Spiritual Treasure
by Swami Sivananda
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Paperback: 111 pages
ISBN: 81-7052-208-0
Book Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.75 x 0.25 inches
Shipping Weight: 90 grams
Table of Contents
| About This Book (Back Cover) | |
| Celebrated Vedantic Formulae | (6) |
|
1. THE SCIENCE OF REALITY |
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| Brahman, the Absolute | 13 |
| Brahman as the Indwelling Self | 16 |
| The Infinite as All Manifestations | 17 |
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2. THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE |
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| Greatness of Brahma-Jnana | 20 |
| The Veiling Power | 22 |
| The Vedantic Sadhana | 24 |
| Steps to Final Beatitude | 28 |
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3. RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE ETHICAL LIFE |
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| Goodness Leads to Godliness | 30 |
| Gems of Virtues | 31 |
| Enemies of Ethical Life | 34 |
| Understand Life | 36 |
| Live Divinely | 37 |
| The Nature of Spiritual Destiny | 38 |
| Hints for Harmonious Living | 39 |
| Know Thy Self and Be Free | 42 |
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5. RENUNCIATION–THE SUPREME REQUISITE |
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| The Defects of Worldly Life | 44 |
| Attachment Is Delusion | 46 |
| To Desire Is to Suffer | 47 |
| Happiness Is Within | 49 |
| Develop Dispassion | 50 |
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6. MIND–ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL |
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| Some Facts About the Mind | 52 |
| Power of Thought | 53 |
| The Purified Mind, Your Friend | 54 |
| Vasanatyaga-Manonasa-Tattvajnana | 56 |
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7. GOD–THE SUPREME GOAL |
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| God, the First and the Last | 59 |
| Seek Him Through Bhakti | 62 |
| The Path of Divine Love | 62 |
| Surrender–The Last Word in Bhakti | 64 |
| The Man-of-God | 65 |
| Important Requisites | 70 |
| Guru–The Divine Guide | 72 |
| Aids to Realisation | 73 |
| Beware of Obstacles | 75 |
| The Bane of Egoism | 76 |
| Divine Grace and Self-effort | 78 |
| Arise Victorious | 79 |
| Meditation-The Key to Realisation | 81 |
| Formulae for Meditation | 83 |
| Samadhi–The Superconscious State | 84 |
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10. MEANS TO UNIVERSAL WELFARE |
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| Spirit of Unity | 87 |
| Love, the Cementing Force | 88 |
| Express Love through Selfless Service | 90 |
| Philosophy and Religion–The Vital Needs | 92 |
| Yoga for Integral Development | 93 |
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11. SPIRITUAL TREASURE |
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| Divine Manna | 97 |
| Spiritual Sparks | 99 |
| Treasure-trove | 102 |
| The Admonitions of a Sage | 106 |
| Revelations | 108 |
About This Book
This neat, little book aphorisms speaks for itself.
Containing as it does the intuitive flashes of the author, it is verily a boon to those who seek peace of mind amidst the turmoils of this restless age.
We have great pleasure in releasing this book for the benefit of all.
CELEBRATED VEDANTIC FORMULAE
Ekam Evadvitiyam
One without a second.
Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya
Jeevo Brahmaiva Naa Parah
Brahman only exists truly;
The world is false.
The individual soul is Brahman only,
And no other.
Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma
Brahman is Truth, Knowledge and Infinity.
Brahmavit Brahmaiva Bhavati
The knower of Brahman becomes brahman.
Santam, Sivam, Advaitam
Peace, Auspiciousness and Non-duality.
Ayam Atma Santa
This Atman is Silence.
Asango Ayam Purusha
This Purusha is unattached.
Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma
All, indeed, is Brahman.
Chapter Four
MAN’S DUTY ON EARTH
i. Understand Life.
ii. Live Divinely.
iii. The Nature of Spiritual Destiny.
iv. Hints for Harmonious Living.
v. Know Thy Self and Be Free.
I. UNDERSTAND LIFE
1. The purpose of life is to realise the oneness of creation and one’s identity with the Divine.
2. To become divine is the aim of life.
3. The goal of life is attainment of absolute freedom from the bondage of matter.
4. Life here is a passage way to immortality.
5. True life is life in God.
6. Resort to what is Truth. Life is very fickle. Only Brahman or the Imperishable Existence is to be known.
7. Do not leave the world empty-handed. Amass the supreme wealth of Atman. Do not miss the golden opportunity this life gives you for God-realisation.
8. Let each day dawn for you as a fresh opportunity and occasion, opening up before you to move one step further towards the great attainment of God-realisation.
9. Study the book of books, the book of life, again and again. The opening words of this book are: “You are all-pervading Soul”. Live in the Eternal. Tat Tvam Asi. Thou art That. Realise this and be free.
II. LIVE DIVINELY
10. Divine life is life in the awareness of your essential, ever-pure, ever-perfect divine nature.
11. Let all your actions be full of love, goodness and purity. This is divine life.
12. The temple of divine life has four pillars. They are meditation, purity, love and righteousness.
13. Divine life or Yoga does not ask man to change his religion, or to run away from home. It wants, ‘Detach, Attach. Detach the mind from the objects of the world and attach it to the Lord’.
14. To be selfish is demoniac life; to be selfless is divine life. To perceive diversity is demoniac life; and to see unity is divine life. To identify oneself with the body is demoniac life; to identify oneself with the Atman is divine life. Divine life leads you to immortality; but demoniac life drags you from death to death.
15. Man alone is endowed with the faculty of reasoning between right action and wrong action, and therefore, is held responsible for his fate.
16. Live a life of simplicity, a life of humility, and a life of nobility.
17. Make the ideals of divine life shine like a beacon-light above everything of negative nature.
18. In the garden of life, every one of you should blossom forth as a fragrant flower, each proclaiming the glory of God.
III. THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL DESTINY
19. The avoidance of misery and pain and the attainment of eternal peace are the supreme human end.
20. The urge towards a perfected way of life, the craving for knowledge, the hunger for undiminishing joy and peace, is inherent in every human being.
21. Man is restless till he rests in God.
22. Your eternal source and abode is the Divine.
23. The Kingdom of Eternal Bliss within is within the reach of every man.
24. Look within and meditate on Atman. You will realise immortality and eternal bliss.
25. O foolish man! Worship the Lord. Repeat His Name. Nothing will save you from death.
26. Rise above good and evil. You will become divine.
27. The great illusion of life is the feeling of separateness. Commune with God; the illusion vanishes.
28. O deluded man! Kill not animals. Kill only the animal in you–the ego.
29. Awake to the realisation of your immortal nature.
30. Arise into an active exercise of the fearless, ever-free spiritual nature of the Inner Self.
31. Withdraw the senses from the objects. Withdraw the mind from the senses and establish yourself in your inner Centre.
32. Be the unchanging One amidst the changing body and mind.
33. Let all your actions be full of love, goodness and purity.
34. Self-realisation is the result of life lived in accordance with the highest spiritual law.
35. Spiritual illumination is a matter of living your life ideally, which is the ultimate factor that gives you Realisation.
36. It is the living of life in a noble way, characterised by purity, truth, love, compassion, self-control, selflessness and service that takes one towards Self-realisation.
IV. HINTS FOR HARMONIOUS LIVING
37. For harmonious living, balance of mind is essential.
38. A man with a clouded mind does not see his path clear.
39. The secret of blessed life is cosmic love.
40. Restrict your wants and desires. This will promote real happiness and contentment.
41. Lead a good and disinterested life. Practise Asanas, Pranayama and meditation; the body will get a beauty and fragrance as never before.
42. Though the body is full of filth and disease, you can taste the Divine Essence in this body alone. It is the abode or temple of the Lord. Therefore, keep it strong, clean and healthy by all means.
43. Faith is life. Doubt is death.
44. This world is a vast school of experience. Learn and gain.
45. Do not twist the moustache in vain. You are helpless in childhood; you are helpless in old age; and you are helpless when you are seriously sick.
46. Start the day with God. Fill the day with God. End the day with God. Live the day with God. This is the way to God.
47. Live harmoniously with others. Worry not; and have self-confidence. Practise Asanas, Pranayama and meditation regularly. You will have success, happiness, joy, power, strength and peace.
48. Your future is in your hands. Exert. Make a deliberate effort.
49. Happiness springs from a kind, loving and devoted heart.
50. Keep young by kindness, love, service and meditation.
51. Energy, success, happiness, abundant health, strength and peace depend upon the practice of Asanas, Pranayama, Japa and meditation.
52. Listen to a bird. Take the song and draw joy, as a message from God.
53. Simplicity is the keynote of divinity. Choose simple things and be simple.
54. Self-help wins success. Depend not on others for help. Practise self-reliance and self-confidence.
55. Have a broad outlook on life, a new spiritual vision, a good receptive mind, and a loyal sense of duty to your Preceptor or Guru.
56. Awaken the soul-force in you. You can work wonders.
57. Repeated difficulties and disappointments are messengers of God sent to awaken within you the spirit of enquiry, to find out the purpose of human birth.
58. Never look upon your misfortunes as the worst that life can give. Remember, and be grateful, for your blessings.
59. Everyone, without exception, can find something to be grateful, if only he will search for it.
60. Make it a habit to see the brighter side of life, when reverses make their impact on you.
61. In times of strifes and struggles, you must learn to withdraw inward, and find solace in God within yourself.
62. Amidst the raging storm of despair, stand firm on the rock of faith in God and His justice.
63. Frustrations bring problems.
64. Pleasure is only pain. Pleasure brings pain. Pain is beneficial. It goads a man to seek bliss eternal. It is an eye-opener.
65. God has planned what is best for you. You need not plan anything. Your life is in His hands. Be not anxious for tomorrow.
66. Nothing happens by chance. Everything takes place according to the Divine Plan, with a definite purpose to bring you nearer to the goal.
67. Repeat Hari. Never Worry. Be Merry.
V. KNOW THY SELF AND BE FREE
68. The essence of man is a Spiritual Principle, co-existent and co-eternal with the Universal Spirit.
69. You are the Spirit or Atman enveloped in mind and body.
70. Change is the nature of the lower personality. Changelessness, peace and inner strength is your real nature.
71. Listen, O man! Man is the highest object of creation. Nothing else is highest.
72. Like Him, you are Divinity, Goodness, Purity and Truth.
73. You are not the body, the senses, the mind and intellect. You are distinct from all these. You are the changeless Witnessing Consciousness at the back of all.
74. The mind is always in turmoil, but you are Tranquillity; you are Serenity; you are Peace; and you are Bliss.
75. You cannot be affected by the changeful moods of this ever-changing and restless mind.
76. Change is the nature of the lower personality; changelessness, peace, inner strength is your real essential nature. Recognise it.
77. Assert: “I am not the body. I am not the senses. I am not the mind. I am not the intellect and its perverted reason”.
78. Assert: “I am not even this little, petty ‘I’ which weeps at one moment, laughs at another, which is dejected at one moment, and elevated at another moment”.
79. Assert: “I am the Source of even this ‘I’. I am the changeless Witness-Consciousness, the pure Atman which is beginningless, changeless and endless”.
80. Thou art imperishable. Thou art changeless Reality. Thou art the source of life. Tat Tvam Asi. That Thou Art. Realise this and be free.
81. Your denial of your own divinity is the cause for sin, suffering and sorrow. ‘Thou art That’. Assert your divinity and shine in divine glory and splendour.
Chapter Eight
THE PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
i. Important Requisites.
ii. Guru–The Divine Guide.
iii. Aids to Realisation.
iv. Beware of Obstacles.
v. The Bane of Egoism.
vi. Divine Grace and Self-Effort.
vii. Arise Victorious.
I. IMPORTANT REQUISITES
1. Purity is the bed-rock of spiritual life.
2. You must cultivate purity of heart, if you wish to pursue the spiritual path.
3. Divinity can find expression in words only in a pure mind, and it can only reach another mind in which harmony dwells.
4. The foundation in spiritual life is absolute faith in God.
5. Discrimination and dispassion are the two wings with which you can soar to the abode of eternal bliss.
6. Discrimination, dispassion, virtues, aspiration are first steps on your return voyage to your original Home, the Abode of Reality, the Kingdom of God which is Bliss and Peace.
7. He who is compassionate, humble, faithful, pure, is fit to enter the spiritual path.
8. Here is the one rule of spiritual life: Serve, love and meditate.
9. A seeker after Truth is a follower of the law of love.
10. If you are sincere and earnest, the spiritual path is smooth.
11. An aspirant should endure all hardships.
12. An aspirant should not hanker after anything.
13. An aspirant should be pure and truthful. He should act in accordance with Dharma.
14. As long as you do not realise the Truth or Brahman, you should practise self-control.
15. If the aspirant goes beyond likes and dislikes, he has crossed this ocean of Samsara.
16. God cannot be attained without making the mind one-pointed, and without faith, devotion and meditation.
17. God does not reveal Himself to those who do lip prayer and self-mortification. He reveals Himself only to those who surrender to Him with purity of heart and sincere devotion.
18. God shows the path which leads to Moksha or Salvation to the aspirant who is endowed with dispassion, non-attachment and renunciation, and who performs regularly worship and meditation.
19. It is practical Sadhana alone that matters in the spiritual path. Therefore, become a practical Yogi and Vedantin.
II. GURU–THE DIVINE GUIDE
20. As long as one does not accept a Guru, so long he cannot attain Mukti or Salvation.
21. Without a Guru, perfection cannot be obtained.
22. Therefore, one should search for a Guru.
23. Through the Guru, one gets proper eyesight.
24. Even as a house is dark without a light in it, similarly, without a Guru, a disciple is dark.
25. The Guru alone can lead to Liberation. He is the dear relative who takes one across Samsara.
26. Guru is God in human form.
27. The spiritual guide quickens the evolutionary process of the aspirant or seeker.
28. The Guru opens up before the seeker the avenues through which the realisation of the Divine can be attained.
29. Scriptures, and the words of your Guru, are the two eyes with which alone you can see your way and reach your destination.
30. The knowledge that the Guru imparts will alone lead to the Supreme Goal.
31. He who has faith and reverence reflects on the Eternal Truth. He who attends on a Guru gains faith and reverence. He who struggles to achieve self-control attends on a Guru.
32. He who serves his Preceptor attains self-control, faith and reverence.
33. The Preceptor knows well the journey and its stages. Follow him.
III. AIDS TO REALISATION
34. Truth, self-restraint, austerity, charity, non-injury, rootedness in virtue–these are the aids to Self-realisation.
35. Satsanga or association with the wise, eradication of Vasanas or subtle desires, and control of breath are aids to Self-realisation.
36. Perseverance, fortitude, self-sacrifice and self-denial are very necessary for attaining Self-realisation.
37. The three essentials for God-realisation are constant remembrance of God, active cultivation of virtues, and spiritualisation of all actions.
38. Surrender to God, dispassion, aspiration and meditation are important means for attaining God-realisation.
39. Equanimity, poise and sublimation of one’s passions, refinement of one’s nature are all essential for Self-realisation.
40. God-realisation is a process of self-discovery by discarding the various layers of illusions.
41. Self-realisation is self-discovery.
42. By controlling the senses, extinguishing love and hatred, loving all creatures equally, one becomes fit for Immortality.
43. He who gives charity to the deserving, who speaks sweetly, who speaks the truth, who is devoted to non-injury, who meditates on Atman, soon attains Self-realisation.
44. Virtuous deeds and meditation lead to Self-realisation, the realisation of Divinity in every being.
45. Have compassion in heart, purity in mind, Lord’s Name on the lips, and service of humanity in hand. This is the way to quick God-realisation.
46. Prostrate before the Lord. Worship the Lord. Utter His Name. Meditate on the Lord. You will attain soon God-realisation.
47. Repeat the Name of God. Sing His glories. Meditate on His divine form. Commune with Him. Ever aspire to grow into His Consciousness. You shall be blessed with God-realisation.
48. In the absence of strong will and discrimination, Self-realisation is impossible.
49. Self-realisation can be attained only by him who renounces all hopes and desires, who has cut the root of the poisonous creepers of craving and ambitions.
50. For Self-realisation, the heart has to be purified, the modifications of the mind stilled, desires annihilated, and attachments removed.
51. Be merciful. Be Pure. Be truthful. Be just. Be temperate. Be hospitable. Be tolerant. Be forgiving. Be courageous. Be simple. Be humble. Be gentle. You will soon attain God-realisation.
52. Be compassionate. Be humble. Be pure. Be righteous. Be sincere. Be practical. Have singleness of purpose. You will attain God-realisation.
53. Plough with truth. Plant the seeds of desire for Brahma-Jnana. Irrigate the mind with the water of purity. Build the fence of right conduct, Yama, Niyama. You will soon attain God-realisation.
54. You can attain God-realisation if you look for Him with the light of wisdom issuing forth from the wick of life, fed with the ghee of meditation, in the lamp of the mind, within the house of your body.
55. Have intense yearning to attain Salvation. Cultivate divine, sublime thoughts. Develop faith, power of re-collection. You will soon attain Self-realisation.
56. One who has felt the presence of God within, will experience the fundamental unity underlying all apparent diversity.
IV. BEWARE OF OBSTACLES
57. Worldly objects are all obstacles in the practice of Yoga.
58. Remove the hindrances to God-realisation, viz., indolence, sleep, doubts, tossing of mind and restlessness.
59. The serpents of the senses, which rise again and again from within, and hiss again and again, should be slain by the rod of firm discrimination.
60. He who controls the senses attains eternal bliss, immortality and illumination.
61. Unless one sheds the outward wrappings of lust, greed, passion, etc., he cannot get divine awareness.
62. Soak the desires in the stream of mind-control and self-restraint. You will soon attain purification of the heart.
63. Every temptation that is resisted, every sinful thought that is repressed, every harsh word that is withheld, every noble aspiration that is encouraged, helps your will-power and takes you nearer and nearer to the goal.
64. The weak and the lazy have no place in the spiritual path.
65. Do not be a slave to your circumstances. Learn lessons from them. Use them as stepping stones towards the search of your ultimate Goal.
66. Take more time to be alone with God. Meditate more. You will be filled with rapture.
67. Feel God’s presence and bliss everywhere. Care and fear will vanish. You will enjoy health, joy, peace and bliss.
68. Through regular Japa and meditation, the divine flame grows brighter and brighter.
69. Strength comes from Japa, prayer and meditation.
70. Be strong. Be serene. Be brave. Be patient. Be resolved. Be heroic. Enter the Silence within you. Behold what you really are within you.
V. THE BANE OF EGOISM
71. When ego ends, God begins.
72. Ego is the root of imperfection and all miseries.
73. Ego is the stumbling block in the path of spiritual Sadhana. It is the stonewall that prevents the individual from rising upward to universal consciousness.
74. Even as the swan, breaking asunder the lotus stalks of the Manas Lake, would, without hesitation, rise skyward, so also with his bonds cut asunder by the knife of Yogic practice whetted on the stone of stern discipline, the aspirant will always cross the stream of births and deaths.
75. It is a veil of ignorance which has created this individual personality which has no real existence at all.
76. This little ego, with its petty likes and dislikes, with clingings, identification with the body, and selfishness, must be annihilated by attaining Knowledge of Atman.
77. The real consciousness is forgotten, and this erroneous identification with the body and the mind gives rise to the ‘I’ idea: I am an Indian, I am rich, poor, healthy, sick, and so on.
78. You create this false personality and forget the true immortal consciousness; and superimpose upon this passing unreality your consciousness, through wrong identity.
79. You lose the knowledge and awareness of your true nature and identify yourself with every passing wave and phase of body and mind. This is bondage. This is ignorance.
80. Be large-hearted. Embrace all. Feel oneness with all. Be tolerant towards all. Regard all people as your own Self.
81. Develop virtue. Lead the sublime life, a real Christ-like life.
82. Die to this life of the little selfish ‘I’, and be born again with a broader idealism.
83. Feel: “All are one. All are mine. I am the brother of all. I am the Self of all. The whole universe is mine”. How can selfishness come into life then?
84. Kill the ego and conquer death.
85. With the subtle and visible weapon of self-purification, kill the monster ignorance, escape from the prison of egoistic personality, and attain Liberation.
VI. DIVINE GRACE AND SELF-EFFORT
86. Without divine grace, no spiritual progress is possible.
87. No amount of self-effort, without the descent of divine grace, will be of any avail in the spiritual path.
88. The abyss of primordial ignorance can be crossed only with God’s grace.
89. Grace and self-effort are identical. Without grace, there can be no self-effort; but grace itself blossoms as self-effort.
90. Without self-effort, one does not obtain grace; and the self-effort is a mark of the descent of grace.
91. The grace of God descends on the virtuous aspirant who has purity, compassion, dispassion, etc.
VII. ARISE VICTORIOUS
92. Close all the doors of, senses, and kindle within the torch of wisdom.
93. Luminous as a long unbroken trail of light, there gleams upon your vision, then, a path to the hidden Temple of the Supreme Lord.
94. The bolts and bars of this Temple’s gates yield to the magic touch of pure love.
95. Are you seeking God? Then seek Him in your heart.
96. O pilgrim! Meditate. Move on quickly to the Shrine of Immortal Bliss. Linger not here by looking at Maya’s delusive charms.
97. O Adhyatmic soldier! O hero! Conquer the mind and enter the realm of Immortal Bliss.
98. Do not wander here. Do not grope. Do not fall. Do not stumble. With the torch of spiritual light within, reach your original abode of divine splendour and glory.
99. Your whole life should be a perennial worship. That is the dynamic way of spiritual evolution, of spiritual unfoldment, and highest experience.
100. Japa and meditation are the two wings with which an aspirant flies to the abode of Bliss.
101. Make celibacy thy horse, patience thy saddle, discrimination thy arrow, vigilance thy sword, serenity thy shield, and courage thy helmet. Enter the inner battle-field of thy heart, kill the enemy mind, and enjoy the bliss of the Eternal.
102. It is through a deliberate turning away from the objects of pleasure in this world, and by the practice of meditation, does the seeker after Truth or Eternal Bliss enter the inner Realm consciously and with full awareness.
103. Have a continuous flow of the thought of God, like the flow of the waters of the Ganga towards the sea.
104. Bhavana or mental attitude ultimately blossoms as Anubhava or experience.
105. Stand up. Be brave. Be strong. Be heroic.
106. Strength is life and weakness is death. Be strong.
107. Wait on God. Talk with God. Walk with God.
108. Look within. Look into the heart. Behold Him there. Rejoice.
109. Withdraw. Be still. Enter the Silence. You will know, my child.
110. Look within. Enter the Silence. Listen in Silence. See in Silence. Feel in Silence.
111. In the Supreme Silence, realise your eternal union with God.
Chapter Nine
THE INNER PATH OF MEDITATION
i. Meditation–The Key to Realisation.
ii. Formulae for Meditation.
iii. Samadhi–The Superconscious State.
I. MEDITATION–THE KEY TO REALISATION
1. Meditation is the key to Self-realisation.
2. Meditation is the key to achievement.
3. Meditation is indispensable to intuition which is the door of Truth.
4. Meditation differs according to the taste, temperament, and capacity of the individual.
5. Meditation is not a process of acquiring power to fly in the air, and read the thoughts of others. The sole object of meditation is to bring the mind into contact with God.
6. In meditation, man communes with his own Self, the God who dwells in his heart. He is alone, but he is never alone; but alone with God.
7. Meditation releases spiritual force.
8. Meditation gives you poise and peace.
9. Concentration is the supreme desirelessness for objects.
10. The gods cannot put obstacles in the meditation of a man who has reached the highest peak of perfection in dispassion.
11. Meditation on Atman or the Self, even for a moment, is greater than crores of sacrifices. Meditation alone is supreme.
12. Meditation demands an extraordinary inner strength, a gigantic will, and absolute self-discipline.
13. Self-control, or the control of the senses and the mind, is the indispensable prerequisite to successful meditation.
14. Silence, without fear of being disturbed while meditating, is very important.
15. Concentration of mind and understanding of Truth are not possible when dullness prevails.
16. The lesser the cravings you have for sensual pleasures, the lesser your attachment to worldly objects, the deeper will be your meditation, and the sooner will you attain God-realisation.
17. Despair, pain, tremor and hard breathing are obstacles in meditation.
18. If you feel sleepy and fidgety when you pray and meditate, know that the mind is impure and needs immediate attendance.
19. During meditation, the external objects will be shut out; but sometimes, the Samskaras that are lying dormant in the subconscious mind will come out to the surface of the conscious mind and cause distraction. Gradually they will subside, when you advance in deep meditation.
20. You live in a world where wars and winds are boisterous. If you meditate regularly, you will have a very calm mind. No storm will affect you.
21. During meditation, unlock the inner chamber, the treasure-house of wisdom and power.
22. Determine to persevere at any cost in meditation. You will attain success.
II. FORMULAE FOR MEDITATION
23. Meditate, ‘I am undivided’, ‘I am infinite’, ‘I am full’, ‘I am secondless’, ‘I am Satchidananda Swaroopa’, ‘I am the Light of lights’.
24. Meditate, ‘I am the Essence of Consciousness and Bliss’, ‘I am devoid of the three bodies and the three Avasthas’, ‘I am the fourth state of Consciousness’.
25. Meditate, ‘I am the essence of Chidakasa. I am the supreme Prajnanaghana, the mass of wisdom. I am fearless. I am formless and attributeless. I am the support for the whole universe. I myself need no support. I am without Avidya and impurity’.
26. Meditate, ‘I am the essence of Self-luminosity’, ‘I am the ocean of Immortal Essence of Reality’, ‘I am without the universe and beyond the pairs of opposites. I am the Absolute Self. I am Nirguna’.
27. Meditate, ‘I am eternally pure. I am beyond Maya. I am eternal Consciousness. I am undifferentiated. I am entirely free. I am desireless. I am eternally perfect’.
28. Meditate, ‘I am the witness of the body, etc., the rock-seated Being, the attributeless Supreme, and the Brahman, the Full’.
29. Meditate on your Atman or the Supreme Self and conquer death.
30. Do not study books too much. Meditate more.
31. Concentrate, meditate, and commune with God.
32. Meditate with interest and enthusiasm. Carry out your determination unswervingly. You will have sanguine success in meditation and attain Samadhi or the Super-conscious state.
III. SAMADHI–THE SUPERCONSCIOUS STATE
33. It is called Nirvikalpa or Asamprajnata Samadhi, when the mind is cleansed of all Vrittis and when the Light Supreme is revealed.
34. Samadhi is being aware of the Self and nothing else.
35. Samadhi is the state of the mind when it exists undisturbed like a lamp in a windless place, where the meditator and meditation vanish into the Absolute perception of the meditated alone.
36. It is the state of Samadhi when the Self sees nothing else, hears nothing else, and understands nothing else than itself.
37. In the state of Samadhi, one experiences the Self or Atman which is full above, full below, full in the centre, full everywhere; for Self alone is everything.
38. In the state of Samadhi, one experiences the Self which has nothing above, nothing below, nothing in the centre, nothing anywhere, for It is everything.
39. He whose mind is like the expansive sky and devoid of all desires, who has known the immortal Being–Brahman, the Absolute–is in the state of Samadhi.
40. When the mind is completely resolved into the Self or Atman, that state is called Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
41. After waking up from Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the person is overpowered by the memory of his experience as the one undivided, infinite, pure Self and knows, ‘I am That’.
42. Just as water becomes one with the milk, so also, the individual soul becomes one with Brahman in Samadhi.
43. Samadhi is a spiritual experience full of peace, bliss and wisdom.
44. In Samadhi, pure Consciousness alone remains.
45. Know that to be the state of Samadhi wherein the individuality is lost.
46. Experience of Samadhi is indicated by the quality of life, the purity of character, the cessation of desires, perfect mental equipoise, radiant happiness, clarity of vision into the nature of things, a life well above the mundane state of existence.
47. When there is even the least doubt as to whether what one experiences is Samadhi or not, the aspirant should understand that it is not Samadhi. Samadhi is a state wherein all doubts cease.
48. Stupor is not Samadhi. An emotional trance-like exhaustion is not Samadhi. Sitting druggedly in one posture for several hours in any kind of weather is not Samadhi. Habitual inexertion is not Samadhi.
49. It is only those who have completely mastered their lower nature, and purified their hearts through the practice of virtue and self-discipline, who can attain Samadhi or super-conscious state or Self-realisation.
50. Dissolve the mind in the state of Samadhi.
51. Discard name and form. Be devoted to Satchidananda alone. Practise Samadhi at all times, either Antar-Nirvikalpa or Bahir-Nirvikalpa.
52. In the bliss of Samadhi, live without worry; drink the Supreme Essence and exist as the Infinite Consciousness.