Kriya Yoga

''Practice Kriya so deeply that breath becomes mind.

The breath is a gross dream of the mind.

It can be rubbed away by superconsciousness.''

Paramahansa Yogananda

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At the Heart of Creation

''God's Consciousness is at the heart of every atom, ever seeking to express itself outwardly.

Materialistic science believes that life appears only by accident, out of a mere combination of chemicals.

Spiritual science, however, discovered long ago that, at the heart of everything, dwells the Infinite Consciousness.''


Paramahansa Yogananda

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Non-attachment and Inner Joy

Paramahansa Yogananda often counseled his yoga students to develop their inner non-attachment.

''Be even-minded and cheerful,'' he would say, ''what comes of itself, let it come.
Refer every Joy and even pleasure back to the Joy of the Inner Self and let every sorrow remind you that your home is not here, in the world of sensory experiences, but in the eternal Joy of the Soul.''

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Meditation

''In Meditation you must go beyond thought.

As long as you are busy thinking, you are in the rational mind, on the conscious plane.

When you sleep and dream, you are on the subconscious plane, and in your astral body.

And when your mind is fully withdrawn in Superconsciousness, it becomes centered in the Bliss of the spine.

You are then in your ideational, or causal, body.

That is the level of the soul.''

Paramahansa Yogananda

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Syama Ma - Poem by RamPrasad

''O my Mind, worship Kali any way you want -

just repeat the Mantra your teacher gave you day and night.

Think that you're prostrating as you lie on your bed,

and Meditate on the Mother while you sleep.

Go about town, and imagine you're circumambulating Syama Ma.

Each sound that enters your ears is one of Kali's Mantras,

each letter of the fifty around her neck bears her name.

RamPrasad says, astonished,
The Goddesss full of Brahman is in every creature,

when you eat, think that you're making an offering to Syama Ma.''

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Inner Pilgrimage

''Tongue, call out ''Kali, Kali!''

Mind, my Syama Ma sits in a six-wheeled chariot with three reins fastened to the Muladhara.

Endowed with five powers, her charioteer drives her from country to country,
her horse charging ahead with the chariot can cover ten krosas in a single day
though when the chariot breaks down he can't even move his head.

Going on pilgrimage is a false journey, Mind: don't be over-eager.

Bathe at Tribeni; cool yourself in your innermost chamber.

When your body's finished, decomposing,
Prasad will be cast away.

So, Mind, seize the moment;
time is running out
call the Two-Syllabled One as best you can.''


Ramprasad

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Swami Vivekananda recieves his Masters Powers

Having several problems with his health and unending work demands with little, and at times no sleep, one of Swami Vivekananda's disciples urged him to rest.

He replied: ''My Son, there is no rest for me.

That which Sri RamaKrishna called 'Kali' took possession of my body and soul three or four days before his passing away.

That makes me work and work and never lets me keep still or look to my personal comfort.'

Then he told the disciple how his Master, before his passing away, had transmitted his spiritual power to him.

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Swami Vivekananda and the Duke of Richelieu

When Swami Vivekananda was in Paris as the guest of Mr and Mrs Leggett he met many distinguished people.

Among them was Duke of Richelieu an aristocrate who became greatly attached to Swami and visited him frequently.

On the eve of Vivekananda's departure from Paris, the Swami asked the Duke if he would renounce the world and become his disciple.

The Duke wanted to know what he would gain in return for such renunciation, and the Swami said:

'I shall give you the desire for death!'

When asked to explain, the Swami declared that he would give the Duke such a state of mind that when confronted by death he would laugh at it.

But the Duke preferred to persue a worldly career, though he cherished a life-long devotion to Swami Vivekananda.

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Swami Vivekananda 'Christ the Messenger' Lecture

At the Universalist Church of Pasadena Swami Vivekananda gave his famous lecture 'Christ the Messenger' Miss MacLeod said later that she saw him enveloped in a halo.

The Swami, after the lecture, was returning home, wrapped in contemplation.

Miss MacLeod was following a little distance, when suddenly she heard him say:

'I Know it! I Know it!'

'What do you Know?' asked Miss Macleod.

'How they make it.'

'How they make what?'

'Mulligatawny soup. They put in a dash of Bay Leaf for flavour.' After which he burst into laughter!

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Swami Turiyananda and the Shanti Ashrama

As we have already seen Swami Turiyananda was a great yogi. A disciple of the great Paramahansa Rama Krishna and close personal friend of Swami Vivekananda.

When Swami Vivekananda came to America on his second visit he brought with him his brother disciple Swami Turiyananda to assist him in his work.

Swami Turiyananda established the Shanti Ashrama, in the San Antone Valley of Central California. This place has a wonderful spiritual atmosphere and has been reported by many as having a certain vibrations of a high spiritual nature. This is not surprising for it was here that for two years Swami Turiyananda lived and inspired a group of students to devote themselves exclusively to the ideal of God-Realization.

Ujjvala (Id Ansell), a disciple of Swami Turiyananda has given several instances of the Swami's individual lessons and instructions to disciples while at the Ashrama.

One time Ujjvala prepared to take notes of Swami Turiyananda's class talks, sharpening a pencil with a dull knife. The result was a jagged, unsymmetrical point. Just then the Swami walked in, picked up the pencil, and remarked:

''That is a sample of your work!''

With the same knifehe carefully whittled the jagged wood to a smooth sharp point. Handing the pencil back to Ujjala, he said:

''Make every act an act of worship.
Whatever you do, do as an offering to the Divine Mother, and do it as perfectly as you can.''

Another day Ujjvala was weeping because she could not persuade the other students to comply with the Swami's wishes for stricter observance of economy.

''Swami, they simply won't understand!'' she sobbed.

''Never mind, you did your best; that is enough,'' he consoled.

Then he added, ''If I wept everytime they don't understand , I should be weeping all the time!.''

One afternoon, Swami Turiyananda and Ujjvala just happened to meet.

He asked her,''Ujjvala, are you deep or shallow?

Do you live and die in words, or do you live and die in principles?''

Before she could think of an answer, he added:

''In matter of opinion, swim with the current.

In matters of principle, stand firm as a rock.''

Ujjvala later commented: ''That was all, but he had given me in a moment guidance for a lifetime.''

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Swami Brahmananda - The Yogi Saint

Direct Disciple of Rama Krishna Paramahansa.

His former name was Rakhal Chandra Ghosh.

His education began in the village school which was started by Ananda Mohan, his father, chiefly for the sake of his son.

As a student he was remarkable for his intelligence. But even as a boy had varied interests in life.

Physically he was much stronger than the average boy of his age. His companions found it hard to cope with him in wrestling or at play.

He would take part in many village games and show unsurpassed skill in them.

Near his home was a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali. Often enough, Rakhal would be found in the precincts of the temple playing or in Devotion.

As a boy he loved devotional music and would sometimes go with his companions to a secluded spot in the midst of a field close to the village and there sing devotional songs.

After the passing of Rama Krishna, Rakhal joined the monastery at Barangore along with the other disciples and soon thereafter took Sannyasa and changed their names.

Thus Rakhal became Swami Brahmananda.

After leaving the monastery the Swami Brahmananda went to Puri for some time begging for his food and practicing auterities.

Returning to Baranagore he expressed his desire to Swami Vivekananda to go to North India to Meditate and practice his spiritual disciplines. Swami Vivekananda, the leader of the group of Rama Krishna's Disiples and brother disciple himself, reluctantly agreed to allow him to embrace the wandering life but directed that another disciple, Swami Subodhananda, to accompany him.

Swami Brahmananda went to Varanasi, Omkarnath, panchavati, Dwaraka, Porbandar, Girnar, Ajmer etc before returning to Vrindavan.

From Vrindavan he went alone to the Himalayan region at Hardwar for greater solitude. He stayed at Kankhal near Hardar for a period.

While he was there, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Turiyananda, Swami Saradananda, and Vaikuntha Sanyal unexpectedly came from Almora to meet him. The joy of such a meeting could be better imagined than described.

Swami Vivekananda felt that Brahmananda would have impaired his health with hard Tapasya and living alone and brought him back with him to Meerut.

When Swami Vivekananda left the group in order to wander alone, Swami Brahmananda and Swami Turiyananda started on a pilgrimage to Jwalamukhi and from there visited various other sacred places in the Punjub, Sind, Bombay, and Rajputana.

At Bombay they met Swami Vivekananda who was then preparing to sail for America to attend the Parliament of Religions at Chicago.

When the Ramakrishna Mission was set up Swami Brahmananda became the President of the Calcutta branch. Later becoming President of the Rama Krishna Math and Mission after Vivekananda relinquished that position till his last day.

During this period Swami Brahmananda went on several pilgrimages before his demise in 1922 after contracting cholera and diabetes.

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Swami Turiyananda - Words of Wisdom

What was the nature of the spiritual experiences that held Rama Krishna's disciples to his side?

Why is it that such strong healthy young persons never wearied of him?

In answer to these questions Swami Turiyananda answered:

''Rama Krishna showed us the Face of the Eternal.

After that we stayed on with him hoping that through his compassion and by training, we would see him again.

Once a disciple always a disciple.

Think of the possibility of being thrown in Samadhi - a thing for which men toil for a hundred incarnations and by a single touch of his finger or foot!

How could we leave his side, we who were so greedy like all youth to taste Bliss Absolute again and again.

He enabled us to stare into the Eyes of God at least once; that naturally blinded us to this world.

We see nothing here, and whatever we do see is filled with the brimming Light of Tat (That).

No matter what we see or feel, it says, 'You are He, you are He - Tat Tam Asi.'

That is what Rama Krishna did to us.

After such an event we were tethered to him as the bird is to the sky - it may go very far in many directions, yet it will remain under the many-branched sky.''

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Swami Turiyananda - The Master

Swami Turiyananda ( January 3, 1863 - July 21st, 1922 )

Swami Turiyananda was a great Saint and Yogi.

His family name was Harinath Chattopadhyaya.

He lost his parents when he was twelve years old and was brought up by his elder brother. From an early age his deep spiritual inclination was clearly evident.

His father, who was one of the ablest Sanskrit Scholars of his time, trained the boy in Vedanta and Yoga.

Even as a young man he would amaze groups of Pundits who came to consult him, not only by the accuracy of his quotations but also with the ravishing clarity of his interpretation.

Whether it was the Upanishads or the Yoga texts whenever they failed to understand anything they went to Rama Krishna for elucidation.

Swami Turiyananda spoke very little, but when he gave his opinion it was in no uncertain terms.

Harinath met Sri Rama Krishna at Bagbazar when he was around 13-14 and became an intimate friend and fellow disciple of Narendra Nath ( Swami Vivekananda).

Within several years of his first visit to Rama Krishna, Turiyananada took the begging bowl and became a novice Brahmachari and soon later was given Sannyas, Initiation into the ancient Monastic Order by Rama Krishna and was given the name Turiyananda, which superceded his previous family name.

After the demise of his Master he took an oath of renounciation with his brother disciples at Baranagore Math and for 12 years roamed the various places of pilgrimage all over India.

In 1899, when Swami Vivekananda started for America for the second time, he persuaded Swami Turiyananda to accompany him for the work he was doing in America.
They reached New York via England during the end of August 1899.

Swami Turiyananda worked first at the Vedanta Society of New York and then took up additional work at Mont Clair.

He travelled extensively in America along with Swami Vivekananda teaching Vedanta.

Swami Vivekananda had a great admiration for his brother disciple. In San Francisco, Swami once, in his characteristic way of presenting a point of view in the most emphatic and impressive manner, even belittling himself, told the students of Vedanta, ''I have only talked, but I shall send you one of my brethren who will show you how to live what I taught.''

The high expectation of the students of Vedanta on hearing Swamiji's words was more than fulfilled when they came in contact with Swami Turiyananda.

At times fiery exhortation came from Swami Turiyananda to the students to make God-Realization the only aim in life. ''Clench your fists and say - I will conquer! Now or never - make that your motto, even in this life I must see God. That is the only way. Never postpone. What you know to be right, do that and do that at once! Do not let any chance go by. The way to failure is paved with good intentions. That will not do. Remember, this life is for the strong, the persevering; the weak go to the wall. And always be on your guard. Never give in.''

He returned to India in 1902.

He spent much of his time in austerity and in training the younger generation of monks.

After being involved in setting up the Rama Krishna Mission Ashrama at Almora, he spent his last days at Varanasi before his demise on 21st July, 1922.

Swami Turiyananda was a Master of the senses. Once sat down to Meditate, external troubles could not reach the inner sanctuaries of his consciousness.

He had a wonderful capacity to dissociate his mind from the body, and had many times undergone operations, without the neccessity of any chloroform.

He had an extraordinary fortitude as well as a living faith on God. Once when he had an eye-complaint, nitric acid was applied to one of his eyes by mistake. When the mistake was found out and everybody got alarmed, he simply smiled and said, ''It is the Will of the Mother. '' Fortunately the eye could be saved.

He had a great heart. He felt for the masses of India and encouraged all forms of philanthropic activities.

He greatly eulogized the Seva work as inaugurated by Swami Vivekananda.

Whatever Swami Turiyananda would do he would, he would apply the whole strength of his soul to it. One found him always sitting erect - even in his illness, even while on a easy chair! This simple physical characteristic represented, as it were, his mental attitude.

He was unbending in not allowing Maya to catch him. He was a man of great spiritual intensity.

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