Parable Of The Butter Hidden In The Milk

Hari Om,

The young daughter had gone to her village home for the first time from her city-dwelling. At night before retiring to bed, her mother opened a pot in which there was good cow's milk and poured a little buttermilk. The girl asked her mother: "Mother, that was butter milk; and why have you mixed it with Milk? The milk may be spoiled!" "Child," answered the mother, "that is the way to prepare the milk in order that we might get butter out of it." "But where is butter in it, mother?" "It is in every drop of the milk, dear; but you can't see it now. I will show you in the morning." In the morning the daughter saw that what was liquid the night before had become solid overnight. Mother put a churning rod into it and started churning the curd vigorously. Butter began to float on the surface of the curd. Then she gathered it all up and presented it to the astonishment of the daughter. The mother explained: "The addition of the buttermilk curdles the milk. Milk is transformed into curd. Then you have to churn it. By this process the butter which was all-pervasively hidden in the milk is obtained. At first you were not able to see it; it was hidden. From where has it come now? From the milk only. Therefore you understand now that it was there all the time. It awaited the process of churning to reveal itself to your great joy." The daughter, too, followed the same process and got the butter, for herself.

Similarly, a worldly man approaches a Mahatma and asks him: "O Sadhu, why have you renounced the world, and poured this new element of Vairagya and Tyaga into your life? Why don't you let the life take its natural course?" The Sadhu replies: "Brother, I do so in order to realise God?" "Where is God?" "He is all-pervading." The worldly man does not see and is not convinced. The Sadhu then explains how the inner personality which is fickle and outflowing should be made solid and firm. Then the churning rod of one-pointed concentration and meditation should be taken hold of, and this solid Antahkarana should be very well churned. Then God is realised. He is all-pervading, in every atom of creation. But He is not visible to the naked eye nor is He realisable by a man except through this process called Sadhana.

Just as a mother was necessary for her daughter to learn that butter exists in milk and that churning will bring it out, even so a Guru is necessary for a man to know that God is, that He is all-pervading, and that He is attained through Sadhana. If the aspirant follows the Guru's instructions, he too, can realise God. 

Source : Swami Sivananda's Parables of Sivananda

Om Namoh Bhagavathe Sivanandaya !

Om Namoh Bhagavathe Chidanandaya !

The Analogy Of The Two Birds

Hari Om,

There are two birds on the same tree. One is perched at the top and the other below. The bird which is sitting on the top is perfectly serene, silent and majestic at all times. It is ever blissful. The other bird, which is perching on the lower branches, eats the sweet and bitter fruits by turns. It dances in joy sometimes. It is miserable at other times. It rejoices now and weeps after some time. Sometimes it tastes an extremely bitter fruit and gets disgusted. It looks up and beholds the other wonderful bird with golden plumage which is ever blissful. It also wishes to become like the bird with golden plumage, but soon forgets everything. Again it begins to eat the sweet and bitter fruits. It eats another fruit that is exceedingly bitter and feels very miserable. It again tries to become like the upper bird. Gradually, it abandons eating the fruits, and becomes serene and blissful like the upper bird. The upper bird is God or Brahman. The lower bird is Jiva or the individual soul who reaps the fruits of his Karmas, viz., pleasure and pain. He gets knocks and blows in the battle of life. He rises up and again falls down as the senses drag him down. Gradually he develops Vairagya (dispassion) and discrimination, turns his mind towards God, practises meditation, attains Self-realisation and enjoys the eternal bliss of Brahman. 

Excerpts from Swami Sivananda's book ' All About Hinduism  '

Om Namoh Bhagavathe Sivanandaya !

Om Namoh Bhagavathe Chidanandaya !

What is Enlightenment ?

Hari Om !

Well, this is a question....I still have not found a complete answer. I am still searching. Whatever I have understood till now from the teachings of Swami Sivanandaji and Swami Chidanandaji, I would like to present. Enlightenment or God realization or God consciousness is really a state of being. Maybe a mental state, but I am not so sure since it is believed that there is no mind when there is enlightenment.

Basically, human beings exists with a 'world consciousness' state, which would mean that human beings give utmost importance to themselves. Their self or the 'I' dominates every action of theirs.They think they are responsible for everything that is happening.....success, pleasures, pain, sorrow, etc. The level of attribution does varies amongst human beings. When one transcends from 'world consciousness' state to 'God consciouness' state, the self or the 'I' factor disappears. They would start believing that nothing is due to themselves or the 'I' factor. They believe everything is happening because of God.....hence everything is attributed to God.....good, bad, success, failures, sorrow, pain belongs to God. They feel that they are mere instruments in the hands of God. 

As one transcends from the 'world consciousness' state to 'God consciousness' state, they start believing that God who is formless,nameless, timeless, endless, etc is everywhere. They believe that their own self (atman) or soul is nothing but a part of God. They identify themselves as same as God. Perhaps, this is what the great philosopher Sri Adi Sankaracharya consolidated in his Advaita Vedanta , and the Upanishads imbibe constantly as  "Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman)" and "Tat Tvam Asi(Thou art That)". As one grows in spiritual consciousness, they identify themselves with everything in this world. They become extremely compassionate to every living being and even to non living being. Even though they live in this world, they are not attached to the 'worldly things'. They are in constant remembrance of God. 

Om  Namoh Bhagavathe Sivanandaya !

Om Namoh Bhagavathe Chidanandaya !