings, circumstances, roles and the mortal body, which are ever-changing, the singer identifies with his/her soul which is eternal and indestructible. The experience of being one with our inner being is the bliss. Some of us, who are lucky, get a glimpse of this in meditation. We are, at our core, eternal, pure, untouched, intelligent and free.

Jan 24, 2010: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s explanation: After writing this post, I came across (thanks to Amra!) an explanation of “Shivoham” by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar which is, of course, beautiful. Here it is. Enjoy!

“”Shiva” here means that innocent, blissful, splendid, golden, beautiful.
“Shivoham” — I am Shiva. Splendid, the most innocent.
“Shiva Swarupoham” — my nature is Shiva. My form is Shiva. I am made up of a substance that is Shiva — innermost me.

“Nityoham” — I am ever present. I am always there. Body dies, disappears, but I am there.
“Nityoham Shuddhoham” — I am ever pure. Nothing can touch me. All these things come and go, but they cannot touch me, they cannot do anything to me.
“Buddhoham” — I am always enlightened.
“Shivoham Shivoham Shiva Swarupoham. Nityoham” — I am eternal. There is no end to me.

“Advaita Ananda Rupam Arupam. Shivoham Shivoham Shiva Swarupoham” — There is no two. It is me in all the forms, all over. It is me. My breath is flowing everywhere. I am the formless though I am inside a form. My spirit has no form. Though I am formless, I move in forms, in all forms in the whole world.

“Brahmoham Brahmoham Brahma Swarupoham” — I am the Brahman, the totality, the all.
“Chidoham Chidoham” — I am the consciousness. I am lively. I am full of life. I am pure energy and pure consciousness.”
~~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Why Celebrate Krishna’s Birthday?

Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Krishna. Ashtami, the half-moon, indicates a perfect balance between the seen and unseen aspects of reality; the visible material world and invisible spiritual realm. Krishna’s birth on ashtami signifies his mastery of both spiritual and material worlds. His teachings are most relevant to our times in the sense that they neither let you get lost in material pursuits nor make you completely withdrawn. To celebrate Gokulashtami is to imbibe extremely opposite yet compatible qualities and manifest them in your own life.
Krishna simply means the most attractive -- the Self or the Being. Radheshyam represents infinity. Radhe is individual life and Shyam is infinite life. Krishna is the Self of every being and when our true natural Self shines through our personality, skills and abundance follow.
It is said that Krishna used to steal butter. What does this signify? Butter is the final product of a process: the milk is first made into curd and then the curd that is well churned becomes butter. And like milk or curd, life is the process of churning through so many events, happenings and instances. Finally butter comes out, which is the saintliness in you.
whole essence of it is to maintain that balance, to be joyful, happy and centred. You can have a big smile when everything is smooth in your life; if you can smile even in adversity then you have achieved something in life. It is like how Krishna stands with one foot firmly on the ground, the other is raised, poised; this is how dance can happen. This depicts the way to live life in perfect balance. When you are buried in the mind, dance cannot happen. Witnessing the disturbances of the mind helps us to rise above them. So whenever you are disturbed, instead of thinking that this should never have happened, simply surrender.
In the Bhagwad Gita Krishna says, “Why is it that so many are not able to know me? The reason is that they are constantly stuck between their cravings and aversions.” One who intensely craves for someone or has too much hatred for someone, falls into the trap of moha, attachment. When such a person has a problem in his life, be it regarding money or relationships, for example, then his mind is completely engrossed with the problem and he spends his days and nights, even years, worrying over it, but he is not able to overcome it.
For this, Krishna says, ‘Those whose punyas, meritorious deeds, begin to bear fruit are freed of all their sorrow, and they begin to get drawn towards me. Those whose sins are not cleansed remain stuck in ignorance and delusion”. If you walk towards the light, the darkness of ignorance automatically starts to disappear. But sin is that which does not let you move towards the light. And this is what causes misery, pain and suffering. When a person completely understands that I am not the body, I am pure Consciousness, then such strength dawns in him. Once you have faith in the Divine, then that is it. Then you should not doubt it one bit. This is what knowing the Divine truly means.
Krishna is the symbol of all possibilities, the total blossoming of all aspects of the human, and the Divine. Janmashtami is the day when you enliven that virat swaroop, the cosmic nature of Krishna in your own consciousness once again. Letting your true nature manifest in your day-to-day life is the real secret of Krishna’s birth.

A Possible Roadmap For Happiness

A Possible Roadmap For Happiness

Each of us wants some peace and happiness in life. Still, happiness often evades us. “Is there a simple, straightforward roadmap to get happiness and peace in life,” I asked Swami Paramarthanandji in Chennai. He replied, ‘Reducing PORT is the best way’. PORT stands for Possessions, Obligatory Duties, Relationships and Transactions. How to reduce these?
Happiness is a state of mind; it does not come from possessions alone. There are severe limitations of happiness sought in objects. First, deep effort and some pain are involved in acquiring objects. Many waste their entire life in pursuit of desirable objects. There is no guarantee that even after getting those objects or positions, you would be happy. You may feel ‘let-down’ after spending so much of effort. You may think, ‘this is not what I laboured for’. Also, objects of desire keep changing, and so also our goal posts. The chase continues and every new possession brings with it own burden. If someone has a house with swimming pool and ten bed rooms; imagine his plight in maintaining it. He is busy all the time cleaning, fixing, protecting. Does the house serve us, or do we serve the house? Again, objects make us dependent on them. For instance, once we are used to a particular standard of living, it is inconvenient not to have certain objects such as air conditioners in our life. Hence objects usually create bondage.
Relationships are meant to make our life happy. But do they? We have to maintain some blood relations for social cohesion, but we create other new relationships, which complicates life. Every new relationship has to be maintained. You have to remember to wish people on their birthdays and anniversaries, participate in functions like marriage and engagement, or reach out in case of sickness or loss. Also you are experience sadness or pain when the person with whom you have a relationship does not reciprocate. It is said that grief is never caused by outsiders or unknown people. It is caused by people with whom you have a relationship. Depending on your attitude, your relationships might cause you more pain than pleasure.
Every possession and every new relationship creates its own obligatory duties. You have to insure your vehicles, for example, remember to send it for regular service. Similarly we have to attend to the expectations of relationships. These add to our list of obligatory duties. We cannot avoid basic, minimum obligatory duties towards the office, business, parents, spouse or children. But our optional duties also become obligatory when you maintain too many possessions and relationships. We should also be careful in accepting new roles in life just for the sake of ego-satisfaction. If you are made President or Secretary of a Society, you may feel good, but that adds to your obligatory duties also. Performance of each of these duties becomes a transaction. This way we try to cope with large number of transactions in our life, and get exhausted at the end of the day. Where is the time to be happy.
This is not to say that you should have no objects or relationships in your life. However, the idea is to be aware of their limitations and try to strike a balance. The mind will be peaceful only if you are able to discriminate between what is necessary and what is unnecessary in your life.
Reducing Possessions, Relationships, Obligatory Duties and Transactions (PORT) is a practical way to look at life and happiness. That is the PORT of call for happiness.

Fly A Kite Across The River

Fly A Kite Across The River
A distinguishing characteristic of a person who lives with God is his forgiving nature. Has someone wronged him, exploited him? If so, he forgives even before forgiveness is asked. And
Have I fallen out with someone and been separated from him by a gulf so wide that it cannot be bridged? he lives a life of beauty and blessedness. Such a person is indeed rich.

I was reading about the Niagara Falls. A bridge had to be built across the Falls. For this, they needed to fix a rope across the river to start the suspension bridge. The waters of the river were too swift and turbulent to take the rope across in a boat. What did they do? They flew a kite across the river. When it reached the other side, a cord was tied to its string. Finally, a rope was tied to the cord. That was the beginning of the. A telephone wire can be the string of the kite—and a bridge suspension bridge that spans the Niagara Falls. Let me fly a kite to him, of loving thoughts and forgiveness of reconciliation built by a mere phone call. Forgiveness is the precious lubricant which keeps all our relationships smooth and friction-free.
Let us learn to forgive. Thomas Fuller said, “He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself, for every man has the need to be forgiven.” An individual grows or evolves to higher levels of consiousness in the measure in which he is able to express the quality of forgiveness. All our great ones have been men and women of forgiveness. Even so, forgiveness is not the monopoly of the great. Simple souls, humble men and women have practised the art of forgiveness to perfection.
A house in which a man and his ten-year-old daughter lived was attacked by outlaws. The father died in the scuffle. The outlaws spared the life of the girl, Melanie, but blinded her. Ten years later, Melanie was sitting by the roadside, when she heard footsteps and a voice which frightened her. “Who is it?” she called out, “Be careful, because I am blind.” “I know you are,” replied one of the outlaws. “I am the man who killed your father and blinded you. I just tried to hold up a passer-by and he shot me. I am going to die. I beg you to forgive me.”
Melania shuddered with anger but controlled herself, forgave the criminal and exhorted him to repent. When the man was dead, she groped for his eyes and gently closed them like a loving daughter.
Part 5 of 5
Forgiveness, in contrast to retaliation, is not an instinctive or spontaneous impulse. If we are hurt, almost as a reflex, we are conditioned to think, “I’ll fight back – I’ll do to you what you did to me.” On the other hand, forgiveness has to be cultivated. It is a well-considered, well-thought out emotional choice that we make to forgive freely, those who have hurt us. Because forgiveness does not just consist of mouthing the words, “I forgive you.” It involves letting go of anger, resentment, hurt and bitterness. It allows us to heal the other – and be healed ourselves in the process.
The ‘F’ of Forgiveness is Freedom. Forgiveness sets us free from the hurts, which otherwise would continue to prick us, for as long as memory lasts. Today at 2 pm, observe a Moment of Calm in unison; think thoughts of forgiveness towards everyone.

A Practical Visionary And Sage

Swami Sivananda upheld ethical and spiritual values. In his words, these are to serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise – a synthesis of the upanishadic principle of oneness of reality, ‘Ekam eva advitityam Brahmn’. Absolute reality, Brahmn, manifests as trinity of individual self, world and Iswara -- jiva, jagat and jagdish. The one and non-dual reality is perceived as substratum in and through these threefold manifestations to become one with humankind, nature and Iswara.
Unity based on eternal unity of the Self, according to Sivananda, is a logical synthesis and outcome. He proposed unity in all spheres of activity, the yoga of synthesis based on four main spiritual paths for God realisation – karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga for harmonious and integral development of body, heart, mind and intellect that constitute the composite human being. “Excel in service, expand in love, advance in knowledge and realise the Self.” Swami Sivananda hailed unity of religions and the ideal of brotherhood.
He embraced allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurveda in his life. He studied modern medicine at Thanjavur Medical College. He edited the health magazine ‘Ambrosia’ and served poor farm hands of Malaya (now Malaysia) with compassion in selfless service. Like Hahnemann, he could see the limitations of even modern systems of medicine, albeit differently, as it does not offer ultimate solution to our problems and higher goals. While Hahnemann established the science of homoeopathy, Sivananda, earlier known as Kuppuswami, took to monastic life, practiced intense austerities and shone as a yogi, saint, sage and jivanmukta. Nonetheless, his subtler vision endeared him to homeopathy and as representative of Indian culture he also propagated ayurveda in his books on health and hygiene.
Sivananda synthesised western and eastern philosophies, religion and spirituality, social and spiritual practices, yoga and vedanta, poetry and prose, English and Sanskrit, art and science, object and subject, theory and practice in his life and creations. He was a practical vedantin, The Sivananda Ashram grew around him at Rishikesh in 1932 and subsequently, the Divine Life Society and later, the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy were established.
He summarised his teachings in a trio of universal prayer, twenty spiritual instructions and science of seven cultures -- health, energy, ethics, will, heart, psychic and spiritual. His universal prayer “Let us behold thee in all these names and forms; Let us serve thee in all these names and forms” reflects his innate spiritual vision of oneness and service dedicated to the non-dual divine spirit. He would say, recognise the presence of divinity within and without and attain divine consciousness through divine living. And toward this end, one has to start right from the beginning, in childhood.
His unique message is practical spirituality -- the threefold essence of spiritual practice lies in cultivation of virtues and eradication of vices, continuous remembrance of God’s name and spiritualisation of all activity. With the objectivity of a scientist, intuition of a clinician and compassion of a saint, Sivananda communed with one and all, to show the way to divine life and attainment of Self-realisation, the highest goal of human life. Swami Sivananda is remembered as an ideal sage than as an ideal medical professional. This is because life in eternity is more subtle, pervasive and blissful than worldly, secular life.

July 31 was the 50th maha samadhi anniversary of Swami Sivananda. The author is a board member of The Divine Life Society.