Swami Sivananda Vani

[Guest guest]

Today (October 12) marks the beginning of Navaratri. This festival

is dedicated to the worship of the Divine Mother and it lasts for 9

days.

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LESSONS IN VEDANTA: The Master was working in the office in his

usual undisturbed and serene manner. When he had finished his work

he looked around and his eyes rested on Sri Troja of Trinidad.

 

Master: " How are you? Are you all right? "

 

Troja: " Yes, Swamiji, I am all right. I am trying to learn Vedanta. "

 

Master: " That is good. You must become a Yoga teacher when you

return to your place. "

 

Now the Master proceeded to test Sri Troja's knowledge of Vedanta.

 

Master: " What is Vedanta? "

 

Troja: " It is the philosophy of Truth. "

 

Master: " What is Truth? "

 

Sri Troja could not express the answer correctly, so the Master

helped him, " Truth is that which existed in the past, which exists

in the present, and which will continue to exist in the future. It

is that which is unchangeable, infinite, immortal and decayless. It

is the all-pervading Atma. "

 

Master: " What are the qualifications that a spiritual aspirant

should possess? "

 

Troja: " Selflessness; to be good. "

 

Master: " He should possess dispassion, discrimination, serenity, a

one-pointed mind, faith and burning aspiration. After possessing all

these qualifications, what must he do? "

 

Troja: " He must concentrate. "

 

Master: " No, not straightaway. He must hear, reflect and then

meditate on the Truth. He must become one with It, that is, he must

attain Self-realisation. After attaining Self-realisation, what will

you do? "

 

Troja: " I will surrender. "

 

Master: " You have become the Truth, then to whom are you going to

surrender? "

 

Sri Troja found it difficult to answer this question. He was trying

hard to find a suitable answer when the Master came out with a

humorous remark, " Will you eat well, then stretch yourself and sleep

soundly after that? No, you will preach the Truth, make everyone

realise It and thus remove their ignorance. Is it not so? "

 

Sri Troja agreed to this.

 

Master: " What is ignorance? "

 

Troja: " Not knowing the Truth. "

 

Master: " Taking the body for the soul, getting angry, having pride,

jealousy and hatred--all these are signs of ignorance. Not knowing

that you are the all-pervading Atma is ignorance. "

 

The Master began joking a little. " Come here daily. I will teach you

Vedanta. You have to accept me as your Guru. Are you agreeable to

it? You are not willing to do so, I think. You take care of me and I

shall take care of your soul. Now what do I mean by that? How will

you take care of me? I will take care of you by teaching you Vedanta

and removing your ignorance. "

 

Troja: " I will take care of your body. "

 

Master: " By giving me tins of biscuits? "

 

Troja: " No, Swamiji, I will help you financially to spread your

divine message. "

 

The Master's teaching mood continued.

 

Master: " What takes place in Samadhi? "

 

Troja: " It is a Superconscious State. You become one with the

Absolute. "

 

The Master approved of this answer and enlightened him further, " The

senses, mind and intellect all cease to function. There is no

psychology there. " (Sri Troja was a student of psychology).

 

Master: " What is the mind? "

 

Sri Troja was struggling to express his thoughts, so the Master came

to his rescue, " It is the thinking principle. "

 

After attending to a few visitors who had arrived to have his

Darshan, the Master resumed his teaching.

 

Master: " Where is the mind? "

 

Troja: " All over the body. "

 

Master: " It is all-pervading and is seated in the heart during

sleep, in the eye during the waking state, and in the throat during

the dream state. Now, who is Troja? "

 

Sri Troja was puzzled. Noticing it the Master prompted him with, " Is

Troja the eye, nose or the body? Who is Troja? "

 

This gave the clue to the answer and Sri Troja replied, " This body,

with the mind and intellect, is called Troja. "

 

The Master seemed to be satisfied with this answer.

 

Master: " Where was Troja thirty-five years ago, and where will he be

after some time? "

 

Troja: " I do not know. "

 

Master: " After some time you will get liberation, will you not? What

is the Spirit? Is it alcohol, is it brandy? What is it? "

 

Troja: " It is the essential nature of man. "

 

Master: " It is the Soul, It is Consciousness. Why is It

Consciousness? Because It knows Itself and knows others. It is an

embodiment of existence, knowledge and bliss. How do you know that

there is the Spirit? "

 

Troja: " Because of our existence. "

 

Master: " Yes, because you exist. If you exist then there must be the

existence of the Spirit. Now tell me, while you were drinking the

coffee, who was enjoying it? "

 

Troja: " The body and the senses were enjoying the coffee. "

 

Master: " The individual soul, when combined with the senses, becomes

the enjoyer and the actor. The original pure Spirit neither enjoys

nor acts. It is only a witness. It is the individual soul, which is

a reflection of the Spirit, that enjoys. "

 

The Master's eye accidentally fell on the clock and, noticing that

it was late, he soon left for his quarters.

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" Upon this occasion of the external worship of the Divine Mother

during the Navaratri, let us remind ourselves again and again that

real worship of the Mother is inner allegiance to the benign

destructive force of divine Shakti in its work of breaking our

impure personality and giving us a brilliant divine personality. Let

us remember again and again that real Mother-worship is our inner co-

operation and our inner loyalty to the Durga Shakti which is doing

its work of breaking our egoism, breaking our human weaknesses,

defects and limitations, so that upon a field that is thus cleared,

we may build a path of divine life, of spiritual consciousness, to

lead us to immortality and perfection. Let us all pray to the Divine

Mother that She may give us all the necessary strength and

inspiration and inner power, to put ourselves whole-heartedly upon

Her side and join in the work of the Divine Shakti in regenerating

us, in annihilating our Pashutwa (animal nature) and bestowing upon

us Divya Jyotis (Divine Light). " - Swami Chidananda

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