Digest Number 288

[Guest guest]

Sorry there was a typo in my previous mail

 

"these are some names that come to mind. Perhaps as

Swami Sivananda has said, the guru's grace was therein

a previous guru" should have read as "there in a

previous life".

 

Namaste Ompremji!

 

You are correct in pointing out that Viswananda

Saraswati was the guru of Swami Sivananda in the sense

that he had conferred sannyasa diksha but the state of

nirvikalpa/asamprajnata samadhi was attained by his

own efforts - this is stated in his biography and

elsewhere

 

It is really funny that Sivananda should write about

the importance of guru for spiritual progress when he

himself did not have one. All I can say is that Swami

Sivananda was an avatar, one who need not have a guru.

It was prophesied to Appayya Dikshita, the great 16th

century savant that Siva would be born in his family

20 generations down the line. Some of the most

prominent Tantric gurus of India such as Satyananda

Saraswati of BSY and Omkarananda were his shishyas.

 

Before I get a note from one of the moderators that I

am ranting on topics not pertaining to Shaktism, here

is a story from Swami Sivananda's life showing his

closeness with the Divine Mother-

 

During his days at Swarg Ashram at Benares, his

neighbour was Rajarajeshwarananda a tantric upasaka.

Swami R. bemoaned that he did not have the resources

to do a full fledged tantric pooja which required

enormous resources. One day several ladies came to his

door and delivered the pooja articles(silk,gold) on

gold platters and told him that Swami Sivananda had

requested these punjabi ladies who were on a

pilgrimage to that place to give these to Swami R.

Swami R. accepted these and culminated his pooja. When

Swami R. later on asked Sivananda about it, he did not

know anything about it nor were those punjabi ladies

to be found anywhere. Swami R. commented that he had

been worhipping the MOTHER all his life yet SHE chose

to act on request from Swami Sivananda.

 

Aum Namasivaya

yogaman

 

 

 

New DSL Internet Access from SBC &

http://sbc.

[Guest guest]

OM Yogaman

 

Swami Viswananda did more for Swami Sivananda than conduct

a formal cermony that initiated Swamiji into Sannyasa. I have

seen sannyasa initiations performed priests who were not the

Gurus of the sannyasins. These were formal rites. But to be

initiated by the Guru is to receive saktipat from the Guru. There is

a direct transmission of superconscious awareness from the

Guru to the disciple that resonates as a seed in the

consciousness of the disciple until he or she through intense

sadhana can manifest that seed at will. It is this transmission

from Swami Viswananda before and during Sannyasa diksha

that persuaded Swami Sivananda to consider Swami

Viswananda as his Guru.

 

As Swami Sivananda has said, "Spiritual power is transmitted by

the Guru to the proper disciple whom he considers fit for

Sakti-sanchar. The Guru can transform the disciple by a look, a

touch, a thought or a word, or mere willing."

 

He adds, "The disciple should not rest satisfied with the

transmission of power from the Guru. He will have to struggle

hard in Sadhana for further perfection and attainments. Sri

Ramakrishna Parmahamsa touched Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda had superconscious experience. He

struggled hard for seven years more, even after the touch, for

attaining perfection."

 

Swami Sivananda had this to say about Devi:

 

"Devi or Mahesvari or Parasakti is the Supreme Sakti, or Power

of the Supreme Being. When Vishnu and Mahadeva destroyed

various Asuras, the power of Devi was behind them. Devi took

Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra and gave them necessary Sakti to

proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction.

 

"Devi is the Creatirix of the Universe. She is the Universal Mother.

Durga, Kali, Bhagavati, Bhavani, Ambal, Ambika, Jagadamba,

Kamesvari, Ganga, Uma, Chandi, Chamundi, Lalita, Gauri,

Kundalini, Tara, Rajesvari, Tripurasundari, etc. are all Her forms,

 

"Devi is the Mother of all. the pious and the wicked, the rich and

the poor, the saint and the sinner - all are Her childrens.

 

"Devi or Sakti is the Mother of Nature. She is Nature itself. The

whole world is Her body. Mountains are Her bones. Rivers are

her veins, Ocean is Her bladder, Sun, moon are Her eyes. Wind

is her breath. Agni is Her mouth. She runs this world show.

 

"Sakti is symbolically female; but it is , in reality, neither male or

female. It is only a force which manifests itself in various forms.

 

"The five elements and their combinations are the external

manifestations of the Mother. Intelligence, discrimination,

psychic power, and will are Her interanl manifestations.

Humanity is Her visible form.

 

"The Devi assumes many aspects according to the tasks to be

performed by Her - sometimes sweet and tender, and at others,

terrible and devouring. But she is always kind and gracious to

Her devotees. Arjuna, the Pandava hero, worshipped the

Goddess before starting the fight against the evil-minded

Kauravas. Sri Rama worshipped Durga at the time of the fight

with Ravana, to invoke Her aid in the war. He fought and won

through Her grace."

 

OM namah Sivaya

 

Omprem