Nov 25, 2024
Nov 25, 2024
by R C Ganjoo
His Holiness Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Sri Swami Maheshwarananda Puri of Panchayati Maha Nirvani Akhara is the disciple and successor of Hindu Dharmsamrat Paramhans Sri Swami Madhavananda. Since 1970 he has been living and working in Europe. Through his long lasting activities in the West, Swamiji has become familiar with the way of life and the many problems people face in the modern world. He has developed a comprehensive master system called "Yoga in Daily Life", based on original yoga tradition and specially directed to the situation and needs of modern civilization. The system can be lived and practised regardless of age, social status, nationality or denomination is internationally recognised and practised.
As he told to R C Ganjoo on Yoga in Daily Life:
Human are the most highly evolved of all living beings, and thus have the unique intellectual capacity to resolve the problem and overcome the difficulties that confront them within their environment and their destiny.
Through Yoga we are able to awaken these inner power centres and make them accessible. With the help of these dormant energies it is possible for us to achieve what we so dearly desire, a purposeful existence living in peace, harmony and happiness. Through these power centres we get in touch with the spiritual powers in the cosmos and recognise our original nature ,our true Self.
Yoga means "union". Yoga teaches us to live un unity and harmony, with tolerance and respect for all living beings in the natural world. Yoga Masters throughout the whole world endeavour to create unity amongst all humans, which is a prerequisite for world peace.
Yoga is more than just a system of physical exercises-it is a science of body, mind ,consciousness and soul. It is the source of all wisdom and all religions. Yoga makes it possible for every human to discover the real purpose of life and their own true nature. Those who have recognised and experienced their own inner truth will never again wage war or use force against others.
Unfortunately, nationalism and intolerance continue to spread throughout the world today. Peaceful co-existence will only be realised when the different religions of this globe exhibit tolerance, and show respect equally to all other peoples and nations.
In reality there is only:
The aim of my life is to serve people through Yoga. My mission is to reawaken within humans the belief in God, and respect and love for His creation. This includes all living beings. I have dedicated my life to this task.
In an endeavour to make the ancient, traditional science of Yoga available to people of all ages in this modern world, I developed a systematic method of practice from the authentic traditions of Yoga. A it can be fully integrated into our daily life it has become known as : The System "Yoga in Daily Life"
Yoga in Daily LIfe: The physical a breathing exercises (Asanas and Pranayaams) of Yoga, which help us to achieve and maintain health and promote long life, are only a very small part of this comprehensive system. In its original sense Yoga means the all-pervading, eternally awake consciousness that keeps the centre Cosmos in balance. Yoga is an old as the Universe itself and represents the principles of truth, love and consciousness, forming the "building plan "of the whole Universe.
In the Bhagavad Gita,one of the authentic sources of Yoga, Lord Krishna says to his disciple Arjuna (4/1) -" I will now reveal to you the knowledge of Yoga which I previously gave to the Sun God".
The knowledge given to the Sun God is the light of Yoga-meaning consciousness and life . And when the first ray of the sun shone on the planet it brought with it consciousness and life.
To realise Yoga means to achieve Self-Realisation, which is identical to God-Realisation. Realisation of, and union with, God is to experience oneself as a part of God. With this realisation the individual soul (Jivatma) is united with the Self (Atma), which is its origin , and as the Atma is part of the Supreme Self (Parmatma) they are therefore in essence the same. And so, at the end, the "little i of the ego" dissolves in the Divine Self, just like a raindrop in the ocean.
The path that leads us to the experience and realisation of this oneness is also called "yoga". In this sense Yoga is described as a scientific system of physical ,breathing, concentration and meditation practices, as well as ethical rules for living. These practices and principles were revealed and transmitted by God to the sages and seers( Rishis) of India in their meditations many thousands of years ago.
In view of the varying predispositions and interests of people, the Rishis outlined four main Yoga paths:
Bhakti Yoga: The devotees offer in Bhakti Yoga their love and devotion to that form of God worshipped by them.
Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga is to worship God through their selfless service for all living beings.
Raja Yoga: Raja Yoga awakens the supreme consciousness within, through discipline and meditation.
Gyana Yoga: Gyana Yogis strive knowledge of the impersonal divine principle.
These four spiritual paths are inextricably linked to one another and lead to the same goal-to Self-Knowledge and God-Realisation ,to union with the cosmic consciousness.
The Indian Rishis who possessed insight into the past, present and future, predicted that Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion to God, would be especially important for the people of Kali Yoga, (In Kali Yuga (literally "dark age") humans have largely forgotten their connection to the divine knowledge. War, violence,cruelty, catastrophes, disease and destruction are the signs of Kali Yuga and are clearly recognisable in our world today) the age in which we are currently living. The spiritual development of Bhakti Yogis takes place in a very natural way, just like a child who has complete trust in its parents to provide for it, love it and give it protection.
The System "Yoga in Daily Life" shows us how to connect Bhakti Yoga with the other three Yoga paths in our everyday life, within the family and the workplace.
08-May-2016
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