Sivananda Yoga FAQ

Q 1: You say, “Atman is our real Self and we are, in reality, universal and absolute”. You also say, “The personal relative self involves the idea of individuality, but the Absolute does not … The question arises– are there two selves? One involving individuality, and the other, without individuality but universal?

A: There is really one Self which is the Absolute. The relative self is not something different from the Absolute Self, but it is only the Absolute Self experienced through the adjunct or the instrument of the mind. An object has an independent nature of its own, but when it is seen through a distorted coloured glass, it also appears distorted and coloured. It does not however mean from this that the object is both perfect and distorted at the same time; the difference is only in the means of perception and knowledge. This is the case also with the experience of the Absolute Self with the help of the finite mind acting as the instrument of knowledge. The difference is in the medium of perception; the Reality is one.

Q 2: Is married life not an obstruction to God-realization? How can a married man please both his wife and God simultaneously?

A: Married life can never be an obstruction to those who are endowed with dispassion and detachment to worldly objects and who consider that life is intended to mold one’s own self by drawing lessons from the university of Nature. Study the lives of saints like Thyagaraja, Ekanath, Narsi Mehta, Bhadrachalam Ramdas, Tukaram, Namdev, Jayadeva, Chaitanya and Kabir. Probe deep into the world and the way in which the above-mentioned saints and a host of others actually led their lives. It is disgraceful on the part of man if he tries to please himself by pleasing his wife. He who considers married life as intended to please his wife is worse than an abject slave. Be self-restrained. Let the partner be made aware of the aim and purpose of life and the ways and means of attaining it in and through Grihastha life. Do not yield to the lower impulses when prompted by your incorrigible nature or by the stubborn character of the other party, but arrange yourself in such a balanced way that the psychic and physical personality of neither is upset. Whatever actions you do, dedicate them to God and consider them not as yours. Pray for a self-purifying, contented and continent life. Resign yourself recklessly in the spiritual battlefield and make no retreat even if life happens to be at stake. Be a master over yourself and treat yourself as a servant of God, but not as a servant of your partner. Feign that you are one with your wedded partner, but be ever transcending in mental outlook. You can be on the safe side of life.

Q 3: I have been reading the Upanishads and other scriptures and I find one and the same thing in all of them. They say that everything we come across is unreal, only God is real and that we have to think and understand the Truth by ourselves. How are we to do it, Swamiji?

A: Reading will help you only to a certain extent. Too much reading will land you in confusion. You should meditate and concentrate on one particular idea. That particular idea should serve as the eye-opener. Then alone will you get Vairagya; you will be able to understand the false nature of things. Take, for instance, the life of Sri Swami Sadasiva Brahmendra of Nerur. The mere uttering of the word ‘wait’ by his mother, when he asked her to serve food, inflicted such a blow on his mind and stirred it so well as to make him understand the Reality. You may be convinced intellectually that the world is false, only God is real and all the sense-enjoyments bring misery only. But this conviction is not strong. You may think, “Let me enjoy the sense-pleasures for five minutes”. Thus you are deceived by Maya. All sense-pleasures are sugar-coated pills made by Maya. You must reflect on such Slokas as “Ye Hi Samsparsaja Bhoga Duhkha Yonaya Eva Te…”. You should identify with the Higher Self which is infinity, eternity, immortality. Always think, “Suddhoham, Shantoham, Satchidanandoham”. You will be elevated. Abhyasa and Vairagya are necessary. Tyaga and Tapas will give you tremendous powers. Be not cheated by the temporary pleasures of the world– car, property etc. Be not unnecessarily worried by undue attachment etc. Do your duty and leave the rest to Him. He will take care of you.

Practice meditation regularly. Dive deeper and deeper in the recesses of your heart. – Sri Swami Sivananda