Avahan

Satya ka

Invoking the Divine

Year 2 Issue 4 JulyAugust 2013

Membership Postage: Rs. 100

Sannyasa Peeth, Munger, Bihar, India

Hari Om

Avahan
Satya ka

is a bi-lingual and bimonthly magazine compiled, com

posed and published by the sannya
sin disciples of Sri Swami Satyananda
Saraswati for the benefit of all
people who seek health, happiness
and enlightenment. It contains the
teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda,
Sri Swami Satyananda and Swami
Niranjanananda, along with the
programs of Sannyasa Peeth.
Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati
Assistant Editor: Swami
dhyanam Saraswati

Siva

Published by Sannyasa Peeth, c/o

Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger
811 201, Bihar.
Printed at Thomson Press India
(Ltd), Haryana
Sannyasa Peeth 2013
Membership is held on a yearly
basis. Late subscrip
tions include
issues from January to December.
Please send your requests for
application and all correspondence
to:
Sannyasa Peeth
c/o Ganga Darshan
Fort, Munger, 811 201
Bihar, India
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope
must be sent along with enquiries to ensure a response to your request

Front cover: Satyam Vatika, Munger

Plates: 1: Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati;
2: Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati;
3: Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati;
47: Diksha; 8: Gurupeeth, Satyam
Udyan, Munger

SATYAM SPEAKS

I never surrendered my loyalty to anything,

but there is one person in my life who has
permeated my consciousness through and
through, and this is my guru. The purpose
of surrender is to become an efficient instrument of the guru on all levels. If the
disciples surrender is complete, when the
guru tells him, This will happen through
you, it happens. The guru can work wonders through the disciple who has totally
surrendered.
Swami Satyananda

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Published and printed by Swami Shankarananda Saraswati on behalf of Sannyasa Peeth,

c/o Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger 811 201, Bihar.
Printed at Thomson Press India (Ltd), 18/35 Milestone, Delhi Mathura Rd., Faridabad, Haryana.
Owned by Sannyasa Peeth Editor: Swami Yogamaya Saraswati

Avahan
Satya ka

Invoking the Divine

Year 2 Issue 4 JulyAugust 2013

:
I do not desire a kingdom or heaven or even liberation. My only desire is to alleviate the misery and affliction of others.
Rantideva

Contents
3
4 Guru Poornima Message
5 -
6 Guru Tattwa
8
9 Swami Sivananda:
A Beacon among Men
12 Remembering Sri Swamiji
18
19
26 Who are Fit to be My Disciples
28 Instructions to the Disciple
31 A Lesson in Obedience
33 :
44 Eternal Message of
the Parampara
45
47 Sadhana

Guru Gita
Salutations, adorations, prostrations to Guru!
Guru is Brahma, Guru is Shiva, Guru is Vishnu.
Guru is father, Guru is mother, Guru is a real friend.
Serve him with all bhava, wet with bhakti.
He will teach you Brahma Vidya, show the divine path.
Service of Guru is a great purifier.
Swami Sivananda Saraswati
SATYA KA AVAHAN

JulAug 2013

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Guru Poornima Message

Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Today is Guru Poornima. Let our
hearts be enlightened with the light
of true knowledge. Satyam wishes
you holy blessings on this day.
May you celebrate this day with
purity, love and devotion!
On this occasion I once again
draw your conscious attention to
the aim of life. Besides all that you
are doing, be ever aware of what
you are living for. You will have to
experience; you will have to realize
your Lord in this life itself.
Your soul is all-powerful. Your Lord is also all-powerful.
He is within you. You will be able to meet him in meditation.
He will come to you in flesh and blood. He will talk to you.
He will take you by his hand. When one rises above body
consciousness in meditation, then the inner Lord manifests.
He will come to you. You will feel his loving and divine
presence. Strengthen your faith on the occasion of Guru
Poornima.
You have been already given a law, a dharma, a sadhana,
a faith by his grace, which you should constantly uphold. You
are expected to be earnest and true to your sadhana, God and
guru. Nobody in the world should be able to shatter your noble
faith and philosophical convictions.
Be studious. Be pure. Be happy. Guru Poornima! Revive
the zeal. Refresh the mind. Dedicate anew. Resolve tangibly.
Test your sincerity, love and purity; offer your restlessness,
unquiet, etc. to me. Restart spiritual practices with a new
vigour. Blessings of the Brahmavidya gurus!
SATYA KA AVAHAN

JulAug 2013

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Guru Tattwa
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
The Shanti Mantra of the Ishavasya Upanishad states:
Om poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate;
Poornasya poornamaadaaya poornameva avashishyate.
That is full and this is full. Remove a part from the
full, what you have removed is full, and what is left
behind is full.
The completeness, the fullness of life is God, and that is full,
it is complete. The part which is emanating from God, in the
form of spirit, inherent in each being, is also full. That spirit
or atma is the sixth element, called the guru tattwa.
The spirit, which is the guru tattwa, is beyond the mind.
The cosmic spirit, Paramatma, is complete, full. The extension
of that Paramatma, in the form of the little lights burning for
seventy or eighty years, is atma. That is the guru tattwa. That
which separates from the full, yet manifests itself as full is
the guru tattwa. It is an omnipotent energy and if it wants
to manifest itself, it can do so in any form. When it wants to
manifest itself in a way that can be grasped by the ordinary
mind, it makes matter its medium.
Guru is not a person; it is a force, a power. In Christianity
they say that the Christ-consciousness descended upon Jesus,
which means that a higher consciousness unfolded in the
graspable mind of the individual and Jesus became the Christ.
In the same manner, a person becomes enlightened when that
guru tattwa, the spirit-awareness is realized, when the spirit
descends.
The descent of the spirit does not mean something coming
from the high heavens into a person. Descent of spirit may not
even be the appropriate phrase. It is the ascent of consciousness
SATYA KA AVAHAN

JulAug 2013

which realizes the permanent existence of the spirit and makes

the individual enlightened. These phrases are indicative of
the graspability of the individual perceptions, thus paving
the way for experiencing the Higher Self and life becoming
an expression of that pure nature.
God is complete; therefore, the guru tattwa is complete
in the form of spirit and those within whom the guru tattwa
awakens become the physical gurus. Thus, the Shanti Mantra
of the Ishavasya Upanishad is indicative of the God who is
unamanifest, infinite and eternal, and also the guru who is
manifest, who can be seen and who is as complete as God.

SATYA KA AVAHAN

JulAug 2013



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Swami Sivananda:
A Beacon among Men
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Throughout the ages, the world
has been guided by spiritually
illumined people who come
from time to time to raise mans
consciousness and to remind us of
the path we must traverse. Swami
Sivananda was one great soul
who was born to give the word of
spiritual life to thousands of people
all over the globe. He never came to
the West and he never went to the
East, but today he is everywhere.
Swami Sivananda was the best of men whom I have seen
in my life. I have never seen Christ but I have seen Swami
Sivananda, and therefore I believe Christ must have existed.
When you compare Swami Sivanandas life with the lives
of other sannyasins and saints, you find that his was a different
personality altogether. He did not behave like a miracle man,
a great pontiff or a preacher. He just lived the life of a simple
man. He was a shining example of all the great virtues that
you read about in books.
Many times people talk about love, I just laugh at them. I
have never met any other person who knows love, but I can
definitely say that Swami Sivananda was a person whose very
being emanated love. Nevertheless, he was the least emotional
person I have known, completely calm, quiet, unruffled and
absolutely detached. He was a man whose kindness and
compassion knew no bounds. He was nothing but sweetness,
nothing but smiling eyes.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

JulAug 2013

 In my twelve years with him, I never heard him criticize

or rebuke anyone. He would never offend even a cat. He was
always peaceful, calm and sweet, no sarcasm, no intellect. If
anyone ever told him that this swami or that swami was good
or bad he used to say, Be above raga and dwesha; above
jealousy, love and hatred. Be calm and quiet.
In everything he did throughout his life, he maintained only
one attitude, to do good to everybody. He was never a dictator
and never interfered with his disciples. In fact, he respected his
disciples so much that he used to bow down and touch their
feet. Just as you would respect Rama or Krishna, he used to
respect his disciples. He would never call me Satyananda, no.
He used to say, Swami Satyananda Maharaj, Namo Narayan.
Throughout his life, Swamiji strove to treat all people with
equal respect and he fought ceaselessly against the concepts
of untouchability. He would greet everyone, and once a year,
he would collect all the sweepers and scavengers of society,
call them to the ashram and wash their feet. You know how
difficult it is for the arrogant, self-deluded Hindu to wash the
feet of a sweeper? However, he used to wash their feet and he
would make the swamis wash their feet also. Then he would
give them shawls, dhotis, blankets, food, and finally he would
do namaskara. He used to say that you have to renounce the
ego first, only then can realization come to you. Unless you
renounce the ego, what is the use of meditation, yoga, bhakti
and everything else? What is the use of bringing flowers, nice
furniture and beautiful pictures to your apartment if you cannot
see them? First remove the cataract from your eyes and restore
your vision. How can you realize the highest being through
bhakti and other things unless the ego is removed first?
For the elimination of ego, one has to renounce abhimana,
pride. What is abhimana? I am a great swami. That is
abhimana. I am a holy man. That is abhimana. I am the
son or the nephew of the sister of the Prime Minister. That
is abhimana. There are many forms of abhimana. Even a
debauchee, a drunkard and a gambler has abhimana. That is
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

the centre of his personality and that is where he operates from.

This abhimana has to go if one wants to make oneself infinite.
For this purpose Swamiji led all his disciples into karma yoga
and guided them from time to time.
The life of Swami Sivananda is an example for us all.
Today, when most people are puzzled by their day-to-day
problems, swayed by passions and emotions, and dejected
by the ups and downs of life, definitely the question arises,
How is it possible for me, a person with so many limitations,
to reach the highest pinnacle of life? To such sincere people
who are disappointed and crushed by the cruelties of life,
Swami Sivananda is a beacon of light. To hear about him is a
joy, to think about him is yoga, and to discuss him is to invest
the time properly. Even though living in the physical body,
he was not a physical soul; his presence developed the inner
awareness without any difficulty.
In one of the Upanishads there is a parable. A disciple asked
his guru, How does a man walk? How does a man move? The
guru replied, In the light of the sun he lives and walks. Then the
disciple asked again, When the sun has set, in whose light does
he walk? The guru replied, In the light of the moon. Then the
disciple asked again, When the sun has set and the moon has
set, in whose light does he walk? The guru replied, In the light
of the stars. Again the disciple interrogated, When the sun has
set and the moon has set, stars are twinkling no more, in whose
light does he walk? The guru replied, In his own light.
What is this light he is talking about? When the mind is
swayed by passion, when the intellect is filled with confusion,
when your own beliefs betray you, when your own concepts
do not help you in life, then you will have to raise your
consciousness. You will have to awaken your own spirit. In
order to awaken the spirit it is very important that a sadguru
be sought. Such a guru was Swami Sivananda, not only in
his own life but even today when the message of his life and
teachings is a lamp unto those who have yet to awaken their
own inner light.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

Remembering Sri Swamiji

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

We pay our respects to Sri Swami Satyananda who is our guru

and the light of our life. At midnight of 5th December 2009, he
attained mahasamadhi. This was not a sudden decision; it was
predestined. Sri Swamiji was waiting for an opportunity. On
2nd December, the last day of Yoga Poornima in Rikhiapeeth,
Sri Swamiji said in a satsang, I am waiting for my return ticket.
I have booked my ticket at the railway counter, but the return
ticket is not confirmed. I have received a one-way ticket, but I
have filed an application that I want to come back. Until and
unless I receive my return ticket, I am not going to go from
here. The day I receive it, I will go instantly.
Early morning of 3rd December, people started to leave
Rikhiapeeth. I also left and came back to Munger. All through
3rd and 4th, people were going and coming in Rikhia and
Munger. On the 5th morning, I made a program to go to the
Shiva temple in the evening and perform a pooja. Accordingly,
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

at about five oclock I reached the temple. Before entering the

garbhagriha, sanctum sanctorum, I did pranam from outside
and looked in, and there I saw the shringara, the decoration
of Shiva, in a very different form, something I had not seen
before. I asked Sri Arun Goenka, my host, What kind of a
decoration is this? Shiva looks like Bhairava. He said, This
is the shringara of Mahakaala. It has been done for the first
time here at the temple. Mahakaala means the lord of death.
Somehow the word triggered a feeling of being suspended in
the void of unknowing in my mind and I said, Im not going
to go in to perform worship to this form. I did pranam and
walked away.
People came up to me saying, Swamiji, wont you go to
the pooja? Will you not do the arati? I said, No, I will not do
anything today. Back in the ashram, I found that I was very
agitated, and there was immense discomfort. I shut myself up
in my room, but I could neither sit nor lie down. All I could do
was pace back and forth from one end of the room to the other,
not able to fathom what was the cause of the disturbance. At
the same time, the tears just flowed. I kept pacing until about
10.30 pm, when there was a phone call from Swami Satsangi.
She said, I have a message from Sri Swamiji. He is going to
take samadhi now. Can you come? I said, Yes, I am coming.
Just give me the time to get the driver and the people together.
Ill be on the road. When the phone call came, all the agitation
left my mind and it became crystal clear. I could see everything
that had to be done, step by step, one by one. Then I got in the
car with two people, Swami Sivaraja and the driver. Nobody at
Ganga Darshan knew that Sri Swamiji had taken the decision
to leave his body.
People ask me, How come you were not there at Sri
Swamijis samadhi time? The answer is that Sri Swamiji had
said, When I go, it will be in the absence of Niranjan, as he is
the only one who can hold me back. He had said that many
times prior to leaving, and I reached forty minutes after he
had gone.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

 We reached Rikhiapeeth in two hours, driving at full pedal.

Upon reaching there, I immediately went to Sri Swamijis
room and asked, What happened? Swami Satsangi said,
At ten oclock, Sri Swamiji called me to his room and when I
came here he was sitting in a meditative posture and he said,
I have received my return ticket and I have to leave now.
Swami Satsangi said to him, How will you leave? He said,
in Hindi, Ticket aa gaya, ham ja rahe hain The ticket has come,
Im going. He asked for Ganga jala, Ganges water, and tulsi
leaves. As Swami Satsangi and a few residents of the ashram
watched, he placed the tulsi leaves in his mouth, drank the
Ganga water, chanted his guru mantra, and at ten to twelve,
he joined his hands together and prayed, Bhagavan, ham taiyaar
hain, ham ko le chalo Lord, I am ready. Take me now. Then
he chanted Om three times, and he was gone. The chanting of
Om terminated his life; he raised the pranas and departed.
The rest of the night was spent in making all the preparations;
preparing the area for his samadhi in particular. Next morning,
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

from five onwards, people

started thronging the main
gate and by nine there was a
huge crowd of people who had
come for his last darshan. We
brought Sri Swamiji from Tulsi
Kutir to Ganesh Kutir, where he
gave darshan and blessings to
everybody. The most incredible
thing was, as people walked
around him, each one felt that
Sri Swamiji acknowledged
their greeting and greeted them
back. Somebody said, I saw
the arm twitch. Somebody else said, I saw the eyes move.
Another person said, I saw the head move. In this manner,
everybody had their own experience in which they felt that
Sri Swamiji had acknowledged their pranams.
Then we took Sri Swamiji out to the panchagni area, and
did a full abhisheka. Just as an abhisheka is performed on the
Shivalingam with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, and so on, Sri
Swamiji was also bathed with all the auspicious items, like
an embodiment of Shiva. After the abhisheka was completed,
we took him to the area where he was going to be given
bhu samadhi. The entire pit was glowing, as we had placed
auspicious yantras all across the floor and the walls. In the centre
was Sri Swamijis asana, along with his clock, sumerini, mala,
yogadanda, towel; everything required for his sadhana was
placed. Finally, we brought in the statues of Sri Rama and Sita,
Sri Swamijis ishta deva. As the statues were being placed before
him, Sri Swamijis head, which was until now looking straight
ahead, gently bent forward as if he was offering pranam to his
aradhya. At the end, three Shivalingams were placed above
him and the samadhi was made. This was on 6th December.
It has been said in the scriptures that the attainment of
yoga becomes visible at the time of death. This became evident
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

in Sri Swamijis life. He was able to invoke death consciously

and release his soul consciously. He only had a tiny slot.
He said, If I miss this window, then I wont go today. This
window which has opened, will allow me to go and come
back. That particular astrological conjunction was there only
for that fifteen-twenty minute period , which allowed him to
go with the knowledge that he will return.
He had said many times, I am waiting to leave this body,
but I am not going to leave it until I get my return ticket. I do not
want emancipation, moksha, or any personal satisfaction which
comes with spiritual enlightenment. My aim and aspiration
in this life and in all future lives is to help others. To wipe the
tears of suffering and pain from the eyes of every person who
is seeking solace, peace, plenty and prosperity. That is the only
purpose of my life.
Sri Swamiji lived this sankalpa all his life. Even before
he came to his guru, Swami Sivananda, it was this thought
which guided him. Swami Sivananda was also searching for
the right person who could carry forward his vision to serve
others. Sri Swamiji identified completely with the vision of
his guru and the fulfilment of this vision became his sole
aspiration.
We all seek divine intervention and desire divine grace in
our life. We all look for inner strength, encouragement and
inspiration to succeed and become fulfilled in life. Sri Swamiji
showed us the way. To our guru and master who has given us
everything, and has shown us how to live life properly, today
we express our heartfelt sentiments with a sankalpa. We shall
walk the path you have shown, we shall not falter, nor shall
we lag behind. Sri Swamiji is not present with us in body, but
he lives within us in the form of inspiration and that is his
greatest gift. He lives inside each one, in the form of a fiery
inspiration to become creative and to excel in life, to connect
with our environment, to bring happiness, peace and to share
our joy with everyone. Sri Swamiji has given us this trust and
we shall fulfil it.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

 We bow our heads in thankfulness to this great personality.

We are truly fortunate to have lived in an age when there was
a person like Sri Swamiji. We have not seen Christ, Rama,
Krishna or Buddha, we have only heard about them. However,
we have had the fortune to see Sri Swamiji, to laugh with him,
to sit with him, to listen to him, and to receive his grace. In
him is the greatness that was in Rama, Krishna, Buddha and
Christ. In Sri Swamiji is the peace of Buddha, the compassion
of Christ, the clarity of Krishna, and the balance of Rama.
His grace and inspiration, love and compassion is what
we seek. The prayer of our hearts is, O guru, guide us to
fulfil your mandate, inspire us to walk the path that you have
shown us, give us the strength to complete the journey which
we have undertaken, and always be with us in our heart, mind
and thoughts.
Gururbrahmaa, gururvishnu, gururdevo maheshwara,
Guru saakshaat parambrahma, tasmai shree gurave namah.

SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

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Who are Fit to be My

Disciples
Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Though I give much freedom and liberty in dress and external
forms, I am very strict with my students with regard to
essentials. The rules prescribed by the order of sannyasa must
be followed. Then only can they shine as ideal sannyasins.
Comfortable sannyasa is very dangerous. A sannyasin
should not give leniency to the mind. Fashionable independent
sannyasins are a menace to society. The people in the world
curse such sannyasins and treat them with disrespect and
contempt. However exalted in the spiritual line, sannyasins
should not mix freely with others. Burning vairagya with
simple living and high thinking must be the ideal at every
moment of their lives.
No doubt renunciation is mental. That does not mean that
you can do anything and live in any way you like. That will
bring your downfall. Strive for perfection by following the
traditions rules for discipline and control of the mind and
senses. Discipline in food and dress will naturally manifest
if you have genuine vairagya and dispassion. External
observances of the rules will help you stick to the path. Maya
works havoc. Maya deludes. Beware. Be cautious at every step
and watch the vrittis of the mind.
My disciple should have no superiority complex. He is
not a dry philosopher who spends all his time and energy in
preaching alone. He has self-sacrifice and serves the world with
his silent and intense sadhana. In the midst of intense service,
he learns the way to rivet the mind on the lakshya, the goal. He
is rooted in the idea: The world is a long dream, perishable.
Truth alone is real. For my student, there is no world. He
perceives the divinity behind all names and forms.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

 My disciple has divine qualities. He is noble, gentle and

soft. He has abundant mercy, he never begs. He gives and
gives and gives. He has a large heart. He mixes with all and
loves everyone. He sings the Lords name. He does japa and
meditation. He practises asana and pranayama. He is very
efficient in doing service. He practises the yoga of synthesis.
He knows thought control.
He is a practical vedantin. He does cooking, proofreading,
typing, nursing, lecturing, writing; he can conduct classes,
he can disseminate spiritual knowledge, yet he is simple
and humble. He serves the poor with love. He has perfected
tolerance for all faiths. He talks little. He is ever silent but
dynamic. Work is worship for such a disciple. The spirit of
service is engrained in him. He is a bhakta, a yogi and a jnani,
all three combined in one.

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Instructions to the Disciple

Swami Satyananda Saraswati
There is a state or experience, a little beyond the mind, in which
you can see a person or an object that you love very much.
Then you can materialize it on your inner plane of awareness
as clear as reality. Of course, this only happens when your
consciousness is raised. The image then appears and becomes
clear. In this elevated state you can see the guru just as if you
are sitting in front of him and he is talking to you. So try to
develop this by practising a little every day, for half an hour
to an hour.
There are two states of consciousness. In one state, you
know that you are witnessing everything, but in the other
state you do not know. Afterwards, when you come out, there
is a little imbalance, but it passes shortly if you are under the
gurus direction. However, if you are not under the guidance
of the guru and the imbalance continues, it is possible to go
crazy. That is why sadhana should never be done without
the instruction of the guru, never; not even kunjal and neti
should be done. The disciple must completely resign himself
to the guru. Then, at the proper time, the guru will give him
sadhana. I could not tell you these things before because a
certain maturity had to be reached.
If your relationship with guru is very simple, you can have
any relationship with him. You not only have a guru, but a
parent, child, friend, lover. Of course, he is an individual and
you are an individual, but the gurus relationship with all
disciples is very clear. Whatever he does is only to impress
their consciousness. Guru does not have disciples for any
other purpose, but most disciples do not understand. So
what happens is that emotional imbalance often develops.
Sometimes you think, Swamiji loves me so much, and at
other times, Oh, now he does not love me at all. That is a
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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mistake. The guru never loves anyone. Whatever he does is

solely to change the quality of the mind.
You have seen how adding sugar changes the quality of
milk. If you mix tea with boiling water, you change the quality
of the water. In the same way, once the guru gets into your
mind he changes the whole quality and structure. It is a very
simple process; there are so many ways in which he can do
it: by mantra, sadhana, lectures, singing, thinking. When the
guru comes into your mind, then the sadhana has to begin,
but never think that the guru is attached or loves anyone in
any personal way.
At a certain point, the disciple should be able to develop
his own awareness, then he does not need the guru physically
at all. There is no difference between that state of awareness
and physical contact. It is exactly the same. Maybe that state
of awareness is even more tangible than this one. If you can
visualize or feel me in moments of solitude, that is far more
fulfilling and satisfying than communicating with this physical
form. You can try. However, first of all you must know that
I am your guru and you are to be controlled by me at every
moment. That is what guru means.
Sometimes I may get angry and abuse you, kick you, or put
you out of the gate. All these things must be accepted too. The
disciple is one who is always controlled by his guru. Otherwise,
even though many disciples work very hard in spiritual life
and develop some experience, afterwards they still go back
to normal. If I ask you not to sleep, to keep quiet, not to argue
with me, you must obey me without thinking or hesitation.
With guru, the sadhaka disciple should have no personality;
only then can he be helped.
So, you have all the elements with you. Work hard. Once
in a month, once in a week, once in a day, practise this.
Develop the inner awareness. Have communion with your
guru, inner communion. That is more tangible, satisfying,
real and full of potential than the outer one. You will know
it after practising a few times. It is not unreal. Perhaps this
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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seems real and that unreal, but it is only because that is a

higher awareness.
You know how the awareness is projected. You can see it in
moments of extreme fear, passion or bluff; this is a manifestation
of consciousness. When you practise it, there is one thing which
you must be aware of. You should not do it unless you know
that whatever I say to you is final, no argument. Only after this
can you practise it. Otherwise, if manifestation of consciousness
takes place even momentarily, it becomes very difficult to
control. Therefore, first of all, you must establish a relationship
in such a way that whatever I say is final. There is no second
word on it, no argument, analysis, judgement or afterthought.
When I say no, it is finished. Otherwise, what will happen when
the consciousness manifests? All sorts of thoughts come to the
mind and people get uprooted. What guru says, the disciple
has to follow quietly, right or wrong. Until this relationship is
established, the disciple should not attempt higher sadhana,
otherwise he may be misguided after that experience.
In the normal affairs of life, you have your experience and
I have mine, but the relationship between guru and disciple is
always spiritual. Therefore, everywhere you go this awareness
has to be there. It does not matter if you make certain mistakes
in your department because of what I have told you to do. After
all, I have told you to do it. If you are working in the kitchen
and I say, Keep the wheat outside, and then ten bags of
wheat are destroyed, it does not matter. It may be a material
loss, but it is a spiritual gain because you obeyed the guru.
A guru does not exploit the disciple. If the disciple has great
devotion, the guru can never exploit him. Only if the disciple
is selfish can the guru exploit him. In many books it is written
that the guru exploits the disciples, but it is my experience that
the guru can never exploit the unselfish disciple. Guru can
only exploit a selfish disciple. An unselfish disciple, a sadhaka,
never loses anything, no matter what the guru asks of him,
because he goes on developing his higher consciousness.

SATYA KA AVAHAN

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JulAug 2013

A Lesson in Obedience
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

I remember an incident from our early days with Sri Swamiji

in the old ashram. One day he came out of his room with
some chocolate in his hand. In those days, chocolate was super
special. I am talking of the sixties; we did not have chocolates
in India then. When people used to come from overseas they
would bring chocolate and being the youngest, I was the prime
recipient.
Sri Swamiji asked me, Meetha khana hai? Do you want to eat
sweets? I said, Yes. He said, Okay, only on one condition,
ki tum karva bhi kha sako. You should be able to eat the sour
as well. I was stunned. I began to wonder what he meant
by sour, what was he going to give me. However, I made a
daring move and said, Yes, I am ready. That was a mistake!
He came out with two huge green chillies and said, If you
want chocolate, then you should be able to tolerate even the
sharpness of chilli. You should be able to enjoy the sharpness
of the chilli just as you enjoy the sweetness of chocolate.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

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 I took the chillies from him and started eating and crying,
eating and crying. The whole mouth was like fire. After that
he gave me the chocolate. In a very simple way he taught me
a big lesson. Therefore, even today, whenever I have chocolate
in front of me I also see those two chillies. I learnt in that
manner and it was possible because of obedience. If there was
no obedience, then I would have definitely said, No, I dont
want the chillies, I only want chocolate.
Obedience is a necessary quality in a disciple. Sometimes,
when the guru is performing egodectomy, an operation on
the ego, there is a very harsh reaction from the individual. The
ego does not want to be operated on. If somebody comes to
you and says, I am going to chop off your head and takes
out a knife, will you allow that person to do so? No. In the
same manner, when the guru takes out the knife and says, I
am going to cut your ego, you dont allow that to happen.
You cannot be a disciple if you dont allow the guru to perform
the ego surgery on you. That is where the virtue of obedience
becomes useful. The guru says, Put your head down. You
reply, Okay, it is down. He says, I am going to cut it. You
say, It is yours, do as you wish. A simple statement, a simple
feeling can change the entire intention. Or you may say, No,
you cant and it changes the entire intention too. This intention
is seen in the form of obedience.

SATYA KA AVAHAN

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 :
Sri Satyananda Mahimna Stotram
: : :
:
:
: : :
: :
-!
: 1
Resonant voices across horizons sing your praise and glory
And dissolve at once all my agony and pain, my woe and worry;
O Yogarishi Satyam! Hearing the tale of your grandeur heals every loss
In this Kali age, it is the safe-boat on which the sea of samsara we cross.

33

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 :

: :
2
A single, sweet note of your joyous cosmic play
Enters my ears and without a moments delay,
My heart blossoms like a lotus in full bloom
What might come to pass were I to hear the entire tune!

:


: 3
In the ancient land of Kumaon, Satis own heart descended upon earth
A land of beauty, peace and joy, where forests and mountains make mirth;
Here, in the sacred month of Margashirsha, on the auspicious full moon day
The best of rishis was born in the Raghu lineage, to show us the divine way.

34

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: :
:
4
Your spirit stirred when you were just six, but this wasnt mere childs play
The body lay upon the floor, and the atman rose above and away;
Freed from form, your awareness soared beyond the earthly plane
And in this frameless freedom your true self eyed the inert frame.

: :
: :

: : 5
A timeless beat, a perfect trice, but your vision did not sway
You could see your family pacing about in worry and dismay;
The boy is neither ill nor deluded, nay, a blessed yogabhrashta is he,
Keep his thoughts on Ramas name, advised the sages who could see.

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 :
: :
:
: 6
You and your sister wove together the vision of an ideal, beautiful world
A dream so pure and rare, from few mortal men has it ever been heard;
Of temples without doors and doctors serving the sick for free
Where the grace of Annapurna flows, and none goes hungry.

:

7
A luminary beyond human reach, a many-splendoured being are you
Acute, sagacious, cheerful, soft-spoken, indeed great in every hue;
Just a child you were, when poetry flowed from you in languages myriad
A time it was when you commanded country and cattle, toiling hard.

36

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 :

:
8
Brave and fearless, once you performed a heroic tantric feat
You and another visited the shmashan when the night was deep;
Father put this to a stop, so you took the ashes of the dead back home
The ritual resumed and the whole house shook from a presence unknown.

:
:
:
: : 9
A yogini of accomplishment taught you everything she knew
of vama marga, the left-hand tantra, a path for the gifted few;
Just as on the battlefield, Arjuna saw in Krishna the entire universe
You experienced realms beyond the ken of earthly prose or verse.

37

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 :
: : :
:
: : : 10
You must quickly find a guru, said the yogini and went her own way
Intense vairagya had already engulfed you with your sisters passing away;
Thus you discarded home, wealth and possessions like a piece of straw
Just as Gautama had cast off the world in search of the universal law.

:
: :
11
Across many cities and regions did you wander
Searching for the guru to whom you could surrender;
It was in Rishikesh that your hearts desire did destiny fulfil
And Guru Sivananda was delighted to find his best pupil.

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 : :

:
: : : 12
The light is within, the master declared, work hard and it will shine
You took the gurus words to heart, with no thought of mine or thine;
Day and night, you immersed yourself in ceaseless acts of seva
And yet you were so unattached, that your guru called you Nachiketa.

:

: :
13
Selfless seva to the guru purified your heart in no time
Whence the guru commanded, Spread the fruits of yoga far and wide;
From shore to shore you heralded a worldwide yogic awakening
Even in the world of science yoga received a place of reckoning.

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 : :
:
:
: 14
Supreme exponent of yoga, verily another Patanjali
You deemed the path of integral yoga as ideal for this age of Kali;
Yoga will emerge as a mighty culture, you thundered
And direct the course of major world events, unhindered.

:
:
: 15
You taught us hatha yoga to harmonize the moon and the sun
And the eightfold raja yoga so our vrittis may cease to run;
You created yoga nidra to let our troubled minds find peace
And gave the lost science of kriya yoga a new life and lease.

40

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: :

: : : 16
Chains, be they golden or iron, you said, bind human beings
Freedom from karma can only be had by riding on vairagyas wings;
This ideal of karma yoga was exemplified in your own character
When you left all your attainments, without looking back ever.

: : : :


: : 17
On the banks of the Godavari, you heard the next divine mandate
Repeat my name with every breath at Hridayapeeth, the seat most sacred;
Where Sati was cremated in times past his fire did Satyam light
Smeared with ashes he dazzled like gold from panchagnis might.

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: : :
:
: : :
: : 18
An intimate relationship with God, you said, is most essential
Without bhakti to open the heart, human birth is ineffectual;
Like Gauris Ganesha, you are the stellar son of Sati
Who attained samadhi in his mothers own chitabhumi.

:

: : :
: : 19
You established three peeths to cultivate the head, heart and hands
From Karnas fort upon the Ganga, waves of yoga flowed across many lands;
In Chitabhumi you gave the mandate for the uplifting way of seva
And near the dust of Sitas feet, you decreed the royal path of sannyasa.

42

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 :
:
:
: ! 20
Glory to thee, O Radiant Sun of Yoga! the earth is illumined by your rays
No trace of darkness remains, you have brightened all our days;
You are Brahman indeed, in you the storehouse of perennial bliss we see
I am a servant in distress, O Supreme Yogin! Shower your grace upon me.

: : : :
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. Hari Om.

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Eternal Message of the

Parampara
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
We are privileged to have taken birth at a time when masters
like Sri Swami Sivananda and Sri Swami Satyananda lived. It is
a unique privilege that God has given us to have known them,
to have received teachings from them. Where would we have
been if we didnt have the opportunity to meet such masters
that we only read about in books? It is their inspiration and
grace that guides us.
The essence of the teachings of our gurus is that through
one lamp, you can light many others. Light the lamp of bhakti,
jnana and karma in the life of everyone. Love everyone and let
love flow like the Ganga flows. That love has to be impersonal,
unconditional. It is not with an expectation, but with an
understanding that by loving them, you are loving the divinity
inside them. Sri Swamiji has said this very clearly, If God is
in everyone then remember that when a person goes hungry,
God within him is also hungry. When a person is thirsty,
God within him is also thirsty. When a person is suffering,
God within him is also suffering. When a person is happy,
God within him is also happy. When a person is content,
God within him is also content. Each one is a reflection of
that higher force. It is this realization which has to take place
when we come to the fulfilment of our spiritual journey. These
are the eternal teachings of our parampara, our tradition. This
teaching of the parampara is not confined to Rikhia or Munger,
but is global, as these ideals and thoughts apply to each and
every one. Therefore, remember this simple sutra, Light the
flame of knowledge, light the flame of service, light the flame
of devotion in the life of everyone and let love flow like the
Ganga flows.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

44

JulAug 2013



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- 2013

Sadhana
Om paramahamsa avadhootaaya vidmahe
Satyanandaaya dheemahi, tanno guru prachodayaat
We meditate on Satyananda, knowing him to be a
paramahamsa avadhuta. May that (peerless) guru inspire
and uplift us.
For one month, every morning upon waking up, after
completing the usual mantra sadhana, chant the Satyananda
Gayatri twenty-four times mentally.
As you do so, bring the image of Sri Swamiji into your
mind. Recall the picture you best remember of him recall the
shining eyes, the radiant smile, the details of the expression, the
clothes that he is wearing. Keep concentrating and allow the
image to become vivid and strong. Feel his eyes looking directly
into you, knowing all your thoughts, failings, achievements,
dreams and aspirations. Feel his smile accepting you for who
you are, and encouraging you to come closer to him. Feel the
love emanating from him and filling you deep within, bathing
your soul, so you feel purer, fuller, stronger. See his hands
blessing you in abhaya mudra: you have nothing to fear, for
you are surrounded by his grace.
As you move deeper into the experience, the awareness of
your body is dropped; the awareness of the mind with all its
thoughts and counter-thoughts is dropped; the awareness of
the chitta with all its memories and samskaras is dropped; the
awareness of I is dropped. You are no longer a name and form
existing within the limits of time; you are luminosity expanding
into eternity. As you allow this experience to take place, see
Sri Swamijis form also dissolve and become a brighter and
more radiant luminous essence filling up all spaces. Now feel
your luminosity merge into the all-pervasive radiance of Sri
Swamiji. You have become Truth, Beauty and Bliss; Peace,
Contentment and Love.
SATYA KA AVAHAN

47

JulAug 2013

 By this time, your mantra should have come to an end.

Now allow the experience to fade away. Feel yourself back in
your body and mind, but retaining the sense of joy and peace,
ready to take on whatever comes your way.
Repeat the practice before you go to sleep at night.

SATYA KA AVAHAN

48

JulAug 2013

Yoga Publications Trust

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The Golden Collection

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Sannyasa Peeth 2013

On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee World Yoga

Convention 2013, Munger, the Bihar School of
Yoga is pleased to present The Golden Collection, a
compilation of the first publications of Sri Swami
Satyananda Saraswati. Originally published in
booklet format during the 1960s and 1970s, their
modest nature made the wealth of the ancient
science of yoga accessible to one and all. The
depth in both knowledge and experience that
is contained within these teachings is in itself
unique and has paved the way for an entirely new
understanding and approach towards the system
of yoga. This collection of talks, lectures and letters
is a truly historic contribution to the spiritual library
of humankind.

,
, , 811201,
,
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: ,
For an order form and comprehensive publications price list, please contact:
Yoga Publications Trust,
Ganga Darshan, Fort, Munger, Bihar 811 201, India
Tel: +91-6344 222430 , Fax: +91-6344 220169

A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent

along with enquiries to ensure a response to your request.

: 1:
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 Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers, India

Under No. BIHBIL/2012/44688

Sri Lakshmi-Narayana Mahayajna 2013

Sri Lakshmi-Narayana Mahayajna will be held from 8th to 12th
September at Sannyasa Peeth on the historic location of Paduka
Darshan by the banks of the Ganga.
On 8th September, Paramguru Swami Sivanandas birthday will be
celebrated and on 12th September, Gurudev Swami Satyanandas
sannyasa day. The yajna will be conducted by learned acharyas from
Tryambakeshwar, Nasik, in the presence of Swami Niranjanananda.
The program will include satsangs with Swami Niranjan and bhajans
and kirtans. You and your friends and family are invited to be a part
of this auspicious event to receive the blessings of Guru and God
and reconnect with the source of inspiration.

Sannyasa Peeth Events 2014

Discourses on Ramayana by Pd. Shambhu
Sharan, Kolkata
Feb 1Jul 25 6-month Gurukul Lifestyle Course
Mar 2026
Discourses on Srimad Bhagavatam by
Swami Girishananda, Jabalpur
AprOct
All-India Yoga Yatra
Aug 1Jan 25 6-month Gurukul Lifestyle Course
Sep 812
Sri Lakshmi-Narayana Mahayajna
Jan 24Feb 3

For more information on the above events, contact:

Sannyasa Peeth, c/o Ganga Darshan, Munger, Bihar 811201, India
Tel: 06344-222430, 06344-228603, 09304799615 Fax: 06344-220169
Website: www.biharyoga.net

- A self-addressed, stamped envelope must be sent along with enquiries to ensure a

response to your request