OM Namo Bhagawate Sivanandaya!
OM Namo Bhagawate Chidanandaya!
OM Namo Narayanaya!
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 " Devi Worship" on the occasion of Navaratri ( Oct 5, 2013 - Oct 14, 2013 )
DEVI or Maheswari or Parasakti is the Supreme Sakti or Power of the Supreme Being. When Vishnu and Mahadeva destroyed various Asuras, the power of Devi was behind them. Devi took Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra and gave them necessary Sakti to proceed with the work of creation, preservation, and destruction.


Devi is the Mother of all. The pious and the wicked, the rich and the poor, the saint and the sinner—all are Her children.
Devi or Sakti is the Mother of Nature. She is Nature Itself. The whole world is Her body. Mountains are Her bones. Rivers are Her veins. Ocean is Her bladder. Sun, moon are Her eyes. Wind is Her breath. Agni is Her mouth. She runs this world show


Divine Mother is everywhere triple. She is endowed with the three Gunas, viz., Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. She manifests as Will or Ichcha Sakti, Action or Kriya Sakti, and Knowledge or Jnana Sakti. She is Brahma-Sakti (Saraswati) in conjunction with Brahma, Vishnu-Sakti (Lakshmi) in conjunction with Lord Vishnu, Siva-Sakti (Mahakali or Durga) in conjunction with Lord Siva.

Saraswati is cosmic intelligence, cosmic consciousness, cosmic knowledge. Lakshmi does not mean mere material wealth like gold, cattle, etc. All kinds of prosperity, glory, magnificence, joy, exaltation, or greatness come under Lakshmi. Appayya Dikshita calls even final Liberation as Moksha-Samrajya-Lakshmi. Mahakali is the transformative power of Divinity, the power that dissolves multiplicity in unity.

The Devi assumes many aspects according to the tasks to be performed by Her—sometimes, sweet and tender; and at others, terrible and devouring. But, She is always kind and gracious to Her devotees. Arjuna, the Pandava hero, worshipped the Goddess before starting the fight against the evil-minded Kauravas. Sri Rama worshipped Durga at the time of the fight with Ravana, to invoke Her aid in the war. He fought and won through Her grace. - Swami Sivananda << More>>

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Early Morning Meditation Talk from "Ponder These  Truths" by Swami Chidananada

Worship God as Virtue
"Have no other God. You can contemplate God, you can contemplate eternity, infinity, ocean of bliss, Light of lights beyond all darkness—all these things you can contemplate, think about, reflect over, but you cannot love and worship peace, or ananda, or jnana. Because they are abstruse, abstract concepts, and you want something more, something for which you can live and something for which you can be prepared to die also. That is virtue.
Read the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, you will understand. You may want, you may desire, peace, joy, light, but you cannot love them, you cannot worship them. But twenty-four hours of the day and night, with every breath, you can worship virtue, you can live to fulfil virtue. That you can do. That is sadhana; that is supreme Yoga. Thus worship. God will reveal Himself in His transcendental, concealed form.
Therefore, this great message, this great sadhana that Gurudev left for us, this inner secret of the spiritual life that he bestowed upon us as his special legacy, is that through virtue one can attain the source of all virtue, which is God. God dwells within your heart and is the source of all goodness. He is your indwelling reality, the source of your conduct and character, the source of your virtue and goodness, the source of your truth, purity and compassion, the source of the divine living of your life.
Worship God as Virtue. Worship virtue by practising virtue. This is a way to spiritual transformation and realisation." - Swami Chidananda << More>>

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On Health Topics  from  a book "Yoga and  Health" of Swami Adhyatmananda 
 "Backache":  Principle causes of Backache, Treatment & Precautions
Bhujangasana, Baddha-Naukasana, Kati -Utthanasana, Ushtrasana, Bharmari Pranayama & Shavasana are very helpful.
 Practice of Shalabhasana at the end of Bhujang­asana and practice of Dhanurasana on completion of Ushtrasana are found very beneficial for the backache. Therefore, without any type of hurry, with perfect quiet attitude & balance state of mind, practise Asanas, Bhramari as well as Omkar Pranayamas.  <<More>>
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Upcoming events and  Highlighting the News

Upcoming 30 th Yoga Teachers Training course ( Dec  11, 2013 - Dec 30, 2013)  Yoga Teachers Training Course (YTCC) at Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad is organized under the guidance and leadership of Yogacharya Pujya Sri Swami Adhyatmanandaji has conducted over 760 Yogasana Camps over the globe. Our comprehensive Yoga Teachers Training Course provide a strong foundation for personal and spiritual development.

Prerequisite The course is available to student, who has completed basic and advanced Yoga classes at Sivananda Ashram or from equivalent courses at other institutes. And students, who wish to enhance their knowledge of Yoga Science or become a teacher in the field of Yoga.

Certificates: On successful completion of exam, including theory and practical, the graduate will receive a diploma certificate recognized by Gujarat University and will be able to teach Yogasana and pranayama to others. << More>>

News & Activity Report for the Month of September 2013

Divya Jivan/ September 2013

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  Gitamrutam
 
 
Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in Yoga and knowledge, alms-giving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity and straightforwardness, (16:1)

 
Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion towards beings, uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness, (16:2)


Vigour, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride—these belong to one born in a divine state, O Arjuna! (16:3)
  
Hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, harshness and also anger and ignorance, belong to one who is born in a demoniacal state, O Arjuna! (16:4)

  
The divine nature is deemed for liberation and the demoniacal for bondage. Grieve not, O Arjuna, for thou art born with divine properties! (16:5)