Obaitori

Guidelines for Karma Sannyasins

It is coming up to my sixth year of initiation into Karma Sannyasa by Swami Niranjan & I'm starting to think about the progress I am making on my spiritual path. I was reminded, this morning of a quote by Swami Chidananda of The Divine Life Society,

"Take a little look at your life: how it has been, how your nature has been, how your character has been, how your conduct and behaviour with others has been, what type of a factor you have been - a plus factor or a minus factor. Or just an inert, neutral factor, neither giving nor receiving?"

I'm thinking about this today.

I've re-read my Karma Sannyasin initiation handbook & will look very closley at these guidelines, again & again ...

 

 

Cultivate the following in your life:

♥ For progress in your sadhana, it is imperative that you should live on what you earn & get, without craving for or desiring more than you need. 

♥ Perform actions with body, mind & intellect without being attached to their fruits ~ Gita Ch. 5, v.11

♥ Remain calm & collected during happiness & misery, in honour & dishonour ~ Gita Ch. 6, v. 7

♥ Be intensely involved in observing & being aware of yourself.

♥ Do not depend on anything other than yourself. Be without the feeling of mineness to everything ~ Gita Ch. 6, v. 10

♥ Exercise truthfulness without causing harm to others. Remain honest when temptation & opportunity knock at your door.

♥ Exercise Brahmacharya - self control - to the best possible extent in both thought, action & behaviour.

♥ Cultivate an agreeable disposition towards friends & enemies alike. It does not cost you anything.

♥ When angry do not act on the spur of the moment. Control yourself & act when you are in a positive frame of mind.

 

 

I thought I might write a few out & put them around the house & in my purse for extra remindings. I have a photocopy of this next to my bed but I find that sometimes this type of learning can often just become 'part of the furniture' & often overlooked. I want to cultivate these things in my life enthusiastically & Truthfully.

What is important in your life? What do you wish to cultivate?

Photo ~ Little Beach, Boudhi National Park, Australia.

 

Know thyself.

☸

Spiritual Awareness of the Woman

~ Saraswati the goddess or force of knowledge, wisdom, art, culture & music ~

I became initiated into the Saraswati lineage in 2003 by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati. Swami means one who has control over their mind. This is not a lineage of religion it is one of sannyasa.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati -  Niranjan's guru - belonged to the Dashnami lineage of Adi Shankaracharya - 788-820. Satyananda was the first spiritual master to initiate women into sannyasa. He also created the concept of karma sannyasa which means a householder sannyasin.

Sannyasa is made up of two words: sam & nyasa. The individual meanings are sam - perfect; yasa - setting aside, abandoning, surrender. Therefore sannayasa means 'perfect surrender or renunciation. Satyananda redefined the meaning of the word sannyasa slightly so that it goes beyond the shackles of any one religion or country & beyond the confines of belief or non-belief. "According to our definition a sannyasin is a person regardless of age, race, country, belief or non-belief, who has the aspiration to understand himself or herself & who adopts the sannyasa way of life" [Sannasaya Tantra].

  Photo - Purple Trumpet Flower; hanging over the back fence.

Sannyasa is a rather large topic & one I will keep coming back to here to define & explain. But basically, in Satyananda's words, "The aim of Sannayasa is to attain perfection, to refine the mind so that it becomes a perfect instrument. In the same way that an artist creates a masterpiece, a sannyasin must become an artist & work on herself, so that she becomes the perfect human work of art" [Sannasaya Tantra].

In the tantric initiation tradition, spiritually, the woman is considered to be higher than the man - this is in relation to the evolution of higher consciousness. "The frame of a woman, her emotions & her psychic evolution is definitely higher than that of a man. Awakening of the spiritual force - kundalini - is much easier in the body of a woman than in the body of a man" - Satyananda in Nawa Yogini Tantra.

Satyananda empowered women through initiation, worship, devotion & celebration. He has said, "... if all women leave this world, it would become a desert. There would be no colours, perfumes, smiles or beauty". 

 

&, a prayer for all mother's on this day of worship.

 

Dedication

This weblog is dedicated to my guru, Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.

Gayatri Mantra

 

 

Gayatri Mantra

Sanskrit ~

 ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः ।

 तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।

 भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।

 धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

Transliteration ~

Om bhur bhuvah svaha

Tat savitur varenyam

Bhargo devasya dhimahi

Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

 

Translation -

Just as the Sun annihilates darkness, so the Gayatri Mantra destroys ignorance. The Gayatri Mantra invokes the power and radiance of the Sun to energize all earthly life, to destroy our weaknesses and to reveal the Supreme Self to us.

& in another translation, that cannot possibly do justice to the original, it implores:

Om, O Lord! You are the all pervading Source of Light, Sustainer, Protector and Bestower of Happiness. Kindle, enlighten and inspire our intelligence to possess Eternal Qualities.

༒

"The literal meaning of the word mantra is 'force that liberates the mind.' It is a concept of inner freedom leading to attuning with the higher self" 

~ Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.

 

༒

 

 

 

 

 

My Guru ~ Paramahansa Niranjanananda's Early Life

One of the earliest photos of Paramahansa Satyananda holding Niranjanananda. To me it looks like Niranjan is holding his little hand up giving darshan. Niranjan is the mentally conceived child of Satyananda.

Paramahansa Satyananda with Satyabrat & Dharmashakti; Niranjan's parents & good friends & disciples of Satyananda who asked for a child. Satyananda agreed to bless them with a child as long as the child was handed over to him later on. The couple happily agreed. Niranjan was born a yogi. His name means 'the untainted one.'

At age 3, Niranjan wanted to live in Satyananda's ashram & take the initiation of Sannyasa. He began training at the Bihar School of Yoga at 4 years of age.

Niranjan initiated into Sannyasa aged 10. He began a world wide tour of lectures at age 11.

Sri Swami Sivananda's (Satyananda's guru) divine mission was to take yoga from door to door & shore to shore. Satyananda did this spreading yoga worldwide. Swami Niranjan's mission is to teach people yoga lifestyle and Sannyasa.

A beautiful, happy, playful & mischievious boy, Niranjan.

Always close by, Niranjan with Satyananda.

Paramahansa Niranjanananda Saraswati, an om appearing out of the havan.

Paramahansa Niranjanananda recently celebrated his 50th birthday. Within the tradition, he always gives for his birthday. We celebrated his birthday, 14th February, with a Children's Day at Satyananda Mangrove Ashram. You can read more, here.