Swami Venkatesananda

MESSAGE OF LIGHT

The ancients 'saw' truth, incorporated it in pleasant rituals to ensure its perpetuation and the moderns enjoy the pleasantry (thus depriving the ritual of its life) and faithfully preserve the embalmed rite! Diwali is no exception. 

The darkness of the night is dispelled by the light that is kindled on Diwali. A single lamp may not be powerful enough to illumine a whole street, even as a single pious action may not bring about illumination of the self. But it is possible to illumine the whole street with strings of little lamps (Diwali), even as, if all the little acts of one's life are holy, there is illumination of the self.

The lamps enable us to see objects hidden in the darkness. The light of the sun enables us to see the world outside during the daytime, and at night the same light of the sun reflected by the moon and stars illumines the earth. An inspiring mantra in the Katha Upanishad declares, "The sun, the moon, the stars and the flame do not illumine 'that', but it is 'that' which makes them luminous." What is that? Sight. Light is useless in the absence of sight.

But, what do we mean by 'sight'? Surely, the eyes, the retina, the optic nerve, the brain-centre, are not capable of 'seeing'. These are all present in a corpse which does not see. Enquiry into this is meditation.

- Swami Venkatesananda

Swami Venkatesananda

When Love Comes Into Being

I cannot love you. Impossible. 

We are two completely different beings. As long as I still cling to the consciousness that I am I and you are you, I cannot love you. I may temporarily pretend to love you, I may temporarily profess to love you, but it is only a passing fancy. As long as you scratch my back and I scratch yours, we will call ourselves lovers. 

But as soon as this ceases, it's all over and we begin to hate each other. This is not true love it all. Love can only come into being when the ‘I’ has seen itself out and ceased to interfere in the operation of the natural intelligence, this natural intelligence being cosmic and indivisible.

Swami Venkatesananda

On Self effort (From Yoga Vasishta)

Sage Vasishta addresses Rama.

"Self-effort, Rama, is that mental, verbal and physical action which is in accordance with the instructions of a holy person well versed in the scriptures. 

It is only by such effort that Indra became king of heaven, that Brahma became the creator, and the other deities earned their place.

Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of this birth. 

The latter effectively counteracts the former. 

Fate is none other than self-effort of a past incarnation. 

There is constant conflict between these two in this incarnation; and that which is more powerful triumphs.

Self-effort which is not in accord with the scriptures is motivated by delusion. 

When there is obstruction in the fruition of self-effort one should examine it to see if there is such deluded action, and if there is, it should be immediately corrected. 

There is no power greater than right action in the present. 

Hence, one should take recourse to self-effort, grinding one's teeth, and one should overcome evil by good and fate by present effort.

One should never yield to laziness but strive to attain liberation, seeing that life is ebbing away every moment. 

One who says "Fate is directing me to do this" is brainless and the goddess of fortune abandons him. 

Hence, by self-effort acquire wisdom and then realise that this self-effort is not without its own end, in the direct realisation of the truth.

If this dreadful source of evil named laziness is not found on earth, who will ever be illiterate and poor? 

It is because laziness is found on earth that people live the life of animals, miserable and poverty-stricken."

( Extract from "Yoga Vasishta" by Swami Venkatesananda)

Swami Venkatesananda

 The great declaration of the vedā: ‘The reality is one, sages designate it variously’ indicates that whatever religion people profess, they are worshipping the supreme being in their own way, with faith. God, being omnipresent, responds to the devotee’s prayers, meditation or worship in his own way. Having this attitude, the devotee regards whatever he receives in his life as the gift of God, and he is forever happy and unperturbed.

     He who recognizes the all-pervasiveness of God and still worships the supreme being alone through his different aspects will go to the supreme; but he who, unable to comprehend this truth, worships the forms themselves as God – even he is not lost! 

He will become one with that aspect of God and in course of time realize God’s infinity. What a heart-warming doctrine! 

No one is condemned forever. Whatever be one’s concept of God, faith redeems him, for while the form remains as such, God is made manifest in the heart.