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"The two great natural forces that afflict man are Rajas (the quality of passionate activity) and Tamas (that of inertia). The Shivaratri Vrata aims at the perfect control of these two. The entire day is spent at the Feet of the Lord. Continuous worship of the Lord necessitates the devotee’s constant presence in the place of worship. Motion is controlled. Evils like lust, anger, and jealousy, born of Rajas are ignored and subdued. The devotee observes vigil throughout the night and thus conquers Tamas also. Constant vigilance is imposed on the mind. Every three hours a round of worship of the Shiva Lingam is conducted. Shivaratri is a perfect Vrata."
"The formal worship consists of bathing the Lord. Lord Shiva is considered to be the Form of Light (which the Shiva Lingam represents). He is burning with the fire of austerity. He is therefore best propitiated with cool bathing. While bathing the Lingam the devotee prays: “O Lord! I will bathe Thee with water, milk, etc. Do Thou kindly bathe me with the milk of wisdom. Do Thou kindly wash me of all my sins, so that the fire of worldliness which is scorching me may be put out once for all, so that I may be one with Thee—the One alone without a second.”

"Offer this inner worship to Lord Shiva daily: “I worship the jewel of my Self, the Shiva residing in the Lotus of my heart. I bathe Him with the water of my pure mind brought from the river of faith and devotion. I worship Him with the fragrant flowers of Samadhi—all this so that I may not be born again in this world.” - Swami Sivananda  <<MORE>
Philosophy of Symbolism - Shiva - Swami Sivananda
The Subjective Dimension of Prayer - Swami Chidananda
Siva- The Mystic Night  - Swami Krishnananda
Significance of Shivaratri(Gujarati) Swami Adhyatmananda
Audio Clips
OM Namo Shivaya
Maha Mritunjaya Mantra
Nirvan Shatkam of Adishankaracharya

The Vision of Our Ancient
"Radiant Immortal Atman! Beloved children of the Divine! There are certain very significant, important and meaningful aspects of the Vedic way of life, as well as the culture of the sacred land of India, which form, as it were, the very heart of Vedic dharma and Indian culture. It is these concepts that enliven the vision of our great heritage and our culture.

With what eyes, with what view, did our ancients behold this life, man, this world, human beings? These lofty concepts that were given to us, handed down to posterity, were not arrived at through reasoning or speculation, but rather through direct perception, direct personal experience (aparoksha’nubhuti) within the depths of their consciousness. And if these lofty concepts are lost sight of, the river of the stream of our life will run into a desert, become dried up and vanish without ever reaching the great destination of the ocean."- Swami Chidananda <<More>>

Yoga Teachers Training Course at Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad is organized under the guidance and leadership of Yogacharya H.H .Swami Adhyatmanandaji, who has been teaching Yoga over thirty years and has conducted over 650 Yoga Camps. He has been a monk for over thirty years and sharing the teaching of Holy Master Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. The YTTC will provide you a wonderful opportunity to further develop your skill in the science of Yoga and expand your abilities to teach yoga to others.You will be learning from a Master. Ashram’s serene atmosphere is ideal for enhancing your spiritual growth as well as the skill in the field of  Science of Yoga.  <<More>>

International Diabetes Conference at Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad ( Jan 6 & Jan 7, 2006) << More>>
 

653rd Yoga Camp - A weeklong Yoga camp commenced on Jan 26, 2006 at Sri Sardar Patel Stadium. More than two thousand yoga enthusiasts joined the camp daily for two hours from 5.30am to 7.30am. This was planned and organized by the Commissioner and chief of Municipal Corporation, Ahmedabad as a part of “Utsav-Amdavad” festivity. It was concluded on Feb1, 2006. <<More>>
 

Divine Grace -  Divya Krupa - A booklet with teachings of Sri Sadgurudev Swami Chidanandaji Maharaja’s in HIS own handwritings.( Dec 27, 2005). pdf file of about 4 Mgb, it will take long time to download

Q & A on Spiritual Life and Sadhana from “May I Answer That?”- by Holy Master Sri Swami Sivanandaji  Maharaj.

What is the difference between Bhakti and Jnana?
Bhakti is devotion. It is a means to the end which is attainment of Jnana. People of emotional temperament are fit for this path. It demands self-surrender or Atma-nivedan. It is the cat-Yoga. The kitten cries aloud and the mother cat runs at once to catch it by the mouth. So also, the devotee cries aloud like Draupadi and Gajendra and the Lord Krishna runs immediately to rescue him and shower His grace. The Bhakti Marga demands only sincere, intense devotion, blind faith and strong conviction as Prahlad had. There is no necessity for learning. Illiterate people like Tukaram who could not sign even their names had realized God. There is no need for vast learning or study. A Bhakta wants to eat sugar-candy. He wants to sit by the side of the Lord.

Jnana is the Yoga of self-expansion. It demands self-reliance. Only people of an intellectual temperament with Vichara Sakti or the power of discrimination and ratiocination are fit for the path of Jnana or knowledge. It is the monkey-Yoga. The young monkey does not cry, but itself clings tenaciously to the body of its mother wherever the mother runs. This Yoga demands a vast study of Vedantic literature, a sharp intellect, bold understanding, gigantic will and courage. A Jnani wants to become an embodiment of sugar-candy, instead of tasting sugar-candy. A Jnani wants to become identical with the Existence (Eka Aikyam).

There was a Punjabi monk suffering from dangerous advanced form of leprosy. He kept rolling on the road for some days and then requested a teacher of the local school one day to carry him to the Sivanandashram. Being aided by the teacher the patient managed to reach the gateway of the Ashram when it was already 10 P.M. The night Satsang was about to be over when the news came to Swamiji that a patient was waiting for him. With a torch light in hand Swamiji walked out to the spot where the patient was lying and saw his pitiable condition. Immediately he carried him to the verandah of the Yoga Sadhana Kutir and sent a word to Gurudev seeking his permission to accommodate the patient inside the Ashram. The Master himself felt overwhelmed with a sense of pity, and granted the necessary permission.

Swamiji then began nursing the patient with such love and care as hardly a mother could surpass. He carried on this Seva for months together combining the roles of friend, doctor, nurse, cook and sweeper. He even cleaned the excreta of the unfortunate creature. When the barber refused to cut his hair, he himself did the job.

Gurudev commented that Swamiji had wrought a miracle. The diseased monk, who was given up as a lost case by every one else was now able to walk about and take his bath himself. Gurudev said with great appreciation, "Chidanandaji has given him a new lease of life through his loving service." He added that he himself could have hardly served the patient with such fullness of devotion.