Life and its purpose by Sri Swamy sivananda

[Guest guest]

Have you understood the significance and the glory of human life?

Have you realised what a precious gift and veritable divine power

this human birth is? Do you not feel that life is meant for the

fulfilment of a most sublime purpose? Truly it is meant for the

attainment of a lofty goal, namely divine perfection and perennial

peace and bliss. You all know quite well that life is not merely the

act of breathing, digesting, eliminating, thinking, feeling, knowing,

willing, etc. Life is not meant for eating, seeing, sleeping and

dying miserably in the end.

 

You truly live your life when you strive manfully for working out and

driving the mind to spiritual realisation and service of humanity. A

little toast, butter and jam, a little stylish clothing, a bungalow

and a motor car and a round of cinemas, attendance at parties†" these

do not really constitute life. This is not the end of the real man

who has been ‘made in the image of God.’ Mere sensual life is after

all only the life of an animal. Every day you must polish it and make

it look divine and be divine. Egoism, desire and sensuality†" all this

is ignorance; it is deep delusion. Can material comforts elevate the

souls of the people? Can gross physical prosperity alone confer upon

you solace, courage, peace, joy, immortality and eternal perfection

in the spirit? Certainly not.

O blessed children of immortality! Reflect yourself over what I say.

Think deeply. Discriminate. You will realise the truth about this

most transitory pain-filled life on earth. In the dizzy whirlpool of

fleeting sensual pleasures and ceaseless seething desires, do not

forget the true purpose of life and its real goal. No greater blunder

than to think, to feel, to mistake the unreal for the real, the

transitory for the permanent and to forget the most important duty in

life. What greater folly, what greater tragedy is there than when a

man neglects to reach the goal of life?

 

You are helpless when you are a baby, you are helpless when disease

overtakes you and when you are seriously ill and you are helpless

when powerful calamities like fire, flood, earthquake, cyclone, etc.,

strike down mankind, you are helpless and you are miserable when you

become old and senile. Why then are you so proud and eccentric? Rise

above this delusion and attain your goal through discrimination and

dispassion, analysis and enquiry of your real spiritual nature.

Enquire ‘Who am I’ and try to realise your essential natural self.

Then alone you will transcend your body and mind and realise the

Self. Then alone you will be really free and ever blissful.

 

Virtue is the way to peace and Light. Righteousness is the real

secret of Self-realisation. Purity is the path to perfection.

Goodness leads you to godliness. Strive for ethical perfection. Live

a strictly ethical life. Adhere to truth and righteousness, even at

the cost of your life. Base your life upon absolute righteousness.

Cultivate noble qualities with diligence and care. Be sincere,

friend! Actively practise all virtues in right earnest and with real

zeal. Become an embodiment of goodness. Think no evil. Speak no evil.

See no evil. Do no evil. Be good in thought, speech and action.

 

Remember the Lord daily and every moment of your lifetime. Pray to

him fervently with humility and devotion for purifying your nature

and helping to attain the glorious goal of life. Live for God. Boldly

face all the difficulties and tribulations of this petty earthly

life. Be a man. With courage, struggle for the great attainment.

Climbing a mountain, crossing a channel, bombing a city or blasting a

fort, these are not the true acts of heroism and real courage.

Controlling your mind and senses and overcoming anger, passion and

egoism, by attaining self-mastery; these constitute the real heroism

in man. How long will you be a slave of passion and the senses?

Assert your real divine nature and your mastery over your lower

nature and lower self. This is your most important duty.

Do not identify yourself with this perishable body. Do not run after

fashion and passion. Do not cultivate the habit of clinging to the

glittering names and forms. Do not be ignorant, O man; and think of

no delusion. Do not feel: ‘I am an Indian,’ ‘I am an American,’ ‘I am

an Italian’, etc., " I am black, I am white, I am yellow " ; ‘I am

superior, I am inferior’; ‘I know everything, he knows nothing: I

have done this, I have done that†" I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, I am

a Mohammedan and I am so and so, I am a Parsi, I am a Jain’, etc.

 

All this is the worst type of ignorance. Hear the great truths

declared boldly by the prophets and godmen, saints and men of real

deep wisdom. Thou art neither this perishable body nor this impure

mind. Thou art in truth eternal, ever free and ever perfect and ever

blissful spirit Immortal. Thou art in essence Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman.

Thou art imperishable. This is thy real glorious nature.

 

Feel this, meditate over this and assert this. Realise this and

attain the Wisdom of the Self. Be for ever in bliss. Life is meant

for the practice of Yoga. Strive ever to attain this great goal.

Practise the Yoga of saintliness. Do selfless service in a spirit of

pure worship. Cultivate devotion to the Lord and worship Him daily.

Purify the heart through charity and generosity. Meditate daily upon

the Lord.

 

Through ceaseless discrimination, reflection and enquiry attain the

Wisdom of the Self. Love, give, purify, meditate, Realise. Be good.

Do good. Be kind. Be compassionate. Enquire ‘Who am I?’ Know the self

and be free. The one Lord indwells all beings. Feel his presence

everywhere. See Him alone in all men and things. Give up all

distinctions and differences. Feel oneness with all beings. Embrace

all. Love all. Feel the bliss with all in a spirit of brotherhood and

live to kindle the light of life in your heart. Be all-inclusive.

Radiate pure love throughout your life. Start the good life right

from today and fight from now.

 

Cast aside all doubts, fears and misgivings. Do not hesitate, be

bold; life is short. Time is fleeting. You have to be practical O

man! Do not be weak in thy faith. You must have faith that can move

mountains. Never forget your Immortal nature. Never forget your true

purpose in life. Wake up from your long sleep of ignorance. Realise

thy hidden real nature. Stop not till the goal is reached. Stop not

till you attain the wisdom of the Self. O Wanderer in this quagmire

of Life (Samsara)! Overcome all evil. Annihilate all lust, greed and

egoism and come back to your sweet original home, the abode of

eternal peace, eternal bliss and eternal sunshine. Through sincere

struggle with the lower nature and the lower self and through a life

of practical goodness and Yoga, attain perfection in thought, word

and deed in this very life. To whatever nation you belong, to

whatever race you belong, to whatever society you belong, your real

duty and the most important

work is this, the attainment of the highest spiritual perfection and

bliss.

 

May the Lord, the one God who is known variously bestow upon you all

the highest bliss and perfection in this very life. May love alone

prevail everywhere. May peace and prosperity be unto all living

beings.