Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:

DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

MEDITATIONS FOR

MAY
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

THE PLIGHT OF JIVAS – 1

The bull of Jiva sleeps its long sleep under the large shadows of attachment, in the forest of
worldliness, weltering in the mire of sinful actions, goaded by tile goad of ignorance and lashed
by the whip of sensual enjoyments. It is bound by the strong cords of desire and is ever and anon
tormented by the flea-bites of rare diseases.
A sage's power lies in lifting, through ceaseless effort, this bull which groans under the heavy
load of pains. Having fallen into the pool of numberless births and deaths, it is quite lacerated
through its ceaseless motions backward and forward.

LIVE THE DIVINE LIFE – 2

Lead the divine life of truth, love and purity. Repeat the Lord's Name with every breath. Take
everything as His Will. Surrender yourself unto His protecting hands. You will enjoy perennial
peace.
Devotion to the Lord's feet alone will enable you to obtain His Grace. Do Japa, sing Kirtan, do
charity, practice meditation and realize the Atomic bliss. May (god bless all your efforts!
Think correctly, decide carefully, speak sweetly and measuredly, work diligently. The senses
and the mind are your enemies. Conquer them. Have an inner spiritual life. Fight against the dark
forces of evil.

TIME IS PRECIOUS – 3
Know thc value of time. You cannot salvage even a second spent in a worthless manner. Time
is most precious. Utilize every second itl spiritual pursuits and in service.
Tile moment you turn your mind Godward, you will gain immense strength and peace. If you
are truthful and pure in your daily life, yon will inherit the kingdom of God.
As soon as you get tip from your bed in the early morning, do Japa and meditation. Then do
Asanas and Pranayama.

OVERC OME S ORRO W – 4

Long hast thou been bound by the noose of "I am the body." Feel now: "I am
Satchidananda Atman," and, cutting the noose with this sword of wisdom, roam about happily.
There should not exist in the heart the least idea of separateness. The moment the
concepts of "I." "mine" and '"you" arise in one, the nail of sorrow is hammered in him. Get
established in the idea of "Soham" or "I am He". Through identification with the Atman you will
be able to land safely on the other shore, the shore of immortality.

THE FIVE SHEATHS – 5

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DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

When all the five sheaths have been eliminated by the "Nell-Nell" doctrine and through
reasoning, what remains is the witness, the Absolute, the ail-full, indivisible eternal Atman.
The five sheaths are the physical, vital, mental, intellectual and blissful. These are all products
of nature. They are like the layers of an onion. Just as the onion dwindles into an airy nothing
when all the layers are peeled oil so also the body-idea vanishes when the sheaths are eliminated.

CARELESSNESS IS DANGEROUS – 6
Just as rile sedge, even if removed, again covers file water of a pond, so also ignorance
enshrouds even a wise man if he is careless and stops his meditation.
Therefore, the aspirant should be ever careful. Carelessness is practical death itself. There is
no greater danger for an aspirant than carelessness in his spiritual practices. The man who is
careless falls front the ladder of virtue.

D O N OT BE SUSPICIOUS – 7
Suspicion clouds the mind. It creates rupture among friends. It loses friends. It is a defect not
in the heart but in the brain.
Suspicion is the mark of a mean spirit and a base soul. A noble man suspects none. Suspicion
hampers business dealings, disposes kings and heads of states to tyranny, and husbands to
jealousy and hatred. It poisons true friendship.
Freedom from, suspicion promotes happiness in man. Suspicion is all enemy of happiness.
Ignorance is its mother. Attain knowledge, then suspicion will vanish.
If suspicion enters your mind, confidence and love depart. Suspicious thoughts in your mind
are like bats among birds.

THE TWO AIDS – 8

Rajas and Tamas try their best to re-enter the mental factory and take possession of their lost
seat. They should be driven out by means of dispassion, discrimination and enquiry.
When meditation is practiced, obstacles begin to appear, such as absence of right enquiry,
inclination towards enjoyment, absorption in sensual and impure thoughts, laziness and
impatience. Remove them by means of right enquiry and discrimination. Stand as a witness of
such thoughts.

ATMAN IS UNBORN – 9
How can there be death for the Soul when It has no birth? The Srutis declare: "The Atman is
unborn, without old age, imperishable and immortal."
The Aunan is absolutely changeless and is the witness of the six changes that take place in the
body on account of the influence of time. It is unattached, like a lotus leaf in water, like the all-
pervading ether. As It is birthless and unattached, there is neither agency nor enjoyment in lt.
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

ATTAIN ATMA S WARAJYA – 10

Knowledge of Brahman causes release from the trammels of one's own mind. Such a release
alone leads to tire attainment of Moksha or liberation or real Swarajya-freedom of the Self'.
If the mind-thief is punished severely, one can attain Nirvana. Self-realization can be had
within the twinkling of an eye if you apply yourself diligently to meditation and if you equip
yourself with the four means of salvation. Then and then alone can you have real Swarajya in the
Soul.

THE SUBSTRATUM "I" – 11

"I am the destroyer of the tree of worldliness. My reputation is as high as the summit of a hill.
I am in essence as pure as the sun. I am the highest treasure. I am, all-wise, immortal,
indestructible and taintless.
"I am Satchidananda Brahman. I am the eternal, all-pervading, attributeless Para Brahman. I
am the non-dual Para Brahman 1 am the all-full Brahman. I am the ever-pure and taintless
Brahman."
Meditate thus and realize your essential nature.

REFLECT AND PRACTICE – 12

Purity is the keynote of divine life. lie who gets mastery of the mind and the senses is
invincible. He cannot be overcome by anyone.
.Love, kindness, compassion, charitable acts-all these soften and change the heart.
Rudeness, cruelty, revenge, meanness-all these harden the heart.
A worldling cannot understand a saint as he has an impure mind, as his mind is veiled by
passion.
A thirsty aspirant enters a new birth. He has a new heart and a new mind. He has an awakened
vision.
It is Brahmamuhurta now. Rejoice. Climb up to the peak of eternal bliss. Do not delay even a
second.

Y OU ARE NEVER HELPLESS – 13

The spiritual aspirant is never helpless. The entire existence supports him in his arduous
struggle, for he is searching for something which is true to all. One relay dislike a certain thing of
the world but Truth can be hated by none.
If all the fourteen worlds were to face him in battle, the true spiritual aspirant wilt regard them
as mere straw, for he is the immortal Spirit., the ruler of heaven arid earth and the universe at
large.
The road to excellent bliss is covered with many piercing thorns. It passes through a lonely,
dense forest haunted by terrible beasts. It is protected by impregnable fortresses and guarded by
diabolic, multi-hooded cobras. The road is hard to tread; the bliss is difficult to attain.
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

A sincere aspirant is immune to all afflictions and terrors. No weapon against him shall
prosper. No thought shall ever fare well.

THOUGHT DECIDES THE FUTURE – 14

As you think, so you become. Think that you are the body, the body you will become. Think
that you are weak, weak you will become. Think that you are Brahman, Brahman you will
become. Thought moulds a man. Imagination works wonders. Your present is the result of your
past thoughts, and your future will be according to your present thoughts. Speech and action
simply follow thought.

WITNESS ART THOU – 15

Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, are of the mind. Neither the doer nor the enjoyer art thou.
Indeed, thou art ever free.
In the Gita you will find: "All actions are wrought by the qualities of nature only. The self-
deluded man, through egoism, thinketh: "I am the doer." But he who knoweth the essence of the
divisions of the qualities and functions, holding that the qualities move amidst the qualities, is not
attached."

THIS IS Y OUR DUTY – 16

If anyone proves to be faithless to you, be faithful to him. If anyone injures you, forgive him
and forget the injury done by him. Serve him with all your heart. You will gain immense spiritual
strength and peace. The pride of youth might ridicule your action, but it will soon be a dream of
the past. Forgiveness will embolden you. The Divine will shine in its pristine purity, splendor and
glory.
Study the nature of the mind. Analyze it carefully. Get rid of the three defects of the mind,
namely, impurity, tossing and the veil of ignorance, that hide right understanding. Purify and
steady the restless mind. Fix it on the goal. Rise above its deceptions and temptations. Change the
angle of vision by concentrating on the real instead of on the unreal. It is your main duty in life.

What is Vairagya ? – 1 7
Vairagya is the opposite of Raga. It is dispassion or non-attachment. It is indifference towards
sensual enjoyments herein and hereafter. Vairagya thins out the sensual mind. It turns the mind
inward.
The Vairagya born of discrimination is lasting and steady. If anyone seriously thinks of the
different kinds of pains, such as birth, death, worry, suffering, disease, loss, hostility,
disappointment and anxiety, then Vairagya will dawn immediately. Look upon the worthless
perishable things of this world as straw, dust, dung or poison. This will induce intense and lasting
dispassion.
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

WEEP N O M ORE – 18
A life of perfect peace and absolute tranquility cannot be found in the world for the senses. If
you wish to rise above the cares and troubles of ordinary life, aspire for a life in the Atman.
In the Avadhoota Gita you will find: "Birth and death, bondage and freedom, righteousness
and unrighteousness, names and forms, are not in thee. Why then do you weep, O child, thou art
the infinite, imperishable, pure Consciousness."

ANASAKTI Y OGA – 19
Do not hope for anything. Control the mind and the senses. Give up greed and desire. In this
way you do not commit any sin although you perform actions. This is Anasakti Yoga.
Free yourself from the pairs of opposites. Be calm and balanced in success and failure.
Destroy envy. Though you perform actions you are not bound. This is Anasakti Yoga.
Destroy attachment. Be harmonious. Fix the mind on the innermost Atman. Now all your
actions will melt away. You will not be bound. You will attain liberation.
This is Anasakti Yoga, O seeker of liberation. Practice this Yoga, purify the heart and attain
the goal of life.

BEHOLD THE C OSMIC PRESENCE – 20

All creatures and beings come out of God. They go back to Him alone during dissolution. The
whole world is the body of the Lord. How can you hurt or dislike another being or creature on the
surface of the earth when you have taken God as the object of adoration and love? How can you
be selfish? How can you eat all the mangoes in your garden yourself?
When you do not consider another's pain as your own, you have no compassion or mercy.
You have no fellow-feeling. You do not rejoice at the virtues and good fortune of another. You
have no contentment. There is burning desire in your heart. You do not consider the happiness of
another as your own. You have no indifference to the vicious actions of wicked people, therefore
you are troubled. There is nothing but your own Self in this universe. All bodies are your own.
All hands are yours. This whole world is your body. All names and forms are yours. Do not
separate yourself from the world. Unite, expand, mix. Feel and express oneness and unity. You
will enjoy boundless joy and illimitable bliss.

GITA S HO WS THE WAY – 21

The Gita lays down that the purpose of man's life here is to attain Self-realization. The Lord
does not isolate Sannyas from life in the world as do some scriptures that prevailed before the
Gita. Observe the condition of the castes and the four stages of life (Ashramas) today and you
will readily admit the omniscience of the Lord and His foreknowledge of' the chaos that would
envelop humanity.
The Lord therefore enjoined Karma Yoga upon all. "Fill your mind with thoughts of Me, be
devoted to Me, do My Will, surrender yourself to Me; you will soon reach Me." That is the
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

burden of His Gita.

The Karma Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita is truly the "Yoga of Synthesis." This Yoga is the
most suitable one for the present age. It helps in the integral development of the human
personality. It leaves no loopholes for the forces of Maya to enter because it fills every part of
man with Godliness.

SELFISHNESS VEILS UNDERSTANDING – 22

Selfishness clouds understanding. Even if a man has a tinge of selfishness, he cannot find out
what is right and wrong. A very pure, subtle, sharp intellect is needed for this purpose.
You must have a heart that is perfectly purified. You must possess a balanced mind. Be
indifferent to the pairs of opposites, like heat and cold, pleasure and pain, praise and censure,
success and failure. You must be well trained in selfless service for several years. Then you will
get over selfishness and acquire real understanding.

BEHOLD G O OD IN ALL – 23
Evil is a mere appearance. It is not a reality. It is an illusion. Evil exists to glorify good. Good
and evil are not two independent things or entities. They are the two sides of' the same coin.
An evil man is a saint of the future. Transmute evil into good through reflection. Out of evil
often good cometh. There is neither absolute good nor absolute evil in this phenomenal world.
Good and evil are relative terms.
Behold the good alone in everything. Develop again and again the faculty of seeing only good
in all happenings and persons. Destroy the evil habit of seeing defects in others.

VALUE OF A PROMISE – 24
Never break your promise. Stick to it even if it costs your life. It is better to give up your life
in order to secure due performance of a sacred and solemn promise.
"Be slow to make a promise, but be quick to perform it." This is an old adage.
Always say: "I shall try but I do not promise you." Do not get yourself entangled by making
promises thoughtlessly. He who keeps his promise is always respected by people. Keeping a
promise is a great virtue.

Y OUR I NNER GUIDE – 25

Conscience is the li[ht of the Soul that burns within the chambers of your heart. It is a form of
truth. It is the guiding voice from within.
Virtuous actions, charity, benevolence, nobility, generosity, acts of mercy, practice of
truthfulness, Brahmacharya and Ahimsa sharpen conscience. On the other hand, falsehood, a
cruel and immoral life, crookedness and deceitfulness kill the conscience. A man of guilty
conscience is always restless and unhappy in this world and in the next also. A man of pure
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

conscience is a veritable God on earth.

 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

THE GLORIOUS PATH TO BLISS – 26

He who is virtuous, who is kind at all times, who is filled with compassion, enjoys great
contentment and ascends the superior path of virtue.
The wise man who leads a virtuous life attains eternal bliss, peace and immortality. Those
who are generous acquire prosperity in this world and happiness in the next. Harmlessness,
forgiveness, peace, sweet and agreeable speech, control of excitement and passions constitute the
superior path of the honest and the wise.

THE MARKS OF A VIRTUOUS MAN – 27

Who is good and virtuous? One who is devoted to the well-being of all, who can give his all
and sacrifice his very life for others, who is endowed with great courage, who follows all the
duties as laid down in the scriptures, who is ever ready to work for the welfare of others, is really
a virtuous man.
Such a promoter of virtue cannot be seduced from the path of virtue. He is free from lust and
anger. He is unattached to worldly objects. Gain and loss, happiness and misery, life and death,
the agreeable and the disagreeable-all these are held in equal estimation by that man of firm mind
engaged in acquiring divine knowledge. A positive attempt has to be made to cultivate all divine
virtues.

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS – 28

Miserliness is a great curse, it is an enemy of oneness and a friend of selfishness. Miserly
persons are quite unfit for the spiritual path. People who are generous are very rare. Many
achieved great power, popularity, peace and happiness only through a generous heart.
Miserly persons can never dream of acquiring success in life. Their very company is
dangerous to spiritually-minded persons. They poison the whole atmosphere on account of their
small, corrupted and contracted hearts.

INFATUATION—A C HAIN OF STEEL – 29

Some retire from service and live on the banks of the Ganges, Narbada and Jamuna. They do
a little Japa and meditation, study the Yoga Vasishtha and Upanishads and then imagine that they
are fully liberated sages.
They entertain intense infatuation or Moha for their children, and remit their pension to their
sons and grandchildren. They will not spend even a pie in charity. They are hopeless, self-deluded
souls.
Lord Jesus says: "It is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of God".
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

REALIZE G OD THROUGH CHARITY – 30

Give to the poor, the sick, the helpless and the forlorn. Give to the orphans, the decrepit, the
blind and the helpless widows. Give to Sannyasins and to religious and social institutions.
Charity should be bestowed with humility and joy. You should feel that you are highly honored in
getting an opportunity of being of service to another. You must feel that you are actually the
receiver. Thank the man who gives you all opportunity of serving trim by doing charity. Give
with the right mental attitude, with love and humility, and realize God through charitable acts.

EAT A LITTLE – 31
Eat to live and not live to eat. Let your attention not be turned to accumulating food and
enjoying the luxuries of life. If you are a whole-time spiritual student who has given up all work
and taken to pure Japa and meditation, you can live on one meal a day. You will be free from
diseases and your mind will be calm and serene. When you sit for meditation in the morning at
4am you will merge in Brahman.