Vageesh Express

Vedic Guru

June 2007 Edition

||Sri Gurubhyo Namah||

In 2006,‘Vedic Guru’ revered the lives of saints who lived in the 19th century and before.

In 2007, we humbly honor Gurus of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Swami Sivananda

Never be rude, harsh, or cruel.

There is nothing to be hated in the world.

Hatred is ignorance.

All contempt for anything or being must be removed

through love and Vichara (enquiry.

- Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda Saraswati (Sep 8, 1887—Jul 14, 1963), was an Indian spiritual leader and a well known proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswamy in South India. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life in Rishikesh. He is the founder Divine Life Society and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects.

Upon his return to India he visited Banaras, Nashik, Poona and various other pilgrimage centres. At Banaras, he had the Darshan of Lord Vishvanath. Sivananda next went to Rishikesh in 1924 where met his guru, Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. It was Vishwananda who initiated him into the Sannyas order and gave him his monastic name.

During Sivananda's stay in Rishikesh and his travels around India, many came to him for guidance in the spiritual path. He permitted some of them to live near him and instructed them. Sivananda asked his students take copies of his short articles and send them for publication. Slowly, large number of people started coming to him and his circle started growing.

Swami Sivananda attained mahasamadhi on 14 July 1963 in his Kutir on the bank of Ganges, in Shivanandanagar.

A prolific author, Swami Sivananda wrote exactly 296 books on a variety of subjects: metaphysics, Yoga, religion, western philosophy, psychology, eschatology, fine arts, ethics, education, health, sayings, poems, epistles, autobiography, biography, stories, dramas, messages, lectures, dialogues, essays and anthology.[5] Yet his books emphasized the practical application of yoga philosophy over mere theoretical knowledge. He was known to have said "An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory. Practice Yoga, Religion and Philosophy in daily life and attain Self-realization."

Source - www.wikipedia.org

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