Spiritual insights from the life of Sri Nisargdatta Maharaj

 

The Real doesn't die, the Unreal never lived. The Real You is Timeless and beyond Birth & Death

Sri Nisargdatta Maharaj (birth name Maruti of year 1897) was a spiritually enlightened humble soul of Maharashtra. He acquired Vision, Cosmic Consciousness and a deeper meaning of Eternal life with spiritual blessings of His revered Guru Sri Sideharameshwar Maharaj of Navnath Sampradaya. Having gone beyond the I -AM-THE BODY idea, He acquired a joyful mental state, brimming with Peace and Glory while attaining Self Realization. He repeatedly asserted that our real identity is Birthless, Deathless, Timeless, Spaceless, Infinite, Eternal Absolute Witness.

 He adopted Question / Answer method of sharing His ideas and thoughts with scores of people including several Western and Indian luminaries and authors. A few of them namely Maurice Frydman, Bob Adamsons, Stephen Howard Wolinsky, Ramesh Balsekar and Sachin Kshirsagar authored outstanding books and writings based on their dialogues and conversations with Him over a period of time. Some of the key learnings from his life, picked up from the Spiritual Classic" I AM THAT" written by Maurice Frydman, are shared below.

• The" I Am" is certain while " I Am This" is not. Without the" I Am", which determine the Inner, there is nothing. False ideas about it lead to bondage, while right knowledge about it leads to freedom and happiness.
• Refuse all thoughts except one" I Am" beyond all perceivable & conceivable; the mind will rebel in beginning, but with patience & perseverance, it will yield & become quiet. Believe in " I Am", the Totality of our being, the ocean of consciousness with nothing to desire. With " I Am" into focus of attention, the unconscious will flow into the conscious without any extra effort. Watch yourself ceaselessly.
• Me and Mine are at the root of all conflict & misery. Be free of them. Study the prison you have built around yourself. Try to discover what You are not ( the body, the feelings, the thoughts, the desires, time, space,----) as well as what You are in Reality ( timeless, spaceless, causeless,---).
• Your " Pure Self" exists without the body and mind and your life goal should be to discover it, understand it & cherish it. Love your " Pure Self", which is universal and not personal. Do not pretend to be what You are not and never refuse to be what You are. Self Realization is the greatest virtue.
• Look at yourself, towards yourself and into yourself. By giving attention to your living, feeling & thinking, you free yourself from these and go beyond. Your personality dissolves & only Witness remains. This " Pure Self" is beyond both knowledge & power and its nature is Pure Awareness and Pure Witnessing. As Pure Witness, we feel no urge to interfere, making no choices, no decisions; only watch what is going on.
• There are no steps to Self Realization; nothing gradual, it happens suddenly and is irreversible. A Realized man thinks, feels and acts integrally for the entire universe.
• The world is full of desires-- holy or unholy. All  desires are bad, some are worse than others; yet these are expressions of our longing for happiness  These originate from self and are merely the fixation of mind on an idea. Get these out of its groove by denying them attention. Freedom from desire mean no urge to satisfy it; no action at our end.
• Leave the desirables to those who desire and change the current of your desire from Taking to Giving. The passion for Giving and Sharing will lead to pure radiance of Love and wash the idea of an external world out of your mind.
• Consciousness is like a cloud in the sky and the water drops are the Content. The cloud needs Sun ( akin to a Guru) to become visible and focused. While Consciousness comes and goes ( is in Time), Awareness shines immutably. Pure Awareness ( Reality) is beyond consciousness and is the Supreme Guru ( God).
• In Personality mode of consciousness, you desire and fear, while in Witness mode of consciousness, you are unaffected by pain or pleasure & hence not ruled by events.
• The words of a Guru ( a realized man) are a seed that can not perish. Guru is beyond the body and mind; beyond consciousness, space and time; beyond understanding and description.
• The greatest Guru is your Inner Self. He is the supreme teacher and He alone can take you to your goal. Confide in Him. 
• Make all efforts for a Truthful life. Truth is Loving and Lovable and includes all, accepts all and purifies all. It is Untruth , that is a source of trouble---, it always wants, expects, demands and is always in search  of confirmation and reassurance. Truth can only be experienced.
• Reality is neither subjective nor objective; neither mind nor matter. Reality is all & nothing, the totality & the exclusion, the fullness & the emptiness, fully consistent & paradoxical. One can not speak about it, one has to lose oneself in it and experience it.
• Real, steps into your life once you Let Go your attachments to the universe. It leads you to warmth & love for humanity and all other things in the universe. Be devoted to the Real which is  infinite, the eternal heart of Being. 
• Real Happiness is unselfishness and it can not be found in things of the world that change and pass away.. Pleasure and Pain alternate inexplorably. Find your Real Self and happiness will flow out of this Self.
• Inner Peace demands harmony between the inner and outer. Do what you believe in. मंत्र , as well as Meditation can help in realizing Inner Peace,
• A मंत्र  is primarily energy in action. It acts on you and your surroundings. It is like a road to walk on and the sound of मंत्र  creates the shape which embodies the Self. However, total benefits from recitation of मंत्र  or silent जाप  can be felt only by experience,
• The primary purpose of Meditation is to become conscious of and becoming familiar with our Inner life. It leads to quietening of mind and realization of Self as a pure Witness. It also aims at elimination of तमस and रजस . It is a सात्विक  activity. Pure सत्वा  is Harmony and leads to freedom from sloth and restlessness. In Meditation, try to watch your thoughts as you watch the street traffic-- people come and go and you register without any response. Meditation helps in untying your bonds and casting your moorings.
• Self Surrender is the surrender of all Self Concerns and it comes when you realize your true nature. Complete Self Surrender is liberation.
• Enlightenment is the highest goal; once you have it, nobody can take it away.
• Do Natural Things in natural way-- rejoicing, suffering ---, as life unfolds these.
• कर्मा  is the law that works for Righteousness in life. It is the healing hand of God.
• Make Humanity's desire your own and work for it. When you desire for common good, the whole world desires for you, it can not fail.

The views and thoughts of Sri Nisargdatta Maharaj demonstrate His deep belief in Non- Duality, underscoring that everything in the universe is an inseparable part of the Eternal Spirit. He had achieved a state of mind which believed that everything in the world is uncaused. Let Come what comes and Let Go what goes. Share willingly and gladly all you have with whoever needs.  Further, when you are no longer attached to anything, you have done your share and the rest will be done for you by that POWER which prompted your heart to desire TRUTH. Let me end the blog with a Quote from His thoughts.

To realize the Eternal is to become Eternal, the Whole, the Universe with all it contains. All responses from the Whole must be right, effortless and instantaneous.

Spiritual and Ethical learnings from Sai Baba Of Shirdi

Learn introverted vision. Only when the mind attains introverted vision, your senses will get introverted. Without introversion of the mind, without introversion of the senses, none could attain self- knowledge in this universe. ( translated from Sai's quotes)

Sai Baba of Shirdi, an Indian Spiritual Master, regarded by His devotees as a manifestation of God, was revered equally by both Hindu and Muslim communities. A Saint and Fakir, He was born around the year 1838 and left His earthen body on 15th October 1918 at Shirdi. Sai lived an ascetic life; dressed in a knee length one piece KAFNI robe with a cap, in a dilapidated mosque named as द्वारकामाई, practicing both Hindu and Muslim rituals. A sacred fire ( धूनी ) was always lit there from which Sai gave ash( उदी ) to His guests. अल्लाह मालिक and सबका मालिक एक had been two of His regular recitations.

Sai preached the importance of " Realization of Self" and criticized love towards perishable things. His teachings concentrate on a moral code of Love, Forgiveness, Helping others, Charity, Contentment, Inner Peace and Devotion to God and Guru. He advised His devotees to lead a moral life with love for every living being and practicing of two important traits-- श्रद्धा ( Faith) and सबूरी ( Patience) in their behavior.

Baba belonged to Humanity and revered by all communities. While some Hindu Saints declared Sai to be a " Spiritual Diamond" and even " जगतगुरु ", a few others considered Him to be an incarnation of Supreme Reality. Muslim Devotees too, revered Him in high esteem. One of such example is of Abdul Baba, a close devotee of  Sai, who served as a caretaker of Sai Shrine from the year 1918 to 1922. Sai was revered by Zoroastrians as well in which one of the prominent figure Meher Baba declared Sai to be a " Qutub-e- Irshad ", meaning Master of Universe in spiritual hierarchy. 

Baba's utterances and simple messages have been translated and edited into Spiritual literature, TV serials and Films impacting the society at large, all over the globe.  Several Sai temples within India and abroad are a testimony to the impact of Sai's teachings and messages. Some of the key messages stemming out of the same are as below,

• " God is my religion. God is my caste", Baba once said, implying upon the need of " Unity of all mankind" and the need of understanding that God being the Master of Universe, all creatures are part of one big family.
• We must sow good to reap good in this life and the next.
•  Insisted on adherence to Truth. Some other attributes visible in His day to day behavior were Self Control, Equanimity, Generosity, Purity, Regularity, Self denial and Strength. 
• Opposed all persecution based on Religion or Caste. He encouraged His devotees to pray, chant God's name and read holy scriptures of their religion. Baba interpreted religious texts of both Hinduism and Islam for helping His devotees tide over various issues.
• Encouraged Charity and stressed upon the importance of sharing.
• Advised His devotees to receive others with respect and understanding. As per Sai, God (हरि ) will be pleased if people gave Water to thirsty, Bread to hungry, Clothes to naked and Verandah to strangers for sitting and relaxing.
• Emphasized the importance of Performing one's duties without attachment to earthly matters and being contented.
• Demonstrated strong support for His devotees who placed their implicit faith in Him. For them, Sai was a Living God, a felt presence, inspiring, aiding & guiding them at every turn of their life. Quoting Baba's words," You are in me and I in you. If you wish to serve me, give up discrimination and differentiation." Quoting another message of Baba," I will not allow my devotees to come to any harm. If a devotee is about to fall, I stretch out my hands to save him."
• Created in His devotees an intense yearning for Self Knowledge and bestowed them with Peace. He consciously and consistently cared for their Spiritual Growth, besides helping them in   resolution of problems in their material life.
• Advised people to avoid Enmity with anyone , even if they had a genuine reason since as per Baba, enmity leads to extroversion of mind and destroys mental peace. He repeatedly stressed upon getting rid of anger for the sake of universal brotherhood.
• Baba's explanation on essence of Gita had great impact. As per Him " The goal of  कर्मयोग  is to control and reform the senses. The goal of भक्तियोग is to identify and eliminate the weaknesses and sorrows Or what we call as inadequacies within us. The goal of ज्ञानयोग is to attain suitable intellect or विवेक which helps in understanding about God in true sense.
• Stressed upon people to accept and practice two positive values in their life ie Unswerving Faith in God and Tolerance. He asked them to get rid of thoughts of " I" (अहम् ) and " Mine" (ममता ), the two root causes of all the sorrows and disturbances in one's life.  further
• Emphasized that our superiority complex ( ego) distances us away from God and makes us closer to our body, senses and the world. He advised people to shun Ego from their lives.
• Advised people to possess gratitude towards God at all times for all the things bestowed by Him in our lives. He further added that if we constantly contemplate upon God with our mind, its habit of extroverting thru senses will get reduced.
• Happiness and Sorrows are part of every life and Sai advised people to remain unperturbed by these changes. In Sai's words," You neither gain anything by being praised by others, nor lose anything by being blamed by others. It is only your delusion that makes you feel so,"
• Stressed upon the need of Righteousness in Life, which helps as a means to Liberation, the ultimate goal. Sai added that one can not attain Self Realization without possessing Divine Qualities, in the same way as one can not build a Building without a strong foundation.
• Emphasized upon the essential of reforming our own behavior rather than criticizing other's behavior. He wanted us to transcend Fear, Jealousy, Duality and Sorrow. 
•  Advised people to accept failures as a part of life. Quoting Baba," Never feel Failure. All failures in our life are only stepping stones for success."
•  Advised people to minimize expectations from others. He said," Expect nothing and nothing will disappoint you."
• Wanted people to solve their problems themselves and avoid blaming others when things go wrong. He added," Be courageous enough to change if change is necessary. Be serene enough to accept what you can not change."
• Demonstrated complete detachment to material things namely real वैराग्य  and ( निष्काम कर्म ) or selfless working.
• Never disobeyed either any moral law or the laws of the land and the country. His accessibility to all and at all hours was a remarkable feature. He had no interests to serve, no acquisitions to safeguard, no institutions to maintain, nothing to conceal or be ashamed of and thus perfectly demonstrated freedom from care and anxiety.

 To His devotees, Sai once declared," Whatever you do, wherever you may be, ever bear this in mind that I am always aware of everything you do." Baba never gave any Mantra, Tantra or उपदेश . He never lectured but gave hints , a word or a small phrase to help His devotees.  His language on several occasions was highly cryptic-- full of symbology, parables & metaphor.

Sai had different ways of  assisting different people or devotees who came for redressal of external worldly issues. Baba's touch to devotees conveyed certain impulses, forces or ideas for resolution of the issue. His devotees believed that Sai invisibly operated on the concerned issue, leading to its resolution. His devotees have shared scores of instances of Sai's invaluable timely help when there was a risk, danger or trouble in their life. They felt that Baba had vast knowledge of past, present and the future, not only of their life, but also of the nation or the world at large.

" Reaching God is the aim," Sai told His devotees. He never told them to aim for मोक्ष  nor advocated विवेक  or वैराग्य . He never spoke of माया . He always took the commonsense view that this world and the worlds beyond are real and that we have to make the best of them, here and hereafter. Baba had star like shining peaceful eyes, divine smile, wonderful compassion and unending love for humanity. Thru धूनी or विभूति, He tried to tell people," Don't become proud of your wealth or power or position or beauty since ultimately everything is going to turn into ashes".

As per Sai's devotees, Baba performed several miracles such as Bilocation, Levitation, Mind Reading, Materializations, Exorcisms, Entering State of Samadhi at Will, Lighting of Lamps with Water, Curing the Incurables and other miraculous ways of helping them in crisis situations. As per them, Baba gave them दर्शन   in various forms, depending upon their faith. Many of them feel that Sai is a living personality today, guiding and helping them as per their need.

One can go on writing endlessly on Sai's life and His contribution to humanity. However. keeping with the limited purpose of my Blog, let me close the same with another powerful message from Baba's quotes.

 God is not cruel by nature but He becomes cruel towards those who hurt and cause pain to holy, pure, flawless and kind hearted people.

Learnings from the thinking & philosophical insights of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

 

Love thy neighbour as thyself because you are your neighbour. It is illusion that makes you think that your neighbour is someone other than yourself - Dr S Radhakrishnan 

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan ( Sept 1888- April 1975) has been one of the most distinguished 21st century Indian Scholar, Philosopher and Statesman. His academic excellence and professional skills were recognized by some of the topmost Educational Institutions, Universities and International Organizations all over the globe, where he held prestigious positions with highest standards of Ethics and Dignity.

For his immense contribution and achievements, he was awarded Knighthood in 1931, Bharat Ratna in 1954, Order of Merit & honorary membership of British Royal in 1963 and many more. He was also elected chairman of UNESCO's Executive Board during 1948-49. He was also nominated for Noble Prize in literature and Noble Peace Prize repeatedly for several years, as a recognition of his exemplary contribution in the field of education & literature, global issues and humanity in general.

Although he held topmost positions of Vice President and the President of India, he maintained his literary passion for teaching, writing as well as sharing of thoughts at all times.

 Besides his in- depth reading of key World Religions, he possessed immense knowledge of European Philosophy and the literary works of some of the greatest International Philosophers. He was well read into the Classics of Hinduism including the Upanishads, the Bhagwat Gita and others besides in depth understanding of spiritual works of some of the topmost scholars of Hinduism namely, Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva &Nimbkara. He had great understanding of the scholastic works of  Buddhism & Jainism religions.  He advocated non- aggression and conveyed a Universal Reality of God, that embraced love and wisdom for all.

 His philosophy was grounded in अद्वैता वेदान्ता। He defended Hinduism and shaped its understanding in both India and the West, many a times acting as a bridge builder between India and the West. He believed that Teachers should be the best minds in the country. His birthday is celebrated as " Teachers Day" in India.

 He wrote several books viz Indian Philosophy, The Philosophy of Upanishads, Eastern Religion & Western Thought, Religion and Society, The Bhagwat Gita: with introductory essay and many more. He also shared his views regularly on subjects of Ethics, Religion as well as Idealist view of life  in several journals of repute. I am sharing below some of selective learnings from his vast treasure of literary knowledge and experience. 

ON RELIGION & RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES

• A man without Religion is like a horse without bridle. It is the conquest of fear; the antidote to failure and death.
• True Religion is a revolutionary face; it is an inveterate enemy of oppression, privilege and injustice. The Religion of a True Religious is a simple one, without any shackles of creeds, dogmatic sentiments or supernatural elements.
• Every civilization is the expression of a Religion. It signifies faith in absolute values & a way of life to realize them. Religious Faith gives us the passion to preserve in the way of life & if it declines, obedience degenerates into habit & the habit slowly withers away.
• All Religions owe their inspirations to the Personal insights of their Prophet Founders. Religious theories may be mere speculations. We can not be sure what is true, or whether anything is true at all. Different Religions represent not Truth, but views or apprehensions of Truth.
• We employ the Energies and Emotions of Religion. In several situations, Religion has been identified with feelings, emotions and instinct, cult & rituals, perceptions, beliefs & faith and these views are right in what they affirm, though wrong in what they deny.
• Religion is the Binding Force which deepens the Solidarity of Human Society in-spite of its shortcomings. It is a summon to Spiritual Adventure, not theology alone, but practice and discipline. It is the only remedy for the pride of spirit which has divorced itself from the Eternal. Religion helps in restoration of the lost relationship between the Individual and Eternal.
• The common goal of all Religions is Spiritual life. If we compare one Religion with others, we will see that the differences relate to the formulas and practices only.
• Comparative Religion enables us to study faiths other than our own without contempt. No God seems to be final & no Religion perfect. Every Religion is moulded by fallible & imperfect human instruments. 
•  Religion has been the instrument of social reforms and hence Humanism comes into focus alongside the Philosophy of any Religion. Humanism contends that this World is our chief interest & Perfection of Humanity our one of the ideal. Humanism demands a disciplined life & insists on Wholeness and Harmony. Humanism is concerned with Values while Religion relates Values to Reality. There is no conflict between Religion & a Reasonable Humanism.
• To do justly, to love beauty & to work humbly with the Spirit of Truth is the highest Religion. Therefore Religion, in ultimate sense is Behaviour & not mere Belief.

ETHICAL & MORAL LIVING

• The Vedanta requires us to respect Human Dignity and demands the recognition of man as man. Every individual is to be regarded as our Co-Equal & treated as an End, not a Means.
• Moral life is an unremitting active energizing, which is never exhausted. It takes endless forms and the process goes on forever, until Perfect Knowledge is gained, which consumes the seed of " कर्मा " and makes rebirth impossible.
• All our world organizations will prove ineffective if the Truth that Love is stronger than Hate does not inspire them. Here ,quoting Guru Nanak," Truth is higher than everything but higher still is True Conduct"; Quoting another great spiritual philosopher Rumi," Only narrow souls are divided; all great souls are united and form a single community."
• Tolerance is the homage which the Finite Mind pays to the inexhaustibly of the Infinite.
• We should not do to others what will be offensive to us. This is धर्मा in essence. We must look upon others as ourselves.
• Good produces Good; Evil, Evil. Love increases our power of love; Hatred our power of hatred. It emphasizes the great importance of Right Action. The law of कर्मा  says that each individual will get the return according to the energy he puts forth. Faith in कर्मा  induces in us the mood of True Justice and Charity, the essence of Spirituality.
• All Ethical goods, bound up as they are with the world of distinctions, are valuable as means to the end. While Self Realization is the Absolute Good, Ethical Goods are only relative since these help in Realization of the Infinite.
• The Ethical Problem arises because there is constant struggle between the Infinite Character of the Soul and the Finite Dress it has clothed itself in.
• Every individual must Subdue his Senses, which calls for Self Assertion; Pride must give place to Humility, Resentment to Forgiveness and narrow attachment to family to Universal Benevolence.
• Moral growth consists in a gradual correction of the individualistic point of view. The end of morality is to lift oneself up above Ones Individuality and become one with the Impersonal Spirit of the Universe. Man has to purify himself from the defilement of the World, strip off all clothing and leave behind everything unworthy. He must break away from the slavery of Self-Hood, Passion and Senses.

PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE AND SPIRITUALITY

• "A Persian poet has compared Universe to an old manuscript of which first and last pages are lost. Ever since man attained consciousness, he has been trying to discover these lost pages". Dr Radhakrishnan quoted and added that Philosophy is the name of  this quest and its results.
• Every phenomenon of Cosmic Evolution is characterized by activity, change or motion. All things undergo infinitesimal changes of growth & decay. In the smallest instance of time (क्षण ), the whole universe undergoes a change. This world is neither Real nor Unreal. It exists in the Eternal form of  प्रकृति and passes away in its transitory manifestations.
• Our life is a step on a road, the direction and goal of which are lost in the Infinite. On this road, death is never an end or an obstacle, but at the most, the beginning of the new steps. The development of the soul is a continuous process, though it is broken into stages by the recurring Baptism of death.
• The Ultimate Self is free from sin, free from old age, free from death and grief, free from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing and imagines nothing.
• The knowledge that the Supreme Spirit dwells in the heart of every living creature is the abiding root principle of all धर्मा.
• Pragmatism rejects Absolute Truth as a myth and holds that All Truths are Human and Relative. A Truth is tested by the value of its consequences.
• Meditation is the way to Self- Discovery. To know the Truth, we have to deepen ourselves & not merely widen the surface. Silence and Quiet are necessary. Discipline and Restraint help us to put our consciousness into Relationship with Supreme.
  
• The Divine is both in us and out of us. God is neither completely transcendent nor completely immanent. He is Divine Darkness as well as Un-Encompassed Light.
• God lives, feels & suffers in every one of us, and in course of time, His Attributes, Knowledge, Beauty and Love will be revealed in each one of us.
• The conception of God as Wisdom, Love and Goodness is not a mere abstract demand of thought, but is the concrete reality, which satisfies the religious demand. The Hindu conception of God as ब्रह्माः , विष्णु & शिव illustrate and represent the three stages of The Plan, The Process and The Perfection. God also works as a Creative Genius does. Salvation comes from the grace of God through भक्ति & Trust with God.
• The existence of Reality is to be experienced and is beyond Logical Proof or sense perception. This Reality is Absolute, Truth of Truth and Light of Light. It is both concealed & manifest, both transcendent & immanent as well as indescribable & unknown. How can immeasurable be measured or evaluated? Though beyond all thought & word, He does exist and dwells within and outside ourselves.
• Reason is subordinated to Intuition. Life can not be comprehended in the fullness by logical reason. Self Consciousness is not the ultimate category of the universe. There is something transcending the consciousness of the self, to which many names are given-- Intuition, Revelation, Cosmic consciousness and God Vision. 
• According to धर्मकीर्ति , we perceive the four Truths of Buddhism, which are beyond ordinary means of knowledge, by means of Yogic Intuition, which is free from error and intellectual taint. By constant practice of Meditation, a man may acquire super-sensuous vision, and may apprehend all objects near and far, past and future, remote and hidden. The highest kind of Insight has the immediacy of Intuition. What is a miracle for us is a natural power of great Seers.
• मोक्ष is supreme felicity marked by perfect Tranquillity and freedom from Defilement. It is not the destruction of self, but only of Bondage.
• A Perfect God does not require the world for His satisfaction. If it is said that the world is for His enjoyment, the God is no God, but only a संसारी. If we say that God has determinations, personality, perfections or other traits, it is difficult to conceive how these can co-exist with Absoluteness. The reality of God transcends our natural powers of conceiving as well as comprehending. We can be certain of God only if we resort to the spiritual insight of great Seers as recorded in the scriptures.
• ईश्वर is error free from अविद्या. The limitations of माया do not affect His knowledge since माया is His energy, His inherent force, by which He transforms the potential into the actual world. It is the creative power of the Eternal God and is therefore Eternal. माया is synonymous with प्रकृति. It is both subjective and objective, individual and universal.
• The Believer in God should love the whole universe, which is a product of God. True peace and excellence lie not in self assertion, but in offering oneself as a contribution to the True Being of the universe.
• The Soul is by nature Blissful, though it is subjected to pain and suffering, on account of connection with material bodies due to its past कर्मा. So long it is not freed from its impurities, it wanders about in changing forms of existence. Bliss becomes manifest at the time of Release.
• The जीवः in संसार, with their souls shrouded in bodies, believe that they are not so much modes of God as products of  प्रकृति. Their inner light is obscured by the outer darkness of garment of nature, which it mistakes for its True Self and turns its face away from God. 
• A mere Act of Goodness or contemplative insight may, for the moment, seems to lift us out of the narrowness of our individuality, but it can not give us permanent satisfaction, which is only the experience of Brahma (ब्रह्म अनुभव ). It is the supreme state of joy & peace and the perfection of individual development.

Though, learnngs from his several other literary writings are phenomenal, yet, I will fail in my duty here if I do not mention some of these from his book," Bhagwat Gita", in which, his commentary and expressions on each of 700 verses as well as Introductory Essay are exemplary. As per him, Bhagwat Gita is more a Religious Classic rather than a Philosophical Treatise. It is both metaphysics & ethics, ब्रह्मविद्या & योगशास्त्र, the science of reality and the art of union with reality.

As per Dr Radhakrishnan, Gita points out that there is a Divine Creator, who imposes His forms on the abysmal world. He is Supreme. He resides in the heart of every being. He is the source and sustainer of values. He is Supra-Cosmic, Eternal, Space-less and Timeless ब्रह्म , who ensouls the cosmic forms. He is पुरुषोत्तम and परमेश्वर.

As per him, the pupil Arjuna, fighting with the forces of darkness, falsehood, limitation and mortality, appeals to Krishna, his teacher, the जगतगुरु for the grace of enlightenment and a clear rule of action. The Gita is a mandate for action and focuses on it rather than renunciation of action. Gita advocates detachment from desires and not ceasation from work. It gives us a religion, by which the rule of कर्मा , the natural order of deed and consequence, can be transcended.

Let me end the blog by another quote of Dr S Radhakrishnan.

A life of joy and happiness is possible only on the basis of knowledge.

Learnings from the philosophies of J Krishnamurthy on Religion and Ethical living

Truth is a pathless land. Man can't come to it thru any organization, thru any creed, thru any dogma, priest or ritual, not thru any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it thru the mirror of relationship, thru the understanding of the contents of his own mind, thru observation & not thru intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. --------- J Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti ( 1895-1986) is regarded as one of the greatest Indian philosopher, thinker, speaker, writer and religious teacher of all times globally. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, was neither of the East nor the West,but for the whole world. His entire life was focused on realizing and explaining the human quest and persisted in his efforts to set men absolutely, unconditionally free, besides bringing about a radical change in society and the world at large.

" It is beautiful to be alone. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. It means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society", said Mr Krishnamurti.He was an exact embodiment of his doctrine of " choice-less awareness". Choicelessness is the mind's equivalent of the silence, out of which intelligible utterance arises. Creation is born out of this emptiness. In another context, he stressed upon the need of inner freedom, a timeless spiritual truth.

While he had no allegiance to any nationality, cadre, religion or philosophy, he was influenced by" occultist as well as theosophist " thinking on the grounds of his long & close association with " Theosophical society". where he was raised under the tutelage of ' Annie Besant' & ' Lead Beater', who believed him to be a vehicle for a world teacher.

He shared his thinking with several well known Hindu as well as Buddhist scholars including the famous Dalai Lama. His books and other scriptures convey his thinking as well as its impact on the masses.I share below some of his powerful teachings relevant to my blog.

ON RELIGION;

• Religion as we generally know is a series of beliefs, of dogmas, of rituals, of superstitions, of worship of idols, of charms and Gurus that should lead us to our ultimate goal.Organized religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity or others are not true, but false. These separate man from man. Beliefs do give us comfort, egotistic security or safety but true religion is not in the chants, in performance of any  ritual, not in worship of any stone images/ photos, not in reading of Bible or Gita nor in reciting a Mantra. None of this is religion.
• We start believing that Divine Beings have created these organized forms of religions. We ourselves have created them for our own convenience; thru ages they have become sanctified & now we have become enslaved to them. Religions are nothing but the vested interest of organized belief--- holding, separating and exploiting men. The Truth or Reality is not to be found in temple, mosque or a church, howsoever beautiful they are.
• Religions based on belief or authority are not religion at all.These convey that to serve God, one must be free of all desires since desires breed illusion.Accordingly, the priests try to suppress desires thru rituals, discipline and every other form of conformity.
• The Truly Religious man is not the one who practices so called religion, who holds to certain dogmas and beliefs, who performs certain rituals or pursues knowledge, for he is merely seeking another form of gratification. The man who is truly religious is completely free from society, has no responsibility towards it. Society is organized religion.
• The Religious man does not belong to any religion, to any nation, to any race, who is inwardly completely alone, in a state of not knowing & for him the blessing of the sacred comes into being. The only concern of Religion is total transformation of men while all other areas that goes on around are nonsense.
• Religion is the feeling of creation of a state of goodness. It is where there is no longer any search at all---- the search for God, for truth, the feeling of being completely good and not the cultivation of goodness. It is seeking out of something beyond the inventions and tricks of the mind, which means having a feeling for that something, living in it, being it. That is true religion.

On Ethical Living & Transformation

• In oneself, lies the whole world & if we know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in our hand. Nobody on earth can give us either the key or the door to open, except ourselves.
• To understand ourselves is the beginning of the wisdom. Only when the brain has cleansed itself of its conditioning, greed, envy, ambition etc, then only it can comprehend what is complete. Love is this completeness.
• From innumerable complexities, we must grow to simplicity; we must become simple in our inward life & in our outward needs.
• What is the " I "? When we talk about," I", mine, my house, my wife, my enjoyment, my wife, my children, my love. my temperament etc come to our mind. It is nothing but the result of the environment and the conflict between that result and "I".There can not be conflict between what is true and what is false.
• Refinement in behavior is not a self adjustment, an adjustment or the result of a outward demand; it comes spontaneously with this quality of love. 
• Conditioning is the tradition imposed upon us from childhood,or the beliefs, the experiences, the knowledge, that one has accumulated for oneself. Can there be a total revolution so that the mind is fresh, clear and capable of investigation, thinking and responding completely anew?
• A mind that is really humble has am immense capacity for inquiry, whereas the mind under the burden of knowledge, crippled with experience, with its own conditioning can never really inquire. A mind that is really humble, will create its own righteousness--- righteousness of living, from humility & discovering from moment to moment what is truth.
• Our chief concern is the transformation, the radical change of the human mind. Unless that radical revolution, that psychological change comes about, there will be no end to conflict, no end to suffering & all the violence that is going on throughout the world. 
• This radical change can not possibility be brought about without knowing oneself, self knowledge. Unless one understands one"s self, the self of everyday--- what it thinks, what it does, the devotion, the deceptions, the ambitions, its identification with something noble or ignoble, one is still within the field of " me".
• We are with world. The world is not separate from you and me. We have created this world of religious divisions, the world of violence, the world of anxieties, with no sense of compassion or consideration for others.
• The world about us is fragmented & so are we and its expression is conflict, confusion and misery; we are the world and the world is we. Sanity is to live a life of action without conflict.
• What is sanity? To be whole and non fragmented in action in life, in every kind of relationship is the very essence of sanity. Sanity is healthy and holy.
• A new consciousness and a totally new morality are necessary to bring about a radical change in the present culture and social structure. Any dogma, any formula, any ideology is a part of old consciousness & these are fabrications of thought whose activity is fragmentation, the left, the right or the center.
• Man wants everlasting pleasure in different ways--- sexual, sensory, intellectual, the pleasure of possession, pleasure of a great skill or knowledge, pleasure of power & ultimate gratification of what we call " God". Man has pursued pleasure endlessly in the name of God or peace or ideology. We do noble and ignoble things with the undercurrent of pleasure which shapes and guides our lives. For ethical living, we need to investigate closely, hesitantly and delicately this question of pleasure in our lives.
• We can not be sensitive if we are not passionate. If we don't have passion, how can we be sensitive to the ugly, to the beautiful, to the whispering leaves, to a smile or a cry?. A passionate mind is inquiring.
• Chastity can exist only when there is love. Without love, chastity is merely a lust in different form.
• Love alone can transform insanity, confusion and strife. When there is love, self is not since self can not recognize love. When there is love, there is no possessiveness, no envy, there is compassion. Love alone can bring about mercy & beauty, order and peace. When there is love, there is no duty. Love knows neither fusion nor diffusion. Only a quiet mind knows what love is.
• Goodness has no motive because all motive is based on the self & the egocentric movement of the mind. Goodness springs out when there is a totality of attention without any effort.
• Virtue has no authority. Virtue is not a repetition of what is good. The moment it becomes mechanical, it ceases to be a virtue.Without virtue, there is no foundation for clear thinking. Virtue transcends morality eg humility can not be cultivated & a mind without humility is incapable of learning. The social morality is no morality at all; it is immoral because it admits competition, greed & ambition.

In another context, in one of his books" At the feet of the Master", while describing ' Four qualifications for this pathway to be practiced at every step', six points of good conduct are described, given below;

1. Self Control as to the mind--- Astral body must be controlled, which include control of temper, thoughts to be calm and unruffled, never allow ourselves to be sad & depressed, hold back our mind from pride and so on.
2. Self Control in action---- Our actions should be useful to mankind, no laziness, fulfilling all our ordinary and reasonable duties, constantly engaged in good work. 
3. Tolerance--- Free from bigotry & superstitions, feel perfect tolerance for all,must not condemn others.
4. Cheerfulness--- Bear our Karma cheerfully; give up all feeling of possession.
5. One Pointedness--- No temptations, no worldly pleasures, keeping focused on the path, once entered.
6. Confidence--- Trust our Master, trust ourselves; perfect trust generates perfect flow of love & respect for others.

There is so much to learn from Sh Krishnamurti's literature and philosophy of life. Whether it is on truth and its path, or Meditation-- its practice and benefits, or Love & its role in transformation and many more. I have limited my blog on my present area of interest. He was a great thinker and influencer for the society, yet remaining a highly learned individual. I adore one of his great thought," To be alone means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society."

 Let me end the blog by  one of his powerful message.

One has to be a light to oneself; this is the law. There is no other law. All other laws are made by thought & so fragmentary & contradictory. To be a light to oneself is not to follow the light of another, however reasonable, logical & convincing it may be.

Spiritual Learnings from Sant Kirpal Singh Maharaj of Sant Mat

Man as intended by God is a noble being with noble qualities and aspirations, directed to the attainment of self and God realization in his life time ( Sant Kirpal Singh)

Sant Kirpal Singh ( 1894-1974) of Sant Mat, a distinguished exponent of the Divine Science of the Soul, was a great Saint of 20th century, who carried out enormous work for humanity throughout the world. He taught the world the virtues of Forbearance, Patience, Forgiveness and Godliness with deep reverence. He gave the message of Love and Hope for redemption and salvation to the receptive souls.

" I am not enamoured of any worldly gain. My only wish is to attain communion with God." was his reply to his father at an early age when questioned. Through Purity of mind and sincere devotion, he had, at an early age developed," Power of Trans-vision " and could clearly see what was happening anywhere & read out people's mind. He was a great lover of books. Serving and helping others was his priority. He always looked lovable, compassionate and very kind.

 He established several spiritual and humanitarian institutions within India and abroad and initiated over 80000 followers to fulfill  this mission. He served several world bodies engaged in similar missions. To quote, he was elected the first President of World Fellowship of Religions, recognized by UNESCO, and presided over four World Conferences with participation of representatives of major world religions. He wrote scores of books for the masses, as gifts of God and given by God. Let me share a few of the key learnings from his scriptures, mostly focused on my area of the blog, under some of the spiritual headings for ease of understanding.

Religion

• Religion is that which brings into full play the dormant spiritual faculties in man & expands its little self so as to embrace the universe and fills him with loving compassion for all creatures of the world.
• All religions aim at salvation-- freedom from the plane of senses-- rising into cosmic awareness-- oneness with Christ power or the spirit of Islam or other religious philosophies,all quest for one, the Unchangeable Permanence or Life Eternal.
• Religion means " Binding back our souls to  God." This religion is above all other religions. Although our outer social bodies are different, the inner truth or the basic principle is the same.
• The highest religion is to rise to Universal Brotherhood. The message of the Unity of Man must reach every human heart, irrespective of religions and social labels, enabling him to actually put it in practice in life and pass on to others.
• The Science of the Soul is the Kernel and the Core of all religions. It is the foundation on which all religions rest.
• True Religion is the expression of the Divinity, already existing in man. Nor is true Religion to be found in rites or in ceremonies or in creeds or forms. It consists in linking the Soul with Over- Soul, in its manifested play of Light & Sound in the God made temple of the human body. It exists in love for all.
• Religion of life is required, which would shine in the deeds and lives of men. It should not be separated from life.
• All the religions agree that Life, Light and Love are the three phases of the Supreme Source of all that exists. These are the essential attributes of Divinity that is ONE though designated differently by the Prophets and Peoples of the world.

Social Conduct and Ethical Living

• Be good, Do good and Be one was the message propagated by Sant Kirpal Singh. for his disciples. Being Good means being good in thoughts, words and deeds. God is all goodness & innate in all. Be friendly with everyone, be kind and compassionate. God is all Love; love all, serve all & do good to all. God made mankind, all mankind is one. We all are born with equal privileges, from God. As Soul, we all are of same essence as that of God.
• It is necessary for the aspirants to gradually weed out moral lapses, one by one, & to cultivate in their place moral virtues. It is the knowledge of our faults and failures in the areas of non- violence, truthfulness, chastity, loving humility and selfless service, that will make us strive to correct them, This, in turn, leads to true spirituality.
• Those who want permanent joy, all glory and eternal life, should contact God, who is within you and permeating through all creation. We have to rise above the astral plane, causal plane, super-causal plane and reach that spiritual plane, which is the true home of our father.
• Speak in love, think of love and let all your affairs be saturated with love.
• To forget and forgive is what one must practice in thoughts, words and deeds. Love knows no criticism, no imposition, no boasting and no reflection on other's shortcomings.
• Let the ego be completely annihilated & we emerge out of and above the plane of duality, forgetting all about of our I- hood. Self denial and abnegation is another stepping stone to the climax of spirituality.
• We must reform ourselves before we can reform others. We should weed out all imperfections, one by one, by self introspection.
• Selfless service is a great virtue, the climax of which is annihilation of Ego.
• Everyone need to behave lovingly, to be tolerant and to exhibit in all matters a spirit of humility and self discipline. Love knows selfless service, sacrifice and self surrender.
• Gratitude is a tonic for the heart, which is the seat for loving humility & adoring devotion.
• Soul is an in-dweller of the body for a short period only. The body is not its permanent abode. It is the temple in which the soul & God reside. We have to keep it holy and not pollute it with sins connected with passions viz lust, anger, covetousness, attachment and egoism.
• Truth is above all, but true living is still above truth. This requires leading a life of continence, humility, truthfulness & love and devotion to God and all His creation.
• An ethical life is a stepping stone to spirituality. Cleanliness in thoughts, words and deeds, an essential requisite to progress in spirituality, is said to be next to Godliness.
•  Love does not want any taking, it is always giving; sacrificing for others. Those who love, they can know God. You may belong to any social religion, but without love, you are nowhere, whether in this world or in other world.
• Chastity of thought, of all outgoing faculties ( sight, audition, feelings), in other words, ब्रह्मचर्य, is the way of living to find God. It means self introspection. The other word for ethical living is सदाचार. Control your tongue, control your thought & think of no evil about anybody. Chastity is foremost of all virtues.
• " Thou shall not kill" and " live and let live" should be two important principles of our life, when dealing with others. We should sow the seeds of kindness in order to reap its fruits.

Sant Kirpal Singh, a Perfect master and a Sat-guru, gave valuable inputs on improving ethical values and overall spirituality in life, while maintaining a highly simple life profile. " The mission of my life is to help others to rise above body consciousness & have a glimpse of the Lord, with the grace of my Master", conveyed Sant Kirpal Singh. Let me share a few more of his powerful teachings/ inputs.

• नाम /Word / शब्द , the sound principle--- नाम  is a power and motor-force behind everything & hence outer actions like acts of charity, fasts, penances, yajnas are of no avail to a seeker after truth. नाम  alone is the link between God and man. नाम is unchanging permanence, invariable, ancient and eternal. We live and have our very being in नाम /शब्द and ultimately dissolve into it. Devotion to it  is the only true worship and absorption in it purifies the mind. शब्द or नाम  is the sound current or sound principle. 
• Surat Shabd Yoga--- It is a path of personal spiritual attainment under guidance of a living Spiritual Master. Basic teachings consist in opening the third eye to develop vision of inner light and inner sound. This is considered to be the power of unmanifested Godhead coming into expression and is called शब्द  in the Holy Bible and with other names viz नाम , शब्द , ओम  as well.
• Spirituality--- It is a path of love, discipline and self control. It is an inner experience, an experience of the soul. it is more a practical science rather than a mere theoretical dissertation given in several religious scriptures. The spiritual path is a difficult one and requires rigorous self discipline, which includes overcoming self love and cultivating love for God. Only an ethical life can pave the way for a spiritual life.
• Love and selfless service to humanity---  Progress on spiritual path requires a firm commitment of a person to these virtues. Love beautifies everything, recognizes service and sacrifice. Love is always giving, no taking. Selfless service may assume different forms according to one's means & capacity. Some may like to attend to the needy, the poor or downtrodden while others to the sick or disabled by lending a helping hand in their distress. The more one serves, the more one's self expands & in course of time, he goes out to embrace the entire creation.
• रूहानी सत्संग  or Science of Spirituality--- रूहानी सत्संग  is a center for imparting purely spiritual teachings and training to mankind irrespective of class barriers, free to all, who are anxious for self knowledge and God knowledge. it is a science of the beyond, also called पराविद्या. It seeks to make the human soul one with over-soul. It neither believes in any rites & rituals, nor with formal places of worship. The human body is the true temple of God.
• Self Analysis, Self realization and God realization-----  Soul or spirit represent the consciousness pervading the human body and can be realized within by introversion when the senses are controlled, mind stilled and the intellect shelved. This calls for self analysis, the first step in gaining an understanding about the soul, the power ruling both body and mind. Consistent working on Self analysis and development thru feedback correction leads to Self realization, which precedes God realization. Self realization and God realization are the highest objects of our mundane existence.
• Mind and the Karmic load--- Mind, in its present state is burdened by huge Karmic load of past lives, thru endless series of incarnations. It is enthralled by outgoing faculties of senses & thus driven helplessly into the mire of sense gratification. Mind has to be tamed for the higher purpose of spiritual progress.  

Sant Kirpal Singh gave very high emphasis on regular meditation for two to three hours each day, faithfully under the overall guidance of a living perfect Master. This involved sitting in sweet remembrance of the Lord & in doing mental Simran/repetition of the charged words, with the gaze or Surat fixed at the seat of the soul located behind and between the two eyebrows. We need to be fully awake and fully conscious during meditation.

Several other spiritual aspects were also elucidated by Sant Kirpal Singh for the benefit of masses, which include all aspects of Yoga, dualism and non dualism or Advaitism, धारणा  or संयम , सिद्धि  or Powers, समाधि  and Perfect Master. Let me quote a few of His powerful messages.

" Be not imprisoned in the jail of "I" and "Me". He who hath transcended self, he verily hath attained to the highest. He knows no difference between anyone, for God is the Lord of all & in all shines the one picture Divine." ( Christmas message 1962).

" I wish you to 'Simplify, Simplify & Simplify'. To be simple in all aspects of life is to accept life." ( Birthday message 1963).

" Spirituality and Truth are the essence of the Absolute. When one finds the source of Truth, he finds the treasure of all treasures. Truthfulness in thought means sincerity of purpose in various spheres of non violence, chastity, truth, humility etc."

Learning from the spiritual scriptures of Sant Kirpal Singh are unlimited and highly relevant in all times. A small blog of mine can not capture each and every message. Let me end the blog by a powerful message on " Selfless Service" by him , in remembrance of his Master, Huzur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, from his book, " The Light Of Kirpal".
  

The salt of life is selfless service,

The water of life is universal love;

The sweetness of life is loving devotion,

The fragrance of life is generosity;

The pivot of life is meditation,

The goal of life is self realization.

Love God and serve all creation. Give, give and give, all thru life. Purify your minds, meditate and realize God.

Spiritual learnings from Swami Prabhupada

Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism; while philosophy without religion is mental speculation--- Swami Prabhupada

 His Divine Grace, Vedic Scholar and an authority on भक्तियोगा, Swami Prabhupada (Sep 1896--Nov 1977), the founder Acharya  of ( ISKCON-- International Society for Krishna Consciousness), was deeply involved with intensive devotional service to Lord Krishna. Following the philosophy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, propagated by his spiritual master " Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur", he created a massive Hare Krishna Movement across many countries of the globe.

As a charismatic spiritual leader, he brought India's culture and religious festivals such as रथयात्रा  to the West. His contribution was acknowledged by several international religious scholars. He translated and commented on  Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagvad Gita and associated spiritual literature, which touched great milestones of dissemination all over the globe. His book titled," Bhagvad Gita As It Is" is considered as one of the finest literary works of Vaishnaivism, translated into English language. His publication, " Back to Godhead"disseminated his philosophy & activities for the spiritually hungry masses of society.

 Swami Prabhupada wrote more than eighty books, which his disciples translated into twenty five languages. He was an oriental scholar, Guru, mystic, Yoga teacher, meditation instructor and an embodiment of a whole culture which he implanted into the west. To begin with,let me share a few of his value studded philosophical highlights /quotes.

• In this age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of Lord. There is no other way. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 6.11 & 6.12)
• One should not be  Happy or Distressed over desirable s & undesirables, knowing that such feelings are just created by the mind & the mind should only be carried away by your dictation. ( Special Nectar of the words of Krishna on Bhagwad Gita As It Is)
• One has to learn Tolerance in the face of dualities such as Happiness & Distress, or Cold & Warmth, & by tolerating such dualities one becomes free from anxieties regarding gain & loss. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 2.45)
• Ignorance is the cause of sinful life & sinful life is the cause of one's dragging on into material existence. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--4.31)
• Happiness derived from a combination of senses and sense objects is always a cause of distress and should be avoided by all means. ( Bhagwad Gita As It Is--- 18.38)

Swami Prabhupada established more than one hundred  ISKCON temples worldwide with the objective of propagating Krishna Consciousness. As per him, Krishna Consciousness deals with our eternal relationship with Lord and the process of discharging our relative duties to Him. He lived only for others. He taught spiritual science, philosophy and vedic way of living. Let me share a few of his teachings focusing on DHARMA & ETHICAL LIVING from some of his spiritual books.

• Religion means to know God and to love Him. Nowadays, because of lack of training, nobody knows God, what to speak of loving Him ( The Science of Self Realization).
• भक्तया मम अभिजानती-- Only through the process of devotion (भक्ति ), can one understand God. No other process can help you ( The Science of Self Realization).
• We are always rendering service to someone, either to our family, country or society, yet in-spite of serving to the best of our ability, we are not satisfied---- Reason, the service is not properly directed. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead ie Lord Krishna is served, all other parts and parcels will be automatically served ( The Science of Self Realization).
• सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य     मामेकं    शरणम्    व्रज। अहंत्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि माशुचः। ie Abandon all varieties of Religion and just surrender into me. I shall protect you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear ( The Science of Self Realization).
• Try to learn the Truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively & render service unto him. The Self Realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth ( The Science of Self Realization).
• One, who is however, taking pleasure in the self, who is illuminated in the self, who rejoices in & is satisfied with the self only,fully satiated, for him, there is no duty (3.17 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• One whose happiness is within, who is active within, rejoices within & is illuminated within, is actually the perfect mystic ( 5.24 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• Those, who are free from anger & all materialistic desires, who are self realized, self disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in near future ( 5.26 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• One who is free from illusion, false prestige, false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust & is freed from dualities of happiness and distress & who knows how to surrender into Supreme person, attains to that eternal kingdom ( 15.05 Bhagwat Gita As It Is). 
• Serenity, Simplicity, Gravity, Self- Control and Purity of Thoughts are the austerities of the mind ( 17.16 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• यज्ञदानतपः कर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत। यज्ञो दानं तपश्रोव पावनानि मनीषिणाम। ie Acts of sacrifice, charity& penance are not to be given up but should be performed. All these purify even the great souls ( 18 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• That understanding which considers irreligion (अधर्म ) to be religion (धर्म ) and vice-versa  under the spell of illusion & darkness, and always strives in the wrong direction, is in the mode of ignorance ( 18.32 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• That happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to the end and which arises from sleep, laziness & illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance ( 18.39 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• शमो दमस्तपः शौचम् क्षान्तिराजरवमेव च। ज्ञानं विज्ञानं मास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म सवभाजय।  Shares some of the good qualities to be possessed by an ethical person like Peacefulness, Self Control, Austerity, Purity, Tolerance, Honesty, Wisdom, Knowledge and Religiousness ( 18.42 Bhagwat Gita As It Is).
• Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highest because it is eternal while happiness derived from materialistic understanding  is inferior because it is temporary ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• The devotee should be more tolerant than the tree and more submissive than the grass. He should offer all honor to others, but may not accept any honor for himself ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• The senses are always desiring sense enjoyment, but when a devotee develops transcendental love for Supreme Lord ( Krishna), his senses are no longer attracted by material desires. This state of mind is called Detachment. ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• When a devotee, in-spite of possessing all the qualities of pure realization, is not proud of his position, that is called Pridelessness ( The Nectar of Devotion).
• " Yas tu sarvani bhutany, atmany evanupasyati; sarvbhutesu, catmanam, tato na vijugupsate." meaning thereby that a person, who sees everything in relation to Supreme Lord and sees all entities as His parts and parcels, & who sees the Supreme Lord within anything, never hates anything, nor any being (Sri Isopanishad).
• तदेजति तन्नैजति तद दूरे तद्वन्तिके। तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाहंताः। meaning thereby that the Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and again He is outside of everything (Sri Isopanishad).

As would be seen, most of Swami Prabhupada's scriptures focused on Purity in thoughts as well as lifestyle, selfless surrender to a Supreme Lord, deep belief in path of devotional service and truthfulness in life. Here, I would like to pick up a few more lessons from  two more of Swami ji"s  scriptures, namely, " Perfect Questions Perfect Answers" & " Dialectic Spiritualism".These are a great reservoir of practical knowledge on morality, his philosophy of life and Ethical living.

 While " Perfect Questions Perfect Answers"deal with general views on ethical/ spiritual living, " Dialectic Spiritualism"shares his Vedic view on several western philosophies propagated from Socrates, to Aristotle and Pluto & many others. . As per him, none could measure up to the high standard of Vedic ideals. He said that Dharma refers to the orders given by God and if we follow these orders, we are following Dharma.

• To a question," Is the real Goal of life to know God?", Swami Prabhupada replied," Yes, To go back to Godhead, We have come from God & now we are embarrassed by material life. Our aim is to get out of this situation & go back home to Godhead ( Ch 3, The Real Goal of Life, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers, Feb 28,1972).
• To a question," Pl explain what is meant by the mode of ignorance & the mode of goodness", Swami ji replied," Ignorance is animal life--- one does not know what is God, why we are in this world or how to become happy and so on. In passion, one identifies with his material body and tries to gratify his senses. In Goodness, one can understand things in proper perspective. He knows that there is God & the world was created by Him. Helping others or Giving assistance are some of the examples on act of Goodness ( Ch 4, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers).
• To a question," How I can come to feel closer to God?, Swami ji replied," You have to be purified. The whole life is meant for purification. If you do not purify your existence, you will have to transmigrate-- from one body to another. Instead of serving the senses, serve Krishna, the God & lead a spiritual life. The more you become purified, the more you will feel closer to God." Ch 5, Becoming Pure, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers, Feb 29,1972).
• To another question on searching for a friend to give us Peace and Tranquility, Swami ji replied," That friend is Krishna, God. Just make friendship with Him; you will find everyone to be your friend because God is situated in everyone's heart., He will dictate from within so that you are also treated in a friendly way." Ch 9, The Real Peace Formula, Perfect Questions Perfect Answers ).

• On a philosophical viewpoint of Socrates that Truth is absolute, not subjective while Ptotagaros had said," What is true for you is true for you & what is true for me is true for me; the truth is subjective," Swami ji opined that absolute truth is true for everyone and the relative truth is relative to a particular position. God is the absolute truth and the material world is the relative truth.
• According to Socrates, the real pursuit of man is the search for Absolute Good. Swami ji agreed with this view but opined that before realizing Supreme Good, we must first come to the platform of Satwa Guna including prohibiting meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling. Ultimately, we must transcend even the mode of Goodness thru Bhakti and get liberated.
• Socrates believed that thru meditation, a person can attain knowledge & thru knowledge he can become virtuous and becomes happy. Prabhupada differed slightly and said that by knowing yourselves thru meditation, or insight, one can gain self control and by being self controlled, we attain happiness.
• Socrates recommended association with good and virtuous people to develop good qualities. He believed that ignorance results in bad actions and his philosophy was a philosophy of Ethics. Swami Prabhupada concurred with this viewpoint and always felt that God is Good and full of morality.
• Plato preached that Perfection within the world of senses can never be attained but it is important that we mould our lives in such a way as to attain perfection. Swami Prabhupada agreed and felt that every endeavor of material world has some defect and Perfection can be achieved thru devotional service to Lord Krishna.
• Aristotle and Prabhupada differed on several key philosophical aspects. Aristotle said that imperfection is inherent in the substance matter & because man is made of matter, he must be imperfect. Prabhupada opined that man is not made of matter but is covered by matter and man is made of Spirit ( God). Man is originally Perfect.
• Aristotle believed in the Rational faculty of mind ( intelligence)and said that activities of mind are Pure and Perfect. For him, the goal of action is to realize our potential & attain happiness. Prabhupada differed since he believed that mind is never Perfect. Soul is perfect and has all the qualities of God.

These are only a few of his views giving his spiritual insights and directions on Ethical living . So enormous is the reservoir of knowledge in spiritual scriptures of Swami Prabhupada that one small blog can not describe it. I have picked up only few which fitted into my theme of the blog. I shall end the blog by the Invocation of Sri Isopanishad, beautifully summed by Swami ji.

ॐ , पूर्णमदः  पूर्णमिदं  पूर्णात  पूर्णमुदच्यते।  पूर्णस्य  पूर्णमादाय  पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते। 

The personality of Godhead is Perfect & Complete, and because He is Perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as a Complete Whole. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also Complete by itself. He remains the complete balance.

Religion, Yoga & Spirituality-- Key learnings from Swami Sivananda

Love expects no reward; love knows no fear; love Divine gives, does not demand!

Love thinks no evil, imputes no motive; love beautifies giver & elevates the receiver!

To love is to share and serve. ( Swami Sivananda)

Swami Sivananda ( Sept 1887- July 1963), Philosopher, Writer, Vedantist, Reformer and Yoga learner & Trainer, was a genuine apostle of Peace and Love. His teachings crystallized the basic tenets of all religions---- combining all four Yoga paths ( Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga & Raja Yoga) into one called,"The Yoga Of Synthesis", with its motto as,"Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate & Realize". 

To him, all work was sacred. He was a shining example of the ideal of selfless service  of Karma-yoga. He worked tirelessly for serving and helping others. Some of the saintly values visible in his personality include " आत्मभाव , समदृष्टि, अहिंसा , सत्यवाद, आतंरिक एवं बाहरी पवित्रता, संयम , संतोष , परमात्मा की भक्ति". He wrote and disseminated scores of books covering Yoga, Metaphysics, Vedanta, religion, Ethics, Education & Health as well as Western philosophy.

" Neither want, nor give up---, that must be the attitude of a Vedantin. He should be supremely indifferent. He should see God (ब्रह्म ) in everything and everywhere"( Sivananda on Vedantic Ethics, 6th June 1948). He advocated three" R"s of His Yoga as Righteousness, Renunciation and Realization.

 On Religion, he forthrightly conveyed that all religions of the world have come out of Hinduism, which is मानव धर्म  as well as more of a philosophy than a religion. The teachings of ancient Hindu Saints and Scholars( ऋषिः) are of an all embracing universal nature, meant for the whole world. As per him, Religion is eternal life in the immortal soul, is oneness or unity, is above mind and senses, is above ceremonials and ritualism, is union with God. 

He emphasized that Religion is the attainment of Divine Consciousness and freedom from illusion, doubt, fear, grief & delusion. It is a faith for knowing God and realization of True Self. As per him, Real Religion is feeling God. Seeing God and Talking to God.

He respected all Religions of the world. Jesus Christ was as much honored at Sivananda Ashram as Lord Krishna. In his book," Life and Teachings of Lord Jesus", Sivananda wrote that Jesus welcomed and embraced the sinners, the despised, the fallen & broken hearted AND comforted & purified them. His central teaching was," Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself AND the love of God manifests in the love of man."  As per Sivananda, Jesus's," Sermon on the Mount" was nothing but practice of right conduct or सदाचार and it corresponds to the practice of यम -नियम of राजयोग. . Jesus was an apostle of non violence and peace, besides an embodiment of mercy, love and humility

 In another context, while reviewing " Gospel of Islam", Sivananda wrote," The Prophet taught love, tolerance, understanding and unity. He further wrote that the Prophet's teachings were as sublime as the teachings of any other seer or saint in any other religion. He conveyed that he wished all the followers of Prophet all over the globe to re-read the holy Quran and understand its true message for humanity.

Some of the Ethical Traits and Spiritual Values preached and practiced by him can be visualized from his following prominent messages to the world;

• Cultivate peace in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness & jealousy. Then only, you can manifest it externally with those who come in contact with you.
• Rely on your inner self, the divinity within you. Tap the source through looking within. Improve yourself.Build your character.Purify the heart.Develop the divine virtues. Eradicate evil traits. Make the lower nature the servant of the higher through discipline, tapas, self- restraint and meditation.
• Every temptation that is resisted, every evil thought that is curbed, every desire that is subdued, every bitter word that is withheld,every noble aspiration that is encouraged, every sublime thought that is cultivated, adds to the development of will force, good character and attainment of eternal bliss and immortality.
• Faith is a belief in the unknown.Faith is the search- light for finding God. Adhere to faith, unity and sacrifice; avoid back- biting, falsehood and crookedness; admire frankness & honesty; control tongue, temper and tossing of mind AND cultivate cosmic love, forgiveness and patience.
• See good in everything. Rise above evil and good. Go on introspecting and eradicating impurities in your personality one by one. 
• Truth is complete in itself. It is bold. It has no fears. It has a strong foundation in itself. It has no limits of space or time. It is wealth in itself. Dwell on the glory of truth. Take lessons from the lives of great men who adhered to truth; overcome the pitfalls and obstacles in its path.
• Learn to give, give in plenty, give with love, give without any expectations. Giving is the secret of abundance.
• Make others truly happy as you strive to make yourself happy. Speak a helpful word. Give a cheering smile. Do a kind act since kindness is like a healing balm. Wipe the tears of those in distress. Such little actions can make an ocean of goodwill. 
• Look within. Within you is the hidden God. Within you is the immortal soul. Within you is the inexhaustible spiritual treasure. Within you is the ocean of bliss. Look within for the happiness you have sought in vain.
• Individual peace paves the way for universal peace. The attainment of inner calm is the greatest work you can do for humanity.
• If you do not find peace within, you will not find it anywhere else. The goal of life is the attainment of peace and not the achievement of power, name, fame and wealth.

Let me move towards another treasure of knowledge shared by Swami Sivananda on "Knowing Self for God Realization". Quoting Sivananda," Man is born for Self Realization. Brahman (ब्रह्म) is identical with Self ." तत त्वम असि", thou art that, one of the Mahavakya of Upanishads conveys that know-er of ब्रह्म  becomes ब्रह्म  itself and leads to his emancipation (मोक्ष). A few powerful lessons from his scriptures or discourses are;

•  Having true desires(सत्यकाम) as well as having true will or volition (सत्य संकल्प),one must search out & try to understand" the Self or आत्मन ", which is free from sin, from old age, from death & grief, from hunger & thirst. He is the Self, the immortal, fearless ब्रह्म .
• This great unborn Self is the same which abides as the intelligent soul in all living creatures. This undecaying, immortal, fearless Self is ब्रह्म  and he, who has subdued his senses, is calm, free from all desires, enduring & composed in mind, beholds the Self in Self, sees all as Self becomes a true ब्रह्म .
• He, who has no आत्मज्ञान , is only a confirmed fool, even though he may be a learned पंडित  with all the best of degrees and intellect. He may know by heart all the major spiritual scriptures as well as philosophies of the world, yet there is no salvation for such a learned man without the realization of one's identity with ब्रह्म  through constant intense meditation.
• In an answer to a question on " Developing Cosmic Consciousness", he replied," Meditate on themes like' I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am absolute ब्रह्म , omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient---', that is the nature of Satchidananda. As this idea gets deeper and deeper into you, you will enjoy universal consciousness.
• मुक्ति ( Salvation) is attained through the knowledge of Self. To attain आत्मज्ञान, you must have one pointedness of mind (एकाग्रता). It comes from उपासना (Worship),which comes from purity of heart (चित्तशुद्धिः) and is achieved through निष्काम  कर्म। To do निष्काम कर्म, one must control senses (इन्द्रियाँ) and that can be controlled by विवेक (Discrimination) and वैराग्य ( Renunciation)। 
• God is beyond cause and effect, beyond time and space & beyond the reach of mind and speech. But yet, He is the nearest, the innermost dweller of the heart, the very life of all that lives and moves. God is hidden love and hidden power.
• God is truth. God is peace. God is an embodiment of bliss. God is Satchidananda, existence absolute, knowledge absolute, bliss absolute. God is eternity, infinity and undecaying (अविनाशी). God is all pervading essence or substance. God is close to those who are free from lust, anger, greed & egoism. God is free from any limitations. He is omnipotent (सर्वशक्तिमान).
• भक्ति  destroys lust( वासना) and egoism (अहंकार). It elevates the mind to magnanimous heights. If you want to develop भक्ति , you will have to weed out thorns both internal as well as external. Internal thorns include lust, anger, jealousy, greed, pride, hypocrisy & cunningness while external thorns include bad company, bad readings and many more.
• Selfishness is leading us to become narrow minded. Destroy it thru selfless service, charity, sat-sang and other noble deeds.
• Work is worship (पूजा ) of Narayana. Work is meditation.Surrender everything to Him.Place your ego at His feet. He will take complete charge of you.Let Him mould you in any way He likes. Let Him do as He wills. Hear the marvelous music of His flute, the mysterious music of the soul and rejoice.
• Merge in the soul. Live within. Know the self. Move about happily.Realize " one in all" and " all in one".
• Selfless work ( service of Humanity) with आत्मभाव is the seed. A feeling that all creatures are manifestations of the lord (नारायणभाव) is the root. उत्साह ( cheerfulness, zeal) is the shower. Expansion of the heart is the flower. Purity of the heart is the fruit. This is the path of कर्मयोग.
• There is no light like that of knowledge of the self. There is no treasure like that of contentment. There is no virtue like that of truthfulness (सत्य). There is no bliss like that of the soul. There is no friend like आत्मन.
•  Develop contentment. Speak the truth. Drink the bliss of the soul. Think yourself as body-less. Identify yourself with supreme self and enjoy the supreme peace and eternal bliss.

The knowledge and spiritual thoughts shared by Swami Sivananda to the world community are enormous and can not be covered in a small blog like that of mine. He repeatedly conveyed universal nature of his philosophy with ultimate aim of Self Realization. To quote, " Vedanta preaches universal principles.It has no quarrel with any religion whatsoever. It is the knowledge of Self and teaches that individual soul is identical with the supreme soul and helps aspirants to Realize Self." 

Let me end the blog by another quote from Swami Sivananda.

" There is no virtue higher than love.There is no religion higher than love because love is God and God is love. Therefore kindle the light of love in your heart."