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Eternal Peace and Infinite Bliss. Therefore practice diligently in right earnest. It is worth doing. Be
on the alert. If you are sincere in your wish and strong in your resolve, nothing is impossible under
the sun to accomplish. Nothing can stand in your way. If you fail in your attempt, do not be
discouraged. Remember the thrilling story of the dreadful fight between Hercules and the
prodigious giant. In the course of his journey in quest of adventures, Hercules encountered a
monster, who was so wonderfully contrived by nature that every time he touched the earth, he
became ten times as strong as before. By remembering this incident you will get inner strength and
courage. You are bound to succeed.
Realise that you are neither body nor mind, that you were never born nor will you ever die,
that you are invincible, that nothing in this world can hurt you, that you are the Sun around whom
the whole universe revolves. The whole knowledge is treasured up within the chambers of your
heart. Procure the key and unlock the doors of Knowledge. Yoga is the Key. You will attain
unruffled peace, marvellous self-control and tremendous will-power.
Behold! There on the banks of the holy Ganga at Rishikesh, Himalayas, a Sage, a
Paramahamsa Sannyasin of eighty summers, with lustrous eyes, serene face, magnetic personality,
bright complexion sits with a loin-cloth only. There is a small grass-hut beside him underneath a
tree. Inside the hut you will find a small wooden bowl (Kamandalu) for keeping water and an
ordinary stick. This is all his personal effect. He is always sitting there in a contemplative mood. He
never talks, nor laughs, but occasionally nods his roundshapely head and smiles gently. He never
stirs from the place. He is unaffected by the heat of the summer sun or the biting cold of the winter.
He never uses blankets, no, not even in winter. What a wonderful power of endurance! He lives on
some milk and fruits only. His heart is filled with purity, mercy, compassion, sympathy and love!
16
PRACTICAL LESSONS IN YOGA
People from various parts of the country flock to him in hundreds and thousands in season
and out of season with flowers and fruits in their hands, prostrate at his Holy Feet, worship him with
their offerings and leave the place with his ready blessings. He never talks, but all doubts are cleared
in his mere presence. People forget the world, their families, their children. They bathe in his
magnetic aura. Such is the benign influence of a liberated sage who is verily a beacon-light to the
world at large.
Now here is a man living in the busiest part of a metropolis. He earns a fat salary. He spends
half of his earnings in gambling and in drinking. The other half goes to cinema and prostitutes. He
eats fish, meat and smokes heavily. He runs into debts every month and finds it hard to make both
ends meet. He dislikes sages and saints. He has no faith in God or in scriptures. He is very
cruel-hearted. He attends ballrooms and theatres, goes to bed at 2 a.m. and gets up at 9 a.m. He
wears a care-worn face even though he appears in costly silken finery. He is always gloomy and
depressed. His heart is filled with lust, anger, greed, vanity, hypocrisy and egoism. Compare for a
moment the life of this man with that of the magnanimous Sage of the Himalayas! They are poles
asunder. The one is a God-man, the other is a bruteman. But if the brute-man seeks the company of
the God-man, he will surely give up his old dirty habits. Just as iron is transmuted into gold by the
touch of the philosopher s stone, so also the brute-man will be radically changed into a veritable
saint by and by through constant contact with a developed Yogi.
Good friend! Slay this serpent of ignorance mercilessly. Get Knowledge of Self: This will
give your Freedom or Liberation. Ignorance is your deadliest enemy. He has plundered the Jewel of
Wisdom for long ages. Rise above temptations of this little world. This world is a show for five
minutes directed by the juggler, Maya or mind. Beware. Do not get yourself entrapped. Money,
woman, power, name, fame these are the live tempting baits of Maya. Those who have not fallen
victims to these illusory baits will surely reach the other shore of immortality and fearlessness the
shore beyond darkness where there is perennial joy and eternal sunshine. Reach this shore through
indefatigable struggle, rigid discipline and rigorous practice of Yoga.
From the condition of your mind, from your feelings and conduct, you can very well
understand the nature of your actions in your previous lives and can nullify or counteract the effects
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