Aug 25, Sivananda
Discourse on Sivananda Lahari
Day 24, August 25
Jaya Guru Datta
Today when Vinay Datta played the Veena, the sound was very soothing. That is how the tone of a Veena should be. It must never sound harsh. Some musicians can make the Nada last through 3 octaves. It is a great technique to make the sound continue for so long without strumming a second time. I wish for a bright future for you with Sadguru’s blessings.
Today we performed the Ekadasha Rudrabhishekam. Five Shravana Somavara abhishekams we had. We are highly blessed. I hope that this will benefit the entire universe. We are very fortunate that for three Mondays we have had the presence of Swamiji with us here. I had hoped to complete Sivananda Lahari during this Chaturmasya. But we are still at 43rd verse. But there is no virtue in rushing through it. We must do justice to the work. Maybe I will continue the discourse tomorrow until this is completed. I had planned to do a discourse on a chapter in the Bhagavad Gita but perhaps it can be done during a future Chaturmasya. Whatever be Lord Siva’s Will, will happen.
Sri Ganesaya Namaha
Sri Saraswatyai Namaha
Sripada Vallabha
Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namaha
Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Sadgurubhyo Namaha
asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrityor ma amrtam gamaya
Om Santissantissantihi
Please lead me from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. We pray for peace.
Verse 46:
Aakeerne nakha rāji kānti vibhavai udhyat sudha vaibhavai
ādhouthepi cha padmaraga lalite hamsa vrajairaśrite
Nithyam bhakti vadhoo ganaischa rahasi swecha vihāram kuru
Sthithva mānasa raja hamsa girijanāthangri soudhāntare
Yesterday we spoke about the prayer addressed to the bird-like heart to build its comfortable nest at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Now Manasa Raja Hamsa, the royal swan is addressed as the Mind. It is shown a royal palace to reside in. Girija is Parvati, born of the mountain that represents our firm, rock-like strong intellect. The feet of Siva represent the royal palace where the Royal Swan-Mind is asked to repose.
If the external paint of a building is pleasing, it makes it look attractive. When the rising rays of the sun fall on a building it adds a beautiful golden glow to make it doubly attractive. It is always good to be walking outside at the time of sunrise and to breathe in the fresh air that has healing qualities. The light rays that fall upon us are very beneficial at that time.
The feet of Siva are fair/white. Parvati, His consort has applied Parani/the red decoration on the feet. Hence the hue is a mixture of red and white, which attracts the eye. The royal palace compared to Siva’s lotus feet.
In the Himalayas, the midday glare from the snowy mountains is dazzling and people are asked to wear sunglasses to protect their eyesight. But at sunrise, the top of the mountain appears as if a gold crown has adorned the top of the mountain.
These days here people are stuck in apartments that are wedged in between several other buildings and they miss the exposure to direct sunlight. It is said that homes with an entrances to the east or north receive good rays of the sun. The Vastu science explains the proper methods of construction to be followed for health benefits.
This royal palace is turning red because of the glow of the toenails of Siva. We should be able to visualize the feet of God in our mind’s eye, the way we see Swamiji’s feet during the Navaratri festival.
If it is totally red, it will not be pleasing. A tinge of red is what is suggested. A home is certainly supposed to have some white paint somewhere. It is good to include all the seven colors (of the rainbow) in the paints used in the house. When the light is a bit dimmed, the white rays flowing down from the moon placed on Siva’s crown make it a combination of white and red. It gives great pleasure to the mind to see this beautiful mixed shade of colors. The white rays dilute the red of the toenails, making them appear like beautiful rubies.
Hamsa is the word used to describe great enlightened souls. Hamsa Gayatri is the japa done by Paramahamsa yogis. Just doing the japa of Omkara is sufficient for Yatis, while many others are given different mantras for their Japa.
Sri Bhagavatpada feels that the swan called mind should not go alone, but should take along the nine types of Bhakti/devotion or the 11 types of devotion mentioned in the Bhagavatam to keep her company. O Swan, adore the feet of the Lord by employing all the different types of devotion. The beautiful experience that you enjoy, please dwell on it again and again.
This will develop concentration, to keep remembering a beautiful experience that you have experienced in the past. Keep such experiences fixed in your memory through constant recollection and enjoyment.
Of the nine types of expression of devotion, pick whatever appeals to you following as examples the great devotees like Hanuman and Prahlada and remain in their footsteps.
A group of swans is welcomed to give company to the royal swan of the mind. All the great yogis are always gathered at the feet of the Lord in the form of swans floating around. O Mind, when you arrive here, come with your entire entourage, do not come alone. Your entourage is your different types of devotion. Even at Manasarovar it is only rarely that you find swans. We saw only a couple of swans. Pramod took photographs. The hamsas/swans of today that we find in the Himalayas are a little different from the description given in the scriptures. In the Kali Yuga it is natural to expect some changes to occur to suit the times.
Remember that after marriage, some people are forbidden from performing puja or singing bhajans in their new home. Be it the wife of the husband who faces such restrictions, one must then be patient and carry on the practices internally and privately. One should not protest and quarrel. The change will occur gradually in the new family and people will invite you to sing and do puja in course of time.
The body gets tired from traveling. But the mind can travel freely all over the world without any strain. O mind, remain steadily at Siva’s feet. When the mind is steadied, we can accomplish very great things. Things get accomplished very easily if the mind remains stable.
Visualize your mind as a royal flying swan that is made to remain steady at Lord Siva’ feet which have the appearance of a jewel-bedecked royal mansion with a whitish red hue, with all sages and yogis gathered there in total reverence and devotion as a group of swans. In the midst of such divine souls, the mind-swan will find good company. It will not feel lonely.
The mind is placed firmly at God’s feet. This visualization gives us great peace.
The bird was pleaded with yesterday to give up all its anxieties such as where to find food, how to avoid harm from people throwing rocks at the birds, how to escape the hunter’s nets, and so on, and to take shelter at the tree called Vedanta, where Siva’s feet will provide a beautiful and safe nest where the bird-mind can rest and relax peacefully.
Now, the best of birds, Raja Hamsa is compared to the mind. The ‘Soham’ mantra is symbolized by a swan. ‘He is I’ and ‘I am He’ is the meaning of the Soham mantra that is used with every inhalation and exhalation by Yogis. It is great to identify oneself with the divine.
A swan has the capacity to separate milk and water. It is an extraordinary bird. In Kali Yuga it has become extinct. Now Swamiji is trying to protect the parrot species which have become endangered.
Manasa Sarovaram has the royal swans. Sri Bhagavatpada is inviting the royal swan symbolizing the Mind to take its residence at the royal palace called the feet of Lord Siva. When the mind is firm and steady as a rock, it is compared to a mountain. At such a time, Mother Goddess Parvati will make her presence there. That is why Mother Goddess is called the daughter of a mountain/Saila Putri or Girija/born of a mountain.
The Manasa Raja Hamsa/Mind-Swan is pleaded not to keep flying about restlessly here and there as its natural inclination is. It is begged to remain steady near the feet of Siva and to float around freely in the vicinity of the Lord.
Bhajan: Sankaruda
Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya Namassivaya
Verse 47:
Shambhu dhyāna vasanta sangini hridārāme aghajeernaschadāh
Srasta bakti latā chchataa vilasita punya pravālaśritha
Deepyante guna korakā japavachah pushpāni sadvāsana
Gnānānanda sudhā maranda lahari samvit phalabyunnathi
Earlier, the royal swan called mind was requested to remain firmly seated at the royal mansion called Siva’s feet. By thus remaining steady, now the royal swan has made it possible for the mind to remain fixed on God. As a result, now the mind has blossomed as if it were a flower in spring time. Now the heart is experiencing the beauty and bliss of springtime.
Spring season begins with Ugadi in the month of Chaitra (as per the Hindu calendar). The atmosphere is so refreshing and exhilarating. What is special about Ugadi? After winter, all the trees begin to put out tender leaves. Mango flowers begin to bloom. A mixture of small raw mangoes, fresh jaggery, and neem leaves make the delicious Ugadi pachchadi that is consumed on the first day of spring as a celebration. One is supposed to eat a little bit of that mixture every day for an entire month for good health.
Panchagavya is given by Swamiji during Navaratri. It cures and prevents all diseases. Mix 1 tsp. of milk, half of that of curds, half of that of ghee, half of that of cow urine, and a small speck of cow dung should be mixed with a piece of Darbha grass and taken daily for maintaining excellent health. These days there are no cows in cities and we are unable to get these materials. This should be made fresh daily and taken each day. Trying to preserve it with chemical additives for marketing purposes, spoils the medicinal value of this mixture. But please do not torment the cows to yield the materials.
Meditation of Siva is itself like spring time for the heart.
‘Hrit’ is the source word from Sanskrit for ‘heart’ in English. Other words in English such as mother, father, and so on have their roots in Sanskrit.
The heart is compared to a huge park. When the thought of Siva entered the heart, the trees felt as if spring had come. The garden burst into beauty and happiness.
After the royal swan-mind remained steady in the royal mansion called Siva’s feet, the mind became still.
All the sins fell to the ground as so many fallen leaves in the park. Due to the meditation of the royal swan, all the sins have fallen away.
With all the fallen leaves fertilizer should be prepared. They should not just be swept away and discarded.
The poetic excellence of Sri Bhagavatpada is incomparable.
The creepers that are wound around the trees are compared to devotion spreading in the heart. Earned merit/Punya appears as the red flowers fallen on the ground like so many corals. The buds are the virtues that are yet to fully blossom. The mantra japa, the chanting of God’s name and the melodies of the bhajans are the flowers that are in bloom. The fragrance emanating from these flowers is the noble thoughts that fill the mind.
The Sundara Kanda describes the vasanas/tendencies that are stuck to us, until the removal of which, Mother Goddess will not grant us Her darshan. Lord Hanuman realized that he had some vasanas left in him and that is why, until he became free from those, Mother Sita did not appear before him. Please study the Sundara Kanda or watch the episodes on television to understand this concept.
The very tiny white flower Tummi/Drona Pushpa is much favored by Siva, although it has no fragrance or stamen.
Unless there is fragrance and there are stamens, flowers are unfit for worship.
The nectar from the flowers is the spiritual wisdom, happiness and bliss. The bees come to *** the nectar of bliss and knowledge. The fruits are Jnana/enlightenment. These are plentiful in this garden. When the mind becomes fixed on Siva, springtime will make its grand entrance into our heart with a great flourish.
If you close your eyes you can envision this beautiful garden in springtime.
Bhajan: Dhyayet Sambhum
48th verse. We will perhaps continue in the next Chaturmasya.
Sri Guru Datta