[Sivananda] Divya Jivan Newsletter, January 2019

Thu Dec 20 23:14:08 EST 2018

Divya Jivan Newsletter
Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad
   January 2019
   ====================================

OM Namo Bhagawate Sivanandaya!
OM Namo Bhagawate Chidanandaya!
OM Namo Narayanaya!
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"New Year Message" by Swami Sivananda

"On this glorious New Year’s day make a strong resolve to wipe away all 
the old worldly Vasanas or tendencies and bad impressions and to control 
the senses and the mind.
Know the value of time. Time is most precious. Utilise every second 
profitably. Live every moment of your life for the realisation of your 
ideal and goal. Do not procrastinate. That "tomorrow" will never come. 
Now or never. Abandon idle gossiping. Kill egoism, laziness and inertia. 
Forget the past. A glorious and brilliant future is awaiting you.

Equal vision is the touchstone of knowledge. Unselfishness is the 
touchstone of virtue. Brahmacharya is the touchstone of ethics. Oneness 
is the touchstone of Self-realisation. Humility is the touchstone of 
devotion. Therefore, be unselfish, humble and pure. Develop equal 
vision. Be in tune with the Infinite.

May this bright New Year’s day and all the succeeding days of this year 
and all the future years also bring you all success, peace, prosperity 
and happiness. May you all tread the path of Truth and righteousness! 
May you enjoy the eternal bliss of the Absolute, leading a divine life, 
singing Lord’s name, sharing what you have with others, serving the poor 
and the sick with Atma Bhava and melting the mind in silent meditation 
in the Supreme Self."  -Swami Sivananda<< Read more>>
<http://divyajivan.org/articles/siva/Newyear%20message_SIVA.htm>

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Early Morning Meditation Talks from " Ponder These Truths " by  Sri  
Swami Chidananda

"This Moment"
This moment is God. God comes to you as this moment. He does not descend 
in some sort of supramundane shape and size with lights flashing and 
sound emanating. He comes silently as this moment. Now is God. He 
constantly keeps coming to you as now, as this moment. We have to help 
God to help us when He comes as kaloham—I am time, I am life.

And what is life and what is time if it is not now, if it is not this 
moment? Without any distinction of age or sex or caste or creed or race 
it is given to everyone, saint or sinner. That is the equal vision of 
the Divine. It is not withheld from anyone. It is given to everyone. God 
comes to everyone as this moment. This is life. This is the I AM 
God—here, now. That is the greatest thing. This moment is the most 
tremendous thing that can happen to you. It is the greatest thing that 
can be given to you. Be wise. Make use of this moment and bless yourself 
eternally.

Each moment is your real wealth, more precious than gold, diamonds and 
precious stones. Each moment is your very life. Each moment is what you 
are and what you can be. There is nothing that can compare to it. The 
tremendous importance of the moment, the incomparable value of the 
moment, is the most important insight and understanding that a living 
individual must have. “My wealth is each moment that is before me now. 
It is now I have to live my life, not in yesterdays or tomorrows. I have 
but this moment to live, to mould and to fashion, to make something out 
of it. This is my effective life.”  - Swami Chidananda << Read More>> 
<http://divyajivan.org/ponder_these_truths/This_moment.htm>

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Learning of  "Jeevan Yog" from a Yoga Acharya Swami Adhyatmananda
Through TV episodes of "Jeevan Yoga" Series by Doordarshan Girnar 
<http://divyajivan.org/Jeevan%20Yoga/Index.htm>

Bhastrika Pranayama : The meaning of the Sanskrit word ‘Bhastrika’ is 
‘Bellows’, thus the Bhastrika Pranayama is called the ‘bellows breath’. 
This form of breathing increases the flow of air into the body to 
produce inner heat at the physical and subtle level. Bhastrika breathing 
is a dynamic and highly energizing abdominal breathing exercise 
requiring a large expenditure of physical energy. It is accomplished by 
breathing abdominally at the rate of 1-4 breaths per second, with 
inhalations and exhalations equally emphasized and equally active.

Kapalbhai Kriya: Kapal in Sanskrit means forehead, and Bhati in Sanskrit 
means Shining. Practicing Kapalbhati on regular basis leads to shining 
face with inner radiance. Kapalbhati is highly energizing abdominal 
breathing exercise.   What we do in Kapalbhati Pranayama ? In 
Kapalabhati we do quick exhalation and natural inhalation. Normally 
exhalation takes one fourth of the time of inhalation. Quick exhalation 
and natural inhalation follow each other. << Jeevan Yoga -Episode 77- 80 
 >> <http://divyajivan.org/Jeevan%20Yoga/Jeevan%20yog%2077-80.htm>

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Highlighting the News and upcoming events

News & Activity Report for the Month of December 2018 
<http://divyajivan.org/News%202018/News_%20Dece%202018.htm>
Divya Jivan <http://divyajivan.org/divya_jivan/index.htm> / December 
2018 <http://divyajivan.org/divya_jivan/DJ_Dec%202018/DJ_Dec2018.pdf>

==================================================================
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 practising 
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. << Read 
More>>. <http://divyajivan.org/May%20I%20Answer%20That/index.htm>

Vivekananda Jayanti (Jan 12, 2019) 
<http://divyajivan.org/Vivekananda/index.htm>

Gurudevarpanmastu!
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