The Festivity of Life

The Festivity of Life
by Swami Jyotirmayananda


Behold how gloriously the sun begins to rise every day during the hours of the dawn, working wonders so silently. Along with that music of silence there is the majesty of light that tears the veil of darkness, sending a message that reaches out even to the buds, miracu­lously allowing them to bloom and unfold. There is joyousness. There is a festivity of immense proportion. But how much is a human being able to share of this universal abundance, this grandeur that nature pours forth day by day?

So many people slumber early in the morning with headache, burdened with worries, afraid to face the new day, unaware of the glorious changes that go on. And not only during the morning hours, but hour after hour, season after season, there are changes in nature — the rain’s galloping drops, spring with its lovely colors, autumn with its flaming red, winter with its mighty winds and storms — all these express the majesty of the creator, the Divine Self.

But a human being lives enclosed in the confines of his limited mind, unaware of this abundant glory. Yet that abundance continues to operate through him — the cells in his body are alive and pulsating with universal life; the lungs breathe in and out from the universal reservoir of energy; vitality is thrilling within the body in unison with cosmic vitality at every moment However, mind is unable to understand the glory of life and the significance of living as a human being.

It is important for an aspirant to realize that even though he seems limited from an ordinary point of view, he has the possibility of capturing cosmic life, of bringing God within his heart, of breaking down the cocoon he has built out of his egoistic attitudes and relationships, of sweeping away forever the cobwebs that he has woven out of his delusion. If he gains a deep insight into the possibility of all this, he will realize how glorious life can be.

You are not living merely to be pleasant to your family members, to secure the insecure attitudes of human beings, and to linger with the illusions of the world. Rather, you live for attaining God-realization, which implies being part of the cosmic festivity, becoming the very ocean of Bliss.

Every step taken towards that goal is a step towards abundance of joy, towards attainment and realization of power, beauty, love, contentment, Bliss. It is important, then, to understand the art that enables you to break the illusion of individuality, to break the barriers of your personal life and to become united with cosmic life. That art is known as Yoga.

Integral Yoga — the artful blend of Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Karma Yoga — presents before you a technique of discovering your inner resources, and reveals the glorious achieve­ments that await on the path. Hatha Yoga beckons you towards a healthy life in which you can glimpse the workings of cosmic vitality through your body. Through Hatha Yoga you unite Prana and Upana, the polarized states of the energy in the body. The moment Prana and Upana are united and you allow that concentrated Prana to move through the subtle channels of Kundalini, you will begin to fill your brain with the immense vitality that Yogis describe as nectar. Therefore, by practicing various exercises of Asana and Pranayama, Madras and Bhandhas, you discover there is a vast world of health and vitality of body and mind for you to explore — and that is just the beginning on the path of Yoga.

Raja Yoga gives you a still more profound plan of life, leading you to the majestic gardens of mystic worlds, to mystic forests and valleys, to high summits that shine golden with the light of intuitive wisdom. Raja Yoga teaches you the art of concentration and meditation, and the technique of withdrawing the senses from the outer world. It teaches you how to control and integrate your mind day by day, rather than allowing it to be disintegrated through the illusions of the world. As your mental energy is conserved, you begin to explore the vast world of your unconscious, which links itself to the divine basis in all. Exploring your Chitta, your unconscious, you ulti­mately become aware of the Divine Self that underlies all things.

And so, through Raja Yoga you have before you the possibility of becoming the master of your own mind and senses, the master of nature and its forces, the master of circumstances, the master of all elements. If that possibility becomes very clear and vivid before your mind, it will seem so insignificant to run after perishable wealth, illusory glory, a little fame that ultimately vanishes. Rather, you will strive to discover the immense power of your will and the majesty of the workings of spirit through the mind.

Another aspect of Yoga before you is Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion. Bhakti Yoga beckons you to enter into the garden of your heart, a garden of blooming flowers of divine virtues that contains within it a secret stream of love. This stream is silvery and is illumined by the moon of divine beauty. Through Bhakti Yoga you discover the possibility of unfolding infinite love within yourself, a love that is being constantly stifled when your mind seeks the fulfill­ment of love in perishable objects and fleeting person­alities; Bhakti Yoga therefore teaches you the art of truly loving God, and of integrating all your tender sentiments into a flowing stream of love, allowing you to be thrilled by cosmic awareness at all times.

By reflecting upon worldly circumstances of in­tense love, you can see that even such love beckons the mind to something beyond. When a mother loves her child, for example, she can allow her ego to be surrendered, and her own interests to be sacrificed because that reflection of love in her heart is actually derived from a divine source. Similarly, each time you are thrilled by a deeper movement within yourself you are temporarily free of the confines of the body and limited personality. As you tread the path of Bhakti Yoga, you overcome the error of looking for that expansive experience in the love of perishable objects of the world, and discover the possibility of ex­periencing Divine Love, Divine Ecstasy. . . living a life that is constantly in communion with the Divine Self.

Next you have before you the path of Jnana Yoga, the Yoga of Wisdom. On the path of wisdom, the angels surround you at all times, and Gods from the heavens ask you to come away from this world of illusion and roam in the vast expansion of the Self. “You are not this limited personality,” Jnana Yoga constantly proclaims, and it shows you the art of discovering your Self through intuitive development. It teaches you to live not as a human being related to perishable persons and objects, but to live as the Self, as the basis and substratum of all that is, as the very spirit behind the Gods and angels.

When you tread the path of Yoga, especially Jnana Yoga, you befriend great qualities which are the expression of the Divine Self: contentment, com­passion, cheerfulness, purity, truthfulness, inner strength. There is constant sunshine in your mind — the sunshine of clarity, the sunshine of joy, the sunshine of magnanimity of heart. And that is the glory of Jnana Yoga before you.

Apart from these three main Yogas, (Raja, Bhakti, and Jnana Yogas) and one minor Yoga (Hatha Yoga) that I have described, there is a fourth: Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga is the expression of your life within this world; the manner in which you live.

Karma Yoga presents you with the possibility of living and acting in such a way that every work becomes an expression of loving service. No matter for whom you are working — whether for yourself, for your children, for your relatives — and no matter what type of job you are handling, or what type of activity you are involved in, your action becomes a joyous expression of life, and there is no possibility for boredom. When you are filled with vitality you sing and dance; and when you sing and dance and express your joyousness in various ways, you do not expect a reward for such expression. You do not look at people to see whether they admire you for doing so. Much in the same way, when you become an advanced Yogi, activity flows through you because you are blessed with abundant universal energy, because you throb with cosmic vitality. And that is the ideal before you on the path of Karma Yoga. Every action becomes an effective participation in cosmic festivity. Life becomes a continuous flow of joy, a continuous procession of sportive Bliss.

Now, having before you these great goals pre­sented by the various aspects of Yoga, you should live with immense joy and hope. You have not just a golden future — because gold perishes — but you have a future of infinite Bliss. And the manner in which you can move toward these goals is simple. All that is needed is your persistence and a rhythmic balance in day to day life.

Firstly, seek good association. Never allow your­self to be devoid of good association. Forego food, but do not forego things that elevate your mind. Secondly, allow a regular pattern in your life. Learn the art of meditating, of praying, of repeating the name of God, of studying a scripture and reflecting upon it.

Do your duties well, and, having done your duty, keep the mind free of worry. A swan swims in the lake, but, having completed the swimming process, flutters its wings and throws off every particle of water. Much in the same way you must learn how to enter into the world, do your duties, flutter your wings, throw off worries, and then scale the inward heights through meditation, devotion, and wisdom. These being the great objectives before you, let your life be a life of increasing joy, increasing strength, increasing under­standing, and increasing abundance. This is the only thing I can wish for you!

“International Yoga Guide” Vol. 21, NO.5, January 1984



...