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Autobiography of Swami Sivananda
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176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Sivananda Saraswati
838 books179 followersSwami Sivananda Saraswati (September 8, 1887—July 14, 1963) was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a well known proponent of Sivananda Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life near Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh.
He is the founder of The Divine Life Society (1936), Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the location of the headquarters of The Divine Life Society (DLS), on the bank of the Ganges at Shivanandanagar, at a distance of 3 kilometres from Rishikesh.
Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by him, are now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, but these centres are not affiliated with Swami Sivananda's original ashrams which are run by the Divine Life Society.
He is the founder of The Divine Life Society (1936), Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the location of the headquarters of The Divine Life Society (DLS), on the bank of the Ganges at Shivanandanagar, at a distance of 3 kilometres from Rishikesh.
Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by him, are now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, but these centres are not affiliated with Swami Sivananda's original ashrams which are run by the Divine Life Society.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 10, 2017
He is just a manifestation of the word "Selflessness" :) _/\_ I bow down to the divinity within him. Must read book for Spiritually inclined ones. Your mind will be cleansed just by reading this book :)
June 27, 2023
THE LIFE AND IDEAS OF A PROMINENT VEDANTA TEACHER
Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963) was a famed teacher of Vedanta, who studied medicine and edited a health journal called ‘Ambrosia,’ then later started his Sivanandashram in 1932, founded the Divine Life Society in 1936, and founded the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948.
He begins this book, “Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident or chance. It is the summit, accessible by a thorny path that has steps---slippery steps. I ascended them step by step the hard way; but at every stage I experienced God coming into my life and lifting me easily to the next stage… The aspiration grew within me that if God had not made this world merely as a hell where wicked people would be thrown to suffer, and if there is… something other than this misery and this helpless existence, it should be known well and experienced. It was at this crucial point in my life that God came to me as religious mendicant who gave me the first lesson in Vedanta… God now came to me in the form of an all-consuming aspiration to realize Him as the Self of all. Meditation and service went apace, and then came various spiritual experiences…” (Pg. ix, xi)
He continues, “One more milestone had to be passed in order to known that ‘everything is Brahman.’ Early in 1950… the Lord came to me in the form of a half-demented assailant… His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worshipped him and sent him home. Evil exists in order to glorify the good. Evil is a superficial appearance. Beneath its veil the one Self shines in all.” (Pg. xi-xii)
He goes on, “In this evolution nothing gained previously was entirely discarded at any later stage. One coalesced into the next, and the Yoga of Synthesis was the fruit. Idol-worship, service of the sick, practice of meditation, the cultivation of cosmic love that transcended the barriers of caste, creed and religion with the ultimate aim of attaining the state of Cosmic Consciousness, was revealed. This knowledge had to be shared immediately. All this had to become an integra part of my being… It was in 1951 that I undertook the All-India Tour. Then God came to me … as multitudes of devotees---eager to listen to the tenets of divine life. At every centre I let that God spoke through me and He Himself in His cosmic form spread out before me as the multitude, listened to me.” (Pg. xii)
He recalls, “The doctor’s profession gave me ample evidence of the great sufferings of this world… I was deeply convinced that there must be a place… where absolute security, perfect peace and happiness can be enjoyed eternally. Therefore… I renounced the world---and felt that I now belonged to the whole world. A course of severe self-discipline and penance endowed me with enough strength to move unscathed amidst the vicissitudes of the world-phenomena. And I began to feel the great good it would do to humanity if I could share this new vision with one and all. I called my instrument of work ‘The Divine Life Society.’ … I saw the birth of the Divine Life Mission, with its task of rescuing man from the forces of the lower nature and raising him to the consciousness of his true relationship with the Cosmos. This is the work of … bringing man to an awareness of his essential divinity.” (Pg. xiii-xiv)
He explains, “Not by mere argument or discussion can religion be taught or understood. Not by precepts or canons of teaching alone can you make one religious. It requires a peculiar atonement with one’s vast environment, and ability to feel the deepest as well as the vastest… I hold that real religion is the religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first. Truth, love and purity are the basis of real religion… The modern thinker has neither the requisite time nor the patience to perform rigorous Tapas and austere religious practices; and many of these are even being relegated to the level of superstition. In order to give the present generation the benefit of real Tapas… I hold up my torch of divine life, which is a system of religious life suited to on and all, which can be practiced by the recluse and the office-goer alike, which is intelligible to the scholar and the rustic… This is a religion which is not other than what is essential to give true meaning to the daily duties of the human being.” (Pg. xiv-xv)
He observes, “There is no physical world for me. What I see I see as the glorious manifestation of the Almighty… I do not think there is anything more to teach or to learn. Here is the cream of religion, the quintessence of philosophy that anyone really needs. The philosophy I hole is neither a dreamy, subjective, world-negating doctrine of illusion, nor a crude world-affirming theory of sense-ridden humanism. It is the fact of the divinity of the universe, the immortality of the soul of man, the unity of creation with the Absolute, that I feel is the only doctrine worth considering. As the one all-pervading Brahman appears as the diverse universe in all the planes of its manifestation, the aspirant has to pay his homage to the lower manifestations before he steps into the higher.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
He advises, “A personal Guru is necessary in the beginning. He alone can show you the path to attain God, who is the Guru of Gurus, and obviate the snares and pitfalls of your path. Self-realization is a transcendental experience… This does not mean that the disciple should sit idle and expect a miracle from the Guru to push him directly into Samadhi… The Guru can guide the student, clear his doubts, pave the way, remove the snares, pitfalls and obstacles and throw light on the path.” (Pg. 20-21)
He summarizes, “To behold the Atman or Self in every being or form, to feel the Brahmic consciousness everywhere, at all times and in all conditions of life, to see, to hear and taste and smell and feel everything as the Atman is my creed.” (Pg. 116)
He suggests, “Do not be hasty in leaving the world. The world is an arena for developing various Sattvic qualities. The world is the best teacher for those who want to be benefited. Remain for some time longer there. Earn and enjoy… Then it will be strong, steady and intense. DO NOT MARRY. That is a different point. The world is not a hell…. Change the mental attitude.” (Pg. 147)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Vedanta and Eastern philosophy.
Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963) was a famed teacher of Vedanta, who studied medicine and edited a health journal called ‘Ambrosia,’ then later started his Sivanandashram in 1932, founded the Divine Life Society in 1936, and founded the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948.
He begins this book, “Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident or chance. It is the summit, accessible by a thorny path that has steps---slippery steps. I ascended them step by step the hard way; but at every stage I experienced God coming into my life and lifting me easily to the next stage… The aspiration grew within me that if God had not made this world merely as a hell where wicked people would be thrown to suffer, and if there is… something other than this misery and this helpless existence, it should be known well and experienced. It was at this crucial point in my life that God came to me as religious mendicant who gave me the first lesson in Vedanta… God now came to me in the form of an all-consuming aspiration to realize Him as the Self of all. Meditation and service went apace, and then came various spiritual experiences…” (Pg. ix, xi)
He continues, “One more milestone had to be passed in order to known that ‘everything is Brahman.’ Early in 1950… the Lord came to me in the form of a half-demented assailant… His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worshipped him and sent him home. Evil exists in order to glorify the good. Evil is a superficial appearance. Beneath its veil the one Self shines in all.” (Pg. xi-xii)
He goes on, “In this evolution nothing gained previously was entirely discarded at any later stage. One coalesced into the next, and the Yoga of Synthesis was the fruit. Idol-worship, service of the sick, practice of meditation, the cultivation of cosmic love that transcended the barriers of caste, creed and religion with the ultimate aim of attaining the state of Cosmic Consciousness, was revealed. This knowledge had to be shared immediately. All this had to become an integra part of my being… It was in 1951 that I undertook the All-India Tour. Then God came to me … as multitudes of devotees---eager to listen to the tenets of divine life. At every centre I let that God spoke through me and He Himself in His cosmic form spread out before me as the multitude, listened to me.” (Pg. xii)
He recalls, “The doctor’s profession gave me ample evidence of the great sufferings of this world… I was deeply convinced that there must be a place… where absolute security, perfect peace and happiness can be enjoyed eternally. Therefore… I renounced the world---and felt that I now belonged to the whole world. A course of severe self-discipline and penance endowed me with enough strength to move unscathed amidst the vicissitudes of the world-phenomena. And I began to feel the great good it would do to humanity if I could share this new vision with one and all. I called my instrument of work ‘The Divine Life Society.’ … I saw the birth of the Divine Life Mission, with its task of rescuing man from the forces of the lower nature and raising him to the consciousness of his true relationship with the Cosmos. This is the work of … bringing man to an awareness of his essential divinity.” (Pg. xiii-xiv)
He explains, “Not by mere argument or discussion can religion be taught or understood. Not by precepts or canons of teaching alone can you make one religious. It requires a peculiar atonement with one’s vast environment, and ability to feel the deepest as well as the vastest… I hold that real religion is the religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first. Truth, love and purity are the basis of real religion… The modern thinker has neither the requisite time nor the patience to perform rigorous Tapas and austere religious practices; and many of these are even being relegated to the level of superstition. In order to give the present generation the benefit of real Tapas… I hold up my torch of divine life, which is a system of religious life suited to on and all, which can be practiced by the recluse and the office-goer alike, which is intelligible to the scholar and the rustic… This is a religion which is not other than what is essential to give true meaning to the daily duties of the human being.” (Pg. xiv-xv)
He observes, “There is no physical world for me. What I see I see as the glorious manifestation of the Almighty… I do not think there is anything more to teach or to learn. Here is the cream of religion, the quintessence of philosophy that anyone really needs. The philosophy I hole is neither a dreamy, subjective, world-negating doctrine of illusion, nor a crude world-affirming theory of sense-ridden humanism. It is the fact of the divinity of the universe, the immortality of the soul of man, the unity of creation with the Absolute, that I feel is the only doctrine worth considering. As the one all-pervading Brahman appears as the diverse universe in all the planes of its manifestation, the aspirant has to pay his homage to the lower manifestations before he steps into the higher.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
He advises, “A personal Guru is necessary in the beginning. He alone can show you the path to attain God, who is the Guru of Gurus, and obviate the snares and pitfalls of your path. Self-realization is a transcendental experience… This does not mean that the disciple should sit idle and expect a miracle from the Guru to push him directly into Samadhi… The Guru can guide the student, clear his doubts, pave the way, remove the snares, pitfalls and obstacles and throw light on the path.” (Pg. 20-21)
He summarizes, “To behold the Atman or Self in every being or form, to feel the Brahmic consciousness everywhere, at all times and in all conditions of life, to see, to hear and taste and smell and feel everything as the Atman is my creed.” (Pg. 116)
He suggests, “Do not be hasty in leaving the world. The world is an arena for developing various Sattvic qualities. The world is the best teacher for those who want to be benefited. Remain for some time longer there. Earn and enjoy… Then it will be strong, steady and intense. DO NOT MARRY. That is a different point. The world is not a hell…. Change the mental attitude.” (Pg. 147)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying Vedanta and Eastern philosophy.
August 3, 2015
It is always inspiring to read about life of great people, much to learn from his way of living , serve all , love all , don't expect anything , just be happy
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews