Essence of Yoga

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India's contribution to the mankind

An excerpt from "Essence of Yoga" by Swami Sivananda

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The religion, the philosophy, the code of ethical and social law of India is all

universal in their character. Universality is the expression of the nature of

the reality. The highest universal science of the Truth is the Vedanta in which

are blended together the different existent views of the life. The Vedanta is

neither a sect nor a creed, but the science of the Absolute Reality, the only

life-giving science, the only solace to the intelligent mankind.

 

 

 

The boldest proclamation of Vedanta is that man is in essence infinitely Divine,

that every one is bound to succeed sooner or later, and that all are bound to

recover themselves in the Infinite Life Divine. The ideal of the Vedanta is not

merely a universal brotherhood nor just living a united and happy social life in

the world of differentiated individuals, but the being of the Absolute Essence

of the Highest Divinity, which the Life, Source and end of the Universe. The

Vedanta is the master-technique of transmuting the many into the Undivided One.

It means experiencing the Whole and existing as the Birthless and Deathless

Infinite. This is the greatest heritage if India, the greatest treasure that

India has, and the greatest gift that India can offer to the world. This is the

zenith of culture and civilization, is the highest knowledge that man can ever

attempt to acquire, and is the final fruition of the best of human aspiration.

 

 

 

The awe-inspiring greatness of India rests mainly upon the bedrock of

Absolute-Experience, of Truth-realization, or a poised awareness of the Infinite

here on earth, in this life time, in the environment of the dance pageantry of

finitude, relativity, objectivity. As the dwelling place of the Rishis, the

Sages, the Men of God-Vision, India enjoys in the estimation of the world a

unique prerogative.

 

 

 

All the grand ideals of word's great religions that have molded the characters

of men, the loftiest tenets of ethics and morality that have raised human beings

to the magnanimous height of supreme perfection and all the sublime truths of

spirituality that have made man divine and have shaped the spiritual life of

nations and of the saviors of mankind, first took their origins in India, the

land of those daring spiritual individuals who entered into the heart of the

Absolute and proclaims truths, which have eternal values. With its spiritual

horizons lit up with the deathless light of the Upanishadic wisdom, India is

essentially a land of spiritual wealth, and its history is the history of

religious experience. The Goal of India is Self-realization or the attainment of

God-Consciousness through the express manifestation of a spirit of renunciative

detachment and through a dynamic divine knowledge. If men are but to understand

the significance and the richness of this spiritual inheritance of India, and

make the spirit of this heritage part and parcel of their daily awareness, they

all would be veritable gods on earth.

 

 

 

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"You can stop worrying by refusing to worry. Surrender all your worries at His

feet. Have faith in Him. Surrender and sit back. Soon you will find your life

being lifted into quieter channels. --- Swami Chinmayananda

 

Please visit our websites on Vedanta:

http://personal.vsnl.com/vedanta or http://www.geocities.com/radhakutir

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