The making of a Sarvodaya Sannyasin

Thus Spake Mahavatar Babaji

1. Be fearless.
2. To renounce the world is not easy. Wherever man is, the world clings to him.
3. A living being means Shiva [God].
4. Patience, ceaseless efforts and strong determination make everything possible.

Thus Spake Lahiri Baba

1. Always remember that you belong to no one, and no one belongs to you. Reflect that some day you will suddenly have to leave everything in this world–so make the acquaintanceship of God now. Prepare yourself for the coming astral journey of death by daily riding in the balloon of God-perception. Through delusion you are perceiving yourself as a bundle of flesh and bones, which at best is a nest of troubles. Meditate unceasingly, that you may quickly behold yourself as the Infinite Essence, free from every form of misery. Cease being a prisoner of the body; using the secret key of sadhana, learn to escape into Spirit.
2. Spiritual success and material success are both humanly possible-material success by hard work, and spiritual success through acquiring wisdom.
3. Solve all your problems through meditation. Exchange unprofitable religious speculations for actual God-contact. Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life. Though man’s ingenuity for getting himself into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful.
4. Self-realization does not occur through fasting, ritual or dipping in holy rivers. Control of body and mind, taking sattvic food and cultivating sattvic thoughts is conducive to God-realization.
5. Withdrawing the mind from worldly matters, if one turns it inwards he will rediscover the hidden treasure inside.
6. Constantly observe yourself.
7. As a rich harvest is reaped by regular cultivation, Godhood is attained by regular and constant practice of meditation.
8. The very touch of the Guru can elevate a sincere disciple to an advanced stage but only his unceasing practice combined with love, faith and devotion will lead him to God realization.
9. God is very subtle beyond the perception of senses and beyond description. He is omnipresent with no beginning and end. He is manifested by His own deeds and can be conceived only by consciousness.
10. God does everything. Life is only a medium. If one lives surrendering everything to Him one will not have any worries.
11. Dinner should be eaten before 9 p.m.
12. If one works with inner detachment even while remaining in the world one can mitigate the bad karma.
13. Sadhana is to be done without the thought of past or future. Always remain conscious of the prana (breath). Worldly duties are to be performed remaining always in paravastha [the supreme stage] of inner awareness.
14. The world is a training ground for many tests in many fields. Do not be deluded by satanic forces. Always be mindful of your soul.
15. Every one is inherently divine. No man is evil. It is only the mind, which may be good or bad.
16. Success in sadhana depends on deep love, devotion and mental disposition.
17. Delusion results from the sense of I and mine. Attachment to any objects leads to preoccupation of the mind.
18. Do not worry over ephemeral and perishable issues. Enjoying the fruits of your actions is inevitable.
19. Why do you think so much? Why do you fear? If you are weak you cannot be a yogi. As long as you have the shade of a tree and the water from the river there is no reason for fear.
20. Money makes people dance like toys. It does not bring real peace. Do not worry about the uncertainty of the future.
21. The sooner the delusive attachment to body and flesh is given up, the closer you are to God. That eternal truth is beyond good or bad. Even the good has to be surrendered to the Guru. In that state even your body feels like the body of Shri Gurudev.
22. First purify the mind by right eating and right thinking. When the breath becomes still the inner gaze will be ever fixed in the kutastha. There will not be desire for any work and even while working it feels like not doing. Raja yoga becomes a religion.
23. A saint can read the mind of anyone by fixing his gaze on his or her eyes. It will reveal to him the person’s nature, achievement and deception. This can relieve the sorrow of the person and also the means for liberation can be recognized.
24. Always pray:
    “O God my forgetfulness is
    my sin,
    please give me constant alertness.”

Thus Spake Swami Sri Yukteshwar Giri

1. All judgment is determined by rajasic attributes.
2. Men of wisdom are neither deluded nor haunted by the spectre of birth and death. One should, without being inordinately confused by the words of wise men, follow strictly their methods of sadhana.
3. The endless, eternal supreme Self lives equally in all, and never perishes with the body. The ignorant and unrealized allude to it as death.
4. Those who shun all longings, lust and cravings, become devoid of any attachment, passion, ego or personal indications and are therefore able to arrive at the stage of ultimate peace.

5. Dhyana (meditation), jñana (knowledge), tyaga (renunciation), and shanti (peace) are, respectively, like four stages of sadhana (spiritual practice).

   The citta (mind) being pacified and controlled by meditation, it needs to be retained and anchored in divine enthrallment by nothing other than wisdom.

6. Attainment of wisdom gives rise to the death of all desires. In this way, if one is established in meditation, wisdom and renunciation, citta becomes introverted in the sushumna [subtle nerve of peace], demonstrating always a peaceful disposition. The sushumna is none other than a haven of peace. When mind is turned calm and still, the eternal all-pervading chaitanya (consciousness) manifests itself.
7. Chaitanya (chidabhas) is the manifestation of the creator of the universe and thus becomes the inner light of a being. Without this guiding light from within the being does not perceive or see anything. It is the consciousness of your inner Self that gives you the power of seeing. The seen and the seer are intrinsic parts of your indwelling soul.
8. If one performs one’s duty perfectly one derives happiness. The mind has a deep inclination for bliss and joy, and an entrenched aversion to misery and suffering which are the consequences of unrighteous deeds.
9. The performance of duties with unflinching attachment is one of the fundamental reasons that cause worldly bondage. Even some intelligent people often hesitate to untie themselves from the fetters of this kind of attachment and remain imprisoned within their bodies. All roads to ultimate liberation are closed, whether one’s work is righteous or unrighteous, unless one’s sense of body, mind, intellect and ego completely withers away and dies in the infinite essence.
10. Like removing one nail with the help of another nail, the evil propensities can be weeded out by good samskaras (latent tendencies). In every place, once a week, there should be a spiritual congregation or satsanga.
11. Every day do regular svadhyaya (self-study) coupled with meditation and the study of spiritual books and scriptures.
12. For the propagation and proliferation of one’s ideal and sadhana, you should form small spiritual groups.
13. To lead an ascetic life is not child’s play. To become a saint is not a religious spectacle or the exhibition of miracles, it is only for God-realization.
14. In creation everything is governed by a rule. In the external world scientists have discovered rules governing nature. But underneath, hidden very deeply and subtly inside are the rules and canons of the entire universe, the manifested representation of Brahman. By doing yoga and meditation you are able to realize this.
15. Wisdom is not a mere exhibition of one’s dexterity in giving a lecture. The average scholar studies philosophy superficially and searches only the outward meaning. In this light university degrees and honors seem inferior and are almost trivial. True darshan (philosophy) means self-realization.
16. If, through practice, one always trains the mind to stay absorbed in the sushumna, then through this royal path, the divine energy flows, as a result life becomes calm and quiet.
17. Wealth without wisdom cannot give joy.
18. Remember that you are to learn from one and all.
19. It is easy to renounce the family and the world, but difficult to renounce the ego that is so firmly established and so willing to grow. Always be humble and meek.

Thus Spake Paramahamsa Yogananda

1. Do not be attached to the passing dreams of life. Live only for God and God alone.

   Behind the light in every little bulb is a great dynamic current; behind the waves, vast oceans, and behind the individual lies the Supreme Spirit.

2. The moon is not reflected clearly in ruffled water but only on its calm surface. True love for God is manifested through calmness of the mind.
3. All successful men and women spend much of their time in deep concentration.
4. A calm person reflects serenity in his eyes, a keen intelligence in his facial expression and an open receptiveness in his mind.
5. Self analysis is a secret element on the road to progress.
6. The wisest person seeks God; the most successful one has found Him.
7. Peace is the altar of God.

8. Calmness is the living breath of God’s immortality within you. Be introspect. Take stock of yourself and your habits and find out what is standing in your way.

   Avoid a negative approach towards life. Lack of concentration is the cause of many failures in life.

9. Nothing is impossible unless you think it is.
10. Meet everybody and every circumstance in the battlefield of life with the courage of a hero and the smile of a conqueror.
11. Trouble and disease have hidden lessons for us. Try to use life’s experience as a guiding teacher.
12. Misery is really your best friend because it awakens your search for God.
13. Suffering is a good teacher to those who are quick and willing to learn from it. Death means nothing to the spiritually strong.
14. Think and plan well before you take action, do not jump into anything at once.
15. Picture marriage as a laboratory experiment in which the poison of selfishness, bad temper and bad behavior is poured into a test-tube of patience and neutralized and transformed by the catalytic power of love and constant effort in order to obtain the most noble union. People who want to marry must learn first to control their emotions. Yoga is the art of doing everything in God-consciousness.
16. God is eternal bliss, infinite love, wisdom and joy.

17. The more peace you feel in meditation, the closer you are to God.

    A successful life must begin with the cultivation of your soul.

18. A student who changes frequently from one school to another cannot get a really good education. This also applies to the spiritual path, do not change your practice frequently or you will lose your way.
19. When love for all things is seen as an expression of God, man’s consciousness will at last he expanded in omnipresence.
20. Man stands in the middle, with God on one side and Satan on the other, each one ready to pull him in whichever direction he wishes to go.
21. Everyone is a potential Krishna or Christ.
22. To seek one’s own salvation without benefiting others is extreme selfishness.
23. God is the supreme cure of all illness.
24. As a tree is known by its fruit, a teacher will be known by his students.
25. While promising happiness, sin really results in unhappines
26. Sickness is the result of mental or physical laws that have been broken.
27. Achievement lies in continuous effort and activity.
28. Habit governs human nature.
29. A seeker must fight with his senses to obtain spiritual victory.
30. The true secret of spiritual truth lies in the cave of stillness.
31. When you talk, do not speak too much of yourself, instead try to be a good listener.