December 2005

Divya Jivan Newsletter





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  Gita Jayanti ( Dec 11, 2005)

" The Gita is the most beautiful and the only truly philosophical song. It contains sublime lessons on wisdom and philosophy. It is the “Song Celestial”. It is the universal gospel. It contains the message of life that appeals to all, irrespective of race, creed, age or religion."
"The voice of the Gita is the call of the Supreme. It is the divine sound explained. The primal source of all existence, all power, is the manifested sound, Om. This is the Divine Word. It is Nada Brahman, whose unceasing call is: “Be ye all ever merged in the eternal, unbroken, continuous consciousness of the Supreme Truth.” This is the sublime message that the great Gita elaborates and presents in all comprehensiveness and in a universally acceptable form. It is verily this message of the Bhagavad Gita that I wish to recall and reproclaim with emphasis to you."- Swami Sivananda <<MORE>

Gita Guidance - by Swami Chinmayananda

Teaching of Lord Sri. Dattatreya on Sri. Dattatreya Jayanti (Dece 15, 2005)

Lord Dattatreya -Master par Excellence - By Swami Krishnanada
Lord Dattatreya is regarded as the visible incarnation of the Supreme Being himself in his aspects as Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, which we know as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, respectively. The creative, the preservative and the disintegrating powers of God are supposed to be manifest in the personality of Lord Dattatreya. The name or word ‘Dattatreya’ is constituted of two terms, ‘Datta’ and ‘Atreya’. In Sanskrit, ‘Datta’ means one who is bestowed as a gift, and ‘Atreya’ is an honorific which is derived from the name of a great sage called Atri. The son of Atri is Atreya. A descendent of Atri also is Atreya. One who is bestowed as a divine child on the great sage Atri, by the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Siva themselves, is Dattatreya. Tradition holds that he was the divine child of sage Atri born to his famous consort Anasuya. He is also, therefore, known as Anasuyanandana, the darling of the great queen of chastity, Anasuya Devi. The Name of Dattatreya, the great sage, is a by-word in all religious circles in India. In certain parts of Gujarat and in Maharashtra, the worship of Dattatreya is pre-eminent. It is believed by the followers of the tradition that Dattatreya is in flesh and blood even today. << More>>

A Special Page on Lord Dattatreya is uploaded on the occasion of Dattatreya Jayanti

Early Morning Meditation talks from Ponder These Truths by  Swami Chidananda

"You Are Unique in the Eyes of God"

"Each one is distinct and unique in the eyes of the Creator; there is none like that particular being, there is no second. So each one is precious and specially valuable to the Creator. In the eyes of God, therefore, each one is something special. This should always be remembered. No one can replace you in the role that you fulfil in God’s creation at any given place and at any given point in time. You are most necessary and indispensable for that particular set-up, in that particular time-space context. And therefore rejoice and be grateful to the Lord that He has given you a role to perform."  <<MORE>>


Yoga Teachers Training Course ( Dec 11, 2005 - Dec 30, 2005)

Yoga Teachers Training Course at Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad is organized under the guidance and leadership of Yogacharya H.H .Swami Adhyatmanandaji, who is teaching Yoga over thirty years and has conducted over 650 Yoga Camps to his credits. 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 Yoga Science.  <<More>>

News & Activity Report for the Month of November 2005

‘Ladli’ - Female  Feticide Seminar( November 8, 2005)

Sri Sri Ravishankerji of “Art of Living” organized a one day National Seminar called “Ladli” on Nov 8, 2005 at New Delhi under auspices of United Nations Population Fund Act (UNPFA). In the present context in India, the issue of Female Feticide needs utmost attention. In the above Seminar the issue was discussed at length. The Seminar was attended by number of NGO representatives, Hindu Saints, Jain Munis, Muslim Immams, Bhudh Bhikhus and Social activists from all over India.

In the above National Seminar called ‘Ladli’ H. H. Swami Shri Adhyatmanandji of Sivanand Ashram, Ahmedabad also delivered a memorable lecture. His lecture was very thought provoking and greatly appreciated by the audience.  His emphasized to treat a baby boy and a baby girl equally at par. He criticized the doctors for their illegal practice by aborting the female fetus. He made an humble request to one and all present there to bring social awareness about this issue and to educate people at large.

All the saints, Mahatmas and representatives of different organization present there in the Seminar signed collectively on a special circular and decided to do something for this social crime of female feticide by bringing awareness in the society. - reported by Harish Dwivedi  <<More>>

May I Answer That?  -  Swami Sivananda

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

God is all-pervading formless Being. How can He be confined to an idol? What is the use of idol worship?

The divinity of the all-pervading God is vibrant in every atom of creation. There is not a speck of space where He is not. Why do you then say that He is not the idols? The idol is a support for the neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual childhood. A form or image is necessary for worship in the beginning. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the Absolute or the Infinite. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for practicing concentration. Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it. The idol remains an idol, but the worship goes to the Lord. To a devotee, the image is a mass of Chaitanya or consciousness. He draws inspiration from the image. The image guides him. It talks to him. It assumes human form to help him in a variety of ways. The image of Lord Siva in the temple at Madurai in South India helped the fuel-cutter and the old woman. The image in the temple at Tirupati assumed human form and gave witness in the court to help His devotees. There are marvels and mysteries. Only the devotees understand these. Idol worship is not peculiar to Hinduism. The Christians worship the Cross. They have the image of the Cross in their mind. The Mohammedans keep the image of the Kaaba stone when they kneel and do prayers. The mental image also is a form of idol. The difference is not one in kind, but only one of degree.

All worshippers, however intellectual they may be, generate a form in the mind and make the mind dwell on that image. Everyone is an idol worshipper. Pictures and drawings are only a form of Pratima. A gross mind needs a concrete symbol as a prop or Alambana; a subtle mind requires an abstract symbol. Even a Vedantin has the symbol OM for fixing the wandering mind. It is not only pictures or images in stone and wood that are idols. Dialectics and leaders also become idols. So, why condemn idolatry?

Incidence from Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj's Life

One day an enthusiastic Brahmachari devotee was distributing Prasad. He was upset to find ants infecting and relishing Prasad of pleasant sweets. He was found trying to spread the Prasad and get away with ants. At this Swamiji instantly intervened saying why deprive the ants from being blessed with Prasad. Swamiji advised him to leave the Prasad in 'as is where is' condition and bring some new Prasad for distributing to the devotees.