would be easy to answer the question by saying: "Yes, after a prolonged period of intense austerities and meditation, and while living in the Swaragashram, when I had the Darshan (divine vision) and blessings of many Maharishis (great sages), then I have the Lord in the form of Sri Krishna. "
more that would not be the whole truth, not even a sufficient answer to a question about God who is infinite, unlimited and beyond the reach of language and the human mind.
The state of Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident, or a matter of luck. It is the summit, which is accessed through a thorny path, which has steps, slippery steps. The climbed one by one, a tough road, but at each level, experienced God coming into my life and rising easily to the new step.
My father liked devotional ceremonies, which was very regular. To my mind a child, God was the image he adored and loved to help him in his pious acts, bringing flowers and other devotional objects. The deep inner satisfaction that he and I got from such worship, established in my heart a strong conviction that God was in such images, which were worshiped with reverence for His devotees. That's how God first came into my life and like put my feet on the first rung of the spiritual ladder.
already grown I liked gymnastics and vigorous exercise. I learned a fencing instructor who belonged to a low caste. He was a Harijan. I attended classes for only a few days, until I did understand it was not proper, for someone belonging to the Brahmin caste, being the student of an untouchable. I thought deeply about the subject. At one point, I felt that the God who loved the picture you had in the prayer room of my father (the family chapel), had jumped to heart of this untouchable. I thought then my Guru. So I went immediately to him with flowers, sweets and clothes, I put a wreath, placed flowers at his feet and prostrated myself before him. Thus, God came into my life to remove the veil of distinction of caste.
Soon after, I saw how valuable it was that happened, it was about to enter the medical profession and thus serve, but if I had continued my belief in caste distinctions, that service would become a mockery. With this fog dissipated by the light of God, it was easy and natural for me to serve everyone. Deeply pleased me all kinds of related service with healing and the alleviation of human misery. If you had a good prescription for malaria, I felt that everyone should know right away. Was eager to acquire and share with any knowledge on the prevention and cure of diseases and health promotion.
Then, in Malaysia, God came to me in the form of the patient. It's hard for me to select an example, and perhaps unnecessary. Time and space are concepts of mind and have no meaning in God. Now I can look back and see my entire stay in Malaysia as if it were a single event, in which God came to me in the form of the patient and suffering. People are sick, physically and mentally. For some, life is a permanent death, and for others, death is more welcome than life, some even invite death and suicide, unable to face life.
grew within me hope that if God had not made this world just like a hell where evil people were thrown to suffer, and if (as I felt intuitively that it should be) was more than this misery and this helpless existence, then that should be well-known and experienced by all.
was at this crucial point in my life when God came to me as a mendicant monk who gave me my first Vedanta lesson. It became apparent to me the positive aspects of life here, and the true purpose and goal of human life. This led me from Malaysia to the Himalayas. God came to me in the form of a wish-it-and all-consuming experience Him as the Self of all.
Meditation and the service came quickly, and then came various spiritual experiences. The body, mind and intellect, as such accessories limiters, vanished, and the whole universe as His light shone. At that time, God came in the form of the Light, in which everything assumed a divine form, and pain and suffering, which seemed to affect everyone, I was presented like a mirage, like the illusion created by ignorance, due to low sensual desires that lurk within the man.
A milestone had passed in order to know that "everything is Brahman." In early 1950-January 8, the Lord came to me in the form of a half-crazed assailant, who tried to kill me during the night Satsang Ashram. His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worship him and sent him home. Evil exists to glorify good. Evil is a superficial appearance. Under this veil, the one Self shines in all.
Here I must mention a remarkable fact. In this evolution, nothing is won before it is discarded entirely at any later stage. This combined with the next, and the Yoga of synthesis was the result. I found that the worship of images of God, service to the sick, the practice of meditation and the cultivation of cosmic love that transcends the barriers of caste, creed and religion, have their ultimate goal in achieving the state of Cosmic Consciousness. This knowledge must be shared immediately. All this had to become an integral part of my being.
The mission was to strengthen and expand. It was in 1951 when I undertook a tour around all over India. Then God came to me in His Virat Swarup, in the form of crowds of devotees eager to hear the principles of Divine Life. In each place I felt God was speaking through me, and Himself, in His cosmic form, was spread before me as the crowd listened. He sang with me, prayed with me, He spoke and he was also the one who listened. "Khalvidam Sarvam Brahma", "Really everything is Brahman."
more that would not be the whole truth, not even a sufficient answer to a question about God who is infinite, unlimited and beyond the reach of language and the human mind.
The state of Cosmic Consciousness is not an accident, or a matter of luck. It is the summit, which is accessed through a thorny path, which has steps, slippery steps. The climbed one by one, a tough road, but at each level, experienced God coming into my life and rising easily to the new step.
My father liked devotional ceremonies, which was very regular. To my mind a child, God was the image he adored and loved to help him in his pious acts, bringing flowers and other devotional objects. The deep inner satisfaction that he and I got from such worship, established in my heart a strong conviction that God was in such images, which were worshiped with reverence for His devotees. That's how God first came into my life and like put my feet on the first rung of the spiritual ladder.
already grown I liked gymnastics and vigorous exercise. I learned a fencing instructor who belonged to a low caste. He was a Harijan. I attended classes for only a few days, until I did understand it was not proper, for someone belonging to the Brahmin caste, being the student of an untouchable. I thought deeply about the subject. At one point, I felt that the God who loved the picture you had in the prayer room of my father (the family chapel), had jumped to heart of this untouchable. I thought then my Guru. So I went immediately to him with flowers, sweets and clothes, I put a wreath, placed flowers at his feet and prostrated myself before him. Thus, God came into my life to remove the veil of distinction of caste.
Soon after, I saw how valuable it was that happened, it was about to enter the medical profession and thus serve, but if I had continued my belief in caste distinctions, that service would become a mockery. With this fog dissipated by the light of God, it was easy and natural for me to serve everyone. Deeply pleased me all kinds of related service with healing and the alleviation of human misery. If you had a good prescription for malaria, I felt that everyone should know right away. Was eager to acquire and share with any knowledge on the prevention and cure of diseases and health promotion.
Then, in Malaysia, God came to me in the form of the patient. It's hard for me to select an example, and perhaps unnecessary. Time and space are concepts of mind and have no meaning in God. Now I can look back and see my entire stay in Malaysia as if it were a single event, in which God came to me in the form of the patient and suffering. People are sick, physically and mentally. For some, life is a permanent death, and for others, death is more welcome than life, some even invite death and suicide, unable to face life.
grew within me hope that if God had not made this world just like a hell where evil people were thrown to suffer, and if (as I felt intuitively that it should be) was more than this misery and this helpless existence, then that should be well-known and experienced by all.
was at this crucial point in my life when God came to me as a mendicant monk who gave me my first Vedanta lesson. It became apparent to me the positive aspects of life here, and the true purpose and goal of human life. This led me from Malaysia to the Himalayas. God came to me in the form of a wish-it-and all-consuming experience Him as the Self of all.
Meditation and the service came quickly, and then came various spiritual experiences. The body, mind and intellect, as such accessories limiters, vanished, and the whole universe as His light shone. At that time, God came in the form of the Light, in which everything assumed a divine form, and pain and suffering, which seemed to affect everyone, I was presented like a mirage, like the illusion created by ignorance, due to low sensual desires that lurk within the man.
A milestone had passed in order to know that "everything is Brahman." In early 1950-January 8, the Lord came to me in the form of a half-crazed assailant, who tried to kill me during the night Satsang Ashram. His attempt failed. I bowed to him, worship him and sent him home. Evil exists to glorify good. Evil is a superficial appearance. Under this veil, the one Self shines in all.
Here I must mention a remarkable fact. In this evolution, nothing is won before it is discarded entirely at any later stage. This combined with the next, and the Yoga of synthesis was the result. I found that the worship of images of God, service to the sick, the practice of meditation and the cultivation of cosmic love that transcends the barriers of caste, creed and religion, have their ultimate goal in achieving the state of Cosmic Consciousness. This knowledge must be shared immediately. All this had to become an integral part of my being.
The mission was to strengthen and expand. It was in 1951 when I undertook a tour around all over India. Then God came to me in His Virat Swarup, in the form of crowds of devotees eager to hear the principles of Divine Life. In each place I felt God was speaking through me, and Himself, in His cosmic form, was spread before me as the crowd listened. He sang with me, prayed with me, He spoke and he was also the one who listened. "Khalvidam Sarvam Brahma", "Really everything is Brahman."
Swami Sivananda
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