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Glorious Fifty Years of Wisdom and Service
A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 50th Birthday

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Table of Contents

  • Meditation—Its Theory and Practice BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA
  1. The Meaning and Method of Meditation
  2. Impediments in Meditation
  3. Spiritual Experiences
  4. The Groundwork of Self-Knowledge
  5. The Problem of Self-Alienation
  6. The Method of Self-Integration
  7. Self-Withdrawal and Self-Discovery
  • Articles About Swami Krishnananda

The Upadesh of Swami Krishnananda

by Siva Kiekens, Aalst

I am one of the Yoga students who took part in the International Yoga and Meditation course, early 1970, that was held at Sivanandashram under the guidance of Rev. Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj. Just as I was about to leave my country, I gave a call to Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj who was touring in Europe at that time. I have never forgotten Poojya Swamiji's words: "Do not go to India for roaming about, for sightseeing, for seeing India's poverty. Go straight to Sivanandashram and do serene Sadhana there. Experience Gurudev's presence and Kripa. I have wrtitten to Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj about your visit and I am sure he will give the very best of Himself. He is a Jnanapurusha." I had also read a statement of Gurudev about Krishnananda Swamiji Maharaj: "Who knows how many Shankaracharyas have gone into this Sannyasin." I went to Sivanandashram with the highest expectations and... I came back rich! Mainly through Poojya Sri Swami Krishnananda's grace. All the Ashramites have noticed and said how we, the students, were really hanging at Swamiji's lips.

I had the greatest difficulties in understanding the real depth of Sri Swamiji's teachings. Even now I am continuing the study, and may be it will take a whole life-time. Yet, from the very first lesson several ideas really struck me. Even today some of Swamiji's sentences are ringing in my ears. If I put some of Swamiji's ideas on paper they may lose some of their power. Swamiji must say them with His own powerful and tremendous conviction: "Only God is and nothing else can be." And smilingly He added: "Think in these lines for just one hour and you will not go for dinner."

I always remember many other words of Sri Swamiji's Upadesh: " Conflicts are the false self that you are carrying with you. You cannot become it because it is not you. You cannot give it up because you think it is you. We have a cloud of confusion covering the light of our mind. Because we see through the mist and we see a world of conflict. This cloud has to be dispersed. This is the purpose of Yoga. You do not create happiness. It is there always. You have to become the true YOU only! "Relationships are all outside. The unrelated condition is Wholeness. Our true being is unrelated wholeness of Consciousness. The mistake of Sankhya is that it thinks that there is a counterpart to Consciousness. It cannot be real because Consciousness is a whole. You cannot think of God. This would be reducing Him to an object of experience. There is no such thing as psychological relationship with Reality. Hence what we, through concentration, have to achieve, is to melt the network of relationships that are artificially created in perception and cognition. We must melt them in such a way that we will see things as they are in themselves. Dharana is a creating of a tendency in consciousness towards non-objectivity. All objectivity is bondage. All tendency towards non-objectivity is a step towards freedom of the Soul. The art of concentration is towards internality. To conceive the object as it could be in itself without any association with other particulars, without association with a colour or a shape, and without your idea about it is to, contemplate it as it is in ITSELF. Concentration is beholding an object from its OWN standpoint.

It is thinking something as independent of the sensations we have of it. Concentration is seeing a thing as the Adi-Daiva, God, would see a thing..."

I can go on quoting more inspiring words of Swamiji but I think we must hear them from his lips. At his holy feet I have experienced the tremendous power with which he removes our darkness. I am sure that Sri Swamiji will attract more and more seekers from the West and in His own scientific way will give them a deep understanding of true Yoga.

Just before I left the Ashram Swamiji smilingly said: "When you go home had tell there what you have heard, Europe will shake." Swamiji hesitated for a while and then said: "Or you will shake."

We are deeply grateful to Thee for taking so much pain and strain in teaching us. When my other brothers and co-workers like Narayana, Laxmi, Shankara, Devi, Leela, Renu, Jyoti, Uma, Keshava, Muruga and many others have rededicated themselves to the great work of Gurudev Swami Sivanandajl when I told them my experiences with Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj.

My deep prayers is that Thy good wishes may be with us always and with many more seekers the world over and may this supreme Grace be with us for many years to come.